Part Two: Chapter 17

_Ten years later_

_March 15_

........

It was meant to be an ordinary message. Some random person texting him, lighting up his phone in the middle of the night.

But no.

Little did he expect it was someone he knew. Someone he knew all too well.

Someone he never forgot.

Someone he never saw for too long.

Unknown:

•can we talk?

That was some random message. It was from an unknown number, and there were no introductions, no names or gender or any information about who could it be.

He picked up the phone and typed:

•who are you

After a minute, another text popped up.

Unknown:

•you'll know if you meet me near Meiji-Dori.

He frowned. Of course no matter what threat he met, he's the strongest, and no one in this world could defeat him. He wasn't reluctant to accept because he didn't want to get caught in a threat.

He was merely reluctant because he had a bad feeling about that person on the other side.

Not a bad feeling... just a strange feeling like he's not ready to meet that person.

•if you try to pose a threat, know that it'll all turn against you, he typed.

unknown:

•don't you think I already know that, Satoru?

His eyes widen at the use of his first name. No one ever calls him by his first name except his family and teachers. And... two of his disrespectful students.

He frowns and closes his phone. He's glad he hasn't changed into his night clothes yet. He only puts on his black blindfold.

He looks outside and decides to go through the window incase he gets too many questions he can't answer.

He arrives at the street. It's not crowded here and hardly anyone passes him. He waits, sensing the Energy around him, trying to figure out whether a threat lurks near or not.

"That was fast."

He looks at the shadows between two buildings.

The voice that spoke just now... was female.

A figure steps out of the shadows.

The woman is hooded, shadows cover her face. She has a mask over her mouth, which explains why her voice sounded covered.

"Who are you?" Satoru says, frowning at her.

"I thought you'd know." She says, looking down.

I don't have patience for this. "Tell me two things. Who you are, and why you want me."

She sighs, and looks up at him, her hood falling.

Long brown hair falls to her back and the city lights reflect in two bright green eyes.

Gojo's eyes widen.

"Long time no see." She says, taking her mask off.

The past years run around in his brain. Three years of his past student life, three years with him, and her and Shoko. Three years of their friendship.

Then their disband.

Ten years of him alone, waiting for her return, wondering where the hell she went to.

"Amati?" He whispers.

"Hey, Satoru." She says back.

........

flashback:

It was their third day of becoming first years. And they went on their first mission.

"This place stinks." Shoko said as they walked down the dark tunnel.

"There are dead bodies everywhere, you know." Gojo said, grinning.

"WHAT?!" Shoko screamed and Amati put a hand on her mouth. "SHHH!"

"You like to joke around too much." Geto growled at Gojo, annoyed at him already.

"You guys are no fun. Why did I have to end up with boring classmates."

"We're not boring, you're just overly excited about everything." Amati said.

"Whatever. At least I'm fun." Gojo waved. "Anyway, since we still haven't talked much to each other, why don't we ask each other questions?"

"I think we're on a mission and we have to finish it without delays?" Geto told them.

"See?! This is what I mean by boring!"

"I'm in." Amati said. "I've got some interesting questions I'd like to ask."

"And I'm in too." Shoko replied, grabbing onto Amati and looking around for those dead corpses Gojo lied about.

"Great!" Gojo said. "Ok. First question: have you ever farted loudly in public?"

"WHAT?" Shoko yelled.

"You are disgusting!" Amati shoved him.

Gojo laughed. "Come on! Admit you once did."

"It was a small one." Amati looked away. "And I blamed it on someone in front of the whole class because I was about to get caught."

"Whaaaaat?!" Gojo laughed harder. "Wasn't that bullying?"

Amati smiled and looked up at him. "Ha, I blamed it on the 'bully' of our class. He used to physically beat up students. That small blame was only start of my revenge."

"Ooooo. I like you already, we will be cool partners in crime."

"What about you then, soon-to-be-partner-in-crime?" She leaned closer. "Have you ever farted loudly?"

"Uhh... no."

"He's a liar. He farted in our first meeting before you and Ieiri arrived." Geto said while he searched the area.

"HAAAA CAUGHT RED HANDED!" Amati laughed.

"SHHH!" Geto put a hand over her mouth.

"No! It wasn't me! It was him!" Gojo pointed at Geto.

"Stop lying." Geto growled.

"It smelled like onions." Gojo laughed.

"Why are we talking about farts you nincompoops."  Shoko actually sounded disgusted.

"He started it." Amati said when Geto lowered his hand from her mouth.

"Wait." Geto said, pitting a hand up. "The Cursed Energy is gone."

"What?!" All three said together.

Geto gave them a dark look. "We scared them away."

"Oh great..." Gojo winced.

The next thing they knew was that they all were punished. On their first mission.

They all blamed it on Gojo of course, but as they were forced to clean the garbage off the streets for a week as punishment, their embarrassing questions never ended.

Even Geto joined in.

And that was how their friendship started.

........

And ended in three years.

But... last year...

When he...

Gojo grits his teeth and closes his eyes, trying to forget that day.

But memories are stronger. Especially this one memory.

........

Flashback:

"You're late, Satoru." Geto said, clutching the place where his right arm should have been. "To think you'd checkmate me. Are my families safe?" He asked through the pain as he slumped against the wall.

"They all ran away." Gojo replies. "You gave the same orders to the ones at Kyoto right?"

"Well, it's because I'm nice, unlike you. You sent those two so that they could be done in by me, and trigger Okkotsu's explosion, right?"

"It's because I trusted you. I knew you wouldn't kill young shamans for no reason." Gojo replied, trying not to look at the blood pouring out of his ex best friend.

"Trust, huh. To think you still had some of that for me..." Geto smiled sadly. "I'm returning this." He throws an ID card.

"That elementary school was also your work!"

"I guess." Suguru shrugged.

"You're a lost cause." Gojo said through his teeth. Then he lowered the card from his view and looked at Geto. He tried not to say it, but... "Any last words?"

A pause, Geto sighed and looked away. "No matter what anyone says, I hate all the monkeys. But it's not like I detested anyone from the college. It's just that in a world like this, I can't laugh from my heart at all."

He looked at Gojo.

"Amati?"

Gojo looked away. "She's..." It was still hard to process what happened to her. How she left and whether or not she actually did. He just... woke up one day and found her.... "...gone." Gojo said.

"What?"

He nodded. "She left Jujutsu High... travelled somewhere. America I think, because that's what Sensei said. I..." He looked up. "I never saw her again. Especially after what you fucking did to her. The last time I did was when I bumped into her before going on a mission. Not even five days later, she was gone for good."

Suguru gave a pained look and looked away. "She won't stay there forever. But... if she came back..." Geto looked at Gojo and smiled. "Take care of her. Tell her I'm sorry."

"Suguru." Gojo said. When Suguru looked him in the eyes, Gojo said something they both understand.

Geto was surprised but he chuckled lightly. "Hah... At least curse at me a little at the very end..."

And—

........

For about three months... after that incident...

Gojo kept silent. Suffered by himself. Alone. Words and screams and curses in his mind. But never out loud.

He hated himself. Hated the world. Hated his life.

He wanted to destroy it. Wanted to destroy himself. The scenes replay in his mind every day. Every night.

But...

He still tried to smile, stay strong.

For the sake of his students and the people around him.

But how things change...

From good memories.

To bad.

Memories of their past. His friends. Family.

And her...

He truly never saw her again.

Never heard her voice.

One morning, he woke up.

And she was gone.

Phone number changed. Her room empty. Her soft presence gone.

Before she left for good, he saw her one normal day while running off to a mission... for only one minute.

But little did he know that was going to be the last time Gojo has ever heard or seen from his long ago classmate— other best friend.

Amati Tanaka.

The person he needed the most

.......

But... she is here.

Here, alive and breathing and right in front of him.

This... this is really her. She's here... she's—

But... Gojo doesn't know why he's more confused and angry than happy. Maybe because the rush of emotions.

Or because she's been gone for too long. Too long for Gojo to forgive her for ever leaving in the first place.

"Why'd you come back?"

........

✨A/N:

ahhhhhhh omg 👁👄👁

so

sooooooo👁👄👁

shes back!👀👀

at first i was gonna leave four chapters until Amati's return, but then I realized I messed up in the Jujutsu Kaisen timeline and so I had to rewrite a few stuff .😭

But now I have a better plot for the story thanks to my realization and I hope you enjoy the rest👁👄👁💙💙

⭐️💬⬆️