𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝! 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞...

┌──── ∘°❉°∘ ────┐

𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝! 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞...

└──── °∘❉∘° ────┘

𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰ ───

--TO SAY MISA WAS SHOCKED WAS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. Her initial instinct was to yell at Yuji, maybe even throw a punch just to make sure he was real. The anger bubbling inside her wasn't just directed at him—it was aimed at Gojo as well. He had known all this time. He had listened to her talk about how much it hurt when Yuji died, and yet he'd kept the truth from her.

She understood why they had done it, why the secrecy was necessary. But what she couldn't wrap her head around was why she, along with Kugisaki and Fushiguro, had been left in the dark. They'd been his teammates, his friends. Didn't they deserve to know?

Now, they were gathered in one of the dojo's training rooms, the sunlight streaming through the windows as they waited for noon. The group was going over their plan for the upcoming event, as well as catching Yuji up on everything he'd missed. It felt surreal—like a dream she wasn't entirely convinced she hadn't woken up from yet.

Yuji, for his part, was trying to keep up with the whirlwind of information while also processing the new faces around him. He hadn't met the second years yet, and his reactions were nothing short of entertaining. His eyes kept darting between the talking panda, the perpetually stern girl with furrowed eyebrows, and the quiet, white-haired boy who only spoke in cryptic food references.

Misa, standing slightly off to the side, watched the scene unfold with an odd mix of amusement and disbelief. She'd grown close to the second years over the past months, and part of her had always wished Yuji could meet them. But now that it was actually happening, it all felt strangely out of place.

"Stop being so nosy about everyone else's techniques!" Nobara snapped suddenly, stomping her foot as her voice cut through the room. Her glare was sharp, and her tone was as harsh as ever.

Yuji flinched slightly but grinned sheepishly. "I wasn't being nosy—I was just curious!"

"It's fine," Maki said, her tone flat as she waved off Nobara's frustration. "Toge's ability isn't exactly a big secret."

She turned to Yuji, her sharp gaze locking onto him as she took a couple of steps closer. "More importantly, Yuji..." she began, catching his attention. She reached out a hand expectantly, her expression as unreadable as ever.

"Hand over my blade," she demanded. "You borrowed Slaughter Demon from Satoru, right?"

Yuji blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sudden shift. "Oh, uh—yeah! Right! I totally have that! Somewhere..." He spoke, not convincing anyone.

Maki grunted, letting out a sigh and crossed her arms. "That blindfolded dumbass." Complained Maki.

Maki naturally assumed the role of team leader, her commanding presence impossible to ignore. She stood upright, her confident stance immediately gathering everyone's attention. "Alright, what's the plan? Our group battle strategy is what we originally expected, but now we have another member." Her sharp eyes flicked to Yuji for a moment before settling on Misa. "Should we change strategies? Got any ideas? You've been awfully quiet, considering you're you."

Misa sighed heavily, rubbing the back of her neck as she glanced around the room. Her usual sharp wit was nowhere to be found, replaced by visible confusion as she tried to wrap her head around the entire situation. She shrugged, clearly still processing everything.

"I mean..." she started slowly, gesturing vaguely in Yuji's direction. "He's strong. Like, stupidly strong. So maybe that's our answer? Yuji can be the force—we'll use his strength to break through. The rest of us can adapt and cover him when needed."

Yuji perked up at her suggestion, giving her an enthusiastic thumbs-up. "I'm good with that! Just point me in the right direction."

"So, what are your specialties?" Panda asked, his curious gaze fixed on Yuji.

Yuji shrugged. "Punch, kick," he said, nodding to himself as he recalled.

Panda blinked, tilting his head. "Yeah, uh, we're pretty much set on that."

Yuji's expression fell, his shoulders slumping slightly at the talking animal's blunt assessment. Before he could say anything, Megumi spoke up, his tone calm but firm. "I don't know what he's been up to, considering he's been dead for two months. But I will say this—if we all fought him without cursed energy, we'd lose."

That statement caught the second years' attention, their curiosity piqued. Panda and Maki exchanged glances, the weight of Megumi's words sinking in. For Misa and Nobara, however, it wasn't a surprise—they already knew just how terrifying Yuji's raw strength could be.

A smug smirk tugged at the corners of Maki's stern expression, her sharp eyes glinting with interest. "Huh," she said, her voice laced with faint amusement. "Guess you're not just a one-trick pony after all."

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰ ───

--The group had scattered to different corners of the dojo for a short break. Nobara was chatting animatedly with Panda and Maki, while Megumi leaned against the wall, quietly observing.

Misa had made her way to the kitchen for some water, but before she could reach her destination, behind her, footsteps approached. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Misa," Yuji's voice called softly, hesitant. He stopped a few feet away, his usual cheerful demeanor dimmed. "Can we... talk?"

She let out a slow breath before straightening and turning to face him. "What's up?" She asked, keeping a calm composure to hide all her feelings unraveling.

Yuji scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, his eyes darting everywhere but at her. "Are you mad at me?" he asked, his voice quieter now, almost uncertain. "You've been... I don't know, different. Like, distant."

Misa blinked, caught off guard by his directness. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond. Then, with a heavy sigh, she relaxed her posture, crossing her arms. "I'm not mad at you, Yuji," she said finally. "I'm... confused."

Yuji frowned, his head tilting slightly. "Confused? About what?"

She looked away, her gaze falling to the wooden floor. "About all of this. About you coming back." Her voice wavered slightly, but she quickly steadied it. "We thought you were dead. Megumi watched Sukuna rip your heart out. And then you just... show up like nothing happened."

"I didn't mean for it to be like that," Yuji said earnestly, stepping closer. "I wasn't trying to keep it from you. Gojo-sensei said it was better if no one knew, and I just... went along with it. I didn't want to make things harder for anyone."

Misa's eyes snapped up to meet his, her expression a mix of frustration and hurt. "You think it wasn't hard for us anyway? Do you have any idea what it was like to lose you? To carry that, to fight without you, while wondering if we could've done something to stop it?"

Yuji's face fell, guilt flickering in his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't want to hurt anyone. I didn't want to hurt you."

The raw honesty in his voice made her pause. She sighed again, shaking her head as she ran a hand through her hair. "I know. I get why it happened the way it did. I just... I don't know. It's hard to process. One minute, you're gone, and we're grieving. And now you're back, and everything feels... off."

They stood in silence for a moment, the weight of her words hanging in the air. Yuji shifted awkwardly, his hands slipping into his pockets. "I didn't mean for it to feel like this," he said quietly. "I just... I wanted to come back and fight with you guys again. To make up for everything."

Misa's expression softened slightly, her arms uncrossing. "You don't have to make up for anything, Yuji. You did what you thought was right. You always do. That's who you are." She hesitated, then added, "It's just going to take time. For all of us."

He nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Yeah. I get that." He glanced at her, his usual brightness returning ever so slightly. "So... we're good?"

She rolled her eyes, but there was a small, genuine smile on her face. "Yeah, Yuji. We're good. Just... don't die on us again, okay? I don't think I can go through that twice."

Yuji grinned, his usual cheer breaking through at last. "I'll do my best. But no promises. You know how these curses are."

"Yeah," she said, her voice lighter now. "I know."

Yuji shifted his weight from one foot to the other, a small grin creeping onto his face. "You know, while I was... uh, gone, I wasn't just sitting around doing nothing. I actually got to fight alongside this guy named Nanami. He's, like, super serious but also really cool."

"Nanami?" Misa repeated, tilting her head. "Haven't met him. What's he like?"

Yuji's grin widened. "Oh, he's awesome. Wears a suit all the time—like, even during fights. He's got this whole 'no-nonsense, nine-to-five sorcerer' vibe. Anyway, we fought a special grade together."

Misa's eyebrows shot up. "A special grade? And you won?"

"Yup!" Yuji said, his chest puffing up with pride. "It was tough, but we worked together and took it down. He even said I wasn't completely useless, which I think is a big compliment coming from him."

Misa let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "Of course you'd turn a fight with a special grade into a team-building exercise. That's just so... you."

"Hey, I learned a lot," Yuji said, his tone earnest. "And honestly, I feel stronger now. Like, I can actually do something to help—like I can really fight alongside you guys."

Misa's smile softened, the warmth in her gaze replacing the lingering frustration from earlier. "I'm glad, Yuji. I really am."

Before she could overthink it, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a firm hug. Yuji stiffened slightly in surprise but quickly relaxed, his own arms coming up to return the gesture.

"I missed you," Misa said softly, her voice steady but full of emotion. "You have no idea how much."

Yuji didn't say anything right away, but his grip on her tightened just a little. "I missed you too," he admitted, his voice quieter than usual. "I missed all of you."

They stood there for a moment, the unspoken weight of everything they'd been through lingering between them. Finally, Misa pulled back, a teasing smirk breaking through the seriousness of the moment.

"Don't get used to the hugs," she said, pointing a finger at him. "I don't do this often."

Yuji laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Noted. I'll cherish it forever."

"Good," she replied with a grin, giving him a playful nudge. "Now, let's get back before Nobara comes looking for us. You know she'll never let me live it down if she catches us being sentimental."

"Yeah, she'd probably tease us for weeks," Yuji agreed, falling into step beside her as they headed back toward the group.

And for the first time since everything had changed, things felt just a little bit normal again.

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