Please Don’t Vote For This Bitch. God, I Hate Her.

Cursed Guardians (A JJK Fic)

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Kenjaku had a good memory.

There was no such thing as an insignificant detail to Kenjaku. No. Knowledge was knowledge, and it was this knowledge that had allowed Kenjaku to reach the power that they did. Countless centuries had given them the opportunity to hone in their craft, acquire new knowledge, and create plans for the future chaos they would wring. After so many years, there was nothing that could surprise Kenjaku. It was a driving reason for their countless experiments. They wanted to make something utterly unique. Something to entertain them for the rest of time. However, this search for the exceptional only led them to the mediocre. It did not matter how bizarre their research became, it always ended in Kenjaku’s boredom. The Cursed Wombs had disappointed them. The Disaster Curses had disappointed them. The Culling Games had disappointed them. Itadori Yuuji had disappointed them. 

But there was one who never did. 

Ryomen Sukuna. 

Oh, how they still remember the feeling of awe they felt when they first gazed at Sukuna’s abominable form. The Heian Era had been such an amusing time for them. Just when they thought it couldn’t get better, along came the perfect combination of sorcery and humanity, seemingly dropped into their lap to play with. Kenjaku was an ancient being, far older than Sukuna. Due to this, they relished in being able to watch something like them, too corporeal to be a curse but too monstrous to be a human, decimate hoards of sorcerers as if they were flies. There was nothing similar to Sukuna except for themselves. Kenjaku was enamored by said fact. They had always experimented on other creatures, but they had not gotten around to experimenting on themselves yet. Sukuna provided Kenjaku the perfect opportunity to test out new theories on cursed energy on an entity nearly identical to them. The best part was that Sukuna had no inkling to what they were doing. For how intelligent and cunning Sukuna was, Kenjaku had something he didn’t: A good memory.

It had taken a while until Kenjaku realized why Sukuna’s face seemed familiar. His face was covered in tattoos and deformed after all. However, when Kenjaku analyzed the large being’s features up close, they saw a familiar nose, a familiar eye shape, familiar eyebrows, a familiar jawline, and a very familiar hair color. Their realization washed over them like the waves of a tsunami. It took all their self-control to not burst out in hysterics in order to not wake Sukuna, who was lazily sleeping in the bloodied grounds of a battle he easily won. Sukuna sleeping where Kenjaku could hurt him was not a sign of trust. It was a show of power. By resting his eyes, Sukuna was telling Kenjaku that he knew he could defeat them in his sleep, that he did not view them as a threat to take seriously. It had been thrilling to see his arrogance! 

Especially when they remembered a time where Sukuna had been the exact opposite of prideful. 

They had a good memory. With this memory, Kenjaku remembered the young man that had been the stain on his prosperous village’s name. He was a scrawny thing that had to sleep in the dirt and eat what scraps he could find. It had been so amusing to watch the pathetic rat scamper about in order to survive. At the time, Tengen had been their close companion. The two of them had appeared side by side the moment jujutsu sorcery had sparked into existence from the dark powers of the Great Vengeful Spirits. Tengen had always been the more cautious one and had admonished them for their poor treatment of others they deemed boring. When they told her of their new pathetic, pink pet, she disapproved greatly. They had wanted to use the boy to experiment with, but Tengen made them refrain from doing so. She was the better fighter of the two, so Kenjaku relented and settled for simply watching the rat until it perished. Tengen’s ire was the last thing Kenjaku wanted to deal with, yet it became more difficult over the years to not put the pest out of his misery. No villager gave the boy any kindness or even pity, often beating him severely if he was caught stealing. Kenjaku watched from afar as the boy became an unruly teenager that grew more ambitious in his crimes. Now, he stole for both survival and revenge. The emaciated child had filled out enough that he towered over the villagers and could retaliate with equal brutality. It was interesting to see the teen become a young man, barely in his second decade of life. Where there used to be fear, there was now a fierce determination to live. No matter how inhospitable his life became, he clung to it with everything he had. He was so weak, yet Kenjaku could not ignore the growing fire within him. The inferno would have been unleashed if it was not for the impossibly stupid mistake the man made. Kenjaku was furious that the entertainment they had received was waning due to the impossibly small infant the man cared for. All creatures needed to reproduce, Kenjaku knew that, but they failed to see why someone like him would bring a child into the world when his existence was hated by all. It had been a mistake, likely with another street urchin like him with rotten sake to further dull their judgment. When the sickly woman died in childbirth, Kenjaku was not surprised. While it did not surprise them, they were…perturbed when the young man wasted all of his limited resources on providing for the baby.  

Somehow, the baby survived its first year. Then its second. Then its third. 

It died in its fourth year. 

Kenjaku had grown the slightest bit fond of the drooling thing, but they did not shed any tears at its death. It had lived for such a short time that Kenjaku did not see it as a human. Just a tiny being of flesh that used to toddle around its father and giggle every time he picked it up. The man had named it Yuuji. Permanence, benevolence, and humanity . The meanings of its name were too significant for something so helpless. However, the death of his child made the inferno that Kenjaku had waited years to see burst from the man. His madness had led to the villagers screaming at him like they used to when he was a defenseless child. With that, Kenjaku was able to finally learn the man’s name.

Ryomen. 

What a terrible name. It was more of a title than a name, meaning ‘two faces’. Kenjaku had heard the name before with other two-headed creatures. However, they did not know why a man with one face would be given such a name. 

They wanted to find out. 

And they did . 

After the utter failure the healers did to save his son amongst the plague the village was having, Ryomen had lost his heart and warmth, Yuuji taking it with him. Needless to say, Kenjaku was elated to see his hatred turn into something tangible . If they dropped certain scrolls pertaining to cursed energy, cursed runes, and cursed techniques…well, that was no one’s business except Kenjaku’s own. 

Before they could see the power Ryomen fully developed, Kenjaku was called away by Tengen to discuss a serious topic within the lands. Curses were growing stronger as were the sorcerers that would combat them. Namely, the three major clans: the Kamo Clan, the Zenin Clan, and the Gojo Clan. The influx of cursed energy was cause for concern as there was nothing stopping curses from spreading to other parts of the world. Kenjaku wanted cursed energy to envelop the globe. There were so many possibilities with a planet filled with millions! Their insatiable curiosity would be fed with the endless subjects they would have at their disposal. However, their plan to experiment on the world was halted before it could even start by Tengen. She disagreed with Kenjaku’s attitude like she always did, but she went a step further in her attempts to stop them. Instead of lecturing them or giving them a roll of her eyes, Tengen sacrificed her form to become an eternal barrier to keep the cursed energy contained within Japan.

It was appalling to Kenjaku to see an immortal being waste their lives for such an idiotic cause. Kenjaku and Tengen were immortal, they were supposed to keep each other, all of jujutsu, balanced. Kenjaku was a being of chaos while Tengen was a being of harmony. It was her responsibility to reign in Kenjaku’s mayhem with her peace while it was their responsibility to grant excitement into the world with their disorder. Though, no one had been there to tell them what their purposes were. They both assumed them naturally. Tengen was always there to keep Kenjaku in check, and they helped loosen Tengen’s uptight tendencies. With her now being hidden away in the new Tombs of the Star Corridor, Kenjaku had no one to hold them back anymore. 

They had been so distracted that their disappointment about not being able to see Ryomen’s true power did not affect them in the slightest. If their memory was not as good as it was, they would have forgotten all about Ryomen. 

But they didn’t.

When they realized that Ryomen and Sukuna were one and the same, Kenjaku was excited. To them, Sukuna was a perfect being. Like a beautiful butterfly emerging from an unassuming cocoon, Sukuna had shed his former human self to become the strongest sorcerer in history. There was no sign that Sukuna remembered anything from his original human life, including the son he had adored so much. In fact, Sukuna hated children. Whenever Sukuna would invade villages for his own amusement, he never showed an ounce of compassion for the young lives he was ending. Kenjaku had asked Sukuna if he would ever want a child just to see if there was a sign of the four-armed curse remembering Yuuji. 

“Why the hell would I want an annoying, useless brat to care for? They’re a waste of time and effort, pathetic beings who only live due to the pity of others or their mothers. It is disgusting. ” 

Kenjaku was delighted . 

The King of Curses had lost all of his memories of the weak boy Kenjaku had observed all those years ago. Sukuna knew he had originally been a human, but that was the extent of his memory. It was interesting. So, so interesting . All the suffering and loss Ryomen endured had driven him into becoming such a monster after his death. Kenjaku knew that places with negative memories like battlegrounds or graveyards would bring curses into their world. With Ryomen, the boy had lived a life of misery that was equivalent to the pain a thousand burial sites could bring. So much negativity for such an insignificant being. All of the cursed energy accumulated during Ryomen’s tortured life was the reason Sukuna was as powerful as he was. While they had seen humans live terrible lives and become terrible curses, this was the first time that Kenjaku had seen a human become a curse of such might. To them, Kenjaku saw Sukuna as the Earth’s cautionary tale of what the worst of humanity can create. Just like Kenjaku was born into this world to give Earth the ability to change and excite, Sukuna was formed to punish and warn the humans who had taken the Earth for granted. At least, that was what Kenjaku believed. They were not entirely sure, and that mere fact thrilled them. Sukuna was special. He finally gave Kenjaku the chaos they had been craving.

When Sukuna entered a binding vow with them to become a cursed object, Kenjaku was even more ecstatic. He still had no inkling to his origins, which Kenjaku used to their advantage. Uraume had been rightfully suspicious of Kenjaku’s motives with their plan to reincarnate countless sorcerers and curse users after one thousand years. Even so, Uraume would follow Sukuna like the loyal dog they were. Unlike his loyal servant, Sukuna did not see any reason to be wary of Kenjaku as he believed that he was too powerful for Kenjaku to mess with. In a way, he was right. Kenjaku knew that it would be idiotic to try to engage Sukuna in combat, they only found fighting entertaining for observing the abilities their most recent host carried. However, Kenjaku would always have the upperhand in experience. It was their experience that led them to figuring out how to imbue an object with a soul after all. Sukuna had become increasingly bored of his life in the Heian Era and wanted to plan something new for the sorcerers to deal with. It was a selfish reason done for Sukuna’s own pleasure and amusement, which Kenjaku had always respected about Sukuna. He did whatever he desired. 

So Kenjaku fulfilled his wish. Sukuna sliced off all twenty of his fingers for Kenjaku to split his soul into. The binding vow ensured that Kenjaku could not use any of his fingers for their own gain. 

The binding vow said nothing about splitting Sukuna’s soul into twenty pieces. Just that his fingers were to be imbued with his soul, which Kenjaku did. They just left two extra portions for themselves. Twenty-two pieces of Sukuna’s soul. The last two were the smallest, mere slivers that would not be detected by any curse of sorcerer. Kenjaku loved the number. Twenty two. A pair of identical numbers. Two twos. Twins. 

Oh, how they loved the irony!

Ryomen and Sukuna would be the twins that never met, yet were always together. 

Because at the core of Sukuna’s cursed soul, hidden so deep that even Sukuna had not known of its existence, was a human soul that refused to fade away. 

With the two slivers of Sukuna’s soul that Kenjaku kept for themselves, one piece was kept within the brain that had become their true form. By doing this, Kenjaku permanently tethered themselves to Sukuna. It was both a contingency plan and an experiment. The other piece was used for a far simpler purpose. Kenjaku released the minute fragment into the world to see if anyone would be born with a piece of Sukuna’s soul.

And someone was. Itadori Jin. 

Centuries of research and tests made Kenjaku know everything about souls. They were more vital than any organ, yet most did not know of their existence. Being able to see the shape of one’s soul was impossible for non-sorcerers and a majority of sorcerers. Souls were stubborn things. Whatever shape they took on could not be changed unless the soul itself was forcibly changed. Souls were fragile things. Any damage to it could end up in the death of the being the soul belongs to. Souls were vengeful things. They would not forgive nor forget easily even if the owner of the soul did. Souls were clingy things. It was unnatural for a soul to be in separate pieces, so they would do everything they could to become whole again. 

The last fact was what led Kenjaku to meeting Jin.

No matter how miniscule the pieces of Sukuna’s soul Kenjaku and Jin held, they still wished to reunite. It led Kenjaku to stalk the man and wait for the right moment to steal the body of his wife, Kaori. Jin had been so relieved that his wife had miraculously survived the car crash that he did not see the warning signs that something was very wrong with her. Kenjaku was fond of Jin, they really were. He was a loving man who was too kind for his own good. They would always be grateful to him for giving them the perfect opportunity to start the plan they had been concocting for centuries. 

The plan had been so close to succeeding. Kenjaku had been so close to seeing the merger of Tengen and humanity come to fruition. It would have been fun!

Yet they had been left disappointed.

By Sukuna. 

Kenjaku’s plan had failed.

Because of Sukuna. 

No other event had ever caused Kenjaku to feel such disappointment, such shock, such fury, such disgust. 

Nothing had surprised Kenjaku so much.

After everything that Sukuna had done, he had thrown it all away in a mindless fit of rage. He destroyed everything . The entire planet was ruined as Sukuna burned it all down and carved through the lands. He was like a god throwing a tantrum because he could not control himself. It was stupid . Kenjaku had never once thought of Sukuna in such a way before. 

Then Sukuna did something even stupider. 

With the last remaining threads of their consciousness, only able to exist due to the sliver of Sukuna’s soul, Kenjaku witnessed the King of Curses kneel before a broken shell of a boy. Itadori Yuuji. They had named him such for their own amusement . As a joke only they understood. Yet here Sukuna was, embracing and apologizing to Yuuji with a gentleness of a father . 

Kenjaku saw as Sukuna gave Yuuji a painless death.

Kenjaku saw as Sukuna took Yuuji’s soul to form it into a mass of swirling pink light. 

Kenjaku saw as Sukuna’s mighty form grew smaller. 

Kenjaku saw as Sukuna’s infamous tattoos disappeared one by one.

Kenjaku saw as Sukuna’s last wishes went into giving Yuuji a happy life. 

Kenjaku saw as Ryomen appeared for the first time in over a thousand years. 

Once the last traces of Sukuna’s soul vanished, Kenjaku vanished with him. 

Throughout all their years of existence, Kenjaku had never seen someone turn back time to the extent that Sukuna did. He restarted the world. He made the Earth go back millions of years into the past. He had erased everything. 

Well, almost.

Kenjaku was still there. They still had a good memory. 

And they wanted to try something new .

Instead of going down the same path as they did in their previous life, Kenjaku decided to go down a different route. They kept themselves hidden from Sukuna this time, waiting throughout the years as life evolved from the prehistoric to familiarity. 

Seeing how nature changed and improved gave Kenjaku inspiration for future experiments. Survival was the most important goal in nature. To succeed in said goal, one must fight or become extinct. They had never taken the time to observe the normal life Earth had to offer. It had always been boring to them. However, they had nothing better to do until the Heian Era returned. With so much time, Kenjaku realized how even the plants fought for survival, developing increasingly creative ways to thrive. If something was not working, then the plant or animal died. Simple. If something was working, then the plant or animals survived and spread its improved genetics or knowledge to the next generations. 

Kenjaku kept to their studies as they were even less corporeal than Sukuna’s ghostly form, biding their time. They were not meant to exist. They were not meant to remember. They didn’t care. If they were nothing more than a tangle of conscious wisps, so be it. Nothing would make them let go of the fraction of life they still had.

Once Kenjaku learned of the beings Sukuna had created, their grip on the last shreds of sentience became unbreakable. Cursed Souls. A completely new species that Sukuna made for the sole purpose of protecting Yuuji. They were so interesting. So new. Finally, something new. Something to cure their boredom once again. 

Kenjaku did not make themselves known to the six creatures nor Sukuna once the Heian Era returned. Instead, they decided to find the boy that Sukuna had once been. 

He was even more pathetic than before. With stark tattoos on his body, the villagers saw him as a bad omen to be rid of. Kenjaku did not know that Ryomen could be treated even worse than before. Yet he was. Even if he was doing nothing, people went out of their way to harm the apparent demon in their village. 

It had been so easy to manipulate the poor soul. 

With their last shreds of existence, they found a suitable host from a powerful clan. They were uninterested in the more well known clans like the Gojos or the Zenins. Kenjaku needed a sorcerer with powers that would serve them well in their plan. A plan that had many inspirations from their original one, they still had yet to see the Merger come to fruition. However, there were also many revisions and improvements. To start, Kenjaku decided to make the first step of their plan far earlier. They needed Ryomen for this step, so they made sure their host was as beautiful as she was powerful. Itadori Ren was the host they chose, a stoic woman who held the inherited techniques the Itadori Clan held. As a smaller clan, not many knew of the Itadori’s technique. Kenjaku felt like the Earth was giving them a blessing by having the Itadori Clan have the perfect technique for their plan. 

Body Manipulation. This inherited technique allowed an Itadori to directly change the qualities their body had. It could not be used to manipulate the body of another due to it being both taboo and nearly impossible. The most common way this technique manifested was an Itadori sorcerer’s ability to change the way gravity affected their body. It either made their body lighter than a feather or heavier than stone. Itadoris were skilled at seeing their own soul, but they were a humble clan that kept to themselves. It was not knowledge any outsiders knew of. Kenjaku only learned of the true depths of their technique once they inhabited Itadori Ren’s body. The Itadori Clan was unique for another reason besides their technique, their kindness. Everyone in the clan seemed to be genuinely good people, which was unheard of in sorcerer clans. This kindness made Itadoris refuse to use their abilities for cruelty. Luckily for Kenjaku, they had no such morals to hold them back from seeking out the darkest possibilities the Itadori Clan’s technique had to offer. With their prior expertise in souls, Kenjaku learned how to use the reverse of the technique like he did with Itadori Kaori. Instead of just gravity manipulation, Itadori Ren could use her technique to affect her memories by changing certain areas of her brain. It reminded Kenjaku of how the Zenin Clan was known for their Ten Shadow’s Technique, but it was far from the only technique with members having Projection Sorcery. Ren was not the only member with the memory manipulation technique, which Kenjaku used to further their knowledge. It was typically used to make users of this technique incredibly fast learners, able to prevent the memory of whatever they learned from fading. Additionally, it aided them in being more resilient to psychic attacks.

There were so many possibilities for Kenjaku to explore with Itadori Ren’s techniques, but the second reason for choosing her was even more crucial to their plan. Ren was beautiful. With her beauty, Kenjaku used it to attract Ryomen like a bee to a fresh flower. This new world had been far more cruel to Ryomen, so the boy had been desperate for a loving touch. When they had found him, Ryomen had been so shocked that they were being kind to him. Kenjaku was quite amused, but knew better than to break character. Ryomen was in his second decade like he was when he had Yuuji the first time. However, the mother would not be a nameless woman he got drunk with. No. This time, Kenjaku would be the one to have Yuuji. They had done it with Jin, mostly for their own curiosity. Having Yuuji was far more imperative now. It had been a mistake on Kenjaku’s end to not see the potential the boy held. They would never make such an error again. 

After getting drunk like he had previously, Ryomen had become a father. While they did want to do new things, Kenjaku still wanted other aspects of time to remain the same. They needed Ryomen to grow extremely attached to Yuuji or else their plan would not work. So they faked their death by exiting their host. 

From then on, Kenjaku watched and waited.

They waited and waited and waited and waited until-

“Hello, little one. I take it you’re my last student? ”

It had been a tedious process to become a teacher in such a prestigious school, but it was worth it. In the modern era, they decided to inhabit Kaori Itadori’s body once again. This time, however, they stayed with her for much longer. They also got rid of their dear Jin and old Wasuke to ensure that no one questioned Kaori, who was now a poor widow. As Kaori, Kenjaku decided to explore the world in search of the evidence of the creatures they had longed to study. For years, they traveled across the globe to find every piece of evidence pertaining to cursed souls. Eventually, they wrote a book about it, placing it in the catacombs for someone to read. And they knew that someone would be Getou Suguru. From inhabiting his body and memories, Kenjaku knew that Getou came to the catacombs to study what was meant to be forgotten. In this new world, Getou would likely have the same habit. With their knowledge from traveling, they were able to become a respected scholar in both history and biology. Soon enough, they received several degrees that Kenjaku could care less about. The pieces of papers were only useful in getting Kenjaku into the school Yuuji would attend as a teacher. Ryomen had been so careful to keep Yuuji hidden, but this paranoia was what made him predictable. The only school that Ryomen would ever allow his son to attend would be the one that required each teacher to have multiple degrees and yearly background checks. The only school that Gojo Satoru allowed was his adopted son, Megumi, to attend. 

Their theory was proven correct once the little boy entered their classroom. Kenjaku found Yuuji adorable, he was all pink hair and smiles. He looked at them without an ounce of fear. In fact, he had stuck to their side for most of the class. Yuuji was drawn to Kenjaku for a reason. Before Yuuji had originally been born, Kenjaku had given a piece of themselves to the boy in a binding vow. The only thing needed for the binding vow to be fulfilled was Yuuji being born. As long as that occurred, then a piece of Kenjaku’s soul would be sealed within Yuuji. It would allow Kenjaku to be linked to Yuuji like a more unethical version of a normal mother’s intuition. A binding vow between two people needed full consent, but that was boring to Kenjaku. They had not studied for thousands of years about souls, cursed energy, and more to follow the rules and limitations of jujutsu. In other words, Kenjaku cheated their way around a proper binding vow. They were quite proud of themselves for that one! It had been a stroke of brilliance!

While this linking did come with its risks, Kenjaku knew that the benefits outweigh the risks tenfold! 

There was so much to do now that another step of their plan was complete. It would be four more years until Mahito would be spawned, which was the main reason as to why Kenjaku kept to the same timing as before. The curse would be imperative later on. Even though they no longer had Getou Suguru’s cursed technique, they had developed something even better after centuries of experimentation.

Science was all about testing new theories, learning from failures, and improving prior methods.

And Kenjaku had always been a scientist.

Walking down a dilapidated block filled with nothing but dried weeds and rotting houses, Kenjaku smiled to themselves. The first day of class had been a success. It felt almost painful to have to return to their home after meeting Yuuji and the cursed soul cleverly hidden within his backpack. The purple cat was quite familiar, and Kenjaku could spot that distinct stripe across the nose anywhere. Besides Sukuna, they were the only other beings in existence who knew of the people that inhabited the world they originally came from. The similarities the six cursed souls had were only evident to Kenjaku and Sukuna.

It would be hilarious to see how their old failure would react to his superior counterpart. 

They entered a house that looked just as abandoned as the others. Kenjaku walked through the dirty house, ignoring all the bugs and rodents scattering about, and stopped at a metal door with a large lock. Humming a nameless tune to themselves, Kenjaku took out a key to unlock the door. Nothing but darkness existed outside the threshold. They called into it. “Subject Thirteen?”

After about a minute of waiting, Kenjaku could hear the quick footsteps of his newest project ascending the stairs. A jellyfish-like shikigami floated above their project, illuminating the old staircase with cyan light. The shikigami belonged to their recent experiment, a small boy with dark hair and sad eyes. He trembled as he gazed at Kenjaku. It made a sadistic delight fill them to see the fear in the boy’s eyes when the children of their class were not scared of them at all. Subject Thirteen was only a few years older than the six-year-olds Kenjaku taught, but he knew better than to start crying or whining for his parents. 

Because they were dead.

Kenjaku approached the shaking boy, placing a thumb underneath the eye that was not covered by the child’s messy bangs. They wiped the tears away and cooed at them. “There’s no need for that, remember? I’ve already given you your water portion for the day, and it would be dreadful to deal with you if you dehydrated yourself.” Subject Thirteen nodded obediently at their words, unconsciously leaning into their touch. Pathetic. Humans were truly such needy creatures. Since Kenjaku was in a good mood, they decided to provide the affection his experiment desperately craved. Plucking the pale boy from the floor, Kenjaku carried them on one hip. “Come along. I have much to discuss with you and Subject One!”

Another meek nod. Subject Thirteen kept silent as they descended the staircase, the boy’s shikigami there to light the way. Finally, once they crossed the last step, the underground lab Kenjaku had created greeted them. 

As did several others.

“What took you so long?!” Jogo, a curse with the destructive power of a volcano, shouted. Immediately, Subject Thirteen flinched and tried to hide by burying his face in their shoulder. Only to be unceremoniously dropped onto the concrete floor. The volcanic curse looked ready to kill Subject Thirteen, which made the boy squeak and scamper off to another part of the lab. With the experiment gone, Jogo continued his interrogation. “What was so important that you had to drop everything and leave us here for hours?! Neither of your twisted experiments wanted to tell us anything!”

“Because I ordered Subject One and Subject Thirteen not to.” Kenjaku replied simply, sitting down on the large couch the other curses were sitting on. On either side of Jogo was a curse that resembled a tree and another that resembled a squid. Hanami and Dagon. They could not speak, so Jogo needed to do all the talking. They looked at their painted nails with a bored expression. “Is that all you wanted to say, Jogo? Or is there more whining I will have to hear?”

Smoke rose from the volcano molded into Jogo’s head. His singular eye glared at them with malice. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Whatever your ugly head thinks it means!”

“Why you-” Jogo growled in rage. One of his hands glowed with an orange light, intending to blast Kenjaku with a deadly ball of lava. “I’ve had enough of your disrespect, sorcerer! I’ll burn that smug grin off your face!” A wide smile spread across his features, revealing the black teeth he had. The ball of magma and flames made the entire lab start to heat up, but Kenjak felt no fear. 

Just as Jogo was about to throw his attack, his hand was cut off by a beam of blood. 

Subject One had intervened like Kenjaku knew he would. He was truly the perfected version of what Choso failed to be. He was ruthless, powerful, reliable, and most importantly…

Dark purple eyes gazed at them. “Are you alright, Master?”

He was under their complete control. 

“I’m fine! Amazing even! The next step of our plan has been completed, and there is much to do. Subject One?”

“Yes, Master?”

“Go get Subject Thirteen, will you? He’s imperative to the next phase of my plan!”

Kenjaku could not wait to start this phase as it would be far more entertaining than the previous steps. 

Infiltration. 

How fun!

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-

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The room was both freezing cold and blistering hot. Countless candles acted as the only source of light, their fire causing an uncomfortable heat. In contrast, the atmosphere did not match this warmth whatsoever. Despite the barriers hiding the faces of the elders behind them, their harsh gaze could still be felt easily.

“Yaga. Do you know why you have been summoned here?” A feminine voice spoke from one of the several wooden panels. The disdain in her words was so clear that Yaga could see the scowl the crone had. 

Suppressing a sigh, Yaga responded as respectfully as he could. “I have not been informed of any recent issues, ma’am.”

“Of course, you wouldn’t see any issues with your students.” The same voice snapped. 

“You’ve always been far too soft on them, Yaga.” Another aged voice rumbled. 

My students? For a moment, Yaga was confused as his most recent students were too inexperienced to go on missions. Then the realization hit him, and Yaga could not suppress his frustrated sigh this time. Why is it always those four…

The barrier placed in the center of the room held the only person who Yaga knew the identity behind. Over the years, Gakuganji had become a thorn in Yaga’s side. As the principal of the only other school Jujutsu Society had, Yaga had believed that he would be able to have a rapport with the elderly man. However, Gakuganji was far too close minded and cowardly for Yaga to ever think of befriending. He avoided the other principal as much as he could. One reason was because Yaga simply did not enjoy the man’s company. However, there was another purpose for ignoring Gakuganji like the plague. A much more pressing reason.

Satoru. 

After the fateful Sendai mission, all of Yaga’s oldest students changed for the better and for the worst. The easiest example of this was in Satoru. While the once petulant teenager had grown into a competent sorcerer, Satoru had also become far more unstable . The day that Satoru had woken up after the mission was a day that Yaga could never forget. While Nanami and Suguru were still comatose, Satoru had been thrashing and screaming in his slumber. Yaga was the only person who knew the extent of Satoru’s mental deterioration. He had forced Shoko to rest as the girl’s eye bags were dark enough to be bruises. During his nightwatches, Yaga had seen Satoru grow more and more distressed until he had to be restrained by his wrists and ankles. The boy would wake up at random intervals before falling unconscious several seconds later. When Satoru had properly regained consciousness, Nanami had woken up as well. Instead of hearing the annoying quips Satoru was known for, the white-haired teen had silently stared at his surroundings until his cloudy eyes landed on Suguru, who had yet to wake up. 

He had never seen the boy so infuriated before. Satoru roared in rage as he lunged for his closest friend, snapping the leather restraints like paper. The heavy miasma that came with Satoru’s cursed energy made it difficult to breathe. A still recovering Nanami had tried to reason with the older teen, but was only met with Satoru attacking him like a feral animal. At that point, Yaga had tackled Satoru before the teen could kill either Nanami or Suguru, causing Satoru to scream nonsense in his teacher’s ears. 

“NO! NO! LET ME GO! I HAVE TO KILL HIM! THEY’RE GONNA TAKE HIM! THEY’RE GONNA TAKE SUGURU! LET ME KILL HIM! HE HAS TO DIE!”

With his own wounds sustained from the mission, Yaga struggled to hold onto the lanky teenager. Fortunately, Shoko had arrived just in time to inject Satoru with enough tranquilizer to put an elephant to sleep. Once Satoru went limp, Yaga and Shoko had been at a loss of what to do with him, considering how powerful the teenager was. The answer came to them by Gakuganji, who had been staying at the infirmary to watch over his own students' recovery, storming in. The elder ordered Yaga to give him the unconscious boy, but Yaga had refused immediately. Instead, Yaga followed Gakuganji into Tengen’s Corridors while holding a far too-light Satoru. If it was not for Tengen themselves opening a barrier to contain Satoru, Yaga would have refused to ever force Satoru in such a situation. When Yaga had left temporarily to redo the torn stitches in his stomach, he returned to an awake Satoru banging his head against the invisible barrier. The teen was doing everything in his power to escape while simultaneously screeching about how he would slaughter Gakuganji for something that the elder apparently did. 

Satoru had never been fond of authority, but his hatred for Gakuganji was something else entirely. When Satoru had tried to summon Red, the reversal of his technique, Gakuganji and the elders he had notified enchained Satoru as if he was a criminal to be punished. Despite how aggravating the boy could get, Yaga harbored no ill feelings towards Satoru. To see one of his students be so terrified and hurt , all because of the higher-ups' paranoia, made something within Yaga snap. What little respect Yaga did have for the elders disappeared the moment he saw them laughing about finally putting ‘the brat in his place’ and scheming about making Satoru’s imprisonment permanent. How the higher-ups could see a sobbing boy being tortured with hallucinations and only think about keeping Satoru bound like a weapon only meant to be used when needed…It was disgusting. No matter how his wounds throbbed or how exhausted he was, Yaga refused to leave Satoru alone. Shoko would share his sentiments and keep a protective watch on her friend. 

The damage Sendai had done to his students manifested in different ways. For Nanami, it was his withdrawal from Jujutsu Tech, only loyal to Yaga himself and his upperclassmen. Despite Yaga’s pleas for Nanami to return as a full-time sorcerer, Nanami refused with an unexpected amount of resentment and anger from the normally stoic blonde. For Shoko, she worked nonstop as one of the only reverse-cursed technique users, studying for her medical license in less than legal ways. While the sorceress had dedicated herself to quit smoking, she still took poor care of herself, putting all her energy into the sorcerers she had to heal. For Suguru, the long-haired teen had stopped being as distant, but he also became obsessed with studying cursed souls, the beings that haunted them all. The compassionate boy who was a role model for his underclassmen now had tattoos and piercings and spoke with barely-hidden disgust about non sorcerers. The elders were quite displeased at Suguru’s new appearance and attitude, their supposedly perfect sorcerer no longer perfect. The long-haired boy had been the happiest that Yaga had ever seen, so he had no opposition towards Suguru’s more rebellious-alternative self. However, Yaga had gotten quite frustrated with Suguru when he tried to pierce one of his cursed corpses for the millionth time. 

As always, Satoru was the outlier. 

He became stronger, but he also became unstable. If it was not for Suguru calming Satoru down, all the higher-ups would have been killed in a heartbeat. Early into Satoru’s recovery, the teenager would constantly snap at his superiors, even Yaga on occasions. At some point, Suguru had to be by Satoru’s side at all times until the risk of the elder’s being murdered ebbed. Over time, Satoru regained most of his self-control, but was still prone to outbursts if he was overwhelmed or overstimulated. He had abandoned his blacked-out sunglasses to thick, black wrappings that acted as a blindfold. Having his eyes covered to such an extent helped Satoru’s fractured mind immensely. While he would never be as composed as his younger self, Satoru had enough self-awareness that he would leave before he endangered anyone. 

Except for Gakuganji. 

About six years had passed since the Sendai Mission, and Satoru’s aggression towards Gakuganji had not faded in the slightest. Satoru hated the elder with a passion that Yaga had only seen in Satoru’s love of zunda and cream kikufuku. Which was saying something considering how Satoru would go on hour long spiels of how perfect the stuffed mochi was. Hell, Satoru had written an entire thesis about his favorite dessert just because he loved it that much!

So for Gojo to commit to hating Gakuganji as much as he committed to loving kikufuku…

Needless to say, Gakuganji was easily the most hated person in Japan. 

“The Gojo Clan has expressed their concern about the evolution of Gojo Satoru’s technique. They state that Gojo Satoru is using Limitless and the Six Eyes in ways unbecoming of a member of the Gojo Clan. As the only holder of such techniques, the Gojo Clan are perturbed by Gojo Satoru’s defilement of their clan’s most sacred power.” Gakuganji rumbled behind his barrier. His own resentment towards the younger sorcerer was palpable in his words. There were several sounds of agreement that came from the other elders. “You have the most contact with him, so we expect you to tell us as to why he is acting in such a manner.”

Yaga wanted to bang his head against the wall. This . This is what the higher-ups had summoned him for. They were worried that Satoru was being untraditional with his technique, an ability that had not been seen for over five centuries?! Of course, the ways in which Satoru used his Limitless and Six Eyes would be different from the sorcerers from an entirely different era! With his teeth clenched, Yaga responded. “Satoru’s strength and control over his technique has improved exponentially. I fail to see how this is a problem. Forgive me for asking, but is it not a good thing for Satoru to find new ways to use his Infinity? Jujutsu techniques went through advancements and innovations just like the world around us.” 

“That lunatic has no control whatsoever!” 

“He is a risk to us all!”

“He is likely the reason behind Getou Suguru’s downfall!”

“And Kento Nanami. He drove that boy away, costing us another sorcerer!”

The voices clashed against each other, saying worse and worse things about their most vital member. Indignation was the only thing Yaga could feel. How dare they. How dare they speak about his students in such a way?! Do they not know what they went through-

Gakuganji’s callous words broke through the chaos. “We have reason to suspect that your former students are conspiring with the King of Death.”

His heart stopped.

It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be true.

“What are your sources?” Yaga asked numbly. 

“Mei Mei.” Another elder answered, sounding almost smug. “Her services are far easier to acquire now. All we have to do is threaten her crows or her younger brother to make her comply. This is your only warning that we are keeping a close eye on those four sorcerers.”

Just when his disgust at the higher-ups could not become any higher, it skyrocketed with the admission. During the Sendai mission, the cursed soul resembling a feline had shot beams of blood at Yaga, which then went through his torso and onto Mei Mei. Utahime was also slashed, but it was a minor cut across her nose. The older girl was much less fortunate. Her eyes had been injured by the feline’s piercing blood attack. It seemed that the cursed soul could control the toxicity of its blood as Mei Mei suffered from poison while Yaga and Utahime did not. There was no antidote and Shoko could only do so much as a novice healer. Mei Mei would become permanently blinded from the attack, having to use her crows for daily use instead of strictly sorcery. Additionally, her baby brother would be born a few years after the attack. He became the young woman’s guide, always describing the scenery around them. His love for his sister was immense. If she still had her sight, Mei Mei would have taken advantage of that blind adoration. Instead, her little brother aiding her just because he could and not due to any ulterior motives caused Mei Mei to be fond of her sibling. He was useful to her, but he also was the only person that Mei Mei was attached to. In the past, Mei Mei had no ties or loyalties to anyone besides herself and whoever was paying her the most. She still worked as a mercenary, but the higher-ups were now freed from her high rates. 

It was not surprising that the elders would use this opportunity to take advantage of Mei Mei’s permanent injury. For years, Mei Mei had been a loose cannon of sorts, someone that the elders had no control over. Even Satoru was obligated to go wherever he was assigned. Now, they had earned Mei Mei’s loyalty through force and fear. Self preservation was as sacred to her as money, so she did not take lightly to threats on her life or Ui Ui’s. 

Part of Yaga wanted to be furious at Mei Mei, but he knew better than to question the higher-ups. With one word, they could make someone disappear or be labeled as a traitor. If they felt threatened, then they would do everything in their power to be rid of said threat. 

Cowards . Yaga hissed to himself. “Sukuna has not been spotted in years. He disappeared along with the cursed souls. We’re fortunate that we’ve been left in peace for so long.”

“Peace does not exist as long as curses continue to exist. We will enter a war the moment Sukuna reveals himself. He is just biding his time. We cannot afford anymore sorcerers defecting nor betraying us.” 

Yaga felt like his mind was going to explode. Defection. Betrayal. Conspiring with the King of Death.

Just what the hell had his students gotten into?!

-

“ You’re weak. All four of you. If my son is to be protected, then I will make sure that his human guardians are as strong as his monstrous guardians. I am not going to allow any more sorcerers, so you better be prepared to become a one-man army. ”

Ryomen words were far more literal than any of them anticipated. 

“YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE CODDLED IN A WAR! EITHER YOU RUN THROUGH THIS COURSE OR I FEED YOUR CORPSES TO THE KOI FISH! NANAMI, YOU’RE UP FIRST!”

Nanami had never received formal training like Satoru or Suguru. Even Shoko had been an apprentice to a reverse curse technique user before he died after a fatal encounter with a special grade curse. They had someone to introduce them to Jujutsu, whether they wanted to know about it or not. At a young age, his upperclassman knew of their cursed techniques. For Nanami, he was not aware of his technique until he was thirteen. It had been a life or death situation with a group of armed robbers threatening to kill him and his family if they called the authorities. At the time, his parents complied with the request, holding his baby sister in their arms while hugging his terrified brothers and sisters. It was a smart decision to make, but Nanami did not view it as one. Not at all. In fact, he can still remember the intense rage he had felt at his parents lack of retaliation. While Nanami had never been an aggressive person, he had always valued the lives of his younger siblings far more than his own. As the eldest sibling, it was his job to look after them when their parents were at work. He had seen how vulnerable children are, how they needed to be protected by the adults. Nanami, in a reckless act befitting of an angry preteen, shouted at the robbers. They wanted to steal the valuables that would help send his siblings to school, and that was unacceptable. His protective fury made him sprint to the kitchen and grab the largest knife he could find. The roaring of his frantic heart deafened him to his parents' pleas to stop. He hadn’t cared. Nanami charged towards the thieves, something within him igniting like an inferno. In a panic, one of the robbers tried to shoot at his family. Before the thief could pull the trigger, Nanami slashed his kitchen knife in the air as if it was as natural as breathing. Despite the blade not making contact, the man still screamed in agony as his arm was sliced off. The other criminals tried to retaliate, but Nanami was already reading another blow. Blue light engulfed him as he dealt the final strikes. 

He had killed the entire group. 

When Nanami had realized what he had done, he dropped the knife and tried to go towards his family. His siblings cowered away in fear while his father barked at him to step back. It was the first time that Nanami had heard his father raise his voice. After living a life of mundanity and routine, his parents did not know how to handle something new, something different . Neither did Nanami as he had lived the same life of rules and normality. He grew up in a middle class family, lived in a middle class town, took care of his siblings, went to school, participated in sports, did his homework, received high marks on tests, listened to his parents, behaved in a polite manner, and always respected the rules. There was nothing remarkable about Nanami. He was not extraordinary or special like Satoru. He had no larger purpose or goals like Suguru. He could not heal others or be irreplaceable like Shoko. Nanami was prepared to live exactly like his father. Get a job, make money, have a family, and then retire to a foreign country. However, the choice of a normal life was ripped away from him the night he killed several armed robbers without even touching them. After that night, a rift had formed between Nanami and his family that could never be fixed. He became the black sheep of his family, the one that could slice someone into pieces and see ‘demons’. The only person that did not treat him like a ticking time bomb was a boy he had met after running away the same night as the robbery. Nanami could not bear the looks of fear from his family, so he ran from his house until his legs could not move anymore. His frantic sprint had led him to an abandoned park in a completely different side of town. He had always been gifted physically, but Nanami had never thought he could run so far. On numb legs, Nanami sat on a rusty swing, hearing the old chains squeak in protest of his weight. Just as he was about to stand, a voice appeared from behind. It belonged to a boy with brown hair and wide eyes. Haibara. 

It was thanks to Haibara that Nanami learned of Jujutsu High. He had to wait a few years until he could apply, so Haibara recommended that he talk to the teachers to learn more about sorcerers. Nanami declined. An actual sorcerer would need a teacher. He was just a kid with a weird slicing ability. Even so, he still kept Haibara’s words of training in mind. Several times a week, they would meet at the park and go to the nearest open field to spar. Nanami often trained alone as he figured out his ratio technique. He practiced until he knew the ins and outs of his technique and cursed energy as a whole. His tool at the time had been the kitchen knife he used on the robbers until Haibara surprised him with a new weapon on his fourteenth birthday. Apparently, Haibara’s father worked for Jujutsu High as a blacksmith, so he crafted a short blunt sword for Nanami. The man had even created a custom-made case and harness to hold the blade and wrapped it in white fabric with black spots for extra protection. It took several weeks until Nanami became accustomed to the new weight of the sword and how to make the most efficient strikes with it. He had never shown his family his abilities, and he had accepted the fact that they would never see him the same way again. In recent years, their relationship had become slightly less strained. Either way, Nanami didn’t care. He would still protect and provide for his family, but he wouldn’t keep himself awake at night from the hurt his family had caused him. It wasn’t worth the energy. 

As a sorcerer, Nanami kept this ideal of efficiency over anything else. It allowed him to make life or death decisions without freezing and gave him a level-headedness not seen in his other peers. He had tried to use this mindset when he left Jujutsu High and sorcery all together, working as a salaryman like his father had. The schedules, deadlines, calls, and more mind numbing tasks were easy for him to become accustomed to, but there was something nagging his mind every day he was living ‘normally’. 

He had left his upperclassman to fight against six creatures of hell. Entities that had bested Satoru and Suguru, the strongest sorcerers that Jujutsu society had to offer. Beings that haunted him like they haunted his upperclassmen. 

After seven months of working a corporate job, Nanami quit to return to his job as a sorcerer. However, there was a key difference in his loyalties than when he had first defected. He refused to work under the corrupted higher-ups. The only people Nanami took orders from were Yaga and his three upperclassmen. If they needed him, he’d be there.

The fateful Sendai mission had made him, Gojo, Getou, and Shoko become closer. In the past, they were a group that were on friendly terms, but each had their preferred person to hang out with. Haibara had been the heart of the group, bringing joy and laughter to them all. When he passed, no one could fill that void. They grew distant until the elders ordered him to accompany Gojo on a mission despite it involving a special grade curse. He had barely started his second year and was completely outmatched when they arrived at the abandoned warehouse. Neither he or Gojo were faring well against the six aggressive entities trying to kill him. With a stroke of luck, Nanami’s phone had not broken after being slammed into the wall by Overtime. He dialed Getou’s number with shaking fingers before he was ensnared by spotted wrappings. 

Nanami barely recalled the events of what conspired after being taken. The only memories he had were of being placed surprisingly gently onto a patch of grass. Distant sounds of screeching and shouting were not enough to snap Nanami out of the catatonic state he had adopted. No curse had ever made Nanami freeze. He was known for not hesitating, yet he found himself not able to move a muscle. 

That’s when he had felt it. 

A puff of breath,  as cold as the winds of a blizzard, was felt behind his neck.

The first time that he had gotten a proper look at Infinite was a moment that had caused him countless nightmares. Like a ghost of death, the feathered dragon had loomed over him with a hoard of eyes watching him and several ear piercing shrieks of laughter. Nanami had been completely certain that he would be killed, but he remained unharmed. It had happened so quickly, Infinite appearing to tap his beak against Nanami’s forehead before disappearing in a cloud of smoke, that Nanami had thought he had dreamed it. 

He wished it had just been a dream or hallucination. 

It wasn’t. 

The words Infinite had whispered to him would resurface whenever Nanami least expected it. 

“Be selfish. You deserve it.”

“Be angry. You have every right to be.”

“Be reckless. You’ll be limiting your potential if you aren’t. ”

Selfish. Angry. Reckless. Those were words that would describe the complete opposite of Nanami. He had always kept his composure and was strategic in battles, but…

“STOP THINKING! ACT! YOU’LL DIE IF YOU DON’T.”

All six of the cursed souls were charging at him at varying speeds. Each had widely different physical builds and abilities. Nanami did not have the time to make a proper plan when he was seconds away from being killed in Ryomen’s intense training. This was the test that would make Ryomen give Nanami, Shoko, Gojo, and Getou his full respect and trust. If any of them failed at whatever task they were given, then Sukuna promised that he would train them personally. Ryomen’s training was already difficult enough. Sukuna’s battle training would likely be impossible since the curse enjoyed messing with them as much as he could. Today was important. Nanami and the others would be tested to their limits. It would show if their four years of constant training was either for naught or worth the blood, sweat, and tears. 

Nanami breathed in deeply, allowing all of his thoughts to fade into the back of his mind.

He could only feel the weight of his blade in his hand. He could only smell the dew covered grass beneath his feet. He could only hear the cracking of leaves as the cursed souls ran over them. He could only taste the leftover coffee he had drank and the pancakes Yuuji had made for him. He could only see Overtime lunging at him with a razor sharp wrapping aimed at his neck. 

Be selfish.

Be angry. 

Be reckless. 

It went against everything Nanami believed in, but for Yuuji he would do it. 

He’d do anything to protect Yuuji.

CURSED SOUL MEGUMI! MEET CHIMERA!

From the poll, it seems like this goopy boy was next on the roster. It was more difficult that I thought to get his spikes right. And even now they’re not perfect by any means. I’m a writer not an artist :,)

Anyways! This is Chimera, one of the six guardians in the story. He stays hidden in the shadows most of the time, but will appear if he needs to. His design is inspired mainly by WD Gaster from Undertale. Specifically, the artworks that depict Gaster as a goopy mess. Chimera is similar. The goop is a reference to the goo Megumi’s shikigami turn into once his technique is released. It’s also a reference to Megumi’s domain appearing like it’s made of ink (the domain is where Chimera gets his name). He can only speak in quiet warbles or clicks. He is more vocal through his eye lights, which he can shift the appearance of. He uses this ability to entertain Yuuji at times. It’s like a little picture show for him :)

Onto the drawings! The first one (top left) is the closest I could get to having Chimera look like he is made of ink. The sharpie I used was not the best so he looks more dull without the filter. The second (top right) is what the drawing actually looks like. Chimera has tiny eye lights and does not have too much details on his body or face. He also frequently appears in a tinier form for convenience or out of moodiness. The third bottom left) is my first concept design for Chimera. I kept all the elements the same except I made him goopier and with floating balls of ink. The small chart that depicts the meaning of his eyes is still canon and I’ll definitely be referring to it in the future. The fourth (bottom right) is just to show a sticky note I found at work of tiny drawings of blob chimera ^^

Until next time!

Remus Without His Moustache

Cursed Guardians (A JJK Fic)

AO3 Link

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Yuuji was an odd child. 

Of course, Ryomen loved his son more than anything else in the world, there was nothing his son could do that would make Ryomen change his stance on that. Even so, he knew that his baby boy was not normal by human standards. Of course, any child who was reborn from mere ashes after one thousand years could not be entirely human. Ryomen was not human either, but he had thought he would know what to expect with his son. Afterall, he had raised Yuuji until his boy died from illness at the tender age of four. In a way, Yuuji was still the same as he was back then. He was still the bubbly, bright child Ryomen adored. 

But there were changes. Very concerning changes. 

Any baby would develop separation anxiety for their parents, but Yuuji completely shut down when he was alone. He became so terrified that he would be inconsolable for hours. One of his guardians had to be with him at all times in addition to Ryomen or Sukuna. If he was without either, Yuuji would wail until his voice broke. Babies cried and toddlers threw tantrums. That was to be expected, but Yuuji cried for very different reasons. He would only cry when left alone or, which hurt Ryomen’s very soul to admit, when he had violent nightmares. A baby was supposed to cry when they were hungry, needed a change, or scared. The fact that Yuuji only did one of the three meant that Ryomen had to spend many sleepless nights watching the boy to determine when he was hungry or soiled his diaper. Throughout his infancy, Supernova had become Ryomen’s saving grace. The cat was almost always near Yuuji, either curled around him or watching from a distance. Somehow, Supernova was in tune with Yuuji's needs the most and acted as an alert of sorts for Ryomen. He often woke up Ryomen from a fitful sleep to let him know if Yuuji needed something. The cat had learned to become quite good at charades. 

Now, at two-years-old, Ryomen did not have to stay awake for days on end to check on his baby. The boy still had nightmares, but they had become more manageable. There were four different types of nightmares that Yuuji would have. One, the easiest, he would wake up sobbing and would fall back asleep once he, Sukuna, or a guardian held him. Those were normally handled by the guardians, especially Supernova, as they were always ready to comfort the boy.  Two, he would be so scared that he would not settle down or go back to sleep unless Ryomen, Sukuna, and all the guardians were in the room. This would cause Ryomen to purchase the largest blankets and pillows he could find, so they could create a giant pillow fort on the couch for everyone to fit. Three, he would only be willing to be near one specific person or guardian depending on the nightmare, which even included him hugging a very non-huggable Resonance as tightly as he could and refusing to let her go for the rest of the night. It had taken the longest to figure out those nightmares. Four, the rarest, he would wake up in a panicked state and would not allow anyone to come near him, including his guardians. Yuuji would flinch at all touch and attempts to speak to him. The only thing that Ryomen and the others could do was keep him company until Yuuji came to his senses himself. 

No two-year-old should have so many nightmares. 

Ryomen had tried to ask Sukuna about it, but the curse would change the subject immediately. They had been sharing a body for centuries, so Ryomen knew everything about Sukuna. Seeing Sukuna’s obvious attempts at deflecting made alarm bells ring in Ryomen’s mind. He had always known that Sukuna hid things from him, and he had made peace with it long ago. The haunted looks Sukuna would get at the oddest times or the times where he would sense an incredible guilt within the ancient being…It was as worrisome as it was suspicious. However, it did not matter how many times Ryomen would press, Sukuna wouldn’t open up. 

This was different. He was hiding something about Yuuji. 

“Papa!”

“Yes, hon?” With practiced ease, Ryomen shoved down his thoughts about Sukuna. It wasn’t worth the energy to speculate on something he would never get the answers to. The tiny hands around his leg would always be more important. Yuuji was clinging onto his leg with his smiling face tugging at Ryomen’s heartstrings. “Are you hungry?”

A soft meow answered his question. Yuuji looked sheepish as he buried his face in his father’s leg with an impossibly small nod. Wrapped around his tiny shoulders was an equally tiny Supernova, who was purring into the boy's fluffy, pink hair. Any questions directed towards Yuuji’s wellbeing were always met with the boy going quiet. Another odd thing. Ryomen remembered how his son would never hesitate to tell him if he was hungry, thirsty, or tired. Yuuji back then was never afraid to express himself. The little boy Ryomen had now clammed up at those questions. Yuuji would even look unreasonably guilty whenever Ryomen guessed what he wanted or his guardians pointed it out. As if he was guilty for having basic needs. 

No two-year-old should bear so much guilt. 

Supernova jumped onto the kitchen counter and pawed at the eggs Ryomen was currently frying, not flinching at all at the heat of the pan. The cat quickly went back to Yuuji and grew in size. He plucked the toddler by the scruff of his onesie, detaching the boy from Ryomen’s legs to allow the man the right to move again. Ryomen knelt down and ruffled Yuuji’s head. 

“You good with eggs and bacon for breakfast, Yuuji? I’m sure your Uncle Kuna would love some bacon.” At the mere mention of the curse, the toddler lit up like the sun. He could not figure out why Yuuji was so attached to Sukuna, but he had an inkling that it was due to the many naps Sukuna and Yuuji shared throughout the day. Sukuna had slowed down over the years, becoming almost docile. The cause of this change was the worsening of the chronic fatigue Sukuna seemed to experience day in and day out. Ryomen, for once, had been worried about the curse. However, his concerns were put to rest as he noticed Sukuna becoming much more active and perk up after adopting Yuuji’s napping schedule. Now, Yuuji would take all his naps on his living mattress Sukuna, and the curse would quickly fall asleep with him. It was surprisingly endearing. 

“What is this I hear about having fried pork belly?” Four pairs of arms snatched Yuuji up, much to Supernova’s displeasure. Sukuna used his bottom pair of arms to hold the boy with his other hands gesturing towards the pan, ignoring the cat biting his leg. “You might want to make more, Ryomen.” 

“And why is that, Sukuna?” Ryomen turned off the stove and slid the cooked egg onto a plate, cutting it up into small pieces. His gaze turned sharp and calculating. He knew exactly what Sukuna was talking about, and had to hold in the anger brewing in his chest. “Is it possible that you invited guests at this hour, even after I specifically told you not to?”

With a cuddly toddler in his arms and a fluffy cat trying to rip a chunk off his leg, Sukuna did not look particularly threatening. His eyes, on the other hand, were just as deadly as ever. He was as upset about this ‘meeting’ as Ryomen was. For the sake of the little boy in his arms, Sukuna kept his tone level. “I sent the message yesterday morning and gave them a fortnight to come. It’s unlikely they will come today, but it is still a possibility.”

“Who coming?” Yuuji patted his chubby hand against Sukuna’s cheek. “Uncle Kuna! Who coming?!” His excited pats soon turned into mild slapping. Despite the harsher hits, Sukuna did not seem to be in any pain. Instead, the curse turned his head so Yuuji’s hand was against his mouth, blowing a raspberry against the chubby appendage. Yuuji squealed and giggled before placing his hand on the wood fused into Sukuna’s face, quickly becoming fascinated by the slab and forgetting the question he had asked. 

“Fine then…How many?” Ryomen turned his back on Sukuna, going to the fridge and getting out a carton of eggs and a packet of bacon. 

“Two were requested, but I allowed them to bring two more if desired. I named who they can bring, so anyone besides the names I listed will be kil- taken care of. ” Sukuna chose his words very carefully, knowing Yuuji was at the stage of mimicking anything he heard like a parrot. “Expect two, but be prepared for four.”

Ryomen was silent for a moment. It was just like Sukuna to act on his own accord without consulting Ryomen. When Ryomen had gotten the anonymous message on the night he found Yuuji, Sukuna had spoken that he knew who the sender was. A curse user named Kenjaku, someone who had a habit of meddling with the lives of others, especially Sukuna’s. With Yuuji still being an infant, the discussions of Kenjaku were held off for the most part. It was only until last week that Sukuna said that they needed to form an alliance with the sorcerers. Specifically, two of them. Getou Suguru and Gojo Satoru. It was the most information Sukuna ever gave Ryomen, but it still had many details missing. Like the date and time of this very important meeting. 

Sukuna told him he would reveal everything at this summons. He said it was because he didn’t want to repeat himself twice, but all that Ryomen cared about were answers. If Kenjaku posed a serious threat against his baby boy, then Ryomen would be willing to do anything to ensure his safety. His own hopes of Sukuna finally revealing the many secrets he had been keeping from Ryomen were put aside. Sukuna would only speak about what was relevant in keeping Yuuji safe, which was enough for Ryomen. His son would always come first.

Doesn’t mean I’m happy with that bastard for putting this on me so suddenly.  With a deep sigh, Ryomen nodded. He took out the leftover onigiri he had made with Yuuji yesterday evening. Luckily, there were plenty left, and Ryomen did not need to heat up anything. Placing the container to the side and closing the fridge, the man locked eyes with the curse and spoke in a sickly-sweet voice. “Sukuna-chan? Would you mind helping me prepare breakfast? I’ll need an extra set of hands!”

Immediately, Sukuna felt dread pool in his gut. The honorific was not a sign of endearment. Not even close. It was actually a warning for the assault that was to come. A very fiery assault. With great care, Sukuna set Yuuji down. At the same time, Supernova detached from his leg and corralled Yuuji away from the older two, sending a hiss Sukuna’s way. “We will call you for breakfast! Don’t be late, brat!”

“Okay!”

Once they saw Yuuji go outside, an excited Boogie and Infinite immediately going to greet the boy with slobbery kisses and loud squawks, Sukuna and Ryomen locked eyes. The ancient curse raised a brow. “Would you like me to start running?”

“Very much so.”

-

“Stop running, Gojo-san!” 

“Make me, four-eyes!”

“QUIT CALLING ME THAT, YOU INSUFFERABLE-”

The banter of Nanami and Satoru grew more distant as the blonde chased the other down, the taller giggling like a maniac. Suguru smiled at their antics, glad to see the chaotic dynamic between the two remain unchanged. After graduating, Nanami had immediately left jujutsu society. The man had every right to quit as the higher-ups had only grown more corrupted, which should have been impossible. All the elders were now demanding that the enrollment age into the schools in Tokyo or Kyoto be lowered drastically. They wanted to start training as early as six years old, claiming that they needed to make sure the new generations of sorcerers were more than ‘cannon fodder’. At the meeting where the elders announced this, Nanami walked out the second the words left the elder’s mouth. He ignored the commands to return or the harsh reprimands for being so disrespectful. Nanami was a person who followed the rules, but he knew when said rules were unfair or unjust. Hearing the higher-ups, useless old men who do nothing but sit on their thrones while jujutsu sorcerers die every day, comparing the lives of the fallen to expendable tools made to be thrown away was too much for someone as disciplined as Nanami to handle. The day after the disastrous meeting, Nanami quit. He still kept in contact with Suguru, Satoru, and any who Nanami legitimately respected. It made Suguru happy to see a kind soul like Nanami get away and become a normal member of society.

Suguru would have joined him if it wasn’t for the creatures that forced him to stay. The six creatures that still haunted Suguru’s nightmares. Cursed souls had been given their own category, above special grade. With Yaga’s help, the elders agreed to release a small amount of information about cursed souls to all jujutsu sorcerers. They had wanted to keep the matter hidden, but Yaga managed to convince them otherwise. Two years had passed since that fateful night in Sendai, and there had been no reports of cursed souls or Sukuna. The latter had been kept a secret, the higher-ups could not be persuaded. It infuriated Suguru to see the elders keep such crucial information from their comrades. Sukuna’s mere existence was a sign that trouble was afoot. War even. 

Then the curse sent him and Satoru a letter, asking to meet.

While the ancient curse gave them a fortnight to arrive, Suguru and Satoru were ready to leave the next day. After reassuring the kids that everything was alright, they told them that they had a mission out of town and would not be back until tomorrow. Ijichi, bless his soul, had agreed to babysit their horde of gremlins for the entire day. The eighteen-year-old was fortunately treated quite well by the kids, mainly due to the fact that Ijichi was a decent cook and excellent baker. Suguru and Satoru had tried so many different babysitters, and each had resigned within a day. Ijichi was the only one that managed to get on the kids' good sides. However, being seen as a friend and not foe did not mean the kids didn’t terrorize poor Ijichi. They absolutely did. It was just that their antics were not flat out murder attempts like the other babysitters. Suguru remembered this one instance where he and Satoru came back from a mission only to find Ijichi covered in feathers, glitter, and rope. He also looked like he had been electrocuted with his frizzy hair. Needless to say, Ijichi got quite the raise after that. 

Suguru hoped the kids behaved themselves as he knew that he would not be equipped to handle four children after this meeting. 

He couldn’t help but think of the baby in the bundle, and the boy at the peach tree. Suguru had never forgotten the infant, who would now be around two if he survived. 

“You seem to be thinking really hard, man. I think I see steam blowing out of your ears.” Shoko pushed him good naturedly, a lollipop sticking out of her mouth. Her hair had grown longer, and she was trying to stop smoking. She looked healthier overall, but the bags underneath her eyes still refused to fade. “Want to share with the class?”

A snort escaped Suguru’s lips. “We graduated highschool, remember? There’s no class to share my thoughts with.”

“Quit being a smartass.” 

“So you admit I’m smart?”

Shoko smacked him beside the head as he cackled. It had been a grueling process, and he still had his bad days or relapses, but Suguru had finally gotten rid of the perfect sorcerer his elders had tried to sculpt him into. He was slowly coming into his own, acting on his own thoughts and his thoughts alone. Some say that Satoru was at fault for ‘corrupting’ a star pupil like Suguru, but that wasn’t the case. Being mischievous and rebellious had always been in Suguru’s nature, he simply repressed those urges for all his life. Satoru had been the one to show Suguru how much fun it was to cause mayhem. He helped Suguru in every way he could. For instance, when Satoru told him he booked an appointment with the tattoo and piercing parlor Suguru had been talking about for years, Suguru wanted to propose on the spot.  He had been following the parlor online ever since he got a laptop and phone, talking about it or showing his friends photos of the work they did. And Satoru remembered . Ever since, Suguru had gotten several new piercings and tattoos. Booking appointments was nearly impossible, but Satoru managed it everytime. Satoru always gave Suguru everything and more. The others had it wrong, Satoru made Suguru better . 

He sighed. “I was thinking of people. Three people specifically.”

The girl next to him raised a brow. “Is one of them Satoru?”

“Perhaps.”

“You two are disgusting.” Shoko said, already at her limit with the lovebirds that were Suguru and Satoru. It was far too early to deal with their terrible flirting and PDA. She wanted to be in bed, not in the middle of a random forest. “I’ll probably regret asking this, but who are the other two?”

“Sukuna and a baby.” He replied smoothly, putting his hands in his pockets. “He mentioned in his letter that Satoru and I shared a mutual interest in protecting what was ours. We have the girls and Megumi to protect, but I have never heard of Sukuna having a child.” 

“Huh…Maybe he is protecting something else? Like a weapon or pet or some shit?” 

He shook his head. “No, I don’t think that’s it. For someone as prideful as the King of Death, surely it would take quite a lot for him to reach out to us. He must care about this person enough to put down his pride and ask for an alliance with sorcerers.”

“Are you talking about Sukuna?! I want in!” Emerging from a bush, Satoru ran towards the pair. He placed his head on Suguru’s shoulder, vibrating like an excited puppy. Suguru patted the other’s head, sensing how erratic Satoru’s cursed energy had become.  Whenever the white-haired man became too emotional or riled up, he would grow manic if Suguru wasn’t there to center him. With the physical contact, Satoru’s aura calmed almost instantly. 

Several branches snapped, alerting the sorcerers of a new presence. Fortunately, it was a disgruntled Nanami, with several leaves and twigs in his hair. “Please tell me that we are near the meeting site.”

It was a question all of them were wondering. The directions Sukuna gave were incredibly vague, only mentioning a ‘shrine of malevolence’ deep in a forest in Tokyo. However, Tokyo had countless forests and shrines. However, luck had been on their side for once. Satoru, somehow, knew of the shrine and warped the group to its entrance. Apparently, Satoru had a tendency to run away as a child, so he would find himself in the oddest of places. The shrine was one of them. He told them that he could not teleport them any further due to a barrier of unknown diameter. The solution that Satoru had come up with was walking through the forest until they sensed the barrier or Sukuna sensed their presence. 

A chuckle escaped Satoru’s lips. He tapped on the thick, black blindfold covering his eyes, a replacement for his usually tinted sunglasses. “My six-eyes would have been able to find the barrier easily, but Sukuna is apparently sneakier than he looks. There is very little that can hide from my eyes, so whatever Sukuna is using to conceal himself is quite powerful.”

Both Nanami and Suguru repressed a shiver. The cursed soul who had the Gojo clan’s sacred technique had made an impact on everyone. No one could forget the shrieks of laughter and feelings of absolute powerlessness. It went unsaid, but the group knew that the draconic cursed soul was the one responsible for such advanced cloaking. They would have to deal with the demon again . 

“So you don’t know how much longer this would take?” Shoko drawled. 

“Not at all!” Satoru chirped.

“Remind me why I’m here again? Because I am very tempted to go back to my bed instead of trudge through twigs and mud.” 

Suguru bit the piercing on his lip, a new habit of his. Careful to keep his voice low, the man spoke of the thought that had been nagging him this entire trip. “The baby that had been taken by Sukuna and the cursed souls would be two-years-old now. I find it hard to believe that that child would be dead considering how protective the cursed souls were. Children are the most precious treasure one could have, but they’re also extremely vulnerable. Sukuna said he wanted to protect what was his, like me and Satoru. The baby in Sendai must be his or perhaps related to him. Either way, I highly doubt that Sukuna has a regular doctor for the child.” 

There was a lull of silence amongst the group. Once Suguru, Nanami, and Satoru fully recovered, Suguru had told them of the scrolls he found in the catacombs. He showed them the story of the man who made a vow with Sukuna and the boy who was at the center of everything. The boy by the peach tree. When Suguru spoke of the boy, Nanami and Satoru shared a knowing gaze with him. They all were told something about Itadori Yuuji, but none could speak about it aloud. If they tried to, they would immediately forget what they were talking about. The information was not meant to be shared. 

Beside him, Shoko shook her head with a grin. “Guess I’ll be a pediatrician to five children instead of four.” 

“Don’t you mean four goblins?” Satoru smirked. 

“Eh, they are little shits to you , not me. That makes them angels in my book.”

For the next several minutes, the group would speak of lighter topics, trying to ignore the heaviness in the air. The further they traveled, the tenser they got. Cursed energy rippled through the air like whips. If they were less experienced sorcerers, they would have been unable to take another step. In addition to the volatile atmosphere, the temperature had dropped significantly. They were supposed to be in the middle of spring, yet snow and ice began to cover the ground. Harsh, freezing winds hit them mercilessly. The air had gotten cold enough that they could see their own breaths, as one would expect when it’s the dead of winter. 

Suddenly, a deep thrum filled the air. It could be felt through the icy ground they now stood on. Before any of them could move another muscle, a dark fog began to form before them. It swirled and grew bigger, surrounding the pseudo-tundra in darkness. Nanami reached for the wrapped blade behind his back while Satoru readied himself to use his Hollow Purple technique. As the fog grew denser, Suguru could hear the shrieks and trills of the creature he despised. A long body of white fur and feathers emerged from the fog. Its talons clicked against the ice as it made its way to the group. 

Despite the additional years of growth and improvement, Suguru still felt like a kid who was way in over his head. The same terror of the past filled him. It seemed that Satoru and Nanami were in the same situation. Nanami’s hand was frozen on the handle of his blunt sword. Beside him, Satoru became as still as a statue, not even breathing. 

“You guys weren’t kidding, this thing is nightmare fuel.” With a shaky breath, Shoko stepped towards the giant entity. Her body appeared relaxed and expression calm as she approached. Satoru looked like he was about to have a heart attack, but then the cursed soul did something that shocked them. 

It began to coo at Shoko, using its hooked beak to ruffle her hair. It was nothing like the violent monster that had traumatized the three men and permanently damaged Satoru’s brain after forcing him to have vivid hallucinations for several days. This creature was not violent whatsoever. When Shoko placed a hand on the being’s long neck, the creature melted into it with a pleased chirp. The entity wrapped itself around the young woman and squawked at the three frozen men. 

Shoko pet the soft fur of the beast. “I think it wants you to come over here. I bet this creepy fella is our ride to Sukuna’s place.” 

Without a word, Nanami, Suguru, and Satoru obeyed and let the beast constrict around them. However, the grip was not meant to strangle, but secure. The most powerful of the cursed souls trilled soothingly as the fog from before wrapped around them. It was what Suguru imagined being inside a tornado felt like. He kept his eyes shut and held onto Satoru’s hand with a death grip, which Satoru reciprocated. The gentle hums and clicks of the beast helped distract the group from the disorienting sensation that came with warping. Satoru’s teleportation abilities were much less nauseating than this, but it thankfully ended quickly. 

As the fog cleared, the shrine that they had been trying to find appeared. It was quite large for a shrine, looking more like a temple. Though, it made sense that someone as grande in stature as Sukuna would have a shrine that reflected that aspect. The deep crimsons of the shrine were fitting, but the flower pots certainly weren’t. As they ascended the stone stairs, Suguru noticed the messy, hand made pots on each step. There were some that looked professional and others that looked like a child had made it. No one spoke, but all held curious expressions towards the flower pots. 

Once they reached the top of the stairs, they were greeted with two heavy doors. Their monstrous ‘host’ simply slammed through the heavy doors and began to scurry down the hallway. It eventually grew impatient with their gawking stares and scooped all four adults in its beak and ran towards their destination. Its claws clacked against the stone floor as it galloped, emitting excited trills. When they reached an open space, the being deposited them onto the ground. 

What they saw was…unexpected.

A man half the size of the ten-foot curse of legend had said curse by the ear, tugging on it like a scolding parent. Neither had noticed their presence, both too busy squabbling to glance at their arrival. The man with pink-hair wrapped his hand around one of the holes created by Sukuna’s ear gauges and pulled . In response, the fearsome King of Death shrieked .

“OW! NOT THE PIERCINGS-AGH- FUCKING HELL- SHIT- QUIT IT!”

“THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR BEING AN INCONSIDERATE PRICK!”

“I AM NOT A- OW FUCK! STOP TUGGING THERE, YOU ASSHOLE!”

“NO!”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN- OWOWOWOW! YOU’RE GOING TO TEAR MY FUCKING EAR OFF!”

“GOOD! YOU ARE A SHIT LISTENER ANYWAY!”

“FUCK YOU-”

The pair soon divulged into petty slapping, Sukuna using his extra arms to his advantage as he slapped the other’s hand away from his bleeding ear. In response, the much smaller man bit one of Sukuna’s top hands. It was textbook sibling horseplay, reminding Satoru and Suguru of their own children’s attempts at killing each other. The white-haired man had to bite his lip to stifle a laugh when the pink-haired man wrapped his body around Sukuna like a koala in an attempt at a chokehold. Sukuna turned his body around to get the man off, causing him to make eye contact with his guests. He froze.

Like scruffing a kitten, Sukuna detached the other by the collar of his shirt. He donned an impassive expression and raised his brow. “Stare any longer and I will gouge your eyes out one by one.”

The…’meeting’…had begun.

-

With the sorcerers arriving far earlier than anticipated, Sukuna could now understand Ryomen’s ire with him. His ear had healed instantly, but it didn’t mean Ryomen’s incessant tugging didn’t hurt like a bitch . It was also quite humiliating to have the sorcerers see him and Ryomen roughhousing. They did it frequently and gruesomely. With Sukuna’s mastery of reversed cursed technique, he could heal himself and any damage Ryomen sustained. It allowed the two to not hold back in their attacks, which also served as a way to relieve stress. Ryomen was a powerhouse in his own right, so Sukuna knew he could handle his own attacks without breaking. Their more petty fights that included tugging on ears or pinching arms were more rare nowadays. With Yuuji, a very impressionable toddler, around, they knew that it would be best that the boy did not pick up his father and uncle’s habits. Speaking of the boy, the commotion from the kitchen alerted him and his guardians. He stood at the entrance to the backyard, holding a daffodil with white, fluffy seeds in his hands. There was nothing but surprise on his chubby face. 

Everything came to a standstill.

Sukuna noticed how the new limitless user froze. It was odd to see this younger version of the sorcerer he had battled and detested. When Sukuna thought of the strongest sorcerer of the modern era, he still pictured the original Gojo Satoru, a man of indescribable power and might. It will likely take a while for Sukuna to see this Gojo Satoru as the strongest. The young man clearly was not anywhere near the level his older self was. If Sukuna’s memory served him correctly, then this Gojo Satoru was twenty years old. Two decades on this Earth . With all that Sukuna had seen and experienced, two decades was nothing to the curse. This Gojo was practically an infant compared to Sukuna. However, once the frozen man ripped off his blindfold, it was then that Sukuna remembered that this boy was still a wielder of Limitless and the Six-Eyes, someone not to be underestimated or written off. The eyes of Gojo Satoru were impossible to forget, even after all this time. Sukuna had always imagined that the heavens had placed the skies in Gojo Satoru’s eyes as a blessing of sorts. A direct contrast to Sukuna’s hellish red. The eyes of the Gojo Satoru today were not that of pure, blue skies. No. They were more like a battle between two oceans, one calm and one turbulent. The bright turquoise and cyans of the peaceful waters clashed with the deep navy and royal azures of the raging seas. The waves came together, forming a white sea foam that split the eye in two. In other words, there was more chaos to be found in Gojo Satoru’s eyes than the clarity they were supposed to be known for. It felt… troublesome … And Sukuna knew he likely had a part to play in the darkening of the ‘Honored One’. 

As the staring match continued between the adults and curious toddler, Yuuji’s lip began to wobble and his honey-colored eyes teared up. With his little legs, Yuuji toddled over to the group as fast as he could. His sudden movement caused the seeds of the daffodil he was holding to fly away. The flower had always been Yuuji’s favorite. In fact, the boy went to the garden every day to find a daffodil to blow on. There were times where Yuuji would give the white flower to one of his guardians or his father or even Sukuna himself. He insisted that everyone needed a wish and would not take no as an answer. It was an act of pure kindness and innocence. However, the sight of the seeds floating away made Sukuna feel sick. His innocence, the second the sorcerers arrived, had disappeared in moments. 

Unbeknownst to the conflict in everyone’s minds, Yuuji continued his journey. However, his onesie combined with the marbled floor caused the little boy to slip. He would have fallen  face first if it wasn’t for Infinite lunging forward to use his body to soften the fall. Yuuji patted Infinite, cheeks puffing out. “Where you go?! Nin-Nin! Where you go?!”

In response, Infinite cooed and used his beak to groom the toddler’s messy hair. Yuuji was attached to all of his guardians, so he got incredibly frightened if one of them disappeared without notice. Despite his sharp beak and talons, Infinite looked like an elongated puppy with how he nuzzled Yuuji. Infinite trilled and made clicks into the boy’s body, knowing how ticklish the toddler was to the vibrations. When the squealing child tried to wiggle away, Infinite curled around him. Yuuji was now completely unaware of the stares from the adults in the room as he solely focused on escaping from Infinite’s tickles. Unaware of the heavy expression on the blonde sorcerer's paling face. Unaware of the disturbed way the user of cursed spirit manipulation looked at him. Unaware of the tears beginning to form in a trembling Gojo’s eyes. 

Sukuna and Ryomen shared a look. The curse knew that the man would demand answers for the strange reactions of the sorcerers who had supposedly never met Yuuji before. Unbeknownst to Ryomen, they had. Is there a part of their souls that remembers Yuuji? But Getou Suguru was dead and being used by Kenjaku, he never got the chance to meet Yuuji. Did that crazy bastard give the sorcerers information? If so, that would mean Kenjaku is aware of what I’ve done. How would Kenjaku know in the first place? It should be impossible…Fuck, I’m too tired for this shit. Sukuna rubbed the bridge of his nose harshly as a wave of fatigue washed over him. Trouble was brewing far sooner than he predicted. As the atmosphere grew more awkward and tense, Ryomen suddenly rushed forward and scooped Yuuji out of Infinite’s coils. Seemingly out of thin air, Supernova jumped from the counter to Ryomen’s shoulder. The purple cat locked its harsh gaze on the strangers in the room. 

The pink-haired man brushed his unoccupied shoulder against Sukuna’s. He whispered harshly, though it sounded more like a snarl. “I’m going to get Yuuji dressed and washed up. Deal with the sorcerers or I will do it for you .” With that, Ryomen left the kitchen, the air around him heating up considerably as he went. Infinite scurried after them to soothe a grumpy Yuuji who was hungry and curious of their guests. His chubby hand reached out over Ryomen’s shoulder towards the sorcerers, making grabby motions. Ryomen gently grasped Yuuji’s hand, leveling another piercing glare at the curse.

Sukuna knew that Ryomen’s tolerance for sorcerers was far worse than his own. While Sukuna saw sorcerers as annoyances, save for the few interesting ones that could put up a fight, Ryomen saw them as dirt beneath his feet. The hatred towards sorcerers and all of humanity ran deep within Ryomen. He had fair reason for his distrust and aborrance, but Sukuna needed his corroperance more than anyone. Kenjaku was scheming something far worse than their plan in the previous world, Sukuna could feel it with every fiber of his being. He would not fail again. He would do everything to ensure that he would never have to see that broken look in Yuuji’s eyes ever again. Even if it meant allying himself with sorcerers. 

“Did you do something to them?” The calm voice of the woman broke Sukuna out of his stupor. He had forgotten she was there. Ieri Shoko. The skilled healer of the jujutsu sorcerers. He had only seen her through Yuuji’s old memories of her. Always neutral. Even now, the young sorceress looked at him with a bored expression.

“I did not. Though, their reaction to the boy is quite interesting.” Sukuna glanced back at the still frozen men. He frowned. “Sit them down on the couches. I need them to be fully awake for this meeting.”

Shoko nodded. Without a word, she dragged the others to the large couch to the left of the kitchen. The living room was grand and spacious. Many of the walls of the temple had been taken down to allow more space for Sukuna and the guardians to move freely. It was one of the few renovations of the shrine that Sukuna appreciated. The girl pushed the group onto the plush cushions, which seemed to snap the others out of their stupor. 

With a gasp, Gojo shot from his seat on the couch. He had yet to replace the blindfold covering his eyes, looking intensely into Sukuna’s. “The kid. Who is that.”

Instead of answering, Sukuna plopped himself on the floor with a considerable distance between him and the sorcerers. With his back against the giant couch, Sukuna had all the sorcerers within his line of sight. The spot also gave Sukuna a way to keep an eye on the ever restless guardians. In the corners of his eyes, Sukuna could see the bright green of Chimera’s eyelights locking onto the sorcerers from the shadow’s spot behind the couch. He could hear the soft rustling of Overtime’s wrappings and the tiny metallic clicks of Resonance’s sharp limbs. Boogie was the only one unaccounted for, but Sukuna knew that the slobbery beast would make his appearance soon enough. Sensing the wariness from the guardians behind him, Sukuna was quick to start damage control. “No need to look so tense, boys. You three look constipated.”

Gojo sputtered, completely caught off guard by Sukuna’s response. His companions shared a similar sentiment, staring at Sukuna like he had grown a second head. Never one to be out-sassed, Gojo rewrapped his blindfold and pointed a slender finger at Sukuna with a pout. “I’m a twenty-year-old man! You’re the one who begged us to come here, so you could at least be bothered to be a good host!”

“Boy, you are not a man by any means.” Sukuna crossed his top pair of arms over his head, his bottom pair settled on his lap. Ignoring the Infinity user’s offended familiar squawk, Sukuna continued. “To answer your initial question, the boy’s name is Yuuji. He is the reason as to why I have requested this meeting.”

“He’s who you want to protect.” Getou’s soft voice replied. It was strange for Sukuna to hear that voice and not think of Kenjaku. However, there was a sincereness in the black-haired man’s tone that could not be replicated by that wretched brain. No matter how long Kenjaku inhabited a body, their acting could never come off as authentic or genuine as their host’s true personality. The utter life in Getou’s brown eyes further reassured Sukuna that he was not talking to a corpse. Getou raised a hand towards the curse. “When you mentioned that you were only interested in protecting what's yours like Satoru and I, you were referring to Yuuji.” It was not asked as a question, but fact. 

“Quite the analytical one, aren't you?”

“I have done my fair share of research over the years.”

Sukuna glanced at Getou, not liking the implications of there being information about him to research in the first place. “I am sure that whatever information you have acquired is inaccurate, but you are correct in your assumption about Yuuji. He is…important to me. And there are beings in this world who wish him great harm.”

“What kind of beings?” The blonde sorcerer asked. He had remained quiet ever since the group arrived at the temple. His yellow tinted glasses were identical to the pair that Overtime wore, but his sharp, human eyes could be seen through the glass. 

“That’s a discussion to be held somewhere else. Not a living room.” Sukuna deadpanned. 

A tense silence overcame the sorcerers and curse. While one party did not want to speak further, the other was racking their brains with what little information Sukuna gave and the countless questions brewing in their minds. 

This was going to be a very long day.

-

If someone were to tell Satoru that he would be having a domestic breakfast with Sukuna, the King of Death, at any point in time, then he would have laughed in their face. Yet here he was, having breakfast with Sukuna.

 Albeit it was a very awkward breakfast as they all had to pretend everything was fine for the sake of the hungry toddler. They all had to swallow their tongues, their prides, their questions for the boy. It made the ever-present chaos in Satoru’s head subtly worsen. He showed no sign of pain however, not wanting to worry his already tense friends. 

It felt like one wrong step and Ryomen would burn them all alive. Though, his ire was hidden expertly as he fussed over Yuuji, answering the toddler’s babbling with his own. Sukuna, on the other hand, did not seem to be perturbed by their presence. He was the epitome of nonchalance. 

To be blunt, Sukuna was not what the legends described him as. Not even close. The stories all sorcerers were told always depicted the curse as a fearsome monster who killed anything and anyone. He was so terrifying that even the dead worshiped him, fearing that he was capable of crossing to their plane and destroying the peace the afterlife was supposed to give them. During the Heian Era, it had become customary to place offerings of great value on top of all gravestones. It was believed that doing so would prevent Sukuna from taking the soul of the dead from the afterlife. Some tales even spoke of Sukuna having an army made out of the souls of the countless people he slaughtered, forcing them to do his bidding for eternity. Even fellow curses were not spared of Sukuna’s wrath. There was a well known legend of a curse that had killed one hundred people in a single night in an attempt to impress Sukuna, only for him to slice the curse into one hundred pieces to show the curse how easy it was to do something that amount of times. He was a walking calamity. The only reason given for Sukuna’s disappearance was that the curse grew bored of killing and returned to the hell he came from. Considering the curse was sitting across from Satoru eating an ungodly amount of bacon, he knew that the last part was bullshit. Though, he did not doubt that the legends held some truth to them. Sukuna, relaxed as he was, emitted a dangerous aura. It was not evil per say, just threatening. A warning that any attempts at slighting him would be met with a painfully brutal end. However, the curse before Satoru was not the demonic abomination feared by existence itself all stories described him as. 

Especially with how the curse interacted with Yuuji. 

When the strange man, whose name was apparently Ryomen after a very awkward introduction, returned with Yuuji in tow, Satoru felt his heart stop and speed up at the same time. To start, Yuuji was absolutely adorable. He had on an orange shirt with a cartoon tiger on front and a pair of dark blue shorts. When Satoru adopted Megumi and Tsumiki, they had long grown out of toddler age. He had never gotten the chance to dress them in adorable baby outfits, and he knew that his youngest would not allow him to try. No. Megumi would try to kill him if Satoru did that. Yuuji would be spoiled to death by Satoru, he could see it now! After meeting the sweet boy, he was determined to set up a visitation schedule with Sukuna and Ryomen. If Sukuna was serious about an alliance, then the curse would surely allow Satoru to spend time with Yuuji. I wonder what would happen if Megumi met Yuuji? Ah! It would be so cute!

As Ryomen began to prepare breakfast for everyone, Sukuna had been the one to place Yuuji in his highchair. The toddler was giggling the entire time Sukuna held him. Even with the boy pulling on Sukuna’s hair or poking his nose, Sukuna looked as unbothered as ever. A monster as feared as Sukuna should have killed the child, but Sukuna looked at Yuuji like the boy was the most precious thing in the world. Though, based on Sukuna’s gruff nature, Satoru doubted the curse would admit such feelings. 

Satoru could not figure out why he got such a strong feeling of rightness when he was interacting with the toddler. Nanami and Suguru seemed to feel something as well with how they stared at the boy with curiosity and unexpected fondness. In seconds, Yuuji became something treasured by Satoru. It felt so right to dote on the boy and make him smile. Something inside him told Satoru that the boy more than deserved to be loved and spoiled.

“Go-Go!” 

“Yes, Yuuji-kun?” Satoru cooed to the toddler, using all of his self-restraint to not pinch at his chubby, striped cheeks. When Yuuji went to properly meet Satoru and the others, he beamed at all of them and tried his best to say their names. Though, the toddler kept pronouncing the ‘Jo’ in Gojo’s name as a ‘Go’. He did not mind the error whatsoever. It made his heart want to burst at the seams from how precious the little boy was. 

Yuuji grabbed an onigiri from the plate on the tray of his high chair and tried to hand it to Satoru. “Nummy!”

“Oh! You want to give me an onigiri, Yuuji-kun?”

“Mhm!” 

Dear Lord, I’m going to combust from sheer cuteness! Satoru made sure his squealing was only in his mind. Hopefully. He carefully plucked the rice ball from the toddler’s tiny hand, which looked even smaller compared to his much larger ones. “Thank you, Yuuji-kun! You’re such a nice boy!”

This time, he could not stop himself from pinching one of his chubby cheeks. He was seated right next to the toddler, how could he not pinch his cheeks?! Yuuji squealed from the gentle pinch, his smile even brighter. On the other side of Yuuji, his father glared at Satoru murderously. He ignored Ryomen and bit into the snack. Instead of the savory flavor Satoru expected, he was greeted with an explosion of earthy sweetness on his tongue. It was sweet potato! Satoru had heard that there were sweet fillings for onigiri, but he had never tried it until now! He could also detect some sugar mixed in to add to the sweetness. 

“It good?” Yuuji patted his tray excitedly while simultaneously bouncing in his seat. A spotted wrapping from behind the toddler went to calm him. It was the mummy cursed soul, the one that shared several features with Nanami. With his wrappings, the mummy-like entity soothed the fabric over Yuuji’s hair. Eventually, Yuuji stopped bouncing so much, but he was still eagerly waiting for Satoru's response, his chubby hand holding onto one of the wrappings. 

“So good, Yuuji-kun! You’re a very good cook!” Satoru hummed happily at the pleasant aftertaste. He went to take another bite, feeling smug since the others did not get to try the wonderful treat. He was definitely Yuuji’s favorite!

Sukuna rumbled a deep laugh. “Yeah. the brat’s already shown a talent for that kinda stuff.” He leant back on his chair, much larger than the others considering the curse’s size. His plate that had been stacked primarily of meat was licked clean. He looked more like a satisfied cat than a genocidal beast. In fact, the actual cat in the room looked far more vicious than Sukuna. The purple-furred feline was perched on Ryomen’s chair while looking at everyone with dark, critical eyes. The only times that the cat would relax was when Yuuji reached to pet him. Any other time, the cat looked ready to maul someone. It was hilarious considering that Sukuna, the one who was supposed to be the violent one, looked ready to fall asleep. 

The rest of breakfast was spent in silence. Satoru, Suguru, Nanami, and Shoko had not gotten to eat until now, so they were not going to pass up an offer of free food. Ryomen, despite his wariness of them, was a good cook. The eggs were fluffy, the bacon was crispy, and the onigiri was delicious. His son was already following in his footsteps. Near the end of the meal, Yuuji began to doze off, sleepy from the warm meal. An equally sleepy Sukuna stood up and picked up Yuuji from his high chair. Without a trace of fear towards the four armed curse, Yuuji yawned and nuzzled his head into Sukuna's shoulder, placing a thumb in his mouth. 

“I’m going to set Yuuji down for his nap. Take them to the basement, yeah? We’ll have the most privacy there.” Sukuna spoke to Ryomen softly, not wanting to jostle Yuuji awake. He then used his bottom set of hands to gesture towards the several cursed souls scattered throughout the place. “Come on, you bastards. I need all of you to watch him for the next couple hours. And I mean all of you.” 

With great reluctance, all the cursed souls followed after Sukuna. It was jarring to see the beasts that had nearly killed him, Suguru, and Nanami act as house pets. Granted, very protective house pets, but pets nonetheless. They were clearly there to protect Yuuji, yet that made Satoru fear for the boy’s safety even more. If Sukuna, the most powerful curse of all time, Ryomen, a man that seemed capable of and willing to burn the world for his son, and six beasts stronger than any special grade were not enough to ward off this threat Sukuna mentioned, then Satoru doubted that his peers could provide any help. Hell, Satoru might not be able to do anything. He had faith in his comrades, but he knew that the threat on the horizon was far above them in power. The fact that Sukuna needed help proved that this threat was on an entirely different level. And Satoru was selfish. He did not want to risk his loved one’s lives fighting a being they could not win against. 

The thoughts inside his head began to grow into a flurry of chaos. It felt like his skull was about to explode as his senses overwhelmed him. Satoru had gotten accustomed to the daily sensory overloads, but it did not stop his head from hurting any less. The fierce migraine that had been brewing all morning started to pound at his temples. Too much. Too much information. His six-eyes and mind were giving him too much information!

A much greater evil will emerge, and you will lose without Sukuna.

Long hair. Stitches. Brain. Prison.

We will not show mercy if Yuuji is harmed by any of you. 

Pinkpinkpinkpink.

It’s likely that Kenjaku is going to be an even bigger threat than before. 

Faker. Faker. Faker. Faker. Faker. Thief. Thief. THIEF.

Take care of Megumi and keep an eye on Suguru and Nanami.

Spiky hair. Tattoos. Stolen. A bloodied man without an arm. A smiling man on the beach.

You will experience all my pain, all my anger, all my loss within moments.

It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. ITHURTSITHURTSITHURTSITHURTS-

A warm hand encased his cold one.

The familiar warmth of Suguru’s hand helped center Satoru, his boyfriend soothed his thumb over Satoru’s palm. Through trial and error, the two had figured out the best ways to help Satoru through his constant information overloads. It had been a while since Satoru had such a severe episode, even if it was short. This migraine would stick with him for a couple days at best. The thick blindfold around his eyes helped in giving his overworked brain a break. 

When he came to his senses, he noticed that everyone was staring at him with concern. Except for one. Ryomen was busy unlocking the heavy door that led to the cellar, cursing beneath his breath. 

There was a click and the door seemingly opened on its own. Ryomen glanced at Satoru with an indecipherable look in his tired eyes. It did not contain the wariness or aggression from before, it was something softer than that. Conflicted almost. With a sigh that could rival Nanami’s on a bad day, Ryomen gestured for the others to follow. “This is the staircase that leads to the basement. There’s no artificial light in there, so stick close to me.” With a flick of his tattooed hand, a flame appeared at the center of his palm. 

Without further hesitation, the group of sorcerers followed the pink-haired man into the basement. Unknowing of the horrors they were about to uncover. 

.

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-

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“I need to ensure that you sorcerers will not go off and tattle to your pathetic leaders.” A curse with four arms and tattoos spoke in a dark room. He sat at the head of a stone table, which was low to the ground and covered in runes of a language long forgotten. Instead of chairs, there were lush pillows colored a deep crimson. The curse with his grand form sat upon the cold floor, too large for the pillows and uncaring of the hard ground. One hand from his upper set of arms was used to prop the monster’s head on his knee. It was too casual a position considering the topics that were being discussed, but the curse could not be bothered to care. 

“Only idiots are actually loyal to those geezers.” A woman sat on the other side of the table with her other companions muttered with a roll of her eyes. Her posture was relaxed but her eyes were as calculating as the other sorcerer’s in the room.

“So you four truly hold no loyalty to them?” A man that resembled the curse asked with a raised brow. He sat to the right of the curse, looking far more tense than anyone else. 

“They do not deserve any amount of reverence.” A blonde-haired man spoke with a monotonous voice, yet the way he clenched his fists was an indicator of what the man truly felt. He sat in a perfect seiza, the display of respect to the curse and pink-haired man shocking the other occupants. His tendency to be formal and courteous was apparent even now.

“We have been wronged by the elders far too many times for us to hold any sense of duty to them. There is no need to worry. Whatever is said in this room will stay in this room.” A man with long black hair and a voice of honey talked directly at the curse. His words were nothing but reassuring. Leaning onto the black-haired man was a thinner man that seemed to be in a great deal of pain. Instead of a response, the man with snow-white hair gave the curse a thumbs-up to show his support. 

The room fell quiet for several seconds as Sukuna, the curse that had summoned them all, mulled over the information. Eventually, he broke the silence with a firm nod. “Alright. The disdain in your voices is proof enough that you will not reveal anything to those piles of bones.”

Sukuna glanced at the man on his right, Ryomen. Their shared souls allowed them to read each other's minds in a sense. It could be more accurately described as feeling the other's intentions or emotions. Ryomen raised his hand and sent small flames to the candles hung on the wall. He also sent his fire to the various candles that hung from the ceiling of the basement. A gentle orange glow covered the room. With the added light, the sorcerers could see the many weapons and ornaments decorating the walls. There was a bookshelf dedicated to nothing but ancient texts and another filled with nothing but bovine skulls. Another shelf displayed countless kunai, shuriken, and other small projectiles. However, the most interesting objects Sukuna and Ryomen had were the large trident and staff hung on the wall behind them. The trident was made of a dark steel that was covered in runes and symbols. It was taller than the average man, so it was evident that its wielder was the ten-foot curse. The metallic staff, while smaller, seemed to have more attachments. What seemed like an odd kusarigama chain hung from the top of the weapon. However, instead of a sickle at the end of the chain, it was a tobiguchi. The ancient tool meant for fighting fires was being used as a deadly weapon. The tobiguchi was more melted into the chain than cleanly welded, almost like the one who made it did it in seconds. It was an amalgamation of tools into one weapon.

Ryomen had crafted it with his own hands, but he was not going to reveal such information to the sorcerers before them. Simply thinking of the weapon’s creation made shivers run down his spine. He had created it the same night that he lost his son for good and made a deal with Sukuna. In a fit of mindless grief, Ryomen had gone back to the village that ostracized him and took several objects from the burning homes. A chain from the farmer who had used to whip Ryomen with the damn thing when he caught him stealing his crops as a starving boy. A tobiguchi from the corpse of a man who had tried to use it to fight the fire Ryomen had created. A wooden staff that had been used by the eldest healer who had refused to treat his ill son. A coin from each villager who would wave the yen in front of a begging Ryomen, only to tear it away with a mocking smirk. He would use the metal from the yen coins to reinforce the staff. He then welded everything together, using himself as a furnace. 

There were many tales of the origins of the weapons and artifacts that surrounded Sukuna and Ryomen, but none were to be told . Not yet. 

With a more serious posture, Sukuna cleared his throat and adopted a stony expression. “I’ve summoned you miserable lot here to discuss a threat. Normally, no opponent would be powerful enough to challenge me in such a way. But this is not about me. I would be a fool if I gambled the lives of my kin on the off chance that I would defeat this threat in the blink of an eye.” Sukuna did not catch the look of surprise on Ryomen’s face when the curse inadvertently called Ryomen and Yuuji his family. The four-armed curse continued. “This threat is a curse user named Kenjaku. What they lack in physical power, they make up for in brutal intellect.”

“You mentioned in your letter that this curse user, Kenjaku, was growing stronger and would reappear in eight years.” Suguru, the man with the calm voice and long hair, spoke. His warm brown eyes held a cold and calculating gaze towards the curse’s crimson ones, unblinking. “Why would you give them the chance to grow stronger and not eliminate them now? Eight years is also quite a specific amount of time. How are you so sure Kenjaku will do something then?”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with you, sorcerer.” Ryomen stared at Sukuna, trying to piece together why Sukuna would do something so idiotic. 

Instead of allowing the curse to speak, another voice spoke up. It was Nanami, the sorcerer with blonde hair and odd glasses. “It is confusing that you are allowing a threat to your family to grow stronger. You know who they are, but you haven’t killed them.”

Satoru, the one who had been leaning against Suguru, added onto the barrage of questions. “How come Kenjaku is waiting for eight years to start their evil plan or whatever? And, like Suguru said, how do you know it’ll happen in eight years? Did Kenjaku tell you or is it just a really good guess?”

Questions were thrown left and right, none of them allowing Sukuna the chance to answer. The only one who had stayed quiet was the sorceress of the group, Shoko. She glanced at Sukuna with a raised brow and shrugged before returning to looking at the chaotic barrage of voices. 

With a patience expected of a saint, Sukuna allowed the group to continue their questionnaire until they realized he was not answering any of them. The first to realize was Nanami, who was quick to make the others stop talking. When the silence returned, Sukuna relished in it for a few moments. Making a habit of napping as often as Yuuji was now coming to bite the curse. He truly had no desire to have this meeting, he wanted to sleep for a century, but there was no turning back. They were here, and Sukuna had to deal with that… There must be something here that will make this easier… Sukuna stood from his seat and went to one of the bookcases lining the basement. He scanned through the many books and weapons until he found a glass bottle filled with smoke. Item in one of his bottom set of hands, Sukuna returned and plopped back down on the floor. The others were staring at him expectantly, but Sukuna could not be bothered to explain.

Sukuna used another hand to remove the cork sealing the bottle, causing a loud pop that startled Ryomen in particular. Immediately, the curse unsheathed his claws on his upper left hand to slice a deep cut into the palm of his upper right hand. Blood pooled from the wound as Sukuna clenched his hand tightly. He aimed his wound towards the open bottle. Once the droplets of crimson entered the bottle, a crackle of thunder filled the air. The fog turned red and began to billow out of the bottle and onto the table. There was a coppery smell to the fog and it did not dissipate, growing denser and denser until Sukuna slammed his bloodied hand onto the table. Similar to a magnet attracting iron filings, Sukuna’s blood attracted the thick smog to circle around his hand. 

With his head bowed and eyes closed, Sukuna began an incantation. “ Emerge from the darkness, blacker than death. Impurify that which is pure. ” 

The crimson fog turned black as it continued to encircle Sukuna’s hand, growing wider and wider with each rotation. Gusts of wind whipped at the faces of the sorcerers, who had all taken defensive positions. Ryomen had a knowing look in his eyes, but his scowl showed the man’s displeasure with what Sukuna was planning. Finally, when the contained hurricane of blood and darkness stopped turning, Sukuna lifted his hand from the table, admiring his work. 

What was once a cluttered basement was now an empty void covered in black fog. At the center of it all was Sukuna, who was sitting on the stone table, the only object that hadn’t disappeared. With a flick of his hand, several tendrils of smoke surrounded the four sorcerers. Before the sorcerers had any time to react, the dark fog disappeared, revealing a familiar set of eyes and tattoos.

Each sorcerer now had the same marking Ryomen and Sukuna had on their foreheads and two black bands around their wrists. However, the most startling change was the extra set of eyes on the young adults’ cheeks. Ryomen reluctantly opened his second pair of eyes he preferred to keep hidden. With no explanation from Sukuna, the tension in the room grew worse. The crackle of rising cursed energy made it difficult to breathe, but Sukuna continued to look unperturbed by it all. Even though there were two special grade sorcerers in the area, the curse was not intimidated in the least. 

“Drop your defenses, this place is incapable of producing any attacks. It is simply a device that will make visualizing my words easier. I have no desire to waste my time on lengthy descriptions, so this will do it for me.” Sukuna leaned back on his bottom set of hands, the upper set crossed over his tattooed chest. Like a friendly bird, the fog swirled around Sukuna, awaiting his next command. 

Satoru was the first to relax. Despite the migraine stabbing viciously at his brain, Satoru was still the most perceptive person in the room. His Six-Eyes had become more of a nuisance in recent times, but it would always be an invaluable asset in Satoru’s arsenal. Even with the additional tattoos and eyes, Satoru could not detect any danger. Though, the sensation of having an extra pair of eyes was quite uncomfortable. He could only see darkness through the second set, leaving him confused as to why Sukuna gave them a seemingly useless addition. 

Seeing the wariness in the sorcerer’s eyes, Sukuna finally decided to explain himself. “This fog is known as the Wretched Haze. It is a special grade cursed object that allows the user to construct whatever they desire as long as they have enough cursed energy. By giving it your blood, it can determine if you are worthy of its power or not. Of course, that is not an issue for me.” Sukuna gave a sharp-toothed grin. He pointed at the markings on the group’s faces. “Those markings only exist in this veil and will disappear once I dismiss it. The eyes will allow you to see what I create as the smoke is usually only visible to its wielder. Now, sit down unless you want me to slice you in half.” He flicked his hand and four makeshift pillows were constructed from the smoke. The sorcerers reluctantly sat down while Ryomen remained upright. In silence, Ryomen slunk over to the stone table Sukuna sat upon. He sat with his back against the table and the sorcerers. 

With that, Sukuna began constructing a familiar forest. “September of 2007. Sendai. I know that I do not need to explain the significance of this event, correct?” Without waiting for an answer from the sorcerers, Sukuna continued. More smoke was then formed into seven figures at the center of the forest. Six monsters. One infant. “This is when you encountered the cursed souls and Yuuji. It is also when you discovered that I had returned. The issue lies in the fact that this event was supposed to occur in 2018.”

Ryomen jolted at that. He snapped his head towards Sukuna, but the curse was looking elsewhere. Anger boiled in his gut at not being told such concerning information, but Ryomen knew better than to go on a tirade. Sukuna was finally talking . Ryomen had to listen, no matter how frustrated he became at the curse’s horrid communication skills. 

“Before any of you ask how I would know such a thing or bring up my knowledge of the timing of Kenjaku’s plans, I have a question for you, cursed manipulator.” Sukuna pointed at Suguru. The long-haired man straightened from his seat on the ground. “You mentioned that you have done your fair share of research. Tell me, sorcerer, what do you know of cursed souls?” As he said this, the smokey forms of the cursed souls separated from the baby, who had now disappeared. The dark fog of the forest shifted into a barren landscape with only a single tree at the center.

“In the text that I read, cursed souls were said to be the remnants of the ‘rough draft’ the Earth had for life.” Suguru spoke calmly. He tried to summon his inventory curse and was relieved when he felt no resistance from the veil. The purple worm wrapped around Suguru’s body and spat out the requested scrolls and textbook. Once in hand, Suguru gave the book to Sukuna, making the textbook look miniscule in the curse’s large palms. He also gestured towards the scrolls, looking pointedly at the largest one. “This is the only information that Jujutsu Society has on cursed souls and you, Sukuna-san. As you can see, there is a stark lack of knowledge. I discovered these texts in the catacombs of Jujutsu High in Tokyo, so this was information most are unaware of. The catacombs are meant to store that which is meant to be forgotten. I already knew of the catacombs prior to the mission in Sendai, and I was familiar with the layout due to my frequent visits there. These scrolls were hidden in the deepest parts of the catacombs. They were clearly not meant to be found. This textbook, while modern, was also amongst the scrolls.”

Several tendrils of smoke took the offered scrolls while Sukuna continued to examine the textbook. The hardcover of the book was polished, but the pages showed signs of use. From the creases, it was evident that this book was read many times over. Sukuna frowned deeply as he saw the various paintings of the guardians across the centuries. Those bastards must have run amok when I was sleeping. It was foolish of me to think that they would stay in one place, especially that damn bird. Despite his frustration, the ramblings of the author were much more concerning than the apparent fact that the guardians had gone on a worldwide tour. Itadori Kaori. Sukuna wanted to scream. He knew through Yuuji’s faded memories that this was the name of his mother. Well, it was more accurately the body of who would have been Yuuji’s mother if Kenjaku had not stolen the woman’s corpse. While he was not surprised that the curse user would do something so disgusting just for the sake of scientific curiosity, it still did not make the bile in his throat disappear. It had been millions of years since Sukuna learned of Yuuji’s ‘creation’, and time had not made the fact easier to accept. However, Sukuna grew more disturbed for a different reason. If Kaori Itadori was alive, then that meant she knew of the cursed souls, but Sukuna highly doubted a normal human would know such things or write in such a deranged manner. No. Kenjaku had likely stolen her body once more. The damned brain was quite picky with who they inhabited. They had to meet a certain criteria. From what Sukuna remembers of his meetings with Kenjaku in a world long gone, the curse user would only inhabit a tall body with black hair, long or short, and pale skin. Additionally, the brain only stole the bodies of sorcerers with powerful techniques. Sukuna could not remember what Kaori’s cursed technique was, but it must have been intriguing enough to catch Kenjaku’s eye. If the Kenjaku of this new world was the same as the old one, then their preferences for bodies had remained the same. Despite the resetting of the world, it seemed like the death of Kaori Itadori was something that could not be erased. 

Sukuna felt sick. The detailed descriptions of the cursed souls and the deranged theories pointed to one conclusion. Kenjaku knew . They likely did not know of the origin of this world’s creation, but they had studied the Yuuji’s guardians extensively. He felt the burning gaze of Ryomen locked onto the back of his skull, but Sukuna could not bring himself to look at the man. He purposely kept the textbook out of sight of Ryomen. Besides Kenjaku knowing of the cursed souls Sukuna had created, there was another concerning factor to this disastrous meeting. The Itadori family. Sukuna knew of Ryomen’s hatred of them. Ryomen had never allowed Sukuna to see into his memories, and he never spoke of what the Itadori Clan had done to him. This time, Sukuna was in the dark. All he knew was that Ryomen had slaughtered every Itadori he could find, essentially wiping them out. It was one of the first things Ryomen had done after he had given his soul to Sukuna. They never spoke of it. And Ryomen never explained why he had done such a thing. 

He shut the textbook, hiding it within the smoke. He would have to tell Ryomen about the Itadori family’s apparent survival at a later date. A much later date. 

“The information is not as inaccurate as I thought.” Sukuna mused, a hand on his chin. He grabbed the largest scroll and unraveled it with the aid of the fog. In silence, he read over the various texts and paintings. He did not recognize the handwriting, which meant that Kenjaku had not written this scroll. Though, Sukuna was not sure if it was better or worse, considering there was an additional party that knew of his origins. “This scroll has truth to it, but there are several errors and misconceptions.” 

Sukuna made the smoke figures of the cursed souls stand before him. He grabbed a ball of fog and cupped it in his bottom set of palms. He pressed down on the ball until he felt the pressure reach its maximum. When he opened his hands, a white sphere laid in the center of his palms. With his technique, Sukuna slashed the sphere into several pieces. A piece went into each guardian while the other pieces floated in the air. “The cursed souls do belong to a world long forgotten.” He would not elaborate further. He just couldn’t. 

All the sorcerers and Ryomen had stood up and were staring at the bright pieces in both awe and fascination. Satoru had even taken off his blindfold to stare at the lights, his migraine be damned. While Satoru, Nanamo, and Shoko looked at the lights, Suguru was staring at the tree. The extra pieces that floated in the air had settled in the leaves of the tree of fog. Then, the tiny pieces each shifted into the form of a peach. Suguru glanced to see if anyone else noticed what he was seeing and was met with Ryomen’s pained gaze. 

“Yuuji had always loved peaches. They were the same color of his hair, and he would tell that to any who mocked him for his unique hair color. He would say the same thing when he was defending me from the villagers ire.” Ryomen spoke quietly as a sad smile made its way across his features. Sukuna was speaking to the other sorcerers about the cursed souls, speaking of their names and abilities, vital information Suguru should listen to. But he could not bring himself to. The grief and anger in Ryomen’s eyes was familiar to Suguru, as he had seen it on his own face when he thought of Riko. 

“You speak of him in the past tense, but the boy was as lively as ever when we arrived.” Suguru responded gently, having a sinking feeling of what had happened to the boy. Unlike his own children, Yuuji seemed to be shielded from the horrors of the world, happy and carefree like a child should be. However, Ryomen’s gaze spoke of another story. 

Ryomen reached a hand towards one of the peaches made of glowing, white light. He cupped it in his hands as if it was the most precious thing in the world. “Heh. It seems like I still have that habit of speaking about Yuuji. It’s quite a pesky habit, but one I have had for one thousand years.”

Suguru felt his heart sink. The boy at the peach tree, alone and crying, was Yuuji. He had to wait for one-thousand years to be resurrected, and Ryomen had to wait one-thousand years to have his son in his arms again. Before he had Mimiko and Nanako, Suguru had looked down upon the father for not allowing the boy to rest. Now, Suguru understood why Ryomen had gone so far to keep Yuuji alive. If he lost either of his girls or Megumi and Tsumki in such an agonizing way that Ryomen did, Suguru would not have been able to accept their deaths. He would have done anything to give them another chance at life. Suguru looked at Ryomen and asked as respectfully as he could. “How is he here now?” 

Ryomen sighed. Despite his body looking like that of a man in his late twenties or early thirties, his dark honey eyes held a maturity to them of a much older individual. While the time in the modern era had changed the way Ryomen dressed and spoke, he could never shake the habits and customs of the era he was truly born in. Sukuna shared a similar sentiment. He and Ryomen had both adapted to the curse words of today, but would mix their conversations or insults with the vernacular of the Heian Era. It was difficult to see the young man in front of him as an adult, and the same went for the other sorcerers. He had lived for over one thousand years, so everyone besides Sukuna looked young to him. There had been a deep wariness and resentment for the sorcerers when Ryomen had first seen them, but it had faded considerably fast. They were just so young, and Ryomen’s paternal instinct had flared. When he saw the way that the sorcerers interacted with Yuuji, he realized that this group of sorcerers were not as horrid as he had assumed. Additionally, it made him realize that Yuuji needed human interaction besides himself. He could not keep the boy in the shrine all his life. Perhaps these humans are worth keeping around. The white-haired one seems particularly attached to Yuuji. He deserves to know what friendship and love feel like from someone other than Sukuna and I or the guardians. With Suguru still patiently waiting for an answer, Ryomen held the peach close to his chest. “He was turned into a cursed object by Sukuna. I’m not sure how Sukuna knows how to do that, but he assured me that Yuuji’s soul would be safe. Sukuna has lived far longer than me, so he was knowledge that no one in this world has.” 

Unbeknownst to Ryomen and Suguru, the others had stopped talking to listen to what the pink-haired man was saying. Sukuna also kept quiet, relieved that Ryomen had finally dropped his guard. Whenever Yuuji was the topic of conversation, Ryomen would talk for hours about his beloved son. Ryomen had murdered and hurt like Sukuna had, but they each loved that boy with every fiber of their being. The same care was seeping towards the sorcerers. Ryomen would never admit how worried he was when he saw Satoru’s sensory overload or the fondness he felt when he saw the four interact with Yuuji. It seemed like the four young sorcerers were slowly becoming part of the very, very small group of people Sukuna and Ryomen cared for. Said group used to only include Yuuji, of course, Uraume, who Sukuna secretly hoped reincarnated as he missed their cooking and their company immensely, and Miss Yunnie, the elderly woman in Sendai who made the best desserts and ramen in Japan. 

Ryomen’s gaze was still locked on the small peach. “I wanted something special for the object that would hold Yuuji’s soul. I decided on having the pits from multiple peaches be the object of choice. The guardians would also hold a small piece of Yuuji’s soul within themselves for safekeeping and to detect if a person or curse absorbed one of the pits. There were twenty pits in total, each holding a fraction of Yuuji’s soul. I didn’t want to risk a curse or sorcerer stealing a large portion of my son’s soul, so I decided on multiple cursed objects instead of one. That way, Yuuji’s soul would remain safe. Additionally, splitting the soul also meant splitting the cursed energy, which would make it even harder to detect.” 

There was a watery look in Ryomen’s eyes as he spoke the last sentence. He turned to the tree once more and whispered shakily. “The guardians took all that was left of Yuuji’s physical body along with their own soul fragments. Sukuna told me that the ashes and bones of my son would be used to construct a body identical to his original one. That way, we would not have to use a vessel to hold my son’s soul. But…something went wrong.” He locked eyes with Sukuna, the anger was still present but it was mostly overtaken by exhaustion.  

Sukuna took that as a signal to continue in Ryomen’s place. He slid off of the table and towered over the rest. With several motions from his hands, the glowing lights returned to Sukuna while the lone tree disappeared. Using the fog once more, Sukuna created the silhouette of five people. There was what looked like a man with long hair standing in the center of the other entities. Sukuna made some of the white light take the form of stitches and placed it on the man’s forehead. The other four entities appeared to be curses of some type. There was one that was tree-like, one that was squid-like, one that was a cyclops with a volcano atop its head, and one that looked human if not for the patchwork marks across its body and face. “These are who Kenjaku is working with. Four special grade disaster curses. I may not know their names but I am familiar with their abilities and how destructive they can be.”

With the remaining lights, Sukuna turned them into twenty peach pits of varying sizes. “These are the peach seeds that I sealed Yuuji’s soul within. I planned to release the seals in 2018, but someone managed to unseal it before I could. That someone was Kenjkau. There is no doubt in my mind. They are a curse user with a technique that allows them to swap their brain with any body they desire, essentially giving them immortality. They can also hold onto the techniques of the previous bodies they inhabit and are able to copy their personality and their hosts’s cursed energy. They are the only being who is as knowledgeable of souls like I am.”

Sukuna made six peach pits float into an outstretched palm. “All twenty of the seeds were hidden by the cursed souls, who are Yuuji’s guardians. They have a sliver of Yuuji’s soul within them in order to detect if one of the pits were absorbed, but there has been nothing detected. This would be a good thing if it wasn’t for the fact that-”

“The pits are missing. That’s why Yuuji and the guardians came back ten years too early.” Ryomen finished for him. His eyes were wide at the realization and his body started to shake. He had become so pale he was nearly gray. There was no stopping the feeling of utter betrayal Ryomen felt. Of all things that Sukuna kept hidden, why would he ever keep this from him? He was too distraught to raise his voice any louder than a whisper. “ Why didn’t you tell me? ”

“Because I have no proof to that claim and because I knew you would not rest until all seeds were found. Yuuji was an infant who needed constant attention. He needed his father with him, not on a wild goose chase that might not result in anything.” Ryomen looked shocked and while Sukuna had an apologetic look within his eyes, no apology came verbally. With a surprisingly soft sigh, Sukuna held one of the peach pits close, identical to what Ryomen had done earlier. “If Yuuji was in active danger, then I would have told you immediately. There was no need to tell you back then as Yuuji was perfectly healthy and safe. He has his original body like I planned and his soul is intact-”

“How do you know that?!” Ryomen snapped. “How the hell do you know that his soul is safe?! How the hell do you even know what fucking Kenjaku is doing?! You still haven't explained shit on that end! How to hell do I know you’re not allied with them?!”

“I WOULD NEVER ALLY MYSELF WITH THAT FUCKING DESPICABLE MONSTER! HOW DARE YOU THINK THAT I WOULD DO SUCH A THING AFTER EVERYTHING I HAVE DONE TO KEEP YUUJI SAFE?! ” Sukuna roared back, his prior calmness replaced with furious indignation. The claws on his four hands unsheathed completely as he bared his sharp teeth, making the curse resemble the demon the legends depicted him as. Ryomen did not flinch, but the sorcerers around them were on high alert. Sukuna looked away and tried his best to calm down. He took several deep breaths to compose himself. He knew Ryomen had every right to be upset and distrustful, but Sukuna was never a fair person. He was still furious, but this was not the time to snarl and bite. Sukuna rubbed his temples harshly, claws nearly slicing into his skin. He could tell the truth. He should tell the truth. 

It would make everything so much easier. They would be able to prepare accordingly, and there would not be any doubt about Sukuna’s intentions. It would help Yuuji. It might save him if he told the truth to everyone. 

But then Sukuna would have to reveal why this world existed in the first place. 

He would have to reveal what he had done to the innocent boy Ryomen loved so much.

He would have to reveal that he had slaughtered Gojo Satoru in the body of Megumi Fushiguro, the man's adopted son. Yuuji’s best friend.

He would have to reveal everything he did in Shibuya. All the people he murdered and how he had tortured Yuuji with their deaths over and over and over again. 

He would have to reveal that he did work with Kenjaku, even if it was temporary. 

He would have to reveal how he alone had destroyed the world and everything in it. 

He would have to reveal it all . 

He couldn’t. 

For the first time in centuries, Sukuna cowered away from something. 

He was not a good person. Never was.

So he decided to lie. 

“The guardians and I both come from the same forgotten world.” Sukuna knew he was lying through his teeth, but he could not retract his words. The false narrative he would need to construct could have some truth to it to make it more realistic and consistent. He would have to keep up his network of lies for the rest of his immortal life. He swallowed the lump that had appeared in his throat as he used the fog to create two planets. One Earth was full of life while the other appeared to be a lifeless outline. Sukuna walked towards the empty Earth and began to tell a story tainted with lies. “Life is a complicated thing, so the world needed a couple tries to get it right. However, the souls of the faulty ‘first-drafts’ still remained. The world is in a constant cycle of birth, evolution, and destruction. Nothing was supposed to survive the Earth’s attempt at resetting itself, but souls are stubborn. My soul was strong enough to survive as well as the souls of the guardians. I have seen this world go through several evolutions and extinctions. It seems like life today is the final draft that the Earth is satisfied with. The life I lived before this era of evolution is one I do not remember. The first forms of life were souls, which were small and weak, but still alive. Many events that happened then will occur in the present. The Earth is unpredictable in some areas, but there are always patterns it refuses to let go of. Call it a time loop or perhaps an act of God. I don’t care. There are events that are cemented into the Earth’s very being. They will always happen, no matter what one does to change it. Some events are not as important and can be altered, but the few that are vital to the Earth cannot be prevented or avoided. That is how I know of Kenjaku’s plan. No matter how many times the world is reborn and destroyed, Kenjaku will always be a reprehensible individual. Their plans may change, but their corruption persists. As does their timing.”

Sukuna had created a web of lies that were intertwined with several truths to keep the falsehood from falling apart. His voice was steady and confident as he spoke, causing the others to be inclined to believe him. Ryomen had gone eerily silent. Sukuna could feel the conflict within Ryomen as if it was his own. Eager to change the subject, he released the two planets and focused back on the five figures. “Kenjaku is a being that only acts in their own self-interest and curiosites. They are willing to do the most vile things for the hell of it. If Kenjaku has been studying cursed souls, then I have no doubt that their plans are centered around the guardians and Yuuji. They can imbue cursed objects with the souls of others like I can, so they must have discovered the peach pits and managed to release the seals with one of their own.” 

“But you don’t know how many seeds Kenjaku stole?” Ryomen mumbled, his voice empty and dull. 

“I don’t.” Sukuna replied truthfully. For once . “However, Yuuji shows no signs of a damaged or incomplete soul, but there is a possibility that the fragments the guardians have within them may be acting as a substitute. I would have to examine Yuuji’s soul to be sure, but the procedure is quite frightening and stressful. Yuuji is too young to understand a thing if we were to do this now, so I advise we wait until he is at least ten to speak to him about this.” 

Ryomen nodded. He bit his thumb as he looked in the distance, a habit Ryome had when he was thinking quite hard on something. While the man processed, Sukuna noticed the sorcerers getting closer to the curse. Nanami was the one who addressed the curse first.

“Do you have any seeds in your possession?” Nanami spoke lowly.

“Yes, there are six of them hidden within the shrine.” Sukuna replied carefully.

Nanami bowed his head. “Thank you. That means that there are six less pits to worry about. Fourteen is a more manageable amount than twenty. Do you have any leads as to where the other seeds could have been hidden?”

For a moment, Sukuna just stared at the blonde. He remembered how fond Yuuji was of the man, and how he followed the seven-to-three sorcerer like a lost duckling. At the time, Sukuna had found it pathetic. Now, Sukuna saw why Yuuji had adored Nanami so much. The man, as young as he was, held a sternness to him that was equivalent to an old teacher. However, this strictness was more reassuring than intimidating. It showed that Nanami was reliable and would be an anchor of support that could not be lifted no matter what. The Yuuji of the past was a mess of self-hatred, a savior-complex, and emotional repression. Sukuna had only worsened the young teen’s issues, but Nanami had given the boy a dependable and stable adult to confide in. Nanami was still quite young, but Sukuna could see the man’s determination to aid the child. Sukuna felt a small grin appear on his face. “I may not have any knowledge of the seeds' whereabouts but the guardians do. They should be-”

“-ABLE TO TRAIN YOU!” Ryomen blurted out, interrupting Sukuna for the umpteenth time. A wild look appeared in Ryomen’s eyes. The stress of the day had truly gotten to the man. A stressed Ryomen was a violent Ryomen. Though the violence could be physical, it was often verbal with the man going on very long rants about nonsense. 

“Train us?” Satoru tilted his head and scoffed at such an idea. “ We are already fully-trained sorcerers. I don’t think there is much those things can teach us that we don’t already know.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, kid.” Ryomen chirped, his gaze intense as he studied them all. “You’re weak. All four of you. If my son is to be protected. then I will make sure that his human guardians are as strong as his monstrous guardians. I am not going to allow any more sorcerers, so you better be prepared to become a one-man army.” 

Satoru, Suguru, and Nanami froze at the man’s words. They were used to Yaga’s intensity during teaching, but Ryomen was on a completely different level than Yaga. When the pink haired man moved towards Nanami, he did it with such speed that it looked like he teleported. The wrapped blade Nanami wielded was now in Ryomen’s hands. “Based on the suit you are wearing, I doubt that you are an active sorcerer. Your skills must never get rusty if you are to protect my son! Hm…Based on your similarities with Overtime, I assume you have his ratio technique. Good. I’ll have him train you until your technique is strong enough to cut through diamonds and precise enough to cut a droplet of water on the head of a pin. Understood?”

The youngest of the four nodded his head, eyes wide behind his glasses. He could tell by the way that Ryomen spoke that this training would be brutal.Additionally, he remembered the cursed soul that had spotted wrappings and similar glasses. He had seen the entity slice a metal beam in half with only one slash of a thin wrapping. Overtime’s slashes were much deadlier than his own. Nanami had nearly gotten his arm cut off when one of Overtime’s wrappings got too close during the Sendai mission. It would be grueling, but Nanami was determined to grow stronger. An innocent child’s life was at stake, and he could not stand idly by and allow the boy to get killed.

“I am not training with that fucking bird.” Satoru ground out, arms crossed in a childish pout. He was strong enough on his own, and he never wanted to be near the beast again. Ryomen merely smiled. However, it was not warm or reassuring. His smile was like the grin of a beast about to eat its prey whole. 

Ryomen had dealt with enough bullshit to last a lifetime. He was not going to allow Sukuna to take the reins this time. The man had reached his limit with Sukuna’s secretism. His son will be safe, Ryomen will make sure of that, even if he has to do everything himself. Ryomen was going to do things his way. The limitless user had not activated his infinity, so Ryomen took that chance to grab Satoru by the color of his shirt. The honey of his eyes darkened with unsaid threats and warnings. With an authoritative tone, Ryomen reprimanded Gojo Satoru as if he was a child in timeout. “Young man, you are nowhere near the level of power Infinite has. I know that he is a pain in the ass at best and a deranged monster at worst. But he is the only one that can make you stronger as no one else shares the technique you have. So you will be quiet and accept the training like the mature adult you keep saying you are. Got it?”

Now, Satoru had the same wide-eyed look Nanami had. He was the strongest sorcerer, no one could talk down to him without looking delusional or idiotic. However, Ryomen made Satoru feel like a boy all over again. No one had ever spoken to Satoru like Ryomen did. He was usually yelled at and insulted for his many antics, but Ryomen had not raised his voice. The paternal tone was something Satoru was not familiar with. He had begun to develop it for his own children, but there had never been any form of paternal authority aimed towards Satoru. Ryomen pat Satoru’s head, his incredibly warm palm doing wonders to Satoru’s migraine. 

When Ryomen aimed his gaze at Suguru, the long-haired man smiled. “I do not think that any of the guardians will be able to train me. My technique is quite unique so I’m accustomed to practicing on my own-”

“You're training with me.” Ryomen interrupted Suguru. Said man looked like a fish out of water with his wide eyes and open jaw. It reminded him of Yuuji’s face when Ryomen told him that bananas are a type of berry. He could see the troubled mind that Suguru had, it was obvious by the way he held himself and spoke. Ryomen had a feeling that he would be able to relate to the young man on many things. He gently poked at Suguru’s left shoulder. “You have the build of someone that is familiar with hand to hand combat. I may not be able to manipulate cursed spirits, but I know my way around cursed energy and the body. I’ll have you master several forms of martial arts until you don’t need to rely on your curses anymore. When I’m not teaching you how to defeat an opponent with one finger, I will be showing you how to master your cursed energy. To refine and shape it into something truly fitting for a sorcerer like yourself.” Ryomen summoned a flame-like dagger in his palms when speaking about polishing one’s cursed energy. 

Seemingly satisfied with his decision, Ryomen nodded to himself and went to sit on top of the stone table. The three male sorcerers were still left in a state of shock. They swore they could feel their muscles growing sore from the mere thought of the training to come. 

Shoko smirked at her friends. “Hah! Guess you guys are going to the trenches. I’ll be sure to relax extra hard in your honor.”

Before the three could reply, Sukuna barked out a laugh. “Oh, you are not going to be relaxing in the slightest. You are going to be working just as hard as your little friends.”

“Ah yes, have one of those beasts train the healer with no offensive capabilities.” Shoko drawled sarcastically.

“Oh no, you’re not going to be training with a guardian.” Sukuna relished in the confused look on the young woman’s face. He spread his bottom pair of arms out and used the top set to gesture towards himself. Satoru had a wide grin on his face and began to cackle while Suguru tried his best to stifle a laugh behind his hand. Nanami simply looked surprised. “You will be training with me.”

The lollipop stick Shoko had been chewing on dropped out of her mouth. Her normally neutral expression was replaced with one of shock. She had never trained with her peers. She was the healer for goodness sake! Meant to stay on the sidelines and away from the battlefield! Shoko laughed wearily. “What can the King of Death teach about healing? I have never heard you saving a life in any tale.”

Sukuna’s grin widened. “That is because no one is worthy of my aid. However, my reverse cursed technique has been refined over millions of years of practice, so I know much more than you think, little healer.” 

“How advanced? Healing a paper cut?” Shoko had her arms crossed with a scowl on her face.

Another deep laugh burst from Sukuna. His smugness grew even more. “Well, I have been able to regrow limbs in seconds. I have sliced Ryomen to pieces and have been able to heal him completely within moments. I even ripped out his heart and brain and restored it two days later.” It was a grim fact, but Ryomen and Sukuna had made up for that incident. They were very different people in the Heian Era and preferred to simply forget what they had done to each other in those times. 

The casual tone Sukuna adopted made it sound like the curse was talking about the weather. Shoko felt an eye twitch. She had never heard of someone managing to bring someone back to life after such an injury. The brain and heart were the most difficult thing to heal, it was nearly impossible to do so. It was more likely that you would cause further damage to the brain or heart when trying to use reverse cursed technique than actually heal the vital organs. Case in point: Satoru’s brain. When Shoko had examined her friend with her technique, Satoru recoiled immediately and began to scream in agony. For the brief second that Shoko was able to touch Satoru’s head, she saw deep cracks littered through his mind. They were markings that would not show up on an actual MRI or CAT scan as the damage was not physical. It was something otherworldly, and Shoko could not do anything to help Satoru. But Sukuna had healed his brain perfectly before. She needed to grow stronger in her own abilities if her friends were going to be putting themselves in more danger than ever before. Taking out a piece of gum from her pocket, Shoko sighed heavily. “Alright. I’ll be your damn apprentice or some shit.”

It was reassuring to see the sorcerers readily agree to give their aid without any stipulations. Jujutsu Society was corrupted from the inside out, but it seemed like this small group was part of the minority who truly wanted to help people. Sukuna nor Ryomen fully trusted the sorcerers after the meeting, but they were willing to give them a chance. They were willing to do anything to ensure the light in Yuuji’s eyes never fades away. 

Never again.

-

When Yuuji woke up, he was cold. 

He didn’t like being cold.

His Papa and Uncle were always so warm, they were like living blankets! 

But Yuuji was cold. 

The toddler could not even feel the warmth of Supernova’s fur or the soothing heat of Overtime’s magma. Yuuji felt his heart leap up to his throat. He looked around to see if his Papa or guardians were nearby, and he only found a frozen tundra. 

All that the boy could see was white and red. White and red. White and red.

Then he saw gray.

Yuuji looked up from his seat on the snow to the gray figure peering down at him. Instantly, a wave of recognition hit Yuuji. It was the Gray Him! Yuuji stood up, arms close to his chest to preserve warmth. He knew his man. He dreamed of the man in gray every night, but he could never remember the man when he woke up. But when he fell asleep, the sense of familiarity and memories of the previous dream came flooding in. 

The man looked like him if he was older, but he also looked so sad. Yuuji had tried to talk to the man, but he never responded to any of Yuuji’s attempts at comfort. When Yuuji would try to hug his leg or arm, the man would not react either. The gray man would just stare or walk away. Yuuji had begun calling him Mr. Gray or Gray Him as the man had never given Yuuji his name. In fact, Mr. Gray never spoke to Yuuji. Not directly, at least. Yuuji would follow Mr. Gray on his walks throughout the dreamworld they were in and listen to the man’s quiet whispers of regret and apologies. 

Mr. Gray had the same eye markings that Yuuji did and the same marks on his eyebrow and lip. Though, Mr. Gray’s markings looked much more painful than Yuuji’s. He smiled at Mr. Gray, who had now reached a hand for Yuuji to take. Without hesitation, he did. Mr. Gray’s hand was as cold as the snow they were walking through. As they walked, Yuuji saw the many droplets and pools of red across the pure-white snow. The barren trees were covered in frost as well. At times, Mr. Gray would walk away before Yuuji got the chance to say ‘hi’, but this was the first time Mr. Gray was holding Yuuji’s hand! Not the other way around!

“Are you okay, Mr. Gray?” Yuuji asked with a worried frown on his lips. Papa had always told him that it was okay to be sad, but it was also okay to ask for help. 

Instead of responding, Mr. Gray continued to gently tug Yuuji through the tundra, his gray hair and hoodie blowing with the vicious wind. Eventually, they seemed to reach the end of the forest as the trees had disappeared. Where the trees had ended, a deep crater had begun. Yuuji held onto Mr. Grey’s calloused hand tighter. He did not like exploring the crater. It made him really sad and angry when he looked at it, and Yuuji did not know why. 

Fortunately, Mr. Gray did not move any further. He released Yuuji’s hand and knelt in front of the little boy. His eyes were as monochrome as the rest of his body, but there was an emotion within that Yuuji could not place. All that he knew was that it made Mr. Gray seems more alive than ever before. 

“Mr. Gray?”

A pale hand grasped Yuuji’s once more. For the first time, Mr. Gray spoke to him. His voice was raspy from lack of use, and his tone was lifeless as if he was a machine. He squeezed Yuuji’s hands within himself. He whispered to the boy. “Protect them. All of them.” 

“Who?” Yuuji whispered back. Was he talking about Papa and his Uncle Kuna? But they didn’t need protection? They were the strongest people in the universe!

“Keep them safe.” The monochromatic man pleaded. His tone was still dule, but his gray eyes held a desperation deep inside. 

It then clicked for Yuuji. The guests Uncle Kuna and Papa had. The people that made Yuuji all fuzzy inside. He liked them a lot! Gojo was really fun and nice, Getou had a very soothing voice, Shoko had given him a lollipop, and Nanami had made him an origami crane! Yuuji nodded passionately. “Okay! I pinky promise!”

The slightest quirk on the corners of Mr. Gray’s lips made Yuuji want to jump and dance. He was smiling! Mr. Gray had initially gone to give Yuuji the pinky on his left hand, but there was only a stump left. Quick to switch hands, Yuuji beamed at Mr. Gray. “Pinky promise!”

Mr. Gray nodded. “Will you protect them?”

“Mhm!” Yuuji nodded his head once more. 

After their pinkies interlocked and then separated, Mr. Gray had returned to his normally sad expression. He stood once more. As he did so, the winds from earlier turned into a blizzard. It was the telltale sign that Yuuji was going to wake up. But he didn’t want to go just yet! Mr. Gray had talked to him! He smiled! Yuuji couldn’t leave now!

As the snow grew heavier until Yuuji could no longer see in front of him, Mr. Gray’s voice could be heard over the winds. 

“Protect them, even if it costs you your life. They deserve to live…We don’t.”

Yuuji woke up in tears, already forgetting the dream he had had. For the first time, Uncle Kuna was not there when Yuuji woke up from his nap. His lip wobbled as the toddler tried to hold in his cries, but it was no use. Small sobs escaped Yuuji as he grew increasingly more distressed. 

Then a warm, fluffy body pressed against his. Supernova was staring at him worriedly, beginning to purr to help soothe the toddler. His sandpaper-like tongue cleaned away the boy’s tears. As his sobs turned into hiccups, Yuuji could feel Overtime’s soft wrappings smooth over his hair. He then felt Boogie give him a slobbery kiss, causing the boy to giggle. At the end of his bed, Resonance and Chimera were emitting soft churrs and clicks to further calm the frightened boy. Chimera had even summoned a rabbit for Yuuji to hold. The toddler looked around for Infinite and found the bird wrapped around the stone rafters. Infinite trilled softly and lowered his long body until his beak was touching Yuuji’s cheek. The draconic bird nuzzled the boy to reassure the toddler that he was there and that Yuuji was not alone. When Infinite returned to the rafters, he left his smoke-like tail hanging below. There were several eyes Infintie summoned within his tail, each acting as a nightlight for Yuuji. 

The soft blue glow of his room and the calming lullaby were enough to make Yuuji fall back asleep. 

He was safe.

He wasn’t alone. 

He was warm. 

Dark times all around but there are still people out there who love you

Do not hurt yourself, do not hurt others, get help, talk to someone, anyone. Humanity has survived before and we can do it now if we all just support each other. My country and my people let me down and endangered my life but there’s nothing I or anyone else can do about that so let’s try to spread the love that is so clearly lacking.

ŠÜBŚÇRĮBÊ?

where’s that one “pakige” post bc like

AO3, Basic Logic, God, Everyone: You posted a chapter five minutes ago, and should get comments gradually over the next few hours! Me, .5 seconds after posting, sitting with my face pressed up against my AO3 inbox: commente

YES YES YES

What happens when @thejoanglebook, @tallykat3, and I have any free time on our hands. This is so frickin silly, but the audio was funny, we were having fun, and I had the boys, so here lol (Audio: Bo Burnham; Makeup: @tallykat3)

UNCLE UP