Chapter 27

Yuuji paused.

"You okay?" Suiryu asked of him.

"I was going to ask you that… how did you filter yourself?"

Suiryu paused oddly. "Huh?"

"Think of it, Suiryu. You were created when he went mad, you were that lone grain of goodness he had left in his soul after he went insane. How is it that you never went like that?"

Suiryu paused to consider the notion, but, a small smile followed. "Simple, I'm not him." he replied. "Bro, you and I both know what he has done, the reason why I don't break down like that is because I know I didn't do those things. Yes, I was part of him, but I always resisted… I think… huh… great, now I'M going to be thinking about this too!"

"It doesn't make sense, does it?"

"The fact that he's like that now compared to before… yeah. Not a lick of it." Suiryu muttered. "Either way, it's his problem, he can deal with it."

Suiryu began to leave once more, but, something bothered Yuuji. For one, he never intended on hugging Sukuna… NEVER. Second of all, what he felt, he shouldn't have felt such pity for him. Yuuji has always wanted to get rid of him, even if he is trying to change for the better. Too many people have suffered and lives have been lost because of Sukuna. Why would or should he be given mercy?

But then, he heard that voice once more. The one that spoke to him before, when the idea of making him their pet came to mind.

It spoke to him again, but this time, it was telling Yuuji to go somewhere.

"Suiryu, I'm going to head out for a bit okay?" Yuuji called.

He waved him off and nodded. Yuuji decided to see where this notion would take him. After all, he doubts the idea is going to leave his head if he doesn't!

#

He followed his instincts.

There was a cave on the other side of the mountain, unseen and unused for years by the looks of it. The opening was large and yet the cave wasn't, enough for a few people if that. But inside… Yuuji paused.

"Why does this look familiar to me?" he whispered.

Suddenly, he froze.

Just like when Sukuna pulled him into his innate domain, Yuuji was pulled deep into his subconscious.

When he came too, he heard laughter?

Peering about, he saw… grandpa!

"Grandpa!"

"Ah, there he is now… DID YOU FORGET ABOUT ME OR SOMETHING!" his grandfather roared.

Yuuji was startled, but then, his grandfather smirked. "I joke, I know what happened to you… so… you're a dragon now huh? You certainly ate like one as a toddler…"

"Grandpa…" but then, Yuuji saw the person beside him, snickering. "Wait, isn't that…"

"Ryoto Tooru, at your service!"

"Apparently, you're his reincarnation or something?" Grandpa asked as he peered him over. "He's not a bad kid either, reminds me a lot of you."

"What's going on grandpa?" Yuuji asked curiously.

"Ah, that, well… ahem!" Ryoto cleared his throat. "I… have a favor to ask. Would you mind if I possessed you for 24 hours?"

Yuuji paused oddly. Possess him? It's not possible to do so anymore isn't it? "Uh…"

"I know what you are thinking, but there is an ability called soul exchange. It only last twenty four hours, and besides. After that, I'm moving on."

"Moving on?" Yuuji whispered.

"I've reincarnated enough, and finally I achieved what I wanted to. But, I also know he's not taking it well… Ryomen,"

"I have to know… Why did your family even bother with him? Did you know he was capable of such a thing?" Yuuji asked. "In fact… why didn't your family try and stop him when he went insane?!"

There was silence from Ryoto, Yuuji didn't think he would give him an answer until…

"We knew," he said. "My family always knew he was capable of destruction on a grand scale, the moment we laid eyes upon him. Ryomen Sukuna wasn't suppose to have emotions like the ones that are returning to him now. He was born to be a plague, a curse upon the world. However, how can you become something you are suppose to, but raised differently to see another side of life?"

Yuuji froze for a moment. They knew this whole time he could be a mass murderer? But, they wanted…

"That makes no sense! It's as if you are trying to get something to go against its nature!" Yuuji said.

"Exactly."

Ryoto smiled as Yuuji still looked confused as hell.

"I don't get it either," grandfather muttered.

He laughed it off of course. "Child, Yuuji. What you need to understand is, my family has been through hell countless times. We have been called this and that, as well as considered to be scum sorcerers since the council didn't want us to interfere with their power grab. Had we not found him first, Kenjaku would have and used him to strengthen himself. The council tried to dispose of him by sending Ryomen to a region that would have strengthened him farther, he would have rampaged and there would be not Hida province if that happened." He explained.

"Yet, my mother saw something in him. She saw someone struggling to make due, to try and be whole yet, couldn't; the rage of a soul unable to be complete, to be abandoned with nothing, being told nothing… having nothing. Ryomen was a lot more like us than anyone would believe. My family saw that, and knew we had to help him if it was possible."

"Do you regret it?" Yuuji asked of him. "Helping him, knowing what would have happened to your clan, your family?"

Ryoto smiled to him once more. "Yuuji, how do you feel about Suiryu?"

The question took him aback. "He's my brother!" he protested to him.

"That's how I feel about Ryomen."

It struck him oddly, Ryoto… he meant every word of that. How Yuuji feels about Suiryu, are the same feelings he had for Sukuna. "Even though…"

"Yeah, because I knew that wasn't him. The Ryomen I knew, became trapped, locked away to never see the light of day again. And yet, slowly, very slowly he is coming back. There's a reason why he was considered a deity here, he did do amazing things for the people, but no one but those who reside here will ever believe it. Even you have a hard time understanding this, correct?"

He nodded.

"It's a lot, and I don't expect you to forgive him so easily either. That's fine. But for me, I need this closure to move on… I want him to know I don't blame him, and I am sorry for what he has gone through. My mother's greatest fear came to pass for Ryomen. She worried someone would use him to cause mass destruction and death, but, we never thought he would have fall so far and so hard from where he was."

It was a lot to take in, Yuuji sighed as he turned to his grandfather.

"What?!" he demanded.

"What should I do?"

"I'm dead!" he protested to Yuuji. "This is your life, your body, do with it as you please! If you agree, I'll spend the twenty four hours with you. Then, I'll move on as well. You don't need me anymore,"

He was stunned, but…

"I won't let anything happen to you, and we are not going to do much anyways for that time. I think we are just going to sit and talk, that's about it." Ryoto explained.

Yuuji sighed. He nodded in agreement. "Twenty four hours, no more or less."

Then, he snapped out of it. He stood in the cave once more, but a new thought came to his head.

'Quick favor, gather these for me, and bring them here'

As the items came to mind, Yuuji froze oddly. "Is this a shopping list?"