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“Gojo-san?” Tsumiki’s whisper echoes in the dark just as Satoru’s hand grabs onto the doorknob.
“Yea, ‘Miki?” She responds to the darkness, her hand falling back to her side.
“..Can I ask you a favour?”
“‘Course. Always.” Satoru replies simply.
Tsumiki pulls her blankets up to her ears. “…Do you promise not to laugh?”
“You know I’ll always keep my promises to you, ‘Miki.” Satoru giggles.
Those words come to Satoru so naturally. They only come so naturally because they are the truth.
“But you just laughed..” She can just hear Tsumiki’s pout behind the blanket muffling her words.
“I’m just getting the last of my laughs out~” Now Satoru can only imagine the smile making its way back onto her face behind the blanket by the way her eyes crinkle.
There’s silence as Tsumiki builds up the confidence to ask what she desires. The only sounds being the quiet breathing from the three children in the room. Satoru can feel the worry creep its way back into Tsumiki as she opens her mouth to speak.
“Can you sing for us?”
Satoru is caught off guard by the request.
“Sing?” Satoru reiterates.
She watches Tsumiki lift her shoulders as she hides further behind the blankets. She’s embarrassed. Satoru feels bad but finds her little mannerisms when she is really adorable.
“..Mhm. Like, um..—”
“—Like a lullaby.” Megumi flatly finishes Tsumiki’s sentence for her. She felt bad watching her big sister struggle with the embarrassment of asking for something they never had.
“Ah.” Satoru blinked. ‘Like a lullaby.’
Satoru was never sung to sleep as a young child, so the concept had always seemed a bit odd to her, but she had always been intrigued by it in movies and books. She wanted that. She wanted everything the kids in movies got.
She was never sung to sleep as a young child and she can assume these children weren’t either. Especially given that their father was Toji Fushiguro. Satoru can’t imagine that beast singing.
A smile makes its way onto her face at the thought of singing to the kids. She could never refuse any of their requests.
“Well.. I am just so glad you asked because I have always had a naturally beautiful singing voice~”
“Oh great. You’ve gotten her all cocky, Tsumiki.” The annoyance of Megumi’s voice only brings echoing giggles to the room.
As the laughter comes to a hush, the children already tucked into bed can hear Satoru’s soft steps across the carpeted floor of their room inching closer.
Tsumiki feels the dip in her mattress and the warmth of Satoru’s back against her own when she settles down on the bed. She looks over to Megumi who’s laying beside her, smiling widely at her little sister. Megumi only looks away, giving no expressions away on her face other than her dusted pink cheeks Tsumiki isn’t able to see in the dark.
The only thing she does is wrap her hand around two of Tsumiki’s fingers, squeezing them lightly to show her thanks. This action only causes Tsumiki’s smile to grow and in turn, strengthen Megumi’s grip on her hand.
“What do you want me to sing, ‘Miki?”
“Anything.”
Megumi scowls beside them. “Don’t say that. She’s going to end up singing something stupi if you give her free reign.”
Megumi will never admit that she actually doesn’t mind some of the stupid songs Satoru likes to sing, she just hates them when Satoru sings them.
Tsumiki giggles at her sister's judgment and squeezes her hand tightly, pulling Megumi closer as her eyes fall shut.
“I wasn’t asking you, Megumin. I was asking ‘Miki. And for the record I wasn’t going to sing something stupid for you anyways..” Satoru crosses her arms, a smile peeking at the corner of her pouty lips.
“Well that’s a shocker..” Megumi mumbles as she studies the peaceful look on her beautiful big sister's face.
Satoru can almost see her smile, even in the dark.
“..What are you gonna sing?” Megumi shyly asks.
Satoru smiles, feeling the warmth of Tsumiki’s hand wriggle its way into her palm.
“You’ll see.”
—
“Black clouds are behind me, I now can see a hill,”
Satoru didn’t lie when she said she was born with a naturally good voice for singing.
“Often I wonder why I try, hoping for an end,”
Megumi thinks she knows this song. Not because she’s heard it before, but she’s heard Satoru mumbling or humming the lyrics from time to time.
“Sorrow weighs my shoulders down, and trouble haunts my mind..”
The children can hear the olders voice quiver slightly at the end of each line. It’s a small falter most wouldn’t have noticed if you weren’t playing close attention. Unlucky for her, the children had given her all of theirs at this moment.
Tsumiki snuggles up against Satoru just a little bit more.
“But I know the present will not last.. And tomorrow will be kinder..”
Megumi can feel Tsumiki’s hand begin to relax in her grip as she slowly drifts off to sleep.
“Today I’ve cried a many tear, and pain is in my heart..”
To make up for this Megumi holds her sister's hand just a little tighter.
“Around me lies a somber scene,”
Satoru thinks of the first time someone sang this song for her.
“I don’t know where to start.”
The first time Suguru sang it for her.
—
‘Come on! I didn’t know you played the guitar.. You gotta play me something now!’
‘Do I really gotta?’
‘Yea.’
Satoru can still feel the way Suguru sighs.
‘What song?’
—
‘You just want something from The Hunger Games?’
Satoru had been obsessed with The Hunger Games at the time, ever since she went to watch it in theaters with her dear friends Suguru and Shoko.
‘Yea, anything.’
‘Fine, I’ll shuffle the soundtrack and play the first thing. Give me your earbuds.’
—
‘But I don’t know this song..’
‘I don’t care. I liked it and I’m the one playing. Deal with it~’
‘Fine. You better make it good..’
Satoru thinks that might be the day she realized she was in love with Suguru.
—
‘Okay, I’ll admit it. The song is cute.’
‘’N my playing? Are you satisfied? Will you stop bothering me now?’
Satoru pauses a moment.
‘Yes. Very.’
—
It became their song. Whenever Suguru brought out her guitar she always found herself plucking the chords to it as Satoru hummed or sang along. They sang it slow, they sang it fast. They sang it as they both danced around the room, Suguru playing off key and Satoru singing out of tune.
Satoru couldn’t listen to it the same after Suguru had left her.
—
‘It would make a good lullaby.’
Satoru thinks out loud, staring at the ceiling while Suguru strums a familiar tune.
‘Yea. Who would you even serenade with it, though?’ Suguru’s playing comes to a halt with a soft laugh, ‘your kids?’
‘I dunno.’ Satoru sits up, ‘maybe.’
‘Satoru,’ Suguru began strumming their song once more, ‘we can’t have kids with the lives we live. You know that.’
‘Oh,’ Satoru lays back down, her head sinking into the pillow, drowning out the song.
‘You’re right,’
‘It was a stupid idea, anyways.’
—
“But I feel warmth on my skin,”
Satoru’s voice calms, the quivers disappearing as she holds Tsumiki’s hand in her own.
“The stars have all aligned..”
She lays on her side, propping her head up with her free hand. Satoru’s eyes travel over to Megumi who’s intently watching over her sleeping sister. Watching her like if she lets go of her hand she’ll disappear from right where she lays beside her in bed
“The wind has blown but now I know..”
She watches Megumi’s eyes travel over to meet her own. For once, Megumi isn’t scowling at Satoru. She swears to this day that even in the dark, she could see a smile across Megumi’s face that night.
“That tomorrow will be kinder..”
Satoru thought she’d never be able to listen to their song the same way after the other half of her soul had up and left. The song still feels empty without the strumming of Suguru’s guitar, but she’s filling that empty space with something else now. With new memories. With new people.
With her children.
This moment will give this song a new meaning to Satoru now. She won’t forget the memories she shared with Suguru, but she will continue to make new ones with Tsumiki and Megumi.
“A brighter day is coming my way, yes tomorrow will be kinder..”
Megumi can feel her eyelids grow heavy as she listens to Satoru’s soothing voice.
“Tomorrow will be kinder, I know I’ve seen it before…”
Satoru’s voice begins to fade. So does Satoru. Everything becomes more and more distant with each blink of Megumi’s eyelids.
“A brighter day is coming my way, yes tomorrow will be kinder..”
Megumi doesn’t want this moment to fade away. She doesn’t want it to end. Shewants to stay in this moment with her sister's hand in her own, and the sound of her moms voice filling the room forever.
But nothing lasts forever.
“A brighter day is coming our way,”
—
“..Yes, tomorrow will be kinder..” Megumi mumbles to herself as she sways with the wind, reminiscing on the fond memory.
“Fushiguro!”
“Fuck!—” Megumi whips around to that oh so familiar voice. Snapping out of whatever oddly sentimental moment she was in.
She’s been on edge ever since they entered these cruel games, but once she catches sight of Yuuji bouncing her way toward her, it brings Megumi to ease.
“Hehe.. Sorry! Didn’t mean to scare ya.” Yuuji apologizes, quietly taking a seat beside Megumi.
“You didn’t scare me,” Megumi turns away, crossing her arms, “I was just surprised.”
There’s a faint pink glow that dusts her cheeks hidden by the twilight of the morning.
Yuuji laughs, bright and loud. It’s like she doesn’t have any worries in the world. It’s like she’s forgotten they’re in a game of life and death.
“Sure, Fushiguro. Whatever you say.. It’s not like that’s basically the same thing or anything..” Yuuji comments with the shrug of her shoulders and a teasing smile.
Yuuji’s always had such a girlish smile. The type main leads always had everyone swooning for in the cheesy classic rom coms Megumi was always forced to watch with Tsumiki and Satoru.
Yuuji’s is exactly like it, but Megumi is the only one swooning for it. She’s the only one who really sees it in its truest form.
Megumi still swoons over it even though it’s changed since The Shibuya Incident. Even though Yuuji bears a new scar where the corner of her lips upturned. This scar strains the corner of her mouth, causing Yuuji’s smile to flop slightly, one side raising more than the other.
Megumi notices all the details that changed in Yuuji’s face, in Yuuji as a whole. She always pays attention to those things.
Even with all these changes, Megumi still swoons for Yuuji all the same.
“..Shut up.” Megumi mumbles, looking away to hide the rising blood that dares to cover her cheeks.
“What did you want, anyways? You’re supposed to be sleeping.”
“And you should be too—”
“What do you want?” Megumi reiterates.
“Nothing, nothing!” Yuuji waves her hands in defense.
“I just heard singing and went to investigate..” She smiles softly at the thought.
Yuuji watches Megumi’s shoulders stiffen. Though it wasn’t really just her shoulders. It was more like her whole body.
“Singing? No you didn’t. You must’ve been dreaming.”
‘Ah..’ Yuuji smiles to herself.
“Sure I didn’t. You’re not very good at hiding things, Fushiguro.”
‘Just from you.’ Megumi wants to say.
“If you wanna sing without anyone noticing, you should try and do it quieter.”
“I wasn’t even that loud!” Megumi retorts defensively, “you should hear what you sound like when you’re showering!”
“They’re communal! You seem to forget that all the time, though,”
“Me and Kugisaki always have to warn each other before you go in—”
Megumi pauses, her words catching in her throat after mentioning their late classmate. She hadn’t said her name so casually like that ever since she’d received news of her state from Yuuji.
Megumi had been avoiding saying her name in all honesty. She’d rather ignore what happened than face it.
And if Kugisaki was really dead, Megumi would just try to pretend like she never even existed in the first place.
It’s what Megumi had decided to do as a Jujutsu Sorcerer to get through all the loss.
‘People around you, people you know, will die. You have to be prepared for it.’
She still remembers Satoru’s advice from their early days of training. It’s what she has to do as a sorcerer and what she knows Satoru does too.
But Yuuji is different. Yuuji was never taught any of this. Was never eased into the life of a Jujutsu sorcerer. Everything was thrown at her all at once from the moment she found Sukuna’s finger.
Yuuji wasn’t supposed to be here.
Maybe if Megumi just went on that mission earlier in the day,
Maybe if she didn’t visit Tsumiki that afternoon, if she had just done what Satoru had asked of her..
Maybe Yuuji wouldn’t have found that finger.
Maybe none of this would’ve happened.
Maybe..
Maybe this is Megumi’s fault—
“Good song choice, by the way.”
Megumi is pulled out of her thoughts. It’s almost as if Yuuji knows exactly whenever Megumi is in her head.
“What?” Megumi’s head whips in Yuuji’s direction, completely forgetting what her mind had been on before.
“You know that song?!” She asks in disbelief, asking a bit louder than she meant to.
How the hell did Yuuji know the lullaby Satoru had sang to her and Tsumiki throughout their whole childhood?
Jealousy pangs in Megumi’s chest, there’s no way Satoru could’ve sung that to Yuuji..
“Yeah? ‘Course I do! I know like all the songs in The Hunger Games soundtrack, I thought you knew this?” Yuuji tilts her head in a confused manner.
“The.. The Hunger Games..?” Megumi thinks out loud. She didn’t know the song Satoru sang to her and Tsumiki throughout their short lived childhood was from The Hunger Games soundtrack.
“Yea..? It’s not a very popular one but I still know it?”
Megumi stays silent for a few long moments as Yuuji’s expression grows concerned, eventually Megumi turns away to look out at the city.
“Yeah. The Hunger Games. I just didn’t expect you to know that one.”
“…Yea?” Yuuji knows it’s not just that, but Yuuji doesn't pry, she never does. That’s one of the many things Megumi likes about her.
Megumi doesn’t mean to, but she gets jealous. She’s jealous that the lullaby, their lullaby, wasn’t something only their little family knew. Even though she knows in her mind that’s not realistic, her heart wanted it to be so.
Megumi loves Yuuji, but she still can’t help but feel jealous that she knows their special song.
That in a way she shares it.
Megumi didn’t want this part of her life to be shared with anyone else other than their family. Even if she knows that with more well known lullabies there’s always someone who knows it. Someone who was sung to sleep with it. Nothing, especially lullabies, is unique to one family.
How does Megumi end up growing jealous of a silly thing like that?
She doesn’t like that she has to share their lullaby.
But Satoru must’ve gotten it somewhere, right? She didn’t seem like the type to be sung to as a child, Megumi had never even met Satoru’s parents, let alone her family, at all throughout her childhood with her.
With the way Satoru had sung it to them, it must’ve belonged to someone much more special to her.
Megumi’s jealousy stifles. Satoru was kind enough to share something so important to her with Megumi and Tsumiki.
So why should Megumi stop herself from sharing it further, to someone who’s also special to her?
“And tomorro-ow will be kind..er!” Yuuji sings, more like cracks. While she excels at everything athletic in her life, she is an absolutely horrible singer.
It’s horrible enough for a snort to escape Megumi. A snort which is shortly followed by an eruption of laughter.
“I forget how much of a horrible singer you are.”
“Hey! I’m not horrible! I’ve been practicing..”
“Sure you have.”
Maybe, Megumi thinks, maybe it isn’t so bad if some things are shared.
Megumi knows that their family’s lullaby wasn’t unique to their family. Before them, Satoru had shared this song with someone else, someone special. Megumi and Tsumiki figured it out easily from the first time Satoru had sung it with them.
Maybe, Tsumiki and her weren’t the only people who shared this song with Satoru, but they were important enough to her that she shared that part of her life, that part of her past with them.
Maybe sharing things wasn’t so bad.
But Megumi remembers another piece of advice Satoru had given him.
‘Always, always check up on the people you care about. Got it?’
“What’s up?” Yuuji breaks Megumi’s train of thought.
“Nothing just…” Megumi sighs, “just thinking.”
“About?”
“Nothing important.”
“You’re not a very good liar, Fushiguro,” Yuuji laughs.
“If it wasn’t anything important your face wouldn’t be all scrunched up and angry looking.”
Megumi makes an offended sound, “what? It was not!”
“Yes it was! You always do that when you’re thinking deeply about something,” Yuuji nods to herself. “If you’re thinking that deeply about something then it must be important!”
Yuuji was always so perceptive of these things, for how airheaded people may perceive her as, she’s actually pretty smart, when it comes to reading people.
Megumi wishes Yuuji couldn’t read her so well, she can’t hide anything from her anymore
It’s like Yuuji is attempting to open the safe that is Megumi Fushiguro’s mind.
It’s got a lot of numbers to its combination
but with every click of the safe, every new number in the combination reveals something new about Megumi. Another one of her secrets.
Megumi thinks she opens up a little bit more every time they’re together. She just can’t help it when she’s around Yuuji.
“Hey, Yuuji.”
Yuuji pauses, stunned by the use of her first name. It rolled off Megumi’s tongue so easily. Even though she’d never used it before, it’s like it was meant for her to say.
“Yeah, Megumi?”
“It’s.. It’s okay if you’re not okay, you know.”
“Y-Yeah.” Yuuji is caught off guard by the statement, “yeah, you too..”
Megumi opens her mouth, about to continue before Yuuji takes over the conversation, gently placing her hand over Megumi’s.
“Kugisaki was both our friends, and.. Gojo-san was a teacher to me, but I know she was more to you,”
“And I can’t even.. Imagine what it’s like worrying about your sister—”
“You’re doing it again.” Megumi interrupts.
Yuuji blinks, “doing what?”
“Making everything about other people.” Megumi takes Yuuji’s hand in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze as she speaks.
“It doesn’t matter if Gojo-san ‘meant more’ to me. She still meant something to you, too.”
Yuuji squeezes Megumi’s hand in return, a sad expression morphing her features as she looks away from Megumi, ashamed.
“I know… It's just.. It should’ve been me—”
“Don’t say that, Yuuji!” Megumi’s voice is stern, hurt. Her eyes burn with passion as they stare into Yuuji’s.
“You deserve to live!”
Yuuji is silent. Stunned as she stares deep into Megumi’s eyes, lost in the forest of deep green.
“You deserve to live just as much as Kugisaki did..”
Megumi laughs quietly to herself at the thought, “and she’d kick your ass if she heard you say that now..”
Yuuji and Megumi laugh heartily together, they can imagine it like Nobara was here just yesterday. Like she should’ve been. Reminiscing on their short but sweet time together as first years. The time where they actually felt free to be kids. Nobara would want them to remember her that way.
As their laughter slows, Megumi’s eyes burn with a different feeling as she looks at Yuuji, a feeling Yuuji still can’t quite yet decipher.
“For the record,” Megumi smiles softly, genuinely.
“I’m glad you’re still here too.”
“Thanks, Megumi..” Yuuji smiles, scooching closer and resting her head on Megumi’s shoulder.
“I’m glad you’re here too.”
“We’ll always end up finding each other,” Megumi says, resting her head atop Yuuji's.
“One way or another.”