Chapter one: The Aftermath

Why?

Satoru has only visited the village Suguru grew up in once before. Back when they were both just first years at Jujutsu Tech, back when they hardly knew each other and Satoru was still overly curious about the quiet boy that could keep up with him.

Suguru never talked about his parents or his homelife, and neither did Satoru, they didn't need to. And although he isn't really sure why, some part of Satoru had just assumed that Suguru didn't even have parents, at least not anymore, none that were important at least. Satoru learned otherwise during his first year when he and Suguru got a mission at his childhood village, but it's only until the summer of their last year that Satoru truly understands the disconnect.

Why?

Satoru knows Suguru wasn't close with his parents, Suguru never talked about his family or about his childhood in the village- Satoru knows this-

It still doesn't help explain the decimation, the obvious massacre before him. Not even a little.

Why?

Satoru knows Suguru's residuals like the back of his own hand, so much so a part of him twitches, thinking that Suguru had actually dared to show his face here again, but that's just wishful thinking. The residuals remain, frantic and spattered across the village streets and Suguru is nowhere to be found, the stench of blood is settling in the back of Satoru's throat like a physical weight and all he can think is why-

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why-

Something has been growing inside of Suguru for a while now, he knows this. Satoru knows this, he knew something was wrong- he knows this-

But he thought- He had thought…

I was… wrong? Satoru suddenly realizes with a great shock, and he realizes it entirely too late. His sightless gaze is stretched out before him, at the dismembered corpses stretched out in their final moments of embrace, a horror so consuming Satoru can still feel it, it's clawing at him. I was wrong.

It didn't matter that Satoru was the strongest, because he was wrong.

Something has been growing inside of Suguru for a while now, he knows this. Something has been growing inside of Satoru for a while now, too, he knows this, he thought Suguru knew this, too.

He had thought that Suguru was handling it. He had thought that Suguru would know-

He had thought that Suguru understood that Satoru needs him to be that moral compass. To be the one to tell him don't, to tell him to stop, and wait when all they do is applaud. To be the good Satoru so desperately needs to exist in the world because otherwise-

Because otherwise what is the whole point, Suguru? What am I fighting for anymore? Why?

Why why why why why why-

"Satoru." Yaga says stiffly, lost in his own ways as he stands beside him in the destroyed street of Suguru's childhood village. "Do you really need to see anything else?"

Do we really need any more proof? Satoru can hear Yaga asking him, pitying in his own way and it grinds at him. Isn't it obvious what's really happened here, Satoru?

That Suguru has finally snapped?

I get that. Satoru wants to shout, he wants to hurt something, he wants to make it bleed. I get that. He wants- he needs to get it because- Because otherwise what is the point?

"I need to understand why." Satoru finally keeps walking and Yaga follows, they follow Suguru's residuals through the village like bread crumbs on a forest floor, from one corpse to the next like a chain reaction, the fall of a tower of dominoes.

Satoru gazes through the twisted, mangled villagers, the men, women and children strewn about like pieces of trash, he hardly acknowledges their presence, this situation hardly even feels real to him.

Yaga seems to be struggling to ground himself with their current reality as well, if the constant grunts and unsettled sighs were anything to note as they picked their way through the village between the valley of corpses. Yaga no doubt feels guilty, he probably takes responsibility for Suguru's actions here, but Satoru isn't ready for that conversation yet. He doesn't think he'll ever be ready for that conversation.

"This is where it must have started." Satoru states quietly, at the steps of the shrine in the village, where Suguru's residuals start to go completely haywire. It makes sense, but doesn't at all at the same time. Satoru thinks he sees a part of a picture forming here, but he just can't quite grasp it, can't quite push through the fog that enters his mind when he looks at one of the dead bodies strewn across the steps as they slowly walk up them, neither one of them are eager to rush into this new reality. What happened, Suguru? He can't help but wonder. What the hell happened?

The doors to the shrine are blasted open, singed as if burned by the cursed energy and they step through them, looking around the dimly lit shrine room. The moment he and Yaga both take notice of the object sitting in the center of the room is simultaneous, and they both pause at the threshold.

"Is that…?" Satoru steps closer to the bamboo cage at Yaga's uneased, trailing sentence, unable to drag his eyes away from the map of Suguru's residuals. They brush the edges of the cage, they hover next to the open door and over the pulled latch.

Satoru thinks he sees a part of a picture forming here, but he just can't quite grasp it. Suguru never talked about his parents or his homelife, and neither did Satoru, they didn't need to. But now a part of him desperately wishes they had. What happened, Suguru? What the hell happened?

Satoru knows Suguru wasn't close with his parents, Suguru never talked about his family or about his childhood in the village. Satoru had always thought it was because it didn't matter but now-

Something has been growing inside of Suguru for a while now, he knows this. He just didn't realize how far back it really went, how many pieces of the puzzle he was really missing. Satoru refuses to accept the new reality before him blindly, he won't- he can't accept it. There has to be a reason.

Now all that's left is to track down Suguru so he can finally understand, even if he has to beat it out of Suguru to get the answers, out of his best friend-

The only person who can keep Satoru from snapping.