You clench the pack of playing cards in your hand, your plan would have to come sooner than later.
"Let's make a bet then, Ryomen Sukuna. Your freedom is going to have to come with some rules."
"Yes! There's that fighting spirit! State your terms, and LET ME BE DONE WITH THIS PLACE!"
His voice boomed, shattering the illusion of the woods around you. The mountain of skulls reappears beneath your feet, rushing up at you and elevating the two of you high into the air. The high arching bows of an impossibly enormous skeletal ribcage meet above you. Below is a river of blood. Sukuna was done with his pretenses it seemed.
"You have proven you will be a perfect vessel. I knew you had prospect from the moment I saw you. Your visits are the most excitement I've had in eons! Now, my pet, what did you have in mind for our wager?"
A smirk tugs the corner of your mouth. You have a perfect challenge in mind.
"It's a simple memory game. Maybe you've never played cards before, but there are 52 different cards in a deck, as well as two jokers of no value. The cards are numbered two through ten, plus four face cards," you take the cards out, facing them so Sukuna can see.
"We will be playing a matching game. All cards shuffled, then placed face down. We will take turns flipping two at a time. If you get a match, you get a point, and you get to pick again until you miss. The goal is to get more matched pairs than your opponent. For the sake of time, let's say first to three points will be the winner."
"This sounds too simple to be of any real excitement," he gripes.
"What does the winner get?"
"The winner picks when we merge. If I win, you have to wait another week. If you win..." you swallow hard, "then you can take me today."
"Still doesnt sound very stimulating." He is scarcely impressed.
"I thought you may feel that way. So to make it interesting, if you get a match, you get to set a rule for our contract. If you get a second match, you can add another."
That got his attention.
"Anything?" His teeth bared with excitement. "Are you prepared for whatever I may think up for you? Because I've had plenty of ideas..."
The way his eyes are burning into yours, you don't doubt his words. This was probably his plan all along after all, to get on your good side with mindblowing sex just to turn around and make it a foot in the door to possession.
Possession. As in ownership. Another prickle of fear sneaks down your spine. But if you don't, he would keep taking you when you least expect. You know you're only getting this one chance to get the upper hand over him.
"Shall we start? I assume you can snap up a tabletop of some sort for us to lay the cards on?"
As soon as the words left your mouth, a plateau of earth was shaping itself into a block between the two of you. It ballooned up comedically, like a cake rising in the world's most efficient oven. The surface that appeared to be mud quickly hardened, changing color in patches. When it was finished, it a lovely gray and black marble table stood before you, complete with tiny skulls engraved at each corner. It was almost compliment worthy, until you saw the legs of the table. That is, the human leg bones literally as the table's legs.
What the hell is with this guy?
Sukuna laid his hands on the tabletop, leaning in with his devil smile,
"At your leisure, my dear."
You divide the deck and start mixing the cards, trying to enjoy the rustling sound of the dovetail shuffle that always soothed you. This time it just makes your stomach flip-flop. You're mediocre at best when it comes to most card games, that's why you picked one that required little skill. Besides explaining the rules of any other game to a god who barely knew what cards were might have been alot harder.
Arranging the cards in neat rows, you try to make them as straight as possible with trembling fingers. Then you realize you hadn't considered who should pick first.
"Um...you go first?" it came out as more of a question. Your uncertainty was more than obvious.
Sukuna's eyes scan over the fifty-four identical cards, then he selects two near the center. It's a miss with a 3 of clubs and a 5 of hearts. You sigh with relief.
"You're a nervous one. I thought this was your idea? Have a little confidence." He bites his lower lip with anticipation, "It's no fun for me if you dont fight back a little..."
The double meaning of his words makes you blush yet again. You select two cards that are right next to each other by your left-hand corner. A miss. Ace and the 4 of diamonds. This was going to happen a few more times. Until then, it was excruciating flipping in a growing silence. Flip, flip, miss. Flip, flip, miss. Until-
"Yes! Fuck yes! I got a pair! Woohoo!" You do a little victory dance with your first pair of 6's, and Sukuna crosses his arms tolerably.
"Alright, then. So what is going to be your first declaration for our contract?" He was obviously annoyed at having you set any conditions before he could.
"NO KILLING IF IT CAN BE AVOIDED! PERIOD! ZERO MURDER!"
You wag a finger in his face as if he were a dog who made a mess on the rug. It annoys him plenty. His features collapse in disappointment.
"Oh, you are just no fun..." his chin sags to his chest. "And you get to choose again, right?"
You nod and start scanning for the next cards that "feel right"... You needed to make as many of the rules as possible before he got a chance to make things more in his favor. Too bad you miss again on your bonus draw.
"Crap." You heave a sigh, but feel a bit of relief to have laid down Rule Number One. Sukuna selects two cards nowhere near each other...It was random luck. Two kings. Oh, no. No, no, no.
Your heart is hammering, watching his smile light up his face, his markings making his face look even more fearsome.
"A win for the king." He chuckles at his joke. "So, here is my first condition: You will assist me in reassembling my cursed energy."
"What does that mean?" The internet said nothing about this. And anything with curse in the name was definitely going to be a problem for you.
Sukuna held up his hands to you, palms open, his second smile in his right hand grinned madly at you.
"My corpse was desecrated upon my death, you see. I made a few too many enemies I guess you could say. My fingers were removed from my body. They happen to still possess a portion of my cursed energy inside them. This makes them highly coveted by anyone with a use for demon energy. You already have one, and you will help me find the rest."
A finger? And you have it? Oh, god. Now you distinctly remember when you first messed with that puzzle box. There was something rattling around inside. Something that was probably a severed finger. Great gift.
Your face is showing your disgust.
"Aw, don't give me that face. I'm playing by the rules of your game, aren't I? Don't be a sore loser." He flicks the cards off the ledge of the precipice, you watch as they flutter then disappear into the bloody river beneath you.
"My turn again..." You hold your breath as he selects, and are horrified when you see his reveal the 5 of clubs as his first card.
"Hmmm, now where did I see that other 5 earlier?" His tone was playful. How was he getting so lucky now? You bit the inside of your cheek with determination now and swallow hard. You should have guessed he'd have a slight advantage with his second set of eyes. You had noticed them staring hard at the cards he was flipping face down, not even needing to memorize their placements. You knew he knew where it was, and prepared yourself for another rule to be made by him. He flips the 5 of hearts. He reaches across to drag the edge of the card delicately over your lips as he speaks,
"When I call, you will come running to me. No matter what. You will be compelled by this rule."
Oh, fuck. You should have made that your first rule...but you were too distracted by your fear of him hurting anyone. Now you were in the same situation as before, with him being able to jerk you here at his every whim.
He looks almost hurt by your expression.
"Hey, now. It's not so terrible being with me is it? I haven't harmed you, nor do I wish to do any harm to you. Remember how much fun you had with me?" Now he gripped your chin, pulling you closer, but still being gentle. He looks like he's waiting for you to answer.
"...Y-yeah." you're trying hard not to meet his gaze, but he doesn't let you escape that easily.
He practically pulls you onto the table ledge, both hands in your hair now. You let him, careful to not upset the row of cards nearest to you. He is inches away from you, all eyes locked on yours.
"Regardless of whatever rules are made here between us, I wouldn't do anything to sour our relationship. Things would just work better if you trusted me. Does that make you feel better?"
You feel warm and tingly where his hands meet your skin, a tiny whimper slips from your lips. You find yourself nodding easily. So far he has brought you nothing but physical pleasure, you find that you do already somewhat trust him. You agree to come when he calls you. Satisfied, he releases his hold on you, sending you sliding back to your feet.
"With that out of the way, I get to flip two more cards now." He chuckles, feeling good about how the game is turning out so far.
Too bad for him that his next draw is a miss. An ace and a jack.
He exclaims with disappointment. No doubt he recalls that you pulled the ace on your first turn. You almost feel guilty for what you're about to do next. Almost.
"Ooh! I remember where that ace from earlier is!"
You frantically reach for it, barely giving him a chance to re-flip his cards facedown to thwart you. Snatching it from him, you add the pair of aces to your stack. Now you were tied.
"Next rule is: I get a safeword. And when I say it, you have to stop what you're doing. In my head, in my body, in the world, wherever. I get a word to make whatever you are doing to stop."
He groaned with frustration. His fists gripping the table edge. But he agrees it seems.
"What is your word of power?" He asks finally.
This you hadn't considered, and you stood for what felt like a long time. Research had said demons were sometimes oppressed with latin commands, so Latin would be best.
"Subsisto."
"How clever. Your command is 'stop.'" He rolled his eyes, all four of them. "They're still speaking Latin where you come from or what?"
Truthfully, you only took one year of it. Your school had required at least one language credit for graduation.
"Doesn't matter where I learned it. That's my safeword. And I get to go again."
You try to make your next move seem nonchalant, but you knew his eyes were already where you would be reaching. Still you try to be quicker than him. You're not. His hand slams over yours before you can reveal your next match. He speaks from behind his clenched teeth.
"You little slut...You've been cheating. Haven't you?!"
There's no sense in denying it now. You had never been the best at sneaking, and the fear of what his next rule could be was driving you to finish the game as quickly as possible. Truthfully you knew he would catch on eventually. You were surprised it took him this long.
"What did you use to mark the cards? I know that's what you did. Don't you lie to me."
"I didn't mark them. The patterns on the back of the cards just happen to slightly change when they reach room temperature."
You hold up the card he had pinned under your hand to show him.
"Watch the corner where my fingertips are holding it. See how the filigree is getting darker around the border?"
He stares at you in disbelief. His face a mask of anger.
"So you were just waiting for the temperature of our hands to show you what the cards were. You were cheating from the start."
"I play to my advantage," you state mattter-of-factly.
"And I declare your turn over for this obvious stunt you've been trying to pull on me. Consider yourself fortunate I actually respect your underhanded trickery."
You almost relax that he isn't going to do anything further,
"But I'm afraid I just can't let you finish your turn knowing you're not playing fairly."
He takes the card from your hand. You watch it curl into a thin brown cinder pinched between fingertips. The table dissolves into a heap of black cinders, taking the rest of the cards with it.
"Now, in light of this new information, I'm afraid our little game must end. I will be making the last rule, and you can keep your body to yourself for one more week, as you wish. Do you agree?"
There's not much you can say. You feel as if he's let you off remarkably easy. You nod.
"Okay."
The light grew dim around you, and a deep red, glow emanates from his body. It pulses in rhythm like a heartbeat, the cavern fades until there is no other light except from Sukuna.
"When I say the word Rubato, I can break whatever rule in our contract I desire. And you will forget that I made this final rule."
The darkness between the pulses of the demon god's energy were growing longer.
He's hypnotizing me, you realize. But it's too late. Everything is already fading away into a haze.
You wake up hours later on your couch again. You dont even remember feeling tired.