BOOM!
A bowling ball sized hole blows through a cotton candy cart to your immediate right, splintering the air with pink and blue shards of wood. Mai's aim is improving on a moving target, and you're still slow while recovering from her last shot. To make yourself a smaller target you retract your wings. Grabbing Junpei, you run further into the park, hoping to lose her amidst the various amusement rides in the fog. For the very first time, he's grateful that he doesn't have a heartbeat. No doubt it would be hammering painfully in his chest by now.
"We can't outrun a gun!" he protests fearfully.
You're more than aware, but your mind has yet to come up with a solution that won't end with any fatalities. You'll have to incapacitate this sorcerer again, but it's unlikely that she'll let fear get the better of her like last time. The angry cries of her frustration spur you on as she follows in pursuit.
You speak directly to Sukuna, trying to keep as calm as possible.
"She has a limited number of bullets in that gun. We can wait until she reloads, then ambush her without inflicting any critical damage."
"Oh, sure. No need to hurt anyone's feelings over this. She only blew our face off, but maybe she's having a rough day." Sukuna comments snidely.
Your Curse tightens his grip on Junpei's hand when the boy stumbles and nearly falls as you round the corner, turning down a row of box-trailer theme rides.
"Stay close. Apparently we'll have to seek temporary refuge from this witch," Sukuna hisses from your cheek. He despises running and hiding.
Your friend gasps and pants, trying to keep up with your superior speed. He hears the pounding of the sorcerer's footsteps and angry swearing not far behind. Luckily the fog has settled lower, creating the slightest barrier from sight, but Junpei's instincts are screaming for him to get out of the open space and find somewhere to hide. A few rides may be big enough to duck inside. There's the House of Horrors, but the setup for those is usually a single cart on a track without any other place to go. The same goes for the Log Flume sitting beside it.
"How about in there?" Junpei points a shaking finger toward the biggest exhibit, a three-tiered trailer covered in dimmed neon lights and surreal paintings of cheery-eyed cartoon characters.
"What the hell is that?" Sukuna demands.
"A fun house! Those places are a huge maze on the inside. We can lose her and slip out through the balcony at the top. Let's go! She's coming!" you urge him.
BOOM!
You dash through the multicolored streamers of the doorway just as the entrance sign trimmed in rainbow light bulbs explodes, blowing it apart and showering you in shards. Your hand comes up as your Curse pulls out the bits of glass embedded in your cheek.
Junpei winces and covers his ears, refusing to take his eyes off of you for even a split second. He keeps at your heels, reaching forward to catch the hem of your coat as you disappear into the darkness inside. A strong grip on his wrist jerks him ahead, herding him to the opening of a large stationary spiral tunnel. Normally it would be turning in place, dizzying anyone trying to cross it. That gives him an idea.
"Wait!" He pauses, groping behind a side panel for what he hoped would be simple to find.
Yes! The power switch for the tunnel had an emergency brake installed at each end for safety purposes. Any employee could turn the tunnel on or off for someone to cross. Junpei summons his cursed energy, overloading it into the circuit until it glows to life. The tunnel begins to twist in place, rainbow lights blurring together as it spins at an unnaturally higher speed than intended.
"To slow her down," he explains.
"Well done," Sukuna grunts.
The next room is uncomfortably cramped, with a red and white checkered floor leading down a narrow hallway. It becomes clear after only a few steps that the walls are growing closer, pressing in on both sides. The two of you shuffle through, nearly tripping over one another the entire way.
Junpei gropes over the smooth walls, searching for an exit, but unfortunately it's a dead end.
"There's no door!" he wails.
"Then make one," Sukuna suggests, cocking your arm back.
Junpei ducks just as you crack your fist through the plywood of the funhouse structure. The next room is too dark to see much of anything, but as you climb through the "doorway" you'd just created, something soft and bouncy smacks into your face.
"What the fuck was that?!" Sukuna slashes at the offending mass.
Your long nails catch the material and rip it soundly. A soft hiss of air that follows tells you that you've just popped a very large inflatable pillar. There are dozens more, springing up with each step, triggered by placements in the floor to knock you side to side as you traipse through the room. Judging by the sounds of your friend's annoyed huffing, he's having a hard time climbing past them as well. You yank him along to the exit, composed of even more inflated pillars squished together to form a tight wall. Where the hell are you now? If you can find a way up to one of the balconies or a room on the outside, you can escape with Mai still trapped inside the maze of the funhouse. You have to create more distance from that gun. How many times has she fired? Three? She must have a reserve of ammunition as well.
The sound of swearing from not too far behind alerts you that the armed sorcerer must be trying to make her way through the spinning tunnel. A glint of light ahead breaks through the monotony of nothingness. Junpei gasps for breath as he breaches through the inflated pillars, glancing around yet another dark hallway.
"Do you think we're near the exit?" he whimpers.
You assumed so when the light at the end of the hallway begans to softly illuminate the space around you, but as you cross the threshold into the next room, you nearly collide head on with a moving shadow. You strike out in reflex, hitting a solid surface and hearing the shattering of glass hit the floor. Only a mirror. There are dozens more, alternating in rows and bouncing your images back and forth infinitely as you maneuver past them all. Your own panicked expression reflects back at you.
You try to catch your breath and think. You're certain you heard at least three explosions. Tugging Junpei in front, you put your body between him and the entrance of the hall of mirrors. You can probably take another hit if needed, if it's not a headshot. Not a comforting thought at all, besides that still leaves two bullets left unaccounted for. You need to make sure she wastes them. You release Junpei's hand and reach into your coat for the last of the churchyard dirt. Talking is much too difficult with the lower half of your face still numb and somewhat stiff from your injury. Sukuna has to translate the details of your plan to your friend for you.
"Now tell him everything is going to be okay," you add as he finishes.
"You don't know that," Sukuna replies darkly.
"I know, but tell him anyway."
He turns your head briefly in Junpei's direction, not bothering to soften any facial expression.
"Stay out of the way and you'll be fine."
Reluctantly Junpei lets go of you and hunkers down low, trying to keep out of view from any mirror that may give his position away. Drawing in one long, slow breath as quietly as you can through your nose, you keep your eyes trained in the reflection of the hallway. In a dark enclosed space like this, that sorcerer is going to be on high alert and shoot the first thing that moves. You swallow again, nervously biting your numb lower lip.
She's coming. Footsteps creak lightly over painted plywood. You tear your attention away from the only entry point in the room and focus instead on yourself in the mirror. Your face is a bloody mess, but you can't think about that right now. Reluctantly you close your eyes, pouring cursed energy into the dirt in your fist and feel as it begins to take shape.
The rhythm of Mai's footsteps grows steadily quiet. She holds her breath and tries to control the pounding of her pulse in her ears, knowingly entering a room where you've been cornered. Her teeth clench tight and she alternates blinking one eye at a time. You're in here somewhere, but she isn't helpless. If you're hiding, you must be scared.
Breathe. Don't rush it. You hit your target once, you can do it again, she coaches herself to reassure the nerves strained beyond their limit.
What was that? A shadow?
The tiny hairs on her arms prickle. Her trigger finger curls into place as she quietly takes in new air through barely parted lips.
There! Something moved in the corner!
BOOM!
The flash from Mai's gun illuminates the room for a fraction of a second, but it's enough for her to realize her error. Mirror fragments shatter. She'd shot at her own reflection, wasting yet another bullet. Moonlight pours in through the smoking hole blasted clear through the wall behind shattered mirror glass.
Shit! She's given away her position with that shot too.
A silhouette steps out from the shadows, blotting out the meager light entirely, then the heavy sound of footsteps announce someone rushing towards her. Mai wastes no time, firing once more with confidence.
BOOM!
This time she hears an impact as the bullet hits its mark, but the target she sees in the muzzle flash isn't the same person she's been chasing. Instead of your familiar form, Mai beholds the smoldering vessel of Ryomen Sukuna standing before her, gaping wide at his bare center where her bullet pierced his hollow body. His flaming eyes shine menacingly as he slowly cracks and disintegrates around the wound.
Staggering back in shock, Mai somehow resists the urge to scream. Her hands tremble as she readjusts her grip on her holster, cradling her last precious bullet.
Why isn't he attacking? He can see me better than I can see him. Unless…
There's a fizzling sound and the pinpoints of the Curse's eyes vanish in a cloud of smoke. A ruse to distract her. Stressed past her limit, she channels all of her cursed energy into her weapon, determined to make her last shot count.
"Goddammit! Enough tricks! Stop hiding and face me, you fucking coward!" she cries.
You'd been standing to her left ever since following in Sukuna's footsteps, ducking past his dirt vessel as it fell apart. He blocked the worst of the hit for you, but his vessel couldn't withstand everything. You'd been wounded in your right shoulder.
"Who's hiding?" you hiss.
With a gasp she whips to face you, but she's far too late. You grab the muzzle of her revolver in one hand, forcing it toward the ceiling. With more quickness than any human could resist, you snatch it from her, immediately discarding it across the floor out of reach. Your wings re-sprout, flapping to disorient your foe and force her to retreat.
"Fuck!"
Mai takes a bold move to send her elbow directly into your face to stun you. It works but only for the fraction of a second she needs to break away from you and run towards where she heard the gun land. Frantically she gropes over the floor searching for it, panting at full terrified volume and kicking herself mentally for pursuing you on her own.
You snatch her boot, dragging her back easily as she screams in horror, her nails scrabbling wildly into the floor. With unnatural strength you hurl her through the hall, back toward the inflated bouncing wall where she lodges fast within the exit pillars.
"What the- Hey!" she hollers, realizing by now that your attention is on the back wall where moonlight still pours in. She hears the repeated crunching of your heel driving into the plywood as you kick your way out to escape.
"Get back here! You're not getting away from me!" She screams and pulls herself free, but her head jerks back as a firm grip on her hair keeps her in place.
"Not so fast, little sorcerer. I think you've done quite enough, thank you," a chilling whisper hisses into her ear.
At the sound of a second voice, you turn around, seeing Mai frozen in fear. Her eyes go wide with alarm as her vision begins to lose focus and suddenly turns dark. Her hearing goes next, diminishing with a pop. Then she begins shrinking in place, her skin withering in fast time as if decades were passing in mere seconds. What the hell is happening to her?
Her clothes slip down over her thinning shoulders which can no longer fill them out. As she contorts she scarcely utters a soft cry, her eyes remaining locked with yours almost as if in accusation.
Then the sound of childlike laughter fills the dead silence.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Standing where Mai once stood, a figure comes closer into the moonlight. You recognize the pale glow of silver hair and inhale sharply.
"No.." you protest weakly in disbelief.
"It's been far too long. I hope you've been well," he greets you with a terrible smile that stretches the stitching across his face.
Mahito!
No doubt drawn by the commotion of your brawl with Todo and following Mai's anguished cries, he's at last tracked you down. You haven't had the displeasure of running into him since your days as a Jujutsu sorcerer over a year ago. Until now.
Sukuna speaks for both of you from the side of your gored face. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I'm terribly sorry to be interjecting myself like this, but I needed to talk to you. You've been impossible to get in touch with! Hiding away from the world, are we?"
The patchwork Curse tips his head thoughtfully as he looks you over from head to toe, examining your new image with approval.
"My, my, you look stunning this way! So much more exciting than your old human form. Wings look natural on you somehow."
Inadvertently you spread them open wider in an attempt to shield his view behind you. He doesn't seem to have noticed Junpei yet. You haven't forgotten what he did to your friend and countless other humans who fell prey to his wretched transfigurations. The wreckage of Mahito's abilities haunt your waking dreams. You'll need to proceed with extreme caution.
"State your business," Sukuna snarls.
"Oh, of course. I've come with an invitation and another offering for you, Lord Sukuna."
He extends an open hand on which rests one of your Curse's severed fingers.
Your body doesn't move forward. Neither you nor Sukuna trust him enough to accept the gift.
"Don't you want it?" Mahito raises an eyebrow curiously.
Sukuna only scowls your face in annoyance. "I can gather myself without your aid. Preoccupy your time for another's sake, you pestilence!"
There's a faint shuffling behind you as Junpei readjusts in the narrow space.
"Who's that you're hiding? Have you been making new friends?" Mahito asks, venturing to approach.
Your energy flares to your fist and you send a fiery blow directly into the floor before him. It wasn't a warning, he'd simply stepped back.
"Whoa! Why are you behaving so hostile? Don't tell me you still hold a grudge from the last time we saw each other. How else can I give this to you if you don't let me near?"
He playfully tosses the finger up in the air to catch it again, taunting you.
"That's close enough." Sukuna snarls.
"At least you should hear my proposal. My friends and I went through alot of trouble to gather the majority of your fingers, Lord Sukuna. We've been waiting for you to seek us out, but when that never happened I thought it'd be better if I started looking for you instead. Where have you been, by the way?"
"That's no concern of yours or anyone else's. If I want to be found I'll make my presence known." He's growing impatient with these questions and so are you.
"Of course. I have no worries that you wouldn't. It's just that your absence is rather unprecedented with your leave of those Jujutsu sorcerers. You dallied with them for far longer than we–"
Mahito's sentence hangs unfinished as he catches sight of a mirror's reflection positioned behind you and the hunched form trying to remain hidden. Even in the dark, the profile Mahito can barely make out strums recognition nonetheless.
"Who is that?" he asks again, though by now he's growing less cordial.
"They look so familiar, but it couldn't possibly be who I think it is. Because it looks like…"
As he cranes his neck to the side to see past your wings, he lengthens his spine to accommodate the ghastly stretch. There's no hiding from his body's monstrous modifications.
"Junpei?!" he screeches in disbelief.
His eyes are seething with contempt when he looks back at you.
"What did you do? Why is he here?!"
You step back, throwing a poisonous look at Mahito. If he should try anything while you're still recovering from Mai's last shot, your odds aren't good.
"You said you had a proposal for me. Don't waste my time, fool." Your Curse speaks to pull the focus back to him.
"I'm sorry, but I can't seem to remember what I'm supposed to say with him standing there!" Mahito blurts, fully losing his composure. His neck returns to normal, but his features remain disturbed.
He reconsiders his earlier offer, thinking of a new bargain leaning in his own favor.
"Nevermind what I came here to say…..Let me have him in exchange for your finger. It's a fair trade since I've given you one already, and he's practically worthless anyway. Humans are too much trouble to keep up with, and they're boring besides that. Let me take him off your hands."
Your jaw sets resolutely.
"No." Sukuna snaps.
Mahito is incorrigible, laughing in a mockering tone. "Haha! What use could you possibly have for him? It makes no sense to keep a whining little nuisance like him around. Besides I really hate seeing my technique undone. Why don't you give him to me?"
"Why don't you go fuck yourself?" Sukuna counters, choosing a human phrase he picked up from you.
The patchwork Curse's smile breaks, turning into a grimace. Dejectedly he pockets his gift, seeing this negotiation has reached a screeching halt. That's just fine by him. He's more than happy to do things the hard way.
"If that's how it's going to be between us, then so be it."
He mutates his shape, spearing both arms forward into twin projectiles aimed directly at you and the spot where he saw Junpei hiding. Refusing to budge and risk giving him a clearer shot, you take the hit, leaping over in an attempt to take both, but he slips through your feathers and through the mirror.
Except Junpei is no longer there. He'd bolted out of the way moments before leaving Mahito's spear to plunge into the sidewall of the trailer.
Your friend practically flies past you, trailing a path of crimson light behind him like a speeding comet. The glow of his cursed energy burns intensely, encasing his entire body. When his fist fires forward, Mahito swings again, changing his arm into a double edged blade that slices cleanly through Junpei's wrist. The injury doesn't even register in his brain.
The tentacle of Junpeis' energy shoots directly toward Mahito's face, completing the blow.
WHAMM!
He flies back from the impact, wearing a most bewildered expression as a spurt of blood trails from his mouth. How did Junpei do that? His energy isn't the same as it was before.
"Oh….Wow, that's new," he marvels while staring up at the ceiling.
Junpei shudders with rage, standing his ground as he huffs through clenched teeth. The swirling void of his energy settles into shape at last, forming the familiar tendrils of the shikigami known as Moon Dregs. The jellyfish pulses around its master, feeding off this powerful new energy he now possesses. It grows larger, writhing tentacles sparking with red light.
"You lied to me! Because of you, I lost everything!" Junpei accuses bitterly.
Cackling wildly, Mahito sits up, wiping his face with the back of his hand. He stands, readying himself to have yet another wonderful experience crushing this boy's soul into an even more hideous shape than last time. How fun!
"Hoho! That's quite funny! Because I seem to recall you having nothing to begin with."
"You're wrong," Junpei sneers.
He reaches into his waistband, gripping the holster of Mai's gun he'd picked up when it landed near him. He aims it at Mahito with an unwavering hand.
"I had a mother….and her name was Nagi!" he shouts as he pulls the trigger.
BOOM!
A splattering of gore and hair sprays across the painted walls and Mahito's headless body lands with a heavy thud.
"Junpei!" You snap out of your stupor and rush to your friend's side.
He's still shaking, seemingly indifferent to his missing right hand but he seems to be okay. He looks up at you tearfully, cheeks streaked and his chin quivering. Gradually his jellyfish shikigami recedes into nothingness, leaving you in the dark once more. Junpei drops the gun with a clatter.
"Can we please leave?" he whimpers in a tiny voice.
You place a hand on top of his head placatingly, feeling the tremors rocking through him.
"Of course. Good job," Sukuna praises, still somewhat in shock from the whelp's sudden recklessness.
Your Curse eyes the gun warrily, in disbelief that something so small could cause such commotion.
"That's not going to be enough to keep Mahito down forever, and there's more sorcerers coming too. We have to get out of the park!" you remind him urgently.
You haul Junpei up by the shoulder and shove him toward the opening in the back of the trailer you'd started earlier. He jumps through, but you hesitate before following. You turn back and reach into the pile of Mai's clothing, finding up the horrific little figure she'd been reduced to. With one fist held close to your chest, you exit the trailer.
"I hear voices. Someone's coming this way," Junpei warns as you land beside him.
Indeed there are two sets of footsteps pounding toward your location. Worse yet, the dense fog overhead hasn't let up enough for flight. You can't exactly leave humans behind to discover Mahito and end up as his next victims either. Not with a clean conscience anyways.
"You care way too damn much," Sukuna berates you.
"I know goddammit! We'll have to lead them away from here before they run into Mahito. If those bullets couldn't finish me off, he's going to be waking up any minute."
"We'll need to split up then rejoin after I distract them long enough for you to get away." Sukuna commands Junpei.
His mouth falls open. "Wait! What?!"
"We're in the middle of the park. Retrace our steps from the giant wheel and go to where we started off tonight. We'll reunite once I lose these damn humans."
"I-I don't want to lose you again!" Junpei cries. He cradles his maimed arm to his chest, realizing the seriousness of his wound for the first time. Tears blur his vision.
"I can't! I can't!" He weeps openly.
You stop running, turning on the toe of your boot toward your terrified friend. In a mix of impatience and comfort, you take his face in both hands, forcing him to meet your gaze. Leaning in you press your lips to his briefly, just enough to silence him. He gapes at you in shock, his fears momentarily forgotten. A trace of your blood remains on his lips.
"Don't worry, I'll find you. Now go!" You spin him around in the opposite direction and give him a good shove to get him moving again.
With your friend's footsteps disappearing in the distance, you follow the sounds of what can only be more sorcerers searching for you. You'll need to draw their attention.
"Was all of that really necessary?" Sukuna remarks.
"What? He was scared."
"So are you," he points out needlessly.
"Only for his sake. Now since these sorcerers have missed us so damn much, let's give them a show." you suggest.
You can tell by the footfalls ringing in your ears that there are two sorcerers moving in, one flanking left on the next row of game booths and one directly ahead. They're attempting to cut you off from both sides.
Silly humans.
You pause, hanging back beneath the shadow of the long multicar of the pirate ship ride, waiting for the closest sorcerer to come to you. Looking down at the deformed figure of Mai you still hold in your hand, you swallow with remorse. You've been holding back all night long for the sake of these Jujutsu sorcerers. Maybe you should remind them to show more control before sending a bunch of random students to fight special grade Curses like you.
A flash in the dark trains your eye to the silhouette of a man sprinting in your direction. He's only a few meters away, but he hasn't seen you yet.
As he crosses directly in front of you, you choose the moment to leap for him, readying Sukuna's elongated claws for a decisive strike. Whoever this is, he's going to feel this tomorrow.
"Ah!"
The man jerks back, astonished that he'd almost run right past you. Though it isn't fear in his voice you hear when he gasps your name. Your bloody mouth falls open, horrified that you'd nearly maimed–
"Nanami-san?!"
He doesn't respond, but puts a finger to his lips, throwing a meaningful glance over your shoulder. His partner is nearby. With strong repetitive pointing, he directs you toward the exit behind him
Your feet don't budge.
Why isn't he arresting you?
"Go!" he mouths.
"Nanami…Mahito is in the funhouse," you warn in a low voice.
He pauses, taking in this new pertinent information with great care.
"We'll handle it."
He dips his head politely in farewell, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder with a smile.
"Be good," he whispers before resuming his pace as if you'd never spoken.
You bolt toward the exit.
But it's hard to run with tears stinging your eyes.
.
.
.
Junpei is pacing the alleyway frantically by the time you arrive. He hugs your neck at once when he sees you, sobbing with relief.
"I was so worried! Did they hurt you?"
You almost laugh at the question. You'd been shot twice, had nearly all your ribs broken, speared through by Mahito, and scared shitless the entire night. But you aren't hurt.
"No. I'm fine. Sorry about all of this. Tonight was definitely more trouble than it was worth," you mutter pathetically.
"But we can go home now, right?" he asks tearfully, wiping his face with the painless stump of what remained of his right hand.
"Yeah. We'll fix you up again when we get there, but first let me do one last thing."
You reach into your coat, pulling out the cursed figure of Mai that you'd kept safe. Holding it in both hands, you pour your cursed energy into it. Burning warmth floods your body, pulsing through your fingers with white light.
"Reverse transfiguration."
With nothing short of amazement on his face, Junpei bears witness to a miracle as the lump in your hands reforms itself into human shape. Mai's face restores the way it was, without any trace of what happened. You gently lay her naked body on the ground once she's whole again. She's silent, but her breath is even. When the light around her form dissipates, so does the remainder of your strength. Your wings retract sluggishly. You couldn't fly even with a clear sky now.
Junpei calls your name softly and points to your shoulder. "What's that?"
Reaching past your disappearing feathers, Junpei pulls at something hard and smooth stuck to the outside of your coat. It peels up like a sticker. Examining it closer, you can tell there's a small serial number printed on one side.
Oh. A tracking device.
Nanami must have put it there. Of course he'd try keeping track of you after letting you go. But why would he disobey orders like that? It's so unlike him.
Junpei looks back down at the girl on the pavement.
"What about her? We can't just leave her like this."
Either you or Sukuna laughs harshly. "The bitch who tried to kill us? Sure we can."
"But…her clothes," he trails off sadly. If anyone else finds her like this, someone cruel, he'd hate to think of what could happen to her.
"Give her yours if you care so much," you mumble, already meandering away toward the next block.
You have a long way to go on foot if you want to be back home before dawn. You'll be hugging shadows the entire way while every sorcerer in the area is hopefully too busy with Mahito to look for you. A selfish thought, but right now you're beyond caring anymore.
"Junpei! Don't fall behind," you huff as you stumble, leaning against a brick wall for support.
He jogs up alongside you, letting you lean on him. Your hand grips his bare shoulder instead of the long sleeved shirt he'd been wearing.
"I put it on her, and I stuck the tracking device on her too so she'll be found soon," he explains.
"That's fine," you mutter, feeling little obligation to care.
It's very kind of him to be so considerate.
So human.
.
.
.
.
The sun comes up over the churchyard without you there for the first time in a year. Plums and apricots hit the grass with no one to scoop them up before the insects claim each one as they burst. The pigeons that annoy you with their endless pattering and scrabbling in the rafters rouse on their own and fly out to sun themselves on the roof. After they've preened and flown away to who knows where, two long shadows scrawl up the sidewalk leading to the iron church gate.
Luck was with you on your way home. No one was out to notice the odd pair you made trudging through back streets with your friend half dressed and the two of you still covered in blood struggling to stand upright on your own.
"Oh, fuck, what I wouldn't give for a hot bath," you moan with longing as you clang the gate shut loudly, sealing it with your energy to keep any busybodies out.
"I could, um, use a hand?" Junpei reminds you, holding his injured arm for you to see. You feel remorse for your complaint immediately.
"Oh, shit! I'm so sorry, of course. We'll do that right away, and get you another shirt." You kneel and scoop up a handful of dirt, pulling out any tiny gravel bits to make sure it's smooth. You motion for him to sit beside you on the ground.
"It's okay. I guess I don't feel pain. Or cold." He holds his arm out to you when you reach for it, studying your face as you get to work repairing him. The dirt begins to pulse with your cursed energy and reform itself into his hand as soon as it touches.
"I don't like seeing you hurt. So try to be careful from now on, alright?"
"I will," he promises. He tries not to show it, but watching you create his body from the literal dirt is freaking him out immensely.
After his hand is properly restored, your vision swims. Holy hell, you're dizzy. This is the hardest you've ever pushed yourself in one night.
"Help me up," you murmur as your body falls forward.
Before Junpei can catch you, Sukuna takes it upon himself to possess your body fully, standing you upright himself and shaking off your friend's attempt to touch you.
"They're asleep. We'll let them rest a while," he grunts.
Junpei falls back obediently behind as Sukuna enters the church through the front door, creaking loudly on rusting hinges as its pried open. Begrudgingly, he waits for the boy to duck through before slamming it shut. With a small sigh, Junpei flexes his newly restored hand. It feels oddly stiff, so he clasps his palms together. His skin is icy despite how vigorously he rubs.
"Follow," Sukuna barks, in no mood to give more than one word commands.
He heads toward the living quarters on the east of the main sanctum, throwing open the door to the lavatory with a stiff arm. Turning to look behind, he jerks his head to indicate Junpei was to enter as well. Nervously he obeys, hugging the wall to stay out of reach. A single window allows for meager sunlight to trickle in. He watches as Sukuna twists the knob to start water flowing into the tub. Satisfied, your Curse removes your boots and shrugs off your coat, dropping it to the floor. Your shirt follows, then your pants. Eventually you're completely naked save for the gold chain around your neck and the dark stains of your own blood.
"Umm…Should I go?" Junpei asks in alarm.
Reconsidering, Sukuna nods your head. He dips one of your hands into the water, leaving it submerged until faint wisps of steam rise.
"Fetch something from the garden for me to eat."
"Yes, sir."
"Master," Sukuna corrects tiredly without turning around. Slowly he sinks your body down into the warm water, sighing with relief as heat begins immediately soothing your aching muscles.
"Yes, Master," Junpei attempts again as he backs out of the room slowly, unsure of what to make of this odd change in personality. If Sukuna is hungry, then you must be too.
When he returns, holding a red apple in each hand, he meekly approaches the tub, trying his hardest to stare only at the floor.
Sukuna motions with one of your hands for Junpei to approach, not bothering to open your eyes. He washes your body in near autopilot, rubbing your arms and face with warm water.
Tentatively, Junpei tries offering the fruit so he can leave. "Um, I-"
"Sit." he grates in an annoyed tone, causing the boy to topple to his knees.
Sukuna keeps one of his secondary eyes on his new servant while allowing yours to rest, not wanting to let the little brat out of sight again. He reaches for one of the apples, brings it to your lips and takes a bite, groaning lightly in appreciation as he swallows. He turns your head in Junpei's direction finally, appraising his body. Other than losing his hand, he sustained no serious injuries thankfully. For all of your concern to keep him safe, he made it back nearly unscathed, and even proved his loyalty and strength to you. Maybe he's not so useless afterall as Sukuna once surmised.
"You're filthy. You can clean yourself after I'm through," he states plainly.
In a moment of bravery, Junpei ventures to speak.
"Would you heat the water for me too? So my skin won't feel so cold."
Sukuna pauses his eating to glare at the whelp.
"You must be the most entitled servant that's ever been. What does a little ghoul like you need warmth for?"
"It would help me feel….human again."
Junpei's voice falters, realizing he's made a mistake asking for any compassion from a Curse.
With an annoyed sigh, Sukuna draws your legs up.
"If you think I'm heating water for any mere human, you're out of your mind. Get in now if you need it so badly."
Junpei's breath catches. Surely he misheard. Seeing you like this feels wrong while you're unconscious. His hesitation only irritates your Curse.
"Last chance. I won't ask you again."
The drip from the faucet penetrates the silence. Junpei finds himself leaning toward the warmth of the tub subconsciously, longing to feel more than just secondhand steam. He reminds himself that you're asleep, and he's bound to this spirit within you.
Swallowing down the last of his reservations, Junpei shakily rises to his feet, removes his shoes and undresses. He folds his pants, laying them beside the discarded pile of your clothes. Seeing them next to one another stirs an odd feeling within him that he immediately forces back down.
I'll just keep my eyes closed, he swears silently, reassuring himself that Sukuna probably wouldn't find his naked body to be particularly interesting anyway.
Counting to three to build his courage, he steps over the edge of the tub, his feet welcomed by marvelous warmth. He exhales slowly as he gets in, crouching down and trying to take up as little space as possible. Despite the initial awkwardness of being this close to you and Sukuna, the water eases his tension little by little.
"Clean yourself," Sukuna reminds him.
Oh, right. Obviously he can't just sit here. Keeping his eyes closed, Junpei splashes water up his arms and shoulders, keeping his head turned away. He freezes when your hand touches the back of his neck.
"Your face is bloody. Come here, look at me."
"Ah!"
He's pulled over roughly by his chin, forced to put out a hand to catch himself. It lands on your thigh, causing him to sputter and jerk back responsively. A bit too much as a wave of water overspills onto the floor, splattering loudly and nearly drenching your clothes.
"Stop thrashing," Sukuna grumbles, irritated to no avail. He leans forward, pulling Junpei closer. With surprising softness, he rubs away the stains of your blood from his skin.
"Th-this feels weird!" Junpei squeaks.
"Why?"
"I've never bathed with someone, or even seen anyone naked," he confesses awkwardly.
"You saw that sorcerer wench naked. And my earthen vessel as well," Sukuna points out with a tiniest hint of a smile tugging his lips.
Now Junpei squirms again, recalling how he'd even gone so far as to dress Mai in his shirt before leaving her.
"This is...alot different."
"Ah. You must be a virgin then. Aren't you?" Sukuna muses aloud.
No response comes, but the color rising to Junpei's cheeks begins to confirm your Curse's suspicion. He can't resist prying.
"Are you a virgin, Junpei?" he asks again with sudden interest.
The boy heaves a sad sigh. "Why? Does it matter?"
"It might, depending on your answer. Are you?"
"I …don't know," he confesses after a long pause.
"How can you not know? Isn't that something that you humans typically care about? Who you fuck and how many people you've fucked."
Again Junpei shifts awkwardly, trying to be as comfortable as he can while discussing these things.
"I don't remember," he mutters.
A tight silence settles between them, but Sukuna's expectant gaze doesn't let the boy off the hook. Junpei's face twists in pain as he thinks back to a night he hoped to forget along with the rest of his past.
"In my old life, near the end of it anyways…. I used to spend time with Mahito. He told me about curses and cursed energy. I was jealous of how strong he was, so I asked him to give me power too. He agreed to help me and told me that I'd fall asleep and wake up feeling stronger."
"What happened?" Sukuna asks, but he already knows the answer.
"I told you, I don't remember. He touched me, and I fell unconscious. When I woke up without any of my clothes, Mahito was laughing at me. He said it was his first time cursing a human."
Sukuna doesn't press the matter any further. Clearly all of the damage Mahito inflicted upon Junpei wasn't completely undone with his new body.
Your Curse speaks to him in a gentle voice. "Turn around."
Obediently he does as he's told, relieved to not be facing Sukuna any longer after his confession, but when strong hands guide his shoulders to sink lower into the water, he tenses up again.
"Your hair needs washing. Lean back."
Unsure of what else to do, he obeys again, letting your Curse handle and touch him in this increasingly odd manner. Strangely he doesn't mind your fingers sliding through his hair, massaging gently. Your body feels nice against his back. So warm. He's never experienced anything like this before. A small sound escapes his throat unwillingly and he allows his eyes to peek open slightly, seeing your legs on either side of him beneath the water's surface. An odd smile plays across his face. He leans into the gentle hands that kept him safe in the midst of danger.
"Thank you…Master."
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To Be Continued…