| Pinky Promise | S. Gojo x Reader

212: Distance

You slowly opened your eyes, your head feeling heavy.

Satoru stood in front of you, grinning.

"I'm done with high-school, you aren't!" He stuck his tongue out, taunting you.

'What's... going on...' 

A thought at the very back of your mind as you slowly regained consciousness, your body responding automatically.

You huffed, "Whatever! Third year is supposed to be light anyways... only occasional training since it's mostly getting used to working."

He chuckled, "Right, right, I can't tease you too much, can I? You'll always find a comeback." He grinned, wrapping his arm around your shoulder, pulling you in tight.

You nodded, laughing as you looked away from his face and ahead. It was a long path, you two were taking a walk... on a trail, in a forest.

You smelled the grass, the trees, the flowers... The air was fresh, but somehow... distant. You frowned, feeling like you were walking in a dream, not quite here, but not quite gone.

"Uh... This... I'm not..."

For a moment, it was as though you were seeing yourself and Satoru from above, observing the two of you walking the same path, hearing the same birds, but... something was different.

The sunlight filtered through the trees, but it seemed... too bright, almost too perfect. The way it danced across the ground didn't feel quite right, like it was an echo of something real but faded. You blinked, your head feeling heavy for just a second.

You looked back up at Satoru.

Satoru... 

He grinned at you, just as he had the last time you walked this path. Wait... the last time? But this was the last time... wasn't it? You tried to shake the strange thought from your head.

Your memories slowly began to come back to you... Satoru's capture, and then... and then what happened? Why are you here? In the past..?

For a moment, you swore you heard something else— a faint echo, something beyond the breeze and the rustling of the branches. It was like a whisper, too distant to make out. You paused, glancing around, but the forest remained quiet. It was just you and Satoru, walking.

'I remember this... but, why does it feel like a memory now, even though I'm living it?'

You shook your head, pushing away the odd sense of déjà vu creeping over you. Satoru looked down at you, his usual smile easing your mind, pulling you back into the moment.

A shiver went through your spine, though. This isn't... real, is it? Am I thinking back to the past? Is this a dream?

"You want to take a picture? That might last you longer." He teased.

"Oh, stop." You chuckled, gently nudging him.

You two continued to walk, the unease creeping into your mind once more, until...

'Oh, I remember...'

'They warned me of this.'

'I know where I am... I know...'

You looked back up at Satoru, observing his features, the tiny details of his face. His dimples showing as he had a small smile on his face. The way he looked when you both were younger.

'I know what's going on...'

'Tengen told me that my memories could become distorted... That some memories are more... "powerful" than the others. It takes time to come back to your senses.'