Sukuna wasn't the type to hold back, not even when he knew who you were to Gojo—the one person who mattered most in his life. If anything, that knowledge made you his primary target. He knew striking you down would break Gojo in ways no physical wound ever could. It’s why Gojo never wanted you to be there in the first place. He knew you were as strong as him, the only one who could fight alongside him as an equal, but that was exactly why he feared losing you. He could accept his own death, even welcome it, if it meant you’d continue to live.

But the thing he feared most had happened. Somehow, Sukuna had gained the upper hand, even with the two of you fighting together. Desperation drove you to the edge, and you raised your hands, uttering the words, “Domain Expansion.”

In that moment, Gojo felt it—the tearing, the unraveling of something sacred. He wasn’t pulled into your domain, but he didn’t need to be. He already knew. He knew before the light faded, before the world collapsed in on itself. He knew you were gone. It was brief compared to the silence that followed. In his mind, he saw it—your body blown to bits, shattered alongside Sukuna’s.

He had been holding that body in his arms just yesterday, loving the very flesh.

Life, it seemed, had never been kind. The dust was still settling, but Gojo didn’t need to see it to know. You were here somewhere, lying amidst the rubble, cold, lifeless. Even then, he walked forward, each step heavier than the last, past the gathering crowd, past the wreckage. The world around him felt muted, dull.