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𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠(𝐬): 𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐮𝐧𝐚. 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧.
“𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐌𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 caving in, but you wouldn’t know that, would you? You’re too busy caught up in your own fantasy to see the people you care about the most crumbling like ashes,”
The words echoed in her mind. Everything around her was gone. She was surrounded only by darkness. She placed her arms over her chest, hugging herself for some sort of comfort.
“Why can’t you just wake up already? Can’t you see what you’re doing?”
Fushiguro Megumi, she thought. She didn’t dare to look up at the image in front of her. He was the angry one, the one who didn’t understand. None of them did, really. She knew they would never be able to wrap their heads around the reason for all of this. They would never understand why their hero would disappear in the time they needed her the most.
“Why are you even doing this? You told us you’d swear on everything nothing would happen to us. You promised none of us would get hurt. Now, look at us. We’re gonna die.”
No, they won’t. None of them.
“Please, just open your eyes. Move your hand, something! Just...show us you’re here, Y/n-Sensei.”
That was Kugisaki Nobara, she noted. The unsteadiness in her voice was enough to make her swallow the lump forming in her throat.
“Itadori...he...he isn’t doing so well,” The teen began, and the older woman could feel a warmth in her icy left hand. “Fushiguro and I are worried because he hasn’t been acting himself lately. He doesn’t ever laugh, and he hardly ever smiles anymore. They’re always so fake and forced. He’s hurting, Sensei...I-I want to help him, I really, really do...I just...don’t know how. And Gojo-Sensei isn’t a lot of help either. He just coops himself up and doesn’t ever want to talk about you. He always changes the subject. We...just….we just need you.”
They don’t need her.
“Will you stay like this forever? It is quite pathetic,”
She turned to face the man behind her. She frowned at the sight of the markings along his face, and the piercing vermillion eyes that stared back at her. She shifted her weight, letting her arms fall to her sides as she stood straight.
“How did you get in here?”
“Ryujin gave me access,” He hummed, looking around. “Don’t tell me you’ve been just standing here the whole time? How boring. Even I can create something a little more entertaining than this.”
“What are you doing here, Ryomen Sukuna?” She questioned, black marks beginning to swirl onto her skin. A grin pulled on his lips.
“Breaking you out. You’re a very powerful woman, are you not? It would be such a shame for powers like yours to go to waste for something as delusional as this,” He chuckled darkly. “If I remember correctly, you did tell that brat you were going to destroy me, wasn’t that right? You can’t do that if you can’t even move your fingers outside of your conscious.”
“What do you want from me?” She growled.
“A fight,” He crooned. “You seem like the type that would be very amusing to battle against. And I’ll even make a bet with you.”
“What?” She snapped.
“I make no lie,” He said, holding his hands up in defense. “My wages are this. If you can beat me in battle, then I shall separate myself from the brat, and you can kill me without harming him. However, if I win, then I’ll permanently take over his body, and I’ll slaughter this entire region, starting with you. And then I’ll move up to the rest of this world. I’ll wager my life and the sake of this brat. And you’ll wager your life and the sake of humanity.”
“What makes you think I’ll just agree to these terms?” She laughed.
“If you care about that boy, then you will. You wouldn’t want me to continue tormenting him, would you? You should hear his crying. He sounds like a pathetic child; begging for me to stop! Oh, it’s wonderful.”
“Shut up,” She barked, her voice echoing around them. He grinned.
“For the sake of those teenagers, and the people you care about, I suggest you accept my terms, Gojo Y/n,” He purred.
“Who sent you to do this?” She asked.
“Sent me?” He scoffed an airy laugh. “Bold of you to incite that I take orders from anyone. I came here for my own will. After all, it gets extremely boring by myself. I could use a good fight like you.”
“Tch,” She glared at him, her top lip snarking back.
“So cold-hearted,” He chuckled. “I’ll leave the decision to you, Vessel of Ryujin.”
She blinked, and he was gone. She felt his presence no more and scoffed. Just who the hell did he think he was, anyway? Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses, challenging her to a duel like some kind of show-off. Did he honestly think he’d even be a match for her? Call her cocky, but she knew she would crush him like a bug.
“...Itadori...he...he isn’t doing so well…”
Dammit. Why did she have to get involved with this? Why didn’t she just kill him when she had the chance? Why did she go through all the trouble to convince the higher-ups the kid wasn’t dangerous? Why did she go through so much pain to keep him from getting killed? She didn’t even care for children that weren’t her own. So why did she get so attached to three bratty teenagers? She would blame this on Gojo; he was the one who dragged her with him, he was the one who put in the request for her to be part of their team, he was the one who gave her the time to analyze them.
But she knew it was no one’s fault but her own. She could have easily walked away and ignored him. She could have forgotten everything from before and moved on with her life. Fuck. Why was she so stupid? Why had she become so...she shouldn’t say soft. No, she was always soft, even in the beginning. Society says people grow from trauma.
