Saving You (ItaFushi)

Chapter 17

The atmosphere in the room changed, drastically. Everyone was on edge, and the air was filled with tension.

"We're not certain that Kenjaku is the one behind this," Tsukumo said, and her eyes darted around the room.

Gojo was quiet for a few moments, his head lowered, and his expression hidden by his blindfold.

"It was definitely him," he said, eventually. "I haven't told any of you this before, but..."

He sighed, and shook his head.

"I felt his cursed energy. Suguru's. When we were at the warehouse, when we went after Mahito. It was only for a second, and it disappeared almost instantly, but it was him. I know it."

Yuji felt a lump forming in his throat, and he reached under the table, to grab Megumi's hand. He held it tightly, and didn't let go, no matter how much his palms were sweating.

"He was there?" he asked, his voice coming out a bit hoarse. "And you didn't say anything?"

Gojo sighed, and lowered his head, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"I'm sorry. I hoped it wouldn't come to this," he muttered.

The implications of the situation hit Yuji, all at once, and he felt his heart hammering against his chest, as fear was settling in his gut.

If Gojo had felt Geto's cursed energy, that meant that Kenjaku was there at the warehouse. He knew about Mechamaru's betrayal, he knew about their plans, and, he knew about the fact that they were expecting his attack in Shibuya.

And, he has Sukuna's fingers.

Air felt thick in Yuji's lungs, and he started panting, as his head was spinning, and his stomach churned. He was panicking, and he couldn't stop himself.

Megumi moved closer to him, and gently squeezed his hand.

"It's okay. Just breathe," he said, quietly.

"How are we supposed to beat him, if he knows everything?" Yuji asked, his voice trembling. "He will change his plans, and attack somewhere else, and-"

"We need to regroup," Gojo interrupted, and he sounded a lot more composed, than before. "No mores secrets. We need to get every ally we have, and we need to share information. All of it. I'm sorry, Yuji-kun, but, we have no choice."

"Right," Yuji replied, swallowing.

The others were all discussing amongst themselves, trying to figure out what their next move would be. Yuji, however, was too distracted to pay attention, as he felt like his body was slowly shutting down, and all his senses were being replaced with the same, overwhelming numbness.

It was all so overwhelming, and he couldn't keep up.

His vision was blurry, and his thoughts were incoherent. The voices around him were distant, and he could barely make out what they were saying.

Megumi was trying to talk to him, but he wasn't sure if he was actually speaking, or if he was hearing things.

"Yuji. Yuji! Listen to me, you're okay," Megumi was saying, and his voice sounded like an echo.

Sukuna's markings on that beautiful face.

Crimson eyes staring into his soul.

Megumi's cold body, and the blood on his hands.

A smile that wasn't his.

Yuji's breath hitched, and his chest tightened.

He felt a pair of arms pulling him closer, and a hand rested on the back of his neck, guiding his head to the person's shoulder.