I like imagining headcannons about the last piece of media I'm hyperfixating on, but usually I keep them for myself, except last night I had a sudden urge to write and so I decided to make it someone else's problem :D
Inspired by the facts that 1) the "real" Sukuna is considered a protector of a Japanese province (Hida, I think?), and 2) his curse markings look suspiciously like the tattoos done on criminals back in ancient times (me, an history nerd? noooo, I don't see what makes you think that)
Oh, and there are no manga spoilers here btw! And... enjoy?
"So, you were human once."
Sukuna acknowledges him solely by a disinterested grunt. Yuuji rolls his eyes.
"Were you already such a kill-joy by then?" he huffs.
"Careful, brat."
"Or what?"
The image of red waters and a giant ribcage suddenly flashes in his mind. A warning.
"Eh", he goes, taken aback. "How did you do that?"
"I can do a lot more than you think."
"Except taking over my body, hum?"
He can feel the slightest pull on his chest, a tell-tale sign that Sukuna is ready to drag him into his domain, and it's probably not for a friendly chat. Yuuji waits cautiously, but he stays on his bed, wide awake despite the ungodly hour – and bored enough to persist on his attempt to chat with the curse.
"But really, what were you like as a human?"
"That's none of your business."
"Come on! Please?"
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"Still no. Leave me alone."
That was three days ago, and Yuuji has only feigned to drop the matter.
(Actually, with his training and classes with Kugisaki and Fushiguro, he has a bit forgotten about it, but now that he's back to laying in bed, the idea does seem very appealing.)
"Sukuna?" he whispers out loud.
He's careful not to actually reach for him, since he only wants to check if the curse is busy with his own thing in his corner, not bothering to check what his vessel is up to. As there is no response, he deems it safe to assume he's currently unsupervised.
He closes his eyes and mentally tiptoes around the part inside of him that belongs to the curse. (He has tried to explain how this mess works to his friends once, and they looked at him like he has finally lost his marbles, but he can swear there is something that feels physical in the way Sukuna free-loads around his mind.) There is no reaction though, so Yuuji slithers into thoughts that aren't his.
He doesn't do that often, mostly because he has nothing to gain from it apart from pissing off Sukuna – which, honestly, is a plus side by itself, but that's not why he's here today. No, today, he's curious. And if the curse won't answer any questions about his human life, well, Yuuji is going to see for himself.
(He wishes he could do the same to ensure Sukuna isn't up to no good in the very near future at least, but these thoughts are way harder to access without making his presence known.)
It's not his first time trying to venture into foreign memories, but that doesn't mean he's sure how to approach this – especially since he isn't exactly keen on seeing more devastation and slaughter, be it through Sukuna's eyes or not. To top it all, there is something that screams cursed spirit in this part of their shared mind, and it unsettles him to his very core. Some part of him – the more human maybe? – begs him to turn heel.
Yuuji presses on, trying his hardest to ignore the noises – he doesn't even want to think about what these noises are – and the ever-present smell of smoke and iron, until suddenly it feels like a weight is lifted from his chest.
He stops, confused.
And realizes that even if he can still feel cursed energy around, it's one of a sorcerer rather than a curse. He made it… what, a thousand years back? How old is Sukuna again? It looks like he has just ended up in a period movie.
He watches human-Sukuna take off his haori, catching his reflection in a polished piece of metal. It's weird to see him without the black markings or the four red eyes, but somehow Yuuji knows with absolute certainty that it's him. He has long dark hair, sharp features, and a scar across the bridge of his nose. When he removes his headband too, it reveals a black tattoo on his forehead very much like the one he has in the present.
The thought that maybe, just maybe, he's a bit intruding right now brushes past him. But, let's face it, he lives with a curse around his mind; privacy has become a dead concept for him, so he doesn't see why it shouldn't be a two-way street.
(Perhaps he should consider "staying alive" as a good enough reason to not poke around Sukuna's business, but honestly, he's past this kind of considerations.)
His focus shifts back to the scene unfolding before his eyes. He's surprised to see that one of human-Sukuna's wrists is already marked with the black lines he has grown to dread when they appear on his own skin. Weren't they some kind of curse markings, whatever that means? Were tattoos even a thing this far away in time? (He should have paid more attention in history class. At the same time, he didn't exactly expect to be possessed by a murder grandpa back then.)
"A third one and you would have lost your hand, hum?"
Both Yuuji and human-Sukuna jump at the sudden voice. There is a young- old- no, young (?) man standing in the doorway, a slight smile on his lips. He's a bit shorter than Sukuna, with an angular face and shoulder-long white hair.
"What?"
The man gestures to the tattoos on his forearm.
"Here, at least," he explains "the rule is you steal three times, they cut off your hand. That's what the markings are for, right?"
"… Yes."
He turns completely to face the other, who visibly flinches when his gaze lands on the tattoo on his face. Sukuna leans silently against the table, watching his reaction with feign disinterest. Finally, the stranger seems to regain his composure and his smile comes back.
(Suddenly, Yuuji is aware without knowing how what these markings are for; not thief this time, but murder. Of course. Why is he surprised?)
"Eh. I now understand why you were avoiding the others."
Sukuna makes some kind of non-committal sound, but that doesn't seem to dampen the other's mood.
"Don't you plan to stay?" he further inquires.
"I don't know. Probably not."
The man… pouts. (There is no other word.)
"Shame. I'm Umeo, by the way."
He bows slightly, and Sukuna returns the greeting after a short hesitation.
"Who did you kill?" the man then asks like it's a normal question for someone you barely know.
"Someone who deserved it."
He doesn't elaborate on that and Umeo just hums. They watch each other in silence for a while.
(Yuuji has a flash of a hand grasping a fistful of black hair, a woman's shrill scream, and blood, so much blood, the puddle growing until it reaches the terrified kid hidding under the bed. He shakes his head, as if that would make the unwanted flashback fade.)
"You're a sorcerer," the white-haired man finally says.
"Yes. Like you."
"I'm not exactly a sorcerer," he corrects, "but my twin is. I can't use cursed energy myself, but I do sense it."
Somehow, Sukuna stayed more than he first intended to, and even when he left, Umeo and his twin – Uraume, they were called – tagged along. (He can't say he doesn't appreciate it.)
Yuuji bites back a smile – eh, you got friends at some point, uh? – and presses the mental equivalent of "fast forward". Now that he's here, he's not going to be satisfied with so little, definitely not.
("Umeo" is based on the same kanji as "Uraume", the one meaning "plum" - I'm sure no one cares but I had fun researching that, okay?) (also, yes, the meaning of Sukuna's tattoos is the real, historical one, as far as I know at least)
Anyway, leave a kudo if you liked it :)
