#sukuna x aruna

[dark-mnjiro]

[at the] bottom :: okkotsu yuuta

authors’s note: hello! This is my own submission for my “Touch of Divine Rush” collab that I ran! I apologize I’m a day late. With my grandmother’s passing - it was very difficult to focus on any projects without getting emotional. I hope you all enjoy this!

warnings: yuuta x gender neutral!reader, they/them pronouns, retelling of orpheus and eurydice, sprinkle of sukuna x afab!oc (aruna from my crown of thorns series), sprinkle of retelling of hades and persephone, angst, mentions and depictions of death, hurt/loss, comfort, yuuta not listening to directions to save his life, this is probably one of the more tame fics I’ve written but I’m super happy with it

so will you wait me out

or will you drown me out

“Yuuta!”

Panting and sweat dripping from his brow, Yuta shot up from his place next to the fire. How long has this journey gone on now? One day? Two? Three? He had seemingly lost count the further he journeyed into the underworld. Your voice was the only thing that kept him hoping and praying that this wasn’t for nothing.

He stood up before using the heel of his boot to extinguish the fire and grabbed his katana, securing it on his back. A sick feeling bubbled in his stomach. He knew he would have to fight to save you. But who could survive fighting the devil?

As he journeyed further, darkness seemingly surrounded him. The torch he used to give him light offered little assistance. It seemed the tunnel was growing longer with each step he took… and took him further down to hell.

Your name fell from his lips with a light whisper.

Your name was like music to his ears, causing a smile to curl over his lips. The sheer light in your eyes was enough to sustain him for life. With you, life seemingly made sense to him and he had a reason to continue, to keep fighting. It was as if life had meaning, had a purpose, again. Yuuta couldn’t just let you slip away so easily. He had to fight. For you… For both of you.

He called out your name again.

His voice grew louder as it echoed against the cave walls. A sigh fell from his lips as he reminisced about the last time he had spoken to you. Your hair caught in the breeze and the smile on your face only made the sparkle in your eyes even more pronounced. The way his name so easily slipped past your lips, like a chorus that constantly played over and over in his head. And almost within an instance - you were stolen from him.

Crying out your name, his voice echoed against the cave walls as he heard low growls echoing back toward him. He knew he was growing close as he slowly made out the large silhouette of what he would consider a monster.

“Cerberus,” he whispered to himself. He would have to stay quiet to sneak past the beast that guarded the gate to Hell. As his eyes strained at the darkness, he made out the yellow eyes of the three-headed dog before white teeth gleamed in the darkness. He tossed his torch aside, snuffing out the flame to confuse the beast before rushing into the darkness. If he made a run for it now, while it was confused by what direction he was coming from, he could seemingly get past it.

Or so he thought…

The beast’s massive paw came colliding with Yuuta’s body before sending him flying back against the wall. A low groan of pain emerged from the youth before he forced himself onto his feet. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth as he wiped it away with his thumb.

“Clever beast,” he commented before grabbing his katana.

Yuuta rushed toward Cerberus before managing to stop its claws from striking him again with his katana before sending the blade through the flesh of the beast’s leg. Blood seeped from the wound, covering Yuuta’s face before the animal howled in pain and thrashed about, using its strength to try and take down Yuuta. Thankfully, Yuuta was able to dodge the onslaught before using the katana to injure the other leg.

“Stop!”

His body froze in place at the intruder.

“Stop it,” the voice was softer this time before Yuuta managed to make out a pair of red eyes.

“Who-?’ he asked, realizing the voice was feminine.

“What is a human doing here?” she asked.

Yuuta could feel the color draining from his face. It couldn’t be her.

“Answer me,” she hissed as the crimson in her eyes only darkened. “What is a human doing here? Get out… that is your final warning.”

It was the queen of hell herself. The lover of the devil. Perhaps, she would listen to his words.

“A-Aruna,” he began. “I’ve come here in search of my-”

Her red eyes narrowed. “... your lover is dead. You cannot save them. Not anymore,” she hissed. “Turn around and leave, mortal. You are not ready to be here.”

Her words made his stomach fall to his feet. It was impossible. “I want to see him.”

“He’ll kill you.”

“Then I’ll be with them.”

A heavy sigh left her lips as her gaze softened at his words. “You shouldn’t be in such a rush to die,” she commented. “Come…”

The walk was silent as Yuuta’s gaze stayed fixated on the dark queen in front of him. It seemed the rumors were true. She was cold and distant… it was said that her forced marriage to the king of the underworld only seemed to fuel her bitterness toward the world.

Aruna opened a door before walking inside. She signaled the guards to hold the door open so Yuuta may enter. His dark eyes widened as he took in the sight before him. Sure, it was dark - a perfect place for a king of the underworld, but it was filled with blazing torches and several extravagant decorations to flaunt the God of Death’s lesser-known titles of dealings with money.

“My queen…”

Aruna paused before looking up.

“What have you brought to me?”

“A mortal was found wandering the tunnels.”

Yuuta stepped into the room before looking up and seeing the God of death, the king of the underworld, leaning back on his throne with a smirk curling over his lips.

“He wishes for an audience with you,” Aruna explained before Sukuna motioned for her to approach the lesser throne next to him. Without question, she took her seat before a sigh fell from her lips.

Sukuna rested his chin in his hand before his red eyes flickered to his wife. “…for what? That silly dead-“

“I ask you to allow them to live. Let them leave this place and live out their days with me—!”

The grimace on Aruna’s face was enough to silence Yuuta as he knew he had made a grave mistake.

“Your lover is dead,” Sukuna spat. “A lost soul. You can’t get them back…”

“Please. There must be a way. Anything. I’ll do anything.”

The king of the underworld’s attention remained fixated on Yuuta before noticing his wife’s posture tensing in the seat next to him. “Anything you would like to say, my dear wife?” Sukuna asked, leaning into Aruna’s ear.

She turned to face him. Her face remained emotionless but the pain in her eyes was evident. “I think we should hear his case,” she whispered.

“…you sympathize with him?”

“He loves them,” she countered. “That much is clear. Why would he make such a treacherous journey if he did not truly love them? Let’s at least hear him out before you cast judgment.”

The smirk on his lips spread before running a hand through his queen’s fiery, red locks. “Boy…” he commanded. “Step forward. You may speak. You have my wife to thank.”

Yuuta was confused. Why would the queen of the underworld be so eager to hear his pleas after being so callous to him? Swallowing hard, he looked up at their thrones.

“Why?” he asked, quietly.

She was quiet for a moment, glancing away before returning her attention to him.

“Once upon a time,” she whispered, beginning a tale that sounded oddly familiar to Yuuta. A young goddess had grown weary of the life she was promised by her mother. She was to remain pure, untouched by any man or celestial being, and bring forth the spring each year. Everything had been so carefully calculated for her - the young goddess had no control, no say in her happiness… her own life.

The young goddess enjoyed her time away from her mother. And one day was seduced by words and promises to pull her away from the life that had been so carefully laid out for her. Quickly, she had agreed, disappearing into the darkness with a god, who promised her riches and a title no one could rival.

“And haven’t I showered you with more love and gifts than you could want?” Sukuna asked, his eyes fixated on his queen.

Yuuta was right.

This was her story…

She remained unmoved, staring at Yuuta. “She was seduced into darkness too soon. Perhaps, it’s too soon for your lover as well.”

Sighing, Sukuna stood up. “Speak.”

His body tensed, as the energy in the room shifted. “They-they were murdered,” Yuuta explained. “Taken before their time. The fates would never wish a fate so ill on any mortal. A monster slayed them…”

“A monster?”

“A centaur…”

Aruna’s gaze softened. “It pursued them?”

“And when they refused - it murdered them… I found their body… massacred.”

“Sukuna-”

His hand rose to silence his queen before staring at Yuuta once again. “You are correct the fates would not allow a mortal to die in such a fashion by such a creature,” he explained. “But, taking a soul back from the underworld is no easy task.”

Shaking his head, Yuuta shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I’ll do anything.”

“I’ll allow you to lead their soul back,” Sukuna explained. “Under one condition.”

“Anything!”

“You may not look upon them once you begin your journey until they step out of the shadows and escape to the outside world,” he explained. “If you do… their soul is mine for eternity.”

“Sukuna-”

“Silence Aruna.”

Aruna sighed before looking away from him.

Sukuna returned his attention to Yuuta. “Do you understand?”

“…yes.”

Snapping his fingers, a figure appeared in front of Yuuta. His eyes widened before rushing toward you, encircling his arms around your body. Confusion washed over your expression, wondering just how you arrived here or why Yuuta was even here.

“Yuuta?”

His heart swelled at the sound of your voice saying his name in such a tender way before his grip on you tightened. “I’ve…I’ve come to take you home,” he whispered into your ear.

“Home…”

“Just remember our deal,” Sukuna interrupted.

“Of course,” Yuuta replied before turning away from you.

You were confused again as Yuuta refused to look at you again. “But Yuuta?”

“I’ll explain when we get out of here,” he assured you as he began walking away and motioning you to follow. Quickly, you followed trying to match the pace of his footsteps.

A sigh fell from his lips. Your footsteps… a reminder that you were still there. As long as he could make out your footsteps, he knew he could complete this challenge.

But the god of death wouldn’t give in so easily… Whispers of the dead began to fill the tunnel as Yuuta continued his long journey back with his lover in tow. He blinked, before shaking his head lightly. The whispers were becoming louder - harder to ignore. His lips fell into a frown.

“Yuuta…”

There it was. Your voice. Relief washed over him immediately.

“I’m right behind you Yuuta,” you continued.

“I know. I know.”

He strained his ears to listen to your soft footsteps, counting each one. One and two. One and two.

Are you sure they’re there?

Frozen, Yuuta stopped in his tracks.

He lied to you. He would never let anyone go.

The taunts were growing louder. Rubbing his head, Yuuta forced himself to keep going. Doubt began to fill his mind. Was she there?

“Yuuta,” you said again. “I’m right behind you.”

His steps faltered for a moment before a sense of relief washed over him again. Your voice managed to soothe the nagging sting s of doubt clouding his mind. You were there. Your steps were there. One and two. One and two.

Bright light flooded the tunnel, blinding Yuuta as he shielded his face with his forearm until his sight adjusted. The exit. Was it the exit? He took off in a sprint, knowing this hell was finally over.

“Yuuta! We did it!”

Your cheers were like music to him as the warm sunlight hit his pale face. A sigh fell from his lips before excitement filled his body. Quickly, he turned around to greet you. But what he hadn’t realized…

You hadn’t stepped out of the shadows yet.

“Yuuta… no.”

The light in your eyes before your body collapsed.

“No!”

Rushing to your lifeless body, Yuuta cradled you close to his chest. How could he have been so stupid? Tears flowed freely from his eyes before his body shook in remorse. How could he have done this to you?

He was so close.

And with that, the years passed. His body grew weary and tired. But not once did he forget about you. He embraced the idea of death, knowing you would be there to greet him one day and you could live out the dreams you once had planned for yourselves.

“Yuuta?”

His eyes widened before realizing he was standing in a beautiful garden, surrounded by flowers and trees. The blue sky above him was so peaceful that he couldn’t help but smile. He raised his hands, realizing his body was no longer frail, but young and strong again. Was this what death was truly like? What a magical place this was…

He heard his name again.

But the voice that spoke his name so gently, it couldn’t be…

Your name fell from his lips as he looked to see you standing with your arms outstretched wide.

“I’ve been waiting for you…”

He rushed toward you, embracing you tightly as a giggle bubbled from you.

“Welcome home…”

i can wait for you at the bottom

i can stay away if you want me to

i can wait for years if i gotta

heaven knows i ain't getting over you

[knchins]

Prompt with Aruna and Sukuna 😂 you can do whatever you want - sfw or nsfw.

Prompt: “You owe me.” “Fine, whatever you like.”

I’m just interested what you come up with my demonic duo 😂😂😂

Lee! I loved writing your babies! Friendos y'all can check out more Aruna and Sukuna content on Lee's Ao3 since she refuses to post them to tumblr lol.

Pairing: Sukuna x OC

TW: None

“You owe me,” Aruna said hotly as she adjusted the neckline of her kimono to make it drop further to show more cleavage, not that she had much to begin with.

Sukuna smirked, “Fine, whatever you like.” He said, running his fingers through her red hair. “Choose wisely, I don’t ask for favors often.”

Aruna sat in her room in front of her vanity, thinking about what to ask from him. He had asked her to seduce another sorcerer to get information out of it. Why Sukuna didn’t just torture him, she’d never quite understand. Some things were too nuanced when it came to sorcerers and curse users.

She sighed, he’d give her anything she asked for? All she had to do was decide what. She could make him promise not to kill her or maybe even set her free. Though was life outside of his domain any better? Sukuna was a prick but he did have his redeeming moments, although they were few and far between.

She finished brushing her hair and put it up with the hairpin he had given her. The spider lily gleamed in the morning sun. She forced the smile away that threatened to form at the thought of how much she loved the golden hair ornament.

A servant knocked on her door before calling her to come out for her morning meal with the King of Curses himself. She got up and followed him silently into the dining hall, where she sat adjacent to her captor and lover. “I decided what you can do for me.” She said, putting on a brave and neutral face.

Sukuna gave her a curious look as their food arrived. “Oh? What have you chosen for your reward then, pet?”

She looked him directly in the eyes so that her confidence wouldn’t waiver. “I want to you to tell me exactly how you feel about me.”

Check out my Death to my Youth Event where Tokyo Rev and JJK requests are open until Dec. 24th! Link is on my pinned navigation post!

[dark-mnjiro]

No one remembers my jjk oc Aruna

But stuck up tv meteorologist!aruna x viral stormchaser/asshole!sukuna is an AU that lives rent free in my head now.

Will I ever write it? Probably not.

[dark-mnjiro]

lee, my love... actually ... what are your selfships ? i've been off here for a while so idk if you added new selfships, so tell me which are your top 10 ????

hades 🔪

Hadessss!!!

I don’t have ten selfships so. LOL

Shinichiro x Lee - TR

Wakasa x Lee - TR

Barou x Lee - BLLK

Denji x Lee - CSM

Adam x Lee - Hazbin Hotel

I’ve graduated to FIVE. I had 3 originally.

You could count Sukuna from JJK if you wanted to but I ship him heavy with my jjk oc Aruna. Which some mutuals of mine say she’s an extension of myself. So if you count that - six. 😂

[dark-mnjiro]

There are absolutely no words for how excited I am for this! And how happy I am with this 😭😭😭 thank you again. Oh my god.

Commission for beautiful @dabi-hates-fish ✨

[dark-mnjiro]

crown of thorns :: a playlist

PLAYLIST :: AO3 :: TUMBLR :: MASTERLIST

a ryoumen sukuna x hana aruna fic

|| corner :: blue stahli || villain :: k/da || elastic heart (cover) :: written by the wolves || lovely :: lauren babie ft Seraphim || bad blood (cover) :: silence the city || everything black :: unlike pluto ft mikey taylor || zombie :: bad wolves || dance with the devil :: breaking benjamin || dark horse/et (cover) :: jonathan young ft grace bray || paint it black :: hidden citizen || everybody wants to rule the world :: lorde || breaking free :: skillet ft lacey sturm || blood // water :: grandson || love the way you lie :: i am king || blood in the cut :: k.flay || emperor’s new clothes :: panic! at the disco || rise :: fame on fire || seven nation army :: the white stripes || all the good girls go to hell :: halocene || fairytale :: alexander rybak || let it burn :: red || over and over :: three days grace || breathe in to me :: red || partners in crime :: set it off || you should see me in a crown :: halocene || immortals/centuries :: sam tsui ft kurt hugo schneider || can’t help falling in love :: tommee profitt ft brooke || who i am :: the score || the haunting :: set it off || the diary of jane :: breaking benjamin ||

[dark-mnjiro]

My other commission came in thanks to the lovely @peacheamss for making this beautiful artwork for me 😭😭😭

[dark-mnjiro]

meet the daughters

name: hana miyu

age: 18

difficulty level: easy

the beloved daughter of the hana family. she emitted nothing but kindness and joy to everyone around her. until, she disappeared while out at a festival with her two older brother at age 12. her memories forgotten over the course of the next 8 years, she manages to meet the marquis, who recognizes the young maiden as the missing daughter of the duke hana. upon her return, she is showered with the same love and attention she had before, leaving her adopted sister in her wake. but something seems too good to be true… what could be her true intentions?

name: hana aruna

age: 18

difficulty level: hard

adopted by the patriarch of the hana family at age 12 for looking almost identical to his beloved daughter after years of abuse and neglect from her biological family. she is showered with gifts but barely any love. shunned by her adopted brothers and mistreated by the estate’s staff, she resorted to just surviving by lashing out to get her voice heard. known as the rabid dog of the hana family, she has gathered a less that favorable reputation with her family and other nobles. it will be difficult, but can she manage to survive and find her happy ending?

[dark-mnjiro]

hana aruna :: crown of thorns

[dark-mnjiro]

crown of thorns .01.

Author’s Note: This has been up on my ao3 account for a while and I figured it was time I cross posted it here after working on it for a little while. I do hope you enjoy and please please please be mindful of the warnings that I place on this fic. It’s much darker than other ones I have posted and deals with much darker themes and issues especially given this takes place in the past.

Warnings: sukuna x f!original character, king of curses!sukuna, dubcon, a dash of noncon here and there, slavery, human trafficking (in a sense), sexism, master/slave relationship, explicit s*xual content, oral s*x (female and male receiving), explicit language, murder, torture, blood rituals, marking, angst, rough s*x, sukuna using his multiple mouths, manipulative relationship (both sides), eventual queen, choking, extreme violence, a very realistic (and not nice) sukuna.

===

Her body shuddered as her father shoved her forward. Her red hair fell into her face, shielding her stone-colored eyes. She scrambled to hold up the tattered dress that managed to cover her more intimate regions. Her cheeks flushed before the man in front of her took her by the chin, jerking her face upward to stare at him. Terror filled her eyes, still clutching her clothing as the man demanded to know her name. Her mouth and throat went dry as she struggled to even remember her name.

He shoved her back. “No matter…” he said as he watched her stumble backward. “Take her.”

“W-what?” she managed to cry out as she turned to look back at her father who immediately turned his back to her. “Please! Father! Don’t let them-!”

Her screams fell on deaf ears as her father did not respond and continued to walk back to the small, feudal village she had once called home. The man came up behind her before forcing her arms behind her back and tying her wrists together with a rope. She winced as the rope was tightened, feeling as though her circulation was being cut off. 

“Please,” she whimpered, her voice faltering more as she was grabbed by her upper arm and tugged her away. The man forced her into a wagon before putting a piece of fabric over her eyes so she would not know where she was. 

Her body shuddered as she strained her ears, trying to gauge just where she was being taken. She had a horrible, sick feeling in the pit of her stomach at the possibility of where she was being taken. She felt the wagon tug as it began to move forward. 

“Please,” she whispered to herself. “Please… someone help me.”

“No one is going to help us now.”

It was another woman.

“...where are we going?”

“Your family sold you out…” she said simply. “Your village in fact.”

Confused, she shifted around as the wagon hit a few bumpy patches. “What-? What do you mean?”

“Our villages sold us to Sukuna. Are you this clueless?”

“No!” she protested. “No one told me what was going on!”

“...what’s your name?”

“Aruna,” she replied, tears filling her eyes. “Are we being sold-?”

“...it was already done,” the other women commented. “I imagine they didn’t tell you because they guessed you would’ve fought.” She paused for a moment. “I’m sorry that I was the one who told you.”

A sigh fell from Aruna’s lips. “I had suspicions,” she admitted, shaking her head. “After I overheard the village elders speaking with my father… I protested. My father was not thrilled.”

“Unmarried?”

“...how did you know?” Aruna asked.

“Typically unmarried women are the ones sent to Sukuna as a bartering tool,” the other woman explained. “No family. No children. No one who would miss them. Used to keep Sukuna happy so he doesn’t destroy a village on a whim.”

Aruna fell silent as she tugged lightly on her bindings, trying to gain a bit of feeling back in her hands. She had heard the rumors about unmarried women being sent off to entertain the monster that ran rampant in Japan. Countless women slew within moments of being face to face with the demon many had dubbed Sukuna, the few who managed to survive left to be nothing more than a toy for him until he grew bored - only to murder days later… Aruna wondered if she were to meet the very fate of death the instance she met that monster. There would be no way she would survive… There was nothing “special” about her.

The wagon came to a sudden stop. Aruna strained her ears to hear as the men driving the wagon mumbled in the distance before the door was lowered. Another woman screamed and before she knew it, a man had a hold of her upper arm and jerking her off of the wagon. The blindfold over her eyes was finally lifted to reveal her in a dark room before a heavy, metal door slammed shut behind them, causing a few of the women trapped to begin screaming in terror.

Squinting her eyes to adjust to the darkness, Aruna managed to feel for the wall, backing against it. She released the shaky breath of air she was holding before her eyesight finally adjusted to the darkness surrounding her. There was only one door it seemed, that would have to be the way he would come into the room - or would he force one girl out one by one? She chewed on her lower lip, which seemed much more logical.

Aruna cursed to herself before the metal door opened, there was no more time to think. Shivers moved down her spine as his cackle echoed throughout the darkness. Screams began to fill her ears before she began to hear bodies hitting the ground one by one. She took a deep breath, as the thuds grew closer, knowing her time was coming to an end. Her thoughts moved back to her home village, betrayal and anger filled her mind for her father and her entire village risking her very life to protect themselves.

“Look at me.”

Her eyes shot open as a claw pierced against the skin under her chin forcing her to look up at piercing, red eyes staring back at her. Aruna swallowed hard, pushing her back further against the stone wall behind, wishing for just a little more distance between her and the demon in front of her.

He tilted his head before his eyes glanced up at her hair before the claw under her chin disappeared. His fingers moved to touch her hair, as a strand moved through his fingertips. His eyes darted back up to her before his lips curled up into a smirk. “It’s red,” he whispered to her. Aruna couldn’t find words to respond to him as he chuckled lightly at her. “Like blood.”

In all her years, she had never once heard someone compare her hair to blood.

“Wait here,” he instructed before moving through the room as more screams filled the room. The sound of blood splattering against the walls caused Aruna to nearly freeze in place. She felt a few droplets hit her face causing her to squeak in fear. More bodies… When was this going to end?

A thumb came to her face, brushing the droplet of blood off of her cheek. “Can’t have this perfect face ruined,” he hissed. “Come with me.”

Aruna forced herself to follow him, stumbling a bit over the bodies littered over the floor. Fear filled her eyes before she walked through the door… the only one to leave the room. Once out of the holding cell, Aruna was able to finally get a good look at Sukuna, noting his spikes pink hair was such a contrast from his devilish red eyes. 

“Walk faster,” he demanded, picking up his pace. 

Frowning, she tried to match his pace, confused as to where she was. “Where are we?” she asked. 

“My domain,” he commented. 

Her eyes moved to the wall, noticing the lit torches to light their way against the stone walls. It was evident that this was some sort of fortress he called his home. “Oh…” she whispered. “Where are you taking me?”

“To your new living quarters… until I’m ready for you.”

Ready?

“Go in here,” he ordered, opening a door before shoving her inside. 

Aruna stumbled before the door was slammed shut behind her. She looked around and saw just a handful of other women. Her eyes fell to the floor before she began crying as one woman approached her, pulling her into a hug. 

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” she cooed. “You’ve been through enough today.”

“...thank you.”

—

Her eyes shot open as the door slammed against the wall. She clutched the blankets to her chest as she pushed her back against the wall against her bed. Her eyes peeked out from under the covers, seeing Sukuna barging into the quarters. His crimson eyes caught her gaze before his lips curled into a smirk. He walked to her cot before reaching out and grasping some strands of her hair. Sukuna said no words as the tresses flowed through his fingers before finally falling back into place. 

Aruna felt her body shudder in fear as he moved away from her before grasping two other girls by the upper arms and dragging them out. The door slammed again, drowning out the screams as they disappeared further into the hallway.

“Where-?” Aruna asked, looking confused.

“...Probably to kill them,” another woman replied, softly. “He does that when he’s bored. Among… other things.”

Aruna shuddered at the thought as she hugged her knees to her chest, trying to force those “other things” from her mind. A sigh fell from her lips as her gaze fell to the sheets. “So we’re all going to die?”

“Eventually,” the other woman said, taking a seat on Aruna’s bed before placing a hand on her knee to comfort the young girl. She offered a small smile. “Once he’s bored… he throws us away. It’s usually not long after they arrive…” It was clear she was much older than Aruna, small streaks of silver littered her dark hair. She must have been here a while, much longer than the other girls.

“What about you?”

“For now,” she admitted. “He keeps me alive to help take care of you girls. Clean you, bathe you, make sure you eat…”

Her eyes moved up to lock with hers. “What’s your name?”

“Kaede.”

“...I’m Aruna.”

Kaede offered another warm smile before moving closer to Aruna and grabbing a small brush that sat on the small table next to her bed. “Let’s brush out this hair,” she commented before taking hold of some of her crimson tresses and running the brush through. “He loves your hair. He had to stop and look at it when he came back. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him show interest in anything other than murder.”

Aruna’s mind drifted back to just hours earlier where she had come face to face with that monster, Sukuna, for the first time. “He,” she mumbled before pausing. “He said it reminded him of blood.”

Silence fell over the two as Kaede continued to brush out her hair before gently braiding the hair into a long, fishtail braid to keep it out of Aruna’s face. “Blood is one of his favorite things,” she commented.

Disgusted, Aruna closed her eyes just wishing she was anywhere else in the world other than stuck in these quarters awaiting her own death. How could her father do this to her? Selling her out to some monster? She felt tears pricking at the corners of her dry eyes as she even questioned if her father truly loved her as a daughter, or had her status as an unwed woman in the village become too much shame for him to bear?

“Please don’t cry,” Kaede whispered to her, placing her hands on Aruna’s shoulders.

“...I’m not,” Aruna said, sniffing back the tears. “I’m angry.”

“At who?”

“My father. The elders. My entire village,” she whispered to her. “For putting me here. I did nothing wrong… I don’t deserve this.” She took the heel of her palm and quickly wiped her eyes, cursing inwardly before forcing herself to shut off her emotions for the time being. “So what do we do now?”

“For now,” Kaede replied. “Nothing. The new ones he brings he won’t look at until a day or two later, but we will have to prepare you. How your presented could mean life or death.”

Aruna nodded, understanding fully the game she was being thrown into at this point. Glancing around the room, she looked at each girl huddled together in fear. A fear she completely understood. They, as well, had been abandoned by their families and villages for whatever reason to be nothing more than a toy to a monster - in hopes he, on a whim, would not destroy their village. 

“Kaede?”

“Yes?”

Turning toward the older woman, the redhead smiled. “How do I survive this?”

A smile curled over Kaede’s lips before she began explaining in her time being here with several girls, that looks alone would not entertain Sukuna. She revealed he simply enjoyed the hunt more than the trophy and if she were to survive - she would learn how to continue to trick him into hunting after her without catching her.

“But,” Aruna whispered. “He could simply just decapitate me.”

“Well that is true,” Kaede replied, shrugging her shoulders. “But I do know several girls who survived longer than the first night here simply said he tries to intimidate you with his powers. He doesn’t like weakness so try to stand firm, but also obey his commands. He hates disobedience.”

The redhead nodded as she took mental note of every piece of advice Kaede was offering. She began to make a small plan in her head, to try to save herself and as many girls trapped as she could. And maybe, just maybe, take revenge on her father for putting her in such a horrible place. Staying firm, she kept reminding herself, not wanting Sukuna to sense one ounce of weakness or fear in her, despite how terrified she actually was of him. But deep down, she wasn’t sure if it were possible for her to manage the facade. It seemed almost too difficult to pretend she wasn’t absolutely terrified. 

“For now,” Kaede said, bringing her back to reality. “You need to sleep. We will get you up in the morning.”

Aruna nodded before settling back down into the bed and rolling onto her side. She tugged the sheets around her body, wishing she would just disappear. That this was merely a nightmare, but she knew that was not true, and tomorrow, she would be facing Sukuna face to face. A sigh fell from her lips before she finally drifted off to sleep.

But that didn’t seem to last for long.

Her eyes shot open as she was facing the wall, hearing footsteps entering the room. Aruna managed to pull the sheets closer to her in hopes it would make her appear to be sound asleep. The footsteps grew louder until she could hear them next to her bed. The bed shifted as a weight sat down next to her body and she felt sharp nails move along the curves of her body. Her body tensed at the touch before she heard a small chuckle. 

“Are you asleep?” he asked. “Or are you playing?”

It was Sukuna’s voice.

What hour was it and why on earth was he here?

His fingers moved up her body once again before running over her braid. He twirled the end of her braid in his fingers before another dark chuckle rumbled from his chest. “Look how beautiful this hair is,” he commented. “Just like fresh blood.”

The words, once again, sent shivers down her spine. His comparison of blood to her hair chilled her to the core. He managed to wrap the length of the braid around his hand before tugging on her hair earning a whimper of pain to pass through her lips.

“Ah,” he cooed. “You are awake. Look at me.”

Aruna felt her body freezing in fear when she tried to roll over to look at him. She cursed herself inwardly before he forced her onto her back, staring down at her with his piercing red eyes. Swallowing hard, Aruna stared up at the man who could very easily take her life away. He leered over her, his arms now planted on either side of her head.

Sukuna’s tongue poked out of his mouth to moisten his lips before he leaned closer to her. One hand moved away before dragging a claw down her throat and between her breasts and stopping at her navel. “I cannot wait,” he whispered to her, smirking. “To tear you apart.”

Her eyes widened in fear, despite her best efforts to keep that fear hidden from him. It seemed to seep from her very pores. “...why are you here?”

Tilting his head, Sukuna offered a playful smile now. “Sometimes I like to play with my meals.” Unable to speak, Aruna could only lay there staring up at him. His fingertips began moving along her body before she felt his nails toying with the hem of her nightgown. “I will enjoy watching your blood splatter everywhere… matching your hair.”

Again, he commented about her hair and blood.

“Nothing to say?”

“...please let me sleep.”

A dangerous glint flashed in his red eyes before he smirked more. “Mmm. Fight in you?” he whispered before his hand left the hem of her nightgown and moved to encircle around her throat, earning a small whimper from her. He leaned into her ear, taking in the scent of her fear mixed with her hair before his tongue shot out and ran along the pulse point on her neck. Goosebumps littered her skin before she tried to squirm away from him. 

“Oh no,” he teased, grabbing her wrists and pinning them above her head. “I’m not done yet.” His eyes scanned her face before leaning in again. She quickly closed her eyes, trying to shield herself from whatever he was about to do. His hand slid down her arms, dragging his sharp claws, leaving small scratches in their wake. “Interesting…” She felt his weight disappear from her body and then her bed. Slowly, she opened her eyes before seeing him standing next to her bed. A smile was curled over his lips. “I’ll see you tomorrow…”

And with that, he disappeared.

Aruna turned to her side and faced the wall before curling up into the fetal position as she wrapped the sheets tighter around her body. She let out the breath she was holding, wishing she had shown more nerve against him. It seemed it was pointless now. She would for sure be dead tomorrow. 

Tears burned at the corner of her eyes. “There’s no way I can do that,” she told herself softly. “No way… I should just prepare now.”

Another sigh fell from her lips before she finally drifted back to sleep.

===

“Aruna?”

The sunlight spilled into the room and over her face causing her to grimace. Her eyes fluttered open before she looked up to see Kaede standing over her bed with a concerned expression on her face. Aruna forced herself to sit up, rubbing the sleep in her eyes. “What?”

“...what is that?”

Confused, Aruna shrugged. “What’s what?”

“There are scratches on your neck and wrists…”

“What?” she asked, confused before looking down at her wrist seeing red lined littered alone her wrist and forearms. She chewed on her lower lip nervously. So last night wasn’t a horrible dream… He did appear by her bed last night. “I-I don’t want to talk about it.”

Kaede frowned before sitting down next to Aruna. “Let’s get you ready to see him then, shall we?”

Aruna nodded as Kaede began unraveling the fishtail braid in her hair and brushing the long tresses. Closing her eyes, Aruna enjoyed the feeling of someone dotting on her remembering when she was a small girl, her mother would often brush her hair just like this. Kaede offered suggestions on what they could do with her hair before Aruna decided to wear her hair down. She slipped on a white kimono as her crimson hair fell over her shoulders.

“You have beautiful, natural curls,” Kaede commented, smiling at the loose curls in her hair.

“Thank you…”

Kaede smiled at her before helping her tie the kimono correctly. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. Remember to stand strong,” she whispered. “And you will be fine.”

She formed fists before relaxing her body. “He appeared at my bed last night.”

“He what?”

Aruna frowned. “He made these marks… He said he wanted to play with his meal.”

Kaede didn’t respond right away. “He-” she paused for a moment. “He’s never done that before.”

Confusion filled Aruna’s eyes. “I’m sorry?”

“He’s never done that… with any girl that I remember.”

Aruna closed her eyes. “I’m going to die, aren’t I?”

Kaede frowned and immediately pulled the redhead into a tight embrace. “I promise… it will be alright and quick.”

“I suppose that’s all I can hope for…”

The door slammed open against the wall as Sukuna walked into the room. Several girls huddled together as far from his as possible. His red eyes narrowed before grabbing two girls before glancing at Aruna. “And you.”

He didn’t have to grab her, she merely obeyed his words before leaving Kaede’s embrace and walking toward him. She followed him through the torch-lit hallway in silence as the other two girls screams echoed against the walls. Why bother, she wondered. No matter what, all three of them were going to be dead soon. Her gaze dropped to the floor, watching his footsteps trying to keep up with his pace. She could only imagine how furious he would be if she were to fall too far back and force him to wait for her.

Sukuna stopped at two large doors before his servants forced them open. The metal scraping against the floor creating a loud moan from the doors as Sukuna walked inside before looking over his shoulder at Aruna. “Follow me,” he commanded. She offered him a small nod as they entered the room. Darkness surrounded them, all except a circle of candles at the center of the room. 

“Where are we?” Aruna heard herself ask before she could stop herself.

Growling, Sukuna remained silent for the time being before throwing the girls into the center of the candles. “I’m about to offer two sacrifices,” he mentioned rather gruffly before raising a hand and she swore his black claws elongated more.

“Just two? There’s three-”

“I didn’t ask for you to speak.”

Aruna nearly flinched in fear at his response before silencing herself, watching Sukuna walk into the circle. He began mumbling a language Aruna had never heard of in her life as the flames from the candles grew. She could only guess this was some type of cursed energy he was so infamous for using. 

“Sit.” He commanded, his eyes darting up at her. “On your knees.”

She nearly flinched again at the tone of his voice before lowering herself onto her knees. She kept her gaze on him as she placed her hands in her lap, waiting for his next order. 

“And watch. Do not look away.”

Aruna offered a small nod, terrified by what she was witnessing as his long, black nails came to one girls’ throat and sliced it open. Blood spewed from the wound before her corpse fell over with a thud. He repeated the process on the other woman before tossing away her dead corpse as well. 

“Good girl.”

His eyes were on her again as his lips curled up into a smirk. “You listen very well,” he commented. “Come here.” Confused, Aruna rose to her feet before walking toward the circle but stopping just before she reached the blood oozing over the floor. “Here.” His voice was direct, forcing her to move through the blood earning a grimace on her face. 

“...why?” Her voice was quiet. 

“You ask too many questions…” he commented, rolling his eyes. “You should feel honored. I won’t kill you.”

“May I ask why?”

Sukuna tilted his head at her before his smirk grew. “Ah yes. You’re going to be my little pet...”

Her face paled. “I’m sorry?”

“Sit.”

“But there’s blood-”

“I said sit.” His command shot through her very core as she lowered herself back onto her knees, wincing at the blood touching her skin and staining the white kimono she wore. A black claw moved under her chin, forcing her to look up at him as he leaned in and inspected her face. “You look petrified,” he commented playfully. “Don’t like the sight of blood?”

“...no.”

His eyes narrowed as he leaned in closer, holding her chin. “You’re going to be seeing a lot of it,” he whispered.

“Why,” she whispered to him. “Why did you kill them?”

His hand moved away from her chin before combing through her crimson locks. “A special ritual,” he replied as his eyes watched the strands of her hair fall through his fingers.

“...for what?” she dared to ask.

His piercing gaze shot up to lock with her eyes. Heat began to rise up in her cheeks at the realization of how close he was to her face. Unable to move away, she felt his hand fall to her shoulder before drifting over her breast outside of her kimono. Her instinct told her to pull away but his gaze kept her locked in place. His claw toyed with the opening of her kimono before further opening the piece of clothing.

Aruna broke free from his stare before managed to close the opening of her kimono, trying to hide her body from him. Her cheeks dusted with embarrassment before she heard a low growl of disapproval erupt from the demon in front of her. In one swift movement, he had her pinned against the floor, similar to the night before as one hand pinned her arms over her head. She squirmed against his grip, the blood beginning to soak the back of her kimono and sticking in her hair.

“You’re starting to piss me off…”

“I-I’m sorry.” Aruna managed out, unsure what to say. “I’ve never-” The blush deepened across her cheeks.

His expression was unreadable as he moved to leer over top of her as his free hand moved to open her kimono again. Her legs twitched nervously as his claws danced along the skin between her breasts before dragging down to her naval. “Pure,” he mused. “Like snow…”

“Please,” she pleaded, her voice wavering at his touch. “Let me go.”

“Address me correctly.”

Confusion was evident on her face at his request. “I… I don’t understand,” she admitted before squeaking in surprise as his hand touched her bare skin and moved up to brush against her right breast before toying with her hardening nipple. 

“You’re mine,” he stated, pinching the bud between his fingers. “Address me correctly.”

A strangled moan was forced from her throat before her body squirmed against his grip. An unfamiliar feeling began twisting in her gut before she had the realization of what he truly wanted. “M-Master!” she managed out, squeezing her legs together as she struggled. “Please let go!”

His lips curled into a smirk. “That’s my good girl,” he growled before leaning toward the pulse point on her throat. She could feel Sukuna’s warm breath dancing against her throat before feeling his tongue lap a few stray droplets of blood on her skin. His weight disappeared before releasing her hands as she quickly sat up, clutching the kimono to her body.

“Remove that.” It was another command as Sukuna stood up and walked outside the circle of candles. “Now.”

Her body shuddered slightly before looking up at him. She wanted to argue, tell him he was degrading her, but she could not find her voice as she slowly removed the kimono from her body, letting it fall into the pool of blood under her. Aruna attempted to cover her more intimate regions with her arms and hands as she shivered.  This was humiliating.

“Good,” Sukuna said. “Hands to your sides.”

“But, I-”

“I said to your side. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Aruna winced at his words before her hands fell to her sides. “Of course.”

Sukuna began chanting the strange language from earlier as Aruna winced at the pain, burning sensation that seemed to pulsate on her left wrist. A thick, black line similar to one h had on his skin appeared on hers. Sukuna stopped chanting, smirking at the line on her wrist as she felt the pain begin to subside but continued to handle that wrist with extra care. “I see it worked,” he commented, tilting his head. “Perfect… I could’ve killed you just now.”

Horror filled Aruna’s eyes at his statement. “What….what did you do?”

“Only marked you so others will know exactly who you belong to,” he said, before shrugging. “Had you not been such a willing, little pet… The ritual would’ve killed you.”

Aruna was unsure what he meant by her being so willing as he turned and walked toward the entrance before opening the doors. “Clean her up,” he ordered, as a few women quickly made their way inside. “And take her to her quarters.” He paused before looking over his shoulder at Aruna as she clutched her bloodied kimono to her body. “I’ll be summoning you soon.”

Cowering, Aruna felt the servants drape a large towel around her before removing the bloody kimono from her grasp. They helped her stand up and wrap the towel around her body as she was led out of the room. She could feel his eyes on her body as she passed him and the door was shut. She dared to look over her shoulder at the demon who had become her new master, noticing the smirk growing over his face as their eyes met again. She wondered just what he was thinking and what he could gain with making her his “pet”. She shuddered at the thought of what he would summon her for later as he alluded. 

“Stop.”

The servants stopped walking before turning toward their master.

“Take extra care of her hair,” he commented, tilting his head. “Her hair is my favorite.”

The servants bowed in response before Sukuna waved them off to care for his newest toy.

“Goodnight, my pet.”

Aruna shuddered at his words. “...goodnight,” she paused for a moment. “...master.”

His smirk widened, hearing your words as his eyes continued to watch her disappear down the hallway.  “You’re mine,” he growled to himself.

[dark-mnjiro]

crown of thorns .03.

Author’s Note: Welcome to part three - again I’m SHOOK at how much you guys are enjoying this series over here on tumblr. I know everyone seems to enjoy it on ao3 - which if you’d like to binge  up to part 5 (which I just posted) its all over there on my ao3. I’m slowly moving it over to my tumblr account, but I believe the story will end at part 6 considering where I ended the last AO3 update. :) Hope you guys enjoy - and as always please be mindful of the warning and tags for this fic. I would hate for someone to get triggered or upset. Thank you!

Warnings: sukuna x f!original character, king of curses!sukuna, dubcon, a dash of noncon here and there, slavery, human trafficking (in a sense), sexism, master/slave relationship, explicit s*xual content, oral s*x (female and male receiving), explicit language, murder, torture, blood rituals, marking, angst, rough s*x, sukuna using his multiple mouths, manipulative relationship (both sides), eventual queen, choking, extreme violence, a very realistic (and not nice) sukuna.

---

Part Three

“You’re not happy?”

Aruna looked up at Sukuna as he stared at her blankly as his finger still twirled strands of her hair between his fingers. She was unsure how to answer truthfully in fear her answer would anger him in some way. 

“…answer me,” he demanded.

“He frightens me,” she admitted softly as she looked down at her lap. “I don’t like how he stared at me.”

His hand moved to her chin before lifting her face to look at him again. “Do you not trust me?”

“How am I supposed to answer that?” Aruna asked, flatly. “You kidnapped me…”

Sukuna chuckled. “Merely a nuance.”

A sigh fell from her lips as her eyes moved from his gaze. She wished she could ease the uneasy feeling their visitor had left in the back of her mind. Sukuna called her by name before motioning her to sit in his lap. Her cheeks flushed as an annoyed expression flashed over her face at his demand, but she obliged. She plopped down onto his lap just to aggravate him further, earning a grunt from Sukuna before he adjusted her position to straddle his waist. The blush dusted her cheeks darker as she felt his touch teasing up her legs. 

“Embarrassed?” he growled, leaning into her ear. 

“Hush…”

He chuckled again. “This side of you is so much more fun to play with.”

Aruna rolled her eyes. “You say that and then complain,” she replied. 

Shrugging, Sukuna sat back against his throne. “Well… true. But I do enjoy a nice game of cat and mouse.”

“Am I the cat?”

“No, the mouse.”

Aruna scoffed. “Of course you’d say that…”

“I would kill him,” Sukuna said. “The instant he would make me believe he threatened you.”

“How can I believe that?” she asked. “Considering…”

“…I enjoy killing after all,” he replied as his lips curled into a smirk. “And you are mine after all.”

His hand pushed further up her kimono causing the redhead to shift in his lap. Her eyes glanced up at him nervously. He didn’t seem to notice as his fingertips moved up at down the length of her thigh before a sigh fell from his lips. He wasn’t looking at her anymore, but staring into the distance seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

“Suk-” she caught herself midsentence before correctly her words. “Master?”

His eyes fell to meet her gaze. “Yes?”

“What are you doing?”

“Thinking,” he replied. “Don’t interrupt right now.”

“So I just sit here?”

Sukuna nodded before breaking the gaze getting lost in his own thoughts again. He almost seemed to mumble to himself as he sorted through his mind. Aruna’s eyes traced the dark lines that littered his skin before stopping at his chest. Chewing on her lower lip, her hand reached out as her fingertips traced along the length of the markings before slipping underneath his own kimono. She felt his skin tighten under her touch before her hand moved further.

His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. “What are you doing?”

“Looking.”

“At what?”

“These marks.”

Sighing, Sukuna looked down at her. “Why?”

“What are they?”

“Just markings. Similar to the one on your wrist,” he said before his nails moved along the marking on her wrist. His lips curled back into a smirk as he watched Aruna shudder when he \touched the mark. “Feel that?” he cooed. “It connects us. Forever.”

Aruna jerked her wrist back toward herself. “That’s a long time…”

“Mmm, should have thought about that before you became so interesting to me,” he teased, leaning down into her crimson locks. He closed his eyes before inhaling deeply as he buried his face in her hair. “Your hair is so perfect. Like fresh blood.”

“That’s not exactly a compliment…”

Sukuna chuckled. “Maybe in your pathetic village,” he commented before his hands moved to her waist, grinding her against his lap. A small, pathetic whine fell from her lips causing him to laugh again. “But from me… it should be an honor.”

“I-Is that right?” she managed out as her hands came to his chest to try and slow his movements. Humming in response, Sukuna merely moved her hips against him faster, earning another pathetic cry to fell from her lips. “M-master… stop.”

“I don’t think I will…” he whispered. “Take this off.”

Her cheeks flushed. “What?”

Sukuna tugged on her kimono. “Take this off,” he ordered. “Before I claw it off.”

Aruna nodded before slipping off of his lap and standing in front of him. Her eyes averted his gaze before removing the fabric from her body and it hid the floor, pooling at her feet. The exposure she felt made the embarrassment in her cheeks beam darker. Despite him always ordering her not to cover her more intimate regions, she could not stop her natural reaction to cover her body.

“Aruna.”

His voice cut through her thoughts as she looked up at him, catching his intense gaze. “Sorry,” she mumbled before allowing her hands to fall to her sides.

“Don’t move.”

Her throat was dry as she watched him stand and approach her. His hand came out and brushed her hair back, revealing more of her body but immediately causing her to flinch. Sukuna tilted his head at her response before his index finger ran along her jaw and just stopped under her chin, making her look up at him. Her cheeks flushed once their eyes locked. 

“You still shy away?” he asked. “Why is that?”

The corners of her lips fell into a frown before sighing understanding what he was insinuating. It was clear she was still nervous to be around him, not only because of his reputation of violence but also the idea of any man seeing her body - unnerved her. 

“No.”

Sukuna’s hand dropped just as he quirked a curious eyebrow at her. “No?”

Aruna turned her face away from him quickly, squeezing her eyes shut. “No.”

What had she done now? Of course, she had to open her big, fat mouth and reject him without a second thought. She had regretted the words the instant they slipped past her lips but it was too late. She could only pray death would be swift, but she had a feeling Sukuna wouldn’t be that merciful. Her hands trembled at the thought of what was about to come…

But it never did.

Aruna managed to open one eye and sneak a peek at Sukuna, who remained standing there staring back at her. She stumbled a few steps back and fell on her bottom before scrambling to gather her clothing scattered on the floor. “I-I apologize!” she exclaimed, clutching her kimono to cover her chest.

His crimson eyes narrowed at her. “...what exactly do you think you’re doing?”

“I was scared,” she admitted. “I apologize.”

“Get up.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“Get up and get dressed. You may head back to your quarters.”

She watched as Sukuna turned around and walked away. Scrambling to her feet, Aruna managed to slip her kimono back onto her body practically panting now from nervousness. Tears beaded at the corner of her eyes as she quickly ran back to her quarters, slamming the door behind her. She covered her mouth with her hand to silence the sob that was prying at her throat. She couldn’t begin to process what had just transpired and her thoughts were scattered… He was going to be furious with her and she knew it. The fear of what he would do to retaliate for her rejection was growing in the back of her mind. She couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. What was she going to do? 

“Aruna?”

She gazed up to find Kaede’s eyes filled with worry. “K-Kaede…”

Her servant rushed toward her as Aruna’s legs finally gave out and held her close.

===

“She’s resting now. Once she’s awake and cleaned up I’ll send her for breakfast.”

Aruna stirred from under the plush blankets at Kaede’s voice. Her eyes fluttered open, squinting immediately at the bright sunlight spilling into the room. She used her forearm to shield her eyes, rolling onto her side and curling into a fetal position as she pulled the blankets closer to her body. The warmth alone was enough to almost lull her back into slumber, but she knew she would not be able to sleep for much longer.

She assumed the servants that had come to disturb her were those of Sukuna’s trying to force her to join him…for something. Aruna pulled the blanket over her head. “It can’t be morning already…” she mumbled to herself. 

“It is, Aruna,” Kaede replied,walking toward her bed. “Do you need to rest longer? I can send word that you’re ill.”

“…what does Sukuna want?”

“I believe he wanted you to accompany him at breakfast.” Kaede paused for a moment. “I can tell him you’re unwell this morning—”

Shaking her head, Aruna rose from bed before trying to smooth out her crimson locks. “Explain to his servants that I need to bathe and I will join him.”

Kaede bowed before preparing Aruna’s bath and then rushing to the door and explaining that Aruna would join him in an hour or so. The servants left before Aruna stepped up to the tube and stripped off her clothing. She dipped her toe into the hot water to check the temperature, when she was satisfied she stepped into the tub before submerging her body. The smells of lavender and rose mixed in the air as Kaede began adding oils to help Aruna’s skin. A content sigh fell from Aruna’s lips as her eyes slipped shut. Relaxing against the tub she felt Kaede pick up her limbs and begin scrubbing her skin. 

“Are you sure you’re well enough?”

A smile curled over Aruna’s lips. “He wasn’t unkind to me yesterday,” she said softly. “I feel like I owe him some kindness back.”

“You were in tears?”

Aruna nodded. “Because I was scared but when I refused his touch… he didn’t retaliate. He simply let me leave. I was scared about the retaliation that never came.”

Kaede said nothing more before rinsing Aruna’s body off. She helped Aruna stand up before stepping out of the tub. A towel was held open for Aruna before wrapping the plush towel around her body. Aruna sat down at her vanity before grabbing her brush, running it through her hair. 

Her bedroom door swung open, slamming against the wall before she heard Sukuna snarling as he entered her bedroom. Sighing, Aruna looked at Kaede as she shook her head. 

“He’s so impatient…”

The door to her bathroom swung open before slamming against the wall. His eyes were redder than usual. “You dare to keep me waiting?”

“You’re so impatient,” Aruna said as she resumed brushing her long hair. “I was going to join you after my bath.” Aruna motioned for Kaede to exit the room. She watched his reflection approaching her from behind before she felt his hands rest on her bare shoulders. His nails pressed into her delicate flesh leaving behind small indentations littered across her skin.

She watched him in the mirror as he continued to stay silent. His gaze met hers in the reflection before his curled into a smirk. An amused chuckle moved past his lips before releasing his grip on her shoulders.

“That easily?”

Aruna was confused by his words. “What?”

“So easily you join me when you put up such a fight yesterday?”

“…I can always change my mind if you’d prefer me not to accept your invitation, master.”

His fingers slipped through her hair before chuckling again. “Such sharp words for a lady…”

Aruna ignored his statement. “May I get dressed?”

Sukuna tilted his head. “No one is stopping you.”

“You can’t be in here while Kaede helps me with my kimono,” she hissed. 

Sukuna hummed clearly still amused before exiting the bathroom and sending Kaede to assist Aruna with dressing. “I’ll be waiting, pet.”

Aruna cursed under her breath before standing up and allowing the towel around her body to fall to the floor and pool at her feet. Kaede held up another red and white kimono that she had picked out for Aruna to wear for the day. 

“It’s beautiful Kaede,” Aruna said thoughtfully as she slipped on the fabric with Kaede’s assistance. “It’s very me.”

“Of course,” she said, smiling. “Red and white are your colors… I think Sukuna noticed. He made sure several more were made in these colors…”

Confusion filled her face. “…I wonder why?”

“Perhaps because you are beautiful Aruna…regardless of being a slave to him and he knows that.”

She began to wonder if that was in fact true. She recalled the events that led up to her father selling her to Sukuna, despite him seeking her out beforehand. Her eyes fell to her hands resting in her lap as the images of that elderly merchant naming price after price for a dowry to wed Aruna. 

And she had refused. 

The image of her father’s furious face and words flashed through her mind for tarnishing the family’s name. A harlot, he had called her, despite explaining the inappropriate touching from the elderly man. How he had followed her into a field while she was gathering ingredients for dinner and attempted to disrobe her. 

And the man expects her to marry that monster?

It was laughable. 

“Aruna?”

Forcing a smile, Aruna stood up from her chair before thanking Kaede and took her leave into the hallway to join Sukuna for dinner. While yes, he has also touched her inappropriately at times, disrobed her without her consent, among other atrocities he had committed against other humans - not just her… Aruna felt safer here than she ever did with her family. 

Sukuna had time and time again mentioned he very much enjoyed her retorts and her attitude. It was strange, but refreshing to say the least. And while she knew she couldn’t keep him away from her innocence forever, she was managing to prolong it as long as possible. He, at least, seemed to respect when she would firmly tell him no. Not like the other men out there who just viewed her as a prize to be won and used up however they saw fit. And perhaps, this arrangement would have its benefits too, while selfish of her yes… it was nice to be spoiled and desired.

It all felt different.

“Aruna.”

His voice cut through her thoughts nearly causing her to freeze in place in the doorway. His eyes roved up her body before smirking at the kimono Kaede had picked out for her to wear. Quickly, she regained her composure before bowing and taking her place across from him at the table. Spying up and down the length of the table were other women he used for his own needs…

All were staring at her. 

Whispering. 

Aruna’s eyes fell to her plate as she decided to focus on eating despite all eyes being focused solely on her. It was evident she had become his “favorite” being lavished with gifts and even a special bedroom. Something these other girls could only dream of… except one other girl. 

“Sukuna—”

Her voice dripped like honey as she appeared behind him, her blonde hair braided into a special kind of updo. She repeated his name as her arms draped around his shoulders before his hand shot up and he nearly shoved her away. “Not now,” he ordered with his gaze fixated on Aruna. “I’m busy.”

“Master,” Aruna said, frowning at the treatment of the other girl. “You shouldn’t shove her-”

“I’m focused on you right now. She can’t wait.”

“…why exactly?” she questioned. “I’m merely eating.”

“I’ve told you before,” he replied, tilting his head playfully at her. “I find your hair just magical, like blood.”

Shuddering, Aruna returned her attention back to her meal. “…thank you, Master.”

He smirked. “You are very welcome.”

God, she could feel her stomach begin to churn at the thought that he fetished her hair to that of blood. While he had mentioned it several times, it still didn’t seem to normalize with her. But she had to thank him, to keep appeasing him. This was all a game she had decided she would win, and make sure her family paid for what they had done to her. 

One move at a time.

She had to keep his interest in her piqued. 

“Master,” Aruna said, looking up at him. “I’m finished eating. I’ll be heading back to my room.”

Aruna stood up from her place at the table before turning to walk back down the corridor that led to her bedroom. She didn’t give him a chance to respond to her statement, sighing as she slowed her pace once a fair amount of distance was between her and him. A sigh moved past her lips before leaning against the wall. This plan she had… It was manipulative, but being a saint here would get her killed. She knew that. But some days, it was harder to keep up the facade that his stares and the growing hunger in his eyes didn’t bother her. 

“I don’t exactly see what the fuss is about…”

Aruna turned to see the girl from earlier. “I’m sorry?”

“Aruna,” she said, taking another step toward her. “You're just another phase that quickly fizzles out. You know that right? And he’ll come right back to me.”

“Hoshi…” Aruna said, rubbing her eyes. “Do you truly believe I want to be here? I was sold here, practically as a slave. I’m merely doing what I need to do to survive, like all of us here.”

Her eyes narrowed at Aruna. “Just remember. I’ve been here long before you and I’ll be here after you’re gone.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Aruna said before taking her leave toward her bedroom. She shut the door before a frustrated sigh fell from her lips. While the handful of other women who managed to live this long all had expiration dates over their heads, it was strange that Sukuna had found interest in keeping her and Hoshi alive. 

“Aruna,” Kaede said, frowning. “Are you alright?”

“…I just need a moment alone.”

—

The sun warmed her face as she walked barefoot through the grounds outside with Kaede following close behind her. Her lips curled into a smile as a small breeze blew through her long locks before she sat down in the tall blades of grass. She reached out and managed to pick some of the wildflowers growing near her. Moments like this were rare where she was allowed outside with just her servant, but she always appreciated them. Calm and quiet… It was perfect.

“Kaede. Leave us.”

Aruna’s quiet moment was interrupted by Sukuna’s voice commanding her servant. She glanced over her shoulder, watching him come closer. 

“Did I do something wrong?”

Sukuna was behind her now and shook her head. “No.”

“Am I not allowed to be here?”

Sukuna sighed. “You may. It’s not like you could escape,” he commented before grasping the wrist with the blackened mark. “I’d always find you.”

“Then why did you come?”

“Do you enjoy it out here?”

She was afraid to answer truthfully, unsure of what his reaction would be. Would he forbid her from coming here? Would he destroy this place so she could never enjoy the peace and quiet? But the fear of what would happen if she answered with a lie… it overrode the fear of the truth. 

Aruna frowned. “I love wildflowers… So yes.”

“…then it’s yours.”

“The field?” she questioned, tilting her head. 

“Yes.”

“…why?”

A sour expression flashed across his face. “I can’t do something nice without being questioned?!”

“Well, no. I’m just confused…”

He didn’t respond. His eyes were once again fixated on her flowy locks of crimson hair before he reached out, moving his fingers through her hair. “Will nothing make you happy here?”

Aruna scoffed. “Why would I be happy in a place I was sold into…like a slave?”

���You’re going to piss me off…”

A sigh moved past her lips. “What a surprise.”

“What can I possibly give you that will make you happy?!”

Her eyes widened in surprise as she turned toward Sukuna, confused by his words. Happy? Why would he care if she was happy? Her stormy eyes narrowed as she locked eyes with his crimson gaze. Suspicious by his words, she was sick of this game and just wanted answers at this point. 

“…why do you want me to be happy?”

His hand came out as one of his claws gently moved along her cheek before his lips turned up into a smirk. “We’re going to be together for quite some time,” he said, leaning into her. “And perhaps I’m trying to make this as comfortable as—”

Aruna pulled back before cutting off his sentence with her sudden movements. “What do you want?”

“Is it always about what I want?”

“You said it yourself,” Aruna replied, rolling her eyes. “You never make deals without some gain on your end.”

His smirk grew wider. “Ah yes,” he whispered. “It seems you do pay attention to my words. You. I want you.”

“What do I get in return?”

“Name your price…”

She hadn’t honestly expected this event as she sat back on her knees and looked away from him. She wondered if she should be so bold as to ask for him to punish her family… or the disgusting man they attempted to force her to marry. The same man who attempted to… 

Tears formed in the back of her eyes as the memories formed in the back of her mind. Her finger came up, wiping them away quickly as she tried to regain her composure. She prayed Sukuna had not noticed her moment of weakness.

“Aruna,” he said simply. “Name your price. Anything you want. Money, flowers, clothes-”

“A man’s head.”

He seemed a bit taken aback by her words. “A man’s head?” he repeated her words back.

Aruna merely nodded. “He was a monster… kill him and I’m yours.”

“Do you wish to watch him die?”

“…yes.”

“Give me the name,” he said. “And we have a deal.”

—

“You little, red headed witch!”

Aruna had been summoned to Sukuna’s domain where he sat on his throne with a smirk curled over his lips as he pointed casually at the man held captive in front of the throne. Shackles held his limbs down as the man glared up at her. Aruna swallowed hard as she too a few steps toward the very merchant she was supposed to marry.

“You little, fucking witch!”

Her lips dipped into a frown. “A witch?”

“Yes,” he spat, tucking on his shackles. “You’re nothing more than a curse to your family… bringing the wrath of Sukuna on us—!”

“If I recall,” Aruna interrupted. “You were the monster in the alley who attacked me because I rejected your proposal. What gives you the right to try and disrobe me when I didn’t wish to marry you!”

His eyes narrowed. “You were asking for it. Flaunting your figure like that. Like a whore.”

Her eyes caught Sukuna’s hand twitching at the man’s insults hurling toward her. Aruna scoffed in response before crossing her arms over her chest. “Perhaps… that’s exactly what my family needs. A curse,” she said simply. “For selling their daughter like a slave.”

“You bitch!”

The man continued to hurl insults at Aruna as her mind fell back to the night after she rejected his proposal. Her father’s anger and disappointment ringing in her ears as she had run off to escape his tirade. She had found herself in town, trying to take her mind off everything… especially her family. 

When she was grabbed. 

She was grabbed and pulled into an alley and met with the eyes of the wealthy merchant who had to be twice her age who had wished for her hand in marriage. Aruna had always wished for more in her life than to be a “trophy wife” as many men her village had labeled her. Her family’s wealth and her “exotic” red hair was something that gave her status. 

But also so much trouble. 

This disgusting human being, she recalled, pulling at her kimono trying to disrobe her and violate her in an alley. Was she nothing more than property to be owned? By a man? A man as pathetic as one who had to try and force himself on a woman? There was no way she was going to allow this man and his insults to change her thoughts on what punishment he deserved in this life. 

“You disgusting woman!” The merchant shouted, tearing her from her thoughts. “Your demonic hair is a curse to your entire family! Red haired demon.”

“That’s enough,” Sukuna said, clearly bored with the conversation as he hopped down from his throne and stood behind the man. His eyes darted up to Aruna’s before a hand grabbed the man’s hair, jerking him up. “Remember our agreement, pet. Are you sure you want me to do this?”

Her eyes moved back to the merchant’s eyes which were blown out in fear as his body became rigid. “What would happen if I changed my mind?” she questioned. 

“I still kill him. I’m bored.” Aruna opened her mouth to respond when his free hand shot up to silence her. “But I would remind you, pet… do you want a man like this to continue to exist after all the vile things he tried to do to you?”

“…as if your attempts weren’t vile.”

Sukuna smirked more. “You seem to enjoy our game… deny it all you like,” he replied. “Decide now. There’s no going back after this.”

“…kill him.”

He seemed pleased with her response as he showered with praise before his claws elongated and moved to the merchant’s throat, toying at the location of his main artery. “You wanted his head, didn’t you?”

Aruna nodded. “…yes master.”

His claws sliced through the man’s throat before his body fell limp and collapsed to the floor. Sukuna held the head up by the man’s hair as blood began pooling around the body. An eerie cackle erupted from Sukuna before he tossed the head of the merchant to Aruna’s feet. 

“Are you happy now?”

It was an odd sensation as relief washed over Aruna before she watched the decapitated head stop at her feed. She looked up at Sukuna. She was surprised that he so easily killed this man… her abuser. 

“Aruna.” His voice became stern. “Answer me.”

“…you don’t use my name often. I apologize.”

“Are you happy now?”

Was this happiness? Her emotions were confusing her as the relief continued to wash over her and tears beaded in the corner of her eyes. 

“…yes.”

Sukuna motioned for her to come stand next to him as she quickly stepped through the blood before standing next to him. “Are you lying?” he asked. 

Aruna shook her head. “No.”

“Then why are you crying?”

“…he was a monster,” she whispered, looking away. “One that kept me up at night.”

“And I'm not?”

Aruna swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m not scared of you,” she replied. “Not like I was him.”

His fingers threaded through her hair. “Do you remember your part of the deal?”

“Of course.”

“And you’re still willing?”

She turned to look up at him. “You gave me his head.”

“And?”

“It’s my part of the arrangement,” Aruna replied before sighing.  “You’re asking a lot of questions. It seems you may not be the one willing…”

His smirk grew at her small jab. “Ah yes. Come on then,” he said, tugging her toward the blood pooling on the floor. 

“Here?”

“Of course. Your hair is like blood. How fitting, right?”

A visible look of disgust flashed over Aruna’s face. “You’re disgusting…”

Sukuna merely shrugged before moving behind her as his hands snaked around to the front of her kimono. His claws ripped at the fabric before it fell to her feet, revealing her nude form. 

“How ironic for him…” Sukuna commented, scoffing as he kicked the corpse. 

It was strange as Aruna didn’t feel as uncomfortable being naked her as she had in the past. Perhaps, she was used to him just disrobing her whenever he saw fit. And while Sukuna was a monster, she felt she owed this to him not only for her own survival, but for destroying such a disgusting human being. His hands moved down the curve of her waist before one disappeared and suddenly a couple of torches were lit. She assumed he had used some sort of curse technique to cause that. 

“Lay on your back.”

“In the blood?” she questioned. 

“I need you to.”

Aruna frowned before she laid back into the pool of blood. It felt sticky and hot against her skin… and the smell was strange. She looked up at Sukuna as his eyes darted around at certain points of her body. She couldn’t figure out what all this was for. 

He smirked before grabbing her marked wrist, bringing it up to his mouth and biting the tender flesh. Aruna winced as her own blood seeped from the bite. She noticed that his other two arms were no longer hidden. One swift movement and wrists were pinned down over her head by one hand, another over her mouth to silence her protests, and the other two grasping her thighs for the time being and holding her in place. 

“Now,” he said. “You’re going to listen to me or I’ll end up hurting you. Do you understand?”

Aruna nodded. 

“Good,” he said as he removed the hand from her mouth. “Close your eyes…”

She obeyed without protest. 

He leaned into her neck, biting. “You’re mine now…”

“Yes master,” she replied before a soft moan moved past her lips at the sensation on her neck. 

“Now… just keep your eyes closed, until I tell you otherwise. Can you do that?”

“Yes, master.”

He began to disrobe.

“That’s right…” he said. “That’s my girl.”

[dark-mnjiro]

crown of thorns .05.

Author’s Note: Part five is here everyone!!! I’m almost done with the final part to post on ao3 and I’m planning to have it done for next Sunday so that way we stay on task for the weekly updates. I’m debating on an epilogue right now but we’ll see how many loose ends get tied up by the end of part six lmfao. But yes, part 6 will be the final actual part (again I’m still debating an epilogue). Enjoy guys!!!

Warnings: sukuna x f!original character, king of curses!sukuna, dubcon, a dash of noncon here and there, slavery, human trafficking (in a sense), sexism, master/slave relationship, explicit s*xual content, oral s*x (female and male receiving), explicit language, murder, torture, blood rituals, marking, angst, rough s*x, sukuna using his multiple mouths, manipulative relationship (both sides), eventual queen, choking, extreme violence, a very realistic (and not nice) sukuna.

===

Part Five

“Queen?”

Sukuna tugged her arm causing her to stumble slightly as she tried to keep pace with him. “Yes,” he said sternly. “Queen.” Confusion filled her eyes as she watched Sukuna sit down on his throne. Sighing, Aruna moved to take her place at his feet before he quickly stopped her. “No,” he growled, motioning for her to sit on his lap. “Here now.”

Again confused, Aruna complied with his request before sitting down on his lap as she immediately felt one of his arms encircle around her waist tightly. She wasn’t sure how to react or what to say at his sudden change but… at least she didn’t have to sit on the floor surrounded by bones left behind by the many people and curses he had slaughtered. His hand moved up her back before twirling a strand of her crimson hair. Her eyes moved to catch his gaze, staring back at her with a smirk curled over his lips.

“...master?”

“I absolutely adore your hair,” he said offhandedly, still twirling the strand between his fingers.

Aruna nodded. “Yes, you’ve mentioned that before.”

The strand slowly slipped through his fingers before his grip tightened around her waist. Why had he become so possessive suddenly55? She wasn’t used to this behavior from him… she was much more accustomed to his gruff and violent nature, not the amount of care he was showing - even for just a moment. She felt his body lean into hers as his nose nuzzled into her hair, taking in a deep breath.

“Like flowers,” he commented. “I would be a fool to let you slip away.”

“Master,” Aruna whispered. “I suppose I’m confused by-”

“I’m going to live forever, you know?” he whispered, dangerously close to her ear. “With you by my side.”

His words, themselves, sent shivers down her spine as his tongue darted out and ran along the shell of her ear. She shifted, nervously, in his lap earning a chuckle to escape his lips and only willing him to hold her tighter. His words seemed to have a different effect on her now and she wasn’t sure why. Heat began to pool between her legs, urging her to clench her thighs tighter together. 

“What’s wrong?” he inquired with a smirk still evident on his lips. It was as if he knew exactly what was wrong with her and the idea of that infuriated her. “You can tell me.”

Aruna scowled at his words before turning away. She forced herself to smile. “I’m fine,” she said sharply. “Thank you.”

Suddenly, she felt a hand begin to slide down the length of her stomach and stopping just above her her pubic bone. Her body tensed at his touch as she felt her thighs clench again even tighter this time. The heat pooling between her legs was becoming unbearable now. Another hand grasped her wrist, the marked one, bringing it up to his lips before planting a kiss against the black marking. Her body shuddered as pleasure shot down her spine. 

“See what I’ve done?” he cooed into her ear before nibbling at her wrist. “You’re my queen now and I’m the only one that can make this aching go away… do you understand, my pretty little pet?” His teeth grazed the marking again earning a gasp to leave her lips. So that’s what he had done during that ritual, and god knows what else. “This is just the beginning, you know… We’re going to together a very long time, my pet.”

“M-master…”

“What’s that?” he whispered, nibbling at her wrist just enough to break the skin.

“I-I.”

“Use your words.”

Inwardly, she was cursing him, wishing she could think straight long enough to make a full sentence, mostly to insult him and his disgusting perversions. But at the same time, she wished he would throw her onto the ground and take her again just as he had before. Her body was betraying her and she cursed at the idea that he would be the only person that would ever make her feel…full. 

“We can’t,” she managed to say. “Not here… with your servants.”

“Later then?”

“...yes. Just make it stop for now…please?”

“Anything you want, my queen.”

That title, Aruna wasn’t sure how it made her feel. While it solidified her servitude to Sukuna for the rest of her life. Perhaps, it wasn’t so bad. Anything she wanted? He had proven he was willing to kill to make her happy… to earn her trust. Maybe this was the way she could enact her revenge on her family.

“Something on your mind?”

His voice tore her from her thoughts as she noticed the heat between her legs had begun to subside. Turning toward him, Aruna chewed on her lower lip. “Master…?”

“Yes?”

“Would you kill my family?”

He was silent. “Why?”

“For everything, they’ve put me through,” she admitted. “I suppose I don’t understand why my family would be willing to sell me so easily because I refused to marry such a disgusting, old man…”

“Consider it done,” Sukuna replied, resting his chin in his hand. “I need time to prepare though.”

“I understand.”

One of his hands came up to play with her hair yet again before touching the red spider lily hairpiece he had given her. “Do you like it?”

Aruna nodded. “It’s beautiful.”

His fingers moved over the hairpiece, tracing over the details. Aruna was confused by his actions before she felt a weird shift in energy. Her eyes moved to his face, blinking. It wasn’t painful but… the feeling building up inside of her was beginning to feel strange.

“What are you doing?” she finally asked.

“Making sure,” he said, cryptically before his eyes met hers. “-you stay mine forever.” What could he possibly mean by that? She would eventually die, right? She was human, a mortal. “You won’t ever truly die, you know that right?”

“...what?”

“This object… was a gift,” he explained. “From a friend who helped me achieve my power and now you’ll be my side - even after our physical bodies perish.”

“S-Sukuna-”

“Do you feel the cursed energy?” he questioned as his smirk grew wider. 

Aruna shook her head vigorously. “That’s not possible! A human can’t just become-”

“With the right object and powerful energy,” Sukuna explained. “Absolutely.” Her hand shot up and grabbed the hairpiece and ripped it out of her hair, trying to stop whatever it was he was attempting to do. Sukuna merely laughed at her. “Did you think that hairpiece is the reason? Did you forget about the ritual we had done-”

Aruna’s face paled as she remembered how Sukuna had insisted on having sex in the pool of blood of the man she had asked him to kill. Had that, oh no… 

“You tricked me.”

“Put the hairpiece in your hair,” he insisted. “While the ritual I performed when I fucked you was where it all took place… that hairpiece will keep this new cursed energy under control until you’re able to control it yourself. You should really thank Kenjaku for being so helpful in our relationship.”

“I hate you.”

Sukuna scoffed before his hand encircled around her neck. “You didn’t hate me when I slaughtered that pathetic excuse for a human being,” he hissed into her ear. “You didn’t hate me when I gave you orgasm after orgasm… quit being such a little, ungrateful brat.”

The grip around her throat became tighter as a small whimper moved past her lips. Would he so easily kill her after proclaiming her as his queen? Perhaps, it wasn’t the time to chance that, at least not while he had his hand growing tighter around her throat. “I’m sorry,” she uttered before his grip weakened, letting her take a deep breath of fresh air again. “I didn’t mean to upset you-”

“I know this is all very confusing,” he said, his voice not mirroring the concern he was trying to convey. “I will explain more as time goes on. For now, just be content being my queen.”

“...of course.”

===

The sounds of people eating and talking echoed in the small banquet hall as Aruna walked in, trying to find something to eat. Immediately, everyone stopped to look at her as several of Sukuna’s servants jumped to their feet to attempt to assist her. Overwhelmed, Aruna waved off the servants in hopes they would accept her dismissal. One insisted for a moment until Aruna assured him that she did not need anything and she was more than capable of making her own food. 

Sighing, Aruna took a seat at the table before sipping her tea and nibbling on a bowl of rice in hopes of settling her nervous stomach. Thankfully, Kaede’s tea had worked several times and Aruna was happily greeted by her monthly cycle, but it didn’t stop her nerves from making her sick at the thought of Sukuna still attempting to force her into carrying his heir. 

“Idiot,” she mumbled mostly to herself. “Why would he need a heir if we’re going to live forever…?”

“I don’t understand.”

Aruna’s eyes widened a bit as she recognized the voice from behind her belonging to Hoshi. She turned to face the blonde with confusion in her eyes. “I’m sorry?”

“Why you…?”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand, Hoshi?”

Her eyes narrowed in fury. “Why you?” she hissed. “Why did he pick you?! You’re so ungrateful-”

Sighing, Aruna had gone through this onslaught of insults day after day from Hoshi especially since Sukuna’s servants had begun to dote on her more so than the other female concubines. Day after day, Hoshi had loudly voiced her complaints toward Aruna’s new status and constantly spewing insult after insult at her. It had become quite tiresome for the redhead.

“Do you have any idea what he’s like?” Aruna prodded, tilting her head at the blonde. “What I’ve dealt with to become what I am?”

“Of course-”

“Beyond him just fucking you from behind in a corridor because I happened to be bathing that very moment-”

Hoshi’s eyes went wide as disgust filled her expression. “I’ll have you know-”

Scoffing, Aruna raised her hand as she waved off the blonde before turning back toward her meal. “He sliced off a man’s head in front of me,” she explained. “And we fucked next to the man’s corpse… laying in his blood. You know nothing Hoshi. You’re just a toy and I’m sick of you insulting me when you have no idea what I went through to get here.” Aruna paused as she took a sip of her tea. “Face it. You’re just another whore waiting to be tossed into the garbage and I’ll gladly watch him throw you away.”

“You can’t possibly mean that-”

“Hoshi. Had you been just a bit kinder to me and the other girls - perhaps we’d be having a different conversation? Tread lightly,” Aruna said, her voice growing darker. “One word. That’s all I need to breathe into his ear and you’ll disappear.”

Hoshi took a step back, almost stumbling on her own feet. “You-you!”

Aruna looked bored. “You may leave.”

“You don’t order me-”

Sighing, Aruna snapped her fingers which immediately summon Kaede to her side. “Kaede, could you remove her from my sight? I’m trying to eat in peace,” she said, smiling. “Thank you…” Kaede motioned for a few of the male servants to quickly remove Hoshi from the eating quarters as Aruna let out an exasperated breath. She couldn’t understand why that girl was so furious with her position now… not like she had it any better. Aruna was constantly answering every summon Sukuna made - while the other girls seemed to only have to sleep with him and then be free to do as they choose, unless…

She paused for a moment, realizing several of these girls would soon lose their lives and she wondered if that was why Hoshi was so resistant to Aruna’s place as his queen… “his favorite”. Aruna was sure if she stepped too far out of line, Sukuna could just as easily switch roles and slaughter her just as quickly as these other concubines. But at the same time, whatever she asked for, anything she wanted or wished… He always seemed to provide it to her - despite some of the attitudes she seemed to spew at him at times. 

“Aruna?”

Her stormy eyes caught Kaede’s gaze as she forced a smile. “Sorry,” she muttered. “Lost in thought.”

“Master Sukuna is requesting your presence.”

Her eyes slowly slipped shut before another sigh left her lips. “Of course he is.”

“I did inform him that you were eating,” Kaede said. “That you wished to finish.”

“I’ve lost my appetite, to be honest,” she admitted before standing up. She smoothed out her red kimono before adjusting the hairpiece he had given her. The red spider lily hairpiece had become a staple in her accessories and she wore it often. Yes, it had become a favorite gift. “What does he want?”

“...Master Kenjaku is visiting.”

Aruna’s blood ran cold at the mention of Kenjaku’s name. She felt her stomach churn with nervousness. She would often accompany Sukuna in many of his meetings and she had grown used to the talks of violence, but she had never grown used to the visits with Kenjaku. 

“Of course…”

“Will you be alright?”

Aruna forced a smile. “Master Sukuna won’t let him near me, rest assured. He did at least promise me that.”

“Understood,” Kaede said before bowing.

Aruna gently touched Kaede on the shoulder before making her way toward Sukuna’s throne room as she followed the torches that littered the dimly lit corridor. Pausing, she reached two large double doors. Her fists tightened due to nervousness before Sukuna’s servants opened the door for her. 

It was almost immediate that she felt eyes on her as she entered the dark room. Her eyes darted up to catch crimson eyes staring back at her before Sukuna’s lips curled into a smirk. She tried to ignore the other set of dark eyes studying her every movement. She quickly made it to Sukuna’s side, feeling a bit of safety standing next to him.

“You took your time, pet.”

Aruna glanced up at him. “I was trying to eat. You’re so impatient.”

She heard him chuckle as one of his hands moved to the small of her back and tugged her closer to him. It was as if he had sensed her nervousness and was attempting to make her feel at ease. She had complained often about Kenjaku’s staring problem and perhaps Sukuna was finally taking it seriously.

“Looking at anything interesting?” Sukuna questioned, tilting his head at Kenjaku.

Smiling, Kenjaku merely bowed at Aruna’s presence. “I’m sorry for staring,” he replied. “Your queen is just so…perfect. Especially that beautiful ornament in her hair. Where did you get it?”

Sukuna shrugged in response. “It doesn't matter.”

“Was it a gift, Aruna?”

Her body stiffened once Kenjaku addressed her. Her eyes slowly moved to meet his gaze, trying to show a fairly apathetic expression. She refused to let this monster intimidate her. Sighing, she allowed the corners of her lips to dip into a frown. “...yes.”

“And you willingly accepted it?”

“Of course,” she paused, turning toward Sukuna. “I don’t understand what-”

“Address your questions with me,” Sukuna quickly interjected with his eyes remaining on Kenjaku and silencing Aruna.

Confused, Aruna fell silent as she watched Kenjaku merely chuckle as his eyes remained fixated on her expression. Did this have to do with Sukuna’s scheme to somehow make them immortal? Perhaps she could probe him further for answers when they were alone.

“Aruna,” Sukuna’s voice cut through her thoughts. 

“Hm?”

“You may leave.”

“But, master, I wish to stay and hear-”

Sukuna scoffed. “I ordered you to leave.”

Aruna fell silent as she turned to exit his chambers, leaving Kenjaku and Sukuna to talk alone. She strained her ears, trying to catch the beginning of the conversation as it faded in the distance as the door shut. Her fists tightened as she heard Sukuna remark that she was nothing, but a stupid woman who could never understand their plans. Perhaps, she had grown used to him being a bit kinder lately and now she was paying for it thanks to his insults behind closed doors.

“...so rude.”

Relaxing her fists, Aruna brushed back her crimson hair before forcing herself to wear a blank expression while she made her way down the corridor. Had it already gotten that late, she asked herself as she glanced out to see the moon poking through the horizon? Her lips tugged into a smile as she made her way outside to catch some of the night flowers blooming. She lowered herself onto her knees, taking in the scent of the fresh air and flowers around her. 

Sometimes, she felt this was the only place where she felt truly happy. Right here, in this flower field. Her fings gingerly brushed over the petals of the freshly bloomed flowers as the moonlight brightened just enough of the field that she could make out the shapes and colors. 

“My favorite,” she mused as she barely touched the petals of a red spider lily. “Look how beautiful you are… and look how beautiful you look under the moon.” She was disappointed that it was not a full moon. Aruna could never understand, but she loved the full moon and how it would light up the night sky.

She had always found peace at night. Perhaps it was because her name meant moon and love. All the girls in her family had names that were related to the moon in some way while all the boys in the family were given names that revolved around the sun. Sometimes, she believed that was another way her family would often keep women under men… by naming them something less important compared to the sun.

“Keep growing little one,” she whispered to the flower.

“What are you doing out here at night, pet?”

Aruna didn’t turn to see who was behind her as she recognized the voice immediately. It was Sukuna, clearly finished with his meeting with Kenjaku. “Finished?” she asked, flatly as she was still irritated by his comment.

“So cold, my pet,” he commented. “Are you angry with me?”

“If I was,” she said. “Would you even care?”

“Probably not,” Sukuna scoffed before kneeling next to her. His fingers threaded through her crimson locks before leaning his face into her ear. He tucked the strand of hair behind her ear as his nose brushed against her ear. “You know you can’t resist me for long. Why are angry?”

An exasperated sigh moved past her lips. “I heard what you said.”

“What?”

Aruna turned to face him. “I heard what you said, about me.”

“Aruna-”

“That I’m too stupid to understand whatever was going on in your meeting?” she repeated.

Sukuna merely smirked. “Do you think I would say you’re too stupid on purpose?” he questioned. “You’re quite smart. I sensed you were unnerved and I had to appease him without him getting offended by your leave. Believe it or not, I knew you were uncomfortable around him.”

Aruna frowned. “...you did?”

His brows furrowed. “Something else is wrong.”

“It irritates me that you can read my mind.”

“Can I make you feel better?”

Sighing, Aruna looked back at the spider lily. “Fucking me isn’t going to fix this.”

“Well, maybe it’ll fix your attitude.”

“...you’re disgusting.”

Sukuna crossed his arms before huffing with annoyance for just a moment. His hand reached out before grasping some of her hair as the strands slipped between his fingers Aruna’s movements paused as she glanced at him over her shoulder to see what exactly he was doing before noticing his claws elongating and continuing to thread through her crimson locks. He continued to repeat the movements much to her confusion. 

“Master?”

His hand moved to her throat, his grip not too hard but enough to catch her a bit off guard as she was forced onto the ground. Her stormy eyes widened as she landed on her back while Sukuna towered over her again. His hand moved from her throat, ghosting down her body forcing open her kimono. Looking away, Aruna averted her eyes from him knowing there was no stopping him when he would act like this. 

His hands started ripping away the opening of her kimono before his lips curled into a smirk. His eyes dipped to her chest before catching glimpses of her breasts. His head dipped between her breasts before he bit at her skin with his fangs. A small whine of pleasure moved past her lips before her hands came up to his chest, trying to gently push him away.

“...what?”

Frowning, Aruna looked back up at Sukuna. “...I-”

His eyes narrowed. “What happened?”

Aruna sighed a bit. “Just an incident,” she mumbled. “With one of the other girls trying to threaten me. I’m just frustrated.”

Sukuna pulled back. “Is that why you’re in such a foul mood today?”

Sighing, Aruna tried to adjust the opening of her kimono as Sukuna managed to get off of her. He questioned which one of the girls was not respecting her placement among them and Aruna reluctantly gave up Hoshi’s name. 

His eyes narrowed more and flashed a dangerous red color. “…why have you not mentioned this before?”

She shrugged her shoulders as Sukuna once again reached out but this time gingerly touched her face with his claws. His displays of affection were foreign to her but not unwelcome. 

“Aruna. Tell me.”

His voice was much more sinister this time.

“Why would it matter?” she asked. “I’m not-“

“Because. You’re my Queen and disrespecting you is disrespecting me and my commands,” he replied, his voice growing even darker. “What would you like to do to her as punishment?”

“Me?”

One side of his lips curled into a smirk again. “Yes my queen,” he said. “I want you to decide her punishment.”

What did Aruna want? She wasn’t sure if she wanted to harm the girl but at the same time… she had begun to feel less like herself over time. It was a strange sensation knowing she had absolute power over someone’s very life. And Aruna would be lying if she said it wasn’t becoming addicting. She was correct in saying one word to Sukuna and she could destroy anything she wanted. Perhaps her plan was the best option for survival…

She was now a queen. 

“Pet?”

Her ears perked at his words before forcing herself to smile at him. “May I think about it?”

“Of course.”

“Master,” she practically purred. “How shall I thank you?”

His eyes dipped to the skin barely peeking out from the opening of her kimono before the grin on his face grew. “First,” he instructed. “Remove that…”

Aruna slowly moved to slip off the top portion of her kimono as Sukuna leaned in and nearly attacked her neck. His sharp teeth grazed her delicate flesh, causing her to lay back on the ground again. 

“Master?”

“Don’t act coy,” he growled before pushing open the bottom of her kimono as well. “This is my thanks…” he said simply. “Now lay back and take it.”

Her face flushed. “Of course, master.”

===

“How could you!”

Aruna remained perched up on the arm of Sukuna’s throne while he threw Hoshi down onto the floor beneath her. Her expression is void of any other emotion apart from boredom at Hoshi’s cries. Her dark eyes glanced up at Sukuna who merely smirked in response. 

“You’re a witch! A curse!”

Sighing, Aruna stood up from her seat. “Many have called me that,” she stated. “I’m beginning to think it’s true.”

Tilting his head, Sukuna scoffed. “You are no witch, Aruna,” he stated before turning his attention to Hoshi. “Why do you resist her?”

Hoshi’s eyes went wide as she looked up to meet Sukuna’s intense gaze. “I—”

“There must be a reason,” he continued. “With all those remarks you’ve made about her.”

“Master Sukuna,” she pleaded. “I don’t understand why you choose her so easily when myself and others—”

“I’m fairly certain I can make decisions for myself,” he countered. “And my queen. You have no idea what she’s been through to get here. You have barely paid any price to be where you are.”

Aruna crossed her arms as she continued to listen to Sukuna berate Hoshi with insults regarding how she had chosen to treat her. She hated to admit she felt nothing but apathy toward the girl when before she had felt at least pity. It was a strange sensation, not feeling any sort of remorse and she began to wonder if this was a side effect of the ritual or perhaps the cursed object he had given her as a gift - that seemingly turned her into the same monster he was. 

While he was devoid of any human emotions, Aruna had managed to hold on to some - at least for now. But her distaste for people who wronged her had begun to grow. Her eyes fell to Hoshi, staring up at her with wide eyes almost pleading for mercy. And yet, Aruna could not feel one ounce of pity or remorse. 

Is this what she was cursed to become?

“My pet-?”

Sukuna’s voice jarred her away from her thoughts before she turned to look at him. “Hm?”

“What shall I do with her?”

Aruna paused for a moment. He was asking her again for her opinion on punishment for the girl. How could she answer? There were so many possibilities. She gently adjusted her kimono before stepping down to the same level as Sukuna and Hoshi. Her eyes fell to the girl once again, watching her squirm in fear of the power Aruna had over her. Aruna’s eyes moved up to catch Sukuna’s gaze. 

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Aruna asked, keeping her voice even. “Do what?”

“Don’t act coy,” he replied, rolling his eyes. “Her punishment. Anything you want, my queen.”

Her gaze fell to Hoshi again. “What shall I do with you, Hoshi?”

“Let me go, please!”

Aruna tapped her chin. “After how you treated me?”

“I’m sorry!” Hoshi exclaimed. “Please-!”

“A witch, you called me,” Aruna said. “A curse.”

“I apologize. I was jealous-!”

Tilting her head, Aruna could only wonder why Hoshi was that jealous of her position. “Jealous? Why?”

“We all dream of being his queen… you’ve only just arrived-! It’s not fair!”

This time, Sukuna stepped forward and looked down at Sukuna. “None of you would ever be my queen,” he seethed. “Just whores that I keep on a whim.”

“…why am I not good enough,” Hoshi said. “But she is!”

“I sought her out before she was even sold to me,” he explained. “I knew the minute I saw her. I could sense her thirst for vengeance immediately.”

“My what?” Aruna asked, confused. 

The corners of Sukuna’s lips curled into a smirk. “Did you not ask me to behead that man in exchange for your body?”

Aruna froze. She had never thought of herself as someone full of malice but when Sukuna painted the picture of her actions… it sure seemed she was.

“…she killed someone?” Hoshi asked quietly. 

“She asked me to kill him,” Sukuna explained. “And her price was her body… it became mine.”

Aruna’s expression was emotionless as she looked down at Hoshi. “I told you. You have no idea what I’ve done… what I’ve had to do, to be where I am.” It was a strange feeling, noticing her humanity slowly slipping away. But on the other hand, Aruna began to wonder if it mattered anymore. No one had ever shown her an ounce of humanity in the past. Her father cast her out and sold her like a whore to the highest bidder. She had only managed to be lucky enough to find Sukuna’s favoritism of her - managed to save her. And as Hoshi continued to sob and beg, Aruna felt herself caring less with each passing moment.

Her eyes shot up to catch Sukuna staring back at her. His expression seemed to ask what she would like to do with Hoshi, again leaving the decision up to her. She could never understand how he so easily trusted her instincts on matters such as this, but again - she found she no longer cared enough to understand his thinking.

Cringing, Aruna heard Hoshi’s cries becoming louder by the second and it had begun to grate her nerves. She clenched her fists, her knuckles whitening with frustrations at such a pathetic display of a human being. The same human being who had gone out of her way to try to make Aruna’s life miserable while all of them were stuck in this prison… stuck with him. 

“Aruna, my pet,” Sukuna said, catching her attention. “Would you like-?”

Her eyes fell to his hands, noticing his claws elongating. “What?”

“Would you like to dispose of her then? I can see the annoyance on your face.”

“I don’t-”

“Nonsense,” he commented as he motioned her to approach him. Aruna joined him at his side before he reached out and gingerly touched her hair. “You know exactly what to do.” His voice was incredibly close to her ear, causing shivers to move down her spine. His chest pressed against her back, forcing her to squirm. 

“Master,” she managed out. “I don’t believe I can…”

His opposite hand slipped a cold, metal object into her palm. Her eyes widened as she raised her hand and inspected the object. A knife… His whispers were becoming harder to ignore as he continued to pressure her to murder Hoshi. His seductive words paired with her growing wails were beginning to wane her morals as her grip on the handle of the knife tightened. 

“Please-”

Aruna felt as though she was no longer in control of her own body as she raised her hand before thrusting the knife into Hoshi’s back, earning a blood-curdling scream. Aruna pulled back on the knife as Hoshi lurched forward as blood seeped from the wound in her back. She managed to scramble enough to turn to face Aruna as her face paled. 

“Your eyes-” Hoshi sobbed. “...red.”

There was no response from Aruna as she slowly kneeled by Hoshi. Tilting her head, Aruna ran the blade along Hoshi’s face, tracing the shape of her face before dragging the point down to her neck. She was sure Hoshi was still trying to plead with her but she could no longer even hear her voice. It was as if the small amount of humanity left in Aruna was being blocked by an unknown force…

Aruna pressed the blade against Hoshi’s throat, watching as the tears flooded down her cheeks. She frowned, hesitating for a moment before she heard Sukuna’s voice praising her, pressuring her to follow through with her actions. It was an odd sensation, wishing to please him for once. And in the instant that she questioned her actions, she felt herself move the blade swiftly over Hoshi’s throat as blood splattered out of the wound and leaked all down her corpse. 

The knife fell from Aruna’s grasp as her face paled while she scrambled backward in fear of what she had done. Tears beaded at the corners of her eyes. What had she done? She could feel the vomit building up in the pit of her stomach as she covered her mouth with her hand, forcing herself to look away from Hoshi’s bloodied corpse. 

“I-”

“Oh stop it.”

Sukuna was practically mocking Aruna’s fear as he walked up to Hoshi’s body. He mumbled a few words and before Aruna could register what was happening - Hoshi’s corpse was sliced into pieces before her limbs were engulfed in flames. “I suppose I could keep her bones-”

“How can you be so casual about this!”

Scoffing, Sukuna glanced at Aruna over his shoulders. “You’re the one that murdered her, not I,” he commented. “I’m just cleaning up your mess since it seems your humanity is still trying to hold on.”

So that had happened. Nausea that had settled in the pit of Aruna’s stomach had begun to bubble once more at the sheer thought that she had just murdered someone. She covered her mouth, trying to suppress the gagging sensation building up in the back of her throat. She felt sick, oh so sick. 

Had she become a monster?

“Aruna… enough,” Sukuna said, his voice clearly bored with her reaction. “Get up.”

“I killed someone.”

“You also killed that merchant,” he said, tilting his head.

She shot a glare in his direction. “You did!”

Sukuna shrugged. “You asked me, is not the same thing? You wished him dead just like her.”

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Aruna stared at Sukuna knowing in some sick and twisted way he was right. She had placed the nail in the coffin for that merchant’s life without laying a finger on him. Was it so different? Her fists tightened, there it was again, the bizarre thoughts in her mind that made her question her humanity…

Sukuna’s hand touched under her chin, gently guiding her to look up at him. “Embrace it, my queen,” he said, his voice gentle for the first time in the time she had known him.

Flinching, Aruna could feel her mind being pulled into two different directions. “I can’t-”

“Then let me help you…”

Her gaze returned to his before his hand disappeared from under her chin before holding it out for her to grab. Would it help? Would it stop this battle in her mind? She was stuck somewhere between still being human and a monster just like him… and perhaps, that’s what she needed to become now.

Would it be so terrible? She wasn’t sure. Sukuna had overall treated her well, despite his insatiable sexual needs and wants, but thankfully he also had hordes of whores to help with those needs that she refused to fill. Again, would this be so terrible? Her mind drifted to her family, her father especially. His threats and abuse rang loudly in her mind almost beckoning her to grab his hand immediately. But still, her humanity tried to remain, crying out that she had started this whole crusade as a feeble attempt to save these other girls… 

What had happened to that?

You are nothing more than a curse on this family.

A witch!

Cursed witch, bringing the wrath of Sukuna on us all!

Her stomach dropped at the voices of her father and that disgusting merchant echoing in her mind, silencing the pleas of what was left of her humanity. Was she nothing more than a cursed child to her father just because she refused to marry a man who tried to assault her. Aruna had planned so much more for her life than to be viewed as nothing more than what her dowry believed she was worth. 

Her hand quickly shot out to grab Sukuna’s as he merely smirked in response. He helped her to her feet before pulling her into him. His fingers moved through her hair as she buried her face against his chest, immediately feeling some relief. She wasn’t sure if this battle mentally was partially Sukuna’s doing or perhaps the cursed object he had given her from Kenjaku… but, the moment she felt his comfort - her worries seemed to melt away. It seemed that didn’t matter anymore. 

“What would like me to help you with, my queen…?”

Aruna pulled back and looked up at Sukuna before her dark eyes turned a shade of dark red. “Kill them,” she whispered to him, “Help me kill my family.”

His smirk grew before planting a kiss on her forehead. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Her eyes slipped shut once she felt his lips on her forehead. “They deserve it,” she hissed. “After everything, I went through… I want them to pay.”

“Of course, my queen,” Sukuna said, petting her head. “And we will.”

Aruna’s eyes opened before she mirrored the same smirk on Sukuna’s face. Perhaps if her family viewed her as nothing more than a cursed child who brought nothing but misfortune to the entire clan… maybe it was about time she show them what a true curse was like.

“Perfect…”

[dark-mnjiro]

crown of thorns .06.

Author’s Note:  Here it is, the final part of Crown of Thorns. I'm so happy everyone has enjoyed reading this! I really appreciate everyone's time and comments and likes and reblogs... everything. I'm debating if I want to go through a sequel but another story that furthers a bit of Miyu's story (at least until I decide if Im going to continue) please check out Shinsotired and their newest fic. Thank you again everyone. I really appreciated it.

Warnings: sukuna x f!original character, king of curses!sukuna, dubcon, a dash of noncon here and there, slavery, human trafficking (in a sense), sexism, master/slave relationship, explicit s*xual content, oral s*x (female and male receiving), explicit language, murder, torture, blood rituals, marking, angst, rough s*x, sukuna using his multiple mouths, manipulative relationship (both sides), eventual queen, choking, extreme violence, a very realistic (and not nice) sukuna.

===

Part Six

Her eyes fluttered open as the sun spilled into the room. A dull pain immediately struck between her legs and Aruna knew that she had given into Sukuna once again. She shifted in the bed before trying to get up but weight around her waist seemed to tighten and only anchor her in place. Confusion filled her eyes as she managed to find Sukuna slumbering peacefully next to her. 

Her eyes went wide in surprise. She had never known him to sleep with her after having sex. His hand moved in small circles in the small of her back. Aruna couldn’t help but watch him sleep, having never seen him so peaceful. 

She watched his chest slowly rising and falling with each breath. Her hand reached out and traced the dark marks on his skin. It didn’t seem to wake him but she noticed goosebumps trailing behind her touch. Her eyes scanned over the marks, following the patterns over his chest before a hand snatched her wrist. 

“Aruna?”

His voice was low and gruff causing her face to flush at being caught admiring him. She pulled back just enough to catch the smirk growing on his face. 

“Enjoying the view?”

Aruna scowled. “Shut up.”

“Hm… is it morning?”

“…yes,” she whispered.  “Why did you stay?”

“Well this is my bedroom,” he said flatly. 

Frustrated, she rolled her eyes. “Then why was I allowed to stay?” 

“Perhaps,” he said, stretching. “I wanted a change.”

“You’re insufferable… why can’t you just give me a straight answer?”

Sukuna merely chuckled before rolling onto his side to get a better look at Aruna. “I do love to aggravate you,” he replied, threading his fingers through her long locks.

Swatting his hand away, Aruna sat up in bed before using the white sheet to wrap around her nude form before walking around the room in search of her clothes. She noticed Sukuna sitting up in bed, observing her movements as she slowly began slipping on the kimono he has discarded on the floor. Cursing under her breath, she knew she would struggle to tie it well without Kaede here to assist.

“Here,” a gruff voice she recognized said from behind her.

Sukuna grabbed the small rope-like fabric and tightened it around her waist, earning a small gasp from Aruna. His hands moved to rest at her waist before slipping to her thighs. She felt his claw brush against the fabric before pulling her back against him. Her cheeks flushed at the small display of affection before she noticed his chin resting on her shoulder. 

“This looks much better on the floor,” he commented.

“...you’re insufferable,” Aruna groaned, tugging herself away from him.

His chuckle was low as it rumbled from his chest while he watched her turn to face him. A playful glint glittered in his crimson eyes causing Aruna to mirror an expression of annoyance. He mentioned he felt he deserved a little extra playtime for all the work he was about to endure for her… exterminating her family. Aruna could not understand why he deserved playtime for doing something he enjoyed, what a nuisance. 

“Do you need to eat?”

Sighing, Aruna glanced at the window. “...yes.”

“Go on,” he commented. “I’ll meet you to eat later.”

Aruna turned and exited out of the bedroom as she made her way down the dark corridors. It was strange how she had learned the layout of the home she once looked at like a prison. She found the double doors that led into the banquet hall as she watched all the other girls from his harem gathering to eat breakfast.

Once again, they all stopped and looked up at her. The silence was deafening. Aruna’s eyes fell to the floor before she made her way to the table to usually frequented as a servant brought her meal to her. She sipped her warmed, mugwort tea (at the insistence of Kaede) before a smile tugged at her lips. She glanced down at the meal, wondering if she could eat it all. After all, she really didn’t have much of an appetite after the ordeal from the night before.

She couldn’t believe what she had done. Still couldn’t wrap her brain around her actions. Was she truly that calloused, that much of a monster now? “What do I do now?” she mused mostly to herself as she started taking small bites of her bowl of rice. “Shit…”

“Miss Aruna?”

Her ears perked up at the sound of Kaede’s voice next to her before motioning for her to sit across the table from her. “Be quick,” Aruna said softly. “He’s on his way.”

“I made it extra strong,” Kaede commented. “So you drink quickly.”

The smile on Aruna’s face couldn’t help but widen at her servant’s joke as she took her advice, quickly downing the specialty tea. A sigh fell from her lips, despite the bitter taste, the relief was worth it.

“Is it true?”

“Is what true?”

Kaede leaned in. “About Miss Hoshi-”

“We don’t have to use polite speech when speaking of her,” Aruna corrected. “You know to speak freely with me.”

Kaede’s lips cracked into another smile. “...Hoshi did you-”

“Kill her?” Aruna questioned, tilting her head. “...yes.”

Sitting back, Kaede’s face paled a bit in shock at her lady’s actions.

“Believe me,” Aruna whispered. “I wasn’t exactly myself. He’s done something to me since that night. I think I’m becoming more like the queen he wanted.”

Kaede reached out and touched Aruna’s face with a ginger touch. “You are still you, despite what he’s done,” she said. “You have been nothing but kind and gentle to me and many of the other girls adore you. Only a few seem to hold grudges for the fact they weren’t chosen-”

“He said he picked me because I had the same vengeance in my soul that he does,” she whispered.

“I imagine anyone who has been through what you have gone through,” Kaede interjected. “Is willing to do anything and everything for justice and there is nothing wrong with that-”

“Aruna-”

Her eyes widened as she heard Sukuna’s voice approaching their table. “Go… before he catches on,” she whispered before discreetly handing Kaede the empty cup that had contained the mugwort tea. Kaede merely nodded before hiding the cup away and making her leave. Aruna turned to glance at Sukuna over her shoulder. “Yes? I’m eating,” she commented, keeping her tone even. “You should be thrilled.”

Smirking, he took a seat next to her. “Of course I am.”

“And you’re going to eat all of that?”

“Bloodshed does make me rather hungry,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

Her eyes scanned the plate filled to the very edge with massive piles of food and Aruna could not imagine how anyone could eat that much in one sitting. But perhaps, he was right. Murder must take a lot out of an individual - and slaughtering an entire clan, well she could only guess would need a lot of energy too.

“Would you care to join me tonight?”

“...you want me there?”

“Perhaps I love noticing the evil look in your eyes when you commit such heinous acts.”

She grimaced at the thought of her committing another murder, but at the same time, she could rationalize that it would be rather satisfying to witness her abusers suffer and then perish. Maybe she could compromise with Sukuna. She could join him and perhaps not commit any acts of murder or violence, just witnessing the bloodshed she so desperately wanted from her family. 

“Do I have to murder anyone?”

Sukuna tilted his head. “Only if you wish.”

“...you won’t trick me?”

“I’ll save your father for last,” he suggested. “If you choose to make the final blow to him… I’ll allow it, otherwise I will destroy his bloodline.”

“No tricks?”

Sukuna sighed, clearly annoyed with her questions. “No tricks, my pet.”

“May I think about it?”

“Of course.”

===

It was a strange sensation as the screams rang out into the midnight air. Aruna could spy fire bursting from the inside of the different structures littered along with her clan’s land. The screams only grew louder as she watched men, women, and children scurrying around in fear as Sukuna’s maniacal laughter almost drown out their pleas. Some looked to her for mercy as fear filled their eyes and yet, Aruna felt nothing.

She would merely tug away from her kimono away from their greasy fingers and found herself almost smirking at their agony. A loud crash caught her attention as she noticed fire spouting from one of the buildings, causing the roof to collapse. “The library…” she mused before taking a step closer to the burning buildings, curious to see exactly what was happening.

“My queen…”

A sigh fell from her lips. “Uruame. You don’t need to worry. I won’t get too close.”

“But Master Sukuna-”

“...when have I ever listened to his suggestions?”

Uruame frowned. “Please stay away from the flames.”

Smiling, Aruna patted the young monk on the head before standing in front of the main building of her clan’s land. Fire erupted from the roof. Her lips cracked into a smile as she watched her family’s legacy beginning to crumble around her. Seemed fitting enough.

“You she-devil!”

Her ears perked up at the sound of her father’s voice approaching her with his fist raised, ready to strike her. She wore a bored expression as she merely stepped out of his way, causing him to misstep and fall to the ash-covered ground. She approached him as he scrambled to sit back up so he could face her. The wind caught her crimson lock, causing the natural curls in her hair to move just as wildly as the fire that surrounded them.

“Hello to you too, father.”

“You brought the devil himself to us!”

Sighing, she crossed her arms. “Father. I did what I had to to survive,” she explained. “No thanks to you. But today, all those horrible things you made me endure - come to a fiery end.”

“You red-headed demon! A curse among this family!”

“Is that all?” she asked, tilting her head curiously as he continued to spew insults at her. “I’ve heard much worse now, father. You have to do better than that. You can’t just ship me off and sell into prostitution anymore, can you? You don’t scare me anymore. I’ve seen much scarier monsters since then.” A hand came to her waist, tugging her closer as she felt lips brush against her throat.

“I suppose,” he whispered. “Like me?”

“Of course like you,” Aruna replied, making a sour face at Sukuna which only earned him to chuckle in response. “Master… meet my father.”

His crimson eyes darted to the ground before smirking again. “Hm… not much when he’s squirming beneath you, is he?”

Looking up at him, she couldn’t help but smile. “Not at all.”

Raking his fingers through her hair, Sukuna turned his attention back to Aruna. “What would you like me to do with him, my queen?”

It was tempting to make his death quick but bloody, between her father’s screams and insults still echoing from the ground as she stared back at Sukuna. But at the same time, she wished this horrible man would suffer more. Suffer more than he had ever wished on his ungrateful daughter. Another strange sensation of happiness rushed through her veins when Sukuna allowed her to have control in the situation. Though it was rare he allowed her any control, it was obvious in this moment… she needed it. 

And he was happy to oblige.

“Aruna,” he probed again, tugging her closer to his body. “You haven’t answered.”

“I’m deciding-”

“You evil, little bitch!”

Sighing, Aruna glanced down at her father before looking up at Sukuna again as she tilted her head to the side in a playful manner. “It’s hard to concentrate when someone keeps screaming… How do you expect me to think in these conditions?”

“I love how you think sometimes…”

Sukuna let go of Aruna before turning toward her father as he continued to cower on the ground. He grabbed him by the throat with one hand before using another to hold out his tongue. A third hand came up as his dark nails elongated again before pressing the sharpened nails against his tongue. Her father paled as the realization of what was about to happen before the claw sliced through the tongue. Blood gushed from his mouth as Sukuna dropped him to the ground. Her father scrambled to his knees, grasping his throat as the blood pooled around him in puddles.

“And now you will never breath another horrible word about me ever again,” Aruna commented. “Will you?”

Her father’s eyes widened in horror as he stared up at her with tears beading in the corners of his eyes. The blood continued to ooze from his mouth as she took another step toward him before leaning over. Her eyes flashed a bright red color for just a moment. He tried to speak but only gurgles managed to escape his lips before coughing as he started choking on the blood seeping down his throat.

A giggle bubbled from Aruna’s throat. “This family is going to burn with their sins…” she stated. “To ashes.” She raised back up to stand upright. “How does it feel, father? To know your daughter, the one you threw away, is now a queen. A queen that brought nothing but ruins to god-forsaken family.”

Her gaze snapped up to look at Sukuna once again. A proud gleam flashed in his dangerous eyes before her lips curled into a smile. “He’s suffered enough.”

“I thought you would never ask…”

“Kill them all.”

Sukuna chuckled before moving to stand inf front of Aruna. “Stand behind me,” he instructed. “Or you’ll die instead.” She watched as Sukuna muttered a few strange phrases before she noticed her surroundings change for a split second before he muttered the word “dismantle”. Aruna quickly shielded her body, knowing what entailed with this technique as she had watched him slaughtered several people in her captivity with this.

Blood splattered the ground as her father’s body collapsed at their feet in several pieces. A sigh fell from her lips, knowing he could no longer haunt her nightmares. “Master, I-”

His demeanor changed as a growl rumbled from his chest. “Sorcerer,” he hissed. “Uraume!”

Uraume appeared behind Sukuna, awaiting orders. “Yes, master.”

“Take Aruna and leave,” he snapped. “Sorcerers are arriving… and fast.”

“Of course,” Uraume said, bowing before grabbing Aruna’s arm.

“But-”

“But nothing,” Sukuna snapped at her. “If there was ever a time to listen to me, this is that moment. They will murder you. I’ll handle it. Take her home.”

Aruna felt her blood run cold as his words. Would these people kill her that easily? No questions asked. And Sukuna, it was strange to hear him seem worried about her well-being even if he put it in such rude phrases. 

“...Alright,” Aruna said softly. “Be-”

“Oh please. I’ll be fine.”

Sighing, Aruna shook her head before following Uraume. It was strange that she felt a small pang of worry in her chest about Sukuna. Grimacing, she shook her head trying to force the thought from her mind, knowing that it had to be impossible for anyone to cause him harm.

“My queen?”

Aruna looked at Uraume and smiled. “I’m fine.”

“Of course,” Uraume commented gently before tugging Aruna through a path to dodge falling pieces of the building burning around them. The heat was becoming unbearable for Aruna and she prayed they would escape soon. A beam fell from the ceiling, causing Aruna to scream. Uraume quickly shoved Aruna back to keep her safe as the beam fell between them. 

Wincing, Aruna forced herself up onto her feet as she tried to look over the flames as she heard Uraume calling out her name. “Shit,” she mumbled, looking around her surroundings for anywhere she could go. She spied a small passage between buildings that didn’t seem engulfed in flames yet as she quickly took off. She stayed close to the wall, straining her ears to see if she was growing closer to Uraume. Sukuna would be furious if he knew they had been separated. 

“My queen!”

A sigh of relief moved past her lips as Aruna managed to squeeze out of the small passage and rejoin Uraume. “Are you hurt?” she asked.

“No. I’m fine… you have a burn on your arm. I’m sorry I didn’t react quick-”

“Uraume,” Aruna replied. “I’ll survive. I’ve had much worse.”

Nodding, Uraume managed to pull her away from the burning building and a safe enough distance that their attention could return to Aruna’s injuries. Uraume placed a hand on her arm before using a reverse cursed technique to heal her just enough to take away the pain. 

A smile curled over her lips before she gently touched Uraume’s head. “Thank you-”

A scream echoed into the night air as Uraume practically jumped back from Aruna. Her body lurched forward as blood began to spill out of her mouth. Her eyes fell to her abdomen as she witnessed a sword mixed with cursed energy piercing through her body. The pain was unbearable as she looked over her shoulder. “Uraume…” she sputtered out. “Runaway.”

“But-”

“I order you,” Aruna managed out before grimacing in pain. “Runaway.”

“Of course, my queen.”

Uraume disappeared.

Aruna turned to face the sorcerer who had managed to stab her.

“What are the odds that Sukuna’s little queen would be so easily caught?”

The corners of her lips dipped into a frown. “He’s going to slaughter you… just wait.”

The pain was becoming unbearable again as she began to feel woozy from blood loss. Just how long could she survive with this injury, even if Sukuna were to appear? She knew he could heal her, even Uraume could heal her. But, at the same time, was it too late? Her eyes fell to the pool of blood surrounding her and grew larger by the second. She was certain vital organs had been pierced by the blade as well… How long could she hold on? Was she okay with dying now? Perhaps, it was perfect timing. 

An escape she always prayed for…

The sorcerer merely cackled. “Oh please… there’s no way-”

His words were silenced as his body was sliced in two as Sukuna appeared behind him. “Fucking piece of garbage-” he growled before his gaze fell on Aruna’s body. A weak smile spread over her lips as she slowly pulled the sword from her abdomen and tossed it aside. His rage was evident as he rushed to her side before weakness began settling in. He cradled her body as she winced again.

Her hand came up and touched his face. “It’s alright.”

“Shut up,” he growled before placing a hand on her stomach. “I can heal-”

Aruna shook her head. “Don’t…”

“Aruna!”

“Sukuna,” she assured him as blood spilled from her mouth again. “It's okay. Perhaps it’s perfect that I die along with my family.”

His eyes narrowed at her. “I didn’t say you were allowed-”

She forced herself to giggle at his bizarre display of hurt. “I don’t think you get much of a choice,” she whispered as her voice became weaker. “Not this time.”

His grip tightened around her before pulling her into his chest. “I’ll bring you back.”

Aruna took in a deep inhale of his scent, wanting to imprint it in her mind. “I know you will.”

“Rest, my queen.”

Her hand rested on his face as she traced the markings along his cheek before her eyes turned glassy and lifeless. Her touch grew limp before her hand fell back to the ground as her body succumbed to her injuries. Her last breath moved past her lips as Sukuna stared at her now lifeless form.

He wasn’t sure what to make of his feelings or how to rationalize what had happened. He had calculated everything so perfectly, and yet… this was still the outcome. He had lost his queen. The only one he had deemed suitable to stand beside him, the only woman filled with as much vengeance as his dark soul.p

“...rest now, my queen.”

He gently laid her body down, gently posing her hands in front of her body. His fingers threaded through her crimson hair before bringing it to his lips. He took one last inhale of her hair, his favorite feature… before standing up. He would order his servants to retrieve her body quickly before the other sorcerers would try to steal her away from him. And in order to bring her back, he would have to preserve her soul by keeping her physical body in his possession for as long as humanly possible.

At least until Aruna could find a viable vessel.

A blood relative.

He knew what he would have to do.

His eyes snapped up as he caught a glimpse of a sorcerer running away from the flames as several others were trying to save the property. A child was with him… the same dark and stormy eyes of that of his lover. Sukuna smirked before realizing perhaps everything had worked out better than he could have hoped. 

A direct relative, her brother had survived along with his child.

“Soon, Aruna,” he whispered, turning away from the burning building. “I will see you soon.”

===

She had lost track of time as the years ticked by as she stayed close to her brother’s descendants, despite being dead. She was unsure how her soul had decided to linger, but assumed it was some sort of doing thanks to Sukuna. He was long since gone and now she was stuck in limbo, tormenting her brother’s female descendants over the next one thousand years.

Had it really been that long?

Aruna’s eyes watched as another female had been born into her family. She had taken it upon herself to stop a suitable vessel for her to be born. She knew Sukuna would never just lay down and die so easily. He was waiting, just waiting patiently for his next move. She had heard rumors spoken by her family members regarding his whereabouts, that his soul was split among twenty fingers scattered around Japan.

And yet, here she was, bringing nothing but illness on any female born into this cursed family.

As the years ticked onward, Aruna became more and more bitter. She wasn’t sure why she was so angry at Sukuna for allowing her brother to survive that night. She had begged him to slaughter every, last member of that family. And yet, here they all were, surviving and thriving.

“Ignorant fool,” she grumbled as the newborn infant began crying out.

She snapped her fingers, causing the woman who had just given birth to immediately have complications as the doctor and nurses gathered around her to try and assist her. The newborn’s father frowned, cursing under his breath and she swore she heard her name just barely move past his lips.

“It’s what you deserve,” she growled at him as she moved around the delivery room.

It was a perk to being a cursed spirit now. No one could knowingly see her and she was free to torment her family without restriction. She always wondered why they never sought out a sorcerer to try and kill her, but from what she had gathered several larger family’s in power refused to accept that she was ever a cursed spirit.

Her lips curled into a smile. No one would try to exorcise her because there was no proof that she was a cursed spirit. She wasn’t in the books they spoke of so often. She was merely a superstition that the Hana family cried and whined about and she was free to do as she pleased to torment them for the rest of their days. She wondered if that was also Sukuna’s doing, that he had managed to keep his workings toward making her a cursed spirit quiet even after his death.

But at the same time, she was never a sorcerer. Even after the deal, Sukuna had made with Kenjaku and perhaps that was why she was never recognized as a possible threat. She was merely known throughout history as Sukuna’s queen… his favorite whore as her family seemed to dub her, more often than not.

“She’s coding!”

The smirk on Aruna’s face grew wider as the infant’s mother was slowly dying on the table. The infant’s wails were growing louder, aggravating Aruna. She slowly walked toward the infant, staring at her. “Little one, do not worry… You’ll join your mother soon.”

“She’s dying!”

“Oh please… just let the bitch die already,” Aruna huffed, crossing her arms. 

The father placed the infant back into the bassinet before walking back toward his wife. Tears brimmed at his eyes as she was beginning to lose consciousness. “Aruna, you witch,” he hissed, grasping his wife’s hand. “Spare her. Please.” Tilting her head, Aruna wondered just what type of bartering technique this was if all he was planning to do was insult her. “Don’t take my wife… I’ll give you anything.”

Sighing, Aruna walked back toward the wailing baby in the bassinet before her eyes narrowed. She spied crimson-colored hair barely peeking out on her scalp. “Red hair,” she whispered. “The first girl in this family to have red hair since I was born…” She turned her attention back to the sobbing husband as his wife continued to hemorrhage more despite the doctor’s efforts. She slowly made her way toward the husband before leaning into his ear. “Look at her hair…”

The husband stiffened at Aruna’s voice before moving away from his dying wife to look at the baby in the bassinet again. “R-red hair,” he stammered. “A demon child… an omen!”

“Get rid of the child,” Aruna whispered again. “As far from Japan as possible and I’ll spare your pathetic wife.”

“We have to get rid of her,” he said quickly. “Put her up for adoption. We can’t care for her!”

Aruna giggled before snapping her fingers and allowing the mother to survive.

“Perfect…”

And before she knew it, Aruna found herself intrigued as she followed the little redhead to America after she was adopted. Her birth family had managed to organize a private adoption allowing the infant to start over in America. After she was born, Aruna had noticed the infant was mistreated similarly to the way she had mistreated herself. Miyu, as she was named, was often ignored and neglected by her biological family.

Perhaps America would be a better place for her.

And over the years, Aruna watched Miyu grow into a child. And as a child, Miyu was able to see her. She couldn’t place her finger on it, but Aruna had grown interested in the young girl’s life and wellbeing. While she hated she had grown a soft spot for the girl, she found herself still protecting her even as her adoptive family would throw her into psychiatric institutions not completely understanding that she was a sorcerer, that she curses existed.

Little Miyu was told over and over again that she was nothing more than crazy, given the diagnosis of schizophrenic by several doctors. She was sent off for months at a time to residential psychiatric hospitals and despite that, she never once shook her “delusions” of curses and of Aruna.

And despite being told over and over again, Aruna wasn’t real, Miyu disputed it at every turn. Even as her birthday approached. She was turning fifteen. She was growing into a beautiful young woman, and Aruna had vowed this sweet girl would need to be protected.

Aruna, over time, had grown softer, speaking and mentoring the poor girl as she began to take pity on her. She would advise her not to take her medication as she was not mentally ill. She was just different than other children. This would cause much discourse between Miyu and the staff at the hospitals and would often end with Miyu being forced to take injections that would knock her out for hours at a time. 

“You little brat,” her mother would snap at her. “There are no such things as curses! These monsters are all in your head and you’re doing this for attention!” Miyu would flinch at the tone of her mother’s voice, causing her mother to reach out and grab her by the upper arm and jerk her around. “You have brought nothing but problems to this family since you were brought here! We should’ve known something was wrong with you when your biological family gave you up so easily!”

Aruna would frown as she would watch Miyu retreat to her bedroom, curling up on her bed in the fetal position as the tears would begin to flow from her eyes. Aruna would sit at the foot of her bed, petting the girl’s long, crimson hair trying to comfort her. “Little one… there is nothing wrong with you,” she would tell her over and over again.

Until her brother would open the door…

Miyu’s face would pale as he would step inside. “Please go away,” she would cry out.

And despite her protests, her brother would not leave. He would often take advantage of the girl, knowing that no one would believe her, that they would just brand it as another crazy girl’s delusions. And as Miyu grew older, her brother became more inappropriate until Aruna would no longer tolerate his actions and snapped her fingers and took over Miyu’s small frame before using her cursed energy to shove her brother back and slam into the wall on the opposite side of the room. 

“Little pervert,” Aruna hissed as she still had control of Miyu’s body. “I’ll kill you…”

He scrambled to his feet before rushing out of the bedroom trying to get his mother’s help.

Aruna sighed, before allowing Miyu to take over but told her she needed to make a run for it. It was odd that she easily took over the girl’s body and began to wonder if she was the perfect vessel Sukuna had spoken of so long ago. They were almost exact copies… even down to the birthmark on Miyu’s wrist that mirrored the mark Sukuna had placed at Aruna’s so many years ago. 

Miyu took Aruna’s warning and made a run for it before her mother would harm her again. She ran until her chest tightened and she could no longer breathe as she stepped into a dark alley. Miyu leaned against a brick wall, trying to catch her breath before she started hearing screeching noises growing closer… The screeching then turned into slashing noises and before she knew it she found a curse slashed in half at her feet. 

Her eyes went wide as she looked up and met the gaze of an older woman. She was not from America as when she spoke her English wasn’t perfect but enough for Miyu to understand. Luckily, being adopted by a Japanese-American family, Miyu had managed to learn Japanese as she introduced herself to the older woman. 

“Did you kill that thing!”

“...you can see them?”

Aruna watched carefully. A sorcerer…

“Yes,” Miyu admitted, wiping her eyes. “All my life. I have no idea what they are!”

The woman frowned. “My name is Hayami… This is a curse. I’ve been sent here from Japan to exterminate them though they typically aren’t found outside Japan.”

Miyu blinked. “I’m…I’m adopted. My biological family gave me up. I was born in Japan.”

“I think we have much to talk about Miyu,” Haya explained, offering the terrified teenager a soft smile. “Come with me.”

“Are you,” Miyu frowned before pausing. “Are you going to hurt me?”

“I would never do that,” Haya said, gently petting the girl’s hair. “I believe I’ve found the source of the cursed energy here… You’re not crazy Miyu. These are very real things.”

A wave of relief washed over Miyu’s face as she followed Hayami. “So what now?”

“We need to get you back to Japan and get your cursed technique under control.”

“But my parents…” Miyu sighed. “What about them?”

“I will handle it,” Haya explained. “But first. We must talk.”

Aruna was silent as she watched Miyu interacting with this woman. She could sense the woman had no ill intentions toward Miyu, perhaps she could even save her. Her hands moved through Miyu’s hair, offering her some comfort and letting her know that she was fine with this decision. Especially because deep down, Aruna knew that she was the reason Miyu had been placed there, to begin with… 

“She will keep you safe, Miyu,” Aruna whispered to her, causing Miyu to smile.

Perhaps, it was finally time to fix it. There would be no way Sukuna would ever find her again, even though a part of her craved his touch and attention. He would only torment this sweet girl and she would never allow that to happen. Miyu would be much safer in a place that would  harness her cursed techniques and teach her proper control. Perhaps, Japan would be the safest place for them both.

It was time to go home.

[dark-mnjiro]

wip list

[bury my love] in the moondust - explicit/dark content - multipart

fandom: tokyo revengers

pairing: sano manjiro x afab!oc; one sided hanma shuiji x afab!oc

status: writing, header image complete, part one complete

summary: "looking at you, like a star, from a place the world forgot and there's nothing i can do except bury my love for you." owing them her life, chinami fixates on becoming the perfect assistant to the seemingly, souless sano "mikey" manjiro of the tokyo kanto gang. Until she realizes, that they both are slowly breaking down each other's walls and seemingly the cycle is going to continue.

untitled - explicit/figure skating au - oneshot

fandom: jujutsu kaisen

pairings: ryomen sukuna x afab!oc(hana aruna)

status: writing in progress, currently untitled

summary: when her longtime partner is injured in a car accident, aruna finds her upcoming olympic career in jeopardy. her coach leaves her one choice, find a new partner or sit out the upcoming figure skating pair skate season. if only she wasn’t dubbed one of the most difficult partner in the pair skate community and her newfound partner wasn’t considered the biggest asshole in the community.

not in paradise - explicit/dark content/sequel - multipart

fandom: jujutsu kaisen - sequel to "crown of thorns"

pairings: ryomen sukuna x afab!oc ; itadori yuuji x afab!oc

status: writing/editing, part one complete

summary: when miyu is adopted by a sorcerer from japan to save her from her abusive life in america, she finds out that she is much more than just another jujutsu sorcerer herself. she is in fact the vessel to none other than, hana aruna, ryomen sukuna's previous lover. a sequel to "crown of thorns".

mary on a cross - explicit/dark content - multi part - au

fandom: jjk, death is the only ending for the villainess

pairing: ryomen sukuna x reader/hana aruna (oc, for otome character name)

status: outlining/planning, writing , working title (may change)

summary: after beating the easy mode of the most popular otome game: hana miyu, you decide to pour your time into the hard mode: hana aruna. after loosing several rounds, you give up. the next morning, you wake up trapped in the popular otome game as the villain. you must navigate your choices in order to survive and win favorability among the dateable options: the marquis, the slave turned apprentice knight, and the crowned prince before the return of the lost hana daughter, miyu, returns from her mysterious disappearance… who will you choose?

updated: december 30th 2023

[knchins]

Kuroshiro - Chapter Five

Summary: Hayami and Suguru were teenagers in love until the day came when he decided to turn his back on the sorcery world and become a curse user, which left his best friend Satoru to pick up the pieces.

Pairing: Geto x Fem OC x Gojo

Rating: Mature/Explicit

Word Count: 5.2k

Warnings: Major manga spoilers, mentions of PTSD, mentions of insecurity, blindfold usage, biting, unsafe sex, some light spanking, begging, dirty talk, light degradation, vaginal sex, overstimulation, multiple orgasms, cream pies....yes its yet another smut chapter lol

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Chapter Five - Staying Young

“Two spicy eel rolls please,” Haya said to the waiter as she glanced over the menu, “and two milk teas as well.” She handed the menu back to the young man after he gave them a small nod and left.

“I know this place doesn’t have the novelty of a conveyor belt, but the sushi is much better in my opinion.” She said to Miyu who was distractedly looking at the iPhone Haya had purchased for her months prior. “It’s quieter too.”

Miyu nodded, enjoying the more relaxed atmosphere than that of the place that Itadori loved to go to. She was thankful that her mother seemed to understand her a little better than the boy she was hopelessly enamored with.

Briefly, Haya’s mind went to Gojo, wondering why she sensed him nearby. They were currently not on speaking terms again. Not only did she believe that she was too quick to forgive him for lying about Itadori, but he had also gone behind her back in trying to play matchmaker with his student and her daughter.

Gojo had attempted to distract her while Yuuji and Miyu went out together without her knowledge. When she realized what he was up to, Haya was furious. Her mother-hen mode activated as she refused to let Miyu go. It had taken her two days to calm down and finally agree after much moping from Miyu.

She wanted to say that Miyu was too young to date, but she had been that age when she first started dating Suguru. Though she didn’t think that Itadori had any ill intentions, he was still a teenage boy that was under the influence of once womanizer Gojo Satoru.

Currently, they were out shopping for a new outfit for Miyu to wear on her date with Yuuji, though Haya was still uneasy about it. She still didn’t think it was a good idea for Aruna and Sukuna to be together, not only that but Yuuji had a target on his back again. She worried about something happening to either of them while they were out by themselves. It didn’t matter how strong either of them had become, they were still children.

“Are you really okay with me going out with Yuuji?” Miyu said quietly, worried that her mother would go on another tirade at the question. It wasn’t as if Haya had been particularly upset with her, but she still perceived any anger as being directed at herself. Haya told her it was a trauma response, that she used to struggle with it too when she was a kid. Though she hadn’t divulged to the teen what her trauma had been exactly.

Haya refrained from letting out the big sigh that was now stuck inside of her. “Yes,” She said, forcing a smile. “I’m sorry I overreacted the other day. I just didn’t like that Gojo went behind my back with something like that. He knew how I’d react but did it anyway. I know you hadn’t planned any of it, Itadori confessed that he had blindsided you and apologized to me. I wasn’t mad that you were going out on a date.”

That was only mostly true. Anger probably wasn’t the right word to describe the feeling Haya had felt when she found out that Miyu wanted to take Yuuji. It was more like sorrow. While she hadn’t been her mother for very long, it still was somewhat sad to see signs of her growing up already. If she wasn’t careful, Haya might get baby fever again. Not that anything ever came of it. The only person she’d ever feel comfortable procreating with was also Japan’s biggest asshole.

She was almost certain that Miyu would be the only child she’d ever have. She didn’t necessarily want a child out of wedlock and getting Gojo to propose would have taken a miracle. Though she fully admitted that she didn’t even deserve a proposal. Especially not after the Shibuya incident.

Miyu had a small smile on her face, pleased by her mother’s answer. “But you’re still not talking to Gojo-sensei?” She asked, feeling a little guilty still that she played some part in them being broken up again. Though Fushiguro had assured her that this happened all the time and that they’d be back together soon.

“No, I’m sick of him lying to me or trying to hide things behind my back.” She said.”I actually have a date tonight with someone else.” The date was with an old fling, no one particularly interesting. But if it would make Gojo jealous then that’s all she really cared about. “

Miyu’s smile turned into a frown. “I don’t understand, mom…Don’t you love him? Did you just stop because you broke up?”

Haya looked as if Miyu’s words slapped her in the face. Sushi nearly fell from her chopsticks as she had been bringing it up to her mouth to eat. She cleared her throat awkwardly and set her food down, “Of course, I-” She cut herself off. Did she love him? That seemed like such a silly question, of course, she should love him.

She sighed and sat back in her seat. “I love Satoru very much.” She conceded, “but sometimes the person you love and the person you’re meant to be with aren’t one and the same.” She looked somberly down at her half-eaten meal. Tears welled in the back of her eyes but she swallowed thickly to will them down. She had never cried in front of Miyu before and didn’t plan on starting now.

Her answer only left Miyu even more confused. She only had a rudimentary idea of how romantic relationships worked, and something as complex as what went on between her mother and Gojo was well beyond her limited knowledge. It wasn’t as if she’d ever had much interest in boys before Yuuji and her previous parents hadn’t been great role models for what love was.

Come to think of it, her current parent wasn’t a great role model for that either.

“I guess I just don’t understand.” She admitted before taking another bite. “This sushi is very good, I wish it was a little spicier though.”

Haya let out a sigh of relief at the subject change, “Of course, I forget how much you love spicy food. Maybe next time we can ask for more wasabi.” Miyu smiled back at her and nodded.

They finished their meal in silence, Haya thinking over what she had told Miyu. Why she was still hung up on Suguru even after his death, she didn’t know. Perhaps she was still obsessed with the idea of how great they could have been together if he had never left her. He’d never come back to the sorcerers’ side. He’d never repent for betraying them. He was gone and he was never coming back.

Perhaps it was the lack of proper burial that had her still hanging on so tightly. The worry that his soul wasn’t at rest. That he had morphed into some new curse out there, lurking and hurting innocent people. He should have been cremated. It didn’t matter to her what atrocities he had committed, he was still her first love.

They walked to a nearby department store. “Did you want a dress or a skirt and blouse?” Haya asked, looking over the new arrivals section. “Oh this is cute,” She pulled out a long dress with an extremely high slit on both sides. “It would show off those great legs of yours.”

Miyu wasn’t convinced. Her self-esteem had improved somewhat since arriving in Japan, but she still didn’t think she was very attractive or that her body was something boys would look at. “I don’t know, maybe something a little less…mature?”

“You’re right.” Haya said, grabbing one in her size, “I’ll just wear it to my date tonight.” She had a cheeky grin on her face as Miyu let out a light laugh, shaking her head.

The teen’s eyes wandered to a two-tiered floral chiffon skirt. She went over to it, feeling the fabric as she looked it over. “What about this?”

“Adorable.” Haya said with a smile, “and look, here’s a top that would look cute with it.” She pointed to a nearby loose-fitted white tank top with lace trim.

Miyu looked it over, grabbing on in her size and comparing the two side by side. “With those white ankle boots, you got me?” She asked, picturing the outfit in her head. Yua said she’d curl my hair for me…”

“I think we have our outfit,” Haya said with a proud grin. “Would you like to try it on first?”

She nodded and went into the dressing room as Haya moved to the intimates section to look through the underwear in case there was anything that caught her eye. She saw a pair of pink cotton ones that nearly matched the ones she wore on her first night with Gojo. A small smile graced her face at the memory. She had caught a bad cold from running through the rain to get to his dorm, hers had been on the other side with the other girl dorms. The pathway between the two wasn’t totally covered from the raging storm overhead.

Gojo had teased her at first, but he had also brought her soup and tissues to help her feel better. She could have asked for anything and he would have gotten it for her. Though when she really thought of it, hadn’t he always been like that? While she very rarely used the credit card he had given her, he still never asked for it back any time they broke up.

Something in her heart stirred as she thought about their countless arguments and apologies. The idea that it was her fault he couldn’t be happy ran rampant as she tried to quell tears that yearned to fall once more. Going on that date tonight would just be another mistake, she decided. She wasn’t setting a good example for Miyu either which made her feel even worse.

She put the dress back on the rack and grabbed a pair of the pink underwear in her size. She paid for it before Miyu could come back and see what she had gotten, not knowing how she was going to explain why she was getting them.

A few moments later, Miyu came out after having tried on both articles of clothing. She seemed happy if not nervous. “They fit great,” She said, “I think I will go with this.” She set the clothes on the counter to be rung up as she gave her mom a confused look, “What about the dress you were going to get?”

Haya smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I decided not to go on that date tonight. I’d worry about you the entire time so I’d rather be at the school where I can be available if you need me.”

Miyu nodded, wondering what the real reason was as to why she chose not to go. “Is this about Gojo-sensei?” She asked, knowing her mother wasn’t quite telling the truth.

“Yes and no.” She said, trying to shrug off the question. “I do still think we would benefit from some time apart. But making him think I’ve moved on is probably not a good idea. As you said, feelings don’t just stop because two people break up.”

It was Miyu’s turn to smile now. “Okay, mom. I guess we should be getting back so I have time to get ready.”

Haya nodded and paid for her new clothes. “Alright…do I need to have the sex talk with you?”

“Mom!”

While Miyu got ready for her date, Hayami decided to put the fear of the gods into Itadori. While she allowed Miyu to opt-out of some sex ed, she wasn’t about to let him go without talking to him first. She knocked on his door, “Itadori, open up. I need to have a talk with you.”

Yuuji opened the door, a worried look on his face as he scratched the back of his head, “oh, sensei…is this about training next week?” Gojo was going to be leaving for an assignment soon and she’d be taking over for him while he was gone.

“No, this is about my daughter.” She clarified. “Can I come in?”

He stepped to the side, suddenly feeling panicked. He hoped she wasn’t about to tell him that the date was off. He had planned the best he could with the help of Gojo and Fushiguro (though Megumi wasn’t very helpful, he was still a somewhat okay sounding board).

Once inside Haya let out a frustrated sigh, she wasn’t upset with him she just didn’t expect Miyu to be dating this soon. It was safe to say she wasn’t prepared for how to handle a teenager in the dating scene. Her biggest fear was that history would repeat itself. Miyu would fall deeply in love with Itadori only for him to be killed. She was praying that tonight would be a disaster and she’d stay as far away from the boy as possible.

“What are your intentions with my daughter?” She asked, “I’ll know if you’re lying so don’t even bother trying.”

Yuuji swallowed thickly, “I really like Miyu.” He said softly, his mouth going dry. “I just want to see her happy. Her smile is so pretty but she rarely shows it. I want to change that.”

Haya was warmed by that answer, more so than she thought she’d be. He truly did seem genuine and she knew that he wasn’t typically one to be dishonest. “If you have sex with her, I’ll castrate you.” She said rather bluntly. “Touch her in any way and you’ll be back in the morgue with Shoko.”

His face was beet red as he felt like he was going to faint at her directness. “I-I’m not!” He stammered, trying to find his words. “I don’t plan on doing that…I mean I do plan on it one day but uh…not right now, not with Miyu. Not that I wouldn’t like to with her but um we’re both kinda young and she’d have to want to and-”

She held up her hand to cease his rambling. “Good answer.” She said, reaching up to pat him on the head in a teasing manner. “She doesn’t like loud, crowded places. The quieter the better. She shuts down when she gets overwhelmed and when that happens just get her away from everyone else so she can decompress. Maybe even bring her back here. If she starts to really panic then call me and I’ll talk her through it.”

Her eyes closed as she took a deep breath, “and if you get into any danger, run. Don’t try to save anyone. Run and call me or Gojo. We’ll come to take care of it, okay?”

He blinked, unsure what kind of danger they might be in. “You mean like curses?”

“Yes, curses, curse users, anyone trying to bring you harm. Don’t engage. I don’t want either of you to get hurt, okay?” She said firmly and he nodded to show his understanding.

A smile spread across Yuuji’s face and he nodded, realizing that she was just being so aggressive because she was worried. “You’re a really good mom, sensei.”

It was Haya’s turn to turn red as she cleared her throat. No one had ever told her that before and to hear it made her heart swell with joy. Still, she didn’t want Itadori to know that words could have such an effect on her. “Thank you, Yuuji. Be careful and have fun.”

“We will don’t worry!” He said, waving as she started to leave. “But I have another question if that’s okay.”

She paused and looked back at him, “What is it?”

“Do you think it’s okay for Sukuna and Aruna to…you know, be close to one another?” He asked tentatively. Sukuna always had something to say in his head about Aruna or Miyu, none of it good. It was usually something sleazy or sexual. It seemed the king of curses had quite the imagination.

“No,” Haya answered honestly, “but if being with you makes Miyu happy, then I suppose it’s alright.” She started to walk again. “Bring her back by midnight!”

Yuuji nodded and closed the door after she walked out, his nerves for how the date was going to go started to rise again. What if Miyu decided she didn’t like him? Or what if she got mad again about him pretending to be dead? What if she wanted to do something that Haya-sensei just told him that they couldn’t do. He let out a groan before going into his attached bathroom to shower and get ready.

Haya went back to her room, taking the long way to avoid passing by Gojo’s. Speaking to Yuuji just made her more sure that she had been wrong to get so upset with him. While she could oftentimes admit to herself that she was mistaken, admitting that to someone else was a totally different story. She hated apologizing even more than Gojo did.

She decided she’d apologize without words, using the pair of underwear she had bought while out with Miyu. He always did love to see her in lingerie and while plain pink cotton underwear wasn't sexy to most, she had a feeling the nostalgia would make him happy and hopefully horny.

Once in her room, she took out her phone and sent him a text, asking him to come by her room at eight o’clock so they could talk about what happened. A few moments later she received a reply from Gojo stating that he’d be there. Afterward, she canceled her date with the other guy, not wanting to simply ghost him. He responded by asking if they could simply reschedule but she firmly told him no.

She was out of his league anyway.

On the other side of campus, Gojo had been working out in the school gym. He was honestly surprised to receive the text from his now-ex-girlfriend. While Haya could be quite predictable at times, there were other instances when he really had no idea what she was going to do. That seemed to be happening more and more since she brought Miyu back from America.

He thought she was overprotective of the teen and that she should just let Miyu live her life and make mistakes just as they had when they were her age. It was clear Haya wanted better for Miyu than for herself, and sometimes Gojo wondered just how far she’d go to make sure that happened. She had her father breathing down her neck about Itadori. If he were to find out his granddaughter was a vessel too? He was sure it would simply break her.

Regardless of their different views on parenting, he was glad to see that she had come around sooner rather than later. Normally she remained distant until after he came back from an away mission. That just seemed to be how it worked out. He was leaving in a couple of days to handle things in another part of Japan. Haya knew because Yaga had asked her to step in as a teacher.

He finished his reps at the weight bench before getting up and going into the showers to wash up. Maybe if he was extra lucky she’d be wearing something sexy when he came over. He knew he’d be pushing his luck he if instigated sex, but his balls were going blue just from the short time they’d been apart. He thanked the gods that they had compatible sex drives, other women he had dated had a hard time keeping up.

Once he had washed off, he put on a clean set of clothes and went back to his room to find some work to do before his meetup with Hayami later that night.

At eight o’clock sharp, Gojo knocked on the door to Haya’s dorm. He could smell the scent of food from inside, figuring she had gotten take out for them to share. He was thankful that he had decided not to eat, his stomach rumbling at the aroma wafting into the hallway.

The door opened and his jaw dropped at the sight of his sometimes lover dressed in nothing but an oversized white button-up shirt (that he was sure had been his at some point) and no pants on. He couldn’t see her underwear this time since she wasn’t soaked to the bone with rainwater.

He stepped in and immediately slammed the door behind him, being more forceful than he meant to. He felt a pang of guilt when he saw her jump but relieved it by pulling her into him for a desperately passionate kiss.

Haya obediently opened her mouth for his roving tongue, the two fighting for dominance even though they both knew he’d win. He picked her up and practically tossed her onto the bed, seeing a flash of pink panties underneath the white top. “Satoru, wait,” Haya panted, out of breath from the kiss still. “We’re supposed to talk first.”

“I forgive you.” He said bluntly before kissing her again, ripping the shirt open and sending flat pearl buttons scattering across the room. Haya made a muffled sound of protest as his tongue swept into her mouth once more. Her weak attempts to push him away began to stop as she placed her hands on his shoulders.

The kissing continued until Gojo sat up, having at some point pushed her down onto her back and took off his blindfold. He looked down at his blushing first love, seeing her erect nipples peaking on her heaving chest. He finally got a better look at the underwear she had been wearing and while it wasn’t exactly the same it was a damn near match.

He took off his shirt in one fluid motion, tossing it to the ground unceremoniously. Suddenly he realized he didn’t take his shoes off at the door and kicked them off as well. Haya laid still, curiously watching him. She could see the gears turning in his head, trying to figure out what he should do next.

His bright blue eyes pinned her down once more before he grabbed the blindfold from beside her and gently wrapped it around her eyes. Haya did a sharp inhale, taking in his fragrant scent that wafted around her. He tied the fabric around the back of her head, causing her to smile lightly.

“It’s been a while since we’ve done this.” She teased, having been blindfolded before by Gojo whenever he was feeling particularly frisky. He merely chuckled in response as he stood up briefly to take off his pants. As he did so, Haya sat up to take off the remnants of the shirt he had definitely ruined.

She felt herself getting roughly pushed back onto the bed, his lips capturing hers briefly before making their way down her neck and shoulder. His hands wandered up and down her sides before settling on her breasts, squeezing and massaging them in his large hands. Haya’s full focus was on every touch, every peck of his lips or nip of his teeth, The sensations making her wetter by the second as she rubbed her thighs together for some kind of relief.

“Desperate?” He asked into her ear, his warm breath tickling the delicate hairs around it. She merely whined in response, tugging at his boxers instead of verbally agreeing. He let out another low laugh that sent tingles down her spine as she grabbed his cock to shut him up.

Gojo let out a groan, rutting into her fist as he bit down on her breast roughly in payback. Haya let out a sharp hiss, her grip on him tightening slightly. She could feel him throbbing in her palm. “You got it up quickly.” She taunted and he pulled away from her abruptly.

“Don’t make me tie you up to, brat.” He said, spanking her outer thigh playfully. Haya merely chuckled in response as she fumbled around to find his chest, running her fingers along the contour of his abs.

His tongue flicked at her nipples, earning tiny whimpers of protest as she held onto his shoulders lightly. His mouth moved down more as his fingers hooked around the elastic band of her underwear and took them off in a swift motion as Haya lifted her hips.

He spread her legs before latching on to the inside her thigh, biting again and sucking roughly to create a purple flowering bruise on the delicate skin. Haya let out a small moan of pain at his sharp teeth as she attempted to close her legs, only to be held open by his strong grip. He repeated his marking process on the other thigh, this one a little lower so if she were to wear shorts it would be visible. Haya attempted to protest but was immediately shut up by his lips on her swollen clit.

Gojo pulled away and she whimpered a quiet beg for him to touch her. “Bad girls don’t get warm-ups.” He said in a teasing tone as she heard him reaching for a condom in her bedside drawer.

“It’s a safe day.” She muttered, feeling her face heat up with embarrassment. Gojo blinked in surprise. She must be really feeling sorry if she was allowing him to forgo a condom. He closed the drawer again, not wanting her to change her mind. It wasn’t like he enjoyed wearing them, he’d rather fuck her without one every time. She hated the way birth control made her feel, the emotional highs and lows it gave her, so she decided to not take any after years of trying to find one that worked.

Besides, Gojo thought to himself, he’d need an heir one day anyway. And who better to carry that child than the person he loved? Not that he’d ever tell her any of that.

He took off his boxers before flipping her over onto her stomach. Haya obediently lifted her hips up so that she was on her knees while her upper torso remained on the mattress. Gojo pumped his hard cock a few times, spreading the pre-cum along his shaft for additional lubrication. Though if he knew his girlfriend (were they dating again?) then she would be drenched enough to not need it.

He rubbed his tip along her slit, causing her to whine at him for teasing her more. He raised his hand before smacking her ass playfully before slowly inserting himself into her. They both moaned together as Haya’s walls clamped down around him. He muttered a praise at how tight she was, earning himself another clench as he pushed in to the hilt, resting there for a moment as he reveled in how warm and soft she was on the inside.

Haya wiggled her hips in an attempt to get him to move. He smacked her ass once more and she let out a small cry. “‘Toru,” She said, sounding breathless already. The lack of sight was causing her to feel more sensitive than usual, her sole concentration on him stretching her out and filling her up.

“What is it, princess?” He asked, giving a shallow thrust before stopping again. “You want my cock that badly?”

“Yes,” She admitted, growing more and more frustrated by the second. “I’m not your personal cock warmer.” Though she tried to sound demanding, her voice came out in a pathetic tone.

Gojo was smirking, the didn’t bother to disguise the smugness from his voice. “I think you are by the way you’re whining for me to fuck you.” He gave another thrust and she moaned weakly, pushing back against him as much as she could. “I’ll move if you say it.”

Haya clenched her teeth, knowing what he meant. “I’m your cock warmer.” She muttered, not wanting to say it any louder in fear someone may hear her even though that was highly unlikely.

“Hm? What was that? I didn’t hear you.” He said, pretending to start to pull out.

“I’m Gojo’s cock warmer, now please just-” He snapped his hips against her roughly and she moaned loudly instead of finishing her plea. He started to move at a fast and relentless rhythm just like she wanted.

Haya had forgotten her rising anger and annoyance with him immediately. The position allowed for his cock to rub that perfectly placed spot inside of her and the pace had her fingers curling around the blanket beneath her in ecstasy. She was whimpering as his blunt hails dug into the flesh of her hips.

Gojo titled his head back, eyes closed as he reveled in how amazing sex could feel. He briefly wondered how mad she’d be if he came inside her, only to realize that he didn’t really care about the consequences if he did.

Gojo leaned over and bit down on her neck, leaving another hickey as he rammed into her as hard as he could. The tension that had been growing inside Haya finally snapped and she came with a rush of endorphins and a cry of his name. Her muscles spasmed, limbs shaking as she saw bright white stars cloud the darkness of her vision.

He held up her hips, not stopping until he felt her stop twitching. He pulled out and flipped her over onto her back before re-inserting himself into her once more. He increased his pace as her nails dug into his back and shoulders, the bloody marks healing almost instantly, leaving only red dots behind to show that there had been anything there in the first place. He was littered in them as she desperately tried to find some relief for the sheer amount of stimulation she was still receiving.

Her thoughts when numb, nothing coherent passing as all she could think about was his dick inside her, moving at that insane pace that only he seemed to be able to achieve. Gojo took one of her legs and raised it so that her ankle was on his shoulder, hitting a new depth and angle as he did so.

“F-Fuck,” Haya managed to say, the only thing that made sense besides the other cacophony of sounds that had been coming from her mouth. He loved how he could render her into this state so easily. Then again, he could do that with practically any woman he slept with.

It just felt so much better when it was with her.

It wasn’t long before she came for a second time, this one weaker than the previous one as she whimpered. The blindfold began to dampen with her tears as she didn’t think she could handle any more stimuli. Gojo could tell she was breaking and quickly allowed himself to come to his end, pressing himself in as far as he could as he released into her.

Haya was on cloud nine, unable to perceive that he’d cum inside her until he pulled out and she felt the rush of liquid pour out of her. She made a disgusted face at the sensation as Gojo lifted up the blindfold to give her a warm smile and a tired kiss.

He laid down next to her, too worn out from both his workout earlier and fucking her to bother cleaning them both up. At least not right away. Suddenly he heard Haya gasp and he nearly jumped up to look at her.

“We forgot the food!” She said in a shocked voice and all he could do was laugh.

Interlude Five coming Sunday (4/3) Miyu and Yua get ready for Miyu's date. Miyu decides to play matchmaker.

[knchins]

Kuroshiro - Chapter Two

Summary: Hayami and Suguru were teenagers in love until the day came when he decided to turn his back on the sorcery world and become a curse user, which left his best friend Satoru to pick up the pieces.

Pairing: Geto x Fem OC x Gojo

Rating: Mature/Explicit

Word Count: 4.6k

Warnings: Major manga spoilers, physical abuse, mentioned child abuse, character death (canon), mentioned suicidal ideation

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Chapter Two - Rebirth

Once Haya managed to get Miyu to bed, having had to abandon their shopping trip for the time being thanks to her meddling asshole boyfriend. Miyu passed out shortly after her outburst and thankfully Gojo carried her home. While Haya was probably strong enough to bench the teenager’s weight, it was the height difference that made it difficult.

Currently, Haya was pacing a hole into the floor of Gojo’s bedroom floor as he lounged on his bed. “How did I not see this sooner?” She asked herself for the dozenth time. “She’s a vessel. The voices, I just assumed she was hearing curses that were around her. That they weren’t really saying anything that she was just so traumatized that she misheard. It was her the entire time.”

That voice had been a cursed spirit named Aruna. Aruna was once a human and a very distant ancestor of Miyu. She was sold to Sukuna and the two formed a relationship that very few knew about. While Haya had known the ancestry, she hadn’t put much stock in the idea that Miyu could be a vessel.

In short, she did not think it was possible. Itadori became a vessel after ingesting a cursed object - Sukuna’s finger. Miyu had never ingested anything like that, at least not that anyone knew of. She was most likely born this way. It was something that was not really heard of. To get more information, she’d have to visit her father and look in the library to see if any of the old texts on vessel creation.

“Hayami, my rug is going threadbare,” Gojo said in a teasing tone as he watched her ass while she walked. What a sight for sore eyes, he thought jokingly to himself. “You know what your dad would say, don’t you?”

“Fuck him,” Haya muttered under her breath, knowing he was only trying to rile her up more. Sometimes he enjoyed pushing her buttons a little too much. “He’d tell me how much of an idiot I am before telling me to kill her.”

She stopped, heart dropping at the realization, “Oh my god, Satoru, we can’t tell anyone about this.”

He blinked, his glasses shifting at her using his first name. It was the first indication at how truly upset she was, and instantly he knew it would be better to stop trying to anger her. While he was still trying to gauge her and Miyu’s relationship, it was quite apparent by her display in the store how much she cared about her.

“Haya, it’ll be fine, come here.” He said, patting his thigh for her to crawl into his lap. She did so rather obediently, needing comfort from the anxiety that was causing her chest to feel painfully tight.

She rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes to breathe in the smell of his cologne. His scent had a way of calming her down, even when they were at each other’s throats. Though if she ever admitted that to him, he’d definitely use it against her. His large hand ran over her spine in a repeated motion that caused her to heave a heavy sigh.

“This probably isn’t the right time to tell you this, but I have to leave for a mission tomorrow.” He said, feeling her stiffen in his arms. “I’ll only be gone for a few days, when I get back I’ll take you out somewhere nice, okay?”

She relaxed once more, melting into his warmth as suddenly she felt like she couldn’t get enough of him. “Okay.” Her voice was soft and distant. “Can you help me keep this a secret? Miyu isn’t strong like Itadori. She’s so fragile right now. Physically she’s getting stronger, she is learning how to use her technique well. Mentally, she still has a long way to go.”

He rested her head against hers, “I figured. I read the report you sent when you were still in America. Yes, I’ll help you keep it under wraps.”

Haya kissed his neck lightly and felt his shudder at the sensation. “I mean it, Satoru. No one can know about this.”

“Alright, Haya. I’ll make sure it doesn’t get out.” He replied.

“Can we just lay down for a while? I’m still really tired and I don’t think Miyu will be getting up any time soon.” She said tiredly.

Gojo laid back on the bed, shifting so they were lying side-by-side instead of her on top of him. He resumed rubbing her back. “Get some sleep, baby.” He said softly. Not a minute later she was asleep in his arms.

“We paid all that money for you to bring that girl back from America and you couldn’t even bring her here to meet us?” The currently Kuroishi clan head, Hayami’s father, spat irritably at her. “I want to see my worthless daughter’s new plaything.”

Haya remained bowed to him, eyes flickering to her elder brother who was standing to the side with his hands clasped behind his back. She wished he’d say something, anything to their father to defend her. However, deep down she knew he’d remain silent. Only after her verbal (and maybe physical) lashing, would he console her. Not that it meant much after the fact.

“Father, Miyu is on an assignment right now with the rest of the first years. They are on an important rescue mission that I could not detract her from. Certainly, you understand that her education is more important.” Haya said, keeping her tone even and cool. If she let her temper rule then she’d probably have another bruise to explain to Gojo later or even worse, Miyu.

Daiki scoffed indignantly, grabbing Haya’s chin so he could force her to look up at her. His dirty short nails dug into the soft flesh of her face. “Don’t make me out to be some kind of fool, Hayami. You are her teacher, you could have requested her to not go.”

“It was either she go or I go.” Haya replied coldly, her aggravation getting the best of her. The rebuttal earned her a harsh slap to the right side of her face. The sting reminded her once more of the real reason she did not bring Miyu. Miyu didn’t need to see her new mother being weak. If Haya had her way, then they’d never meet. That was not likely to be possible though.

The truth was, Hayami was told she was not allowed to go, despite how dangerous the mission was said to be. She had faith in Fushiguro’s abilities and knew he’d do what he could to keep his classmates safe. Still, she knew better than anyone that even students die in the field.

Yu’s smiling face flashed in front of her mind just before the image of his corpse on the metal slab in the morgue. Ijichi promised he’d call if things turned south. Her nerves had been on edge since. Miyu and Yuuji had at least been somewhat getting along, though since they had different teachers they weren’t forced to interact much.

She dared to look up at her father, who was actually not very tall himself. At least, not compared to Gojo. Daiki looked furious at her usual insubordination. How many times did he have to hit her to get her to understand her place? Always such an insolent little girl, he was convinced she’d never grow up. Or if she did, it would only be to disgrace the Kuroishi family name.

They weren’t one of the big three families, but Daiki sure acted like they were. They were probably closer to the Inumaki level of notoriety, with very loose ties to the Zen’in clan. Hayami had been the one to teach Fushiguro how to create portals with his shadow, as it was one of those techniques that crossed between their families.

She was punished severely for it whenever Daiki and the elders found out. It was so bad that Gojo actually used his own family influence to put pressure on them to stop their harassment. If he had his way, then the Kuroishi clan would be no more.

And truthfully, Hayami wished her family gone just as much as he did, if not more. The resentment, the heartbreak, the disappointment, the rejection, all of it she had been feeling since she was old enough to remember. Being born a woman was a curse upon her, so much so that she wondered what she did in her previous life to deserve it.

“Father, I believe what my sister is trying to say is that in order to make the clan proud, we much make sure Miyu gets the best education possible. If she does well on this mission, then it will bode well for our family.” Daisuke, her brother, said in an apathetic tone. He dare not let his sympathy show.

Daiki let go of Haya and took a step back, “you make an excellent point, my son.” He said, stroking his short beard. Haya could feel still the sting of her cheek and the churning of anger in her chest.

She knew it would be best if she were to leave sooner rather than later. Her phone began to ring and she quickly answered it, knowing her father wouldn’t berate her when someone else could hear it. It was Ijichi, frantically informing her of the current situation at the detention center.

A special grade had appeared and while three of the teens had made it out, Itadori Yuuji was still inside and was about to let Sukuna take control of his body. “I’ll be right there. Don’t leave until I get there.” She said before hanging up. She looked up at her father, “I need to go, there’s trouble at the detention center. I need to contain Sukuna’s vessel.”

“Wait, Hayami.” Daiki said in a tone that made her blood run cold. “Sukuna’s vessel cannot be allowed to survive this. If he does, then it will be up to you to take care of him.” His expression left no room for protest, not if she wanted to leave and get to Miyu as soon as possible. She nodded, bowing again before running to catch a cab.

She arrived at the detention center to find Miyu and Nobara being taken care of by Yua, who Haya had not realized was on standby. Yua had the same reverse technique as Shoko and since the death of her parents had come to study under her big cousin.

“Mom!” Miyu said, running to her and hugging her, luckily not noticing the red mark still on her cheek. It did not go unnoticed by Ijichi, who knew exactly where it had come from. It wasn’t a secret, after all.

“Where is Fushiguro and Itadori?” She asked Ijichi, scanning the horizon.

“Fushiguro is fighting Sukuna.” He replied.

Haya cut him off before he could explain further, “Take the girls back to campus, Fushiguro can’t handle a special grade on his own.”

The assistant director stared at her. Haya was only a grade one sorcerer. She wouldn’t be able to handle Sukuna either. But she knew her being a teacher outweighed her own self-preservation. “Ijichi. We can’t let Sukuna run rampant, he has to be contained.” She said firmly. “I’m going to help Fushiguro, make sure the other students are safe.”

He sighed and nodded, ushering the girls into his car. “Better hurry, your sensei is scary when she’s angry.” He muttered under his breath.

“Thank you, Kiyotaka.” He heard her say quietly before using her senses to run towards the large amount of cursed energy nearby.

The overcast sky was making it difficult for her to see. The less light there was, the more her vision disappeared with it. She crouched, reaching into her shadow to pull out her glasses and put them on for better visibility, her lineage having been cursed with night-blindness for centuries now. The special lenses allowed her to see cursed energy and give her better awareness of her surroundings based on the location of shadows.

She could make out Fushiguro and then Sukuna in the jaws of Orochi, the snake shikigami. Nu was helping as well, hitting him with repeated lightning attacks.

Then Orochi was gone, destroyed by Sukuna in an instant. Haya’s knees felt weak, her hands trembling as she reached into her pockets for her Tekko, the cursed tools she used more often than her actual shadow manipulation. She hadn’t felt this powerless since she had to be saved by Geto a few years before he died. Though that had admittedly been a trap.

Sukuna noticed her presence but didn’t care enough to acknowledge it, not with his plaything right in front of him. He picked Fushiguro up and threw him through the trees, only to catch him and throw him through buildings.

Haya struggled to keep up, feeling more like a gnat against a lion than anything else. She couldn’t help but think that this had been planned, particularly due to her father’s words. Yuuji wasn’t meant to survive this and by the hole in his chest, she knew that he wouldn’t.

It was the outcome she had told Gojo would come to pass, not that he’d ever listen to her when it counted. By the time she managed to catch up to the two, Yuuji was on the ground dead. The rain was coming down harder, masking the stray tears that had escaped the young sorcerer’s eyes.

“Megumi.” Haya murmured, dropping formalities with the boy she’d known since he was in elementary school. He was almost like a little brother at this point. “Let’s go.” She said, knowing he wasn’t the type to benefit from physical touch when he was upset.

She called for someone to transport the body to Shoko’s morgue in order for an autopsy and to take herself and Fushiguro back to Jujutsu High.

Once they were back at school, Hayami called Gojo in order to inform him of the unfortunate news.

“Itadori Yuuji is dead.” Haya said in a tired, lifeless voice. Her head was pounding from the overuse of her teleportation technique, the other end of the phone was quiet. Gojo had sensed something was going to happen, but couldn’t ignore his duty as a special grade sorcerer. As she gave him the rundown of the events at the detention center, he wondered why Haya had not been assigned to go with them.

“I was forbidden from going,” Haya answered the question she knew he had. “I probably would have been killed, you know I always freeze when faced with a curse stronger than me. I’ve always been too weak for self-preservation. The best I could do to help Fushiguro was chase after them, but even then I was useless.”

“Haya, there’s nothing you could have done against Sukuna. And of the four of them, Itadori was the only one that could have defeated that special grade. I have no doubt Fushiguro will get there but he has to let loose first.” He decided not to comment on her weakness because there were plenty of times that he did see her as weak. She could have gone and disobeyed orders, but instead, she played the good little sorcerer and listened.

She would argue that she did not have the privilege of going against the elders like he did, as if he wouldn’t protect her if she did. “There’s something else.” She said, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I think this was a trap set for Itadori. I think he was supposed to die. My father made a comment about it. Telling me to kill him if he survived.”

Gojo was quiet once more, fury washing over him at the elders doing something that was admittedly predictable. “Your father should know you would never be able to kill a child.”

“My father does know and expects me to fail,” Haya replied in an unreadable tone, even for Gojo who had known her for over a decade now. She didn’t want to elaborate what she believed would happen if she hadn’t killed Itadori. It was unfortunate that he had died, the other first years were quite upset by the loss. Though none of them really showed how much it was affecting them. “I need to go, Satoru. I’ll see you tomorrow when you get back.”

“Alright, Haya.” He said with a sigh before hanging up.

Later that night Haya sat with Miyu, having picked up sushi for both of them. They were in Haya’s room, it was a little bigger than the student dorms but not by much. They were both picking at their food quietly, neither having much of an appetite after the day’s excitement. Haya had grown somewhat attached to Itadori. He always seemed happy about something, and despite her desire to keep him away from Miyu, she knew that her daughter had grown attached very quickly.

“I’m sorry, Miyu. I should have been there.” Haya said, knowing she wouldn’t have been much help. Still, she thought maybe her words would bring her some type of comfort. “Maybe Itadori wouldn’t have had to let Sukuna take over then.”

Miyu saw her mom as powerful and capable of handling everything. She’d never seen her lose a fight, but she’s also never seen her go against a curse higher than a semi-grade one. Haya was cocky until faced with an opponent she felt she had no chance against. Her suicidal tendencies made her give in, ready to sacrifice herself in order to be free from the type of life she was leading.

The issue was she felt time passing but nothing was happening. She was twenty-seven and not engaged or married, no children besides Miyu. Her biological clock was ticking but she knew Gojo would never propose. Even if he did she didn’t know if she’d even say yes. Things had been extremely rocky since Suguru’s passing. The display of emotion she made when holding his dying body in her arms was more than Gojo had seen in a very long time.

He wondered if she’d ever been able to love him the way she loved his best friend.

Unfortunately, Haya didn’t have an answer for him as she didn’t even know herself.

Miyu didn’t respond. She had never lost a friend before. Truth be told in America she didn’t have friends to lose. Yuuji was always so kind and polite to her. When he saw the game collection she inherited from Haya, he instantly jumped to teach her how to play. Since most of them were horror games, he even ended up playing for her half the time during the really scary parts.

While she didn’t know the name to her feelings, she had definitely developed a crush for the pink-haired boy, much to Aruna’s distaste. Though Aruna wasn’t convinced Sukuna was gone, saying he was like a cockroach that you couldn’t get rid of. Her words did little to console Miyu.

“I lost a classmate in my second year at Jutjutsu High,” Haya said softly, hoping that if Miyu knew that she could relate, then maybe it would help her share her feelings. “It was very hard on me. On all of us, I think. Yu was a little ray of sunshine, always smiling and laughing about something. The world is a much darker place without him and he did not deserve his fate. Sometimes we get sent on missions that go wrong. That’s just what life is like as a sorcerer, I’m afraid. I’ll do everything in my power to protect you, Miyu. I promise I’ll never let something like this happen again.”

Miyu glanced up at her, seeing the desperate look on her new mother’s face. She wondered how Haya planned to do that. It’s not like she could be there all the time. Didn’t she say she couldn’t join them on this mission for some reason? It didn’t make much sense to send in a bunch of teenagers to rescue people, but maybe things really were that different in Japan compared to America.

The teen girl looked back down at her food, “Mom can I go to my room? I’m not really hungry.”

Haya pushed her own food away, feeling similar. “Of course, dear. I’ll put this in the refrigerator if you feel like eating it later. Go on and get some rest.”

Miyu stood up and retreated to her dorm, feeling her mind shutting down further at the loss of not only a friend but a first crush as well. She was thankful for Haya not pushing her to talk about her feelings more. Though all her life she’d been forced to by therapists and doctors and social workers. It was nice to be able to keep things to herself. To not have to process them. To just shove them away and forget they even exist.

Certainly, there’s no way that would backfire on her later.

The next evening, after Gojo had stashed away a living Itadori with a mountain of movies to watch, he approached Haya’s room and knocked on the door in black slacks and a white button-up shirt, the top few buttons undone and exposing the top of his bare chest. He had promised he’d take her out before he left, and still planned on upholding that even with the new development of Yuuji being not dead but alive. Though he did not plan on telling Hayami about his miraculous resurrection.

Haya opened the door wearing the dress he had gotten for her. It was the same one she had been looking at in the store two weeks ago when she went shopping with Miyu. She had been surprised (and quite happy) when she saw him pull the dress out of his closet as a surprise. When she had gone back for it, they had sold out in her size.

As both of them predicted, she looked amazing in it. It was strapless with side cut-outs on her ribcage and only came down to her mid-thigh. It showed off her small waist and gorgeously toned thighs simultaneously.

Haya always put a lot of effort into how she looked. She had since she was a second-year student and Geto left. When they were dating she had been modest. Suguru preferred her more covered, simply because he didn’t like the way adult men looked at her. She’d always been pretty and petite with captivating dark blue eyes. He was not a jealous man on the surface but hidden underneath was a degree of possessiveness that only Gojo had known about.

Later when she ran into him during a mission in which he saved her from a special grade, he would show this darker side of him to her by making comments about her taking control of her sexuality and being brazen in showing off the body that she had worked so hard for.

Gojo let out a low whistle, “don’t you clean up well.” He teased and she rolled her eyes at him, a light blush on her cheeks as she walked out. She closed the door behind her and locked it before following him to his car, where he drove them to a nicer restaurant on the edge of town.

Both of them were used to people staring. Gojo was striking with his stark white hair, girls looked with heart-eyes while guys looked with envy. He was on top and no one could ever make him feel differently. It was that cockiness that caused plenty of fights between him and his girlfriend.

Though to be fair, Haya wasn’t much better. The eyes of men would roam over her form no matter where they were. Gojo was used to it and even saw it as a symbol of pride. While Haya’s downfall was her personality, her body made up for it in a lot of ways.

They were seated promptly because even if non-sorcerers had no clue who Gojo Satoru really was, they still knew that the Gojo family name meant money. It carried weight in both worlds. Gojo was a king of both realms and no one could convince him otherwise. To say he had an over-inflated ego would be an understatement, but it would also be worth saying that he was deserving of the praise.

Haya ordered wine while Gojo chose simple water. For years Haya had wondered what a drunk Gojo would be like, however, due to his technique he was unable to consume it. It always meant she drank alone on dates, not that it really bothered her. She trusted him to take care of her if she drank too much and he had never done anything to betray that trust.

“How did your mission go?” She asked, looking over the menu for what she may want to eat. He shrugged, not really having much to report. It wasn’t as if anyone or anything stood a chance against him. Even Geto couldn’t hold a candle to him in the end.

Her eyes downcast at the thought of Suguru and it did not go unnoticed. It was a look Gojo knew all too well, it was one she had since he left their sides years ago. She attempted to recover, noticing the displeased look on his face. “I’m sorry about Itadori. I know you two were close.”

He let out a forced sigh. Itadori was very much alive but only a very select number of people knew that. Ijichi, Shoko, Yua, and himself to be exact. “Things would have gone differently if you had been there.”

“You mean, I’d be dead.” She said in a flat tone, not liking his insinuation that she did the wrong thing.

“No, Haya, I mean you could have gotten everyone to safety before anyone else lost their lives.” He replied, referring to the teleporting technique she had mastered back when she was a third-year student.

Haya felt her blood pressure rising. “Then what? A special grade would have been free to wreak havoc until when? You came home? Maybe if I had Nanami-”

“You really sell yourself short sometimes, Hayami.” He said, not believing that she couldn’t defeat a special grade if she really put her heart into it. Her biggest obstacle was her own damn self. It was as if she didn’t want to progress. She didn’t want greatness. She could be so down on herself despite all the work she’s done to get to where she is.

It really pissed him off sometimes.

His words shut her up for good as the waiter came back to take their orders. Once gone, Haya drank more to try and swallow her embarrassment. After a few more tense minutes she finally looked at him. She wondered if she should apologize. Then quickly decided against it. “I don’t want to argue with you tonight. We’re supposed to be enjoying ourselves. Gods know we both need it.”

“I still can’t believe you adopted an American teenager.” He said, changing the subject just as she had before. “She’s quiet. I think the only other person she really talked to was Itadori.”

Haya sighed and nodded, “she went through hell. I couldn’t go without doing anything. Yaga said the only way was to adopt her. I couldn’t just leave her there, Gojo, she was diagnosed schizophrenic from a young age for seeing curses. In and out of hospitals, suffered abuse to extremes that even I’m not entirely sure about. I think she liked him because he didn’t treat her like she was different. She has barely spoken since he died. I’m really worried about her.”

“A week ago you were worried about them spending too much time together,” Gojo said with an amused smile. It seemed out of place for the conversation at hand. “Now you’re sad he’s gone.”

“A teenage boy lost his life, of course, I’m upset.” She said, obviously frustrated. “Especially because if he had lived then I would have had to kill him myself.”

Interlude Two coming Sunday (2/13)

Haya falls into a trap set by Geto and comes face to face with him for the first time in years.

A/N: I totally forgot to post this yesterday OTL. For more info on Aruna check out Crown of Thorns by dark-mnjiro!