Chapter 14
It was over.
Suiryu felt extremely uneasy about it. He had fallen unconscious once more, and this time, he couldn't recall or understand how he did. For a strange reason, his mind drifted back to the earliest memory he possessed. It was shortly after he took a human form and Yuuji gave him a name. Sure, he was a child, and yet, he was far more aware of himself than what he let on.
When Yuuji woke, he was left alone with gramps and Yua Tooru. He could tell by the look in their eyes that they did not trust him, but, at the same time, he felt odd.
Perhaps it was the child likeness he possessed that made him feel like a child, at the same time, perhaps it was something more. "He… he gave me a proper name…" he said innocently enough. "I'm Suiryu by the way!"
Yua smirked. "Of course he would name you," she said and sighed aloud. "That's Yuuji for you."
"I don't know why he is doing this…" gramps muttered to her.
Suiryu pretended he didn't hear that. But he continued to try and speak with them, to appear approachable. Neither one made that effort, still, he tried until he felt himself grow tired. "Do… souls get tired?" he asked innocently once more.
"Yes, and usually when Yuuji is awake, we sleep. We can't stay up all the time, as well, it conserves our energy." Yua explained. "You might as well take his room to sleep in until he returns. He may not come back for a few days but, we will wait for him."
Suiryu nodded. He went to the room alone, but he wondered what to do. There were all sorts of things brewing. His stomach felt strange and yet… why did it all feel so weird to him?
He tucked himself into the bed, but found sleep was impossible. Whenever he closed his eyes, Sukuna would startle him awake. He could still feel him within himself, and yet, each time he closed his eyes. He saw that bastard.
What does he do?
He snuck out of the room, and began to wonder about, he came upon another room where he saw Yua resting. Slowly, he crept in. "Yua?" he whispered. Closer he came until he was at the edge of her bed. "Yua?" he said a little more loudly and began to nudge her.
Slowly she woke.
"Huh…"
The moment her eyes came upon him, she sat up quickly. Suiryu stumbled back in shock. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you… it's just… I can't sleep. I have… bad dreams…" he said innocently enough.
She settled herself down. She still bore that look of distrust in her eyes, until a defeated sigh came over her. She pulled back the covers a little and patted the bed. "Okay, come on," she said.
He paused. "Wait… you want me in bed with you?"
"My parents did this for me when I was scared too. I had nightmares as well. Sometimes you feel safer when you are next to someone you trust. You may not trust me, nor I you. But… Yuuji would have let you in."
He was touched by her words. He was quick to crawl under the sheets and cuddle up next to her. He nervously settled himself in, Yua oddly enough was able to fall back asleep rather easily. He couldn't. As he closed his eyes, he saw him, Sukuna staring down at him with such greed in his eyes. He nearly woke up once more until… a gentle arm came over him.
He was startled at first, but he was brought in close to Yua. Her embrace was warm and welcoming… In his mind, it felt… right in a sense… His eyes grew heavy once more, he fell asleep and didn't see Sukuna in his dreams. Instead, the sensation washed over him and felt familiar now.
Why did it feel familiar?
He never understood why she did it, but ever since, if he got scared, she would let him in her room. Eventually the nightmares subsided, he no longer saw Sukuna in his dreams, for he started to dream about Yuuji.
The brother he never knew he wanted was filling his mind with thoughts and notions that he can be someone better than the person he came from. Yua helped too, the longer he stayed, the more open he became. She also didn't look at him with distrust anymore.
And yet, within a week, he felt strange.
He would excuse himself and leave the house, only to wonder the soul scape. Eventually, he would make it to the school that Yuuji use to go to. He went into the building, up the stairs and found his way on to the rooftop. When he got there, the sensation he felt began to ping. His body ached as if something were trying to break through!
"Gah… AH…. AAAHHHHH!" he screamed.
The child clothing he wore, tore off his body. His arms and legs grew as did he. It wasn't long until he realized he was the same size as Yuuji! At first, he was overjoyed with the notion! He quickly changed his clothing to Yuuji's and rushed back into the school. He found a bathroom where he would see his reflection for the first time.
Yet, he didn't like what stared back at him.
Suiryu froze, his hair, spiked up, curse marks appeared thicker over his body as his eyes were crimson red.
But the startling part was when he spoke in his mature voice. "Please…" suddenly, he stopped, realizing his voice wasn't like Yuuji's at all! "No… no please, don't make me become this! NO!" he protested. In his rage he tore the sink out of the bathroom and shattered the mirror with his fists. He turned away, disgusted with himself. "I… why am I him!? Why can't I be like Yuuji?" he demanded.
Yet ever since he learned he would sound and look like Sukuna when he took over Yuuji, he tried to keep himself in the child state.
That in itself became painful to maintain over time.
He was able to excuse himself for the day, as everyone slept or if Yuuji wouldn't be coming, he leaves the house, found a quite area and turn into his true form. At first he would pretend to try and be Yuuji. Wondering the school as if he attended them, Suiryu got a good idea as to how it is suppose to be when he went through Yuuji's memories. One sits in class and listens to the teacher as the lesson is taught. But, he had no teacher, no classmates, he had nothing but an empty room and blackboard.
With that idea gone, he decided on something else. He would train for hours, trying to get his hair to slick down, or even soften his voice, but too became painful… the voice part, the hair he had no control over, it had a mind of its own.
It wasn't long until his secret was discovered.
He was at the school to recover at the same time, he found he was able to see more of Yuuji's memories quite vividly. But there were some that he tried to understand but couldn't.
He was reminiscing in this thought, when suddenly he heard footsteps.
His body froze in fear as he turned and saw her lingering on the rooftop.
Yua found him.
"So, this is where you've been going huh?" she asked innocently enough.
He sneered but didn't answer her. "Cat got your tongue?"
"I doubt you would want to hear my voice…" he didn't wish to speak to her, and yet, on that rooftop, he found himself confessing everything to her. His frustrations as to why he became the way he was, WHY he became the way he was. "I WANTED TO BE LIKE YUUJI! WHY AM I HIM!" he shouted in anger.
Despite his state, she never flinched from his outbursts, in fact, she sat there and listened to him as he vented. She wasn't even startled when he obliterated the roof and near by buildings in his anger. When he calmed down, she spoke so gently to him. He thought for certain, she would turn her back since he was the spitting image of Sukuna. Instead, she was encouraging. He recalled some of Yuuji's thoughts, but wondered why they confused him. As well, why some of Sukuna's memories came to his mind too. In the end, she told him to take his time to figure out who he is. He wasn't Sukuna to say the least, she even laughed and said. "You and Itadori really are brothers! Both of you got screwed by that asshole!"
It made him smile. She… she saw him as someone, not an extension of the demon sorcerer.
But then, she said. "I want to know Suiryu, through Suiryu's actions…" she placed her pendent on him.
He never understood why he felt so… happy to have such a trinket, but in his heart, he knew this was something special, something irreplaceable. For it was her family heirloom.
Why did she give it to him?
Well, he became marked, as Ryujin appeared and announced he would train him…
#
Slowly, his eyes opened to the world around him, someone was changing a cloth on his forehead when he was able to see the world for the first time since passing out.
Yet the first face he saw, confused him greatly. "I have to be dead if you're here…" he muttered.
Slowly, he sat himself up and tossed the rag to the side. She smiled to him rather warmly and said. "If you're dead, then why are all the people you helped waiting outside for you to wake up? You're not dead, nor are you dreaming right now."
Suiryu froze; he began to stare at her. "Are you really here, Yua?" he asked.
She nodded to him. "Yes,"
He was silent, unable to speak as he looked upon her. It's true, she has to be alive before him, since he can sense her curse energy, and yet… what is this feeling welling up inside of him?
