Chapter Text
‘…..Yuji…….,’
Itadori’s eyes snapped open, and he rose to sit up quickly. He grabbed at his chest, his heart pounding fast. He’d had that dream again- that voice calling out to him. He wasn’t sure who it was or why it kept pestering him, but he was worried of what would happen if he gave into it.
“Sleep okay?” Nobara questioned him once he walked down the stairs to Jujutsu High’s shared eating area. She was always so sharp, knowing what was wrong with him in an instant- despite only having one eye now.
“Just been having strange dreams,” Yuji laughed it off, but a gentle hand on his shoulder caught him off-guard.
“You’ve been having nightmares ever since we defeated Sukuna,” Megumi said, now by his side with a plate of food. He gave it to Yuji who thanked him before both of them sat down with Nobara.
“Don’t tell me you regret killing him,” Nobara poked the air with her fork, a scowl on her face. She always thought Yuji was way too soft and caring, and whilst that was a great quality to have, that only hurt him more in the end.
“No, of course not,” Yuji stated, and Megumi just looked at him with a knowing glance. Yuji had regretted Sukuna’s death a little bit, the feeling of not being able to save him with his final offer. Though, how could he regret it when in the end, it was Sukuna’s choice to die? Megumi had no idea why exactly Yuji felt bad about it, but perhaps all that time sharing the same body changed Yuji. His head was empty now and he probably felt a little lonely.
“What do you dream about?” Nobara asked as she shoveled her breakfast into her mouth. Megumi sat beside her at the table quietly, drinking a black coffee.
“It’s mostly just darkness, but I hear this voice calling out to me. I can’t get it out of my head.”
“Is it Sukuna?” Megumi asked, wondering how he could help put his friend at ease
“No, it’s some female voice,” Yuji started to eat his food quickly, wolfing it down faster than Nobara.
“Is it that servant of his? They seemed quite annoying,” Nobara stated, not bothered in the slightest that Yuji finished his meal before her.
“No, it’s something else- I’m not sure. I feel like I could follow it…….but I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Yuji finished his plate and chugged his orange juice before stretching his arms, ready to start his day.
“Well, you haven’t yet and you keep having the dream. Maybe you do need to explore it,” Megumi suggested, now getting up to help bring the dishes into the kitchen.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” Yuji replied, though not super enthusiastically. This really was bothering him, and it was blatantly obvious to his two friends.
“Well, how about we spar on the track today? I’m determined to beat you at least once,” Nobara bumped into Yuji in a friendly matter, making him smile.
“I’ll make sure you won’t,” he challenged, and the friends headed off to have a great day.
——————
Yuji breathed in deeply and held his breath for a second, before pushing it out slowly. He settled himself and laid down in his bed, ready to sleep. Except tonight, he was going to face whatever was plaguing his dreams. He was a little nervous because he had a hunch this was connected to Sukuna, but that curse was gone now and he just needed to get over whatever he was feeling. What was the worst that could happen?
Yuji closed his eyes and began to drift off, his vision completely black. As usual, it was like he was completely awake in his own dream, yet he was unable to do anything in the darkness.
“Hello?” Yuji called out this time, determined to face whatever had been contacting him.
“……Yuji…….,” a soft, female voice called, and Yuji turned to where he heard it coming from. He saw a bright light in the darkness now, and he ran towards it, the voice calling his name growing louder and louder.
As Yuji approached the light, he shut his eyes as it was completely blinding. The second he felt something had shifted, that something was now different- he opened his eyes to see he was on top of a mountain overlooking a village far below. It was like he was actually there- the sun warm on his face, the feeling of the breeze on his skin. He didn’t recognize this place nor understand why he was here, but everything would soon be answered.
“Yuji!” The voice called, now sounding clearer than before. Yuji turned around suddenly to see he was standing in-front of large entrance, one carved deep into the mountain. Was there a chamber in this large rock? He touched the door, attempted to push it open- but it wouldn’t budge at all. How was he supposed to get inside?
“Over here, Yuji!” The voice called again, now coming from his left side. Yuji turned to see a wall that wrapped around the side of the entrance, and he could clearly see trees behind it. Was there a garden behind this wall? Did it also have an entrance into this mountain? He didn’t need to think twice as he jumped and launched himself up and over the wall, climbing over the top and landing on the inside.
“Yuji?” The voice questioned, and Yuji glanced upwards to now see who was behind it. Sitting beneath one of the trees in the garden was a beautiful woman, heavily pregnant and surrounded by two young children who now looked at him as well.
“Who are you?” Yuji asked, tilting his head. He didn’t recognize her at all, how did she know him?
“I’m Y/n,” she smiled brightly, and Yuji felt himself blush at her beauty, “your ancestor.”
——————
“Master,” Uraume bowed as they entered the study, Sukuna working at his desk.
“Yes, Uraume?” He stated, not glancing upwards at them as he continued to scribble on some scrolls.
“It seems your ancestor has come to visit,” Uraume spoke nonchalantly, and Sukuna stopped writing. What exactly did they mean, his ancestor came to visit. Who and how?
“……my ancestor….?” Sukuna questioned slowly, now dropping his items and leaning back in his desk, a little puzzled.
“Yuji Itadori, to be exact,” Uraume said, and Sukuna’s interest was peaked, but so was his annoyance.
“Huh?” Sukuna sneered, now understanding completely. How did that brat come to visit him in the afterlife? Whatever was he doing here of all places? He couldn’t kill Sukuna twice- what exactly did he want?
——————
“My ancestor??” Yuji questioned, now approaching Y/n and the two children. He noticed how they quickly ran around the tree she was sitting under, peering at him from behind the tree.
“Yes! I’ve been watching you for some time,” Y/n smiled warmly at him. Whilst her words could be taken in a twisted way, he sensed no ill intention coming from Y/n, and sat beside her willingly.
“How am I able to talk to you?” Yuji asked, wondering if he was making everything up in his own head. Was he really dreaming all of this up? It seemed a little too real for that to be possible…..
“I’ve called you here to the afterlife to talk to you,” Y/n stated, her smile turning into a sad frown, “I can sense you have been struggling with the death of Sukuna, and I wanted to reassure you.”
“How do you know about Sukuna?” Yuji asked, and Y/n smiled at him so genuinely.
“Haruki, Miyu, come here,” Y/n called to the children who were hidden behind the tree. They were slow to come around, but soon came to sit beside her, Yuji now noticing just how uniquely they looked. The small boy called Haruki had a second red eye under his right one, and the small girl called Miyu had a mangled right side of her face, something that resembled Sukuna’s demonic mask.
“….are these…. Sukuna’s children?” Yuji asked, completely flabbergasted. If these children were Sukuna’s, and Y/n was their mother and also his ancestor, then…..
“Yes, they are Sukuna and I’s children. They are also your ancestors. It is actually Haruki’s family line that you come from.”
“Then, that means….,” Yuji pointed to himself, surprised at this sudden knowledge
“That you are related to Sukuna, yes,” Y/n smiled at him, and Yuji was completely shocked.
Before Yuji could say anything more, there was a sudden surge of cursed energy behind him, coming from a small entryway that led into the mountain. Yuji was instantly up and ready to attack, but he noticed how Y/n and the children didn’t move at all.
“It seems this brat still plagues me in the afterlife,” a familiar, deep voice spoke, and Yuji was instantly alerted to Sukuna’s presence. Would he have to fight him in the afterlife as well? Yuji watched as Sukuna in his full form stepped out into the sunlight of the garden, his servant Uraume by his side.
“Sukuna,” Yuji stated in a serious matter, obviously still ready to fight. Sukuna let out a single laugh, before walking right up to Yuji, completely un-phased.
“Why did you summon the brat here, woman?” Sukuna addressed Y/n now, though Yuji could tell his tone wasn’t harsh or condescending.
“I wanted to talk with him, if that is okay,” Y/n spoke, and Yuji could hear the sweetness in her voice.
“Do as you wish,” Sukuna waved her off, though it was obvious he was putting up a front. Sukuna walked behind Yuji, now grabbing at his two young kids, bringing them further back in the garden to be away from his ancestor.
“Come sit Yuji,” Y/n patted the ground beside her, and Yuji simply looked confused. Though, once he realized Sukuna wasn’t a threat, he did what Y/n asked. Uraume came and stood beside the tree, but even their presence wasn’t overwhelming or frightening.
“I called you here to reassure you. You don’t need to feel regret in Sukuna’s death, everything is as it should be,” Y/n stated softly, patting Yuji’s knee supportively.
“I don’t regret killing Sukuna, we needed to defeat him….,” Yuji stated, to which Y/n gave him a sad smile.
“You can tell yourself that, but I know how you truly feel. You’re upset at yourself for not being able to save him,” Y/n stated, and Yuji looked down. She was right- he had been feeling bad over how it all ended. He offered to save Sukuna’s life- to suffer as his host so he could stay alive- but Sukuna didn’t take the offer. Yuji had always wondered if Sukuna had taken the offer, if he could turn Sukuna’s hostility around- if he could make him more human than curse.
“Yuji, look over there,” Y/n pointed gingerly to where Sukuna was now, and Yuji glanced over. It was such a strange sight, to see Sukuna looking so peaceful and safe to be around. He was simply sitting in the garden with his children, the girl climbing over him as the boy ran circles around the tree. Whilst Yuji imagined he would have a scowl on his face, look completely annoyed with the kids- Sukuna wasn’t. He was smiling softly, obviously amused at the kid’s behavior, and Yuji found it fascinating.
“Master Sukuna has no regrets over how he lived his life nor with his death. He was content in his choices and even more so to enter the afterlife so he could see Lady Y/n and their children again,” Uraume spoke, also admiring the way Sukuna played with the kids.
“Sukuna actually picked this era of our lives to relive,” Y/n was smiling as she watched her husband and children, and Yuji was amazed at how much someone could care about such a curse, “he could have picked any time in his many years of life to live over and over again for eternity- but he chose to spend it with me.”
Yuji finally understood it all now, and his feelings of regret seemed to fade. Sukuna was content in the afterlife, so Yuji had no reason to beat himself up over not keeping Sukuna alive. Y/n realized her words had gotten through to Yuji and touched him gently on the arm, smiling at him. He did resemble her and Sukuna so much, after all, his grandfather was Sukuna’s reincarnated twin.
“…..can you tell me more about you and Sukuna?” Yuji looked at Y/n, who beamed with excitement.
Yuji spent what seemed like hours chatting with Y/n, learning all about her. She told him about how she met Sukuna, how their relationship grew, and even their dispute with the Gojo Clan. Yuji seemed to understand now why Sukuna held such disdain for Gojo, and also learned of Fushiguro’s ancestor as well. He could see Sukuna glare over at the mention of these events, but Y/n paid him no mind. Uraume stood there quietly by Y/n’s side, only commenting when she addressed them.
“Well, I think you should be getting back now,” Y/n concluded their conversations, and Yuji was a little down. He wished he could talk more to his ancestor, but he felt like he had been gone a very long time.
“How do I return?” Yuji questioned, and Y/n gestured for him to come closer. Yuji scooted next to Y/n and she laid his head on her shoulder, patting in gently.
“Just drift off to sleep- Then you should be able to wake up back in your time,” Y/n responded, and Yuji felt instantly calmed. He glanced over at Sukuna who was staring daggers at Yuji, yet was unable to do anything about it as he had his hands full with the kids.
“…..Sukuna looks like he wants to kill me,” Yuji stated, and Y/n laughed.
“He’s just jealous. He can’t harm you here, even as much as he’d want to. Go to sleep, Yuji. I hope you can visit again sometime,” Y/n rubbed his back gently, as if he was her own child. Yuji relaxed and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.
“Finally, that annoying brat’s gone,” Sukuna stated gruffly as Yuji’s body disintegrated from the afterlife. Y/n simply smiled and rose to her feet the best she could, before making her way over to Sukuna and the kids.
“Thank you for choosing to live with me in the afterlife,” Y/n told Sukuna as she grabbed his face gently, staring into his eyes lovingly. If she wasn’t mistaken, it seemed like Sukuna blushed a little bit, before turning his head away.
“Pshh. You couldn’t have survived here without me,” Sukuna said, unable to convey his emotions properly. Y/n didn’t mind however, as it was so easy to read him. She simply kissed the top of his head before going to grab her kids to bring them in for the night.
“Tomorrow we should visit the village,” Y/n stated, and Sukuna sighed.
“I remember how that went last time,” he rolled his eyes, and Y/n laughed lightheartedly.
——————
“YUJI!” Nobara screamed in his face, rapidly shaking him by his arm. Yuji’s eyes shot open and he was quick to rise, looking around the room. His heart was pounding and he was sweating profusely, as if he’d had a terrible nightmare.
“Thank GOD you woke up- you’ve been asleep for like 12 hours!” Nobara stated, obviously worried about him. Megumi was also in the room, looking distraught as well. It was unusual for Yuji not to wake up at the same time he did every morning, let alone sleep in for so long.
“W-what?” Yuji was confused, before the memories of his dreams came rushing back. He had visited his ancestor and learned of his relation to Sukuna. Based on his current state and his regrets being gone, there was no way it hadn’t been real.
“Are you feeling okay? We came to wake you up and you looked like you were in pain,” Megumi asked, and Yuji simply got out of bed and stretched as if everything was normal.
“Yep! I’m all better now. Thanks for the advice, Megumi!” Yuji thanked his friend for pushing him to give into his dreams, but that just left his companions more confused.
“Huh? You were just stuck in a nightmare two seconds ago, how are you fine now??” Nobara questioned, to which Yuji simply smiled at his friends.
“Come on guys, let’s go get something for breakfast. I’m starving!” Yuji beamed as he practically bounced out of his room, avoiding his friends’ many questions. In due time he’d tell them all about his visit to the afterlife and newfound knowledge of his relation to Sukuna- but for now, he just wanted to start his day with a hearty meal.