Chapter 36

"Ugh…" he tossed his head about, trying to regain himself. Slowly but surely, Sukuna came too, but his body ached. Pain like this, he hasn't felt before, but it was as if the world had crushed him in a single afternoon and left him to die.

Slowly, he turned over, staring up into the evening sky, but clearly recalling it was the early afternoon when he challenged Satoru Gojo. "About damn time you got up"

His head lazily turned to his right. Suiryu sat there eating his dinner yet staring down at him oddly. "Did you really think we would make that kind of a sweet deal without a backup plan? Please, like hell I would give you twenty four hours to do whatever the hell you wanted. Knowing you, killing a lot of innocent people, making up for lost time, or would you have been stupid enough to try and wipe this place out first?"

"Leave me here," Sukuna muttered. "Just let me die already."

"Yeah, no" Suiryu said in a disinterested tone. "We promised mom to take care of our pet, and we intend on doing that. Today, yes, we went a little overboard, but it was to prove a point."

"How?" Sukuna asked of him. "How on earth did you two become dragons?"

Suiryu smirked. "Well, that's the awkward part, both of our journeys to become dragons started with Ryujin. He triggered it in Yuuji since his body was dying from a blotched body snatching from divine users. Me… I tried to absorbed Ryujin's soul."

His heart froze. Sukuna sat up and stared at him. "You did what!? You could do something like that!?" he demanded.

"Tried," he muttered. "Didn't work out for either one of us, despite our heavenly bodies and how strong we were, even stronger than you when you possessed all your power, it wasn't enough to withstand the transformation. We were becoming cursed objects as our bodies broke down."

He was all ears at this point. Why is he so willing to tell him how to become a dragon? "So?" Sukuna asked with interest.

"So what?"

"How did you become dragons?"

He smirked. "That… I won't say," he said and bore a wicked grin. "Besides, you haven't told us everything you know, a little give and take is needed here. And you have useful knowledge that you don't care for, but, we do. So… a little exchange of ideas will be in order."

He sneered at the notion. "Why won't you kill me!" he demanded. "You and that brat would want me dead more than anything, even those around you rather have me dead than to stand next to them!" he protested.

"Yeah…" Suiryu said as he took a bite of some baby back ribs. "True," and licked the sauce off his fingers. "But, they aren't us, as well… we can control you." For a moment as he stared at the cuffs on Sukuna's wrists. "Do you know WHY you can't break the bindings I casted on you?" he asked.

He paused and stared at his wrists oddly, he sends curse energy to those cuffs each and every day, hoping one day they would shatter from the pressure and he would be free. "You won't tell me this either will you?"

Suiryu took another bite of his meal. "That I don't mind telling you. After all, you won't be able to break them even if I do." He said and bore a devious grin. "I learned a lot from you. The cuffs as you know, bind you to Yua and her whim. Honestly, I am surprised she hasn't abused you for everything you put her family through, not to mention using her own family member to destroy her clan… but I suppose we can't really blame you for everything on that. That asshole sought you, you didn't seek him… you did help him though."

"Get on with it!"

Suiryu then tapped the side of his throat. Sukuna reached and felt the collar around his neck. "You have been so distracted by the cuffs, and don't realize the bigger threat and binding is the collar I put on you."

His fingers traced over it once more, he even toyed with the tag that had his name on it. He was disgusted at the notion, a dog collar on his neck… how embarrassing. If anyone who followed him, worshiped him saw him in such a sorry state he would beg them to kill him! "This isn't jujutsu isn't it?" he asked.

"Wow, you picked up on that faster than I thought!" Suiryu laughed. "It is… and it isn't. Also those cuffs and collar… are bounded to your very soul. A physical binding vow if you will… but the thing is, it can only be broken by me or Yuuji," he said and bore a wicked grin. "But perhaps that is all you need to know. If it's not jujutsu, you are aware there is nothing you can do to reverse it. No amount of talent in the world you gain from this moment on will break that."

"Then what is it!" he demanded.

"Well… why do dogs wear collars?"

Sukuna paused. It's mainly proof of ownership, humans collar their pets all the time. But if it is that obvious, then there is something more to it. "You own me, it states that to the world does it not?"

Suiryu smirked. "What else can a collar be used for?"

Sukuna was silent, he didn't wish to play this game any longer. He turned away with disgust until the bastard clone said. "Training."

He froze to the explanation. "What? Training? What are you 'training' me on?"

Not a word was spoken at first as he took few mouthfuls of potato salad before stating. "Training you on being human or at least as close as we can get you to such a state. Sorcerers are technically not human." He said offhandedly. "That collar has a double effect. You know what I took from you has been put back, at the same time, when you wear that collar. We are training that aspect of you to come to the forefront… having you recall your 'human' memories. Making sure you feel emotional pain as well as physical…."

He froze to it all.

This whole time, all those memories he suppressed, the ignorance to forget everything before becoming the king of curses… they are putting them back into his mind!?

He shook his head in disbelief. "You… you can't do that!" he protested. "No… No I refuse to believe it! How can you have such power over me!" he demanded.

Suiryu sat there calmly. "Because… I WAS you." He said rather oddly. "To think a fragment that allowed me to manifest… came from the likes of you. But, I have overheard mom talk about you as well. She has seen EVERYTHING you've done, yet… she told us herself… you weren't always like this. Ever since, Yuuji and I got curious. Wondering if perhaps there was more to you than meets the eye, more than what we have learned and what the sorcerers have come to believe. After all, the elders liked to fuck around with the rules to do whatever they can to stay in power… You must be familiar with that… in fact… what Yuuji went through containing you… is something similar that happened to you too, isn't it?"

He was silent, yet as the notion was brought to his attention. Sukuna froze as his head pulsed. Memories, vague ones began to reappear in his mind. He clenched the sides of his head in agony before screaming aloud to it all!

He doesn't want to remember!

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" he snapped.

Suiryu kept silent as he finished his meal. Sukuna was sweating now, trying to suppress the memories coming to his head. "Just… kill me…" he pleaded.

"Not yet," Suiryu replied. "And not for a while." The last part, he said with an evil grin on his face. "So… with that being said, how about you get your ass out of that hole we put you in earlier and get something to eat? Yuuji made dinner tonight, the baby back ribs are amazing!" he picked himself off the ground and went back to the others.

Sukuna however had to find a way to get out of this and fast! He has to find something or someone who will kill him and free him from this nightmare!