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Nobara Kugisaki
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"You sure about this, Doctor?" She asked upon reaching the modern house before them.
Her heart beat furiously. Was this really happening? Seeing her friends, teachers, new people too?
"No, actually." Doctor Junichi admitted. Nobara gave the old man a glare, but she was used to his sarcasm and harsh truths so she paid him no mind. "Hopefully Amati should be finished with the meeting by now." The doctor said as he checked his watch.
That statement alone made Nobara's stomach rise to her throat.
Tanaka Sensei...
Ever since Nobara finally regained consciousness after so long, Doctor Junichi told her all about everything. What happened in Shibuya, how the doctor found Tanaka Sensei and healed her, how Kenjaku made the culling game... all the events up until freeing Gojo Sensei.
He told her who died and who didn't, everyone's physical status, emotional status, and with all the information, Nobara felt like she's been living with everyone all these days.
But except she hadn't.
As they stepped on the stairs, a million thoughts crossed Nobara's mind.
She's really going to see everyone, huh?
Her classmates, Yuji and Megumi, whom she missed so much.
Her seniors, and even Yuta who she hasn't met yet.
Shoko, Ijichi, Tsumiki, new people and finally...
Her two Senseis.
Gojo Sensei, despite his annoying ass, made Nobara excited to see her Sensei free and well again.
And Tanaka Sensei... After Nobara heard she died, she wanted nothing more than to see her other Sensei alive and breathing.
"Are you going to stay out here lost in thought, or should I open the door?" Doctor Junichi asked.
Nobara sighed shakily. "Just open it."
And-
Here they are.
Standing in front of everyone, Nobra suddenly wishes she could disappear. She's never been so clueless and nervous about anything her entire life.
Should she say something?
Should they say something?
She wishes she could glance at the doctor, ask him to help her, but this is her moment.
Is this what Yuji felt when he was killed by Sukuna?
Nobara lets a bitter laugh run through her mind. At least he was happy and it didn't bother him to see them again. But it's not the same with her.
Fushiguro, Itadori, Panda, Maki, Inumaki, Shoko, Ijichi, and more...
Some of them have suffered great injuries.
Like her.
She tries not to put her hand over the eyepatch.
"Kugisaki?" Yuji asks disbelieving.
Nobara tries in vain to blink back the tears.
Ha... When Yuji came back, all Nobara did was hit and scold him. She wishes he could do the same. It wouldn't hurt so much if he did.
But of course, Yuji being Yuji...
He did the total opposite.
He has her crushed in his arms as he weeps on her shoulder, and Nobara could do nothing but stay still, her eye wide and glassy.
Her lips part to say something, anything, but no words come out.
"You've got to be kidding me." Maki says, shock apparent in her voice.
Nobara locks her eyes with everyone, taking in their shocked expressions.
She has no idea what to say.
Especially when Megumi's arms come around both his friends, and when she heard him sniff silently, trying to hide the fact he's crying, Nobara's lips tremble and she slowly hugs them back.
Panda starts crying too, and pulls them into a literal bear hug.
"I should have made a more dramatic return, right?" Nobara jokes through her weeps as she tightens her arms around her friends.
"Leave that to Gojo Sensei." Megumi says.
"You owe us lots of explanations, Nobara." Maki says, putting a hand on her hip while flicking Nobara's forehead.
"I know..." She manages a weak smile while wincing at the small physical attack.
The door swings open.
A chilling snowy breeze enters and it makes the group part from their embrace.
Even if Nobara didn't turn around immediately, she already knows who stands at the door.
Gojo Sensei and Tanaka Sensei.
She swallows hard, and ever so slowly she turns around.
They look the same, except Tanaka Sensei's hair changed a little, but both of her Senseis look the same as she last saw them.
Their eyes are sharp, fists ready, until-
They notice Nobara standing in the middle.
Like slow motion, their eyes widen in sync, the realization chilling the air to ice and even colder.
Even the silence is enough to hear the nervous and surprised heartbeats of everyone.
Tanaka Sensei puts a hand to her mouth, not believing the sight before her.
Gojo Sensei's lips part slightly, eyes locked on Nobara's remaining one. "Nobara?" He asks.
Nobara swallows again, but her throat is too dry. She's at a loss of words, and it takes her a moment before, "Hey." She says nervously.
She didn't see her two Senseis coming to her until she's trapped in their arms, and given she never recieved such friendly-Sensei affection, especially from Gojo Sensei, Nobara's face redden.
But despite the girl she is... Her eye tears up, and she could never be more grateful.
They pull back and looking at their faces was harder than Nobara thought.
"Thank goodness..." Tanaka Sensei weeps, wiping her eyes with her sleeves.
Gojo Sensei smiles in genuine relief. "It's good to see you again, Nobara."
Their voices... Nobara never thought she'd actually miss their voices.
"Well..." Doctor Junichi says.
Tanaka Sensei looks at him. "So that's where you were going all this time."
"Yes." He and Nobara share a look.
Gojo Sensei's eyes darken. "What is it?" He asks, noticing their uneasy expressions.
"Nobara has a condition. She..."
Doctor Junichi seems to have trouble staying it, so Nobara does it instead. "I can't use my Cursed Energy. I'll... I'll turn into a curse if I do."
The silence that drapes over everyone is defeating and... thick.
Thick and suffocating.
"What do you mean 'curse'?" Megumi asks.
"I..." Nobara looks down. How the hell can she say such a thing without cracking. "Mahito touched me. The mere touch can cause me to change form to a curse when I have a high flow of cursed energy. But I can still turn back, because his touch meekly lingered. In other words was it not for his touch, I would have completely died. But that lead to consequences."
Everyone has a terrifying look in their eyes, especially Yuji.
He shares a look with Gojo and Tanaka Sensei, and Gojo Sensei says, "Junpei...?"
Yuji looks away and nods, and Nobara's heart falls.
What do they mean?
"Shit." Tanaka Sensei puts her head in her hand, smiling painfully. "Why can't anything be okay? Does everything have to come with a bad side?" She clenches her fingers in her hair, and Gojo Sensei puts a hand on her shoulder.
"It's fine, Tanaka Sensei." Nobara says, "I'm alright."
"Let's talk inside while Nobara eats some food. She hasn't eaten a good meal in so long." Doctor Junichi says, interrupting everyone's thoughts and words.
Nobody says another word as the Doctor leads Nobara inside to the kitchen.
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Amati Tanaka
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"This is... Or should have been a nice view." Nobara says as she stands behind Amati on the roof.
"Yeah..." Amati cocks her head to the side, trying to remember how the view was long ago. But with all this destruction and lack of lights... It's impossible.
Amati has already prepared two chairs so they wouldn't have to sit on the cold snow.
Alone on the roof, Amati and her student take their seats, and sit in silence.
It had been about four hours since Nobara returned.
Four hours of explanations.
Four hours of introductions.
Four hours of talking, and listening, and pain.
"You must be so tired with all that talking." Amati says, leaning forward, resting her elbows on her knees, chin in her palms.
"Yeah, actually."
"How are you feeling?" Amati asks her.
Nobara stays silent for a moment before, "I honestly don't know. I want to feel bad, but I have a bigger reason to be happy."
"What do you mean?"
Nobara glances at the city. "I know we've lost people, and we lost our home and city. Everyone is in pain, whether physically or emotionally, but..." She looks at her hands on her lap as she subconsciously plays with her fingers. "Before I was literally killed, the last thing I knew was that you were dead and Gojo Sensei sealed."
Amati stares at her student, awaiting her next words.
"But when I woke up, and learnt that you were all okay... I felt relieved, and happy." She looks at Amati. "But I also don't want to be too happy, knowing we still lost people, and that our normal life is gone."
Amati stares a while longer before she puts a hand on Nobara's. "Don't limit your feelings, Nobara. If you're happy, then be happy. Don't ever think limiting your happiness is the right thing to do in this situation." Amati leans back and smiles. "I hate to admit it, but that's a rare feeling these days." Amati sighs and glances at the sky. "Cherish it. Besides, we are all really happy too that you're back. You have no idea what your death did to us."
Nobara smiles back. "I'm glad I'm back too."
An hour passes as the two delve in conversations, asking of this and that. Amati tries to keep the topics light hearted, though, knowing neither of them have the energy for more misery.
"I have a question Tanaka Sensei." Nobara asks after a while.
"Yeah?"
"Is that annoying man your brother?"
"Asahiko?" Amati asks and sighs. "Yes unfortunately." She jokes.
"He looks a lot like you."
Amati shakes her head, smiling. "Do I look like an idiot to you?" She raises her voice slightly, knowing the man in question is near.
"Sister, you hurt my feelings every time." Asahiko whines as he opens the door to the roof.
Amati shrugs and sticks her tongue out. "Why're you here?"
"Well, Sumiko stole your cupcake recipe--"
"I did not!" Sumiko defends herself from inside.
"--and they're done, so you can come eat some." He continues.
"Alright, we're going." Amati says, standing up and stretching. "You better have done them right, Sumiko." Amati calls.
"Well, Asahiko and Gojo already ate three each one." Sumiko calls back.
Asahiko winces. "We made sure she wouldn't notice."
Amati shakes her head. "Idiots."
She smiles, grabbing Nobara's hand to drag her inside for a meal of drooling worthy cupcakes.
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our Queen is backkkk
Finally done with this chapter lmao
Now brief explanation on what I did above-
I mentioned this in a comment on Ao3 while replying to one of my readers.
I remember either Akutami Gege or perhaps a fandmade drawing of the manga (tbh idk I saw this on an Instagram post) had Nobara sitting on a staircase
That was after what happened to her with Mahito.
The next panel, she was gone and there was a curse instead
Thinking about it, idk if anyone had this theory before me, but what if Nobara's fate is like Junpei's? But maybe she can transform back or something cuz she was well in the first panel...
Idk but I wanted to put misery so here u go muahahahha *cough*
And yeah that's all :')
⭐️💬⬆️