Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You’d think that he would have more time to himself before Yuuji could actually enter his inner domain unannounced… unfortunately enough he wasn’t given that saving grace of a period.

‘I didn’t invite him in. How was he able to enter my inner domain?’

“Get off me before I cut you into pieces.” Sukuna growls and swats his hand at Yuuji annoyingly. Not really moving to actually hurt the teen, but if he looks serious enough then it’s probably become believable.

“Woah man, chill.” Yuuji quickly tries to placate the Curse he’s currently sitting on before immediately standing up and giving Sukuna all the extra space he needs.

‘So that’s what this place is called?’ He thought to himself after hearing Sukuna talk about it. Though it’s more like telepathically in his head?

“I landed here… an inner domain?” A small shuffle of his feet as he waits for Sukuna to rise up from the red water pool thing, which he really hopes isn’t what he thinks it is. Yuuji asked slowly to confirm if the information he got was correct.

‘Wait, how did he know-’

It seems his hunch was right because Sukuna suddenly whipped his head around to look at Yuuji like he had grown a second pair of eyes! 

Little does he know that he did, but still!

“... yes?” Sukuna raised one of his eyebrows at the question. His hands hidden within the kimono sleeves, hiding the fact that his hands are trembling underneath unbeknown to the sorcerer staring at him.

‘Why does he sound so confused? Was that thought not meant for me to hear?’

Yuuji continues to stare at the Curse while trying to get a read on his face, but nothing gives way so far other than annoyance and boredom. After a while, Sukuna breaks their staring contest with an annoyed huff as he looks away.

‘It’s like Itadori doesn’t have self-preservation or something. Does he not fear me?’

“Hey!” Yuuji grumbled in response to hearing Sukuna’s internal monologue. Sukuna looks at Yuuji curiously, but doesn't bother to ask why the teen decided to shout out of the blue like a weirdo.

‘Sorcerers are weird,’ Sukuna decided.

“Don’t you have anything better to do? You’re starting to become an eyesore.” He made a show of making the exhale especially loud and obnoxious. That seems to work wonderfully because Yuuji’s eye twitched at his display and Sukuna took that as a win, imagining himself pumping his fist in accomplishment before turning around with his back turned to the new sorcerer.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You- you’re so unreasonable, I don’t even know how I got here!”

A small system notification pops up in front of him as he walks towards the skull pile.

…

‘What’s F Points? Fun, Fear? I don’t really understand the number.’

Sukuna stares at the window then secretly glances over to look at the sorcerer behind him. It looks like Yuuji isn’t even aware of the system window that he’s reading. Rather more interested and content in looking around ignoring the mean Curse and twirling his body like a ballerina.

He looks back at the window then flicks it away. So there’s a reward for acting like a villain… urgh, he’s going to regret this so bad, but he has already been doing that for a short while now…

Sukuna barely gives the popup window a glance as to not attract attention to himself, but as he reads the content of the mission he feels a chill down his spine. This is…

“System, are you being serious right now?” He hissed quietly to the entity that’s controlling his life now. Hooray. There’s no way he’s going to kill an innocent kid after everything that just happened.

“I’m not going to do that even if I’m being forced to.”

There’s an ominous foreboding feeling when the system didn’t say anything back to him. Sukuna wondered what happened for him to get this kind of mission. Was it because he failed the tutorial mission and he wasn’t able to gain “Sukuna’s Cursed Techniques”?

The previous window closes itself and in its place a new one flashes to get his attention.

Sukuna doesn’t want to read it, but he’ll probably have to.

To say he’s in shock would be an understatement, but for the System to hold Yuuji’s life in his hand and the choice he’s forced to make. Isn’t this a bit too much?!

‘What-? I… why do I have to…’

Yuuji secretly turns his head to look at Sukuna in the distance while making him comfortable sitting on the water.

‘Um… I…’

Sukuna falters silently, his eyes wide and starts to feel distress. He never killed anyone before. Didn’t he reincarnate with the hopes of saving people by the System? So why is it that he has to… kill… to do that.

As he reaches the skull's mountain, he stands still for a moment before hesitatingly crouches down to grasp at one of the bull skulls and weighs it in his hand. It’s as big as his hand.

Sukuna’s thoughts are eerily quiet as his fingers curl around one of the horns then squeezing his eyes shut, he snaps the sharp horn off its head. The sound reverberated across the domain and that act alone freezes him on the spot, already feeling guilty of the crime he’s going to commit.

‘...’

He looks at the sharp point of the horn with trembling hands and-

“Are you okay?” The voice came from behind him. Sukuna immediately jumps and quickly hides the part under his sleeve before throwing the useless head back into the pile. Panic scrambling his thought process.

‘Flipping tuna! Who what where when-’

Yuuji innocently tilts his head while watching Sukuna robotically turn his whole body to come face to face with the sorcerer standing at the ball of his feet.

“What got you so strung up? If you’re bored, we can just talk. You know?” He said slowly before giving Sukuna a smile that he shouldn’t deserve, “I don’t know how to leave and… I’m really curious about the two guys from earlier and you.”

Sukuna pauses to really look at the Yuuji. Hands hidden under his sleeve playing at the makeshift weapon to calm him down. A bit ironic that a weapon of murder is helping him feel better.

“Why?” He asked in a clipped tone before taking a deep breath.

‘Don’t think about it… don’t think about it.’

“Because you seem knowledgeable and… I don’t know,” Yuuji shrugs, “I don’t have anyone else to help me.”

Sukuna doesn’t know when he was starting to follow Yuuji to an open space or when he sat down with him. It was all a blur until the next thing he knew, a hand was placed on his back gently and it jolted him back to the present.

“Hey, are you sure you’re okay? You're zoning out for a while there.”

‘Oh.’ Sukuna thought numbly.

His fingers clutch tightly at the piece of pointed horn.

“I’m getting kind of worried.”

Sukuna reluctantly shrugs off the hand that grounded him because he’s not worth being comforted. Not when he’s going to hurt Yuuji for the sake of saving him.

“H-hah, you shouldn’t be. I don’t need your pity.” He didn’t mean to stutter, but it just came out anyway. Sukuna looks away from the teen.

The other’s hand hangs in the air before pulling back with an understanding nod, “Well, that’s okay too.”

Then he grins and starts to ramble to fill the silence, “Since you’re not going to talk, then let me get the conversation going. Hi! I’m Itadori Yuuji, but you probably already know that.” He awkwardly scratches his cheek and laughs.

Sukuna glances back before looking away. 

‘... I guess it wouldn’t hurt to… talk for a bit.’

Yuuji thought that he wouldn’t get a reply, but then he quietly hears the Curse mumbles.

“Ryoumen Sukuna, King of Curses.”

“That’s a pretty good start!” 

An eager clap from Yuuji brings Sukuna’s attention back to the sorcerer sitting next to him. His hands become part of his grand gesture to show the weight of his words as he starts to ramble and talk.

“It was really crazy, but like woahhh. The dogs that Fushiguro summoned are so cool! It’s like magic and the blindfolded guy? He was all WHOOSH and poooosh.”

Soon enough Sukuna starts to relax and let down his guard. It’s the least he could do, grant Yuuji a moment of kindness before inevitably he has to… 

Or maybe selfishly, he just wants to drag this for as long as he could in hopes that the System would let it go.

The two talk, though it’s mostly Yuuji doing all the talking and Sukuna listens. He adds a few of his opinions and answers to the sorcerer’s curiosity. As much as he’s able to form his knowledge from the first and second seasons of the anime.

“Cursed Techniques are what all sorcerers have?”

“Yes… but you don’t have them. Maybe in the future.”

“Whaaat, that sucks.” The Curse snorted a short laugh as Yuuji's over the top acting distracts him enough to become out of character which he took note of.

“Do you have them? Oh oh oh! Can you show me?”

Sukuna huffs exasperated before waving one of his hands at the budding sorcerer, “You shouldn’t concern yourself with it.”

‘I currently don’t have access to them right now.’

Yuuji blinks then slowly drags out a word, “Riiiiiiiiiiight.”

The Curse freezes as the blue window pops up to remind him of the mission. He hesitantly closes all of his eyes and takes another deep breath. There’s really no way out of this. Either the main character dies and everything ends or he becomes a murderer as he already made a name for himself.

“You know, brat. Kindness can’t save everyone.”

“Hmm? Probably… but that doesn’t mean I can’t give it a try.”

Yuuji leans back while looking at Sukuna, but Sukuna isn’t looking at him.

“Hurting others is easy, but extending good intentions and kindness isn’t. It needs you to have the courage to.” He tilts his head to the side, “I don’t regret it.”

“But I’m a Curse. I can’t feel what humans feel.” Sukuna opens his bottom sets of eyes, but still closes his main ones.

“I’m a lost cause and I don’t want you to try and help me.”

Yuuji smiles gently, “I don’t think you are. I think you’re capable of human emotions like us.”

'Where did it all go wrong?’

His smile slowly fades as he looks at Sukuna's still form. Unsurely, Yuuji calls out.

“Sukuna?”

“Hah, ahahaha.” The Curse starts to laugh maniacally as his fingers claw at his face then he explodes in a wide grin that Yuuji flinches back nervously.

…2 minutes left…

“Don’t make me laugh. Do you know why I became a Curse in the first place?” He raises himself up from the water as his ruby-eyes pierced the darkness of the domain right at the sorcerer.

'Please hate me. Please.'

“I rid myself of them because they’re weak, disgusting, frail human bits. I want it gone.”

“S-Sukuna?”

The Curse drops in front of his vessel, just a vessel. Not a human, an object- and smiles softly. It feels like a mockery of mercy with the almost identical faces they shared.

…1 minute left…

'Look at me with disgust, so it's easier for you to hurt me.'

“I commend you for the effort, Vessel. Though sadly, it won’t work on me.” Sukuna gently lifts up his vessel’s chin with the tip of his blackened nail as realization dawns on Yu- the vessel’s face.

‘I’m so so sorry. Forgive me. Sorry, sorry sorry-’

“What are you- hrgh-!” Yuuji starts coughing out blood, pupils dilated as he gasps in pain. The sharp pointed tip of the bull’s horn went through him and Sukuna twisted it further.

“You’re not even worth using my Cursed Technique on. Tch, why did I end up with someone as worthless as you as my vessel?” Sukuna drawls lazily then pulls it out with a sickening squelch as Yuuji falls to the water, bleeding from the wound.

“W-why? You- I thought.” Yuuji inhales sharply before his vision starts to swim and darkens around the edge, which he closes his eyes to blink away the dots. Being stabbed does not feel good.

Sukuna only looks on silently, “You don't know me... Yuuji.” 

The sorcerer opens his eyes again. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but definitely not Sukuna choking back a sob and hiding his face behind the blooded hands. Yuuji’s blood.

Yuuji’s last thought was,‘Why did Sukuna cry for him?’ before everything goes dark.

The Curse stares at the lifeless body in his domain and drops to the pool of red murky liquid he’s never going to get rid of. He just killed- he just killed a human and someone who’s nice to him.

“Hah- ahh, haha. I- I don’t want this.” He whimpers quietly now that he doesn’t have to hide in front of Yuuji. Sukuna drops the thing that killed Yuuji like something that burnt him as he struggles to breathe. The burst of power after completing the mission doesn’t make him feel any better.

It made him feel worse.