HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE!!! 🥳

I just finished watching season 2 of Alice in Borderland and oooooh my god, I loved it!!! Chishiya, Arisu, Kuina, Mira, and Banda are my beloveds 💖

WARNING: He is coming.

SHISUI JUMPED WHEN SUKUNA DUMPED a whole bear carcass several feet in front of her. The now twelve year old girl was just minding her own business, trying to plait her hair the way her older sisters taught her, only to recoil at the sight of the dead animal.

She could barely suppress a gag. "What is that? And why did you bring it here?"

"This," Sukuna smirked smugly. "Is dinner."

Things hadn't changed much since they first met six years ago. Shisui's clan was still perfectly oblivious to her secret escapades outside of the Estate. However, word had spread about the village's 'black sheep' befriending a mysterious girl, and his aunt immediately picked up on it. He kept tight-lipped about his friend, especially since Hideshi was still leeching off of them.

There was no way he would let Hideshi know that he had befriended the young girl who had gotten him flogged to near death.

The only thing that had really changed was how much closer they had become—though that was to be expected since they had no other friends aside from each other. Shisui even nominated Sukuna as her number one best friend, right above Spot-chan the koi fish.

Personality-wise, Shisui was still a bit of a spoiled brat according to Sukuna's terms. Though she had certainly grown more humble over the years thanks to having him as a friend. Meanwhile, Sukuna had grown softer, was less abrasive, and allowed himself to act like a child from time to time rather than a 'grumpy old man' as she would call him.

However, one thing about him remained the same: his bottomless stomach.

Shisui made a face. "I refuse to eat bear meat again."

"Don't be a picky brat," the thirteen year old boy rolled his red eyes. With a flick of his finger, the carcass was skinned, its thick layer of fur being cut away and peeled off in an instant. The ability to cut things was one of the many quirks of his Cursed Technique—a quirk that he enjoyed using especially when it came to cooking.

The sight of blood made Shisui shudder in disgust. She could never understand how Sukuna could remain unfazed by the sight of gore, or the smell of it.

"Go get the fire ready while I cut it." He ordered, knowing she would rather do anything than watch him cut away at an animal's corpse.

She was more than happy to do it. Quickly, she turned away to gather dry leaves, grass, and bark to create a tinder nest. Sukuna had taught her a long time ago how to start a fire and while it took many, many lessons and lectures for her to understand, it helped them out in the long run.

It only took her several minutes to get a fire started. She glanced over her shoulder to inform Sukuna that the fire was ready, only to catch something she never expected to see.

Sukuna had already finished cutting up the meat, and was holding a small piece of bloody bear flesh in his hand. He raised it up to his lips before biting a chunk of it. He chewed on the raw meat curiously, before an expression of pure elation crawled over his face.

She couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

Sukuna choked in mid-swallow. The unfinished chunk of meat dropped from his hand and he hastily tried to wipe the trail of blood that dribbled down to his chin with the sleeve of his yukata.

He looked at her, his face pale. "I, uh—"

"—Were you just eating raw meat?" She asked incredulously. Sukuna was a genius with the most brilliant of minds, so he of all people should know that eating freshly killed raw meat—especially with the blood still there—wasn't safe! He lectured her all about it years ago too!

"I-I was just curious," he stuttered, heart pounding away at his chest. "It just—I don't know—it smelled so good, so I..."

Her weird look intensified. "How does raw meat smell good?!"

He looked away, ashamed of himself. "I don't know..."

He couldn't explain it to her. And even if he knew the right words to say, he would never say it, too scared of being pushed away by the only person he actually liked in this world.

He had always had a big appetite, 'ever since birth', his aunt would tell him. But the one thing he craved the most was meat. Cooked meat was good, he liked it, but raw meat—with blood still dripping down the flesh—was a growing temptation for him. Every time he killed an animal for food, the sight of its bleeding fresh meat practically sang to him, urging him to take a bite of what he knew wasn't safe to eat.

And after years of holding back his hungry desires, he knew he had to satiate his curiosity. He ate his first piece of raw meat, blood and all, and it was like putting a slice of heaven into his mouth.

But he could never tell her that, and luckily for him, Shisui didn't think anything else about his 'sudden' curiosity of raw meat.

"Right..." She said slowly. "Well, um, the fire's ready."

"Oh, good," he mumbled under his breath, his heart still hammering away from the nerves.

He wiped his face again, hoping he had removed all the blood from his lips before gathering all the meat and dragging it over to the fire to be cooked. He pointedly avoided looking at Shisui's general direction, too scared to see her judgemental eyes. Fortunately for him, she was already busy getting some twigs for them to use.

They were quiet as they ate their food, but Shisui finally spoke up around the time they were finished.

"You know," she began, a growing grin on her face. "My thirteenth birthday is next month. I'll be an adult then."

Sukuna snorted. "An adult? You? That's a terrifying thought."

She remained undeterred by his words, staring up at him with stars in her eyes. "You're already thirteen, so what's it like?"

He raised a brow. "What's what like?"

"Being an adult, Kuna-chan!"

"First of all, don't call me that. That nickname is dreadful. Second of all, it's really nothing different." He explained with a lazy shrug. "I don't see how being thirteen is anything special."

Her jaw dropped. "Nothing special?!" She sputtered in disbelief. "That can't be! My sisters all told me how great it is! I won't be treated like a baby anymore and my father will marry me off!"

He stiffened. "What?"

"Yes, well, I believe he will," she tilted her head, a thoughtful expression on her face. "When I turn thirteen, I'll be old enough to marry. I just hope he marries me off to someone outside of the Clan, that way I don't have to sneak out all the time."

Sukuna fell silent. He couldn't think of Shisui being someone's wife. The very thought made him feel all funny. He knew enough about adulthood that the duties of a wife were quite restrictive and stern; he could never imagine Shisui, who was free-willed and childish, to really enjoy it. The rest of her clan didn't know it, but Shisui had a slight rebellious streak—though that was partially his fault for influencing it on her.

She behaved like a proper noblewoman should, but around him, she was more relaxed, more comfortable and willing to throw away propriety with his encouragement. A husband surely would disapprove of that...

But I wouldn't, he found himself thinking, only to freeze up in horror. Did I really just think of us as—?! How gross!

He blanched, catching her attention. "What?" She asked.

"You're too ugly for marriage," he blurted out.

"HUH?!" She flung a branch at him. "How dare you! I'm the cutest amongst my whole clan! The whole village even!"

He burst out in laughter. "Did your mother tell you that to make you feel better?"

She let out an angry gasp. "Oh, I'll kill you!" She threatened, jumping up to her feet.

He let out another laugh before getting up and running away. "Watch your mouth, Shisui," he taunted. "No man would like such ugly words!"

"And no woman would like such an ugly face!" She jabbed back.

She chased him around their little campfire before he jumped straight into the river. Shisui had taught him how to swim years ago, and thanks to her tutelage, he became an excellent swimmer.

But not as good as her.

Within seconds of getting into the water, she caught him in no time.

"Got you!" She grinned mischievously, hand grasping the back of his head. In no time, she quickly dunked his head right into the water for pulling him back up a second later for air.

"Ugh, you're too much of a brute," he complained, tilting his head to the side in hopes to force the water out of his ear. "You aren't wife-material at all."

"Neither would you make the perfect husband," she snickered. "You're too crude and improper. Not to mention poor."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh haha, you're just as poor as I am, you know. Your father's money isn't really yours."

"...Don't make me put your head back in the water." She threatened.

He snorted before stepping back and splashing her face.

She jerked away, letting out a cry before glaring at him. "You—!" She suddenly froze, whatever she was about to say cut off by a sharp gasp as her eyes darted at something behind him.

Sukuna wasn't falling for it. "I know there's nothing behind me. I'm not going to turn around," he said flatly, unimpressed that she thought he would fall for such an obvious trick.

She shook her. "No—I-I saw a man on the other side of the river. He was watching us, I swear!"

"Sure he was."

"I'm being serious here!" She huffed. "There really was a man standing right there!" She pointed over his shoulder, but he didn't dare turn around.

"And where is he now?" He asked, still not falling for it.

"He's gone now..." She muttered, shoulders slumped. "But I really did see him!"

"Uh huh. And what did this 'man' look like?" He raised a skeptical brow.

"I don't know... All I saw was his white kimono and white hair." She replied, frustration written all over her features. "He also wore a white cloth over his eyes."

He snorted. "So you supposedly saw a ghost?"

She frowned. "I'm not trying to deceive you! I really did see a man over there!"

He sighed and finally turned around. All he saw on the riverbank was the usual dirt, grass, and rocks. There was no man in white that could be seen or any signs that anyone had even been there. He turned back to her.

"Maybe you were just seeing things." He figured.

"But—"

"—Shisui, I'm a sorcerer, remember? If someone was here, I would've sensed their cursed energy first," he reminded her.

"But sorcerers can suppress their cursed energy so they can't be detected," she insisted. "You told me about that before, didn't you? So maybe that man can do it too!"

He frowned. While he was impressed that she managed to remember that lesson he had told her of before, he knew she was right. People could suppress their cursed energy—nearly extinguishing it even—but that was an advanced thing. Something he was still struggling to accomplish.

He looked back at the other side of the river, worried. If Shisui was right, then whoever was watching them had to have been a strong sorcerer. But why was this man in white watching them?

"Let's... let's go back," he muttered, and she nodded in agreement.

They swam back to their side of the river, shivering from the cold water and the night breeze blowing against them.

"You know, I never asked," Sukuna began, glancing back. "But what is on the other side?"

"Another village," she answered, wringing out her kimono. "Don'yoku Village*. That mountain over there is called Mount Kinka, and do you see that white building at the very top?"

Sukuna craned his neck up and he had to squint in order to see the small white structure at the summit of the mountain. "I see it."

"That's the Gojo Castle," she told him.

He snapped his head towards her. "Gojo? As in the Gojo Clan, one of the Big Three Sorcerer Families?"

"The very one," she confirmed. She looked at him in amusement. "You've been living here for thirteen years and you really didn't know?"

"Of course not!" He sputtered in disbelief. "You're literally one of the only people I ever converse with! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I thought you already knew," she admitted with a sheepish grin.

"Is the Zenin Clan nearby as well?" He asked.

"No, they're a little farther away down south," she explained before looking back up at Gojo Castle. "I can see that castle all the way from the Estate, you know? It always made me wonder about them..."

"What do you know?" He asked curiously. The books he had read about the three great sorcerer families were very vague, which was understandable since they most likely wanted to keep as much information about themselves a secret.

"Not much, just what my brothers have told me. Ryu-nii said they were a closed-off family and they're not very kind to each other. Sui-nii said that I should be grateful I was born into the Uchiumi Clan, because the Gojos don't even treat their own family right. He also told me about some rumors..."

"Rumors?" He echoed.

She nodded. "Yes. You know of their only son, Michizane, correct?"

"Yes..." He once overheard gossip about that same son leaving the clan and taking his mother's maiden name, Suguwara, instead, but he had no clue if it was actually true.

"Well, there is a rumor... that the Gojo Clan is actually hiding a second son."

He furrowed his brows in confusion. "I don't understand. Why would they need to hide the fact that they have another son?" Usually having sons was something to celebrate, so why hide from the public that they had another one?

"I don't know," she frowned. "Sui-nii told me that it was probably because he wasn't a sorcerer. Sumi-nii suggested that he was perhaps deformed in a way. Ryu-nii said it was just a silly rumor though, and that I shouldn't believe it. However, the Gojo Clan is mysterious."

Sukuna remained silent, his frown pensive as he turned to look back at the Gojo Castle.

Shisui giggled. "Don't think too hard about it. It is just a rumor after all. Come, walk me back home."

━━━━━━･❪ 💧 ❫ ･━━━━━━

The month drifted by, and it was the day after her thirteenth birthday. Like all the other birthday celebrations, she couldn't celebrate that special day with her dear friend by her side for obvious reasons.

But she would always make up for it the day after. Celebrations in the Uchiumi Estate were always a big deal, consisting of a large feast of meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables. Knowing how carnivorous Sukuna was, she would always take leftover meat from the kitchens and sneak away to give it to him so they could have their own little party.

Today, Shisui made a mistake.

After eating breakfast with her family, she went straight to the kitchens. Her mistake was forgetting that she had promised Itotaki the night before that they would practice embroidery together when morning came, and now that her presence was missing, the older girl had sent out Ryujin to try and find her.

Ryujin found her just as she stepped out of the kitchens with a bag of food in her hand. The twenty-three year old man opened his mouth to call out to her, but something about the suspicious way she behaved made him stay silent.

She moved too quietly, lips pursed, and eyes focused on scanning the hallway. He hid himself behind the wall, watching as she slinked down halls. He followed after her as quietly as possible.

Shisui was completely oblivious to the man shadowing her as she sneaked to the very back of the Estate, lugging a heavy bag full of precious meat that she knew Sukuna would love to sink his teeth into. She hurried to the gates, hastily moving away the makeshift bush before dropping into the hole and squirming the other side.

A giddy grin was on her face as she climbed out and she sprinted deep into the forest without wasting another second. As she dashed through nature, she heard Sukuna cry out her name in alarm.

"Shisui!"

She stopped just as he appeared from the trees, his red eyes wide as he looked all around her. He grasped her by the shoulders, making her tense up.

"Kuna-chan—?"

"I sensed you being followed," he said in a rush, looking around with slitted eyes and his teeth gnashed together. "Who—"

"—Take your hands off my sister, demon," a cold voice said.

The both of them stiffened. A third figure entered their line of sight; the eldest of the Uchiumi children, Ryujin. Shisui dropped the bag of food and felt her breath hitch, she had never seen her brother look so upset before. Even worse, she could see the clouds shifting in the skies, turning the scenery dark as a faint rumbling could be heard overhead.

His attack came so quickly. Shisui barely even saw it; a tendril of water heading towards their direction before suddenly everything became a huge blur and she now found herself meters away, Sukuna standing in front of her protectively.

He flicked a finger out and Ryujin jumped just in time to avoid getting sliced in half, the trees surrounding him taking the brunt of the attack instead. Ryujin landed gracefully, his eyes surveying the destructive force of the rosette's single attack. All surrounding trees within a few feet of diameter were nothing but splinters now, and even the ground wasn't spared.

That amount of power... from just one attack...?! He thought.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Shisui panicked, grasping the edge of Sukuna's sleeve before he could attack a second time. "Ryu-nii, I—"

"—What are you doing with him?" Ryujin demanded, breathing heavily. "Don't you know who this man is?"

"Um, y-yes," she said weakly, too scared to speak coherently.

"How—?!" He breathed in in an attempt to keep his wits. "Shisui. We are going back home. Now."

She and Sukuna exchanged worried looks.

She swallowed thickly. "Nii-san, I..."

"Now, Shisui!" He ordered in a clipped tone.

She flinched and hurried forward, giving Sukuna one last scared glance before her brother dragged her away.

As they reached the familiar gates of the estate, a sick feeling began to grow in her stomach. She wanted to throw up, but she held in as he forced her to enter.

Multiple heads turned their way. She spotted several of their siblings shooting them confused looks.

Suijin approached them warily. "Ryujin, what's going on?"

"I need to have a word with our father," he replied rigidly. "Please excuse us."

He kept a hard grip around Shisui's wrist for dragging her deeper into the central building before pushing open a set of double-doors that led to a room used for meetings. Shisui paled. Their father was already there, in the middle of signing something probably important

Suiten narrowed his eyes. "Ryujin, Shisui, what is the meaning of this?"

A noise came from behind them. Shisui glanced back to see her remaining siblings (most of her sisters had already been married off) enter the room, curious looks on their faces. It was clear to them that Ryujin had caught Shisui doing something wrong, which was a shock because she was the least rambunctious out of them.

Surprisingly enough, she had actually calmed down over the years and rarely ever caused trouble—though that was mainly because she was always so busy spending time with Sukuna and causing trouble with him instead.

"Father," Ryujin began. "I caught Shisui sneaking out of the estate."

Suiten immediately straightened up.

"And that isn't all. I found her with Ryomen no Sukuna." He finished.

"WHAT?!" Suiten roared, and Shisui began to shake. His stormy eyes glared daggers at her. "What were you doing with him?!"

When Shisui didn't speak right away, Ryujin answered, "She stole food from the kitchens and I saw her give it to him."

"You've been feeding him?!" Their father got up.

"No! Well, yes—but no," she stammered.

"What were you thinking?" He hissed. "Sneaking out, meeting with him! Haven't we warned you about him before?! We don't even know if he's completely human!"

"He is a human!" She quickly came to her friend's aid. "I've known him for years, father! I know better than everyone in this room that Sukuna is just as human as you and I!"

The whole room became so silent that she could hear a pin drop.

It took her several seconds to realize what she had done: she had admitted not only to sneaking out to see him, but also that she had been doing that for years.

Uh oh. She thought.

"Uh, w-wait, let me explain," she said quickly, bringing her hands up. "It wasn't his fault, it was mine! It was all my idea! I first snuck out of the house six years ago and when I was walking around the forest, I got chased by a flyhead curse and he exorcised it for me! That was how we met! And—and I was the one who kept leaving the house to see him, he wasn't trying to make me do it or anything!"

Suiten looked overwhelmed by everything she was throwing at him. His shoulders shook. "You... you've been—"

CRASH!

Heads turned back towards the double-doors where a series of muffled sounds could be heard.

"H-hey, stay back! Stay back!"

"Arghhhh!"

"Someone alert Lord Uchiumi—!"

BAM!

The doors swung open and in stormed a furious looking Sukuna, his red eyes piercing through everyone in the room. For some odd reason, he was carrying the bag of meat Shisui brought before.

"DAMN BRAT!" He growled, tossing the bag at Shisui's feet. "Is this your idea of a joke?! This meat is old! I warned you that if you didn't do as I say that I'd slit your throat in your sleep! Did you think I was merely jesting?!"

The room fell silent a second time as everyone exchanged looks of confusion. Shisui just claimed that she and Sukuna had known each other for years and she was the one who willingly wanted to see them, yet Sukuna was here and his words suggested the opposite.

"Kuna-chan..." Shisui bowed her head in shame. "I already told him the truth..."

His eyes bugged out. "You gave in that quickly?!"

"I'm sorry, I panicked!" She wailed.

"You moron! Learn to lie!" He hissed.

"Why have you come here?" Suiten spat, his glare directed at the pink haired man.

"To... explain myself," Sukuna muttered. "Please, do not punish your daughter. I was the one that asked her to bring over some leftover meat from her birthday celebration."

"Oh? And did you ask her to come and see you all the other times?"

"...No," he admitted, before steeling his gaze. "But if you want someone to blame, then perhaps you should point the finger at yourself."

Suiten's jaw tightened. "How dare you—"

"If you didn't want her sneaking around in the first place, then you shouldn't restrict her freedom so much! Of course she'd break your foolish rules, you idiot! Your rules are pure trash!"

"Um, Kuna-chan," Shisui squeaked. "M-maybe you shouldn't anger him so much?"

Sukuna recollected himself. "Oh, I apologize," he said coolly. "It wasn't my goal to upset him, just point out the mistakes he made in trying to raise his children. I didn't realize he was so emotional that he would be so quick to anger."

A jet of water shot at him. Sukuna disappeared in a flash and started moving around the room to dodge the other incoming hits. At the end, he reappeared next to Shisui, who jumped.

Sukuna clapped his hands mockingly. "Hang in there," he taunted. "You almost got me that one time."

Suiten turned to Shisui. "This is the company you choose to keep?"

"I didn't realize you were even giving her any options," Sukuna scoffed. "What do you have her do in here, hmm? Embroidery? Painting? Poetry? Lessons on how to be a 'proper wife'? Sure sounds riveting."

Shisui anxiously tugged at his sleeve. "What are you doing?!" She whispered.

"Doing what I've wanted to do for years," he smirked.

"You're going to get us killed!"

He scoffed. "He can't even touch me."

Suiten's eyes were blazing, "YOU—"

The second interruption came; the doors opened and in came Ryujin and Shisui's mother and Suiten's first wife, Hisa.

"Suiten! Suiten, wait," the green haired woman panted, having sprinted here after she heard the commotion. "Please don't get mad at them. I've known what she's been doing for years now."

Shisui's jaw dropped. "You have?!"

Hisa sent her an amused look. "Yes, I found out very early on. How do you think you've managed to get away with your escapades for so long? I've been covering for you."

Shisui could feel her face turn red from embarrassment. And here she thought she was an expert at sneaking away.

Hisa then turned back to her husband, who looked seconds away from causing a tsunami.

"My love, I understand your protectiveness—"

"—Overbearingness," Sukuna coughed under his breath.

Hisa wisely continued on, "But Shisui always returns so happy whenever she comes back. Our daughter is so lonely here, surely you wouldn't want to strip her from her only friend?"

"She has broken the rules, Hisa," he reminded her, but his voice was less angry than before. "Jeopardized her safety just so she can meet with him. And you know how dangerous he is!"

"I'm flattered," Sukuna said flatly.

"He doesn't seem very dangerous to me," Hisa beamed, walking over to Sukuna to pinch his cheek. "If our Shisui likes him, then he must be a sweet boy!"

His eye twitched, but he didn't dare move to make her stop. Now I see where the brat got her annoying nature from...!

Suiten watched on incredulously as his wife continued to smother the village's black sheep with affection. "H-Hisa...!" He sputtered. "You heard the rumors about him!"

"Rumors are hardly true," she chuckled, finally pulling away from the pinkette much to his relief. He quietly nursed his aching cheek. Nobody had ever pinched his cheek before. "Please my love, I implore you to let this go. Our daughter only ever wanted a friend."

"She has her siblings!" He protested.

"Most of them are already gone," she reminded him gently.

That was true. Almost all of Shisui's sisters have already been married off and were either living outside of the central building or away from the village. The only sister she had left was Itotaki. Her brothers, save for Ryujin, had married as well, but they still lived within the Estate with their wives and children—but they had so many responsibilities now and she didn't want to bother them.

"She isn't safe!"

"...Father, if I may," Ryujin quietly spoke up and Shisui gulped, dreading what he would say. "While I was following Shisui, Ryomen-san detected me immediately and came to protect her, believing that I was a threat. When I attacked him, he protected her again. I never realized it until now because I was so angry. I do not believe the rumors that he is a monster, and I believe that he does have Shisui's safety in mind."

Shisui and Sukuna exchanged a surprised look. Well, this was a pleasantly interesting development. Another person on their side!

"He... attacked you...?" Suiten said slowly, his gaze drifting off to Sukuna. "So it's true then. You have been practicing jujutsu in secret."

"Well what other choice did I have?" He sneered. "Since you sorcerers refused to mentor me, I had to learn everything all on my own."

"And he's really good, father!" Shisui chimed in. "Really! He's amazing! He's been exorcising the cursed spirits that have been plaguing the village!"

"You have?" Suiten's brow raised.

Suijin's eyes widened. "Wait... the rate of curse sightings have decreased exponentially over the years. Are you saying that was all you?"

Sukuna nodded.

"How is that nobody has seen you?" Suiten asked skeptically.

"I don't stay for long," Sukuna explained. "I go to where the curses are and I exorcise them. And then I leave. It only takes me a minute or two. The curses so far aren't exactly that powerful."

Shisui doubted that. She had seen him fight curses before, and to her, they always seemed so big and scary, exuding with power. Yet Sukuna killed them with ease. In her opinion, the curses weren't weak, Sukuna was just too strong.

"Unless... have you been having trouble with them, Lord Uchiumi?" Sukuna asked with a false tone of polite concern. Shisui fought the urge to facepalm, she could tell that he was giving it his all to not shoot her father a mocking grin.

"Watch it, you impertinent brat," Suiten scowled.

"Dear..." Hisa warned.

His eye twitched before exhaling heavily. "I have decided. I will not punish you, Shisui, for breaking the rules for all these years. And I will not punish you, Ryomen, for merely existing. Instead... I've come to you with a deal."

Her father actually smiled, and Shisui and Sukuna exchanged another weary glance. Suiten smiling usually wasn't a good sign.

"I will allow you to live, and loosen up some restrictions on my dear daughter. In exchange, I would like you to come over to the Estate from time to time to act as a training dummy—ah, I mean, training partner for me and my sons."

Sukuna paused before giving him an equally menacing smile. "That's it? Shisui gets her freedom and I get to beat you up on a daily basis? If that's what you wish, then I agree to your terms."

"Cocky brat," Suiten scoffed. "Let's see if your arrogance holds any merit. Come, we shall battle in one of the training grounds. Be prepared to go through a miserable defeat."

━━━━━━･❪ 💧 ❫ ･━━━━━━

It was safe to say that training with the members of the Uchiumi Clan did not, in fact, make Sukuna miserable. In fact, he loved it. He thrived in the battleground. He had only ever fought against cursed spirits before, other sorcerers—including Special Grades like her father and brothers—were a completely different experience.

Shisui always knew that her friend was powerful, but seeing him train alongside the members of her clan and actually keep up with them made her realize just how powerful he truly was.

If people would just accept him and let him become a proper sorcerer, he would be a Special Grade! She thought. It had been three years since the deal had been made and she was determined to help her friend be recognized as a real sorcerer.

So she strode over to her father's office and walked in, completely forgetting to knock.

"Shisui," a sharp look from her father made her freeze. "You did not knock."

"I-I apologize, father, I completely forgot," the words spilled from her mouth. All determination seemed to disappear underneath his stern glare. She was sixteen years old, already a mature adult, but now she felt like a child all over again.

She quickly sank to her knees, head bowed down in fear and respect. "I just—I was really—I—"

He sighed, "What is it, Shisui?"

"I came here to talk about Kuna-ch—Sukuna," she corrected herself, hands trembling over the floor's surface.

"And what about him?"

She swallowed nervously. "Well, father, I was hoping you could make him a proper sorcerer. I know he never mentored, but you know how strong he is, so perhaps—"

"—No."

"...What?"

"I said no," he repeated. "I will not allow him to be given the official title of a jujutsu sorcerer."

At that, she jumped to her feet, all sense of proper behavior thrown out the window. "What?! Why not?! I don't understand, you two have been getting closer and he's just as powerful as you or my brothers so why can't—"

"—Shisui!" He rose to his feet, his eyes glowering at her. She didn't even flinch. "Do not raise your voice at me! I am your father!"

"I apologize for my disrespect," she said stiffly. "But Sukuna is a sorcerer. He deserves to be seen as one."

"I knew I was making a mistake allowing him to be with you," he muttered. "Shisui, the only reason I made that deal with him three years ago was because I wanted to break his spirit. I wanted to defeat him, to humiliate him on the training grounds but he was stronger than I expected. So rather than leaving the estate and never coming back to see you, he kept returning and training with us."

He walked around his desk, and Shisui's shoulders tensed up as he stood in front of her.

"I have never once gotten along with him. Just because you see me training with him, does not mean I like the boy. In fact, I cannot stand him."

Her lips trembled. "But... but why?"

"He is nothing but an orphaned peasant from a family of non-sorcerers. Someone like that does not belong among those of our level, Shisui." He said seriously, his voice filled with hatred and prejudice.

Shisui stared at him like she couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"No." She said.

He raised a brow. "No?"

"No," she said again. "You're not doing this just because he's a commoner from a non-sorcerer family. You're doing this out of petty spite, father. Because despite his background, he defeated you and your sons countless times! You wanted to humiliate him, but that backfired on you so now the only thing you can do is keep him from being recognized as a proper sorcerer—"

Her head turned to the side and there was a burning sting on her cheek. He had slapped her. She touched her cheek before glaring defiantly at him.

"Watch your mouth!" He roared. "This is not how you were raised to behave, Shisui! It is the influence of that uncouth peasant you've become so fond of! You—"

The door opened and Hisa peeked in, looking worried. Her face fell when she saw her husband's furious face and her daughter's reddened cheek.

A tense silence enveloped the room.

"Suiten," Hisa whispered. "What did you do?"

Shisui felt a buzz in her ears, whatever her father was saying was too muffled for her to hear. She just felt so... angry and hopeless. She thought about Sukuna and how hard his life was, how much better he deserved, how good of a person he was, and then she thought about her father and his cruelty. She loved her father, but she hated it when he controlled her and she especially hated the power he had over everyone she loved.

It's not fair.

"Shisui," her father was saying, and she bravely locked eyes with him. There wasn't an ounce of regret in his face, just stern disapproval. "You—"

She pulled her arm back and punched her father square in the face, an action she had witnessed Sukuna do many times when he was bored using his technique against curses and wanted to do something that wouldn't instantly kill him.

The second her knuckles met with his nose, she felt a sharp pain envelop in her hand and wrist. The punch might have hurt her more than it did him, but it fueled her with a satisfaction that was long overdue.

"SHISUI!" She heard her mother's horrified gasp, but ignored it.

Without another word, she stormed away, maneuvering around her mother and disappearing down the hallway. She ignored the calls from her mother, along with her father's shouts.

She had only one destination in mind, and that was the river where Sukuna would, hopefully, be. But unfortunately, luck wasn't on her side. The riverbank was devoid of any presence, but she didn't let that deter her. Instead, she stripped herself of several layers until she was down to her thinnest one before dipping into the river's cold water.

She laid on her back, letting herself float while tilting her head to the side so her stinging cheek could soak against the cool water. Getting physically disciplined by her father wasn't anything new, but she didn't exactly like it. She always tried her best to behave in the way a proper noblewoman should behave, always tried to uphold the Clan's name with pride, but sometimes Suiten's expectations were just too much for her.

And the things he said about Sukuna... At this rate, he would never be seen as a proper sorcerer. He would never be seen as an equal. Her father would make sure of it.

If she went to her brothers for help, would they help her? Or did they see Sukuna the same way their father did—inferior simply for being born the way he was?

With a heavy sigh, she turned her head to the side only to stiffen up in shock.

A pair of crystal-blue eyes were staring back at her. 

— author's note —

* Don'yoku Village is a fictional village made by me. Don'yoku means 'greed'. I also forgot to mention this, but the village Shisui and Sukuna live in, Yorokobi Village, means 'joy' which is ironic because there won't be any joy left in there once I'm done with it 💖

I chose not to go into detail about Sukuna's Cursed Technique because... well, nobody knows it yet. It has yet to be revealed in the manga (as of June 5, 2022, which is the date I'm writing this) and what we have so far are just theories from reddit. I don't want to assume what his Cursed Technique is either because unlike with his human childhood, I'm 100% certain Gege's gonna reveal what his Cursed Technique is in the manga.

I didn't write out the fight scene between Sukuna and the Uchiumi boys either because... that's to be revealed for later 😊