no warnings at all, just one lil swear word! a little indulgent toji fluff for the soul. please reblog if you liked it! <3
link to drabble collection.
“oh my god, toji baby! look how good this looks!”
“ugh, can i just be there right now?”
“this looks too good to be real. seriously, how do they grow them like that?”
toji knew it was coming, just knew it. he glanced over at her from his spot in the kitchen. she was sitting there, all curled up on the sofa, with her fuzzy socks peeking out from underneath a woolen throw, scrolling away at her phone.
“you still watchin them videos, sweets?” toji hummed as nonchalantly as he possibly could, avoiding direct eye contact.
she sputtered excitedly, peeking her head over the sofa to look at him with pure starlight. “toji you should see it! when they cut into them, i’ve literally never seen such juicy looking fruits!” and then she disappeared into the sofa again.
“you know it’s probably not real, right? just some dumb influencers makin fake stuff look better than it is,” he mumbled, more so to himself, bitter as an old lemon, as he dried off the sopping wet dinner dishes.
toji heard her hands grip the edge of the sofa with a loud thwack! as she pulled herself up again, glaring at him. “they’re not dumb, and i like em!” and she vanished into her haven of heat in a dramatic huff.
he put down the wet dishrag, old as bones and quite filthy now, and started counting down from ten in his head.
ten.
nine.
eight.
sev-
“toji?”
bingo.
“yes, sweets?”
a few delicate lip smacks, little popping bubbles, sealing in the pattern of hers that toji knew how to draw even in his sleep. “i kinda want some juicy fruits now.”
and there it was, he was in for it now.
toji groaned, and wrung the rag with fervor. “oh baby, the shops are going to close now. there’ll be no good fruits left.”
she sputtered an unintelligible noise that was unequivocally hers. “But, but!” As if her cravings could somehow bend the rules of time and space, and open up the doors of the store just for her.
“we’ll get some juicy fruits tomorrow, how about that?”
and toji could feel that big dopey heart of hers crack just a little, her taste buds crying into a fit of not having their – her – cravings satisfied at that very moment.
“you promise?” she mumbled, throwing her phone somewhere in between the rolling hills of the throw, and crossed her arms over the sofa to look up at him.
look up at him with those big, beautiful eyes that were a book to her soul; an instruction manual on how to build together the entirety that was her. those eyes of hers, melting all the hard edges of him into something softer, more malleable.
dammit.
hook, line…
and sinker.
he is toji fushiguro after all, procurer of all the weird and wonderful things of his sweetheart’s passing whims.
toji sighed deeply, giving her a pointed look as he strode over to her and held both sides of her face, planting a well-earned kiss on her forehead. “i promise, sweets.”
the next morning, at precisely 9:37 a.m., she woke up to find no wonderfully warm embrace from her big, burly man. she frowned, patting the immediate vicinity of the bed with her eyes closed. when that didn’t somehow magically make toji appear, she cracked open her eyes like a teapot lid and heard the rustling of plastic bags somewhere in the apartment.
“right. ok, ow! fuck sa-!”
“toji?”
the scuffling stopped, as if she wasn’t supposed to hear whatever toji was up to. she got out of bed, placed her slippers on her feet, and went out at once to investigate. what she certainly didn’t expect to see was toji grappling with a pineapple, and an array of brightly colored fruits on the countertop like a feast of rainbows.
mangos, oranges.
strawberries, peaches.
grapes, grapefruits.
raspberries, blackberries.
even pink and yellow dragonfruits! she couldn’t even recall ever trying one of those before.
her heart melted into tiny teeny snowflakes as she licked her lips; the craving in her brain sent signals for her mouth to prepare to eat, and eat well.
“sorry, did i wake you up?” toji grumbled, glaring daggers at the prickly fruit he was gripping. “this stupid thing. i should have just paid for precut pieces, but i thought it was a waste of money.”
“wha- did you wake up early to get all this?”
“uh, yeah. the fruits would be freshest first thing in the mornin, right?”
she giggled, and he barely had time to turn around before her arms were wrapped around his midriff, her face buried in the dip of his back.
“you’re the sweetest, most juciest fruit i could ever find,” she said, as if that was the most sensible thing in the whole world to say.
the tips of toji’s ears turned a shade of strawberry red, and he mumbled something along the lines of, “yeah, yeah, you’re my sweet fruit too. you wanna help me cut this damn thing?”
Synopsis - In a world where Angels and Curses are locked in a never ending war, an unsuspecting seraph becomes entangled with the very thing she is fated to eradicate.
Pairings - Curse!Toji Fushiguro x f!Angel!Reader. Curse!Ryomen Sukuna x Reader. Angel!Satoru Gojo x Reader.
Warnings - Descriptions of violence and injuries, eventual smut. Cannibalism(?) (idk it’s Curses eating each other), violence of war. Toji being a lil spicy ;)
A/N - Apologies for the delays with this one! The edits for Chapter 6 and 7 really took it out of me (if you haven’t re-read them yet, then I highly recommend you do!) Anyways, enjoy this chapter! Ko-Fi.
-•-
Chapter 8
It was frightening how easily Y/N slipped back into the dance of war.
But then again, it was second nature to her; a tune to a song that had been sung for a thousand years. It was etched into her very being, she’d heard the words sung from inside her mother’s womb, felt its resonance the moment she was born, and sung it herself when she descended to Earth from Heaven. No Angel, from the dawn of time, had ever escaped the call of this haunting song.
However, the song had a far different tune in Hell than it did anywhere else.
Battles won on Earth had been marvelous victories, where just a bit more sin had been cleansed from the world. But here in Hell, sin multiplied tenfold, especially after a battle was won. Y/N didn’t know why every victory she won felt like a loss. Perhaps it was the sight of her own soldiers feasting on the corpses of the dead, both enemies and comrades, their greed knowing no bounds as black blood gushed forth to make the ground muddy. Perhaps it was the fact she took no prisoners of war, leaving none alive because the severity of torture they would face would be a waste of her soldiers time. Or perhaps it was the persistent feeling that, despite every victory, the end was nowhere near in sight.
Naoya and Jogo’s soldiers proved relentless, pounding against Geto’s borders without pause.
Again.
And again.
And again…
Y/N hadn’t slept in seven days, and how could she? There was no time, and it was far too dangerous to sleep. She hadn’t seen Geto for nearly a month; any and all correspondence was done via Suda, who never rested either as she relayed messages between all Geto’s different battalions throughout Hell. While her brother fought more offensively, assembling his most savage and strongest Curses to directly attack Jogo and Naoya within their own borders, Y/N was charged with defending their own lands. Their enemies could instantaneously appear in the hundreds – if not, tens of hundreds – across various locations.
For this reason, Sukuna’s ring of teleportation had been particularly invaluable for her defense.
It was eerie, almost as if the King of Hell had somehow predicted the war and their strategies. Y/N had been reluctant to even put the ring on, but as soon as she did, sliding it on the exact same finger as Toji wore his, it had shrunk and hugged to the exact size of her finger. She told herself it was a necessity, as there was no way she would have worn it otherwise. Y/N often wondered what Sukuna thought of all this, if he even cared that his Curses were busy slaughtering each other instead of the seraphim. But this wasn’t the first war of Hell, and she guessed that if he hadn’t intervened previously, then it was unlikely he would care now.
Despite when Geto had claimed, even challenged, that this would be the most bloody and violent war that Hell had ever seen.
Y/N often found herself lost in thoughts of what might have been. Amidst the seemingly endless time loop of a fight, her body moved with pure instinct in the dance of death. She didn’t need to use her mind to fight, and so it often wandered to a future that didn’t exist – one where she had become Gojo’s wife, fighting alongside him against the Curses she now fought beside. That would have been a holy and noble war, enacting God’s justice against those that turned against his light. Sometimes, Y/N glanced at her fellow soldiers, and wondered if she would have been forced to kill them in a world where she remained an Angel. A world where Satoru loved her, and she returned it equally. So strong was her daydream that her old soul almost took over, and time seemed to slow as her blade hovered dangerously close to her own soldier’s neck.
Until its maw opened unnaturally wide, and its razor-sharp teeth buried into an enemy Curse’s head. Y/N pulled back sharply, her mind and soul snapping back place as her body recoiled.
How had she not noticed her foe approach her? She would have been deep within its clutches if not for her fellow Curse, whom she had almost contemplated killing.
She cracked her neck with an audible pop and rotated her wrists, feeling the tension release with each twist, and nodded at the Curse who had saved her. It stared at her expectantly like a lost child, haunting vulnerability in its eyes, pink flesh dangling in shredded ribbons between its stained fangs. In one swift motion, Y/N swung her katanas in her hands, and her companion startled out of their momentary trance, returning to the savage dance of the battle around them.
There was something so beautiful about that moment, but Y/N couldn’t place her finger on it.
She wanted to chase that feeling.
If this war was to be so vicious, then Y/N embrace it all and return it tenfold. She readied her body to dance as her soldiers rallied around, completely surrounding her. The notion might have once frightened her, but not anymore. There was nothing to fear, only death and the beautiful song of war.
And then, hellfire started to rain from the sky.
Jogo…
Now this, is what the end is supposed to look like.
“Y/N!”
Miguel’s familiar voice shouted from a distance, causing Y/N to swiftly turn in its direction. In an instant, he was next to her. “Y/N! Suda has just informed me; Geto has begun the siege on the Zenins!”
Her eyes narrowed. “So Jogo sends his soldiers here. He thinks we cannot fend him off with only half an army.”
She surveyed her own force, rapidly formulating strategies in her mind. It was unclear how many Jogo had sent to the border, but one of the Curses was definitely one of his higher-ups, judging by the hellfire. Y/N doubted Jogo himself had come, not yet anyways. Suddenly, a blast of fire erupted outside her circle as a droplet landed beside them, and a Curse screeched in agony.
“Find Curses to form a barrier above us,” Y/N said urgently, shielding her head as another bout of fire erupted near her. “We cannot defend ourselves with this.”
Miguel nodded, sweat beading on his forehead. “And you? Do you need more soldiers?”
She looked at the Curses surrounding her, their gnashing teeth and pounding legs thumping the ground, as if they were her hellhounds eager to be off their leash. Y/N shook her head. “No, these are all I need. Send more to protect the supply outposts. We cannot afford to lose another.”
Miguel nodded and disappeared, leaving Y/N to take charge. She roughly dragged a Curse from the circle closer to her, then placed a hand gently on its head, as if seeking to make amends. She whispered softly, her voice like a soothing prayer that she found Curses responded well to. "Go and find me the one responsible for the hellfire.”
The Curse blabbered nonsense, its cloven feet stomping into the dirt, before speeding off into the fray, barreling into enemies and swinging them into the air with reckless abandon. Y/N raised her katanas over her head and launched herself against their foes. Her soldiers followed closely behind, swept up in the fervor of her charge. Y/N was the relentless tide crashing against the shoreline, the herald of a catastrophic tsunami that would engulf them all.
It was some time before her hoofed Curse returned, it’s battered and bloodied form charging towards her. With a powerful thrust, it impaled into an enemy Curse that Y/N had suspended high into the air with her katanas. The Curse snarled and spat, but she knew to follow its lead. And through the maze of death and corpses it led her, a twisted beacon amidst the darkness and chaos.
Straight towards Jogo’s second in command.
Hanami.
For a split second, Y/N was gripped by sadness. Why had fate forced them to cross paths? Yet, it seemed inevitable; the two generals of the Kings must be the destined to confront each other. Why did God make such things come to pass? Hanami was innocent, a Curse born from the fear of Gods own nature that he himself had created. What was there truly to fear? Hanami embodied nature’s beauty as much as much as its cruelty. Thorns and vines coiled around Y/N’s soldiers, ruthlessly tearing them apart, but she couldn’t shake the memory of her fever dream. The voice that had condemned her to be scratched into pieces. Was it actually a vision from this very moment? Was Hanami to be the orchestrator of her demise, strumming the strings of her death like a harp?
Y/N thought it was what she deserved, to be killed by God’s nature from which she had turned her back.
Hanami seemed to finally notice her, releasing the soldiers entangled within her thorns and spreading out her arms as if welcoming Y/N home. She wanted to cry; both with homesickness and with the sickly sin she was about to commit. For she had no intention of dying, even if it was what she deserved. Yet, tears slipped from her eyes regardless.
“Why do you cry?”
It was Hanami’s voice in Y/N’s head, and it startled her. All the Curses around them had turned to fight each other, paving a makeshift pathway directly between the two of them.
“Do you cry for yourself? For your mate who shall surely grieve you?”
“No, I cry for you.”
“For me? You don’t know me.”
“And I never will, but I would have liked to.”
“I have been charged with your death, and I will not fail as Mahito did. If you must know me, then know this. I do not hate you, I only seek a world where my nature can thrive. You and your brother stand in the way of that.”
How cruel, God why must you do this to me – to her? She would have been a wonderful Angel.
“We should have been on the same side then, because I don’t hate you either.”
With that, they launched themselves at each other through the garden of thorns and ruby roses. Each step brought forth a flurry of petals, swirling around them like a tempest. Y/N's blades sliced through the flowers and roots, yet Hanami countered her with a strength and speed that seemed to match the blooming growth around them.
They collided in a chaotic tangle of petals and gleaming metal, the air thick with the sickening scent of blood and blossoms. The behemoth Curse’s vines and thorns twisted and writhed, entangling Y/N in a deadly embrace, and the ground beneath them trembled with the force of her strikes against the roots. The air crackled with raw energy, as victory remained shrouded in a misty cloud. Through their bond, Y/N felt Toji’s essence urging her on desperately, and she clenched her jaw in determination.
This would end, one way or the other.
-•-
She trudged through from the portal with a slight limp, dragging the full weight of Hanami’s body behind her.
Y/N hated how this was so undignified for Hanami. She deserved a proper burial, or at least a smiting, but Y/N had no more divine energy to spare for that, and Curses would never bury their enemies. This was the way it had to be done, what was expected of her. The village she had teleported to was one of the largest at the border, serving as Y/N’s base to travel between. As the Curses around her stared, taking in the lifeless body of Jogo’s general, they erupted into frantic joy. Y/N was too tired for it, too saddened by what she had done, to find any enjoyment in hearing chants and cheers of her name in reverence.
Her bones ached, and her eyes felt as dry as sand. Y/N knew she needed to sleep, but she could hardly bring herself to do it. Every time she closed her eyes, she was haunted by that nightmarish red color, and a phantom pain bloomed over her face where Mahito had touched her. To sleep felt like a death sentence now, and it was beyond infuriating that their enemies had stolen her very basic right to rest and sleep.
On top of that, Y/N missed Toji fiercely.
The exhausted part of Y/N wished she had taken him up on his offer, because then she would have been at peace and safe. But the rational part of her would never allow it, standing firmly in her resolve not to run away from this war. But still, Y/N felt as if their bond had shifted to something more… intense. It was as crippling as it was exhilarating.
Suda and Miguel were waiting for her outside an old stone house that once belonged to a local villager, but now served as her own personal quarters. Miguel looked exhausted, but still kept up his cool demeanor in front of Suda, whose eyes widened into saucers as she took in Hanami’s body.
Y/N finally stopped dragging the body and let go, and it thumped loudly as it hit the ground. “Bring her head to my brother,” she instructed, making it clear that she would not be maiming any corpses herself.
Suda grimaced further, lip curling in disgust. “Anything else?”
“Tell him not to worry about us, and to focus on the siege. Just let us know when he needs supplies so we can send a group to transport it quickly.”
Suda nodded and looked at Miguel for support, who began to drag Hanami away from Y/N. With a sigh, Y/N pushed open the door, stumbling through and hoping nobody saw her. Hanami’s thorns had cut through parts of her armor, creating deep welts that throbbed and bled. One of the vines had gripped Y/N’s ankle so tightly that it was a struggle to walk straight. She knew she needed to sleep; it would help heal her wounds, and probably her ankle. But the sheer amount of obsidian blood covering her body, red rose petals clinging to it like feathers in tar, was a reminder that sleep was out of reach.
Y/N knelt at the edge of the bed, clasping her hands together as her knees scraped harshly against the floor. Prayer kept her from falling asleep, and from staying awake, fearing an assassin lurking in the night. And in some strange way, she felt as if God was still listening, even all the way down in the depths of Hell.
“Dear God in Heaven,
I ask that you deliver me from this darkness.
Help me cleanse this sin, and bring forth light an-”
“What are you doing?”
She’d never sprung into action so fast in her life. Her body acted on pure instinct, all speed and rage as she crashed directly into the bulky form of the stranger in her room. It was unnerving, frightening, that Y/N hadn’t heard anything approaching her, especially after swearing to herself that nothing was going to sneak up on her again. Her attacker grunted in surprise, and they wrestled for just a moment until Y/N registered Toji’s bright green eyes and familiar shaggy black locks. She had him pinned to the floor, her forearm pressing deep into his neck, and her dagger delicately close to his temple. He was breathing hard, nostrils flared in alarm, and tense.
“It’s me,” Toji whispered, with just a hint of panic in his eyes. “It’s just me.”
Y/N groaned, her head hanging low as her heart pounded, as if it took great effort for the muscle to pump anymore adrenaline through her veins. “I-uh, sorry.”
He tentatively rubbed her arm, the metal still pressing uncomfortably hard into his neck. “S’ok, you want to let go now?”
She awkwardly rushed to get off of him, and extended her hand for Toji to take. He accepted it and pulled himself up, his intense gaze weighing and sizing her up.
“When’s the last time you slept?” he asked gently, still hesitant, as if she was going to attack him for the slightest thing.
“Tch! It doesn’t matter,” Y/N muttered, moving over to the edge of the bed and sitting in a slump.
“It matters,” Toji started, and she could feel the beginning of a lecture coming on. “When you can’t even hear someone approach you. Why don’t you just sleep?”
“You know why. Just leave it.”
He moved over towards her, sitting beside her, his spread knees touching hers. “You still pray,” he stated, more of an observation than a question.
“Yes,” Y/N replied, the exhaustion creeping back into her voice as the adrenaline left her body. “It helps. It keeps me awake and stops me from thinking.”
“About?”
Flashes of pain.
Burning blood and bones.
Foggy visions of something seen long ago, but never to be remembered.
Y/N cracked her neck suddenly, feeling her bones crunching. “Mahito, I suppose. And Geto fighting so far away.” Toji hummed, and she suddenly felt quite nervous. “You’re not going to… judge me for this, are you?”
He quirked an eyebrow at her. “For praying?”
“Yes.”
“It’s something you do alone, and if it helps, then why stop? It has nothing to do with me, so I’m not going to judge.”
For some bizarre reason, the anxiety and tension she had been holding in her chest dissipated, and Y/N sniffed as she wiped her nose.
“Thank you,” Y/N whispered, voice cracking.
Toji looked at her strangely and said in a low rumble. “There’s no need for that. I told you before that I don’t care about Fallen or Angel customs.” He looked away shyly and added, “I just want you to be well.”
She blew out a deep breath and slumped back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. “I will be when this war is over.”
He slowly joined her, their shoulders and knees touching. “And how’s it going? I heard Geto has started a siege on my old home.”
“Oh, yes he has. Mei-Mei?”
“Her crows are everywhere.”
“Even here?”
“Especially here.”
“If you want to see me, then you should just do that. No need to spy, Toji.”
“I’m not spying, just… keeping an eye on you.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
Toji looked over and gave her a pointed look. “Of course I do.” He looked back at the ceiling and huffed quietly. “Stupid thing to say.”
Y/N snorted, perhaps due to her exhaustion, but also partly due to a giddy nervous part of her soul that came out when Toji was around. She couldn’t help herself, and erupted into a fit of giggles. He looked over at her in amusement, and chuckled lowly along with her. They eventually settled into a comfortable silence, with her head slightly tilted towards Toji’s. Suddenly, he took her hand in his, observing her bloodstained nails and thorn cuts.
Displeasure…
“I killed Hanami,” Y/N confessed, as if bursting forth a deep secret she couldn’t withhold anymore.
Toji nodded, his fingers tracing the lines of her hands. “Good. It will take Jogo some time to re-organize his forces.”
She hummed, quiet tears spilling from her eyes onto her cheeks. “I suppose so, yes.”
He looked at her with concern deep in his emerald orbs, and gripped her hand tighter. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know, I just… really didn’t want to kill her.”
“Why’s that?”
Y/N didn’t really know herself, and so it took her some time before she could finally come up with somewhat of an answer. “She was part of nature. It felt like killing an Angel.”
Toji was moving each of her fingers back and forth. “Hanami was no seraph. You should have heard the things she’s done to Angels.”
“I’m sure it’s not much different to what Angels have done to us.”
“Do you not think you could do it, then? If you ascended and came across a seraph.”
No.
Y/N didn’t need to say it aloud; Toji knew her answer from her soul speaking volumes through the bond. They lay together in hushed stillness, interrupted only by Toji curling her fingers into a closed fist. His hand covered hers, offering silent reassurance.
“You need to sleep,” he finally said gently.
“I know, but I can’t.”
“I’ll stay with you, then.”
“Won’t you get tired?”
“Pft! No.”
“Toji, are you sure?”
“Don’t you worry your pretty head about it. Just sleep, nothin’ll get past me.”
Y/N smiled softly at him, and moved up higher onto the bed, not caring about dirtying the sheets with the stains of battle. Toji stood and pulled over a chair closer to the bed, spreading his legs out and crossing his arms. The flickering candlelight cast a shadow on his chiseled features, adding to his alluring enigma, and she wanted to keep discovering everything about him. His gaze darkened, and she knew that he could sense her desire trickling into the bond like a gentle rain.
“Stop looking at me like that,” Y/N huffed, burying her face into her pillow.
“Like what? I’m supposed to be watching you.”
“Yeah, but not like that.”
“What do you want me to do, stare at the ceiling?”
“No…”
Y/N heard the chair scrape even closer to the bed, and she peeked out from the pillow to see Toji resting his upper body on the bed while still remaining seated on the chair. He nestled his head on his crossed arms, alarmingly close to her face, and closed his eyes.
“Better?” he quipped.
“Mhm.”
“Good, now sleep.”
-•-
Toji’s hair was the first thing Y/N saw when she woke.
The top of his head was directly in front of her, black curtains spilling onto the bed. His arm extended out, as reaching out to try and touch her. He seemed like he was asleep, but Y/N knew he probably wasn’t. This was the most peaceful she had ever seen Toji look, and she would be lying if she said she didn’t find him alluring. She reached over and softly stroked his hair, and Toji groaned softly.
“You slept well,” he grunted, pushing his head closer to her and leaning into her touch.
Y/N hummed, twirling strands of his hair between her fingers. He moved his head, resting his chin on his arms, green eyes trained watching her toy with his hair.
“What is it?” she whispered.
“You’re beautiful,” Toji remarked, a smirk playing on his lips. She smiled widely, humming again, but more shyly. He took her hand that was playing with his hair and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles, igniting a wildfire deep within her.
More…
His green eyes blazed with emerald flames, and he pressed featherlight kisses along each of her fingers. Her breath hitched; nothing else in the world felt real anymore, except the sensation of his lips on her skin.
One.
Two.
“Did you dream of anything?” Toji rumbled, rubbing his cheek into Y/N’s fingers.
Three, four…
She shook her head, looking at him with eyes wide and pupils blown. “No, nothing at all.”
Five.
He moved to her other hand, and Y/N wondered just how far she would let him take her.
One, two.
“So, you want me to stay with you every night?”
Three.
“You couldn’t do that.”
“That’s not what I asked. I asked if you wanted me to.”
Four.
“Of course I do, bu-.”
“Shh! Then that’s what I’ll do.”
Five.
His hands enveloped hers, rubbing them tenderly.
“Toji!”
“What?”
“Toji, you can’t do this every night! And I don’t expect you to either.”
“Y/N, if it means you’re safe and sleeping well, then I’ll do it.”
“But your people need you more than I do.”
“Fucks s-, why won’t you let me help? You won’t stay with me, so why can’t I stay with you?”
Y/N cupped Toji’s face, her thumb stroking his cheek. She craved him; he made her pliable, like clay in a sculptors hands. In that moment, she wanted to give him everything he wanted. There was nobody else more willing to help her pass the time in the night. Who else could say they could fight off her nightmares with his bare hands? Toji was made of smoke and steel, breaking through and sliding between every crack and crevice inside her.
“I want you to, but we can’t indulge this,” she whispered, her tingling lips almost unable to speak. “Not now, not until the war is over.”
Toji groaned with exasperation and fell silent. Y/N could feel him thinking hard, and she indulged in his distraction, exploring his face with the pads of her fingers. She traced his furrowed brows, smoothing them out, moving on to the strong bridge of his nose and his smoky lashes.
“What’s the point of praying?” Toji asked suddenly. “How do you know God even listens?
Y/N’s finger froze, just as she was about to trace the scar on his lip. “It’s just what faith is. There’s something that happens when you pray. You can feel God’s presence watching and listening.”
“So, you can still feel it? Even here?”
“Not anymore, but I think he’s still able to listen. Why do you ask?”
“Just curious, I like to know how you think. I want to know what you expect from me, because I don’t really understand your… customs.”
Toji stood up, almost reluctantly, and Y/N’s inner voice cried out as he untangled their souls from their intimate moment. “Where are you going?” she whispered, urgency lacing her words.
“I’ll be back here tonight. Wait for me,” he replied, stroking her cheek before disappearing.
Later that night, true to his word, Toji was there waiting for Y/N, but he wasn’t alone. He was with a with a girl, her shaggy cropped hair framing her face, with a thousand and one angry scars crisscrossing every bit of her skin. There was an undeniable connection between her and Toji; their auras mirrored each other, as if they were cut from the same cloth, made of the same blood and flesh.
Y/N hesitated slightly but approached them nonetheless, regaining an air of authority as she walked. Today’s battle had gone awry; Jogo’s soldiers had overwhelmed them completely at a supply outpost. It took both Miguel and Larue to drag her away from the fight, so strong was her desperation to defend their resources. Now, she was left drained and filled with dread, knowing that Geto’s army, as well as her own, had lost even more supplies for their war.
I’m sorry, brother. I will do better.
Concern…
Y/N shook her head at Toji, hoping he understood that now was not the time or place to discuss her feelings. He frowned, seemingly conceding, and introduced the girl beside him. “Y/N, this is Maki Zenin.”
She raised an eyebrow at Maki, though not entirely surprised at the revelation of her relation to Toji. “Zenin?”
“Not anymore,” the girl interjected, her tone a touch sour. “Just call me Maki.”
“I see,” Y/N replied flatly, unimpressed with Maki’s tone, and turned her gaze back to Toji. “And why exactly is Maki here?”
“She left the Zenins and joined my court,” Toji answered, looking at Maki with reserved interest. “But I think she would be able to help you win this war.”
“Is that so?” Y/N sized Maki up, assessing her from head to toe. “Why did you leave the Zenins?”
Maki’s demeanor seemed to shatter and harden instantaneously, her voice strained as she muttered through gritted teeth. “They murdered my sister.”
“And you want to join us because you want revenge? This war isn’t your emotional playground.”
“It’s not, no. And I don’t want to join Geto, just you. Fushiguro is the only family I have left, family that I’ve chosen, and you’re his mate. That makes you my family too, and no more of my family is going to be murdered.”
Y/N’s resolve softened, and she glanced at Toji, who regarded Maki with just a slight hint of pride. He turned to her, and said lowly. “She’s not like them. I trust her to fight alongside you and watch over you when I can’t.”
She clicked her tongue in thought and nodded. What was there really to lose? If Toji trusted her, then Y/N would too. “Fine then, Maki. You can join us.”
Relief…
“Maki, give us a moment,” Toji said, and the girl nodded before walking off into the hustle of the barracks.
“You didn’t think I’d let her stay?” Y/N questioned, her gaze following Maki as she was stopped by Larue, who immediately seemed to be trying to provoke her.
He sighed and stood beside her. “I didn’t think you’d let just anybody get that close to you.”
Y/N hummed. “She doesn’t seem like just anyone if you let her stay with you.”
Toji’s eyes darkened, and he muttered. “I know how it feels to be chewed and spat back out by that family.”
Larue poked Maki’s scarred arm, and she swiftly had him pinned to the ground in a headlock. A group of Curses gathered round, egging on the confrontation, their appetite for violence and bloodshed insatiable. This was the brutal hierarchy of their world, where strength was the only clear language understood. Maki could either overcome it, or crumble. Y/N expected her to survive, otherwise Toji’s plan would have failed before it even began.
“She’s fast,” she commented, and Toji nodded.
“Maki’s like me, nearly fights exactly the same. Through her, I may as well be fighting this war with you.” He nudged her gently, his gaze softening. “What happened today?”
Y/N sighed, pinching her nose. “We don’t have the numbers to defend ourselves and our supplies. We’ve lost too many resources already, and Geto needs all the help he can get to wage out the siege.”
She knew that Toji wasn’t going to offer aid. Doing so would risk openly aligning his kingdom with theirs, and subjecting his people to the wrath of two layers. It would plunge nearly all of Hell into chaos, and subject his people to the same suffering that Geto faced.
Nearly all of Hell.
But not all…
“What will you do, then?”
As Maki brought her clenched fist straight into Larue’s throat, the beginning of an idea started to form in Y/N’s head. Toji chuckled beside her, the ghost of his hand next to hers, as he watched his younger cousin establish her dominance. Though he may not have realized it yet, by bringing her to Y/N, Maki’s willingness to switch allegiance opened up new possibilities.
Synopsis - In a world where Angels and Curses are locked in a never ending war, an unsuspecting seraph becomes entangled with the very thing she is fated to eradicate.
Pairings - Curse!Toji Fushiguro x f!Angel!Reader. Curse!Ryomen Sukuna x Reader. Angel!Satoru Gojo x Reader.
Warnings - Descriptions of violence and injuries, eventual smut.
A/N - Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I think you guys really will too. Ehe! It might be easier to guess about the interludes after you’ve read this chapter, so please feel free to guess and comment your thoughts!! Ko-fi.
-•-
Chapter 7
Y/N was awoken by the sound of screams, pulling her consciousness from the depths of slumber.
When she opened her eyes, all she could see was a bright red hue, and that convinced her that she’d gone blind. Amidst the consuming glow, it took her longer than it should’ve to realize that the harrowing screams were emanating from within her own throat, with such a force that they seared her lungs.
“Easy, Y/N. Easy. You’re hurting yourself.”
Large, calloused and warm hands firmly enveloped both sides of her wrists, whilst thick legs hooked with her own, effectively anchoring her in place. She felt his breath tickle her earlobe, sending a shiver down her spine, as the weight of his body pressed into her.
She didn’t need to see to know it was Toji.
“Easy,” Toji repeated, his deep grumble a soothing balm that cut through against the red hue with wisps of green. “I’ve got you.”
He has me.
Y/N ceased her screaming, and her lungs cried out in relief as she was released from the initial suffocating grip of terror. The red veil began to wane, allowing her to discern the dark outline of Toji’s figure above her; a solid shoreline of land against her tumultuous sea. Each breath she took came out in ragged gasps as she fought against the receding tide of red and the intensifying pain on the side of her face.
The rough ridges of his hands sparked electricity against her skin, sending tingles coursing through her skin. The green wisps were prevailing over the red, and Y/N found solace in the heat of Toji’s touch as she finally gazed into his blazing eyes.
“C’mon, c’mon. You can see me, I’m right in front of you,” Toji coaxed, his voice smoky and deep as he leaned his forehead against hers. “That’s it, focus.”
Y/N could feel his breath trembling as much as hers. She was so engulfed in a whirlwind of different sensations: Toji’s urgency and desperation through their bond, the tantalizing possibility of his lips touching hers if he just bent down a little lower, her gradually clearing vision, and the pain.
Oh, the pain.
She gasped and whimpered, instinctively bringing a hand to cup the vulnerable side of her face, but Toji’s grip on her wrists tightened. His face remained impassive, but his emerald orbs burned with fierce determination; pupils blown so wide she could catch her own reflection in them. For a moment, Y/N almost forgot about her pain, or why she was feeling it in the first place. Toji shook his head, discouraging her from touching her face.
“You really need to stop nearly fucking dying on me,” Toji breathed out shakily, in a whisper that was so frighteningly unlike the way he usually spoke. “Stop making me feel this way, I can’t handle this.”
The way his voice cracked softened Y/N like a tender summers breeze. His eyes communicated what he couldn’t say aloud, and his emotions were crystal clear through their bond. Toji wasn’t hiding anything from her. He was as bare and vulnerable as she was lying there, and Y/N knew then for sure that he never thought she was anything lesser. Toji never cared she was Fallen – to him, she was his very soul, and the kaleidoscope of everything that made up her was also him.
Toji’s lip twitched; Y/N noted just how painfully deep his scar was embedded. She really thought he was going to kiss her in that moment.
Until screams pierced through the air, coming from right outside her bedroom doors.
Geto burst through, wild and twistedly feral, as Nanako’s cries reached a high pitched cresendo as the door gave way. His eyes locked onto Toji, and his lip curled into a snarl. Y/N sensed Geto was about to strike, and her body bristled and tensed in preparation for a fight.
And yet, Toji was so much faster.
A black flash hurtled towards Geto, and Toji’s weight was no longer on top of her.
With such force that shook the room, he pinned her brother against the wall, his forearm pressing against Geto’s neck. With gritted teeth, he snapped. “This wasn’t me.”
Geto struggled against him, but Toji’s strength was unyielding far superior; his grip like iron. A vein popped in Geto’s forehead from the strained effort.
“M-mahito,” Geto choked out, sputtering as he glared at Toji. “Blegh! Nanako s-ugh-saw him fleeing.”
With that, Toji released Geto from his grasp, prompting him to shove the superior king away with great force. They stared each other down, eyes brimming with malice and fury, neither willing to yield to the other. However, Toji’s patience was wearing thinner by the second, as his looming presence dominated the atmosphere in a chokehold.
“Go on,” he goaded, chin tilted upwards as he looked down at Geto. “You want to try this again, huh?”
Geto audibly growled, chest heaving – he was cornered, and he knew it. But that didn’t seem to deter him; shadows gathered and danced in the room, as the host of Curses gathering to her brother’s defense growled and snarled. Toji simply smirked, unperturbed by her brother’s offensive display, and Y/N knew Suguru would be crushed in an instant if she didn’t intervene.
She sat up abruptly, her bones screaming and aching as if they hadn’t been used in an age, and desperately rasped, “Toji, please.”
Toji stiffened, as if he was fighting a battle of will within himself; torn between the instinctual thrill of a fight, wanting to engage in the thrill of a fight that was his nature, and the rational part of him, his soul tethered to her, urging him to yield.
And he did.
Toji took a step back, hands raised in surrender, wearing a teasing sly smirk directed at Geto, who was slowly refracting his shadows, while still maintaining an offensive demeanor.
“Did you know?” Geto hissed, like a coiled viper.
Toji’s eyes narrowed, his expression lacking any cockiness as he turned deadly serious. “You seriously think I would give them my permission for this? No, I didn’t. But I’m not surprised that this happened.”
Her brother’s eyes flitted over to her, taking in the lines of red over the right side of her face, and he scowled. “Can you fight?”
Y/N got up from the bed, trying to ignore that her decency was compromised in her nightdress, and was about to respond when Toji interjected with a harsh tone that left no room for argument. “She is not in any state to fight, are you mad? She needs a healer.”
“I didn’t ask you, did I?” Geto snapped, quickly ramping up his offensive stance, his fists clenched and muscles tense. “Don’t forget where you are, Fushiguro.”
Concentrated effort… restrained anger.
Toji deadpanned, completely unimpressed. “I haven’t, but see reason, Geto. Who knows the true effects of Mahito’s powers? Do you want to risk Y/N’s life again?”
Geto clenched his jaw, and Y/N could almost sense the whirlwind of emotions raging within him. He craved a fight, his thirst for vengeance and justice palpable, and a faint tremor ran through his clenched fists.
“Mimiko is dead,” he murmured to her. “Mahito touched her as he was fleeing.”
Her heart dropped.
Oh no, not her.
Tears swelled in her eyes, and fury ignited in her chest. Toji looked at her with a softer gaze, his expression filled with pity for her loss.
“Mahito has attempted to assassinate me, and has killed a member of your court, Suguru,” Y/N said, her voice thick with anger and malice. “Go and find him. Make him pay for what he’s done.”
Geto nodded, shooting Toji a loathsome glare, and snapped, “Take care of her, or so help me, I will tear you apart.”
Before Toji had any time to respond, her brother was already rushing out the door, barking orders. Nanako’s wails faded away as the bustle of activity moved away from Y/N’s bedroom.
“I would like to see you try,” Toji muttered, mostly to himself. His gaze settled on her, and he asked. “Who’s the best healer in this place?”
She swallowed heavily, exhaling deeply. “Dead.”
He rolled his eyes. “Tch, of course. Well, come with me then.” Toji’s eyes roamed her figure, and he cleared his throat awkwardly as he looked away and added, “You’ll want to change first.”
She ignored his last comment, and asked with suspicion, “Where?”
“To my kingdom. The rest of your healers are going to be otherwise occupied with the casualties of war, and I’m not risking subpar idiots dealing with a power they couldn’t possibly begin to understand.”
War.
“So this is it then, it’s begun?” Y/N whispered, as the weight of the events of the past day and night took its toll on her.
“I’m afraid so. An assassination attempt is a clear declaration of war,” Toji replied simply. “Now, are you coming or not?”
She knew the rational thing was to go and ensure there was nothing fundamentally wrong with her, and yet, the thought of leaving Geto on his own to fight in a war of her own making made her physically ill. But it wasn’t like she had a choice in the matter; Toji would probably drag her kicking and screaming.
“Y/N,” his voice called, snapping her out of her thoughts. Y/N’s breath hitched as Toji looked at her with that same gentleness he had not moments ago, and he murmured. “This war is not your fault.”
She scoffed. “Of course it is, I’m not stupid. I owe it to myself and Suguru to fight and make sure they pay for this.”
“And you will,” Toji agreed, placatingly. “But you won’t be much use if you burst into pieces, hmm?”
Burst into pieces.
Just like Nanami.
Her stomach churned.
Bubbling anxiousness …
Y/N couldn’t say anything against that. On top of feeling Toji so fearful for her through their bond – despite his exterior being so cool – she conceded and sighed.
“Wait for me on the balcony, I’ll be ready in a minute.”
-•-
Y/N had expected Toji’s kingdom to be darker than Geto’s – but not this dark.
Toji had completely vanished into the inky black mist that they had stepped into from the portal, and Y/N’s heart raced as she thought she’d lost him – irrationally thinking she was doomed to the darkness forever. Until he appeared right in front of her, absolutely spooking her, with a smirk on his face.
“Need some help?” he teased, and she scowled.
“Why’d you bring us here?” Y/N grumbled. “What is your healer doing in a place like this?”
“I called in a favor while you were getting dressed,” Toji said, as if that explained everything, and held out a hand for her to take.
She took it.
The electricity danced between them, tiny sparks leaping from where his warmth melded into hers. His green eyes seemed to be glowing in the darkness, captivating Y/N so deeply until she had to avert her gaze. Toji cleared his throat, clearly as affected by their intense connection as she was, and began to guide her through the mist.
“A favor?” she asked, breaking the tension.
“Hmm? Oh, yes. Mei-Mei will be there to mediate the exchange.”
Mei-Mei? Exchange?
Her heart stung at the mention of Toji’s second, and yesterday’s argument rushed to the forefront of her mind.
“Sure,” Y/N said flatly. She knew Toji could feel her coldness creeping back in, and he gripped her hand tighter.
“You know, I-” he started, searching for the right words to say. “This isn’t the time to talk about yesterday, but I just- I didn’t mean to be so...”
“Cruel?”
Toji visibly looked uncomfortable, almost shameful, and he nodded. Y/N sighed heavily, “It doesn’t matter anymore. Let’s get this over with.”
He pursed his lips, and she knew he had so much more to say, but he didn’t. They pushed on farther into the mist, and Y/N’s eyes were adjusting to the midnight darkness the longer they walked, although she could have sworn it was getting even blacker.
Plop!
Y/N recoiled as her foot was submerged in water; unnervingly warm and thick.
No… not water.
She sniffed the air, and squinted at her foot.
Blood.
A strange sense of Deja vu hit her.
“Toji… where are we?”
“At the borderline with Sukuna’s territory. We’re going to meet with Uraume.”
“What? Uraume doesn’t serve you.”
“No, they don’t. That’s why it’s a favor.”
She was going to meet Sukuna’s second. What sort of things had Toji done to earn a favor from the King of Curses? Y/N almost didn’t want to know, but her previously uneasy feelings were now sprouting into a full-blown panic.
“Toji, this can’t be a good idea. How can we trust them?” she whispered nervously, as if the mist would carry her words all the way to Sukuna’s ears.
“Do you trust me?” Toji stopped abruptly, his jaw set in a stubborn line.
Y/N didn’t miss a beat, because it was the truth. “Yes.”
“Then trust that I’d kill them if they try to hurt you,” he swore in a low, deep voice as dark as the mist surrounding them.
She shivered.
A loud caw of a crow sounded above them, followed by the sloshing sounds of someone moving through the water towards them. Y/N gripped Toji’s hand tighter, and he returned the gesture. Mei-Mei’s slim figure came into view, a sultry smirk on her lips, and her lilac eyes oozed power and cold intelligence.
“Uraume is just ahead,” Mei-Mei announced, her gaze flicking down to their joint hands, and the corner of her lip curled upwards.
“Are they alone?” Toji asked.
Mei-Mei hummed in response, casually shrugging her shoulders. “They killed my crows. I can’t see.”
He made a sound of displeasure. “Doesn’t matter. Let’s go.”
Toji pulled Y/N forwards, and as they past each other, she and Mei-Mei exchanged a tense glance.
Oh, how Y/N really didn’t like her.
Within a few moments, the mist cleared ever so slightly, and the slight figure of Uraume came into view. Y/N couldn’t help but notice how small and delicate they appeared, like a porcelain doll. But much like Mei-Mei, they obviously concealed violent tendencies; although, theirs was a quiet and ancient kind of strength. The sea of blood behind Uraume glowed a deep red color, with bones of various creatures floating about. Some formed clusters that had somehow caught flame, burning in shades of red and blue. The air was far hotter here, and Y/N wondered just how blistering the heat must be at the center of Hell.
“Your mate needs my help.” Uraume’s voice sounded out from the distance, cutting straight to the point.
“You know the Curse, Mahito?” Toji’s voice echoed across the blood sea as he responded. “He touched her skin.”
Uraume cocked their head to the side, their air cold and intelligent. “She looks alive and well to me. Why did you call?”
“I need to make sure he hasn’t latched himself to her soul,” he boomed back. “You’re the only one who can see.”
Their unique deep pink orbs settled on Y/N, and she straightened her back. It was if they were deciding whether or not to help, and Toji shifted impatiently beside her.
“You may approach me, Y/N,” Uraume finally said, and gave Toji a pointed look. “Alone.”
With that, she let go of Toji’s hand and stepped towards Uraume, remaining acutely aware of the dagger beneath her sleeves she could whip out if she needed to. But the way they looked at her, as if they knew what she was thinking, dared her to try it. Y/N knew better than to stand against a force she didn’t understand, and so she stood rigidly in front of them
Uraume suddenly gripped her chin, their fingers seemingly made of ice and frost, causing Y/N to shudder.
Uneasiness…
The Curse turned her face side to side, observing every single little detail as if it were of vital importance. “You don’t remember?”
“I was asleep,” she answered, and Uraume shook their head, leaving Y/N with the feeling that she had answered the question incorrectly.
They hummed, letting go of her chin. “You soul is intact, so you have nothing to fear.”
Relief…
Uraume’s fingers ran down her face, like tender icicles melting in the sun, and Y/N felt the tenderness of where Mahito had touched fade away. They pulled their hand away and looked at her as if admiring their handiwork, while Y/N grazed her own fingers over her face.
“One more thing, before you leave,” Uraume added, reaching into their pocket to bring forth a small box, and offered it to her. “Lord Sukuna has asked me to give you this.”
Toji was next to her in a flash, plucking the box from Uraume, who shot him a frosty glare. He opened the box to reveal a dainty golden ring, the gleaming metal twisted and curled, and furrowed his brows at it.
“Why is he giving her this freely?” he asked, his words laced with confusion and suspicion.
“Lord Sukuna told me to give Y/N this ring if her soul had no cursed energy,” they replied, watching as Toji took the ring from the box and turned it between his fingers to inspect it.
“That doesn’t tell me why,” Toji interjected abruptly.
“That’s none of your concern. Do not question Lord Sukuna’s motives; just accept his gift,” Uraume bit back, casting a pointed glance towards Y/N as she said the last sentence.
He grumbled beneath his breath and handed Y/N the ring back in the box. She was just as confused and unnerved as Toji was. Mei-Mei cleared her throat and spoke for the both of them, “Thank you for this, Uraume. We are grateful for you and Lord Sukuna taking the time to help us.”
Uraume’s gaze swept over the trio, and Y/N could have sworn the blood beneath their feet was freezing over as they replied. “You owe him a great deal, Fushiguro. Don’t forget it.”
Toji’s nostrils flared, and his lip twitched angrily. “Sure.”
Uraume didn’t seem to appreciate his response but said nothing as they stepped back into a portal and disappeared.
Mei-Mei commented, “That went well.”
She hovered closer to Toji, as if she was expecting something, and he rolled his eyes as he tossed her a small bag. Mei-Mei caught it effortlessly with one hand, and the bag clinked loudly – betraying its valuable contents.
“Thank you. Do you need anything else,” she offered, and Y/N realized this was the first time she had seen a glimpse of real emotion from the Curse as she received her payment.
“No. You can go,” Toji answered, and she was gone in an instant, leaving the two of them standing in the ocean of blood.
Y/N opened the box, observing the ring. She noticed the featherlight minuscule markings adorning the band. “What is this?”
Toji extended his left hand, displaying a thicker gold ring resting on his pointer finger that she hadn’t noticed before. “It’s a ring imbued with Sukuna’s cursed energy, and it allows Curses like us to conjure portals. As you can imagine, he doesn’t make them for just anyone.”
“How did you manage to get one, then?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. He came to visit me when I became King and gave me it. Said I was strong, and that I was the prime example of a perfect Curse. That was nearly six hundred years ago, and it was the last time anyone has seen him.”
“Really? Sukuna hasn’t been seen for six hundred years?!”
“Apparently so, not that I know of anybody seeing him. But I suppose he knows you’re my mate, and that’s why he’s given you a ring.”
“You don’t seem so sure.”
Toji’s expression darkened. “I’m not sure of anything Sukuna does, or why. I’d prefer to avoid any interaction with him as much as I can.”
His demeanor shifted, his unease palpable as he recalled his encounter with Sukuna. Clearly, the memory was not a good one; it was full of mistrust, because the King of Curses unpredictable nature certainly surpassed Toji’s. It was also a frightening reminder that Sukuna’s strength, particularly now in the absence of Gojo Satoru, was probably the only threat to Toji’s life.
“Well, I’m not going to die, it seems,” Y/N joked lightly, feeling the tension that had gripped her beginning to ease away.
Toji snorted, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. “So it seems. I’m glad.”
The ring on his finger glowed a faint gold color, and a portal of the same shade materialized in front of them. He looked at her expectantly, cocking his towards it. “Shall we get out of here?”
Toji didn’t need to ask her twice – Sukuna’s realm was unpleasant. She stepped into the portal without hesitation.
-•-
It was a pleasant surprise to find the main city bustling with activity.
The streets, although well-paved and smooth, had veins of molten lava coursing through it, casting a bright orange and red glow that illuminated the area. Toji had led her to the main marketplace of his city, which boasted various stalls and shops selling food, clothing, and other trinkets. The buildings eerily reminded her of Heaven, but in a polar opposite way; grand dark stone towers stood tall amidst the midnight sky, adorned with intricate carvings of strange and grotesque creatures.
The busy marketplace was teeming with all manner of Curses; some looked more like her and Toji, or a mixture that blended both monster and humanoid features, while others were more horrid and twisted in appearance. They immediately took note of their King’s presence, and Y/N could immediately tell they revered him, though none dared approach him directly. However, she couldn’t shake the weight of their gazes following them as they navigated through the streets, side by side, and feeling increasingly self-conscious.
This was quite a public display, but with their secret out in the open, Y/N supposed it didn’t matter much anymore.
“I know you and your brother are more traditional,” he said. “But I hope you can appreciate the architecture of my city just as well.”
Y/N decided to be honest. “It reminds me of Heaven.”
Surprise…
Toji looked at her as if she had grown two heads, one eyebrow comically raised. “Huh?”
“Yeah, it’s like Heaven, but flipped the opposite way. I don’t really know how to explain it, maybe Geto would disagree with me,” she shrugged.
“Is it… a bad thing?”
“No! It’s sort of nice, actually.”
Toji appeared gladdened, as relief washed over his face, although Y/N could tell he was nervous through their bond, and had to stop herself from smiling. Following his lead, they strolled through the streets of his city, which he seemed to know like the back of his hand. She understood now why he was so determined to protect his people; they were content and wanted for nothing – because Toji provided and protected them. It contrasted against Suguru’s citizens, as they exuded an aura of sadness and neediness, because they often struggled more.
Of course, not having to worry about an impending war would certainly help Suguru’s citizens.
Toji broke the silence with a question. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but I’m curious. Do you miss it? Heaven, I mean.”
Did she?
Did she miss those moments when she and Nanami used to sit together on the lush green grass after their sparring sessions?
Did she miss those times when Gojo used to gather a feast of figs from the trees outside his tower for them both to enjoy?
It would be a lie if she said no.
“Sometimes,” Y/N admitted quietly. “Parts of it.”
Toji hummed. “I’d be surprised if you didn’t, it was your home for…”
He suddenly started to chuckle, and she looked at him quizzically. “What’s so funny?”
“Sorry, but I don’t actually know how old you are,” Toji explained, still chuckling.
“Well, how old are you?” she quipped back.
“I asked you first, but I’m somewhere in the middle of the eight-century mark, I think.”
“I’m five hundred and seven.”
“Oh, very precise.”
“And you’re very old.”
Toji barked out a laugh. “Why should I bother counting, then?”
“So you don’t accidentally say you’re older than you actually are. You could be fifty years younger and you’d never know.”
“Pft! Fifty years isn’t much.”
“Fifty years is a lot.”
“Hmm, maybe I’ll ask if Mei-Mei has some old records from the Zenins. See how old I am exactly.”
Y/N’s mood turned sour at the mention of her, and her smile was wiped from her face. She recalled their argument yesterday, and how Toji had told her she had no business knowing anything about him. Yet, here he seemed to have had a complete change of heart. Her near-death experience shouldn’t have been a requirement for him to allow himself to open up to her.
Toji sensed her mood shift, of course he did. It was still new to her, the idea that her emotions could be sensed without his essence overpowering her psyche, the way Gojo’s had done in his Infinite Void. But Toji remained silent, disappointing Y/N. She had felt the depth of his pain when she was near death’s door, and he had obviously rushed to her side. He still seemed reluctant to open to her. Was she not deserving enough to know who he really was? Would she ever be?
If not, then what was the point of everything that had happened?
They had reached a grand staircase leading up to what could only be Toji’s palace. Its architecture mimicked that of the city, but there was no building as large as this one.
“I’m assuming you’re hungry,” Toji remarked, opening the intricate main doorway to the palace. Y/N nodded, and he motioned for her to follow him.
The various Curses dwelling inside the palace stared at them with wide eyes, their hushed voices whispering excitedly after the pair passed. Toji eventually led her to a balcony overlooking the city, dimly lit with smoldering lanterns, complete with a table and chairs.
“This is where I usually eat,” he explained, his voice gravelly. “It’s nice. A good view of the city.”
Y/N hummed in agreement and took a seat. Toji did the same, and servants immediately came in from the inside to place platters of steaming food in front of them both. They looked at her strangely when she thanked them and respectfully bowed at both of them as they left. It was awkward silence as they ate, and Y/N could feel Toji glancing at her often, trying to lock eyes with her.
Toji finally spoke, pushing his plate away from him. Y/N could feel his leg bouncing rapidly beneath the table. “Look, I’m not good at these things. But about yesterday, I couldn’t say all the things I wanted to say the way I wanted to – the right way, you know?”
“You’re not obligated to tell me anything, Toji. Just like I’m not either,” Y/N replied evenly.
“No but you… you share things with me anyways. Freely. You don’t hide yourself from me, and I’ve never felt you do it.” Toji admitted, his voice slightly strained, his gaze fixed on his lap as his leg bounced faster.
He’s so nervous.
“What I’m trying to say, it was both of us that suffered a loss yesterday. We were both vulnerable, but I was so angry that we were so exposed. Because it was me who should’ve killed Mahito when I had the chance.”
“Toji, you said it yourself. Killing him would have warranted too many questions.”
“Yeah, but this outcome is so much worse.” he sighed, shaking his head. “That doesn’t matter, and it’s not what I’m trying to say. I should have been there. I should have stayed. I wanted to ask you to come with me, to stay here with me. That’s why I came to you yesterday.”
“I know, Geto told me,” Y/N whispered gently.
“Oh, right. I forgot about that,” he chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “I suppose that was me being desperate.”
“Clearly,” she giggled, her laugh tinkling like bells, and Toji’s eyes lit up. “You really think Suguru has that much influence?”
His face fell a little at that. “So, you won’t stay? Not even after what happened last night?”
Y/N could see it now, Toji’s soul laid bare and raw before her. He was choosing vulnerability, laying his emotions on the line for just for her. It was truly what he wanted, for her to stay with him. She couldn’t help herself; she reached over and placed her hand over his.
“No, Toji. It would be running away and leaving my family to fight a war that I caused,” Y/N replied softly, gently breaking it to him.
“You wouldn’t be running, not to me,” Toji murmured, his eyes fixed on her hand over his.
“I know, but I would never forgive myself if I left them now.”
Toji stared at her, and she sucked in a breath. “You have such a fire in you now, you know? You know exactly where you need to go, and what you need to do.” He gripped her hand, sliding his fingers between hers. “Don’t you ever put it out.”
She blushed heavily.
“But if you need me, then call for me. I’ll come to you,” he said lowly, his voice rumbling and almost sultry, as he squeezed her hand.
Y/N smiled shyly. “Thank you, Toji.” She looked over to the city, shying away from the intensity of the moment. “I can see what you’re trying to protect.”
“They don’t deserve to be dragged into my… feelings.”
They sat together in comfortable silence, their hands still in each other’s grasp, and Y/N had to fight to keep the smile from spreading widely across her face.
“You, uh-,” Toji cleared his throat, hesitating before continuing. “You asked me if Mei-Mei and I eve-.”
Y/N cut him off, waving her other hand quickly at him. “No, no Toji! You were right yesterday. It’s something I don’t want to know the answer to.”
He sighed, rubbing his thumb on her hand. “Well, I didn’t mean that. But you should know that I never did anything like… that with her.”
The relief was so immense Y/N had to refrain herself from sighing loudly.
Anxiousness…
Toji mumbled, “Did you and Gojo ever… do anything?”
Y/N giggled wildly, and it was his turn to look at her quizzically. “I think you forget seraphim don’t do anything like that until after marriage.”
“Oh, I see,” he said, seemingly embarrassed, then after a minute of silence, added. “So, uh, you- are you? Tch!”
She found his flustering quite endearing, and enjoyed having the upper hand in the conversation this time. “What?”
Toji sighed pointedly, gathering his thoughts to formulate a proper sentence. “Would you still prefer to do things that way?”
Y/N frowned. Toji was making her consider aspects of her old life that she had never thought of before. Would she remain pure until marriage? She’d embraced everything else about being a Curse – freedom, bloodlust –so why was this any different? And yet, strangely enough, Y/N couldn’t imagine doing it any different.
“I think… I think so yes,” she finally replied, her words slow, as if she doubted them herself.
Toji hummed. “And what about other things?”
Y/N almost choked on her own spit, her cheeks flushing red again. He smirked at her, and she pursed her lips indignantly. “Stop that.”
“What?” Toji said with mock innocence. She gave him a sharp look, but a smile was threatening to break out over her wavering lips. “Okay okay, fine,” he conceded, a handsome smile lighting up his features.
He really is so fucking gorgeous.
“Tell me what Heaven was like then, if you don’t mind,” Toji asked, leaning in closer to her from across the table, his hand still deliciously warm.
Her eyes twinkled with mischief, and playfully bargained. “Deal, but only if you tell me some things about yourself too.”
A/N: Here’s a tiny snippet of Chapter 7 for you guys hehe.
Y/N was awoken by the sound of screams, pulling her consciousness from the depths of slumber.
When she opened her eyes, all she could see was a bright red hue, and that convinced her that she’d gone blind. Amidst the consuming glow, it took her longer than it should’ve to realize that the harrowing screams were emanating from within her own throat, with such a force that they seared her lungs.
“Easy, Y/N. Easy. You’re hurting yourself.”
Large, calloused and warm hands firmly enveloped both sides of her wrists, whilst thick legs hooked with her own, effectively anchoring her in place. She felt his breath tickle her earlobe, sending a shiver down her spine, as the weight of his body pressed into her.
She didn’t need to see to know it was Toji.
“Easy,” Toji repeated, his deep grumble a soothing balm that cut through against the red hue with wisps of green. “I’ve got you.”
Hi guys, lots going on right now that I don’t even wanna talk about, just on a hiatus from school so maybe I’ll be posting more;, This is my interpretation of Norse Loki, for a silly little AU I made of the Last Unicorn that involves northern mythology.
I love Loki, always have, as a genderfluid/genderqueer person I just adore them and also… as a fellow misunderstood nuisance I adore them even more 💚 I’m also working on more of the other gods and characters from the mythos and rn have designs for Tyr, Freya, and Baldur so yahoo! Working on this is so fun, I’ve literally gotten lost in online videos and research, bought two books about Norse mythology from HPB, and am reading books in my cute little local library now too where I’m spending a lot of time! ໒( ◔ ▽ ◔ )७
I love learning about all of this, idk how it became a hyperfixation so quickly but either way I’m very fascinated. I hope you guys enjoy !!
In general, like I said, I’m not feeling up to expanding on a life update or anything like I usually do, but hopefully things will look up. March has never been a good month for me but here’s to hoping!! Enjoy!!☀️💚
warnings - descriptions of a nasty fight. a poetic near death experience. also yes, sukuna is sorta here.
a/n - SURPRISE! more feels and things. is any of this real, or not? if anybody can guess what these interludes really are, i’ll be extremely impressed. comment, or send me a chat, and tell me your opinions. who knows, maybe one of you guys gets a prize for guessing right! ;) ko-fi.
the earth was crumbing beneath her and the clouds of heaven were rolling away from her in swirls of white.
no, nothing was crumbling; it was snowing. she’d never felt the tiny wet droplets on her skin before or felt her feet sink beneath its soft powder. it felt like the sky was crying for her, and she wanted to cry along with it. dark grey clouds were coming in from the west, curdling around the setting sun like spoiled milk.
she knew this place. it was where he had first laid eyes on her.
that was when he decided to appear beside her, silver hair as dull as the clouds.
“this is the last time you’ll feel blue,” he said, but it was pained, his stitches writhed like snakes on his face.
she already knew that; she never should have left the glow of the city.
“if it wasn’t for you i’d still be free,” she snarled, and her heart flowed with his venom and her fear.
a fat tear rolled down his cheek, and his voice cracked as he replied, “but we could still have something wonderful, you know?”
what could possibly be wonderful about any of this? she couldn’t escape from this – from him. perhaps this was what her golden guardian had seen before he passed; an illusion of peace and beauty, only for his warmth to be snuffed out like a candle in the wind.
“let’s see how deep we can go then,” she said, daring him to bite.
he shook his head. “but i’ll take you too far. i’ll lose control.”
she didn’t care anymore. he had dropped and left her like she was already nothing. but she couldn’t think about him anymore. no, it was just her and her death now.
“you said it yourself, these are my last blues, and i want you to break it from me.”
he sighed like the final breath of winter, as snow clung to his lashes, and nodded. “you know i can’t say no to you.”
his hand flew to touch her cheek, and her eyes widened as she stared into the deep darkness of space. none of it made sense, but this was where he wanted to take them; the long way around it. but here they were, together as one in a world of his own making. he knew everything there was to know about her.
“there’s something inside you that you can’t control,” he hissed, as if realizing who she really was for the first time.
“i was never meant to live in a cage,” she spat, and her nails flew at his face, leaving long red gashes on his skin.
and they tumbled and stumbled in a universe of limbs, hands, and mouths. it was messy, full of spit and fire. but it was always meant to be this way because they were the last pieces of broken glass left in the pile.
“i swear, this will be the last time,” he swore, his thumbs pressed into the corners of her eyes like he wanted to squeeze her and make her head pop!
she laughed like a maniac. “no, it won’t. you have a filthy bad habit.”
she lunged at his stitches, pulling and tearing at them like string. he howled and pressed harder, causing her skin to erupt into ridges and valleys of peeling red. and yet, all she could do was cackle.
“you’ll keep on doing this, and you will burn whenever you’ve had your fun,” she vowed.
“what a time this is,” he said amidst their dance of raking and lashing. “i’ll think of this night often.”
her strength was fading. whatever resolve was crumbling into dust; he had at least kept his promise – she was no longer blue. instead, she was her very own pity party that she should walk away from.
no matter, his fingers were inside her throat and it was all over now.
“oh. oh, my. oh,” he chanted, but he wasn’t looking at her anymore.
she could see through his eyes, and he was watching the sea of limbs turn into an ocean of bones and teeth and blood. the smell of it was acrid, like sulphur and rot mixed, and it should have been vulgar.
but it wasn’t.
it was so fucking beautiful.
what a splendid place to die.
he looked up to see the king sitting atop a stairway of skeletons with his four arms spread like a spider. she looked up with her own fading eyes and only just noticed the sky was a never-ending twisting ribcage.
“i’ll allow you to touch my soul, just this once,” the king’s voice echoed like a supersonic wave.
“your soul?” he gaped, as if his whole world was unraveling around him.
the king ignored him, red eyes glowing as he threatened, “there won’t be a second time.”
he was absolutely crestfallen and went limp, slouching atop her. she shivered as the bones beneath them cracked sickeningly, and would have smirked as she felt not just her own fear within her now.
“know your place, fool,” the king all but growled.
and then, a blazing fire of red eyes and madness engulfed them. it was all she could see for a time, and time was never-ending.
“don’t make me wait forever,” she whispered to nobody, because she was now broken and ready to be swept away.
the flames ceased, and he wasn’t there anymore. it was just her and her king now, who was on top of her, caging her in all his arms like the ribs that stood above them. all of his eyes were drinking her in like wine, and she wanted him to devour her messily.
“oh, sweet darling. i was doing just fine without you,” the king sneered, snapping his teeth at her.
and she was suddenly afraid of her king’s wrath, as he gripped her chin and his tongue and teeth scraped against the dips and nooks of her broken face.
“you were supposed to exist without me,” the king snarled. “that’s why i cut you in the first place.”
“i’m sorry,” she sobbed, but for what exactly, she didn’t know.
his face fell into the crook of her neck and he inhaled deeply, grumbling, “shut up.”
she whimpered as the darkness was fading away, replaced by that red hue that was undeniably her king’s color. red was one side of his face, just like hers. but her king was cleansing her of the worms’ filth; even now, she could feel it dripping from her skin like black ink. she didn’t know how to thank her king – no gift would ever come close to what she was being given.
“forget this,” her king muttered, one of his hands gently running over the smoothed-out skin of her face.
Synopsis - In a world where Angels and Curses are locked in a never ending war, an unsuspecting seraph becomes entangled with the very thing she is fated to eradicate.
Pairings - Curse!Toji Fushiguro x f!Angel!Reader. Curse!Ryomen Sukuna x Reader. Angel!Satoru Gojo x Reader.
Warnings - Descriptions of violence and injuries, eventual smut.
A/N - What is it with these Zenin boys, huh? They’re just too beautiful hehe. All the big players are finally making their appearances, enjoy!! Ko-Fi.
-•-
Chapter 6
The twins had fussed over her far too long, and it was starting to make Y/N jittery.
“Nanako, you’ve styled her hair too flashy!” Mimiko exclaimed, giving her sister a pointed look.
Nanako dismissed her with a wave of her hand, engrossed in meticulously placing sparkling diamond clips in her hair. “Y/N is practically our queen,” she retorted. “We need to dress her accordingly!”
“Girls, let’s not fight,” Y/N interjected softly but firmly. “You’ve dressed me perfectly. Thank you.”
On the one hand, Y/N was relieved that the twins were in charge of dressing her. She doubted she could have chosen something suitable herself; it would have been overwhelming to decide how to look for an occasion such as this.
A gathering among the Kings of Hell, convened to craft strategies and pool resources for the war against Heaven.
Of course, the prospect of seeing Toji again would only have added to her indecisiveness. Several weeks had passed since her and Miguel’s bloody execution of the traitors, and Y/N had hoped he would have paid her another secret visit to her balcony, instead of feeling him through their bond. Yet, it remained almost silent, and her patience wore thinner over time. What was the point of a soulmate who never bothered to see her? While the rational part of her understood his need for distance to protect their bond and to keep her safe, another part of her just didn’t care. If anybody dared to come for either of them, then let them die in the attempt.
The twins nodded and stepped back, allowing Y/N the space to stand and walk over to admire herself in the long mirror. They had selected an elegant black silk kimono, and diamond adorned her wrists, hair, and neck like stars. She felt opulent, and couldn’t resist indulging in a moment of vanity.
“This is perfect,” she complimented, and the twins beamed. “Would you girls mind seeing us off?”
They nodded eagerly and trailed behind her as she made her way from the bedroom to the throne room. Gone were the days when Y/N would get lost in her brother’s palace; she now knew every corridor, doorway, and secret passageways, each one as familiar as treasured gold. She especially treasured the courtyard she had designed with Geto, her own personal sanctuary where she could find solace and tranquility whenever she wanted to.
It was eerily beautiful; trees with ebony bark and velvety-black blossoms lined the perimeter of the stone pathway, their gnarled branches adorned with swinging lanterns. Nearly trimmed bushes with blood-red blossoms were dotted throughout the courtyard, particularly around the gazebo standing at its center. Ponds of opaque, stagnant water housed koi fish that lazily swam There were ponds of stagnant of opaque water, where koi fish lazily swam, yet these were no ordinary fish – they were Curses, created by Geto himself to dwell there for eternity.
Her brother was already waiting for her, seated on his throne with legs crossed over. It struck her just how perfectly he belonged here, to be a King of Hell and ruthlessly pursue his ideal world. He raised an eyebrow at her, amusement twinkling in his warm eyes as he judged her appearance.
“Took you long enough,” he teased. “Should I expect a wedding by the end of the day?”
And now, she was a part of that ideal too.
Y/N barked a laugh and snorted, “Surely not. He hasn’t seen me for so long.”
Geto’s eyes darkened ever so slightly, his gaze flitting over to the twins. “Thank you, girls. You may leave us now.”
The twins nodded, and Y/N smiled softly at them as they left. Her brother’s eyes remained fixed on her with an unreadable expression, and she shifted uncomfortably on the balls of her feet, preparing herself for his inevitable warnings of what was to come at this meeting.
“I trust I don’t need to tell you to keep your emotions in check with him around,” Geto said lowly, almost threateningly, as if he was the one she really needed to be wary of.
She almost rolled her eyes at that and muttered, “I won’t even look at him.”
“Good,” Geto said, voice raising an octave. “No matter what the others say or do, you do not react to anything. You’re here as my second, and so you must remain composure and dignity. Because of who we are, the others will look for any excuse to pounce on us. So stay quiet, and try to avoid drawing attention to yourself.”
He sighed and continued, “Although, I’m sure Naoya will have something to say to you, given the way you look.”
Y/N stuck her chin up, and declared defiantly. “I’m not changing.”
Geto’s gaze softened considerably, and within a second, he stood beside her, looping their arms together. “And why should you, sweet sister? We’re both beautiful, and there’s no shame in that.”
A portal sprung to life in front of them, revealing a dimly lit, oppressive corridor beyond. Without waiting another moment, her brother strode through the portal, and she almost stumbled as he pulled her with him. Choso’s palace served as the standard meeting place between all the Kings – a neutral ground, as the half Curse chose no sides in the wars within Hell. Y/N couldn’t deny her curiosity about Choso. Geto had told her that her that the lowly King was born while his mother was an Angel, and Y/N could only imagine the mental resilience she must have possessed to not turn against the Heavenly Principles given her circumstances.
Choso’s palace was nowhere near as grand as Geto’s. It exuded an air of shabbiness, with walls once vibrant now dulled with time and neglect. There was a distinct lack of refinement or class; the sparse decoration left the place stark and devoid of life. It certainly wasn’t what Y/N had expected for a gathering of the Kings of Hell, simply because it lacked the grandeur she would have associated with such an important meeting. However, she supposed it served its purpose well enough.
Geto led her down the corridor, their footsteps softly thudding against the faded carpet. He stepped forward to open the twin doors of a chamber lit by orange-flamed torches; a pit of vipers they had willingly walked straight into. In the center stood a large round stone table in the center of the room, where three Curses were already seated. One, the handsome blonde, had his head leaning casually on his hand, smirking at them as if he was privy to some secret. To his right sat Jogo himself, his unmistakable volcano head towering over them like a domineering crown. Almost directly across them sat a dark-haired Curse with his hair scraped into two messy high-ponytails, a curious black line across the bridge of his nose extending to both sides of his face – this must be Choso.
“Ah, the Fallen is finally here,” sneered the blonde Curse. “I thought you seraphim were supposed to be punctual.”
“I see you’re early, Zenin,” Geto retorted smoothly, taking a seat beside Choso. “Seems you can’t wait to hear what I have to say.”
Her brother motioned to her to sit beside him, and Y/N couldn’t help but notice the segregation already forming at the table. The two other Curses were scrutinizing them both with a mixture of disdain and haughtiness, their gazes sharp and unwelcoming. Choso sat with a hauntingly empty look, his eyes fixed on the table as if lost in thought. Y/N tried to ignore the unease settling in her stomach at the exhaustion evident in his eyes, focusing on maintaining her composure as she took her seat.
Naoya grinned at her, purring with words dripping in honey and sugar, “And who might you be?”
“My sister,” Geto stated firmly.
Naoya’s interest seemed to dissipate as quickly as it had appeared. Steam started to hiss out of Jogo’s head as the Curse pursed his lips in annoyance.
Y/N didn’t know whether to feel relieved or offended.
“Oh, another Fallen at this table,” the Zenin sighed, observing her with a bored expression. “How… quaint.”
Neither of them reacted, and Choso remained quiet beside them; he must be so used to their insults and remarks over the centuries.
“Where is the rest of your retinue, Jogo?” Geto asked, swiftly changing the subject, redirecting their attention from her to him instead.
“On their way. You needn’t worry, little King,” the mountain hissed, his voice sharp and painful as fire, his charcoal teeth flashing as he smiled darkly.
Her brother’s lips fell into a thin line, refraining from biting back at the insult. As if on cue, a portal appeared, and from it stepped a tiny figure with hair as white as snow, instantly reminding Y/N of Gojo until she saw the red strip of hair running through the back of her head. An uncomfortable chill settled in the room as the Curse raised their head to observe them, moving into the corner of the chamber and blending into the shadows as if it were their natural home. This had to be Uraume – the only direct connection to the King of Hell and all Curses – and Y/N was sickly curious about them. None of the other Kings seemed outwardly perturbed by their presence, as if being watched over by Uraume was the most normal thing in the world, and perhaps it was.
And then, the doors swung open with enough force to command attention. A giant Curse strode into the room, long branches in place where its eyes should have been, and with a blooming red rose growing from its left shoulder – decidedly feminine, and grotesquely beautiful.
And emerging from the shadows of the colossal Curse was Mahito, his face lit up with a delightful expression.
Y/N’s heart dropped.
Dread crashed over her like an avalanche.
How?
Geto stiffened beside her, his hands flexing and clenching beneath the table.
Mahito locked eyes with her, his grin stretching wider and eyes gleaming madly. Jogo smirked at them both, clearly relishing in their discomfort and the fact he had the upper hand. He stared Geto down, daring him to buckle and show weakness.
He knows… they all know.
Her heart raced so fast she feared it might burst from her chest. Desperation clawed at her like a trapped animal, and Y/N’s fingers itched with the urge to reach over the table and slice them all into shreds before they had the chance to hurt her or Geto.
The two Curses took their seats next to Jogo, who cleared his throat before speaking. “Some interesting information has recently been shared with me, Zenin.”
Naoya stopped inspecting his nails, and raised an eyebrow expectantly. “Oh?”
“This little Fallen King and his sister have been hiding a secret from all of us. Mahito here has been imprisoned for having knowledge of it,” Jogo continued, tapping his fingers against each other, tilting his head towards the silver haired Curse.
Mahito sighed wistfully, feigning a look of pain on his face. “Yes, it was a horrible situation to be in,” he said, his tone dripping with insincerity.
“I don’t care what happened to you,” snapped Naoya, narrowing his eyes at Mahito. “Spit it out.”
“Y/N here…,” Mahito whispered, ignoring Naoya as his eyes sparkled with the thrill of holding everyone’s attention. “Is King Fushiguro’s mate.”
It was silent, and then Naoya started to howl with laughter. Y/N shrank into herself, despising her helplessness in this situation. Geto remained silent beside her, likely questioning how Mahito had managed to escape and just how many of the secrets within his kingdom’s secrets were now public knowledge to their enemies. Meanwhile, Uraume stood like a statue in the shadows, unmoved by the events unfolding before them.
Toji… where are you?
“I said you were special,” Mahito murmured to her, his eyes dulled and sad as his mood shifted like the wind. “Why didn’t you save me like I saved you?”
Naoya stopped laughing, wiping away an imaginary tear from the corner of his eye. “Now, Geto, how could you keep such a secret from us? Are we not all allies here?” he asked with mock innocence.
Absolutely not.
“Fushiguro and I decided it was best to keep it between ourselves,” Geto stated lowly, his voice dangerously thin. “My sister had just Fallen, and was still vulnerable.”
“Hmm, she seems ripe for the taking to me,” Naoya smirked, his interest in her renewed as he gazed at her with hunger. “My cousin obviously hasn’t claimed her if she is still with you.”
“Why would Fushiguro taint himself with the likes of her?” Jogo sneered, venom lacing his words, reducing her to nothing.
“They are mates; they are one and the same. But, she is just as pure as me,” Mahito whispered, as if he had a say in the matter, his eyes still locked on Y/N. Naoya looked at him sharply, a strange glint in his piercing eyes.
“So you say,” Jogo said dismissively, as if the notion of soulmates was something foul and he didn’t believe in. “My question to you, Geto, is how do I know you won’t exploit Fushiguro’s power to invade my kingdom?”
“You needn’t worry about that, Jogo, as long as you refrain from stealing from me again,” Geto replied, eyes flashing. “I have no need for his strength.”
“Tchk, it’s not my fault if my soldiers happen across an opportunity. You should have better control over your own people,” he hissed, flames spurring from his head.
Y/N tuned out as the both of them went back and forth in a heated exchange, choosing to avoid Mahito and Naoya’s heavy stares by staring at her lap instead. With their secret out, she was no longer safe, and the time seemed to be stretching out agonizingly slow.
“Tell me, Y/N,” Naoya started, sickly sweet sugar back in his tone, and she reluctantly looked up at him. “What does Toji feel like?”
She wouldn’t answer; she refused. Any reply would be a betrayal to herself and to Toji.
His smile faltered, replaced by a dangerous glint of annoyance. “Did Geto not teach you that you cannot refuse to answer a King?”
“He taught me I always have a choice,” she finally spoke, against her better judgment, her voice as cold as ice.
Naoya hummed thoughtfully, but she knew he was really toying with her. “It seems my old cousin shares the same sentiment. If I was him, I would have taken you with me by force.”
“It’s a good thing you can never be me then, cousin.”
Toji.
He stood beside her as if he had been there the whole time. How had she not felt his approach? Was it his unnatural speed? She could feel his emotions clearly now – pure white-hot rage emanating from him like stormy waves beating against the shoreline. And yet, his demeanor remained level-headed, calm, and almost bored. Naoya pulled back in surprise, and the rest of the room fell silent as they all registered his presence.
“Good, we can begin now,” Geto said, his voice cutting through the tense atmosphere as Toji took a seat beside her.
Her arm closest to him tingled with anticipation at their proximity, and Y/N craved his skin to brush against hers just a little. She could feel his warmth radiating from him in a delicious caress, his presence a reassuring anchor amidst the chaos of writhing snakes, and his nearness stirred a potent mixture of restraint and desire within her. It took nearly all of her strength not to look at him.
A chair scraped beside him, and Y/N glanced over him to look at a female Curse who had taken a seat beside Toji. She had ice-blue hair braided in two intricate twists, with one long braid cascading over her face like a veil. Y/N didn’t need to see her face to know she was beautiful. The way she sat with her legs elegantly crossed, her skin-tight black dress accentuating her slim build, and the rhythmic drumming of her long red nails against the table all added to her allure. Yet, her beauty was unsettling, for it seemed to mask something as equally dangerous lurking beneath the surface.
Who is she? How come she’s with Toji?
Y/N’s mind began to race, an unfamiliar sting of jealousy prickling at her senses, causing her to shift uncomfortably in her chair.
“You think we’re finished with this conversation?” snapped Jogo, glaring daggers at her brother. “Fushiguro, tell me that I don’t need to worry about you turning on us for these Fallen.”
He said it so disgustingly, as if the word itself left a bitter taste in his mouth, and Y/N clenched her jaw.
“You don’t,” Toji agreed simply, his green eyes narrowed.
Both Naoya and Jogo looked at him with just a hint of surprise, as if they were expecting a completely different response. Y/N would be lying to herself if she didn’t think the same – Toji’s unexpected stance felt like abandonment, leaving her and Geto to completely fend for themselves in this precarious situation.
Naoya cleared his throat, resuming his air of arrogance. “Of course not. Now, let us discuss how we exterminate these seraphim once and for all,” he declared with bone-chilling casualness.
-•-
Y/N trailed her fingers back and forth through the water, watching the black and white fish swimming curiously towards the ripples she created. Even as she sat in front of the pond, she couldnt shake the sensation of Toji’s rage pulsating through their bond. He was in Geto’s throne room, and she felt a pang of sympathy for her brother, knowing he was the prime target of Toji’s wrath.
“King Fushiguro expects you to be ready for him,” the ethereal woman had announced without a care in the world, as she strolled through Geto’s court like they were all beneath her.
Y/N bristled at her presence, feeling a surge of tension ripple through Miguel and the others as they seemed to instantly become defensive. Geto sat atop his throne, his anger simmering quietly and deadly; like a volcano on the verge of eruption. He had been unnervingly quiet on their way back from the meeting, and she knew he was ready to blow and unleash his fury at the slightest inconvenience.
“Careful, Mei-Mei,” Geto hissed. “Even crows need to show respect before showing up unannounced.”
Mei-Mei, that was her name, Toji’s second-in-command. Was she considered his queen the way Y/N was Suguru’s? Y/N didn’t bother to ask anyone, instead opting to ignore her and walk straight past her on the way outside towards the courtyard. Y/N didn’t want to be in her presence, or anybody else’s – not even Toji’s for that matter. Being in quiet solitude was safe; nobody could hurt her if she ensured she alone. Besides, her soulmate had made it clear that her and Geto were alone in the coming war against their enemies.
Did he really think just a little bit less of Geto and her – because they were Fallen?
Y/N felt so very stupid and naive, realizing how cocky she had been just that morning, about not caring if the others discovered their bond. Reality proved starkly different to fantasies, but it was always be a shock to discover that notion. She’d been too caught up in her newfound power as Geto’s second and her ability to command other Curses – a mistake she wouldn’t be repeating again.
A crow cawed loudly from a tree in front of her, and Y/N almost jumped out of her skin. She didn’t know why, maybe it was Geto’s comment echoing in her mind, but she was certain that the crow had everything to do with Mei-Mei, and she resented its presence. Y/N struggled to articulate why she already harbored such a strong dislike towards Mei-Mei, and she didn’t really care to explain it either. The bird continued to watch her closely with its beady eyes, and she glowered darkly in response. It had shattered her sense of solitary safety.
Footsteps tapped against the stone pathway behind her, prompting Y/N to instinctively grab the hilt of her katanas and leap to her feet.
Toji stood there, his usual attire abandoned for a dark blue haori instead. His expression was inscrutable as he regarded her, not saying a word. The crow flitted about in the tree, and his sharp gaze locked onto it. A faint twitch played at the corner of his lip.
“Nosy bitch,” Toji muttered, and within a flash, he flung a small, deadly knife at the bird. It made no sound as it landed lifelessly on the ground.
Y/N said nothing, unfazed by the bird’s death, and ignored Toji as she resumed her previous sitting position, gazing at the koi. She heard him sigh, and a shiver trickled down her spine like water running down a tree. His robes rustled as moved and crouched beside her, his warmth palpable as their shoulders almost touched.
How could he be so dangerous and so intoxicating at the same time?
“Your brother make these?” Toji grumbled, his words still tinged with anger like flint sparking against steel, nodding his head towards the koi.
She nodded wordlessly, and Toji grunted in response. They fell into an uneasy silence, and Y/N felt the urge to break it, even if she didn’t really know what to say to him. What could she possibly say that wouldn’t risk angering him further? And yet, she deserved an answer to the question nagging at the forefront of her mind; would he would ever see them as equals? After all, it was his fault that she had become a Fallen – a fake Curse in the eyes of many.
She just didn’t think his eyes were among those.
“Are you… alright?” Toji asked suddenly, uncertainty lacing his words, and Y/N frowned in response. Her resolve softened when she glanced at the genuine look of concern on his face.
“Not really,” she whispered, her head hanging low.
Toji shifted, as he settled into a reclined position, leaning his weight against his hand. Their fingertips hovered near each other, almost touching, a tantalizing and forbidden electric charge crackling between them.
Y/N swallowed nervously.
“They’re going to come for you, you know?” he said, his voice deep and solemn. “You’re the only thing that could unify me and Geto, so they’ll do anything to stop that.”
A flash of annoyance coursed through her, and she sighed exasperatedly, “I know that.”
Toji exhaled heavily, head thrown back to look at the dark sky as he huffed, “I can’t stop a war that’s inevitable.”
Frustration… at himself?
“I never asked you to,” Y/N murmured, adding perhaps somewhat childishly. “You made it very clear that you wouldn’t stoop so low and help the likes of us.”
“I’m not putting my people at risk for someone else’s war. I’ve said that from the very beginning – me and your brother are not united. I’ve only agreed to leave his kingdom alone. It has nothing to do with you both being Fallen.”
Someone else.
So she was just someone else then, even if she was the root of all the ensuing violence.
Y/N suddenly felt quite foolish.
“I see,” was all she could manage to say, as her face flushed with the heat of embarrassment.
He grunted, “I don’t give a shit about all that you know?”
“You seemed to before,” Y/N snapped, her anger surprising even herself.
Toji rolled his eyes, and droned, “Have you ever heard of lying, little angel?”
“Don’t call me that.”
She felt such crippling shame for being a massive burden on her brother, and for being the cause of the war creeping menacingly closer towards them. Why had he even come if he was just going to be an ass?
A flash of hurt…
A small part of her felt guilty, but it paled in comparison to what she was already feeling, and to how he had added to her turmoil. They sat beside each other in uncomfortable silence, but Toji’s hand remained stubbornly where it was beside hers. Y/N felt only slightly more at ease, finding solace in his silence, until she was abruptly reminded of the crow lying beneath the tree. A gnawing question clawed its way out of her throat, disrupting the fragile peace between them.
“What do the crows have to do with Mei-Mei?” she blurted out, torn between wanting to know nothing about the sly Curse and her insatiable curiosity.
Toji’s brow furrowed as he replied slowly, “She controls them; they’re her eyes and ears.”
“Her spies, then.”
“Hers, mine, same thing. Why do you ask?”
“I just… want to know who she is to you.”
“She’s my second in command, just like you are to Geto. Her crows go anywhere I tell her to send them, and in return, I pay her in gold, diamonds, whatever else she wants.”
“Whatever she wants?”
“Intelligence is everything. I keep her in my pocket so she’s not in anyone else’s. What are you trying to imply?”
Y/N knew Toji was fully aware of what she was really asking, yet she still asked anyways. “Is she anything more?”
Toji gave her a sharp and pointed look as he growled, “Are you sure you want to know if I’ve fucked her or not?”
Y/N blushed furiously at his brash language, feeling so exposed by how easily he was able to pick her apart and read her like a book.
Toji smirked, but it was cruel, and snorted dismissively, “I didn’t think so. Don’t ask questions you’re not ready to hear the answers to. My past is no-one’s business. Don’t think for a second I owe it to you.”
Oh.
She moved her hand away from him as his words stung her deeply as if he’d actually bitten her. Y/N realized Toji’s anger truly dissipated; it lingered beneath the surface, always ready to strike and unleash itself like a viper in the shadows. He was like a stormy sea, untamable and unpredictable, and she realized he had absolutely no desire to be anything other than exactly that.
“I think you should go,” Y/N said softly, her voice barely above a whisper, as waves of loneliness and shame washed over and completely engulfed her.
Toji’s expression turned inscrutable, his eyes losing their usual intensity. Wordlessly, he rose from her side, the loss of his heat causing prickling goosebumps to appear on her arm. Without so much as a goodbye, he disappeared straight into a portal, leaving Y/N alone once more.
He never even looked at her.
Her solitary safety didn’t feel so safe anymore.
-•-
Geto came to visit her later that night.
He had immediately noticed her glossy and tired eyes, and his shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry,” he said gently. “I should have checked on you first.”
“It’s ok Suguru,” Y/N assured, as convincingly as she could manage. “There are things that need to be done.”
“May I come in?” he asked politely, offering her a small, yet tight, smile. Y/N moved over to to the side to let him in.
Geto took a seat in the padded chair in front of the crackling blue fire, and sighed deeply. “He came to see you then?”
She took a seat in the chair beside him, and nodded. “Yes, not for very long though.”
“I assume it wasn’t a very pleasant conversation.”
Y/N shook her head, and Geto seemed genuinely saddened by this. “I’m sorry to hear that, I thought perhaps I’d bore the brunt of his anger before he met with you.”
“It doesn’t matter. What did he discuss with you?”
“Well, that I should have been more careful with Mahito, and I’m not so proud to not admit that he was right about that.”
“We all underestimated him.”
“So it seems, and we’re paying a heavy price for that now. I should also mention that Fushiguro demanded I convince you to stay with him.”
“What, really?”
“Oh? He didn’t ask you himself?”
“He… well, no.”
“How interesting, so what happened then?”
“I asked questions I shouldn’t have, let’s just leave it at that.”
Suguru leaned forward in his seat, his eyes comforting and warm, urging her to continue.
“It’s stupid, Suguru,” Y/N huffed, embarrassed at repeating the incident out loud.
“Tell me anyways, sweet sister.”
“Tchk! Well, I… I asked him if he and Mei-Mei ever…”
“Oh, Y/N. Why would you ask that?”
“I don’t know, Suguru. I just… I don’t know what I was looking for exactly.”
“I don’t know either, Y/N. But I do know that Fushiguro is definitely not still a virgin after eight-hundred years of living in Hell.”
Y/N’s face burned, and she looked away from Geto, who softly chuckled. “I’m not that naive, brother,” she snapped.
“Good. I’d be worried if you were,” he said, still chuckling.
As her brothers laughter faded away, the atmosphere turned serious, and Y/N tensed as Geto asked gravely. “Do you need me to stay here while you sleep?”
“What? No, Suguru.”
“I’d understand. I’m not going to be sleeping much for the foreseeable future.”
“Neither am I, so there’s no need for you to hover.”
“As you wish.”
Geto stood up from his chair and leaned over to softly kiss her hair. “I’m sorry for not protecting you better,” he whispered, his voice cracking ever so slightly.
“There’s no need, because I wouldn’t have gone with him if he’d asked me,” Y/N said firmly, squeezing his hand comfortingly. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Geto appeared visibly gladdened at this and bade her goodnight as he gently closed her door. Y/N wasted no time in moving to quickly to lock it and then ensuring the balcony doors were also secured. She checked to see if her katanas were within reach beside the bed, placing a hand over her hip to make sure the hidden dagger buried beneath her robe was still there. The paranoia threatened to consume her alive, like maggots buried deep within her bones, burrowing out from within to devour her flesh, and she felt powerless to stop it.
But now wasn’t the time for weakness; she had to steel herself for battle, as she had done a thousand times before. Despite the comforting inner mantra that she repeated to herself, reminding her of past fights and the resilience she had shown, she couldn’t shake the jarring thought that she had at least gone to bed knowing that she was safe. Nothing could have harmed her in Heaven, under God’s protection, and Y/N was so acutely aware of how vulnerable one was when they were dreaming.
God…
Would it be… wrong?
And yet, despite the oxymoron, Y/N knelt at the foot of her bed and prayed for the first time in many moons.
Genre: Angst, Romance, Mature (in some chapters) Mostly Gen Ad.
Synopsis:
In her third and final life, Himari finds herself burdened with the weight of unfulfilled love and the echoes of past regrets. Having traversed two previous lifetimes, she has tasted the bitter sting of unfulfilled promises and died with unspoken words on her lips. Determined not to let her third chance slip away, Himari embarks on a poignant journey of redemption and self-discovery.
Golden time is a poignant tale of love, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit as one woman confronts the shadows of her past to sculpt a future bathed in the light of newfound purpose.
"They say the Golden time is the most beautiful aspect of passing away. It's the period when you recall the happiest moments in your life, ensuring a departure free of regrets. I, too, aspire to experience such a Golden time. I wish to imbue my memories with you, so that in my Golden time, you will be the last person I see — in your moments of utmost joy."
This is Semi AU. Most of the characters are here but we will not follow the current story line of the Anime/Manga
Chapters:
Prologue
Chapter 1: Sunflowers
Chapter 2: The Cursed Sunflower
Chapter 3: The Curious Sunflower
Chapter 4: The Hurt Sunflower
Chapter 5: The Saved Sunflower
Chapter 6: The Golden Sunflower
Chapter 7: The Blissful Sunflower
Chapter 8: The Hidden Sunflower
Chapter 9: The Anger of Himari
Chapter 10: The Missing Sunflower
Chapter 11: Satoru's Sunflower
Chapter 12: The Garden of sunflowers (NSFW)
P.S: this is my original work reblogs are welcome 🍮
Synopsis - In a world where Angels and Curses are locked in a never ending war, an unsuspecting seraph becomes entangled with the very thing she is fated to eradicate.
Pairings - Curse!Toji Fushiguro x f!Angel!Reader. Curse!Ryomen Sukuna x Reader. Angel!Satoru Gojo x Reader.
Warnings - Descriptions of violence and injuries, eventual smut.
A/N - Things are getting political up in here! Sounds like a great opportunity for character development hmm? Enjoy guys!! Ko-Fi.
-•-
Chapter 5
Y/N sat pensively atop her brother’s obsidian throne, her fingers drumming against the arm rest as she listened intently to every word spoken.
“They are beneath you, sister. Don’t overthink it,” said Geto as he donned a fresh haori for battle, its fabric woven from the threads of the savage fate of the clash between the divine and free.
From a shroud of shadows, Y/N had silently overseen Geto conducting his court for the past month; immersing herself into how Curses lived and behaved. Her brother had become quite obsessive with preparing her to sit on his throne and pass judgment in his absence, so she had dutifully stood behind him as he publicly proclaimed her as his sister and second in command to the entire court. Amidst Y/N’s observations, she had discerned the chaotic babbling and single-minded pursuits of violence and sin among the kingdom’s denizens, and Geto’s reasoning became crystal clear – they really were beneath her, for she possessed the mental fortitude and intelligence to think straight.
“And how do you know they won’t disrespect me because I’m Fallen?” she asked pointedly, her arms crossed as she watched her brother turn over his katana in his hands. “You are their King, not me.”
“These skirmishes have been an issue for a while now, and Geto has been aware of it, but last night marked the first open act of rebellion against him,” Suda announced grimly.
“It is precisely because I am King, that they wouldn’t dare,” he replied coolly, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Who else is better to sit on my throne when I am gone, besides my sister?”
And so here she was, on her third day replacing Geto at court, listening to those in his inner circle discussing various issues both large and small within her brother’s kingdom. Y/N doubted her ability to be the one to pass judgement, especially given the prejudice against her being a Fallen seraph, but she had no choice now. She could only hope to avoid worsening the already turbulent politics within the Hells, a notion that seemed to be far-fetched given the current situation. Toji hadn’t come to visit her during that entire month, she felt nothing through their bond either, and Y/N wished he would just teleport then and there to offer guidance on what to do.
“How many dead?” Miguel inquired, standing cool and collected at the right side of the throne, his dark skin beautifully accentuated by the blue flames flickering in the throne room.
“Only ten. They were villagers guarding their food stores,” Suda replied, clutching tanned scrolls of paper to her chest.
Y/N frowned, her fingers ceased their movement, and asked, “Where were the soldiers guarding that village? It’s close to the border with Jogo’s kingdom, no?”
“You’ve been watching and learning for the past month, same as I,” he continued, a small smile on his face as he tried to encourage her. “I trust your judgement, you now understand what needs to be done.”
“And if I make the wrong choice, and start a war? Then what?” She huffed, her gaze darting anywhere but Geto. It was childish, even pathetic, of her to try and shirk responsibility, and she knew it.
Suda cleared her throat uncomfortably, casting a wary glance at Y/N, and continued slowly, “They allowed Jogo’s forces to pass freely into the village. They claim that Geto is a false King who cheated against Hajime, and they refuse to acknowledge him as their King.”
Her brother sighed, his jaw tightening, and an angry spark of flame ignited into a full blaze in his eyes. Geto gripped her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze as he growled, “As your brother, I am asking you to do this for me. Don’t make command you as your King.”
The unspoken words hung heavy in the air, as clear as day, that this was only due to Geto being a Fallen. Y/N knew it, and so did the rest of the council, who all had their eyes trained intently on her. Her heart pumped wildly in her chest, the heavy burden of expectations and responsibility falling onto her shoulders like a heavy cloak.
“I will do this Suguru, I just don’t think I’m ready,” Y/N replied, her voice steady despite his words cutting through her like a hot blade, and she stood just a little taller.
But she was almost used to it, and understood his thin patience; it was a delicate line drawn in the sand, and he teetered on the brink of plunging over into the side that was mayhem and insanity. In the three months since her arrival, Geto hadn’t ascended to Earth, instead focusing on overseeing her recovery and managing his court affairs. Y/N had noticed his frustrations subtly at first; sparring had become gradually more and more aggressive, as each of them were desperate to land a blow on the other. Each clash between them were Geto’s sole outlet for pent-up anger, as he crashed into her with the force of gale winds against a mountain. These sparring sessions were the only outlet for his anger, and she knew he was still learning about their new world too, and that he hated being a novice in unfamiliar territory. Therefore, she couldn’t help but be sympathetic with his desperate longing for confrontation.
Y/N drew in a deep breath and enquired, “Where are these soldiers now?”
“They have fled, but I can try to locate them,” Suda answered.
“Do it, and find out who else knew about these plans but did nothing. They are just as guilty,” she spoke louder, steeling her throat to prevent her voice from quavering. “Larue will go with you. Once you find them, report back to me immediately.”
Suda nodded, gesturing for Larue to follow her. The pair disappeared into a portal, leaving just Miguel, Negi Toshihisa, and the twins with her in the room.
“You’ll be fine. May I offer just one word of advice?” he muttered, as a portal materialized behind him. It was not a question, but she nodded anyways.
“How many more do you think would openly betray my brother?” Y/N asked, her eyes sweeping over to Miguel.
“There has been… discontent, that’s for sure. Hajime’s death was sudden, and there are certainly those still loyal to him. So I would say a fair few; they simply wait for more to rally to their cause,” he said, his words echoing with such wisdom that she questioned just how old he really was.
“Geto may be gone for days, and he cannot pass judgment on those who have betrayed him,” she muttered, mostly to herself, deliberating on what her brother would do in her place.
“Do you know what needs to be done?” Miguel asked, but it wasn’t a question.
He was testing her, goading her almost, to see if she was vicious enough to bite, and bite hard at that. She gave him a harsh look, and her hands tightly gripping the armrests of the throne.
“Don’t be so fucking nice,” Geto all but growled, a wild gleam in his eyes as his body yearned to tear apart flesh and spill holy blood. “You’re one of us now, act like it.”
And he was gone.
Y/N nodded stiffly; she was sure.
“Girls, get me my katanas.”
-•-
A few hours passed before Suda and Larue finally returned, both their faces filled with an ill-looking tension, and the blonde Curse sported a nasty looking wound on his right bicep.
“Did you find them?” Y/N asked, feeling a foreboding sensation creep from her toes to her head.
Suda grimaced, “Yes, they have rallied together and taken over the village, and are holding the residents hostage. We tried to negotiate, but they refused to listen to reason.”
Larue rotated his right shoulder, as if was trying to banish the pain into the air. The twins rushed over to him, fussing over and attempting to care for the wound. Y/N bit the inside of her cheek, feeling anger starting to seep inside her. Her own emotions were beginning to become increasingly difficult to contain. Perhaps she too, was beginning to cross the line in the sand.
You don’t want me to play nice? Fine then.
“What can they really do? It’s not as if they can win,” Larue scoffed, obnoxiously flexing his uninjured arm. “There were just too many there for me alone. Suda refuses to fight and ruin her complexion.”
“It’s a statement,” Negi finally spoke, giving Y/N a pointed look. “They won’t have any demands; all they are doing are simply declaring they will not yield to Geto any longer.”
“There’s more…” Suda trailed off, looking particularly uncomfortable.
“What?” Y/N huffed.
“They have… mutilated all the Fallen that lived in that village, beheading them and mounting the bodies on spikes outside. The corpses were then set ablaze, which is a clear declaration of Jogo’s influence.”
A foot over the line; a thread snapped.
She was deathly quiet, her slow rage having built into a blazing fire, and her glare bore into Suda as she spoke coldly, “I told you to come back to me when you found them. Why did you try to negotiate?”
The group sharply turned towards her at the sound of her displeasure, and Y/N couldn’t help but feel a sick and twisted sense of satisfaction at their spark of alarm – like spooked animals. Larue looked away uneasily, and Suda visibly gulped.
“I thought perhaps the issue would have been best solved between… I-uh, m-meant well!” She exclaimed, her voice reaching a higher pitch.
“Between who, hmm?” Y/N asked coolly, reclining back in the throne. “True-borns? Is that what you were trying to say?”
She couldn’t deny it to herself; she relished watching Suda squirm.
The guilty pair remained silent, looking to the ground, consumed by a mixture of shame or fear, perhaps both. Sensing the change in atmosphere, the twins ceased their care of Larue and positioned themselves on either side of the throne, their hands clasped behind their backs in a display of submission. Y/N drummed her fingers impatiently, a single eyebrow raised in silent expectation.
“I don’t believe any offense was meant,” Miguel offered quietly, making an attempt to placate her.
“I’m aware, Miguel,” she snapped. “What really irks me is that if my brother had given the order, then it would have been followed precisely. So why is it that when I give an order, you both decided to take matters into your own hands?”
She stood up abruptly, her voice ringing out in a much louder tone, “Suguru entrusted me to act in his stead, and believed you all would respect me, but it seems he was wrong.”
Her gaze swept over them all, and in that moment, she realized her brother was right. She knew these creatures, both as a Curse and an Angel. They all harbored a belief in their own self importance and desires, but Y/N could see right through their delusions. Her thoughts seemed to clarify into a crystal clear rainfall, it was almost tranquil, and it reminded her of her solitary prayers in Heaven. Perhaps it was time to draw upon a page from where she had been born for what had to be done to traitors – to show them no mercy, and no second chances. Who better to enact justice than a Fallen?
Pride…
Toji had sensed her mental fortitude shifting from afar, and she could just about feel him through their bond. Her heart fluttered like a dance of songbirds, a symphony of emotions echoing within her soul.
“I’ll forgive, just this once,” she declared, her gaze piercing as she stared pointedly at Larue and Suda. “Next time, I will remove you from this court myself. Is that clear?”
They both nodded, and Y/N could sense Nanako smirking from her peripheral vision.
“Now, we cannot allow dissent to continue within our own ranks, and we cannot tolerate violence against our own,” she continued, descending the steps of the throne towards the group. “Miguel, we leave at once.”
He nodded in agreement, stepping closer to her. Y/N couldn’t help but feel nervous; after all, this would be her first time leaving the relative safety of Geto’s palace. But she felt a sense of readiness calling her into action. The twins stood taller and shifted on their feet, eager to be noticed, and she turned to face them with a slight smirk playing on her lips.
“Are you girls going to hold us back?” she asked, her tone teasing and playful.
Mimiko procured a rope from behind her back, pulling it taut between her hands, while Nanako brandished two deadly daggers, twirling them with ease between her fingers. They both shook their heads, wearing serious expressions on their faces, but Y/N could see the glimmer of barely concealed excitement in their eyes.
“Good, let’s go then.”
-•-
Y/N smelt the bodies before she saw them.
It was acrid, charred, and absolutely sickening. But she made no face and withheld any sort of reaction. These Fallen were like her, even if some of them no longer resembled anything of the regal forms they once possessed in Heaven. She may very well have ended up just like this, defiled and massacred, if her brother hadn’t wielded the power he did now, and that struck a strange chord within her. For some reason, she was only just realizing how far away from home and her old life she was. And it hit her with a crippling loss of something she would never ever get back again, except perhaps in dreams.
The village itself wasn’t overly large. Simple barracks made of stone, with sharpened steel tipped spears at the tops of the walls. Some of the bodies displayed ominously outside were still smoldering, providing a glow against the night’s sky. The sky was just a fraction lighter than where Geto’s palace was, tinted with dark purple hues, and Y/N supposed it was because she was close to the border between layers.
“How would you like to do this?” Miguel asked calmly beside her.
What should she do?
“Every living creature in that village would betray my brother. They all must die,” she muttered, a tendril of ice spreading through her mind, and that shocked even herself.
“Very well, lead the way,” he replied, and she could tell he was so very pleased with her answer.
Y/N sucked in a breath, tensing her legs.
And she sprung forward.
A bolt of silver charging through the air.
Colliding into and breaking down the stone doors.
The traitorous Curses stared at her, faces twisted in disbelief and fear, and she stared at them all with hate and malice.
Anarchy erupted like a blazing bonfire as Miguel and the twins joined her, and without hesitation, Y/N moved with lethal precision, her movements fluid as water. Her katanas sang through the air as she struck down any Curse within her way, glinting coldly amidst the blue and orange hues of sulfur torches and burning corpses. Miguel fought at her side, his skill and strength much more controlled than hers as he helped her pave a path of destruction through their enemies. Amidst the chaos, screams and moans of pain filled the air as the twins struck from the shadows She could hear the screams and moans of pain as the twins struck from the shadows around them; two little devils in their own bubble of mayhem.
Y/N felt the very core of her soul blacken considerably, sensing what she could only describe as Sukuna’s influence – a presence imbued with fire and sin, coursing through her veins like a relentless parasite to consume her essence. She would transform into a vessel of suffering and war, with no sense of purpose beyond what he willed her to do. Her hands start to shake, and she was reduced to a ticking clock, a harbinger of disaster that would leave no soul unscathed in its wake.
She felt her soul leave her body, as if she were looking down at her body from far above. Was she traveling back in time while her body stood still? Back to a time when she had almost loved Satoru and belonged to him as his most prized possession.
Calm… Ease…
And she felt Toji, as if he were right there beside her. Y/N looked around frantically, hoping to catch a glimpse of her green-eyed Curse, praying that he had sensed her throwing herself into danger and decided to join her. But he wasn’t there – his emotions through the bond served as a reminder, a nudge to reassure her that he was there in spirit, and that he felt her.
With concerted effort, Y/N pushed aside the rage and bloodlust that threatened to consume her, focusing instead on dealing out justice to those that dared to oppose her brother – oppose her. And as the last traitor fell at her feet, begging for mercy and forgiveness, Y/N could somehow empathize with the fear in its eyes. It reminded her of the time she had lost wasting away in Heaven, conforming to all their rules of perfection, forced to play the role of the perfect little soldier and Satoru’s betrothed.
And it had scared her.
So fucking much.
“They are beneath you, sister.”
But no longer.
Y/N struck the Curse hard across the face with her palm, shattering whatever resolve it clung to, and drove her blade into its eye – silencing it forever. She refused to go back in time; she simply wouldn’t. There was only a time before Toji, and after, and so she would never go back. Y/N felt herself rise above, a demon that had been waiting for hundreds of years to finally be born. From Heaven she had been born, but now she was a warrior of fire and steel. She would rather die than go back to the pristine kingdom that sought to confine her into a golden cage of Gojo’s love. No, here she was free, and would never be locked away again – Toji would never let her end up that way.
She knew then that she would have become a Curse, one way or another.
It was deathly quiet, the only sounds being the heavy rhythm of her breath, while her mind grappled with revelations and truths that had long been concealed even to herself. The bloodlust and adrenaline coursing through her veins were now subsiding, settling into sediments in her blood, and droplets of blood fell like rain from her katanas.
Black blood; just like hers.
Miguel approached her cautiously, surveying and taking in the carnage around them. “It is finished,” he murmured quietly, voice heavy with the weight of their actions, and the acknowledgement of what they had done – what had to be done.
She nodded, her gaze fixed on the lifeless bodies scattered across the ground before them, their vacant eyes staring blankly at the sky. There was no time to feel remorseful, and perhaps she had exhausted whatever remained within her. Yet, Y/N hoped that some trace of it still lingered within her, waiting to be ignited once more.
“My brother cannot wage his war if the rest of Hell stands divided against itself,” she declared, shattering the oppressive silence.
Miguel sighed heavily. “Hell has always been divided. That fact won’t change so easily.”
“We have to try,” Y/N hissed, gripping her katanas in frustration. “But first, we must become stronger ourselves before trying to unify the rest. The weak always follow the strong, and through strength, we can forge unity.”
Miguel regarded her with fascination; she looked at him questioningly.
“If you show the strength you have shown today, many will follow you wherever you go… I will follow you wherever you go,” he stated, and she was so overwhelmed, that all she could was hum in agreement.
Y/N heard the familiar sound of a portal opening behind her, prompting both her and Miguel to turn and face whoever had arrived.
Suguru stood as regal and powerful as ever with his arms crossed and his robes covered in dried red blood. A smear of crimson stained his cheek like clay, and his deep brown eyes bore into her. She perhaps would have been inclined to shirk away, but she stood tall and resolute as a mountain. Her brother could not break her; they were equals now, bound by a singular vision that finally unified them.
“You’ve been busy, sister,” he said at last, his gaze analysing hers, perhaps seeking any sign of weakness or shock.
He wouldn’t find any.
Y/N held her chin high and retorted, “Just like you.”
“Are you ready for what needs to be done?” Geto asked, moving to stand beside her, while Miguel shirked away into the shadows.
“Are you?”
Her brother breathed out a laugh from his nostrils, a sly grin forming as the corner of his lip curled upwards. “Excellent.”
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