THE WHITE DRAGON┊ jujutsu kaisen

Chapter 45: When the White Flower Blossomed

October 31st, 2018
Present time in Shibuya Ward

"Yuta."

Still on a bent knee beside Yuta, laying flat against the ground unable to sit up on his own, Haku held their hand up to the air as if suggesting Yuta reach out and place his own firmly against theirs. It took a laborious effort just for Yuta to prop himself up onto his elbows. He let out several groaning sighs. The violent, stinging pain had not yet subsided; all his nerves were ablaze and electrified. Haku could only watch with a steadfast expression, not of hatred, pity, or joy— they simply held a vacant stare. Weakly, leaning all his weight to one elbow, Yuta obliged the request, shakily holding up his arm to align their hands.

Even with the spatial distance of a few centimeters between them, it was obviously clear that Yuta's hand would engulf Haku's easily. They always had small, dainty hands. It was one of the first details Yuta had noticed about Haku during their very first mission together. A glimmer of familiar happiness spread throughout Yuta's chest as he anticipated holding their hand out of comfort, just like old times. With a small stretch, he tried to interlock their fingers together when something unexpected happened. With ease, his hand had passed through Haku's like they were nothing more than a figment of his imagination in the present.

That startling sensation— or lack thereof— rocketed Yuta upright, immediately forgetting his pain, and sat straight as an arrow with his eyes focused on Haku's hand. There was no mistaking it, the tips of their fingers appeared translucent and the rest of Haku's skin appeared lackluster in comparison. Yuta's mouth opened like he wanted to say something but no words came out. He blankly could not process what his eyes were telling him.

Haku spared him the strife, "It's already started. I made my decision a long time ago."

Yuta stuttered, flickering his gaze between their hand and their face, "Haku... are you really here?"

"I am. And I will continue to be here, just not in the way you expect."

"You can't," Yuta's voice cracked in desperation, "please. You can't just leave like this." Once again, his eyes began to well up with tears. After nearly a year apart, they only had less than an hour together.

"Everything is happening as it should and it all began with her, Yubaba approaching me. That was the beginning of the end. It was a confirmation. That's why I know there is no alternate ending for me. This is my fate and I accept it. I have seen this day burned into the back of my mind so flawlessly, I've lived it a thousand times— each time I close my eyes."

"I'm not going to let you die. I don't care about the prophecy. There's a way for you to live— to stay with us! You talked to her, Yubaba. I know you did. She can help you."

Haku shook their head solemnly, "Prophecies are made to be absolute. I was never meant to stay, Yuta."

"Bullshit!" He retorted back angrily, his expression contorted with disbelief and fear.

"I may have signed away the name given to me at birth, but the spirit that lives in me has always been free to choose its own will. While you were away I met an old friend who advised me to do just that if I ever crossed paths with Yubaba. The River Spirit gave me an anecdote that I would know how to use when the time was right to transcend into the spirit world once again without fear." For the first time that evening, Haku shyly smiled. "I would never insinuate that I didn't care about any of you, or that the times we all spent together were meaningless to me. I am truly grateful for each and every one of you. Every... every single one of you."