Hey, back already?
I figured I should say this here: this story works a little differently than the other fics I write, which have longer chapters.
So, the current game plan is that I write out an entire volume chapter by chapter, then go work on my other stories and keep them updated. I'll do my best to keep up, but I'm a grad student, so you know how it goes.
Sidenote: some people think Yuji is too dumb, but that's not really what I'm going for. He's goofy and dumb at times, but it won't be a constant thing. Yuji gets very serious whenever action is happening.
Post-Shibuya Yuji doesn't have much room for fun, but I don't think that means he abandoned that part of himself entirely. It's just that when the chips are down, Itadori steps up and throws his feelings aside to do what has to be done.
It's a JJK crossover; there's going to be plenty of room for serious things down the line, but I'm having heavy doses of fun involved. Yuji is fifteen; let the guy live a little, lol.
He's gonna meet people, make mistakes, and maybe try his hand at a relationship. Who knows? I'm open to anything in this fic. Hardly anything is off the table within reason; give recommendations if you have them. I read all the comments!
Let's dive back in.
Beta Readers: Chris72637, Luxutor, MegaDumbo, and Tupjunk
...
"I still don't know why you took that boy in."
"I don't see why not, Glynda."
A huff rang out in Ozpin's office as the Headmaster sat, hands folded in his lap around a cup of piping hot cocoa as he listened to his trusted friend ramble on, "He could be a vagrant for all you know! Would that rest well on your conscience, letting some homeless scamp run about the halls unattended, getting up to Brothers know what!?"
Glynda Goodwitch, one of the sharpest minds at Beacon and one of the most unforgiving as well. Her blonde hair remained tied in a neat bun, a pair of bright green eyes poorly hidden behind her clean glasses. She wore a form-fitting black skirt and white blouse with dark boots to match, riding crop always in hand to strike down any Ne'er-do-well on campus who crossed her path.
The Professor shrugged at the woman indifferently, "If it would keep them out of the cold and away from the streets, I would, and I hope you would do the same."
She puffed her cheeks at that, unable to refute it without sounding heartless, "I suppose, but still, do you think it's smart to just let that unknown do as he pleases?"
Ozpin took a hearty sip, idly pouring more marshmallows in, to his delight, "He has a name, Glynda, Yuji Itadori, and he's done little to rouse suspicion, save for a few damages here or there, but that's simply part of what happens at an institution like ours."
The instructor walked past him, staring out toward the Emerald Forest in the distance, "Need I remind you that he singlehandedly wiped out what would bring even our senior class to their knees with his bare hands, and you say he was exhausted when it happened?"
The Doctor nodded, "From a medical standpoint, yes, his injuries were significant, but nothing to lead me to think it was from blood loss. I hadn't even gotten him a transfusion before he woke up asking if I was alright...but that's a given when you've spent who knows how long buried underground. Frankly, I'm amazed he lasted as long as he did."
He reached out a hand, patting the woman on her arm reassuringly, "What you see as a risk, I see as an investment. That boy's unlike anything I've ever seen...but his heart seems to be in the right place, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt while we conduct our investigation. You never know; he may grow up to be one of the best of us if you give him that opportunity."
Glynda sighed, shoving aside a stray lock of hair, "You say investigation, but it's more of an archeology project for you and Oobleck to gawk at. I'm more concerned about what he'll be up to in the short term."
She turned to face her long-time friend, a rare flicker of concern on her face, "Ozpin, do you even know how long he was down there?... I can't imagine what it must be like to be in a place like this all alone. Wouldn't it help to at least talk to him about these issues?"
The Director casually raised his scroll, "I do-"
"Excuse me?"
His scroll flickered on as he tapped a chat icon, a flood of random pictures of street cats appearing on the screen to the man's delight as he showed his friend, ignoring her twitching eyebrow, "We...text, as he calls it."
"That's extremely unprofessional."
"Is it?" Ozpin ignored the comment, scrolling through the chats, "Most of it is either him sending me things he finds interesting and asking about them. There hasn't been much to be concerned over. He's adjusted quite well, all things considered...though there hasn't been much luck on finding him the entertainment he keeps talking about-"
He disregarded the tablet, opening up a tab on his computer; the man began to type, pulling up the boy's records before accessing his files as Glynda watched on with a keen eye, "I should've known you were tracking him."
He casually sipped from his mug as he typed, "I'm an optimist, Glynda, not a fool. Sometimes you need to take risks to win the endless game of poker that Remnant seems so deadset on playing, but it doesn't mean you can't mitigate the risks."
A list of online searches popped up as the woman glossed them over, very random things, some about Beacon, a few about Atlas and where certain stores were, typical things a teenage boy would look up, she supposed, but-
"Look at the bottom-" Ozpin chimed in.
She hummed, raising a brow, "How to be a good Huntsman?...-" she deadpanned, looking down at the man who seemed ignorant of her annoyance, "You know, that would be your responsibility to tell him how to do these things, since you've so generously taken him in."
"And it would also be yours...he'll be in your class after all."
She huffed, crossing her arms in annoyance, "Do you really think it's safe just throwing him to the wolves like that? Initiation is nothing to joke about-"
He knowingly smiled, "That didn't seem to stop him last time...I'd like to see how he functions under better circumstances. He could end up being a key player in all of this."
Goodwitch shook her head, "You and your tests...fine, I'll go along with your plan, but-"
She looked him over, a serious glint in her eye, "You will not recruit his teammates into your observations...if he's to become a Huntsman, that boy will need to adjust to our time and way of doing things. That means being able to trust others with his life. I won't let you jeopardize any of my students for the sake of your curiosity or games."
Ozpin didn't look away from his screen but nodded in agreement, "...I would expect nothing less from you...now-"
He slowly stood, leaning on his cane for support, "I suppose it's time we give that famous welcome to Beacon speech, hm?"
...
At the same time
A bullhead crossed the open skies, flying over a once unpopulated campus now teaming with students of all shapes and sizes, human and faunus, on their journey to become the next generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses alike.
Some came from wealth, others from nothing, while most came from far more similar circumstances than they wanted to admit. Each had their own reasons for rising to the cause, yet they were there, willing, ready, and able to make a difference.
"Thanks for the ride flyer-guy!"
A lone figure stepped off the vehicle, plastic bags in hand as the other met the man's wave as he took off once more, the wind blowing across the boy's spiked pink hair, a candy bar in his mouth as he stared down at the commotion below, "Man that's a lot of people-"
Yuji looked at the crowd with a lazy interest, feeling a bit more at home with so many people around. He was a city dweller by nature; even if he lived in the Japanese boonies, he still liked having people around. Being alone was boring, but one thing kept him excited for today.
Some of these people would be his new roommates.
Itadori didn't know who they were or what they'd be like, but the boy was ready for anything, having spent the last few days at Beacon, only accompanied by Gramps, the Professors, and-
A shiver ran down his spine, picturing the angry blonde woman who seemed out to get him for everything he did; she was everywhere at once. He broke a window with a ball, she was there, missed the garbage can, she was there, Goodwitch was Gojo without the fun...the enemy of fun...mean, she was mean.
She almost reminded him of Nobara, but the former almost exclusively yelled at him while the latter pummeled him whenever she got the chance. He slumped for a second, defeated, but what can a guy do?...
He didn't want to answer that. Most of the women he knew would just hit him more...Seriously, there was a big correlation between being a sorcerer and being crazy. The normal ones died too quick to make a difference...maybe the same was true for Huntsmen?... He nodded at his brilliant assumption. Indeed, Yuji Itadori was a scientist ahead of his time.
He gripped a fist tight, his closed eyes opening once more as he pounded a fist against a wall for good luck, looking around in every direction in fear for a Goodwitch attack after putting a visible dent in it, but soon gave a sigh of relief, regaining his mojo, "Right, let's do this!"
Itadori wasted no time, casually leaping off the roof, falling more than a few stories as he slid along the wall before kicking off, landing without so much as a stumble, snacks still in hand, ignoring the many strange looks he got as he wandered into the crowd.
There was a timer going down on his scroll for when the main event would start, and Yuji wasn't willing to push his way into the Ceremony Hall just to wait in a stuffy room. It'd be the Tokyo subway all over again, and he wasn't willing to get groped by some old man thinking he was a girl again; no, outside was best, but where to go?
The sorcerer wandered about, unsure of why most people ignored him, and a few would stare at his face for a few seconds before glaring and walking off, but he wasn't all that interested. Negative emotions might make cursed energy, but it didn't mean he was going to be angry all the time; no way, no how, let em' be mad on their own time, he thought.
Not everyone liked foreigners; the Japanese usually didn't, and apparently the...Vale-ians...or whatever didn't either...Yuji seriously didn't get why they called themselves these weird things, Vale...Vacuo...Atlas...and some windy city...Chicago? Whatever...Most of them just looked like Europeans to him...that wasn't offensive, was it?
*BOOM
An explosion rang out in the distance, and as Yuji watched the smoke rise into the air, he wondered if he really was in Chicago. The crowd didn't care for long. Apparently, things randomly blowing up was normal to them, not too different from his life at this point, honestly.
Letting his curiosity get the best of him, Itadori casually strolled through until a mass of white slammed into his shoulder, not so much moving him but bouncing off him with an audible thud, "Watch where you're going!"
He awkwardly waved a hand, turning to face them with a closed-eyed smile, "Ah, my bad, wasn't watching where I was going, you alright?"
Not getting a response, he opened his eyes, seeing a girl way shorter than him staring straight up from below, yet somehow wearing heels and a dress he could only guess was ice-themed, but even her super long hair was white...well, it would have been if she wasn't covered head to toe in soot. Was this some kinda fad he didn't know about?
Seriously, no one in this country wore actual clothes. It was like a freaky costume party every day with half of them. Yuji could count the number of outfits he could see himself wearing on one hand!
Her blue eyes angrily glossed over him for a moment, settling on the slits beneath his eyes with a glare as he tilted his head in confusion, raising his bag up in the air, "You...wanna candy bar?"
She scoffed, turning away in a huff before storming off, "...Typical."
Yuji watched her walk off, not understanding what that was about. Soon after, the crowd started dispersing around him as if he were toxic, not that he particularly cared, but it opened up enough to let him see where she and the smoke had come from.
There was another equally singed girl sitting on the curb, hood raised over her head, looking like a kicked puppy as she just stared down at the ground, with a scythe the size of two Yujis sitting beside her. It didn't take a genius to realize she was the dirty snowball's first victim. Honestly, some people don't get how bad they sound to everyone around them.
She didn't so much as move until the guy had unceremoniously waved a can in front of her hood from above, "Cola?"
She stared at him for a second before giving a forced smile as she grabbed it, "Thanks."
The girl looked about his age, with short black and red hair, wearing a long-sleeved black blouse and a red cloak slung along her shoulders as she tapped a pair of dark boots off the ground nervously.
Yuji plopped down beside her, looking off at the water in the distance, "Rough day?"
She glumly nodded, following his gaze, wondering what awful icebreaker her sister would give as a joke, "...Fish outa water...heh... I was all excited to come here, but...I don't know, I feel out of place."
Itadori cupped his hands together in thought, "You feel out of place, or they're making you feel out of place?"
"There's a difference?"
The sorcerer nodded, "Mhm, on the one hand, you're somewhere you don't wanna be, but you're there and miserable because you aren't somewhere else; on the other, people don't want you to be there, but you're there anyways, and they make you feel miserable because of it."
She sighed, "...I guess option two. I thought I was ready for this, but maybe I'm not...I didn't mean to blow her stuff up, but...-"
She sniffled, "I sneezed it."
"What?"
The girl pointed toward an empty case of viles without looking at it, "She kept blowing dust in my face, and I sneezed it and...-" waving a hand for dramatic effect with a pop, "baboom..."
Itadori glanced at her, "That sounds like it's her fault. You shouldn't listen when someone's all mad. They do whatever it takes to get under your skin."
"But she said it was my fault; I'm the one who was messing with her stuff..."
Yuji sighed, cutting her off as he reached for a can, popping it open with a finger as he leaned into his rocky seat, "Then you both screwed up...Just cause someone's the loudest doesn't make em' right. Things happen, you screw up, it won't do ya any good to sit here sulking."
She tucked into her knees, "I don't know...My sister was all excited to have me here; maybe I'm just not old enough to get it yet."
"How old are you?"
The hooded girl looked away, embarrassed, grumbling to herself in a short mumble, as if she didn't want to admit it at all, "...Fifteen-"
"Oh cool, me too-"
*FWOOSH
Itadori tried to take a swig of his beloved beverage but inhaled a storm of rose petals instead, dropping his cola, sputtering into a violent cough as the girl reappeared right in his face, "REALLY?!"
She watched him spasm on the ground for a second, awkwardly laughing as she grabbed it for him, "Oh...oops, sorry!"
The sorcerer gasped, ripping it out of her hands as he gulped the awful plants away as a later problem but soon caught his breath, "Y-...Yuji Itadori, nice to meet ya."
She beamed down at him, awkwardly looking at her hand before stretching it out, "Ruby Rose-"
The sorcerer cocked a brow, wondering why she was being all formal, but shook her hand anyways; the Huntress in training was the first to talk as she sat back down, a bit more chipper than before, "Sooo...how'd you get into Beacon?"
Itadori bit his cheek, "Gramps thought I was good at fightin' and offered me a place here. Being a Huntsman sounds like something I'd like to try, so I figured I had nothin' to lose."
Ruby cocked her head, "Gramps?... Does he have cool glasses and drinks a lot of cocoa?"
She got a nod to her disbelief, "Ohhh, so you DID mean Ozpin...Wait, you too!?"
The sorcerer listened to her story, trying to stop a robbery, getting arrested, and then getting recruited by the same man who found him; he pondered it for a moment, "Huh...cool."
"Cool...just cool? You don't think we're gonna be part of some super secret and awesome team of teenage crime fighters?"
Itadori raised a brow, "Isn't that what we're doing today?"
Ruby paused, opening her mouth, then closing it before slumping over, "...Fair...sooo, hoping you get anyone on your team?"
The vessel waved it off, "Not really, it's not like I know anyone here. I'm just hoping they wanna be friends-"
"IWANNABEFRIENDS!-"
More rose petals, and suddenly Ruby was standing in front of him again, hyperventilating like she just ran a marathon. Seriously, how was she doing that?
He stared at her, absolutely baffled if that was even a word she said, "...What?"
She took a deep breath, leaning back so far the guy thought she was gonna blow over in the breeze, but shot right back up, her silver eyes opening again. "Okay...I-"
"want-"
Another breath, "to-"
Yuji stared at her, making the awkward Huntress that much more anxious, "b-be-"
She clenched a tiny fist, "Friends...I want to be friends."
Ruby waited, her heart thumping in her ears, the entire world feeling that much smaller as the one person she could relate to in this whole school just stared at her with a blank expression, kinda looking like a goofy potato-man, but she wouldn't say it because that was rude and- "Oh...okay."
"R-Really?"
Itadori waved her off, "Sheesh, you don't gotta be so antsy,-" he looked down at his scroll, sighing as he realized he needed to stand in that cramped building.
Yuji slowly rose to his feet, turned back toward campus, and started to walk off, "Well, I'll see ya; Gramps is about to give a spee-OOF"
"Nope!"
More rose petals and suddenly a Ruby sized shape was clinging to his leg, "Come on, let go-"
"Nope!"
Itadori may or may not have raised his leg and shook her around like a ragdoll, "Come on, if you let go, I'll give you a-"
"Do you have cookies?"
"Uh, no?"
"Nope!"
The boy sighed, defeated, and with the grace and elegance becoming of a student of Gojo, Yuji...shambled toward the school with this girl clinging to him like a baby monkey, earning more than enough stares to bother even him.
The sorcerer gave up halfway, "Seriously? Are we seriously doing this?... Can you at least get on my back?"
"...Nope!"
He sweatdropped, "...Why?"
Ruby didn't even open her eyes, clinging to the only emotional support she'd gotten all day after Yang dumped her off, "You're the first and only friend I've got here, so I'm not just gonna let you ditch me like that-"
He raised a hand, letting it hang in the air, "I wasn't leaving you, dummy; I said we gotta go inside. I'm not stopping you from going with me."
More rose petals, and she was happily bouncing beside him without a care in the world, "Oh...Why didn't you just say that?"
Yuji's head hung low, wondering if this was what it was like to be Megumi for five minutes.
...
The inside was about what Yuji expected: the same stone design as everywhere else, with a small stage at the end of the room. Higher up, there were sets of bleachers set in a ring around the entire place; his brown eyes sparkled as he saw a familiar face standing in front of a mic, "OH, G-"
"Yang, I made a friend!"
Yuji deadpanned as this tiny girl dragged him across the room before he could call out to the old man toward an uncertain fate. "EH?!"
Ruby was tiny; she barely stood up to his chest, and she was somehow dragging him like he weighed nothing; how freakishly strong was this girl!? There's no way; she's skinny like a twig; how the-
The Rose-themed girl unceremoniously dropped him on the floor as he lazily stared up at the ceiling until a face leaned overhead, with long golden strands of hair almost tickling his face. "So you did, hm~"
She wore a tan leather jacket above a yellow crop top, with a loose belt laid over a thin pair of shorts riding against her toned legs. She turned, giving Ruby a thumbs up with her fingerless gloves, "Nice catch."
"Yaaaang, don't be gross!"
She shrugged, "I'm not gross, just observant. You'll get it when you're older."
She gave the sorcerer a casual grin, rolling her eyes toward the younger of the pair, "Siblings, am I right? It's almost like we're Yin and-"
"Don't do it!"
"Yaaaaang."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
As Ruby ran away, covering her ears, the blonde smirked in pride with a completely relaxed demeanor, "Thanks for hangin' with my Sis. I was worried she wouldn't find anyone with how she was acting earlier-"
She awkwardly laughed, "I miiiiight have gone a little overboard leaving her alone like that, but it all worked out, right?... Anyways, I'm Yang...Yang Xiao Long."
She reached a hand down to him as the sorcerer's brain fired into overdrive. She was tall...really tall...and said jokes he actually understood...nice, but more on that later. He had to meet his foe on equal ground.
Yuji raised both hands to her confusion, "Is your favorite game-" he made finger guns, "Yang Xiao Pong?"
Lightning struck between the two as she met his guns with a pair of her own, "Ayyyy, so it's like that, huh?"
He gave a firm nod, his features becoming chiseled for a split second, "Yes, it's like that-"
She did the same, "I see...you're a person of culture."
He just nodded with a grunt, sealing an unspoken pact of pun-ness.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ruby screamed in the distance.
The Huntress snorted at her sister's misery and grabbed the guy's hand, hauling him to his feet like he weighed nothing, leaving Yuji in disbelief. Seriously, what was with this place and freakishly strong girls...it was Jujutsu high all over again, except they weren't trying to kill him...yet.
The teen held out a fist, figuring he might as well introduce himself, "Yuji Itadori, glad to meet ya!"
Yang hummed, deep in thought like the philosopher she was always meant to be, hands on her hips as she faced the ground, forehead throbbing before an idea dinged in her head.
She pounded their fists together, a cocky grin on her face as she opened and closed her free hand for added effect, "For helping my Sis, You...A...G!"
Yuji saw sparkles, but the moment soon ended as Ruby came flying in with a storm of rose petals, slamming into her sister's back at max force, sending them both flying, "ENOUGH PUNS! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"
Yuji watched the two wrestle for a second, realizing Ruby stood no chance, getting pinned in less than a few seconds, making squeaker toy sounds, but a sudden ringing caught his attention as Ozpin took the stage, pushing his glasses back, "I'll...keep this brief-"
It really wasn't anything much to speak of, the same things Itadori heard at the start of every semester back at West Junior High: gain some knowledge, use it for the good of society, typical Japanese schtick, some sprinkles of wasted potential and needing to gain some hands-on experience, blah-blah.
Being a Huntsman wasn't all that far off from being a sorcerer, but if you could just train and get stronger, the former had it a lot better. Jujutsu users were mostly innate talent. If you weren't born with it, you just weren't gonna have much impact.
Yuji was sort of an outlier. Not having cursed techniques for most of his career made him scrappy, and by the time he gained some of his own, they added to what he already had instead of him being reliant on them like most sorcerers... and with him on the mend, it wouldn't be too long until he was back at his bes-AAAH
By the time he looked back at the stage, Goodwitch had taken the stand, sending him a stare that sent waves of fear through him, making the guy shrink into himself before straightening into perfect posture as if it were drilled into him. "You'll gather in the ballroom tonight, and tomorrow, your initiation begins...you are dismissed."
As she turned away, the curse lifted from the boy, letting his shoulders drop as he gasped for air, but the moment didn't last long. Next thing he knew, Yang had grabbed him by his hoodie with her usual energy, "Come on, keep up, Pinkie!"
Itadori dangled there a second, "...Pinkie?-woah!"
She tossed him like a sack of potatoes as he stumbled into place beside Ruby, the girl giving him a nonchalant shrug as they marched out the door and across campus once more, "Yang gives everyone a nickname...you get used to it-"
The blonde bombshell slung an arm over her sister's shoulder, "It's a thing of passion, Rube. You'll get it-"
"When I'm older-?" Ruby sighed.
Yang beamed, "When you're older."
She released the scythe wielder, lazily crossing her arms over her head, "Soooo, where ya from, Pinkie? Me and Rubes are Patch, born and raised!"
"Oh, where's that?"
Yang deflated, her ego slightly damaged, "It's...it's a little island off the coast-"
Itadori ignored it, a grin appearing as he pointed a thumb to himself, "Ohhhh, we're both island dwellers then! I'm from Sendai, it's a small city in Japan!"
"Ja-wa?"
The sorcerer also deflated. They were both deflated, like a couple of those bendy-arm inflatable dudes in front of car dealers with no air left in them.
Yuji recovered first, remembering something Gramps told him to say, "Oh, right, I'm a...ahhh, what word did he use, hmmmm...Exchange student! I'm an exchange student from Japan! We're an island nation on the other side of the world."
Ruby tried to leap into the conversation, stumbling as Crescent Rose came inches from slamming into the guy's head. She sighed in relief as she caught it, with him none the wiser, "Oh, so you're new-new to Vale, whaddya think so far?...Pretty great?..." she rapidly mumbled, "Ibetit'sprettygreat."
The sorcerer gave a thumbs up to her delight, "Yeah! People are real friendly here...lot less crowded than back home though-" he laughed, "I'm sorta used to big cities with no breathing room. All this space is a little weird to me."
Yang blew a strand of hair away, "Pft, not everyone's got your problems, city boy. Patch is a small world compared to this. How many people your hometown got?"
Yuji spoke as Ruby finally cracked open her cola, taking a sip, "A million."
*SPOOOOOOOO
"That's small to you!?"
He nodded, not getting what the big deal was, "Yeah?... Tokyo has thirteen million or something these days-"
As the girls stared at him in disbelief, he just shrugged it off, walking ahead, "Japan has, like, twenty cities like mine. It's not that big a' deal."
Ruby just stared at the ground, able to count the number of neighbors she had on one hand and the number of people in her class back at Signal with both, "Is it even possible to have that many people in one place?"
Yang slumped a hand over her shoulder, patting her on the back, a strained look on her face, "Country girl problems, Rube...Country girl problems...we'll just have to buckle up for some big city life."
"...This isn't bothering you, is it?"
"Not at all."
The scythe wielder deadpanned, "Boo."
Yang sing-songed, "Boo-hoo"
Ruby growled, "Boo-you!"
"Are you calling me a ghost or trying to scare me?"
Ruby glared "Yes...I mean, no...both? I don't know...why are you-"
Yang patted her on the shoulder, a cheeky grin on her face that sent shockwaves through her little sister's soul, "Don't do it-"
"That's the Spirit!"
Yuji made a mental note to buy a book on puns as he watched Yang dodge every dive Ruby made in her direction, a smile growing on his face. People here sure were lively, and hey, he had already made two new friends. Who was he to complain about that?
...
The ballroom was pretty movie-like, if Yuji could say so himself. It was a big open place with a checkered floor and a stairway going up to balconies lining the entire upper area. Students had already picked spots for themselves all over, just dropping their stuff wherever.
The sorcerer lazily stretched, figuring some downtime and a snack would do him some good. He glanced at the sisters as Ruby tried to bite Yang's skull for yet another pun, "I'm gonna catch some shut-eye; I'll see ya-"
Ruby paused her attack, giving him a wave back, "Oh...uh, alright...We'll...hang out later, though, right?"
He just yawned, giving her a sideways thumbs up as he wandered off to find someplace to sleep.
Yang had no mercy, grabbing her baby sister by her shoulders and holding her mid-air like a doll, "Awww, someone's made a friend."
The hooded girl wriggled out of her grip with a huff, "Quit iiiit! I just don't wanna mess things up and be all alone again."
The blonde rolled her eyes, grabbing her sister by the arm and pulling her into a sideways hug, "Oh, don't be such a drama queen. You'll always have me, you know, but ya did good, all things considered-"
She glanced over at the mess of pink hair in the distance, sweatdropping at how easy it was to pick the guy out of a crowd, an appraising look on her face, "...Not bad at all, Sis. He's a little out there, but Pinkie seems alrig-"
She glanced down at Ruby drinking her soda, having given up on escaping her sibling's hold, "Actually, where'd you get that?"
Her silver eyes glanced toward the sorcerer, and the bombshell wasted no time yelling out to him, "Hey, Pinkie!-"
She ignored Ruby's sputters as half the room turned to face them along with the teen in question, "Pitch me a can, wouldya!?"
Yuji shrugged, pulling one out of his bag of mysteries, letting the sack fall to the ground as he took a pitcher's stance to the girl's disbelief, "Holy crap, he's taking it literally-"
She smirked; why not? Let's see what Pink stuff's made of.
Yang shoved Ruby aside, her stance widening as an unspoken tension ran through the air, pressure building on both sides.
Itadori raised his right leg to the side, feeling the floor crack beneath him. His left hand swung wide, an audible boom like a cannon shot ringing out as he threw the can with nothing but his own strength to back it.
Yang braced herself, purple eyes glowing with determination as the object sailed toward her, not having to move so much as an inch; the throw was so perfect. Her hands flashed up at just the right moment, gritting her teeth as it impacted, watching smoke erupt from her palms as its spin faltered.
The blonde raised the can in victory, pulling the tab as it exploded, taking a satisfied gulp as she gave him a thumbs up; he did the same, seemingly impressed, but he hadn't seen anything yet.
She looked to her sister, giving a satisfied grin, "Okay, he's cool."
Yang was a lot of things, but above all, she was a fighter. The Huntress knew another athlete when she saw one...the dude wasn't even trying, and he had a throw that crazy? Maybe he'd be down for a boxing match later...and some more puns...both were good...wait-
"Shoot-"
Ruby glanced at her, "Something wrong?"
The boxer ran a hand through her long blonde hair, "Nah, I just forgot to ask for his scroll ID-" she dropped her shoulders, "Whatever, I'll just get it later.
Ruby suddenly stopped in her tracks, realizing she didn't even ask him about HIS weapon...wait, was he even carrying one?
They wandered off as Itadori did the same, with him finding a nice secluded piece of wall to lean on. He wasn't fancy enough to bring sleeping supplies, didn't need em' didn't want em,' the vessel could sleep wherever and whenever.
He took a seat, digging through his bag, pulling out the closest thing he could find to a comic he'd know about, 'The Incredible Bulk: Tales of an Overweight Hero,' before tearing open a candy bar, ready to spend the rest of his night relaxed like this-
*Crinkle
A nearby nose shot into the air, a pair of ears twitching in tandem, "I smell...A smelly smell...that smells...-"
She wore a simple grey t-shirt, the word 'boop' proudly displayed as if it meant something, with thunderbolt-covered pink shorts and some slippers to boot.
A tired voice followed suit, "Nora...-"
He wore a green long-sleeve tail coat with black streaks running diagonally across its surface, his white pants swishing about as his black shoes tapped against the floor, trying to catch the energetic girl before it was too late-
"CANDY!-"
*FWOOOM
Too little too late.
She was gone before he could stop her, leaving the tired boy to follow in her tracks, looking through the crowds for a familiar tuft of orange hair, soon finding her digging through someone's bag; he sighed, "Nora...you can't...you can't just-"
He blinked, and she was gone, now lying beside a boy with spiked pink hair, making him go back to page one of his comic as she munched on her candy. The guy looked up at him for a second, brown eyes meeting pink as the former gave an indifferent shrug, "It's fine. I'm not gonna let someone go hungry if I can help it-"
The girl wasted no time, leaning over his shoulder as if trying to poke the people on the pages, "Yeah! Go, purple dude, go!"
The standing boy let off another sigh, "Nora, if you're going to be on top of someone, you can at least introduce yoursel-
*CRUNCH
She munched her candy bar without a thought in her head, "Ohhhh right-" She pointed a thumb at herself and then her partner with an excited smile, "I'm Nora, that's Ren," She got in his face, poking his cheek with a finger "What's yours? BOOP!"
Itadori smiled up at the two, "Yuji-" looking down at her finger still dug into his cheek-
"Booooooooop-"
Ren deadpanned, "Nora."
She zoned back in, "Oh, oops, hehe, sorry...Yuji...Yuji...I don't know any Yuji's, but I think I'd like to know a Yuji, not as much as I know Ren, we're besties...bestie besties!"
Sukuna's vessel just laughed, "You're pretty hyper, huh?"
Ren shrugged, sitting on the other side of the sorcerer without so much as a sound, "She gets worse when she has candy...but she's even worse when you tell her she can't have any-"
Nora leaned back into the comic indifferently, "I get hangry. Do you get hangry? Sometimes, when I'm really hungry, I dream I'm in a forest full of pancakes-"
Ren looked away, "You bit my head last time you did that-"
"Don't use tasty shampoo then, silly!"
Yuji didn't know anyone that got..hangry...angry-hungry unless you're counting the guy living inside him whenever he didn't get his finger food.
He could only wonder what a pancake tasted like. American food was so bizarre but looked so good on TV, like one of those displays in front of restaurants they got mad at you for touching.
He leaned back, letting Nora yoink the comic as she flipped through the pages at lightspeed, "So, you two know each other a while?"
Ren did the talking as the bubbly ginger mumbled about making a picture show, "You could say that...we're both from Mistral-"
She jumped in, "Mhm, and Renny's been there for me as long as I can remember. He's my bestest bestie. Heck, I probably wouldn't be here without him."
Yuji nodded along, "Nah, I gotcha. My best buddy back home saved my skin more times than I can count."
His gaze shifted away for a moment, "I'm just hoping he's alright without me-"
A finger poked his face again "Boooooop-"
"Huh?"
Nora stared at him, "You looked sad when you said that. Come on! You have Ren, and you have me here; what more could ya need for having some fun?"
Yuji huffed, crossing his arms, "I'll have you know I'm the king of fun!"
A sudden pressure washed over him as the boy looked around in confusion, seeing Nora looming above him with a haze-like cloud surrounding her.
Ren slapped his forehead, "Now you've done it."
"You dare challenge my throne, mortal?"
"W-...What?...What's happening?"
As the hyperactive girl loomed overhead, a foreboding look crossed Ren's face, "Long ago, there were once many contenders for the throne, but one by one, Nora destroyed her rivals, claiming the title of Queen of Fun for herself...there were no survivors, and few witnesses to the amazing things she could plan..."
Yuji felt immense respect and fear for this girl already. He bowed before her might, "Please, teach me your ways; I'm begging you!"
Lie deadpanned. Oh no...he was taking it seriously... that could only mean-
"Are you worthy?"
Oh my God, Nora was doing it too.
Yuji slammed his head into the ground, "I'm not, but...I'd like to try to earn my place. I'll do whatever it takes, Sensei!"
Nora nodded at his grit, "Good...then rise, Yuji...and draw me some squares...we're playing hopscotch."
His eyes widened in fear, "But...But there are so many bystanders, what if we-..."
She waved him off with a hand, "...Then you best not miss."
His eyes burned at her callous disregard for life but closed in submission, "I...I understand...it will be done."
...
Minutes later
A pair of lime-green eyes stared up at the ceiling, not particularly focused on anything. Their owner was lost in her thoughts, swiping a strand of red hair away with a tired huff.
She had tried to make friends, real friends, but all everyone seemed to notice was the 'Cool girl on the cereal box,' or her least favorite, 'The Invincible Girl.'
It all felt fake: the glamor, the stares, the people constantly fawning over her. It's not why she became a Huntress, and it definitely wasn't what she wanted, but what could she do?
*Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap
Her honed senses sprung into action, watching a little rock bounce along the ground from the corner of her eye, wondering where those chalky squares along the floor came from, watching as it skidded to a stop nearby.
Soon, a short girl with orange hair came running by, flailing her arms to stop until she hollered back, giving a flex of pride as she did so, "Ooooh, between fourteen and fifteen? Tough luck, Do you think you got what it takes to beat the Champ? The King of Kings, the Macho Man Randy-"
"You're a girl, Nora-"
She stopped, looking down, "Oh yeah...well, you ready bubblegum?"
Another voice called out, "Yeah, a little challenge won't stop me. I'll take that twenty and your title; just watch!"
She haughtily laughed, "In your dreams maybe, well come on! I don't got all night!"
Pyrrha glanced through the crowd, spotting a boy wearing a shining black jacket and equally dark pants atop a red hoodie, his brown eyes glaring down the mega-hopscotch track with raw fury. He wasn't even close to the starting line, back against the wall; what was he-
*BOOM
The ground shook as he vanished in a burst of wind, reappearing on the first square, moving like lightning on a single foot at speeds even she struggled to comprehend. It was unreal, it was-
Her eyes flashed to the side, widening in concern as a girl with a dark bowtie and gleaming yellow eyes indifferently headed toward the track, her kimono fluttering as she did so, book still in hand, at the rate she was going...oh no-
The warrior shot to her feet, shouting to the boy as he approached at breakneck speeds, "Watch out!-"
Nora cut her off, "Ah-Ah, no stopping, or else you're out! Them's the rules, so whatcha gonna do!?"
The boy remained undeterred, his brow furrowing as he growled, taking a dive, his palms slammed into the ground, visibly denting it as he pushed off with superhuman strength, flipping overhead, crossing straight over the book wielder's head as she hardly paid him a glance.
He soared across the tiles, landing on the final space on his hands, legs still held in the sky as he gave a satisfied smirk to his crestfallen foe, ignoring the impressed claps around him, "King me!"
Pyrrha watched the girl's entire body change colors, shriveling up as if the unthinkable happened, "No way...this can't be happening-"
She screamed to the heavens above, "This can't be real!...-" falling to her knees as she slammed her fists into the ground. "It should have been me, not him! It's not fair!"
Pyrrha watched the odd display as the girl put an imaginary crown on the boy's head, and only then did he flip onto his feet, patting her head with a free hand, "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll earn it back someday, until then, bow to your Fun King, Yuji Itadori!"
It seemed ridiculous, but even as the goofy girl actually took a knee to her self-proclaimed monarch, Pyrrha couldn't help but feel jealous. THAT! That was what she wanted: people she could just goof around with and do whatever she wanted with, no matter how stupid, not some fake bunch of-
"Hey!"
She zoned back in, realizing the guy was talking to her, with a casual smile, "You're the one who gave that warning, right?"
She awkwardly nodded, "Uh...Yeah...sorry, I just didn't want to see something bad happen-"
He shrugged, "Nah, it was a good call. I didn't even see her coming; I just wanted to say thanks. You won me a big crown today, hehe."
He seemed so proud of his imaginary achievement, the girl couldn't burst his bubble, "Nice...you said your name's Yuji?...I'm-"
Oh God, here it comes, she'd say her name and then it'd be a big speech about how famous she was...might as well get it over with.
She gave a forced smile, "I'm Pyrrha...Pyrrha Nikos-"
...
...
"Cool, nice to meet ya-"
Huh?
Itadori shrugged, raising an arm as a teary-eyed Nora chewed on the limb, mumbling about taking her title back by force as he seemed completely indifferent to it, "Anyways, I gotta get her back before she chews through my sleeve; I'll see you arou-
*CHOMP
Yuji's eyes became dinner plates as he ran off, flailing the growling girl around, "AHHHHHHHHH SHE GOT THROUGH! REN HELP ME!"
The guy who responded just sounded like a tired dad, "...Nora, don't bite your friends."
She just growled, "REVOLUTION, OVERTHROW THE TYRANT!"
More screams rang out as she bit him again.
Pyrrha watched for a moment more before slumping back down into silence once more, wondering if she could somehow be part of that...it was a nice thought, but one thing stuck in her head-
Did he really not know who she was?
...
The next morning
Yuji woke up in silence, his tired eyes flickering open at the crack of dawn with a yawn as she stretched.
It was a habit. Sukuna made it a regular thing to subject him to the worst nightmares he could think of on a good day or sometimes keep him up all night with endless whispers in his head. The guy never stopped talking, ever...but-
Ever since Yuji woke up in that grave, the King of Curses hadn't made so much as a sound. The vessel knew he was in there. His presence was hard to miss, but...it felt reduced, like he was focusing on something other than taking over his body.
Whatever it was, Itadori had no clue...but the quiet was a welcome change, waking up to a new day feeling better than the last. He had to enjoy this while it lasted...it wouldn't, and his hatred for the Spirit wasn't going anywhere. He'd look into it, but what else was there to do but enjoy life for now?
He opened his scroll, a slight smile on his face as he read through two new contacts on his list. Ren sent a simple waving emote while Nora spammed him with random late-night thoughts: 'How can mirrors be real if our eyes aren't real?-Nora quotes, copyright.'
Yuji dumped a mountain of cat pictures in her chat, smirking as he heard her device go off a few dozen times while she snored, muttering something about cupcakes, his eyes flickering toward an announcement from Gramps.
He took a sharp breath, ready for a new day, "Early worm gets the bird...oh wait, the other way...right?"
Soon, the sorcerer was on his feet and out the door, careful not to step on anyone on his way out, but as the door began to close, a figure stepped through the gap, speaking in a sing-song, "Hellloooo."
He stopped in his tracks, looking through the burning sunlight, seeing the same red hair as last night...way above him...Oh man, she was tall...nice. How come he didn't notice that before?
The girl wore what he could only guess was some kinda Spartan uniform if that movie was anything to go by, her long legs coated in bronze alongside her colorful corset, wearing a sash around her skirt as it bobbed up and down with each step.
Itadori gave her the same friendly treatment he gave everyone: a bright-eyed smile and a peace sign, "Yo...you're Pyrrha, right?"
She gave a formal nod, "Indeed...I mean-" she slumped, "Yes...I'm Pyrrha-"
Clearing her throat, the girl tried again, "Aren't you going to wake your friends?"
The sorcerer shrugged, "Eh, they had a long trip here. I figure a little more shut-eye outa' do em' some good. Besides, I'm used to gettin' up early, ya know?"
The invincible girl nodded along, "I can relate. Even on days off, I wake up at the crack of dawn; it's...-"
"Exhausting?"
She nodded, her green eyes shutting in a brief lull, "Very...I hope you don't mind; I was hoping we could talk more after last night."
The vessel didn't mind...but more importantly, Todo would kill him if he passed on talking with a girl like this; he needed to make his friend proud. "Sure, I was just gonna grab some breakfast if you wanna come with."
Her face lit up, "That sounds lovely-" before falling for a moment, "You wouldn't happen to like...Pumpkin Pete's Marshmellow Flakes...would you?"
Yuji squinted in deep thought before his head fizzled out, "Never heard of it...should I try i-"
"NO!"
She was in his face, well, more hovered above his face given how much taller she was, but soon cleared her throat, "I mean...no, I was just wondering, is all...I heard they're bad for you."
Yuji stared up at her, a neutral look on his face, "...I see."
Pyrrha died inside as she met his stare, knowing just how dumb she made herself look, but what was she going to do, out herself to the one person who hadn't bent over backward for her?
He turned on his heels, mumbling to himself, "I wonder if they've got those pancakes Nora kept talking about..."
The Nikos guffawed, wondering if he was really that easy-going or if he'd already forgotten that awkward encounter just now, "Mother, help me...don't let me screw this up."
A few minutes of silence later, the pair entered the cafeteria; a small crowd was milling about, grabbing whatever fits their fancy. All the while, the tall girl grumbled, hoping for some kind of icebreaker, but couldn't think of one.
Pyrrha had wanted to say something but had no clue what, and the sorcerer was content to just do as he pleased. She had no idea where to go from here.
Itadori's eyes flickered across the room, honing in on a familiar hood and blondie to boot, "OY, Ruby, Yang, mornin!"
The younger of the pair brightened up after seeing him, waving the two over as the sorcerer happily strolled over. Pyrrha couldn't help but gawk at how easily the guy seemed to meet people. You'd always have things to look forward to...how could she do that?
Yuji plopped into his seat but soon squinted, seeing the bags under Ruby's eyes while her sister seemed as chipper as ever, "Figured I wouldn't see you two till later, couldn't sleep?"
The Rose-themed girl huffed, bobbing her head toward her sister, "Yang mumbles puns in her sleep, plus she decided she HAAAD to make me talk to more people."
The sorcerer listened in but didn't get what the issue was, "I don't see the big deal. It's always fun meetin' new people; it's why I talked to you anyways-"
The younger sibling huffed, "...Not everyone has people energy like you, okay?"
Yang snorted but ignored her sister, "Not because she blew up?"
Itadori laughed, failing to cover it as Ruby glared at him and then yawned, losing her anger in a split second, "It had something to do with it-"
"Something liiiike?"
He idly scratched his face, "I dunno, I heard the blast and thought she needed a hand, not that much to it."
Ruby's head slammed into the table at Mach two, shaking nearby plates as Yang patted her hair, "Awww, someone cares. See, Rube, good things happen from dumb mistakes...and I know you had trouble sleeping...buuut-"
"Please don't"
Yang felt a burst of pity in her heart but soon smothered it, "...I can do it with my eyes closed."
The scythe wielder grumbled, trying to punch her sister but missing by a mile.
Yuji's features hardened, wondering if he could betray his friend like this...but what choice was there?
"Ah, hang in there, Ruby, it'll get better... I know eyelash out when I'm tired-"
She slammed a tiny fist into the table, "AHHHHHH, I HATE THIS!"
Yang silently gave him a thumb of approval, knowing it had to be done, but her gaze shifted to the side, "Oh yeah, who's your friend there?"
As Ruby pried her face free from the table, he started, "Oh yeah, this is-"
Ruby practically dove across the table, grabbing the girl's hands in a swirl of rose petals, "OHMYGODYOU'REPYRRHANIKOSCANISHAKEYOURHAND?!"
The Invincible Girl sweatdropped, "Uh...you already are?"
Ruby seemed to snap back to reality at that, awkwardly dropping back into her seat with a strained look on her face as she looked away, "Oh...my bad, heh...hehe...eugh."
Yang took the lead, studying the girl's face for a second before snapping a finger, "Oh yeah, you're that cereal chick, right?"
As Pyrrha died inside, Yuji grumbled in thought, half a lightbulb fizzing over his head, "...Bumpkin Beats-"
The blonde paused with a snort, "It's Pumpkin Pete's, smart guy...actually, how do you even know about that? They got it where you're from?"
Yuji blew air through his lips as he leaned back, "Never heard'a that one, but cereal isn't all that popular in Japan, so who knows?"
He glanced toward the armored redhead who looked like a deer in headlights, "She told me it was bad for ya... anyways, I'll be back, gonna go grab some stuff."
"Oooh, I'll come with!"
Ruby disappeared in a swirl of petals, reappearing beside him before skipping off with him in tow, "I wonder if they have cookies?"
"For breakfast?"
"Well, what do you have?"
"Rice, soup, and fish, it's good eatin'."
"BLEH!"
Yang smirked, shaking her head as she watched them go, leaning onto the table, "You're a pretty lousy mascot, Miss Nikos."
The redhead laughed, "If only that were true, maybe people would stop bringing it up to me."
The bombshell raised a brow, "Ohhhh, that's why you're following Pinkie around-"
Pyrrha squinted, "I'm sorry?"
Yang glanced toward the lunch line as Ruby climbed on the guy's back like a monkey to see over the crowd. "He's some kinda foreigner, never heard of where he's from, but he sure doesn't know a lot...guy's cool, though, so I don't judge."
A smirk grew on her face, "I wish I could travel more...but the airfare is...sky high!"
"Pffft-" Pyrhha snorted, "Terrible."
With her spirits lifted, the armored girl relaxed a bit, "Between us two, I just wanted to see how he got along with everyone without trying."
"Whaddya mean?"
Pyrrha's shoulders dropped, "Sometimes I think my fame is all people focus on. I'd like to learn how I can change that and act...well...more like him, somehow make friends with complete strangers."
Yang nodded but soon shook her head, "Fame or not, that's got nothin' to do with it. You gotta make yourself approachable. You're all armored up and looking cool, but how's he acting?"
In the span of thirty seconds, Yuji and Ruby had somehow found the locked pastry case, and the girl was being held upside down by her ankles as she leaned behind the counter, prying the container open to grab her beloved treat, rapidly shoveling them into her pockets as kitchen staff came running at them with spoons to drive them off.
Pyrrha didn't know what that was.
Yang smiled, "He's chill... and not too bad on the eyes either." She waved the girl's concerns away with a hand, "You just gotta go with the flow and drop the formal act sometimes; you aren't on camera, ya know?"
The redhead slumped in her chair, "It's easier said than done; it's always Invincible Girl this, Pumpkin Pete's that. I don't even know where to start."
The brawler looked across the crowds with a lazy eye, "I dunno, seems like getting a team might be the chance you need; they HAVE to be your friend-"
"...That isn't helping-"
Yang shrugged, "Probably not, but it's a start, right? Give whoever you get enough time, and they'll come around."
Pyrrha sighed but soon steeled herself, "I suppose I'll have to try...you're awfully good at this sort of thing, you know?"
The blonde confidently grinned, slamming a hand against her chest, "Nah, I'm just a big Sis. It's my job, but that doesn't mean I don't know what to do a lot of the time, it's just-"
Pyrrha leaned in, ready to hear the girl's concerns, "I used to be afraid of hurdles...but I got over them."
Finger Guns
The redhead just blankly stared at her, dead to the world, before coming back down, looking around with a confused look on her face, "Where did those two wander off to?"
Yang rolled her eyes, not seeing her easily distracted sister anywhere, who was with an even more distractable friend, "Looks like we got ditched-"
"It appears so."
"...Wanna hang out?"
"...Isn't that what we're doing right now?"
"You know?... Fair."
...
At the same time
"Where'd they go!?-"
"They couldn't have gone far, thieving brats! Those were for the Headmaster's after-party!
"This way!"
As the kitchen staffers ran off, Yuji breathed a sigh of relief...hidden behind some shrubs where no one could see them, they were finally in the-
*CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH
He deadpanned, watching as Ruby stuffed her face like a chipmunk with her newly acquired snacks, "Seriously?"
He looked around, half expecting Goodwitch to come out of nowhere and hit him, but there was no one, save for a few lost students here or there, "There's a time and place for-"
She gulped, face still covered in crumbs, getting dangerously close, an evil glint in her eye as she grabbed him by his shirt collar, "There's never not a time for cookies."
He raised his hands in surrender, "I got it, I got it-"
She let him go in a huff as he slumped toward the ground, looking off at nothing in particular, questioning his life choices.
Okay, there was no difference. The people here were just as crazy as they were back home, just in different ways.
He deadpanned, "I didn't take you for a cookie crook...a crookie."
The Huntress happily hummed as she took another bite, "I told you I went to jail the other night...I'm stone cold. Don't mess with me, son, or I'll go all HYAH on you!"
Her kicks and punches looked a lot less impressive when she had chocolate smeared on her face.
"Didn't you get arrested for stopping a crime? This is like...the opposite of that!"
Ruby glared toward the school in disgust, a rebel in the making, "Hiding sweets from the public is a crime in itself. I liberated those poor cookies and gave them to those in need-"
"You...You ate all of them!"
"And I was made full, as it should be."
Ruby was a different person when it came to these things. Itadori would need a mental note to never get between her and her sweets. He didn't need another Nobara punching him for dropping her stuff.
He took a breath, leaning back against a branch, listening in yet hearing nothing, "Well, I think they're gone...might as well go get ready for initiation, huh?"
The sorcerer slowly stood, cracking his back, but before he could walk off-
"Hey-"
He looked down, seeing Ruby off at nothing in particular, "Somethin' wrong?"
She waved him off, rubbing a hand on the back of her head, "Nah, it's stupid...it's just...canwebepartnersprettyplease!?"
Ruby could almost see the massive question marks hanging over the guy's head, so, standing on both feet, she tried again, "Can we...be partners?"
"Oh...sure...-"
But before she could do a happy dance, he looked off, scratching his chin, "Is that how that works?"
The scythe wielder shrugged, "I dunno, I just thought I'd ask cause so far, you're the only one who'll talk to me-"
Lightning ran through the sorcerer's heart. EH!? That's just way too sad! Come on, think, brain, think!
"Have you...tried talking to anyone else?"
She counted down by the hand, "Well...first there was Weiss...that's the mean girl if you didn't know...then there's you...Yang...and that girl Blake with the Bowtie-"
"Oh yeah, I almost crushed her last night."
Ruby deadpanned, waiting for an explanation, but never got one, so she tried to ignore how that could even happen, "Anyways...other than you, no one's really wanted to talk to me, so...here we are."
Yuji sighed, "If it'll make you happy, sure, I'll be your partner, but...you gotta put more effort into meeting people, you know? Some of em' might be really cool."
The Huntress kicked a rock, "It's not that easy for me. I like my bubble, there's Yang...my Dad...Zwei, he's my dog. Meeting people just makes me feel all bleh inside!"
The sorcerer shook his head, "The world's a lot bigger than the people around you, ya know...what are you gonna do without your family around?... You got years ahead of you, and all you're talking about is where you came from, not where you wanna go from here!"
"Well...I have you-"
Yuji nodded, "Yeah, but you're closing yourself off for no good reason. The more people you care about, the better! It just makes that small family into a large one, is all, there's no downside!"
Ruby shot to her feet, "Well...I blew up; what about that!"
Itadori thought back on his school days, bringing his wealth of knowledge to the forefront, "I was dead last in my class-"
"Wha-"
His face became chiseled, "Bottom of the barrel-"
"Huh-"
"Weakest of the weak with no technique-"
"I dunno if I wanna be your partner anymore...-"
He ignored that, pointing a thumb to himself, "But I tried to get along with everyone I could, and they helped me get strong, and it's because of all of them that I'm here today."
He slapped a hand on her shoulder, giving the greatest Itadori smile he could muster, "If you wanna help people as a huntress, you can start by getting along with as many people as you can, like-"
Itadori pulled out his scroll, his eyes cartoonishly widening, seeing over a hundred messages from Nora, asking where he was in increasingly insane ways...one of them was a gif of her doing a flip with the word 'where?' captioned overhead...did she film that today?
Ruby glanced at his screen, "Nora?... She a friend of yours?"
He just blankly stared at the backlog of messages, "Yeah...we met last night-"
"Man, you work fast...is...is it really that easy?...what should I say-"
"Whatever comes to mind-"
Ruby huffed, "But people don't like what I wanna talk about! That's the problem! Whatdoyouthinkishould-OW!"
Yuji flicked her forehead. The first time, he wasn't on the receiving end of that.
"You're never gonna make friends if you're looking for yourself, ya dink!... My best buddy, Megumi, likes to sit all by himself and read. I'm not about that, but I still like hanging out with him cause he's my buddy. You just gotta enjoy their company, is all, and find things you both like."
He leaned in, "And that means talking to people...think you can manage that?"
She grumbled, "If I survive the heart attack first..."
Itadori nodded with a prideful hum, walking off, "Good! Last time I lost my heart, it hurt like crazy; it took forever to come back from that one, but here I am...so I'm sure you'll be fine, buddy!"
Ruby just stared at him...What?
She gave up trying to understand Yuji when he didn't feel like explaining himself, deciding to follow after him instead, catching up as they strolled across campus at a lazy pace.
Ruby paused as they reached a crossroads, looking one way while he seemed to head off in another, "We heading to the lockers, then?"
The sorcerer shook his head, "Nah, I don't need anything. I'm gonna head to the cliffs and see what Gramps wants us to do out there-"
The Huntress looked him over with a confused stare, "But what about...Oh yeah, I never asked, where's your weapon? I'd show you mine, but...she's sorta in my locker...you know...seeing is better than believing...eugh, I'll be quiet now."
Yuji lazily raised a fist to the sky as he wandered off, "These hands."
Ruby stared at him, "What?"
He didn't respond, zoning out as he gawked at a bird flying overhead, just leaving her there with that to stew on, "Okay...well, that's gonna bother me forever."
She walked off, still thinking about it, to her annoyance.
...
Minutes later
"Yo, Gramps!"
Yuji came walking out of the school property and onto the looming cliffs around the perimeter, the same forest he crawled out of days ago, still standing in the distance.
"Refer to him as Headmaster, Mr. Itadori, we've been over this-"
Ozpin raised a hand to his friend, "It's fine, Glynda; there's hardly anyone here to hear him say it anyways."
She grumbled, looking around, realizing they were the only three present so far. It was still early, after all, but the Professor had an image to maintain for herself and her institution.
Ozpin turned to face the student, his usual smile a bit more suppressed than normal, "And how are you today, my young friend? Your classmates treating you well, I hope?"
The sorcerer flashed his trademark grin, "Yeah, they've all been pretty great! I just feel bad I can't have em' all on my team. I'm no good at picking and choosing."
The Headmaster nodded, pushing his glasses back with a finger, "Well, it's a good thing you won't be selecting them yourself, isn't it?"
"Whaddya mean?"
He raised his cane, pointing it toward one of the metal platforms strewn along the cliff's edge, "Stand there, and all will be clear soon, my boy."
Yuji nodded, following the man's orders. He took one step on the platform and felt himself sink a bit into the ground, so subtle an ordinary person wouldn't notice, but to a sorcerer trained to detect things at millionths of a second?
Ozpin cut him off before he could say anything, "Consider that another secret-"
Itadori's eyes widened, "Woah, how did you-"
"Another observation: you have many tells, and I've had quite a long time to notice them in my life. A word of advice: when you take an interest in something, sometimes it pays to do nothing at all...and wait for further developments to happen before taking action."
The boy hummed in thought, looking off toward the forest before snapping a finger, "...Like waiting in the lunchline a little longer in case they bring out fresh pizza?"
Ozpin snapped a finger, "Exactly."
Glynda stared at him, feeling her hair turning grey, "You should not be encouraging this."
The veteran Huntsman chuckled at his friend's frustrations, patting her on the shoulder, "Every student learns differently, Glynda. What matters is that they comprehend the lesson, not how they get there."
Time passed as Itadori dully waited for the other students to come strolling out, taking their sweet time, only zoning back in when Yang slapped him on the back, almost sending him off the cliff, "Coulda said you were leaving, Pinkie."
He flailed his arms, somehow catching himself to his relief, landing back on his feet with a huff, "...Your sister is a Crookie-"
"Cookie Crook? Been there, done that...seen some hard time...to you, prison's just a word...to me...it's a sentence."
They stared at each other, neither making a move-
*PFFT
Both laughed at the awful pun, but Yuji was the first to recover, wiping a tear from his eye, "Man, I don't know how you come up with these."
She cocked a hand on her hip, opening the other, "Gimme your scroll for a sec-"
She idly tapped along the screen for a few seconds before tossing it back with a satisfied smirk, "There, now we can talk whenever we want, pink stuff."
Itadori didn't question it. Instead, he thought harder than he ever had before, typing something out at max speed, putting his device away before Yang's even rang.
She pulled it out a second later, "What did the cat say on his scroll?... Can you hear meow-"
She chuckled, then side-punched him, "Dork-"
"I'm learning from the best."
"That you are."
Yuji felt the hairs on his neck stand on edge; looking over his shoulder, he swore that girl with the bowtie was glaring at him, but she wasn't when he looked...huh.
...
Ozpin stood on the cliff's edge, staring out at his prospective students, "For years, you have trained to become warriors, and your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
Yuji stiffened, knowing fully well his training was nothing more than a few months with Gojo and some change...and his 'tests' were him eating fingers and trying not to go crazy...plus more first-hand experience than almost everyone here combined, but go on...
Apparently, getting a partner was as easy as making eye contact with whoever you found first, fighting your way north through an entire forest of Grimm, and picking up some stuff at some ruins...do or die, trial by fire, now that's something he understood.
"Are there any questions?"
No one raised a hand, not even Yuji.
Combat was his element, where the confusing parts of the world seeped away, and it was just him and the enemy. He might have been in a foreign land filled with people who had strange abilities and inhuman enemies as far as the eye could see, but was it really all that different from home?
As underground platforms sprung to life, flinging students out into the wild, a single question did pop into the sorcerer's mind.
What would Gojo do?
Itadori thought about it but knew the answer was obvious. Spinning around on his heels, the teen lazily held his hands behind his head, having no concern for his own wellbeing. One by one, students were launched, weapons in hand, yet there he was, totally relaxed, finally feeling at home.
The white wolf, the son of Kenjaku, was ready to hunt.
*FWING
He flew across the sky, watching as his classmates did the same, but there was no joy on his face, just calm understanding.
Unlike so many other sorcerers, Yuji never enjoyed violence. He hated having to hurt others, but it wasn't his place to complain. He was a cog in the machine, willing to destroy every Cursed Spirit if it meant protecting the weak; that was his job, and he understood that...the Grimm were all the same to him, a threat to dispose of.
Whether it was Sukuna, Mahito, or even his own brothers, Yuji Itadori would destroy them all; that was his purpose, his reason for existing. He would enjoy life when he could, have experiences, and forge new bonds, but deep down, this is where he knew it would end someday.
It was just a matter of when.
As the treeline approached, he braced himself to accept that fate once more.
...
There were a lot of introductions in this chapter, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right?
In the next chapter, we'll show off Yuji when he's actually serious; I hope you're looking forward to it (or rip me apart for not making him that way in every chapter, sue me, I like fun)
With all that out of the way, take it easy, and I'll catch you all in the next one; peace!