satoru doesn't really remember much about the moment it happens. one second, he's floating atop the world. he hasn't felt this good since he finally figured out how rct works and mastered both his red and hollow purple abilities. he's grinning wide, blood coursing through his veins as he stands proud over his victory. he's won — all that's left is to get megumi back, give suguru a proper burial, and work toward truly restructuring jujutsu society... if it could even be called that anymore.
and then he's on the floor.
he can't even process what happened. he doesn't even feel pain — he can hardly feel anything at all, really. he hears sukuna's words, and he manages a bloody smile. it sure was fun. when he blinks next he's not even there anymore. he's at an airport of all places, and all his old friends are there. it hits him then what really just happened and damn. he's conflicted. he thinks the joy of seeing them all again, of having the fight of his life, it keeps his spirits high. he does believe in his students, he knows they will pull through just like they did before. they're stronger together. the others all take their leave, and satoru's alone with his thoughts. does time pass here? is this even really the afterlife or some figment of his imagination? is his soul just floating in some sort of abyss, trying to conjure up some sort of reality? is it time to start getting philosophical?
he's conflicted. he has full faith in his students, but there's still this sense of guilt that gnaws at him. his remaining friends will caryr on, his students will prevail, he's not married, no significant other, he doesn't have any children — megumi. because he knows that yuuji will get the other boy his body back, all that's left is megumi. damn. he scratches at his hair, frustrated. he never did get to tell megumi about scumbag father. he'd always wanted to see megumi grow strong, on his level. he wanted to see megumi graduate and maybe become a teacher like him.
he always wanted to tell megumi how he felt, too. it was often on the tip of his tongue, but he never quite knew how to get the words out. how do you even tell someone you view them as family? do you need to? deep down, satoru knows he doesn't. megumi knows. he has to know. he's done everything a parent could do with what little time he's had. megumi's a perceptive kid, so he had to realize somewhere along the way, right? but still, satoru never told the kid he loved him as his own. megumi was always a bit of the insecure type — a given considering he was abandoned along with his sister. he might not have wanted to assume...
the stars must have aligned perfectly, because he suddenly hears the sniffling of a small child, and those cries sound eerily familiar. he turns, and sure enough, there's a small megumi standing in the middle of the terminal, small frame shivering as he rubs at his eyes with one hand, a small teddy clutched to his chest with the other.
megumi? what is he doing here? did he also...?
satoru's lower lip trembles then, fists clenching at his sides as he moves to stand. his hair hangs in front of his face, and he shakes it out, trying to recompose himself. maybe he didn't feel so sad about his own death, but megumi? he's just a kid. he had his whole life ahead of him. was this... his own fault? he walks over to him then, managing a smile as he kneels to his level.
❝ megumi-chan? it's me, satoru. y'know? your satoru-nii? tell me what's wrong, ❞ he speaks softly, far more adept at dealing with a small child than he was when he'd first met megumi. 9 years sure flew by, huh? somehow, in his eyes, he never quite stopped seeing megumi as that little boy he'd first met and took under his wing.
megumi looks up at him then, eyes bleary with tears and his whole expression twisted in a sob. the water works really start flowing then as little megumi starts blubbering. it's hard for satoru to even make sense of, but he gets bits and pieces here and there.
❛ tsumiki is... ❜
❛ it's all my fault. ❜
❛ i wasn't strong enough. ❜
❛ i saw everything. ❜
❛ it's my fault he killed you. ❜
❛ i'm so sorry. ❜
❛ please don't go... don't leave me. ❜
it's all so devastating to hear, and satoru's honestly at a loss for words for a moment. he hadn't even considered how heavily it might have all weighed on megumi, and he feels guilty for it. even when trying so hard to protect him and ensure he could enjoy his youth, satoru still...
❝ it's okay, megumi. i'm not angry. it's not your fault, and i could never blame you. i know you tried your best. i'm sad that you're here too, because i wanted you to live on with your friends. at the same time, i feel kind of relieved to see you. is that a bit selfish? ❞ he's wiping at megumi's tears, smiling up at him as he brushes the small boy's hair out of his face. megumi seems to be calming down a bit as satoru speaks to him, so he continues.
❝ i never got to say it before, but you mean a lot to me, megumi. like a little brother — a son. a long time ago, i resigned myself to this idea that i'd never have a family. i couldn't bring myself to put that weight onto others, and i'd never be able to prioritize them. i was alright with being lonely. i figured being the strongest was the trade-off, ❞ he says, and megumi's stopped by now, just snifflinf softly as he listens to satoru speak.
❝ but then i met you, and you were this huge brat that was mean to me and seemed so ungrateful and always kept me at arm's length. i was annoyed but endeared, too, because i could tell you were hesitant to let anyone in — a lot like me. we were both lonely in our own way, but i met you at the perfect time. you were a blessing. you are a blessing. even now. i never once regretted taking you in, not even when i had to face that villain in your body. ❞ finally, satoru pulls megumi into a firm hug, his own shoulders shaking a bit as he'd finally gotten all of that off his chest. he doesn't know if it's what megumi needed to hear, but it's what satoru's wanted to say. his fingers affectionately cradle the back of megumi's head, soothingly ruffling his hair as he hugs him tight and buries his face into his shoulder.
❝ i love you, kid. i never needed any of my own because i had you. my blessing. we've got the rest of forever ahead of us now. you, me, and tsumiki too. so please don't cry, megumi-chan. i won't leave you ever again. i promise. ❞
"a broken soul seeks solace amidst shattered memories Trying to find a cure to his fractured heart in the darkness of the world where he blends reds and blues in seek for purple"
' You're late, Genya, ' No, not by a large margin. Yet, time was a precious resource she dared not squander waiting around. The appointments are arranged regularly- After all, he was rather special in his own regard. How he seemed to surpass his peers, even his own kin, so rapidly. Losing pieces of his body so casually, having them reform without any necessary intervention on her part or time for that matter. ' Maybe I should make you do some kind of task for holding my time up ~ But, we have to get through our usual tests first. '
❝ well done , denji . ❞ though reported dead weeks ago , miss makima stands at her full height despite everything , not a drop of blood on her clothes or feature out of place . chalking it up to terrible aim had worked thus far and continued to flawlessly ; she , after all , had more important things to do than to play dead herself . humanity's advocate quirks her lips slightly at the look of awe ; oh , she did have a gentle spot for the likes of dogs .
her boots crush everything she steps on , making her way towards the fiend with a steel - eyed gaze , unwavering in any case . ❝ . . . so this is the perpetrator . i'll safely assume you and hayakawa got your emotions out of the way before i arrived . ❞ ( she'd long since suspected the reason katana - man was so remote was because they were taking their own form of revenge . how funny . if only she felt so strongly about someone as they did their teammate . wishful thinking . though , she supposes . . . she had that in her own , warped way . ) / @jikoku / denji .
“Ne, Judai-kun, is it ?” He approaches the Osiris Red student after his successful sandwich draw. “Where do you get that kind of luck...?” That’s the third golden eggwich this week.
jikoku asked: ❝ stop talking to me like i’m a child. ❞ from megumi !
despite years of being a teacher and being there for megumi and tsumiki when he could, satoru still found he actually wasn't the best with kids. megumi especially was an enigma despite him arguably being the one satoru was closest to. damn teenagers... he was starting to understand yaga's exasperation with the likes of himself. however tough dealing with megumi was, he knew he personally must've been an even worse nightmare.
"the child who's acting like a child wants me to stop treating him like a child? that's rich," satoru barks out a laugh, but it's clear he's really not all that amused by this situation. it's rare that he gets serious, but even someone like satoru knows when to be playful and when to get his act together. he didn't mean to scold megumi. really, that wasn't his intention. he was just... concerned. worried too.
"listen megumi," satoru begins, resting his hands on megumi's shoulders as he looks down at him. it's funny how he can still see that same kid he first started looking out for all those years ago. where had all the time gone? he was growing up way too fast. satoru was starting to feel old. "you're still young. a teenager... a kid. it's okay. you should cherish it while you can, not seek to grow up sooner. i don't need you trying to shoulder any more burdens than you already do. just... lighten up. you never know when it's all gonna come crashing down, y'know?"
megumi actually has a bit of a point — they are technically hanging out. BUT satoru's bored out of his mind as megumi idly taps away on his phone, no doubt texting his friends. the fact that they're hanging out and he hasn't garnered a shred of attention when he's personally restless has him pouting and antsy. he's glad megumi has friends he likes to text, but this is their day. sundays have been their unspoken tradition since megumi was a little brat that barely reached his waist.
❝ attention, obviously, ❞ satoru huffs out, fighting the suddenly irresistable urge to yoink megumi's phone from his hands and go hide it. playing hide and seek like they used to... now that would be fun. satoru doesn't really remember when megumi stopped wanting to play or anything of the sort. when was the last time megumi tugged on his sleeve and asked satoru to give him a piggy-back ride so he could get a better view of something? he feels the slightest twinge of both nostalgia for the past, but pride at how much the boy seated beside him has grown.
❝ let's go do something fun! it's been a while since it was just the two of us, right? we should go shopping or maybe an amusement park. whatever you like that isn't staying cooped up in here, ❞ he says, carefully moving to stand. he stretches his arms up and out before turning his head to the side to look down at megumi expectantly. he wasn't serious about his threats, and he's sure megumi knows that, but he is serious about wanting to go out and do something. even just an ice cream trip would be fun, he thinks.
satoru can't help it. the moment the words leave megumi's lips, he bursts out into laughter. dressing up is for kids? really? when megumi himself hasn't reached the double-digits in age yet? satoru laughs so hard he has to wipe away a tear before he's recomposing himself. god, megumi could be so unintentionally funny. the kid really was a riot.
❝ right, how could i forget you're a big grown-up man now that you've started 4th grade? ❞ satoru says sarcastically, though he figures it'll likely go over megumi's head by virtue of him being a kid. maybe not — megumi is quite perceptive and wise for his age, but he is still just a kid regardless of what he might try and say.
❝ yeah, we'll get something for tsumiki. that sounds like a good idea. for me too, of course. YOU might be too old, but i'm never too old for candy, ❞ satoru says, and with an eager grin he takes megumi's small hand in his own and walks into the halloween store with the little one in tow. satoru can read megumi a lot better than he seems to think, though, because it's all too obvious that megumi's curious gaze falls over all the extravagant and expensive costumes with a bit of awe. halloween has been growing in popularity in japan because of the fun aspects, and megumi's no doubt seen a lot of it in american movies and shows, too. satoru's admitedly quite fond of the holiday himself.
❝ what do you think about this? ❞ satoru asks, picking out a pretty princess ariel dress for tsumiki. it comes with all sorts of accessories and honestly, satoru thinks it's absolutely beautiful and that tsumiki will love it. she's always loved the cute and girly things, so this'll be right up her alley. as for satoru and megumi… he picks out an ash ketchum costume for himself, clicking his tongue as he isn't all that fond of pokémon, but he knows that megumi loves it. he grabs an adorable little boy's pikachu costume as well, and shows it to megumi.
❝ i know you say you're too old for it, but i think tsumiki will want you to dress up. plus, i know you really like pokémon, so wanna go try this on and see how you like it? ❞ he places the costume into megumi's small hands, already overjoyed at the precious idea of having themed costumes. it'll be fun for the kids... and totally score him points with that girl he's been seeing lately. a win-win for everyone, really.
