"Yuji?" You fiddle with the hair tie on your wrist, admiring the white gauze, the blue butterfly wings frozen in permanence, poised to take flight.
"Yeah?"
It's barely noon when the megaphones screech to life and sends your heart pounding. Brightly, Gojo announces that the event is starting in a minute, and immediately proceeds to put the Kyoto teacher – Utahime – on the spot by asking her to offer the students some encouragement. She sputters, unable to come up with an adequate response.
Your mouth is dry no matter how often you swallow, and you can't keep from shaking as you follow everyone else. At first, the land is open and neatly manicured, with the brightness and heat of the sun beating down over your head. Then, abruptly, the forest closes in, and the way forward is dense with vegetation. You hide your hands in the folds of your skirt, and struggle to keep your scrambled, panicked thoughts from showing on your face.
You're acutely aware of your friends, of Inumaki, just inches away. You can't let them see you afraid. You need to show them that you can be strong and sure. You've trained for this. Practised everyday for the past month and a half, your sore muscles bemoaning every kick, every punch.
Everything will be fine.
Your inner voice sounds like Gojo.
You doubt it, sometimes, if you're being honest.
You drop your voice to a whisper while everyone else is distracted by Gojo bickering with Utahime. You wonder, briefly, if Ieiri is with them, watching out for you. Lately, she's become more of a mentor to you than Gojo. "Did Sukuna say anything else?" You ask, even though you don't think you actually want to know.
His eyes dart briefly to yours before dropping. "You don't have a Domain, do you?"
You blink. Whatever you've expected him to say, this surely isn't it. It's a laughable idea, but there isn't anything funny about it. You're not Gojo. You're not the strongest. If anything, you're a lamb in the lion's den, and you're not sure you can survive. "No."
Something dark flickers across his expression. "That's what I said. I told him that, but –"
"Now, let the sister school Exchange Event start!"
The seven of you start sprinting down a gravel trail that appears between the strands of cedar and pine trees, deeper into the thickening forest; your conversation with Yuji is temporarily forgotten. The sun cuts through the trees in thick wedges of light, as a harmony of sounds weaving delicately around you. The rustling of the leaves mingles gently with the restless calls of birds and animals. You can feel the crunching of the gravel beneath your ballet flats vibrating all the way up the muscles of your legs.
All business now, Yuji asks without turning, "Where do you think the Cursed Spirit boss is?"
"It was probably unleashed halfway between both schools, but it's not going to sit still." Panda says.
"We'll be splitting up into the Megumi squad and the Panda squad for scouting soon." Maki says, her expression unwavering. "We'll be counting on you after that, Yuji."
"Yeah!"
Yuji's bright affirmation does nothing to alleviate the twist of anxiety in your gut. You can hear the sound of your own laboured breathing, punchy with each hard footfall, as you concentrate on finding your way. It had been your idea to let Yuji deal with Todou, and everyone else had readily agreed, but now, you bite your lip and can't control the panic flooding through you. You have to stifle the urge to clamp your hand down on Yuji's wrist, keeping him anchored securely to your side. You've only just gotten him back, after all.
