-Story Start-
When met with the unknown, it is customary to exercise great caution.
In the case of the Brothers and the approaching giraffeheaded man, this went both ways.
However, the expected caution was overwhelmed on each side by a differing factor:
For the approaching friendly man, Shohei Hashimoto, it was his kindness and concern.
For the brothers?
It was Yuji's identification of the man's anomalous yet unthreatening demeanor.
Having heard Yuji's rather rude exclamation, the approaching man retorted with an arched eyebrow, yet remained silent due to recognizing the seriousness of the situation.
He gave a look over at the unconscious man in Choso's arms, noting the missing arm and the horrible purple clot in his stomach, formed due to blunt force trauma.
Yuji's and Choso's eyes are fixated on the man, bewilderment and confusion are evident in their gazes.
The brothers had seen their fair share of oddities, but this was something entirely new.
Odd, but he couldn't be anything other than Human.
Nonetheless, with the approach of the man, they collected themselves, narrowing their eyes.
The man mentioned, his tone low, "He looks like he's been done in by All Might with that kind of..." He drawled out.
At that unrecognizable name or title, the brothers exchanged confused looks.
Yuji shook his head, to focus on the important matter at hand, "You know where we can find a hospital to get him treated?" His tone was laced with concern as he lifted his head to make eye contact with the tall-headed man.
The man paused for a moment, as he gazed down upon the two brothers in a contemplative silence.
Although he hadn't hesitated to offer his help to suspicious-looking fellows, another thorough lookover made him hesitate.
With the exception of the pale Choso who held the unconscious Aoi.
Itadori Yuji's appearance was downright feral, bloody, and injured and he exuded an aura of danger.
The man's decision, however, was made upon the look of concern on Yuji's face.
Whatever seemed to have happened, the worry and concern on his face could not be faked.
Even the stoic and silent Choso hadn't masked his anxiousness well enough to go unnoticed.
Sighing, hoping he wouldn't regret trusting these awfully suspicious individuals, he said, "There's no hospital here out in the boonies. We've got a local clinic in town... But before I lead and vouch for you there. I need to ask... Did you run into a Villain? No one will accept you in town coming in looking like that." He shook his head, gesturing at Yuji's appearance.
Yuji frowned in perplexion, that term villain sounded odd to him. He was used to dealing with Cursed Spirits and Curse Users, not "villains."
But, in a way, it wasn't incorrect to term Sukuna as one.
Choso took over, nodding firmly, "Yes."
"What happened to him? If there's a dangerous villain here, we'll have to call for our local Hero and hope he is enough to handle the cretin..."
Once more, the terms flew over Yuji and Choso's heads.
With only Choso arching an eyebrow once more at that.
Clenching his fists, Yuji bit his lip, drawing blood once more, "...We don't know. A couple minutes ago we were in Shinjuku, then we found ourselves here..." He replied.
The man's eyes widened, as he whispered, "Shinjuku...? We're in the Akita Prefecture..."
"Akita?!" Yuji roared out in genuine disbelief.
It was as he feared, they were transported all the way to the other side of Japan.
The man mulled, Yuji's genuine frustration and exclamation served as further proof of his innocence, "Must have been a teleportation quirk... Incredibly rare and coveted but they exist."
Choso frowned at the unfamiliar term once more, noting, 'Quirk. Again. Is that an abbreviation for Cursed Technique?'
He considered it for a moment but shelved it as impossible.
Truthfully, he hadn't wanted to consider the alternative explanation...
A moment of silence passed them by, as a bone-chilling wind screeched past them.
Yuji shivered slightly, feeling the weight of their predicament in this unfamiliar place.
Aoi needs to get treated, and Sukuna must be dealt with.
Delays are... Unwelcome.
The man, finally relented, "The weather's getting bad. Get in the car, I'll take you to the hospital. The good doctor will treat you." He gestured to his car back on the road as he led the way.
For the second time this day, Yuji smiled in relief, his tone truly grateful, "Thank you! Mister..." He followed him, Choso doing the same albeit with a silent and contemplative expression.
"Shohei Hashimoto." He grabbed the handle as he opened the door to the driver's seat.
Sending an even look past his shoulder at Yuji, Hashimoto mentioned, "You're getting treated as well, Young Man. I'm amazed you can even move."
Blinking with his single intact eye, Yuji flashed a sheepish expression, "Yeah... Right, thanks."
The adrenaline had yet to cease, but even if it did, Yuji's tolerance to pain bordered on the supernatural.
"Say, Hashimoto-san... How will you get in the car?" Yuji innocently questioned, pointing at the long neck, genuinely curious despite the tension.
The giraffe-headed man seemed like he needed a whole truck of space just for his head to fit in the metal box with wheels.
-------------------------------
The sky was darkening with the advent of snow clouds and the shortened winter day.
The coarse sound of car wheels crunching the poorly maintained road snow, resonated.
Itadori Yuji and Choso were no strangers to bizarre sights.
Their experiences as both Jujutsu Sorceror and Cursed Womb Death Painting respectively have given them an apt amount of exposure to mind-boggling oddities.
However, a sight such as this was still enough to make them scratch their heads.
Amid Aoi's labored and pained breathing and the steady rise of his chest, Yuji sat beside their kind driver, humming in awe at the sight beside him, "Wow..."
Hashimoto's long neck appeared to be incredibly flexible and bendable, so he simply... Stuffed his neck and tied it into many loops so fit into the small car.
Yuji expressed his curiosity, Jujutsu Society having no longer been kept a secret due to the Culling Games, he loosely asked, "Hashimoto-san. What even is your head? is that a Cursed Technique of some kind?"
Blinking as he drove the short road to the town, Hashimoto gave Yuji an offended side-eye, "Really? Cursed? I had heard your heteromorphobic exclamation prior. But my quirk's considerably more tame than yours." He pointed at Yuji's clawed and grotesque arms.
He scoffed, "First time I've seen a heteromorph be heteromorphobic to another..." He shook his head.
Yuji blinked, having understood he touched a sore spot, lifting his arms in a placating gesture, "Hey! Sorry, Hashimoto-san. Didn't mean anything bad bout it. Genuinely curious..."
"I second that," Choso added with narrowed eyes, suppressing a glare at someone verbally attacking his brother.
Hashimoto's suspicion and confusion were on the ever rise, "You mean to tell me you come from Shinjuku and you don't know what a Quirk is?"
Yuji nodded steadfastly, "No."
Choso mirrored the expression, muttering, "Indulge us."
A tense and perplexed silence passed by, Hashimoto was genuinely frustrated and confused at the cluelessness of these two.
Nevertheless, they sounded serious.
He sighed once more, "It'll be easier to understand once we're in town. Sorry, but if you want a good answer, ask Doctor Tenma."
-------------------------------
The town was too small to be called a town, but too large to be called a village.
It's appearance screamed - "Rural Japan."
Charming traditional wooden houses with tiled roofs and sliding shoji doors.
A main street runs through it, acting as the unofficial entrance and exit point of the town.
Small grocery stores, small shrines, and stone lanterns dot the landscape.
All under the carpet of a few inches of snow, that, in the coming of the next hours, will be growing in size.
As Hashimoto's car slowly entered the town through the main street that was contrastingly well kept from being overwhelmed with snow - Yuji could not marvel at the nostalgia of such a place.
It may have reminded Yuji somewhat of his own childhood town, albeit with a few stark differences.
What caught their attention?
What had prompted a silent awe to wash over their features?
The answer was...
The residents.
Despite the coming snowstorm, a few kids and adults were playing outside in the snow in clothing fitting the weather.
Some appeared like the usual Homosapiens, however...
An odd, burst of wind coming from the palm of a kid, propelling a snowball further than any normal throw?
That's not normal.
An adult woman with the head and limbs of a tiger?
That is certainly not normal.
Mix and mish-mashed amid dozens of dozens of residents were superpowered men, women, and children as well as heteromorphic ones.
Whilst only a select few... We're completely normal and oddly ostracized.
Yuji mumbled aloud amid his stricken features, "There's more of those things attached to their Souls..." He noted.
Arching an eyebrow, Hashimoto ignored that odd statement with a frown.
Choso hadn't let their confusion linger, "Are those... Quirks?"
Hashimoto nodded, as they had already reached a small building with the sign of - "Tenma's Clinic."
Turning to them with his looped neck, he nodded, "Yeah those are quirks. But enough rambling, get yourselves treated. Tell the receptionist that Hashimoto's vouched for you." He pointed at the entrance.
His eyes narrowed in warning, "But my name's on the line... So don't cause any trouble. Alright? I'll be out on patrol to see if any dumb kids are out before the snowstorm."
Blinking, Yuji gave an absentminded thumbs-up, distracted yet grateful, "Yeah. Sure no problem! Thanks again!" He opened the car door and left the vehicle.
Choso nodded, "Crystal." Exiting the vehicle as well, lifting the slumped Aoi with ease.
-------------------------------
Thankfully, the receptionist appeared normal, doing wonders for the sanity of both brothers.
Under the sterile lights and sanitary environment, the dirty and grimy appearance of the brothers stuck out like a sore thumb as they passed by the weary glances of the other people and staff passing in the small clinic:
"Woah, they look like a truck ran over them." A woman with ant-like antennae mumbled at the sight of Yuji and Aoi.
"The unconscious dude must have had a boxing match with All Might. Sheesh that does not look good." A man hummed with a pained and empathic grimace.
The receptionist was incredibly professional as she swiftly guided them to one of the ten empty rooms in the clinic and called for Doctor Tenma, the town's only physician known for his expertise and kindness.
She gave her departing words, "Sorry, we're a bit low on staff as most of our nurses are sick and we're lacking in volunteers. Doctor Tenma will be with you in a moment." She bowed apologetically.
Yuji smiled in gratitude, "Thank you for your hard work!"
Choso nodded resolutely, a hint of impatience at Aoi not yet being treated, "As long as Little Brother gets treated."
She nodded and turned away, finally leaving the three brothers in their silence, only Aoi's pained grunts cut through the silence as he lay on the bed.
While Yuji and Choso were curious about the situation, Quirks, and even Sukuna...
Their Brother was the priority.
To Be Continued!
-Author Note Start-
Heyo people!
Hope the chapter was to your enjoyment
The seriousness stuff will be calming down soon.
Cause... They do have a reason to be serious lol.
As I have mentioned, this starts slightly precanon.
UA term in Canon starts at April 1st.
This is December 24th.
They've got a couple of months till then.
This is a "Settling in" arc, which will last... 10-15 chapters?
Up you got the patience lmao.
Cause this is meant to set up their setting and build the world yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
Cya!
Also, GOATS will recognize Doctor Tenma lol.
Couldn't be bothered to pull out an OC from my ass.
Also, there's no Johan so chill.
He'd probably be worse than AFO if he was here...