The hours crawl by as you sit alone. Your movie is blaring, but Ryomen's silence was more deafening to you. He had watched your kiss with Itadori without stopping it, yet you felt he was perturbed. Your uneasiness was growing by the second.
"I'm sorry..." you offer awkwardly, talking out loud. No response.
"Ryomen?"
"Hmm? Are you talking to me? What on earth are you sorry for?" His mouth opens on your hand, speaking to you from a tight lipped frown.
Was he serious? Or was he being patronizing? It was so hard read emotions from only a mouth.
"Uhh...Itadori...He kissed me."
"Huh. Looked more like you kissed him." Crap, he did sound jealous.
"And that's why I'm sorry?" What else was he wanting you to say?
"Do you think your meager relations with any human pose a threat to me? Or that you need to offer consolation to me? Ha! That's rich! You're free to do as you wish with your little life, so long as the factors of our contract are met...On that note..." he pauses.
"Why don't you come here."
As the words left his lips, the room grows darker around you. He was not making a request. The light of the television screen shrinks down to a pinpoint. The cursed corpse doll disappears from your hands.
"Wha-?"
The familiar deep red glow of Sukuna's domain finally comes into focus. You had been taken by him again. He is mere centimeters away, and you feel his hands holding your face nearly the same way Itadori had. Except with more strength.
"I'll ask you again. Do you think I'm threatened by a human?" he snarls.
Before you can answer him, his mouth seals against yours. You feel his fingertips pushing through your hair and forcing your head back. The warmth of his tongue makes you whimper. He recedes, still with his grip firmly keeping you motionless.
You're out of breath already, clinging to his chest. A small sound of protest rises up from you when he pulls away. Being kissed once and only once was pushing you to a state of desperation. You needed more.
"Answer me," his voice is low and his four eyes are drilling into yours.
"...N-no," you manage to choke your response.
"There's that look I wanted to see on your face. That's all I need..." his voice softens and he releases his hold.
"Your infatuations do not concern me. Only do not forget your commitments."
His claws slide through your hair, sending a chill down your body.
You nod your head in agreement, amazed that he's seemingly giving you his permission. He only wants your devotion. You have to keep your end of your bargain. As if there was ever a choice.
"Shall I return you now? he asks.
But the flush in your cheeks isn't going away. You shake your head.
No.
"No? Then what could you possibly be wanting here?" he smiles again.
"Tell me..."
His chest vibrates beneath your hands as he speaks, and your fingers curl into the silk of his kimono. The need inside you is building, and he knows it.
"Please," you attempt, hoping that's all he'll make you say. He isn't easily swayed.
"Please what?" His voice is low, dripping with promise. Say what you want, and you'll get it.
You close your eyes, blushing immensely as you beg, "Please...I... want...you." It's so embarrassing to hear yourself saying it, you can't believe your ears.
But Ryomen's response is instant. His deep sounds rumble against your chest, and your legs wrap around him. You squeeze him tightly, deliberately to prevent him from pulling away again. Please stay, you beg without saying. He pushes his hips into yours, circling them with deliberately slowness.
"Mmmm, how should I do it?" he teases, his suggestive tone returning.
You rise up to meet his body in return, enjoying the press of his erection that's already throbbing against you through the silk of his kimono. One of his hands playfully covers your eyes,
"Lie still and let me think about it..." he instructs.
His other hand strays down, slipping beneath your shirt. His second mouth opening to suck and lick your sensitive skin. You raise up enough to let him pull your shorts down a bit, then he slips his hand and second mouth between your legs. He laughs when you squeal in pleasure and bury your face into his chest to muffle your sounds.
"Who would hear us here? Come now, let it out..." he croons into your ear and presses his hand harder into you, forcing his tongue deeper inside.
"Scream for me. I insist..."
"Ah! Ohhh, fuck," you moan with barely more courage.
He works two of his fingers inside of you, enticing sounds come from much deeper in your chest.
"OHH!" There was no way to hold that back. You nearly shout into Ryomen's chest, your arms wrap tightly around his neck. You pull yourself up enough to kiss his jawline, and whimper into his ear, knowing he will reward your sounds. His fingers fuck you faster. Then when you start bouncing on his hand, his fingers fuck you deeper.
"Oh, God!" you cry out, unable to stifle your reactions any longer. Now he laughs in your ear,
"Do I feel like God?" he rumbles against your cheek.
He kisses you again, his tongue searching out yours, ravenously devouring your mouth. He swallows your screams as you cum, slowing his movements but not ceasing to prolong your pleasure.
There's a ringing in your ears as you catch your breath. Ryomen pulls you against him tightly, making sure to cup your ass as you roll on top of his chest.
A smile plays across your lips and you wait for the sound of his heartbeat.
And wait.
And wait.
Oh.
"Ryomen, you have no heart..."
"I'm well aware. You need not remind me." He chuckles.
The silence from his chest echoes in your ear. It makes you so...sad. He didn't have a heartbeat. Or a pulse.
"Is it...because you're a demon? Do all demons live without hearts?"
His eyes meet yours,
"Why does that concern you so much? It's trivial to worry about such a human thing."
"It's just nice to listen to. Here, put your ear to mine." You slip off him, taking his shoulders to guide him. Humoring you, he allows you to pull his head to your chest. Your fingers caress through his hair softly, stroking with a gentle rhythm. He falls very quiet as he listens, eyes closing.
"I eventually need to get back to my training," you think to yourself outloud.
"...Wait. A bit longer" he requests, without opening his eyes.
You lie still, arms wrapping around his broad shoulders. You feel him sigh heavily.
"Alright, five minutes..." you agree.
A minute of silence passes before you break it with a question.
"So if are demons are real, and so are cursed spirits, what about the ancient lore demons? I read about alot of those when I first met you."
He groans from your chest,
"Ughh, I didn't mean five minutes of demon history."
"Come on!" you ruffle his hair.
"Educate me, sensei." You giggle.
"Yeah, the Ancients are a real snooty bunch. They have their inner circles and tend to exclude any of the non Ancients. Like what you humans would refer to as a country club."
"I'm guessing you aren't an Ancient?" you ask. Did Ryomen have any allies or friends? You knew humans probably were not his ideal company, except for you. Did he associate with demons at all?
"Not technically. 1,000 years may seem like an eternity to humans, but the Ancients were around before the first Jujutsu Sorcerors were ever self realized."
"So they call you a special grade instead. And the classes beneath you are just numbered? No names for them?"
"Not needed. Unless they level up and gain more recognition through their strength."
"So Azrael, Baphomet, Stolas? They're all real?"
"Yeah," his nose crinkles with annoyance. "They're stuck
-up assholes."
"Wow! You met them?" You can't hide the starstruck tone to your voice, and he looks up at you now with an expression of incredulity.
"Don't tell me you're impressed by them! They haven't been active in eons! What could you possibly respect about them?" Now he looked and sounded visably jealous. There was no denying it. Even if those demons were no longer active in the human realm, they still had a bigger media reputation than Sukuna. That had to eat at his pride.
"I think Stolas is pretty cool. I heard he helps people learn about plants and astronomy-"
"Yeah, because he is a FUCKING NERD!" Ryomen practically howls.
"No more of this demon fanclub nonsense. Let's train, sweetheart. I'll teach you something Stolas could never hope to accomplish!"
...
You return from Ryomen's domain, time once again picking back up where you had left it.
You hadn't paused the movie, but it was playing in accordance to what you remembered last. Even within your body, Sukuna's domain was immune to time.
"Gah!" you flinch, leaping into the air. There's a pain shooting up your leg suddenly. The corpse doll. Of course. You resume your training, snatching it up with mild complaint. The corpse quiets down with the current of your resumed cursed energy. The glow pulsates through your fingertips.
"You're going to increase your power exponentially by training under me," Ryomen was crowing.
"These pathetic humans couldn't begin to tap into the abilities I already know you're capable of."
He sounds so confident that you could grow stronger with his guidance. Maybe he just hates Gojo that much? He did avoid him at all encounters. And he hadn't spoken to Fushiguro either. Come to think of it, Itadori was the only one that made Ryomen act out. Was he the only one who annoyed him?
"What do you mean? Am I not considered average anymore because you're possessing me?"
"Stop thinking I'm the only aspect of your abilities. Cursed energy is made from negative emotions, including the ones you direct on yourself. Your problem is that you run yourself down self-cursing when you could be channeling that into creating an actual technique. Do something more productive than just torturing yourself."
He's right, you admit. It was sad to admit that even the demon living within you was kinder than you were to yourself.
"Besides, if its torture you want," his voice dripped with excitement, "Please leave it to me."
Speaking of, if this school was supposedly interested in Sukuna alone, wouldn't they be communicating with him at some point? They hadn't even seemed remotely interested in speaking with him. Maybe there was something superlative to you. You let that little bubble of hope lift your spirits.
"What do you think would help me control my cursed energy better than this?" you ask, holding the cat doll up for him to see with your eyes.
His mouth appears on the back of your hand,
"Focus on those memories that made you feel your weakest. Forget the movies. You've got plenty of internal sources. What made you abandon hope?"
You should have guessed it would be something dark like that.
"I...don't know...I feel like all of my memories have kinda beaten me down." you admit.
"Oh, there were events that were much harder strikes to you than others. You're in luck, because I know where a specific one is..." your focus on the TV screen grows hazy. Was this his domain again? You still feel the doll between your hands, so no.
Instead of the dimly lit makeshift theater of Jujutsu Tech, you recognize a place from your past. There are scratchy blue and white robes hanging neatly above you. You're seated on the closet floor of the music room of a church your parents took you to as a child. You don't remember exactly how old you are. You watch yourself standing up. The choir robes are hung up quite a bit taller than you.
"What is this room?" Ryomen asks you.
"You're the one who brought us here," you complain.
"It's a church. Specifically the choir practice room.
"Why are you hiding here?" he asks you.
"I thought you said you'd seen this memory," you huff.
"Oh, I have. Just been wondering a few things leading up to the end." he replies casually.
"There were other humans here earlier with you."
"I know," you say.
"We were playing hide and seek. I was hiding, and one of the other kids was looking for us."
"Seems like it's pretty quiet now. How long did you hide?" His tone is innocently taunting. Was he getting a kick out of this? Your fists ball up tightly, nails cutting into your palms.
"I...I don't know. They forgot about looking for me. Or maybe they didn't. Everyone's parents showed up eventually except mine."
"Then what happens?"
You watch smaller you walk over to the window. The sun is setting low.
"Then...I spend the night in the church. Alone," you finish.
"I don't know my telephone number. My family knows where I am, but they still don't come for me. They don't even act surprised when the man who cleans the building finds me in the morning and calls around to get me home."
"They thought it was funny, didn't they?" Now Ryomen sounds less amused.
"Forgetting you was hilarious to them."
"They were fucking assholes," your hands were tingling, burning.
"Do you remember what you thought when you heard them laughing?" he asks.
"Yeah, I do." You speak behind clenched teeth.
"I wondered why adults force children to exist in a world they offer no protection from."
Your fists burst into brilliant flames.
.
.
.
You awaken to the sensation of being shaken violently. You hear your name being screamed repeatedly in a panic.
"Wake up! Please open your eyes!" Someone is severely freaking out.
You are finally coherent enough to see Fushiguro standing over you, his hands frantically gripping both of your shoulders.
"Are you alright? I came in to bring you dinner and you were lying here motionless. You weren't responsive at all." His brow was still furrowed in concern and he hadn't released his hold on you.
"I'm fine," you reassure him.
"I just got kinda zoned out while meditating I guess." How long had he been there? Your cheeks burn. Whatever hallucination that was, time didn't stop like in Ryomen's domain.
"You guess?!" He snatches something up from the floor. He's holding a smoking wad of what looks like stuffing and... felt. The cursed doll from headmaster Masamichi! It was burned to a crisp nearly beyond recognition.
"Oh...I did that, huh?" you ask, already knowing the answer.
Fushiguro stares at the melted ball of fluff with a look of consternation.
"Exactly what was it you were meditating on?"
"Uhh, cursed energy? So my negative emotions and memories mostly. Like Gojo told me to?" You add the last part desperately. Why did it feel like you were in trouble? Fushiguro was a student, just like you. He couldn't punish you...
"I want you to come with me. Forget the previous assignment. I want to see what else you're good at." He smiles at you genuinely for the first time since you've met, and you hear Ryomen's voice grumbling,
"See what he brought us to eat," he insists.
.
.
.
"It's dark and creepy in here," you comment. Fushiguro had taken you to what looked like an empty gymnasium.
"Can we flip on the lights?"
"Sorry. That would defeat the purpose of our training exercise."
"Yeah, about that...Is it okay that you're training me now instead of a real teacher?" You're nervous about getting in trouble, especially on your first day. Of course there was also the tension of being alone in the dark with someone you scarcely know.
"Trust me, nobody could teach you this technique better than I can." He reassures you.
"Can we at least turn on a light?" The stillness was unsettling, and the dark made you anxious.
"Of course. We need it." You hear a match striking behind you. Turning, you watch as he lights a single lantern. It does little to penetrate the pitch surrounding you. Shadows dance along the floor around you.
"Uh, perhaps a bit..." You hold your fingers close together, indicating more.
"For our purposes, this is all we need. Sit." He seats himself on the floor and waits for you to join him. You sink down beside him, mimicking his posture with uncertainty. The low flame of the light flickers, casting wavering shadows behind you.
"What are we doing here?" you whisper, too intimidated by the silence to break it.
He smiles again, the dim light casting shadows over his face.
"We're going to see if you've got what it takes to make contact with a shikigami."