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Sukuna remembers.
How his mother always told him to look both ways before crossing the street - he was going to be a big brother soon - he needs to set a good example for his soon to be little brother his mother had insisted ever since Sukuna was finally old enough to start walking home on his own. The news excited Sukuna even more than their upcoming summer break and the realization of his new role in the family has him grinning to himself.
He couldn't wait to tell Megumi later.
They've been neighbors for as long as Sukuna could remember and best friends ever since.
School was finally done for the day and with a quick trip to his house for a change of clothes and a short goodbye to his mom, Sukuna made his way to the convenience store down the block for a popsicle and a few of Megumi's favorite snacks.
Once the purchase was made, Sukuna was on his way over to their favorite spot by the riverbank near the edge of the forest. It was a only a few minutes away from their houses and it was a great place to catch bugs and skip rocks, and the best part is that only him and Megumi know where it's located.
Once Sukuna made it to the clearing, he easily spots Megumi by the tall grass, he was crouching and his small back was turned to Sukuna. Curious about what the other boy could possibly be looking at, he started to make his way over, his bag of snacks bumping loudly against his legs with every step.
"Whatcha lookin' at?" Sukuna asked, enjoying the way Megumi immediately turned his head at the sound of his voice.
"Come see for yourself." Megumi beckoned him closer, a smile gracing his tiny lips when he moved a bit to give Sukuna a good view of what he was looking at. And right there, laying on the tall grass was a tiny black kitten, it's green eyes was looking right at Sukuna.
Sukuna can't seem to look away from the little kitten, completely enamored by the tiny ball of fluff that was laying on the ground, it was gauging Sukuna as if it was trying to see if he had any food with him.
It's eyes had the same shade of green as Megumi's and the similarity had him snorting as he pictured Megumi with black cat ears.
It's too fitting, Sukuna thought with amusement.
As if sensing Sukuna's inner comment, Megumi raises a brow and asks him what was so funny, which only made Sukuna laugh even harder.
They spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the kitten and eating all the stuff Sukuna bought with him. And at one point, the little kitten had fallen asleep right on top of Sukuna's chest, so they decided to watch the clouds pass by while they made plans for the summer.
Megumi's parents are rarely home, so that usually means sleepovers and lots of dinners together. Sukuna can't complain, not when Megumi's been smiling and opening up a lot more compared to when he first stayed over all those years ago.
As soon as the sun started to set, they both knew it was time to head home. They debated about what to do with the kitten, Megumi had been very stubborn about taking her home, so Sukuna ended up agreeing to it with a resigned sigh.
On their way home, Sukuna finally took the chance to tell Megumi the news.
"Mom said I'm gonna have a baby brother in a few months." Sukuna started to say, unable to hide the excitement from his voice. "He's gonna be a handful to take care of since dad's gonna be away on a business trip, but I can't wait to see him."
"So you're gonna be big brother soon?" Megumi asked with a hum, he was carrying the small kitten in his arms and Sukuna found himself reaching out a hand to pet the tiny thing's head, enjoying the soft purrs she would let out from his touch.
"Yeah, mom's already thought of a name and everything." Sukuna boasted.
"I'm sure you'll be a great big brother." Megumi admitted with a soft smile, and Sukuna wasn't really sure what to say to such a genuine compliment, so he opt to look away from Megumi's smiling face to try and hide the heat rising to his cheeks.
"Thanks." Sukuna mumbled.
"You better not forget about me as soon as the baby's born." Megumi teased him with a playful nudge to his shoulder.
Sukuna snorted, "like I'd ever forget you."
"But what if you do?"
"Never."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Their pinkies linked together for a brief moment and the promise was set to last forever. Sukuna felt like he was on top of the world at that very moment, nothing was ever going to dampen his spirits now.
They were almost home, Sukuna noted when he spots the familiar red gate leading to his house by the distance, they just had to pass the crossing and they'd be home before dinner. Sukuna couldn't wait for the stoplight to change colors so that he could race Megumi home and ask his mom about keeping the kitten.
It would be good training for him to take care of the kitten first, he'd reason out with her during dinner. He hopes she'll agree since Megumi's older sister was allergic to most animals and Megumi couldn't possibly keep it when Tsumiki was around.
The excitement of getting a new pet and their planned sleepover had Sukuna distracted for a moment that he forgot to check both sides of the crossing.
They were both safely within the lines of the cross walk anyway, the red light finally lit up, and the thin afternoon traffic had idled patiently behind the limit line as the driver waited for them to cross. Sukuna didn't see any reason to worry when he saw Megumi taking the first few steps forward.
He heard Megumi call his name and when Sukuna turned his attention towards the other boy, he saw something pass by so quickly that the next few seconds afterwards became a blur.
The sudden shriek of tires had pierced right through Sukuna's chest like an arrow, drowning out the rest of the world behind him, and he began to move without thinking; darting off the curb with a sharp cry of Megumi's name as he tried his best to reached out and grab the other boy's hand.
But his legs weren't fast enough.
The harsh impact happened instantaneously, Megumi's body was thrown to the side like a ragdoll and blood splattered everywhere, some even managing to land on Sukuna's shoes while the truck went speeding past without stopping to even check for the damage. Sukuna stood completely frozen as he watched Megumi take one shaky inhale, his chest rose one final time before stopping altogether.
Megumi's body laid completely still as blood continued to cover the pavement in a sickening shade of red.
"Megumi..."
Sukuna couldn't hear anything, the ringing in his ears wouldn't stop and his entire body shook. There was already a crowd of people gathering around them to look at the gruesome scene and all Sukuna could do was stand there and watch, his outstretched hand now hanged limply by his side.
Sukuna was right there, standing over his best friend's unmoving body, unable to do anything but let Megumi's blood seep through his shoes. And all Sukuna could do was continue to stare.
The black kitten didn't make it either and Sukuna couldn't even bring himself to look at it for long.
"Has the ambulance arrived yet?"
"Take a good look, the kid's already dead."
Sukuna flinched at the last word. Dead. Megumi was dead.
He felt something snap at their implication— at the realization of what he had just lost, and something deep within him slowly made itself known. How could they all just stand there and keep looking at Megumi like that, Sukuna thought with pure contempt. It was a feeling Sukuna wasn't familiar with, and the deep hatred brought forth a kind of power that began to surge through his veins, engulfing his body in a fire that brunt him from the inside.
But before the power could begin to manifest and unleash it's wrath towards the unsuspecting crowd, Sukuna felt something shift in the pavement in front of him.
Two arms sprung from the ground and wrapped themselves around Sukuna's legs, dark lines covered its pale wrists as the creature began to pull itself from the ground.
"Su... kuna..." It called, and it's green eyes looked so achingly familiar.
"Megumi?" Sukuna asked, his voice desperate and hopeful at the same time, yet he refused to let it shake.
And at the mention of it's name, the creature smiled at Sukuna fondly.