"Senpai," Megumi grumbled, his voice thick with sleep and a healthy dose of petulance. "Why are you still here?"
His attempt at sounding intimidating was rather undermined by the bunny-print scarf and fuzzy socks you'd bundled him in after Shoko's healing session. The scarf was pulled up to his nose, leaving only his bloodshot eyes glaring out at you from his fortress of pillows. His body felt heavy and disconnected, his thoughts still blurred from the anesthesia. But his annoyance at his undignified situation pierced through the fog like a laser beam of teenage angst.
Shoko had patched up all the life-threatening injuries, of course, but Megumi was still left to contend with the assorted sprains, bruises, and non-lethal cuts. Shoko refused to work on anything not likely to result in imminent death.
"If I started treating every little boo-boo," she'd informed you once, months ago, through a cloud of cigarette smoke, "my work hours would never end. Let the body heal what it can. It builds character."
You shrugged off the memory and answered Megumi without looking up from your laptop screen. "Ieiri-san wants me to keep an eye on you until the good stuff wears off," you explained. "We both know you'll try to escape the moment you can feel your toes again."
Megumi harrumphed, but couldn't argue with the truth of that statement. Not after you'd had to physically peel him off the floor of the common room just hours ago, after his ill-advised and somewhat wobbly attempt to prove he was perfectly fine. Which he most definitely was not.
"Is that so?" he huffed, sinking deeper into the pillows. "That's why you're taking up half my bed?"
That's when you finally looked up from your work, taking in the scene with a critical eye.
Your little makeshift workspace did, admittedly, monopolize a significant portion of his mattress. You were sitting cross-legged on the floor, laptop perched precariously on the edge of the bed, your notes, pens, and highlighters scattered everywhere. Library books were piled haphazardly around you, forming a defensive wall against the encroaching forces of boredom.
"I need a place to work." You smiled disarmingly, making no move to gather your belongings. Megumi seemed comfortable enough on his half of the bed. So. This side was yours now. Squatter's rights and all that. Besides, you were doing important work. Very important. World-saving, possibly.
"And it's cozy here," you added, poking his blanketed foot affectionately. "Besides, who could resist a grumpy sea urchin swaddled in bunnies?"
"You could work on my desk like a normal person," Megumi grumbled once more, tugging at his blanket, which sent a cascade of your pens tumbling toward the floor.
You deftly caught the pens mid-air without breaking your focus on the laptop screen. Your eyes were glued to the chilling footage of Sukuna's first manifestation in a thousand years. You'd already watched the scant eleven seconds of shaky video over fifty times, parsing every frame, every flicker of movement for clues.
Even after transcribing every observable detail and cross-referencing everything with what little information available in history books, there were still so many gaps to fill. Very few sorcerers in history had ever met Ryomen Sukuna and lived to tell the tale, let alone write a comprehensive account of the experience. You had eleven seconds of Sukuna in action. It was more than anyone else in the entire history of jujutsu sorcery had ever managed to collect.
"The records saySukuna had four arms," you mused aloud, lost in thought. "So… why did Yuji just grow two extra eyes? No extra arms?"
You didn't realize you'd spoken out loud until Megumi scowled at you.
"Why are you so hung up on this?" he sighed.
"It's research!" you said dismissively, waving a hand. "And if we're ever going to exorcise Sukuna, we need to understand how this whole… vessel situation works. You know, for science."
Reminded of the rash vow you'd both made to Gojo in exchange for Yuji's life, Megumi deflated. He turned to face you, ocean-blue eyes serious.
"Senpai," he hesitated. "Do you… regret it?"
You took a deep breath.
Saving Yuji's life had been the only option in the horror of the moment. You'd do it all over again if you had to. But you also knew, deep down, that you were both in way over your heads.
"Nah," you said, managing a lopsided grin. "No regrets. We'll figure something out."
The nonchalance sounded hollow, even to your own ears. But what both of you needed right now was blind, reckless optimism, however unfounded. Not doubt and realistic assessments of the looming apocalypse.
Besides, it was what it was. You were committed now. No backing down.
Megumi was a genius when it came to combat and curse techniques. And you… you were quite possibly the biggest bookworm on the planet. If there was a solution to be found, surely, between the two of you, you'd find it. That thought helped soothe the frantic buzzing of your nerves and kept the nightmares of Sukuna's manic laughter over burning cities at bay. At least some nights.
Megumi watched you, his expression unreadable. Just as you felt a blush rising on your cheeks under his intense scrutiny, he finally spoke.
"Probably has something to do with human physiology," he said thoughtfully.
You tilted your head. "Huh?"
"The extra arms," he elaborated patiently. "There's probably some sort of physiological limit that even cursed energy can't override."
You hummed appreciatively at his input, impressed. "That makes sense. Bones, muscles, ligaments, nerves… that's a lot of extra biological material to just… conjure up out of nowhere. Two new eyes, tucked neatly beneath the existing ones, would be easier to manage. Less resource-intensive, from a cursed-energy perspective."
"Yeah," Megumi agreed. "Considering he only had access to the energy from one finger, Sukuna's reserves would have been limited. I'm guessing he was more focused on trying to instantly murder Gojo, anyway."
"Great brain you've got there, Gumi!" you exclaimed, giving his blanketed foot another playful nudge with your pen, unable to contain your grin.
A faint blush colored Megumi's cheeks as he tried to suppress a smile at the odd praise. You could tell he was pleased.
This was why you loved study sessions with Megumi. He'd moved in early, before the official start of the term, and already seemed to possess a preternatural grasp of jujutsu sorcery, despite technically being a first-year. Brainstorming with him was always fun.
It wasn't something you could do with your other classmates. Hakari and Kirara were more… hands-on types. While they'd indulge your crazed ramblings up to a point, they weren't equipped to contribute meaningfully to in-depth discussions on the finer points of ancient jujutsu theory. More often than not, when your excited explanations spiraled too deep into the esoteric weeds of jujutsu lore, Kirara would shove a bottle of mint chocolate milk in your direction while Hakari patted you on the back with a vaguely concerned look and tried to steer the conversation toward safer topics. Like pachinko strategies. Or the aerodynamic properties of Gojo's eyelashes.
You hadn't realized how much you craved a true meeting of the minds until you met Fushiguro Megumi.
And to your immense delight, beneath all that emo gloom and doom, Megumi actually seemed to appreciate – even encourage – your ADHD-fueled tendency to info-dump obscure and often irrelevant historical details. Where others glazed over or lost patience, Megumi would ask you to elaborate on a binding vow's historical precedents, or pepper you with clarifying questions about some forgotten piece of jujutsu lore, until he truly understood whatever bizarre tangent you were currently obsessed with. Not just to humor you, but because your passion kindled his own curiosity.
In Megumi, you'd found not only a kindred spirit and true friend, but—dare you even think it?—a soul mate of sorts. Someone whose sharp mind and insatiable hunger for knowledge matched your own restless pursuit of answers.
That didn't mean you always agreed, of course. Quite the opposite, in fact. Your perspectives were often wildly different, interlocking and intertwining like adjoining puzzle pieces, each strengthening and enhancing the other.
And the way Megumi's eyes would sometimes linger on you a fraction too long after you'd landed an insightful point, well… it did tend to make something flutter rather treacherously in your chest.
You pushed that distracting thought away and typed in your theories about cursed energy vs. physiological limitations while continuing bouncing ideas with Megumi.
"But," you said aloud, picking up the thread of your earlier discussion. "If Sukuna manages to absorb more fingers? Do you think he'd have enough juice to, you know… regenerate his original form then?"
"That'd be… inconvenient for Itadori," Megumi grimaced at the image your words conjured.
Yeah. Right. Inconvenient was an understatement.
If Sukuna managed to reacquire a sufficient number of fingers and regain his original, four-armed form… what would that even mean for Yuji?
"He'd have to wear, like, a giant cloak or something to hide all the extra arms. I mean, who really needs four arms, right?" You forced a chuckle, trying to ignore the underlying thread of tension in Megumi's voice.
"Not Itadori," Megumi nodded. After a quiet beat, a trace of wry warmth entered his voice. "He'd look even more stupid."
Megumi knew ill-timed humor was your coping mechanism, and for some reason, he decided to go along with your attempt at steering the conversation away from thoughts of impending doom. Trust Megumi to always have your back, even when you were being an idiot.
"True," you conceded. "Though, I suppose, extra arms could be useful in battle. More punches per minute."
"Or… for carrying your books," Megumi suggested, the barest smirk playing on his lips. "That way, you wouldn't have to take up half of someone's bed."
You gasped in exaggerated delight. "Fushiguro Megumi, you brilliant mastermind! Now that's something I can fully endorse."
You dissolved into much-needed laughter. Even Megumi gave a good chuckle. The dark worry retreated, for now.
"I wonder why the finger had to be eaten for the effect to kick in though," you rubbed your chin thoughtfully, your mind already leaping ahead.
There were countless examples of cursed objects affecting people simply by being in close proximity. Possession typically happened through mere exposure—via touch, or even just being in the same general vicinity. But Yuji had been holding the finger with no ill effect before… the unfortunate consumption incident.
If he truly was this unique, once-in-a-millennium vessel capable of containing the King of Curses, shouldn't the finger have, like, sensed its destined host and attempted to… merge or possess him? Perhaps it's why he ate it? Who in his right mind would eat a severed mummified finger?
Unless…
"I think…" Megumi began, voicing your own unformed thoughts. "The human body acts like a sort of… natural domain."
"And the act of swallowing the finger," you finished his sentence with a grin, your mind catching up to his. "It's like… symbolically breaking into that domain, allowing Sukuna full access to Yuji's body. The finger became the key."
"Exactly," Megumi said, one corner of his mouth tilting upwards ever so slightly.
Megumi loved a good puzzle just as much as you did, probably finding refuge and peace of mind in identifying patterns and breaking down mysteries. You were the only one who could keep pace with him in these mental sparring matches.
He would never admit it, but Megumi greatly enjoyed studying with you, talking to you, watching your eyes light up as incredible—and frequently ridiculous—ideas collided and coalesced in your unhinged brain. He treasured these moments with everything in him that was still tender and yearning for connection underneath all those deadpan scowls and eye-rolls.
Oblivious to the sudden softness in Megumi's eyes, you continued theorizing, typing furiously into your ever-expanding Sukuna Research Google Doc.
"So, it'd probably work the same if the finger… entered his body through, say, a different entry point?"
Megumi's reaction proved, once again, that you possessed an unmatched talent for catching him completely off guard.
"Don't," Megumi scrunched his face in disgust "Just… don't even go there, Spices."
"What?" you protested, though the sheer revulsion radiating off him made it clear that you'd crossed an invisible line, somewhere in the murky territory of bodily orifices and cursed finger insertion. "I'm just saying, the important part is the symbolic act of—"
Megumi's glare shut you down. You wisely decided to change the subject.
"Alright, alright, fine." You raised your hands in surrender. "Moving on! What about internal changes?"
After glaring at you for another few seconds, just to ensure you had thoroughly abandoned your exploration of alternate entry points for cursed artifacts, Megumi relented.
"What do you mean by 'internal changes'?" he asked cautiously.
His tone suggested that any further disgusting hypotheses on your part would result in immediate strangulation by bunny-print scarf. Not that you felt particularly intimidated. Megumi was still high as a kite on pain medication. You were fairly certain you could take him now.
One way or another. Your traitorous, decidedly NSFW brain supplied. You shook off the inappropriate thought. That was venturing a bit too far into "Spices" territory, even for you.
"I'm talking structural and functional changes in Yuji's brain," you clarified. "We know that people with DID—dissociative identity disorder—show measurable changes in the hippocampus, the amygdala, and the prefrontal cortex. Yuji should, at least theoretically, have developed additional neurological pathways to accommodate Sukuna."
You tapped your pen in consideration. "We should scan his brain activity. I bet the activation patterns are distinct from his normal self when Sukuna emerges. That, and get a full mapping of his cursed energy flow, comparing that to how energy circulates within a standard sorcerer. There are bound to be differences. I can feel it in my spleen."
Megumi considered your words, brow furrowed. The idea hadn't occurred to him. For someone born into a non-sorcerer family and didn't even have an innate cursed technique, your affinity for dismantling the mechanics behind curses felt uncanny.
"You may be right," Megumi said reluctantly. He could sense the direction you were going. "But I wouldn't bet on it. Jujutsu… defies scientific explanation. It's not something that can be measured with microscopes and scanners."
"Yet," you countered, fire in your eyes. "Modern science—the kind with test tubes and equations—used to be considered witchcraft. Astrology, chemistry… these were once considered magic. Magic is just science we don't understand. Jujutsu could very well operate on consistent biological principles. We just haven't found the right tools to observe them yet."
Megumi's gaze turned thoughtful. He didn't argue with your impassioned little speech about the interconnectedness of magic and science. Instead, he simply asked, a note of fragile hope, "What are you getting at?"
You looked down at the pages of research notes you had been making, your voice low and measured. "I told you. We need to understand how this works if we want to deal with it. And… there may be a way to stop it from ever becoming a problem that needs to be dealt with."
Megumi's eyes widened slightly. "You mean… if we could reverse-engineer whatever happened to Itadori…"
"Then we could help Yuji maintain control. Or if we're really lucky…" you offered a tentative smile. "We could extract Sukuna entirely without harming Yuji."
You and Megumi looked at each other in silence. Possibilities bloomed in your heart.
Just as you were about to reach out and forcibly hug a very grumpy Megumi, his door swung open, and Gojo flounced in with a cheeky grin.
"Megumi! Spices! Are we having a moment~?" he teased, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Ever heard of knocking?" Megumi muttered, tugging off the bunny scarf in an attempt to fend off further teasing from Gojo.
"Well, at least he came in through your door. He never comes through my door," you said, folding your laptop closed with a dramatic sigh.
So much for your research. Now that Gojo was here, all productive activity would grind to a screeching halt. It was a law of nature.
"Fushiguro! You're looking better!" Yuji's bright grin seemed to light up the room as he peeked in from behind Gojo. "Spices-senpai, too! Awesome!"
You perked up, abandoning the grumpy sea urchin in favor of the newly arrived ray of sunshine. "Yuji! You moved in already?"
Gojo had mentioned his transfer, but you hadn't expected to see him so soon. It was a pleasant surprise.
"Yep! Next room over," Yuji beamed. "Are you and Fushiguro, like… roommates?"
"Nah," you snorted. "My room's around the corner. I just decided that Megumi could benefit from my brilliant company."
"That's a lot of words to say you like bothering me." Megumi scowled.
You chuckled at his irritated expression. He wasn't wrong. You did enjoy pestering him. But you had a newer, shinier object of fascination to distract you now.
"Hey, boy," you said, grabbing Yuji by the arms and turning him this way and that. "How are you feeling? Any lingering discomfort? Headaches? Explosive diarrhea? Existential dread?"
"I'm fine!" Yuji grinned. Being the good boy he was, Yuji obediently turned around, letting you inspect him from all angles "Well, aside from his voice in my head… That's kind of annoying. But otherwise, totally normal!"
"You sure?" You eyed him critically. "Maybe we should get you screened for food poisoning, just in case. That stinky finger must have been teeming with E. coli."
"Really, it's fine!" Yuji continued beaming, unfazed by your prodding and poking. This boy had the patience of a saint.
"Hmm…"
Finally, your eyes landed on Yuji's face. The faint ridges under his eyes caught your attention. You reached up and grabbed his cheeks—he really was rather tall—pulling him down to your level for closer inspection.
"You really did grow two more eyes," you whispered, fascinated.
"Guess I did," Yuji replied, chuckling nervously. He seemed startled by your sudden closeness, but he didn't pull away.
"Can you open them? See through them?" you asked, your thumbs gently tracing the closed slits of his extra eyes.
You might have just imagined it, but Yuji seemed to lean into your touch a little. His cheeks were definitely flushed. Probably the awkwardness of having his personal space so thoroughly invaded, you reasoned.
"N-no…," he stammered. "I… don't think so." For some reason, he was struggling to form a complete sentence now. Odd.
"So the extra eyes are a Sukuna thing?" You frowned. "Do you think you could… let him use them? Like, not full body control or anything, just… the eyes?"
You didn't get an answer, because as soon as the words left your mouth, the extra eyes snapped open, fixing you with a look of pure malice. Then, right next to your thumb, a small mouth appeared on Yuji's face.
"I don't need this brat's permission to do anything," Sukuna snarled at you with all the accumulated spite of a thousand-year-old demon. "And stop poking my eyes, worm."
"Get back, Spices!" In a flash of protectiveness, Megumi was suddenly beside you, grabbing the back of your hoodie and yanking you away from Yuji/Sukuna. The sudden surge of adrenaline temporarily overpowered the lingering effects of the painkillers in his system. You hadn't realized he could move that fast.
"Seriously, man! Cut it out!" Yuji slapped a hand over the extra mouth, looking mortified. It simply popped out in a different spot on his face, still sneering at you.
"Oh, my!" you gasped, glowing with excitement.
Ryomen Sukuna had just appeared! And spoken! To you! Directly! It was a monumental occasion, despite the death threats.
"Spices, no!" Megumi warned. No use. You wriggled free from his grasp and pounced on Yuji, or rather, Sukuna.
"What an honor!" you giggled, grabbing Yuji to get a better look at the extra mouth now making rude gestures at you.
It really looked just like a human mouth. Anatomically correct, with lips, tongue, and even little teeth. You wondered if it was connected to Yuji's throat and stomach somehow?
Your unrestrained delight seemed to catch Sukuna by surprise. He stopped sneering, his four crimson eyes narrowing menacingly.
"What are you…" he growled, clearly unused to such enthusiastic greetings. No one, now or in the past thousand years, had ever looked quite so happy to see him.
"Can you… eat through that?" you asked, poking the miniature lips to test their consistency. They felt surprisingly… realistic. Flesh and blood. "If I gave you something, would it, like, go directly to you somehow? Or would it end up in Yuji's stomach?"
"Do not touch me with your filthy paw!" Sukuna spat, actually pursing his lips to avoid contact with your probing finger.
"How about we test it?" you suggested brightly. "Want some tea?"
If things ingested via the miniature Sukuna-mouth went directly to Sukuna, maybe you could feed him a sealing talisman? Suppress his powers, that way. But you had to verify the digestive pathway first. Science demands rigorous testing procedures.
"Senpai, I don't think that's a good idea…" Yuji interjected, his eyes darting nervously toward Gojo and Megumi, silently pleading for assistance. Unsuccessfully.
Megumi, having determined that Yuji was still more or less in control of his faculties and you weren't in any immediate danger, had simply flopped back into bed, pulling the bunny scarf over his eyes. He knew that when a truly bonkers idea took root in your head, there was nothing anyone could do to stop you.
As for Gojo, the only adult in the room, he was watching the scene like he wished his Six Eyes had given him the foresight to bring popcorn.
"Scram!" Sukuna hissed, looking ready to actually try and bite off your finger this time.
You wisely pulled back, putting on your most endearing smile. "Alright, no tea then. Maybe a quick trip through the MRI machine instead? You can keep sneering at me the whole time, I don't mind!"
Thanks to Shoko's remarkably laissez-faire attitude toward everything in life and a general lack of proper oversight in this clown school, you had pretty much free reign of the R&D wing, including all the fancy, expensive medical equipment. Now was your chance to see what really happened to Yuji's body, especially when Sukuna was active!
"The WHAT?" Sukuna sputtered, four eyes bulging with incomprehension.
"The MRI machine," you explained. It shows all the organs and tissues and squishy things. Don't worry, Sukuna-sama, it doesn't hurt a bit."
You were aiming for reassurance. You even added an extra dose of respectful honorific to sweeten the deal. It was best to have him cooperate for the scan. He might even agree to pose for pictures afterward.
Your attempt at soothing his anxieties produced… the exact opposite effect. Sukuna's rage went supernova.
"You know what?" he screeched, his voice rising to an alarmingly high pitch. "I take back everything I said. When I take over this brat's body, I'm killing YOU first! I will cleave open that thick skull of yours with my bare hands and devour your brain for dessert!"
The mental image of Sukuna snacking on your gray matter brought an unrelated question to mind.
"Oh! I have a follow-up question. Since we're here, is it true you used to eat people? Was it strictly for nutrients, or more of a… power move? To establish your dominance?" you inquired, hands clasped together in anticipation. Data gathering opportunities were everywhere!
"You b—"
"That's enough!" Yuji roared, interrupting whatever insult Sukuna was about to hurl at you with a loud smack to the sneering mouth. "You can't talk to Spices-senpai like that!"
And miraculously, the extra mouth didn't pop up elsewhere this time. You guessed Sukuna had finally had enough of your bullshit.
"But… he didn't answer any of my questions…" you sighed, deflated. Your grand plans for scientific inquiry were thwarted by a thousand-year-old demon with anger management issues.
"That was gold, Spices!" Gojo stepped in to ruffle your hair, his booming laughter filling the room, much to Megumi's obvious displeasure. "I never thought I'd live to see the day the King of Curses got so thoroughly shut down. You're brilliant! My best student!"
It must have taken everything in him to stay back and keep quiet the entire time, purely for the sake of his own entertainment. The audacity of this man.
You shook off Gojo's big hand, making no effort to hide your disappointment. "We learned nothing!" you wailed. "I wanted to help! I just made him angry!"
"But… I think you did help," Yuji tilted his head first to one side, then the other.
"Eh?" You looked up at him in surprise.
"He's… not talking in my head anymore?" Yuji shook his head again, as if testing the theory, waiting for the inevitable onslaught of Sukuna's venomous commentary. It didn't come.
Yuji's face lit up. "You shut him up, senpai!" he exclaimed, beaming. "Ever since he got into my head, he hasn't stopped yapping. It's been awful. But you… you shut him up! For real!"
Yuji was so overcome with relief at this newfound peace and quiet that he swept you up in a bone-crushing hug, your feet dangling several inches off the floor as he twirled you around. Both of you dissolved into laughter.
You clung to his neck, admitting to yourself—with a faint twinge of embarrassment—that it was actually quite nice to be enveloped in his strong arms. Was that your heart skipping several beats?
"I'm glad it helped," you managed, almost hating how your giggles came out high-pitched and breathless. Damn, this tall boy had surprisingly strong arms.
No hugs were safe was safe from the ever-present threat of Gojo Satoru.
"I'm glad, too!" he boomed, inserting himself into the embrace, turning it into a rather awkward event. "My students are getting along so well! Group hug!"
Moments like this felt achingly rare and precious in the harsh jujutsu world, where almost every sorcerer kept to themselves, knowing they would die alone anyway. Too wary of forging bonds destined to end in blood sooner or later.
Today, you could hug your friends, your teacher, laugh about stupid, inconsequential things… and then any of you could die tomorrow. Not Gojo, of course. Gojo was essentially death-proof. The rest of you, though… expendable.
That's why you tolerated being squished between Gojo and Yuji for a few more minutes. The warmth of Yuji's broad chest where your face rested. The solid, grounding weight of Gojo pressed against your back. Strong arms wrapped around you from all sides.
For now, you allowed yourself simply to exist. To cherish and be cherished. The future's uncertainty no longer mattered in this moment; the present had more than enough meaning to counter your fear. Laughter pealing, you hugged Yuji closer and let everything else go. This now was more than enough.
You could hear Megumi shifting restlessly beneath his blanket, muttering darkly about the excessive noise the three of you were making. He was seconds away from kicking all of you out of his room when you managed to untangle yourself from Yuji's arms and peel a clingy Gojo off your back. Behind you, a tuft of dark hair peeked out from the blanket burrito on the bed, stormcloud eyes radiating homicidal intent.
"Alright, party's over!" you announced. "Let's give the poor, injured sea urchin some peace, hmm? Besides, I need to run some tests on Yuji.
"Aw, but I didn't get to hug Fushiguro, yet!" Yuji protested as you steered him firmly toward the door. He made a valiant attempt to duck under your arm and dart back to Megumi for another bear hug.
"Nope!" You caught Yuji by his collar, hauling him onward. "Plenty of time for hugs later. Right now, science!"
Yuji pouted, but allowed himself to be ushered out. You shot Megumi an apologetic grin over your shoulder. His irritated huff lost some impact when paired with the static-charged bedhead and cozy blanket.
Out in the hallway, Gojo skipped happily behind you, already chattering about the next adventure.
"Right! Let's give Yuji the grand tour of the school! And tomorrow, we're picking up our third first-year! It's going to be so much fun!"
You and Yuji traded amused glances as his chatter faded down the hall.
The peace wouldn't last long, but for now, all was right in your world.