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It was just some gauze soaked in saline, but every brush against the fresh scar around his waist had stars bursting behind Satoru’s heavy eyelids. He clenched his jaw and winced. A new set of white dots graced his vision with every blink. To think he fought Sukuna without an issue despite having his whole body covered in cuts… Until the thing that brought him to the infirmary happened, that is.
While Satoru tried not to clench and tear the crinkly paper beneath him, Shoko gave Mari a detailed explanation on how to care for the scars herself.
“Always go from the center to the edges,” the doctor said, taking note of how Satoru relaxed when she moved away from the raging red line on his abdomen. “That way, you won’t be dragging dirt or bacteria into it.”
“Got it.” From her bedside chair, Mari made sure to engrave on her memory Shoko’s every word and gesture.
She added, “And while it’s not a must, you should use gloves whenever you work on cleaning them. We don’t want these scars getting infected.”
Mari nodded just as her fiancé pressed his lips into a thin, almost colorless line. He knew Shoko was just doing her job, that she only wanted to avoid an infection as she had just said, but was it necessary to press down so hard?!
Because he needed a distraction, poor Satoru turned to the one thing that never failed him: making light of the situation.
“Hey, Mari.” His fiancée turned her attention to him. With a strained grin, he said, “I bet you find watching me sit here shirtless a better show than my fight against that bastard.”
Mari laughed. It was brief, but the sound eased some of the tension on Satoru’s body and, for a few seconds, it even seemed to soothe the discomfort keeping his jaw tighter than he’d like. The young woman gave his hand a few affectionate pats. “I’m not complaining about the view, that’s for sure.”
“Not to interrupt, but here’s something else you should keep in mind.” Shoko was now working on Satoru’s right side. “Make sure to hold his skin down with one hand while pulling the tape towards the wound with the other whenever you need to change it. And if you ever find gauze stuck to the wound‐” she replaced the one she was using “‐just moisten it with saline and wipe it away.”
Mari flinched just from imagining it happening to her. “What if I hurt him?”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Satoru intervened, trying—and failing—to wave a hand. “A little sting on a fresh wound won’t be anything compared to getting bisected.” He punctuated the sentence with a grimace; Shoko was unceremoniously dragging the new gauze across his side.
The doctor finished cleansing the wound not long after. Satoru let out an audible exhale through his nose when the woman bandaged his waist. Mari watched over the process taking a mental note not to wrap the bandages too tight, but not too loose either. If something could hinder Satoru’s recovery process in any way, she wanted to avoid it like the plague..
Shoko secured the bandage with some tape and stood up, taking off her latex gloves. “Alright, now treat the wound on his left arm following everything I just told you.”
Mari was quick to reach the sink and wash her hands with the diligence of a surgeon: rubbing her palms in circular motions, scrubbing between her fingers, cleaning their back, washing her wrists… Satoru watched on from his bed, focusing on the task his fiancée was performing and in the way the green polyester gown Shoko had given her shrouded her figure.
“Are you sure you weren’t a doctor too in another life?”
Mari dried her hands with a sheet of paper and gave him a hint of a smile. “Last thing I want is to give you an infection while trying to help you heal.”
Mari discarded the paper and put on a pair of latex gloves from a box in a holder on the wall. She sat back down on the same chair she had been anchored to for the past two hours and wetted a clean gauze with saline for one second, the same span of time in which Shoko readied hers. Gently, she placed a hand on Satoru’s arm and brushed the cloth over that reddened reminder of her almost-loss. The smell of the blood she had seen herself covered in invaded Mari’s nostrils like an unwelcome ghost and her chest clenched.
As it was bound to be, Satoru took notice of that. Of the way her relieved smile faded and her throat tightened. His thumb ran back and forth over the paper underneath him on its own.
“See, Shoko?” he began, looking over at his friend. “Mari is way gentler than you are. She makes having a gauze wiped over my freshly closed wound almost feel good.”
And he got the effect he wanted. Mari snorted and the corners of her lips lifted up. Satoru smiled back at her.
Shoko sighed. “Being too gentle won’t help you.” She then addressed Mari, “He’ll be fine if you wipe a bit harder.”
Mari paused and looked at Satoru in the eyes for permission. He braced himself with a deep breath and nodded. His fiancée did as she was asked and put more pressure into her motions. Beads of saline solution ran down Satoru’s arm and fell onto the paper lining the bed.
“Does it hurt?” Mari asked.
“No, it doesn’t.” His clenched jaw said otherwise.
She lowered her voice to a soothing murmur, “I’ll be done soon.”
Shoko watched the scene unfold with her back pressed against the infirmary’s door, much like how her sweaty bangs clung to her forehead. In any other circumstance, she would have made a snarky remark about Satoru’s flinching every time the gauze touched his wound, but she couldn’t find it in her.
“You know,” she talked to Mari again, “you’re not bad at all at taking care of wounds.”
“Thank you.” Mari grabbed a clean gauze. “I often took care of Megumi and Tsumiki’s wounds when they were little.”
Satoru joined in. “She’s also used to treating her own injuries and mine, although none have ever been as… impactful as the ones I have now.”
“If it makes you feel better, they’re less like fresh, open wounds and more like surgical ones that should heal well with proper care,” Shoko said.
“Proper care?” Satoru looked at Mari, his eyes weary and soft. “Then I’ll be as good as new in no time.”
Mari gave him a fleeting kiss on the cheek in response. Satoru would have chased her for another one on the lips had it not been because she was busy—something that usually didn’t matter.
“Now that I think about it‐” Shoko stepped off the door “‐are you feeling any changes in your left eye yet, Satoru?”
He closed his right eye first, then the left one, and repeated the process a couple of times. “Not really, although maybe I do see a little less clearly from it.”
“I’m guessing the vision loss will be progressive, then. That’s for the best, in my opinion; it’ll give you time to get used to it.”
Mari lowered her head and reached for a roller bandage to wrap around the now clean wound. Her movements were as slow and careful as those of someone concealing a delicate treasure.
“Is it too tight?” she asked Satoru.
“No, it’s fine.”
After a couple more turns, Mari secured the bandage with a strip of tape and gave Satoru’s shoulder a gentle squeeze he responded to by patting her hand, but that movement alone made him wince. His fiancée parted her lips to ask if he was fine, but Satoru made sure to pretend that didn’t just happen.
“No offense, but you look terrible, Shoko,” he said, forcing out a laugh that made him reach for his stomach. “To think you still have to treat everyone else…”
“No offense taken; you’re one to talk.”
“Ouch.”
Mari shook her head at the exchange with a timid smile on her lips. She got up and threw her gloves into a small bin next to the sink.
“Alright, I’m leaving now,” Shoko announced. “Don’t hesitate to call me up if you need anything.”
Satoru lay down with a big sigh. Finally. “Don’t worry, we won’t.”
“By the way…” Mari approached the doctor with her hands clasped over her stomach and her lips pressed into a line that did nothing to conceal the quivering of her chin. “Thank you so much for saving him. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you or Utahime enough.”
Shoko’s eyes, usually dull and deadpan, softened for a brief second. “It’s nothing. He’s a friend, we couldn’t let him go like that. Even less knowing there was something that could be done.”
Mari nodded and bowed her head, a gesture Shoko returned before leaving the room and closing the door with a soft click. In a heartbeat, Mari was back at her spot next to the bed, taking Satoru’s hand between both of hers and intertwining their fingers. He ran his thumb over the side of her hand with a tired smile that managed to reach his eyes.
For a while, there was only silence. Mari’s gaze wandered all over Satoru’s face: his heavy-lidded eyes, the tiny specks of red still clinging to his eyelashes—which brought her heart-sinking memories—the subtle decrease of volume in his cheeks, the dryness of his lips… And despite it all, he was still the absolutely most gorgeous, handsome, and breathtaking man she had ever seen.
Satoru could guess the path Mari’s eyes were following. Hell, he could almost hear the words of adoration she whispered in her mind. And it made his heart swell in a way he wasn’t sure he deserved.
“You have every reason to be mad at me right now.”
Mari held her breath. He wasn’t joking. She squeezed his hand in reassurance and shook her head. “I love you too much to be mad at you.” Dragging her chair closer to the bed, she added, “Although I wish you had told me about your plan.”
“I wanted to-” he lowered his gaze “-but that would have made me look less confident and I didn’t want you worrying more than you already were.”
His fiancée exhaled through her nose and tightened her hold without realizing. “Sukuna was only able to get to you because he copied Mahoraga’s Adaptation. He would have never been able to defeat you on his own merits.”
“You’ve always been my number one supporter, haven’t you?” Satoru smiled. “But Sukuna was the King of Curses; he couldn’t be expected to play fair.”
“I know…”
Mari lay her head on the space between Satoru’s head and his shoulder. He placed a kiss on her hair and nuzzled his nose against it, whispering an “I love you” Mari returned right away with her face as close as possible to the crook of his neck.
She brought all of her attention to the sound of Satoru’s breathing. It was uneven and shallow, but it was there. Strong. Audible. Alive. Like him. Like the way he shifted his hand between hers so their fingers would fit even tighter when two hours ago, that same hand was cold and limp. The memory of it climbed up Mari’s arm and put a lump in her throat. God, they had gotten so lucky… Actually, no. Saying they had gotten lucky was an understatement and—
“I should have still told you about my plan,” Satoru murmured. Mari raised her head and the young man’s voice cracked upon continuing, “Few things have made me feel as awful as the look in your eyes while you held me on the battlefield.”
The lump in her throat became rock stuffing. The image of Satoru’s eyes losing their light with every passing second was one she wanted and needed to shake off her memories as soon as possible. It shattered her heart all over again whenever it assaulted her mind. Mari had to take a few seconds to breathe deep and remind herself that Satoru was right there with her and fine. “You only did what you thought was best for me. Although I’ll admit I was confused when you kept telling me that everything would be alright.”
Her fiancé chuckled. “I don’t blame you; I’d be thrown off too if someone said to me, ‘Everything will be just fine!’ while bleeding out. And on the subject of bleeding out-” he glanced at Mari’s gown “-sorry I ruined your clothes.”
“My clothes are the last thing on my mind.” She brought a hand up to caress Satoru’s hair. “You’re all that matters to me right now.”
Satoru closed his eyes like a contented cat and allowed himself to melt against the tenderness of Mari’s touch. She ran her fingers through his locks like they weren’t filthy and sweaty from the heat of the battle. His hair had definitely seen better days.
“You should get some rest,” he murmured, opening his eyes.
“I will, but I’ll stay here, with you.”
“That chair you’re on is less than comfortable. You’ll wake up with your neck as stiff as a board.” Satoru traced absentminded patterns on her other hand with his thumb. “I’d love to make space for you on the bed, but it’s too narrow.”
Mari snorted. “Neck pain won’t stop me from keeping you company.” Returning to a more serious tone, she added, “There’s no place I’d rather be.”
“And honestly, I don’t want you to leave.”
Mari smiled at Satoru and her eyes crinkled. She was brushing down the top of his head with the backside of her fingers when she stopped in her tracks.
“What if I bring another bed into the room so I can sleep next to you? I’ll use it as an excuse to check on the kids, too.”
Satoru’s eyes lit up. “I like that!” And then he bit the inside of his cheek. “But with how wild that fight was, I’m betting most if not all of the beds will be taken.”
“You’re right…but it won’t hurt to check.” Letting her touch linger, Mari let go of his hand and rose from her chair. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Wait a second.”
Mari turned around. “What is it?”
“Come closer.” Satoru motioned with his index finger and his fiancée put her hands down on the mattress. “A little closer,” he requested. Mari leaned down the slightest bit. “How about a little bit closer?”
“Like this?” Mari leaned down further and bit back a grin; she already knew where that was going.
“Just a little bit more…” he drawled, and when Mari’s face was inches away from his, Satoru leaned up and pecked her lips.
She giggled in response and reciprocated with a couple more kisses to his lips, as well as an extra one to his forehead. “I’ll be here again in no time, alright?”
“Alright.” Satoru smiled.
Mari left the room and the man rested his head on the pillow Shoko brought him after he woke up, a welcome comfort in the middle of all the tugging his brand new surgical wounds were putting his skin through. Shoko hadn’t given him an exact date for when his tissues would stop protesting their reunion, but Satoru hoped that’d be soon. As for his Six Eyes and his left eye’s vision…they were a fair price to pay. If it wasn’t for that binding vow, right now Mari would be devastated and running out of tears instead of outside, looking for a bed to set up next to his so they could spend the night together. To Satoru, the latter was a much better outcome than staying dead and knowing he had left the love of his life all alone.
He brought a hand over the bandage on his waist. The warmth of the healing wound radiated through the woven fabric keeping it protected and it sent a shiver down his spine. Shoko and Utahime had done a good job at putting him back together. Good thing Sukuna didn’t aim for his face…
Sukuna. That was who he saw first upon closing his eyes, wearing the smug sneer he had on right before the attack that—temporarily—brought his life to an end. And he had the guts to do it while wearing Megumi’s face.
Satoru huffed and mumbled, “At least I’m alive.”
“I’m back!” Mari opened the door all the way, prompting Satoru to try and sit up, an idea he discarded right away. She and Shoko were wheeling in an empty bed.
“I should have known that the two lovebirds wanted to sleep together,” the doctor joked.
Mari chuckled. “Oh, I’m going to be his shadow from now on.”
The two women set the bed next to Satoru’s, making sure both were perfectly aligned and that there were no gaps between them. Shoko kept talking during the process.
“We had to tell Itadori and Okkotsu not to leave their beds when we broke the news that you’re alive.”
“You should have seen their faces.” Mari’s glistening eyes gave Satoru an idea of what their reaction was like. “Haven’t seen them that happy in a while.”
“And Hakari says you’re ‘a madman not even death can take down’.”
Satoru snorted. “He’s giving me too much credit.” He took a deep breath. “What about Megumi?”
“He’s fast asleep and has a few injuries here and there, but he’s fine otherwise,” Shoko said.
“Are you okay with me telling Megumi about you when he wakes up?” Mari asked her fiancé.
“Yes, of course. He needs to know.”
With the second bed all set up, Shoko headed for the door again. “Sleep well, you two.”
“As long as we don’t get any nightmares, we will,” Satoru half-joked.
Mari took off her glasses and climbed into bed as soon as the door closed. She lay on her side, taking in the sight of Satoru next to her, shirtless and bandaged and with a faint crease between his eyebrows. She reached out to brush the backside of her fingers across his cheek and Satoru took her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it and wincing right after.
“Making simple movements with my arms feels too uncomfortable…”
“Don’t worry,” Mari murmured, caressing his cheek once again, “I’m sure the discomfort will go away soon.”
“I want to at least hold you with my left arm.” Satoru leaned towards her touch.
Mari pressed her lips together and glanced at his chest. God, she wanted it too, having his arms wrapped around her and falling asleep to his strong and steady heartbeat, but what about his injuries? What about his comfort?
“Let’s try, but do let me go if your arm hurts or doesn’t feel right.”
She lay her head on his chest slowly, almost afraid that adding too much pressure too fast could make him crumble. Satoru put his arm around Mari in a stiff movement that gave way to a constant tugging he couldn’t ignore no matter how hard he tried.
“Bad idea…” he whined.
“Alright, let’s not do that.” Mari exhaled through her nose and lay back down. Being by his side would do.
Satoru reached for her hand. “I can’t wait to give you proper cuddles and kisses.”
“Me neither.” Mari gave him a sympathetic smile, lacing her fingers through his. “Wait…” She propped herself on her forearm. “How about you rest your head on my arm? I know it’ll go numb, but I don’t care.”
He grinned bright and wide. “You’re always having the best ideas!”
Satoru shifted towards Mari and she placed her arm on the pillow. He settled his head down and turned it to look at her.
“Are you feeling comfortable?”
“Very,” he said. Mari brought her free hand to his chest and Satoru leaned in to kiss her lips. Softly, just once, but it was still a kiss. “You know, this position isn’t bad at all.”
The young woman smiled against his lips and went in for another tender press, bringing her hand to his cheek. Their kiss held a faint aftertaste of salt and iron that would soon go away from their skin, but not from their memories. Mari reluctantly put an end to the lazy unison in which their lips moved not long after, worrying that too long of a kiss could exhaust Satoru in his current condition. She did brush her nose against his, and the little snort he made melted her heart.
Both spent a moment saying nothing, just gazing into each other’s eyes and letting everything sink in. Death had done them part, but it only lasted a couple of hours. And all because Satoru had preferred giving up his Six Eyes and his left eye’s functionality over being forced to have Mari live in a world without him. The idea that he was willing to do that for her and all the other people he also cared about had Mari’s throat constricting every time she thought of it, but she didn’t want to cry anymore; she had shed enough tears already. Mari just took her hand to her beloved’s face once again and traced the now more prominent line of his cheekbone.
Satoru broke the silence. “I want to kiss your forehead.”
She didn’t hesitate to lower her head so she could get her smooch. Under her breath, Mari mouthed, “Cutie.”
They closed their eyes and pressed their foreheads together. Mari’s arm was already tingling from the lack of blood flow, but did that matter? No, not when what was causing it was snuggling with her fiancé, who opened his eyes not long after.
“I’m not sure how long you’ll have to be changing my bandages for,” Satoru said, “but I’ll try not to be too much of a pain.”
“Come on, don’t call yourself that. You have tended to my wounds too, and cared for me when I was sick, cheered me up when I was down in the dumps…” Mari glanced at her engagement ring. Its blue diamond caught the fluorescent lights shining above. “We might not be married yet, but the vows are already in effect.” She giggled. “I’m so corny!”
Satoru shook his head. “But you’re right. In fact, I could say they were in effect even before we started dating.”
Mari wrapped her arms around his head and neck and brought her forehead to his, the closest they could be to hugging right now. “God, I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.” He pulled away just enough to look her in the eyes, not caring that she’d see the mist in his. “I hate not being able to hug you back. As soon as I recover, I’ll lift you up and spin you around and then, while in bed, I’ll wrap my arms and legs around you.”
Mari snorted. It was quite something to look forward to. “I will do the same.”
“Oh?” Satoru cocked an eyebrow. “You’ll try picking me up and giving me a spin?”
The young woman let out a theatrical exhale and rolled her eyes. “I’d try if it wasn’t because I’m sure I can’t pull that off, but I mean wrapping myself around you like a koala.”
“We’ll be each other’s koala.” Satoru turned his head towards the ceiling and took a breath. “I’m tired…”
“Then sleep.” Mari held his hand. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
He looked back at her, squeezing her hand. “And when you wake up, I’ll be here too.”
Mari smiled in a way Satoru couldn’t help but mirror and both bumped their noses together. She rested the side of her head against his and Satoru did the same, allowing himself to close his eyes as his fiancée traced invisible patterns on his skin with her fingertips.
He drifted off to sleep with hopes of having a long life ahead of him so he could give back to Mari everything she had given him so far. Because she deserved it and Satoru wanted her to see that. After all, she was one of the very few people who had stuck with him for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer…in sickness and in health.