Infinitely Calamitous

Chapter Ten

"To think you returned, what a fool indeed." The remark comes with a condescending smirk. "Did you miss my company so much that you couldn't stand leaving my side?"

"Tell me, where did your pathetic little ounce of courage come from for you to dare try to escape?" A tattooed hand grips his chin roughly and pulls him forward. "I told you, didn't I? You're nothing but a pet with no freewill. What your master wishes of you, you obey. That is the Gojo Satoru you should be."

"Mine."

Gojo springs up from his bed with a sharp gasp, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. His chest heaves up and down as he takes in deep heavy breaths, trying to recover from the shock of the nightmare.

It's the same nightmare again, and though nightmares like this are a common occurrence, they still manage to rattle Gojo up. With his heart pounding fiercely in his chest, Gojo squeezed his eyes shut and curls up into a ball, hugging himself close.

He's safe now, he's safe...

Safe...

"Do it." The tip of the sharp knife is angled at the throat of the owner of the voice, the hand which holds the deadly weapon being guided by the curse himself. Red eyes glance up into blues, beckoning Gojo to act.

When Gojo doesn't, a satisfied grin crawls up the king's face. Sukuna pulls him closer, their faces almost touching. "Even if you leave me, where would you go? Would you know what to do with your pathetic life without me? I'm the one who gave your life a new purpose. When I'm done with you, you wouldn't know what to do once you leave my side."

"You'll come crawling back to me and beg me to punish you." Sukuna bares the pitiful man a wide, wicked grin. "Since you've been good, why don't you tell me what punishment do you prefer."

And yet, Gojo stays silent, as if doing so would make his presence weaker.

"Can't make up your mind? Then how about I make you kill off your dear student? I've let him live long enough. It's about time to dispose him."

Sukuna's words ignite a sudden flare in Gojo and all of a sudden, Gojo acts.

The sorcerer lunges at the curse and wraps his hands around the other's neck, fingers tightening their hold with an uncontrollable wave of both anger and hate. The strong emotions are reflected clearly in the sorcerer's eyes, the captive finally fighting back once his capturer has crossed a line.

The anger in him tells him to kill him, to crush his neck and end all of this madness once and for all, but there's another part of him that hesitates. The voice whispers harshly inside his head, repeating the same questions again and again—

'If you kill him, what becomes of you?'

'If he dies, who will grant you your freedom?'

'Without him, you're nothing, but with him, you're something.'

'A brilliant diamond can't shine alone without its owner's care.'

Kill me. Gojo opens his mouth to speak but no words form in his throat. Kill me. He can't take this any more. Free me.

It's when he feels the warmth of his tears sliding down his cheek that he finally returns to his senses.

With its airpipe crushed in Gojo's hands, the cat writhes painfully in his grasp, unable to escape. Once Gojo realizes what he's doing, he lets go and drops the cat onto the floor with a thud. The cat lies on the floor unmoving, only the faint movement of its chest indicating that it's still alive.