Cursed || Gojo Satoru x Reader

Epilogue

    Thunderclouds had long cast a shadow over the haunted high school. Only slivers of light appeared between the darkness from where the curses crawled onto the campus. In the midst of it all, a boy thrashed wildly in the air, his palms gripping the side of a curse as he wrestled for control. Its pine green skin rippled with cursed energy as it fought to fling the boy off its back.

    Night had fallen over the countryside of Sendai City, but this high school was alive with the crawling of monsters. The aura of hundreds of curses hummed a haunted tune, attracted to Sukuna's finger sealed inside a simple wooden box. Still, the boy continued to fight, his physical strength breaking the limits of any regular human, or even those of jujutsu sorcerers.

    Although Gojo Satoru had arrived to study Fushiguro Megumi's progress, he found himself entertained by this non-sorcerer caught in the crossfire of a conflict greater than he understood. His determination and endurance were familiar to Gojo, reminiscent of a memory that he had long ago buried.

    The curse's violet tongue hung out of its mouth as it thrashed its body wildly, throwing the boy off from its back. Narrowing his eyes, the boy steadied himself in the air, his yellow hoodie flying in the wind.

    "Itadori!" Megumi shouts from the fence. His face is bloodied and battered, but there is no pain in his features. It is unlike Megumi to be concerned with those he is not familiar with. Still, he continues, "Why can't you understand to take those two and run?"

    The pink-haired boy, Itadori, narrowly avoids the curse's swinging arm as he responds, "You're in big trouble yourself!" But the words have slowed him down as the curse grabs hold of his clothing and drags him across the rubble. It is not long until he is launched into the air, his screams are a distant echo.

    Megumi grimaces as he yells, "Only curses can exorcise other curses! You can't beat it!" His fists are clenched and I can feel his cursed energy vibrating. It is unlike Megumi to invest himself so heavily into a mission.

    I glance at the bag of souvenirs in my hand, the pastries still fresh from my trip. Remembering the annoyance I had felt when the higher ups had assigned me to check up on the finger, I suddenly feel grateful that I have the opportunity to witness this moment.

    "Is this the time to be saying that? You're going to die at this rate!" The boy jumps around the concrete rubble as he dodges the four arms of the curse. He leaps over the railing, but is swiftly caught and pulled into the monster's grasp. "If I went home now, I'd be having nightmares! Besides, I have my own... troublesome curse already!"

    He manages to land a blow on the curse's scarlet eyes. Purple blood erupts from the wound, and the boy breathes deeply as he bounces from place to place. His fist is tight around Sukuna's finger, his understanding of its importance is demonstrated in his every move.

    A swinging arm is thrusted into Itadori's stomach, and he chokes out a bit of crimson blood. Disoriented by the attack, the curse manages to grab a hold of the boy's torso, and latch two hands completely around his body. The impact loosens the boy's grip around Sukuna's finger and it flies into the air.

    Both the boy and the curse stare as it twirls beneath the grey clouds and they simultaneously reach for it. But while the curse's free arm is outstretched, the boy digs his toes into the fist below him, and he catches the finger between his teeth before it lands within the clutches of the curse.

    "You idiot!" Megumi yells, swiftly standing up from the ground. His eyes are wide in fear and caution, "Hand it over to me or you'll be eaten, too!" He begins to run across the balcony, but the curse has Itadori struggling to avoid its open mouth. The boy's bright red sneakers were the only things keeping him from the curse's wide teeth.

    Itadori flings the finger into the air, shouting, "There is a way to save everyone! I just need some cursed energy, right, Fushiguro?!" My eyebrows flicker up in surprise, understanding his intent only moments before he executed it. Only a fool would willingly eat poison, but in this case, a non-sorcerer would be more akin to a blind fool.

    A brief moment later, Megumi manages to come to the same conclusion, "Don't do it!"

    But the boy swallowed the finger promptly as it fell from the sky, his conviction surer than any force in jujutsu society. Itadori had fought beneath grey clouds that threatened to rain, and ate the finger of Sukuna without hesitation to help Megumi. He stood on the second floor of a school, on a ruined, grey balcony. He was cursed with the philosophies of another.

    Gojo Satoru had seen this before. Once, with a girl. She was strong, the strongest for a while. When they stood equal, she taught him to help others, she taught him to protect the weak, she taught him what it meant to be strong. And though he always felt alone, he'd never stood alone with her.

    The moon had appeared from behind the clouds when the boy landed again on his two feet. Black tattoos marked his face and hands, and a sinisterly familiar aura radiated from around his body. With a single flick of a wrist, the curse was expelled by Sukuna.

    I pause, wondering if it was worth it to save him. But behind his eyes I see her's, and I know that she would have done the same in his shoes. The world is lucky for good people. People like her. People like this boy.

    So I smile and shove my hands into my pockets. The bag dangles from my wrist as I approach Megumi, shadows appearing from beneath his feet. The world is dark and full of evils, but on this night, I feel as though she has returned.

Author's note: Thank you for following this story until its very end! I hope that you were as invested into (y/n) and Gojo's story as much as I was. I am so grateful for everyone who read, voted, and commented. Please check out 'The Ninth' if you want to see more of my writing :) I hope to see you again!
~H