Chapter Text
It has been exactly two weeks since Gojo-sensei was released from the Prison Realm. Yuuji and the others have been training vigorously for the battle due Christmas Eve. Training hasn't been kind to them, but they must do everything to get stronger in this short span of time.
However, a month is still not enough time to prepare to face off against the strongest in history. This is where Ui Ui's Spatial Transference technique comes into the clutch, allowing soul swaps among the sorcerers to learn essential techniques — Simple Domain and RCT in particular.
Something about the body is the box. And the soul is the birthday presents... Opening presents...
Anyways.
Yuuji had swapped souls with Kusakabe to refine his own cursed energy manipulation and learn Simple Domain. To control someone else's body and someone way older than him at that (“You’re talking like I’m dying tomorrow.”)... The experience was truly uncanny, seeing that it had always been the opposite way for Yuuji. The grumpy teacher's body wasn’t flexible like his own, and his movement was much more restrained, like something weighing him down. But he supposed that was also the point of the training. You cannot expect to be at your best when fighting the strongest of the history, was Okkotsu-senpai’s words of wisdom. As much as Kusakabe had complained, he sure did look euphoric moving around in his body even though the man would never outright admit it.
Despite being immensely useful, Ui Ui’s technique limits soul-swapping twice to one person. So, the only other person he had to soul-swap with was Yuuta, much to Choso’s frustration as he wanted to train Yuuji in Blood Manipulation.
But soul-swapping with Yuuta was… fun!
“Woah!” He exclaims in Yuuta’s voice when they swapped souls.
“Are you okay, Itadori-kun?”
The Yuuji in front of him — technically Yuuta — looks concerned, but it’s the kind of expression he cannot imagine himself making. Not even Kusakabe had made such a face when he piloted his body. That man only looked like an older and edgier version of him.
Yuuji laughs and shakes a dismissive hand. “No, it’s just I feel very light… and a bit tall.”
It’s true. Yuuta is a few inches taller than him but leaner, so coordinating his body isn’t as difficult as it was with Kusakabe.
“Oh,” Yuuta smiles. “I do feel much heavier now.”
Yuuji sports a cheeky smile himself. “You calling me fat, senpai?”
“No.” Yuuta denies it but still laughs when he sees Yuuji. “You’re very muscular, not as much as Gojo-sensei but I can see you're still growing.”
Before Yuuji can compliment him or give another funny reply, Rika materialises next to Yuuta. “My Yuuta is muscular too!”
The shikigami still gives him the shivers, but he’s sure the creepy energy doesn't belong to her alone. It’s amazing how she recognised Yuuta right away. But to see her swaddle his body in a possessive blanket... And himself caressing her face softly…
It’s weird, to say the least.
The pinkhead shakes the thought away because he almost forgot the first thing to try in his senior’s body.
Yuuji is well aware cursed tools aren’t for him; He still recalls accidentally breaking Slaughter Demon and avoiding Maki's wrath by a hair's breadth.
It is probably the muscle memory that grants him the perfect grasp of the katana. He may not look cool as his senior does, but he sure does feel cool holding the katana. He may or may not have fantasised about having one like Ichigo when he was younger.
“Itadori-kun, you should be careful with that.”
However, the warning is spoken too late because the next moment Yuuji hisses from a self-inflicted wound on his hand due to the overenthusiasm of a Shounen fanatic.
All at once, an enormous pitch darkness outstrips his vision and blocks everything in his way. Clearly, the wound is too small to induce an actual blackout, then why…
Oh.
He's completely engulfed by Rika, or more specifically, his hand is completely engulfed by Rika's to the point he can't even perceive it. The only reason he knows it exists is due to the slight burn from the cut.
“Yuuta’s... hand…” Rika cries. And she really does because Yuuji can see small tears gathering under her huge eye at an alarming rate.
Yuuji has fully yet to master RCT, but his amateurish skill is more than enough to mend an injury of this scale. Yet, holding up his hand gingerly, Rika pours her own RCT into the cut, the positive energy steady and gentle akin to a river stream. Humane in way a shikigami shouldn't be, but Rika was once a human.
Yuuji doesn't know their history, but Fushiguro had fed his curiosity a little during their venture to Tengen's dwelling. The ring his senior always carries on his necklace spells it.
Is this what it’s like to be loved?
When Yuuji gets in a late-night shower, he thinks about that moment for a long time.
That won’t be his last endeavour with Rika because a few days later, Yuuta proposes to stop soul-swapping as they’ve maximised what they can learn from each other. Hence the first-year assumes they’re going to have a normal spar between themselves. What he doesn’t expect is Rika to manifest beside him.
And well, Rika doesn’t appear next to anyone who is not her dear Yuuta.
Yuuji tilts his head at his senior. There is no need for words to convey his confusion.
The dark-haired teen tilts back. “Well, Rika-chan is already accustomed to partnering with me. I figured it’s time for you guys to get used to each other. That’s why you two are gonna attack me.”
Yuuji nods.
He doesn’t get it.
“Isn’t it better for us to fight together against others?” he suggests.
He may be a little unnerved about partnering up with the shikigami. He remembered not being able to move in Rika's hold not too long ago.
“Because he's indirectly implying there is no one here to spar better than himself.”
It is Maki’s voice that answers Yuuji from the small crowd that seemingly has gathered on the benches lining the training grounds. He can see the individual heads of the rest of the second-years and Miwa. Judging by the sweat glistening on their faces except for Panda-senpai, it appears they’ve come to take a break from their training segment.
There is a loud gasp from Yuuta who looks a bit offended at Maki's remarks. “That’s not the case.” He shakes his head when he catches her impish smirk. “Rika isn’t used to fighting beside someone other than me. So, it’s more effective this way as she would have to rely on you.”
“’You sure it’s not the other way around,” the kouhai mutters.
“Trust me, Itadori-kun. You’re a great team player.”
Yuuji brightens up at that. “If my senpai says so!” He rolls his shoulder and side-glances at Rika. “Let’s go, Rika-chan!”
It does surprise him a little when his ears pick up a tiny ‘Okay.’
They spar like that. He can't help the chortle that leaves him when he catches Rika's subtle gentleness with her attacks against Yuuta.
At a certain point, in the heat of the battle, Yuuji urges Rika to throw him like a catapult at Yuuta. Rika is surprisingly careful with him as she launches him at Yuuta who holds his katana flat to brace the kick from his junior that causes tremors around him. Even with cursed energy reinforcement, Yuuta staggers a bit at the momentum brought by the combined strength of both Yuuji and Rika.
They do that particular move a few times at Yuuta's insistence. But at some point, Rika misjudges the distance and hurls him too far away.
“Rika-chan! HELP!” he screams mid-air, clutching his pearls at the sheer speed he is hurled through. He can hear an echo overlapping his voice, which probably belongs to his senior.
He was headed straight for the pine tree far east. With no other choice, Yuuji curls himself into a ball like Cannonbolt from Ben 10 to avoid damage to his head. In worst case scenario, he'd have to deal with some broken bones.
But the impact never hits him. He looks up curiously, only to find Rika-chan cradling him in her shadowy arms and one red eye peering down at him.
“Are you hurt?”
She talks to him!
“Thank God, she got you.” The boy is momentarily distracted by Yuuta, who's panting for breaths when he finally catches up to them. "I don't think I could've explained the concussion to Choso-san." He plants a palm on his forehead in relief, and Yuuji mentally agrees.
He gets down with Rika's help and tries not to reel from the vertigo. “Well, I've survived worse. No need to worry." Not forgetting his saviour, he spins to regard her, "And, thank you, Rika-chan!"
The red eye only blinks back at him. A little slower than usual.
They conclude training when it gets late. Yuuta is not as generous as he seems when sparring with his junior. And he does so with an apologetic smile, so it’s hard to get upset at him.
They take a brief rest on the benches, alone again now that Maki and others have left. Yuuta hands him a cool mineral water and pats down the empty seat next to him.
“Good work today, Itadori-kun. I'm glad to see the progress we’ve made. Especially you and Rika-chan.”
Yuuji gratefully accepts the bottle as he flops down beside him. “You too, senpai. It's all thanks to you that everything's going well.”
The older student gives him an appreciative smile. Though, his shoulders slacken a bit. “I was actually a bit... worried. Rika doesn't soften to others. This is the first time she's working together with someone else, so imagine my surprise seeing her dynamic with you.” His tone has a faint lilt at the end as he titters.
“Oh! Rika-chan was a little scary at first. But now, I’ve realised what a great partner she is!” And Yuuji denotes it both ways.
But his reply seems to have dullened his senior's eyes. “Oh, you must be thinking about that time. I'm really sorry about that.”
The younger one's eyebrows furrow, not understanding.
“If it weren't for the circumstances, I wish our first meeting could've been different. Stabbing your junior in the heart certainly isn't the best impression to make.” His eyes face the ground as if in guilt.
Only then does Yuuji comprehend his senior’s worries. He almost chastises him. “Senpai, you did it to save me from the execution. It’s not my first time dying either.” Yuuji quickly changes the subject when Yuuta’s countenance only changes for the worse, “And like I said, Rika-chan isn't scary anymore. I'm actually thankful for your help back then.”
Yuuji means it in every way. After everything that had occurred in Shibuya, they were lost without Gojo-sensei, who — very much like his Infinity — represented the protective barrier against the cruelity of the Jujutsu world. When Gojo was captured, Okkotsu-senpai had taken the mantle to support them in his place and he still does an admirable job. They couldn’t have collected enough points in Culling Games without their senior, even though all their efforts ended up down the drain.
“Itadori-kun,” Yuuta's voice approaches a solemn tone. “I also had been in that dark place myself. I was hopeless, and living felt like a nightmare because I caused harm to people around me. But Sensei vouched for me. Then I met Maki, Toge and Panda, who made me realise living isn't so bad, especially living for people you love.” He nods to himself, but maybe that's not the case.
Yuuji's eyes widen at this revelation. He had no knowledge of Yuuta's suffering. He thinks he can understand it.
“Even though I didn't know anything about you, I knew you mattered to them. I couldn't just sit still when I recognised your pain.” The older teen turns to gleam at him. “And now, you're part of the people I care about as well.”
Yuuji finds himself fleetingly taken aback by his words. Amber eyes crinkle into crescents as a grin too big consumes his face. “I'm very honoured to be part of them.” He feels lucky to be part of those his senior fights for.
Speaking of that...
“And senpai...”
“Hm?”
To have your love transcend even the constraints of death, “You're really lucky to have Rika-chan!”
“Oh, that…” Yuuta’s eyes dilate before he chuckles and scratches his cheek sheepishly. “I do consider myself blessed.”
Rika manifests without being summoned. “No, I am lucky to have Yuuta!” She says pointedly as if personally offended by both boys.
Yuuta instantly reddens. “Rika-chan!” He scolds, supposedly admonishing but his tone only whispers of love.
The junior chuckles. Even his senior can make such an expression. “Aw, now you’re just making me jealous.”
Yuuta, Rika and Yuuji resume their combat training for the rest of the days, either between themselves or against the other heavy hitters. Though, Yuuji’s synergy with Rika is undeniably better than with Yuuta. It even has others in bewilderment. It’s just too easy to fall into a rhythm with Rika.
Surely, Sukuna wouldn’t see this coming, but Yuuji hoped it wouldn't come to that.