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There are things in the shadows, whispers the voice in Megumi’s dream. If the voice belongs to his long-gone father, equally long-gone mother or his friends, he can’t tell. He knows the phrase to be true, however. Shadows are alive to him, darkness itself pulses with sentience, eager to pull him closer, closer, to draw him into its embrace. Sometimes the darkness comes with teeth, sometimes with coaxing words.
Sometimes it’s parading Yuuji and Nobara’s lives in front of him. The shadows are many things, but they are not his friends. They can be his allies in the destruction of his enemies, he vanish into the shadows and appear someplace else.
He, himself, is often like a shadow.
There are things in the shadows. This he knows to be true. The things have teeth and claws and laughter that lingers on Megumi’s skin long after he’s back in the sun. Never does he tell of this to his friends: they have enough on their shoulders, an executioner’s blade hanging above all their heads.
Sometimes the shadow takes the shape that has four arms and too many eyes, and a smile that reveals teeth as long as Megumi’s forearm.
Fushiguro Megumi, whispers Ryomen Sukuna and sometimes, too often, Megumi can’t tell if the voice is a figment of his imagination or coming from beneath Yuuji’s skin.
In the end, it doesn’t matter. The curse’s attention on him is heavy, as if eager to crush Megumi beneath his boot - yet when those red, burning eyes are on him - Megumi can’t help but think - no. He knows the curse’s attention goes deeper. It isn’t to crush, to burn, to devour. Perhaps not at first.
Shadows are Megumi’s domain, but it is Ryomen Sukuna who roamed the dark first. The curse is aggressive, arrogant, despite his diminished self, he still thinks himself King. Megumi hates him. Megumi wants to vanquish him, because there isn’t a place for a curse to thrive on this Earth.
Yet -
Yet -
“I see you, Fushiguro Megumi,” purrs the King of curses, manipulating Yuuji’s body like it was nothing, like squashing Megumi’s best friend under his thumb is nothing. Like everything around them, with them, is nothing in comparison to the grin on Sukuna’s face, fingers cradling Megumi’s face.
Devour, devour, says that heavy, terrible gaze.
Devour, devour, whispers the shadows coiling themselves around Megumi’s feet.
Devour, devour, devour, until there is nothing left but marrow and bone and piece of a burning soul. When Sukuna's domain overtakes Megumi's own, Megumi squeezes his eyes shut. The darkness is too heavy, the pressure of it ready to crush him.
"Look, Fushiguro Megumi," purrs that heavy, heavy voice. "Look up." And there he sits, with Megumi's stolen face, but with a grin that reveals too-sharp teeth. The shadows behind him form into a shape that's larger than life, larger than anything: four arms and shoulders too broad to belong to a human. And eyes, so many fucking eyes.
Megumi looks, takes in the domain, breathes heavy. He hates this creature. He desires the power. He looks. And the curse smiles down at him, gaze so heavy.