I mainly write for the men of Jujutsu Kaisen, though I may occasionally wander into other anime fandoms. Some of the fics I write may have darker or taboo themes. I am an adult writing for adult characters — my work is suitable for adult audiences only. All long-fics and mini-series will contain smut. Please read the tags for each fic. I’m still new to writing, and learning as I go along. Thank you for checking out my work <3
Most of my work can also be found on ao3 here. Drabbles are Tumblr only.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Synopsis: For as long as you could remember, some part of you had cared for Qifrey as far more than a friend, though you never found yourself willing to vocalize such emotions. However, when he shows up on your doorstep wounded and weary late at night, you soon learn the things left unspoken will always find their way to the surface regardless.
CW: Unprotected sex, Vaginal fingering, Creampie, Emotional sex
For all of its rigid, unyielding regulations and unforgiving trials that one must invest years in learning and enduring, somehow magic still managed to be far easier to understand than humans. Because even with all of its nuances, magic as a whole remained largely stagnant. Despite the constant creation of new spells and the innovations that new generations of witches ushered in, it was still limited — chained tightly by the modern world, ensuring that nothing ever strayed too far from the path of what was demanded.
Humans, however, were volatile in nature. Their emotions were forever changing day by day, no different than the ebb and flow of an ocean’s tide under a warm spring’s moon.
The usually bright-eyed witch currently below your fingers was certainly no exception.
Qifrey hissed as you knelt before him, a plush ball of cotton soaked in antiseptic dabbing at the gash on his arm. He looked like he wanted to pull back from your care, as if he weren’t the one who had sought you out in the first place.
“An actual doctor would be far more efficient at treating your wounds.” Your words were low, so hushed that you almost thought the thunder just outside your bedroom had swallowed them whole.
“You know why I had to seek alternative care.”
Right, the brimmed caps.
How could you forget for even a second that Qifrey put his bizarre obsession with them above all else? It was something he failed to fully explain, and in turn, you could never understand no matter how badly you wished you could.
“Any forbidden magic sightings must be reported, and this is not a lead I am willing to give up just yet.”
Your thumb traced along the inside of his arm, gently rubbing the sensitive flesh adjacent to the wound as you softly smiled up at him. “And who says I won’t report this?”
He softly huffed in amusement. “That is the least of my concern.”
The injury itself posed him no immediate danger. In fact, it was likely something he could’ve cleaned and stitched himself had he truly wanted to keep his most recent excursion under wraps.
However, a doctor would’ve proven beneficial and ensured the healing process went along without a hitch, plus Qifrey was as good a liar as any. It’s within those two scenarios that you began to find your mind raising a new inquiry: For what reason did he seek you out?
The question, plain and brash, threatened to slip from your slightly parted lips, though you managed to catch it. Instead, as the heavens above broke, and from them spilled heavy droplets, you allowed the sounds of rain barreling into your stone roof to drown out the words left unsaid.
The sky wept unfettered, and you continued bandaging up the wound Qifrey claimed he had acquired on a late-night search in a cavern, seeking out the last known whereabouts of some rogue witch. How much of that was the truth, was unknown to you, and likely always would be.
As you finished wrapping the gauze, you rose to your feet, leaving him still situated firmly on the edge of your bed. The lone candle on the small oak nightstand continued to burn brightly, a golden glow enveloping both his single cerulean eye and the alabaster strands that were effortlessly tussled atop his head. Despite the change in position, your proximity to one another remained just as close.
You imagined he wouldn’t have any desire to leave until the storm dissipated, and you wouldn’t dream of denying him a place to seek refuge. For all the years of your lukewarm friendship, one thing about him remained as stagnant as magic itself: he hated getting wet.
The reasoning behind it was largely unknown to you. He referred to it as a bad memory, perhaps even his worst, though it never went beyond that. You just chalked it up to yet another thing about him you were unable to comprehend, and another he would never allow you to.
“You should stay until this storm passes. It’s late anyways, and I’m sure you could use the rest.”
“I appreciate your hospitality more than you know.” The corners of his lips quirked upwards into the beginnings of a friendly smile, though his voice betrayed his exhaustion.
“For you, my home is always open.” Finally stepping back, a rush of cold air flooded between the two of you, and the loss of his warmth made your soul ache in ways hard to ignore.
There was a shred of feeling in you somewhere — residing deep within — that cared for him in ways you desperately did not want to admit, and it had been there for quite a while. Though another emotion, one equally as painful, coincided with it. A knowing that whenever it came to Qifrey, nothing more could ever bloom from how you felt.
For every part of him that was bright and full of light, there were pieces shrouded in darkness and pain — tucked away tight and hidden from prying eyes. You knew those pieces of him that he would never allow anyone to bear witness to ate away at him silently. A man who could never fully give himself to another, no matter how much he may yearn to.
For that reason, you allowed the space between you to grow, both in flesh and spirit, turning towards the door. “Take my bed. I’ll rest in the den.”
Within a heartbeat, fingers were wrapping around your wrist, firm and refusing to budge as they all but yanked you back. You whipped your head around.
“Stay,” was all he said.
He was not asking but rather telling. Still, even being a demand, there was a slight plea entangled within it, so of course you obliged.
“Your bed is big enough for us both to sleep, and I could use some company.”
Your eyes widened ever so slightly at his confession as your stomach suddenly felt tumultuous. For the first time in so long, a bit of vulnerability began to peek through his ever-present guard.
You clung to that small piece of honesty like it was the air you needed to breathe and nodded your head earnestly. But truth be told, even if he hadn’t given it to you, you still would have agreed. Your heart would have been unable to rest that night had you said no to Qifrey’s request.
Tugging you back to him, he was far gentler than the first time, and once you found yourself standing at the edge of the bed again, he finally dropped his grip.
He had long been stripped down into something simple, with his usual black turtleneck having been peeled off soon after his arrival to allow you to easily treat his wounds, nothing remaining on him other than the white pants he sported underneath his robes.
And you — readying yourself to sleep just prior to him turning up on your doorstep — had slipped into a simple cotton nightgown that grazed the flesh just above your knees as you slid into the plush sheets, nestling yourself next to him.
The two of you laid facing one another, no parts of you touching the other, but close enough that you could had you wanted to. His eye never strayed from yours, and in turn, you refused to allow your vision to wander. It remained quiet, nothing but the downpour and the ferocious wind howling amongst the towering trees could be heard — occasionally a loud crack of thunder would accompany them both. But not a single word was uttered, and stillness remained until finally he reached out, this time his hand finding its way to your face.
Fingertips softly brushed against the apple of your cheek, tracing the curvature downwards to your jaw, before settling just below your bottom lip, cradling your chin. The touch itself was electric, goosebumps scattering across your body as your breath stuttered.
A heat began to blossom across your face, branching out wildly like the lightning that danced outside the rattling window above your bed, and you looked at him like he was the only thing in the world that mattered in that moment.
It almost felt as if you were under some sort of spell, even though such things would be impossible. There was no forbidden magic in sight — only Qifrey and his gaze, now seeped in something that could only be described as resembling longing.
A pang of bravery suddenly took root within you as you found yourself asking, “Qifrey, why did you come here tonight?”
“I simply wanted to.”
And then, another piece of honesty gripped the atmosphere, this time coming from you rather than him. “I wish you’d do so more often.”
“I know.”
“And I wish,” you began, your voice threatening to finally crack under the weight of all the emotions you bottled away yourself, “you’d allow me to understand.”
“I know, and I wish I could too, but as of now, I don’t think I can quite find it in me to bring those words to fruition just yet.”
His thumb began to travel upwards slowly, ghosting across your bottom lip. “However, there are some things left unspoken now that I believe I can show you.”
Qifrey’s body shifted, growing closer to yours, as he tilted your chin up a bit, and whenever his lips finally met yours, the touch was no heavier than a feather. They were soft and supple, fitting into your own perfectly, as if both pairs were nothing more than two halves of a whole. And at some point, in the kiss that started out gentle and meek, things began to grow more fervent.
He slid his tongue along your lips, silently seeking permission, and when you eagerly allowed him in, a hand was slipping itself underneath the hem of your gown, running along the outside of your thigh, until it snaked its way behind you, pulling your body flush against his.
You leaned into his touch, soaking in every bit of him that he would allow, your hips instinctively bucking forward to rub against his, and when they did, you were soon met with a rapidly hardening length and a throaty groan.
His lips left yours, instead connecting with your jaw before slowly trailing down your neck. They were restrained and unhurried, as if he was savoring every time his mouth tasted you.
You rolled onto your back, and Qifrey positioned himself on top. A knee slotted itself between your legs while he used one hand to prop himself up, the other sliding the straps of your sleepwear down your shoulders. Your breasts soon fell from the fabric that confined them as his kisses grew unbearably near.
You attempted to reach downwards, to return the favor and provide him some sort of pleasure, but before you could reach what you desired, he was using his free hand to pull your own back up, pinning it beside your head as his fingers intertwined with yours, squeezing lightly.
“Allow me,” he mumbled against your chest with a shake of his head, right as his mouth passed the final stretch and took in your nipple.
A gasp escaped you as he licked and sucked, your back arching slightly, desperate to seek out any sort of friction where you needed him the most.
Qifrey was quick to catch the hint, his fingers leaving yours just as quickly as they had found them. They were soon hooking underneath the edge of your underwear, finding the exact spot that cried out for him.
He encircled the bundle of nerves with his thumb, and his index finger trailed downwards through your already soaked folds. A sweet string of moans dripped from you like honey as the finger slipped in with ease, curling upwards. His middle finger joined it eagerly, beginning to thrust in and out. The lewd squelching and cries of pleasures that he managed to pull from you like a symphony became so loud they threatened to rival the thunderstorm that still raged on.
In that moment, it felt as if your bed had become an altar and your body the object of his worship. And within the methodical and diligent rituals he performed in offering, Qifrey was nothing more than a man hopelessly devoted to your pleasure and that alone.
Whatever unspoken words he had chosen to express physically rather than aloud, you found yourself hoping that they’d never come to an end whenever a pressure began to pool in your lower abdomen. Billowing and threatening to pop at any minute as you began to teeter right on the precipice of pleasure.
He must’ve known because as soon as you neared the summit, he was retracting himself from you, sitting back on his knees between your legs rather than allowing you to reach your completion.
Before you could so much as question what he was doing, he was sliding off your underwear fully. Tossing the small piece of fabric somewhere off his shoulder and wriggling down his pants, he freed himself in his entirety.
Qifrey was quite sizable, both long and ample in width, with a slight upward curvature and a thick vein stretching across his shaft from base to head. The tip gleamed as a bead of his arousal made itself apparent, catching in the lonesome candlelight.
He hovered over you, stroking himself twice before allowing the tip to align with your entrance, then pushing it. You stretched to accommodate him, and the sensation of him filling you so tightly was something of the divine. A noise akin to a whimper slipped past his lips as he nestled his face into the crook of your neck once he bottomed out in you.
Any semblance of restraint shattered as his pace picked up, movements and rhythm becoming sloppy, one of his hands moving back to your clit, rubbing at it far more quickly than before, as the other wrapped around you tightly.
“I promise I’ll tell you everything one day,” he murmured into your ear, desperately kissing whatever skin his lips could reach, little strings of salvia following them wherever they moved about.
If his touch had felt electric earlier, you were certain that what you were experiencing now would surely set you ablaze. You wrapped your own arms around him tightly, one of your hands settling in his hair, wrapping your fingers around the silky strands.
“Just wait for me, please,” he forced out, words partially muffled against you.
You tried to respond with something coherent, though between the feeling swelling in your abdomen as your climax approached and the aching in your chest, the words you wanted to confess continually escaped your grasp.
Instead the only thing you could muster was, “Qifrey.” And the way it left you sounded like a prayer.
The pressure continued to grow, your body tensing up, preparing for the highest of your highs, and once it arrived, it consumed you like wildfire, ravaging every corner of your body. Eyes struggling to stay open, you swore you saw stars flickering. You gripped and tugged whatever parts of him you could latch onto, choking out sounds of pure ecstasy.
Your walls began to pulse and flutter around him, and that must have sent Qifrey over the edge because soon after he was gasping and moaning into your ear, holding onto you as if should his grip falter for a second, you’d disappear right out from underneath him. His length throbbed, and as it did, a hot fluid leaked into you, spilling out the sides as he continued to thrust, riding out his peak and milking every last drop from it that he could.
Finally, he pulled out, and the loss of him was felt in every part of you. He plopped down at your side, facing the ceiling, breathing slightly labored as you glanced down upon the sticky, filthy mess the two of you had made.
You knew that you urgently needed to get up and clean yourself and likely change the sheets too. However, you couldn’t bring yourself to do so.
Instead, you rolled over and, with a whisper of breath, blew out the candle before burrowing into his side. You heard a light chuckle as he embraced you tight. As you laid there, sleep quickly threatening to overtake you, you silently allowed yourself another prayer against the backdrop of his heartbeat and seemingly never-ending rain.
One that when dawn finally arrived, it would bring a small mercy with it — that as the sun finally rose, Qifrey would still be lying at your side.
Synopsis: For as long as you could remember, some part of you had cared for Qifrey as far more than a friend, though you never found yourself willing to vocalize such emotions. However, when he shows up on your doorstep wounded and weary late at night, you soon learn the things left unspoken will always find their way to the surface regardless.
CW: Unprotected sex, Vaginal fingering, Creampie, Emotional sex
For all of its rigid, unyielding regulations and unforgiving trials that one must invest years in learning and enduring, somehow magic still managed to be far easier to understand than humans. Because even with all of its nuances, magic as a whole remained largely stagnant. Despite the constant creation of new spells and the innovations that new generations of witches ushered in, it was still limited — chained tightly by the modern world, ensuring that nothing ever strayed too far from the path of what was demanded.
Humans, however, were volatile in nature. Their emotions were forever changing day by day, no different than the ebb and flow of an ocean’s tide under a warm spring’s moon.
The usually bright-eyed witch currently below your fingers was certainly no exception.
Qifrey hissed as you knelt before him, a plush ball of cotton soaked in antiseptic dabbing at the gash on his arm. He looked like he wanted to pull back from your care, as if he weren’t the one who had sought you out in the first place.
“An actual doctor would be far more efficient at treating your wounds.” Your words were low, so hushed that you almost thought the thunder just outside your bedroom had swallowed them whole.
“You know why I had to seek alternative care.”
Right, the brimmed caps.
How could you forget for even a second that Qifrey put his bizarre obsession with them above all else? It was something he failed to fully explain, and in turn, you could never understand no matter how badly you wished you could.
“Any forbidden magic sightings must be reported, and this is not a lead I am willing to give up just yet.”
Your thumb traced along the inside of his arm, gently rubbing the sensitive flesh adjacent to the wound as you softly smiled up at him. “And who says I won’t report this?”
He softly huffed in amusement. “That is the least of my concern.”
The injury itself posed him no immediate danger. In fact, it was likely something he could’ve cleaned and stitched himself had he truly wanted to keep his most recent excursion under wraps.
However, a doctor would’ve proven beneficial and ensured the healing process went along without a hitch, plus Qifrey was as good a liar as any. It’s within those two scenarios that you began to find your mind raising a new inquiry: For what reason did he seek you out?
The question, plain and brash, threatened to slip from your slightly parted lips, though you managed to catch it. Instead, as the heavens above broke, and from them spilled heavy droplets, you allowed the sounds of rain barreling into your stone roof to drown out the words left unsaid.
The sky wept unfettered, and you continued bandaging up the wound Qifrey claimed he had acquired on a late-night search in a cavern, seeking out the last known whereabouts of some rogue witch. How much of that was the truth, was unknown to you, and likely always would be.
As you finished wrapping the gauze, you rose to your feet, leaving him still situated firmly on the edge of your bed. The lone candle on the small oak nightstand continued to burn brightly, a golden glow enveloping both his single cerulean eye and the alabaster strands that were effortlessly tussled atop his head. Despite the change in position, your proximity to one another remained just as close.
You imagined he wouldn’t have any desire to leave until the storm dissipated, and you wouldn’t dream of denying him a place to seek refuge. For all the years of your lukewarm friendship, one thing about him remained as stagnant as magic itself: he hated getting wet.
The reasoning behind it was largely unknown to you. He referred to it as a bad memory, perhaps even his worst, though it never went beyond that. You just chalked it up to yet another thing about him you were unable to comprehend, and another he would never allow you to.
“You should stay until this storm passes. It’s late anyways, and I’m sure you could use the rest.”
“I appreciate your hospitality more than you know.” The corners of his lips quirked upwards into the beginnings of a friendly smile, though his voice betrayed his exhaustion.
“For you, my home is always open.” Finally stepping back, a rush of cold air flooded between the two of you, and the loss of his warmth made your soul ache in ways hard to ignore.
There was a shred of feeling in you somewhere — residing deep within — that cared for him in ways you desperately did not want to admit, and it had been there for quite a while. Though another emotion, one equally as painful, coincided with it. A knowing that whenever it came to Qifrey, nothing more could ever bloom from how you felt.
For every part of him that was bright and full of light, there were pieces shrouded in darkness and pain — tucked away tight and hidden from prying eyes. You knew those pieces of him that he would never allow anyone to bear witness to ate away at him silently. A man who could never fully give himself to another, no matter how much he may yearn to.
For that reason, you allowed the space between you to grow, both in flesh and spirit, turning towards the door. “Take my bed. I’ll rest in the den.”
Within a heartbeat, fingers were wrapping around your wrist, firm and refusing to budge as they all but yanked you back. You whipped your head around.
“Stay,” was all he said.
He was not asking but rather telling. Still, even being a demand, there was a slight plea entangled within it, so of course you obliged.
“Your bed is big enough for us both to sleep, and I could use some company.”
Your eyes widened ever so slightly at his confession as your stomach suddenly felt tumultuous. For the first time in so long, a bit of vulnerability began to peek through his ever-present guard.
You clung to that small piece of honesty like it was the air you needed to breathe and nodded your head earnestly. But truth be told, even if he hadn’t given it to you, you still would have agreed. Your heart would have been unable to rest that night had you said no to Qifrey’s request.
Tugging you back to him, he was far gentler than the first time, and once you found yourself standing at the edge of the bed again, he finally dropped his grip.
He had long been stripped down into something simple, with his usual black turtleneck having been peeled off soon after his arrival to allow you to easily treat his wounds, nothing remaining on him other than the white pants he sported underneath his robes.
And you — readying yourself to sleep just prior to him turning up on your doorstep — had slipped into a simple cotton nightgown that grazed the flesh just above your knees as you slid into the plush sheets, nestling yourself next to him.
The two of you laid facing one another, no parts of you touching the other, but close enough that you could had you wanted to. His eye never strayed from yours, and in turn, you refused to allow your vision to wander. It remained quiet, nothing but the downpour and the ferocious wind howling amongst the towering trees could be heard — occasionally a loud crack of thunder would accompany them both. But not a single word was uttered, and stillness remained until finally he reached out, this time his hand finding its way to your face.
Fingertips softly brushed against the apple of your cheek, tracing the curvature downwards to your jaw, before settling just below your bottom lip, cradling your chin. The touch itself was electric, goosebumps scattering across your body as your breath stuttered.
A heat began to blossom across your face, branching out wildly like the lightning that danced outside the rattling window above your bed, and you looked at him like he was the only thing in the world that mattered in that moment.
It almost felt as if you were under some sort of spell, even though such things would be impossible. There was no forbidden magic in sight — only Qifrey and his gaze, now seeped in something that could only be described as resembling longing.
A pang of bravery suddenly took root within you as you found yourself asking, “Qifrey, why did you come here tonight?”
“I simply wanted to.”
And then, another piece of honesty gripped the atmosphere, this time coming from you rather than him. “I wish you’d do so more often.”
“I know.”
“And I wish,” you began, your voice threatening to finally crack under the weight of all the emotions you bottled away yourself, “you’d allow me to understand.”
“I know, and I wish I could too, but as of now, I don’t think I can quite find it in me to bring those words to fruition just yet.”
His thumb began to travel upwards slowly, ghosting across your bottom lip. “However, there are some things left unspoken now that I believe I can show you.”
Qifrey’s body shifted, growing closer to yours, as he tilted your chin up a bit, and whenever his lips finally met yours, the touch was no heavier than a feather. They were soft and supple, fitting into your own perfectly, as if both pairs were nothing more than two halves of a whole. And at some point, in the kiss that started out gentle and meek, things began to grow more fervent.
He slid his tongue along your lips, silently seeking permission, and when you eagerly allowed him in, a hand was slipping itself underneath the hem of your gown, running along the outside of your thigh, until it snaked its way behind you, pulling your body flush against his.
You leaned into his touch, soaking in every bit of him that he would allow, your hips instinctively bucking forward to rub against his, and when they did, you were soon met with a rapidly hardening length and a throaty groan.
His lips left yours, instead connecting with your jaw before slowly trailing down your neck. They were restrained and unhurried, as if he was savoring every time his mouth tasted you.
You rolled onto your back, and Qifrey positioned himself on top. A knee slotted itself between your legs while he used one hand to prop himself up, the other sliding the straps of your sleepwear down your shoulders. Your breasts soon fell from the fabric that confined them as his kisses grew unbearably near.
You attempted to reach downwards, to return the favor and provide him some sort of pleasure, but before you could reach what you desired, he was using his free hand to pull your own back up, pinning it beside your head as his fingers intertwined with yours, squeezing lightly.
“Allow me,” he mumbled against your chest with a shake of his head, right as his mouth passed the final stretch and took in your nipple.
A gasp escaped you as he licked and sucked, your back arching slightly, desperate to seek out any sort of friction where you needed him the most.
Qifrey was quick to catch the hint, his fingers leaving yours just as quickly as they had found them. They were soon hooking underneath the edge of your underwear, finding the exact spot that cried out for him.
He encircled the bundle of nerves with his thumb, and his index finger trailed downwards through your already soaked folds. A sweet string of moans dripped from you like honey as the finger slipped in with ease, curling upwards. His middle finger joined it eagerly, beginning to thrust in and out. The lewd squelching and cries of pleasures that he managed to pull from you like a symphony became so loud they threatened to rival the thunderstorm that still raged on.
In that moment, it felt as if your bed had become an altar and your body the object of his worship. And within the methodical and diligent rituals he performed in offering, Qifrey was nothing more than a man hopelessly devoted to your pleasure and that alone.
Whatever unspoken words he had chosen to express physically rather than aloud, you found yourself hoping that they’d never come to an end whenever a pressure began to pool in your lower abdomen. Billowing and threatening to pop at any minute as you began to teeter right on the precipice of pleasure.
He must’ve known because as soon as you neared the summit, he was retracting himself from you, sitting back on his knees between your legs rather than allowing you to reach your completion.
Before you could so much as question what he was doing, he was sliding off your underwear fully. Tossing the small piece of fabric somewhere off his shoulder and wriggling down his pants, he freed himself in his entirety.
Qifrey was quite sizable, both long and ample in width, with a slight upward curvature and a thick vein stretching across his shaft from base to head. The tip gleamed as a bead of his arousal made itself apparent, catching in the lonesome candlelight.
He hovered over you, stroking himself twice before allowing the tip to align with your entrance, then pushing it. You stretched to accommodate him, and the sensation of him filling you so tightly was something of the divine. A noise akin to a whimper slipped past his lips as he nestled his face into the crook of your neck once he bottomed out in you.
Any semblance of restraint shattered as his pace picked up, movements and rhythm becoming sloppy, one of his hands moving back to your clit, rubbing at it far more quickly than before, as the other wrapped around you tightly.
“I promise I’ll tell you everything one day,” he murmured into your ear, desperately kissing whatever skin his lips could reach, little strings of salvia following them wherever they moved about.
If his touch had felt electric earlier, you were certain that what you were experiencing now would surely set you ablaze. You wrapped your own arms around him tightly, one of your hands settling in his hair, wrapping your fingers around the silky strands.
“Just wait for me, please,” he forced out, words partially muffled against you.
You tried to respond with something coherent, though between the feeling swelling in your abdomen as your climax approached and the aching in your chest, the words you wanted to confess continually escaped your grasp.
Instead the only thing you could muster was, “Qifrey.” And the way it left you sounded like a prayer.
The pressure continued to grow, your body tensing up, preparing for the highest of your highs, and once it arrived, it consumed you like wildfire, ravaging every corner of your body. Eyes struggling to stay open, you swore you saw stars flickering. You gripped and tugged whatever parts of him you could latch onto, choking out sounds of pure ecstasy.
Your walls began to pulse and flutter around him, and that must have sent Qifrey over the edge because soon after he was gasping and moaning into your ear, holding onto you as if should his grip falter for a second, you’d disappear right out from underneath him. His length throbbed, and as it did, a hot fluid leaked into you, spilling out the sides as he continued to thrust, riding out his peak and milking every last drop from it that he could.
Finally, he pulled out, and the loss of him was felt in every part of you. He plopped down at your side, facing the ceiling, breathing slightly labored as you glanced down upon the sticky, filthy mess the two of you had made.
You knew that you urgently needed to get up and clean yourself and likely change the sheets too. However, you couldn’t bring yourself to do so.
Instead, you rolled over and, with a whisper of breath, blew out the candle before burrowing into his side. You heard a light chuckle as he embraced you tight. As you laid there, sleep quickly threatening to overtake you, you silently allowed yourself another prayer against the backdrop of his heartbeat and seemingly never-ending rain.
One that when dawn finally arrived, it would bring a small mercy with it — that as the sun finally rose, Qifrey would still be lying at your side.
was finally able to finish watching witch hat atelier last night and started the manga. i can not get qifrey out of my head in the slightest so i penned a quick little one-shot i’ll likely edit and post later this evening. it’s my first time writing for a character outside of the jjk fandom (which im the most comfortable writing for) so i hope i can do him justice even if it is a tiny little smutty one shot lmao
The promise of dawn finally arrived, and with it came the sun. Bright and unforgiving, it bore down upon the picturesque landscape, and the multitude of snow reflected its rays in a manner that was nearly blinding.
The temperature was on a steady rise, though not quite enough that the remnants of the blizzard had begun to melt away just yet. The only sounds to be heard were the harmonious, morning songs of birds as they flocked in the distance and the occasional breeze filtering among the towering pines. Sukuna had not spoken since the two of you woke beyond instructing you it was time to leave, and you returned the favor, allowing nothing but the noises of the mountains to drown out whatever unsaid statements were undoubtedly brewing in your mind.
You looked uncomfortable, though judging by the unconscious behavior of lifting your hand to your neck, it was not him. Rather, a cursed spirit was likely lurking by. That one with the shadows he could never sense, but you were somehow always aware of its presence.
The iron guiding him pulled significantly less strongly before, and he took it as an indication the two of you were beginning to draw near. It wasn’t long until a torii gate, unmistakably ancient and worn, standing at the base of equally archaic stone stairs appeared in his line of sight and confirmed the suspicion.
Likely only minutes remained.
He looked to you as those same saddened eyes from the previous day sat upon your face, cautiously surveying the path ahead. Your body remained tense, and occasionally your gaze would wander, combing amongst the shadows of the trees before turning forward once more. That same emotion, the one he would sooner perish than name, continued to make itself known in his chest as he trailed you closely.
The current circumstance in which he found himself would not do, and of that he was certain.
Weeks upon weeks of enduring your obnoxious company, dealing with the constant nuisance of the curses who relentlessly sought you out, and listening to your insolence would not be in vain. His patience would be rewarded tenfold.
It had to be.
There was not a choice to be made, and they never had been. Sukuna’s path had been on the same trajectory since the day he had been forced into this world, and he would continue to live the only way he knew how. In doing so, he would purge every last remnant of that nagging feeling from himself, ripping and tearing until it finally broke free in a manner that was all too familiar to him, and the cord that bound the two of you would be severed once and for all.
You both ascended the dilapidated staircase before traversing a worn trail through the trees, soon finding yourselves at another opening in a rock formation, one far bigger than what he had led you into for shelter the prior evening, and the cursed tool he clutched pointed directly into it.
You stopped just shy of the cave’s entrance. “That iron, what is it saying?”
You knew the answer to the question already; you were just stalling now. Still, he decided to indulge you for a moment anyway.
One of his lower hands climbed onto your shoulder, and he could still feel the tensed muscles even through your winter wear. Another hand slowly unfurled just enough so you could peek at what direction you were being guided.
You nodded your head at him once you saw it, eyes focused straight ahead into the darkened passageway.
“I meant what I said to you over our meal.” Sukuna leaned down slightly, the corner of his mouth curving upwards as his warm breath tickled your flesh. “I won’t let them hurt you again.”
His reassurance spurred your feet onward, and he moved right alongside you. Though the second that threshold was crossed, everything was changing within an instant.
The frigid winter’s day dissipated, and the temperature rose dramatically. The bright, natural light was completely gone with the cave’s exit sealed off, and a warm, orange-hued glow took its place.
Sukuna knew immediately what had occurred, and judging by the way you stilled, eyes widened tremendously, looking back to him for something — any sort of reaction at all — you did too.
His smile exploded, and a chuckle escaped him. “What? Don’t tell me this is your first time in another’s domain.”
—————————
The temperature was miserable — nearly unbearable. Sweat formed on your forehead instantaneously, and you immediately began prying your jacket from your body, intent on stuffing it away in your bag as you desperately needed air to collide with your skin. Though, once your arms were exposed, it did no good anyway. The heat that surrounded you was brutal and hellish in nature.
An open path rested ahead of you. Smoothed dirt in the center while pools of vivid flames burned on either side as far as the eye could see. They were uniform in nature, creeping upwards, their tips fluttering wildly in various shades of orange and red, though no smoke emitted from a single one.
You moved backwards, something hard colliding into you, and you could feel it vibrate as another laugh spilled from Sukuna.
“All I have to do is open my domain, and it’ll dispel whatever this pathetic nonsense is.”
Your head tilted upwards, allowing your eyes to find his. “What are you waiting for?”
“Are you not curious what awaits us here? What spirit this domain belongs to or what it’s capable of?”
It was such an absurd fucking thing for him to ask you, you wanted to laugh — maybe even cry.
“Not in the slightest.”
“Well, I am.” He urged you forwards slightly. “My interest has been piqued, and that’s a rare occurrence for me.”
When you took too long, he pushed again, this time a bit harder, forcing you to actually move.
“If I believe there is a threat to your life, I will dispel this domain before you can even comprehend what’s occurring. Until then, let’s keep walking.”
He stayed by you the entire time, hand never leaving your back, and as the pathway led you deeper into the horrid scenery, you felt yourself inching closer towards him. You were certain he noticed it, but thankfully, he didn’t speak a single word as you sought out whatever comfort his nearness brought you.
“And to answer your question, no, this isn’t my first time in another’s domain.”
“Oh? And tell me, how did that go?”
“About as well as you can imagine.”
Sukuna scoffed. “Surprised you’re even here to tell the tale.”
The path had begun to widen with the rivers of fire on both sides of you growing the further you wandered. You imagined you were moving closer to the caster of the domain, and despite the fact you could no longer sense a single cursed spirit, the pit in your stomach felt deeper than ever before.
“If it wasn’t for Hollow Wicker Basket, I wouldn’t be,” you replied halfheartedly as you continued to observe your surroundings, arm rising lazily to wipe away the sweat beads that had saturated your forehead.
“So you’re not completely useless.”
You completely disregarded his jab. “Can you not encounter whoever this domain belongs to in your own? This heat is miserable.”
“Deal with it.”
Off in the distance, you could see the walkway open up into some sort of room or chamber, likely one that housed your enemies. Yet as Sukuna continued to escort you closer, there was still no sign of anyone besides you or him.
The corners of your lips dipped downwards slightly as you picked up your pace, the extra exertion not aiding your body heat in the slightest. However, if Sukuna could catch a glimpse of whatever curse he wanted to see, perhaps you’d be free of the crushing atmosphere, if nothing else.
The rocky roof above opened up, wide and domed, soaring overhead while thirteen hallways surrounded all sides of the circular room. Those same pools of ever-burning, seemingly eternal flames lined the walls between the openings, and there was not a single cursed spirit in sight.
However, to your left, across the vast space, rested a familiar-looking altar, and lying flat upon its surface was a tantō.
It’s really here, was all you could think with bated breath.
Your feet moved, rushed and excited in its direction without a second thought. With arms extended, you reached out, and an amused huff could be heard from across the room as Sukuna began moving towards you. The footfall that followed was far more unhurried and restrained.
You grabbed it into your hands. It was unsheathed, a delicate silver blade and tsuba, both carved with designs resembling clouds and wind. The hilt was wrapped in a soft lilac, with those same silver designs and matching adornments peeking through the sleek silk.
That same feeling, the one that had coursed through you whenever you had first touched Suiryu, returned as similar sigils lit up with an unmistakable violet glow. The energy it emitted was similar, yet far different.
It felt not like a cursed object but as if it were a human sorcerer’s. Though, it was stronger — heavier — for one to behold.
“Tatsumaki,” Sukuna hummed as he grew close.
“That’s right. The scroll we had found along Suiryu called this one Tatsumaki, didn’t it?” You dropped your bag onto the floor, reaching down with one hand while the other held onto the hilt of Tatsumaki tight.
You freed Suiryu from where you had confined it, removing its scabbard and compared the two blades, eyes roaming the shared markings that glowed on each. A warm breath could be felt flooding against the crown of your head as Sukuna’s body crowded into yours, leaning down and trying to see what you were doing.
His body heat only made the already scorching air more insufferable, though you were so engrossed with the fact you held not one, but two, of the divine weapons in your hands, that you just didn’t have it in you to focus on his close proximity.
For a brief moment, you glanced over to the now-empty altar, no scabbard nor scroll in sight.
“Without a scroll, how am I supposed to know what Tatsumaki does?” You muttered more so to yourself than anyone else.
Hands slinked their way up on either side of you, one allowing its fingers to trace the back of your hand which held Tatsumaki, the other caressing the hand that held Suiryu.
“If all of the weapons are inspired by their respective Godai, we should probably take a look at Fu.” His voice was barely above a whisper as a third hand made its way to your waist. “You‘ve spent enough time studying that book, so enlighten me. What do you know of Fu?”
Your entire body went rigid at the contact, and Sukuna must’ve noticed because the grip he held on your abdomen was suddenly tightening.
“Fu is growth and expansion.”
The warmth of him coupled with the hell-like temperatures around you was nearly dizzying as you could feel his abdomen pressed flush against your back. It was clear that for whatever reason, he did not want you to move from his grasp.
“Tell me more.”
“Freedom of movement.”
His fourth and final hand found its way to your face, settling along your jawline as if it belonged there. The touch was gentle — mild in a way that was not of his usual nature. His thumb brushed the apple of your cheek as he let his index finger make its home amongst the corner of your lips. Three more fingers cradled your jaw, and despite everything — who the hand belonged to, the treacherous and mysterious domain you found yourselves in, the excess heat rapidly wearing you down — you found yourself leaning into his touch.
“Yes, but what part of the body is Fu connected to?”
“Breathing, of course. But also, Fu goes beyond being just air. It can represent our experiences and personalities. Knowledge, wisdom — these things that are stored in our minds.”
The smirk in his voice could practically be heard as he asked, “And what else is stored in one’s mind?”
“I— A lot of things, I suppose. But I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”
Suddenly he was spinning you around to face him, the movement so harsh that if it weren’t for his hands staking claim to your flesh, you likely would’ve fallen.
Your spine pressed into the altar as he pushed into you, his hand bringing yours forward, the tip of Tatsumaki’s blade pressing into his bare stomach.
“Well, don’t you want to see what it can do?” A disgustingly wicked grin was carved into his features as he mocked you, and you felt irritation begin to bubble up within you.
You jerked your arms back, putting as much space as possible between the blades and him.
“Have you lost your fucking mind?” You hissed. “We don’t know what that weapon is capable of and my end of the vow could’ve been broken had something happened to you!”
He ignored you, pulling your hand forward once more, though this time not near as close. The blade stopped just short of his body. “Come on, just do it already.”
You leaned back, ripping your arm from his grasp completely, allowing the wind weapon to clatter down behind you as you moved to sheathe Suiryu once more.
Your eyes quickly crawled up to his. All four brilliant irises tore into you, intensely reflecting the fire that surrounded you both. The flames danced among the pools of sanguine on his face as you held his stare.
“Sukuna, stop messing—“
A loud crack rang out as the world tilted on its axis. The pain was sharp and unyielding. Your surroundings morphed into a complete blur as your body went flying. The hard ground beneath you slammed into your face, and an immediate ache rang out from the sheer force of the collision.
A boisterous cackle echoed through the chamber, and likely the halls that surrounded it. The sound carried a distinct cruelty in it — something that could only belong to a man who had once been bestowed a title as imposing as the King of Curses.
Your vision was blurry with everything doubled as you struggled to focus, and whenever it did finally settle, you saw droplets of blood skewed about where you had landed.
Hand moving up to your face, you winced at the touch, a pathetic low whine tumbling out. There was no need to lay your eyes on it; you knew instantly something was broken to some degree.
How had he done it?
Your vow was far from completion. Two more weapons remained until you would have fulfilled your half of the deal, yet he had somehow found a loophole to nullify it.
A cough shook your body, and with it came crimson sputtering from your mouth. Your heart was pounding, adrenaline pumping through your veins at an unprecedented rate which served your rapidly overheating body no favors.
Your hands were empty now, both of the weapons leaving you during Sukuna’s strike. Eyes wandering desperately, Tatsumaki was unfortunately tucked between him and the altar, but Suiryu had been thrown to the opposite end of the room, nestled in an opening to one of the hallways.
That’s what you’d go for.
You tried to push yourself up whenever a hand suddenly wrapped itself around your ankle, and before you could even begin to pool your cursed energy there, it was yanking you towards him, tossing you like a lifeless doll back in front of the altar.
You landed with a thud, face throbbing as it took another hit against the dirt, and Sukuna stood over you, a devastatingly empty look settled deep onto his face. When he spoke, his tone was steeped in malice. “To answer the question, one’s cursed technique is stored in the mind.”
He reached down, pulling you up to your feet by your shirt, and you jumped at the opportunity. Wrapping your fingers around his arm, you pooled your cursed energy into them before letting it absorb into his own flesh.
“Ryo-“
Fingers invaded your mouth, forcing their way in and filling it in a way you couldn’t so much as mumble around him.
“If you can’t speak, you can’t activate that bothersome technique of yours.”
You thrashed wildly, lifting your legs and kicking into his abdomen. He jolted at the impact, but kept his hold on you tight.
“I suppose I could just take your tongue, though I’ve already decided I’ll allow you to die in dignity.”
Bastard.
Your teeth enclosed around him to the best of your ability, biting into his flesh with all of your jaw’s strength. He let out a low hiss, however, he didn’t so much as flinch as the metallic taste of blood soaked your mouth, rivulets of red coming from the corners.
Teeth grinding back and forth into his hand, your battered face cried out in misery, but you were relentless in your attempt. The room shifted, a high-pitched noise deafening you, drowning out Sukuna’s words as a throbbing pain bloomed at the back of your skull. He slammed your head into the altar a handful of times until the bite you had on him slackened.
Vision clouded, with bursts of lights like stars, you still tried to look about the room, and your eyes finally landed on Suiryu again. Nothing was more imperative than you making it over there — it was the only way you’d leave alive.
“Always looking to the distance, but never what sits right in front of you.” His voice was distorted, as if the two of you were submerged in water.
When you managed to cast your gaze back to Sukuna, and the blurring around the edges of him began to ease, you noticed the glimmering, silver blade he held, hovering over you.
“Whenever you’re as strong as I, the mere idea of you is enough to send others fleeing. People cowering in fear, trembling at the mention of my name alone. The power I carry is beyond most’s comprehension, the thing of legends and myths — something that would only belong to a god, and it is why I have been long revered as such. Humans cannot stand the idea of the unknown. In fact, they loathe it like no other. They seek out comparison, and if none is to be found, they will continue to try and try until they can’t any longer. For all of my life, there was only one thing my strength could parallel. Something so ferocious that it could strike down tragedy and ruin at a moment’s notice — a calamity of sorts and a fable you know all too well.”
Eyes widening at the realization, you tried to force words out around his intrusion of your mouth. They never came to fruition, and you couldn’t even say what they were, but you knew for certain that you were cursing him.
The position you found yourself in was mostly your doing, and you knew it with every fiber of your being. He had never once shied away from showing you his true nature. Within every lie he spun, there had been small truths left for you to unravel. Every act of treachery left behind a trail which might have ultimately guided you to the truth had you so much as given it another thought.
He was to blame for the deception, though you were to take the fall for blatantly allowing it to swallow you whole. Though now, despite your hand in your own downfall, you would continue to curse him for it all, refusing to relent until he inevitably drew the final breath from your lungs.
“They say one of them was of the wind. Tatsumaki, it was called. And this fabled weapon they whispered of was capable of sweeping up one’s cursed technique before bestowing it upon another.”
You lifted up your lower body, upper torso and head still pinned to the altar, in an attempt to kick him back, still squirming with only garbled noises coming from your lips. That’s why he had fought so desperately to keep you alive, generously healed every wound or injury no matter how minor, and stood by your side as you slept, even going as far as warming your body with his own flesh. He wanted to preserve your cursed technique in hopes of claiming it as his own.
A weapon with such a power should be impossible. Its existence alone defies the very nature of jujutsu sorcery, and if what he spoke of now was the truth, everything modern-day sorcerers spouted was unknowingly a lie. It’s the give and take — the push and pull — that weaves throughout sorcery, holding it all together. With those fundamentals gone, stripped bare, what remains?
Without another word, his hovering arm came down, eyes focused intently on yours as the blade moved upon you, though before it made contact, for just a brief moment, the downward motion stuttered, and instantaneously, his eyes widened at what he had done.
Sukuna hesitated.
And in that single second of hesitation when his resolve faltered, the tight grip he had on you did as well.
You wriggled free from him, knee slamming up into his groin with all the strength you could muster, and he doubled forward with a groan. There was no time to activate your technique; you had to acquire Suiryu.
Shoving him to the ground, you moved towards the tantō, feet carrying you nearly halfway before you felt it.
A searing in your neck as his cursed energy flared, and simultaneously, a disgusting squelching could be heard, accompanied by an earth-shattering pain.
You toppled to the ground, an ear-piercing scream bellowing from within you. Looking back, splatters of red surrounded you, and two deep cuts were engraved into the back of each of your legs. You scrambled to get up, but as soon as you rose to your knees, a foot was ramming into your back, forcing your return to the dirt.
Another pain, this one far more familiar, tore through you as that same foot stomped down on your calf, the bone beneath it crumbling away under the pressure like it was made of sand.
You wailed, curling in on yourself as the bone shattered. One arm extended out, grasping at nothing as you reached for the blade in your path. It was too far away, you knew that, but you were desperate.
Tears began to fall, clouding your already unstable eyesight, streaking down your face as you tried to crawl out from underneath him.
Sukuna rolled you on your back, your leg throbbing in pain as it was forced to move. You cried out again, not even attempting to bite back the sounds of pain emitting from you.
He stared down at you with indifference, nodding towards the pool of blood forming underneath your broken and bruised body. “I apologize. I truly did have every intention of leaving you in one piece.”
“Ryomen Sukuna,” you managed to spit out. “I hate you.”
“Your cursed energy is already in my body, and you’re free to speak, yet that’s what you choose?”
“My technique is not strong enough to cause you any long-term damage. I’ve known that since I was assigned this mission,” you forced out through your labored breaths. “It doesn’t matter what organ it’s targeting — even your brain. If someone’s reversed cursed technique is quick enough, it’ll be able to negate the damage as it’s occurring.”
He squatted down next to you, his hand hovering over the lower half of the leg he had just broken to bits, and it gave the slightest of trembles as he stared at the decimated limb. One so minute, you nearly missed the movement. Then he turned to look at you with all four of those fiery eyes, and you could’ve sworn in the reflection of his sins you caught a glimpse of remorse, which did nothing but fill you with an unfettered fury.
“After everything, you still don’t believe you’re a match for me. Utterly fucking pathetic.”
“Then take it! Take my fucking technique,” you seethed, pushing your torso up to face him. “But know this, it will not heal the gaping hole that resides within you. You can take and take and take until there is absolutely nothing left, but you will always be left wanting for more. That is your curse, Sukuna.”
“There is nothing in me to fill, and it is laughable for you of all people to suggest otherwise. Everything I have ever done has been for my enjoyment and pleasure, and that alone. I am not bound by the same pathetic chains as you rats.” His nostrils flared as he leaned in closer, a hand digging into the hilt of Tatsumaki so violently you figured any other tantō would’ve snapped in half.
“Lie all you want, but I know that feeling all too well.”
“You and I are not the same!”
“You said it yourself that I am like you, is it so terribly far-fetched to assume that you might be like me?”
“Enough!” He barked out, face contorting into a stark rage as a palm viciously twisted the fabric of your shirt. “Emotions of any kind are frivolous and worthless. They leak from humans’ bodies like a plague, infecting every facet of their meaningless lives.”
You could feel the tip of the blade press into your abdomen, though it was yet to penetrate your flesh.
“Let me impart you with one final wisdom,” he forced out through gritted teeth. “Those same emotions are the reason you’re in this mess. So stricken by an all-consuming fear, your sights have been set on a monster tucked away who never posed you any real threat. The monster one knows — the one that indulges in a meal with you, the one who climbs in your bed, the one who walks at your back — will always be more dangerous.”
“Is that so?”
Your breath caught in your throat at the sound of an unrecognizable voice, and Sukuna grew as still as a statue.
The two of you both looked upwards to the source of the light vocals, eyes meeting those of a stranger. Though they belonged not to a cursed spirit, but to a human man.
A sorcerer of some sort.
He donned robes that looked far outdated, but they were luxurious nonetheless. An outfit befitting a king or emperor — one that a seamstress would work tirelessly to craft, only for attendees to dress him with diligence and care.
Everything else about him was equally as radiant. Long, silky onyx hair fell straight down to his mid-back, while a small knot sat atop his head, held in place by a striking silver hairpin. His eyes were the shade of honey, gleaming from the distant flames as if they were pools of liquid gold.
A sharp jawline and a pair of soft, supple lips resting just above with skin as smooth as the finest silks. He was unlike anything you had ever seen. A being so devastatingly beautiful, it was incomprehensible that he could even be of this world. Even belonging to a man, a face so alluring was dangerous. Wars had been fought for far less. And if it weren’t for the presence he radiated, you would’ve never believed that it was just another human standing before you.
You imagined that had it been a different era, the poets would have penned elaborate and eloquent poems about him while artists would’ve flocked in droves in hopes of capturing even a fraction of his likeness. Had someone from the west caught a glimpse of him, marble statues would have been erected, likening him to some sort of angel from the heavens above.
Even through his beauty and the gracefulness he effortlessly exuded as he strolled closer, something was off about him. You had no reason to fear him. In fact, outwardly he looked kind. Far kinder than the beast that had just tore into you ravenously, still pressing a blade to your belly.
However, there was still this deep-rooted inexplicable feeling that you could not shake. And judging by the way his entire body remained stiffened, Sukuna felt it too.
Despite this, he still lashed out at the stranger, undeniably infuriated at his intrusion. He spat out, “And who are you?”
That same, smooth voice spoke once more, this time only uttering a single, terrifying word, “Kū.”
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
The promise of dawn finally arrived, and with it came the sun. Bright and unforgiving, it bore down upon the picturesque landscape, and the multitude of snow reflected its rays in a manner that was nearly blinding.
The temperature was on a steady rise, though not quite enough that the remnants of the blizzard had begun to melt away just yet. The only sounds to be heard were the harmonious, morning songs of birds as they flocked in the distance and the occasional breeze filtering among the towering pines. Sukuna had not spoken since the two of you woke beyond instructing you it was time to leave, and you returned the favor, allowing nothing but the noises of the mountains to drown out whatever unsaid statements were undoubtedly brewing in your mind.
You looked uncomfortable, though judging by the unconscious behavior of lifting your hand to your neck, it was not him. Rather, a cursed spirit was likely lurking by. That one with the shadows he could never sense, but you were somehow always aware of its presence.
The iron guiding him pulled significantly less strongly before, and he took it as an indication the two of you were beginning to draw near. It wasn’t long until a torii gate, unmistakably ancient and worn, standing at the base of equally archaic stone stairs appeared in his line of sight and confirmed the suspicion.
Likely only minutes remained.
He looked to you as those same saddened eyes from the previous day sat upon your face, cautiously surveying the path ahead. Your body remained tense, and occasionally your gaze would wander, combing amongst the shadows of the trees before turning forward once more. That same emotion, the one he would sooner perish than name, continued to make itself known in his chest as he trailed you closely.
The current circumstance in which he found himself would not do, and of that he was certain.
Weeks upon weeks of enduring your obnoxious company, dealing with the constant nuisance of the curses who relentlessly sought you out, and listening to your insolence would not be in vain. His patience would be rewarded tenfold.
It had to be.
There was not a choice to be made, and they never had been. Sukuna’s path had been on the same trajectory since the day he had been forced into this world, and he would continue to live the only way he knew how. In doing so, he would purge every last remnant of that nagging feeling from himself, ripping and tearing until it finally broke free in a manner that was all too familiar to him, and the cord that bound the two of you would be severed once and for all.
You both ascended the dilapidated staircase before traversing a worn trail through the trees, soon finding yourselves at another opening in a rock formation, one far bigger than what he had led you into for shelter the prior evening, and the cursed tool he clutched pointed directly into it.
You stopped just shy of the cave’s entrance. “That iron, what is it saying?”
You knew the answer to the question already; you were just stalling now. Still, he decided to indulge you for a moment anyway.
One of his lower hands climbed onto your shoulder, and he could still feel the tensed muscles even through your winter wear. Another hand slowly unfurled just enough so you could peek at what direction you were being guided.
You nodded your head at him once you saw it, eyes focused straight ahead into the darkened passageway.
“I meant what I said to you over our meal.” Sukuna leaned down slightly, the corner of his mouth curving upwards as his warm breath tickled your flesh. “I won’t let them hurt you again.”
His reassurance spurred your feet onward, and he moved right alongside you. Though the second that threshold was crossed, everything was changing within an instant.
The frigid winter’s day dissipated, and the temperature rose dramatically. The bright, natural light was completely gone with the cave’s exit sealed off, and a warm, orange-hued glow took its place.
Sukuna knew immediately what had occurred, and judging by the way you stilled, eyes widened tremendously, looking back to him for something — any sort of reaction at all — you did too.
His smile exploded, and a chuckle escaped him. “What? Don’t tell me this is your first time in another’s domain.”
—————————
The temperature was miserable — nearly unbearable. Sweat formed on your forehead instantaneously, and you immediately began prying your jacket from your body, intent on stuffing it away in your bag as you desperately needed air to collide with your skin. Though, once your arms were exposed, it did no good anyway. The heat that surrounded you was brutal and hellish in nature.
An open path rested ahead of you. Smoothed dirt in the center while pools of vivid flames burned on either side as far as the eye could see. They were uniform in nature, creeping upwards, their tips fluttering wildly in various shades of orange and red, though no smoke emitted from a single one.
You moved backwards, something hard colliding into you, and you could feel it vibrate as another laugh spilled from Sukuna.
“All I have to do is open my domain, and it’ll dispel whatever this pathetic nonsense is.”
Your head tilted upwards, allowing your eyes to find his. “What are you waiting for?”
“Are you not curious what awaits us here? What spirit this domain belongs to or what it’s capable of?”
It was such an absurd fucking thing for him to ask you, you wanted to laugh — maybe even cry.
“Not in the slightest.”
“Well, I am.” He urged you forwards slightly. “My interest has been piqued, and that’s a rare occurrence for me.”
When you took too long, he pushed again, this time a bit harder, forcing you to actually move.
“If I believe there is a threat to your life, I will dispel this domain before you can even comprehend what’s occurring. Until then, let’s keep walking.”
He stayed by you the entire time, hand never leaving your back, and as the pathway led you deeper into the horrid scenery, you felt yourself inching closer towards him. You were certain he noticed it, but thankfully, he didn’t speak a single word as you sought out whatever comfort his nearness brought you.
“And to answer your question, no, this isn’t my first time in another’s domain.”
“Oh? And tell me, how did that go?”
“About as well as you can imagine.”
Sukuna scoffed. “Surprised you’re even here to tell the tale.”
The path had begun to widen with the rivers of fire on both sides of you growing the further you wandered. You imagined you were moving closer to the caster of the domain, and despite the fact you could no longer sense a single cursed spirit, the pit in your stomach felt deeper than ever before.
“If it wasn’t for Hollow Wicker Basket, I wouldn’t be,” you replied halfheartedly as you continued to observe your surroundings, arm rising lazily to wipe away the sweat beads that had saturated your forehead.
“So you’re not completely useless.”
You completely disregarded his jab. “Can you not encounter whoever this domain belongs to in your own? This heat is miserable.”
“Deal with it.”
Off in the distance, you could see the walkway open up into some sort of room or chamber, likely one that housed your enemies. Yet as Sukuna continued to escort you closer, there was still no sign of anyone besides you or him.
The corners of your lips dipped downwards slightly as you picked up your pace, the extra exertion not aiding your body heat in the slightest. However, if Sukuna could catch a glimpse of whatever curse he wanted to see, perhaps you’d be free of the crushing atmosphere, if nothing else.
The rocky roof above opened up, wide and domed, soaring overhead while thirteen hallways surrounded all sides of the circular room. Those same pools of ever-burning, seemingly eternal flames lined the walls between the openings, and there was not a single cursed spirit in sight.
However, to your left, across the vast space, rested a familiar-looking altar, and lying flat upon its surface was a tantō.
It’s really here, was all you could think with bated breath.
Your feet moved, rushed and excited in its direction without a second thought. With arms extended, you reached out, and an amused huff could be heard from across the room as Sukuna began moving towards you. The footfall that followed was far more unhurried and restrained.
You grabbed it into your hands. It was unsheathed, a delicate silver blade and tsuba, both carved with designs resembling clouds and wind. The hilt was wrapped in a soft lilac, with those same silver designs and matching adornments peeking through the sleek silk.
That same feeling, the one that had coursed through you whenever you had first touched Suiryu, returned as similar sigils lit up with an unmistakable violet glow. The energy it emitted was similar, yet far different.
It felt not like a cursed object but as if it were a human sorcerer’s. Though, it was stronger — heavier — for one to behold.
“Tatsumaki,” Sukuna hummed as he grew close.
“That’s right. The scroll we had found along Suiryu called this one Tatsumaki, didn’t it?” You dropped your bag onto the floor, reaching down with one hand while the other held onto the hilt of Tatsumaki tight.
You freed Suiryu from where you had confined it, removing its scabbard and compared the two blades, eyes roaming the shared markings that glowed on each. A warm breath could be felt flooding against the crown of your head as Sukuna’s body crowded into yours, leaning down and trying to see what you were doing.
His body heat only made the already scorching air more insufferable, though you were so engrossed with the fact you held not one, but two, of the divine weapons in your hands, that you just didn’t have it in you to focus on his close proximity.
For a brief moment, you glanced over to the now-empty altar, no scabbard nor scroll in sight.
“Without a scroll, how am I supposed to know what Tatsumaki does?” You muttered more so to yourself than anyone else.
Hands slinked their way up on either side of you, one allowing its fingers to trace the back of your hand which held Tatsumaki, the other caressing the hand that held Suiryu.
“If all of the weapons are inspired by their respective Godai, we should probably take a look at Fu.” His voice was barely above a whisper as a third hand made its way to your waist. “You‘ve spent enough time studying that book, so enlighten me. What do you know of Fu?”
Your entire body went rigid at the contact, and Sukuna must’ve noticed because the grip he held on your abdomen was suddenly tightening.
“Fu is growth and expansion.”
The warmth of him coupled with the hell-like temperatures around you was nearly dizzying as you could feel his abdomen pressed flush against your back. It was clear that for whatever reason, he did not want you to move from his grasp.
“Tell me more.”
“Freedom of movement.”
His fourth and final hand found its way to your face, settling along your jawline as if it belonged there. The touch was gentle — mild in a way that was not of his usual nature. His thumb brushed the apple of your cheek as he let his index finger make its home amongst the corner of your lips. Three more fingers cradled your jaw, and despite everything — who the hand belonged to, the treacherous and mysterious domain you found yourselves in, the excess heat rapidly wearing you down — you found yourself leaning into his touch.
“Yes, but what part of the body is Fu connected to?”
“Breathing, of course. But also, Fu goes beyond being just air. It can represent our experiences and personalities. Knowledge, wisdom — these things that are stored in our minds.”
The smirk in his voice could practically be heard as he asked, “And what else is stored in one’s mind?”
“I— A lot of things, I suppose. But I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”
Suddenly he was spinning you around to face him, the movement so harsh that if it weren’t for his hands staking claim to your flesh, you likely would’ve fallen.
Your spine pressed into the altar as he pushed into you, his hand bringing yours forward, the tip of Tatsumaki’s blade pressing into his bare stomach.
“Well, don’t you want to see what it can do?” A disgustingly wicked grin was carved into his features as he mocked you, and you felt irritation begin to bubble up within you.
You jerked your arms back, putting as much space as possible between the blades and him.
“Have you lost your fucking mind?” You hissed. “We don’t know what that weapon is capable of and my end of the vow could’ve been broken had something happened to you!”
He ignored you, pulling your hand forward once more, though this time not near as close. The blade stopped just short of his body. “Come on, just do it already.”
You leaned back, ripping your arm from his grasp completely, allowing the wind weapon to clatter down behind you as you moved to sheathe Suiryu once more.
Your eyes quickly crawled up to his. All four brilliant irises tore into you, intensely reflecting the fire that surrounded you both. The flames danced among the pools of sanguine on his face as you held his stare.
“Sukuna, stop messing—“
A loud crack rang out as the world tilted on its axis. The pain was sharp and unyielding. Your surroundings morphed into a complete blur as your body went flying. The hard ground beneath you slammed into your face, and an immediate ache rang out from the sheer force of the collision.
A boisterous cackle echoed through the chamber, and likely the halls that surrounded it. The sound carried a distinct cruelty in it — something that could only belong to a man who had once been bestowed a title as imposing as the King of Curses.
Your vision was blurry with everything doubled as you struggled to focus, and whenever it did finally settle, you saw droplets of blood skewed about where you had landed.
Hand moving up to your face, you winced at the touch, a pathetic low whine tumbling out. There was no need to lay your eyes on it; you knew instantly something was broken to some degree.
How had he done it?
Your vow was far from completion. Two more weapons remained until you would have fulfilled your half of the deal, yet he had somehow found a loophole to nullify it.
A cough shook your body, and with it came crimson sputtering from your mouth. Your heart was pounding, adrenaline pumping through your veins at an unprecedented rate which served your rapidly overheating body no favors.
Your hands were empty now, both of the weapons leaving you during Sukuna’s strike. Eyes wandering desperately, Tatsumaki was unfortunately tucked between him and the altar, but Suiryu had been thrown to the opposite end of the room, nestled in an opening to one of the hallways.
That’s what you’d go for.
You tried to push yourself up whenever a hand suddenly wrapped itself around your ankle, and before you could even begin to pool your cursed energy there, it was yanking you towards him, tossing you like a lifeless doll back in front of the altar.
You landed with a thud, face throbbing as it took another hit against the dirt, and Sukuna stood over you, a devastatingly empty look settled deep onto his face. When he spoke, his tone was steeped in malice. “To answer the question, one’s cursed technique is stored in the mind.”
He reached down, pulling you up to your feet by your shirt, and you jumped at the opportunity. Wrapping your fingers around his arm, you pooled your cursed energy into them before letting it absorb into his own flesh.
“Ryo-“
Fingers invaded your mouth, forcing their way in and filling it in a way you couldn’t so much as mumble around him.
“If you can’t speak, you can’t activate that bothersome technique of yours.”
You thrashed wildly, lifting your legs and kicking into his abdomen. He jolted at the impact, but kept his hold on you tight.
“I suppose I could just take your tongue, though I’ve already decided I’ll allow you to die in dignity.”
Bastard.
Your teeth enclosed around him to the best of your ability, biting into his flesh with all of your jaw’s strength. He let out a low hiss, however, he didn’t so much as flinch as the metallic taste of blood soaked your mouth, rivulets of red coming from the corners.
Teeth grinding back and forth into his hand, your battered face cried out in misery, but you were relentless in your attempt. The room shifted, a high-pitched noise deafening you, drowning out Sukuna’s words as a throbbing pain bloomed at the back of your skull. He slammed your head into the altar a handful of times until the bite you had on him slackened.
Vision clouded, with bursts of lights like stars, you still tried to look about the room, and your eyes finally landed on Suiryu again. Nothing was more imperative than you making it over there — it was the only way you’d leave alive.
“Always looking to the distance, but never what sits right in front of you.” His voice was distorted, as if the two of you were submerged in water.
When you managed to cast your gaze back to Sukuna, and the blurring around the edges of him began to ease, you noticed the glimmering, silver blade he held, hovering over you.
“Whenever you’re as strong as I, the mere idea of you is enough to send others fleeing. People cowering in fear, trembling at the mention of my name alone. The power I carry is beyond most’s comprehension, the thing of legends and myths — something that would only belong to a god, and it is why I have been long revered as such. Humans cannot stand the idea of the unknown. In fact, they loathe it like no other. They seek out comparison, and if none is to be found, they will continue to try and try until they can’t any longer. For all of my life, there was only one thing my strength could parallel. Something so ferocious that it could strike down tragedy and ruin at a moment’s notice — a calamity of sorts and a fable you know all too well.”
Eyes widening at the realization, you tried to force words out around his intrusion of your mouth. They never came to fruition, and you couldn’t even say what they were, but you knew for certain that you were cursing him.
The position you found yourself in was mostly your doing, and you knew it with every fiber of your being. He had never once shied away from showing you his true nature. Within every lie he spun, there had been small truths left for you to unravel. Every act of treachery left behind a trail which might have ultimately guided you to the truth had you so much as given it another thought.
He was to blame for the deception, though you were to take the fall for blatantly allowing it to swallow you whole. Though now, despite your hand in your own downfall, you would continue to curse him for it all, refusing to relent until he inevitably drew the final breath from your lungs.
“They say one of them was of the wind. Tatsumaki, it was called. And this fabled weapon they whispered of was capable of sweeping up one’s cursed technique before bestowing it upon another.”
You lifted up your lower body, upper torso and head still pinned to the altar, in an attempt to kick him back, still squirming with only garbled noises coming from your lips. That’s why he had fought so desperately to keep you alive, generously healed every wound or injury no matter how minor, and stood by your side as you slept, even going as far as warming your body with his own flesh. He wanted to preserve your cursed technique in hopes of claiming it as his own.
A weapon with such a power should be impossible. Its existence alone defies the very nature of jujutsu sorcery, and if what he spoke of now was the truth, everything modern-day sorcerers spouted was unknowingly a lie. It’s the give and take — the push and pull — that weaves throughout sorcery, holding it all together. With those fundamentals gone, stripped bare, what remains?
Without another word, his hovering arm came down, eyes focused intently on yours as the blade moved upon you, though before it made contact, for just a brief moment, the downward motion stuttered, and instantaneously, his eyes widened at what he had done.
Sukuna hesitated.
And in that single second of hesitation when his resolve faltered, the tight grip he had on you did as well.
You wriggled free from him, knee slamming up into his groin with all the strength you could muster, and he doubled forward with a groan. There was no time to activate your technique; you had to acquire Suiryu.
Shoving him to the ground, you moved towards the tantō, feet carrying you nearly halfway before you felt it.
A searing in your neck as his cursed energy flared, and simultaneously, a disgusting squelching could be heard, accompanied by an earth-shattering pain.
You toppled to the ground, an ear-piercing scream bellowing from within you. Looking back, splatters of red surrounded you, and two deep cuts were engraved into the back of each of your legs. You scrambled to get up, but as soon as you rose to your knees, a foot was ramming into your back, forcing your return to the dirt.
Another pain, this one far more familiar, tore through you as that same foot stomped down on your calf, the bone beneath it crumbling away under the pressure like it was made of sand.
You wailed, curling in on yourself as the bone shattered. One arm extended out, grasping at nothing as you reached for the blade in your path. It was too far away, you knew that, but you were desperate.
Tears began to fall, clouding your already unstable eyesight, streaking down your face as you tried to crawl out from underneath him.
Sukuna rolled you on your back, your leg throbbing in pain as it was forced to move. You cried out again, not even attempting to bite back the sounds of pain emitting from you.
He stared down at you with indifference, nodding towards the pool of blood forming underneath your broken and bruised body. “I apologize. I truly did have every intention of leaving you in one piece.”
“Ryomen Sukuna,” you managed to spit out. “I hate you.”
“Your cursed energy is already in my body, and you’re free to speak, yet that’s what you choose?”
“My technique is not strong enough to cause you any long-term damage. I’ve known that since I was assigned this mission,” you forced out through your labored breaths. “It doesn’t matter what organ it’s targeting — even your brain. If someone’s reversed cursed technique is quick enough, it’ll be able to negate the damage as it’s occurring.”
He squatted down next to you, his hand hovering over the lower half of the leg he had just broken to bits, and it gave the slightest of trembles as he stared at the decimated limb. One so minute, you nearly missed the movement. Then he turned to look at you with all four of those fiery eyes, and you could’ve sworn in the reflection of his sins you caught a glimpse of remorse, which did nothing but fill you with an unfettered fury.
“After everything, you still don’t believe you’re a match for me. Utterly fucking pathetic.”
“Then take it! Take my fucking technique,” you seethed, pushing your torso up to face him. “But know this, it will not heal the gaping hole that resides within you. You can take and take and take until there is absolutely nothing left, but you will always be left wanting for more. That is your curse, Sukuna.”
“There is nothing in me to fill, and it is laughable for you of all people to suggest otherwise. Everything I have ever done has been for my enjoyment and pleasure, and that alone. I am not bound by the same pathetic chains as you rats.” His nostrils flared as he leaned in closer, a hand digging into the hilt of Tatsumaki so violently you figured any other tantō would’ve snapped in half.
“Lie all you want, but I know that feeling all too well.”
“You and I are not the same!”
“You said it yourself that I am like you, is it so terribly far-fetched to assume that you might be like me?”
“Enough!” He barked out, face contorting into a stark rage as a palm viciously twisted the fabric of your shirt. “Emotions of any kind are frivolous and worthless. They leak from humans’ bodies like a plague, infecting every facet of their meaningless lives.”
You could feel the tip of the blade press into your abdomen, though it was yet to penetrate your flesh.
“Let me impart you with one final wisdom,” he forced out through gritted teeth. “Those same emotions are the reason you’re in this mess. So stricken by an all-consuming fear, your sights have been set on a monster tucked away who never posed you any real threat. The monster one knows — the one that indulges in a meal with you, the one who climbs in your bed, the one who walks at your back — will always be more dangerous.”
“Is that so?”
Your breath caught in your throat at the sound of an unrecognizable voice, and Sukuna grew as still as a statue.
The two of you both looked upwards to the source of the light vocals, eyes meeting those of a stranger. Though they belonged not to a cursed spirit, but to a human man.
A sorcerer of some sort.
He donned robes that looked far outdated, but they were luxurious nonetheless. An outfit befitting a king or emperor — one that a seamstress would work tirelessly to craft, only for attendees to dress him with diligence and care.
Everything else about him was equally as radiant. Long, silky onyx hair fell straight down to his mid-back, while a small knot sat atop his head, held in place by a striking silver hairpin. His eyes were the shade of honey, gleaming from the distant flames as if they were pools of liquid gold.
A sharp jawline and a pair of soft, supple lips resting just above with skin as smooth as the finest silks. He was unlike anything you had ever seen. A being so devastatingly beautiful, it was incomprehensible that he could even be of this world. Even belonging to a man, a face so alluring was dangerous. Wars had been fought for far less. And if it weren’t for the presence he radiated, you would’ve never believed that it was just another human standing before you.
You imagined that had it been a different era, the poets would have penned elaborate and eloquent poems about him while artists would’ve flocked in droves in hopes of capturing even a fraction of his likeness. Had someone from the west caught a glimpse of him, marble statues would have been erected, likening him to some sort of angel from the heavens above.
Even through his beauty and the gracefulness he effortlessly exuded as he strolled closer, something was off about him. You had no reason to fear him. In fact, outwardly he looked kind. Far kinder than the beast that had just tore into you ravenously, still pressing a blade to your belly.
However, there was still this deep-rooted inexplicable feeling that you could not shake. And judging by the way his entire body remained stiffened, Sukuna felt it too.
Despite this, he still lashed out at the stranger, undeniably infuriated at his intrusion. He spat out, “And who are you?”
That same, smooth voice spoke once more, this time only uttering a single, terrifying word, “Kū.”
CW: Oral Sex (Fem Receiving), Vaginal Fingering, Male Masturbation
Series Masterlist
Early morning sun peeked through the shoji doors in your room and softly pulled you from your slumber. Eyes fluttering open, your vision adjusted to the light filtering in, and you rolled over, tugging the plush blanket that lay atop you with one of your hands.
A quiet yawn tumbled from your lips as you cast your gaze downward, eyes settling on the blue silk-wrapped scabbard your fingers desperately clutched onto. The ghost of a smile overtook your lips as the corners tugged up slightly.
One down and only three more to go.
Once all four were acquired, you would be free of the never-ending hell you had been subjected to the past few weeks, and Sukuna would be nothing more than an unpleasant memory.
Sukuna.
Your eyes widened, fingers curling tightly around Suiryu as you glanced around wildly. Your travel companion was nowhere to be found. He never strayed far from you, yet now you could not even sense his presence. The only thing you felt now was the weapon in your grip.
“Sukuna?” Your voice was meek as you called out, scrambling to stand and immediately heading towards the hallway.
You rounded the corner, bare feet slapping against the wooden floor as you picked up your pace. Where the hell was he?
“Sukuna?” You called out again, this time your voice a bit louder, head turning from side to side as the hallway interjected with another.
The kitchen. Maybe he’s in the kitchen.
You began to move once more, this time heading desperately towards the familiar doors. It wasn’t long until a flash of something in your periphery caught your full attention. A shadow, moving against the walls.
The way you moved was instinctive. Not a single thought was needed to compel you forward as you held your breath and slipped the scabbard from the tantō, allowing it to clatter beneath your feet as you swung around, the blade fully exposed.
In that split second, you realized it was not another shadow you were facing but a pair of seemingly human eyes. Dark pink and widened in fear, you recognized to whom they belonged, and if it weren’t for a hand, much larger than your own, wrapping itself around your wrist, the blade would’ve made devastating contact.
Uraume backed up instantaneously, and if you weren’t in such a frightened daze, you likely would’ve been more confused about why they had returned. Rather, you settled your eyes on the hand that still gripped you and followed it upwards until you were met with the man who was pulling you back into him, a grin making itself comfortable across his face.
“I didn’t imagine you would miss me so terribly already.” Another hand accompanied his mocking tone, slithering its way to your opposite shoulder as Sukuna’s eyes settled on the shadow that had originally spooked you, a look of knowing moving across his face for a moment.
“The girl is paranoid. Do try to announce your presence next time,” he stated plainly, now focused on Uraume.
“My apologies, master.” They dipped their head low before scurrying off in the direction in which you were originally headed.
“And you—“ The hand on your shoulder inched upwards slowly, gently rubbing against the base of your neck, prompting a chill to crawl up your spine at the sudden touch. “Need to mind your surroundings. I’d rather not have to peel my subordinate’s lifeless body from the floor this morning.”
“Why is Uraume back?”
His grin managed to double at the inquiry, and all four of his eyes lit up in a way you had never seen. “We have much to discuss. Come.”
For the first time since your meeting, you felt as if you were witnessing something akin to genuine happiness radiating from him. If the way he stroked your sensitive flesh didn’t make you recoil, the prospect of him feeling joy sure as hell did.
The sound of skin colliding with skin rang out as you slapped his hand away from you, backing up against the wall and away from him.
“Why are you in a good mood?”
Sukuna just sighed. “Would you rather I be in a foul one?”
“It’s far more fitting.”
“You were just running around in a frenzy calling out for me, and now you can’t even stand next to me. Your moods are as unpredictable as ever.”
He stepped towards you, reaching down to grab the scabbard you had let fall. “And to answer your question, Uraume brought news with them. One that I believe will solve the problems we’ve been having with those numbered curses.”
Your body stiffened as your pulse picked up slightly. “What? You found out something?”
“Not just something,” he practically purred as he slipped the tantō from your hand, sheathing it carefully before sliding it into the waist of your yukata. “I know where they are.”
An arm wrapped around you, ushering you down the hallway. “Come and we will discuss this over a meal.”
You didn’t resist in the slightest. Instead, you practically leaned into him as you continued forward and soon over the threshold into the kitchen.
Sounds of sizzling and metal clanking against metal could be heard as Uraume was angled over the stove, hard at work, undoubtedly prepping something in hopes to satiate Sukuna’s never-ending appetite. They glanced back at you, staring as if you were the monster in the room and not the hulking man at your side.
“Make her a plate too,” Sukuna demanded as he turned, leaning against the kitchen island.
“Don’t bother,” you tossed over your shoulder as you followed him.
“I told you, we’re having a meal.”
“You can have a meal; I’ll stand here and listen.”
“She’s eating,” he stated, eyes slipping past you and over to Uraume briefly before moving back to yours. “You don’t trust them to prepare your food.”
Your face fell into a scowl, prompting a smirk to form on his. From the moment you met, he’s always been able to read you like a book, and you’ve hated every second of it.
“Can you blame me? The vow we share covers you not harming me. It says nothing of your little friend.”
Steam wafted upwards in tendrils as a plate of the pork belly was slid in front of you. With no fluffy white grains underneath or so much as a pickled radish to accompany it, the meat stood alone.
“Certainly you know how valuable you are to me. Anyone who threatens that will pay a dreadful price, whether they’re a subordinate of mine or not.”
You suppose he did have a point.
You popped a piece in your mouth, chewing lightly before giving it a swallow. It was tender, the fat melting into your senses like butter. Very lightly seasoned, though to be expected given the era in which they originated from.
A dish was set in front of Sukuna, one with a portion roughly four times the size of yours, and with a polite bow of the head, Uraume was gone.
“So what—“
Your question was cut short as he reached forward, setting what appeared to be some sort of rock on the counter between you. The second his hand removed itself, the item began to jump and move wildly. It was a cursed tool of some kind, that much was certain. The energy that surrounded it flooded out the moment Sukuna was no longer able to mask it.
For just a moment, you froze, but of course he caught the way you stilled. He always did.
“Do you know what this is?”
“No.” You reached forward, grabbing onto it before it could tumble onto the floor. Fingers wrapping around it, you traced the rough, pointed edges. With a closer look, you could tell it wasn’t a rock, but rather a piece forged from iron. “Well, maybe. I honestly don’t know.”
The cursed energy it emitted felt vaguely familiar as it intertwined with your own. You couldn’t exactly place why. It was as if it were some sort of memory or dream, blurred around the edges, just out of reach no matter how hard you tried to remember it.
“However, it feels as if I should.”
“A cursed spirit by the name of Juu-ni provided it to Uraume and instructed them to give it to me. The direction in which it pulls will lead us straight to him.”
Juu-ni.
Twelve.
The thought alone made your stomach churn.
“And why would he do that?” Your fingers twirled the chunk of metal around as you continued to study it.
“He wants me to bring you to him. Why any of those curses want you is still a mystery, but he proposed a trade. Says he possesses one of the weapons we seek.”
Your eyes shot up to him instantly. “Are you kidding me?”
“Do you find me to be the humorous type?”
Your hands clenched fully around the cursed tool and felt as it pushed against your skin, pointing in the same direction as it had just moments prior. “How do they even know about them, let alone actually have one?”
Sukuna just shrugged, slipping a chunk of the pork between his lips. He responded between lazy chews, “Not sure. Perhaps they’ve known about them this entire time, and that’s why they’ve been targeting you. Maybe you piqued their interest in another form and they only know about the weapons due to following you, and this is nothing more than a trap to lure you out. Don’t know and honestly don’t care.”
“Did they say which one they had?”
“No.”
You pushed your own plate forward, appetite quickly diminishing, and your gaze lowered to the tantō tucked snugly in your waist. Absentmindedly, your free hand grazed the silk wrappings lightly.
Thoughts of blueish-grey flesh and a cold, detached voice, one that you wish so desperately you could forget, came back to you. The way he had uttered that he was not born from hatred the way most curses were. Rather, he was at one point a human himself.
That fact never sat well with you, and you could push it off all you’d like, allowing yourself to be distracted by your mission, but whether you complete it or not was irrelevant, because when everything was all said and done, you still had to deal with them.
There were supposedly ten remaining, and you knew you didn’t stand a chance against them. Though for someone like Sukuna, the task would be little more than an inconvenience. Where you struggled and fought desperately for your life against Roku and Go, he had remedied the situation within an instant.
They knew how powerful he was and steered clear of him at every possible turn. And now instead of trying to separate the two of you, they appeared to be attempting to recruit him as an ally.
Whether they had the weapon or not, you needed to grab hold of the opportunity and rid yourself of them once and for all. Sukuna needed you alive and had made it clear multiple times over he’d make sure you stayed that way. He wouldn’t think twice about exorcising them if you were in danger. With them willing to meet him face-to-face, the situation could work out in your favor. He could hopefully finish them all off at one time.
“Can we go?”
“You’re more willing than I expected.”
“I’m not sure I fully believe they have one of the weapons yet, but I do know they’ve been a thorn in our side.” You watched as he pushed his freshly emptied plate to the side with one of his lower arms before using the other to reach for your half-eaten one. “And if we take care of them now, we can get back to the objective at hand, and probably significantly quicker.”
He hummed plainly in response, offering up nothing of value while he gorged himself on your leftovers.
“If it’s alright with you, I’d like to leave today.”
He repeated the noise, paying you little mind, but you took the answer as an agreement.
“I’ll go ready myself. Once you’ve finished we can head out.” You turned on your heel, moving to head back to your room, though you paused in the doorway briefly. Turning back to look at him, you called out, “Hey, Sukuna.”
All four brilliant irises shot up to you.
“You’re not going to let them hurt me again, right?”
The words came out more like an admittance of something you had no desire to voice than an actual inquiry. Your tone was utterly pathetic, your eyes reflecting an emotion nearly indecipherable, though you knew he saw right through you. He always did.
“No.”
You nodded, believing him, and left.
————————————
The wind’s bite was bitter as it whipped around wildly, serving as a stark reminder that winter had yet to leave. Grey as far as the eye could see stretched overhead as a thick curtain of clouds covered the skies. Though he had no way to be certain, if Sukuna had to gamble, the threat of snowfall was imminent.
He glanced over to you, clad in a large, plush jacket, arms clutched tightly to your chest as a freshly lit cigarette dangled from your mouth.
The two of you left not long after your conversation and, after spending a few hours driving north, found yourselves in some remote mountain range. Your vehicle had taken the two of you as far as it could, and now you both stood partially up a mountain, the first of many in your shared path. He wasn’t quite sure how deep into them either of you would have to travel, though he did assume it would likely be an arduous journey for you considering the elements.
The piece of iron was wrapped tightly in one of his lower fists, attempting to guide him forward. Sukuna looked to you once more, and this time you returned his gaze. Your lips pressed into a thin, hard line while you attempted to hide your body’s involuntary shiver.
“Are you coming or not?”
You stared a moment longer, taking a deep inhale of the smoke before letting it waft out and be swept up by the roaring wind. A lame excuse of a smile took over your face, and you had that same sad look in your eyes. “I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
What a pitiful sight.
He stepped forward, off the worn concrete path and onto the dried, decaying grass, following the direction the cursed tool in his palm was guiding him. It wasn’t long until he heard a huff, and a lighter footfall joined. Angling his head to the side slightly, he watched through one of his lower eyes as you trailed him. Your gaze wandered between the rapidly burning cigarette you clutched tightly and the depressing sky above, but never settled on him.
Sukuna slowed, falling into a pace closer to you until you both walked side by side. Your fear was palpable, and you weren’t even trying to hide it anymore. Not that it would’ve mattered anyway. You could continue to dwell on those cursed spirits all you’d like.
While your sights were set far ahead on the monsters tucked away in the mountains, that lurked in the shadows, you failed to bear witness to the one who now walked beside you, arms just barely brushing. And that tipped the scales in his favor; it always had.
It was just as he had told you the evening prior: people fear what they cannot understand. You were no exception to that rule.
He could not fault you. You had suffered at the hands of those cursed spirits, and he could see why they were quite the unsettling bunch to someone not as strong as he. It was as if they were some sort of villain ripped from the pages of a storybook or an ancient folklore elders told the younger generations around a blazing fire on an especially dark and somber night. They had haunted you at every turn since that evening by the hot spring, whether you wanted to admit it or not.
The walk itself was largely silent, and grew increasingly difficult as the time passed. The landscape remained ever-changing through most of it. Between weaving through thick wooded areas and climbing up steep slopes, it was proving to be every bit as difficult as he had imagined.
Eventually the clouds above broke, allowing bright, alabaster tufts to fall. It began gradually, the soft snow slowly accumulating on the earth beneath, though as the hours slipped by, the snow grew far thicker and fell at an unprecedented pace.
You had begun to slow tremendously, and Sukuna, patient as ever, kept by your side the entire time. It would all be over soon, and he could not allow something as trivial as unsavory weather to come between him and what he desired.
He watched as your legs continued to sink deeper and deeper into the snow, your gait growing clumsy. Instinctively, one of his arms found its way to you, helping usher you forward, and though you’d never voice it, he could see you were thankful.
Looking up to the sky, he stared at the dark pools of clouds. They wouldn’t last forever, this much he knew, but they showed no sign of stopping for the time being. The two of you had made decent progress considering the conditions. He needed to seek out shelter for the remainder of the storm. You were no good to him frozen half to death.
It wasn’t long until he spotted an opening in a nearby rock formation, and with a gentle tug on your forearm, he was leading you straight to it. Luck was on his side, and the seemingly narrow opening widened into a shallow cave with plenty of room for two.
You pulled yourself from his grip, moving further inwards, away from the violent wind and piling snow. You tossed your bag to the side, then slid down against the rocky wall. Quick to bring your knees up, you allowed your chin to rest on them. It was no warmer, but you sought out the refuge regardless.
Sukuna squat down before you, fingertips sinking into your cheeks slightly. He let out a quiet huff, partially in amusement, partially in disbelief. It felt as if chunks of ice were under his touch, rather than actual human flesh.
“It must be a curse being so fragile.”
You just looked at him, with those same eyes, steeped in a melancholy the likes of which he probably hadn’t seen in over a millennia.
“I’ve never been fond of you ignoring me.” His voice was quieter than he intended for it to be. There was no anger, no malice, no demand. Just honesty. And it was perhaps some of the only honesty he’s ever shared with you.
“I have that feeling again. That dreadful, terrible feeling.” If his voice was quiet, yours was barely above a whisper. “They’re close by.”
“You were so eager to come earlier, but now you’re here and more frightened than ever.”
“It’s foolish, I know.” There was that lame smile of yours again. “I’m traveling with the strongest sorcerer to ever live, yet I’m so unnerved by those curses. I’m not even sure why I feel the way I do. Until recently, the night I met you actually, I never did.”
You reached one of your arms up, trailing against the nape of your neck and rubbing lightly against where that seal was unknowingly embedded deep in your skin.
“And now you wield one of the divine weapons. Something said to grant the power of a god, and you’re still acting like this. It’s beyond pathetic, even for you.”
He moved to the side of you, sitting against the wall in a similar fashion before glancing up to where you still blankly stared ahead.
“You need to rest.”
You nodded your head in agreement. “Probably.”
“Then lay down and close your goddamn eyes.”
Without another word, you followed his advice, scooting downwards without any protests or sharp retorts, and you turned on your side opposite to where he sat.
It grew quiet once more, though as the minutes began to blur, he could tell you were still fighting sleep. Sukuna resisted the urge to chastise you. Rather, he just let out an annoyed sigh, choosing to focus on the howling storm just feet away instead. The already darkened sky had begun to deepen as night approached when you finally broke the silence.
“It’s watching.”
He looked over to where you laid, curled up in the dirt, still as a statue.
His brows furrowed, a deep line settling between them as the corners of his lips began to dip downwards, contorting into the beginnings of a scowl. Before he could press you further, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of it. A shadow, standing not far off by the back wall, caught by the final shred of the day’s dying light. All it took was one glance from him, and it faded away.
Sukuna looked back to you, now propped up on an elbow, and just as the shadow dissipated, he watched as your entire body eased. Your face softened significantly as if a weight had been physically plucked from your shoulders.
How long had that shadow been trailing the two of you? Never once had he even noticed it, yet somehow you were conscious of it the entire time.
Though, he supposed it was all irrelevant anyway. No matter what fate awaited him come daybreak, those nuisances would be gone alongside it.
“One look from you was all it took for that thing to leave.” You laid back down, this time facing up at the ceiling, a hint of humor in your tone as you settled in.
“You did the exact same the first time we met.”
“Of course I did. It’s just as you said, being fragile is a curse.” You chose to roll over, then just a bit softer said, “I envy you.”
“And why’s that?”
“Your strength.”
Sukuna chuckled, giving you nothing more than the noncommittal noise as a response. He sat, fingers drumming against his own knee, occasionally looking over to where you lay. Though eventually, he found the want to say something more.
“You’re strong, remarkably so. You’ve just never properly utilized your technique. Though whether that’s your fault or another’s, I’m not sure.” His voice carried the sort of sincerity one would never expect to see come from him.
He wasn’t even sure where it came from himself, though he’d chalk it up to nothing more than a courtesy. It was likely your last night together, after all. But by the time he had let the words fall, you had long been asleep.
You were involuntarily curled in on yourself, arms wrapped tight as you attempted to keep warm. Though despite this, he knew your attempts were in vain, as occasionally your stillness would break with your body shivering ever so slightly.
A pitting feeling, one he did not know nor had any desire to explore, could be felt taking root deep in his viscera as he watched the gentle rise and fall of your chest. He could attempt to put a name to it, but it was all futile now. So instead he turned his head the opposite direction, slinking back against the rock, and let the cave walls hold whatever kindness he had offered to you. They would keep it, and with any luck, also the emotion that was threatening to claw its way up to his chest.
————————————
A warmth surrounded you on all sides. It was enticing and a vast deviation from the brutal cold you had endured not too long prior. Still half-asleep, your judgement was clouded, and you gave into the temptation of the heat. You leaned into it fully, nuzzling deeper into the feeling, but it wasn’t until your hand extended upwards, curling around another and instantly felt something shift beneath you that your eyes flew wide open and any sort of momentary comfort you felt was ripped from you.
Four red eyes, illuminated by a soft golden glow, bore down into yours, and it was then you realized the exact source of your warmth. You jumped back, scrambling to put any sort of distance between you and him as your body ached at the influx of freezing air that rushed around you.
Sukuna sat up fully, staring at you with an unreadable expression. Though judging by his silence, you imagined he was not pleased.
“I’m sorry,” you blurted out. “I didn’t—“
He stared at you for a beat longer before bursting into laughter. It ripped from his chest, echoing throughout the small area, and you could feel the embarrassment already building beneath your cheeks as he began to mock you. You looked to the side, unable to gaze at him after what had just occurred, instead focusing on the small fire nestled by the entrance that you presumed he built while you slept.
“Idiot,” he hissed. “Do you think I’d let you burrow into my side like that if I didn’t want you there?”
“Oh, I—“
You saw movement in your periphery, but before you could fully turn your head to him, you were being yanked forcefully back to where you had just laid. You stiffened as two of his arms slotted beneath you and your face made contact with his bare shoulder, the edges of the haori he wore partially covering you as if it were some sort of makeshift blanket.
“The temperature dropped significantly once night fell and you were freezing. The fire on its own was not enough to warm you, and unfortunately this was the most efficient solution.”
“I can just—“
“Forget it. You’re staying right here until I’m sure your frail body won’t succumb to hypothermia.”
“I see your foul mood has returned.”
“And so has your argumentative one.”
For whatever reason, you had unintentionally angered him. And you had no desire to bicker with him at the current moment, so until you left this forsaken place, you’d just try to keep to yourself to the best of your abilities.
You balled your fist up tightly, holding it close to your chest, attempting to only touch him where absolutely necessary as a deep-set frown carved its way across your features.
“I don’t know why you’re acting like that. You’re the one who was just trying to hold my hand.”
Your eyes crawled up to meet two of his. “I wasn’t trying to hold your hand. I was just trying to warm mine.“
He huffed, rolling the eyes you could see before glancing away entirely. Silence overtook the atmosphere once more, though this time, you found yourself unable to sleep. Sukuna was just as tense as you were, and his body was equally as uncomfortable as the ground beneath you.
Eventually you gave up and sat forward, prying your jacket from your body. It was counterproductive temperature-wise, but you’d just have to rely on Sukuna’s body heat for that. He showed no intention of letting you move aside, and you’d be able to use the winter wear as a pillow.
He watched intently as you bunched it up, laid it atop where his arm met his shoulder and rolled back into him before helping yourself to his haori, pulling it far more snug around you in an attempt to cover up the parts of you which your tank top left exposed.
Your leg brushed against his, and suddenly he was moving as if you had harmed him.
“Are you comfortable yet, you damn brat?”
“No,” you sighed.
You pulled your leg in slightly, knee grazing against the outside of his thigh, and once more, he was pulling away from you. For someone forcing you to use him for warmth, he sure as hell couldn’t stand to have you so much as brush against him.
Your lips parted slightly, a yawn tumbling from them before you could stop it, which was hopefully a sign sleep would find you soon. Not even a second later, you felt his abdomen shift, and a yawn, one much louder and deeper, than your own could be heard.
With widened eyes, you sat up, staring at the open maw that stretched across his stomach before glancing up at him and back down to it again.
Once the brief shock wore off, you could feel the corners of your lips begin to turn upwards. He had witnessed you yawn, but it was not the mouth on his face that followed suit, rather his secondary one.
It was strange, and though you’d never admit it, almost endearing in a way.
Sukuna must have witnessed the gleam in your eyes because his voice was as sharp as a razor when he spoke. “Don’t.”
“It can yawn?”
“It’s a fucking mouth. Of course it can yawn.”
You really did fight the urge to suppress it, but the tiniest of giggles managed to escape you as your grin widened. Your hand flew up, attempting to catch more, but the giggles spilt over, eventually turning into genuine laughter.
He stared at you, and if he wasn’t mad enough before, he certainly was now. A familiar burn in the nape of your neck could be felt as his energy began to bubble up. You imagined he likened your behavior to you taunting him, despite that being far from the truth.
“You know—“
A hand reached out, wrapping around your wrist tightly, and it began tugging you forward. “Do you not recall what happened the last time you began to inquire about my maw?”
Your smile dropped instantly as your gaze fell downward, because of course you did. You remembered that night all too well, every last second of it. Neither of you had ever fully addressed it, and the only time the evening’s events were brought up was if Sukuna wanted to antagonize you.
“You know, you don’t have to be so cruel about it.”
“I haven’t been cruel about it.”
Your eyes immediately shot back to him. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
He just stared at you indifferently.
“The act in itself was cruel, Sukuna!” You hissed, trying to pull yourself from his grip, but he refused to budge and held you firm.
“I think your perception of cruelty is skewed, and you have done nothing but blow it out of proportion.”
“You waited until I was drunk and seduced me in hopes of getting information out of me.” You pulled against him again, this time shifting your body weight in hopes you could break the hold. “In what world is that not a shitty thing to do?”
In the end, his strength was still greater than yours, as you not only failed to escape his touch, but he also yanked you forward fully, causing you to topple onto him.
“I didn’t seduce you. If I remember correctly, you were the one lying atop me, cunt soaking through to my abdomen, much like I assume you’d be doing now if not for the pants you’re wearing.”
“You—“
“And as far as you being intoxicated,” he began, leaning his head down closer towards you, cutting off whatever scathing retort you had readied on your tongue. “Well, that’s irrelevant. Even if you hadn’t been drinking, I’m entirely sure the situation would’ve played out the same.”
“Under no circumstance would I have done such a thing had I been in my right mind.”
“No?” One of his hands crawled up your bare arm, grazing against the goosebumps that had just begun forming. “I think that’s not the case. You’re like me in a way. Always reaching for something — anything — that’ll bring you pleasure. Our reasons may be different, but our appetite is the same. You’re just as much of a glutton as I.”
“I am nothing like you, Sukuna.” You flattened both of your hands against his chest and pushed yourself up, both knees on either side of him. As you inched backwards, you moved just a bit too far, and you felt something hard, unbearably so, right underneath you.
Your mouth fell open as his entire body twitched, and you knew instantly what you had touched. Instinctively, you jerked forward and off of the mass. You had only brushed against the tip, and that alone was far bigger than you could’ve ever imagined.
You held his stare, watching as his eyes scanned your face, though you were unsure why. All you knew is that you couldn’t pick apart what emotion they were displaying, though you rarely ever could.
After all he had done to you that night and in the following days. Humiliating you in the worst way only to consistently hold it over your head in an attempt to get a rise out of you. And now, here he was, all riled up solely from you lying at his side.
He likely did move you next to him to keep you warm. You fully believed that was his intention. Though at some point while you slept in such a close proximity, his body betrayed him. It certainly would explain his foul mood and the way you couldn’t so much as touch his leg just moments prior.
If you had any sound judgement in your body, you would roll over back where you were and try to absorb enough of his warmth to sleep through the remainder of the night, and if you had any sense of pride, it would be you repaying him by holding this against him for the foreseeable future.
But for some reason, you found you had no sense of either. Instead, your mind wandered somewhere it should have never gone as you struggled to get the way he had twitched under you out of your head.
He had pleasured you before — albeit briefly — but you never had the chance to return the favor, and as you stared down at him with your traitorous hands still planted firmly across his hot flesh, you couldn’t help but wonder what it’d be like. The thoughts alone, imagining the faces he’d make, and the noises you could potentially pull from him made a familiar pressure pool in your lower abdomen.
“You look lost in thought,” was all he said, as if it were him trying to skirt around the subject for once.
“And what if I am?”
He finally released his grip on you, and that same hand snaked its way up to your face, finger slipping underneath your chin. “Are you going to share?”
Unconsciously, you wet your lips. “Depends.”
He just hummed in response, eyes never faltering from you. Your fingers kneaded into his chest, and you found yourself leaning forward, getting dangerously close. Every fiber in your body screamed for you to get off of him. That this was nothing more than another heinous trick and it would backfire on you tremendously.
What a terrible, foolish mistake.
Despite this, you couldn’t bring yourself to stop. After the conversation the two of you had just shared, and everything he had just accused you of, all you would be doing is proving him right.
And as your lips hovered over his, with his breath hot on yours, you couldn’t help but wonder, “Is he?”
The hand still on your face halted you before you could grow any closer. “I will pleasure you, but I will not show you any sort of affection.”
He had refused to kiss you the first night as well, and at the time you took it as a rejection, but now you couldn’t care any less. His lips weren’t the part of him you desired anyway.
You swallowed before giving him a small nod.
His hands were unhurried as he moved, one popping open the button on your jeans while a second slipped eagerly underneath the thin fabric beneath them. You leaned your torso back slightly, giving him whatever room he needed, and the second his fingers were making contact with your clit, a whimper was escaping you.
He circled the bundle of nerves painstakingly slow as you were already struggling to keep your eyes open. They fluttered shut, and as he applied more pressure, it was your body jerking into his.
“What was it I just said about you being soaked?”
You didn’t need to see his face to know what expression it carried. It was a guarantee that obnoxious fucking smirk of his was there.
“I don’t think you have any room to—“
Your quip was cut short as a finger curled into you, your eyes flying back open, and of course, it was a toothy grin that met you. “Saying something?”
A second finger joined, sliding in with ease, and fuck, it felt better than you remembered. The movements were methodical and completely unlike what he had been willing to give you before. That night, the only thing on his mind had been gaining the insight he needed, but now you could tell this was nothing more than pure lust.
They continued thrusting with no rush, repeatedly curling upward just right, hitting that perfect spot every time. You wanted — no, needed — more from him.
Ryomen Sukuna was a far more patient man than you had ever given him credit for. Unfortunately you were unable to return the sentiment as you rolled your hips in a desperate attempt to take whatever you could. He hissed as you unintentionally brushed against the head of his cock once more, muttering something under his breath that you didn’t quite catch.
He stilled his fingers, pulling them out of you, and grabbed onto the hem of your underwear. “Take these off.”
You nodded, quick to shed the clothing on your bottom half.
The cold air colliding against your flesh served as a sobering reminder of where you were and what you were about to delve into. For a split second you paused, knowing the act you were soon to commit was not only reprehensible but something you would never return from.
One day, you would complete your mission, and Sukuna would be gone from this world once more, but what you did with him on this solemn winter night would forever remain a scar that would never fade.
And it was then, in spite of everything you knew about him and what he was, that you still chose to climb back on top of him. The only thought that remained was not “is he right?” but “would it be so terrible if he was?”
Before your skin could connect with his, he stopped you just shy of it, one hand grabbing onto either of your hips. You hovered over his torso, and he stared up at you with a look akin to something a predator would give its prey the moment before it sank its teeth in.
“Do you remember what I told you that night?”
“Everything.” Your reply came embarrassingly quick.
“I meant what I said.” Something firm and absolutely sopping wet suddenly slid across your swollen clit. Both of your hands flew down to either side of his abdomen, desperate for any sort of stability as you tried to bite back a moan, failing miserably.
“I really have wondered about how you might taste.”
That massive, unnatural tongue he housed in his stomach lapped at you again, this time actually focusing in one spot rather than just a quick swipe. It was unrelenting as it massaged into your clit, and you couldn’t even bring yourself to look down at it or Sukuna as your nails dug into his side harshly.
“But when I asked you, all you did was nod.” Suddenly the muscle moved back and both of Sukuna’s hands were forcing you down hard, the tongue in its entirety barreling into your cunt.
Your eyes widened at the intrusion, your body immediately flying forward, grabbing onto him. The noises that left you were shameful as you buried your flushed face into his chest.
“Thanks to that, I had to find out for myself.”
He kept talking, rambling even, and perhaps you would’ve actually enjoyed what he was saying if you weren’t absolutely enraptured by the way his tongue was moving.
It was indescribable, and you were certain you’d never feel a pleasure like it again. It twisted its tip, licking inside of you, kissing your womb’s entrance eagerly, and all you could do was let out muffled cries into Sukuna’s chest.
You felt his two right arms shift around you as you continued to be consumed from the inside out by his lower mouth. It wasn’t until you felt his shoulders move at a steady pace and heard a couple of low grunts under his breath that you realized what was occurring.
He’s pleasuring himself.
The realization had you melting into him, cunt instinctively clenching around the tongue as you extended your neck upwards slightly to catch sight of his face. All four eyes were closed tightly and rough lines were formed between his brows as another groan, one so low you almost missed it, fell from his slightly ajar lips.
Surprisingly, you found a pang of bravery in you, and before you knew it, you were leaning forward and brazenly biting down on the base of his neck.
He grunted, and the act was not lost on him as you felt both arms pick up speed, all of his eyes somehow clenched even tighter than before.
You found yourself curious. What was he even using the two hands down there for anyways that had him in so much ecstasy? And even more so than that, what did he look like?
Giving his neck one final bite, you allowed your tongue to lick the teeth marks you left behind gingerly before sitting up, tilting your head in hopes to see him — all of him. Before you could so much as get a glance, you felt the tongue, still lapping at your insides, begin to thrust up wildly.
Your body stuttered at the change of pace and fell back into him. Sukuna’s third hand soon found its way to your neglected clit. His eyes were open now, gaze focused on you with no intention of letting up, and when you attempted to shatter it, his fourth and final hand moved to your face, forcing you to look up at him.
“You’re close, and when it happens, I want you right here, looking at me, knowing that it was me who gave it to you.”
You weren’t sure if it was his ego, cruel and unyielding, wanting you to always remember this depraved moment or if it was his constant need to make you feel small, but regardless, even if he’d allow you to look away now, your eyes likely would’ve found their way back to his at some point.
Staring into them, intense, half-lidded pools of darkened ruby, felt as if you were staring into a fire, and you knew it then that Sukuna was going to end up burning you. And you’d let him. If nothing more than in the name of physical pleasure alone, you’d let him set you ablaze. You’d allow the flames consume you whole and burn you to ash, because now more so than ever, his words held true.
You were like him. Maybe not in your entirety. How could you be, after all? You could not bring yourself to even fathom half of the monstrosities he’s committed. But there were pieces — unmistakably human pieces of him — beyond the calamity all of history had grown to know him as, and those pieces were in you too.
He was every bit human as you. A terrible one surely, but a human nonetheless. And those small shreds of humanity — of weakness — linked you together now in your shared moment of shamelessness in some damp, frozen cave.
He was right — as always. You were close, unbelievably so. Between his hand, roughly rubbing your clit, and the tongue still pushing in and out of you at an unprecedented pace, your orgasm didn’t take long to build.
There was no easing into it or anticipation. It came crashing down all at once, explosive in manner and all-consuming, just like Sukuna.
It swallowed you whole. With legs trembling, your cunt tightening, and strings of moans pouring from your mouth, you must’ve cried out his name a handful of times. You managed to fight the urge to close your eyes or throw your head back, instead you just stared into him — into the flames that danced upon his irises the entire time.
You began to grind your hips against him, attempting to take every last bit of both hand and tongue, as you rode out the remainder of your peak. You milked every drop of ecstasy he gave you.
Eventually the pleasure morphed into pain as you grew sensitive with your lower body now overstimulated and aching. He was quick to catch the hint, with his hand leaving your clit, and the tongue inside you remaining but no longer moving.
All that remained now was that he reached his peak as well, and suddenly you felt a small flash of red-hot jealousy seer through you, because for a split second, you found yourself wishing that it was you providing him the pleasure he sought. That it was your fucked-out cunt wrapped tightly around his cock, sliding up and down rapidly, clenching and pulsating, feverishly chasing his release rather than his own hands.
You knew he wouldn’t let you, not right now at least. He wouldn’t even let you catch sight of him for whatever reason, so instead you did what little you could.
“Sukuna.”
He just grunted out an acknowledgment, still working hard on himself.
Your voice was soft as it spoke, “I wish you’d let me taste you too.”
It wasn’t sultry in the slightest. Rather, sounded more like a quiet confession, and that was his undoing. He half-choked back a groan, hips jerking upwards, and you felt something hot and thick splatter forcefully up your back.
His release continued and as it spilled onto you, you couldn’t even comprehend how so much could spill from a single cock. By the time he finished, you just sat there, his tongue still inside your soaked and stretched cunt, eyes never leaving one another.
You found yourself wishing the illusion would shatter. In fact, it’d be significantly easier. But that moment of clarity one usually receives after a high has been achieved never arrived. There was no shame or embarrassment or rationale to be found in your brain. Rather, it was nothing more than the unbridled desire for more.
Just as he said — always reaching for something.
Eventually, and reluctantly, you willed yourself to lift off of him, settling onto your knees by his side. You pulled your tank top off the remainder of the way, tossing it towards him as you faced the opposite direction.
“Wipe it up,” was all you said.
He followed the instruction silently and diligently, without a single quip.
“Hey, Sukuna.”
“What?” His voice was low.
“You were right about me,” you practically murmured as you felt the cotton roll over the sticky substance on your back. “I just did something that went against all my morals and common sense for a single moment of pleasure. It’ll likely haunt me for the remainder of my life, and I know that one day I will grow to resent it. But even knowing all of this, I would still choose to do it again no matter what consequences will inevitably bleed from it.”
“You are like me. However, you are not me, and solely because you climbed into bed with me does not mean your morals have dissolved.”
You angled your head slightly to peer at his face. The statement almost seemed kind if you overlooked the sudden harsh tone he took on, uncharacteristically so.
“I’m not seeking comfort or reassurance. I just can’t help but wonder—“ You paused as you met one of his eyes. “Why is it such a bad thing to begin with?”
Your back was soon free from any remnants of him, and your shirt was being tossed onto the ground next to you. He sat up on his knees and leaned over top of you, a thumb caressing your bottom lip.
“You tell me,” he muttered, prying your mouth open, his index finger slipping in with ease.
A saltiness flooded your senses, and that’s when you realized what it was he had placed on your tongue.
You told him you wanted to taste him.
Instantly closing your mouth around him, you sucked every last bit from his finger, your own tongue swirling around it as if you had never consumed anything a day in your life. You felt that feeling in your abdomen once more. The parts of you still sore from your climax, now ached for an entirely new reason.
It reflected in his eyes for a moment. The consideration was fleeting, but it was still there. Ultimately he must have decided against it, because he was soon pulling his hand from your lips with a scoff.
“A greedy little thing. Somehow even more than me.”
“I might be.”
“Get dressed, and try to keep warm. I’ll be back shortly.” He stood up, gesturing towards the fast-dwindling fire.
You had been so entranced by him, you hadn’t even noticed the fading light. It had been small to begin with, but now it was nothing more than a few dying embers crackling pathetically.
His back faded from view into the cold night and soon completely from your sight entirely. The loss of his presence was felt immediately, like a gaping hole left behind that you couldn’t bear to conceive.
And you began to feel a nasty emotion blossom in your chest. It was still neither the shame nor regret you expected to feel for the sinful act you had just indulged in. Either of those would have been far more welcomed. Rather, as you sat in witness to the last remaining spark the fire provided, it was worry that flooded you.
The flames you felt, what if they didn’t ravage you but instead would burn out completely?
sanguine chapter twenty will come significantly faster than nineteen did. ever since i first began this fic, chapter twenty is the one single chapter that i have wanted to write more than anything. everything is planned out and there’s no room for deviation like i normally give myself during my writing process. also little bits and pieces are already written out. chapter twenty-one will be released after that and then likely i’ll drop chapter three of sweetest sin.
CW: Oral Sex (Fem Receiving), Vaginal Fingering, Male Masturbation
Series Masterlist
Early morning sun peeked through the shoji doors in your room and softly pulled you from your slumber. Eyes fluttering open, your vision adjusted to the light filtering in, and you rolled over, tugging the plush blanket that lay atop you with one of your hands.
A quiet yawn tumbled from your lips as you cast your gaze downward, eyes settling on the blue silk-wrapped scabbard your fingers desperately clutched onto. The ghost of a smile overtook your lips as the corners tugged up slightly.
One down and only three more to go.
Once all four were acquired, you would be free of the never-ending hell you had been subjected to the past few weeks, and Sukuna would be nothing more than an unpleasant memory.
Sukuna.
Your eyes widened, fingers curling tightly around Suiryu as you glanced around wildly. Your travel companion was nowhere to be found. He never strayed far from you, yet now you could not even sense his presence. The only thing you felt now was the weapon in your grip.
“Sukuna?” Your voice was meek as you called out, scrambling to stand and immediately heading towards the hallway.
You rounded the corner, bare feet slapping against the wooden floor as you picked up your pace. Where the hell was he?
“Sukuna?” You called out again, this time your voice a bit louder, head turning from side to side as the hallway interjected with another.
The kitchen. Maybe he’s in the kitchen.
You began to move once more, this time heading desperately towards the familiar doors. It wasn’t long until a flash of something in your periphery caught your full attention. A shadow, moving against the walls.
The way you moved was instinctive. Not a single thought was needed to compel you forward as you held your breath and slipped the scabbard from the tantō, allowing it to clatter beneath your feet as you swung around, the blade fully exposed.
In that split second, you realized it was not another shadow you were facing but a pair of seemingly human eyes. Dark pink and widened in fear, you recognized to whom they belonged, and if it weren’t for a hand, much larger than your own, wrapping itself around your wrist, the blade would’ve made devastating contact.
Uraume backed up instantaneously, and if you weren’t in such a frightened daze, you likely would’ve been more confused about why they had returned. Rather, you settled your eyes on the hand that still gripped you and followed it upwards until you were met with the man who was pulling you back into him, a grin making itself comfortable across his face.
“I didn’t imagine you would miss me so terribly already.” Another hand accompanied his mocking tone, slithering its way to your opposite shoulder as Sukuna’s eyes settled on the shadow that had originally spooked you, a look of knowing moving across his face for a moment.
“The girl is paranoid. Do try to announce your presence next time,” he stated plainly, now focused on Uraume.
“My apologies, master.” They dipped their head low before scurrying off in the direction in which you were originally headed.
“And you—“ The hand on your shoulder inched upwards slowly, gently rubbing against the base of your neck, prompting a chill to crawl up your spine at the sudden touch. “Need to mind your surroundings. I’d rather not have to peel my subordinate’s lifeless body from the floor this morning.”
“Why is Uraume back?”
His grin managed to double at the inquiry, and all four of his eyes lit up in a way you had never seen. “We have much to discuss. Come.”
For the first time since your meeting, you felt as if you were witnessing something akin to genuine happiness radiating from him. If the way he stroked your sensitive flesh didn’t make you recoil, the prospect of him feeling joy sure as hell did.
The sound of skin colliding with skin rang out as you slapped his hand away from you, backing up against the wall and away from him.
“Why are you in a good mood?”
Sukuna just sighed. “Would you rather I be in a foul one?”
“It’s far more fitting.”
“You were just running around in a frenzy calling out for me, and now you can’t even stand next to me. Your moods are as unpredictable as ever.”
He stepped towards you, reaching down to grab the scabbard you had let fall. “And to answer your question, Uraume brought news with them. One that I believe will solve the problems we’ve been having with those numbered curses.”
Your body stiffened as your pulse picked up slightly. “What? You found out something?”
“Not just something,” he practically purred as he slipped the tantō from your hand, sheathing it carefully before sliding it into the waist of your yukata. “I know where they are.”
An arm wrapped around you, ushering you down the hallway. “Come and we will discuss this over a meal.”
You didn’t resist in the slightest. Instead, you practically leaned into him as you continued forward and soon over the threshold into the kitchen.
Sounds of sizzling and metal clanking against metal could be heard as Uraume was angled over the stove, hard at work, undoubtedly prepping something in hopes to satiate Sukuna’s never-ending appetite. They glanced back at you, staring as if you were the monster in the room and not the hulking man at your side.
“Make her a plate too,” Sukuna demanded as he turned, leaning against the kitchen island.
“Don’t bother,” you tossed over your shoulder as you followed him.
“I told you, we’re having a meal.”
“You can have a meal; I’ll stand here and listen.”
“She’s eating,” he stated, eyes slipping past you and over to Uraume briefly before moving back to yours. “You don’t trust them to prepare your food.”
Your face fell into a scowl, prompting a smirk to form on his. From the moment you met, he’s always been able to read you like a book, and you’ve hated every second of it.
“Can you blame me? The vow we share covers you not harming me. It says nothing of your little friend.”
Steam wafted upwards in tendrils as a plate of the pork belly was slid in front of you. With no fluffy white grains underneath or so much as a pickled radish to accompany it, the meat stood alone.
“Certainly you know how valuable you are to me. Anyone who threatens that will pay a dreadful price, whether they’re a subordinate of mine or not.”
You suppose he did have a point.
You popped a piece in your mouth, chewing lightly before giving it a swallow. It was tender, the fat melting into your senses like butter. Very lightly seasoned, though to be expected given the era in which they originated from.
A dish was set in front of Sukuna, one with a portion roughly four times the size of yours, and with a polite bow of the head, Uraume was gone.
“So what—“
Your question was cut short as he reached forward, setting what appeared to be some sort of rock on the counter between you. The second his hand removed itself, the item began to jump and move wildly. It was a cursed tool of some kind, that much was certain. The energy that surrounded it flooded out the moment Sukuna was no longer able to mask it.
For just a moment, you froze, but of course he caught the way you stilled. He always did.
“Do you know what this is?”
“No.” You reached forward, grabbing onto it before it could tumble onto the floor. Fingers wrapping around it, you traced the rough, pointed edges. With a closer look, you could tell it wasn’t a rock, but rather a piece forged from iron. “Well, maybe. I honestly don’t know.”
The cursed energy it emitted felt vaguely familiar as it intertwined with your own. You couldn’t exactly place why. It was as if it were some sort of memory or dream, blurred around the edges, just out of reach no matter how hard you tried to remember it.
“However, it feels as if I should.”
“A cursed spirit by the name of Juu-ni provided it to Uraume and instructed them to give it to me. The direction in which it pulls will lead us straight to him.”
Juu-ni.
Twelve.
The thought alone made your stomach churn.
“And why would he do that?” Your fingers twirled the chunk of metal around as you continued to study it.
“He wants me to bring you to him. Why any of those curses want you is still a mystery, but he proposed a trade. Says he possesses one of the weapons we seek.”
Your eyes shot up to him instantly. “Are you kidding me?”
“Do you find me to be the humorous type?”
Your hands clenched fully around the cursed tool and felt as it pushed against your skin, pointing in the same direction as it had just moments prior. “How do they even know about them, let alone actually have one?”
Sukuna just shrugged, slipping a chunk of the pork between his lips. He responded between lazy chews, “Not sure. Perhaps they’ve known about them this entire time, and that’s why they’ve been targeting you. Maybe you piqued their interest in another form and they only know about the weapons due to following you, and this is nothing more than a trap to lure you out. Don’t know and honestly don’t care.”
“Did they say which one they had?”
“No.”
You pushed your own plate forward, appetite quickly diminishing, and your gaze lowered to the tantō tucked snugly in your waist. Absentmindedly, your free hand grazed the silk wrappings lightly.
Thoughts of blueish-grey flesh and a cold, detached voice, one that you wish so desperately you could forget, came back to you. The way he had uttered that he was not born from hatred the way most curses were. Rather, he was at one point a human himself.
That fact never sat well with you, and you could push it off all you’d like, allowing yourself to be distracted by your mission, but whether you complete it or not was irrelevant, because when everything was all said and done, you still had to deal with them.
There were supposedly ten remaining, and you knew you didn’t stand a chance against them. Though for someone like Sukuna, the task would be little more than an inconvenience. Where you struggled and fought desperately for your life against Roku and Go, he had remedied the situation within an instant.
They knew how powerful he was and steered clear of him at every possible turn. And now instead of trying to separate the two of you, they appeared to be attempting to recruit him as an ally.
Whether they had the weapon or not, you needed to grab hold of the opportunity and rid yourself of them once and for all. Sukuna needed you alive and had made it clear multiple times over he’d make sure you stayed that way. He wouldn’t think twice about exorcising them if you were in danger. With them willing to meet him face-to-face, the situation could work out in your favor. He could hopefully finish them all off at one time.
“Can we go?”
“You’re more willing than I expected.”
“I’m not sure I fully believe they have one of the weapons yet, but I do know they’ve been a thorn in our side.” You watched as he pushed his freshly emptied plate to the side with one of his lower arms before using the other to reach for your half-eaten one. “And if we take care of them now, we can get back to the objective at hand, and probably significantly quicker.”
He hummed plainly in response, offering up nothing of value while he gorged himself on your leftovers.
“If it’s alright with you, I’d like to leave today.”
He repeated the noise, paying you little mind, but you took the answer as an agreement.
“I’ll go ready myself. Once you’ve finished we can head out.” You turned on your heel, moving to head back to your room, though you paused in the doorway briefly. Turning back to look at him, you called out, “Hey, Sukuna.”
All four brilliant irises shot up to you.
“You’re not going to let them hurt me again, right?”
The words came out more like an admittance of something you had no desire to voice than an actual inquiry. Your tone was utterly pathetic, your eyes reflecting an emotion nearly indecipherable, though you knew he saw right through you. He always did.
“No.”
You nodded, believing him, and left.
————————————
The wind’s bite was bitter as it whipped around wildly, serving as a stark reminder that winter had yet to leave. Grey as far as the eye could see stretched overhead as a thick curtain of clouds covered the skies. Though he had no way to be certain, if Sukuna had to gamble, the threat of snowfall was imminent.
He glanced over to you, clad in a large, plush jacket, arms clutched tightly to your chest as a freshly lit cigarette dangled from your mouth.
The two of you left not long after your conversation and, after spending a few hours driving north, found yourselves in some remote mountain range. Your vehicle had taken the two of you as far as it could, and now you both stood partially up a mountain, the first of many in your shared path. He wasn’t quite sure how deep into them either of you would have to travel, though he did assume it would likely be an arduous journey for you considering the elements.
The piece of iron was wrapped tightly in one of his lower fists, attempting to guide him forward. Sukuna looked to you once more, and this time you returned his gaze. Your lips pressed into a thin, hard line while you attempted to hide your body’s involuntary shiver.
“Are you coming or not?”
You stared a moment longer, taking a deep inhale of the smoke before letting it waft out and be swept up by the roaring wind. A lame excuse of a smile took over your face, and you had that same sad look in your eyes. “I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
What a pitiful sight.
He stepped forward, off the worn concrete path and onto the dried, decaying grass, following the direction the cursed tool in his palm was guiding him. It wasn’t long until he heard a huff, and a lighter footfall joined. Angling his head to the side slightly, he watched through one of his lower eyes as you trailed him. Your gaze wandered between the rapidly burning cigarette you clutched tightly and the depressing sky above, but never settled on him.
Sukuna slowed, falling into a pace closer to you until you both walked side by side. Your fear was palpable, and you weren’t even trying to hide it anymore. Not that it would’ve mattered anyway. You could continue to dwell on those cursed spirits all you’d like.
While your sights were set far ahead on the monsters tucked away in the mountains, that lurked in the shadows, you failed to bear witness to the one who now walked beside you, arms just barely brushing. And that tipped the scales in his favor; it always had.
It was just as he had told you the evening prior: people fear what they cannot understand. You were no exception to that rule.
He could not fault you. You had suffered at the hands of those cursed spirits, and he could see why they were quite the unsettling bunch to someone not as strong as he. It was as if they were some sort of villain ripped from the pages of a storybook or an ancient folklore elders told the younger generations around a blazing fire on an especially dark and somber night. They had haunted you at every turn since that evening by the hot spring, whether you wanted to admit it or not.
The walk itself was largely silent, and grew increasingly difficult as the time passed. The landscape remained ever-changing through most of it. Between weaving through thick wooded areas and climbing up steep slopes, it was proving to be every bit as difficult as he had imagined.
Eventually the clouds above broke, allowing bright, alabaster tufts to fall. It began gradually, the soft snow slowly accumulating on the earth beneath, though as the hours slipped by, the snow grew far thicker and fell at an unprecedented pace.
You had begun to slow tremendously, and Sukuna, patient as ever, kept by your side the entire time. It would all be over soon, and he could not allow something as trivial as unsavory weather to come between him and what he desired.
He watched as your legs continued to sink deeper and deeper into the snow, your gait growing clumsy. Instinctively, one of his arms found its way to you, helping usher you forward, and though you’d never voice it, he could see you were thankful.
Looking up to the sky, he stared at the dark pools of clouds. They wouldn’t last forever, this much he knew, but they showed no sign of stopping for the time being. The two of you had made decent progress considering the conditions. He needed to seek out shelter for the remainder of the storm. You were no good to him frozen half to death.
It wasn’t long until he spotted an opening in a nearby rock formation, and with a gentle tug on your forearm, he was leading you straight to it. Luck was on his side, and the seemingly narrow opening widened into a shallow cave with plenty of room for two.
You pulled yourself from his grip, moving further inwards, away from the violent wind and piling snow. You tossed your bag to the side, then slid down against the rocky wall. Quick to bring your knees up, you allowed your chin to rest on them. It was no warmer, but you sought out the refuge regardless.
Sukuna squat down before you, fingertips sinking into your cheeks slightly. He let out a quiet huff, partially in amusement, partially in disbelief. It felt as if chunks of ice were under his touch, rather than actual human flesh.
“It must be a curse being so fragile.”
You just looked at him, with those same eyes, steeped in a melancholy the likes of which he probably hadn’t seen in over a millennia.
“I’ve never been fond of you ignoring me.” His voice was quieter than he intended for it to be. There was no anger, no malice, no demand. Just honesty. And it was perhaps some of the only honesty he’s ever shared with you.
“I have that feeling again. That dreadful, terrible feeling.” If his voice was quiet, yours was barely above a whisper. “They’re close by.”
“You were so eager to come earlier, but now you’re here and more frightened than ever.”
“It’s foolish, I know.” There was that lame smile of yours again. “I’m traveling with the strongest sorcerer to ever live, yet I’m so unnerved by those curses. I’m not even sure why I feel the way I do. Until recently, the night I met you actually, I never did.”
You reached one of your arms up, trailing against the nape of your neck and rubbing lightly against where that seal was unknowingly embedded deep in your skin.
“And now you wield one of the divine weapons. Something said to grant the power of a god, and you’re still acting like this. It’s beyond pathetic, even for you.”
He moved to the side of you, sitting against the wall in a similar fashion before glancing up to where you still blankly stared ahead.
“You need to rest.”
You nodded your head in agreement. “Probably.”
“Then lay down and close your goddamn eyes.”
Without another word, you followed his advice, scooting downwards without any protests or sharp retorts, and you turned on your side opposite to where he sat.
It grew quiet once more, though as the minutes began to blur, he could tell you were still fighting sleep. Sukuna resisted the urge to chastise you. Rather, he just let out an annoyed sigh, choosing to focus on the howling storm just feet away instead. The already darkened sky had begun to deepen as night approached when you finally broke the silence.
“It’s watching.”
He looked over to where you laid, curled up in the dirt, still as a statue.
His brows furrowed, a deep line settling between them as the corners of his lips began to dip downwards, contorting into the beginnings of a scowl. Before he could press you further, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of it. A shadow, standing not far off by the back wall, caught by the final shred of the day’s dying light. All it took was one glance from him, and it faded away.
Sukuna looked back to you, now propped up on an elbow, and just as the shadow dissipated, he watched as your entire body eased. Your face softened significantly as if a weight had been physically plucked from your shoulders.
How long had that shadow been trailing the two of you? Never once had he even noticed it, yet somehow you were conscious of it the entire time.
Though, he supposed it was all irrelevant anyway. No matter what fate awaited him come daybreak, those nuisances would be gone alongside it.
“One look from you was all it took for that thing to leave.” You laid back down, this time facing up at the ceiling, a hint of humor in your tone as you settled in.
“You did the exact same the first time we met.”
“Of course I did. It’s just as you said, being fragile is a curse.” You chose to roll over, then just a bit softer said, “I envy you.”
“And why’s that?”
“Your strength.”
Sukuna chuckled, giving you nothing more than the noncommittal noise as a response. He sat, fingers drumming against his own knee, occasionally looking over to where you lay. Though eventually, he found the want to say something more.
“You’re strong, remarkably so. You’ve just never properly utilized your technique. Though whether that’s your fault or another’s, I’m not sure.” His voice carried the sort of sincerity one would never expect to see come from him.
He wasn’t even sure where it came from himself, though he’d chalk it up to nothing more than a courtesy. It was likely your last night together, after all. But by the time he had let the words fall, you had long been asleep.
You were involuntarily curled in on yourself, arms wrapped tight as you attempted to keep warm. Though despite this, he knew your attempts were in vain, as occasionally your stillness would break with your body shivering ever so slightly.
A pitting feeling, one he did not know nor had any desire to explore, could be felt taking root deep in his viscera as he watched the gentle rise and fall of your chest. He could attempt to put a name to it, but it was all futile now. So instead he turned his head the opposite direction, slinking back against the rock, and let the cave walls hold whatever kindness he had offered to you. They would keep it, and with any luck, also the emotion that was threatening to claw its way up to his chest.
————————————
A warmth surrounded you on all sides. It was enticing and a vast deviation from the brutal cold you had endured not too long prior. Still half-asleep, your judgement was clouded, and you gave into the temptation of the heat. You leaned into it fully, nuzzling deeper into the feeling, but it wasn’t until your hand extended upwards, curling around another and instantly felt something shift beneath you that your eyes flew wide open and any sort of momentary comfort you felt was ripped from you.
Four red eyes, illuminated by a soft golden glow, bore down into yours, and it was then you realized the exact source of your warmth. You jumped back, scrambling to put any sort of distance between you and him as your body ached at the influx of freezing air that rushed around you.
Sukuna sat up fully, staring at you with an unreadable expression. Though judging by his silence, you imagined he was not pleased.
“I’m sorry,” you blurted out. “I didn’t—“
He stared at you for a beat longer before bursting into laughter. It ripped from his chest, echoing throughout the small area, and you could feel the embarrassment already building beneath your cheeks as he began to mock you. You looked to the side, unable to gaze at him after what had just occurred, instead focusing on the small fire nestled by the entrance that you presumed he built while you slept.
“Idiot,” he hissed. “Do you think I’d let you burrow into my side like that if I didn’t want you there?”
“Oh, I—“
You saw movement in your periphery, but before you could fully turn your head to him, you were being yanked forcefully back to where you had just laid. You stiffened as two of his arms slotted beneath you and your face made contact with his bare shoulder, the edges of the haori he wore partially covering you as if it were some sort of makeshift blanket.
“The temperature dropped significantly once night fell and you were freezing. The fire on its own was not enough to warm you, and unfortunately this was the most efficient solution.”
“I can just—“
“Forget it. You’re staying right here until I’m sure your frail body won’t succumb to hypothermia.”
“I see your foul mood has returned.”
“And so has your argumentative one.”
For whatever reason, you had unintentionally angered him. And you had no desire to bicker with him at the current moment, so until you left this forsaken place, you’d just try to keep to yourself to the best of your abilities.
You balled your fist up tightly, holding it close to your chest, attempting to only touch him where absolutely necessary as a deep-set frown carved its way across your features.
“I don’t know why you’re acting like that. You’re the one who was just trying to hold my hand.”
Your eyes crawled up to meet two of his. “I wasn’t trying to hold your hand. I was just trying to warm mine.“
He huffed, rolling the eyes you could see before glancing away entirely. Silence overtook the atmosphere once more, though this time, you found yourself unable to sleep. Sukuna was just as tense as you were, and his body was equally as uncomfortable as the ground beneath you.
Eventually you gave up and sat forward, prying your jacket from your body. It was counterproductive temperature-wise, but you’d just have to rely on Sukuna’s body heat for that. He showed no intention of letting you move aside, and you’d be able to use the winter wear as a pillow.
He watched intently as you bunched it up, laid it atop where his arm met his shoulder and rolled back into him before helping yourself to his haori, pulling it far more snug around you in an attempt to cover up the parts of you which your tank top left exposed.
Your leg brushed against his, and suddenly he was moving as if you had harmed him.
“Are you comfortable yet, you damn brat?”
“No,” you sighed.
You pulled your leg in slightly, knee grazing against the outside of his thigh, and once more, he was pulling away from you. For someone forcing you to use him for warmth, he sure as hell couldn’t stand to have you so much as brush against him.
Your lips parted slightly, a yawn tumbling from them before you could stop it, which was hopefully a sign sleep would find you soon. Not even a second later, you felt his abdomen shift, and a yawn, one much louder and deeper, than your own could be heard.
With widened eyes, you sat up, staring at the open maw that stretched across his stomach before glancing up at him and back down to it again.
Once the brief shock wore off, you could feel the corners of your lips begin to turn upwards. He had witnessed you yawn, but it was not the mouth on his face that followed suit, rather his secondary one.
It was strange, and though you’d never admit it, almost endearing in a way.
Sukuna must have witnessed the gleam in your eyes because his voice was as sharp as a razor when he spoke. “Don’t.”
“It can yawn?”
“It’s a fucking mouth. Of course it can yawn.”
You really did fight the urge to suppress it, but the tiniest of giggles managed to escape you as your grin widened. Your hand flew up, attempting to catch more, but the giggles spilt over, eventually turning into genuine laughter.
He stared at you, and if he wasn’t mad enough before, he certainly was now. A familiar burn in the nape of your neck could be felt as his energy began to bubble up. You imagined he likened your behavior to you taunting him, despite that being far from the truth.
“You know—“
A hand reached out, wrapping around your wrist tightly, and it began tugging you forward. “Do you not recall what happened the last time you began to inquire about my maw?”
Your smile dropped instantly as your gaze fell downward, because of course you did. You remembered that night all too well, every last second of it. Neither of you had ever fully addressed it, and the only time the evening’s events were brought up was if Sukuna wanted to antagonize you.
“You know, you don’t have to be so cruel about it.”
“I haven’t been cruel about it.”
Your eyes immediately shot back to him. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
He just stared at you indifferently.
“The act in itself was cruel, Sukuna!” You hissed, trying to pull yourself from his grip, but he refused to budge and held you firm.
“I think your perception of cruelty is skewed, and you have done nothing but blow it out of proportion.”
“You waited until I was drunk and seduced me in hopes of getting information out of me.” You pulled against him again, this time shifting your body weight in hopes you could break the hold. “In what world is that not a shitty thing to do?”
In the end, his strength was still greater than yours, as you not only failed to escape his touch, but he also yanked you forward fully, causing you to topple onto him.
“I didn’t seduce you. If I remember correctly, you were the one lying atop me, cunt soaking through to my abdomen, much like I assume you’d be doing now if not for the pants you’re wearing.”
“You—“
“And as far as you being intoxicated,” he began, leaning his head down closer towards you, cutting off whatever scathing retort you had readied on your tongue. “Well, that’s irrelevant. Even if you hadn’t been drinking, I’m entirely sure the situation would’ve played out the same.”
“Under no circumstance would I have done such a thing had I been in my right mind.”
“No?” One of his hands crawled up your bare arm, grazing against the goosebumps that had just begun forming. “I think that’s not the case. You’re like me in a way. Always reaching for something — anything — that’ll bring you pleasure. Our reasons may be different, but our appetite is the same. You’re just as much of a glutton as I.”
“I am nothing like you, Sukuna.” You flattened both of your hands against his chest and pushed yourself up, both knees on either side of him. As you inched backwards, you moved just a bit too far, and you felt something hard, unbearably so, right underneath you.
Your mouth fell open as his entire body twitched, and you knew instantly what you had touched. Instinctively, you jerked forward and off of the mass. You had only brushed against the tip, and that alone was far bigger than you could’ve ever imagined.
You held his stare, watching as his eyes scanned your face, though you were unsure why. All you knew is that you couldn’t pick apart what emotion they were displaying, though you rarely ever could.
After all he had done to you that night and in the following days. Humiliating you in the worst way only to consistently hold it over your head in an attempt to get a rise out of you. And now, here he was, all riled up solely from you lying at his side.
He likely did move you next to him to keep you warm. You fully believed that was his intention. Though at some point while you slept in such a close proximity, his body betrayed him. It certainly would explain his foul mood and the way you couldn’t so much as touch his leg just moments prior.
If you had any sound judgement in your body, you would roll over back where you were and try to absorb enough of his warmth to sleep through the remainder of the night, and if you had any sense of pride, it would be you repaying him by holding this against him for the foreseeable future.
But for some reason, you found you had no sense of either. Instead, your mind wandered somewhere it should have never gone as you struggled to get the way he had twitched under you out of your head.
He had pleasured you before — albeit briefly — but you never had the chance to return the favor, and as you stared down at him with your traitorous hands still planted firmly across his hot flesh, you couldn’t help but wonder what it’d be like. The thoughts alone, imagining the faces he’d make, and the noises you could potentially pull from him made a familiar pressure pool in your lower abdomen.
“You look lost in thought,” was all he said, as if it were him trying to skirt around the subject for once.
“And what if I am?”
He finally released his grip on you, and that same hand snaked its way up to your face, finger slipping underneath your chin. “Are you going to share?”
Unconsciously, you wet your lips. “Depends.”
He just hummed in response, eyes never faltering from you. Your fingers kneaded into his chest, and you found yourself leaning forward, getting dangerously close. Every fiber in your body screamed for you to get off of him. That this was nothing more than another heinous trick and it would backfire on you tremendously.
What a terrible, foolish mistake.
Despite this, you couldn’t bring yourself to stop. After the conversation the two of you had just shared, and everything he had just accused you of, all you would be doing is proving him right.
And as your lips hovered over his, with his breath hot on yours, you couldn’t help but wonder, “Is he?”
The hand still on your face halted you before you could grow any closer. “I will pleasure you, but I will not show you any sort of affection.”
He had refused to kiss you the first night as well, and at the time you took it as a rejection, but now you couldn’t care any less. His lips weren’t the part of him you desired anyway.
You swallowed before giving him a small nod.
His hands were unhurried as he moved, one popping open the button on your jeans while a second slipped eagerly underneath the thin fabric beneath them. You leaned your torso back slightly, giving him whatever room he needed, and the second his fingers were making contact with your clit, a whimper was escaping you.
He circled the bundle of nerves painstakingly slow as you were already struggling to keep your eyes open. They fluttered shut, and as he applied more pressure, it was your body jerking into his.
“What was it I just said about you being soaked?”
You didn’t need to see his face to know what expression it carried. It was a guarantee that obnoxious fucking smirk of his was there.
“I don’t think you have any room to—“
Your quip was cut short as a finger curled into you, your eyes flying back open, and of course, it was a toothy grin that met you. “Saying something?”
A second finger joined, sliding in with ease, and fuck, it felt better than you remembered. The movements were methodical and completely unlike what he had been willing to give you before. That night, the only thing on his mind had been gaining the insight he needed, but now you could tell this was nothing more than pure lust.
They continued thrusting with no rush, repeatedly curling upward just right, hitting that perfect spot every time. You wanted — no, needed — more from him.
Ryomen Sukuna was a far more patient man than you had ever given him credit for. Unfortunately you were unable to return the sentiment as you rolled your hips in a desperate attempt to take whatever you could. He hissed as you unintentionally brushed against the head of his cock once more, muttering something under his breath that you didn’t quite catch.
He stilled his fingers, pulling them out of you, and grabbed onto the hem of your underwear. “Take these off.”
You nodded, quick to shed the clothing on your bottom half.
The cold air colliding against your flesh served as a sobering reminder of where you were and what you were about to delve into. For a split second you paused, knowing the act you were soon to commit was not only reprehensible but something you would never return from.
One day, you would complete your mission, and Sukuna would be gone from this world once more, but what you did with him on this solemn winter night would forever remain a scar that would never fade.
And it was then, in spite of everything you knew about him and what he was, that you still chose to climb back on top of him. The only thought that remained was not “is he right?” but “would it be so terrible if he was?”
Before your skin could connect with his, he stopped you just shy of it, one hand grabbing onto either of your hips. You hovered over his torso, and he stared up at you with a look akin to something a predator would give its prey the moment before it sank its teeth in.
“Do you remember what I told you that night?”
“Everything.” Your reply came embarrassingly quick.
“I meant what I said.” Something firm and absolutely sopping wet suddenly slid across your swollen clit. Both of your hands flew down to either side of his abdomen, desperate for any sort of stability as you tried to bite back a moan, failing miserably.
“I really have wondered about how you might taste.”
That massive, unnatural tongue he housed in his stomach lapped at you again, this time actually focusing in one spot rather than just a quick swipe. It was unrelenting as it massaged into your clit, and you couldn’t even bring yourself to look down at it or Sukuna as your nails dug into his side harshly.
“But when I asked you, all you did was nod.” Suddenly the muscle moved back and both of Sukuna’s hands were forcing you down hard, the tongue in its entirety barreling into your cunt.
Your eyes widened at the intrusion, your body immediately flying forward, grabbing onto him. The noises that left you were shameful as you buried your flushed face into his chest.
“Thanks to that, I had to find out for myself.”
He kept talking, rambling even, and perhaps you would’ve actually enjoyed what he was saying if you weren’t absolutely enraptured by the way his tongue was moving.
It was indescribable, and you were certain you’d never feel a pleasure like it again. It twisted its tip, licking inside of you, kissing your womb’s entrance eagerly, and all you could do was let out muffled cries into Sukuna’s chest.
You felt his two right arms shift around you as you continued to be consumed from the inside out by his lower mouth. It wasn’t until you felt his shoulders move at a steady pace and heard a couple of low grunts under his breath that you realized what was occurring.
He’s pleasuring himself.
The realization had you melting into him, cunt instinctively clenching around the tongue as you extended your neck upwards slightly to catch sight of his face. All four eyes were closed tightly and rough lines were formed between his brows as another groan, one so low you almost missed it, fell from his slightly ajar lips.
Surprisingly, you found a pang of bravery in you, and before you knew it, you were leaning forward and brazenly biting down on the base of his neck.
He grunted, and the act was not lost on him as you felt both arms pick up speed, all of his eyes somehow clenched even tighter than before.
You found yourself curious. What was he even using the two hands down there for anyways that had him in so much ecstasy? And even more so than that, what did he look like?
Giving his neck one final bite, you allowed your tongue to lick the teeth marks you left behind gingerly before sitting up, tilting your head in hopes to see him — all of him. Before you could so much as get a glance, you felt the tongue, still lapping at your insides, begin to thrust up wildly.
Your body stuttered at the change of pace and fell back into him. Sukuna’s third hand soon found its way to your neglected clit. His eyes were open now, gaze focused on you with no intention of letting up, and when you attempted to shatter it, his fourth and final hand moved to your face, forcing you to look up at him.
“You’re close, and when it happens, I want you right here, looking at me, knowing that it was me who gave it to you.”
You weren’t sure if it was his ego, cruel and unyielding, wanting you to always remember this depraved moment or if it was his constant need to make you feel small, but regardless, even if he’d allow you to look away now, your eyes likely would’ve found their way back to his at some point.
Staring into them, intense, half-lidded pools of darkened ruby, felt as if you were staring into a fire, and you knew it then that Sukuna was going to end up burning you. And you’d let him. If nothing more than in the name of physical pleasure alone, you’d let him set you ablaze. You’d allow the flames consume you whole and burn you to ash, because now more so than ever, his words held true.
You were like him. Maybe not in your entirety. How could you be, after all? You could not bring yourself to even fathom half of the monstrosities he’s committed. But there were pieces — unmistakably human pieces of him — beyond the calamity all of history had grown to know him as, and those pieces were in you too.
He was every bit human as you. A terrible one surely, but a human nonetheless. And those small shreds of humanity — of weakness — linked you together now in your shared moment of shamelessness in some damp, frozen cave.
He was right — as always. You were close, unbelievably so. Between his hand, roughly rubbing your clit, and the tongue still pushing in and out of you at an unprecedented pace, your orgasm didn’t take long to build.
There was no easing into it or anticipation. It came crashing down all at once, explosive in manner and all-consuming, just like Sukuna.
It swallowed you whole. With legs trembling, your cunt tightening, and strings of moans pouring from your mouth, you must’ve cried out his name a handful of times. You managed to fight the urge to close your eyes or throw your head back, instead you just stared into him — into the flames that danced upon his irises the entire time.
You began to grind your hips against him, attempting to take every last bit of both hand and tongue, as you rode out the remainder of your peak. You milked every drop of ecstasy he gave you.
Eventually the pleasure morphed into pain as you grew sensitive with your lower body now overstimulated and aching. He was quick to catch the hint, with his hand leaving your clit, and the tongue inside you remaining but no longer moving.
All that remained now was that he reached his peak as well, and suddenly you felt a small flash of red-hot jealousy seer through you, because for a split second, you found yourself wishing that it was you providing him the pleasure he sought. That it was your fucked-out cunt wrapped tightly around his cock, sliding up and down rapidly, clenching and pulsating, feverishly chasing his release rather than his own hands.
You knew he wouldn’t let you, not right now at least. He wouldn’t even let you catch sight of him for whatever reason, so instead you did what little you could.
“Sukuna.”
He just grunted out an acknowledgment, still working hard on himself.
Your voice was soft as it spoke, “I wish you’d let me taste you too.”
It wasn’t sultry in the slightest. Rather, sounded more like a quiet confession, and that was his undoing. He half-choked back a groan, hips jerking upwards, and you felt something hot and thick splatter forcefully up your back.
His release continued and as it spilled onto you, you couldn’t even comprehend how so much could spill from a single cock. By the time he finished, you just sat there, his tongue still inside your soaked and stretched cunt, eyes never leaving one another.
You found yourself wishing the illusion would shatter. In fact, it’d be significantly easier. But that moment of clarity one usually receives after a high has been achieved never arrived. There was no shame or embarrassment or rationale to be found in your brain. Rather, it was nothing more than the unbridled desire for more.
Just as he said — always reaching for something.
Eventually, and reluctantly, you willed yourself to lift off of him, settling onto your knees by his side. You pulled your tank top off the remainder of the way, tossing it towards him as you faced the opposite direction.
“Wipe it up,” was all you said.
He followed the instruction silently and diligently, without a single quip.
“Hey, Sukuna.”
“What?” His voice was low.
“You were right about me,” you practically murmured as you felt the cotton roll over the sticky substance on your back. “I just did something that went against all my morals and common sense for a single moment of pleasure. It’ll likely haunt me for the remainder of my life, and I know that one day I will grow to resent it. But even knowing all of this, I would still choose to do it again no matter what consequences will inevitably bleed from it.”
“You are like me. However, you are not me, and solely because you climbed into bed with me does not mean your morals have dissolved.”
You angled your head slightly to peer at his face. The statement almost seemed kind if you overlooked the sudden harsh tone he took on, uncharacteristically so.
“I’m not seeking comfort or reassurance. I just can’t help but wonder—“ You paused as you met one of his eyes. “Why is it such a bad thing to begin with?”
Your back was soon free from any remnants of him, and your shirt was being tossed onto the ground next to you. He sat up on his knees and leaned over top of you, a thumb caressing your bottom lip.
“You tell me,” he muttered, prying your mouth open, his index finger slipping in with ease.
A saltiness flooded your senses, and that’s when you realized what it was he had placed on your tongue.
You told him you wanted to taste him.
Instantly closing your mouth around him, you sucked every last bit from his finger, your own tongue swirling around it as if you had never consumed anything a day in your life. You felt that feeling in your abdomen once more. The parts of you still sore from your climax, now ached for an entirely new reason.
It reflected in his eyes for a moment. The consideration was fleeting, but it was still there. Ultimately he must have decided against it, because he was soon pulling his hand from your lips with a scoff.
“A greedy little thing. Somehow even more than me.”
“I might be.”
“Get dressed, and try to keep warm. I’ll be back shortly.” He stood up, gesturing towards the fast-dwindling fire.
You had been so entranced by him, you hadn’t even noticed the fading light. It had been small to begin with, but now it was nothing more than a few dying embers crackling pathetically.
His back faded from view into the cold night and soon completely from your sight entirely. The loss of his presence was felt immediately, like a gaping hole left behind that you couldn’t bear to conceive.
And you began to feel a nasty emotion blossom in your chest. It was still neither the shame nor regret you expected to feel for the sinful act you had just indulged in. Either of those would have been far more welcomed. Rather, as you sat in witness to the last remaining spark the fire provided, it was worry that flooded you.
The flames you felt, what if they didn’t ravage you but instead would burn out completely?
sanguine chapter nineteen will be posted by the end of the day today. i wanted to have it posted on monday but i was dealing with some personal stuff and it made it incredibly difficult to finish the last thousand words or so. its all good now though, and almost ready to post. <3
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Can we have a small preview of the chapter 19 maybe 👉🏼👈🏼
sure :) the first few paragraphs are below the cut. please know that im not finished with the chapter nor have i proofread or edited. there may be typos and the finalized text/dialogue may vary slightly.
Early morning sun peeked through the shoji doors in your room and softly pulled you from your slumber. Eyes fluttering open, your vision adjusted to the light filtering in, and you rolled over, tugging the plush blanket that lay atop you with one of your hands.
A quiet yawn tumbled from your lips as you cast your gaze downward, eyes settling on the blue silk-wrapped scabbard your fingers desperately clutched onto. The ghost of a smile overtook your lips as the corners tugged up slightly.
One down and only three more to go.
Once all four were acquired, you would be free of the never-ending hell you had been subjected to the past few weeks. Sukuna would be nothing more than an unpleasant memory, and your life would resume being as monotonous as it once was.
Sukuna.
Your eyes widened, fingers curling tightly around Suiryu as you glanced around wildly. Your travel companion was nowhere to be found. He never strayed far from you, yet now you could not even sense his presence. The only thing you felt now was the weapon in your grip.
“Sukuna?” Your voice was meek as you called out, scrambling to stand and immediately heading towards the hallway.
You rounded the corner, bare feet slapping against the wooden floor as you picked up your pace. Where the hell was he?
“Sukuna?” You called out again, this time your voice a bit louder, head turning from side to side as the hallway interjected with another.
The kitchen. Maybe he’s in the kitchen.
You began to move once more, this time heading desperately towards the familiar doors. It wasn’t long until a flash of something in your periphery caught your full attention. A shadow, moving against the walls.
The way you moved was instinctive. Not a single thought was needed to compel you forward as you held your breath and slipped the scabbard from the tantō, allowing it to clatter beneath your feet as you swung around, the blade fully exposed.
In that split second, you realized it was not another shadow you were facing but a pair of seemingly human eyes. Dark pink and widened in fear, you recognized to whom they belonged, and if it weren’t for a hand, much larger than your own, wrapping itself around your wrist, the blade would’ve made devastating contact.
Uraume backed up instantaneously and if you weren’t in such a frightened daze, you likely would’ve been more confused about why they had returned. Rather, you settled your eyes on the hand that still gripped you and followed it upwards until you were met with the man who was pulling you back into him, a grin making itself comfortable across his face.
“I didn’t imagine you would miss me so terribly already.” Another hand accompanied his mocking tone, slithering its way to your opposite shoulder as Sukuna’s eyes settled on the shadow that had originally spooked you, and his expression quickly changed to one of knowing.
i know a lot of people are waiting for sanguine chapter 19. i will try to have it out by the week’s end, and please know that while i hate it took me so long to finish this chapter, that it will also contain a surprise i think many will enjoy. thank u guys for ur sweet words and ur patience mwah
The world was far larger than you could have ever imagined. Just a little over two days into your journey, and you felt as if you had already seen it all. Vast, seemingly never-ending fields of greenery, as far as your vision would allow you to witness, later turned into picturesque rolling hills, littered with various crops. At some points throughout, streams, crystal clear and glimmering under both sun and moonlight, wove through the lands, carving themselves amongst various trees and foliage, but perhaps the most awe-inspiring were the mountains in the far distance. Towering, with an undeniable presence, they protruded from the ground into a dense canopy of clouds, their rough edges kissing the heavens as if the two were lovers forced to soon part.
The mare you sat atop let out a sigh, tilting her head back just slightly. You outstretched your fingers, gently rubbing against her smooth chestnut coat, and a faint smile began to form on your lips. It was the first time you had ever interacted with a horse, and while learning to ride proved to be a struggle the first few hours, eventually you were able to get a hang of it. At some point over your short but arduous travels, you had grown quite fond of the creature, and while you knew your separation was both fast-approaching and inevitable, you couldn’t help but feel a bit sad.
What a trivial thing to mourn.
Your gaze moved upwards to the stallion just ahead of you. A rich, obsidian coat that reflected the sun’s rays brilliantly and far more massive than the horse you had been given to ride, he was a perfect mirror for the man perched on his back — your escort for the journey. You had no idea who the man was, with his darkened, solemn eyes and short, neat hair to match. The only words he had spoken to you thus far consisted of vague instructions on horseback riding and curt commands such as “eat” or “sleep.” He had never been to the brothel as far as you knew, neither as a patron nor an employee.
You knew he was a sorcerer by the cursed energy that surrounded him, and he either did not care enough to conceal this fact or his energy reserves were so expansive he was truly unable to. Judging by the man who had just taken over your contract, you leaned toward the latter. The small amount you did know of Lord Sukuna, you imagined Lady Nene wanted to take no chances in ensuring that you arrived promptly and safely, so she likely resorted to hiring a strong sorcerer.
“Do not stray,” your escort grumbled, breaking the silence, his voice low. Eyes slipping past the brooding man, you watched as buildings began to appear on the horizon.
Your own was meek as you simply replied, “Understood.”
He grunted, acknowledging your compliance, before simultaneously clicking his tongue and tapping the stallion’s flanks. The horse responded immediately, picking up its pace, nowhere near a run but far quicker than the stroll it had been doing just a moment prior. You took in a deep breath before following suit. Your mare heeded the command just as his had, and your body leaned forward slightly, hands tightening their grip on the reins.
There were quite a few buildings ahead, and as you grew closer and closer, that number only continued to climb. Throughout your journey, there had been a few small farming villages you encountered, but nothing of this magnitude. It was an actual town, and the dirt road you found yourself on led directly down the center of it. Silhouettes of people could be seen bustling around in their day-to-day lives. Some carried goods on their backs, heads down in an apparent rush, while others engaged in friendly conversation, loitering around the many yatai that lined the street, gorging themselves on tempura skewers and plump dango.
Out of your periphery, you suddenly witnessed the man slowing to a near halt, and thankfully you were able to mirror the motion by tugging the reins, your mare coming to a similar speed just on the edge of town. He pushed forward, weaving in and out of pedestrians, never once letting his gaze falter from the path ahead. You, however, eagerly took in everything. The aroma of fish, fired above an open flame, caught itself on the mid-morning’s breeze and wafted through the open air while the sounds of children’s laughter spilled through the street from inside one of the houses. Men exchanged currency for bowls of soba, slurping the thin, delicious noodles with glee while a couple of women, clad in yukatas, carried buckets of water through a doorway just to the left of you.
It felt strange to experience such a thing. For years you had watched similar scenes in the pleasure district, albeit mainly only men, through the front hall’s window. Humans just existing, doing mundane things, and going about their lives. Though this time there was no piece of glass separating you from the outside world as it moved along. For the first time ever, it felt like you were existing too, even if for a brief period.
The man came to a standstill in front of a food cart, immediately dismounting from his horse, not once sparing a glance in your direction. You took that as a sign to stay put, stalling right next to his stallion, casting your eyes down and sitting in silence. He asked the older gentleman behind the grill something, though you couldn’t make out what, and it wasn’t long until he was forcing a skewer into your line of sight.
“Eat.”
“Thank you.” Your voice remained quiet as you loosened one of your hands to reach for it.
“My lord. Thank you, my lord.”
Never once throughout your journey had he corrected you until now, and your body grew still at the realization. You hadn’t a single clue that the sorcerer was anything beyond a hired escort for your travels, and such a miscalculation usually carried grave consequences. If it weren’t for the fact that a seemingly powerful man had just laid claim to you, you likely would’ve paid for such a slight with your life.
You swallowed harshly, hand wrapping around the bamboo skewer, voice trembling, and head dipping downwards. “My sincerest apologies, my lord. I hadn’t realized.”
“I said to eat,” he spat. “I don’t want that beast to think I’ve starved his newest prize.”
You involuntarily flinched at his harshness as the word “beast” dripped from his tongue like venom, full of disdain through and through. Though it wasn’t just his sudden aggression that prompted such a reaction from you, but also the unwanted reminder of the cruel fate that would be upon you by day’s end. You moved what was presumably some sort of fish up to your lips, both trying to obey the command and divert your attention elsewhere, and were ready to bite down when a loud, boisterous voice rang out.
“Hey, Zenin!”
“Fuck,” the man hissed under his breath, a scowl overcoming his features as he turned his back to you.
Zenin. He’s a Zenin.
You had not only heard of the clan before but personally encountered them as well. Many Zenin men had visited the brothel over the years. From your limited understanding, there were three major clans of jujutsu sorcerers. All of them were powerful in their own right, both physically and politically. Publicly, they were nothing more than business owners and land lords, owning an extensive portion of properties across the nation. However, behind the curtains, all three sat atop the sorcery world and were forces to be reckoned with.
The man whom the voice belonged to was quick to approach. Tussled locks of a lighter brown fell lazily across his forehead, bouncing as he practically skipped towards your escort. Despite being clad in a loose, dark blue kosode, you could still tell he had a pronounced build. His eyes, light green with flecks of gold bordering the pupils, never once paid you any mind. His sole focus remained the Zenin man you had unknowingly been traveling with.
“What are you doing out here?” The stranger asked, a sly grin forming on his lips as he grew closer. “It’s a terribly long way from home.”
“I could say the same to you.”
You forced your gaze back down, finally biting into your skewer. A rich, savory flavor suddenly spread throughout your mouth as you chewed the tender fish, delighting in its remarkable flavor. You had never had anything like it. Daily meals for servants usually consisted of nothing more than miso soup or katemashi. Every now and then — perhaps once, maybe twice a year — you were allowed a small portion of boiled fish, but that was usually reserved for special celebratory occasions.
At some point, the two men strolled off, continuing their conversation. You had failed to keep track and were instead distracted by the succulent food you clutched.
“It must be good. Can’t say I’ve seen someone enjoy my food that much in a while.”
You turned your head, eyes moving to the elderly man who had prepared your food. He donned a wide smile — one that appeared sincere — as he spoke. His hair was short and silver, shining brightly under the rapidly climbing sun as he leaned forward a bit, pushing some of his skewers to the side, undoubtedly wanting to continue conversing with you.
“Have you never had kabayaki before?” His inquiry sounded harmless; in fact, it seemed like nothing more than a genuine curiosity.
Your eyes widened slightly, the fish still impolitely hanging from your mouth, a bit of sauce smeared on the corners of your lips. You didn’t think you had ever heard a man speak so politely before in your entire life.
“N—no, I haven’t, sir,” you managed to force out, eyes reflexively darting away from his.
He chuckled. “That’s surprising. Most people have. It’s just grilled eel and soy sauce.”
“Well, it is delicious, thank you.” Your head dipped down softly.
“Someone of your status should not speak in such a manner.”
My status?
“I apologize, sir, but I do not follow.”
He half-heartedly gestured towards the two men, many paces away, still engaged in a deep conversation. “You’re Koichi Zenin’s mistress, are you not?”
That’s his name.
You turned briefly to focus on the raven-haired man as you replied, “I just met him for the first time two days ago. He was sent to escort me to the man who bought out my contract.”
“You’re a courtesan then, I presume?”
Not in the slightest.
However, you didn’t feel like delving into it, so the lie fell from you with ease alongside a nod. “Something of the sort.”
“I cannot imagine a customer so important that a Zenin is being forced to hand-deliver a courtesan to them.”
“I suppose he is, but in all honesty, I wouldn’t know. I’ve also only met the man once. However, I will find out soon enough. If you don’t mind me asking, sir, which feudal lord oversees this territory?”
“We don’t have one.”
You peeled your eyes away from the Zenin and his acquaintance, letting them fall back on the man behind the food stall. His hands were busying themselves with preparing more kabayaki. A sharp knife was balanced carefully in them as he began diligently carving up the raw eel.
“Oh. I wasn’t aware there were unsupervised territories still in the nation. Forgive me.”
“You misunderstand, girl.” He paid you no mind as he picked up a chunk of the eel, dipping it into a deep, dark vat of sauce he pulled from underneath the cart. “We are not unprotected. It is just not a man who rules over us. Rather, a god.”
Your breath caught in your throat, and the sound of Lady Kana’s voice ricocheted throughout your mind. This must be part of her warning to you. The man you had been bought out by, Lord Sukuna, was apparently viewed and worshipped as a god in some parts of Japan.
You stared at the man continuing his preparations, swallowing back any questions that threatened to surface. There was so much you were desperate to know before your arrival at Lord Sukuna’s shrine as the anticipation gnawed at you, though considering your true social standing and who you were accompanied by, you felt it wise not to push your luck any further. Instead, you just let out a soft “I see.”
Taking the final bite of your kabayaki, you attempted to savor it, as you weren’t sure if you’d ever be allowed to eat something so flavorful again, though the moment of enjoyment you attempted to procure for yourself was cut short as a hand was gripping onto your wrist, the freshly cleaned skewer clattering to the ground beneath your mare.
“Kamo, cease this immediately!” You heard the Zenin hiss as your frightened gaze flew up to meet his friend’s. The strange man stared at you, his fingers slipping underneath the purple sleeve of your kimono, digging into your bare flesh as he tugged you down slightly, forcing your face closer to his.
Once more you felt the stilling of your own breath, this time at the name uttered.
You had only seen one Kamo before in your life. Apparently they preferred other pleasure houses rather than the one you served in, though despite this, you knew the name all the same. They were another one of the big three sorcery clans and equally as powerful as the Zenins.
“Oh, would you relax? I just want to look at the bitch.” He pulled on your arm again, forcing you down even lower to where you were now fully leaned over, and his other hand reached out, slipping underneath your chin. “I want to see what’s so valuable.”
Before you even had a chance to think, his fingers crawled up your jaw, tilting it to the side as he eyed you. “Besides, he’s in an exceptionally good mood today for whatever reason. Though, I have an inkling why.”
You cut your eyes down, only to be met with a cruel, taunting grin in return as you forced yourself to take a small breath. The Kamo knew Sukuna as well, and not only that, he seemed to have been in contact with him. Lady Kana had said his full name was Ryomen Sukuna so certainly he wasn’t a member of any of the big clans, so did he have financial dealings with them?
He leaned in, hot breath flooding the apple of your cheek, eyes darting across your face, and you weren’t the only one unnerved at the situation as your escort’s cursed energy began to bubble up at the escalating situation.
“You look exactly like your whore mother,” the man sneered before releasing his grip on you. He turned away, muttering something to Lord Zenin before making himself scarce, though despite the close proximity they still held to you, you missed it. Straightening back up, you softly rubbed the spot where the man’s fingers had just held onto you, your mind wandering elsewhere as you attempted to make sense of what had just happened.
You heard a throat clear as you quickly lifted your glum stare up to meet Lord Zenin’s. He just nodded towards where the dirt road led straight through the town before climbing up onto his stallion. No further words were exchanged as he took off, and you prompted your horse to do the same. Soon the vibrant village was replaced by forest and flora, and you twisted back to get a glimpse of the rapidly shrinking buildings one final time before they disappeared all together. The moments of eating and conversing with that kind man behind the yatai were nothing more than a fleeting memory.
One could never be certain what the future held, though if yours was anything like the life you had lived so far, you knew you’d never get to experience such a thing again.
The mountains in the distance began to grow closer, and with their approach, the terrain began to shift as well, becoming slightly more rugged, with the road growing more narrow. Eventually it came to a complete end. Despite this, your travel companion pushed onward, and you were left no choice but to follow, weaving in and out of the pine trees that only grew in height the further you went in.
The sun had reached its peak in the sky as morning began to morph into afternoon, though it was far more meager, as a thick canopy of grey clouds had since accumulated, and you could only hope you would arrive at your destination before the rain would start its imminent descent. You weren’t sure if you could bear to see anything to ruin the kimono Lady Kana had graciously gifted you. It was likely juvenile reasoning, but it was the only nice thing you had owned. And for some reason, still largely unknown to you, it managed to bring you some sort of small comfort.
You had long accepted your future role in Lord Sukuna’s life from the second he had demanded you rise to your feet in front of him. It was the only time in your life that your social status was irrelevant. Whether you were a servant or not was utterly meaningless, because even if by some stroke of luck you had been born royalty, it would not have mattered in that moment. A man — a seemingly powerful one at that — had demanded something of you, and if you wanted to survive, you were forced to oblige.
But your acceptance was not apathy, and no matter how inevitable it was, it brought you unease all the same.
“We will be arriving shortly,” Lord Zenin called out from ahead, his head turning back to face you. “Try not to look so fucking miserable.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“And do not tell that thing what I allowed to transpire earlier with Hayato Kamo. I imagine he would not take well to someone else touching his property in such a rough manner.”
“Understood, my lord.”
And just as he had warned of your impending arrival, a building began to protrude from the horizon, though it was far from what you expected. A shrine is what Lord Sukuna himself had called it, which you did find strange at the time, because why would a lord willingly reside in such a place? Though as you grew near, it seemed to be far more of a palace than a shrine. A high, sturdy brick wall wrapped around the entirety of the property as a three-story-tall, red building peered out from behind it. The barrier that protected the land was long, and though you couldn’t tell just how large the shrine was from the exterior, you already knew it was unlike anything you could have imagined.
A pair of wooden gates opened up, and Lord Zenin came to a halt, using his hands to gesture you forward and ahead of him. Your hands tightened around the reins as a wave of anxiousness crashed over you, and your entire body went rigid at the prospect of seeing the towering, frightening man who had laid claim to you just days prior. But as your mare led you through the gates, he was nowhere to be found.
A handful of men and women clad in servant’s attire bustled around the front courtyard, some carrying pails of water and others bushels of barley, each with their heads low in an unassuming demeanor. One single person stood in the center, wearing a sleek alabaster kimono with short, shoulder-length hair to match. Arms clasped tightly in the front, they stared at you with an unreadable expression before casting their full attention to Lord Zenin.
“Master Sukuna will be pleased.” They spoke with a flat voice, completely devoid of any emotion.
“The Zenin clan would also like to extend a gift to Lord Sukuna as a token of our goodwill if he would be so gracious as to accept, of course.”
You looked back to Lord Zenin, and though his cadence managed to sound cordial, his expression had begun to betray him. Every word he forced out looked as if it brought him pain to say such fictitious things, and his disgust grew more thinly veiled by the second.
“The mare that the girl sits atop is his now.”
Out of your periphery you watched as Lord Sukuna’s pale-haired subordinate allowed the corner of their lip to quirk up slightly, though their tone remained monotonous. “An extravagant gift.”
“Consider it a symbol of what we hope to be a long friendship.”
“I’m sure.” Pink eyes flickered towards you as the stranger moved in closer, extending their arm, insinuating that it was time for you to disembark.
You swung one leg over the side, hand reaching out to grab onto theirs for any sort of stability as you hopped down, knees bending slightly on the impact as your waraji crashed into the earth beneath you.
“You may call me Uraume,” they said, arm retracting the second you were on solid ground. “I serve Master Sukuna, and he has instructed that I ensure you properly settle in. Please follow me.”
No response was necessary as they sauntered off. Unconsciously your hand balled up the silk of your kimono as you shuffled behind, peering up at the massive structure before you. It was not only gargantuan but ornate as well. A fine piece of architecture that was far more befitting a king than a lord such as Sukuna. The place made the pleasure house from which you hailed appear as if it were nothing more than a peasant’s residence.
Two lofty wooden doors swung open, and you glanced back one last time at the horse by the gate, a servant leading her away. The faintest of smiles ghosted over your lips, because no matter what hell awaited you beyond the threshold, at least you’d likely see the mare again at some point in time. It was not much, but you would cling to the small comfort that brought, just as you would Lady Kana’s kimono.
The interior was staggering once you entered, eyes widening slightly at the expansive entryway before you. Immaculate, dark wooden flooring stretched ahead, gleaming underneath the orange paper lanterns, each with intricate designs, that hung from the ceilings. The walls themselves were dark as well, a rich charcoal color with the occasional scroll or piece of art hanging from them. It was somehow both somber yet still remarkably beautiful.
You failed to keep your eyes to yourself as you trailed behind Uraume, taking in everything Lord Sukuna’s shrine had to offer — though you still mentally maintained that this was no shrine. The walls eventually gave way to shoji doors as you wove deeper into the building, signaling that rooms were now nestled on either side of you. The air smelled lightly of smoke, but not of tobacco, rather actual flames torching wood, and occasionally a musky scent would waft through.
A girl passed by, head tucked low much like yours often was, carrying a pile of folded linens. She appeared to be about your age, perhaps a few years younger. Her golden hair was tied back neatly, not a strand out of place, and her beige kosode was free of any stains. She was unbelievably clean for one likely bound to a life of service.
It was strange. You had heard nothing but ill tales of Lord Sukuna, but his servants already seemed as if they were treated far better than the ones in the pleasure district and certainly more so than the house in which you served. You wouldn’t be a fool and mistake that for benevolence. After all, you had laid eyes upon him yourself. However, as another servant passed by, this one a young man in a nearly pristine grey yukata, you struggled to imagine him being as awful as Lady Kana had suggested.
Your guide came to a sudden halt in front of a pair of doors, turning to face you slightly. “This is your room. Master Sukuna has requested you join him for dinner this evening. Someone will be back to get you when it is time. Do not leave and wander under any circumstance.”
“Understood,” you breathed out, with a polite nod of the head.
They were quick to retreat and out of your sight before you could even grasp onto the doors fully. In one swift motion, you were pushing them to the side, ready to enter, though the sight that awaited you had immediately frozen your feet in place.
Over twice the size of the room you had once shared with countless other servants, tatami flooring stretched across the space in its entirety. Two of the walls contained a pair of shoji doors, while the others had murals stretching across them. One was painted with three mountain peaks embracing a picturesque coastline rife with a thick fog, slightly obscured by draping leaves, and a bright partial moon perched above the scene. The second contained art of evergreen bamboo and a sedge of cranes flying about.
There was not much furniture, making the room appear far too massive for one such as yourself. In the corner was a large cypress chest meant for clothing storage, while a matching low table rested not far from it. Right in the center was a neatly kept futon with plush, ivory bedding, and atop of it was a clean, pressed kimono.
You finally moved into the room, legs carrying you over to the fine piece of attire as you squatted down, reaching out for it. A luxurious silk, far more so than what Lady Kana had gifted you. Sanguine in color, black embellishments lined both the sleeves and the bottom hem. The garment itself could be considered a work of art and was something a seamstress undoubtedly spent forever crafting.
Lord Sukuna’s intentions with you suddenly became very clear. He likely would not provide such a thing to anyone other than someone he planned to reserve as a mistress or concubine. You had long assumed as much despite Lady Kana telling you otherwise. Courtesan or not, a man was not going to take over a contract from one of the most renowned brothels in the nation only to force the woman into physical servitude. Why he picked you remained a mystery that you’d be lying if you said hadn’t tormented you to some degree, but the things you would be forced into doing had never been more obvious.
Regardless, your anticipation did not make the situation any easier, and your mouth suddenly felt bone dry. All you could hope for now is that your role would be the former. A mistress was nothing more than someone to provide pleasure, whereas a concubine would be expected to secure his lineage by providing heirs.
You stood up straight, undoing the kimono that clung to you, allowing it to hit the floor by your feet. It was clear that you were supposed to change into what was left for you, and you did not wish to disappoint Lord Sukuna on your first night at his residence. Soon, it was rich red silk draping across your body, the hue reminiscent of fresh blood, and at some point during your brief attempt at ensuring the kimono was snug with everything properly in place, rain had begun to fall.
Many hours likely remained until you were sought out. Your feet carried you over towards the empty table where you made yourself comfortable on the ground nearby. Leaning down, you rested the side of your cheek against your knees, staring blankly at the elegant cranes painted along the wall, listening as the pitter-patter of rainfall had morphed into a full-fledged storm. Thunder would crack loudly, and though you were unable to watch the sullen weather from your windowless room, the sounds were enough to piece it together, and you imagined it was quite beautiful.
Time stretched on as the heavens continued to weep, and they did so unfettered. A part of you was envious of such an act. You felt strange and out of place. The excitement of seeing the world for the first time had already been ripped from you, and all that remained now was an emptiness. It was both something you had grown accustomed to feeling, and also an alien concept. It would no longer be caked-on dirt, tracked in from the soles of some samurai’s septa, that you would diligently scrub from flooring or a courtesan’s stained bedding that you would launder. You had a legitimate role to play now, and it was one you would have never chosen by your own accord.
Be it Lady Nene or Lord Sukuna, whoever held your contract was irrelevant. It would just be a different breed of misery and would constrict you all the same. However, you would not be afforded the luxury of allowing your tears to fall, so you would force them back down, just as you always had.
You lacked any details, but you knew now that the former oiran had tried to ensure you would not end up in a similar position to hers, though now it was all futile. Forced to slave the entirety of your life away and robbed of any sense of self, only to end up in the hands of some wealthy lord as his personal plaything. It was an unforgiving cycle — one that did not begin with her and certainly one that would not end with you.
At some point a soft knock against your door made itself known, and you were rising to your feet swiftly. As you slid it open, the blonde servant girl you had spotted in the hallways earlier appeared. Her head was politely tucked down, eyes never leaving the floor.
“Master Sukuna has demanded your presence.”
“Please lead me to him.” The words burned as they left you, but you somehow managed to keep them from cracking.
The servant turned around, leading down the halls in the opposite direction from which you entered earlier. Her gaze remained planted downwards, and it was silent as you both rounded a corner, revealing a wide, wooden staircase. She ascended quickly, both hands lifting her kosode while your movements were far slower, allowing your fingertips to slide up the railing.
The second story resembled the portion of the first where your room was housed, and it wasn’t long until you were brought to another set of shoji doors. The girl you followed lifted her hand ready to knock, but it slid open before she had the opportunity. Immediately her legs folded beneath her as she bowed low to the ground. Uraume stood in the threshold, beckoning you in, and the second you were no longer in her care, the servant scurried off without another word.
A lengthy table stretched across the center of the room, and on the side opposite you sat the man who had bought you out. Four crimson eyes tore into you like claws, the intensity of his stare causing your breath to falter. Even now, with his cursed energy undetectable and sitting on the ground, he was still every bit intimidating. Whatever earlier thoughts you had about him not being as terrible as you had heard dissipated within an instant. One look at him now, up close and in the light, and you knew he was exactly the monster Lady Kana warned you of.
Should you displease him even once, it would be the last thing you ever did.
You heeded her advice and lowered yourself to the floor, providing a polite, proper bow befitting someone who was often referred to as a god. Normally one might greet him, but you weren’t quite sure what the rules here were yet, and speaking out of turn could spell trouble for you.
“Come,” was all he said. His resounding voice nearly felt like a mirror of the occasional thunder that still roared from the evening storm just outside.
You rose, shuffling over to the table, eyeing the empty black and gold embroidered cushion that rested directly across from him, stopping just before it.
“Sit.”
You sunk down as gracefully as you could, settling onto the cushion, back straight and arms crossed, but your eyes were firmly planted on the empty table rather than him. Footsteps could be heard making haste towards you both, a large blue and white porcelain plate being slid in front of Lord Sukuna containing a heaping pile of rare meat, still oozing blood from its cool red center.
You immediately stiffened at its arrival. Eating meat was not only rare throughout the nation but also banned. Consumption of it only came about for medicinal reasons, as it was occasionally used to treat certain ailments. Though by the way he slid the chunk of meat in his mouth, chewing eagerly with a satisfied hum, you knew this was not a one-time occurrence.
Was it a stag? Perhaps a mountain boar? Certainly not something as taboo as cattle.
Suddenly he was casting his gaze up at you as he shoved in another piece.
“Look at me, fully.”
He wore an identical outfit to the one he donned the night of your first meeting. That same black haori hung loosely across his shoulders, with his two lower arms leaning back to prop up his weight while the top two made quick work of devouring his meal.
No matter how strange or inconceivable his build was to you, the consequences of possibly offending him outweighed your curiosities, so you fought the overwhelming urge to allow your eyes to wander again, if even for a second, instead focusing on his face.
“Tell me, have you ever eaten meat?”
“No, my lord.” Your voice was remarkably small compared to his.
“Figured,” he responded as a plate was carefully set in front of you.
Steam wafted upwards, swirling up into your face, and you momentarily eyed the sustenance you had been provided. Thankfully, it was not meat awaiting you, but rather a thick piece of what appeared to be braised fish, accompanied by a small cup of miso soup and some sort of pickled vegetable. A pair of chopsticks stretched across the plate, and you sat still, looking back up to him, awaiting any sort of command that you could begin to indulge yourself.
He didn’t notice you at first. Instead, he seemed utterly absorbed by the shrinking pile of game before him. Eventually one of his lower eyes crept upwards, and finally he began speaking.
“What?” He barked out, his full gaze making its way back to you now. His voice was the loudest it had been since you met him. “Am I going to have to hold your hand through every little thing?”
It took everything in you not to jump back as his outburst aligned with a boisterous crack of thunder just outside the room.
“Eat your fucking food.”
Was that the cruelty Lady Kana had warned you of already peeking through? Though, it honestly didn’t stray too far from what you often witnessed from other men.
“Yes, my lord.” What you spoke was barely above a whisper as you moved to pick up the chopsticks.
A small piece of the fish slipped between your lips, and you chewed as neatly as you could muster. It was delicious, so much so that if perhaps you weren’t under the watchful eyes of Lord Sukuna, you likely would’ve gorged yourself. Next, you reached for the vegetable. You were unsure exactly what it was, but its sharp acidity was welcome all the same.
You looked back up to the man sitting across from you, only to be met with the sight of his freshly cleaned plate as he leaned forward onto one of his propped-up arms, cheek resting against his palm as all four of his eyes zeroed in on you.
Neither one of you broke the silent atmosphere for a bit. Your attention was split between him and your meal, but now with his gone, it seemed the only thing on his mind was you. The weight of his stare became far more immense as a tightness blossomed within your chest. Movements becoming stiffer and the taste of your food growing duller, you were increasingly unable to prevent your worries from spiraling.
Were you expected to already begin your duties?
“The night of our first meeting I found myself to be amused by you, albeit briefly, you were still amusing nonetheless. Yet here you sit, frightened and wide-eyed, refusing to so much as even flinch like some sort of fragile animal. If I wanted a pet, I’d go get a dog.”
“I apologize, my lord. It was never my intention to offend you.”
“And cease referring to me as such,” he responded, eyes briefly leaving you to greet the fresh plate Uraume had placed before him. “At least in private, that is. Your formalities are growing obnoxious already.”
You took in another spoonful of your miso soup, the utensil scraping against the bottom of the ceramic bowl as it was nearing its end. “As you wish.”
“Indulge me for a moment, girl, and tell me, if you could have anything at all in this world, what would it be?”
You paused, chopsticks stilling as they attempted to pick up a piece of the fish as you pondered his unexpected question. Just as you had told the former oiran a few evenings prior, you hadn’t thought about your own wants in a remarkably long time, as it was futile to dream up such things. What was the point of desire if it would never come to fruition? Though, none of that mattered due to the man before you that was awaiting an answer, and you knew better than to deny him one.
“I’m not entirely sure what it is that I would want. I try not to think of such nonsense,” you began, eyes holding his as the words left you cautiously. “However, perhaps I would like the freedom to choose for myself.”
“Freedom, huh?” Something akin to a chuckle escaped him. “Such is the life of a servant.”
“Such is the life of a woman.” The retort fell from your tongue before you could even process it, and your regret was immediate. His eyes narrowed for a second as you waited for his response, and that second might as well have been an eternity.
However, no anger or even annoyance came from him. Instead, it was a laugh. Not quite as loud as the one you had pulled from him when you met, but far heftier than his chuckle from just a few moments prior.
Did your quip amuse him?
What a strange thing. Any other man would have struck you by now for such insolence, but Lord Sukuna appeared to find it humorous.
His laughter faded and his face dropped slightly as he pulled another hunk of meat towards him. He held it in front of his lips, though he paused before they could touch the dripping hunk of animal flesh.
“I am going to take you as my bride.”
The chopsticks in your hand faltered, slipping from your grasp, and nearly collided with the table, but you caught them. You stared back at him, breath caught in your throat, unable to form a coherent reply.
It was far worse than you could have imagined. As if the thoughts of being his mistress had not been sickening enough, he did not want to simply use you for pleasure and toss you aside. No, he wanted you to take the place of his wife and become lady of his shrine. To fulfill any and all wifely duties he envisioned for you, whatever that hell may be.
Why had such a terrible fate befallen you of all people? Had you not endured enough and paid whatever price this world had demanded of you twice over by now?
He chewed crudely, swallowing his indulgence with ease. “You seem rather taken aback. Certainly you had enough common sense to know I wouldn’t drag you all the way out here to partake in servitude.”
“No, I did not think that. However, I assumed incorrectly and thought you must already be married, and I would likely serve as a mistress or concubine.”
“You really haven’t a clue who you’re sitting before, do you?”
You stared at him blankly, setting down the utensils neatly, any appetite you had now long gone. “No, I do not.”
“Some may consider you lucky in that manner.” He lifted the final bite of his dinner, though he did not bring it to where one would expect. The maw on his stomach opened fully, sharp canines matching the ones on his face glimmered brightly as you sat, watching in dismay, as a monstrous tongue rolled out from the cavity, wrapping itself around the roasted meat before crawling back into its confines. “To be so sheltered and not have witnessed the full horrors this world has to offer.”
Sukuna rose to his feet, rounding the table and making his way towards you. You took that as a cue to stand yourself, but before you could do so, he was grabbing onto your arm, yanking you upwards. He was far from gentle, much like the previous time he had touched you. Despite this, you could tell the ache in your arm from his grip was not his intention.
His hand slid down your forearm, soon engulfing your own. Warm, calloused fingertips rested against the back of your hand as he leaned down closer to you, and it took all your strength not to recoil at the new contact. “Do you know what a binding vow is?”
You shook your head slightly, your chest still tight from the revelation you’d soon be this man’s wife, and your body still fighting the urge to retreat from the close proximity you shared with one another.
“They’re one of the cornerstones of jujutsu sorcery. You can form them with either yourself or others, but doing so with others is far more complex. In sorcery, there must be balance. It is the natural order of things. In order to fully take, one must give something up. Both humans and intelligent curses alike can invoke binding vows, as they involve one’s cursed energy and soul. I would like to propose that you and I form one together.”
His hand shifted, and his thumb began to slink upwards, carefully tracing upwards from your palm to the tip of your index finger. “I have no desire to take a wife. However, I find myself in a situation where I need one. If you agree to marry me and do so with no impediments, then in return, whenever my use for you has passed, I will give you what you want and set you free. This vow is one that is unbreakable, and should I fail to keep my word, I will suffer terrible consequences. The same goes for you.”
The weight in your chest began to ease slightly with a gleam growing in your eyes that could only be described as hope. “Do you mean that?”
“Every word. Once you complete what I need you to, you’re free to go wherever you please. Run and hide away in some rural village, living off the land. Return to a pleasure house and serve as a courtesan rather than a servant. Sell yourself off to some wealthy business owner and live a comfortable life as his mistress. It’s irrelevant to me what you choose once your end of the deal has reached completion.”
The freedom to choose what to do with one’s life. Such a thing was unheard of. When was the last time a woman, a servant nonetheless, was given such an opportunity? Any path you desired to take at all, and Sukuna would allow it. He would cut the chains that bound you and set you free, allowing you to take your own life back. There would be no physical servitude, nor would you be forced to serve a man. You would be a fool to not agree to the terms he’s offered you.
But why would he even offer such a thing to you? Realistically it made no sense.
“You look concerned rather than pleased by my proposition.”
“I— I’m sorry, but I’m not quite sure I follow. You could easily force me into a marriage, and there’s not a soul alive who could object, especially I. Why go to all this trouble?”
“Because it is none. You mean nothing to me, and turning you loose costs nothing. However, forcing you to cooperate would be far more of a headache in comparison. I want this to go smoothly with no hiccups, meaning you do what I say without a single complaint.” He moved in closer, his breath ricocheting off your ear. “Now, do you agree to our little vow?”
You swallowed harshly before nodding your head. “Yes.”
He squeezed your hand once before straightening up, eyes focused on you. “Good. We will wed in two weeks time.”
The world was far larger than you could have ever imagined. Just a little over two days into your journey, and you felt as if you had already seen it all. Vast, seemingly never-ending fields of greenery, as far as your vision would allow you to witness, later turned into picturesque rolling hills, littered with various crops. At some points throughout, streams, crystal clear and glimmering under both sun and moonlight, wove through the lands, carving themselves amongst various trees and foliage, but perhaps the most awe-inspiring were the mountains in the far distance. Towering, with an undeniable presence, they protruded from the ground into a dense canopy of clouds, their rough edges kissing the heavens as if the two were lovers forced to soon part.
The mare you sat atop let out a sigh, tilting her head back just slightly. You outstretched your fingers, gently rubbing against her smooth chestnut coat, and a faint smile began to form on your lips. It was the first time you had ever interacted with a horse, and while learning to ride proved to be a struggle the first few hours, eventually you were able to get a hang of it. At some point over your short but arduous travels, you had grown quite fond of the creature, and while you knew your separation was both fast-approaching and inevitable, you couldn’t help but feel a bit sad.
What a trivial thing to mourn.
Your gaze moved upwards to the stallion just ahead of you. A rich, obsidian coat that reflected the sun’s rays brilliantly and far more massive than the horse you had been given to ride, he was a perfect mirror for the man perched on his back — your escort for the journey. You had no idea who the man was, with his darkened, solemn eyes and short, neat hair to match. The only words he had spoken to you thus far consisted of vague instructions on horseback riding and curt commands such as “eat” or “sleep.” He had never been to the brothel as far as you knew, neither as a patron nor an employee.
You knew he was a sorcerer by the cursed energy that surrounded him, and he either did not care enough to conceal this fact or his energy reserves were so expansive he was truly unable to. Judging by the man who had just taken over your contract, you leaned toward the latter. The small amount you did know of Lord Sukuna, you imagined Lady Nene wanted to take no chances in ensuring that you arrived promptly and safely, so she likely resorted to hiring a strong sorcerer.
“Do not stray,” your escort grumbled, breaking the silence, his voice low. Eyes slipping past the brooding man, you watched as buildings began to appear on the horizon.
Your own was meek as you simply replied, “Understood.”
He grunted, acknowledging your compliance, before simultaneously clicking his tongue and tapping the stallion’s flanks. The horse responded immediately, picking up its pace, nowhere near a run but far quicker than the stroll it had been doing just a moment prior. You took in a deep breath before following suit. Your mare heeded the command just as his had, and your body leaned forward slightly, hands tightening their grip on the reins.
There were quite a few buildings ahead, and as you grew closer and closer, that number only continued to climb. Throughout your journey, there had been a few small farming villages you encountered, but nothing of this magnitude. It was an actual town, and the dirt road you found yourself on led directly down the center of it. Silhouettes of people could be seen bustling around in their day-to-day lives. Some carried goods on their backs, heads down in an apparent rush, while others engaged in friendly conversation, loitering around the many yatai that lined the street, gorging themselves on tempura skewers and plump dango.
Out of your periphery, you suddenly witnessed the man slowing to a near halt, and thankfully you were able to mirror the motion by tugging the reins, your mare coming to a similar speed just on the edge of town. He pushed forward, weaving in and out of pedestrians, never once letting his gaze falter from the path ahead. You, however, eagerly took in everything. The aroma of fish, fired above an open flame, caught itself on the mid-morning’s breeze and wafted through the open air while the sounds of children’s laughter spilled through the street from inside one of the houses. Men exchanged currency for bowls of soba, slurping the thin, delicious noodles with glee while a couple of women, clad in yukatas, carried buckets of water through a doorway just to the left of you.
It felt strange to experience such a thing. For years you had watched similar scenes in the pleasure district, albeit mainly only men, through the front hall’s window. Humans just existing, doing mundane things, and going about their lives. Though this time there was no piece of glass separating you from the outside world as it moved along. For the first time ever, it felt like you were existing too, even if for a brief period.
The man came to a standstill in front of a food cart, immediately dismounting from his horse, not once sparing a glance in your direction. You took that as a sign to stay put, stalling right next to his stallion, casting your eyes down and sitting in silence. He asked the older gentleman behind the grill something, though you couldn’t make out what, and it wasn’t long until he was forcing a skewer into your line of sight.
“Eat.”
“Thank you.” Your voice remained quiet as you loosened one of your hands to reach for it.
“My lord. Thank you, my lord.”
Never once throughout your journey had he corrected you until now, and your body grew still at the realization. You hadn’t a single clue that the sorcerer was anything beyond a hired escort for your travels, and such a miscalculation usually carried grave consequences. If it weren’t for the fact that a seemingly powerful man had just laid claim to you, you likely would’ve paid for such a slight with your life.
You swallowed harshly, hand wrapping around the bamboo skewer, voice trembling, and head dipping downwards. “My sincerest apologies, my lord. I hadn’t realized.”
“I said to eat,” he spat. “I don’t want that beast to think I’ve starved his newest prize.”
You involuntarily flinched at his harshness as the word “beast” dripped from his tongue like venom, full of disdain through and through. Though it wasn’t just his sudden aggression that prompted such a reaction from you, but also the unwanted reminder of the cruel fate that would be upon you by day’s end. You moved what was presumably some sort of fish up to your lips, both trying to obey the command and divert your attention elsewhere, and were ready to bite down when a loud, boisterous voice rang out.
“Hey, Zenin!”
“Fuck,” the man hissed under his breath, a scowl overcoming his features as he turned his back to you.
Zenin. He’s a Zenin.
You had not only heard of the clan before but personally encountered them as well. Many Zenin men had visited the brothel over the years. From your limited understanding, there were three major clans of jujutsu sorcerers. All of them were powerful in their own right, both physically and politically. Publicly, they were nothing more than business owners and land lords, owning an extensive portion of properties across the nation. However, behind the curtains, all three sat atop the sorcery world and were forces to be reckoned with.
The man whom the voice belonged to was quick to approach. Tussled locks of a lighter brown fell lazily across his forehead, bouncing as he practically skipped towards your escort. Despite being clad in a loose, dark blue kosode, you could still tell he had a pronounced build. His eyes, light green with flecks of gold bordering the pupils, never once paid you any mind. His sole focus remained the Zenin man you had unknowingly been traveling with.
“What are you doing out here?” The stranger asked, a sly grin forming on his lips as he grew closer. “It’s a terribly long way from home.”
“I could say the same to you.”
You forced your gaze back down, finally biting into your skewer. A rich, savory flavor suddenly spread throughout your mouth as you chewed the tender fish, delighting in its remarkable flavor. You had never had anything like it. Daily meals for servants usually consisted of nothing more than miso soup or katemashi. Every now and then — perhaps once, maybe twice a year — you were allowed a small portion of boiled fish, but that was usually reserved for special celebratory occasions.
At some point, the two men strolled off, continuing their conversation. You had failed to keep track and were instead distracted by the succulent food you clutched.
“It must be good. Can’t say I’ve seen someone enjoy my food that much in a while.”
You turned your head, eyes moving to the elderly man who had prepared your food. He donned a wide smile — one that appeared sincere — as he spoke. His hair was short and silver, shining brightly under the rapidly climbing sun as he leaned forward a bit, pushing some of his skewers to the side, undoubtedly wanting to continue conversing with you.
“Have you never had kabayaki before?” His inquiry sounded harmless; in fact, it seemed like nothing more than a genuine curiosity.
Your eyes widened slightly, the fish still impolitely hanging from your mouth, a bit of sauce smeared on the corners of your lips. You didn’t think you had ever heard a man speak so politely before in your entire life.
“N—no, I haven’t, sir,” you managed to force out, eyes reflexively darting away from his.
He chuckled. “That’s surprising. Most people have. It’s just grilled eel and soy sauce.”
“Well, it is delicious, thank you.” Your head dipped down softly.
“Someone of your status should not speak in such a manner.”
My status?
“I apologize, sir, but I do not follow.”
He half-heartedly gestured towards the two men, many paces away, still engaged in a deep conversation. “You’re Koichi Zenin’s mistress, are you not?”
That’s his name.
You turned briefly to focus on the raven-haired man as you replied, “I just met him for the first time two days ago. He was sent to escort me to the man who bought out my contract.”
“You’re a courtesan then, I presume?”
Not in the slightest.
However, you didn’t feel like delving into it, so the lie fell from you with ease alongside a nod. “Something of the sort.”
“I cannot imagine a customer so important that a Zenin is being forced to hand-deliver a courtesan to them.”
“I suppose he is, but in all honesty, I wouldn’t know. I’ve also only met the man once. However, I will find out soon enough. If you don’t mind me asking, sir, which feudal lord oversees this territory?”
“We don’t have one.”
You peeled your eyes away from the Zenin and his acquaintance, letting them fall back on the man behind the food stall. His hands were busying themselves with preparing more kabayaki. A sharp knife was balanced carefully in them as he began diligently carving up the raw eel.
“Oh. I wasn’t aware there were unsupervised territories still in the nation. Forgive me.”
“You misunderstand, girl.” He paid you no mind as he picked up a chunk of the eel, dipping it into a deep, dark vat of sauce he pulled from underneath the cart. “We are not unprotected. It is just not a man who rules over us. Rather, a god.”
Your breath caught in your throat, and the sound of Lady Kana’s voice ricocheted throughout your mind. This must be part of her warning to you. The man you had been bought out by, Lord Sukuna, was apparently viewed and worshipped as a god in some parts of Japan.
You stared at the man continuing his preparations, swallowing back any questions that threatened to surface. There was so much you were desperate to know before your arrival at Lord Sukuna’s shrine as the anticipation gnawed at you, though considering your true social standing and who you were accompanied by, you felt it wise not to push your luck any further. Instead, you just let out a soft “I see.”
Taking the final bite of your kabayaki, you attempted to savor it, as you weren’t sure if you’d ever be allowed to eat something so flavorful again, though the moment of enjoyment you attempted to procure for yourself was cut short as a hand was gripping onto your wrist, the freshly cleaned skewer clattering to the ground beneath your mare.
“Kamo, cease this immediately!” You heard the Zenin hiss as your frightened gaze flew up to meet his friend’s. The strange man stared at you, his fingers slipping underneath the purple sleeve of your kimono, digging into your bare flesh as he tugged you down slightly, forcing your face closer to his.
Once more you felt the stilling of your own breath, this time at the name uttered.
You had only seen one Kamo before in your life. Apparently they preferred other pleasure houses rather than the one you served in, though despite this, you knew the name all the same. They were another one of the big three sorcery clans and equally as powerful as the Zenins.
“Oh, would you relax? I just want to look at the bitch.” He pulled on your arm again, forcing you down even lower to where you were now fully leaned over, and his other hand reached out, slipping underneath your chin. “I want to see what’s so valuable.”
Before you even had a chance to think, his fingers crawled up your jaw, tilting it to the side as he eyed you. “Besides, he’s in an exceptionally good mood today for whatever reason. Though, I have an inkling why.”
You cut your eyes down, only to be met with a cruel, taunting grin in return as you forced yourself to take a small breath. The Kamo knew Sukuna as well, and not only that, he seemed to have been in contact with him. Lady Kana had said his full name was Ryomen Sukuna so certainly he wasn’t a member of any of the big clans, so did he have financial dealings with them?
He leaned in, hot breath flooding the apple of your cheek, eyes darting across your face, and you weren’t the only one unnerved at the situation as your escort’s cursed energy began to bubble up at the escalating situation.
“You look exactly like your whore mother,” the man sneered before releasing his grip on you. He turned away, muttering something to Lord Zenin before making himself scarce, though despite the close proximity they still held to you, you missed it. Straightening back up, you softly rubbed the spot where the man’s fingers had just held onto you, your mind wandering elsewhere as you attempted to make sense of what had just happened.
You heard a throat clear as you quickly lifted your glum stare up to meet Lord Zenin’s. He just nodded towards where the dirt road led straight through the town before climbing up onto his stallion. No further words were exchanged as he took off, and you prompted your horse to do the same. Soon the vibrant village was replaced by forest and flora, and you twisted back to get a glimpse of the rapidly shrinking buildings one final time before they disappeared all together. The moments of eating and conversing with that kind man behind the yatai were nothing more than a fleeting memory.
One could never be certain what the future held, though if yours was anything like the life you had lived so far, you knew you’d never get to experience such a thing again.
The mountains in the distance began to grow closer, and with their approach, the terrain began to shift as well, becoming slightly more rugged, with the road growing more narrow. Eventually it came to a complete end. Despite this, your travel companion pushed onward, and you were left no choice but to follow, weaving in and out of the pine trees that only grew in height the further you went in.
The sun had reached its peak in the sky as morning began to morph into afternoon, though it was far more meager, as a thick canopy of grey clouds had since accumulated, and you could only hope you would arrive at your destination before the rain would start its imminent descent. You weren’t sure if you could bear to see anything to ruin the kimono Lady Kana had graciously gifted you. It was likely juvenile reasoning, but it was the only nice thing you had owned. And for some reason, still largely unknown to you, it managed to bring you some sort of small comfort.
You had long accepted your future role in Lord Sukuna’s life from the second he had demanded you rise to your feet in front of him. It was the only time in your life that your social status was irrelevant. Whether you were a servant or not was utterly meaningless, because even if by some stroke of luck you had been born royalty, it would not have mattered in that moment. A man — a seemingly powerful one at that — had demanded something of you, and if you wanted to survive, you were forced to oblige.
But your acceptance was not apathy, and no matter how inevitable it was, it brought you unease all the same.
“We will be arriving shortly,” Lord Zenin called out from ahead, his head turning back to face you. “Try not to look so fucking miserable.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“And do not tell that thing what I allowed to transpire earlier with Hayato Kamo. I imagine he would not take well to someone else touching his property in such a rough manner.”
“Understood, my lord.”
And just as he had warned of your impending arrival, a building began to protrude from the horizon, though it was far from what you expected. A shrine is what Lord Sukuna himself had called it, which you did find strange at the time, because why would a lord willingly reside in such a place? Though as you grew near, it seemed to be far more of a palace than a shrine. A high, sturdy brick wall wrapped around the entirety of the property as a three-story-tall, red building peered out from behind it. The barrier that protected the land was long, and though you couldn’t tell just how large the shrine was from the exterior, you already knew it was unlike anything you could have imagined.
A pair of wooden gates opened up, and Lord Zenin came to a halt, using his hands to gesture you forward and ahead of him. Your hands tightened around the reins as a wave of anxiousness crashed over you, and your entire body went rigid at the prospect of seeing the towering, frightening man who had laid claim to you just days prior. But as your mare led you through the gates, he was nowhere to be found.
A handful of men and women clad in servant’s attire bustled around the front courtyard, some carrying pails of water and others bushels of barley, each with their heads low in an unassuming demeanor. One single person stood in the center, wearing a sleek alabaster kimono with short, shoulder-length hair to match. Arms clasped tightly in the front, they stared at you with an unreadable expression before casting their full attention to Lord Zenin.
“Master Sukuna will be pleased.” They spoke with a flat voice, completely devoid of any emotion.
“The Zenin clan would also like to extend a gift to Lord Sukuna as a token of our goodwill if he would be so gracious as to accept, of course.”
You looked back to Lord Zenin, and though his cadence managed to sound cordial, his expression had begun to betray him. Every word he forced out looked as if it brought him pain to say such fictitious things, and his disgust grew more thinly veiled by the second.
“The mare that the girl sits atop is his now.”
Out of your periphery you watched as Lord Sukuna’s pale-haired subordinate allowed the corner of their lip to quirk up slightly, though their tone remained monotonous. “An extravagant gift.”
“Consider it a symbol of what we hope to be a long friendship.”
“I’m sure.” Pink eyes flickered towards you as the stranger moved in closer, extending their arm, insinuating that it was time for you to disembark.
You swung one leg over the side, hand reaching out to grab onto theirs for any sort of stability as you hopped down, knees bending slightly on the impact as your waraji crashed into the earth beneath you.
“You may call me Uraume,” they said, arm retracting the second you were on solid ground. “I serve Master Sukuna, and he has instructed that I ensure you properly settle in. Please follow me.”
No response was necessary as they sauntered off. Unconsciously your hand balled up the silk of your kimono as you shuffled behind, peering up at the massive structure before you. It was not only gargantuan but ornate as well. A fine piece of architecture that was far more befitting a king than a lord such as Sukuna. The place made the pleasure house from which you hailed appear as if it were nothing more than a peasant’s residence.
Two lofty wooden doors swung open, and you glanced back one last time at the horse by the gate, a servant leading her away. The faintest of smiles ghosted over your lips, because no matter what hell awaited you beyond the threshold, at least you’d likely see the mare again at some point in time. It was not much, but you would cling to the small comfort that brought, just as you would Lady Kana’s kimono.
The interior was staggering once you entered, eyes widening slightly at the expansive entryway before you. Immaculate, dark wooden flooring stretched ahead, gleaming underneath the orange paper lanterns, each with intricate designs, that hung from the ceilings. The walls themselves were dark as well, a rich charcoal color with the occasional scroll or piece of art hanging from them. It was somehow both somber yet still remarkably beautiful.
You failed to keep your eyes to yourself as you trailed behind Uraume, taking in everything Lord Sukuna’s shrine had to offer — though you still mentally maintained that this was no shrine. The walls eventually gave way to shoji doors as you wove deeper into the building, signaling that rooms were now nestled on either side of you. The air smelled lightly of smoke, but not of tobacco, rather actual flames torching wood, and occasionally a musky scent would waft through.
A girl passed by, head tucked low much like yours often was, carrying a pile of folded linens. She appeared to be about your age, perhaps a few years younger. Her golden hair was tied back neatly, not a strand out of place, and her beige kosode was free of any stains. She was unbelievably clean for one likely bound to a life of service.
It was strange. You had heard nothing but ill tales of Lord Sukuna, but his servants already seemed as if they were treated far better than the ones in the pleasure district and certainly more so than the house in which you served. You wouldn’t be a fool and mistake that for benevolence. After all, you had laid eyes upon him yourself. However, as another servant passed by, this one a young man in a nearly pristine grey yukata, you struggled to imagine him being as awful as Lady Kana had suggested.
Your guide came to a sudden halt in front of a pair of doors, turning to face you slightly. “This is your room. Master Sukuna has requested you join him for dinner this evening. Someone will be back to get you when it is time. Do not leave and wander under any circumstance.”
“Understood,” you breathed out, with a polite nod of the head.
They were quick to retreat and out of your sight before you could even grasp onto the doors fully. In one swift motion, you were pushing them to the side, ready to enter, though the sight that awaited you had immediately frozen your feet in place.
Over twice the size of the room you had once shared with countless other servants, tatami flooring stretched across the space in its entirety. Two of the walls contained a pair of shoji doors, while the others had murals stretching across them. One was painted with three mountain peaks embracing a picturesque coastline rife with a thick fog, slightly obscured by draping leaves, and a bright partial moon perched above the scene. The second contained art of evergreen bamboo and a sedge of cranes flying about.
There was not much furniture, making the room appear far too massive for one such as yourself. In the corner was a large cypress chest meant for clothing storage, while a matching low table rested not far from it. Right in the center was a neatly kept futon with plush, ivory bedding, and atop of it was a clean, pressed kimono.
You finally moved into the room, legs carrying you over to the fine piece of attire as you squatted down, reaching out for it. A luxurious silk, far more so than what Lady Kana had gifted you. Sanguine in color, black embellishments lined both the sleeves and the bottom hem. The garment itself could be considered a work of art and was something a seamstress undoubtedly spent forever crafting.
Lord Sukuna’s intentions with you suddenly became very clear. He likely would not provide such a thing to anyone other than someone he planned to reserve as a mistress or concubine. You had long assumed as much despite Lady Kana telling you otherwise. Courtesan or not, a man was not going to take over a contract from one of the most renowned brothels in the nation only to force the woman into physical servitude. Why he picked you remained a mystery that you’d be lying if you said hadn’t tormented you to some degree, but the things you would be forced into doing had never been more obvious.
Regardless, your anticipation did not make the situation any easier, and your mouth suddenly felt bone dry. All you could hope for now is that your role would be the former. A mistress was nothing more than someone to provide pleasure, whereas a concubine would be expected to secure his lineage by providing heirs.
You stood up straight, undoing the kimono that clung to you, allowing it to hit the floor by your feet. It was clear that you were supposed to change into what was left for you, and you did not wish to disappoint Lord Sukuna on your first night at his residence. Soon, it was rich red silk draping across your body, the hue reminiscent of fresh blood, and at some point during your brief attempt at ensuring the kimono was snug with everything properly in place, rain had begun to fall.
Many hours likely remained until you were sought out. Your feet carried you over towards the empty table where you made yourself comfortable on the ground nearby. Leaning down, you rested the side of your cheek against your knees, staring blankly at the elegant cranes painted along the wall, listening as the pitter-patter of rainfall had morphed into a full-fledged storm. Thunder would crack loudly, and though you were unable to watch the sullen weather from your windowless room, the sounds were enough to piece it together, and you imagined it was quite beautiful.
Time stretched on as the heavens continued to weep, and they did so unfettered. A part of you was envious of such an act. You felt strange and out of place. The excitement of seeing the world for the first time had already been ripped from you, and all that remained now was an emptiness. It was both something you had grown accustomed to feeling, and also an alien concept. It would no longer be caked-on dirt, tracked in from the soles of some samurai’s septa, that you would diligently scrub from flooring or a courtesan’s stained bedding that you would launder. You had a legitimate role to play now, and it was one you would have never chosen by your own accord.
Be it Lady Nene or Lord Sukuna, whoever held your contract was irrelevant. It would just be a different breed of misery and would constrict you all the same. However, you would not be afforded the luxury of allowing your tears to fall, so you would force them back down, just as you always had.
You lacked any details, but you knew now that the former oiran had tried to ensure you would not end up in a similar position to hers, though now it was all futile. Forced to slave the entirety of your life away and robbed of any sense of self, only to end up in the hands of some wealthy lord as his personal plaything. It was an unforgiving cycle — one that did not begin with her and certainly one that would not end with you.
At some point a soft knock against your door made itself known, and you were rising to your feet swiftly. As you slid it open, the blonde servant girl you had spotted in the hallways earlier appeared. Her head was politely tucked down, eyes never leaving the floor.
“Master Sukuna has demanded your presence.”
“Please lead me to him.” The words burned as they left you, but you somehow managed to keep them from cracking.
The servant turned around, leading down the halls in the opposite direction from which you entered earlier. Her gaze remained planted downwards, and it was silent as you both rounded a corner, revealing a wide, wooden staircase. She ascended quickly, both hands lifting her kosode while your movements were far slower, allowing your fingertips to slide up the railing.
The second story resembled the portion of the first where your room was housed, and it wasn’t long until you were brought to another set of shoji doors. The girl you followed lifted her hand ready to knock, but it slid open before she had the opportunity. Immediately her legs folded beneath her as she bowed low to the ground. Uraume stood in the threshold, beckoning you in, and the second you were no longer in her care, the servant scurried off without another word.
A lengthy table stretched across the center of the room, and on the side opposite you sat the man who had bought you out. Four crimson eyes tore into you like claws, the intensity of his stare causing your breath to falter. Even now, with his cursed energy undetectable and sitting on the ground, he was still every bit intimidating. Whatever earlier thoughts you had about him not being as terrible as you had heard dissipated within an instant. One look at him now, up close and in the light, and you knew he was exactly the monster Lady Kana warned you of.
Should you displease him even once, it would be the last thing you ever did.
You heeded her advice and lowered yourself to the floor, providing a polite, proper bow befitting someone who was often referred to as a god. Normally one might greet him, but you weren’t quite sure what the rules here were yet, and speaking out of turn could spell trouble for you.
“Come,” was all he said. His resounding voice nearly felt like a mirror of the occasional thunder that still roared from the evening storm just outside.
You rose, shuffling over to the table, eyeing the empty black and gold embroidered cushion that rested directly across from him, stopping just before it.
“Sit.”
You sunk down as gracefully as you could, settling onto the cushion, back straight and arms crossed, but your eyes were firmly planted on the empty table rather than him. Footsteps could be heard making haste towards you both, a large blue and white porcelain plate being slid in front of Lord Sukuna containing a heaping pile of rare meat, still oozing blood from its cool red center.
You immediately stiffened at its arrival. Eating meat was not only rare throughout the nation but also banned. Consumption of it only came about for medicinal reasons, as it was occasionally used to treat certain ailments. Though by the way he slid the chunk of meat in his mouth, chewing eagerly with a satisfied hum, you knew this was not a one-time occurrence.
Was it a stag? Perhaps a mountain boar? Certainly not something as taboo as cattle.
Suddenly he was casting his gaze up at you as he shoved in another piece.
“Look at me, fully.”
He wore an identical outfit to the one he donned the night of your first meeting. That same black haori hung loosely across his shoulders, with his two lower arms leaning back to prop up his weight while the top two made quick work of devouring his meal.
No matter how strange or inconceivable his build was to you, the consequences of possibly offending him outweighed your curiosities, so you fought the overwhelming urge to allow your eyes to wander again, if even for a second, instead focusing on his face.
“Tell me, have you ever eaten meat?”
“No, my lord.” Your voice was remarkably small compared to his.
“Figured,” he responded as a plate was carefully set in front of you.
Steam wafted upwards, swirling up into your face, and you momentarily eyed the sustenance you had been provided. Thankfully, it was not meat awaiting you, but rather a thick piece of what appeared to be braised fish, accompanied by a small cup of miso soup and some sort of pickled vegetable. A pair of chopsticks stretched across the plate, and you sat still, looking back up to him, awaiting any sort of command that you could begin to indulge yourself.
He didn’t notice you at first. Instead, he seemed utterly absorbed by the shrinking pile of game before him. Eventually one of his lower eyes crept upwards, and finally he began speaking.
“What?” He barked out, his full gaze making its way back to you now. His voice was the loudest it had been since you met him. “Am I going to have to hold your hand through every little thing?”
It took everything in you not to jump back as his outburst aligned with a boisterous crack of thunder just outside the room.
“Eat your fucking food.”
Was that the cruelty Lady Kana had warned you of already peeking through? Though, it honestly didn’t stray too far from what you often witnessed from other men.
“Yes, my lord.” What you spoke was barely above a whisper as you moved to pick up the chopsticks.
A small piece of the fish slipped between your lips, and you chewed as neatly as you could muster. It was delicious, so much so that if perhaps you weren’t under the watchful eyes of Lord Sukuna, you likely would’ve gorged yourself. Next, you reached for the vegetable. You were unsure exactly what it was, but its sharp acidity was welcome all the same.
You looked back up to the man sitting across from you, only to be met with the sight of his freshly cleaned plate as he leaned forward onto one of his propped-up arms, cheek resting against his palm as all four of his eyes zeroed in on you.
Neither one of you broke the silent atmosphere for a bit. Your attention was split between him and your meal, but now with his gone, it seemed the only thing on his mind was you. The weight of his stare became far more immense as a tightness blossomed within your chest. Movements becoming stiffer and the taste of your food growing duller, you were increasingly unable to prevent your worries from spiraling.
Were you expected to already begin your duties?
“The night of our first meeting I found myself to be amused by you, albeit briefly, you were still amusing nonetheless. Yet here you sit, frightened and wide-eyed, refusing to so much as even flinch like some sort of fragile animal. If I wanted a pet, I’d go get a dog.”
“I apologize, my lord. It was never my intention to offend you.”
“And cease referring to me as such,” he responded, eyes briefly leaving you to greet the fresh plate Uraume had placed before him. “At least in private, that is. Your formalities are growing obnoxious already.”
You took in another spoonful of your miso soup, the utensil scraping against the bottom of the ceramic bowl as it was nearing its end. “As you wish.”
“Indulge me for a moment, girl, and tell me, if you could have anything at all in this world, what would it be?”
You paused, chopsticks stilling as they attempted to pick up a piece of the fish as you pondered his unexpected question. Just as you had told the former oiran a few evenings prior, you hadn’t thought about your own wants in a remarkably long time, as it was futile to dream up such things. What was the point of desire if it would never come to fruition? Though, none of that mattered due to the man before you that was awaiting an answer, and you knew better than to deny him one.
“I’m not entirely sure what it is that I would want. I try not to think of such nonsense,” you began, eyes holding his as the words left you cautiously. “However, perhaps I would like the freedom to choose for myself.”
“Freedom, huh?” Something akin to a chuckle escaped him. “Such is the life of a servant.”
“Such is the life of a woman.” The retort fell from your tongue before you could even process it, and your regret was immediate. His eyes narrowed for a second as you waited for his response, and that second might as well have been an eternity.
However, no anger or even annoyance came from him. Instead, it was a laugh. Not quite as loud as the one you had pulled from him when you met, but far heftier than his chuckle from just a few moments prior.
Did your quip amuse him?
What a strange thing. Any other man would have struck you by now for such insolence, but Lord Sukuna appeared to find it humorous.
His laughter faded and his face dropped slightly as he pulled another hunk of meat towards him. He held it in front of his lips, though he paused before they could touch the dripping hunk of animal flesh.
“I am going to take you as my bride.”
The chopsticks in your hand faltered, slipping from your grasp, and nearly collided with the table, but you caught them. You stared back at him, breath caught in your throat, unable to form a coherent reply.
It was far worse than you could have imagined. As if the thoughts of being his mistress had not been sickening enough, he did not want to simply use you for pleasure and toss you aside. No, he wanted you to take the place of his wife and become lady of his shrine. To fulfill any and all wifely duties he envisioned for you, whatever that hell may be.
Why had such a terrible fate befallen you of all people? Had you not endured enough and paid whatever price this world had demanded of you twice over by now?
He chewed crudely, swallowing his indulgence with ease. “You seem rather taken aback. Certainly you had enough common sense to know I wouldn’t drag you all the way out here to partake in servitude.”
“No, I did not think that. However, I assumed incorrectly and thought you must already be married, and I would likely serve as a mistress or concubine.”
“You really haven’t a clue who you’re sitting before, do you?”
You stared at him blankly, setting down the utensils neatly, any appetite you had now long gone. “No, I do not.”
“Some may consider you lucky in that manner.” He lifted the final bite of his dinner, though he did not bring it to where one would expect. The maw on his stomach opened fully, sharp canines matching the ones on his face glimmered brightly as you sat, watching in dismay, as a monstrous tongue rolled out from the cavity, wrapping itself around the roasted meat before crawling back into its confines. “To be so sheltered and not have witnessed the full horrors this world has to offer.”
Sukuna rose to his feet, rounding the table and making his way towards you. You took that as a cue to stand yourself, but before you could do so, he was grabbing onto your arm, yanking you upwards. He was far from gentle, much like the previous time he had touched you. Despite this, you could tell the ache in your arm from his grip was not his intention.
His hand slid down your forearm, soon engulfing your own. Warm, calloused fingertips rested against the back of your hand as he leaned down closer to you, and it took all your strength not to recoil at the new contact. “Do you know what a binding vow is?”
You shook your head slightly, your chest still tight from the revelation you’d soon be this man’s wife, and your body still fighting the urge to retreat from the close proximity you shared with one another.
“They’re one of the cornerstones of jujutsu sorcery. You can form them with either yourself or others, but doing so with others is far more complex. In sorcery, there must be balance. It is the natural order of things. In order to fully take, one must give something up. Both humans and intelligent curses alike can invoke binding vows, as they involve one’s cursed energy and soul. I would like to propose that you and I form one together.”
His hand shifted, and his thumb began to slink upwards, carefully tracing upwards from your palm to the tip of your index finger. “I have no desire to take a wife. However, I find myself in a situation where I need one. If you agree to marry me and do so with no impediments, then in return, whenever my use for you has passed, I will give you what you want and set you free. This vow is one that is unbreakable, and should I fail to keep my word, I will suffer terrible consequences. The same goes for you.”
The weight in your chest began to ease slightly with a gleam growing in your eyes that could only be described as hope. “Do you mean that?”
“Every word. Once you complete what I need you to, you’re free to go wherever you please. Run and hide away in some rural village, living off the land. Return to a pleasure house and serve as a courtesan rather than a servant. Sell yourself off to some wealthy business owner and live a comfortable life as his mistress. It’s irrelevant to me what you choose once your end of the deal has reached completion.”
The freedom to choose what to do with one’s life. Such a thing was unheard of. When was the last time a woman, a servant nonetheless, was given such an opportunity? Any path you desired to take at all, and Sukuna would allow it. He would cut the chains that bound you and set you free, allowing you to take your own life back. There would be no physical servitude, nor would you be forced to serve a man. You would be a fool to not agree to the terms he’s offered you.
But why would he even offer such a thing to you? Realistically it made no sense.
“You look concerned rather than pleased by my proposition.”
“I— I’m sorry, but I’m not quite sure I follow. You could easily force me into a marriage, and there’s not a soul alive who could object, especially I. Why go to all this trouble?”
“Because it is none. You mean nothing to me, and turning you loose costs nothing. However, forcing you to cooperate would be far more of a headache in comparison. I want this to go smoothly with no hiccups, meaning you do what I say without a single complaint.” He moved in closer, his breath ricocheting off your ear. “Now, do you agree to our little vow?”
You swallowed harshly before nodding your head. “Yes.”
He squeezed your hand once before straightening up, eyes focused on you. “Good. We will wed in two weeks time.”
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
I loved the new fic sweetest sin. All your fic ideas are so original. Also cannot wait for sanguine chapter 19
thank you so much!! i’m so happy people are enjoying the new fic. and also im so sorry i haven’t gotten chap 19 out yet! i wanted to have it out last week but i got sick and honestly i felt so bad, i couldn’t even bring myself to write. i literally just laid there in my misery. i’m feel a lot better now though and will continue to work on it (as well as sweetest sin) and try to have them both out asap!! thank u again!! <33
