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#Sukuna is already doing all the things we(I) wanted to see Megumi accomplish with his technique
reticent-hush · 1 year
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I think I saw it mentioned that Sukuna’s shadow puppets are the inverse of Megumi’s and…
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Nue…
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Divine dogs…
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Even holding up different fists for Mahoraga…
Furthermore, it’s strange how half-assed they are, especially considering Sukuna has all of Megumi’s memories/muscle-memory. Like, he does not want to extend those fingers at all. I wonder if this is another way to show how superior he is to Megumi when it comes to jujutsu.
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Like, I’ve always been curious about this dialogue here. We understand that Megumi is talking about his domain expansion, but it really seems like it extends to his entire technique. The Ten Shadows has always seemed incredibly rigid to me, you get ten shikigami by performing ten(~8 without dogs) rituals and that's it. Except…
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It's really not? Being able to walk and store things within shadows, WHATEVER the hell is up with the shadow clones, even (not pictured) creating duplicates of his shikigami. Like, all we know about his domain expansion is that it powers up his techniques, which really means anything we've seen him do within it is something he can do outside of it. Megumi's chronically bad at thinking outside the box, and Sukuna is NOT.
He's got the skill, the power, and the imagination to use Megumi's own technique better than he ever could, as much as it pisses me off. We're literally watching him breeze past imaginary barriers Megumi set up for himself. Why hasn't Nue's size changed? Why hasn't he summoned multiple of the black divine dog? If this is just based on cursed energy, there's no reason for Nue to still be the same size after ~200 chapters at what is basically the end of the series. Megumi just doesn't have the imagination to see how his technique can grow, and so he restricts himself to what he THINKS works.
I think you can see this all in the shadow puppetry tbh. Megumi's form is perfect, there's no reason for us to believe he is doing it wrong when he's our primary example. Meanwhile, Sukuna's is sloppy (Nue's wings are folded, Divine dog has no jaw, Mahoraga doesn't even look like he's holding his arms up) and yet it still works. It really brings into question how necessary they even are, whether Megumi is putting too much emphasis on things that don't matter and may actually hinder his growth.
All this to say, Megumi's been handicapping himself for a while and he needs to get his shit together if he's gonna stand any chance at holding back the King of Curses from murdering his sister. Plus, there's one thing Megumi can do that no one else in his situation has been able to, and that's perform a domain expansion. We know Sukuna could drag Yuuji into his innate domain, so I'm hoping Megumi can finally do something unprecedented, perfect his domain, and contest Sukuna's control of his body. I heavily doubt he could win, but perhaps he can stalemate Sukuna long enough for someone to land a killing blow.
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wine4thewin · 7 months
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Recent chapters in JJK have me scratching my head. What on earth is the endgame here, now that many of the strongest players on the “good side” have gotten put in their forever boxes coffins?
This thing is giving me strong Game of Thrones murder vibes right now, and I am going to be annoyed if Gege magically Jon Snow’s everyone he just offed out of the character abyss.
Garbage musings below the cut to save your sanity.
Unless Sukuna has a major malfunction upcoming, he is going to slam everyone he hasn’t already slammed. He’s going to go crown himself king again, and good for him, he deserves it for whipping everyone like they’re made of wet noodles and stank rags. Gojo, seriously, wtf? You let him out-arrogant, out-ego, and out-power you.
Seeing as we all originally thought this story revolved around Yuuji apparently it doesn’t, the only thing I can imagine here for him is some Yu Yu Hakusho style training arc, where Yuuji goes on a tortured soul-searching training but for like ten years, okay Yuuji, sorry you just aren’t that badass yet and maybe comes close to yanking Sukuna out of Megumi like a worm out of a severely rotted apple. I mean. Assuming Megumi has a body left at this point, but I digress. But realistically, by the time Yuuji is strong enough to take on Sukuna, it will be too late.
Or…perhaps Plot Torture Lord Gege never intends Yuuji to fight Sukuna and win, because it simply isn’t possible, seeing as we got verbally flogged by yet another rendition of “did you become the strongest or were you born this way” line.
Perhaps Yuuji is meant to be Sukuna’s forever box coffin and nothing more…which is perfectly angsty and full of self-sacrifice if the only way to beat Sukuna is to cage him again and then end Yuuji 😨 Sorry Yuuji, Kenjaku kinda made you into a living breathing trap even though you were supposed to be a legit vessel.
…and Kenjaku has got to be somewhat miffed that his perfect creation has been ditched. He literally GAVE BIRTH to Yuuji for Sukuna to inhabit and Sukuna is like ‘no thanks bro, your brat is trash and he doesn’t let me do what I want to do.’
Then again, Kenjaku really wanted Gojo out of the way…he probably doesn’t care if Sukuna persists in the world much longer now that the goal has been accomplished? Maybe?
This manga has taken some strange turns and I’m terrified this will turn into some never ending Naruto tale, I am too bloody old to check in on a manga of that size, alright? 700 chapters is too much, Gege!
Lastly, Kashimo, why are you asking Sukuna such stupid questions right before he snaps you like dried spaghetti? That man has never been lonely a minute in his unnatural life, get with the program.
…and I made a meme to conclude my thoughts.
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This ramble is probably plagued. So ends my musings.
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cursedwriter · 3 years
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Dancing with your Ghost - Fushiguro Megumi
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Jujutsu Kaisen Masterlist 
Warnings: Deals with death, Megumi has various breakdowns, it’s just really sad over all... sorry for making you cry in advance! 
Words: 4.9k
Author’s Note: Kind of inspired by this song: Dancing with your Ghost - Sasha Sloan // Also, when they dance, I kinda imagined them to dance to this: Technicolour Beat - Oh Wonder 
“Is he still in there?” Yuji pointed at the door by the end of the hallway. Gojo was walking in his direction, his expression unreadable.  
“No matter what I tell him, he won’t come out.” His voice sounded tired, almost worn out. The sight must’ve been hard for him to bear. Itadori gulped. He wasn’t sure if he could take it. “You should try talking to him. Maybe he will listen to you. We both know he would regret it if he missed the ceremony.” Gojo patted Yuji on the shoulder, hand lingering for a few additional seconds in silent comfort.
“I’ll try my best,” Itadori nodded, though, he sounded more hopeful than he was. This was going to be rough.
Soon after, Gojo disappeared behind the corner and out of sight. His shoulders were slouching and his head was hanging low as if he couldn’t walk upright. This was hard on everyone. But the person who had it the worst of all was…
“Fushiguro, can I come in?” Yuji knocked on the door three times. No answer. He tried again. This time more forceful. “Hey, Megumi! It’s me, Yuji! Do you mind if I come in?” Still no answer. Itadori sighed, but he pushed the door open anyways, peering into the dimly lit library of the Jujutsu Tech High school. Admittedly, he’s never been in here before. Yuji wasn’t really the non-fiction reader… or anything that wasn’t manga, really. But upon entering the room, he couldn’t help but gawk. The shelves were stacked to the max, piling up above his head in a seemingly endless supply of books. There were books everywhere. The amount of knowledge that was stored in here was immense. And all about curses and jujutsu? Incredible! Maybe he should’ve come here sooner. He bet that there had to be at least a dozen books about Sukuna here somewhere.
“It doesn’t make any sense. It doesn’t make any sense.” Itadori was pulled out of his thoughts by the repetitive mantra that was coming from somewhere behind a shelf. He followed the sound that was mingled with quiet sobs and he had to force himself to keep walking. This was more terrifying than facing all the curses of this world together.
“Megumi?” He peered around the shelf, finding his friend sitting on the old wooden floor, frantically flipping through a book with yellowed pages that seemed to be falling apart at the seams. It must’ve been ancient.
“No sense, no sense, no sense,” he repeated over and over again as if that phrase was the only thing keeping him sane.
“Megumi?” Itadori tried again and finally Megumi’s head snapped up and he looked at Itadori like a deer caught in headlights… only way worse. His eyes were bloodshot with dark purple circles underneath them. A stark contrast to his sickly pale skin. Briefly, Yuji wondered if Megumi had slept at all since it happened. Tears were streaming down his face and it felt like they would never stop. An endless river of sorrow and despair. Yuji was sure he heard his own heart shatter in his chest as he looked at his best friend. He wished he could take some of the pain away. Even if it was just a little, but of course that was impossible. “The ceremony will start soon and-“
“That’s stupid!” Fushiguro cut him off harshly, his voice hoarse and quieter than usual. “Why would there be a freaking ceremony when she’s coming back?!”
“Megumi, she-“
“No! Stop it!” He yelled, throwing the book he was reading against the opposite wall. “Stop it! Shut up!” He pressed his palms against his temples as if he wanted to crush his own skull. “I’ll do it, you’ll see! All of you! You’ll see! I’ll bring her back! I’ll bring her back, okay?! I will – I will!” He repeated it over and over again and it was apparent that he wanted to proof himself right more than anything else. Maybe making him believe would help ease his pain? Should he encourage him? No. Despite wishing that he could provide some words of comfort right now, Itadori knew that false hope would be the cruelest thing he could offer. No matter how much it hurt, but Megumi couldn’t go on like this… searching for something that wasn’t real.
“Megumi, please. You’ll regret it if you don’t come,” Itadori tried again, picking up the book that Megumi had thrown away. He flipped through the first pages and he could already tell that the answers Megumi was searching for weren’t in this book. It was mostly about how sorcerers could reincarnate as curses if their dead bodies weren’t handled properly. If they died you had to make sure that the last hit was infused with cursed energy. Usually, that took care of things. However, if they died of natural causes, diseases or accidents there was a special ritual, a ceremony that made sure their bodies were put to rest accordingly. Kind of like a funeral, but then again, not quite. This was the ceremony Fushiguro refused to attend, even though it was highly valued among sorcerers. It was a way to pay your last respects, value their accomplishments and thank them for their sacrifice. He probably refused to go because that would make her death final and he would be forced to move on, no matter how hard it would be… and it was going to be very hard.
“SHE’S COMING BACK, DAMMIT!” Megumi yelled at him, reaching for another book that was stocked in a pile he’d built himself. The tower crumbled with the way he yanked it out, dozen books falling to the ground, scattering to their feet. It was eerily quiet for a second, Yuji didn’t dare to speak. The atmosphere so thick, he doubted even Maki’s demon blade could cut through it. And then, right when he wanted to say something, anything really to get rid of the suffocating silence in the room, Megumi started sobbing. Not like before. Impossibly, it was even worse. His whole body shook with the action, hands that were clinging onto the book were trembling and despite him hanging his head low, Yuji could see the frequent tears that were hitting the old worn out pages of the book, blurring the ink further, making it almost unreadable.
Hesitantly, he took a step forward, but he wasn’t quite sure what to do. Should he hug him? What could he even say? Should he call for someone? Gojo-sensei? Would he know what to do? Or Nobara? Or, wait! Y/N always knew what to do when it came to him… Oh, right…
Yuji slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. How could he forget?! It really didn’t feel real yet, huh? Itadori tried to swallow the big lump in his throat as he crouched down and gently took the book out of Fushiguro’s shaking hands. He looked so fragile, as if a single slap to the wrist could break his arm.
“I just don’t get it,” Megumi whispered. His voice sounded far away, as if he was underwater or as if Yuji had cotton in his ears, muffling his voice to a point where it was almost incomprehensible. “It’s just so unfair.”
Yuji placed the book on the ground beside him, skipping over the title “Resurrection and the balance of the world”, it read. He gulped again. Could it be possible?
“I know it is.” He laid a comforting hand on his shoulder and another muffled cry escaped Megumi’s mouth. Yuji had seen a lot over the course of just one year, but not once has he witnessed such utter despair. The sight pulled on his heart strings in ways he couldn’t even explain.
“She fought against the most heinous creatures every day and you’re telling me she died because some fucking asshole thought it was a good idea to drive while being absolutely shit faced?!” Some of his words were swallowed by his sobs, but Itadori understood him well enough. “I refuse to believe that! I refuse to accept that!”
Momentarily Itadori was thrown back to the moment they got the call, he remembered it all too vividly. The shock, the confusion and his scream…
“I’m sorry for your loss,” the nurse led them into the room. The air was chilly and it smelled like disinfectant.  The stench so unbelievably strong, Megumi thought he might throw up. It burned in his eyes and nose and he distantly felt his cheeks getting wet. He couldn’t tell if it was because of the smell or of what was to come… at this point, it still felt like a sick joke, some twisted game or prank. Just not real, like a dream, a nightmare he would wake up from any second.
There was a single bed in the middle of the room, the body underneath covered by a white cloth. Gojo, Nobara and Yuji gathered around it, hands clutched together in front of them as if they were silently praying. Megumi hesitated. He stood in the doorframe, looking at the scene in front of him and nothing seemed to make sense anymore. Everyone was crying. Even Gojo seemed more tense than usual and he was sure he saw a stray tear slip from underneath his sunglasses.
The room was silent, except for the door falling shut behind him as the nurse left them to mourn in peace. This was a dream, right? A nightmare? How could it be anything else?
Megumi’s footsteps echoed off the walls as he hesitantly approached the bed covered in white sheets.
This is just a dream. This is a nightmare. You’re going to wake up any second now. Just wake up. Wake up! Wake up, dammit!
But he didn’t wake up. Not even as he reached for the white cloth. And he didn’t wake up as he slowly lifted it up. He didn’t wake up when everyone sucked in a sharp breath. And he didn’t wake up as Nobara’s knees buckled and she fell to the ground sobbing. He didn’t wake up as he laid his eyes on your peaceful but lifeless face.
Megumi didn’t wake up. But God did he wish he did.
He stood there for what felt like an eternity. Studying your features. How your hair was softly flowing on the pillow, how your lips were slightly parted as if you would wake up at any given moment and tell him something important. But he also noticed that your cheeks lacked their signature pinkish tint and your lips were more blue than their usual vibrant red.
His hand inched closer to your face, connecting to your cheeks and adoringly caressing it. It was cold underneath his touch. Your skin feeling more like wax than it felt alive.
No one said anything, the only sound was Nobara’s quiet sobs that she tried to stiffle to the best of her abilities. Everyone watched Megumi and no one knew what to do. Neither of them has ever felt so helpless. Even Gojo was rendered speechless at the heartbreaking sight in front of him.
And then, everything slowly started to sink in…
She’s gone.  She’s gone. She’s really gone! You’re not waking up! Why aren’t you waking up?! Wake up!! No, no, no. This can’t happen. This can’t happen. This isn’t happening! Tell me this isn’t happening?!
Didn’t I just talk to her this morning? Didn’t we talk about going to the beach as soon as it got warmer? Didn’t we make dinner plans? Didn’t she boast about a new recipe she wanted to try? Didn’t this just happen? And you’re telling me that all of that is just… gone? Just like that? In a moments notice… poof?! Evaporated into thin air? You’re telling me that?
“Wake up, dammit! Wake up, dammit! WAKE UP!”
Everyone stared helplessly at Fushiguro. At first no one knew if he was talking to himself or you, but then he started desperately shaking your shoulders, repeating the words over and over again. “We wanted to go to the beach, remember? You told me you couldn’t wait! Come back, and I’ll drive us right now! Come back! Come back to me, please! Please!”
Gojo couldn’t bear the sight anymore. The way he shook your body as if that would change anything. With a few long strides he closed the distance between him and Megumi and pulled him away from the bed. He was thrashing at him, screaming in his face to let him go, but Gojo didn’t listen. He gladly took a hit or two if that meant Fushiguro could get at least some of his frustration out of his body. To Gojo, the room itself was a hard place to be in – for obvious reasons. The energy here made him feel uneasy and on edge. The amount of cursed energy gushing out of Megumi was immense and almost unbearable. He had to get his emotions in check or else…
Megumi continued to yell and thrash. “Let me go, you bastard! Let me go! I need to see her! I need to see her!”
“I understand that this is hard for you, but you need to calm down!” Gojo’s voice was stern. This was probably the first time ever that he actually put on the façade of a responsible adult. Nobara and Yuji watched the two with wide eyes, but didn’t interfere otherwise. “If you keep this up, you might end up cursing her! Do you want that?!”
“Let me go! Let me go!” Megumi wasn’t listening.
“Megumi, snap out of it!” Gojo’s palm connected to Megumi’s cheek, his flesh burning hot where it had connected. For a moment, the room was silent again. Only Megumi’s labored breaths broke through the thick tension.
“You bastard!” Megumi launched himself at Gojo with all his strength, but that was exactly what Gojo intended. It was better if he directed all his energy towards him than having it leak out of him uncontrollably. Otherwise he had the potential of manifesting a new special grade curse that neither one of them wanted to deal with, especially if you were to be reborn as said curse.
Megumi stopped his relentless attacks, knees buckling under his weight as a single agony filled screamed echoed off the walls…
Megumi slowly opened his eyes. His head was aching, blood soaring in his ears. What happened? He looked around himself. The room was dark, only illuminated by the moon light that peered through his partially closed blinds. He was laying in his bed, the room a mess just like he remembered. That was unlike him. Well, ever since that day he hasn’t been himself at all. Now, he more or less felt like an empty shell, existing but not alive.
He groaned, sitting up while he rubbed his temples, hoping to get the relentless throbbing to stop. Ah, that’s right. A few flashes of the previous events reminded him of what had happened. Megumi’s frustration and anger had gotten the best of him and he started throwing books, ripping them out of their shelves and even tearing some of them apart when he couldn’t find the answers he was looking for. Yuji had to call for Gojo and he in turn had knocked him unconscious.  
Megumi huffed. Great. Now he was probably not permitted to go to the library again. He should really start thinking before lashing out like this. No, matter, though. If push comes to shove he’d find a way in and if it’s the last thing he did. He didn’t really care anymore anyways. What’s the worst that could happen? Expulsion? That was nothing.
He peeled the covers back, his shirt sticking to his body uncomfortably. Maybe he should take a shower before he went back again.
Reluctantly, he got up and walked towards his bathroom, mindful not to trip on anything that was scattered on his floor.
Once he was there, he turned the shower faucet on, letting the water heat up while he stripped out of his clothes. His head was still killing him and his whole body ached. He shivered, even as he got into the shower and the hot water burned his skin. He was still cold. For some reason he didn’t seem to be able to get warm anymore, as if you took all of his warmth with you, when you left him.
“Ew, stop doing that,” you laughed wholeheartedly as Megumi shook his wet hair in your face after coming out of the shower. “Seriously, are you a dog?”
“No, but I love hearing you laugh.” Megumi wrapped his arms around you, pressing your back against his naked chest as you both watched your reflection in the mirror. “I really love you, Y/N. So much,” he whispered in your ear, not taking his eyes off the mirror. He could see the faint blush on your cheeks and he placed a soft kiss to the nape of your neck to emphasize his words.
“I love you, too.” The smile on your lips and the way your eyes sparkled with joy, filled his heart with warmth and light. He could bask in it for all eternity and he would never get tired of it.
Megumi turned the water off, still shivering. It was to no use. His skin was burning red, though, and the whole room was filled with steam and yet, he had goosebumps all over his body. His teeth started clattering as he dried himself and he put on new clothes.
The clock on his bedside table told him that it was three in the morning. He felt like he forgot about something… something important. What was it again?
And then his eyes widened in shock. No, no, no.
“Hey, look!” Megumi felt your slender fingers wrap around his wrist, your warmth immediately warming his cold skin. You tugged him gently and he followed you. It didn’t take long for you to reach your desired destination and you stopped, eyes shining with awe in them as you watched over the city, lights sparkling and illuminating the darkness. Megumi couldn’t deny that the view was breathtaking, but he couldn’t keep his eyes from constantly looking at you instead. The way your face lit up, the way the lights danced on your face and how your cheeks were always tinted in their usual pinkish color, made him fall for you all over again. His heart hammered in his chest and his pulse picked up. Butterflies assaulting his stomach in the best way imaginable and he felt like he was floating above ground. Never has he felt so happy. “There! It’s starting!” You beamed at him as the first flash of light painted the night sky in a bright blue color, then it changed to red and then green. The sound of other fireworks being set off rang through the otherwise silent night. Here, on top of the mountain away from anyone, it was the most peaceful place he could imagine. But he wasn’t sure if it was only because of the view and the fact that no one was around or if it was because you were here. Whatever it was, he didn’t dream to fight it. The feeling so foreign yet so welcomed.
Suddenly your hand appeared in his line of vision and he didn’t hesitate to take it. What he didn’t expect was you starting to spin around. It took him a moment to catch up. “C’mon, Megumi, what are you doing? Don’t just stand there so stiffly! Dance with me!” You urged him on and Megumi felt his cheeks heating up in embarrassment. He could only hope that you couldn’t see it.
“There’s no music, though,” he said, trying to find an excuse to not make a complete fool out of himself. You see, Megumi wasn’t a dancer. Give him a choreographed fighting formation and he could do that no problem, but moving his feet to the rhythm of a song? Nope. That was sure to end in him tripping over his own feet and in the worst case break his leg or arm.
You rolled your eyes at him, but instead of saying anything, you reached into your back pocket to get a hold of your phone. It didn’t take long and the sound of the fireworks was mixed with the soft tune of a song that he didn’t know. “Better?”
Well, not really… Megumi scratched the back of his head, unsure. Better to come clean, I guess. “You see… I can’t really dance… like at all,” Megumi stammered.
“So what? I can’t dance either,” you laughed, spinning around and jumping up and down like it was the most normal thing to do. The smile on your face never faltered and you did another spin, throwing your hands up in the air, moving them around awkwardly. Megumi couldn’t help but laugh at your awkward movements. You looked so silly, it was hilarious. “See? Now it’s only fair that you make a fool out of yourself, too. You can’t leave me hanging like this!”
What the hell, right? Megumi started moving his feet, still super stiffly and anything but graceful, but he did it. He looked at you, following your movements and it didn’t take him long to get the hang of it… well, somewhat at least. He still looked really awkward and helpless, so you reached both your hands out for him again and he grabbed them without hesitation, just like before. You started spinning both of you in circles, giggling at the way his face lit up slightly. He joined your laughter, looking at you with the most adoring smile in the world. It felt… so easy. Everything with you felt so easy.
So now it was just the both of you, spinning around in fast circles, laughing at the night sky filled with stars while in the distance the sound of fireworks slowly died down. The music playing softly in the background, but you didn’t even care that the rhythm of the song didn’t match with your movements at all. Nothing mattered in that moment. Just the two of you. Together. Forever.
“Ah, I was wondering when you’d show up.” Gojo scratched the back of his neck, smiling apologetically. “Maybe I was a bit too rough, when I knocked you out. Sorry about that.”
Megumi stared at him sitting in the front row of lined up chairs. The room was only dimly lit by the candles at the other end. The soft light they cast illuminated a picture of you in a black frame. It was the same one he had saved as his phone background. Megumi gulped, feet moving on their own as he approached Gojo, though, he felt his knees wobble unsteadily. The air became thicker and thicker with every other step he took. It felt excruciatingly hard to breathe. It was suffocating.
Megumi sat down on a chair next to Gojo, forcing himself to tear his eyes off the framed picture in front of him. If he didn’t he was afraid he might break down again. So he shifted his attention to the man in the chair next to him. He was already looking at him, his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses, as usual. There was a slight frown in his features, though, and his mouth was pressed into a thin line, a stark contrast to his normally giddy self. So Gojo could be serious, huh? Who would’ve thought? Bet you would’ve loved to see him like that…
“Megumi,” Gojo broke the silence first, his tone soft, but there was a certain sternness behind it that Megumi didn’t know he had until now. It left no room for interpretation. This was going to be a serious talk and Fushiguro didn’t know if he was ready for that yet. “I know that losing someone you care about is not easy and I’m not trying to pretend that I know exactly what you’re going through right now, but I’m telling you as your sensei and as a friend… you have to move on. And that means you have to stop looking for ways to bring her back.”
Megumi opened his mouth to tell him off, but Gojo just held a finger up to show him he wasn’t done yet. The crease between Megumi’s brows deepened, but he kept his mouth shut regardless. “The world works under a few distinct principles. Rules that cannot be broken, if you will. Like we know that after the sun sets, dawn will come. With darkness, there is light and no matter how harsh a winter might be, spring will always come next. And the pinnacle of those rules will always be that with life there comes death. We don’t get to choose when this’ll be or how it’ll happen, but from the moment we’re born we know without a doubt that we’ll have to leave this place at some point. Death is certain. It’s but one part of life and disrupting that cycle, breaking one of the unbreakable rules, would cause the whole system to fall apart. It would level the ground for mayhem and destruction, nothing would make sense anymore. The world would crumble. As sorcerers you know that we protect the ones who cannot protect themselves, but we also maintain balance and Megumi… while I do understand your desire to see her again, I have to warn you… even if there is a chance, I won’t let you do it at the expense of everyone else’s life.”
Silence fell between them again. Megumi had a hard time believing that these words really just came out of Gojo’s mouth. Deep down, he knew he was right. He knew it was a futile plan to bring you back. It was selfish and irresponsible, but he was so… desperate. So desperate to hear your voice again, so desperate to listen to you laugh or complain, so desperate to feel your delicate and warm touch on his cold skin. He was so desperate for these things; he couldn’t think straight. His mind felt foreign to him without you there. He didn’t know who he was, who he would be without you by his side. He didn’t know if he wanted to be in this world anymore with his source of warmth and comfort gone. They said, time healed all wounds but as of now that seemed impossible. Just a thing people told themselves to keep moving forward. A lie that was supposed to protect oneself from the cruel and harsh truth that the world didn’t stop spinning, that time passed by and that dawn always came… no matter what. The world moved forward regardless if you were here or not and it felt like a cruel joke to him. Nothing seemed the same. He didn’t recognize anything, looking at the world with different eyes. How could there be a world without you in it? Why was everyone moving forward while he was left behind? And how could they? How could they move on? Why didn’t the world stop spinning? It should. Because nothing felt right. Nothing was the same. And yet… that only held true for him.
Megumi wiped away his silent tears with the sleeve of his shirt. “But I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” he croaked out. It was the first thing that came to his mind. He replayed the morning with you over and over again and he couldn’t remember if he said goodbye to you when you left that fateful day. Did he? Did he not? In any case, he would’ve never thought how final of a farewell it would’ve been in the end. “I don’t even remember the last thing I said to her,” he sobbed.
He felt beyond guilty for not being able to recall it clearly. Did he say ‘I love you’? Did you say it back? He wanted to believe he did, but he just wasn’t sure and it drove him insane.
“She knew that you loved her very much, Megumi. I’m sure she knew until the very end.” Gojo patted his shoulder a few times, before he got up. “Take all the time you need.” He left the room, closing the door behind him, but not before he turned around one last time, looking at Megumi with worried eyes. “But remember, Megumi… You have to move on eventually, no matter how hard it is. For her sake and your own… Just know that you have people in your life that you can rely on any time, okay?”
Megumi nodded and Gojo let the door fall shut behind him. The silence that ensued was almost deafening. Finally, Megumi let his tears fall freely, sobbing like a child and sucking in air after shallow breaths.
Everything hurt with you gone. How could he ever move on? How could he ever love again? Megumi was scared he might break in half. How much pain could someone even bear? Though, deep down he knew that he didn’t have a choice… He had to try. And he would try his hardest to keep moving forward, holding on to that tiny glimpse of hope that one day he’d see you again. And when he did, he swore to himself to never stop telling you how much he loved you. Always and forever.
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linkspooky · 5 years
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The New Strongest Duo
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The recent flashback arc not only shows us Getou’s fall from a jujutsu sorcerer to an extremist who allies himself with curses, it also foreshadows future events and sets up Itadori and Maegumi as foils to Gojou and Getou. Itadori and Megumi are two sorcerers who are set up as successors to the previous “strongest duo” and therefore this generation’s “strongest duo.” 
Itadori is a parallel to Gojou, and Megumi a parallel to Getou, and not only do they share several things in common with the previous generation they are foreshadowed to come into conflict as well. MORE UNDER THE CUT.
1. Gojou and Itadori
Gojou and Itadori are characters who are colored primarily in white. They fight physically themselves, using their acrobatics, and fists which they buffer with their individual curse powers. They are both charactres who crave, and rely on raw power to achieve what they want. Gojou is a shaman of unparalleled strength, while Itadori is a shaman of unparalleled potential due to absorbing Sukuna’s power. It’s even implied that once Sukuna gets further imprinted on his soul, he’ll be able to learn and use Sukuna’s sorcery as well. 
This line also repeats twice in relation to Gojou and Itadori. Sukuna says it within Itadori’s body, and then Gojou repeats it when he figures out the infinity. 
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Throughout the heavens and earth, I alone am the honored one. 
The line is connected to budhism as it was uttered by Shakyumuni Budha soon after he was born. The statement itself is not actually meant to be a boast, but rather reveals the true value of human life and reveals the dignity of true human nature. It’s a line of reflection, humans have the ability to develop themsevles and become the best possible human beings between heaven and earth. They must have the courage to arouse themselves and become the best possible beings between heaven and earth. 
Which is the primary goal for both Gojou and Itadori. They both want to become the absolute strongest human being, and live as the absolute best versions of themselves. Itadori’s admiration for Gojou even stems from this fact. 
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Itadori has been depicted as imitating Gojou’s pose several times. 
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His ambition is also to become the strongest and be on Gojou’s level. 
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Both Gojou and Itadori are highly individualistic characters. Their objective is directed at the world around them, Gojou wants to replace the corrupt Jujutsu hierarchy with students he raised himself, and Itadori wants to save as many people as possible before he dies. They both take on these goals that are larger than themselves, while at the same tie it’s their first instinct to want to accomplish everything with individual power alone.
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The biggest weakness of each character being that it’s not enough for them to be strong on their own. They inevitably always have to rely on other people, and fail to save the ones they want to save when they are fighting on their own. We see Gojou and Itadori fail to save people again and again, and when they fail they get downright murderously angry. 
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They are incredibly individualistic people, when they fail to save someone it’s a personal offense against them. Gojou and Itadori are both, beyond their good natured joking around deeply emotional people and those emotions can quickly turn into anger. Gojou himself is already deeply angry at the world around him, and Itadori is quickly getting there. 
They can both be seen as selfish people who are fighting entirely for their own reasons. Itadori’s save everyone is an attmempt to give meaning to his inevitable death as shown in the fact that he is constantly trying to throw his life away. 
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This is just speculation on my part but it’s likely that Gojou’s quest to reform the sorcery world from the inside was because of Getou’s defection, and his inability to save his closest friend. 
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Their selfishness is however not necessarily a bad thing, because it’s also what drives them to always be doing their best for others.
2.  Getou and Megumi
Getou and Megumi both fight by puppeteering servants rather than directly engaging in combat themselves. Getou uses curses that he brings under his control, and Megumi uses Shikigami that emerge from his shadow. They are also both characters who are team players, rather than being individualistic like Gojou and Itadori. They are colored primarily in black, and tend to be far more considerate of others, and coolheaded. 
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Getou and Megumi actually tend to get deeply invested in people. They love individuals rather than trying to save everyone the same way that Gojou and Itadori too. They are so deeply invested that they put parts of themselves in other people, and losing them or failing to save them is like losing a limb. Gojou and Itadori get angry at the loss of a friend, whereas Getou and Megumi feel entirely empty. 
To explain the difference it’s like Gojou and Itadori will want to save a stranger, but they don’t necessarily know that person, or even see them as a friend they would hang out with. Getou and Megumi get deeply invested in individuals and care about them as individual people, and understand their suffering much more. Which is why they both develop an acute misanthropy and distance themselves from others beucase the loss of those people is something that destroys them. Gojou and Itadori are both emotional characters, but they also primary operate on their own emotions. Getou and Megumi are highly sensitive to the feelings of other people. It’s the fact that they sympathize so much with others that drives them to ruin.
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Getou and Megumi are both characters who have decided they can only save the people they want to save, because they care too much and the task of saving everyone would completely overwhelm them. Megumi does this by being harshly judgemental towards who deserves to be saved and who does not, and Getou does this on a much grander scale by classifying who lives and who dies by their potential for jujutsu sorcery. 
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Getou and Megumi both see the world as something that is deeply unfair, and resent it for the way it makes individual people suffer. Especially because they are so deeply invested in saving individuals. 
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Neither of them are interested in the idea of being heroes, but they also long for a much better world which pushes them further and further into radicalism. Getou and Megumi are characters who claim to be selfish, but are actually much more selfless because their primary driving reason is other people and not their own emotions. Which is why their own emotions end up becoming so trampled on and damaged. 
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Their motivations are projected outwards, they expect the world to be fair and kind and when it isn’t they are broken by it. Getou’s disillusionment came from the fact that he failed to save a girl who was meant to be a sacrifice all of her life by the Jujutsu system, and then witnessed a crowd of people applauding her death. He felt like he was supporting an unfair system, rather than saving the people he wants to save. 
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Getou and Megumi always think about others first. They sacrifice themselves over and over again, because they are thinking about othrs primarily, and the end result is that they may die on their own. 
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Whereas Yuji and Gojou are people who always working for their individual goals and improving themselves first, always thinking of themselves first. 
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3. Repeating the Past Conflict
Ideally, just like Getou and Gojou once balanced each other out Megumi and Itadori work well together. Itadori is focused on saving everyone while from the start of the manga, Megumi has always tried to save Itadori individually, again and again trying to take care of him in ways that he cannot take care of himself.
However, it has been foreshadowed several times than an eventual conflict will take place between these two after they become the strongest duo. The only reason Sukuna cooperates with Itadori is because he sees something in Megumi that Megumi himself does not see and because of that wants to play around with it, and whatever Sukuna senses and finds fun cannot possiby be good. 
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Megumi is referred to as a “landmind” among the students that Sukuna has taken an interest in.” 
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Since then there also have been several signs of both Megumi’s potential, and also the fact that he is on a different wavelength from Itadori. It shows up in the cover art several times as he tends to always get more ominous depictions on the cover. 
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Megumi is even shown directly contradicting his sister’s wishes to never want to curse anyone. When people deny his help, and he is unable to do anything, you see him quickly slipping in the same manner that Getou does. 
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He’s also shown to be physically unstable when using his powers. There’s a part of him holding something back and when he pushes himself to his absolute limit he begins to break down mentally. The pressure he puts on himself is tremendous. 
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As if his normal restrained personality is just repressing all of these terrible instincts, and when he lets them out he becomes capable of absolutely destroying his opponent in front of him. Megumi himself also, wants desperately to reach the level of power that Sukuna sees in him even though nothing good could possibly come from something that Sukuna finds fun. 
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Which is why despite how close they are, Megumi and Itadori are fundamentally on the right page. Despite how they have complementary ideologies they cannot reconcile those two ideologies into one. 
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They are even to the point where both are individually keeping secrets from the other now. Their inability to talk to one another is a sign of eventually breaking apart. 
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Setting up this plot point of Megumi and Itadori both already knowing the information they are trying to keep secret from the other has no purpose other than to show that they are not communicating, and hiding secrets from one another and not trusting the other to know is the first step of a relationship breaking down. 
Megumi and Itadori are both characters depicted with hands around their necks, and a heavy future awaiting them, hopefully after their enventual conflict they will be able to reconcile their opposing beliefs and work together in a way that Getou and Gojou never could. Because right now, without Getou Gojou is incomplete, and without Gojou Getou is incomplete. These “strongest duos” need each other.
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