Hmm, I’m interested 🤔
Part 2
Capturing your life at this moment, you would be written off as a poorly educated woman. You were sitting crossed legged on the floor, your extravagant robes ruffled and bunched up from how loudly you were laughing before leaning back on to your hands, legs stretching out under the kotatsu as your laugh faded into a soft smile.
Your eyes were full of sheer joy looking at the man who sat across from you, his head tilted down as he started to drink from his sake. He felt your stare and he stopped his sip, a smirk pulled at his lips as he stared at you with lidded eyes. He placed the choko down, propping his elbow on his knee and bringing a loose fist up to rest his cheek on. His free hand toyed with the fabric of your Junihitoe that pooled under the table. The silk fabric running smooth under his hands before he let it slip back to the ground, “Well aren’t you free spirited tonight, little lotus?” The feeling in your stomach had you looking away, the smile playing on your lips growing a bit in size.
“It’s been much too long since the last day you came to see me. I saw it appropriate to celebrate with a more lively atmosphere.” “Mm, quit that royal facade princess, I know what your tongue is capable of and every little word you utter in defiance. There is no point in trying to hide the real you that I know all too well.” You watched as he brought the choko back up to his lips, never breaking eye contact as he finally emptied his cup.
He stood up, the floors creaking under his weight, your eyes followed him as he walked to your side. Holding out a hand, curious of his gesture you took it before he pulled you up. Following his lead as he led you through the walls he had become familiar with stopping causing you to bump into his back, he looked back and down at you from over his shoulder with lidded eyes and a teasing smile.
He placed a hand over your mouth pulling you into his side when you were going to speak. You looked at him with a mix of questioning and offence, he looked away and soon enough you saw the orange glow of the approaching light outside the shoji walls. Your eyes followed the figure as it walked by not bothering to stop and look around, you’d complain about security but honestly it was best it stayed this way.
Soon the light faded from the end of the hallway and your mouth was free and you laughed quietly being lead outside and straight into the ikeniwa garden, following the path quietly as if on a stroll in the chilly spring afternoon, but rather it was a cool summer night under the crescent moon. The sound of crickets chirping, light bugs dancing over the dewy grass and waters surface.
Stopping at the peak of the guzei under the red maple tree, its leaves shaking in the wind scattering over the bridge and water, he pinned you against the bridge’s rail. Under the moon's faint light, the red leaves cascading behind him left him an ethereal sight. One hand on your waist, the other raised to run the back of his hand against your cheek taking a strand of your hair and tucking it behind your ear, you saw the amusement flash in his eyes when your hand shot out past his face. His eyes followed your arm to see your hand holding two red maple leaves conjoined at the stem.
“Continuously blessed by your little gods of luck and fortune, hm?.” You couldn’t fight your smile and small scoff, “If only they had really helped me when I needed it.” His hand came up grabbing your forearm, slowly moving to your wrist pulling your hand between both of you, looking at the leaf before he pulled your hand up to his lips. Pressing his lips to your wrist, eyes closing briefly before he opened his eyes, staring at you. You could feel the heat kissing your skin when he grazed your wrist with his reach before biting into your flesh. Your brows furrowed at the foreign and familiar feeling when he licked over the fresh wound, your heart was beating faster in your chest the longer you held onto his burning stare. “…Sukuna…” it was a breathy whisper on your lips.
He hummed when you pulled your hand free, taking his face in your hands, his lidded eyes watched intently, studying your face. His eyes closed when you pulled him closer kissing him softly, his hands came to your waist pulling you against him.
The irony of kissing the man known to bring suffering and damnation to men on the bridge that represents the route to salvation, purity and sacredness. It wasn’t the first time you disgraced this bridge in this manner and both of you knew it wouldn’t be your last time spitting in the face of your beliefs to be with the man that made you feel distinctive like no other man could. Not even your well known and well praised fiancé Satoru Gojo, a man known for restoring peace, being a blessing incarnated to live amongst men.
The very reason many had said you were born to be blessed in this life.
—- —- —- —- —- —- —-
“Come now y/n don’t you want to find a nice man to marry when you get older?” Your mothers loving smile almost coaxed you to say yes before you shook your head aggressively, “No! I wanna be free! I don’t wanna marry a boy! Eh!” Her face was shocked before she closed her eye in a smile, tilting her head to the side toward her shoulder, “You say that now my little dove but one day you’ll grow up and you are going to meet the sweetest boy who will love and take care of you. Then you’ll want to be married.” Your head tilted to the side with a pout, you didn’t want some boy to come spend his nights in your family home just to spend all day doing whatever he wanted while you had to stay home. “Mmmmm.” You closed your eyes making a thinking face, “no.” You ran off after hearing your mom sigh, the smile in her voice when she spoke to herself, “my little y/n.”
You weren’t free spirited, but rather just stubborn and resilient. Maybe running away from home after your lessons has given you too much liberty. The men down at the docks were terrible to listen to, foul language that you picked up but never spoke. Running by brothels to get to the shops on the other side of the district and gagging and being disgusted seeing some things you shouldn’t not have seen. Always seeing and admiring the prettiest ones walking around being sent off. Avoiding the lady you hoped was joking when she'd see you saying you were pretty enough to snatch up for her house, but always remembering her warning of flesh traders.
Most importantly, fighting with the kids that tried to pick on you and your friends Utahime and Shoko, MeiMei would sometimes come out to play but she was always busy with her younger brother who would stick to her side. So the three of you would venture on your own the rest of the day.
That was until the day your friends were busy helping their parents celebrate a grand coming event and you found yourself wondering past the usual village lines.
Something was calling to you past those wisteria trees on the hill. The ones rumoured to ward off demons, but you always knew it to mean long life and love so there you went on an adventure. Trudging up that stupid hill to see what was so special about those trees. Only to find a boy standing under the canopy of the ancient tree. The purple wisteria was beautiful with the sun's rays breaking through, but you were curious about this boy. You couldn’t help but stare at him, he was wearing robes, but his eyes were what surprised you when he turned, head tilted as he looked at you with a weird expression.
Those eyes, they weren’t normal, you’d never seen anyone with those eyes, so vibrant, but all you could think was ‘a boy with those eyes can’t be human.’ You were right, he was a walking curse. Those bright red eyes burned themselves into your memory and into your dreams. You’d spend days searching for him hoping to see him again and again to talk to him and be his friend, because he always seemed so serious, more often than not you’d simply follow him around the wisteria forest while he minded his own business. You’d go on and on and he’d simply keep his hands tucked into his sleeves crossed over his chest occasionally giving you a side glance to see if you really would persist on following him around even as the night advanced.
That was until one day you’d followed him around for so long he finally turned to you “What do you want brat, you show up every day and follow me around like I am a God and you’re begging for a miracle. What do you really want?” You looked at him, he didn’t seem pleased or displeased, there was a slight furrow in his brow and a slight frown on his lips.
“I just want to be friends.” You pouted, you could hear the desperation in your voice. When he sighed, turning away, he didn’t answer you or even send you away. Still you followed him quietly until you hit a stone path, you never knew a path to be out here past the village borders. So it was no surprise when you stepped closer to the boy grabbing at the back of his kimono’s belt, missing the way he looked at you with a “are you serious” expression. Still he walked until you bumped into him, “This is my family home, shut up and stay out of sight, if someone talks to you just act how you usually do and never speak back to them.” He looked back at you with an expression you’d never seen before, it was kinda scary in your eyes. Yet you nodded, taking a stronger hold of his belt, scared you’d get separated, he wasn’t impressed. He made his way through the shinden-zukuri, it was much like your own home. Only the wood in his home was of glossy dark oak with gold accents and vibrant deep red cherry wood with gold accents.
It was beautiful, yoru fingers loosened a bit until you heard shoji doors slide open and you did your best to hide behind him, “Young Lord Sukuna, you’ve return- oh? Who’s this?” A pale man with long white hair and a red strand peered around to try and look at you. You looked down at the floor pressing your forehead to his back avoiding eye contact. You had caught a brief glimpse of his eyes, they were black and seemed lifeless, how demons were rumoured to be. “Who?” Sukuna turned around acting like you weren’t there before he turned back, “You’re a fool Imuzu, there is no one else here.” Imuzu, the pale faced man couldn’t help but stare at his young master, before his eyes settled on you, you could feel his stare burning into your skin, daring you to look up at him. “Enough, leave while I allow you.” Imuzu was quick to bow, tucking his hands into his sleeves, “Forgive me young master, I will leave you to tend to your… pet.”
Your thoughts lingered on that pale faced man, the briefest glimpse of his face was engraved into your mind. You were pulled out of your thoughts when you tripped down some stairs and heard Sukuna tsk, you looked up to see him sighing and rolling his eyes, “Get up, only a fool, cowards and pigs roll around in the mud.” You were quick to get up realising instantly he wouldn’t help you like all the servants in your home would when he turned and started to walk away again. You watched as he stopped at a rack, “If you want to be even something remotely close to being what you call a friend, a delusion in my opinion, you need to prove you’re even worth keeping around.” He looked at you with a smug smile, eyebrows dropped slightly. He was challenging you.
You were laid out on the ground, the sun no longer blinding you. Over your huffing you heard Sukuna let out a long sigh, “I was just starting to have fun, look at you.” You could hear the arrogant smile in his voice, “Laid out on the floor and so tired,” He was mocking you. “Pathetic, I guess there really is no use in you being around or even being that little delusion word you call friends.” You were tearing up, tired, sore, and upset. So it was a surprise to you when you found it in you to get up and run at him with the Yari he had given you earlier. The flash of red when you swung at him, was blocked with his own. The sound of wood smacking as you kept him on the defence was astounding. His smile was growing the more you pushed him back until he used his hold horizontally in his hands to upper cut your Yari with force that made you stumble. “That’s IT” he started his own attacks on you, your defence was weak and he yelled at you when he got the upper footing looking down at you, “PUT MORE HATE BEHIND IT” your hands were trembling doing your best to keep his yari from smacking you on the head, so you did what any sane person would do and tried to sweep his feet. Only for him to take hold of your Yari and stabbing his own into the Ground blocking your kick and pushing himself back, his hand twisting and breaking your yari from your hold as you stumbled from being yanked up off the ground. Then he stood, his left hand holding his Yari that was stabbed into the ground, the right hand holding your own down by his side and he had his eyes closed with a smug smile, “You could be better, but of course you’d lose to someone like me. A little more work and you might not end up laid out on the dirt next time.” You don’t know why, your eyes teared up again, your lips wobbly breaking into a smile, before the tears started streaming adn you started laughing wiping away the tears. He looked at you like you were crazy, awkwardly shifting before you he poked your shoulder with the end of one of the yari. “Hey brat..” his eyes were looking everywhere but at you, “…Maybe it’s time for you to go home…” your tears stopped as you managed to finally look at him standing there, looking scared and awkward. “Yeah, maybe next time we can do it again and you can show me more.” He looked confused, “Next time?” “Yeah you said next time Sukuna.”
His face went blank when realised he had in fact said ‘next time’. He scratched his head, “I suppose I did.” Your eyes widened seeing a firefly pass in front of him, “You have fireflies here!” His eyes followed the bug before he smacked it down with a Yari trying not to snicker when your jaw dropped with wide eyes, “They're a real nuisance once the sun sets and they all decide to come out.” “ I NEED TO GET HOME!” He watched you run into his home and right back out, “will you-No.” He deadpanned and you huffed, “Fine. Only because if you get caught by a flesh trader I won't be held guilty for it.”
You followed his pace straight back to the clearing in the wisteria forest, the canopy blocked out the sky, and you stopped seeing Sukuna stop ahead of you looking around, “That’s weird.” You were confused, “What's weird?” You watched as he lifted his Yari pressing it against a branch of one of the trees and pushing it around, until it rustled, the shades of purples hidden in the dark coming to life with the glow of the light bugs that started to swarm and flash around as if they had just been awoken. Your eyes were gleaming with pure joy seeing the many light bugs that reminded you of the ones that once lived around your home lighting up those grassy plains and dark skies. “Cmon or I’ll leave you behind.” You looked ahead to see Sukuna poking another tree branch further ahead, the path lighting up with the fireflies guiding you home.
”Where do you live? What part of the city.” He broke the comfortable silence once the city was in sight. “Oh, I live in the Imperial Estate.” You didn’t miss the way his head snapped to look at you, before he looked away acting like it was nothing. “L/n Clan?” He asked looking ahead while he took a lantern off a shop you were passing, tying it to the Yari he held. You nodded, “Yeah.” You both walked through the city until you made it to the opposite side, that’s where the stone path started up the ascent. “You can make it home from here.” He wasn’t really asking, but you shook your head no, “Not at night…” he sighed, “What? Scared of the dark?” You didn’t deny it looking at him with pleading eyes before he rolled his, “FINE, but make it quick.” It was five stairs up when you heard a rustling and you clung to his side, he rolled his eyes swaying the lamp around, “Nothings there, see?” Still you didn’t let go and even when he tried to shake you off he relented when you didn’t move.
Finally reaching the top of the stairs it was no surprise to see the house lit up with lights. People were rushing around in panic, “WHERE IS YOUNG LADY Y/N?!”
You both saw a woman stop and look at the both of you, “Y/N” her face looked pained, she rushed at both of you and you heard Sukuna’s whisper, “who is she?” You mumbled back locking eye contact with the lady, “she’s my mom...”
”oh y/n! My little y/n! Where were you?! I've been worried, I was so scared! Those flesh traders got you, do you know how worried I was I’d never see you again!” She held you by your shoulder, eyes looking over your face. “I’m sorry mom, but I'm home safe, Sukuna made sure I got here and nothing bad happened. Her head snapped to him, he had a blank expression staring back at her, she knew that face, “You must be of the Wisteria Estate, you have your fathers name. A striking resemblance to him.” Her hands slipped from you while she turned to look at him, “You must be tired you can rest here and return home tomorrow.” He shook his head, “Thank you for your kind gesture Lady L/n but I’d prefer to return home as soon as possible.” He quickly bowed his head ready to turn and leave, “Then let me send a guard with you to assure your arrival.” He looked at her with a smug smile, “You shouldn’t think I need protection, I brought your daughter home safe all on my own.” He puffed his chest out like he was worthy of praise. Your mother giggled, “I see, well let me give you something as a sign of thank you for bringing my little y/n all the way home safe.” She looked around signalling a servant who rushed off and back with a small wooden gilded box. You both watched curiously as she opened the box, her fingers moving slowly before she pulled up a gold necklace with a pendant, it was a Jade figure of a lotus with a ruby centre. You looked at it in awe, Sukuna tilted his head confused.
“I know it's a bit feminine for a boy, but I can't just give you my husband's jewels, so maybe you’ll find use for it when you grow older and find a nice little lady to marry.” Her soft smile was unusual to him, but he reached up to take it only for all of you to realise you were still holding tight to his hand. You pulled your hand away quickly, a blush on your cheeks, your mothers eyes landed on you with a cheeky smile.
Sukuna was quick to make his escape bowing quickly. You felt how he bumped into you before running off not looking back, your mother stood at the top of the stairs, you stood by her watching that little lamplight bounce and fade its way down the stairs.
“My little Y/n,” her hand landed on your head brushing your hair back, you looked up seeing her soft smile, before she looked down at you, “Holding hands already hm?” You pouted looking away, “no.” She kept brushing your hair back, “Those Ryomen men are peculiar, but let's get you inside. We’re going to have a busy week.”
You made it to your room, your caregiver was there to help you, “What's this?” You turned to look, curious to see she had a little glass jar with two fireflies. You were overjoyed to take it from her but she stopped you, “Calm down lady Y/n if you shake them in your excitement they’ll surely die. Looking at them closely they must be a pair. How admirable, if you set them free maybe they will lay eggs nearby.”
You watched as she set the small jar by the window, the two bugs dancing trying to escape.
When she left you tucked in your bed, closing the door, you watched the light fade before you got up quietly rushing to your window, your little heart hoped and begged one day to see the fireflies abundant around your home again. You watched them fly free, their paths intertwining in the night sky.
You sighed, a smile on your little plump face, “…Ryomen Sukuna…”
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