"It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone."

-Rose Kennedy-

Yuji Itadori thought she was relieved when she saw Satoru Gojo. After all that meant she wasn't crazy. That all the nightmares she was having were real. That all the nightmares that kept her up all those nights were real. That the nausea that made her throw up her food because images of people were being ripped apart and eaten, was real.

Everything was real.

As soon as she thought Gojo couldn't see her anymore. As soon as she couldn't feel his eyes on her.

She took off like a bat out of hell. Because after all this must be hell. There's no other way to explain it.

She ran and didn't stop, not when she crashed into people, not when she hit buildings multiple times. Or when her lungs started burning, almost like they were on fire. She kept running towards home.

The irony wasn't lost on her, how she was just desperately running away from her grandpa this morning to not go to the doctors but now he was the only person in this world that she wanted to see.

Even if she felt like a grown adult in her mind, at that moment she was nothing more than a child terrified out of her mind.

And she wanted her grandpa. Her eyes started to water as she thought again, I want my grandpa.

She turned on her street and sprinted to her house. She slammed into the door, not bothering to slow down and stop herself. As she desperately threw her body into the house.

As soon as she was inside, she collapsed on the floor. And for the first time in a long time, Itadori cried. She cried hard.

Itadori curled up into a ball on the floor as she cried.

The pink-haired girl kept crying even as her grandpa came running over. He asked her what was wrong. His voice panicked. But Itadori couldn't even get words out if she wanted to. She was crying too hard.

Her grandpa pulled her into his lap. Not knowing what else to do. So he sat on the ground and held his weeping granddaughter. He couldn't help the few tears that slipped out of his eyes. As he listened to her anguish cries, they tore his heart apart.

Itadori cried until she passed out.

And then the pink-haired girl got pulled back into the very thing she was crying about, her nightmares.

Almost as if they were mocking her. Because now she couldn't deny that their existence wasn't real.

Once Yuji was fully asleep, Wasuke felt sure enough to move her without waking her.

Wasuke picked up his granddaughter and put her in bed. Then he went to the phone to make her appointment with her new doctor. He then called out of work because this time she wasn't going to run away and avoid this doctor's appointment. After all, this was supposed to be a specialist that deals with cases like hers. At least that's what the man said.

After witnessing her breakdown, he couldn't, he wouldn't let her go through this anymore. She needed help and he would get it for her.

He made sure to call her school to tell them so they knew she wouldn't be coming to school tomorrow. Wasuke debated if he should call the man that he met when he went to pick up Yuji. The man's name was Hyogaiji Kiku.

Wasuke debated with himself for just a moment before he decided to call the man, after all, he was trying to help Yuji. He did help her.

More than he did. Wasuke thought as guilt weighed down on him.

Wasuke listened to the phone ring as his mind went back to this afternoon when he went to go get Yuji for her doctor's appointment and instead met Hyogaiji-san.

"Itadori Wasuke" A woman that worked in the front office called to him. Her voice was nervous as she called his name. The old man turned to her as she walked back into the front office. Wasuke immediately noticed that Yuji wasn't with her. That caused nervousness to start to set in his chest, since after all she was the one who went to get Yuji.

Her brown eyes looked at him unsurely while her face pinched in a worried expression. She stood nervously in front of him.

This made Wasuke's heartbeat start to quicken.

Her eyes avoided his eyes as she opened her mouth to speak again but before she could a man's worn-out voice spoke. "She isn't here"

Wasuke's headshot to the direction of the voice and was met with an older man like himself who seemed to be just a few years younger.

The man's stance is similar to a soldier, Wasuke saw that even with the man's open white lab coat covering most of his body. He was shorter than the Wasuke but somehow this man seemed taller than him. Perhaps it was because the man's eyes seemed to hold an edge to them not just because they were black as coal.

Wasuke's voice came back to him, as he asked angrily but he could hear the trace of worry in it. "What do you mean she isn't here?"

Instead of answering him the man turned and started to walk away but when he noticed that Wasuke wasn't following him, he called over his shoulder. "She left because she was scared to go to the doctor's, follow me so we can talk in private" His eyes turned to the woman who worked in the front office.

Then the man started to walk away again. Of course, Wasuke followed him seeing as the man knew about Yuji being scared to go to the doctor. He was sure that Yuji wouldn't have told anyone that she was scared. After all, his granddaughter hid her fears as much as she could.

The man led him to a door and when he opened it Wasuke could see that it was a large nurse's office. Which made sense since the man was wearing a white lab coat but it was actually a nurse's lab coat.

The older man spoke in a tone that didn't leave any room for discretion "out"

A woman who was behind a desk working on paperwork looked up at him, she tried to glare at the man who spoke but her voice betrayed her attempt to come off angry. "Hyogaiji-sensei you can't just come in her-" "Get out" Hyogaiji barked, cutting her off.

Wasuke was behind the man but he could tell the man named Hyogaiji glared at the woman as her face went pale. She quickly picked up her paperwork and made her way out of the room through the other door that was closer to her.

Wasuke knew right then and there that this man was somewhere high on the pecking order. For some reason, he couldn't decide if it was a good thing that this man knew Yuji wasn't in school or not.

Before Yuji's grandpa could settle on these feelings, the man known as Hyogaiji was sitting down and looking up at him. Even though the man was sitting down, Wasuke felt he was the one who was getting looked down at. Not that this man looked arrogant, No. His eyes felt like they were picking him apart and was able to see everything Wasuke was thinking.

"How do you know that Yuji was skipping school?" Wasuke asked in an almost accusatory tone, borderline aggressive, what he wanted to ask was why he knew that Yuji was scared of going to the doctor.

Was this man close enough to his granddaughter for her to confide in him about her fears? Why couldn't she do that with him? a small voice in the back of his mind asked.

That's why he was being so aggressive with this other man. He was jealous.

Hyogaiji lit his cigarette while looking at Wasuke they stared into each other's eyes, neither of them backing down.

Until Hyogaiji closed his eyes and took a long drag of his cigarette holding the tobacco in his lungs for a moment. Then he exhaled while speaking. "Sit, we have much to talk about"

Wasuke didn't hear any hostility coming from the man's words so he sat in the chair in front of Hyogaji.

Hyogaji began to say "I have been trying to help Yuji for a while. Helping her train properly so she didn't run herself into the ground. Giving her mind something to focus on. Going on for a little over a month now. I'm sure you noticed that two months ago she started to leave earlier for school. At least that's when I noticed her"

It was silent for a moment then Wasuke realized Hyogaji was wanting for him to confirm. Quickly Yuji's grandfather answered. "Yeah it's been about two to three months since her nightmares started"

Hyogaji said almost like it was a question. "Nightmares?"

Wasuke nodded his head but his face showed confusion. How could this man be helping Yuji and know her fears about going to the doctor if he didn't know she was having nightmares?

The man with the lit cigarette pinched the bridge of his nose as he did a long sigh. "I didn't know she was having night terrors" Almost as if he was talking to himself he said. "It alliances with her PTSD episodes and flashbacks, How can I have missed this?"

Now it was Wasuke's turn to ask"PTSD episode? Flashback?"

At the same time, both men realized they were missing pieces of what was happening to Itadori Yūji.

They shared a moment of silence then Hyogaji divided into what he knew, like a soldier reporting to another soldier. "Yuji is being pulled into flashbacks most of the day, it's obviously involuntary but somehow she can hold her PTSD episodes until she is alone. Or it could be because she is only triggered by a memory, which she doesn't allow herself to think about unless she is alone."

Now it was Wasuke's turn he followed Hyogaji's lead and he said it like a report. "She started to have nightmares almost three months ago or that is what I think. Yuji hid them until I noticed her soft cries in the middle of the night but then she would go to the restroom, wash her face, and go back to bed. So I assumed they were just regular nightmares but then I saw the dark bags under her eyes, making me realize that if she didn't go back to sleep she would stay up all night. Running on two to three hours of sleep.

Wasuke said softly in guilt "I thought they were just regular nightmares and she was too embarrassed to tell me about it."

Hyogaji didn't show that he judged Wasuke. Instead, it looked like he sympathized with him. "I guess he felt bad for not noticing Yuji's nightmares, no they were night terrors. That was a better name to call what Yuji was going through"

Once he gathered himself, Wasuke continued. "Then she started to lose weight, I was paying close attention by that point. She was throwing up her food at night time when night terrors were too much for her to handle, Yuji couldn't hold down her food. I made the doctor's appointment when I saw just how much weight she was losing. It was a few weeks out and I am guessing that's when you started to help since she seemed to stay asleep for a few more hours at night. She even argued with me this morning about her being "better" and that she didn't need to go to the doctor."

Hyogaji took a long drag of his cigarette as he thought everything over. Then he spoke. "I am guessing you don't know what happened to her to have flashbacks and PTSD episodes?"

He got his answer when Wasuke leaned over and put his head in his hands, then after a moment he shook his head no.

Wasuke was so ashamed that he couldn't answer that question. He wasn't even aware that was a question in the first place.

They both sat there in silence. Both go over the information they were given and the unspoken guilt they were both feeling. Wasuke wasn't sure how long he had sat there with his head in his hands.

The silence was broken, by Hyogaji he was scribbling something on a piece of paper. Then he turned to Wasuke and told him with a stern voice that broke no room for argument, "Take her here. This doctor has experience dealing with these kinds of cases."

Wasuke looked at the paper that had a number, address, and name on it. Then he looked back at Hyogaji who was smoking the last bit of his cigarette.

With a voice filled with shame, Yuji's grandfather said. "We can't afford anything expensive"

Again Hyogaji didn't look at him like he was judging him instead he commanded "You will take her there. I'll handle everything after"

Wasuke couldn't even feel offended as this man barked orders at him. After all, this was better than this man judging him.

So he nodded his head and said tightly. "Alright brat"

Now this made Hyogaji glare at him angrily, but Wasuke stood up and was walking towards the door by then.

Maybe he wanted the Hyogaji to be mad at him, he wanted him to be angry at him since he himself deserved this man's anger. The male nurse was the one who was helping him why more than he had ever helped Yuji and he was her grandfather.

"Itadori answer the question," the man across from her asked.

The pink-haired girl looked up at him, her eyes finally focused, and she did not have that dazed-out look.

The man's name slipped her mind or rather she wasn't paying attention when he told her it. The whole world has been blurry around her since she woke up. It wasn't like she wasn't paying attention to anything at all, it was that the only thing she was paying attention to was her nightmares. Even while awake she was replaying them in her head.

The doctor sitting across from her could see her eyes start to have that dazed look on them so he repeated the question but this time he commanded with a firm voice that was louder than before but he needed her to stay in this moment. "Itadori answer the question"

Her eyes refocused again not looking at the man but it seemed like she was lucid enough to answer.

Yuji swallowed, her mouth was so dry she wasn't sure if her words would come out properly. They came out in a grunt whisper."I don't know what I dream about"

The doctor across from her narrowed his dark purple eyes not believing that for a moment. He could see her having a flashback right now and if her nightmares were of the same thing then she did remember.

But if he didn't see her coming in and out of her flashback he would have believed she didn't remember anything because of her micro facial expressions, body language, and voice. Tells were all saying she was being truthful.

The doctor sighed and didn't say another word and walked out of the room. As he was walking away Yuji finally properly took in his appearance.

The man had purple hair that was short and spiky, and thick square glasses that hid his dark purple eyes which seemed to always be looking at her in displeasure whenever she came back from being deep in thought, he had a thin wiry body and taller than her grandpa but he wasn't a taller man and that's all she sees before he walked out the door shutting it behind her.

Yuji remembers her grandpa leading her out of the building and into a taxi then all of a sudden she was home, sitting on her bed as her grandpa said in a pleading voice that she hadn't ever heard her use before. "Yuji please take the pills they will help you sleep"

She looked up at her grandpa, he looked completely worn out. His eyes were staring into hers as he pleaded again. "Yuji please" Holding out pills in his hand with a cup of water in the other.

Instantly she felt her heart twisted in her chest with how much guilt she felt at that moment, seeing how bad she was worrying him. "Okay Grandpa," She said softly as she took the pills out of his hands and put them in her mouth. Then taking the water when he held it out for her. She took the pills and gave him back the glass.

Wasuke sighed in relief and smiled at her. As he gently said "Thank you, Yuji please lay down now and get some sleep. Doctor Sadaharu said it was very fast acting"

Yuji did what he asked, getting underneath the covers and lying down in her bed. She couldn't put into words how sorry she was about making her grandpa act like this. His gentle voice put salt in her wounds because she would rather him yell and scream at her in anger not look so broken while he begged her to take pills.

Just as he said her eyes grow heavy as she feels the drugs drag her to sleep.

Wasuke stood watching over his granddaughter for over an hour watching her chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm. Making sure she was sleeping. Once he knew she was asleep he left her room and went straight to the kitchen.

Grabbing the large bottle of sake from the top cabinet and sitting on the couch in the living room. He didn't even bother grabbing a small sake cup knowing he wouldn't need it.

Wasuke did something he hadn't done in over fifteen years. He got blackout drunk. Drinking until the bottle was gone and even grabbing the second that was there. Finishing that one as well. Knowing he needed to get this out so he could be strong for his granddaughter.

Seeing her today after she woke up from her breakdown was gut-wrenching. It was like her whole soul was ripped out of her body. There was no life behind her eyes as she stared into nowhere. It was like someone broke her.

Tears streamed down his face as he sat on his couch hunched over a bottle in hand. He took the last sip of the drink and fell onto his back. Looking up at the ceiling. Just like his granddaughter pulled into sleep but his was alcohol based. So with his age and how much he drank he never was able to hear her whimpers that slowly turned into screams from being trapped in her nightmares with no escape from waking up.

Because if he did he would never forgive himself for permanently damaging his granddaughter

Yuji would say she was getting better and that the meds were helping her. Her grandpa believed her since when he checked on her at night she would be asleep.

But what she didn't say was that when she slept, her nightmares were torturing her. Which was normal, that had been happening for months but with no escape from waking up, the nightmares were tearing away at her mind piece by piece. She felt like it was carving away at her sanity.

But she wouldn't say any of this.

She would say to herself that she needed to get her body enough rest. Then she promised herself she would stop taking the medication. She just needed to hold on until her body was rested enough then she would never take those fucking meds again.

The first night she didn't know she was screaming in her sleep but that was because the medication just entered her system now that she was up on doses she didn't scream in her sleep anymore. Yuji was paralyzed in her sleep.

So after keeping her home for a few days to make sure she was rested enough, he allowed her to go to school. She didn't go to her morning workout since she went to school with her grandfather so he could give the doctor notes excuse for her not being there and to excuse her from certain activities, such as p.e.

Since the medication was going to make her dizzy.

So when she sat in class in a daze every teacher was supposed to leave her be, that's what the doctor's note said. For at least two weeks she got used to the drugs and since she already spent a week at home it was only a week left for her to be like this.

But Niwa-sensei her homeroom teacher, decided that it was better if he moved her to the back of the class in the corner next to the window without someone sitting next to her. So she would be able to relax without anyone bugging her.

Yuji was grateful at first since she thought she would get a break from being around people but nope. Niwa-sensei gave out a large test so everyone would be busy and sit next to her.

The blonde teacher softly whispered in a gentle tone. "Hey Yuji, how are you feeling?" He rubbed her back in circles as he asked.

She didn't want to talk to her teacher but she knew he wouldn't leave her alone if she didn't answer him. Yuji knew he was stubborn since he never gave up on trying to get her to call him by his first name like everyone else.

So she said in a quiet voice trying not to disturb the classroom. Since she could already see three girls looking back at her. "I'm okay just a little dizzy Niwa-sensei"

Yuji glanced at her teacher, who was watching her with concerned eyes. He mumbled something she couldn't quite make out.

He didn't say anything else so she just turned and looked out the window. She didn't really feel like talking to Niwa again, so when he pulled her ponytail out and started brushing her hair, Yuji let him.

If she wasn't out of it because of her drugs she would have seen everything that happened differently.

She would have seen the three girls who were looking back at her and Niwa was glaring daggers at her in jealousy.

Or how her teacher's deep blue eyes glint with malice as he mutters about her grandfather's involvement in drugging her, how he was hurting her with these drugs and failed to protect her innocence

But Yuji saw none of this.

Instead, she stared out of the window letting herself enjoy the fact she could just space out without worrying her grandpa.

Luckily in this moment, she wasn't overthinking everything about how everything in her nightmares was real. She was just spaced out and blissfully thinking of nothing.

Niwa brushed her hair the entire class time right up to when the bell rang, for the next teacher to come in to teach the next subject. Then he put her hair into two braids that hand bows at the end of them. Which she had never worn before, but again she wasn't going to complain because that meant she had to talk. So she let him be, He finished right as the next teacher walked in.

The soft blonde-haired man talks to the next teacher and explains the situation. Making sure they left Yuji be. Niwa would come back at the end of each period and make sure to tell the new teacher who was walking in the situation. He also would make sure Yuji was okay.

When the lunch bell rang the three girls who got angry and angrier by seeing Niwa keep coming back to check on Yuji jumped out of their seats and went directly straight to the pink-haired girl's seat.

The three girls circle Yuji's desk looking down at her with jealousy mixed with anger. Yuji didn't even register that they were around her since she was spaced out looking out the window.

The leader of sorts asked in an accusatory tone like she already knew the answer. "What do you think you are doing? You stupid bitch"

At her question, Yuji finally realized they were standing there. She looked at the girl who spoke. Her name was Sakura, her last name slipping Yuji's mind at the moment. The girl had long dark blonde hair flowing down her back, her bangs were cut straight across her forehead. Her large brown eyes were glaring down at Yuji. Overall, Yuji thought she looked like a doll when she wasn't looking so upset. Which she usually wasn't.

Still dazed and out of it, it took a moment for Yuji to answer in a very confused voice."What do you mean?" because she didn't know what these girls were so upset about.

"Don't you dare play dumb, slut" This was Mio who was yelling at Yuji, just like the last girl she couldn't recall the girl's last name. Mio was shorter than the rest of the girls and had a short brown bob that framed her face. Her brown small eyes glared at Yuji as well.

"Yeah we know what you are doing" Kei, was the one who spoke this time but her voice didn't seem to have the same bite the rest had. Neither did her hazel eyes, if anything they looked scared, shooting at the two other girls almost as she was checking to see if they could see her hesitation. Kei was the tallest girl in class, she had light brown hair that had a slight curl to it. Yuji thought it was pretty.

She was so lost in thought again about the fact she couldn't help finding the girls funny with how they were trying to "Intimidate" her or at least that's what she thought they were doing. With their faces so scrunched up in anger and the way they cursed at her. Yuji almost laughed at seeing these little girls swear at her. Yuji did not see herself as the same age as these girls at all or any student at this school.

Sakura spoke again this time almost screaming with anger since Yuji didn't speak."You are getting Kiiroibara-sensei to take care of you by faking being sick"

Her face was turning red with anger as her frustration started to build up, each moment she looked at Yuji's hair which was done by Kiiroibara-sensei. Her jealousy turned her anger into hatred since she never not got what she wanted. Since Sakura was from a well-off family.

Without hesitation, Sakura grabbed onto the bottom of Yuji's braid pulling at the bow in the yuji's hair. The pain pulled Yuji out of her daze.

Sakura shrieked "Knock it off! Stop playing sick" She ended up pulling hard enough that Yuji fell onto the floor with a hard thud since her body was still slow so she couldn't catch herself.

The bow was in Sakura's hand wrapped up with quite a few of Yuji's pink hair. Sakura looked down at Yuji in triumph as her hand tightened around the bow and saw Yuji on the floor wincing in pain.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Niwa-sensei hisses that turned into screaming. "What the hell do you three think you are doing?!"

The room went deadly quiet, everyone's eyes turning to Niwa-sensei. Eyes widen in shock mixed with fear from never seeing their sensei mad let alone scream.

The ones who were most afraid were the three girls who turned around to see Niwa-sensei staring down at them in rage. The girl's eyes widened in fear at seeing such a dark expression on his face, their eyes started to water. Niwa-sensei's body was shaking in fury as he saw the scene unfold in front of him as he walked in from the door closest to the front.

Silence was broken by Yuji's wince as she stood up and just like that, it was like everyone else in the room at permission to make noise. All three girls started to blurt out excuses while crying. "Yuji was bullying" "Yuji attacked us" "Yuji was saying she was going to take all your attention"

At his Niwa finally spoke in a low threatening tone "Stop lying, I seen what happened" His eyes glared down at them but as his eyes moved over to Yuji and saw her scraped knee starting to bleed Niwa's eyes softened for a moment before turning back into anger as he looked back to the girls.

"Go turn yourselves into the office and tell them what you did, I'll be there after I am done taking care of Yuji" He spoke with controlled anger not trusting himself to discipline the girls himself. He pushed past the girls hard enough to make each one of them off back.

Niwa didn't even spare a passing glance at the girls as they fell to the ground. His unwavering focus was fixed on Yuji as he gently scooped her up in his arms, carrying her bride-style. With deliberate steps, he made his way out of the classroom. However, before leaving, he abruptly turned back, shooting a fierce glare as he quietly hissed."Yuji can always take all of my attention"

Then he left the classroom leaving the girls crying on the floor.

As he walked to the nurse's office he kept his face somewhat calm but students and teachers could tell he was upset since he didn't have his usually gentle smile. They just didn't realize how upset he was.

As he reached the deserted halls and realized he was completely isolated, he let his mask slip, allowing his facade to crumble. Revealing the fury he had been containing. His eyes went cold and frigid, devoid of light. His lips curled in anger and disgust at the girl's actions.

When Yuji glanced up at him, his mask slipped back into place, and he gazed down at her with a soft, gentle smile, his eyes showing worry and concern. He was careful never to reveal this side of himself to Yuji, fearing that it might frighten her. She was such a kind, innocent girl, who was pure for this world and he was aware that she would be terrified to witness his darker nature.

They quickly made it to the nurse's office. As they walked in Niwa got annoyed to see the female nurse was the one in. Since she has been trying to get him to go out on a team bonding dinner, he knew she would try to get closer to him.

He put on a fake smile and explained that Yuji had hurt her knee and she needed to get it cleaned and wrapped up. He put Yuji on a bed and just as he expected she was already trying to talk to him more instead of focusing on Yuji's knee. Niwa knew he was already on edge with how the three girls bullied Yuji for him paying attention to her so he excused himself so she could focus on her damn job.

Before Niwa left the office he had carefully arranged his features into a false smile, hoping to conceal the storm of emotions raging inside him. However, the moment he closed the door behind him, his mask slipped, and his face became devoid of all emotion. His eyes, usually warm and expressive, now showed the simmering anger and fury he had been hiding.

He made his way to the principal's office to deal with those little brats. Making sure to put his mask back on before anyone could see.

After all, people are always kinder to a pretty face that has a smile on it. He almost growled at that disgusting thought.

Yuji didn't know how long for her to get "used" to the drugs but she knew how long it took for them to wear off. Three days. Three long days.

She was sent home because of what those three girls did to her and her grandpa had her stay home for the rest of the week until she was supposed to be back to normal because her body would be "used" to the drugs.

This worked in her favor since she was alone to space out, which would get her as close to sleep as she could without actually sleeping. It rested her body and mind, maybe at some point, she did sleep but lightly enough she wasn't pulled back into her nightmares.

So when her grandpa came home she was more rested than before, he of course assumed she slept all day. Yuji was back to being her old self, he thought relieved.

But she wasn't completely her old self. No, she would never be that little girl before the nightmares. However now she knew she had to hide her nightmares better thanks to the drugs. At least they were good for some things.

How to sleep without sleeping. Space out.

It wasn't daydreaming, no that made you think and use your mind. Spacing out lets you shut off your mind and let your body relax until it is almost asleep. So Yuji finally found out how to solve her sleeping problem.

Of course, she would sleep after school and her grandpa wasn't home. When she was allowed to wake up screaming without worrying him.

After her week was up and she needed to get back to school, Yuji was smiling and being herself again.

"Now that you are awake you better not go break those girls' noses," Her grandpa said with a semi-serious tone, while he drank his coffee.

Yuji looked up from her breakfast with a confused expression. "What are you talking about, old man?" she asked, feigning shock and over-dramatizing her voice. "Oh no! You are so old that you are making up stories," Yuji shook her head and sighed dramatically. "Looks like I have to start looking into old people's homes."

Her grandpa was already behind her by the time Yuji was in the middle of her rant. He hit her in the back of the head, of course not hard but enough to make her head move forward from impact.

Yuji faked a wince looked up at him stuck her tongue out and gave him a childish glare.

Wasuke's countenance displayed a facade of feigned irritation, yet his eyes betrayed a glint of joy at witnessing his granddaughter's return to her former spirited self. With an annoyed tone, he quipped, "Shut up, brat. I am not old, and you know what I am talking about." Pausing briefly, he continued in a slightly softer voice, "Those girls who yanked the bow out of your hair, taking a chunk of hair with it."

Yuji, her eyes wide with confusion as she looked up at her grandpa. Her perplexed expression mirrored her bewildered voice as she mumbled "They got a chunk of hair? What, where?" This time, there was no pretense. She genuinely had no idea that someone had taken some of her hair. She reached up to touch her pink locks, her fingers gently combing through the strands as she tried to locate where the missing chunk of hair had been taken from.

Wasuke's face showed confusion just like his granddaughter his voice shrouded in concern "You don't remember?"

Yuji kept her hands in her hair trying to locate the missing chunk of hair. Since she wasn't concerned about the missing hair. More confused by the girl's actions, since before this incident Yuji was rather friendly with them. Well, she was friendly with everyone at school.

She spoke in a nonchalant tone as she answered her grandpa's question. "I remember them coming up but after that, I don't know, it's all kind of fuzzy in my brain" She looked up with a sheepish smile, trying to calm his worry.

Slowly Wasuke nodded at her answer. He said with an unsure voice "Well the doctor did say the medication would make you drowsy and unfocused"

Yuji latched on to that explanation, wanting to ease his worry. She quickly agreed."Yeah, that's what it felt like so it makes sense. I don't remember everything, it's too fuzzy"

Wasuke paused for a moment to consider her response before accepting it as truth. He then turned around and walked into the kitchen, placing his coffee cup in the sink as he called over his shoulder. "hurry up brat I need to take you to school before I go to work"

Yuji whined in annoyance like a child."Why are you walking me? I have to go earlier to workout"

She looked over towards him, noticing the flicker of concern in his eyes. In response, she offered a gentle, scarcely smile. Unlike the usual big, radiant, and childlike grin that Yuji often displayed. This particular smile transformed her appearance, giving her a sense of maturity, akin to a mother comforting a child who had just fallen and scraped their knee.

It made Wasuke blink because, for a moment, he thought he was looking at an older Yuji.

Yuji's voice still had that argumentative tone she used with her grandpa but it also held a gentle tone to it. "I will be fine, I promise, and if anything does happen. I will make sure to tell you right away. No more hiding" Her voice was more sincere.

Wasuke gazed into her eyes, searching for any hint of a lie, but found none. He let out a deep sigh before turning back to his granddaughter and spoke with a firm voice. "No more hiding"

Yuji smiled happily and quickly finished her food, gathering her supplies for school. As she was about to walk out the door she turned back and ran up to her grandpa, hugging him tightly. He was frozen in shock for a moment but quickly recovered and hugged her back.

Shortly after Yuji was on her way to school. As she walked to school one thought entered her mind. "I should do that more often. I wonder who else needs a hug to feel better."

Yuji thought she had arrived at school earlier than usual, but her sensei managed to beat her there. She ran up to Hyogaiji and attempted to hug him, but the old man sidestepped her, causing her to fall to the ground. Yuji looked up from her spot on the ground and laughed, then said in a fake hurt voice, "Sensei you need to stop fighting my love"

Hyogaiji glared down at her before braking out. "If you have time to talk you have time to run. Now get going you lazy ass"

But his eyes weren't actually glaring at her, his eyes were checking her face and body to make sure she was well enough to work out.

Yuji could see the concern flicker through his eyes before he ordered her. "I said run brat and don't think just because you missed workouts I'm going too easy on you

The pink-haired girl smiled at him happily as she got up off the floor and started to run calling over her shoulder. "Aw sensei you missed me so much I can tell!"

She was already far enough for Hyogaiji to allow himself to smile a little but it was quickly replaced with his cold demeanor before anyone could see, especially not Yuji because he knew that brat would never let him live it down.

True to his word Hyogaiji-sensei did not go easy on her. Even though she lost some of her stamina he was still relentless and made her keep pace while doing all her workouts.

By the time she was done, she was lying down on the floor gasping and panting for air. Her body shook from exhaustion as she was drenched in sweat.

Hyogaiji looked down at her with a smirk. He said in a taunting tone. "You got slow brat, that's what happens when you miss out on your workouts. Don't let it happen again"

Yuji laughed through her panting breaths but she didn't argue. Knowing if she did he would make sure to do another set of high kicks since that's what she was struggling with the most at the moment.

"Kiku you better not be bullying that young lady" A mellow female voice spoke with a tender tone.

Yuji sat up, slowly getting to her feet to see who was calling her sensei by his first name.

"Oh my god.." she trailed off almost like she lost her voice. How could she not with how gorgeous the woman standing in front of her was.

The woman's brown hair cascades down her back in soft waves, framing her face like a halo. Her warm brown eyes sparkle with kindness, strength, and a hint of mischief, drawing Yuji within their depth. She was a short woman but despite her height, her waist accentuated her curves in all the right places, creating a silhouette that was elegant. She carries herself with poise and self-assurance, radiating beauty. She was what Yuji envision what strength and femininity would look mixed perfectly together.

She was what Yuji's grandpa would say aged like fine wine Now she finally understood that saying. The woman's face showed signs of aging but Yuji could tell she looked nothing like her age if the woman was close to Hyogaiji's age.

Yuji couldn't help the blush on her face as she stared at the moment in front of her. Yuji being Yuji she said the first thing that came to her mind. "You're so fucking hot"

As soon as the words left her mouth Hyogaiji slapped the back of her head making her stubble forward towards the woman. The woman laughed wholeheartedly at Yuji's words.

"Oh gosh, Kiku you never said your student had such good taste." The woman said with a smile on her face.

Hyogaiji looked over at her and said in an annoyed voice. "Selena don't encourage her, she will never stop."

The woman known as Selena just laughed and made her way over to Hyogaiji.

Immediately Yuji noticed how gentle Hyogaiji's voice got while speaking to the woman known as Selena. His eyes lost their edge when he looked over at the woman. Yuji would even dare to say his eyes held affection while his gaze lingered on the woman.

Selena smiled softly as she hugged Hyogaiji giving him a kiss on the cheek. Now this almost made Yuji lose her footing at what she was seeing.

Yuji looked up at the sky with an intense glare her face set in concentration.

Hyogaiji looked over at her and asked with an irritated voice. "What the hell are you looking at brat?"

The pink-haired child looked over at her sensei and said in a blatant voice. "Check to see when the sky is going to start falling, I know hell must have frozen over as well," Yuji's voice and face said it was like the most obvious thing in the world.

Hyogaiji growled out. "That's it! Go run ten more laps around the scho" "Hush now Kiku, yuji-chan must just be confused by my sudden appearance" Selena cut him off as she spoke through her giggles.

Selena walked over to Yuji and held out her hand in a gesture of a handshake. "Nice to meet you Yuji-chan, My name is Selena Martinez, Kiku's wife."

Yuji shook the woman's hand, her soft smooth hands rubbing against Yuji's rough hands. Yuji smiled happily saying. "Nice to meet you, My name is Itadori Yuji and I'm Hyogaiji's student"

Yuji couldn't stop smiling because of how happy her sensei looked, he obviously wasn't smiling but Yuji could see how much he loved the woman in front of her. Of course, now this woman is someone Yuji would come to care for, after all, Selena was her sensei's wife.

Selena's eyes filled with fondness as she looked at Yuji, her smile softening as she spoke. "Yes, Kiku talks about you quite frequently. Thank you for helping my husband soften up"

The pink-haired child blinked at Selena's words not understanding what she meant. Before Yuji could ask what the woman's words meant Hyogaiji cut in, his voice in a warning. "Selena"

The woman rolled her eyes and looked over at Hyogaiji with a smile as she spoke. "Stop being such a prude Kiku" But she didn't elaborate on what she meant to Yuji. Respecting Hyogaiji's warning, not wanting to speak more about it.

Yuji dropped it as well not wanting to rock the boat but she knew it wasn't like Hyogaiji would actually be mad at his wife, from what Yuji could see the man loved his wife very much.

The bell rang signaling for Yuji to head to class. Yuji looked over at the school and jolted up as she started gathering up her things as she said "Oh shit I haven't even changed out of these sweaty clothes."

Yuji took off towards the school calling over her shoulder." nice to meet you Selena!" she couldn't help but smirk as she called "Hyogaiji-sensei how the hell did you get such a hot woman to marry you?"

She then took off like a bullet, running away from her sensei's wrath.

Hyogaiji glared at the girl's retreating figure but a small smirk on his lips because his wife was hot but of course, Yuji could never see how much he agreed with her words because he, himself didn't know how he got so lucky with Selena.

"I can see why you came to care for the girl, she practically wears her heart on her face" Selena said with fondness. She continued with a gentle voice. "She almost made me fall for her as soon as she smiled. It was like she put all of her heart into that smile"

"Yeah, that brat doesn't have a bad bone in her body" Hyogaiji said with an annoyed tone but Selena could hear the concern mixed within his words. He continued. "Even with whatever caused her flashbacks, she isn't spiteful or even angry. Just happy until she has a flashback then she is terrified and frightened" His voice trailing off in thought.

Selena looked over to her husband, seeing his confusion about Yuji's personality because after all, how could someone be so kind and happy with what Yuji had been through? Not that both of them knew what had happened to Yuji since it seemed like the little girl wouldn't tell anyone.

She spoke gently seeing how Hyogaiji's face started to turn angry as he thought of the possibilities of what could be happening to Yuji. "That's why you brought me, hopefully, Yuji feels more comfortable talking to me. From what you have come to know she doesn't have any female figures in her life"

Hyogaiji looked over at his wife his eyes softening. "Yes, Selena. Thank you"

"No need to thank you silly, Of course I should help my future daughter-in-law," Selena said happily with a giggle at the end.

The older man tiredly sighed as he spoke with a worn-out voice. "Are you still going on about that? He hasn't even meat Yuji. I can tell you now he is going to hate her"

Selena waved him off as she spoke in a factual tone. "Nonsense I know he will come to adore her. Yuji melted my heart in a few minutes. She will melt his in a few short hours"

Hyogaiji looked at his wife in a deadpan expression as he spoke in an exhausted tone. "Yeah, maybe a few centuries."

His wife laughed as she responded with teasing. "Maybe you are right, now a few hours but a few days"

Hyogaiji knew better than to keep arguing with his wife. He just smiled softly at her idiotic ideas.

Hello!~ I hope you enjoyed the story.

Just wanted to say a few things. I am dyslexic, so no matter how many times I proofread my work there's going to be stuff I missed. So I apologize for that.

If you enjoyed the story please feel free to comment, like, and follow. It shows me that I should continue writing for this story.

Thank you so much to the people who liked, commented, and followed. It motivates me to keep writing.

I split this chapter into two since it was so long. I know, I always put "In The Next Chapter" but it was getting too long that I couldn't fit the "In The Next Chapter" in the first half of the story so I split it in two. I made sure to upload them together so I hope you enjoy it since it has been a while since my last update. You're getting a two-in-one special!