Nana Osaki was a cruel girl. She always had been one.
"I like Suguru-kun better than Satoru-kun."
Those were her first words when she met her mother's students for the first time at the age of four. Her mother, Akiko Osaki, was a special-grade sorcerer and a teacher at Tokyo Jujutsu High. She was also the sensei of Satoru Gojo from the Gojo clan where she taught him the basics of Jujutsu sorcery when he was a little boy and because of her mother, Nana was familiar with the eccentric Satoru ever since she was a little baby. It wasn't like she despised the white-haired boy or anything, but she did find him a bit weird because of his over-the-top childish behavior.
Years ago when Nana's mother brought her to the Jujutsu High campus for the first time in order to introduce her to the new 1st year students, the little girl came face to face with two unfamiliar faces standing right beside the well-familiar Satoru; Suguru Geto and Shoko Ieiri. Shoko was very nice and sweet towards the little girl causing Nana to already like her but something about Suguru caught her attention the most.
Suguru was a much more kind and proper young man back then, especially compared to Satoru. He understood the importance of manners and carried himself with dignity as a jujutsu sorcerer, causing him to believe that Satoru had far too rude of an attitude in his opinion. But despite disagreeing from time to time, Suguru and Satoru were still best friends.
Already exhausted from having someone like Satoru in her life only at the age of four, Nana was very much delighted to meet someone like Suguru who radiated a sparkly aura of 'Prince Charming' by just flashing out a simple gentle smile at her, flattering the little girl's heart along the way. And this caused her to say such harsh words which broke Satoru's fragile, delicate heart a bit. But then again, at the same time, he didn't really care about what she actually felt about him back then.
Satoru had always been a cocky and arrogant individual ever since he was a little kid. To put it in simple words, he didn't care about anyone else but himself. Sure he loved his friends and his teachers and deeply cared about them at times as well, but in most cases, he thought of himself as this superior being to everyone around him, an untouchable and unbreakable God of a human. Arrogance and cockiness were the main reasons why Nana was always so skeptical of Satoru from the very beginning.
Besides, him not wanting to waste his time and energy on weakling non-sorcerers was also another reason Nana wasn't very fond of that white-haired boy. Sure he was breathtakingly beautiful when it came to his exterior looks with those sparkling icy-blue eyes and soft snow-white hair but unfortunately, he possessed a pretty shitty personality and Nana was someone who hated such people. She hated people who thought highly of themselves and Satoru was definitely in that category; a narcissistic prick.
Satoru always had this high and mighty persona around him while he possessed an unfiltered mouth and was always blatantly disrespectful towards the Jujutsu higher-ups. He was unsympathetic, cruel, and cold-blooded, especially towards his enemies, always carrying himself with pride and arrogance. Nana, who was still a little child back then, didn't favor such kind of attitude, causing her to dislike Satoru for this particular reason. Not to mention he even had the audacity to call her such names like 'brat' or 'spoiled princess' from time to time which infuriated Nana to no extent.
Nana wasn't a spoiled brat, she knew that very well. Despite being a little child and not having her mother around 24/7 to teach her proper etiquette and manners, Nana naturally developed a well-polished mannerism and a kind personality all on her own which she inherited from her dear late father.
In short, Nana and Satoru were on the opposite side of the spectrum and didn't go along quite well. And this could be seen as clear as daylight whenever Akiko asked the white-haired boy to babysit her daughter. There were times when he had to cancel his dates and random hookups just to watch over the little girl much to his own dismay. Although this didn't make him despise her completely, he still thought that he would rather go on dates and get laid than take care of a 'snotty-nosed' brat for hours (Nana isn't a snotty-nosed brat. It's just how Satoru views every child around him).
But all of these started to change when that certain incident happened; the Star-Plasma Vessel Assassination Mission.
After his battle with Toji Fushiguro where he lost his dear sensei Akiko and new best friend Riko Amanai, Satoru cut off all his contact with Nana for almost 2 years straight. He kept his distance from the little Osaki girl as far as possible because of the guilty that was eating him from the inside for not being able to protect her mother from dying at the hands of Toji. And shortly after when Suguru walked out of his life, he slowly started to realize his mistakes. Cutting off all ties with Suguru affected him greatly. Satoru was left horrified and panicked after learning that Suguru, his one and only best friend, had become a murderous curse user and when he attempted to reason with his friend, he eventually realized and accepted that he lost the one person he truly saw as an equal.
Soon after he lost Akiko and Suguru all at once from his life, Nana's maternal grandmother, Granny Osaki reached out to him for a 'small' favor.
"I heard you're taking in Toji Zenin's son and his stepdaughter? Aren't you a bit too young for this?" the elder woman asked in a calming tone as she looked over at the young boy in his late teen with a curious look.
"Nah, I don't think so..." Satoru replied nonchalantly and shrugged. "It's nothing really. Besides, I also kinda feel responsible. After all, I was the one who killed the boy's father."
"What's his name? Toji's son." she asked.
"Megumi Fushiguro. He's the same age as Nana-chan..." He replied.
The elder woman went silent for a moment as Satoru quietly sipped the tea that was offered to him.
"Satoru, I have an offer for you." the woman spoke up and the white-haired boy looked up through his sunglasses. "Well, it's more of a request than an offer if I am being completely honest with you... Also, I know a lot has happened in your life recently and all..."
"Let's hear it." Satoru replied, resting his arms on the kotatsu table.
The woman let out a heavy breath and looked straight into his eyes.
"I want you to take Nana under your supervision and make her a strong jujutsu sorcerer like her mother." She stated.
Satoru's icy-blue eyes went wide open as he stared at the woman in front of him in surprise.
"I'm asking you this only because Nana is Akiko's daughter and Akiko was your teacher. If Akiko was still alive and didn't pass away in that tragic accident last year, then I won't have asked something like this to you. But now that both Akiko and her husband Yasu are dead, Nana's literally an orphan. She has no one except me. Right now, I'm taking care of her, but I'm also getting old and as her maternal grandmother, I'm worried for Nana's future." She went on.
"You're asking me to take in Nana-chan with those Fushiguro siblings? Granny, you know Megumi-kun's father is the reason why Akiko sensei isn't here with us anymore, right?" Satoru asked, still feeling quite shocked about this.
"Let the children remain unaware of this." the woman replied.
Satoru remained silent as he furrowed his eyebrows at the elder woman and clenched his fists.
And it wasn't long before he took in Nana along with Megumi Fushiguro and Tsumiki Fushiguro. Satoru even started to change his attitude towards the kids, especially Nana, given how he acted around her years back. He became a bit more sympathetic and caring in general. For Nana, he wanted to change. It was his way of making up to her for her mother's death. He became more and more generous and considerate towards other people's feelings. And seeing this change in him made Nana slowly break down the ice wall they created between them.
As things started to change between those two for the betterment, Satoru noticed that Nana was someone who never fawned over him; never once in her lifetime. Irrespective of age and gender, Satoru was extremely popular among everyone around him. Girls loved him and boys wanted to be like him. But not Nana. She wasn't a part of his fan group. In his eyes, she was a whole different species, someone who was never afraid to call out his bullshits.
Nana never saw Satoru as a friend but rather as a mere acquaintance because she didn't want this eccentric man to get too involved in her regular life. In her eyes, he was an idiotic human being. But this attitude of hers didn't last long when she started to learn Jujutsu sorcery under his supervision.
Black Beast: Rashomon was one of the cursed techniques Nana inherited from her late mother. It was summoned from within her body and transformed into an omnivorous, shadow-like black beast and could be switched between offense and defense to suit Nana's needs. Rashomon could take on a form of a shadow-like beast made up of what seemed to be dark matter, drawn from inter-dimensional or other similar sources. It could consume anything, even space itself, and once space was split, guns or fire couldn't hurt Nana.
In other words, Rashomon was a strong yet very dangerous cursed technique. But before she was able to use this technique properly to the full extent, Nana had to go through one hell of tough training to control the black beast within her body and Satoru was there for her the entire time. Days turned months and months turned years before she was able to master the technique.
Nana had always been a quick learner; attentive, determined, and stubborn. She didn't know how and when to give up. She was a strong girl, both physically, mentally, and emotionally, and was someone who always got her job done with all her might. A hard worker and a curious learner, Nana had this drive in her to improve herself and move forward which Satoru found quite intriguing about her.
Not just only that, Nana always carried herself with grace and dignity and prided herself on being both a strong girl and a capable sorcerer, which was why she didn't take too kindly to those who belittled her in both respects. She was a feminist who believed that now was the age of equal rights for men and women. She was always depicted as calm and composed, but when angered she was quite the force to contend with, often sadistic in her retaliation, just like her mother Akiko Osaki.
And Satoru respected the way she carried herself even as a six-year-old little child.
Nana was so little back when she first stepped into his apartment; small yet confused and anxious at the same time. She was a bit shy around the Fushiguro siblings upon their first meeting but when Tsumiki welcomed her with a warm hug while Megumi acknowledged her presence with a mere head nod and soft eye contact, Nana began to warm up to them. So polite and affectionate towards her new friends and family members, but not towards Satoru though. It was cute, really. That ever pretty scowling face whenever she faced that white-haired man as if she was going to throw up on him, Satoru found her attitude towards him quite hilarious.
But he couldn't blame her for this though. It wasn't like his attitude towards her was any better and likable during the earlier years of their relationship. But even so, he still hoped that one day Nana would turn out to be welcoming like Tsumiki and abandon her usual distant and 'always-seem-to-be-scowling-at-Gojo' persona which she then shared with Megumi.
There were nights when Nana couldn't get a wink of sleep because of her nightmares, so Satoru always found himself staying up all night beside the little girl, comforting her with sweet words. After hearing small sniffles coming from her bedroom one night, Satoru would knock softly on her door before going in. He would see Nana cuddled up in a corner, her small body shaking from the cold yet she won't reach out for the blanket, only wrapping arms around herself and sitting there on the bed.
"Nightmares?" he asked, his voice always so soft and gentle for her.
"No." Nana would squeak out softly while frantically rubbing her tear-stained face with her long, thin shirt sleeves, then proceed to cover her face with them in embarrassment causing her to bury her face into her knees, pulling them close to her chest while Satoru would smile at her chubby red cheeks and pouting lips.
And from then on, Satoru always made sure to stay with Nana every night until she fell asleep, no matter if he had an urgent business or not. He'd always kiss her forehead tenderly before leaving the apartment, a reassuring grip around her form while brushing his soft lips on her forehead before getting pushed away from the girl by a disgusted scowling Megumi.
Satoru didn't even know himself when he started to feel this way; this strange feeling of wanting to protect her, love her, and care for her. Her sweet smile, her soft giggles, and her kind heart were something worth killing for. Nana always made him weak and fragile, something he never felt before. Years passed by and this feeling of adoration and protectiveness began to grow into something really strong and before he knew it, the damage was already done.
Satoru Gojo fell in love with his former sensei's daughter Nana Osaki; no lust and sexual attraction, just pure love, and admiration.
"She's still a teenager, you know..." Shoko stated and Satoru tilted his head to look at her, feigning confusion. "I'm talking about Nana-chan, you dolt..."
This made Satoru wonder if he was really that bad at hiding or if was Shoko just too perceptive. But he thought it was the latter option.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Satoru sang out, still deciding to act stupid.
"She's going to attend this school with Fushiguro next year..." Shoko pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "You're going to be with her more frequently, so you can't hide it for long."
Satoru watched the then-current four first-years (Maki, Yuta, Toge, and Panda) training in front of him as he tried picturing Nana in there like how she would look with the jujutsu student uniform or how she always seemed to stand out to him in a crowd. Satoru knew yet he still denied it. He knew he had to figure something out, had to figure himself out, but he didn't know how to. He didn't know what to do. Satoru Gojo, the strongest, was clueless for the first time in his whole life. He wanted to embrace this feeling of happiness, excitement, and acceptance but reality and morality were restricting every part of his muscle fibers.
"What the fuck is wrong with me?" Satoru whispered and Shoko snorted at him.
"If Suguru was here he would've taken that chair and crashed it onto your head." Shoko chuckled, smirking at him. "Maybe I should just call the police."
"You know it's not that kind of attraction." Satoru groaned out, rolling his eyes at her. "I'm sure I'm not a fucking sicko. I just love her, that's all..."
He knew he couldn't just stop these feelings all of a sudden. There was no way in hell this warm feeling and emotion were leaving him so soon.
"Let it happen, I guess." Shoko sighed, taking a small puff from her cigarette as Satoru stared at her like a hopeless man. "But remember if you ever act on these feelings, there's no turning back, Satoru."
Such a cruel girl Nana Osaki was, for making him feel this way.
"Aww, he's so cute!" Akiko Osaki squealed out as she gushed over at the newborn baby boy sleeping peacefully in the arms of his mother. "What's his name?"
"Megumi." The mother replied with a smile before looking down at her sleeping son again.
Yasushi Takagi, Akiko's husband, chuckled in amusement as he walked over to the two women with his sleeping daughter in his arms before standing beside Toji Fushiguro, the father of the baby boy.
"Congratulations, Toji." Yasu smiled causing Toji to return the gesture.
"Thanks, Yasu." Toji replied before looking down at the baby girl in Yasu's arms. "She looks just like you, Akiko. I bet she'll grow up into a fine young lady one day."
"Is that your way of saying that I'm beautiful? I always knew you had a crush on me back in the days, Toji." Akiko smirked at the man smugly.
"I never had a crush on you, you crazy woman." Toji deadpanned, causing everyone to chuckle out in response before Akiko took her sleeping daughter from her husband's arms and faced Megumi and his mother.
"Nana-chan, this is Megumi-kun. And Megumi-kun, this is Nana-chan. You kids will become friends and classmates one day, you know." Akiko gleefully introduced the babies together and Megumi's mother softly giggled in response.
And just then, both the babies slowly fluttered their eyes open and soon locked their gazes with each other, as if they were diving into each other's minds and souls. At that moment something happened that the parents didn't even realize themselves, and neither did the babies. It was inevitable. There was no escaping. The fate was already been sealed at that moment.
Nana Osaki and Megumi Fushiguro were destined to be together forever.
Ever since he met her for the first time, Megumi always thought Nana was really pretty. No, not pretty. To him, beautiful would be more appropriate to describe both her exterior looks and her personality. She was beautiful in many and in all ways to him. Megumi could still vividly remember the day he met Nana for the first time.
She was this 6-year-old little girl, the same age as him, who stood shy and timidly in front of him and his sister at the doorstep of Satoru's apartment. The white-haired Gojo boy gently pushed the girl forward to introduce herself to the Fushiguro siblings and when she finally spoke up in a soft tone, introducing herself as Nana Osaki, Megumi gave her a curious look; so she's from the Osaki clan.
Tsumiki was the first one to break the ice as she happily skipped over and pulled Nana into a warm bear hug. The little girl first flinched a bit because of the sudden skin contact before immediately relaxing into the older girl's arms upon realizing how welcoming the sister was, and Megumi, on the other hand, didn't say too much as he simply greeted her with a small 'hello' and a head nod as it was his way of welcoming her and recognizing her presence.
Satoru then spoke up again and blabbered out something nonsense like he always did, something Megumi couldn't recall what it was, and in response, the little boy simply rolled his eyes at the older one. What caught his attention was Nana's response because much to his own surprise he noticed Nana rolling her eyes as well and muttered out a small 'stupid Satoru-kun' towards the older eccentric boy. Little Megumi was over the moon upon hearing those words and when he privately asked the girl about her opinion on Satoru to which she replied that she found the Gojo boy really annoying, Megumi felt like he was in heaven at that moment.
Finally, Megumi Fushiguro found his soulmate. And from that day onward Megumi and Nana bonded over their mutual distaste toward Satoru much to the white-haired boy's dismay. In Megumi's eyes, Nana looked pretty when she smiled, but she looked prettier still when she frowned. That's what made her special, he always thought, because she could make even a frown look as pretty as a smile. Maybe it was that she was always frowning a little whenever Satoru was around, and maybe it was because Megumi liked her as a friend and companion, but her frown was just so pretty to the little boy.
"A parent-teacher meeting?" Satoru asked when he and the three kids were having dinner together one evening.
"Yes." Megumi replied while Nana nodded her head at him.
"And you want me to go?~" Satoru cooed with a big shit-eating smirk forming on his lips.
"No." Nana immediately replied back curtly, frowning at the older man in disgust.
"What?! Why?!" the white-haired man gasped out in shock. "Am I not your guardian?!"
"You're insufferable. We don't want you." Nana scoffed in response.
"But, I am a great guardian, Nana-chan!"
"No, you're not. First, you are a dick. And second, you annoy everyone all the time."
"Because it's fun!"
"Just for you. But anyway, don't show up. Megumi and I already planned on asking Shoko-chan and Nanami-san about this."
"But!-"
"Satoru-kun, I said no!"
"You're horrible! Why do I love you again?"
"I didn't ask you to love me."
"See?! You're horrible, Nana-chan!"
As Nana and Satoru continued to bicker back and forth at the dinner table with Tsumiki trying to calm them down, Megumi on the other hand silently watched the interaction with a tender look in his eyes.
Nana was definitely his soulmate. No doubt about it.
Years passed by and those two grew even closer than ever. While outwardly stoic and calculating, Megumi always wished to help protect people he saw as good or kind. He believed that the world was unfair and that a sorcerer was a tool to ensure kind people were given more chances to live. Claiming it to be his selfish and irrational desire, he never saw himself as a hero for doing this. And that's why he always looked up to Nana and admired her who had a totally different personality from his.
Nana was a very hardworking girl and was sometimes too selfless for her own good when it came to the safety of others, regardless of gender because she couldn't stand 'doing nothing' when somebody was in danger. She was very empathetic towards everyone around her and didn't like it when people discouraged others who were genuinely working hard. She was fierce, bold, determined, and put her whole heart into whatever she did, often making other people try to work hard just by watching her.
Nana never strayed from her path and let other people get to her. She might look like a tough girl, but she had a kind heart and was a devoted friend. She was also a very calm, collected, smart, and logical person. She inherited superior intelligence from her parents and could easily read any situation by glancing at it once.
Even though Nana was extremely demanding, stubborn, and aggressive at times, she was widely respected by everyone around her for her exceptional academic and athletic skills and her accomplishments as a young promising sorcerer. Like her parents, she was a very perceptive person, and her insight into the motivations behind other people's actions and behaviors was very keen where she could tell how they were feeling just by simply observing them. Sometimes, she would be blunt in her communication, seeing no point in being less than completely honest.
And because of her tough yet interesting personality, Megumi was really intrigued by her. Unlike Tsumiki, Nana never needed anyone to scare off her bullies. She could handle everything on her own and was capable enough to take her of herself without any issues. Megumi always thought of Nana as this really cool person and this admiration of his molded into a deep respect for her.
Even as a little kid, Megumi was quite observant among his group; a common personality trait that he shared with Nana. And because of his observing skills, he once noticed a peculiar habit of the Osaki girl when they were only 8 years old. He often noticed that for some reason the books on her study table or the clothes in her closet were kept in a disorderly manner and even when Tsumiki would rearrange them back in an orderly manner for her, the table and the closet somehow always went back to their former messy state again. And because of that Megumi decided to confront Nana about this peculiar behavior of hers.
She wasn't like this before. Then why now? What happened?
"What are you doing?" Megumi asked Nana in a soft tone as he walked up to her.
It was snowing outside and Nana was already outside on the lawn, walking around and leaving footprints in the snow. She looked super intent while doing it, just round and round, completely dead silent. Megumi wondered what was all that about.
"O-Oh, Megumi." Nana squeaked out in surprise because of his sudden presence before looking away from him with blushing cheeks in embarrassment. "I-It's nothing really... Just making footprints in the snow..."
"I see." Megumi hummed, slowly nodding his head, his dark eyes boring into her form.
After that silence fell between the two of them once again as Nana looked down at the ground and began to lightly shuffle the snow with her right foot while Megumi intently stared at her face, thinking of what to say next.
"Um, Nana..." he spoke up again and Nana looked up to catch his gaze. "Do orderly things bother you?"
And this took Nana completely off guard.
"Stuff like undisturbed snow or tidy desk and closet. Is it 'perfection' that you hate?" Megumi went on, his gaze softening a bit while Nana stared at him with wide eyes in surprise.
After a moment of silence, Nana finally decided to speak up again.
"Kind of yeah... I guess..." she replied, glancing down at the ground with a pained look on her face, clenching her hands on her coat in small fists. "Because it scares me. 'Be perfect. Always. Have a perfect personality and perfect grades. Become a powerful sorcerer like your mother. Otherwise, you can't beat the other kids of our Osaki clan.'; that's what Grandma keeps telling me ever since my Mom passed away and it's been like this for almost 3 years now. This makes me really nervous sometimes. If I have even the tiniest flaw, I feel like Grandma would be angry at me. It feels like she is telling me to stand still on a thin, thin tightrope. It sometimes intimidates me. I feel suffocated because of the pressure that I have on me. I can't stand it sometimes. I'm trying my best to meet her expectations anyway but I feel like it's burdening me as the days go by..."
And hearing those words, Megumi's heart ached in pain and agony for her. Carefully he reached out and gently rested his hand on top of her head, ruffling her raven locks a bit.
"But to me, it seems like you're working really hard though..." he stated before his lips curled up into a small smile. "You're working really hard to be the Nana you are now and I'm glad you're here. You're doing good. Keep it up."
"Really?" she asked, looking up at him with hopeful eyes, her cheeks turning pink in color.
"Hmm." Megumi nodded his head in response as he reached out and grabbed Nana's hand before pulling her to the other side of the lawn. "Come on now. The snow is piling up again. Let's make footprints in it together."
"Megumi, promise me we'll make footprints like this every year from now on..." she muttered out in a shy tone, causing Megumi to glance back at her once again with an affectionate look in his dark eyes.
"It's a promise, Nana..."
And Megumi did keep his promise till this very day. He was so devoted to her that he would do anything to keep her protected. It was once proven when they were 9 years old.
When they were both training on how to use their cursed techniques at the beginning of their learning days, they were once attacked by a gigantic cursed spirit one evening. The cursed spirit was a special grade that appeared from an abandoned building nearby their hidden training ground. Nana tried to launch an attack on the spirit using her Rashomon but wasn't fast enough to do it resulting in her getting hit first before she flew back and crashed down on the ground.
Megumi using his Diving Dogs quickly launched an attack on the spirit before he pulled out a sword which was a cursed tool to strike another attack on the spirit. Although it looked like Megumi was able to overpower the curse which wasn't the case as the spirit began to regenerate back its limbs again before it suddenly reached out and grabbed Megumi by the throat. The little boy struggled to break free from the spirit as his breathing became more ragged and shaky.
"Megumi!" Nana screamed out in fear with blood oozing out from the side of her head, trickling down her forehead as she struggled to get up from the ground.
"N-Nana! Run!" Megumi screamed back, wiggling his little body to break from the curse's death grip. "Just run and save yourself!"
"No, I can't leave you behind, Megumi!" Nana shouted back, coughing out some blood as she tried to ignite her palms with her blue Hellflames. "Fight! Must fight back! I need to fight back!"
If you win, you live... If you lose, you die... If you don't fight, you can't win!
Hellflame Cremation was a flame-cursed technique, something which Nana just began learning a few months ago. Her flames weren't still strong enough to kill a special grade curse, but she had to try it out in order to save Megumi's life. And she did it. Pushing her own limits, she finally used her hellish blue flames on the cursed spirit, incinerating it to ashes in mere seconds.
"Thank you for saving me, Nana." Megumi coughed out as Nana helped him to stand up from the ground.
"No. I should be the one thanking you, Megumi!" Nana responded back, holding his hands dearly into hers. "You're the one who fought the cursed spirit the entire time! I just happened to kill it off at the last second."
"But why did you stay behind? Didn't I tell you to run?"
"I just felt the urge to protect you at all costs. You're my best friend, Megumi. I couldn't just leave you behind."
Softening his gaze on her, a small smile appeared on Megumi's face upon hearing her response as he helped her to clean up the blood on her forehead. Noticing that it was already too late in the evening and the weather was getting colder with the passage of time, the little boy took his red scarf off his shoulder and gently wrapped it around Nana's neck.
"Megumi?" the little girl mumbled in confusion.
"It's warm, right?" Megumi asked in a quiet yet tender tone before grabbing her by the hand and intertwining their fingers, his cheeks becoming all warm and red. "It's getting cold now. Let's go back home."
"B-But, it's your scarf! And you might catch a cold, Megumi!" Nana protested, her face warming up as well.
"Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself for once." Megumi replied back, tightening his grip on Nana's hand. "Just remember, Nana... I'll wrap that scarf around you as many times as you want. Now and forever, as much as you want..."
Nana's hands were warm. Very warm. Not the type of warmth that might make you sweaty and uncomfortable. But the type of warmth that might flatter your heart and make you soar up high in the sky.
After joining Tokyo Jujutsu High as a first-year student, Yuta Okkotsu got the chance to meet with Nana Osaki and Megumi Fushiguro through his then-new sensei Satoru Gojo and his other three classmates, Maki, Toge, and Panda. To this day, Yuta clearly remembered the day he met Nana and Megumi for the first time. They were a year younger than him, meaning they were in their senior year in middle school, and being his kouhai, those two showed him nothing but utter respect. They were so welcoming and respectful towards him, Yuta never felt this much loved before.
And if he had to choose his favorite kouhai between those two, he would undoubtedly choose Nana, his soon-to-be underclassman, over anyone else. No hate towards Megumi though. Yuta was just so smitten by Nana's kindness and beauty that he couldn't help it.
"Senpai..."
Yuta looked up and his dark ocean-blue eyes met her brownish-amber ones. His eyes widened a bit and his breath hitched at the sight of them. He'd seen these mesmerizing eyes so many times before, but they still somehow managed to take his breath away like always. So pretty, so lovely. And her long silky raven locks, let's not even talk about it. She looked like one of those princesses in the picture books he used to read as a little kid. His dark ocean-blue eyes simply stared at her in awe.
"What are you doing here all alone, senpai?" Nana spoke up again, taking a seat on the swing beside him at the neighborhood park. "Maki-san and the others were looking for you earlier..."
Ever since the Rika incident, Yuta always tried to keep his distance from everyone else around him. He didn't want anyone to get hurt because of him. He wouldn't allow it. He would rather kill himself than get others hurt because of Rika's curse that always followed him around. Yuta was a very timid and lonely boy who was bullied a lot while growing up. Due to Rika haunting much of his early life, Yuta was unable to connect with other people and had lost all confidence in himself. Because of this, he couldn't even make any friends.
This made it difficult for Yuta to interact with others, as they often scared him without meaning to, or he was just too shy to speak to them. It wasn't like he didn't want friends. He just couldn't seem to make any no matter how hard he tried. He was too timid to talk to people so he ended up being called weird because of it. It wasn't exactly like people often approached him to talk either.
"Just wanna be left alone for a while... That's all..." Yuta responded back with a tired smile.
"Do you want me to leave?" Nana asked, ready to get up before Yuta shook his head in response.
"No, it's okay. Stay with me for a while..." he replied, causing Nana to flash a gentle smile at him.
Her smile, ah, so dazzling, so beautiful. Maybe it was just his imagination but everything seemed so much more brighter and colorful all of a sudden. Had the sky always been this blue? Yuta wondered if Nana was some magical being sent from the heavens. His dark blue eyes watched her still sitting on the swing beside him with her eyes fixated on the sky over them. He didn't know why but he didn't feel sad anymore. Not even a little bit.
As a comfortable silence fell between the two, Yuta couldn't help but sneak glances at her from time to time. His dark blue eyes traced her features carefully. From the natural light pink blush coloring the apple of her cheeks to her brownish-amber eyes that captured an entire night sky, she was absolutely stunning, ethereal even, in his eyes. She was definitely the prettiest girl he had ever met and she was so nice to him too. Yuta wondered how someone like her existed in this world.
"Are you okay, senpai? You looked kind of sad..." Nana asked and Yuta stiffened slightly like he had been caught sneaking a cookie out of the cookie jar.
"O-Oh...I was just thinking..." Yuta replied nervously.
"About what?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "You can share your problems with me if you want. Promise I won't tell anyone."
Nana was concerned for him; this mere thought made his heart flutter as a dopey grin spread across his face.
"Just thinking about... you know my problems..." he trailed off and Nana hummed in reply.
"Rika, huh? Well, Satoru and the others are here and I'm sure they will figure out something to help you." Nana stated in a soft yet careful tone, trying to ease his pain and burden with her words. "Just be yourself, Yuta senpai. Everyone here loves you dearly. You deserve to live, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise, alright?"
And she finished her sentence with a bright smile gracing her striking features. That day Yuta came to a realization; Nana Osaki was literally a Goddess in a human form.
It was one of those times when Satoru would come up with something idiotic for his students and it wasn't any exception this time around.
"Let's have a sleepover together!" was all he said.
And because of that, Nana, Megumi, Maki, Toge, Panda, and Yuta, all gathered around in one of the dorm rooms of Jujutsu High campus for their sleepover. After dinner and a few rounds of some card or board games, when they all decided to drop themselves on their respective futons and call it a day, Yuta found himself at the corner of the room, furthest from everyone else. Lying there all by himself out in the cold, Yuta thought that it was the best for everyone else. At least no one would get hurt because of him and Rika.
"Senpai?"
Yuta immediately jumped up from his futon in fear and surprise before looking over to see Nana crouching down beside him with a concerned look in her eyes.
"N-Nana-chan...?" he stuttered out in a whispered tone.
"Why are you sleeping here all by yourself?" she whispered back.
The whole room was drop-dead silent and the only little sound that could be heard from time to time was Toge and Panda's light snoring. It was a full moon night where the sliver-shimmering light of the celestial body illuminated the entire room enough for them to see each other's faces. In Yuta's eyes, Nana looked so angelic at that moment, he was literally having a hard time finding the perfect word to describe her beauty.
"I-I don't wanna cause any problem, Nana-chan..." Yuta trailed off in a shy tone.
"Problem? You're not a problem, senpai. Besides, aren't you cold out here all by yourself? You'll freeze yourself to death, you know."
"B-But!-"
"No buts, senpai. Now come on. Sleep beside me and Megumi."
Yuta knew Nana was a stubborn girl and he couldn't win against her, so he obliged. Shifting his futon beside her and Megumi, the Okkotsu boy carefully laid down on his back, facing up at the wooden ceiling. His heart was pounding like crazy just by the mere thought that Nana was lying right beside him. It made him feel all giddy inside like a boy in middle school falling in love for the first time. And just then all his thoughts came to a stop when he felt like something soft just reached out and held his hands under his blanket. They were Nana's hands. Yuta immediately looked over at her with wide eyes in surprise and confusion while Nana smiled softly at him in response.
"You're hands are ice-cold, senpai. Let me warm them up with the heat of my blue flames. Don't worry. I won't burn you, I promise." she explained before she started to use her cursed technique on him. "And you know, senpai... This isn't just your own burden. It's ours as well. You're one of us now, so let's share our problems and burdens with one another, okay? You're not alone anymore..."
Yuta didn't pull his hands away. It felt nice. It felt right. He felt safe as if all his burdens were lifted off his shoulders. He felt free. Intertwining their fingers, as Nana continued to warm his hands up with the heat of her flames, Yuta decided that from now on, he would want to get warmed up by only Nana, no one else.
To him, Nana was the warmest of them all.
"So, what do you think of Jujutsu Tech, senpai?" Nana whispered, pulling Yuta out of his thoughts again.
"I-It's nice... Everyone is really nice to me. I'm learning a lot about curses too..." Yuta replied sheepishly, his cheeks turning pink in color.
It was all true. Everyone was nice to him. They all treated him far better than his old classmates. Yet, Yuta still didn't feel like he belonged. He felt like an outsider but he knew that was just his insecurities talking. Still, he wondered if he had the right to call his classmates 'friends' or not. He didn't want to be a bother or come off as clingy.
"That's good to hear. I was worried you would have trouble adjusting especially with how haphazardly you were introduced to the Jujutsu world." Nana sighed in relief, causing Yuta to blink at her in shock while his heart skipped a beat.
"You were worried about me?" he asked dumbly.
"Of course, silly. Why won't I be?" she giggled out, her laughter sounded like a summer wind chime.
Yuta's heart fluttered at the sound of her giggle. Her laughter was like music to his ears. He could feel the heat creeping up his cheeks already. He was pretty sure his face was as red as a tomato. Maybe even redder. Leaning in, he could smell a mixture of coffee, chocolate, strawberries, and old books coming from her. And he liked it. The smell was so her, it literally screamed Nana Osaki. But he was really happy though. At least he knew there was someone out there who cared about him, worried about him and he was glad that it was Nana all along.
"Thank you, Nana-chan... For spreading your warmth within me..."
A/N:
1. Nana-Megumi moments in this chapter are inspired by Yuki-Machi moments from Fruits Basket and Eren-Mikasa moments from Attack On Titan.
2. Sorry, but that's what I got for Yuta's backstory for now. I know his part is kinda short. Hopefully, I could get more ideas to write better backstories later in the future.
3. While writing the latest chapter of my MHA story, I realized that I haven't written a single backstory chapter for Megumi-Nana or Gojo-Nana for my JJK story yet. I had put so much time, passion, and energy into writing my Touya-Nana backstory chapters that I kinda ran out of ideas for Megumi and Gojo and it really SUCKS!!! Sorry if this chapter wasn't good enough, but I'll try my best in the near future.