THIRD PERSON'S POV
Yuji had no idea what was happening with him or anything around him at the time. The last thing he remembered he was eating the finger and then everything was blurry and blank. Next thing he knew it was like his mind is taking him flying.
'What is happening...'
The finger, Sukuna, Tsugumi. Oh, oh god Tsugumi.
He lost control, Sukuna has taken over him, Tsugumi is in danger, he needs to wake up, he desperately needs to.
Wake up.
Wake up.
WAKE UP!
"ITADORI!"
Yuuji woke up with a surprising jolt, he sat up from a position he had no remembrance of and he desperately tried to cough out all of the missing air inside of him.
His eyes scanned the area, he was still in the place he was before he ate the finger. He took a deep breath in as if he's feeling as if something's missing. Sukuna's presence.
He's been stuck with the pain of holding back Sukuna almost every single day of his life for months, but now it's just.. gone. He feels nothing, it's as if Sukuna never even entered his body which is impossible.
Everything felt so weird, everything felt so lost, so did he felt like he's forgetting something, something is definitely missing.
Oh..
"Tsugumi? Where's Tsugumi?" Yuuji asked frantically, his eyes darting around as he took hold of Megumi's shoulders, trying to take at least a glimpse of everything around him.
That's when his senses came back to life.
Screaming. It filled his ears, it was sickening and it was as loud as a scream can get. Shouts and sobs were echoing throughout the place and everything in Yuuji's mind was blank once he figured out who's voice it belonged to.
It's Tsugumi's.
Not caring on how weak his body is at the moment, how his feet felt like jelly and could collapse any second now, he bolted. Getting up on his feet and ran as fast as he could, ignoring the concerned yells of his friends behind him, his mind is occupied by one thing and one thing only.
The only thing that is important to him is hurting.
He pushed himself past panda and onto Tsugumi's writhing body on Maki's hold. She's trying to take a hold of Tsugumi's hand as she trashed around, desperately trying to rake her hair out of her head with tears streaming down her face.
He didn't really focus on anything around him, didn't even notice how panda nudged Maki to let her go once Yuuji fell to a seat next to the screaming girl.
Her screams are painful. It sounds painful and it must have been painful to go through whatever she's going through at the moment.
Yuuji took hold of the hand that was originally cuffed in Maki's and pulled her in closer, taking in her warmth or rather pulling her into his.
"Tsugumi senpai.. Gumi, can you hear me?" He didn't get a respond, nor did he expected one.
She didn't stop trashing around, she didn't stop screaming, hell she probably didn't even notice the person that was holding her just changed a couple of seconds ago.
Yuuji winced and he did the only thing that a person could do.
He took her in a tight warm hug, and tried to give her as much comfort as she needed.
"Shh baby it's okay.." He continued caressing her hair, substituting her hand in hopes it will lower her need to scratch her head off. "I'm right here see? Shh.."
That's all he did, for a long time that's all he did. Tried to comfort her with soothing words, and after a while the screaming subsided but sadly he can't say the same about the sobbing. The tears are still there, and as if it's a replacement for the screams, she started mumbling one thing and it's the only she has said in the last minute.
"Make it stop. Make it stop. Make it stop." Yuuji was beyond confused, he had no idea what just happened, and the fact that Tsugumi's power isn't even working at this point concerned him more.
He glanced towards his friend trying to get an explanation but they were just as confused as he is.
"Sukuna was about to attack but then the two of you were just stuck in a trance." Maki explained, her forehead creasing as she stared into Tsugumi's distressed state. "The next thing you knew, you both fell to the ground and she started screaming."
"It was a domain." They all turned our heads towards Megumi, he had a straight face but a glint of concern was present in it.
"It wasn't a normal domain specifically, it's a special kind, something only she knows how to create. It's different from a normal domain I can feel it."
Both panda and Nobara nodded. "It felt different yeah."
Yuuji turned his head yet again towards the now slightly calmer, though still mumbling Tsugumi. He pulled her in tighter, hiding her face in his crook, and whispered in her ear.
"I told you not to do stupid things for me Gumi." He held her tighter as if that was possible. "You just- Fuck, you never do listen do you."
They stayed in that position for a few more minutes, unbothered, untouched, and Tsugumi was quiet, way too quiet and calm, even for her, and she's definitely not asleep, Yuuji can feel her blinking.
"Baby?" Yuuji pulled himself back, and what he sees did not please him. "Gumi can you hear me?"
There was no response whatsoever, she didn't even look at him in the eye, she was completely frozen solid.
Her eyes specifically, they were dull grey. Completely.
•••
"She what?" As soon as they returned from the mission they rushed to Gojo, of course he also had zero idea what was going on, so he went for the last option there was.
Call her dad.
So that's what's happening right now, Yuuji, on the phone with Tsugumi's dad. Why Yuuji you ask? Because Tsugumi is not letting him go, not by a long shot.
She was still irresponsive, wouldn't answer to any question, but the second Yuuji let her go on the bed she yanked him closer, holding his hand like tomorrow doesn't exist.
So here they are, Yuuji craddling Tsugumi's head on the bed, meanwhile Tsugumi is just staring off into blank space.
"She went into your mind. It's a mind domain. Let me guess Sukuna disappeared all of a sudden right?"
Yuuji answered with a short yes. "Then she fought with him inside, and she won apparently, though I don't think Sukuna will be gone that long. She's just experiencing the after effects, she'll be fine in a few days."
Yuuji let out a breath he didn't know he held, holding Tsugumi's free hand and fumbling with it, giving it a small squeeze. "Ok, ok thank you."
The line was silent, but not for long.
"She really is fond of you you know. Inumaki's are known for going mad after such a big fight like that, but she's not even screaming bloody murder." You can basically see his smile as he said his words. "Good for you."
Then the line was cut, leaving a few seconds of beeping to occur.
Yuuji exhaled through his nose and took a deep intake of breath, slowly shifting his sight towards the quiet girl in his arms.
Adjusting themselves in a more comfortable position, he pulled her down and cuddled her, pressing a lip on her white hair as she barely blinked, again eyes staring into nothingness.
"I don't know if you can hear me or not, but if you can, which is very unlikely- thank you. You've done so much for me, I- hah, what am I going to do with you." He huffed out a chuckle as he continued rubbing a hand around her shoulders.
As the silence continues, Yuuji thinks that he is finally alone, that no one is listening to him anymore so without any warning, a few drops of tears fell straight from his eyes, some landing on the girl's hair.
"I'm sorry."
He just can't seem to say it enough these days, but thinking back, he supposed he needs to.
He choked down a sniffle, rubbing his eyes furiously with his free hand, previously holding hers, then gently intertwining them back.
"I know I've said this plenty of times but I swear I will- I will be the one protecting you someday and not the other way around."
Just like that, not knowing whether it's just a miracle, a coincidence, or he was just hallucinating at that point, he felt a gentle squeeze in his hands.
He snapped his head towards the girl but she remained the same still, though for him that one small movement meant everything, and she probably heard him.
It would be enough push as it is for him to fulfil his promise.
•••
I had SOO many ideas for this chapter but I have no clue how to write it down so here we are, with my trash chapter fill, but well, you get what you get.
Personal update, I'm getting a new headphone! It's pretty on budget but I'm really excited for it since it'll be my first decent headphones so i'm stoked.
That is it for this chapter, hope you all enjoyed and see you all at the next one