Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sukuna had always wanted to be revived. 

He wanted his own body again, his four arms to tear human's limbs apart, eyes that couldn't miss any hint of movements, and a towering height so that he could look down on puny humans. 

He didn't know the exact time since he'd been taken out, only that it'd been a long time, and all that remained of him lingered on his fingers—fingers that were probably scattered all over the place due to those pesky sorcerers, so his being, no matter how powerful, got stretched, confused as to where to go, it expanded and thinned. It felt like he was in all places at once and his mind, despite his malevolence, cannot fully comprehend the situation he was currently in. 

Time's fucking confusing, it passed like a blur but at the same time it crawled in an agonizing pace. Sukuna just knew that no human can comprehend how he felt, or how he perceives time. Humans were painfully and amusingly stupid anyways. 

Now, Sukuna was still vaguely aware that he still existed, but there was something holding him back from rising again. Must be a seal from those pesky sorcerers—they have always been a pain. 

I'll bide my time and gather power again. Then I'll burn this world to ashes. 

Sukuna went to and fro. He couldn't see humans, but he could feel them, feel their ever growing negative energy piling on one another, growing at an alarming rate. Despite that though, he still couldn't break free from the seal and rise so there still must be more sorcerers, maybe even powerful than before since the curses haven't ruled yet even with the ever growing negative energy. 

It took more time, took more waiting and humans' emotions welling up, and a bit of negligence on the sorcerer's side (that didn't happen in the past) before he could finally do something. Maybe he could take a form of a low-level spirit, and then start from there. Maybe he could take over and possess a human child, since children have always been much easier to manipulate. Whatever it was, Sukuna was just ecstatic that his waiting would finally pay off. 

He lingered in one of his fingers, poured all the focus he could muster on remaining and retaining there. The finger was sealed, but the seal felt weak—it must be nearly broken, and his cursed energy grew stronger. He could gather a bit more cursed energy to take form or take over someone, but he had to do it quickly, lest the seal get renewed before he could even do something. 

He didn't know where he was, just that he was near his finger, and so, with great concentration he could muster, he pounced at the first living organism that went near the finger. 

The King of Curses celebrated for a bit, as he saw the first splash of colours since who knows how long, the first thing he noticed was that fuck, why am I so short? 

There was a glowing ball of light, very much like a little sun that hung from a gray pole of some sort―it didn't look like wood. As his gaze wandered he saw little stars, not in the sky, but in the structures that stood high. He glanced to where he could feel his finger pulsing with cursed energy, and saw  a wooden compartment of some sort, with ridges in the front―it very much looked like a chicken pen. 

Still, he was far below from where the finger was. His eyes narrowed at the height, surely, humans didn't shrink that much during the time he was gone right? 

No, why the hell will they build something that tall if they cannot reach it anyway. It's just me―no, this new vessel of mine that is short. 

Sukuna let out a sigh, maybe he did manage to possess a child, whatever, he'd consume the finger right there and then and get a fraction of his own cursed energy back, maybe then he could possess someone a bit taller.

With mixed disdain and relief from having a physical body after a long time, Ryoumen Sukuna finally took the time to know his new vessel. 

He blinked. 

Blinked again. 

He did it three times more. 

A,.. Paw? 

What in hell? 

A sound escaped Sukuna's vessel. A sound that didn't seem human. 

He moved his limbs. He wasn't walking on two feet, he was walking on four. 

Unless human beings managed to devolve themselves into being monkeys (not entirely impossible), then it only meant one thing for the mighty King of Curses. 

Pathetic. 

In the moment of his disdain for his new vessel, he didn't hear nor did he recognise the sound of wheels turning and heading his way. 

Itadori Yuuji walked with no particular destination in mind. 

The clouds looked heavy, a telltale sign that screamed at Yuuji to go home already, but still Yuuji wanted to linger around. He wanted to feel the kind of cold that refreshed his skin, not the kind of cold at home that made his heart ache. 

A rational part of him argued that he should be getting home, he would still need to arrange the cremation and organize more papers for his Gramps, so he should be getting his rest, he didn't want to be alone with his thoughts though. 

 Yuuji felt queasy, tears threatening to fall, but he held them back. Gramps would've given him quite a talk if he saw him crying. 

It's been a long time coming, anyway. His gramps would say to him, and it was true. He knew death was inevitable, he knew this day would come. 

Yuuji hadn't felt anything like this before, his mind was still at a loss, not fully sure of what to feel. He should be sad, and he was, but he kept on remembering that his grandfather wouldn't have liked it if he wailed and cried over something they already knew would happen. 

It's okay to cry, a part of him would say.

Gramps doesn't― didn't like crying, the other would retort. 

Gramps is gone. The other will answer. 

It was a battle between the heart and mind―Yuuji was the unfortunate battlefield. 

Itadori then remembered the last words―last wish uttered by the only person he had as a family. 

Help others, Yuuji. 

Save others, Yuuji. 

Don't die alone. Die surrounded by others, Yuuji. 

Don't be like me. 

"But you didn't die alone, Gramps," Muttered Yuuji to no one, "I was there." 

A wet drop startled Yuuji as it fell on his face, he briefly thought it was his tear that he failed to hold back, then he realized that it wasn't, and it was just the clouds crying for his sake. 

Itadori wondered if he should get lost in the millions of droplets falling―falling like he was; but then made up his mind that his aimless wandering should be saved for a time when he wouldn't get drenched. He got things to finish tomorrow too. 

With haste, he quickened his pace the same time the drizzle turned into a full blown rain. Yuuji pulled on his hood―it was already partly wet and he doubted it'd be any help soon―and began to walk towards a direction he assumed led to the familiar streets of his cold and empty home. 

The streetlights were godsent, since no other sane person dared to wander in a rain that suddenly grew so heavy, they showed Yuuji the way and guided him as the drops weighed heavily and hammered against his cold skin, Yuuji's teeth were clenched to keep it from trembling and he was soaked from head to toe, every piece of clothing drenched. 

Yuuji thanked his past self for forgetting his phone back at home that day, at least it had been spared from the heavy rain. 

He halted in his steps as he heard something. 

A meow? 

No, more like a hiss of a cat, it went on and on like a person complaining about the sudden drastic change of the weather. 

Itadori looked around for a bit, eyes squinting due to the water clinging and splashing on his face. The light helped him see the wooden box thingy near a street light. There was probably a poor, unfortunate cat stuck underneath it, probably cursing at the rain. 

Help others, Yuuji. 

Yuuji immediately sprinted towards the source of the hissing, eyes squinting as he looked for the cat. 

"Hello there," The pink-haired male said as gently as he could, teeth chattering a bit. He spotted the cat―what a weird color it had, the same hue as his hair. 

Are there pink cats? Yuuji asked himself. 

The cat stared up at him, looking ready to claw his eyes out, it was crouching and hissing, claws visible that made Yuuji gulp. 

Itadori couldn't see much of the cat due to the shadows casted on the poor, wet cat but he could see glimpses of black on the cat's wet fur. 

Slowly, gently, Yuuji lowered himself and reached out a trembling hand, "Come little one, let's go somewhere dry." 

The cat let out a sound that oddly sounded like a sneer to Yuuji. He was probably imagining things. The cat―which had freaky red eyes―glared at him. 

Poor thing probably hates getting wet. That, or he hates humans. 

Itadori sighed, he shouldn't stay much longer there, getting wet in the rain, the same goes for the cat. So with quick motions, he grabbed the cat's body. It suddenly let out a pained-sounding growl that made Yuuji freeze, assessing the cat, he then saw that its left front leg was held out, Yuuji already made sense that somebody or something might have hurt the cat—he probably did too. Then the cat immediately struggled against him. 

"Look," Yuuji slowly adjusted and shifted his hold on the cat, letting its right side press against his chest while his hand supported its back, "I'm so sorry, I'll try to make your injury all better at home, okay? For now let's get out of this rain." 

It took quite a few moments before the cat settled and relaxed in his arms, letting out a displeased meow. 

It took only minutes for Yuuji to reach his home. He ran with care for the bundle of fur shivering in his arms, with his shoes letting out a squelching sound as it splashed against the wet ground. When he reached his front door, he pushed a potted plant to the side for a bit, grabbing the spare keys hidden behind it and unlocking the door, all while holding the cat with one arm. 

He took off his wet shoes before entering, his soggy socks making him grimace, he took them off before making a beeline to the bathroom, the cat still in his arms. Grabbing some towels, he gently placed the cat on the sink, finally taking in its appearance. 

It was a medium-sized cat, and its color was light pink , Itadori didn't know that there were pink cats, but apparently, there were. It had black lines and circles on its stomach, paws, even its head; forming intricate designs that Yuuji gawked at. The cat's long tail moved to and fro, and its red eyes stared at him in an unnerving manner. 

Then he saw the gash on the cat's front leg, it was about two inches long, and the blood that trickled from it stained the fur surrounding it in a kind-of gruesome way, something not befitting for an animal Yuuji had always thought of as adorable. 

Yuuji then realized that he should get a shower and change, doing so would make treating the cat's wound easier too. 

"Hey kitty," Yuuji tugged on his drenched hoodie, discarding it on an empty basket, "I'm gonna take a shower, don't move from there," The male grabbed a spare towel and gently placed it over the cat's body, "I'll get you all better after." 

Yuuji had never showered that quickly in his entire life.

After a trip to his room and a fresh change of dry clothes, he returned to the sink, where the cat was staring at the lights. 

He took the first-aid kit he had in a cabinet, placing it where he could reach and setting his phone near it and started to dry the cat with the towel. 

"Man.." Yuuji sighed as he made gentle pats to brush the water away from the cat's fur, he eyed the set of claws ready to scratch at him as he did so, "I'm not gonna hurt you, okay? I'm sorry for earlier, I didn't see you that much and didn't notice your leg," 

The cat meowed, what a terrifyingly cute sound it was, even though it sounded a bit annoyed. 

The cat still held its claws ready as Yuuji finished drying it up as much as he could with a towel. 

"Kitty.." Yuuji muttered as he stared at the wound, at least it stopped bleeding already. Taking his phone and opening up the search engine, he typed on it, how to treat a cat's gash wound. 

The cat perked up at the sight of his phone, its tail swishing in a curious manner, its red eyes stared at his screen as he read the article. 

"Secure the cat.. Examine the wound, Clean the wound, keep an eye on it.." Yuuji cracked a smile, "Sounds easy enough." He placed his phone away once more, eliciting a meow from the cat. 

"Oh?" Yuuji watched as the cat stared at the black screen of his phone, "You like my phone..?" 

An idea popped in his head.

He took his phone once more, searching through the Internet for a random video that he hoped would keep the cat curious enough to let him clean the wound without having claw marks all over his skin. 

He found a cartoon-ish video of a mouse. Cats like mice, didn't they? 

A grin spread on Yuuji's face as the cat watched the video in wonder that he could weirdly interpret. He then took another towel, dumped the one he used to dry the cat on the basket where his drenched clothes were, and wrapped it around the cat's body with care, leaving the injured leg out. 

The cat gave an annoyed meow, but other than that, it remained focused on the colorful video. 

The male mixed the water with antiseptic, just as he read from the article, and with gentle fingers, he slowly cleaned the cat's gash wound. 

Either the cat suddenly had a higher tolerance for pain, or the video distraction tactic worked too well; Yuuji couldn't believe that the cat only flinched once as he cleaned the wound, washing the blood away. 

He finished his job the same time the video finished, even so, the cat remained focused on his phone. 

Yuuji felt bad as he plucked his phone away from the cat. It immediately reacted, glaring at him with those red eyes. 

"Hold on kitty, I need to check if i should bandage your wound," He quickly checked the article, "No bandaging since I might make it too tight, got it." Yuuji held his phone up, the screen showing a picture of a cat, "I can't have you staying there, kitty, up you go." Yuuji gently picked the cat up, his hand holding his phone. 

"I'll let you play with my phone while I prepare dinner for us." Yuuji continued talking to the cat, briefly forgetting the events of the day that left his heart heavy, "I guess you'll like something with fish, huh." 

Soft footsteps against the wooden floors filled the house as Yuuji made his way to the sparsely decorated kitchen, he placed his phone and the cat on a wooden chair, leaving a video playing on. He made fluid movements as he grabbed whatever ingredients he could find in the pantry and cooked a meal for him and the cat. 

Remembering that one of his senpais shared that cats shouldn't have much sodium, Yuuji made careful watch on the things he put on the meal. Even after he finished, the cat remained focused on the phone. 

"Must be your first time seeing a phone, little guy." Chuckled Yuuji as he grabbed two plates, the cat broke its concentration from the phone and meowed at him with a sharp tone. 

"I'll take that as a yes." 

Sukuna felt different emotions at the same time. 

First, he had never been so confused in his long time of existence. What was that glowing small box that showed pictures that moved and talked? He could hear sounds of animals from it and it startled him. 

Were there animals trapped in that box? Was that stupid human boy powerful enough to trap several living beings in that tiny, hand-held box? No. The kid definitely felt odd, but he didn't use any cursed power, or Sukuna would've bolted out of there in an instant. 

There was this glowing little sun hanging in each room too, and a contraption that could produce water in an instant. No picking up buckets and going to wells needed. 

Did the humans master the elements while he was gone? 

He didn't know. Ryoumen Sukuna, the King of Curses, knew nothing of all the things he saw in that pink-haired boy's place. 

 It infuriated him to no end. 

Then there was the boy and his fucking annoying nicknames that made Sukuna want to claw the human's eyes out. 

Kitty? Yes, that was a given since he was trapped in a cat's body—didn't mean it wasn't infuriating as hell though. 

Then little one? Little guy? He could only let out a sound of warning (he hoped it sounded like a warning) at the ridiculous nickname. The idea of snapping the boy in two with his towering height sounded oh so tempting. 

Another problem for Sukuna was the slow response of his technique—his wound from that wheel encounter from earlier still stung, and he'd never admit that what the boy did helped ease the pain even a little. 

He'd have to take his finger from the wooden box back in the place where the boy found him to have a fraction of his power back. 

Sukuna tested putting pressure on his wounded leg, hissing as slight pain shot up his body. The pain was bearable, but he had no plans on walking back to the finger while the rain poured hard like it did. He sighed (if one could sigh in cat form), focusing instead on the colorful arrays of mice trapped in the small box. 

Are you trapped? Can you hear me? Asked Sukuna—of course, it probably registered as a cat's sound for the human's ear, but if the mice were really alive then they'd probably understand him. 

The mice continued their aimless running. Bright colours behind them. 

So you can't? What in the blazing hell is this? Sukuna growled in frustration. 

A laugh took his attention, "You have cute meows, kitty." Said the human as he set out two plates on the table. 

I will gouge your eyes and claw your heart out. Said Sukuna. 

As expected, the naive, stupid little human didn't understand him one bit. 

"Here, kitty, eat." Grabbing the small box away, the human pushed one of the plates towards him, "Cats like fish, don't they?" 

I'll rip your flesh out. Sukuna glared at the boy, before turning to the food given to him. His body was hungry.

Sniffing the food to ensure that there was no cursed energy in it, Sukuna felt his stomach growl, announcing its hunger. 

I fucking hate this. Sukuna didn't have a choice though. He was weak still, and his current body was fragile and mortal. 

Sukuna took a bite of the food given to him. 

He refused to acknowledge that the meal was one of the best he'd ever tasted in his whole long life. He blamed it on the hunger and the fact that he hadn't eaten anything for years. 

A chuckle echoed in the room, making Sukuna stop feasting on the very mediocre meal. He looked at the smiling boy with an annoyed look.

"How cute.." The human laughed shortly, "I'm glad I found you, kitty. Let's go to a vet tomorrow to get your wound checked, I'm friends with the vet so he might give me a discount for your check-up." 

I will murder you in your sleep. Was what the meow Sukuna let out meant. 

After finishing the meal, the human gathered the plates and gave him a cup of water from the contraption that controlled water. Sukuna took a sip because he didn't want his vessel dying on him before he could even get his finger back. 

The sound of running water took Sukuna's attention, the chatty human turned silent while eating, the bright smile fading away, replaced by an empty look of contemplation. 

That human was very odd,there was something about his soul that spoke and seemed different from others, though he couldn't pinpoint what was different. 

Sukuna hated the feeling of confusion that he felt all over, due to all the things that changed in the human world and that human himself. He decided that once he consumed all his fingers and got his glorious body back, he'd find the boy and make him realize who the little one was between the two of them. 

Maybe he'd dissect the kid too, to know just what made the boy seem different to him.

When the human seemed to have finished cleaning their plates, he wiped his hand dry and turned to pick Sukuna up with gentleness that felt foreign to the King of Curses. The boy took utmost care to not bump against his wound as he walked out of the room and into another that looked even more fucking confusing to him. 

There was another bigger black box that looked like the little hand-held box like before. Did it contain animals and books too? 

Sukuna was placed on a cushioned surface as the boy grabbed circular objects that he placed on a rectangular machine that slightly buzzed. 

The King of Curses watched in wonder as the black box lit up blue, showing a blue and green sphere before flashing out other humans on it.

What the fuck. Sukuna turned to the human who watched other humans through the box, are you truly powerful? 

"Hey kitty, that's gramps' favourite movie." Said the human without turning to him. Sukuna shifted his focus on the humans moving in the box. 

They wore familiar clothes; same as the robes Sukuna wore before, the humans held swords with them too. 

Sukuna almost believed that he was currently viewing an ongoing war through the box—if not for the atrocious way the humans fought. 

You're holding the sword wrong! You'll snap your wrist broken once struck! Sukuna couldn't stop himself from expressing his frustration. That's a pathetic way of defending. 

The boy didn't say much for quite a long time, and instead only stared at the people fighting in a ridiculous manner. If Sukuna had brows, he would've raised them in question at the human for liking the dogshit of a fighting. 

Sukuna shifted on his seat, taking the boy's attention. A hand reached out to touch Sukuna, and he held his claws up and ready to strike. 

Do not fucking touch--

Why the fuck are you crying? 

Sukuna knew the human didn't understand him since he suddenly laid his head down on the cushioned surface, head placed right before where Sukuna sat. The boy continued to stare at the humans stuck in the box, but his eyes didn't hold the satisfaction nor the glee Sukuna saw in them before. 

He saw a sight too familiar to him. 

Grief that manifested in the form of tears. 

For the first time that night, Sukuna was at a loss for words, watching the seemingly endless streams of tears that fell from the boy's eyes that he found particularly beautiful pathetic. 

The place was silent. Sukuna noticed that the boy finally stopped crying after an hour. 

The human carried him again to another smaller room that didn't have any decorations. Only a wooden cabinet and a warm-looking blanket and pillow where the boy slept. 

 "I'm glad I found you, kitty." the boy murmured as he placed Sukuna in a bunch of fabric with gentle care, "At least I wouldn't be alone tonight." 

Then the boy laid on the warm-looking blanket and pillow, he looked at Sukuna and pulled a small smile on his face. The King of Curses only stared. 

"Good night, kitty." Said the boy but despite that, he didn't stop crying for a long period of time. Sukuna only watched silently, like before. 

Now the human slept, looking comfortably warm in his blanket. Sukuna slowly stood up, stretching his limbs and looking at his injured leg. 

It didn't hurt much now, and if he could get the finger then he can take over something bigger and more powerful. 

Noticing that the rain stopped, Sukuna walked out of the room (the idiotic human left the door open) with a limp, it took him a moment before he could finally leave the house through an ajar window. 

The outside was wet and icky, it felt quite annoying for Sukuna's paws but he continued on, following the pull of his almost unsealed finger. He'd have to take it now before the sorcerers change the seal. 

It didn't take that long for Sukuna to find the place where he first got his physical body. He was certain that the wooden box held his finger, so he jumped on top of it, ignoring the sting that his actions brought. 

He'd have to admit that his new vessel was at least good at jumping. 

He pushed on the wood, perking up as the box opened up. 

Found you. Rejoiced Sukuna in his head. The finger was placed on another smaller box, and Sukuna nudged it open with a paw. 

He finally saw a glimpse of his finger, and was disappointed by the seal that hung off loose, but not quite enough. Sukuna tried to peel the seal off but his paws didn't suffice, he then tried biting it, perking up at the seal budged. 

A few ridiculous tugs later, Sukuna held his finger in his mouth. 

He should've swallowed the whole thing already, but he didn't. Instead, he walked back to the streets where he came from, back to the warm house and that idiotic pink-haired human with his finger securely in his mouth. 

As he walked, Sukuna assured himself that he'd come back because it'd be too dangerous for him to wander around with his finger, a wandering sorcerer was sure to find him ( even though he could probably fight off one or two  weaker sorcerers if he ever possessed another more capable vessel—Sukuna disregarded that option for some reason) , it was definitely not because of the great food and warmth the human provided, along with the weird boxes in the house. 

Definitely, absolutely not because the human boy looked beautifully enthralling as he laughed and cried and that Sukuna longed to see more.

Chapter Text

After the first rainy night the cat spent with him, he found it lying close to his face. Its fur tickled Yuuji's skin and with the soft streams of sunlight filtering through his window, he saw that the cat's pink fur was really identical to his own unique hair. 

He propped his elbow against his pillow and leaned his head on his palm, his other hand darting out to check the cat's injury, but before he could do so, it woke up, ears perking up and twitching with every movement Yuuji made. Its eyes watched over him as Yuuji just settled for patting the cat's head instead of prying on the cat's injury. 

He immediately heard a few meows of protest, but it also pushed its head closer and harder against Yuuji's palm. 

Not only was the cat weirdly pink, it was also a tsundere.

Yuuji left the cat on the couch, standing up and doing light stretches. He rubbed his eyes with his palm and winced at the soreness he found. 

Damn, was he crying last night? Yuuji blinked several times.. 

..and then he remembered. 

Gramps. His last words. Save anyone. Even just one. 

Yuuji froze in his spot, the energy for the day he had since he woke up drained from his body in an instant, leaving Yuuji with a feeling of his body and heart heavy. 

"I can't cry again.." Mumbled Yuuji to no one but himself as he looked up the old ceiling, forcing his tears back. "I've got no time." 

Yuuji made his way to his kitchen, opening the small fridge as he looked for whatever ingredient he could cook. He only found an almost empty jar of milk (that he was sure was already spoilt), and two eggs. 

"Fried eggs then." Grabbing his only food for the day, he closed the fridge's door with his hips, grabbing a pan and the bottle of oil in the cupboards. 

Yuuji worked quite well in the kitchen. His grandpa made sure he'd live well on his own before he got unable to do so. He has prepared his own meals since he was ten. (Sure, he broke plates and admittedly burnt his food most of the time before, but his grandpa would always ruffle his hair with a sigh, saying the words Yuuji held close to his heart and engraved in his mind:

"Mistakes are fine, Yuuji, especially when you don't know better. It's the process of learning. Just make sure you don't do it again." ) 

As he cooked his breakfast, he sent a text to his club mates, saying that he wouldn't be able to make it to their exploration of scary places on his senpai's list, and that he'd make it up to them tomorrow. 

He had a long day ahead of him, he still needed to check over some documents for his grandpa's cremation. The cat too, he needed to ask a friend of his grandpa who was the local vet to look over its gash. 

As if the weird cat heard what was in Yuuji's mind, he heard it meow from the entrance of the kitchen. Its tail was swishing back and forth, ears twitching here and then, probably because of the sound of the eggs frying. 

Yuuji's golden eyes met weird red, and he swore he could recognize a sense of curiosity in the cat's eyes. A curiosity that was odd, not quite fit for a feline. 

As Yuuji finished cooking and sat down to eat, the cat continued on observing him. The gaze reminded Yuuji of merchants assessing their goods. 

He scooped the cat in his arms (making sure he didn't bump against its injuries), seating it beside him as he dug on his food. He made sure to save some for the cat after checking if eggs were fine for cats to eat. Surprisingly, the cat only watched Yuuji eat, remaining perched on its seat with its eyes trained on Yuuji. 

Yuuji never really had pets before, but he did love animals and often fed stray cats and dogs. In honesty, he more often liked dogs better than cats (especially if the dog was big!), but this particular cat.. 

It was very pretty. Its fur was soft to the touch, and the patterns of black looked like a work of tribal art that he saw once on the internet. Its eyes, though startlingly weird, were exceptionally beautiful. 

Yuuji eyed the cat's front left leg, noting to himself that he needed to go to the vet to get the cat checked. 

After Yuuji finished the food, he grabbed a separate plate. He put the portion of his food on it and placed it on the floor near the cat. 

"Kitty.." Yuuji picked the cat up and placed him on the floor, "Eat. I'll try buying cat food later. Oh yeah, cat litter too." He brushed the fur on the cat's neck. It had no collar too, so it was probably a poor stray. 

"I think I'll be keeping you. You're the first one that I've saved after all." The cat only looked up at him, unamused (seriously, what was with the cat and its unique looks?). Yuuji nudged the plate closer, urging the kitty to eat. 

It sniffed the food a little, before it took a tentative bite. Yuuji watched with his breath hitched as the cat ate slowly, as if it didn't really like the food Yuuji gave. 

"So picky.." He huffed as he went to the sink. And as if the cat understood Yuuji jab, it meowed and looked up at him, before continuing to eat. 

"You're gonna need a name.." He grabbed the sponge, watching as the suds came out. "And a collar. Let's see if the little savings I have would get you all you need." 

Day 1

"Itadori-kun." The bespectacled veterinarian welcomed Yuuji with a small smile, "What a surprise. I heard about your grandfather's passing, you have my deepest condolences." The man's expression turned pitiful. 

"Ishikawa-san." Yuuji tried his best to bow while holding the pink cat with both his arms, making sure his smile was big enough to wipe the pitiful expression on the vet's face, "Thank you. Sorry for barging in without an appointment.." 

Ishikawa laughed shortly, eyes crinkling a little and the lines on his face becoming more prominent. He invited Yuuji inside his small clinic that smelled of lavender air freshener and had an undertone of a freshly-showered dog's smell. Not really unpleasant, but odd and distinct. 

A meow took Yuuji' attention away from the interiors of the clinic. 

"Kitty?" Yuuji looked at the bundle of fur in his arms. Its tail was swinging back and forth a bit quicker than usual, and its ears twitched a lot. It wasn't paying attention to Yuuji too, and instead focused on the things around the room. 

"Itadori-kun." 

"Yes?" 

"Is that a pink cat?" 

"Yep! I found it last night, injured under the rain. I was wondering if you could give it a brief check-up? I'm planning on keeping it, you see." Yuuji brushed the cat's soft fur with gentle fingers, hearing a faint mrrr sound as he did. The cat was weird, but adorable like any other cat. 

"I--it's pink?" Ishikawa motioned to the cat with exaggerated hand movements, " Pin- oh whatever. You have pink hair too. And you're crazy strong. I guess having a crazy pink cat would suit you." 

Yuuji laughed awkwardly, trailing after the vet who led him to the other room connected to the reception area. The cat was moving a lot in Yuuji' arms as they walked. 

"Itadori-kun, where did you find the cat?" the veterinarian cleared his table at the side of the room, "Put it here. Good, its fur looks clean and healthy." 

"Oh, at the park last night. It was all alone and had no collar too. I saw its front left leg injured and bleeding so I took it home and cleaned it with the help of an instruction online. I'm not sure if I did it perfectly though." Yuuji explained as he placed the cat on the table, it thankfully didn't get up and tried to run. 

"Bleeding, eh? Let's check that first." Ishikawa-san stretched his hand out wide open, and the cat only watched with its red eyes. "It has red eyes." 

"Yep! They look pretty, right?"

"..right.."

Ishikawa shook his head a little, carefully approaching the cat and touching its leg—which earned him a quick slash of its claws. 

"Kitty!" Yuuji gasped as Ishikawa recoiled while chuckling, "I'm sorry, Ishikawa-san. It is a bit grumpy since last night-" 

"It's fine, Itadori-kun, most animals, especially those who are newly-turned pets react that way." Ishikawa-san laughed, "I'd have to introduce myself first, so the cat would warm up to me." 

"I'd make it warm up to me, don't worry!" 

The cat did not warm up to Ishikawa-san at all. 

Yuuji felt bad with every swipe the pink cat made at the vet. Even after a few minutes of lightly petting the cat. 

"I..I'll go back some other day? I'll just buy some food and a collar for it, Ishikawa-san. Maybe I can tame it and make it really warm up to me after a few days.." Yuuji suggested as he held the pink cat close to his body. 

"That's probably a good idea, Itadori-kun.. Besides, it's not injured at all." 

Oh, yeah. The cat's two-inch gash that Yuuji was sure he cleaned last night was nowhere to be found. There was a little blood matting the cat's fur, but other than that, there was no other sign of the gash. 

Yuuji was told that normal cats didn't heal that quickly. And that it wasn't supposed to be possible. 

Yuuji's also half-sure that Ishikawa-san thought of a cat as a demon out for blood. But that couldn't be, the cat was weird, yes, but he was also adorable! 

"I'd come back some other day for his vaccines.. Is that alright, Ishikawa-san?" 

"Of course.." 

The cat took interest in the pen on the vet's table, his paw poked at the red pen and played with it. 

Yuuji found it particularly cute, and the vet must've too (or he was too terrified to even say anything), since he let the cat be. 

"You can buy cat food in the pet shop on the other block, they customize collars too, Itadori-kun." 

Thump. The pen fell off the table. 

"Ah, sorry." Yuuji picked it up and placed it on a spot a little farther so the cat wouldn't reach, next to a cute dog figurine. 

"Drop by whenever you are free, Itadori-kun. Now that your grandpa's gone you need to make sure you study well and make him-" 

Thump. The cat reached for the pen and pushed it off the table again. 

"Kitty!" Yuuji picked the pen up once more and gave it to the vet this time, "Sorry, what were you saying again?" 

Ishikawa seemed to force a chuckle at the grumpy cat's antics, "I said, make your grandfather proud, he always talked proudly of you whenever we went out for a drink." 

Yuuji felt something warm and bittersweet blossom in his chest at the mention of his grandfather. He curled his lips into a bright smile, the one almost identical to the smile his grandpa used to wear. 

"I will. Thank you, Ishikawa-san! Wait, kitty-!" 

Yuuji thanked his reflexes were fast enough to catch the wooden dog figurine that the cat began to sneakily push off the table. 

"That's naughty!" Exclaimed the pink-haired boy with a sigh, "I'm sorry, Ishikawa-san.." 

"...That's fine."

"You're quite an ass, aren't you?" Yuuji muttered to the cat in his arms as he walked to the direction of the pet shop. "You clawed at Ishikawa-san repeatedly, and you almost broke his figurine! Stop looking at me like that. It's like you know exactly what you're doing!" 

The cat only stared at Yuuji with its unblinking red eyes, ears twitching, as if it was saying, what are you gonna do about it?

Yuuji only huffed as he quickened his pace. 

What a pain in the ass. A cute and adorable pain in the ass. 

Yuuji made his way to the shop, pushing on its glass doors with one hand and hearing a bell announce his presence. 

A clerk popped from the counter, her brown hair tied up as she welcomed Yuuji. 

"Good afternoon, what can I get for you?" 

"Oh, where's the cat food section? Cat litter too." The girl pointed to one aisle with a smile, 

"Is that a pink cat?"

Yuuji laughed a bit, "Yeah, but he's really grumpy."

He walked to the cat food aisle with the cat secure in his arms, hearing steps behind him, he saw the clerk following close. He asked for insight on what variation would be best to get for a cat like the one in his arms and Yuuji quickly decided when presented with the options. The cat litter was quickly decided on as well, and all that left was the collar. 

"Uh, do you make collars? I'd like to get him one.." Yuuji took out some money from his little pouch, holding the oddly-behaved cat with one arm. 

"Sure! Though the engraving takes a day at most, you can just leave your order now and get the collar tomorrow! What is your cute cat's name anyway?" 

Yuuji stilled, he hasn't thought of a name yet. 

"A name.. Uhm.." He placed the money on the counter and paid for what he bought, "Let see.." 

Yuuji looked at the pink cat with black marks who was looking straight at him with startling focus.

"I'll name him-" 

Week 1

Yuuji poured the cat food on the old bowl turned cat bowl, humming a new pop song by someone named Takada under his breath. 

As if summoned, the pink cat walked to where Yuuji was crouching, looking like he was unimpressed by the sight of Yuuji. 

Itadori only sighed. 

It had been exactly a week since he found and rescued the weird cat under the rain; exactly a week since the cat got even weirder(?) 

Any other cats Yuuji encountered went crazy for the cat food he bought. Heck, even the clerk he bought this from guaranteed that cats would crave for the food! 

Not Ryu though. 

(Yuuji named his new pink cat, Ryu, for a reason: "It just fits him." ) 

Ryu did eat the food, but not like any other cats. Ryu ate like a king savouring his meal with elegance unfit for a feline. 

Yuuji just huffed as he filled Ryu's water bowl too. The cat was really weird that it was quite endearing. 

After placing the bottle of water back in the kitchen, Yuuji turned off the little light for the night. He walked to the living room and unplugged all the few appliances there too, before he made his way back to his own bedroom. Ryu was tailing him all the while. 

He unplugged his phone off its charger, turning his little nightlight on as he tucks himself under his futon. The cat followed his suit and sat by Yuuji' side, red eyes glowing a bit as the tail swept the floor back and forth. 

The cat was staring at something again—not at Yuuji but past him. At first it was quite unnerving and creepy; Yuuji heard cats tend to do that when they see something humans can't. 

The fact that Yuuji had been waking up at random times at night definitely didn't help. 

It wasn't like he was scared of ghosts, it was just creepy that he found himself not wanting it. 

Yuuji double-checked his alarm for the night, and when sleep claimed him, he didn't fight against it. 

-

There was something tapping against the floor somewhere in the house. 

Yuuji woke up with a slight groan, eyes blinking blearily as he reached for his phone. The (annoyingly) bright screen glared the time 2:37 at Yuuji. 

He woke up at a random time in the middle of the night, again. 

Itadori pushed himself off the futon groggily, seeing Ryu staring at him with those seemingly calculative eyes as he moved. 

Yuuji made his way to the toilet, his phone in his hand and the flashlight turned on. There were the soft taps of paws from behind Yuuji, so he knew Ryu was following him. 

For all the times Yuuji woke up in the middle of the night and went to the toilet like this, Ryu always followed him. Like a guard, but not really; no guard would look that grumpy. 

Seriously, if the cat didn't like it, he shouldn't follow Yuuji anymore. He even tried to usher the cat back to the room, but to no avail. 

Ryu would always be behind Yuuji. 

It was cute, really. 

Turning the knob of the door, Yuuji pushed it open and made his way inside, making sure to leave it open for Ryu to follow. 

While Yuuji did his business quite sleepily, Ryu was beside him. 

The pink-haired boy grew rigid as the tapping that woke him up seemed to grow louder in the exact room where he was in. 

Am I being haunted? Yuuji thought with a stiff and forced smile, is it grandpa? 

The growling of the cat broke Yuuji out of his thoughts.

-

Sukuna swore that the human that got him—Yuuji was his name—was an absolute idiot. 

Seriously? He's odd and different from other humans but it turns out that he's still as stupid as a normal one? Sukuna thought in exasperation as he trailed after the idiot human who walked to the room where a curse was sure to be waiting.

His presence had begun to draw in the nearby curses to their house, and Sukuna often found himself taking care of the supernatural pests all day and night, even when the boy would disappear for most of the day. 

Sukuna also had found another finger in a place nearby. He felt it resonating with him so he found and devoured it quite easily. Now he only needed to find eighteen more and he'd get back to ruling the humans—

So what was he doing, following a foolish human around, and saving his pitiful behind from curses that would definitely rip him apart? 

Sukuna reasoned that it was because of the food the human gave him. The food that his cat vessel really liked. 

Yes, that was the reason. A very important reason. 

The human yawned, his eyes closing as he washed his hands. In the exact moment, a curse's hand shot out from under the boy. 

Sukuna gave it one slash of his claws, and the curse disappeared. 

I saved your behind again, foolish human. Sukuna's words translated into pathetic meows. 

"Hm?" Yuuji rubbed his eye a bit, smiling down at Sukuna. The human crouched and caressed Sukuna's head down to his back, and even gave his ears light, satisfying scratches. 

Those were another good side of staying with the kid too. His touch was oddly soothing. 

More. Sukuna meowed, wanting to be picked up (no one was going to see him anyway). His foolish servant human did as he said and scooped Sukuna in his arms. 

"Ryu, you're quite cute, even though you're really weird." The human chuckled as they made their way out. 

Huh. Sukuna thought to himself, I'd stay, for now. 

Week 2

"Come on! Damn it!" Yuuji's exasperated cries echoed around the house and so did his footsteps. 

The cat only stared at him defiantly, tail high and ears alert. Then it let out a high-pitched meow, as if to say " Ha. Fuck you."

Yuuji made one quick (and by that it meant really quick) dash towards the cat, arms going out for a grab. Yuuji often found his freakish strength and speed useful at times like this. 

He caught the cat by its body, and he immediately supported and carried the cat properly with his two hands. Ryu only struggled and tried to claw at Yuuji but he dodged with agility. 

"Stop it! You stink and you're so dirty!" Scolded Yuuji as he walked to the bathroom, "Look how matted your fur is. Hell, you were leaving dark paw prints all over the house! Stop trying to claw my eyes out." Yuuji huffed as they entered the room. 

He put Ryu in the small bathtub that he stopped using long ago, before taking something from his pockets. 

"Good thing I just bought a nail clipper." Yuuji smiled to himself and the cat staring up at him, "Give me your paw, Ryu, let's cut your sharp nails away." 

Yuuji gently took one of Ryu's paws, earning a confused noise from the dirty cat. The cat's claws were unnaturally sharp, and it was quite a wonder why Yuuji haven't bled from being scratched yet. 

"Okay.. Easy.." Yuuji positioned the nail clipper carefully since the clerk warned him that some cats found it painful. 

The first clip caused Ryu to meow loudly that it startled Yuuji. 

-

I don't like this, foolish human. Stop! Sukuna meowed endlessly as the stupid pink-haired human clipped his nails away. 

How am I gonna kill curses then? Sukuna made sure his meows were loud, if you're gonna clip my nails away!? 

"You need this, Ryu." His human spoke in an almost soothing way. "Behave." 

I'll claw your eyes out! Sukuna struggled as his last paw was taken, I'll do it in your sleep, you idiot! 

Human never really listened. 

By the time Yuuji was done, Sukuna was letting out a low growl. 

"So grumpy.." Yuuji prepared some towels by the sink, "If you don't like baths, then don't get dirty." 

-

Sukuna wished he could roll his eyes and say directly to his human that the reason he got dirty was to save his behind and their home. 

Curses that were after Sukuna started to get stronger, not that they'd stand a chance against him. Sukuna easily won with a few curse-filled swipes but the curses would definitely damage their old house. 

Sukuna was pretty sure that the boy didn't have enough to spare for repairs. 

And the human did cry at night sometimes still. Those times he never really left Yuuji's side, choosing to watch over the diamond-like tears that he found so beautiful. 

His laughs were melodious too, almost as satisfying as anguished screams of his victims. 

The first splash of warm water startled Sukuna and made him hiss. 

The fuck..? You'd regret that. Sukuna hissed at Yuuji. 

It wasn't like Sukuna ever hated water and baths, it was just that his current vessel seemed to be wary of it. 

The next splashes of water drew out meows and hisses that all cursed Yuuji out, and for the first time, Yuuji guessed what they meant correctly. 

"Shh..I know you hate this but you need it.." Yuuji whispered as he poured soap on his palm, "What has gotten you so dirty anyway?" 

A soft hand began brushing against Sukuna's stained fur. 

"What is this blue stuff? It smells awful.." His human grimaced, "Where have you been playing?" 

I was saving your ass. Again. Meowed Sukuna lowly, at least be grateful, stupid. 

The brushing felt almost comforting. Almost. 

Sukuna still hated the sensation of getting wet. 

Yuuji rubbed soothing circles against his fur, washing away all the remnants of blood and curse meat. 

Sukuna couldn't lie. Feeling clean did feel good and satisfying but his human shouldn't know that. 

But maybe Yuuji already knew, basing from the smile that curled on his lips as he washed Sukuna. 

Wipe that idiotic smile off your face. Sukuna huffed as the rinsing began. Ah, I hate this. Better take care of pests more carefully. He ignored his option of leaving the kid. For now. 

When he was finally pulled away from the tub and wrapped around a soft cloth, Yuuji was humming. 

"You did good, Ryu!" Yuuji laughed as he began patting away the water from Sukuna's fur, "Now you smell good and I can cuddle with you later." 

Shut up. Meowed Sukuna. 

Yuuji placed him on the dry sink and began drying him there 

"I would've dried you with a hair dryer but I broke it long ago. Don't really have the money to buy another one.. Sorry." The human apologized for something Sukuna didn't even fully understand.

Too trusting.. Too kind. 

After Sukuna mostly got his head dried off, his stupid, idiotic, foolish human did the most stupid thing he has ever done. 

He gave Sukuna's head a light kiss, smiling as he pulled back. 

"Heh. You're so cute, I think I'm falling in love with you, kitty." 

Sukuna short-circuited, swiping weakly at Yuuji and letting out hisses. 

The King of Curses (Cat Version) didn't know whether he'd like to get dirty again for a ki—

Damn it. 

Week 3

Yuuji began getting busy with school since exams were coming up. 

He never really did know what he wanted to be, all that he knew was that he wanted to be some who could save lives.

At first he thought of being a doctor. It was almost the dream job—paid well, Yuuji could save people too. However, it'd take a whole lot of money, and he wasn't ever that book-smart too. 

He honestly didn't know yet, but he did know that he'd need decent marks. He needed to make his grandpa proud after all. 

He began going home quite later than usual. He also got dragged into exploring one scary part of the school with his senpais for the club so it couldn't be helped. They did feel something odd in the abandoned storeroom, and Sasaki-senpai asked to turn back. 

It was almost six at night and the sun had almost fully set already when he got home. 

"I left enough food for Ryu, so it shouldn't be a problem.." Yuuji muttered as he unlocked the door, pushing it open to see the sight of his cat. 

Ryu was sitting by the door, red eyes trained on Yuuji like a disappointed father who caught his son drinking late at night. His tail that was curled around his body moved and swished as the cat let out a meow. 

The whole action could be read as: "Where the fuck have you been?" 

"I'm home, Ryu!" Yuuji took his shoes off by the door and wore his soft slippers, "Sorry I took so long. I had things to do at school," Yuuji went for a head pat, only to be bitten by Ryu. There was no real force in the bite, but Yuuji understood that the cat didn't want to be held. 

"Jeez, I'm sorry.." He made his way home, swinging his bag and leaving it in the living room. "So grumpy.." 

The cat only followed Yuuji, meowing as it did so. 

-

Sukuna was pissed. 

Yuuji always got home from who knows where while the sun hadn't set yet. 

This is the third day in a row that his human was late. 

Something about it irked Sukuna. Something he had not really specified yet, but there was something. 

Stupid human. 

The door finally opened, and before Sukuna could even catch a glimpse of his human, he already felt residuals of a curse on him. 

"I'm home, Ryu!" Sukuna glared as much as he could at the human, eyes scanning his whole body to make sure he was all still intact (he honestly didn't know how he'd react if something happened to his human), and on Yuuji's right ankle were the residuals Sukuna felt. 

Stupid. I'm pretty sure you almost died. Sukuna meowed his displeasure. 

The human huffed another apology that was for naught, before going inside their home. Sukuna's nose twitched at the smell of the curse that clung to his human. 

He followed Yuuji inside, watched as the boy cooked food and ate. He was fed too, and about an hour after the boy arrived, he was all ready for bed. 

His human looked pretty tired too. 

Sukuna didn't know where Yuuji ran off to everyday, but he wore almost the same clothes and had that bag with him too. 

Thinking back at it, he really didn't know much about Yuuji, and he found himself wanting to learn more and more . 

His questions would be saved for some other time though, since Yuuji went to bed quite early that night, immediately claimed by sleep. Sukuna walked to his human's side and slept there, his presence both drawing and keeping curses away. 

Silly human. Do I need to mark you to keep you safe? 

-

"Eh?" Yuuji laughed as Ryu stopped his steps towards the door. "I need to go to school.." 

The cat began rubbing itself against Yuuji's legs, leaving strands of its pink fur on Yuuji's black uniform. 

Chuckling, Yuuji crouched down to pet Ryu. "You've never been this sweet, what's going on?" The cat began rubbing against Yuuji's hands and arms too, "You're not grumpy.." 

Meow. Was all he received. As always, Yuuji could feel this lingering feeling that those meows meant a lot more. 

Ryu reached for his neck and did the same. Yuuji was sure he'd be covered by pink fur by the time his cat was done. 

"Alright, alright!" Yuuji laughed, holding his cat close to his face, "I love you too. I'll try to get home early, okay? Then we can watch the TV, you seem to really like it." 

Ryu meowed and bit Yuuji's cheek. 

"Was that a kiss?" 

Meow. 

Ryu began kicking a bit to be let get off, and Yuuji set him down on the floor again. 

"See you, Ryu!" Then Itadori set off for classes, covered in his pink cat's fur. 

Week 4

The exams were drawing close, but ever since the creepy encounter in the stock room with his senpais, the Paranormal Club activities lessened. 

Yuuji didn't mind, though he was still being pestered to join the track team. 

He made sure to always come home as early as he could, going back to his cat who was waiting for him. It felt quite lovely, having someone waiting for you. 

It might sound funny to others but Yuuji and Ryu developed a routine between them. He had noticed that his little cat had this adorable fixation on any form of technology, like phones and TVs; so the two of them would watch a movie after dinner, sometimes Yuuji would let Ryu play with cat games he downloaded on his phone (his phone was now filled with cat games and silly colourful videos) while he studied. 

Oh yeah, Ryu would always rub himself all over Yuuji before he went to school, he still hasn't figured out why though. 

Yuuji grew to love his little pet. The very first he saved. 

Though there were still times that Ryu was annoying as hell. Ryu didn't like baths, and though the incident where the cat ended up with some unknown, smelly blue stain on his fur never happened again, Ryu still needed a bath and his nails trimmed. 

Another time was right now. Yuuji got home a little earlier than usual and he didn't see Ryu waiting for him by the door. He took his shoes off and went straight to the kitchen, and there was where he found Ryu… 

…eating something that didn't look like normal food. 

"Ryu? What's in your mouth?" 

Yuuji saw something darkish-red with tinges of black. That definitely wasn't food. 

The cat looked up and stared at him, that something still in his mouth. 

"Ryu, what if that's poisonous to you?!" Yuuji exclaimed and began dashing towards the cat. 

The asshole cat chewed faster. 

"Ryu?! The heck?!" Yuuji grabbed the cat by its body as gently but firmly as he could, holding his head to pry that something away from his cat's mouth. 

"Hey! Don't swallow it!" 

-

Sukuna found a finger that was in a curse that went after him. He found its presence quite late, only about minutes away from the usual arrival of his human so he went out quickly and disposed of the curse. 

But it seemed like he caused quite a ruckus since a number of humans began walking his way. 

In haste he picked the finger and went straight home, going through the window Yuuji left ajar. 

He picked the finger up with his mouth and brought it to the kitchen. This finger was the fifth one, and he was sure he could probably find a way to get out of his feline vessel, however… 

Sukuna didn't give himself a reason for stalling. He was the King of Curses anyway, and a king lives by his own whims and will. 

He was probably thinking about things for too long since the sound of the door opening reached his ears and made it twitch. 

It was all too early for Yuuji to be home yet. 

Sukuna bit his finger and tried his best to swallow it with his feline mouth, but as it turned out, no matter how hard he tried, Yuuji still saw him eating something. 

"Spit it out!" The human pried at his mouth, but Sukuna kept it shut, swallowing the pieces of his fingers even if they tasted like wax. 

I'm doing this for you, idiot human. Sukuna wanted to say that so badly as Yuuji sat on the floor beside him. His human was looking at him with concern visible on his pretty face. 

"What was that? Were you hungry that you picked up some dead mice?" Yuuji groaned as he stood up, leaving Sukuna with his tongue feeling like it was dying. 

I hate how I taste. Complained Sukuna as he trailed after Yuuji. 

"You still have food? Water too, so why would you eat that thing? I don't even know what it was." Yuuji sighed loudly as Sukuna went past him and to his water bowl, lapping at the water to wash away the taste on his tongue. 

"Weird cat. Don't do that again, alright?" Yuuji caressed Sukuna's head and lightly scratched the back of his ears. 

I am doing this for you! All of it was for you, stupid Yuuji. 

Sukuna meowed. 

Week 5

It was only a week until the finals. Yuuji was studying harder than he ever did. 

His senpais even gave and lent him notes for him to copy, and Yuuji found himself intently listening in class instead of zoning out like he always used to. 

Though he did come home as early as he could, and always checked Ryu's mouth for anything weird. 

His cat's breath smells weird and awful that he had asked the pet shop if cats could brush their teeth. 

Needless to say, Ryu not only hated baths, but brushing his fangs too. 

"That cat must be eating something weird while I'm away.." Yuuji grumbled under his breath as he fixed his things. 

Sasaki-senpai perked up, hearing his words. 

"You have a cat, Itadori?" Sasaki pushed her glasses up her nose as she looked up from her research papers. 

"Yeah, Senpai. I picked it up under the rain. It's been with me for more than a month now." 

"What's its name?" Iguchi-senpai asked from across the table. 

"Ryu!" Yuuji chuckled a bit as he remembered what a pain it was to put the collar on the cat, "He's pink." 

Sasaki dropped her pen. 

" Pink ?" 

"Yep!" 

"Well, your hair is also naturally pink.. I guess there might really be pink…cats.." The more Sasaki spoke, the more he sounded unsure of what she was saying. 

Yuuji just laughed, saying goodbye to his (shell-shocked) senpais. 

He loved his cat. No matter how much people said Ryu was weird. 

Yuuji was also weird anyway, it was like he found family. 

"Eh.. Should I bring Ryu to grandpa's grave sometimes?" Yuuji wondered out loud as he sprinted to home using half of his real speed. "I should introduce the two of them together, yep." 

Yuuji got home in the span of minutes. 

He got home at the same usual time he always did, and Ryu was there, sitting by the door and waiting for him. Ryu also meowed his welcome like always, and rubbed his body against Yuuji's legs. 

Yeah, Yuuji loved coming home to his cat.

He scooped Ryu in his arms, stilling and frowning at the difference he noticed. 

"You're heavier,.. And bigger?" Yuuji made his way to the living room and dumped his bag there, "You must be eating a lot." 

Ryu let out a meow of agreement. 

"Should I buy another pack of cat food soon?" Yuuji set his cat down with his food bowls, "Ah, I need to find a part-time job soon. I guess I'd take a manual-labor job since I fit in there.." 

Yuuji whipped up dinner in half an hour, and ate with Ryu sitting on the chair his grandpa used to sit on. 

He took care of some schoolwork while he let Ryu play with his phone, and after that he took a short shower and went under his futon. 

It was the same routine as always, and Yuuji never found it boring since he had Ryu. 

The moment he turned off the lights and left the nightlight on, Ryu took his spot beside Yuuji's head, tail curled around his body. The cat laid down beside him, their heads touching a bit, and Yuuji could feel the cat's ears twitching. 

A yawn escaped Yuuji a bit later, and he gave his cat one last head pat before closing his eyes for sleep. 

-

He could hear something scratching against the walls. 

Yuuji still woke suddenly in the night sometimes, but not as frequent as before. A part of him even got used to it. 

He opened his eyes just a little, sleep hasn't really let him go off its hold yet. His eyes blinked a couple of times, his sight blurry with sleep, but he could make out the figure of his pink cat. 

Ryu was standing by the door, walking to where Yuuji was, the same as normal. 

What wasn't normal though, was that Ryu had two tails swishing at two separate directions, and four glowing red eyes staring right at Yuuji. 

His cat looked like a demon. 

"Ryu?" Yuuji did his best to blink away his sleepiness and hallucination. It didn't work since when he looked at the cat who was staring right back at him, Ryu still had two goddamned tails and four eyes. 

Yuuji's hand reached for his phone, and with the help of the bright screen, some of Yuuji's sleepiness went away as he rubbed his eyes. 

And then he looked at his cat who was sitting in front of him. 

"You..don't have two tails.. Nor four eyes.." Yuuji blinked and stared at his cat. 

The cat answered with a meow that seemed to say, "you think?" 

"Haha.. I must've been seeing things.." Yuuji clutched his blanket as he laid back down to sleep. The cat making its way next to him. 

"Good night again, Ryu." 

-

If Sukuna could chuckle, he would. 

His human was peacefully sleeping again, and his breath was soft and even, body warm that he found himself cuddling against the crook of Yuuji's neck. 

His human was an idiot, but an amusing one he'd like to keep. 

Sukuna raised his tail, willing it to turn into two again. 

He could now control his vessel (and probably get out of it) after eating eight fingers in total. Only twelve left and the world would burn down. 

But for now, he'd like to cuddle against his human's warmth. 

Should I burn the whole world down? Sukuna wondered as he bumped his nose against Yuuji's cheek, Or just burn down those who'd come between us? 

Sukuna didn't know the answer yet, or maybe he did, and he just needed more time to make sure. 

Time… He was also running out of it. 

Sooner or later, the sorcerers would come. After all, he wouldn't be able to control the curse energy he emitted soon. 

I'd deal with them when they come.. But for now..

Sukuna slept soundly beside his human. 

Week 6

There was something happening with Ryu, and Yuuji didn't know what. 

His cat was always on guard and ready to claw out anyone's eyes. He couldn't even bring him to meet Sasaki and Iguchi-senpai. 

Ishikawa-san said that Ryu might be looking for a mate.. However, Ryu never paid attention to the female cats he let in the house, instead, Ryu lashed out on them. 

He couldn't really pour all attention on his cat though, since his finals were hanging around the corner, ready to drop on him like a grand piano on a rope. 

He began studying for longer times at night, spending quite some time in the library too. 

Today though, he got so caught up with studying that he didn't notice the time. 

"Oh crap!" He immediately got shushed after that exclamation. 

He apologized to the librarian with an embarrassed smile. 

I need to go home! Yuuji quickly tucked his things away and sprinted to his house with his full speed. 

Even if he did reach home in the span of minutes, he was still later than usual. The sun has long set and the skies bleed black already. 

He opened the door as quick as he could, and just as he expected—his cat was waiting for him and was clearly not amused. 

"I'm sorry!" Yuuji said too loudly that he was sure a passing neighbour heard, "I got distracted." He opened his arms and crouched down Ryu's level, expecting for the usual rubs, but he got none. 

Ryu instead stood up, tail hanging low and turned around, leaving Yuuji by the doorway looking like an idiot. 

"Damn it." 

-

Sukuna only watched in silence as the human ate his food. 

Yuuji's honey-gold eyes darted from between his food and Sukuna, but not once did Sukuna get closer to Yuuji. 

Why am I pissed anyway? Sukuna huffed inside his mind, Oh right, because I was fucking worried for a human. 

So this is what weakness was. 

Uraume's assumption was right. 

There were perfect reasons for Sukuna to be bothered like that, perfect reasons for the most imperfect person. 

He shouldn't even be worrying for a human. He should be killing said human right here and now. He had all the power to do so. 

But yeah, there was that, he was truly worried. 

("Master Sukuna..? That is your form?" Uraume blinked several times the moment they saw Sukuna, the King of Curses, in his feline form. 

With a turn of his head, Sukuna led his faithful servant to a safe, abandoned place where no prying eyes would see. 

"I think we're safe here, my king. If anyone sees, I'd dispose of them quickly." Uraume assured. 

Sukuna then willed his form to grow and turn into another. Harnessing the power he got from eating a total of his ten fingers back. 

"My King.." Uraume kneeled by Sukuna's feet—human feet, and not a cat's. 

"Stand up." Ah, it has been so long since Sukuna heard his own voice. 

Uraume did as they were told, eyes slowly taking in Sukuna's chosen form. 

"That form.." 

"It's the most eye-pleasing one I've ever seen. Don't ask any more questions." Sukuna interjected, "Instead, tell me if there is a danger lingering that I wouldn't be able to handle." 

Uraume nodded, "The only threat to you, My King is the sorcerer named Gojo Satoru, but there are plans for sealing him and in my humble opinion, the plans would likely succeed." 

"Whose planning?" 

"A sorcerer named Suguru Geto." 

"Is he worthy?" 

"I think so, yes." 

"I'd leave you to it then." 

"Pardon? Aren't you going to meet Geto?"

"No. As I said, I'd leave it to you. I'm going back." 

"...My King, may I ask a question?" 

Sukuna glanced at his servant who had patiently waited for him after all these years. 

"You may ask one." 

"Who's gotten your interest?" 

"...a human. My human."

"I understand, My King." Uraume rose from their bow, but their eyes held trust and resolve when they uttered their next words:

"I trust you'd make the best judgement regarding that human. I'm sure you wouldn't have them as you weakness.") 

Sukuna watched with his annoyance bubbling inside him as Yuuji focused all his attention on the papers in front of him. Lately all he'd been doing was read and read and read. 

Yuuji wasn't paying much attention to him. 

Out of his annoyance brimming and spilling over, Sukuna made his way to Yuuji's table, stepping on the stupid papers and lying down on them. 

What are you going to do about it? Sukuna meowed his taunting question while staring at his human. 

"Ryu.." Yuuji's lip twitched upward into a smile, "Move… My exams are tomorrow, you know." 

As if I care — Meow. 

"Come on.." Yuuji's laugh was spilling now as Sukuna didn't budge from his perfect spot where he covered all the papers. "You've gotten so big now." 

A meow, again. 

Yuuji's laugh fully spilled after that. 

Beautiful. Sukuna thought. 

His human began caressing his head, giving the scratches on his ears and at the back of his ears that Sukuna grew to love. 

"You're so fluffy.. And your pink fur is pretty." Yuuji laid his head against Sukuna's furry tummy, nuzzling his nose against the soft surface. "I'm so glad you're here. I'm sorry I didn't come home early. Though after the exams tomorrow, we can hang out more, like usual." 

Yuuji explained to him with full trust that he'd understand. 

Sukuna might be feeling warm emotions towards Yuuji. 

No one needs to know that. 

Sukuna gave Yuuji's head a nuzzle. 

I'd burn anyone down for you. 

-

"Hell yeah!" Yuuji cheered the moment the teacher got out of the room. "Exams are done!"

His classmates' cheers followed, filling the rooms until someone rushed over and shushed them. 

Yuuji gathered his things in his bag with quick movements. They get to leave school early today too, and he couldn't wait to go back to his cat and watch some movies. 

He just got out of the gates when someone short with stark white hair took his attention. 

"Excuse me?" The person asked with a deep and smooth voice. Yuuji couldn't discern if the person was a boy or a girl, but they stood shorter than him, and in their arms was… 

"Ryu?" And on cue, his cat blinked up at him with those ruby-red eyes. 

"This cat is yours, right?" The person handed Yuuji his cat who didn't struggle at all, "I found him by the streets." 

"Ah! Thank you! How did you-" Yuuji's words were cut off when his name was called. 

"Itadori! We have club tomorrow!" Sasaki-senpai waved from inside the school, papers in her hand. 

 "Alright!" Yuuji gave his thumbs-up and turned to the person who found Ryu only to find.. 

"Eh? Where did they go?" Yuuji glanced around him, only students were there, and no person bore white hair. 

"Weird.." Yuuji sighed as he looked at Ryu in his arms, "What a naughty cat. Causing trouble for others, let's go home now." 

Week 7

Yuuji was eating some meat buns his senpais treated him to when someone tapped on his shoulder. 

"Eh? Do I know you?" Yuuji blinked at the person with ridiculous spiky black hair, "The two of you?" There was a brunette beside him too. 

"You reek of curse residuals.." Yuuji heard the boy mutter in disdain, a frown marring his expression as the girl put her hands on his hips. 

"Hey, you. You're coming with us." The girl suddenly took out a hammer out of nowhere. "Or there's going to be trouble." 

"Why are you carrying a hammer?! Wait, nevermind that- Who are you?!" Yuuji glanced at the two strangers and at the same time took his surroundings in. 

The street they were in had no other person on sight, which was creepy since Yuuji was sure he had some other students behind him just minutes ago. 

"We're Jujutsu sorcerers, and you-" The brunette rudely pointed at Yuuji, "Are to be questioned regarding Ryoumen Sukuna's fingers." 

"Fingers?! Someone died?!" 

"You would if you don't come with us calmly," Spiky-head made some weird signs with his hands, "Demon do-" 

Yuuji never really got to hear what he was going to say, because something too quick for their eyes to catch happened that resulted in a spiky-head getting knocked out. 

"Fushi-" Brunette passed out and collapsed too. 

"Eh?! What happe-" And then Yuuji saw it. 

"Ryu?" 

The cat's meow was distorted, and before Yuuji could even crouch down to hold his cat, another voice came out of nowhere. 

"Well now, that was quite something. A cat, really?" Someone from beside Yuuji spoke. With his quick reflexes, Yuuji went in for a punch at that person, but his fist met an invisible wall. 

"Ha?" 

 "You're quite strong, Itadori Yuuji-kun." The man with white hair, and a freaking blindfold spoke with oozing confidence, "Is that why he took interest in you?" 

"Who?" Yuuji never really got his answers since white-haired man suddenly was flung across the street, and Yuuji was being carried by someone. 

Someone.. Who looked exactly like him—

"Haaaa?!" 

"Be quiet, Yuuji." A velvety smooth voice whispered against his skin as he was pressed tightly against that…person's(?) body, a body too identical to his. 

"I'm Ryu, idiot human. Well, Ryoumen Sukuna, but you always called me Ryu." The man— Sukuna —had four familiar blood-red eyes, the main pair was trained on the white-haired man across the street, while the smaller ones were staring right at Yuuji. 

"We're getting out of here, I'm not letting them take you away, and I'm sure as hell not letting them kill me again." Sukuna fully glanced at Yuuji as swirls of fire rose from the ground and surrounded them "Trust me on this."

"I..okay?" Yuuji clung to Ryu— Sukuna , he didn't even have a slightest idea what was going on but.. 

He believed those eyes that he stared at for weeks now, at those eyes that kept him company. 

"Why do you have my face though?" Yuuji huffed as Sukuna knocked the white-haired man with an unknown force and the ground showed cracks that turned to cuts—the two of them were safe, meaning that it was Sukuna who was doing all that. 

"Why?" Sukuna jumped one big leap away from the screaming white-haired man, looking at Yuuji with his red eyes that seemed so warm. 

"Because you're the most beautiful human I've seen." 

"That's.. Oddly sweet, you weird cat.." 

"And because my original form is three meters tall. We'd gather too much attention." 

"Ha?!" 

"Just trust me on this, Yuuji." The hands holding him were warm and hugged him tightly—almost the same way as Yuuji held his cat for the past weeks. 

"I'd keep you safe, the same as you did to me." 

Chapter Text

"Ryu!" 

The cat stares back, smugness glinting in his pair of red eyes, highlighted by the way his fluffy pink tail swishes around. 

"What are you going to do about it?" Those eyes taunt Yuuji. What's worse is that the cat - curse - is actually taunting Yuuji. 

Sukuna is an ass like that. 

"Sukunaaa," Yuuji has no choice but to slump down, pulling on the handle of the only broom in their house. Their dusty, messy, new house. He needs to clean, heck, he can feel the dust scattering through the air whenever he moves the old-as-time furniture in the house, and he can't help but cringe. 

This house needs massive cleaning. Too bad for him, he also has a massive headache. A curse, in a literal sense. 

"Let me clean." 

Sukuna meows. 

"Move. You're heavy."

Sukuna meows again, now sounding offended. 

"Didn't you say your true form is really tall? Is that why you're really heavy? Or are you getting fat?" He snickers, watching the way the cat-curse's ear twitches. Ah, he's getting on his nerves. Good. "I might need to cut off the cat food, not only that, I should be cutting off our food portion bit by bit.." Yuuji sighs, eyes attentive to the cat's every move, "I'm worried that we're being too much of a trouble to Gojo-sensei…"

Sukuna growls, his tail going puffy and fluffy. 

Ah. That's because of the G-word. 

With a movie-like poof sound, gone is the large pink cat that settled on the bristles of the broom, and comes Sukuna's chosen form. 

Yuuji comes face to face with a version of his face that is rougher, more defined, with tattoos, and in his humble opinion, much hotter. 

"You're not hanging out with that damned sorcerer again!" Sukuna, with his now-human hand, grabs Yuuji's face and smooshes his cheeks. "That damned shady sorcerer!"

Yuuji forces back a smile, "Why?"

"Didn't you see? He's creepy, I want to kill him!" 

"You promised me you won't kill.."

"I won't! Damn it! Just don't hang around that guy!"

Yuuji holds back his laugh, too bad Sukuna knows him by now that he just knows. Red eyes narrow down in annoyance and Sukuna lets go of him. The curse grabs the broom, and normally, he'd snap it in half with his strength but he's been training himself to adjust to his new form. 

"Come, brat. Let's clean, as you said." Sukuna, radiating all regalness, snaps his fingers and points at the hanging cobwebs and the dusty walls of the old house. "I'm cursing the six-eyed sorcerer to hell, how dare he provide a rackety house to the King of Curses?"

Yuuji hums, grabbing a feather duster. He's got this lightness in his steps and a little hop of giddiness when he walks - it's something that makes Sukuna quirk up a little smile, unbeknownst to him. He begins to work on the living room as Sukuna sweeps the floor of the kitchen where Yuuji already dusted off stuff, and it's quite a sight, seeing someone like Sukuna, sweeping the floors of a run-down old house in the middle of a forest away from civilization. 

There's something about it that warms Yuuji's heart. 

Sukuna notices him staring and raises a brow with a tilt of his head, "What?" He says, eyeing the small smile on Yuuji's face. 

The human shakes his head, chuckling as he begins to work. 

"It's nothing."

-

Everything. He still remembers everything that has happened since then. 

He found out what curses were - what Sukuna was. 

On the day where they were ambushed by the spiky-haired guy, the woman with the hammer, and the blindfolded man he found something hidden deep; he found out what kept the world functioning as it is. 

(Yuuji held tightly to Ryu-or-Sukuna's yukata, glancing up at the way those familiar red eyes looked at everything attentively. Those people are still chasing them, and with the way the surroundings blurred into colours, he was given an idea how inhumanely fast they were going. 

His cat could transform. He didn't transform into a human like in those manga either, he doesn't know what he is exactly, nor was he given a proper reason why Sukuna chose to copy his face. He just knew that Ryu-or-Sukuna wasn't going to hurt him. 

No, not with the way he was gently carrying Yuuji, not when one of his hands curled protectively around his head, protecting him away from anything that might hit him. Not with the gentle way he kept on checking over his condition. 

He didn't know what exactly he was. But Yuuji knew the cat that he spent all those time with, the one he loved was still a part of whoever, or whatever he truly is. That was enough for him to stay still and let himself get whipped away. 

Of course, that didn't last long. A few minutes into running, he heard a howl of a wolf - it sounded haunting for some reason. In the next moment, a burst of light flashed and had him scrunching his eyes closed. 

Sukuna's grip tightened around him, his steps halting. He felt the heavy and deep breath Sukuna took, and he glanced up at the one carrying him. He looked calm and calculative, and Yuuji wondered how he never noticed that look on his cat - or maybe he did, and he just ignored it. 

"Keep close," Sukuna murmured, letting Yuuji's face fall against his chest. He still smelled of the shampoo Yuuji bought for him, urging a little laugh from him. "What's so funny?" Sukuna asked, perplexed. 

He understood why Sukuna was feeling confused, after all any normal human would've cried and struggled their way out if their adopted cat suddenly copied their face and weird people began attacking him. But! He wouldn't have kept Sukuna with him - a pink cat with red eyes - if he wasn't a little odd than any others.

The blindfolded man appeared out of the light flash, hovering in the air as Yuuji assumed he was staring at them. The distinct updo of his white hair made his brow furrow. Such a human existed? Were they even human in the first place? 

"Yeah, Yuuji-kun-" Sukuna tensed, "Why are you laughing when Ryoumen Sukuna himself is keeping you captive?"

Ah. So he knew Sukuna, even more, he seemed like he was an enemy. Yuuji spoke up, "He's not holding me captive, he's my cat!"

He imagined that if that weird blindfold was off, the white-haired man would be blinking confusedly at him. The man pointed at Sukuna rudely, "Does that look like a cat to you?"

"Do you think I don't know my own cat?"

"That's not a cat."

The man didn't get to follow back as Sukuna chuckled loudly, smugness painting his face with a tilt of his head, "You, you're Gojo Satoru, aren't you?"

"Who?" He chimed. He has never heard of that name before. 

"Ah," The Gojo guy laughed dryly, "It's quite an honour to have the king of curses himself to know me." Slowly, he pulled his blindfold down, and Yuuji gasped. 

Pretty blue eyes. So pretty that they were almost too creepy to look at. 

"Six-eyed brat." Sukuna laughed, he looked disgusted, as if he was remembering something unpleasant, "Sorcerers are a pain whatever era it is."

"We could say the same thing to curses," the Gojo guy sounded too chirpy even though he was already making weird signs with his hand, "Always a pain, don't you think so?"

And with that, Yuuji was rendered hiding away as they began to fight in a blink of an eye. Slashes and tears, there were colored beams shooting out - it looks like something straight out of a movie, except, Yuuji, who's still being held tightly and not let go, could feel the tremors Sukuna had. He could feel the blood that dripped when Sukuna got cut, the rip on his clothes, the heavy sets of breath he took. 

That Gojo Satoru person was powerful.

"Can't you-" Sukuna blocked a burst of whatever it is that Gojo flung, and with a motion of his hand, it got sliced off cleanly. He heard Gojo click his tongue in annoyance as he hovered in the air and got ready to strike back once more. Yuuji braced for impact, "Can't you two talk it out first?!"

"Sukuna is not something that can be coerced by words, Yuuji-kun. He's evil. You don't even know what he has done." Gojo shed off the lightheartedness he had and his eyes looked creepier now that he was hyperfocusing. Yuuji ended up shivering, biting his lip as he hesitated. 

Sukuna still didn't let him go, as if he was scared of something. 

"Ryu, let me down." 

".."

"Ryu. Come on, please."

"..no. You're safer this way."

"I'm not some fragile doll, Ryu. Let me down, let me talk."

Sukuna never relented, and so, Yuuji took matters into his own hand. Let it be known that Yuuji was born stronger, faster, and quicker than any other human. It took a bit of struggling, and Sukuna was screaming at him to stay still, but he managed to break free from Sukuna and landed on his feet, away from the rubble those two created. 

"Are you actually really weak?" Gojo hovered a few feet over them, his tone dripping nonchalance that betrayed the way his posture looked like he was ready to attack anytime. "How come a human can easily break free from you?"

Sukuna huffed, pointing a finger at Gojo - that instantly tore whatever was in the direction of the finger, well, except for the man himself, but Gojo received a cut on the cheek when he dodged a bit too slow, "Silence, six-eyed pest. I didn't want to hurt him and accidentally break his bones."

Yuuji smiled a little, "What a nice cat."

"That's not a cat, Yuuji-kun. Just look, he may have been borrowing your face but he's a cursed spirit, he's a-"

"I don't care!" Huffed Yuuji, "Look, you really can't talk it out before you go for each other's throat? Just look at what you've done to the neighbourhood! The houses-" A grimace took over his face, as he took in the ruin that lay in the aftermath of the fight, "What about the people living here?"

There was a heavy sigh from Gojo as he descended atop a large chunk of torn down wall. He wiped away his blood with a flick of his finger and glared at them. Yuuji will admit, he felt nervous, intimidated, and he was sure he'd feel sick later on. He didn't fully know what exactly was going on and he wasn't being given the chance to understand. He hated that. He hated being so powerless. 

More than anything, he hated the thought that he might lose Ryu. 

"Will you kill him, Gojo-san?" Swallowing the lump that formed in his throat, Yuuji stared at the other with worry clouding his eyes. He didn't want Ryu to die, and sure, he didn't know what he did in the past, but he's sure.. He's sure that.. 

"Well, we don't use the word 'kill' for beings like him. I will exorcise him, yes."

"Will..is that really necessary?" Is it? Is it really? Because Yuuji-

"He'd continue to kill, Yuuji-kun, and as I said, he's not something you can reason with."

"But I don't want to lose him.." was the whimper-like complaint that escaped Yuuji. The words dripped resistance, and when paired with the desperate hold that Yuuji had on the curse, something stirred deep within the curse, unbeknownst to the other two. 

Sukuna froze from behind Yuuji, eyes wide and shaken. Finally, he stepped in after a few seconds of silence from all of them. He wrapped an arm securely around Yuuji and pulled him in. He let out a huge sigh as he let his head rest on Yuuji's shoulder for a few seconds. "Six-eyed pest. What if I'm someone that can be reasoned out?"

Gojo squinted, "What?"

The curse's gaze fell on Yuuji who stared at him perplexed. There was something that softened at the sight of those golden eyes that wasn't even filled with fear of Sukuna. Those eyes weren't filled with fear of Sukuna. They were filled with fear for Sukuna. 

How absolutely adorable. Ah, how could the king of curses ever resist? 

"Let's negotiate, six-eyed sorcerer. I heard you were the strongest, so you have the authority, don't you?"

Sukuna held Yuuji's hand tightly and didn't let go. 

That was the start of everything changing.)

-

"Do you think we can finish cleaning all this up before everyone arrives?" Yuuji calls from up the ladder where he's currently installing new lights. Sukuna, who's holding the ladder steady, huffs in response. 

"I don't know. I hope they never arrive." The red-eyed curse never really liked anyone else  and Yuuji knew that. If the disastrous first meeting was anything to come by. He's surprised that even Kugisaki and Fushiguro are tagging along with Gojo-sensei, he thought they'd be weirded out by him. 

Well, not like he blames them if he did. He currently has the strongest curse there is huffing and all dusty after cleaning a house. If it was anyone else, it was a sight that was impossible to ever see. 

"Don't be like that, Ryu." Yuuji successfully inserted the light bulb and descended down the ladder to try it out, grinning when it functioned well. "They treated us well! Gojo-sensei is even going through a lot trying to cover up your tracks."

Yuuji hums. That wasn't a lie at all, Kugisaki often texted him telling that Gojo-sensei was buzzing around here and there as he tied up loose threads. All to make sure that the curse Ryoumen Sukuna will never be pursued after again. 

"That's his job." Sukuna rolls his eyes as he tucks away the ladder. He dusts himself off and grimaces at the visible dirt on his clothes, "Besides he dared to give such a shitty house, he's due my wrath."

He laughs as he inches closer to Sukuna and wipes away the dust cloaking him. "You should shower, Ryu."

"I don't like showers."

"You're not a cat right now!"

And as if on cue, Sukuna transforms back into his cat-self. His tail raised high and mighty, he glances up at Yuuji and stares, as if challenging him. Yuuji sighs, shaking his head as he finishes up tucking away all the cleaning materials they used. 

Sukuna always get like this. He likes to annoy Yuuji and shifts in and out of his cat form whenever it benefits him. It's quite endearing, how Sukuna took in cat traits that Yuuji's not sure the curse himself notices. Just like right now, Sukuna abhors showers, so he shifts into his cat-self to escape from the water. What an ass. He's surely gonna give him a bath later, whether he likes it or not. 

As he begins to prepare for the incoming guests, Yuuji wonders just how it got to this - him and his cat-shifting Sukuna. It was a surprise that Gojo-sensei allowed them to negotiate at all. He heard of Sukuna's past, it was told by Sukuna himself - and was given the choice to go back to his normal human life, or to be forever damned with Sukuna. 

It's obvious what he chose, isn't it? 

The agreement happened in this very house that is Gojo-sensei's old property, situated far from Tokyo and near a mountain. It's safe here, since even if they were to be attacked by cursed spirits that are drawn to Sukuna's cursed energy, killing them won't be a pain because no one would witness. Or so Sukuna says. 

The first time they all met after the disaster that was their first actual meeting, they started off with a heavy atmosphere and just glaring at Sukuna. They couldn't fully believe what Sukuna was saying, and Suku said that they couldn't blame them either - that is until Sukuna brought up the subject of binding vows. 

Those very vows that are keeping them alive right now. 

It wasn't a very taxing process - Sukuna's conditions were simple: to live peacefully with Itadori Yuuji. He didn't mind if he wasn't fully allowed to use too much of his cursed energy without permission if that meant that there wouldn't be anyone who'd come after him. In exchange for this, Sukuna told them where the strongest curses other than him were hiding. Yuuji was surprised that amongst those, the unknown white-haired person was included. 

("Weren't they your loyal servant, Ryu?"

Sukuna hums, and Yuuji sees a semblance of sadness in those reds, before Sukuna shakes it off.

"Uraume would've killed you to get me back. I'm not taking any risks.")

Under a week, they killed off the curses, along with that something that leeched off dead people. The mastermind, they said. Sukuna didn't care about them anymore nor did he dabble into the subject when Gojo-sensei declared that he annihilated all of them. 

He said he only cared about a normal life with him. 

Warmth blooms in his chest once more, curling and expanding until he's giggling inside the shower like a crazy person. 

After the negotiation part, the trio (Gojo, Kugisaki, and Fushiguro) kept visiting to help them move in and all that, until Sukuna snapped and began attacking Gojo-

As it turns out, the strongest human alive has a weakness: Gojo Satoru had cat allergies. It didn't really help that Sukuna could still use his cursed energy and is able to cut through Sensei's infinity that he used to shield himself. Whenever they visit, Sukuna makes sure to spread his fur all over the house and then cuts away at Gojo-sensei's infinity to make them leave early. 

See? Sukuna really is an ass. 

He didn't fancy Fushiguro or Kugisaki either. He said Fushiguro smelled of a wolf, and he didn't like that. Whilst he said that he didn't like the way Kugisaki's voice sounded. 

("Haaaa?!" Nobara exclaimed loud enough that even Fushiguro flinched, "You ugly pink cat, I hate the sound of your meowing too!")

Suffice to say, it's always loud whenever they visit - with Sukuna's meowed complaints, Fushiguro's everlasting heavy sighs, and Gojo-sensei's sneezing. 

It's perfect, Yuuji thinks. I'm never lonely anymore, Gramps. 

-

The moment he finishes changing, his friends arrive, well, if the loud crash and Sukuna's hiss were anything to go by. 

"Ugly cat." Kugisaki harrumphs as she slumps on the newly cleaned creaky couch. "Yuuuuuuji!"

He laughs, stepping into the living room and scooping up Sukuna into his arms. The cat nuzzles into him as he takes a seat beside Nobara who still wore her uniform. 

"Did you just come back from a mission?"

Kugisaki sighs, her arms outstretched as she sinks into the lumpy old couch, "Yeah, a tiring one too!"

Fushiguro walks in, holding a few heavy-looking bags, "Not to mention he wanted to go on a shopping spree right after. Ah, Itadori, these are for you.. And him." The male warily eyes the cat settled on Yuuji's lap. "Where should I-"

"Let me!" Yuuji tries to stand up, however, Sukuna doesn't budge one bit, "Ryu, c'mon, I need to help Fushiguro.."

Sukuna flicks his tail, and Yuuji doesn't know why, but he splits said tail into two and continues to swish them around. He still doesn't move, staring right at Fushiguro dead in the eye. 

"Ryuuu. The hell? C'mon.."

Nobara snorts from beside her, muttering something that sounds like, "Asshole cat.."

The black-haired male sighs, relenting to the silent order that says, "Do it yourself and don't make Yuuji stand up anymore.", he leaves the bags near the kitchen before settling near a wall, leaning. 

"Sorry about that Fushiguro.."

"Ah, don't worry about it." 

"What were those anyway?"

"Housewarming gifts." Sighs Fushiguro.

Yuuji gapes. "Really?!"

"Well the great and very kind Gojo-sensei decided that he doesn't want sweet Yuuji who makes the best desserts to suffer, he couldn't care less about the cat by the way, but sweet innocent Yuuji can't suffer!" A voice comes from the doorway, and there is Gojo who leans on the door frame. He smiles at Yuuji, all bright and charming that it makes Sukuna hiss. "All you can ever need is there, if you need more, don't hesitate to call me up, okay?" He says in a sing-song voice, obviously proud of himself. 

"Now, can you please make me another batch of-"

Sukuna hisses from his lap, and then suddenly Gojo-sensei is sneezing all over. 

"Hey!" Sneeze. "Stop-" Sneeze. "Fuck!"

And then Sukuna purrs happily when he finally manages to get Gojo out of the house. 

-

The sight of this domesticity would've made him snap and kill if he was still the same being that he was all those millenia ago.

That version of him was ruthless, evil to the very core. He considered himself wisest amongst all, the greatest, the epitome of malice himself. He knew a lot, whether it be new cursed techniques to how to dismantle every one of them. How to kill, how to take, how to ravage - he knew it all like the back of his hands. 

But, that version of him didn't know how good ichigo daifuku tastes like, or how he likes tonkatsu, or how fluffy a pancake can get, and how it'd taste better with strawberry syrup on top. 

That Ryoumen Sukuna only knows the reds of blood, not the colourful set of meals Yuuji would prepare for the two of them always. He wouldn't know how great it is to eat and harvest something you planted for yourself, or how warm and good it is to finally have someone accept you for who you are. 

"Suku, don't bully the roomba too much, please. I don't want Gojo-sensei to buy us another!" Yuuji whines from the kitchen, his pink hair longer than before and it falls so adorably on his nape and face, Sukuna would probably ask to cut it once it gets in the way of his human's pretty eyes. He likes seeing his eyes the most, well, next to his smile.

Yuuji's already making their dinner, and another batch of ichigo daifuku with the new set of strawberries that ugly broom-head six-eyed sorcerer sent using the shadow dog which Sukuna didn't like the smell of. Yuuji already thanked them a lot, so he didn't bother to do so. (Even though he eats more of the sweets and treats that Gojo brings than Yuuji does) 

The roomba, a new one different from the one that was given to them as a housewarming gift, whirred pathetically under Sukuna, and he gets the urge to squash it further. How come it's struggling to carry him around the house these days? Does that mean he gained weight?

There's a sigh from the kitchen, and then Yuuji's coming to him whilst wiping his hands dry on his apron. He looks cute like that, Sukuna thinks, and he meows when Yuuji picks him away from the poor roomba that slides away immediately. 

He can't help but purr when Yuuji begins to shower him with affection - this too, the old Ryoumen Sukuna wouldn't know of this feeling too. For that, Sukuna doesn't regret losing more than half his power. 

"Let's clean the house a bit, okay? Since Gojo-sensei is coming again," The human sets him down on the new couch that was given by their walking wallet that has six eyes (Nickname given by Sukuna himself) , "Do you think they managed to gather more fingers? They didn't ask you to come with them, did they?"

Sukuna shifts, now, lounging on the couch he's draped on, "No. They didn't, Broom-head said it's because they wanted to train the noisy bitch and the grumbling teen and test their limits." Sukuna sees the way Yuuji pouts at him when he said the nicknames he gave his friends, and so, he followed up, "I meant Kugisaki and Fushiguro."

The human huffs, cutely. He's back in the kitchen as he finishes the last batch of daifuku he was making, "I knew who you meant, you really shouldn't call them that, you know."

"...sorry."

"If you are then don't call Gojo-sensei names later, okay?"

"No. I'm not sorry to him."

Yuuji just sighs. 

-

"Ah, so here it is!" Gojo presents two of Sukuna's fingers, and Sukuna thinks to himself - how hideous his own fingers looked. 

He eyes Yuuji beside him, who's staring at the ugly little things with a passive face. Ah, Sukuna hates this. If he could, he'd throttle the six-eyed sorcerer in front of them, the one who suggested this stupid idea in the first place. 

"Ah, let's not prolong the agony any further, okay? I'll eat," Yuuji claps, forcing out a laugh that sounds weak. He takes the finger gently and takes in its details, before he threw it inside his mouth and swallowed-

Ah, Sukuna truly hates this. 

Yuuji is the sole reason for the binding vow between Gojo Satoru and him. In a sense, without Yuuji, the sorcerers no longer have a hold on him. Yuuji won't live forever, he'd age, unlike Sukuna who thrives off of his strong life force and cursed energy. Yuuji would die first. 

(He wanted to tell them, he wanted to say that he'd follow Yuuji soon enough - but there's no heaven for curses, and he'd simply just cease to exist. He doubts that the easily frightened humans will allow him to live for long enough to wait for Yuuji's incarnation. He's unsure if he'd be able to fight them off with his power halved. So, a part of him admits, he was thankful for the idea, and even more so since it worked.) 

With Yuuji ingesting a finger of his, fragments of Sukuna's soul will integrate with his. He would be half-curse, so to speak, but lacks the ability to properly channel his cursed energy. The endgame they were all hoping for is for Yuuji to live as long as Sukuna. 

That meant that they were going to be together, until the end. 

Violent coughs begin to rack Yuuji's body, and every terrifying thought races in Sukuna's head. He doesn't know if Yuuji would be able to handle more of his fingers, he doesn't know if Yuuji was secretly in pain because of all this. He doesn't know. And oh, how it terrifies him. 

Gojo sets down a glass of water that Yuuji chugs down - and after a few agonising minutes, he calms down with a shaky breath. Sukuna doesn't leave his side even for a moment, and only ever took his focus off of the human when it was his turn to swallow up his own finger. 

He didn't feel relief at the sudden surge of power inside him - all he ever cared about was Yuuji who's weaker than usual. It was always like this, it was a miracle itself that Yuuji didn't die, but it was assumed by that Shoko Ieri person that he'd fall sick for a few days, and the curse is left worrying out of his mind trying to nurse his human back to healthiness. 

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, don't worry, Suku."

"How can I not?"

How can I not? When you're the only reason for everything that I do now. 

-

Yuuji gets better after a few days, and Sukuna couldn't have been any more relieved. 

"You know, you taste pretty horrible."

There's a hum that escapes him as he checks his Yuuji for any sign of sickness, and when there's none, he pulls a satisfied smirk to his face -

"Wanna know?"

"Wanna know what?"

Leaning in close, Sukuna cages Yuuji gently in between his arms, their noses almost brushing with each other. Slowly, he whispers, 

"Wanna know how I really taste like?"

Yuuji blinks once, then twice. 

Then, a pretty shade of pink spreads on his cheeks to the tips of his ears. 

"Wha- what?! You- oh god, get off!"  

A laugh spills from Sukuna's lips, seemingly endless. 

All things led to one fateful encounter with you.