07.

palace of bones

TW: DEPICTIONS OF BLOOD AND GORE, SUICIDAL THOUGHTS

The day has no sign of warning for the despair Fushiguro Megumi feels as he sits on the stairs of a shōen in Jujutsu Tech. Raindrops trickle down from the roof and the sun shines gloriously overhead. The smell of the damp earth reaches his nose and he sighs, midnight eyes boring the sun as if that can be an excuse for his stingy eyes. 

Kugisaki Nobara sits a few feet away, her elbow propelled on her knee, her hand cradling her chin and she lets out a long, exhausted sigh. Her hair shimmers like copper in the sun, a sharp contrast to Megumi's onyx hair. Dark hair and dark eyes with a cursed technique that invites the dark- for so long Megumi believed his heart was dark too. 

But it isn't, it never had been. He realised it when Itadori said how he saved his life the day he was meant for doom. 

Death paints everything in a different shade of remorse, and Megumi feels that deeply today. Yesterday he saw someone he wanted to save die, a hole in his chest instead of a heart. Seconds later, his closest friend collapses next to the dead boy. Megumi didn't realise she was dead until he ran panic-stricken to feel her pulse; there wasn't any.

Guilt is a gnawing anguish that cleaves your heart in two, stitches it and tears it again. An agony so nefarious there are claws on your neck, digging deeper and deeper until your throat is punctured and you cannot scream. Megumi could swear there are curses swivelling around him, mocking him for his wretched state. But he's a shaman, so he knows it's all in his head when he can't see curses. 

"Live a long life?" Nobara speaks softly, eyeing the ground. "That doesn't mean much when you go and die yourself."

A beat, and then: "Is this your first time having a partner... erm, partners die?"

"First time for someone my age."

Nobara sighs again, her face dull. "You seem to be taking it well, considering that."

"Same to you,"

"Well, yeah," She looks away so Megumi can only see her hair. "I've only known them for about two weeks."

"I've known Akane for almost a year," Megumi quickly says. "We've been together almost every day."

"I know, I've heard it all from Gojo-sensei," Nobara shrugs, "He called you guys partners-in-crime, you know?"

Megumi scoffs at that, a distant smile appearing on his face. "And anyway," Nobara continues, "I'm not some simple woman who breaks down over a guy she barely knows."

"And a girl," Megumi reminds with narrowed eyes. 

There's no response from her and Megumi believes that was the end of the conversation until his eyes catch Nobara's trembling lips that hold in her quiet sobs. He looks away feeling his eyes sting yet again with the memory of the four of them in the car not even twenty-four hours ago. Those were short moments of bliss between just normal fifteen-year-olds, a memory that took the spot as Megumi's favourite. 

But he always knew moments like those would be short-lived when they're just hanging by a thread, living with a deadline they don't know. They say live like there's no tomorrow, but when you're a jujutsu sorcerer you live like there is no tonight. Itadori already lived on a deadline that was unfairly robbed of him, and Akane died in a way no one expected her to- a heart attack. 

See, it was a heart attack, so there was nothing Megumi could have done to stop it. But he should have seen it coming since Akane was acting strangely yesterday- out of focus, out of control- plastering her emotions on her face, crying openly. Akane was never like that, he should have seen it coming. 

All he does now is sigh, feeling the familiar tug of guilt on his throat. He looks up at the sun again, "It's pretty hot today, huh?"

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Death creeps like an eclipse over your heart, devouring every bit of light from the creeks in the shadows. Purging radiance, consuming flesh, toying with the same heart that once gave you glory and gore. The aftermath of death is one of two things- light or darkness. Heaven or hell. And Amano Akane stood on the threshold separating the two all her life, ever since she took her first breath. Both sides were equally alluring, like sirens calling out her name, whispering words of freedom that she craved for, and yet Akane never knew which one she'd choose. Akane had been one who tried to soar but stumbled, whose call for help was never heeded so she waited and waited until she got sick of it. Her saviour had come in the form of a silver-haired man, the strongest man on Earth, someone she ended up seeing as a brother... and she never even got to thank him.

So even in death, Akane stands on that threshold. 

Every heartbeat in Akane's life had its own distinct rhythm- pleasure, sorrow, anger, longing grief, anxiety... but never love. Akane believed that there could be an emotion that felt like a tight hug she never sank in until she went to Jujutsu High. In the end, Akane was glad that she was at least able to find people she could smile with.

Somehow, Akane realised nanoseconds before her heart stopped that she was dying. Maybe it's true that people know when they're going to die.

Moments before her death, Akane held the corpse of Itadori Yuuji, the only sunlight she ever saw. Moments before her death, Akane wished that it was her who was dead and not him. 

The next thing she knew was the reek of blood that hit her nose, and her eyes saw only red. She was in an entity, she realised. She looks at the floor and realises why blood smells so strong here- there is a pool of it here, reaching Akane's ankles. Perhaps this is hell. 

Her legs move as if they have a mind of their own, searching for something- anything- to tell her what to do next. She saunters around the abyss for what felt like an eternity and maybe in this realm, it has been an eternity since she landed here. A part of her really believes that her Hell is wandering around aimlessly in a land reeked of blood and tainted with bones. An endless journey with no destination. 

Another eternity passes by and her legs halt. In front of her is a mountain of skulls and bones at least ten meters high, and on its summit perched a throne of ichor, towered by the ribs of a giant ribcage ossified like a grime decor. And sitting on the throne was a man with unnatural pink hair, wearing a paper-white yukata, black marks stained on his face. 

Ryomen Sukuna stares down at her with a widened smirk, four eyes reading her like an open book. Akane clenches her body to avoid trembling under his gaze. "Where am I?" She asks, her voice cracking. 

"The Malevolent Shrine," Sukuna answers, surprisingly without making a comment. "This is my Innate Domain."

Akane's mismatched eyes widen. His Innate Domain? Does that mean she's actually still alive? Maybe she just collapsed in the midst of her fight with Sukuna and he brought her there to continue the fight that would lead to her inevitable death (again?)

But that's not the realisation that stands out. If Sukuna is well and alive here in his Domain, still wearing Yuuji's form, then her pink-haired friend must be alive too. Akane is convinced it was all a plot by Sukuna to break down her walls, she is sure of it.

Her eyes swipe upwards to Sukuna's crimson ones when he tuts, his face lazily propelled on his hand. The guise of evil on his face is blood-curling and if Akane had a heart, it would be palpitating.

She blinks in confusion at her own thought — if she had a heart? Before she can anticipate her move her hand hovers towards her chest. Akane is trembling openly now as if her bones have been tied to a rock thrown into freezing water. Her hand— now frail— lays on her chest, where her heart should be. Akane is shrouded in cruel, icy fear as she stares into Sukuna's malice.

There are no heartbeats. Her body is nothing but a walking corpse.

"What-what happened to me?"

Sukuna cackles as a classic villain should, and it sends chills down Akane's spine. "As much as I would enjoy telling you, I want to hear you say it yourself—" A snap of two fingers and he's right in front of her, Akane stumbles back. "What do you think happened to you, Amano Akane?"

Akane struggles to swallow down her trepidation, but her throat is clogged with chains. "Am I dead?"

Sukuna lets out a laugh that's unpleasant. "Of course you are, Amano. You should have died the moment your filthy mother gave birth to you."

Akane's black-and-white brows furrow downwards. She never liked her mother— she hated Amano Akito— but to hear the likes of him call her filthy unnerved her. Truth be told, Akito and Sukuna are more alike than different, nothing like how nemesis should be, but she knows better than to voice them out.

"How am I here?"

"Shut up, you're pissing me off." Sukuna looks away from her and narrows his eyes at a distance. His gaze turns deadly in an instant as if a switch has been turned on inside him. "The brat is here."

If Akane had a heart right now, it would leap out of her chest. "Yuuji? He's alive?"

"I don't have time to spare," He looks at her, death in his eyes. "If you accept my conditions, I will bring you and the brat back to life."

"So I am dead? How am I here, then?"

"Did you not hear me?!" He spews furiously, "If you want to live— if you want the brat to live— you'll have to accept my conditions."

Akane dares to take a charging step towards Sukuna. "If you want me to accept your conditions, you have to answer my questions."

"Hey, you!"

Akane gasps upon hearing his voice and her head snaps in his direction. Itadori Yuuji in, flesh and bone, stands a few metres away from them, pointing accusingly at the devil. "Stay away from Akane!" And he dashes towards them at the speed of light.

A million thoughts are swirling in her head as Yuuji stands between her and Sukuna in a protective stance, his eyes shooting daggers toward his devil inhabitant. Akane just saw Yuuji die in her arms, and now he's here— healthy and (kind of) alive. How is she supposed to just get over that? Her last breath was when she witnessed his death and it was the worst moment in her life, and mind you, Akane's life is a series of worst moments.

Her eyes study him carefully, finding his hand. Not for the first time since her death, her hand moves on its own and her fingers slip in between his. Yuuji gasps like lightning struck his skin, his head pivoting to look at her. Familiar brown eyes widen, and fuchsia paints his cheeks. 

That moment of weakness is all Sukuna needs and the King of Curses swipes his hand towards Yuuji's neck like it was a blade, slicing it, and then Yuuji's head is lolled to the floor. Brown eyes that remind Akane of the sun are dead again.

Her hands clap against her ears and Akane shrieks like a maniac in a shrill tone, the sound piercing her own ears. Tears cloud her vision as she stares back at his lifeless eyes. I failed to save him again. Useless, worthless, pathetic Akane. Die now. How dare you call yourself his friend, call yourself human? You're a monster, you're a curse, you have always been one. Father was right. I am no saviour to the Amanos. I'm cursed. I will kill everything I love.

"You done?" Sukuna drawls, glaring at her. "I can hear your thoughts in here, you're pathetic."

A few curses spew from her mouth and Akane spreads her palm towards him, hot tears flowing from her eyes. All she knows is crimson, pure rage, screaming with her boiling blood. Her cursed energy burns every part of her body. She will kill him. Amano Akane will kill Ryomen Sukuna.

Sukuna merely scoffs, "How annoying. You can't use your mind powers in here, brat. But you Amano's are unpredictable, so..." His grin of malice reaches his ears as he snaps his fingers. Akane hears the sound of flesh being chopped and then watches dreadfully as her hands descend on the floor. "Just for good measure. Will you listen now, or should I cut your legs too?"

Akane looks down at her missing hands, at the blood seeping from them, her mind empty, and looks back at Sukuna. He relishes her fear-stricken eyes- yes, that's how she should look at me. That's how they all should look at me. "If you don't want your brat to end up like that," He gestures to Yuuji's mutilated corpse, "Then make a Binding Vow with me. The moment he eats all twenty fingers of mine, you will drink my blood. And in return, I will heal his heart."

"What?" Akane manages to spit out in disgust. 

"The Amano's will try to destroy it. My blood is a relic that should be put to good use, understand?" He lifts his right hand, scoffing in disgust at the red thread bound to his little finger, trailing to her. "Not for shit like this. You insult me with it."

Akane's hand just got chopped off, but that isn't the most pressing thought in her mind. "You want me to drink the curse?"

"Yes,"

"Why?"

His hand tightens around her hand like a ragdoll for the third time since her encounter with the King of Curses. Akane hisses as his talons reopen the crescent moon scars on her neck. "You have no right to ask me questions. You're gonna be another backup, that's all you need to know."

"Backup?" 

His nails dig deeper into her flesh and she screams in agony, but screaming makes it hurt more. Blood seeps from her wounds and trail down Sukuna's fingers. Familiar, spine-curling fear finds her when she sees Sukuna's crimson eyes widen in unmistakable blood lust. It's probably amplified since she's an Amano.

"So, do we have a deal? I can think of a thousand ways to torture you, Amano, don't tempt me." He sneers, his fingers almost reaching the middle. If he moves some more, his fingers will meet and her head will tear out of her neck. "Nod if you agree."

Her wounds are dragged downwards when she tries to nod, tears spilling from her eyes. Sukuna cackles in relish, enjoying the state she's in. Nothing had ever satisfied him more than an Amano's anguish- first, Mito and now Akane.  When Akane gets back to life, Sukuna will make a Binding Vow with Itadori and make him forget about it. They are not ready for Sukuna's wrath- none of them are.

He retracts his hand from her neck, a squelching sound echoing in his bloody domain. "See you on the other side,"

Akane disappears from the Malevolent Shrine along with her divided hand. In the next second Itadori Yuuji stands in front of the palace of bones, and Ryomen Sukuna curls his lips venomously at the boy. "Don't look into my mind, brat, I hate it."

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Amano Akane springs back to life and her eyes open sharply. Stark walls surround her, and the smell of rot and dirt hit her nose. From her peripheral vision, she sees a woman with brown hair and bruises under her eyes, the cigarette tumbling from her lips.

"A-amano...?"

She tries to sit up but the woman's hands push her back down. Akane then realises she's laying naked on the steely platform with the exception of the cloth over her body. She grimaces at the sight of stitches spread vertically between her chest to her stomach, her body had been torn open. 

"I was just trying to look at your face, and you..." That woman is still speaking. Only then do Akane's heterochromatic eyes properly move to look at her and she recognises the familiar face of Shoko Ieiri, her usual nonchalance expression now turned to discombobulation.

"Akane...?" 

That's a voice she could recognise anywhere and Akane tilts her neck and sees Gojo, a smile automatically painting her face. "Gojo... I thought I'd never see you again."

"Are you kidding? I thought I would never see you again," He almost yells, putting his head in his hands. After a few quiet seconds have passed he looks at her, shaking it in disbelief. "My God, Akane-" Gojo doesn't complete the sentence as his mouth suddenly hangs open. Ijichi who is next to him has the same reaction. They look like they've seen a ghost, which is ironic considering that they're sorcerers.

"Whoa, I'm completely naked!" 

Akane's head moves so fast it could have snapped in the other direction, eyes widening and her heart- relievingly, her heart is back in its place- and it pounds inside her chest. "Yuuji?"

Fluffy pink hair sways and he turns toward her. Yuuji appears awestruck when he sees her, his mouth forming a small oh. Unbeknownst to Akane, Yuuji is thinking about how she was still so pretty, just like the first time he saw her. He blinks dubiously, feeling as though he was forgetting something important. 

Yuuji yelps embarrassedly when he realises that he is indeed, still very naked, and Akane is right there and topples to the floor on the side away from her. His face is flushed. "Give me some clothes, dammit!"

Shoko doesn't move but gawks at the blushing boy perplexedly. "What the hell is going on? Gojo?"

"I don't know if I wanna know," He responds, mouth still hanging open. Shoko turns around to face the men, frowning at them. "Ijichi-san?" 

The bespectacled man's blush is identical to Yuuji's. "I-um, it appears that they have come back to life."

"Someone give me some clothes! Please!"

Akane stares at the white ceiling amongst the chaos occurring in the morgue, her mind strangely calmer and more resolute than it had been before death. She looks at the burning face of Yuuji and makes a Binding Vow with herself that she will protect Itadori Yuuji this time, come what may. 

Ryomen Sukuna will die by her hands. 

a/n: sukuna is a piece of shit. trying to write him accurately was painful, but i think it turned out ok. he is still a piece of shit tho

 on a happier note, tysm for 3K reads!! <3 this is a scene i made when divine born was still an idea i had. i wanted this scene to happen after they came back to life, but I'm not sure where to fit this in now sdjkd

hope you enjoyed reading!