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Yuuji opens his eyes, the world around him slowly becoming clear as the blurriness goes away. He doesn't understand what's going on, because everything looks so… unreal. He blinks down at his hands, one is gripping a pencil while the other is slowly marking the page of a book. He also notices that he's sitting in front of a wooden desk, and when he raises his head to look at the world around him, he's… inside a classroom.
His old classroom, from before he even became a student in Jujutsu Tech.
"Sukuna, what the hell did you do?" he asks out loud, ignoring how the teacher stopped his lecture and the rest of the students turned around to look at him.
What are you talking about, brat? I didn't do anything, Sukuna answers him with a scoff, only serving to make Yuuji's blood boil.
He clenches his jaw. The fact that Sukuna is here with him can only mean that Yuuji is inside someone's domain, maybe related to memories. It's strange, though, that he doesn't remember anything before getting into this situation. Who was he fighting against? Or what? All he can remember is the aftermath of Sukuna's obliteration of Shibuya, and…
Oh God, he's feels like throwing up.
"Itadori-san?" The teacher calls his name with a tint of annoyance.
Standing up abruptly and still ignoring the rest, he walks out of the classroom almost in a daze. He needs to get out of here, look for the one responsible of this and get back to Megumi. He can't leave him alone to fend for himself with everything going on—they need to rescue Gojo-sensei as well—but how can he look at his teacher in the eye after—
After—
"Itadori-san!" someone yells this time, but Yuuji can barely register it. Instead he falls to his knees, gripping his hair and letting out the most gutwrenching sob as he smells the dust surrounding him.
Everything is just gone, in the blink of an eye, Nobara and Nanamin died—they're still nowhere near getting Gojo-sensei back and having him unsealed, and he's here wallowing in his guilt instead of doing anything—
"This is all my fault—" he heaves suddenly, the memories being too much to handle. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry—"
Hands touch his shoulders, and in a moment of pure instinct he lashes out. He barely realizes that he sent one of the teachers crashing against the wall, he didn't—he didn't use enough strenght to completely destroy the wall behind them, but it was enough to knock the teacher out. Yuuji can't help but feel horrified once he's snapped out of his mind, even though this is surely a domain he's in.
His eyes frantically look for his true opponent as he stands up once again. He stumbles slightly, eyes passing over the figures of students getting out of the classrooms to look at Yuuji lose it in the hallway, while other adults approach both him and the unconscious teacher. They seem too afraid to approach them, and only when he finally registers that they're trying to calm him down, Yuuji lets himself properly think.
Everything feels too… real, strangely enough. If this were truly a memory, then why—
"This is wrong," he mutters to himself, frowning deeply in both confusion and perplexion.
"Itadori-san?" Another voice called for him, and he quickly turned around to meet the eyes of the arts teacher. She's nice—he remembers her vaguely, with a demure personality overall albeit slightly nervous at times. She was looking at him in deep concern now. "You're okay, nothing's—nothing's going to hurt you, okay?"
It was clear that she didn't know exactly what to say to calm him down, and Yuuji felt even worse.
He was acting like a lunatic, and wether it's a memory or not, the rest are reacting strongly to his behavior. Yuuji could care less about all the students staring at him and some even recording the whole situation to post it later in social media or whatever, but… he should be more mindful, probably? He knows he's on edge, how could he not be, after everything? Maybe if he acts like he's got his guard down, the responsible behind this weird—too real—domain would reveal themselves, ready to attack him.
"I'm… sorry," he apologizes to the teacher, and she immediately beams.
"Don't apologize dear," she shakes her head softly, getting closer with deliberate steps and gaining more confidence once she notices that Yuuji will not simply attack her.
Feeling like a monster is nothing new to him, specially after what Sukuna had done in Shibuya, and he has to refrain from loudly snapping out towards him with a 'what's so funny, hah?!' when he hears him chuckle behind his consciousness. He feels like a monster now, again, as his eyes drift away from the teacher in front of him to the one he lashed out towards.
"I'm sorry," he repeats himself, tone more quiet. Yuuji's been saying that a lot, hasn't he?
He wants to apologize to everyone who even remotely believed in him, to Megumi, to Nobara, Nanamin, Gojo-sensei…
Yuuji never deserved them. Gojo-sensei should've let him be executed the moment he ate the first finger.
"It's okay honey," the arts teacher reassured him softly again, unknowing of the thought swirling inside his head. "Could you… follow us to the principal's office, please?"
She's acting as if he's some feral animal, and despite how much he despises that, he has to admit the he does feel like one.
"Sure," he lets out a sigh, resigned to just follow the whims of this weird domain.
The rest of the teachers begin to call their reluctant students back to the classroom as he follows the woman in front of him, accompanied by other school staff. They're keeping a very close eye on him, he notices, and all he wants to do now is hide himself away from everyone as he rocks back and forth in some corner.
He honestly wants to die, as well.
"A psychotic break," says the psychiatrist in front of him.
Yuuji honestly… should've registered everything with subtetly, he realizes a few days later. Everything feels too real for it to be mere memories, and given that he's inside a psychiatrist's office talking to one specifically cannot be made up, surely? There's no sign of whoever would've been responsible of putting him here, otherwise Yuuji would be throwing hands immediately, curses are never this patient and other curse users aren't either.
"We'll still be studying your case, but until your grandfather either gets better, you'll be staying here," the psychiatrist continues almost monotonously. Yuuji blinks at him, barely processing the fact that he got himself locked inside a mental institution.
Well—not locked exactly but he can't leave on his own either. So basically—locked?
Anyways.
Yuuji had to be transferred to a mental institution in Tokyo due to the lack of facilities specialized in teenagers nearby Sendai, neither in the prefecture of Miyagi as a whole. His situation with his grandfather also influenced a lot in the decision the adults took for him—clearly he couldn't be looking after his own after having that meltdown back at school, and no other adult to ensure therapist and psychiatrist sessions to nearby clinis, so in short—
Mental Institution, apparently.
To be more specific, Tokyo Metropolitan Matsuzawa Hospital.
Sukuna hasn't said much the past few days. Yuuji is still reeling on the fact that he might've traveled back to the past somehow, and it's killing at him the fact that he can't remember much before getting into this predicament. He blames it on Sukuna, however, because how else does he explain this?
Yuuji can also feel the fact that this body hasn't consumed any fingers. His own cursed energy is not as it was before, there are remnants of Sukuna still, though. There isn't much he can say about that given that he barely understands it himself, but it must be why Sukuna has followed him into the past inside his consciousness.
He could've gone by perfectly without having that damn curse inside his mind, thank you very much.
Sukuna stirs inside his consciousness, a brief flare of annoyance making itself know before receding back into the depths of his domain.
Whatever.
A loud sigh gets him out of his thoughts, suddenly noticing that he's been ignoring the psychiatrist while the man was talking. The doctor doesn't seem too fazed, however, only looking at Yuuji with a resigned expression before sending two nurses to escort him to what would be his new room.
Yuuji is happy with this—can't bring himself to feel too bad about ignoring the psych though, but at least he can finally be on his own to organize his thoughts and situation overall.
He follows the nurses down the long, dull halls of the mental institution. His eyes look over some patients who are walking on their own with curiosity, and they regall him in return. Some of them look exhausted, while others are walking animatedly to wherever they need to go. Turning his gaze back ahead, he'd rather not stare too much unless he needs to directly interact with someone for whatever reason.
His new room is nothing special either, he notices. The nurses leave him once he's inside, closing the door softly behind them. Everything looks so… bland, and it doesn't help that the windows are barred, making it feel like he's inside a prison cell. Maybe that isn't too far from the truth, this whole place is stifling, and Yuuji doesn't need to spend more time here to know that he already hates it with all his being.
He could at least decorate the walls with a poster of Jennifer Lawrence.
Yuuji noticed that there was two beds then, is he going to be rooming with someone? Judging by the lack of things decorating anything he assumes he's the first patient to get this room and another will follow sometime after. He's not too enthralled about meeting someone else and rooming with them in this mental institution meant for troubled teenagers, but he supposes he can get used to it however… long he's staying here.
Choosing the bed on the left side of the room, he lets himself fall backwards into it.
He thinks back to his grandfather, worried about who will visit him now. Yuuji hasn't seen any calendar this whole time, so he doesn't know what date it is yet. Judging by how the psychiatrist said that his granddad wasn't available to take care of him, he is inclined to believe that the old man hasn't died yet.
He hopes so, at least. Surely they wouldn't hide that from him?
It's a bummer that he can't use his phone either in this place. They confiscated it alongside some other belongings that weren't his clothes—things that could pose a danger to himself or others specifically. Everything had to be rushed apparently, and from what he's heard, Setsuko and Takeshi brought him his things to which he's deeply grateful for. He hopes they come to visit him at least, it's been so… long, since he last saw them.
What should he do now? How much is he willing to change? Hopefully, he'll have enough time to plan things out properly before everything goes to hell.
Yuuji doesn't know at what moment exactly he fell asleep while thinking about everything, only that he woke up after gasping and clutching at his chest as if he wanted to rip his heart out. He sits up unconsciously, taking deep breaths while the remnants of his nightmare fades away. Nobara was so close yet so out of reach, and he never got to her in time to push her out of the way. The sight of blood beneath his feet and her unresponsive body were still behind his eyelids while he tried to regain his composure.
After a few minutes breathing deeply in and out, he raises his head tiredly with half lidded eyes. The room is bathed in a bright, almost fluorescent white light, and he finally notices that he isn't alone anymore.
There's another kid—
Junpei?!
"Are you… okay?" Junpei asked before wincing. "What a stupid question—are you okay—" he began to mutter to himself in mild anger before composing himself. "We're here because we're not okay—sorry—" Junpei cleared his throat, blushing in embarrassment.
Yuuji let out an incredulous laugh before he even noticed, feeling like was about to cry.
"No, no, you're good," he rushed to reassure Junpei who's embarrassment only seemed to increase. "I'm fine, I just… had a nightmare, is all."
"Oh," Junpei's shoulders slumped slightly, looking anywhere else but his face before returning. "That sucks."
"Yeah…"
He seriously, seriously is fighting with all his being the need to stand up and crush Junpei into a tight hug.
If he had any doubts about time travel, now its slowly but surely solidifying after seein the other boy alive—not entirely healthy, since he's here, but he's alive.
And Yuuji could jump in joy before breaking down again into tears.
"I'm… I'm Yoshino Junpei," he introduced himself after the silence stretched between them a bit too long without Yuuji noticing. "Nice to meet you, I guess we'll be roommates from now on…?" he chuckled awkwardly.
Yuuji's face broke into a wide smile.
"I'm Itadori Yuuji! I like girls with big butts and Jennifer Lawrence!" The words escaped from his mouth easily enough, feeling like he was reciting an old script from memory, although they still held some truth. "Nice to meet you too! And yeah, I don't know how nice I'll be as a roommate but I hope you don't grow annoyed of me too quickly!"
Junpei spluttered at the introduction, not having expected Yuuji to say those things at all. He tried to took it in stride though, chuckling nervously as he moved to fold his clothes.
"I hope you don't get annoyed of me either," he muttered softly, starting to unpack some belongings. "I got here some twenty minutes ago I think…"
Yuuji noticed how part of Junpei's room was already nicely decorated—it wasn't much of course, but it seemed like the other teen was almost finished with putting his clothes away inside the drawers. His backpack was open as well, with some movies scattered on top of his bed.
Seeing the opportunity, Yuuji quickly stood up to look at the movies Junpei had brought with him.
"Oh! Human Earthworm one and two!" He exclaimed in joy, grabbing them without hesitation and looking at how Junpei raised his hands anxiously from the corner of his eye, as if wanting to grab the movies back. "I think the second movie peaked when they killed off Hiro—"
"Are you kidding?! The whole plot of Human Earthworm two descended into chaos after Hiro died—and don't just say spoilers!" Junpei exploded. Hook, catch and sinker, just as he expected.
Junpei snatched the movies back from his hands, before his expression suddenly transformed into one filled with worry, eyes drifting away from him and looking down at the clothes he was folding anxiously.
Yuuji, instead, laughed lightly, noticing how Junpei minutely relaxed at the sound.
"It's not spoilers if you watched the movie already!" Yuuji refocused his attention on the few books Junpei had on the bed as well, then, leaving both movies back where they were. "And its the chaos that makes Human Earthworm so good! How can you not like it?"
Seemingly hesitating, Junpei took a deep breath before speaking again. "I do like it, but I also really liked Hiro, I guess."
"Fair enough," Yuuji nodded, opening the Metamorphosis absentmindedly. He knew Junpei had his attention on him despite making himself seem occupied with folding the clothes. "Oh this isn't good Junpei," he began. "It says right here he turned into a beetle but the first thing he thought about was his job."
He looked at Junpei expectantly, the other boy falling into a deep silence before bursting into giggles.
"What—" Junpei covered his mouth with the back of his hand. "Did you just reference the Trailer Park Boys?"
"Oh, so you did watch that!"
"It's not even a movie!"
"And what about it?"
Soon, both were laughing at how silly the whole interaction was. Yuuji was so overwhelmingly happy Junpei was back—here, here in front of him. However, the moment was short lived when Sukuna's voice reverberated within his mind.
How adorable, it seems only yesterday that brat died, hasn't it?
Yuuji's laughter abruptly cut off as he lightly hit the side of his head, hoping at it would somehow rattle Sukuna inside.
"Fuck off," he spat at him, only realizing that he said that out loud carelessly and now Junpei was looking at him strangely, with a tilt of his head. "Sorry, uh…"
Way to ruin the mood.
Junpei shrugged slowly. "It's fine," he reassured Yuuji. It was good to see that he didn't seem to tense at the whole scene however. "You—you don't have to answer, obviously. But why are you here…?"
Yuuji pondered over that question very seriously for a brief moment.
Because you know what?
Fuck it.
Might as well treat Sukuna like an annoying hallucination just so he can loudly complain about him. He knows it will be the only way to cope as of now, besides he's inside a mental institution so who cares? They already think he's insane, so it won't faze people too much at least!
"I had a very scary meltdown back at school," he admitted, turning back towards his bed and sitting on it. "Attacked a teacher and everything—by accident! I didn't mean to hurt them, honestly—" he clenched his jaw shut, trying to find the correct words. "I'm not a violent person, but…" he's the vessel for the king of curses and all. "There's this super annoying voice inside my head that won't leave me alone and says violent shit all the time, I'm tired of him."
Oh, you're tired? Imagine how I feel being trapped inside such a pathetic vessel like you.
"That's… wow," Junpei had stopped folding the clothes at some moment, giving him his full attention while he spoke. "I'm sorry you have to deal with that."
"It's fine," it truly isn't, but whatever. "How about you?"
He's honestly very curious about why would Junpei would be here, but remembering back, he knew he was dealing with bullies back at school. That would harm anyone mentally.
"Ah," Junpei visibly hesitated.
Yuuji quickly spoke again. "You don't have to share if you don't want to, of course!"
"I mean… It's only fair, you shared your issues with me…"
"Don't feel obligated to just because of that!"
"No, no, I want to…" Junpei slouched, turning his back to Yuuji while grabbing the already folded clothes, taking them to the open drawers. "I tried to kill myself."
Oh.
"Oh," uttered Yuuji.
"Yeah, nothing fascinating," Junpei continued awkwardly. "Very cliche too, and embarrassing."
Recomposing himself, he tried to act lightly about it. He knew if he reacted strongly or too emotional he could have Junpei retract into himself, and Yuuji didn't want that at all.
"There's nothing fascinating about what I did either," he said then, frowning softly at the choice of words Junpei had used. "It's very scary."
"I know! I didn't mean to say it like…" Junpei looked back at him, gesturing with his hands as he thought about it. "As if it was cool, or something. It isn't," his voice lowered into a meek tone. "I'm sorry. This is just embarrassing to share, for me."
Yuuji can't say he relates, because he doesn't. He's thought about dying however, although that way of thinking is somewhat recent that only surfaced as soon as Sukuna put him on front, making him see what he did to Shibuya as a whole. He's sure that since this body hasn't consumed a single finger, Sukuna won't be able to take control of his body at all, but a deep part of himself is still extremely afraid because what if?
He's had to reassure himself countless times the past few days.
He can feel the lack of power in this body.
Yes, the remnants of his own cursed energy had followed him to the past, but nothing compared to what it was when he's had Sukuna's fingers powering it far more.
"Well, I'm happy you're here," Yuuji said with genuine honesty. "Because you're my friend now!"
Junpei faltered then, catching a pair of socks mid air.
"We're—we're friends?" he asked as he looked back at Yuuji, almost in a whisper.
Yuuji's heart contracted painfully.
"Of course! Don't you want to be?"
"I do!" Junpei quickly answered. "I'm sorry, it's just… nobody has said that to me that before—oh God I sound like such a loser," he covered his face with both hands after leaving the clothes inside the drawer, sitting down on his bed.
"You're good, dude!" Yuuji openly laughed in amusement.
Junpei groaned. "Don't laugh at me."
"I'm not making fun of you, I'm just happy."
Neither of them said anything for almost a minute, before Junpei let out a wet chuckle.
"I'm happy too."