Chapter Text
“You have got to be kidding me.”
Lightning flashed, illuminating the cave in which he stood, mouth agape, as he stared down the man he had nearly broken the nose of, a mere eight hours ago.
“Hey Yuuji?” Humming in response, the strawberry blonde peered closely at the potatoes, tilting his head towards his brother’s voice. He was listening. Just wasn’t.. Paying that much attention? “I’m gonna go see what all the noise is about over there. Once you’re done shopping, just head home. I’ll meet you there.”
“Sure, sure. Be careful Choso..” Yuuji groaned in response, waving the taller man away from him. He had vaguely heard the commotion over the din of the market, sure. But little spats weren’t anything unusual. Still carefully inspecting and picking out vegetables from the merchant, he ignored his brother’s footfalls as the man walked away. Choso was strong. And besides- the villagers respected the two a lot. Any fight could easily be sorted out the second one of the two showed up. Whatever was going on could easily be over in two seconds, as soon as his big brother rears his head around the corner.
“Yuuji-kun, hun, you might want to hurry home soon.” A villager’s voice cut through his thoughts, and the young man turned to lock eyes with an old villager, flushed and worried, arms full of his wares.
“Why so Yashiro-san?” He looked so worried, that wasn’t like him.
“There’s whispers that that awful bandit, Ryoumen Sukuna, is in town. Someone stopped by my shop and said they saw him in the middle of the market a few minutes ago. You and Choso-san should lock your doors as soon as you get home, and don’t come down for a few days! Here!” Shoving a few, well wrapped packets of meat into Yuuji’s arms, the old man quickly disappeared down the street, where many of the other villagers were scurrying off to.
Glancing around, he belatedly realized that many of the merchants were closing shop. Very early. Why? Sure, Yuuji’s heard many horror stories about this warlord wanna-be bandit, but that’s nothing compared to what some of the clans will do to the commoners!
As he turned to leave, head up to road to his home, as he wouldn’t finish shopping today anyways, he heard it. Choso. His brother’s voice, loud and high-pitched, panicked. Hurt .
Could Yuuji be blamed for seeing red?
“Oh great.” The one and only Ryoumen Sukuna drawled, all teeth but no bite, as he grinned from his place deep in the cave at Yuuji, “Just what I needed. Some snot nosed brat who doesn’t know his place.”
Tightening his grip on the bamboo weaved basket on his shoulders, the strawberry blonde took a deep breath. Feeling the rain pelt his back with icy water, he reluctantly stepped further into the cave. He may end up murdering this man, but at least he was going to do it dry. His hakama were already clinging to his legs uncomfortably, the basket digging into his skin through the wet cloth of his shirt.
“You think I want to be seeing your ugly mug anymore then you?” Growling, Yuuji took one, two, then three more steps into the cave, huffing as he dropped onto the ground. As he moved deeper, closer to the bandit, his nose tickled as he caught the unmistakable scent of blood .
Whipping his head around, in the dim light, Yuuji couldn’t see much on the man. He wore all black, so it made him blend into the darkness even more. But- as lightning flashed and thunder roared, he saw it. He saw Sukuna’s bloodied hand clutching his side, and the strawberry blonde could easily see a large gash in his side, oozing blood. Oh that’s why he was here, hiding away like a coward.
“You’re hurt.” Yuuji spoke dumbly, before cringing a little at the statement. Duh he’s hurt. He’s bleeding . The bandit merely stared at him, eyes narrowed.
Feeling his cheeks warm in embarrassment, he turned his head away, glowering. Rolling the thoughts over in his brain, he quietly debated. He could rid the world of a menace- a criminal. Or- hear he out. He could stick to his moral code, and help the man. Letting out a groan, he ran a hand through his hair as he tossed his head back. Fuck . Fuck, okay.
“Look here. I’m going to help you with that wound. I’m stuck here till the storm passes anyways, I don’t want to be stuck in here with a rotting body.” Yuuji scowled, stepping forward and looking down at the man. Sukuna was taller then him by a long shot- but crumbled over like this, slouched against the wall, he was short. Vulnerable.
“You think I want to be a rotting body?” Sukuna sneered, fingers pressing deeper into his side as he winced, a light hiss being released from his lips as his eyelids fluttered. “I don’t need your help, brat.”
“Unless you want that wound to get infected or bleedout?” Yuuji sneered, reaching into the sleeve of his haori, where he stored his emergency supplies. Including medical supplies, courtesy of his worrywort older brother. “I really don’t care if you live or die, but I’d rather not have to be on the run from your stupid bandits for the rest of my life if you do. So let me help.”
Glaring at the boy as he knelt beside him, Sukuna stared as the strawberry blonde pulled out a wrapped package. He set it on the ground, unwrapping it and beginning to pull out some supplies. Thin thread, some slightly curved needles. A roll of clean cloth and what looked like various herbs.
“Awfully prepared.” The bandit commented, eyes flicking up to Yuuji’s face.
“That’s what happens when your older brother is way too worried for his own good.” The boy muttered, silent as he grabbed a needle and thread. He began to thread the needle, eyes narrowing slightly in the dark. Fuck, he couldn’t stitch up the man in the dark . “Fuck. I need to start a fire first.”
Standing abruptly, he shrugged off his wicker basket, letting it drop to the ground. He moved back towards the entrance, shuffling out into the dark cold. He quickly gathered as many sticks and logs he could, attempting to grab the driest ones. After gathering as many as he could, he turned to race back into the cave, teeth chattering as the cold soaked into his bones.
Sukuna dully stared at him as he came back inside, watching as the boy dropped the wooden load he carried. Swiftly setting up the bare bones of a fire, he rushed back to his supplies, shuffling through them as he found his firestarter.
Stepping back to the fire, Yuuji lit a match, holding it beneath the sap covered bundle of grass and twigs. Watching it quickly catch fire, he dropped it onto the logs, hands wracked with shivers.
“Okay. Okay, this will warm us both up.” Yuuji muttered, turning back and moving back to Sukuna. The man had kept silent the entire time, watching the strawberry blonde with an intense look. Grabbing the needle and thread again, with more light this time, the boy was able to swiftly thread the needle, tying it off. Leaning over to the fire, he held the needle above a flame, watching the metal heat up.
“Do you have to do that ?” Sukuna groaned, speaking for the first time in a while. Glaring at him, Yuuji turned back to him, delicately holding the needle. Frowning at the man’s cloth and blood covered side, he sighed deeply.
“You need to take your top off. I can’t help you unless I can get to the needle.” He looked up to Sukuna, watching for the man’s reaction. The bandit narrowed his eyes at him, as if personally offended. “I don’t want to see your body, so don’t even get weird about it.”
Scoffing, the man began to shrug his haori and kosode off, he barely got his haori off before his wound squirted a fresh wave of blood. This caused the man to double over and groan in pain, gasping softly. Making a softly panicked noise, Yuuji quickly pressed his hand on the bandit’s side, trying to stall the bleeding.
“Bad idea..” Sukuna hissed, opening an eye to shoot the boy a withering glare, “What’s your next genius idea, brat?”
“I could cut it off you?” Yuuji offered, ignoring the man’s hard stare. He reached for his foraging knife, scowling a little. This should be sharp enough to cut through his clothes.. Sukuna made quiet noises of displeasure, but moved his arm to let the boy cut through his clothes.
Frowning as he had to reach across the man’s chest to take the rest of his shirt off. His eyes flicked towards the man’s tattoos. He swallowed a little, knowing this man was a known, and wanted criminal. Several tattoos, both signifying his status as a criminal, and other odd markings, covered the man’s body.
Yuuji scowled into the darkness, reaching for the needle once again, before, with shaky hands, he glanced up at Sukuna again and muttered a soft, “Deep breath”. As he felt Sukuna inhale, he pinched the wound with two fingers, quickly pulling the needle through.
Keeping the thread and wound steady as Sukuna shouted with pain, his body jerking away from the intrusion. Gritting his teeth, he quickly tied the first stitch off, fingers trembling.
“Try not to do that next time. Actually, lay down. This will be easier if you’re on your side. And put something in your mouth to bite down on.” Glaring at him, the bandit was clearly considering bleeding out, before begrudgingly shifting around. He carefully lowered himself onto his side, jaw clenching. Yuuji aided him, pausing him to shrug his haori off, folding it into a quick pillow for Sukuna to lay on.
Grabbing the man’s discarded kosode, he wadded it up before offering it to Sukuna. Using a shaky hand to take it, he quickly shoved it into his mouth, glaring at Yuuji before closing his eyes. His arm went above his head as he made room for the boy to work.
Swallowing heavily, the boy began to work as fast as he could, pinching the wound together, stitching it, tying the knot off and repeating. The wound was large, a few inches across Sukuna’s ribs. Thankfully it seemed decently shallow- not deep enough his guts were spilling out, but not shallow enough it scabbed over quickly enough.
Sukuna made noises of pain as he worked, shifting and twitching. His eyes were squeezed shut, sweat blooming on his brow and rolling down his face.
Exhaling, the strawberry blonde tried to keep a steady hand. The worst thing that could happen right now was Sukuna being nicked while he was stitching him up. Fingers twitching against Sukuna’s skin, he couldn’t help but frown at how cold the man was getting. He knew the cave was cold and the fire wasn’t strong, but this was worrisome..
“Okay. Last one..” Yuuji whispered, fingers reaching for the last little stretch of Sukuna’s wound. The man let out a soft, tiny little whimper as he nodded in acknowledgement. “Last stitch then we’ll wrap you up and get you warm, okay Sukuna-san?” The term came easy, trying to calm the man down. He was technically older then him, and, sort of was of a higher rank? It was confusing.
Exhaling shakily, Yuuji pinched the last bits of skin together, carefully using the needle to fully stitch the wound shut. Tying it off quickly, Yuuji set the needle and thread aside, reaching quickly for the wrap of white cloth.
“Sukuna-san, you need to sit up for this. I can’t wrap your wound while you’re laying down.” Using his spare hand to help the bandit sit up, he carefully adjusted the man against the wall of the cave. Shakily, Yuuji scooted closer to the man, pressing one side of the cloth into his wound, ignoring the man’s hiss of pain as he spat out the crumpled up cloth.
“ Now you’re using honorifics? Learned your place?” Sukuna weakly teased, huffing in pain as the boy tightened the bandages around his middle. Glaring up at him, Yuuji pressed a hand against the wound for his snarky statements. The bandit groaned in pain, hand shooting out to grab Yuuji’s. Despite being practically on his death bed, his grip was punishing, “Don’t do that shit again. Just because you helped me doesn’t mean I won’t beat you to death.”
Staring up at him, the two were caught in a silent battle, interrupted only by the sound of lightning crashing nearby. Startling, Yuuji shrunk back and away, frightened eyes flicking towards the cave entrance. Suddenly, he was a child again, pressed into a closet as his mother screamed and shouted, the sound of things crashing onto the ground sounded scarily similar to his brothers.
“Brat? Brat, hey!” Letting out a shriek when a pair of hands suddenly landed on his shoulders, shocking the strawberry blonde out of his stupor. Looking away from the entrance of the cave, his eyes sluggishly slid towards the bandit, shaking like a leaf. “Hey, don’t go passing out on me!”
“I’m okay.. I’m.. Okay.” He croaked, turning his back slightly to the entrance, moving to finish bandaging Sukuna. Grabbing the needle and thread again, he sewed the bandages together to keep them from coming loose, hands shaking. “There. All done. We just gotta keep you warm and probably eat…”
“With what food?” Sukuna offered bitterly, leaning back into the wall when Yuuji let him go. He closed his eyes, arms twitching as he began to shiver. Frowning, the strawberry blonde looked at his own clothes. They were soaked. Until they dried, they wouldn’t do much help warming either of them.
“I have some travel rations.” Yuuji muttered, thinking of the bread, cheese and dried meats in a small bag with his medical supplies. He only had enough for one meal, for one person. He had some mushrooms and herbs he had been foraging, but.. “I already had some earlier, so I’m not hungry. You need them more. I’m not carrying you off this mountain once the storm passes.”
“Like you could carry me.” Sukuna sneered, watching the boy move through half closed eyes. Yuuji grabbed the small pack of rations, unwrapping it. Offering it to Sukuna, he watched the man sluggishly grab the food, breaking apart small pieces of the bread and bringing it to his mouth.
“I’m gonna get some water.” Yuuji commented offhandedly, standing carefully. As he passed by the fire, he tossed some more firewood onto it, before moving to the entrance of the cave. Cupping his hands just outside it, he watched the rainwater pool in his palms, Sukuna’s blood mixing with the water and rolling off. Rubbing his hands together to clean the blood off, he wiped his hands on his hakama. Cupping his hands again outside the cave,he watched them pool with water before bringing them to his mouth, the water hardly getting in his mouth and mostly trickling down his neck.
Turning again, he glanced over the ground. He could feel the icy chill of the stone on his feet, even through his sandals. Frowning towards Sukuna, he shrugged off his kosode, laying it beside the fire as he made his way towards the man again. Ignoring the sting of indignation as the bandit scooted away from him, Yuuji settled down near the fire. Feeling relief as the heat warmed his toes, he curled his knees into his chest, shivering.
Hugging his knees tight, the strawberry blonde pressed his kneecaps into his brows. He frowned into the darkness, shivers causing his muscles to twitch every other second. Listening vaguely to the sound of Sukuna’s laboured breathing, he himself tried to calm his own breathing.
“Hey. Brat.” Turning his head at Sukuna’s rough voice, the boy blinked as the light cast shadows over his face, “Your name. What is it?” Scowling at him, Yuuji shifted a little, looking back to the fire.
“Yuuji.” He muttered, gritting his teeth. He heard the bandit move slightly and in the corner of his eyes, saw the rosey haired man scoot closer to the fire.
“Just Yuuji? Didn’t feel like giving yourself a surname?” Sukuna teased, peering at the boy through the corner of his eyes.
“Unlike some people ,” Yuuji peeked at him, scowling softly, “I don’t feel like insulting those who rule our country.” Part of why Sukuna was so famous, was due to the fact he gave himself a surname. Most commoners didn’t have surnames, and especially not bandits, and those who have faced exile. Sukuna’s given name was Ryoumen. It’s what he had been known by, before he tagged the Sukuna at the end. However..
Shaking his head, Yuuji clenched his jaw, shivers wracking him still. He watched the bandit closely, worried. If he was too cold, he could die. If he was too hot, he could die. If he went into shock, he could die. Basically, the strawberry blonde sighed through his nose, if anything went wrong, the man would die. And then he’d have a whole slew of other issues.
“Like what you’re seeing?” Sukuna teased, shooting the boy a smug smirk. Yuuji glared at him before turning his cheek to him, huffing angrily.
“Just wondering how you got so ugly.” Hearing the man’s offended snort, the boy couldn’t help but grin. Ha! He’s probably only been told he’s super handsome before. I mean, sure, he was, but.. He was also an asshole. And personality was prettier than a face.
“Just because you’re jealous doesn’t mean you should take it out on others.” The bandit sneered, though there was no heat to his words. Yuuji rolled his eyes, guffawing slightly.
“‘M not jealous.” He slurred, pressing his cheek onto his forearm as he gazed at the man. Surprisingly, they looked fairly similar. Similar pink hair, similar skin tone. Their faces, were a little the same. They had the same eye shape, though with Sukuna’s constant frowning, made his eyebrows furrow and tip down far more then his own.
However, even in the dim firelight, Yuuji could tell his eyes were a strikingly scary blue. Like ice, or the sky on a cloudless day. Frowning a little, he sat up straighter, leaning backwards a little. Rainwater trickled in from the entrance, the small rivlets already reaching them deep within the cave.
“What happened here?” Hearing Sukuna’s voice, the strawberry blonde didn’t register the bandit’s hand moving soon enough. The man’s hand, icy cold, and much larger then he had thought at first, landed on the middle of his chest.
“A-Ah!” The boy shrieked, face flushing a bright red as the cry ended in a moan. He jerked at the feeling, mouth agape. His scar was still so sensitive, and Sukuna’s hand was rough and cold!
Silence stretched out between them, Yuuji staring at the fire, aghast, as Sukuna’s icy hand stayed scarily still on his chest. The man’s fingers twitched, and he briefly heard the bandit’s sharp inhale as his hand slowly moved downwards. Yuuji’s breath hitched, and he jerked his head to the side to meet Sukuna’s eyes.
However, the bandit wasn’t looking at Yuuji. He was staring at the boy’s chest, and even though there was little light, he could see the blush high on his cheeks. The man’s skin, pale from cold and bloodloss, was bright red, down to his neck and shoulders.
“S-Stop that..” Yuuji commanded weakly, shaking hands coming to grab Sukuna’s wrist. It felt weird! His scar was still healing, and Sukuna’s hand felt so rough.. He let out a shuddering exhale as Sukuna used a finger to trace the ragged scar, letting out a slight, suffering whimper. “Stop.. It feels weird..”
“...sensitive, huh?” Sukuna whispered, voice rough. His eyes flicked up to meet Yuuji’s, pupils blown wide. Yuuji’s blush deepened, and he quickly jerked backwards, gently throwing Sukuna’s hand away from him as he put about a foot’s space between them.
“I-It’s still fresh!” He squeaked, chest heaving. Oh god oh god oh god what’s wrong with him?! Sukuna is a man and a bandit ! He couldn’t be over here, moaning like a virgin getting her first kiss. “I fell, a few months back, on the mountain.”
“Is that why you have so many supplies?” The bandit beside him whispered, leaning a bit into his space. Leaning backwards, Yuuji nodded slightly. His eyes flickered from the bandit to the cave entrance. He swallowed shakily. He could always find another cave. The rain wasn’t that bad, right?
As if the gods were cursing him, lightning struck again, the thunder roaring in the sky. Yuuji jumped with a start, eyes widening. His hands trembled as he grabbed at the stone they sat on, breath hitching.
“You okay brat?” Sukuna’s voice spoke, suddenly close to his ear. Jerking his head to the side, Yuuji’s face turned. His eyes widened more, freezing in his spot when his nose brushed against Sukuna’s. The man’s own eyes widened, startled at how close the boy had now suddenly become. He could feel the bandit’s warm breath fan out across his own, and instinctively his eyes flicked downwards, towards his lips.
Oh gods what was he doing?!
“Y-Yeah!” Yuuji squeaked, hands flying out to push Sukuna away. His fingers trembled against the man’s skin, swallowing hard as he continued, “I’m gonna… I’m gonna go out and see if I can find some more dry wood for the fire! You stay here and try to keep warm! Warm, yeah! Rest too!” He stood abruptly, stiffly running towards the entrance and out the cave before Sukuna could even protest.
He could briefly hear the man’s protests, and it wasn’t until he got a few feet away from the cave did he realize. He hadn’t brought his basket, and he didn’t have any clothes on besides his hakama.
Despite the deeply unsettling chill and pelting rain, Yuuji dropped to his knees, face burning. He was crazy. He had to be going crazy. He hit his head somewhere in the mountain and now he was insane. Clasping his hands to his cheeks, the strawberry blonde stared at the forest floor. He had a fever. That was it. The fever reached his brain and made him go stupid.
“Brat! Hey brat, Yuuji! Get back here, it’s not safe out there!” Sukuna’s voice was barely heard over the din of the rain, and Yuuji turned his head to look back towards the cave.
The man was leaned against the entrance of the cave, one hand on his side as the other supported him against the wall. His hair stuck to his forehead as he stuck his head out, desperately looking around. The bandit looked genuinely panicked, jaw visibly clenched, even from where Yuuji sat. Belatedly, the strawberry blonde realized Sukuna couldn’t see him from down here.
Letting out a sigh, he slowly stood. It would do them no good to have Sukuna go after him in the rain. Frowning down at his sandals, he glumly started back towards the cave.
“You brat! Don’t do that again!” Sukuna protested, reaching out to grab Yuuji as he came into view. Startling when he did, Yuuji jerked his head up to look at him. Sukuna’s eyes scanned his face, and the boy was surprised to see the concern was genuine.
“...I was just going to go get some more wood.” Yuuji whispered, swallowing heavily. Why was this asshole bandit so concerned? “Besides, what do you mean dangerous? It’s just rain..” He watched as Sukuna furrowed his eyebrows, glancing down at the stone.
Pulling on his arm, the bandit led Yuuji back into the cave, towards the fire. He forced the boy to sit, before sitting beside him and pulling Yuuji onto his lap. Letting out a startled gasp, the strawberry blonde was about to protest, before he realized that Sukuna was shivering. Scowling into the nothingness, he shifted a bit to get comfortable before relaxing as best he could.
Sukuna’s arms tightened around his midriff, his forehead coming to rest against the middle of his back, between his shoulder blades. Shivering as his breath hit Yuuji’s cold, bare skin, he glanced back at him as best he could.
“...I got attacked. Out in the woods.” The bandit whispered, arms trembling a little, “I got away, obviously, but.. They could still be out there, looking for me.” Frowning, Yuuji glanced at his arms. What did that have to do with him? He wasn’t affiliated with Sukuna. Looking up at the ceiling, Yuuji paused, blinking. Wait.
“Are you… afraid of being alone right now?” Feeling Sukuna’s entire body flinch, Yuuji felt a grin spread across his face, “You are! You’re afraid of being alone right now. You’re sc -” Before Yuuji could finish his sentence, a large hand shot up and covered his mouth. Despite not looking at the man, the strawberry blonde could feel the glare he was being given,
“Shut up. Shut up and be my personal heater.” Sukuna grumbled, fingers digging into his cheeks a little, before letting him go. Unfazed, Yuuji glanced at him, still grinning. He said nothing, but shifted again, settling back into Sukuna, wary of his wound.
“I don’t want to just sit here in silence. You like to talk about yourself, so talk, Sukuna-san.” The boy teased, resting his head against Sukuna’s shoulder. He peeked up at him, offering a polite, but coy, smile.
“...Ryoumen. Just, call me Ryoumen.” The bandit muttered, flushing a little. He kept Yuuji’s gaze however, before his lips quirked up with a smirk. Scowling a little, Yuuji nodded a little.
“..Alright, Ryoumen-san. Tell me stories?”
Yuuji had eventually lost track of time, listening to Ryoumen talk. The bandit had a lot of stories. Stories of his fights, stories of pleasure houses and tea houses and taverns. Stories of his men acting like idiots. Funny stories, sad stories. Eventually, as they talked, the two had separated, laying beside the fire, facing each other.
Yuuji laughed and asked questions and interjected where he could, much to Sukuna’s amusement. He commented a few times that he would’ve killed him for it if he hadn’t found him funny. He had only retorted that he wouldn’t have stayed if he hadn’t found him funny.
In due time, the two had fallen asleep. Unsure of how much time had passed, Yuuji eventually woke up, a chill immediately greeting him.
Blinking blearily, his eyes creaked open. His whole body hurt and ached, and his shoulder stung. Scowling into the darkness, Yuuji turned his gaze towards the front of the cave. It was still pouring rain, and the fire had gone down until it was nothing but coals.
“Hey.. Ryoumen-san.. I’m going to go see if I can find anymore wood.” Yuuji croaked, frowning at how hoarse his voice sounded. Sitting up slowly, he felt the world turn on it’s axis, his vision swimming. Shooting a hand out to catch the ground before he fell, he frowned. What’s going on? Turning after sitting up much slower, he turned to look at the bandit beside him. Frowning at the lack of response, he shifted to shake him.
“Hey, Ryoumen-san, wake u-” Jerking his hand back right when he touched the man, he looked at the bandit in horror. Ryoumen was burning up like he was on fire, and the man was panting. He clearly had a horribly high fever. “Ryoumen-san? Hey.. Ryoumen? Ryoumen, wake up!” Yuuji shouted, shaking the man again. Feeling desperation rise in his chest, the strawberry blonde dug his nails into the man’s bicep, “Ryoumen, please! Wake up!”
Feeling nauseous and panicked, the boy looked back at the cave entrance. The storm hadn’t let up. He wasn’t sure if five minutes or five hours had passed. But he had to get Ryoumen out of here. He had to get the bandit to a doctor, and soon. He wouldn’t last longer. His wound must be infected, and badly.
Puffing slightly, the strawberry blonde quickly shifted the taller man into a sitting position. Yuuji pulled him onto his back, moving slowly into a standing position.
Ignoring the world rotating, he began to run out of the cave, ignoring all of the things he was leaving behind. Items could be replaced, life could not. Racing through the undergrowth, Yuuji kept the tall and heavy bandit on his back, wishing he was conscious. If he was awake, he could at least hold on. Here, Yuuji had to make sure he didn’t fall, which slowed him down considerably.
Gods, he was scared, the strawberry blonde realized. He was scared what would happen if Ryoumen died. Would he and Choso get in trouble? Would his subordinates chase after them? Would he.. Would he feel upset about his death?
Coming to a complete halt at the thought, Yuuji stared into the dark forest. He was lost. He was lost, alone and he didn’t even know how to feel about anything anymore.
“Yuuji?! Yuuji, where are you?!”
A familiar voice shrieked, above the wind and rain, and a few feet in front of the boy, a light appeared. After a few moments, the light grew brighter. Someone continued to call out his name, and Yuuji felt too dumb to respond. Feeling tears start rolling down his cheeks when the light crossed his face, the boy watched his brother run into view.
“Yuuji?! Yuuji, oh thank god you’re okay! What’s-”
“He needs help.” Cutting his brother off, the strawberry blonde shrugged a little, letting Sukuna’s face breach the light. Choso stared at him like he’d lost his mind, but quickly set the lantern down, taking the man. Ryoumen was too tall for even Choso, but at least now his legs weren’t dragging on the ground.
“You’ve been missing for almost a day now. I’ve been worried sick!” Choso protested after they got to running, sticking close to his brother’s side. “The villagers finally couldn’t hold me back and I had to go looking for you myself!”
“I’m… sorry..” Yuuji slurred, focused more on following his brother’s light then his actual words. He couldn’t see anymore. Everything was so dark and blurry. His head hurt. His throat hurt.
“It’s okay Yuuji but you’re not leaving the house alone again after this! I swear to god!” Choso scolded, continuing to run through the woods. God, how heavy was this asshole?!
“S…suure…” Panting, the strawberry blonde slowed to a stop. He grabbed a tree, leaning heavily against it as he panted. He couldn’t breathe. Why couldn’t he breathe?!
“Yuuji? Yuuji!” His brother’s panicked scream was the last thing he remembered before he collapsed, accompanied by the slow grow of a light in the distance. Frowning a little, he reached towards them before all went black.