Chapter Text
When you nearly died, you entered some kind of suspended state. As a result of your proficiency with reverse cursed technique, and perhaps the fact that your soul wasn’t originally from this world to begin with, you were able to evade death. You survived, but not just that—you grew stronger from it.
Granted, the process took a while. You were comatose for a long time, and even without witnessing it for yourself, you’re fully aware of the toll it took on the people you hold dear.
In a way, you suppose your awakening was similar to Satoru’s. By brushing up against death, by grappling with the concept of your own mortality, you were able to access a power beyond anything you could ever have imagined. It goes without saying that you’re not going to replicate any of that with Satoru, however. You would never hurt him, not in a million years. And if your theory is correct, you won’t even have to.
Your ability may not be identical to Mahito’s Idle Transfiguration, but it draws upon the exact same concept of accessing the soul. Satoru is immensely powerful, even in his current state. However, he doesn’t know how to heal himself, and even his other jujutsu techniques haven’t yet reached their maximum potential. You plan to protect Satoru, to save his life, no matter what it takes—but part of that includes giving him the tools to better protect himself.
There may very well be moments where you’re not directly within reach. Those moments could last a few seconds at most, but if you fail to get to him in time, the outcome will be no less tragic. That’s why you have to do this. Before Sukuna is incarnated, before the worst comes to pass, you need to protect your dearest friend.
“Well?” you hear Satoru mumble. “Can you, like… see anything?”
“Not yet,” you admit, eyes still squeezed shut. “Also, please be as quiet as possible. It’s easier for me to focus that way.”
“Alright, sure. Keep feeling me up or whatever.”
If not for your eyes being closed, you would almost certainly have rolled them just now. As usual, though, light banter aside, Satoru does listen to you. He falls completely silent after the fact, and apart from the faint, gentle sound of his breathing, you can’t hear anything else.
The silence allows you to focus, to tap into a deeper, more intimate part of him. The fandom pretty much unanimously despises Mahito (for the most part, at least—he does still have his fair share of fans), but if only his technique wasn’t used for evil, you’re certain it would be very highly regarded.
After all, is there anything more beautiful than seeing someone in their true state of being? Knowing them, really knowing them, inside and out?
It’s not the sort of thing just anyone can claim. It takes an incredibly special bond for a person to openly be themselves around someone, without bothering to hide a single detail. That’s why you chose to start with Satoru before anyone else. The two of you have always been together, quite literally from the day you regained your memories and reclaimed your true self in this world.
If it’s with him, then surely, it’ll work.
You take another big, stabilizing breath. Everything is still rather unclear, but undoubtedly, the atmosphere has changed. In the physical sense, your body is still sitting on the bed, along with Satoru, but the rest of you is in the midst of being transported somewhere else.
You can’t even quite put it into words. It’s almost as if you’re… flowing, from one state to the next. The most fitting analogy you can think of is being submerged in dark, murky waters, but seeing the faintest bit of light coming from the surface. Somewhere there, somewhere further beyond, lies Satoru’s soul. He just needs to let you in.
You’re getting closer now, and you can feel it. Closer, and closer, just a little bit closer—
“[Name]!”
Huh?
All at once, the darkness clears. When you blink, you realize that you no longer have your hand pressed against Satoru’s chest. Instead, you’ve fallen over, and you’re lying right on top of him, while your vision blurs around the edges.
“Are you okay?” Satoru asks, eyes wide with concern. “Your nose is bleeding. Are you in pain? Do you feel sick??”
“Ugh…”
You do feel sick, admittedly. Pain is one thing—you’ve learned to deal with it, and you can recover from virtually any wound—but you aren’t impervious to all forms of harm. You can still experience sickness and exhaustion. Which is exactly how you feel right now. Completely, utterly exhausted.
“I’m okay,” you mumble weakly. “I’m just a little… off. I guess trying to perceive someone else’s soul is a lot more strenuous than I expected it’d be. When I was in my coma, I had a lot of time to slowly work towards it. Maybe I rushed into things a bit. I don’t know.”
“Well, stay safe,” Satoru frowns, one arm gently wrapped around you. He reaches out to wipe the blood from under your nose. “You don’t know what might happen. If you push yourself too hard, it could be dangerous. This is different from getting injured, isn’t it?”
“I should still be able to manipulate my own soul if needed, though.”
“But you don’t know that. You don’t know what might happen because you’ve never tried this with anyone else before. Just… be careful,” Satoru sighs. “Please be careful. Do you even know how much of my life I spend worrying about you?”
“I mean—”
“That was a rhetorical question. I spend nearly all my life worrying about you, idiot.”
There’s really no way for you to argue with that. It’s true, without a shadow of a doubt, but as much as he worries about you, it’s still better than the alternative. It’s still better than him losing his friends, watching so many others die, and… never getting to live out a proper future himself.
“I’ll get the hang of it eventually,” you say, squinting to try and clear the fuzziness in your eyes. “I’m sure I can do this. I just need more practice.”
Satoru blinks. “More practice? As in… laying in a bed with me while I have my shirt off?”
That’s technically correct, you suppose. Even if he doesn’t take his shirt off, you need to press your hand against his bare skin all the same. Without knowing the context, it’d be easy for anyone to get the wrong idea—especially if they were to walk in right this very moment.
All you were doing was trying to get a look at Satoru’s soul, and ideally, to tap into it just enough for him to unlock his dormant abilities. The intention was purely innocent. Not just innocent, but necessary, for the sake of his survival in the future.
However, it’s been a while. Some time has passed since fatigue hit you like a truck and you fell on top of Satoru. You’ve been lying in this rather suggestive position for longer than you intended. Long enough to make you self-conscious.
“Um, I still don’t feel good, but I should probably move,” you mumble, heat rising to your cheeks.
“You’re intimidated by my good looks, aren’t you?” Satoru grins.
“Yeah, something like that.”
You chuckle softly, feeling some of the tension diffuse thanks to his joke—but the second you try to sit back up, you crumple like a ragdoll.
And then your nose starts bleeding again.
“[Name], are you sure you’re okay?!”
“Maybe not,” you admit, exhaling weakly. It feels like you barely have any strength left in your limbs, or any other part of your body, really. All you can do is lie there, still flat on top of Satoru’s unclothed upper body, as he once again cleans the blood off your face.
After that, there’s just silence. Neither of you says anything, but you stare into each other’s eyes, and even without any words exchanged, it’s clear that you’re both thinking—and feeling—the same thing.
Satoru’s blush spreads across his face like wildfire.
“Uh,” is all he manages to say.
Your face is so close to his, lips so frustratingly tempting, and the longer your body presses right up against him, the more he feels desire overtake him.
“Can I kiss you?” he blurts. He cringes nearly immediately thereafter, regretting the words as soon as they came out, so he hurries to correct himself. “I mean… just on the cheek? Or something? Is that okay?”
You’re not responding, which certainly isn’t a good sign, and Satoru’s about to apologize and tell you to forget what he just said, when suddenly, you lean in a bit closer.
And press your lips to his.
Satoru’s eyes widen. The kiss is so brief, he barely even has time to process it. The next second, you’ve already rolled over onto your side, facing away from him—because apparently, there are times when even you can get embarrassed.
“I’m still not ready to date anyone again,” you clarify, voice muffled against the blanket. “So, I’m sorry, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up. I just kind of… I don’t know. I felt like doing that in the moment. That’s the feeling I got.”
Satoru's jaw hangs open, and it’s safe to say that he’s frozen, with no hope of moving anytime soon.
To summarize, you wanted to peer into his soul, so you got him into bed, instructed him to take his shirt off, ended up quite literally pressed against him, and he even got to kiss you.
Satoru slowly rolls over as well, so that he can stare up at the ceiling with a blank expression.
“This is one of the best days of my life,” he mumbles dreamily.
Higuruma lets a deep, weary sigh. He’s finally done working for the day. He always knew that this job would be difficult, but he’s not even a full-fledged lawyer yet. He’s still in the process of finishing his apprenticeship, and even that is a grueling ordeal in itself. Becoming a lawyer in Japan, especially a defense attorney, isn’t for the faint of heart.
He’s no stranger to hard work, naturally, and he can’t help but think that he exists in a perpetually exhausted state. That being said, there are times when it does get a bit discouraging. There are times when he feels the weight of the world upon his shoulders, and it all gets to be a bit too much.
Before, there was nothing much he could do about it. He’s not socially inept or anything, but he’s also not very friendly or approachable. Having gone just about his entire life preparing for this position, he’s not used to having fun or taking a breather. He can still be professional and amicable towards others, but that doesn’t inherently equate to friendship.
However… things are different now.
Now, he finally does have a friend. And after an incredibly exhausting day, he finds himself wondering if said friend might help him feel a bit better.
“Ah, Higuruma? Hey!” you answer chipperly. “What’s up?”
Higuruma takes a few moments to respond. He realizes now that he didn’t really think this through. He just went ahead and called you, without a specific plan in mind, which quite frankly, is unlike him.
“I… was wondering if you’re free,” he settles on, fully aware of how awkward he sounds. “If you’re open to it, we can grab dinner together. Or whatever else you’d like to do.”
“Right now?”
“Well, I just finished work, but it doesn’t have to be right away. You can take all the time you need to get ready. I just wanted to know if you were interested.”
“Of course I am!” you practically exclaim, and Higuruma’s heart beats a little faster for a moment. Nobody’s ever sounded that excited about the idea of spending time with him.
As is often the case whenever you’re involved, he finds himself smiling.
You end up rushing to meet with him not long after the fact, further reinforcing the notion that this is something you were looking forward to.
“Higuruma, hi!” you grin—and before he can even return your greeting, you wrap your arms around him.
“Oh,” he blinks, and although he’s shocked at first, his own arms soon fall loosely around you. “Hello. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I hope it wasn’t too much of a rush to get here.”
You shake your head, still grinning widely as you break away from the hug.
…Higuruma honestly wouldn’t have minded if it lasted a bit longer, though.
“It was fine,” you reassure. “I’m so excited to hang out with you! You said you wanted to go somewhere to eat? I’m kind of a foodie, to be honest, so I’m always excited to try new things.”
“Do you cook?” Higuruma asks.
“Oh, yeah. All the time. I’m basically a master at this point.”
“That’s good,” he says, chuckling ever so slightly. “I’d be interested in trying your cooking sometime.”
“Yay!” you beam. “You won’t regret it!”
Oh, he will. He definitely will. He just doesn’t know it yet.
Higuruma brings you to a restaurant he’s been frequenting lately. His colleagues introduced it to him a while ago, and he’s been going as a regular ever since. It’s only until the two of you are standing right outside the restaurant that he realizes he might end up running into someone he knows here… but even if that’s the case, he’s not sure why it would matter.
You’re so friendly and bright, he’s willing to bet just about anyone would be charmed by you.
“Welcome!” one of the servers greets the second you both step inside. “Ah, Higuruma. Back again?”
“Yes,” he nods. “I’m recommending this place to… my friend.”
He glances towards you out of the corner of his eye, almost as if he’s seeking affirmation—and sure enough, your warm expression validates him right away.
“I’m [Name],” you introduce, reaching out to vigorously shake the server’s hand, still with that infectious smile on your face. “I’m really excited to try all the yummy food!”
Which is exactly what you end up doing. It doesn’t take long for the food to come out after you’ve grabbed your seats, and from that point onwards, Higuruma watches, mystified, as you happily polish off every single dish you try.
“This is amazing!” you say, in between bites. “Ah, this one’s amazing too!”
“I’m glad you like it,” Higuruma smiles.
You seem to have a very healthy appetite, and a strong appreciation for food as a whole. He’s glad he picked this restaurant. He’s glad you seem to be enjoying it so much. He doesn’t yet know the truth—that your taste buds are so warped, you find pretty much anything palatable.
But that’ll just have to be a fun little discovery for another time.
Higuruma pays for the both of you once you’re finished eating, and truthfully, he’s not quite sure what else to do now. Again, this is a bit of a foreign concept to him, one that he’s not well-versed in. It’s a good thing you’re more than able to make up for it.
“I looked it up earlier, and there’s a park nearby,” you suggest. “Do you want to go there? There are supposed to be little ponds where you can feed the ducks!”
“We can go wherever you want,” Higuruma nods, and truly, he means it.
He gets the feeling that no matter where you take him, he’ll enjoy every moment. Just as long as he’s with you.
Normally, after a long day at work, Higuruma would just go home to collapse onto his couch, or maybe sit in the bathtub for longer than necessary. When a person’s career consumes their very being, sometimes, all the body wants to do is rest.
And yet, by being around you, by talking to you and seeing your smile, somehow, he can feel his fatigue melting away. Even as you stroll through the park together, even as he walks and walks for ages, he’s certain that he feels far more energized than he has in a very long time.
“Look,” you point. “They’re selling bird seeds over there. Let’s go! I really want to feed the ducks!”
You grab him by the hand and pull him along. Your touch is warm, comforting, and not only are you his friend—you’re a friend who genuinely believes in his dream. You support him and his goal of becoming a defense attorney, of devoting his life to protecting innocent people from wrongful convictions.
He never thought that simple affirmation would mean so much to him, but it undeniably does.
Higuruma passes you the bird seeds, then lightly nudges you. “Over there seems like a good spot. Most of the ducks are gathering in one place.”
You beam, nodding eagerly, and there’s a visible spring in your step as you rush over to feed your beloved ducks. Higuruma can feel a fond smile resting upon his lips. You really are cute. You’re such a kind, good person. If only the world had more people like you, then violent crimes would be far less of a concern—
“Mister, watch out!”
The warning comes far too late. By the time Higuruma turns, a boy on a bike is already hurtling straight towards him.
Suffice to say, a collision occurs. Higuruma feels the force of the impact, and the next second, he’s lying on his back, groaning weakly.
He can’t even really make sense of what’s happening. He can hear the boy crying, and a split second thereafter, the sound of his mother running to check in on him, but the rest is mostly a blur.
By the time he manages to push the bike off his body and slowly sit upright, you’re kneeling in front of him.
“Higuruma, are you okay?” you frown.
Higuruma shamefully averts his gaze. This situation is… a bit embarrassing. He got taken out by a kid on a bike, of all things. Speaking of the kid, thankfully, he seems to be unharmed for the most part. He’s still wailing, perhaps from the fright of it all, but there aren’t any visible injuries.
“I’m so, so sorry!” the mother apologizes.
“It’s alright,” Higuruma insists, shaking his head. “As long as your son is okay. This is nothing, so don’t worry about me.”
The mother apologizes again regardless, and the boy’s wailing fills the air, traveling far and wide even as he eventually fades into the distance.
Higuruma sighs. It hurts, admittedly, but he already feels self-conscious enough that you had to see this. The damage mostly comes down to a tear in his suit, and a visible, red gash. Fortunately, he managed to land without fully smashing his skull against the ground, so it’s not like he has a concussion or anything.
Still, it’s shameful. This isn't exactly how he wanted the day to end, not after how much fun he’d been having until now.
“Does it hurt?” you ask, eyes flickering down to the wound. “It’s bleeding quite a lot. And I bet it stings.”
“I’ll be fine,” Higuruma reassures, but as he tries to rise to his feet, he ends up wincing far more than he was expecting. It’s not just the gash on his leg—apparently, he must have twisted his ankle during the fall too.
Great. Now he’s going to be limping along, looking hopelessly pitiful.
Higuruma sighs again, pulling out a napkin to soak up the blood, but before he can even protest, you grab it from him and clean it up yourself.
And somehow, almost instantly, the pain in that area disappears.
But it doesn’t end there.
Your hand drifts down towards his ankle for a brief moment. It hurts even when your fingers lightly press against his skin, but just like before, the pain fades right away.
Higuruma blinks. It… doesn’t hurt at all anymore. It’s not like he suffered a fatal injury, of course, but the pain was still easily noticeable. Yet, it disappeared, just like that. As soon as you touched him.
In fact, when he looks a bit more closely, he can see that there’s no longer even a trace of the gash anymore. Now that the blood has been fully wiped off, his skin is clear, perfect. Completely unharmed.
What the hell…?
“Ah,” you realize, and after a slight pause, you chuckle. “Force of habit, I guess. Oopsie!”
Higuruma stares at you in disbelief.