Chapter Text
Tomorrow never comes when the day never ends.
Sukuna rested on his side with his arm cushioning his head. He faced the pup as buzzing cicadas and chirping crickets lulled Sukuna to sleep. He had zero worries and he was in the prime of his life.
Was what Sukuna hoped to dream of in the warm embrace of his duvet. His body and mind were restless, stubbornly aware of his surroundings. He couldn’t go a moment without focusing on the fire crackling behind him, on the pup thrashing about in a fussy fit that he wished he could ignore, or the soaring heat under his skin.
Fever wrecked his body as his heat went through its natural course. Amazing timing since he has to deal with excessive cramping on top of all. Sukuna pulled the sheets over his head and squeezed his eyes shut. He’s never experienced this much somnolence. Why did his consciousness deny him a well earned rest?
In a last ditch effort, Sukuna sparked a lazy purr. A vocal allure for his body to relax.
And as his eyes got heavier, and his muscles loosened, a sudden low pitched cry from the babe beside him caused him to flinch.
The cry frazzled his instincts. And his purr halted to a stop.
Sukuna pulled his head out from under the covers then crowded over the pup. She was fully awake and suckling on her fingers. Her mauve eyes stared back at his own crimson ones.
“What is it?” He asked softly, tapping a finger on her lips to stop her from chewing on her tiny ones. Instead of stopping she took his finger to her mouth.
He huffed a laugh at that.
With a hum, and a moment of absolute hesitation, Sukuna scooped the pup into his arms and sat up on the bed. Sukuna had no idea what to do other than scent her profusely, rubbing his scent all over her body.
He likes his bergamot scent, and he hopes this pup does too. Even if it is a little enhanced because of his heat.
Sukuna smiled a touch. But then stopped, unfamiliar with his own gentleness.
Why did this pup completely invade his senses and why did his instincts allow this?
The pup started to squirm in his hold, softly whimpering and smacking her lips searching for something to latch onto. Sukuna watched this behavior puzzled as she continued to grow fussier.
Was she uncomfortable?
The pup stretched and thrashed more as he repositioned her.
Was she hungry?
He assumed she was, she couldn’t be over four moons old. Babies her age ate every few hours, no? But how would he feed her? So many questions raced through his mind. So little answers.
What was the appropriate way to handle this?
Would she die if he didn’t feed her in time?
Sukuna’s hands tightened around her. His heart ached at the thought and he knew he had to find a solution quickly.
But then another dilemma arose within Sukuna’s thoughts. It was uncharacteristic for him to concern himself about any other, but his heat-addled brain always turned him into an emotional wreck by this period of time. It was his own dynamic’s sensitivity that fueled the sudden consideration, he reasoned. His heat just made it worse and didn’t mean anything. (A lame excuse to avoid responsibility.)
But if it meant nothing then why was something different about this cycle? Throughout the years, his heat increased in intensity as he got older. It was why he prepared so extensively. But this heat…was the lightest one he’s ever had. He didn’t feel the uncomfortable lust or the urge to mate. He just feels the pain staking need to care and protect this pup. He’s heard of maternal bonds before, how every dam experiences it when their pup is born. Apart from that, creating one outside of that connection is hard. However, it is possible.
But there’s no way Sukuna created one in such little time.
Sukuna sat silent for a few moments. Then groaned.
Did he really create a maternal bond with this pup?
Why now? It’s not like he’s never been in the presence of children. The village nearby is always full with festivities, so some have wondered about lost in his small territory, but he’s never felt this with those nameless kids.
Sukuna’s thoughts were halted by the persistent crying of the pup. He looks down and coos to calm her.
The reality is simple, Sukuna suffices. However this happened, he doesn’t need to figure it out now.
That's the last semblance of level-headedness he possesses before his inner omega gets total control.
His inner omega responds to the squalling of the pup, setting to provide her what she needs. With a swift movement, he parts his kimono to reveal his chest. He maneuvers the pup closer, his upper arms supporting the pup to his nipple while the lower ones get himself comfortable. Sukuna lines the pup’s mouth with his nipple and waits for her to start suckling. When she does, his muscles relax.
Sukuna brushes soft ruffles of white hair and twirls a little patch of plum colored hair, a stark contrast. With what little time they’ve spent together, Sukuna’s been trying to memorize every tiny detail of her. Plus, he’s also been trying to figure out a name. He can't keep calling her pup or nothing at all. He considers naming her Touka, or Fuyuka, for her resemblance of a flower in winter; however, those names didn’t bring light to the cute little patch of bright hair, or her chubby pink cheeks, or mauve eyes. So he decides on Uraume, a small plum blossom with purity and endurance.
He looks at the pup, Uraume, peacefully suckling and kneading biscuits on his chest with little regard for his presence now that she is being fed. Sukuna couldn’t help the purr rumbling deep in his chest.
For as long as Sukuna could remember, his body and scent horrified and disgusted anyone he encountered. Villagers, travelers, sorcerers. Sukuna was a source of contempt for them. But now, with such a tiny being in his arms, that didn’t cry or scream the moment they saw him, maybe some things could change. If this little human could accept him, could another person too?
⏩️One week later
Yuji basked in the sun on the porch of his home, hopelessly expecting the sun to dry his sweaty skin. He sat cross legged, his robes loosely flowing as a gust of humid air pushed through the village. After a week’s worth of rain from last night, the skies finally cleared and gave way for the first glimpse into the summer heat.
Yuji hated the heat as much as anyone did, but he hated it the most when even airing out his kosode didn’t help. He got enough of it eventually and stepped back inside the house to entertain himself with something else. In the midst of his search, Yuji walked down the hallway and approached the open shoji doors of his grandfather’s bedroom and peeked inside. The old man’s back was facing towards him, sitting comfortably upon his shikibuton, his duvet pushed away from him in obvious contempt for the torridness of his room.
The windows were open, letting a light breeze inside. Yuji couldn’t exactly tell what his grandpa was doing, but he paid it no mind.
The wood beneath his feet creaked as he passed the room and he huffed a breath of boredom.
After Yuji steps into his own room, his hand on his hips, he looks around at the clutter of it. He could clean up a little bit. Yuji picks up some stray clothes from the floor and a couple of dirty guinomi cups into his hands to bring them outside to the washing basins. Now he just needs water.
He’ll need to travel all the way through the village then go deep into the trees and follow a trail until he reaches the river.
Yuji stares at the basin, then imagines the journey in this heat. It’s probably best if Yuji ditches the idea, but on the other hand he just got the best idea. He should bring his friends to the river! It’s a nice way to cool off and pass the time. So much more enjoyable. So he heads inside really quickly, grabs his sandals and heads to the door. But before he does, he quickly goes to his grandfather’s room.
“Hey gramps, I'll be going to the river! Do you need anything?” He croons outside his door.
The itadori elder grunts an answer, “I don’t need your help! So get out of the house.”
Yuji laughs at the usual stubbornness, and starts heading out, “If you say so.”
“Before you do, make sure the dishes are clean before nightfall.” Yells out. “And be aware of the forest!”
Yuji nods and smiles.
⏩️
Yuji, Nobara and Megumi followed the path down to the river. They chatted and laughed, talking about mundane things and giggling at lame jokes. Nobara held a bushel basket filled with fresh fruits and snacks she’d collected before heading out. Megumi snacked on a pear while Yuji enjoyed a mochi she’d gladly provided.
“Where did you harvest these fruits?” Megumi asked, “I might need to change plots.”
Nobara laughed at the question and with a cheeky grin she answered, “harvested from god’s acre! That juicy pear that you're eating, my good friend, sprouted from my grandfather’s seedling.”
Megumi scowled while Yuji laughed in the background. He should’ve known that Nobara doesn’t answer questions like a normal person.
“You’re not funny.”
“No, Fushiguro, I’m hilarious.”
Nobara and Yuji continued talking while Megumi shuffled behind them with a gloomy expression until he got tired of it and began talking again.
After a few moments, the river finally started to become visible in the distance as they strolled closer. From their viewpoint the area seemed empty, no muffled voices or water splashing, just the tranquility of the evening.
They reached the edge of the water and Nobara plopped her basket on the floor. She grabbed the lower half of her kimono and pulled it up to her mid-thigh and tied it there. Yuji, on the other hand, stripped fully (only keeping his fundoshi on) and stepped into the water. Megumi stayed back to continue snacking.
An hour passed quickly as they enjoyed their time. By now all three of them had cooled off in the pleasant temperature of the river and just chatted as always. Yuji babbled on about random things until the topic changed abruptly.
“Itadori, when are you planning on becoming a sorcerer?” Nobara interrupted.
Yuji stayed silent for a second before he sighed, “I’m taking care of my grandpa, I’ve told you this.” He palmed his neck before continuing, “Gojo-san also offered to train me on a specific schedule different from you guys’ but I declined.”
Nobara thought for a moment then looked at Megumi, “what do you think?”
Megumi shrugged and said, “if Itadori can’t, then he can’t. He’ll come by when the time is right.”
Nobara reluctantly ended the topic. She was rather persistent in asking Itadori on the topic of sorcery, but for good reason.
A sudden flood of cursed energy caused all of them to freeze. The energy was harsher than anything they had experienced. As it crept closer and the energy intensified, the three of them slowly got out of the water. Megumi prepared a hand sign and Nobara drew out her hammer in case a curse or something worse bursted from the trees. Yuji stood back, wrapping his kosode around himself.
His lips pressed together as he stood beside his friends. Even with his limited experience, he’ll interfere if the situation gets out of hand.
What emerged from the trees unsettled them further.
Four arms and two faces, the figure of what must be a curse. Crimson eyes narrowed at them as the man stopped a few steps away from the riverbank.
One of his lower hands gripped a wooden basin while his upper ones shielded a bundle of fabric wrapped around his chest.
They stood in silence, tension tightening their muscles. Their scents soured with anticipation. Nobara en Megumi looked at each other as they tried to assess the situation. The man approached, and at the sigh of movement Megumi summoned his divine dogs.
A growl, a deep, guttural sound reverberated from the man. sharp omega fangs glinting in the sun.
“Stop.” Yuji whispered, grabbing onto Megumi’s shoulder.
“Dismantle.”
At the same time, sharp, piercing pain flashed across Yuji’s cheek. It happened so quickly he didn’t react until blood seeped down his face. The precision of the technique shocked Yuji, he didn’t even sense it.
The man had two fingers up and finally said, “retreat before I escalate.”
And they did. very quickly. Because if that simple attack held so much skill, they sure as hell didn’t want to see what else that strange man had in store.