Gojo wiped sweat from his forehead, the bandages on his torso already damp with effort. His muscles flexed easily as he swung the axe, chopping the desert wood into neat stacks.
"Man, I never thought I'd end up like some desert lumberjack," he muttered, half to himself, half to the empty sky.
Yuji, crouched nearby with dirt on his hands, carefully patted down the soil around a tiny date sapling he'd planted. "You're not a lumberjack, sensei. You're… uh… more like a village uncle."
Gojo turned his head slowly, smirking. "…Village uncle?"
Yuji grinned nervously and waved both hands. "N-no, I mean in a good way!"
The camel, as if siding with Yuji, leaned its heavy head onto his shoulder. Yuji staggered with a yelp. "Oi—! You again?!" He tried pushing it away, but the animal only followed closer, snorting softly in his ear.
From across the yard, Gojo laughed, the sound echoing against the oasis water. "Face it, Yuji. You've been chosen. That's your camel now."
"Nooo, sensei! I don't want a camel shadow!!" Yuji whined, trying to shake the creature off as he carried water to the sapling. But the camel trailed behind like a loyal puppy.
Gojo shook his head, amused, before going back to repairing the steel door he'd kicked yesterday. With careful adjustments and makeshift tools, he hammered it back into place, whistling under his breath. For once, he looked oddly… domestic.
"Okay, done." Gojo wiped the sweat off his face with a scrap of cloth. No air conditioning here unlike his Tokyo apartment.
He raised his voice toward the yard. "Yuji-kun, I'm going to rest for a while!"
From outside, where Yuji was still busy with chores and being trailed by the ever-persistent camel, came the cheerful reply,
"Okay, sensei!"
Chuckling to himself, Gojo wandered up to the large, ancient bathhouse pool. He stripped down without hesitation and stepped into the water, letting the warmth close over his bare, scarred body.
He leaned back, head tilted to the ceiling or rather, to the massive mirror embedded above. His reflection looked down at him, silvered by torchlight.
"Tch. Whoever built this place had weird hobbies…" Gojo muttered, smirking faintly. "Pervert."
The water swirled gently around him as he closed his eyes. At the same time, a faint glow spread over his wounds, the reverse cursed technique pulsing through every inch of him now that he finally had the strength to focus. Muscle and skin knitted back together, pain fading away until only the scars remained: one long seam across his torso, and the stitch marks on his head.
He exhaled slowly. "There. Good as new. Shoko doesn't even have to nag me this time."
His body relaxed fully into the pool, every nerve finally free of pain. For the first time in what felt like forever, Gojo Satoru simply… rested.
+++
"Sensei! Gojo-sensei!!"
Yuji's voice echoed through the bath chamber, waking Gojo from his nap in the pool. Gojo stretched with a yawn, water dripping down his skin as he rose, gloriously, and completely naked.
Yuji froze, eyes wide. "Damn, sensei… you've got a monster third leg."
Gojo snorted, covering his laugh with one hand before lazily wrapping a white towel around his waist. "You really don't hold back, huh?"
Still chuckling, he said, "Yuji, got any food? I'm starving."
"In the kitchen! Already cooked something earlier," Yuji replied, rummaging in a cabinet for soap.
Gojo quirked a brow. "Soap, huh. And here I was, bathing like a caveman."
"Oh! Yeah, there's a whole stash of it in the cabinet. Forgot to tell sensei, hahahaha!" Yuji grinned sheepishly.
Gojo gave him a long-suffering look before heading downstairs. The heat of midday pressed against him, so he left his shirt open as he ate at the elegant table, keeping the steel door wide to let air circulate.
Once he'd finished, Gojo stood, stretching. "Yuji, I'm heading out for a bit!" he called toward the upstairs, where the sound of splashing water answered him.
"Okayyy, sensei!" came Yuji's muffled shout.
Stepping outside, Gojo rose into the air, his six eyes narrowing as he scanned the endless desert around the oasis. Birds circled overhead, occasionally diving toward the water for fish.
"Wherever they're flying, there's bound to be more life out here," he murmured.
He followed them, gliding effortlessly through the hot air. The birds didn't stop, their wings carrying them further and further across the barren landscape. Time passed; the sun dipped lower, painting the sky gold.
Finally, after hours of flight, the horizon shimmered differently. Gojo's eyes widened slightly as he saw it, a vast, endless sea stretching into the distance. The birds broke formation, perching on scattered trees along its shore.
"...So this place isn't just desert." His lips curved into a thoughtful grin. "Interesting."
The sky deepened into twilight. With a last glance at the sea, Gojo turned back, streaking through the air with Infinity, heading for the oasis where Yuji awaited.