" "Are you Satoru Gojo because you are the strongest? Or are you the strongest because you are Satoru Gojo?" "
.

..

Day One following the UA raid

...

     It was a late night. All was dark but the lines of red and gold light filling up the streets. The roads were smooth, making the car trip deafly quiet.

     Gojo sat at the wheel of the black rental car, arms stiff. The pink haired teen he mentored stared out the window, elbow leaning on the window frame, propping his chin upon his palm. Both were clearly tired, neither having slept a wink since involving themselves in that little war of sorts.

     "Is your Infinity up?" The pink haired one questioned.

     "No.." Gojo frowned.

     [Oh, good. I can talk like this again. Hey, so why didn't we just zip back to Tokyo like we did on the way to UA? And why did you rent such a cheap car? Aren't you rich?]

     "Hey, there's no problem in a little sight seeing, right??" The driver chuckled. Obviously fake. 'I just hope this drug wears off soon. It'd be a real pain in the a## trying to teach a bunch of kids without any powers of my own..'

     Saiki turned his head to the elder. [Why didn't you tell anyone you were quirkless?]

     Hissing through his teeth. "Hey, what did I tell you about reading people's minds unwarranted??"

     [Sorry. It's harder to control when I'm tired.] The teen twisted away, returning his attention to the other cars on the highway.] Gojo sighed, grip on the wheel a little tighter.

     After exiting the highway, it wasn't long before the rental weaved around until it reached a place where no city lights shined. A large arching gate consumed in hedges stood proudly, hiding the family name.

     [Never entered this way before. You're usually carrying me around by the shirt.]

     "Hehehhh..yeah, not sure this gate is even used all that often... Uhh.. how does it work?" The man parked in front of the gate and got out of the car. Saiki stayed seated as his mentor kicked at the entrance. "Hey!! Head of the Gojo clan here! Uhh, a little help?" He received no response. "Hhhh..." He pulled out his phone, tapped it a couple times, and held the device to his ear. "Um, hello, Mom? Yeah, just wondering how you usually get through the front gate... The front gate. No, not some weird portal. The one to the house!.. There's a huh?" His body twisted all around. "Why? Dunno. Bye~!" He shut off the phone at once and waddled over to a metal box almost completely hidden in viny plants. It was a keypad. A password was required. A long, agitated sigh was drawn from him again as he pulled out his phone. "Yeah, Mom? Just wondering. What's the password?... okok, thanks!" Finally, the man had the gate opened so he could slide right on through.

     Saiki was about ready to drift off to sleep as they drove in. A while more of nothing but driving in the dark passed until finally the warm light of a house came into view. Beautifully snug in the middle of the garden of a forest, the traditional Japanese palace shined. Saiki's head jerked awake as they at last pulled to a stop. Gojo had parked right in front of the house without a care.

     "Get up, kid, I don't have to escort you to your room."

     While yawning. [You're right. That won't be necessary.] Saiki grabbed the door handle, but before he could yank it open, Gojo turned back toward him from the driver's seat, fixing the seventeen year old with a very serious look.

     "Don't tell anyone about my powers, alright?" The teen stared back for a moment before nodding.

     [Wasn't planning it.] Gojo acknowledged with a brief smile and half hearted finger gun as he slid out of the car. Before the lean man had even reached the door, both of his parents in old fashioned kimonos were in the doorway already expressing their worry for him.

     Gojo's dad, with long white hair tied back, a strong jaw, and a pair of rectangular glasses over his eyes stood in the doorway with strict posture, observing his son carefully for any abnormalities from afar. His mother, meanwhile -- a shorter, plumper woman with gray hair, round glasses -- was very clearly the one more visibly worried for her son. "Satoru, don't tell me you lost your powers like those heroes on the news have been!" She grabbed his sleeves, tugging her boy's arms closer to her chest. A jabbing pain bounced around in the younger man's skull. Was it really that easy to figure out??"

     Before he could react in a way that might worry his parents, Gojo faked a smile and stood taller. "Oh, don't worry! It'll only last a couple days!. I'll be back to normal in no time."

     "Oh thank goodness!"

     "How did that happen?" The dad asked from the top of the stairs, which Satoru's mother was now leading him up.

     The younger man blushed, blue eyes dashing away. His free hand rose to rub the back of his head. "Jsss let my guard down half a second. It'll be fine." Chuckling. Satoru's father landed his arm around the younger's shoulder as he arrived at the door.

     Patting his shoulder roughly. "As long as you say so," offering his son a hopeful smirk, "I'll believe it." The young Gojo died inside. He'd better be telling the truth...

----------

     "Why past me? Just...why?" The man, now dressed in PJs and ready for sleep, Gojo stared up at the hurtle that was getting into his bed. Because having a normal bed was so lame, slightly younger Gojo decided hanging his bed fifteen feet above the floor was a great idea! Not only that, but a literal mote was trenched into his floor circling the center of the room. Other than that, however, it was a decently normal room, other than the very high ceiling. Gojo just had to- hhhhh...

     Past Gojo specifically designed it so that no one without a quirk similar to his could reach his bed. Going as far to measure all the furniture and make sure that it couldn't all be stacked atop one another to form a ladder of sorts. ...All for the sake of p###ing his future self off, apparently.

     Pffff! That wouldn't stop him! This is Satoru Gojo we are talking about! He was born to do the impossible!

. . .

     Rough luck. Because after two hours of moving furniture around, parkouring, and playing every trick he could think of..he failed. Finally accepting his fate, the man laid sprawled out on the floor of his room, staring at the unaccomplishable goal he'd set up himself. He sighed loudly and rubbed his heavy eyes.

     There are just some things the powerless simply can't do...

----------

     He was just as powerless, perhaps even moreso, when word of his quirklessness rippled throughout the jujitsu world, specifically among the elites.

     And he didn't have the power to save his first and favorite -- of the two pink haired students; a boy he had grown very fond of over the past year: Yuji Itadori.

     Since Gojo and Gojo alone was the only thing standing between the innocent boy and execution, the elites took advantage of his sudden weakness that very night.

     ...Gojo wasn't even informed of the bad news until the next morning after waking up on the floor. It was already too late.

     The boy was proclaimed dead ... again.

     ...If only he had his powers... He could have saved everyone.

----------

Day Four following the UA raid

...

     "Hold on, guys, just one minute!" Zeya shoveled snacks set out for movie watching purposes into her arms, waddling with all of them instead to the hallway.

     "Hey, where are you going with those?!" Elyse barked from the couch. She'd seen her niece hoard entire loads of food to her room before, but this was starting to get ridiculous! The girl wasn't even gaining weight!

     "Uhh, vibe checking the food real quick!" Zeya called back as she waddled off.

     Reigen, sitting on the couch beside Elyse, held the TV remote high above his head. "Alright! But we're starting the movie soon whether you're in here or not!"

     "Kay!!" After Zeya disappeared into her room, Chonker the pooch scratched around at the bedroom door. "Psst, shut up, Chonker!" But the dog continued to whine, scratch, and sniff. After a while of this with no signs of calming down, Elyse huffed and swung herself off the couch to figure out what was going on.

     There were few things Elyse feared in this world, one of which being cockroaches. And it was because of that, and the coincidental fact that Reigen was much the same way, perhaps even worse, that Zeya purposefully bought and raised a small tribe of Hissing Cockroaches in her room, just to ward the adults off. Thankfully, they were all well contained...but still. Elyse hesitated to open the door.

     She glanced down at the suspicious pup sniffing under the door. The dog, spoiled as he was, never got this excited about food before. "Um...Zeya? You aren't feeding all of that food to your pet roaches..are you?"

     "Makes the frickers big and strong!" Zeya's voice sounded oddly distant, even for being locked away in her room. Elyse's right brow twitched.

     "Okay, now I know you're hiding something! What is it?!"

     "What are you taaaalking about?! I'm not hiding anything!!" A nervous chuckle accompanied by other faint shushing. Elyse frowned and jiggled the door knob. As expected, it was locked tight. But she had a hunch stronger than any lock and key.

BAM!

     The door fell off its hinges as the aunt of wrath barged in. "Alright, what the heck is going on in here?!" She'd read plenty of books on how to handle rebellious teenagers as of recent. The tip she especially made a point to follow was to allow Zeya her own space where she felt comfortable without fear of anyone intruding on her personal space. Now, however, Elyse was a little too suspicious to keep up with all the ignoring.

     Zeya screamed from atop a ladder, which wobbled dangerously as she nearly took a tumble. She clung onto a beam past the HOLE IN HER CEILING?!

     "ZEYA, THE WHAT!!?"

     "TERMITES!!!" Was the only thing the poor teen could scream as her half dangling feet fished for the ladder to pull it upright before the whole thing could topple over. Elyse ran in and helped stabilize the ladder.

     "It don't look like termites to me, missie!!" The woman exclaimed in English.

     "Y-YES IT DO!" Zeya responded quickly also in English.

     "Alright, what the h### is going on?" Reigen swung on the doorframe to get a peek. He knew things were bad when the girls started speaking English for no reason. His eyes soon bulged as he noticed the massive hole chiseled out of their ceiling, which apparently had been covered up the past while by no more than a large sheet of paper. "The h###!!?"

     "It's! It's. It's... Hhh, oh whatever. This was an inevitable outcome anyways." The girl pouted as she descended the ladder. Once at the bottom, "Alright, everyone, the gig's up. You're going to have to find somewhere else to hide out!"

   "Bruhhh."
   "Awwh, but I was excited for movie night!"
   "No."

     Slowly, one after another, fellow teenagers started to crawl down from the hole in the ceiling. The first was Genevieve, the blond who had made an appearance before and even helped a few people in the hospital a few days ago. The second was a boy with bright pink hair on top, the sides back shaven and black. And the third was a dark mass that quickly gravitated toward the corner of Zeya's room once released. Reigen and Elyse watched...absolutely horrified.

     "Oh... wow." 🙏 Elyse. "I don't really know how to process this. Is there anyone else hiding up there?"

     "Move the ladder please." Another voice sprouted from the hole. Zeya obliged, allowing for the final member of the attic gang to drop down into the cluttered room. Having redesigned his Tartarus prison attire into a new villain outfit of sorts, Stain turned away from the hero to the window in the teen's room.

     "WaitwaitwaitSTAIN!?!!" Elyse looked to her niece, then the villain casually making his leave. "You housed STAIN here?! The HERO KILLER!? In the house of a HERO?!" Honestly, how many times was she going to be betrayed by this girl's antics!!

     "Hey, he's only been here for about a week! Really only stops by to crash in the attic; no big deal!" Zeya waved her hands around dismissively. This did not help, however.

     "I never intended to hunt you down if that makes you feel any better." Clearly tired, the stranger, opened the window and crawled into its frame. "Your agency primarily focuses on missing children's cases -- a rarity among heroes -- so taking you down would do more harm than good." He explained flatly.

     "Uhhh... Thanks?" Elyse didn't really know how to respond here. At least the villain was leaving everyone alone. But then again...shouldn't she be arresting this guy..?

     "However, you could donate more money to charity instead of buying fancy cars." He glanced over his shoulder with a scowl, "I have a sample of your blood too so don't even think about following me." then hopped down and out of sight. Thoroughly threatened and a bit overwhelmed by all the new strangers, Elyse let that villain slide...for now. In the meantime, she placed her hands on her hips and scowled at the young lady.

     "Zeyahh!" She growled.

     "Hey hey! Okay so Stain may be a bit of a 'villain,' but in my defense the guy helped me out a lot as a kid! I was just returning the favor! The rest of these guys have mostly clean, records! Isn't that right?!"

     "Mhm, yep, definitely!" The boy nodded frantically, portraying an innocent smile.

     "Mostly yeah!" Jenna mimicked beside him.

     "No." Spoke the genderless being filling up space in the corner. Reigen and Elyse at the door side eyed each other with the same confused and disturbed look.

. . .

     "--So anyways! This guy is Itadori!" Z.

     "Hello! 👋^-^"

     "Other than the psychopathic demon inside of him that likes to stab people sometimes, he's a really harmless and wholesome guy!"

     "Okay but how exactly did he end up in our attic?!" Elyse crossed her arms.

     "Well.. I know someone who knows someone who knows someone who ran into him as he was wandering around looking for a place to hide. I vaguely recognized him from that one time when his demon and I fought and so decided to let him stay here until his mess was all sorted out!"

     Massaging her forehead irritatedly. "Okay... Then when and how did this one get here?"

   "Oh! She's been living in our walls for months now!" Zeya smiled.

      "Yyyyyyup!" Jenna did too, eyes closed and all innocent-like.

...

     Reigen turned and pat the women on the shoulder. "...I'm just going to go ahead and start that movie now." *leaves*

     "Mkay.." Rubbing her eyes, Elyse stood in the doorway alone now.

     "Oo! Can I join you guys??" Itadori chimed.

     "You know what? Why not? You passed the vibe check at least.." The woman then grimaced at her own usage of the slang word. "You too, Blondie." Pointing at the girl, who clearly wanted to join them too. She happily skipped after. "Okay, now what about that one?" Pointing at the dark splotch in the corner. "Why is it here?"

     "Uhhh, I dunno. It just looked lonely."

     The dark corner proceeded to stare deeply into the woman's soul with a knowing and terror that spoke too much yet too little. It knew everything and nothing all at once. A magnet for both one's most positive and negative memories. The abyss of eternal darkness and--

     "I'll just see myself out then." The blob picked itself up and hovered out the window, never to be seen again.

     Zeya, relieved that everything had been sorted out, strode to leave her bedroom. "Actually pretty exciting that we can all watch togethe--" Elyse stopped the teenager at the door.

     "Listen, I'm sorry, but this is where I draw the line. The fact that you would hide something like this from me is proof enough that you knew what you were doing was wrong. And yet you still took advantage of my hospitality. Listen, I know this has been a rough day and don't think I love you any less.. but you need to learn to stop acting out like this. So, I'm sorry but, for now at least, you are grounded. You can't watch the movie with us. Not tonight at least." It hurt, but it was necessary.

     Grouchily, Zeya kicked at the carpet. "Stupid movie anyways. I already know the main character dies!" Then she shoved her hands into her pockets. "...Read s'm reviews online..."

     Elyse sighed, then stepped out of the door's way before closing-- wait, it was broken.

     She left Zeya alone in her room to do whatever, then was for whatever reason startled to see the two other teens happily sitting on the couch with Reigen.

     Drats... What was she supposed to do with these two?

----------

Day Five Following the UA raid

...

     "I've heard some great things from Jujitsu High! Though not my personal favorite field of education, I don't doubt your school has produced many helpful fighters of the supernatural!" Nezu sat in his big chair, happily smiling at the boy sitting across from his desk. There was a hint of passive-aggressiveness that only few could pick up on. But as of right now it was just the two of them in the principle's newly refurbished office.

     "It's, um... Jujutsu Sorcerers.." Yuji Itadori mumbled whilst twiddling his thumbs, having trouble making eye contact with UA's principle. He was a little nervous is all. These people were all so kind for taking him in after...yah. "Thanks for taking the time out of your day to see me, by the way.. I understand your school was just recently attacked."

     The little principle's eyes scrunched joyously. "It isn't a burden at all... You said you have full control over Sukuna, right?"

     "Yh-yeah!" Mostly, at least.

     "Then you shouldn't be a burden on our staff and campus."

     "Sincerely grateful, sir!" Yuji bowed as he sat in the chair. His eyes were a little red. It really was just one kind soul after another here!

     "Since we are a little short handed at the moment.." Nezu's voice hoisted the teen's chin upward. "I was wondering if you would be willing to help us out a bit."

     "Of course!" Sitting back up and ready for duty. "What do you need my help with??"

     Nezu caught a glance at the right wall of his, which was presently covered in sticky notes and pictures of all the things that needed to be done. The principle hummed thoughtfully as he stared down at his desk.

     "...It isn't a hard task ...but it is one few are willing to take on..."

----------

     "He's been in and out of consciousness for the past few days. He got up yesterday and strained himself quite a bit, so right now we're just trying to encourage him to sit still and rest." Bakugo's eyes slit open at the sound of voices. A bright ray of sunshine from the right intruded his eyes, warming his body tucked under the blankets. He knew they were talking about him. Presently laying down in the hospital bed, the blond scanned the bland room he was trapped in with hazy eyes. He absently smacked his lips, feeling just how dry his mouth was. However, his mind was in such a state of haze at the moment that he couldn't put together what this meant. He'd only recently received a new dosage of medicine. And judging by how his body was reacting, figured they had given him a little too much.

     "Thank you ma'am." A new voice. Sounded a little higher pitch, like a teenager, slipped through the door. Bakugo's head tilted back, pressing into the fluffy pillow so his narrow eyes could have a finer look at the door. The door knob twisted, in sliding a teen with pink and black hair, holding a vase and bouquet of flowers in one hand, securing the straps of a bag with the other. The new arrival only glanced for the first time at Bakugo before turning his attention to the large window, which welcomed much light into the room. He walked with purpose toward it, passing Bakugo's bed.

     The blond frowned and growled. Flowers? What, did this guy think he was dying?? "Th' h### are those flowers for??" He griped, eyes unmoving from the bright pinks and purples making up the bouquet.

     "Calm down!." The new arrival chuckled. Bakugo very quickly noticed the two strange slits under his eyes. Looked almost like they could be fresh cuts, except they weren't bleeding or sewn up. The actual fresh cut with stitch marks dragged diagonally across his collar bone. His clothes were too casual to be a staff member. White v-neck shirt with small banana patterns and plain black pants. "These are for the nurses... You know one of them is just a kid here to help out, right?" Pink hair was very quick to annoy Bakugo with a very wholesome smile. Great.. it was another person probably patting themself on the back inside for being so "nice" and "caring" toward the "weak." He'd show this brat who's weak! 

     But the topic of the little boy had his attention in the meantime. "Hhhh, yeah.. He's not allowed in here, though... Neither is his sister." Spiky hair growled. The kids were all shooed away from him after losing his arms..like he was diseased or something.

     "Awh, to bad. It sounds like they would be great company!" Bakugo's head snapped at the other, fangs showing as he sat up in bed.

     "Who are you anyways??.. Haven't seen you around here.. And are you related to that four-eyed b###### who called my hero name lame??!"

     "Well I don't have any siblings, so definitely no!" He must be referring to that kid tutoring under Gojo this summer? Wait, they were here??

     "Hhgghhh..." The blond fell back into his bed. "..You gunna leave now?" Bakugo's scowl deepened as, instead, the other sat himself down in the couch in the shade of the window beside his bed and slid the bag off his shoulder.

     "Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to watch a movie with me! I stopped by the bargain-bin to grab all the classics!" The kid pulled out a wide selection of DvD cases, showing off their covers to the blond. He only received a growl for a response. "Alright, I'll pick one then!"

     "I'm not watching a stupid movie! Especially not with you! Can you just get out of here and leave me alone?? I don't need a f###ing babysitter!!"

     "Hah!"

     "Hey!! What the crap is so funny, huh?!"

     "Sorry." Sliding a hand over his smiling mouth. "You just remind me of my grandpa is all."

     "What the h### is that supposed to mean!?"

     "He was very.. outspoken and tough as well." The teen smiled. Bakugo growled, but he really didn't have anything to disagree with there. He rolled onto his side, back turned to the stranger, as his pouty way of protesting the other's presence. "...Before we start, is there anything you need? A bathroom break? Maybe some food?"

     Suddenly glaring over his shoulder. "You're not feeding me, d###it!!"

     "Trust me, I don't want to do that either. But everyone's kind of short on options right now, including you and me." Itadori slid the movies aside and leaned forward, taking this talk a little more seriously. "Now, I'm okay with putting up with your attitude for as long as it takes -- I was raised by my grandpa, after all -- but in order to do that, I am going to need you to cooperate with me here. You don't want my help. And I'm honestly not all that stoked about helping you either. But we need each other right now. So, if you follow along, at least it'll go a little smoother."

     "Uh?" Bakugo turned to the other, right brow raised. He was genuinely confused there. For a moment, he thought this guy was just going to be another Deku.. but no. He had his own reasons for being here. And whatever it was wasn't about putting him down or earning some kind of reward for being so "nice" to the poor poor Katsuki~

     He didn't know why this brat was here, but at least he was honest. This comforted him. Kindness, even that which was genuine, always ticked him off; felt so fake.

     And this stranger was kind of right, too. As much as Bakugo hated to admit it, until those prosthetic arms came in, he was pretty much useless to everyone here. Even himself.

     Bakugo licked the inside of his mouth, remembering how dry it was. "Water.." His voice came out a little scratchier. Though he was connected to an IV, his mouth received none of this moisture. Bakugo sat himself up and stared down at his lap, face reddening just a little as he forced himself to admit his basic need. "..I'm a little thirsty..." Admitting that was so painful.

     Nodding, Yuji jumped up and crossed the room, filling a paper cup with water from the kitchenette sink. "This good?" Bakugo leaned away as Yuji neared the bed. "What now?" He rolled his eyes.

     "I'm not drinking out of your hand like that, idiot!"

     "Hhh.. then how do you propose doing this then..?"

     "Just hand the stupid thing to me!" Bakugo leaned forward, reaching for the cup with his tightly bandaged nubs. They weren't even elbow length anymore. Yuji didn't care arguing, however, and handed Bakugo the cup. The innocent object stung the tender ends of the blond's arms, but he gritted his teeth and lifted the necessary water to his mouth. He bit the edge of he cup and tilted his head back, chugging until all the water was gone. Afterward, he spat the cup onto his lap. Yuji, who had watched with only mild amusement, grabbed the cup off the elder's lap and sighed as he turned away.

     "You know.. You don't have to prove to me you're strong, right?" The pink haired kid brought up as he ambled toward the trash bin in the distant corner. "I may not know who you are or anything, but the fact that you even made it into this school is pretty telling that you're a really capable person." He dropped the cup into the trash can and turned around with only half a smile. "UA's a big name, after all! I remember back in middle school when all the kids used to talk about trying out... Heh, maybe we went to the same middle school? Were you popular, by any chance?" By the time he had finished, Yuji plopped back down on the couch and grabbed the remote on the window ledge beside him. Bakugo sat there quietly. He was too embarrassed to ask for his hospital bed be adjusted so that he could sit up comfortably, so he did so on his own using his sore abs.

     "Tsh. If we did, you weren't a big enough deal for me to worry about. What the h### is your quirk anyways??"

     "Oh, me?!" Yuji laughed a little, switching the TV on. "I'm registered as quirkless, though kids used to argue I had some kind of strength or speed quirk; I don't care, honestly! I never really intended to become a hero like you guys. Maybe a firefighter if they paid well enough. But I'm not sure if I could handle the stress of being under a spotlight like heroes are, to be honest."

     "Hhggh." Guess he couldn't really argue there. Bakugo always knew being a hero was going to be no easy task, but... The teen fell back against his pillows, what was left of his arms raising so that he could inspect them a little closer. The movie Yuji put on played in the background as Bakugo paid closer attention to his own injuries for a change.

     ...Eri's quirk was gone, meaning there was no easy fix to this. Not to mention his right ear was all blown up too, which made it a little harder to listen to Yuji on the couch, who occasionally laughed or groaned in reaction to whatever was going on on the TV.

     He was stuck like this... perhaps even forever.

     A painful lump gathered in his throat. His head fell back into the pillow as his dry eyes stung.

     The teen's confused nerves still liked to trick his brain into thinking his arms were still there. Sensations so intense he almost swore he could feel he texture of the blanket between his fingers. ... There was no such thing, however. Nothing but pain and an emptiness that haunted him like none other.

     He couldn't accept this.

     ...Not if he wanted to become a hero...

     As the other teen's enjoyment of the movie continued, Bakugo rolled onto his side and eventually drifted back to sleep.

     He had to admit the noise was at least a little better than sitting alone with his thoughts.

.