Chapter Text
"ʷᵉ ᵈᵒⁿ'ᵗ ᵉˣᵃᶜᵗˡʸ ᶠⁱᵗ ⁱⁿ. ᵃⁿʸʷʰᵉʳᵉ. ᵃⁿᵈ ʷᵉ'ᵛᵉ ᵐᵃᵈᵉ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵒᵘʳ ᵍʳᵉᵃᵗᵉˢᵗ ˢᵗʳᵉⁿᵍᵗʰ."
ℝ𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕒 ℙ𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕥𝕥
•••••
Freedom. A privilege for most people, a false privilege for the ignorant. Freedom hasn't been a tangible thing for the people of Japan in almost a decade, some say even longer.
At one point, ignorance was bliss. Ignorance n̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ was freedom. A person kept to their own sights, their own path and didn't deviate. They didn't get curious. They didn't seek answers.
Now... ignorance is a necessity to survive. At least, for society to keep from crumbling into chaos, a̶g̶a̶i̶n̶. Ignorance though, it didn't necessarily mean that someone would be able to survive. It was just a feeble hope in a world of corruption and negligence.
•••••
"𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫! 𝐇𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝!"
𝐀 𝐬𝐢𝐱 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐦.
𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐮𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.
•••••
The ignorant have long lost the hope of ever achieving true freedom. Not since the Fall. Not since those who ruled society today, forcefully, violently, took over all those years ago. It was impossible, though every once in a while, the odd couple or two managed to escape the corrupted cage that society became.
Unfortunately for most, it quickly lead to their deaths and no one mourned. They couldn't afford to mourn the free children that managed to achieve the impossible. No one could afford to.
•••••
"𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭! 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐦. 𝐈𝐟 𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝!"
𝐀 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥. 𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫. 𝐇𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐬. 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.
•••••
A hidden group of people were o̶b̶s̶e̶s̶s̶e̶d̶ determined to give this freedom, this control to t̶h̶e̶m̶s̶e̶l̶v̶e̶s̶ the people. To achieve this, two boys were m̶a̶n̶i̶p̶u̶l̶a̶t̶e̶d̶ recruited to their cause.
Gojo Satoru, seven years old and a boy who wants to be free to choose his own destiny, even if that means to end the current world and create a new one.
Itadori Yūji, five years old and a boy who is determined to keep his promise to his twin by being the most free he can ever be, even if that means death.
•••••
The world is cruel. It is harsh. It is cold.
Yūji and Satoru know this with every fiber of their being.
A boy destined for divine godliness, but never granted a life of love and kindness he so desperately wished for. Satoru starts running away from his destined cage at six years old, and never looks back.
A boy sold to his old masters as a price to keep their more favored son alive and away from the executioner's block, but promises to come back to his twin and free him from the cage he never had the choice to be imprisoned in. Yūji starts running away from his abandoned cage at four years old, and never looks back.
•••••
"𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐬. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐞."
𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐞. 𝐘𝐮̄𝐣𝐢 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫, 𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐞.
"𝐕𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐥, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫. 𝐇𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐞."
•••••
It may have been fate that brought them together, but not even whatever it is that brought them together will break them apart.
The world will soon discover this the hard way.
And Satoru and Yūji... well, as long as they're together, they'll be along for the ride. It wasn't even them who caused the catalyst that ended the world, why would they strive to help stop it?
Beauty lays beyond the hills of ignorance and corruption. They reach the end of their journey together, or they die together. For eternity, and until death.