Chapter Text
Clink. Clink. Clunk. Clink.
Satoru tossed in bed and buried his head under his pillow. The gentle rain falling outside rarely bothers him. But tonight, the rain was hitting something, a pipe, a tin can. He didn’t care, and it grated on his nerves. Loud and insistent, very contrasting to the silence he’s hearing from his Alpha ever since he woke up that day.
Loud and insistent and contrasting, just like that stoic Omega Zenin.
He keeps on tossing left and right until he flopped over again, jamming his eyes shut, reliving training today. Yaga had teamed him up, the Gojo heir, and the Zenin head, to practice defense skills with a simple domain. Satoru had seen Megumi work with trainees and students before, had seen him dancing with swords with Maki, the 2nd year Alpha teacher gifted with Heavenly Restriction. The omega had excellent footwork, his weight resting lightly on the balls of his feet, his shikigami summoning explicit, his long fingers tightly clasped for calling forth his shadow fiends. But as he watched, he had the feeling that he had seen him before.
And as he practiced with him this afternoon, the feeling clung to him, thickly dark, sticky, and suffocating. He knew, for no reason, that he would attack him under, that he would call forth a flying shikigami to distract him. That he would unsheathe a sword from the shadows, swing toward his chest and he could easily evade and block it with his infinity.
But seeing him with that line of determination between his brows struck him and he blocked the sword and instead took the hit of his bird shikigami, a slight bolt of electricity jarring him.
It felt like an echo, that move, and he couldn’t understand why.
So here he was, late at night, listening to water dripping off the eaves, frustration mounting, and clinging to his skin.
He sat up and flung his covers back, clambering out of bed. He groaned in pain as if there was an invisible injury in his head that was protesting. He rubbed it absentmindedly as he padded over to the simple closet in the small space and pulled out trousers and training shoes. He looks in the mirror and he is still in awe of how taller, muscular, and a bit more mature he had become. He could still remember how his 17-year-old self fought with another heavenly restricted assassin, and he gets a headache every time he tries to recall it. And he gets irritated because the man had almost killed him and he has to always see his offspring every day, playing teacher to the sorcerers to be, as if he is not the son of the famed sorcerer killer that struck fear in the sorcerers years ago. That was fourteen years ago, Now tho, he’s 31 years old or so he was told, but he looks way too young for a 31, looks like in his early 20s, and feels like 17. He dressed quickly and left his room, wandering down the dorm halls to go to the training room.
He strode down the halls, forcing himself to breathe through his nose and out his mouth, forcing himself to find calm. He turned left and paused by a door.
He knew it was Zenin Megumi’s room. He had seen him go into it twice. He sniffed and swore he could smell the scent of patchouli mint, sweet milk, and fresh pine that clung to his skin.
It annoyed him, that sweet, foresty-smell, sticking to everything, a ghost even when he wasn’t in the room. And something deep inside him is loving that smell. He hates it and he kept walking past, even as his irritation rose.
The omega had apologized for hitting him and he had glared at him, feeling his embarrassment and sadness grow. Felt a wave of longing roll off of him that made him suck his breath and stumble out of the training room.
Satoru rolled his shoulders and pushed the memory away.
He stood inside the training room, where the students practice. Occasionally, he would meditate here at night. Shoko his best friend, who seems to have grown older than him and more haggard, had prescribed him to do meditation, to help him with his memories and maybe he can find his Alpha within. There are times in his meditation that he would see glimpses of an unknown past. Curses, hundreds of them. A young boy with green defiant eyes whose face he can't see clearly. Suguru’s smiling face was painted in blood. A kiss and other ghosts that called to him.
Not even with Shoko in the twice-weekly counseling sessions he was required to take, can explain what he recalls in his flashbacks but says maybe it's a sign that he's recovering. But he has yet to hear his alpha. Maybe having been locked in the prison realm for too long had erased his memory and silence his alpha. He wasn’t sure, but it felt like it.
Clink. Clink. Clunk. Clink.
Satoru sighs in frustration Even here, he could hear the rain hitting something. He cocked his head and listened to see if he could follow the sound home. He closed his eyes and felt the curse energy all around him through infinity and six eyes, making him sensitively aware of everything around him such as the students' snores and whimpers to the beetles crawling in the trees to the frogs hopping along with the mud to the worms churning in the dirt and to the birds huddled beneath leaves and branches.
And to him.
Walking down the corridor to him, arms across his chest, wrapping a thin black robe around himself, his bare feet making no noise, just like his no-good assassin dad. Satoru gritted his teeth. He came to stand behind him but said nothing.
It made him more pissed than it should have. He wanted words from him. Something outside of the careful niceties he uttered, the bland things he said. He saw the way he lit up around a young man and an alpha sorcerer named Yuuji, around his former teacher, now principal Yaga, and the other teachers and students. He saw the regret on his face as he worked with the eager teens.
The first time he had seen that happy face around the pink-haired alpha, he had crushed the wooden windows in another training room, splinters falling to the ground.
Clink. Clink. Clunk. Clink.
And old Kusakabe and the other teachers' Panda and Okkotsu, and even the visiting sorcerer Yuuji, whom he’s unfamiliar with, had looked at him, concern in their eyes. Satoru couldn’t explain what had grabbed him by the throat at that moment. Only something had. And when Yaga passed by and saw the mess, he had nodded and looked over at Zenin Megumi, his lips compressed, his lids half shuttered.
He had called Megumi into his office later that day, Satoru had observed, as he talked with Rindo Suzu, a newly graduated omegan shaman from Fukuoka and MeiMei’s former student, and Charles Bernard, a beta sorcerer and artist who stays at the school. He wasn’t sure why he tracked his progress to Yaga’s office or why he loitered, waiting anxiously to exit. He wasn’t sure why the relief on Zenin’s face was like a balm to him.
He hated that he seems to care for the young omega. That his eyes were always following him. How he knew where he was even without thinking. How, even now, he knew he was forcing himself to be calm as he stood behind him.
“Your feet are gonna get cold,” he said abruptly, not sure why he cared. Zen in Megumi snorted.
“It’s summer,” he said dryly. “The rain is a blessing in these hot months.”
“Hmph,” he hemmed and stood, moving forward under the eaves, watching the rain fall like a sheet in front of him. He stayed behind.
“We won’t be able to take the training of the freshmen out to the fields tomorrow, ” he offered.
“No, they will have to continue to train here as the curses had turned special grade,” the omega agreed. “I’m sure Yuta-senpai has some ideas.”
“I’m surprised Yaga gave you the first years. You’re so untested,” Satoru said condescendingly.
“I was trained by…” a pause. “I trained with the likes of Yuta and Hakari senpai for several years,” Megumi gently responded after a moment. He held back another snap or taunt. No matter how hard he pushed him, he always responded kindly. “Besides, they couldn’t train with you.”
“Yeah yeah they might become a liability, your students aren't strong enough,” he half-heartedly replied. He said nothing, and Satoru sighed. He couldn’t remember his time there, but Shoko had told him in the clinic ward. So many gaps.
Worst of all was Nanami and Suguru. Dead. Gone. Died in the war he cannot recall, averting her eyes. Satoru clung to that idea. Of course Suguru was protective of the weak. He would sacrifice himself to save another. He had went into this school with Suguru and they were the strongest when they are together. He just couldn’t figure out why Shoko never looked him in the eye while talking about Suguru.
“Can’t you sleep?” Megumi quietly prodded.
“The rain,” he answered. “It’s hitting something and it bothers me.”
“Hitting what?”
“Can’t you hear that noise? It’s so loud,” Satoru complained, looking over his shoulder at him. Ok, he had grudgingly agreed with Charles that he wasn’t ugly (although those weren’t the words Charles had used). Those clear green eyes watch him carefully. The curve of his nose, the dip in his cherry lips, his sweet, refreshing scent.
Satoru realized he was staring and jerked his gaze away. And he felt the other falter. He snorted. A little orphan clan head with an ugly last name. He probably just wanted something from him based on what he feels and smells from his omega. Maybe, to brag that he snared the strongest sorcerer of the Gojo Clan. A claim to the Prime Alpha of the Gojo family. He saw how close this omega, Yaga and some of the Gojo people were.
Satoru tsked and stormed out of the training room and into the rain, his infinity protecting him from the wetness. He needed to get away from him. He was almost embarrassed by how poorly he thought of him. He flew over the trees; the rain dripping onto his invisible shield, pattering loudly on them.
Satoru lands on the highest tree of the forest and watched the city lights just beyond. Here he felt calm, the oppressive gaze of Zenin Megumi no longer on him.
Why couldn’t he stand him? He grimaced. Unconsciously, he rubbed his left hand. He had a divot on his fourth finger, a line paler than all of his skin, a wound Shoko had told him. But it was all an empty echo in his mind. He could heal it, but deep down, someone was telling him NO. Is it his missing Alpha?
He let his head fall back against the trunk and, for the hundredth time, he wonders what they hid away from him.
—----------
The school cafeteria was rowdy in the morning with the whoops of the teens, quite a lot about twenty-five, more than the previous student body in his time, they fought over breakfast. It seems a lot of young people had manifested curse techniques when the war happened. Students aside, they also have trainees like Rindo Suzu and Charles Bernard, new sorcerers that needed further training. Satoru settled into a chair and took a grateful gulp of his sweet creamy coffee. Charles and Suzu joined him, Suzu sliding over until her hip bumped his. Satoru snaked his hand across her waist and carefully pressed his lips to her temple.
“You look tired,” she fussed, pushing back his white locks from his face. Fixing his askew sunglasses.
“Couldn’t sleep,” he confessed, and the omega offered a mischievous smile and wink.
“You could have come by….”
“I heard Zenin-san left last night,” Charles said thoughtfully around a mouthful of sausage. His room was near Megumi’s and he cast his gaze over to the green-eyed omega's table where he sat with Alphas Zenin Maki, Okkotsu Yuta and Itadori Yuuji. He heard him laugh and felt an odd pang. Satoru turned away and nuzzled Suzu, startling her. She gazed at him with her wide dark eyes, a blush blooming on her cheeks.
“Bad night,” he offered and she laid her cheek on his shoulder. It should have comforted him.
“I wonder if he’s dating Itadori san. They kinda looked good together,” Charles mused, taking a glance at where Megumi is.
“No, I don’t think he is,” Satoru mumbled. He pushed his vegies around on his plate with his chopsticks.
“You’ve said that too with Okkotsu sensei, with Hakari san, with the Kamo head. You said that to every alpha that Zenin sensei comes across with, Charles.” Suzu scoffs
“Well, he’s a one-of-a-kind beauty. A one of a kind omega plus he’s the ten shadow holder that could rival Satoru here” Charles sheepishly but amazedly admits which kinda irks Satoru inside. Rindo Suzu just rolls her eyes.
“Well, since it seems you are so interested in the Zenin omega head, Charles, you can ask him out and stop bugging us,” Suzu said pointedly, aiming her chopstick at him. Charles blushed and looked down at his plate.
“You’re just jealous.” Charles' replied, and the omega made a scandalized sound and expression “excuse me?”, but the beta just shoveled food in his mouth. The European reminded Satoru of Suguru--the same teasing and sly grin but can be caring to others.
Satoru had no memory of the Jujutsu war. His experience was with the remnants of his 17 year old self but he was indeed shocked by how much power and strength he had after waking up, more so than his younger self. Even his physique surprised him.
“I get to go out on my mission soon,” Suzu was saying. Satoru shook his head and looked down at her, at her glossy golden hair, her milk-white skin, and gardenia smell. She was a stunning omega he told himself sternly, that the other student alphas are crushing too and an expert with paper shikigami as well, only 19 years old, younger by two years than him . He was also helping her train physically. It would be better for her because shikigami users are weak in close combat.
“The higher-ups will assign us somewhere soon. I hope I get to go abroad,” Suzu confided. Charles nodded
“I want to experience the wild parties of the Americas.”
“Suzu chan is such a wild wild girl,” Satoru teased and Suzu bit her lips, suggestively looking at him. Charles made a face.
“Too bad you can't go beyond Japan yet. We could have fun abroad Satoru” Suzu pouted and Satoru looked away, back toward Megumi’s table. He would not be allowed in going abroad, Shoko had announced. He would just advise and assist the 3rd years and other sorcerers in need. But until she could be sure that he is completely healed in mind, body, and spirit, he would stay put. He would teach and train.
He often found it ironic that even the Gojo old men, including his father, had agreed with his best friend. Them, the ones that had painstakingly trained him to be the strongest. They could have let him stay at the Gojo household, but they insist he stay and heal at the school. Satoru can only laugh at the irony.
The bell rang, ending the morning meal, and the students and teachers left the cafeteria to start the morning class. Satoru looked at the little Zenin head, they made brief eye contact and Satoru rested his head on Suzu’s affectionately. He hates that the raven-haired omega had an unreadable expression and then the pink-haired alpha concealed him from his view with his tall and buff body, putting his arms around the omega's narrow shoulder as they walked away from their table. Satoru can’t help but get mad… why? He doesn't know.
Gojo Satoru was a well-liked man(is what he believes). He was the strongest and with his inherited technique, they likened him to a God, the honored one. He was a fun teacher (is what he believes) and always had a quick smile for someone. The other students who knew who he was were always eager to train with him. He was an excellent fighter and martial artist next to Maki sensei, top of his class. And a damn good-looking man.
(But the Majority of the adults at the Jujutsu Tech think he's still a menace, except the students, who think he's cool.)
...
As he entered the training room later, he felt the omega's eyes on him as soon as he walked in and he bit his lip. Megumi was the sand in the wound, irritating, grinding against him every day.
Satoru growled as he saw Zenin Megumi with Suzu, both holding training wooden swords, both standing loose and comfortable. Why is Suzu here, anyway? He thought they’ll be training together alone later. He shook his head and took several deep breaths before taking a place in the sides of the room near Zenin Maki, observing.
“Now begin. One of you must be the attacker, the other defending. Then switch. I will walk around and offer guidance,” Maki commanded. The students and some trainees shuffled across from one another and Satoru heard clashes of the bokken. Maki wandered over to Satoru, monitoring the students.
“I’m going to randomly throw kunai bombs and sting some students, don't worry this is non-lethal just painful,” Maki said loudly, and Satoru chuckled darkly.
“That’s not very nice, Maki.” Maki only shrugged. “These students are on the last leg of training. If they want to survive in a real fight, they need to understand it’s not one on one or nice and neat. It’s messy. It’s chaotic and dangerous, and sometimes your technique can’t help you so you have to rely on your physical prowess” she shot a look up at Satoru. “Right Stupi– Satoru?” the white-haired man only shakes his head. He feels like Maki hates him, even if the female alpha is outwardly nice to him.
“Now, Stu–Satoru.” Maki started “start randomly throw kunai bombs too” she hands him the small star shaped bombs before throwing them in different places.
"Are you sure you’re training Suzu well? She’s always struggling when training with us.” Maki said unimpressed and Satoru automatically moved across the training room to where Megumi was attacking Suzu. Suzu scrambled back, her bokken barely sweeping down in time to block Megumi. Megumi pivots and thrust the other end of his bokken toward her face. Suzu stumbled and hastily blocked it. A kunai bomb shot down from the ceiling, stinging Suzu in the shoulder. She winced and rolled her shoulder before reaching up to wipe the sweat off her brow.
“This is haaaard,” Suzu groaned and Megumi smiled a little.
“It just takes practice. Us Shikigami users are easy targets for others, especially curses and curse users that are adept in close combat, ” Megumi explained kindly. “That’s why we also need to learn close combat skills so that we can utilize not just our shikigami but also our own physical skills.”
“You sound like you’ve fought in situations like that before in the War,” Suzu said. Satoru moved to stand beside her, placing his hand on her back. He felt rather than see Megumi stiffen and the lines around his eyes tighten. Others may not smell it. The omega is good at hiding scents but for some reason, he can smell the sourness of his scent and see the quickening of the omegas flow of curse energy as if, hurt.
“The War offered...a lot of situations where you learned on your feet.”
“You’re a good attacker, Zenin Megumi,” Satoru smiled tightly and then got upset at seeing the exhaustion on Suzu’s face. “But how are you at defense?” He snatched Suzu's wooden sword and twirls it before pointing it at Megumi. The Zenin omega watched him uneasily, moving his right foot back, the other pointed toward him.
“Do you want to be the attacker?” he politely inquired, holding the bokken in front of him.
“En garde,” Satoru viciously bared his teeth as he moved, swinging his bokken down at him. At the same time, a kunai came from above. Megumi twirls to avoid the bomb hitting it with the hilt of the bokken, misdirecting it toward Satoru which blocked it with his infinity. Satoru attacks him head-on. He battered him, a rain of blows on his sword, Megumi repelling each one. Pleasure ran up his spine at the determination in his face, how deftly he moved, how he slid under his blow and came up behind him, quickly catching his blade as he pivoted.
“Sat—Gojo san” he shouted, his breathing heavy. The other students and trainees had stopped and moved to the sides where they watched the alpha and omega, Gojo and Zenin hack at one another. At some point, Megumi stopped defending and began to move into a more aggressive stance.
“You need to stop!” he called again as Satoru swung toward his head. Megumi's sword swung up, caught the edge of it, and swirled around the others' bokken, sliding toward his hilt. Satoru crushed his wooden sword with his curse energy, catching him by surprise in the wrist before he knocked his elbow under his jaw. The zenin omega staggered back, his eyes wide in surprise while caressing his jaw. Satoru began to advance on him, a cursed laden fist coming his way, bombarded him, forcing the omega to keep his brittle sword moving at all times.
Megumi suddenly growls his curse energy rises and shoves his bokken forward, but Satoru has infinity, the thrust didn't get through. Then unexpectedly, even with six eyes, Satoru tripped below, to his own shadow and Megumi slashed his way to Satoru's torso whose infinity had faltered from the shadow surprise attack. Satoru crushed his sword with curse energy before it connected to his torso and managed to get his foot out of the shadow and kick Megumi in the leg only, the omega melted like ink when he hit him. Then a hand grabbed his ankle below pulling him down and another Megumi appeared from the shadows below, lunging up and punching his face hard with an uppercut. Satoru staggered back, sunglasses thrown out his face and broken, and he spat blood. His ethereal cerulean eyes glared at the omega and in his fury used his space manipulation technique to pin down the omega with force, the floor broke into big rubble behind where Megumi is pinned down. He saw Megumi's chest heaving and green eyes wild.
“Satoru, please,” he said raggedly.
“Afraid, little blessing?” he demanded, wondering why he called him that. Megumi's eyes widened and then narrowed, nails digging into his wrist. He slammed his head forward, hitting him in the nose. He gasped and fell back. Megumi stood and jumped a distance backward, clasped his hands together and monstrous curse energy surged from him "With this treasure, I summon…" the omega muttered darkly and panic surged through Satoru when the shadows started swallowing the whole room. He was forced to take a step back and readied himself to use his hollow purple technique.
His vision blurs a moment.
—-----------
Snow had started falling that day and he was holding his slender hands to his, entwining their fingers together. He was beautiful, with long curvy dark lashes, green eyes like the forests, and kissable cherry lips. He looked divine in his olive green and pink kimono. His scent has always been his favorite, he loves it the most. He was incandescent, elegant, a sorcerer full of righteous rage yet calm and collected most of the time, stoic but very caring, and he longed for him to be his, to be his mate, his one and only omega.
“I love you with all my heart, my little blessing” he whispers to him lovingly, and his blessing smiles, brushing his pretty fingers to Satoru's lips before his omega claims them with his.
"I love you too alpha.. Always..."
—-----
A flashback? Satoru's eyes widened when Itadori Yuuji appeared out of nowhere hugging Megumi from behind, taking both his hands away from each other, his face at the crook of the omega's neck which made Satoru feel angry. The omega's head was stooped low, face shadowed. The alpha was whispering something in his ears. The omega relaxes and the suffocating curse energy dissipates and the shadows calmed. Itadori lets him go from his hold and Megumi says a soft apology before stiffly walking from the room. The students and trainees were in awe, looking between the Gojo heir and Zenin head that had walked out the room. Itadori Yuuji looked at Satoru sadly before shaking his head and followed the omega out. What the hell does that look mean? satoru growled inwardly.
Maki finally clapped her hand "alright, that's enough for today… go on now to your next class. Off you go kids" The half dozen students filed out, most casting glances over their shoulder at Satoru who had just stood there dumbly. Maki stared at him before going out too. He let himself fall to his bottom to sit on the hardwood floor, arms hanging on his knees. Suzu goes to him and kneels beside him to wipe the sweat off his face. She looked worried, he would like to soothe the omega whose smell starts to get sour from worrying but his brain would go and think of the other omega...
Of his mint colored eyes beautiful in his rage, and something inside him tugs heavily, again.
Megumi is an omega and yet he's strong. A Zenin omega who seems to be as strong as the prime Alpha of the Gojo clan, holder of limitless and six eyes vs. The ten shadows. Someone who can surpass him and someone... that makes his heart aches.
Clink. Clink. Clunk. Clink. He hears it again, the sound of raindrops hitting metal.