It was possible, Gojo supposed, that something was seriously wrong. Not just on board the train, but with him.

This thought was interrupted by another violent bout of retching, and he coughed out more of the contents of his stomach into the bag. His eyes were watering, his nose and throat stung, and his stomach still felt like someone had put glass inside of it.

It had been a long time since he'd thrown up. It wasn't very fun. And neither was the throbbing pain that had clamped across his temples like a vise, or the lingering dizziness that dogged him every time he moved. That…wasn't normal, not for a migraine, or really anything else that Gojo could think of.

"Mr. Gojo! That doesn't seem good…." Yuji was crouching next to him now, sounding far more worried than Gojo ever wanted one of his students to sound. "What's happening?"

He wiped his wrist across his mouth and set the bag down with distaste, realizing as he did so where it had come from.

"Aww," he said, hearing his own voice reverberate painfully inside his skull. "I threw up on my snacks from Kyoto…."

"Um-"

"But that's okay." Gojo made a powerful effort to rally, pulling his train of thought away from his lost sweets. "We still have the bag I gave to Yuji, and I don't…need… all of these…."

"Mr. Gojo-" Megumi said.

"I actually… ate those," Yuji interrupted, sounding sheepish. "I thought they were for me. To eat."

"They were for you to carry…," Gojo said softly. He realized his voice had gone a little hoarse, probably from the vomiting. He would have killed for something to wash his mouth out with. But he didn't have any water, and he'd drank all his tea.

The tea, the tea….

"Awww, I'm sorry, Mr. Gojo," Yuji said. "I really didn't know. I thought they were a gift, and otherwise I definitely wouldn't have eaten-"

"That's not important," Megumi interrupted. "What's going on?"

Gojo's brain was working a mile a minute. It probably would have been working even better if he could get rid of the sick pounding in his skull. But he couldn't, and that was the whole problem. Someone was trying to debilitate him, and it seemed like they knew a lot about him. They were doing a pretty good job of it, anyways.

"Well, Megumi," Gojo said. "I think that I may have gotten myself poisoned."

"Poisoned!" Yuji exclaimed. "What? How? That doesn't make any sense! You weren't even hit with one of those spiky things! Wait, you didn't get poisoned because of me, did you-"

A wash of bitterness crawled onto Gojo's tongue. His stomach turned over again, and he had to learn forward to spit weakly into the bag. He felt like he'd been split in two. There was one version of him, cheerfully taking control of the situation so his dear students didn't realize how much danger they were in. And that was superimposed onto another version of him, one that just wanted to curl up in misery and fall asleep and wait for this all to be over.

The first version won out. It always did. Gojo straightened up, ignoring the alarm on Yuji and Megumi's faces.

"No, no Yuji, this is a different kind of poison," Gojo said. "Or, more likely it's the same poison, from the same curse user, but the source was different. Since nothing can get through infinity, my poison must have been delivered directly to me, and the only thing I've had since getting on this train was the tea."

"The tea was…poisoned?" Yuji asked.

"Unfortunately, since I drank all of it, it will be difficult to be certain. But I believe so, Yuji, yes."

"You can fix poison with RCT," Megumi informed him solemnly.

"Well, not so fast, Megumi," Gojo said. He broke off with a small cough - man, he was still nauseous. "I actually can't fix poison with RCT. But I can fix the effects of poison with my RCT, so it won't kill me. But doing RCT would mean I have to take down infinity. And we've already seen what happens when I take down infinity, even if it's only for a second."

Yuji probed the bloody hole in his shoulder.

"That's right," Gojo said, spitting into the bag again as unobtrusively as he could. "More of that, probably to all three of us."

"Are you going to be okay?" Yuji asked, eyes wide.

"Of course! I'm the strongest." Gojo smiled at his student. He could taste something salty at the back of his throat, but he opted to ignore that. "I'm always okay."

Yuji nodded, drawing a little closer to Megumi. That was…good. He and Megumi were still just kids, and Gojo didn't want them worried. They'd be worried enough when they were older.

But if they stayed on the train with him, Gojo wasn't sure he could keep them from seeing just how bad he would get. He wasn't even sure if he'd be able to protect them effectively, not if the poison kept working this fast.

"Alright, new plan," Gojo said, delicately putting the bag on the floor. He heaved himself to his feet, steadying himself on the back of the seats. Yuji's eyes flicked towards his hand, and he yanked it back before Yuji could comment.

"What is it?" Megumi asked. "I could send my dog-"

"Nope," Gojo interjected. "I love your initiative, Megumi, but I am declaring this a special grade situation. Do you know what that means?"

Yuji frowned. "Um, that it's really dangerous."

"Correct! And that means that you guys are going to get off at the next stop, and I'm going to handle this alone."

"But-"

"No buts, Yuji. I'm the teacher, and it's my job to teach you guys, not…let curse users poison you. My first priority is to keep you safe, which I haven't done a very good job at so far."

Yuji looked down at his shoulder, then up at Gojo, opening his mouth to say something. Megumi interrupted, shaking his head.

"It's okay, Itadori. Mr. Gojo has got this."

"There. Listen to Megumi. And now…." Gojo trailed off. He couldn't remember when the next stop would be, or where. He vaguely recalled the Shinkansen stopping fairly often, but he wasn't entirely sure what that meant in the context of his situation. "Um, do either of you know when the next stop will be?"

Megumi checked his watch. "In three minutes," he announced.

"Perfect!" Gojo glanced uneasily up the train corridor. He was pretty sure they were close to a car that opened on the station, but he hadn't been poisoned when they boarded. Hopefully, he and the students would actually be able to reach the doors before they opened.

Gojo started walking. He carefully ignored the fact that the world was spinning vaguely around him with each step. He knew things were looking…not great, but come on, how long could it take to figure out who had set this trap for him and stop them? He could hold out a while more before the poison situation got really dire, he thought, and everything would be so much easier once the kids were out of danger and he could really open up. Yeah, his head hurt, and his stomach hurt, and he was scared. But he'd been through way worse. As long as he kept himself upright, and made sure the kids stayed within range of his infinity, everything would be just fine.

"Um, what should we do when we get off the train?" Yuji asked. Gojo glanced back at him. Despite Yuji's injury, he had a hand hovering in front of him like he intended to try to catch Gojo if he started to fall. Sweet kid. Wholly unnecessary, and definitely an overreaction. But sweet kid.

Gojo tried to keep his voice light. "Great question, Yuji. That's-"

Gojo trailed off. He paused to wonder briefly if there was any chance the curse user was after the kids, and not after him. If that was true, then letting the kids off the train would be sending them into a death trap.

But no, that didn't make sense. Everyone was always after him. And besides, if someone really were after the kids, there were a lot of easier ways to go about hurting them then to set up a trap specifically built around getting him to take down infinity.

The kids would be safer if they weren't with him, if they were a little farther from the target he had on his back. He'd let them off, and-

"Mr. Gojo?" Yuji asked cautiously.

Gojo blinked, and then realized it had been a good few seconds since he'd paused his answer, and he seemed to have stopped walking too. He swallowed hard. His mouth was horribly dry.

"Right," he said. "As I was saying, Yuji…uh, why don't you and Megumi just wait on the train platform for me? I'll deal with the bad guy, and then I'll come back and collect you and we can all head back to Tokyo together. Sound good?"

"...Okay," Yuji said, not taking his eyes off of Gojo. He and Megumi seemed to have moved a step closer, and Gojo fought to keep from backing away. These were his students, and they were trying to help.

Not that they needed to. And when Gojo got them safely off the train, they wouldn't have to, they could go back to being kids, and Gojo could do what he did best and take care of this.

Carefully, Gojo moved forward. His knees felt weak, like they would buckle if he placed any weight wrong. Between that and the motion of the train, it was all he could do to keep his balance. By the time they reached the entrance of the next car, he was trailing a hand along the wall, looking for support. If the students noticed, they were kind enough not to mention it.

Gojo and the kids arrived at the next set of exit doors right as the loudspeaker issued a chime, then announced that the train would be stopping in one minute. Trying to hide his relief, he turned towards Yuji and Megumi.

"Okay, get off the train, and then call me as soon as you make sure you're safe. If I don't answer, it's because I'm exorcising something."

Megumi's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure you're going to be alright alone, Mr. Gojo?"

Gojo blinked at him. Unlike Yuji, Megumi had grown up thinking of Gojo as practically invincible. If even he was worried by now, Gojo must be acting…well, he must be acting about how he felt.

He couldn't let the kids see him like this, not right as they left. They would worry. They might even do something really stupid, like sneak back on the train, without Gojo's knowledge or protection.

Even through the poison, that thought made him feel sicker. Gojo pulled himself together, ignoring the weakness in his limbs and pouring most of his remaining energy into reassuring the kids. He smiled, the wide, carefree grin that he knew aggravated almost everyone. The one he was known for.

"Get off the train, Megumi. You should have juuuust enough time to buy me snacks to replace the ones Yuji ate."

Megumi frowned, but in annoyance this time, instead of worry. Gojo swallowed hard. His tongue still tasted salty, and he was starting to be pretty sure what he was tasting was his own blood.

The loudspeaker announced that the train was coming to a stop, and to please remember your belongings.

But instead of slowing at the station platform, the Shinkansen blew right by.

Gojo blinked.

"Um, I've never been on one of these before," Yuji said. "Are they supposed to do that?"

"Well…not usually, Yuji. But this one seems to be…."

What was going on? Did the curse user have control of the train driver? Did they have control of the train? In any case, something was certainly going on, and it seemed like a pretty safe bet to assume it was something that had to do with Gojo's presence on the train. Whoever was trying to kill him was doing a pretty thorough job of it - it honestly hadn't even occurred to Gojo that they would be able to somehow prevent him and the kids from getting off the train.

Were there more traps waiting for Gojo still? He knew he was very hard to kill, so he wasn't that worried, but that didn't mean that he wasn't worried at all. Even if he was awfully tough to kill, it was still possible, technically. It had been a long time since he'd felt this close to death. And now the two kids were mixed up in it….

"Is it not stopping because of the curse user?" Megumi asked.

"Probably," Gojo said. "They must have either taken control of the people running the train, or the train itself. That's alright though, because you two are still with me. The plan hasn't changed. I'll still be exorcising this thing. You two will just be…backup, instead of being safely on the platform. But I won't let anything hurt you."

"I can take care of myself," Megumi informed him.

"I know you can. This situation is just a little bigger then-"

Gojo felt a strange wetness on his upper lip. He swiped a hand across his face, and it came away crimson - his nose was bleeding again.

This realization was accompanied by a wave of lightheadedness so intense that his legs seemed to slide out from under him. One second he was upright, albeit unsteady, and the next, he seemed to be tilting vaguely backwards. Darkness gathered in the edges of his vision. Was he passing out? That would be crazy. That would be-

Megumi's hands pressed into his back. He didn't want to lean all his weight into his student. He was so much taller than Megumi - he was worried he would squish him flat.

But his legs still didn't seem to be responding. It appeared that there wasn't much Gojo could do.

"-help me hold him up," Megumi was saying. "Grab him, I can't…."

Yuji's hand joined Megumi's, and then Gojo wasn't falling anymore. He tipped forward, instead of backwards, but Yuji (even one-handed) was strong enough to prevent him from slipping to the ground.

There were…a lot of people touching him. Gojo shuddered before he could stop himself, but he at least managed to keep from yanking himself away. If he did that, he would certainly fall, and that would probably be at least marginally worse than being touched.

Yuji's hand tightened on his arm, and Gojo felt himself shiver again. He hoped Yuji didn't notice. It wasn't his fault, and besides, he didn't want his students thinking that the great Satoru Gojo could be this averse to typical physical contact.

Even if it was true. Gojo had maintained infinity round-the-clock for ten years now, and even on the rare occasions he'd allowed others inside the barrier, that had been his choice. He was always the one to initiate contact. It had to be obvious how uncomfortable he was, even through the pain. Maybe if he was lucky, they wouldn't say anything.

Gojo was heavy. Fushiguro hadn't really expected that, since his teacher was built sort of like a scarecrow, but he was very tall, and apparently that counted for more.

It was a good thing he had Itadori. On Gojo's other side, Itadori peeked worriedly around their teacher and blinked at Fushiguro.

"If we're stuck on the train…what should we do now? Mr. Gojo, you, um, don't look so good."

Automatically, Fushiguro looked up towards Gojo. He'd meant what he'd said earlier, about being able to take care of himself, but Gojo was their teacher, and a special grade. They should probably listen to him.

Gojo blinked, and Fushiguro realized his sunglasses had fallen to the floor at some point. He was just starting to look around for them when Gojo made a wet coughing sound, and blood sprayed onto the front of his shirt. His eyes slid vaguely between them, looking somehow dull despite their otherworldly glow, and then drooped closed.

Fushiguro had never seen him like this. He hadn't known Gojo could get like this. He'd known Gojo for ten years, and he'd always acted like he was completely invincible. Now, watching blood trickle out of the side of his mouth, Fushiguro felt like reality was being ripped out from underneath him.

"I've never seen this happen to him before," Fushiguro said truthfully. "I don't think it's good."

"Alright," Itadori said. "We need his technique, so let's…uh…keep heading towards the train. We can…carry him, if we need to? Once we get to the front of the train, it's going to be up to us. Are you ready, Fushiguro?"

Gojo's eyes slid open. "It will not be up to you. First part of the plan sounds good. But-" Gojo broke off to cough some more. "Second part's less good. You guys might need to help me walk. But I'll be taking on the curse user, okay? I want the two of you to stay as far back as you possibly can."

"That's not very far," Itadori pointed out. "'Cause of the…."

"You at least have to stay behind me," Gojo murmured. "I'll take them out, and then we can get off this stupid train…."

Fushiguro nodded. He grabbed Gojo's arm and tugged it over his shoulder. That felt a little strange - he'd never even seen Gojo hurt or sick before, let alone been in a position where he needed to help him walk. But Itadori couldn't exactly do it - his arm had been injured by the spike. And Gojo clearly wasn't able to walk on his own.

"Are you okay, Mr. Gojo?" Itadori asked worriedly. "Does he seem okay? Do you need me to…?"

"I'm alright," Fushiguro said. "Just…try and keep the way clear for us."

Fushiguro started dragging Gojo forward. It was slow going. The train was thankfully mostly empty, but maneuvering Gojo between the seats was still awkward. Gojo's head was tucked against his chest, breath raspy in Fushiguro's ear. It was unsettling.

They made it through one car. Then another. Gojo was still upright, not speaking and not looking around, but carefully pushing himself forward in time with Fushiguro's steps. Fushiguro was beginning to think that they actually might make it to the front of the train, and this whole mess might be over.

And then, between one step and the next, Gojo's legs seemed to fold beneath him. One second he was upright, using Fushiguro to balance, and then all his weight dropped onto Fushiguro's shoulder. Gojo made a small, distressed noise, but that was the only indication Fushiguro had that he even knew what was happening.

Fushiguro almost dropped him. It was all he could do to half-carry, half-shove Gojo sideways, and then maneuver him so he was sitting in a seat. If they'd been moving between train cars when Gojo's legs had given out, Fushiguro was pretty sure he would have gone right to the floor. Gojo's head tilted back, until it was resting against the wall of the train, and then slid sideways a little. It looked like it took him an amount of effort to keep himself upright.

Itadori dropped into the seat beside Gojo, and Fushiguro took the remaining seat on Gojo's other side. Gojo's eyes slid open, staring at them blearily, and he winced.

"I think we're gonna sit down for a minute," Itadori said, like this sort of thing happened to him all the time. Only his eyes, wide and scared, told Fushiguro that he was nervous. "Um, you were kind of falling, Mr. Gojo."

"That…sounds right," Gojo said faintly, ducking his head. As he did so, more blood trickled out of his nostrils, falling onto the collar of his shirt. He swiped at it ineffectively, smearing it across his sleeve, and then gave up. His hand fell to his lap, and he closed his eyes.

"Do you want…a cloth, or something?" Itadori asked cautiously.

"Do you have anything?" Fushiguro looked at Itadori, who wasn't carrying any bags and didn't seem to have anything in his pockets. Still, Itadori was historically quite good at having the right things at the right time, so he wouldn't be surprised.

"No," Itadori admitted. "I could tear off a bit of my shirt…."

Gojo shook his head, wincing again at the movement. He coughed weakly, and Fushiguro saw the bright red sheen of blood on his lips before he swallowed. "No. Leave…your clothes alone, Yuji."

"Alright," Itadori said reluctantly, peering at Gojo again. "Can we do anything else?"

Gojo opened his mouth, presumably to answer, and was interrupted by a coughing fit. He bent over his knees, and Fushiguro automatically reached out to steady him. Gojo spat, a bright red globule of saliva and blood that only mostly missed his pants, and then sat up with an exhausted moan. Fushiguro waited for him to finish whatever he'd been going to say, but he just tilted his head back against the train again. He closed his eyes, then squeezed them shut, then pawed at them with a shaky hand.

"Are your eyes okay?" Itadori asked sharply. "Is something wrong?"

"It's Six Eyes," Fushiguro supplied.

Gojo inhaled, a long, wavering breath, and covered his eyes with the heels of his hands. "It's a powerful technique, but it can be…a little overwhelming," he mumbled. His voice sounded as shaky as his hands.

This, at least, Fushiguro was familiar with. Even when Fushiguro had been a kid, he remembered the light hurting Gojo's eyes. When he'd first met Fushiguro, he'd only needed sunglasses, but eventually, his eyes had gotten sensitive enough that he'd had to start wearing bandages instead. That, in turn, had eventually become the blindfold. Fushiguro remembered many cranky days where younger Gojo had been fighting off incredibly severe headaches, and he could recognize the signs.

"The light hurts him," Fushiguro explained. "His eyes…they're very sensitive."

"You can close them, Mr. Gojo," Itadori said. "Don't worry, we'll make sure you don't run into anything."

Fushiguro shook his head. "It won't be enough." He gestured vaguely at his eyes, trying to remember Gojo's long ago explanation of what it felt like. "The light can still get through if he cracks them open even a little."

"That's why he wears the blindfold?"

"Yes."

"Alright," Itadori said thoughtfully. "Well…where's your blindfold, Mr. Gojo?"

Gojo gestured miserably back down the train. "With the rest of my things. In my bag."

Fushiguro frowned. Neither he nor Itadori could go back to get the blindfold, not without leaving the safety of Gojo's infinity. And Fushiguro highly doubted Gojo could make it down the train and back - he was barely able to walk as it was.

"Why did you leave it there?" Fushiguro asked sternly.

Gojo almost smiled at that. Not that it was a very good smile - he had flecks of blood on his teeth. "Didn't…didn't exactly know I would need it, Megumi."

"Do we have anything else?" Itadori looked around helplessly. "I could maybe find a napkin? Or…or some trash?"

Fushiguro was opening his mouth to tell Itadori that they would not be using trash to cover up Gojo's eyes, when he was interrupted by the sound of the train door sliding open. All three of their heads snapped up.

A middle-aged man wearing the train uniform was making his way down the aisle. Fushiguro thought he might be the ticket collector, but he wasn't sure. As soon as he saw the three sorcerers, he made a beeline for them.

"Excuse me," he said, "but you aren't in your assigned seats. No one is supposed to be sitting in this car. You must have gotten lost. You're supposed to be further back."

Itadori brightened and straightened up, at the same time hiding his injured shoulder behind Gojo. "Sir, maybe you can-"

"Sorry about that," Gojo interrupted, cracking his eyes open with what seemed an insane amount of effort. "We'll go right on back. Thanks for letting us know!"

He smiled again, thankfully keeping his lips closed this time, and began to push himself upright.

"Come on, kids," Gojo hissed under his breath. "Don't talk to him. Let's just…get out of here."