Yuji heard faint voices calling him, slipping through the haze of unconsciousness. At first they were distant, almost whispers, but they grew louder, clearer, until he felt a firm shake pulling him back.
"Yuji-kun! Yuji-kun!"
"Itadori Yuji!!"
His eyes snapped open, and the familiar figure before him came into focus.
"...Eh? Sensei?!" Yuji's voice cracked in disbelief. His body jolted upright. His eyes widened, it was unmistakably Gojo Satoru, sitting right in front of him.
Gojo looked tired, his usual black top and white pants now stained with dried blood. A long stitch-like scar still ran across his head, the mark from his battle with Sukuna.
Yuji froze. His heart thumped. Sensei was supposed to be dead. He had seen it happen.
"Sensei... how... how are you here?" Yuji asked, his voice trembling.
Gojo tilted his head with the same lazy smile, though his tone carried the same confusion. "Honestly? I don't know either." He let out a soft sigh and glanced around.
Yuji followed his gaze. All around them stretched endless desert, golden sand rolling out to the horizon, a sky so clear it was almost unsettling. Not a single cloud. Just silence and emptiness.
Gojo chuckled. "Afterlife, maybe?"
Yuji couldn't help but laugh a little too, though unease lingered in his chest. "I thought I just... passed out after beating Sukuna."
"Oh? That cursed king's really gone, huh? Good for him," Gojo smirked. He reached over and ruffled Yuji's messy hair, just like old times. "You're a tough one."
"Not really. Everyone gave everything in that fight." Yuji smiled faintly, though his body still ached as he tried to stand. He glanced down at himself, his injuries, his battered state, it was exactly how he'd been at the end of the battle. The pain still lingered, sharp and heavy, but he gritted his teeth and endured it.
Yuji stretched his arms and winced. "Wow... so this is what the afterlife looks like, huh? But ouch, even here my body hurts... hahaha."
Gojo let out another sigh. For the first time, Yuji noticed the guilt flickering across his teacher's tired face.
Yuji tilted his head, forcing a grin even as something heavy stirred in his chest. "Don't worry, Sensei. Maybe my life ended back there. Heheh... I was so tired I probably just died without realizing it." He scratched the back of his head with that same goofy smile, though his words carried a quiet resignation.
Gojo shook his head, muttering under his breath, "This kid..." Then, he ruffled Yuji's hair again.
Straightening his posture, Gojo brushed the sand from his clothes with a lazy sweep of his hand. "Well, whatever this place is, I guess we'll just have to move forward."
He looked around once more, his expression shifting as the vast emptiness pressed in. "There really is nothing here, huh..." His voice trailed off into the stillness.
Then, with a sudden spark of his usual energy, he turned and started walking across the endless dunes. "C'mon, Yuji-kun. Let's go."
Despite the scar still etched across his body, Gojo walked as if none of it mattere, tall, steady, almost like he'd never fallen at all.
"Ah—wait, Sensei!" Yuji called, stumbling forward to catch up, the sand shifting beneath his aching legs.
+++
Hours passed, maybe one, maybe three as they trudged through the endless desert. Not a creature in sight. Not a single shadow of shelter.
Yuji huffed, dragging his steps, every ache from his battle still etched into his body. Still, he pressed forward behind his teacher. Even Gojo, usually untouchable, looked weary under the unrelenting sun.
Finally, Yuji let out a groan. "I give up!" He flopped onto the sand, arms spread wide.
Gojo stopped and lowered himself beside him with a tired sigh. His lips curled into a faint smile, though his tone carried a sharp undercurrent. "When I find the one who dumped us in this place... I'll deal with them personally."
Yuji, eyes closed and chest rising with ragged breaths, could only laugh weakly. Sweat clung to his face, soaking through his shirt. Then—
Grrrrrowl.
His stomach betrayed him. "…Hungry…"
Gojo chuckled dryly. "Yeah, me too." He wiped the sweat from his brow, his voice lower now. "And no water either. Tch."
The sun blazed above them, merciless and unyielding. The heat made the desert shimmer. With a grunt, Gojo pulled off his black top, revealing the scarred mess that was once his body. Fresh wounds stretched across his chest and torso, long and jagged despite Shoko's best stitching.
Yuji glanced over, wincing. "Wow, Sensei… you look like Frankenstein."
Gojo arched an eyebrow. "Who's that?"
"Some ghost," Yuji muttered.
"Oh." Gojo gave a small nod, as if that explained everything.
The two fell into silence, too drained to keep the banter going. The desert pressed in around them, the only sound their own shallow breathing.
Gojo eventually closed his eyes, standing perfectly still as if listening for something beyond the senses of ordinary men. Then, suddenly, his expression shifted. He rose to his feet.
"Yuji. Let's move."
He reached down, pulling his student upright with one firm motion.
Yuji slumped against him, his body heavy with exhaustion. "I feel like some dying old man, Sensei… and I'm starving."
Gojo steadied him with ease, a faint glint of resolve flashing in his tired eyes. "Bear with it. I can feel something—out there, miles away."
The faint hum of cursed energy lingered in the air around him, Infinity shimmering like a mirage.