he still seemed to see her... He couldn't help it... She relentlessly haunted his thoughts...

Gently rocked by the movements of the vice principal's car, his head resting against the cool window, Yuji dozed a little, lost on the edge of reverie. And, once again, it was the terribly sensual image of the undressed hybrid that emerged in his mind, filling him completely, causing a gentle warmth to flow through his entire body.

It was as if... If every detail he had ever observed had been etched on the back of his eyelids, leaving him no respite. The autumnal mass of her hair pulled up into an artfully messy bun, the curve of her loose neck, the elegant roundness of her shoulders, the dizzying drop of her tattooed back, the voluptuousness of her barely concealed bosom... And her eyes... always those golden eyes that stabbed him unceasingly in the heart, setting him ablaze...

The teenager swallowed slowly, a prisoner of a jailer who had stolen his every thought...

All because of a simple photo that had deeply upset him... A photo he'd erased, but which remained more present in him than anything else, obsessing him completely... He who had wanted to be her shield was now just her obligation...

Had he known... Perhaps he would have preferred never to come across this image...

'

A few days earlier :

Yuji remained stunned, eyes wide open, completely in shock.

Nothing was normal this morning! Perhaps he was still dreaming...

He didn't quite understand what had happened that night, for he had recently woken up almost completely naked, his pyjamas thrown into a ball in the corner of his room. His phone, which he usually put on his desk to keep it out of reach and force him to get up for morning alarms, was clutched in his hand, his digital conversation with Kali displayed on the screen. He had then looked, a little astonished, at the contents of the latest messages and had almost choked when he had discovered the most sensual photo of the hybrid, an inferno instantly igniting his body, abruptly extricating him from the mists of sleep.

It was... violent, so to speak. He had remained motionless for an untold time, devouring every pixel of his wide-eyed hazel gaze, completely bewildered. Excitement and perplexity battled in his skull, as if pulling his conscience apart. Why had Kali sent him such a snapshot? Had she sent it to the wrong person? It could only be that, without a doubt...

He had wanted to send a message to the hybrid to ask her the reason for such a photo, but hadn't been able to find the words... He kept on feverishly starting digital messages, which he would then delete, unable to put two words together. What could he say anyway?

'Very nice photo, Kali-sempai, but maybe it was meant for your boyfriend, wasn't it?'

No ... He'd never have dared tell her that... It was... Much too embarrassing!

However, a little voice in the back of his mind, filled with all his desires towards the European woman, whispered a completely different message that he could (and would) have addressed to her, rekindling his most primal desires.

Is this an invitation, sempai? Just tell me where and I'll join you immediately...'

Yuji shook his head sharply, his cheeks on fire, guiltily aware of the terrible arousal that ran through his entire body at the mere thought and was already making his sex, still imprisoned by the only garment he was still wearing, harden. And to think he'd been trying, since his last encounter with the hybrid, to reason himself out of his attraction to her, realizing that their very natures were dangerously incompatible...

But here... with this portrait... All his good resolutions had been irretrievably shattered.

He would have offered so much to really be the recipient of this cliché... To be the one Kali was trying to set ablaze, offering the ravaging sensuality of her feline body for all to see. He, without the slightest hesitation, would have given in to her every demand in order to satisfy her...

*OH. MY. GOD! * he received from his fantasist on legs, making him jump.

*Yuji... I'm so sorry! * continued the European on their digital conversation. *I just saw the photo I sent you... I'd had too much to drink yesterday, and I wanted Sukuna-san to see my inking circle in the hope that he'd tell me more about it... So I took a selfie and sent it to you, thinking he'd see it through your eyes! It was stupid of me, really, sorry! Between the whole auction thing, Gojo inviting himself to my getaway, my stress about the whole thing, I wasn't very reasonable... And this is the result! I hope you don't mind too much... *

Yuji had read and reread the message, feeling icy water running down his back, calming his erotic reveries. The real recipient of the photo was in fact... Sukuna? Never before had he felt so much resentment towards the demon who shamelessly parasitized his body, squeezing his throat. What a pain in the ass this guy was!

Kali, for her part, was curled up in a ball under her sheet, mortified. She'd realized what a huge problem this was only moments before, as she scrolled one last time through the digital chat she'd been having with Yuji, a little sad at the thought of not having saved the sexiest snapshot the master of poisons had sent her earlier. However, frustration suddenly gave way to dismay as she came face to face with her own pixelated gaze staring back at her, chilling her blood.

What had happened, in the end? Wasn't the King of Plagues supposed to have deleted the messages they'd exchanged clandestinely? Why on earth had he left her selfie when he'd deleted everything else? Had he knowingly left her photo, for some reason that escaped him? The devil! Whatever his motives, he'd just put her in the most awkward situation with the teenager, forcing her to scramble to come up with a more or less plausible excuse for the existence, and especially the sending, of his nude snapshot... As if she needed any more of that right now.

*Yuji, please... Say something...I see you're connected...* she had then sent, to torture. The lie she'd told the teenager was a bit thick, but with a bit of luck, it would pass...

As for the future shaman, he remained mute, torn between an avalanche of contrary feelings. He was so angry at Sukuna for existing at this moment... But he was also a little angry with Kali for having sent him that photo. To him precisely.

Afterwards... He was well aware that the young woman's nature was complex and rare, and that she was also terribly young and completely amnesiac... She was in search of answers, having even crossed half the globe in the hope of finding some. And the King of Plagues certainly had some.

But to send him such a cliché...

If she was trying to get his attention, she'd certainly chosen the right strategy. The old millennial pervert would surely devour what she had just offered him through his own eyes. However... from that to acceding to his request and helping him... There was a world of difference...

She certainly didn't realize how dangerous the thousand-year-old being whose interest she had tried to capture was. How could she have known?

Inside, Yuji could gently feel his anger towards her evaporate into smoke, drawing a deep sigh from him.

By her own admission, she'd overindulged in alcohol, irreparably clouding her judgment... She had acted without thinking, putting herself in grave danger by exposing herself to the vicious eye of the demon within. But, fortunately for Kali, he was there to keep Sukuna away from her, and so be able to protect her.

Proud of this new certainty, the young man locked his gaze on the magnificent snapshot of the half-demon, scrutinizing its every detail, before erasing it with a touch of haste. Although he had made up his mind, he preferred to do it quickly, before doubting and regretting... The image finally disappeared from the conversation, tugging at his heart when all he should have felt was relief, robbing Sukuna of the opportunity to revel in the damsel's heightened sensuality. He then began typing a reply to his vis-vis, pumped up.

*Don't worry, Kali-sempai, there's no harm done... But you really should be careful, Sukuna is an evil, lecherous, egocentric being. He will never help you without a heavy price. That is, if he actually helps you and doesn't just manipulate you to get what he wants before killing you! You shouldn't try to get close to him, he's too dangerous... I can't imagine what would happen if he set his sights on you after seeing your... the... well, the photo you sent him. But even if he does, don't worry. I'll be your shield against him, and I won't let him get anywhere near you! *

*Yuji...* began the interested party, both deeply moved by Itadori's chivalrous tirade and a little guilty. She knew the teenager was right... Yet she had every suspicion that she would seek to exchange with the millennial scourge again as soon as possible, despite the various risks this would entail. *You're so sweet... But you don't have to protect me. I'm half scourge, remember? And soon, very soon, if all goes well, I'll be completely... It's me you should be protecting yourself from. *

*Don't talk nonsense, sempai. You said it yourself, didn't you? Wanting to destroy a scourge just because it's a scourge, that's primary racism. * Yuji replied, drawing a smile from the young woman.

*Touche. *confessed the hybrid, rolling her eyes. Her words had been coming back at her again and again over the last 24 hours. She should try turning her tongue seven times in her mouth before speaking, for a change...

*I'm sure that even if you become a complete scourge, you'll never be like Sukuna. I'd bet my life on it! * continued the teenager, growing lighter and lighter.

*Leave your poor hand alone, it didn't ask for anything...* Kali laughed, provoking a burst of laughter from her interlocutor. *I don't know what I'll be after my transformation... But in any case, I hope that even after this... I'll still be someone who can live with you, Yuji. *

*I don't doubt it, Sempai...* sent Itadori, who felt her cheeks flush as she read the European's confession, deeply delighting her. *I have to leave you though, all my alarms have already gone off, I'm going to be late for class! Have a nice day... And don't try to attract the other psychopath's attention, it'll only get you into trouble! *concluded the teenager, drawing a grimace from his interlocutor.

*Ahah... I'll try, Yuji... I can't promise anything... see you soon...* she addressed him, a little ashamed, before curling up in her sheets and grumbling, completely torn between the sincere affection she felt for the high-school student and the attraction that drove her, despite all the warning signs, towards her demonic host. The future shaman was so right about this... It was simply contrary to all the elementary rules of survival... She must have had a grain... What a pain in the ass!

For his part, Yuji jumped out of bed, completely refreshed, before grabbing his toiletries and striding towards the dormitory's shared bathroom. He would protect Kali, and the mere idea swelled his heart with confidence, bringing a smile to his lips. Everything would be all right, he was sure of it...

"

"Itadori... OH! Itadori?! Linen-headed earth, can you hear me?"

Nobara's voice roused the interested party from his half-sleep, making him sit upright with a jerk against the back of his seat, a little lost.

"I... Huh?" he stammered, barely emerging from his reverie.

"But what a drag! You've been even more out of it than usual these last few days... Ijichi-san was telling us about our mission, concentrate!" the teenager scolded him, exasperated.

The mission... Ah yes... that was it... Megumi, Nobara and he were currently on their way to a juvenile prison where a matrix had appeared. Since Gojo-sensei was away chaperoning Kali at the auction on the other side of the archipelago, it was the vice principal who accompanied them to the place.

Yuji fidgeted a little in his seat, fiddling with his seatbelt as he refocused on the present moment and its heavy stakes. The teenager couldn't wait to get started on the mission. According to the information provided by the skinny brown man who was leading them, a number of juvenile delinquents had obviously been trapped inside the detention building, and they were certainly at immense risk. As a future exorcist, it was his duty to save them.

The excitement of anticipation was already saturating his veins with adrenalin at the thought. Sukuna's receptacle was dying to confront new plagues in order to improve himself, to prove to his teacher that he had been right to believe in him against the advice of all his elders, when they would simply have preferred to put him to death... And also to show himself that, despite carrying one of the most dangerous monsters ever to exist on earth, he could protect others with his fists...

He was going to give his all to his mission, for himself, for these teenagers in danger, for his two comrades... To make Gojo, whom he admired deeply, proud... And for Kali too, whom he had promised to protect. For his part, the hybrid was undoubtedly distressed by the approach of the famous auction, which was to take place this very day and which would perhaps change his destiny forever... What a stress that must have been!

But everything would turn out well for them, the young man with the gentle smile was deeply convinced as he stepped out of the vice-principal's car, which had finally come to a halt in front of the sinister juvenile prison, ready to do battle...

"

"

"

"

A word from the author :

M: Hello everyone! How are you?

Well... I have to be honest with you... I apologize a little for this chapter, but to tell you the truth... I made a mistake with the previous chapter. I followed Kali after her nocturnal discussion with Sukuna, followed by her waking up on the morning of the auction (and her dream, which I really liked)... And I skipped in the timeline Yuji's awakening to discover the photo Sukuna had left on his phone on purpose... So... I was a bit left in the lurch, because it's a cute moment and a turning point between Yuji and Kali, so I couldn't skip it... As a result, I used the very crude "a few days before" which always weighs a bit on the fluidity of the reading, but hey... necessity is law as they say. I hope I managed to make up for it and that you enjoyed it!

Sukuna, mocking: You really wanted to write something dirty about us, didn't you?

M, scarlet: May-may-may-but not at all! Otherwise I'd skip a few more chapters to attack the lemons proper, you bad-mouth!

Sukuna: My language is perfect, don't get me wrong... And what do you mean by "lemons proper"? I'm interested in you...

Kali, a little sulky, arms crossed under her chest, coming to face the demon, saving M from having to answer: And if not, Sukuna-san... Shall we talk about the photo you deliberately left on Yuji's phone?

Yuji, a little blushing: Yes, let's talk about the photo! I can't sleep at night!

Kali, blushing back: That bad? Don't exaggerate, Yuji...

Yuji: well, it was very sexy...

Sukuna, pouting: Basically, I wanted to embarrass the kid... And then I really wanted to see that photo again. Because yes, shrimp, she was quite sexy... I wouldn't have thought the other idiot would delete it.

Kali, turning crimson: SPEAK FOR YOURSELF! Have you seen yours?

Yuji, perplexed: Hers... Wait a minute you two... his WHAT? I woke up almost naked in the story... Sukuna, what the hell did you do with my body?

Sukuna, giggling: If you only knew, kid...

Yuji, outraged: OLD DEGEULASSE!

Sukuna, offended: Yes, well, in the meantime, if the old bastard hadn't done all the work, you wouldn't have got the photo you've been drooling over for days! You could thank me instead, you ingrate!

The jab hits the bull's-eye, leaving Yuji speechless and blushing, fidgeting with the bottom of his uniform.

M, patting the teenager gently on the head: My poor kitten, with those two, you haven't finished... Well everyone, thanks again for following us! And thanks to everyone who comments and votes for us, it's really nice!

Sukuna, taking his chin with one hand, a charming smile on his lips: at the same time, I'm in the story, so it's only natural that people like it!

Yuji: And the other one! Do you want another watermelon in the face?

M: Here we go again... see you soon for the rest, everyone! See you soon!