A Dead Man's Return

XII: Onward

So just a heads up, this chapter is gonna be more of a reflection/retrospective type chapter (zero action or plot progression). It'll be the calm before the storm, so it'll just be like one or two long conversations and lots of thinking. I'll probably post the next chapter sooner (in less than a week from now) since writing these kind of chapters are a whole lot easier than writing ones with action. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy!

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Nobody's POV:

First day of the Goodwill Event - Monday

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6:15 AM

Yuji Itadori sat alone at the top of the small hill that overlooked everything, his eyes gazing down at the beautiful flowers and shrubs that lined around the buildings here on campus. Today was the day he had been looking forward to for more than a month. The pink haired vessel wasn't sure if he should be excited or nervous; determined or frightened. It was an odd mix of emotions churning together within his stomach, and it kind of made him sick.

It was nearly the dawn of morning and he couldn't get much sleep, so he decided to just get dressed and arrive at class as an early bird. However, he got sidetracked by the beautiful sunrise so he decided to go up towards the hill at the end of the campus and get a good view of it. Sitting on the small grass gave him ample opportunity to think about the events to come today. It also gave him a chance to have a retrospection– one that was pretty past due. What better scenery than being surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers, as well as the live painting that was the rising sun in the sky.

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A life worth living.

Contrary from what he's seen and heard from the others, Itadori thought that this was the most fulfilling life imaginable. He thought that being a sorcerer was a job that would merit a lifetime of satisfaction. It really did seem that way; he was saving people every single day.

Yet even though it was fulfilling at the end of the day, the rough patches were terrible. It had him questioning himself and his life in general. There were those that were out of his reach of being saved. There were those who he could've saved, but failed in doing so. There were also those he had to kill and those who he had to make the decision on whether he should kill or not.

Yuji sighed, realizing just how unbalanced being a sorcerer truly was– how much of an imbalance Jujutsu Society as a whole was. It was both morally satiating and destructive; it was a gratifying job and society to live in– but it was mentally and emotionally torturous. The polarity was incredibly clear.

However, one thing was for certain: This life as a sorcerer had given his boring past-life a much needed shake-up.

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His childhood wasn't anything to gloss over. It wasn't terrible; it was a fairly normal upbringing that he couldn't be mad at. Obviously, his parents were absent from his life. As a kid, he could feel the absence of maternal love that comes from a mother. He was never nurtured, or cuddled with, or baby-talked to. All he had was his grandfather who did his best to raise him right, although more so in a tough-love manner.

Although Itadori hadn't realize this fact, it was a miracle that he turned out the way that he did. It was miracle he grew up as a compassionate and kind young man– as someone who wanted to do solely good in this world. Usually, the absence of a parent hinders a child's growth since they don't have both role models to take after. It's possible that they turn out okay with one parent, but more than likely they'll be issues in that child's future.