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[ Old folks, they're sneaky.

The days after the return from Egypt had been flurry of activity. Muramasa had set Yuta to work from the moment he'd shown up looking aimless and they'd sorted out the issue of the barrier: clearing the spring brush that began to grow around the building while they were halfway across the globe; finishing replacing old boards in the walls; sanding down lengths of wood for other prjects to a smooth finish. Most important is the fuel. An endless parade of transporting charred logs from the smattering of mounds of dirt and wood that Muramasa'd set in the woods, then an endless pile of fragile, crumbling, charred wood, sitting next to the smithy that splinters with a glass-like sound and leaves soot in every crease of Yuta's hands until its time to wash up and make dinner, and finally the endless task of cutting and sorting the charcoal into usable pieces for the forge itself, which sits empty, hungry, and cold inside.

After a week of splitting glass sounds and quiet chopping, Muramasa starts the work of melting down some of the scrap metal he's collected: rusty nails, an old bike chain, the despised carpentry hammer that was in the toolbox they found in an old storage room. The charcoal pile stops growing but Yuta's chore of cutting and sorting remains as the forge begins to consume the fruits of his labor. Tools begin appearing unannounced, like the spare charcoal hatchet that has become Yuta's out of necessity, and a small fleet of hammers.

One afternoon, a week after the forge begins to eat through the charcoal pile, there's a second bundle next to Yuta's hatchet when he arrives to begin cutting and sorting, wrapped in plain dark fabric. Peeking out from under the bundle is a bright scrap of paper, addressed to "Okkotsu" in a sharp, decisive hand. The unsigned note inside reads:

This one's yours.

Inside the bundle is a long wakizashi, sized perfectly for Yuta's lanky frame. Sheathed in an unadorned saya of plain wood, stained in a warm, handsome, dark color, it has an unassuming air at first glance, but the other fittings are clearly meant for use in battle rather than storage. The tsuba is sturdy iron, shaped like a swirl of flower petals, and the tsuka-maki is a simple dark blue cotton, laced up in an expert manner.

If Yuta unsheathes the blade, he will find an edge so sharp that it barely even needs any pressure to cut things pressed against it. That's as much of a signature as the wave-shaped hamon, or the name hidden on the tang under the handguard.

Of course, this is an afternoon where the old man's off on a patrol without him. It just seemed better to save them both the trouble of fussing with the rigamarole of courtesy, is all. ]

hey senpai
i'm sorry.

( In the middle of the night -. )

Sukuna's gone.

Not like the others, not through a rift. Like LILITH has sent him back.

[ Over the course of May, Muramasa's speed at churning out blades has only sped up as the month has gone on as the stock of scrap metal shrinks and the pile of smelted iron grows. The charcoal pile has likewise shrunken considerably without their old routines of going into the forest to build new kilns and fire them up. Lately, when Yuta goes into the smithy while Muramasa is manning the forge, the smell of woodsmoke is undercut with ozone and magical energy, as he supplements his fuel sources with his own reserves to keep up the production speed necessary for the prodigious amount of work he's turning out. Timelines that ought to stretch over months are compressed and overlapped into days and weeks, without a single moment to sacrifice the quality of the work.

Three days after Geto's visit, there's a parcel for Yuta when he arrives to take his "break" from the medical wards and recover his energy, this time left in Aventurine's care. Inside is a full-sized katana, with koshirae that match Yuta's wakizashi. The blade has the same signature sharp edge and wave pattern on the hamon as the shorter blade, a matched pair perfectly complimentary to each other.

If Yuta tries to thank Muramasa, he's rewarded with a reserved expression (which might be called "fond" on someone who is more forthright about his feelings) and a dismissive wave of the hand before the smith returns to his work.

He said he'd take care of Yuta, didn't he? This is all that is. ]

Edited 2025-05-26 04:57 (UTC)

( Since he's fed the brother and the boyfriend it feels like Yuta is the next stop. Which means there'll come a singular scraping sound at his door as one of Geto's curses announces itself, scurrying away when it hears noise inside. There's a covered bowl of oyakodon and a note, Geto's scrawl. )

It's not poisoned!

... Or is it? :) Eat it anyway. ~ G.S.

hello yuta
not to sound weird
but this paper bird smells like you

Edited 2025-06-29 06:33 (UTC)

[ The last week of June, early in the morning; before the day's efforts to melt down Silco's scrap delivery have started, or even breakfast. ]

Yuta, will that other job of yours let you leave for a week or so?

senpai
how are you feeling

hey senpai
does rika-chan like festivals

[ megumi sends a message with screenshots of this conversation attached; ]

i believe in standing up for my friends and staying true to my word. as a matter of principle, i intend to settle matters with this person in front of Revelation Room 2. if we're neighbors, i apologise for the disturbance; i'll do my best to keep things short. for non-revelation residents, i'm sending this as a heads-up in case this causes trouble for all of us.

if you're not this person, i would appreciate knowing the truth and i apologise for the disturbance. if you are this person, you're a pathetic, weak-spined coward shamelessly picking on kids who just want a safe place to live in. have a good day.

Hey, Yuta. Got a question for ya.

( It is without fanfare that the curses start popping up. At least a couple of times a week from here on out Geto's creatures will come with Tupperware and refuse to leave until their burden is lifted. Often the meals inside will be fairly simple, but hearty. Anyone from his world ( with the exception of Fushiguro Toji 🖕🏻) and, surprisingly, Raidou and Shoto will receive them. The very first time there's a note, it simply says 'give the boxes back the next time' with a terribly squiggly drawing of rainbow dragon scowling in warning. Any others it is just the food.

Also he won't talk about it. Don't acknowledge it. Sincerity makes him itchy. )

hey yuta so suguru and i are dating now are you okay with that?

yuta-senpai, can i bother you for a minute? it's nothing urgent.

[ the morning of december 7th brings with it a bunny messenger, carrying in its mouth some cheerily-designed stationery and... less of an invitation and more of a demand, really. but considering the date, megumi thinks he can ask for some leeway.

he'll apologise later. ]

[ Something's been itching at him since the early morning mission to Inariyama, something bothering Muramasa enough to slip back into his old habits of texting by speaking aloud in his small, empty smithy. He won't reach out for the sake of his own heart, but he will for the sake of his work.

(Or so he tells himself.) ]

I get that you're upset with me 'cause of what I did, but... if there's something wrong with your sword keeping you from using it, at least let me fix it up for you.

... S'not the blade's fault, just mine.

[ Though Gojo skipped most of the travel opportunities offered up to the Outsiders, he was interested in the fight rings of Vegas. While he was there, he took the opportunity to do his Christmas shopping. An obnoxiously festive gift bag will be dropped outside Yuta's door. He gets a plush toy road runner bird, a keychain of a rabbit with antlers, and two bags of salt water taffy labeled What's Poppin' (buttered popcorn) and Funky Monkey (banana-coconut). ]

[ A present is left on Yuta's doorstep, a box with various things inside. Upon opening, he'll find the following:

› A large hoodie, fluffy and comfortable, in a panda design.
› Lots of candies and chocolates in various flavours.
› A keyring, with a cool sword on it, that flicks open and sings an old Japanese poem.
› Some boots, leather, and some matching gloves.
› One warm cardigan in a dark colour.
› A huge, giant, inhuman scarf with a tag that says 'for Rika-chan, not you!!!!'

With it is a note: Merry Christmas, senpai. Thank you for taking care of me all this time. ]

( The curses are once again employed as his delivery service, the more palatable ones lingering where their recipients can easily be found. Each parcel is a cheery gift bag filled with a variety of candy as well as a bento box of homemade rice balls and Geto's hand-picked, hard-won arcade plushie. The cards are hello kitty, because his girls would have liked them. Also because he's just Like That.

Yuta's is an owl on account of him never sleeping. Strangely there is also a skeleton but the tag for that reads Rika. )

Okkotsu,

I haven't any spare limbs lying around for your girlfriend, so I hope that will do. I hope you're resting. And that things have been kinder to you lately. If not I know how to dig a very deep hole.

- G

( Should he still give Muramasa the shovel talk? No, he's going to make an ominous delivery instead. )

[ During his waking moments of privacy, Muramasa works. He knows some things from the picture Yuta showed him, but the cut and the shape and the details he must pull from memory of a memory. Thankfully, he has days to work instead of a single night, and it's only one piece instead of an entire ensemble. It was meant to be a gift for Yuta for the new year, but the new call for a mission summoning them back to Neo-Tokyo has ruined that plan. Instead of being properly presented with wrapping, and left somewhere for him to find (like most of Muramasa's gifts), he has no choice but to intercept Yuta as he layers up and presses the fabric into cold hands with only the briefest direction, before hustling himself out into the workshop. For, um. Privacy. ]

Here, bundle up.

[ The white lump of fabric is a jacket, cut like Yuta's ~~problem child~~ uniform jacket that Muramasa had seen in his picture, and in the memory of the Sendai battle; with the high collar and wide front panel fastened with hand-carved buttons, bearing that spiral pattern, the sleeves that end just high enough to give him coverage but still make it easy to move in. It's lightweight but shockingly sturdy, made out of the Alexandria institute's new plugsuit material. Meant to provide better protection from Rift corruption, Muramasa had selected it for it's ability to protect Yuta from the elements as well, keeping heat in and the cold out and vice versa, shedding rain or snow, and even repelling a smaller kaiju's fangs. Jujutsu sorcerers may not wear armor, and this may not have lacquered lamellæ to turn a knife away, but it serves a purpose, and is more than just the usual jackets Yuta wears while out on missions.

But for all of Muramasa's favor for useful things, he appreciates artistry too. The gift is meant to be returned in kind for the thought and effort that Yuta put into his own gift. The cuffs and waistband have nearly invisible sashiko stitches of white thread reinforcing the material in a looping shippō pattern, but it's the lining that is the true show of craft. Invisible to everyone but Yuta when he puts it on, the jacket has a silken lining, the same deep blue as the ito on his sword and wakizashi. Embroidered irises bloom across the the bottom half, springing up from the hem with slender, blade-like leaves and drooping, lavender colored petals. A wish for protection, a stand-in for Muramasa's own haori and warmth whenever they're apart, and an acknowledgement of Yuta's status as a sorcerer, all bundled into one.

He wishes the timing had been better, but what matters tonight is that it keeps him warm. ]

Edited (semantics.) 2026-01-03 03:00 (UTC)

... delivery?

@VESSEL

@ soba

delivery.

delivery!

@curse - 06-28-79

un: forgery

@vessel