ACT II: DIE ZUKUNFT
The boy stares at you with a curious, open expression.
You can't tear your eyes away from his face, not when even Satoru goes completely still beside you.
There is an odd weight inside your chest, and the back of your throat constricts – is it nausea? Why do you feel like you're going to start bawling any second?
From this distance, you can't make out the boy's exact features. You study him carefully, like one might look at a priceless painting.
Except for his eyes, he is a carbon copy of Satoru. Same nose, white hair and eyelashes, the same lips.
But no – his chin is different. And the shape of his face is not so angular.
You don't dare to speak the thought that's been shooting through your head the second you lay your eyes on him. The implication of it-
"Satoshi, come here."
You expected it, but that doesn't make the sight of the older version of Gojo Satoru any less shocking. The boy, Satoshi, drops his football in favor of reaching his arms toward his father to be picked up.
"Looks like you scared our guests, huh?" He adjusts the child in his arms, and you see the gentle smile on his face when he talks to him. It's so familiar, and yet-
This Gojo Satoru looks older and taller in a way. His body is fully grown, and his clothes can barely conceal the muscles underneath. Instead of sunglasses, he wears white bandages that make his hair stick up into the air. The way he carries himself is different, you notice. There is a noticeable weight on his shoulders.
It's the adult version of the man beside you, through and through.
"Damn," Satoru whispers next to you. "I'm a DILF."
Your hand comes up to cover your eyes in embarrassment. "Please shut the fuck up."
"Hey, no swearing in front of kids."
You jab him with your elbow and shoot him a nasty look.
"Haibara, please take Satoshi to the dining room for lunch," Future Gojo says to a middle-aged woman that approaches him. She expertly takes the boy off his arms and carries him in a way that makes it clear to you that she's experienced in childcare.
The man in front of you looks at your intertwined fingers with vague interest, and you quickly pull your hand back. Only then do you realize that you are sweating profusely, and you hastily wipe your palm on your jacket.
"Don't be shy, come in!" He turns around and waves you inside the estate. Satoru and you look at each other, and shrug at the same time.
What's the worst that could happen? Satoru asks silently.
You raise one eyebrow. I'm totally blaming you if we get screwed.
His hand is on your back when he grins and leads you into the house.
You follow Future Gojo through long, wooden hallways. It's quite homely, you note surprisingly. There are high ceilings, lots of windows and spacious rooms. The interior is decorated rather minimalistically with wooden furniture, but there are a lot of paintings and art pieces like vases or statues decorating the walls. You even spot one or two children's drawings lying around. The air is light, and it feels like a place where nothing bad has happened yet.
It is cozy. Not something you expected from the Gojo Clan, but then again, Satoru doesn't really talk about his family all too much. You only know that they require him to carry on the legacy, and that he couldn't care less about what they want.
Well, you think back to Satoshi, looks like he did one thing they demanded of him.
Future Gojo slides open a door and beckons you inside. Like the rest of the house, the room is warm and welcoming. There is a sofa on the right side, two armchairs, a large carpet and a coffee table with bowls filled with sweets on top of it. You sit down on one of the chairs and anxiously fiddle with your fingers. When they both sit down, you realize that you are the only person in existence that has the misfortune of being in the same room with not one, but two Gojo Satorus.
For a while, you all stare at each other.
"So," Future Gojo sings and leans back into the couch cushions. "Looks like you got yourself in quite a mess. How about you tell me your story first, and then we'll see what I can do about it?"
You decide to take initiative since you dont trust Satoru to not leave out details, and start to explain. You tell him everything, from being assigned to a curse that should have been exorcised a decade ago, to tricking him with illusions and the subsequent battle that led to a portal being opened, and you being dragged into it. You solely omit the fact that you may or may not have severely fucked up by underestimating the curse and playing around. Just thinking about it makes your inside curl up in discomfort. Letting your guard down was your greatest mistake.
Future Gojo listens silently. When you finish, he slowly nods. Then, he casually waves a hand in your direction.
"You can ask your questions now. I'm sure you have a lot."
You grit your teeth at his nonchalance. Speaking freely to this version of Satoru is harder than you originally thought. This is a man you don't know – not really, at least. Everything about him is similar to the friend you've known for years, and yet he feels foreign.
It doesn't help that you aren't sure what to ask first. There is an abundance of questions you want answers to, but the most important one makes you fluster.
"Yeah, uhm, Gojo- "
Both men look at you. "Yes?"
You shoot Satoru an exasperated look. "I haven't called you Gojo since our first year at school. Why the fuck are you reacting?"
"Does she still swear like a sailor every time she's nervous?" Satoru looks at his future-self who grins but doesn't answer the question.
Which makes you briefly think whether you're alive in this timeline or not. You aren't sure if you want to know.
"You're Gojo," you point at the man in front of you, "and you're Satoru." You press your finger into his cheek.
"Now that we have this out of the way," you say and cross your arms. "What year is it?"
"It's February 11th, 2017."
A decade . That curse sent you ten years into the future. The jarring reality of it makes you cover your mouth with your hand in shock.
"Who's the mother of the kid?"
Your head snaps up to the side when Satoru blurts out the question that's been plaguing your thoughts the entire time.
"Ah," Gojo grins and crosses his arms. "Don't worry, it's not you."
He musters you and you think your heart is malfunctioning because you swear it stops beating for a second.
"Although, I can see why you would think that. Same eye color, right?"
He slightly lifts his bandages, enough for you to catch sight of his azure irises, and gazes at you almost nostalgically. The look on his face makes you fear the worst about your fate in this world.
"Am I still alive?" you ask bluntly because there is a sudden need to know.
"Of course." He tilts his head and lowers his bandages again. "I wouldn't let you die. You're overseas right now, dealing with a special-grade mission."
You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding. A strange sense of satisfaction mixed with anxiety pools in your stomach. Is it right for you to know?
This future version of yourself is still a sorcerer, then. It's no big surprise, but a part of you always wondered whether a normal life would suit you. Away from curses, and death; not seeing carnage every day, but the faces of people you love. Getting a decent job, and someday having a family of your own.
Something akin to pain weighs you down when you think of Satoru having a child with another woman. But why would it? Shouldn't you be glad for him? This future version of him certainly looks happy. Content, even. You glance at his hand and spot a wedding band. Instead of being delighted, it only makes the oppressing feeling in your chest grow heavier.
Satoru is strangely silent next to you, so you decide to take the reins.
"We need to go back to our time as soon as possible. Our timeline needs Satoru, and being here cannot be right by the laws of nature. If time is linear, then you should have gone through this whole thing before." Your shoulders sack. "But seeing as you don't know what we're talking about, I assume it's much more complicated than that."
Gojo seems to consider your words. "Our memories match up until your assignment to exorcise Jikan. Back then, I chose another mission after I brought you back from Kyoto."
Your mouth falls open. One tiny mistake, a coincidence, and now you're in all this trouble? Talk about butterfly-effect.
"What if we try to find the Oracle Curse – or Jikan – and make him send us back? Do you- "
"I killed him, years ago," he interrupts you. "That was shortly after you returned to Kyoto and moved back to Tokyo."
"I moved back to Tokyo?" you ask confusedly and then quickly shake your head. "Don't answer that. I shouldn't know any future events in case it negatively effects the past. We know too little about time travel to rule it out."
"Well, your arrival was noticed by everyone in Japan, I fear." Gojo gestures around the room with one hand. "There was a massive wave of cursed energy when you arrived. I imagine that the place you came from is crawling with curses by now."
Satoru is still not saying anything, only staring at his future self with something close to annoyance. Gojo doesn't even look at him. His eyes, which are hidden behind the bandages, are locked onto your face. He isn't even trying to hide it.
"It was probably caused by the paradox of two Six Eyes colliding." The mental picture becomes clearer the more you think about it. "The universe had to decide, and it deactivated the Six Eyes of the second instance in this timeline, which was Satoru. The impact of it – I'm sure it was nothing like you've ever felt before."
"The higher-ups are not happy, but then, who cares what they think?" Gojo props his legs up onto the coffee table and crosses his arms behind his head.
The pose is so reminiscent of the Satoru you know that it makes you blink. Some things never change, it seems.
"Do you have any ideas yet?" You clear your throat in order to stay focused.
Gojo hums and plays with his bandages, his finger slipping under the material and twisting it absent-mindedly.
"I might."
Your hands crumple the fabric of your skirt. You're still wearing your school uniform, and you're itching for a shower. His unwillingness to share what's on his mind vexes you more than you admit. Trust Gojo Satoru to be annoying in every universe.
"And?" You try to keep your voice steady.
"There might be a way to send you back," he says, finally. "But I'll have to do some research."
You exhale in relief. With him on your side, your chances of fixing this mess increase vastly.
"Great, now that this is settled- "
"But I won't help you further than that."
You freeze.
"What do you mean?"
He half-shrugs. "I have a wife and kids now. I can't get into too much trouble."
"But- Wait, did you say kids? As in plural?"
"Ah, now you got me," he grins, "But my point still stands. I'm afraid you need to do this on your own. I'm not going to get involved besides getting you the information. We already determined that nothing that happens to my past-self has any consequence to me."
You want to strangle him. Your hands twitch with the urge.
"How can you know that?" You press the words past your gritted teeth.
"As you said, time isn't linear. If it were, then everything that is happening right now would have already happened to me. It didn't, so I conclude that time has infinite pathways, and you just happen to be dropped into this one."
"God, how can you still be so annoying after ten years?" you growl, and your expression darkens further when he starts to laugh.
"I forgot how adorable you used to be when you were mad," he snickers.
Satoru breaks his determined Vow of Silence and lays a hand on your arm.
"Can you leave us alone for a moment? I need a word with him."
You stare at him in disbelief. This whole conversation, he refrains from making a single sound while you lay down your case and defend it, and now he's sending you away?
You tear your arm from his grip and stand up.
"Whatever," you throw over your shoulder, unable to hide your irritated tone.
You slide the door shut with more force than necessary. You lean against the wall and cross your arms, your fingers tapping your forearm impatiently.
No one passes you as you wait, and you're sure it's due to Gojo's orders. From now on, you will need to be extra cautious of being seen, especially since your future self is supposed to be overseas and Satoru is as inconspicuous as a blinking neon sign with the words 'Look at me!' written on it.
After ten minutes, the door slides open again, and you can't believe your eyes when Satoru skips to you and promptly wraps an arm around your shoulders.
"What happened?" you ask perplexed. His mood was the opposite of gleeful just minutes ago, and now he is beaming like the sun itself.
"We talked, from one man to another," he tells you and you can't help but notice how close you're standing. Your side is pressed into him, and you can feel his breath on your cheek. Your face grows warmer.
"I also got this."
He flashes you a black credit card, and your eyes light up. If Gojo isn't going to help you besides making a few phone calls, you at least get to drain his bank account.
The look he gives you is close to scandalous. It makes your heart flutter in excitement when he opens his mouth and voices your exact thoughts.
"Want to explore Tokyo in the year of 2017?"