The silence is stilting during the drive to the apartment. Her skin itches as she thinks about the ease with which she's settled into this new home. It's only when the quiet sneaks in, does her mind wander to how–why she fell into this world.

"Kagome-san?" Yuji cuts through her thoughts. The reprieve is welcomed, so she turns and smiles through the shivers in response to the additional eye slit on his cheek. The red iris stares back at her, haunting, the same hue that Naraku once had.

"How are you feeling, Yuji-kun?" The jet lag must rest in her tone because he only deflates at the question.

"Thank you." He doesn't look at her, instead opting to stare down at his lap.

"For what?"

"Taking me in. I'm sure Gojo-sensei has told you…"

"Being a vessel for anything can be isolating if you let it." She leans her head against the window, the coolness of the glass is heavenly against her face. Seeing Yuji's dead body took her back to that life where death was so prevalent.

"Have you… Are you a vessel too?"

Kagome catches Ijichi taking, what he thinks is discreet peeks at them. She needs to tread carefully. "No, but I knew someone that was a guardian." She tilts her head to Yuji, her face clammy from the window. "It consumed her—the burden. Naturally, she grew to resent everything and fell further into isolation. Until…."

"Until what?"

"She and the burden became nothing more than a footnote, lost to time." The pang in her heart disrupts her train of thought.

"Um, Yuji." Ijichi's voice waves into the backseat, ebbing and flowing with each waver. "Know that we will all do our best." He catches Kagome's gaze through the rear-view mirror. Perhaps the driver is more perceptive than Satoru gives him credit for.

Yuji beams at them as Kagome ignores the snort coming from the eye slit. "I won't let you guys down!"


Her shoulders are stiff from the accumulating stress that this new world seems determined to dump onto her, or maybe it's because she got more rest on the airplane than in an actual bed. Sukuna's gaze hasn't strayed from her since Ijichi dropped them off at the apartment. It's different to be so close to an enemy and not be able to do anything about it.

"You can stay in this room, I'll just need to get some of my things out," Kagome says, arms crossed as she leans against the door.

"You and Gojo-sensei don't share a room?" Yuji walks into the room, spinning around. The action is actually kind of adorable, Kagome thinks.

"There wasn't enough closet space for all of our things, so I kept my clothes in the guest bedroom." The lie rolls off her tongue easily. For the sake of Yuji's survival, she figures she can take one for the team and just stay in Satoru's room. Besides, he'd probably insist on it with the unpredictable nature of Sukuna. "Is there anything that you need or want? I can make a list and go pick up some things for you." She gives him a reassuring smile.

"I'm okay, Kagome-san. Just having a roof and a bed is more than enough." Yuji sits down on the bed, patting the mattress.

"Memory foam," She offers up. "I'm going to make a list regardless." Leaving before he has a chance to refute her offer, Kagome makes her way to Satoru's room. The need to be behind a closed door away from Sukuna's prying stares shakes her core. What she–no, what they need is some kind of game plan. If the higher-ups would go out of their way to put two other students in danger, just to get rid of Yuji for being a vessel; it makes her wonder just how powerful is this king of curses?

She crawls under the cover, her eyes close briefly. The sheets smell like him, though the softness of them reminds her that he isn't there with her. Despite how lithe he is, he's surprisingly nothing but hard muscle. Get a grip, she tells herself as she rolls her eyes. There's no way this can end well. Not when there's so much uncertainty around why she was sent to this place, to begin with.

"Yo!" Satoru appears suddenly near the bed. Kagome lowers the covers, peering over at him. To anyone else, his smile would seem joyful–maybe even a bit mischievous, but she can see through the cracks of his facade.

"Come on, Yuji-kun is getting settled in." She scoots over, patting the space she created for him. "You need to rest more."

He slips his shoes off and slides into the space on the bed for him. Kagome reaches out towards his face, removing the blindfold. Not that she'll ever tell him, but his eyes are really captivating.

"Did someone die?" He whispers as if the moment will be broken if he speaks too loudly.

"Technically, Yuji-kun did." Her hands snake around him as she scoots in closer. "Where's Buyo Jr?"

"That's what I forgot." He laughs as he avoids looking at her. "Uh, well. He didn't want to leave Megumi's side."

"Are you saying that I've been betrayed?"

"Supposedly, he helped Megumi against Sukuna. Just how strong are the monsters in your world?"

"There're levels to them, like the curses here. Nekomata's are more supportive companions—"

"Like in an MMO, if you're playing a ranger class?"

"That's one way of putting it, yes. But what's this about Buyo Jr not wanting to come home?"

"I think Megumi needs him more than Buyo Jr needs to be at home." He nips the tip of her nose. Kagome tries to disengage herself from his embrace, but he only tightens his hold. "My poor students are traumatized. Think of the children."

"You're so dramatic for no reason."

"I need your help with Yuji," he starts. The switch of emotion is enough to give her whiplash. "I want to save him and exorcise Sukuna."

Kagome bites her bottom lip, eyes roving over his face. "You want me to purify him?"

His eyes widen as her words wash over him. Bumping his nose against her in a series of Eskimo kisses, he eventually covers her mouth with his own. "That's it! If you could purify the fingers before we give them to him, that should keep Sukuna from getting to his full strength." His hands run down the length of her. "He was pretty pissed when I gave him that finger."

"I don't know if I should be disgusted or relieved that Yuji can stomach eating one of those things."

"Can we stay like this for a bit?" He moves down, resting his head on her breasts. A loud sigh escapes his lips as he closes his eyes. "I've had such a hard, traumatic day."

"Now you're just taking advantage," she responds with no real bite to it. Her hands comb through his white locks, massaging his scalp with each pass through. The only response she gets is the sound of his soft snores and the feel of his chest rising and falling slowly. At least he's getting some rest, she thinks. She'll sort out these feelings some other time.


A/N: I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy! And thank you for the kind reviews :)