This is rather short because the exciting stuff happens next chapter! Leave a comment if you want more!
Enjoy!
Next Update? No idea!
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Chapter 3
Yuji watched as people passed by without a care in the world, completely lost in thought.
"Poke…"
Thinking about everything that happened that shook his entire worldview.
"Poke…"
About his senpais who were in the hospital.
"Poke…"
About his grandpa's last words to him to help people.
"Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!Poke!"
At least that was what he was trying to do if not for Sukuna persistently poking away at his cheek!
"Would you stop that?! Haven't you eaten enough already?!" Yuji shouted at the king of curses who was sitting beside him. People who were passing by gave him weird looks because all they could see was him shouting at nothing.
"Never!" The king responded back with a big defiant smile that grated on Yuji's nerves. "Besides that's not what I poked you for, although I do want an ice cream cone after this."
Yuji's shoulders sagged as he heard this, he could already feel his wallet crying.
"I just wanted to ask what's got you so glum chum?" Sukuna asked his tone surprisingly not mocking.
Yuji sighed, glancing at the king incredulously. It was unlike Sukuna to show concern, but then again, everything that had been happening recently was unlike anything he could have imagined.
"Why would you care about how I feel? What, you going to use my feelings against me or something?" Yuji asked, narrowing his eyes as he glared at Sukuna suspiciously.
Sukuna shrugged as he lazily leaned back on the bench with not a care in the world.
"You were looking like a kicked puppy left out in the rain, plus… I was bored."
The high schooler was not impressed in the least by the king of curses reasons. Yuji faced away from Sukuna, once again trying to ignore the curse sitting beside him.
They sat in silence for a while, both of them now watching as the lives of people walking past by them peacefully continued.
A minute or two passed before the silence between them broke once again.
"Everything is just... messed up," Yuji grumbled, running a hand through his pink hair in frustration. "My senpais are in the hospital, my grandpa's last words keep echoing in my head, and I'm stuck with a curse king who keeps craving food."
Sukuna listened intently, an unusual softness evident in his eyes as he looked at Yuji. Had anyone else seen the king of curses at that moment, they would have doubted their own sanity.
"…What am I doing? Confiding in you of all people? You definitely don't care about what I'm going through." Yuji grumbled to himself as he covered his face with his hands, completely missing the sad smile that appeared on the king of curses.
Sukuna looked unsure of what to do as he watched Yuji continue to wallow away.
He was about to reach out, his fingers just a breath away from Yuji's disheveled pink hair. But his instinctual awareness of other powerful presences prickled at the back of his mind. His eyes flashed crimson as his gaze shifted beyond the park, towards the city skyline.
His smile returned, broad and devilish, masking the momentary lapse of empathy. He retracted his hand, smoothing it through his own hair with a casual nonchalance.
"Oh, look who's finally decided to grace us with his presence," Sukuna drawled, as he stared at the approaching sorcerer.
Yuji looked up from his hands just in time to see a familiar figure effortlessly weaving through the crowd of people heading their way.
Gojo Satoru had arrived.
"Great..." Yuji muttered under his breath but there was little venom in his words.
Sukuna, unperturbed by Gojo's arrival, simply crossed his arms over his chest and tossed him a cocky smile.
"You're late," The teen accused, a pout appeared on his face as he too crossed his arms much like the king of curses. "Twenty minutes late! What took you so long?!"
Gojo held up his hands in a placating manner with a rather large smile on his smugly face.
"Sorry about that!" The next words he would speak had far too much smugness put into them. "I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life~"
The stunned silence that radiated off of Yuji brought an even bigger smile to Gojo's face. While the king of curses was dying of laughter beside him, clutching at his stomach from the painful bout of laughter.
"Why the hell are you laughing so hard?" Itadori asked the cursed spirit, confused about how hard he was laughing.
"Y-You wouldn't get it pipsqueak!" Sukuna managed to get out between his bouts of laughter, gasping for breath.
Yuji turned a heated glare onto Gojo. "Stop spouting nonsense. What are you here for?"
Still chuckling, Gojo handed Yuji a paper bag filled with various snacks, effectively silencing him.
"A peace offering," he defended, still wearing that smug grin.
Just as Yuji was about to reach for the bag of goodies, Sukuna controlled his other hand and beat him to it.
"Hey!" Yuji protested but Sukuna just smirked and began inspecting the goodies.
Yuji rolled his eyes and turned back to Gojo, who seemed amused by their interaction. "Really though, why are you here?"
Gojo just smiled as he sat down beside him while yoinking the bag out of Yuj- no - Sukuna's hand.
"Hey!" Sukuna's eyes narrowed in dissatisfaction as he glared at the blindfolded bastard. He made a swipe at the bag of sweets again but found it impossible. "Son of a bitch!"
Something told Yuji this was Gojo's petty way of getting back at the king of curses.
"Have you decided?" The white-haired sorcerer asked while grabbing a treat on the bag and munching on it.
Yuji stayed silent for a moment, lost in thought. He ignored the heated glare that Sukuna was sending at Gojo and ignored the way Gojo pettily snacked away at the bag of goodies.
Your strong, so help people.
"…If all of Sukuna disappears, will the number of people killed by curses decrease a little?"
The two strongest sorcerers stopped what they were doing and focused on the Yuji.
Sukuna stayed silent and looked away from the two, letting them talk it out, focusing on the clouds in the sky.
Gojo, who had also been lost in his own world of snacks stopped mid-bite, and turned his attention back to Yuji. He stared at him for a moment too long before he spoke, his tone serious, "Of course."
Yuji turned to Sukuna, his eyes filled with uncertainty. The curse king said nothing, not even meeting his gaze.
"I… I want to help people… I don't want to see anyone else die an unnatural death because they were just unlucky…" Yuji's voice grew weaker with every word. His hands balled into fists on his lap.
Gojo reached out and rested his hand on Yuji's shoulder. He squeezed gently - a comforting gesture.
"I see you've already made your choice then," Gojo said softly.
The park fell into silence once more. The loud chatters and laughter of passersby seemed so far away from them now.
Gojo reached into his jacket's pocket and pulled out a pruned-up-looking finger and handed it to Yuji.
"…Looking at it in the light it really is disgusting." The pink-haired teen said before taking it and glaring at it with a look of utter disgust.
"Oi! That's my finger you're talking about! You try staying moisturized for a thousand years!"
Sukuna finally spoke up, feeling rather offended by the comment.
Yuji shot him a look, his eyes still filled with repulsion as he held the piece of Sukuna.
"Well, it's not exactly a pretty sight," he said honestly and shuddered slightly as he cautiously moved the finger in his hand.
Gojo chuckled at their banter, but his eyes held a look of satisfaction. He knew that despite everything, Yuji had made the right choice.
"I'm sure you're gonna love the taste." Gojo tossed out another comment, failing to suppress another round of laughter as Yuji's expression turned from shock to disgust once again.
"Fuck you!" Sukuna cursed at him in response.
Gojo just smiled.
While the two were arguing, Yuji steeled his resolve and ate the cursed finger.
His eyes widened in shock, his cheeks bulged, and his face twisted with a grimace as the taste hit him like a sledgehammer.
Across from him, Sukuna watched with amusement playing on his lips. Gojo's playful demeanor faded away as he kept a watchful eye on Yuji for any sign of change.
Yet, to his surprise, nothing much happened. The only sound in the park for several moments was the light gagging noises from Yuji as he struggled to keep the finger down. His face was green, and he clutched his stomach so hard his knuckles turned white.
"That... That was disgusting," he choked out, slumping back onto the bench.
"Oh, you'll get used to it," Sukuna muttered, sounding mildly offended but not making any other moves.
Meanwhile, Gojo's shoulders sagged in relief as he took a deep breath, happy that Yuji was in full control. He had been prepared for a fight against the King of Curses if needed, had been prepared for bloodshed or even death of the kid if it came to it.
But thankfully, none of that came to pass.
Gojo then noticed Sukuna staring at them both with an unreadable expression and a strange glint in his eyes. For a moment he thought that perhaps Sukuna was planning something after all, but before he could delve deeper into that thought, the cursed king tilted his head back and started chuckling softly.
"What's so funny?" Gojo asked suspiciously.
"Nothing much," Sukuna replied, still chuckling. "Afraid I would take over?
Gojo narrowed his eyes. "Should I?"
Sukuna just shrugged, grinning. "Just enjoy the show, pretty boy."
Yuji was now staring at Sukuna with pinched eyebrows, trying to understand what sort of show the curse was talking about.
"What sho-" Yuji started to ask but was cut off by a sudden jolt that ran through his body. His eyes widened as he felt a rush of power surge through him, making his skin tingle with a strange sensation.
Gojo's eyes widened at the explosion of raw power.
"What...what's happening?" he asked, sounding slightly terrified.
"You're changing...absorbing my power," Sukuna replied calmly like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Yuji shot him a glare but stayed silent, focusing on controlling his body which felt like it was being pumped full of raw energy. It was overwhelming and frightening at the same time.
Meanwhile, Gojo watched with anticipation and amusement as Yuji gritted his teeth and closed his eyes tightly, trying to adapt to the sudden change.
"How does it feel?"
"Like hell," Yuji grunted out between clenched teeth.
Sukuna laughed at that, and for some reason, Gojo joined in too despite the troubled look on his face. Their laughter echoed in that little isolated corner of the park where everything seemed so normal just a few moments ago.
After what felt like an eternity to Yuji but was probably just a few minutes in reality, the rush of power finally subsided.
"Maybe you should have given him something to wash it down with," Sukuna suggested a clear note of mockery in his voice.
Gojo shrugged nonchalantly as he reached into his pocket once more. "Well, it so happens that I do have a can of soda here~"
Then the sorcerer tossed the can over to Yuji who caught it reflexively, looking surprised. He gave Gojo a suspicious glance but knowing he had no other choice, popped open the can and chugged down its contents.
The relief on his face was immediate. Yuji let out an audible sigh followed by a thankful nod towards Gojo who responded with a thumbs up back at him.
"Welp! Guess it's time to officially introduce you to Jujutsu Tech then," Gojo said suddenly. "We'll start your training tomorrow."
Yuji blinked, looking at Gojo with wide eyes. Sukuna merely snorted in response, turning away from them, still miffed about his 'disgusting' finger.
"And remember," Gojo stood up from his seat and stretched his arms high above him, "I can't be by your side all the time. You'll have to learn to handle Sukuna on your own."
If Gojo hadn't been paying attention he would have missed the slight twitch in Sukuna's posture at those words.
"Handle?" Yuji parroted, looking at Gojo in utter disbelief as thought back on how much food he bought for the king of curses and was unable to say no.
"That's right," Gojo nodded seriously. "You're sharing your body with the king of curses after all."
"I can hear you, you know…" Sukuna grumbled under his breath.
Gojo smiled underneath his blindfold and shrugged. "Just thought I'd remind you."
Sukuna snorted again, crossing his arms over his chest. "You make it sound like we're roommates."
"Technically, you are," Gojo pointed out, earning himself another glare from the curse.
Yuji watched this exchange with wide eyes, a faint headache starting to form at the back of his skull.
"Alright! Enough chatting for today." Sukuna declared, suddenly standing up. "I think I'll take a nap now. Not like you two are providing any good company."
"You two...carry on."
Gojo gave a nonchalant wave of the hand. "Don't let us disturb your beauty sleep oh king of curses~"
Sukuna ignored his sarcastic tone and turned away from them, closing his eyes as he leaned back and he disappeared.
"He… He takes naps?" Yuji asked after a moment of tense silence, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.