Chapter 18

It took some time for things to settle down. The new faces and those who have been lost are now returned. Yua found it rather strange since Suiryu has been hovering near by her, much to the dismay of Satoru. She noticed this look on the face of Gojo, as he tries to move in, at the same time Suiryu does the same thing!

Strange.

But it all became clear as she was out for a stroll with Itadori. Despite his current state, she found him rather cute and adorable as a baby dragon. Yuuji peered about everything with curious and bright eyes. "So, how have things been Itadori? How have you been feeling?"

Yuuji sighed aloud. 'Frustrated' he said. 'No one knows what I was saying until now, I know before I wasn't in my right mind and was that of a toddler. Apparently I learned how to use queue cards rather quickly…'

She giggled at that. "It's hard, I know it is, I can't say I have felt your pain the least bit, but at the same time. I find you are rather remarkable."

'Really?'

"You of all people know that not a single soul, sorcerer or person has ever reached as far as you have when it comes to being a dragon. Someone is defiantly looking out for you."

She paused oddly. She could hear voice coming from behind her.

"What's your deal?"

"What do you mean what's my deal? I'm just walking here!"

She turned and saw Satoru and Suiryu stare each other down. Suiryu being rather defiant, Gojo… stubborn. 'What the hell is with them?' Yuuji asked.

'You're guess is as good as mine,' she replied, but stunned Yuuji that she spoke dragon back at him. She smirked at the look on his face. 'What? You didn't think I wouldn't know the tongue fluently?'

'You still amaze me,'

The two finally caught up to them. Gojo turned and smiled to Yua. "Hey, I didn't realize you were out for a walk!"

"Bullshit you didn't," Suiryu muttered.

"What's with you anyways!?" snapped Satoru.

"Will either one of you tell me what the hell is going on?" Yua demanded. "I know you have both been following me oddly enough, so, tell me. What's your deal?"

The two peered away oddly. Gojo was about to speak until Suiryu said. "I just wanted to spend some time with you,"

'Whoa… he's never like this' Yuuji said.

'I know, curious isn't it?'

"Wait, you speak dragon!?" Gojo demanded.

"Of course,"

"She had a goddamn dragon in her before, how wouldn't she know the tongue?!" Suiryu snapped back. "Besides, I just wanted to get her opinion on something and I didn't want you around to bother me!"

Yua paused. Satoru glared at him until Yuuji suddenly jumped into Gojo's arms. He then gave out a deep yawn and cuddled into him!

He opened one of the demon eyes to wink at Yua. She got the message. "Satoru, would you take Itadori back? He needs a nap, you and I will talk later."

Gojo wanted to protest until Yuuji pretended to act up. He sighed with defeat but glared at Suiryu before leaving. When he was gone, Suiryu appeared relieved. "You want to talk to me, so, let's talk." She said gently and continued on her stroll.

Suiryu kept silent as they continued to walk. He would peer over at her every so often, trying to speak but then, hold his tongue. "You got a lot on your mind, don't you?" she asked gently.

"Why does this feel right to me?"

She paused, as Suiryu looked her dead in the eyes. "Feels right?" she asked.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Yua. I don't see you as a love interest or anything. Nobara would kick my ass! But… I see you as someone very important to me. But… I… I don't know how to explain it…"

"Yeah, no offence either, you're in a jailbait body." She snickered aloud, Suiryu smirked and settled a little. "You're going to make me feel old aren't you?" she asked. "This feeling… I think I know what you are hinting towards, but can't speak of it since you didn't have one… a mother perhaps?"

"Mother Tooru… I've wanted to call you that ever since I laid eyes upon you."

Mother Tooru huh? She was surprised but not offend by the term. "So it is a mother figure you see me as huh?" she asked with a small grin. "I don't mind,"

"But… why do I see you like that? Also… this conversation never happened." He said defiantly.

She snickered to that. "Of course, we can't have your image ruined now can we?"

He gave a small smirk, but sighed aloud to it all. "I have to know… why were you never afraid of me? Knowing where I came from… whose soul I was a part of and yet…" he said in a confusing tone. "I was part of the bastard that killed your clan, down to the last soul… and yet, you… you don't see me as him, do you?"

"Nope, not in the least bit," she said in a matter of fact tone. "I do admit, when I first saw you, I thought you were a plan Sukuna had for Itadori, to toy with him a little more, and yet, the more I saw you admire Yuuji, wanting to be him. I understood, you were not the same Sukuna that took my family."

Suiryu went oddly silent for a moment. "I… I've been drawn to you, just as much." He said meekly. "Again, not in a love interest sort of way but… someone I could look up to."

"Why me thought?" she asked of him curiously. "I don't mean to sound rude or anything but I am not that powerful compared to others…"

"You're wrong," he said. "Yua, I can see curse energy as well as Satoru… yours… is something I have never seen before in my life. At the same time, it's oddly familiar. I feel… calm and at peace when I am around you. I… had that same sensation before in the soul realm. I was just naturally drawn to you, but… I don't know why."

"Perhaps it's because I bothered to care for you at a young age? Again, you don't know what Sukuna was like as a child… hard to believe he WAS a child at one point… or he still is and never grew up. I don't give a shit." She said and waved it off. Suiryu snickered to her comment. Yet he soon stopped and came to realize something.

"I don't know if it was a figment of my imagination… but when I was rendered human. I went to one of the temples that sees Sukuna as a deity. I sat in a room which they claimed he used to pray for peace. But I never believed it… until I sat within it myself."

Yua was all ears. "And?" she asked.

"And what?"

"What did you see?"

Suiryu was silent. "Again, I don't know if it's true or not, but… I saw through his eyes… at least it felt like it… he was in that room… he was praying… and someone checked on him… they spoke so gently and he replied just as kind… but it can't be true." He protested. "If it were, I would have access to those memories wouldn't I?" he demanded of her. "But I have none of them, even now. I have his full power but I have no recall of his human life… was he even human to begin with?"

She nodded. "He was, at least from what I was able to gather. It's strange, I have read over my family's books many times over, in truth, they made these books to remind our future selves and descendants of what we were capable of, what we did… and yet… why?"

"You have family records, they are quite detailed too…"

"But Suiryu, why are they in such detail? I have read over many other family records, even at the school when I went there to save Itadori. I found family records from other clans, none are as detailed as the Toorus." She paused once more to consider this. "So… what does it mean about my family? Why keep such records? The strangest part is this… there is no mention of the family technique."

"I noticed that too," Suiryu said offhandedly. "Many believe it was conceal wasn't it? That was the family bloodline technique, but looking over it now, it wasn't. That was created by your family FOR the family; they were out to hide themselves. I can only understand why that would be now, considering the Toorus had no real allies did they? Not even the council would lift a finger to help them, and yet, they allowed your ancestors to be hunted down by Sukuna… for that matter, why the hell did that bastard come after your clan more than all the others combine?!"

"That in itself is a million yen question," the two went silent for a moment. Yua's mind was now racing, it's all true isn't it? There has to be a connection, there has to be a reason. Did the council before follow Sukuna? Was her family merely an offering to appease him and perhaps leave the others alone? If that was the case, what changed later that would have them seal him away?

There were too many questions and not enough answers.

"Yua, I'll help you find out." Suiryu said with great determination. "Leave it to me, let me help you figure this shit out and get to the bottom of it all. Then, let me help you get revenge against Sukuna!"

She was stunned to his offer. But she full heartedly agreed to it. "Okay, I'll be in your care and you will be in mine. Agreed?"

He smiled to the offer. "My life couldn't be in safer hands…"