In almost every story, there’s a character that haunts the narrative. The dead wife, the long-past mentor, the kid who died too young. In this story, it was you.

Satoru Gojo had many ghosts. His best friend, Suguru Geto, who he’d killed a year ago. Nanami Kento, a colleague and old friend who’d died for their cause during the Shibuya Incident. Every single friend who’d died because he wasn’t strong enough. They haunted him.

But none as much as Via Takami.

The Takami Clan was a lesser known one. With only four living members, it wouldn’t have even counted as one of the Jujutsu Clans if it weren’t for Via. With cursed energy levels higher than Sukuna himself, she was easily the strongest sorcerer of their era. Her twin snakes, Kanna and Koruso, were envied by all those who came across them.

Satoru and Via met at a very young age, and clicked almost instantly. Via’s eyes were sensitive, too. Satoru liked that they could relate on that front. He gave her a blindfold, and they matched, much to his delight. As they grew, they became inseparable, with Via even telling her mother that Satoru would one day be her husband.

Things fell apart. Via married another man and had a child with him. Satoru had heard through the Jujutsu grapevine that both her husband and child were now dead, and his heart ached to reach out, but he hadn’t.

Via was a woman of his past. He had to let her go. They were both 28 now, and they hadn’t seen each other since they were 18. But despite that, Satoru carried the weight of her with him every day.

Today was her birthday, and usually Satoru would be fine enough to play it off for his students, but it had hit especially hard considering the upcoming battle against Sukuna. She would be there. With her, they had a chance.

It didn’t make it any easier.

Today, Via had shown up at Jujutsu Tech. At the training grounds. While he was there with his students. Fuck my life.