VIOLENT DELIGHTS,
CH. II — The King of Curses

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SATŌ AYAME FINDS that her guardian may be a bit more reliant on her than she is on him these days. He keeps her alive of course, but she keeps him from betraying everything he knows — from doing what Suguru and Yūto so desperately wanted to do that they killed themselves over it. Satoru saw how broken she was (is?) after she lost them, and now he refuses to put her through the same thing again; so he keeps a tight lip and stays in line as a teacher at Tokyo Jujutsu Tech, only disrespecting the Elders when he's feeling particularly awful that day, or if they begin to walk the line of death when speaking about Ayame. Otherwise, he's truly the best the school has seen in a while, and not even the Elders can deny that when the facts are as clear as day.

   But in his protectiveness, in his determination to keep Ayame alive and happy, Satoru has become a looming shadow over her that never seems to quite go away. School used to be the one escape she had, but now he's her teacher and always has an excuse to be by her side (or in the general vicinity). He treats her like a fragile object one crack away from shattering to pieces — and perhaps that is a good description of what Ayame feels like these days — despite how strong they both know she is. (And with Megumi, Satoru is truly no better.)

   Ayame has to admit though, that having Satoru and Megumi consistently with her has made dealing with things much easier. Megumi has been her safespace since they were much younger, but the addition of Satoru's constant shadow makes her feel less out of control. (And now, she can't stand being separated from either of them for too long.)

   Today, Ayame still finds herself still separated from the boy who means so much to her. She and Megumi were both assigned solo missions the morning before and while Ayame came home within the day, Megumi had yet to return by the time she she went to sleep. When she tried to ask Masamichi where he had been sent to earlier today, she was met with a stern eye that spoke without saying, 'Don't ask about that.' He threw her a bone to reassure her Megumi was in no immediate danger, but that was all he said before sending her to Shōko for her injuries and dropping the subject completely. She was to report back to him tomorrow about her mission but for the day, she would sleep without protest and let her body heal.

   Sleep has never come easy to Ayame, so that order is nothing but a suggestion to her once she's lying awake in her bed, lavender irises focused on the soft cream ceiling above her. Anxiety regarding Megumi has replaced her exhaustion from her own mission, and now all she can think about is whether or not he's okay. She knows he's strong and he can handle himself, especially as the first (unofficial) Zen'in clan member to have the Ten Shadows Technique in generations, but she worries about losing him far more often than she worries about anything else these days.

   Ayame can feel Satoru's presence before the door to her dormitory slides open. His aura — one colored a deep blue that has always had an ominous yet gentle, almost child-like feel to her — seeps into the room rapidly and the owner of it strolls in just as loudly. Ayame closes her eyes in an effort to disguise the fact that she's wide awake and hasn't slept a wink since lying down an hour ago, but her efforts prove to be fruitless; within seconds, Satoru is squatting directly by her bedside, anticipation radiating off of him like a small puppy.

   "Wanna go somewhere with me, or are you too busy with this little performance?"

   Ayame lets out a small sigh without opening her eyes. Fine. Resisting is still an option. "You know I'm not allowed to leave, Satoru," she finally replies. "Shōko-san would be upset, and I like to avoid Masamichi-sensei's rage dolls when I can."

   Satoru lets out an overdramatic (and Ayame can tell very disappointed) sigh at the mention of their senior, and his friend. "Those raggedy things?" he asks in exasperation. Ayame feels a slight boop on her nose, the lingering cold of Satoru's touch causing her nose to crinkle in displeasure. "I thought we got over your fear of dolls. And Shōko knows I can take care of you just fine."

   Another sigh. "You're not being serious."

   Satoru clicks his tongue in disagreement. "No, I'm always serious — especially when it comes to you kids," he argues. He then stands up from his squatting position to wander around Ayame's room, never losing sight of why he came here in the first place. "Now, I'm sure you've noticed our little Megumi hasn't come back from his solo mission he was assigned to. The old folks are complaining about that, so Masamichi-sensei wants me to check it out." Satoru hears Ayame's body begin to shuffle at the mention of Megumi and the Elders in the same sentence — her two easiest triggers to get her going.

   "Why are they complaining?" Ayame questions, her eyes now open and trained on Satoru's figure across the room. She can't imagine why the Elders would be bothered with what Megumi was assigned: a mere solo mission to pick up a cursed object someplace far enough he had to take a train ride ... unless, of course, he was sent for something above his skill grade, much like she was the day before. "Have you tried calling him? I talked to him earlier today and he seemed okay, but I haven't gotten a chance to call him since seeing Shōko-san."

   Satoru hums lowly. "I tried to call him a couple of times a little bit ago and got nothing," he replies. "But as far as why the Higher Ups are concerned ..." His voice trails as he briefly glances over his shoulder to look at Ayame, who is now in the process of pulling on a pair of pants to leave. With a small smile, he turns to grab her school jacket and a pair of shoes from her closet to help get ready to go. "Well, what Megumi was sent to get wasn't just any old cursed object — he was sent to get one of the remains of Special-Grade Cursed Spirit, Ryōmen Sukuna."

   Ayame feels her heart drop to her stomach. "What?"

   "Yeah." Satoru shifts in his spot so that he's back to fully facing his junior, throwing her jacket so that it lands next to her. "I know, I know — Ryōmen Sukuna, big bad spirit who Satō Ayame isn't supposed to even think about. But it's just a finger, so we shouldn't have any problems. Megumi's a good boy, that's why I gave him this mission."

   "Satoru, you know that I'm not allowed to come into contact with anything that resonates Sukuna's cursed energy," Ayame immediately argues, despite her body subconsciously moving to put on her school jacket. Satoru observes her own cursed energy output closely. "If Masamichi-sensei finds out — if the Elders find out, they won't just ignore that because I helped bring it back." She shakes her head in disagreement, standing up from her bed instinctively. The more she thinks about him, the more her energy becomes disarrayed. "I haven't even healed yet."

   "I noticed that," he responds, the softest he's spoken since he arrived. In two steps he's back in front of Ayame, who somehow looks smaller to him now that she's standing up. He reaches out to grab the side of her face gently, tilting her head up so that he has a better view of her face. Her lips still hold a very slight tint of purple to them. "Your energy still hasn't reset itself from your mission yesterday. Those old geezers ..."

   Ayame pulls her chin out of Satoru's hold. "Do you think Megumi is in trouble?" she changes the subject back to the task at hand. "If he is, then I'll go."

   Satoru shrugs his shoulders. "I don't think so. I think the geezers have their undies in a knot because you came back yesterday to Masamichi 'unscathed' to them, so they're on him to make sure their precious little finger doesn't get lost in Megumi's hands." He nods his head in the general direction of the door, and Ayame walks wordlessly towards it; her demeanor, however, never shakes its anxiety-ridden state. Satoru hopes she relaxes on the ride there. "I'm sure once we get to Sendai, everything will be just fine."

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   SOMETIMES, AYAME THINKS Gojō Satoru wouldn't know responsibility if it hit him in the face three times. The moment they arrived in Sendai City, he split from her under the guise of "locating Megumi," when Ayame knows in reality her guardian likely went to scout out mochi shops while she went to look for their third family member. She's sure that was his plan all along — tell her that the Elders are worried about Megumi coming back so that she hops into gear, bait her with mentioning that the object Megumi was sent to get was none other than a finger belonging to Ryōmen Sukuna, and then leave her with the responsibility of finding both Megumi and the finger herself to see what happens once she comes into contact with them both; a clear cut plan to see if her cursed energy is as reactive to the King as everyone makes it out to be.

   Ayame would be worried if she didn't have so much faith in the man. Despite the fact that he's not here with her now, she knows the moment something goes wrong, he'll appear as if he were already there. He's never let her down, and she knows he's far too protective of her to let her die now.

THE BEAST HAS BEEN REBORN!

   The sound of Zetsu's thundering voice causes Ayame to stutter in her passage; The Viper of the Satō Clan never never spoke unless provoked to.

THE BEAST HAS FLESH AGAIN.
THE BEAST HAS FLESH AGAIN.
THE BEAST HAS FLESH AGAIN!

   He continues to repeat himself, each yell thundering against Ayame's already sensitive eardrums. Her eyebrows scrunch together in confusion at the strange proclamation until it hits her — a sudden massive surge of cursed energy that she can feel in her soul. The color of it is red, a red so deep that it mimics the color of pooling blood. The snake that she has shared a subconscious with since her technique came to be can barely contain its joy at the release of such a raw and unfiltered taste for blood.

   Ayame gets moving again in a hurry. She's not far, that much she can tell, and she doesn't wish to see the aftermath of whatever comes of this. Megumi's cursed residuals still linger in her path to him, which helps separate his aura from this other ominous presence. After blurring past a few buildings, she reaches ground zero for where the rest of Megumi's energy resonates. The first thing she notices is Megumi's straggled physical state: he's covered in dust and debris, blood tainting the entirety of his left eye, indicating a fight had already begun to run its course. The second thing she notices, and perhaps the more glaring problem, is the unfamiliar boy about their age standing just a few feet in front of Megumi. His bubblegum pink hair and soft tan skin are a stark contrast to the black tattoos littering his body; and although she can't see his face, Ayame knows he is the epicenter of Sukuna's cursed energy.

   There isn't enough time for her to think — Ayame must act before he has the chance to sense her presence. She has no idea what would happen if he were to gain the upperhand here, and she doesn't wish to find out in her condition. Within seconds, she grabs three kunai from her thigh band and throws them in Sukuna's direction, each one laced with her siren venom, each one with enough to tame an entire school. Sukuna turns at just the last second, dodges the first two with ease, and catches the third one that almost dared to strike his cheek.

   Sukuna's four red eyes find Ayame in no time. The familiarity of her cursed energy, even after all these years of being nothing but objects hidden around Japan, is too similar to his own and to those he created to be unrecognizable. His smile becomes a sick smirk, and his bloodlust increases tenfold, nearly suffocating Ayame from how strong it is. The thought of having someone so delicate yet so obviously overflowing with power excited the King more than he already had been.

   "Where were you hiding all of this time, Little Satō?" Sukuna speaks aloud, kunai still caught between his thumb and index finger. The venom still drips from it, but he's careful not to let any of the liquid touch him directly. Ayame flinches at the mention of her family name, and the sinister grin calmly returns to Sukuna's features. "Your clan survived this long, I'm truly impressed. I long thought the arrogance of men would tear you all down, and yet here you are before me ..." He pauses in his speech, eyes focused carefully on her energy, which has been steadily zeroing out since she made her presence known, "... my own little greeting present."

   Ayame finds herself surprisingly amused at Sukuna's words. Her clan consisted of no one but her; her brother was driven mad by delusions of his own grandeur and that of Suguru until it got him killed; her father, a man who she is told was sweet and gentle but loved too fiercely and because of it, killed himself because he could not bear the thought of staring at the Devil Child who killed his love; and her mother, her beautiful mother who Yūto would tell stories about for hours before the madness set in, died just trying to bring her onto this earth.

   Her clan had hardly survived before her mother's death, and Ayame considers it nonexistent without her (or her brother) here. Any relatives are scattered and few, and none wanted to touch the cursed girl who killed her mother and had a technique that had not been seen in generations. So, had the Satō Clan truly survived? Ayame considers that a question to be left for someone else to determine. Right now, she has to think about her own survival, and that of her dearest friend.

   "I'm afraid I won't be a gift for you," the teen eventually lulls, watching as Zetsu's enlarged white body creeps upon the landing in which Sukuna stands, golden eyes glaring with bloodlust and something else Ayame does not wish to feel. Sukuna tilts his head in vague curiosity and very little alarm, giving Ayame the advantage she needs. She smiles gratefully. "Just a bit of a problem until the real help gets here."

   It happens too fast and too suddenly for Sukuna to react. Lost in the familiar zest of the siren tongue, too out of time to adapt to a young Satō's voice reaching its prime, the King of Curses is wrapped up by Zetsu's large tail and squeezed to the point of restraint, his claw-like nails like paper against Zetsu's hard skin.

   In a blur of speed, Ayame is in front of Sukuna with her infamous black dagger to his throat. The energy that had left her returns at twice its power, overwhelming the entire space in which they stand. She wants to end this, to kill Sukuna while she can and stop this before it begins, but she knows better than to exorcize without explanation; if Megumi is down on his knees covered in blood, this boy in front of her has to be a bystander caught in the crossfire, now possessed by the world's worst cursed spirit.

   "And you wield Zetsu with such mastery at such a young age ..." Sukuna compliments fondly, desire seeping from his being just as much as his bloodlust. "Yes, this is good. You're very good."

   Ayame chooses to disregard him. A compliment from the only cursed spirit she is supposed to avoid does not interest her, especially if his life puts Megumi's in danger. Instead, she directs her next statement to her friend, speaking ever so delicately and unlike the violent aura radiating off of her, "Tell me what you'd like me to do."

   Megumi feels his irritation flare at Ayame's tone. He hates when she speaks like that — like a soldier that needs orders in order to act. She didn't act this way until Suguru died and the Elders threatened to have her executed just for knowing of his plan. Satoru argued her innocence based on her being a child, and when that didn't work, he threatened to execute them all if they laid a finger on Ayame's head, indirectly or not. Since then, Ayame has taken it upon herself to be quiet and to herself, just doing what needs to be done or what those she loves asks of her. He knows it's easier for her that way, but it still breaks his heart to see the way she's died.

   But now, he must put their lives aside for this innocent boy before them. "His name is Itadori Yūji."

   Ayame slices into Sukuna's skin with her blade, ever so slightly as to not leave a scar on Yūji's body, but deep enough to get her venom moving in their combined bloodstreams. She then matches her gaze to Sukuna's in an effort to focus on differentiating his energy from that of Yūji's; and when she finally finds the rift between the two, she smiles. "Zetsu is my companion," she speaks directly to Sukuna, heart no longer paralyzed by fear. Zetsu's grip slowly begins to loosen as he transforms back into his normal form. "Of course I handle him well."

   Sukuna feels himself being pulled back by not only Yūji's will, but Ayame's as well. The last thing he feels before fading into Yūji's subconscious is the feigned serenity of Ayame's power. Then, he blacks out completely.

   "Um ... what just happened?"

   "Ayame, what are you doing here?"

   She doesn't know who to respond to first; but since Yūji is the civilian of the two, she decides to go with him. In one quick motion, she places her dagger back in its holder at her side whilst Zetsu's smaller form slithers up her right arm and hardens back into gold. Yūji stares at her with great awe and wonder. "My name is Satō Ayame," she replies in an effort to soothe his unfamiliarity. Her natural lull instantly calms him back down. "You're Itadori Yūji, right?"

   Yūji nods. "Yeah?"

   "Well, Itadori Yūji ..." Ayame begins, eyes catching the disappearing tattoos across his body, "... you have the King of Curses, more formerly known as Ryōmen Sukuna, resting in your subconscious right now. Please consider yourself lucky to be alive, a spirit of his caliber would have killed anybody else he came into contact with." Ayame takes a few steps closer to Yūji in order to examine him, also noticing the small slits where Sukuna's eyes used to be below Yūji's beautiful caramel-colored ones. His aura, a bright yellow that rivaled the sun's light, had a very childish and warm feeling to it, and an overwhelming sense of protectiveness.

   She already thought him to be too kind for the likes of her, Megumi, or Satoru.

   Regardless, Ayame knows she must follow some part of protocol before Satoru arrives. She leans away from Yūji once she's had her fill, the latter left with even greater confusion on his face. She doesn't have time to clarify for the slower minds right now. "Regardless of it you're in control right now," Ayame's aura darkens, eyes hooded as her lips turn a deep purple, "if you move from the spot you're currently in, I will have to exorcize you on the spot." Her smile then returns, filled with sympathy for his current situation. "I'm not worried, but I need you to keep Sukuna contained, okay?"

   The agreement comes easily from Yūji's mouth, "Okay."

   Ayame bows slightly to show appreciation for his cooperation with the situation at hand. She then turns and makes her way back to Megumi, crouching down to his level in front of him in order to survey his injuries more personally. "Why do you think I'm here?" she finally answers his question with her own, only making Megumi's irritation flare more. "Did you fight Sukuna while he was possessed?" she then asks more quietly, left hand grabbing his chin gently to lift his head up so that he's looking at her. "Or is this from a cursed spirit that was going after the finger?"

   Megumi doesn't swat away Ayame's thumb that wipes some blood from his cheek; he barely blinks when she licks the liquid contently from her thumb. "I know Masamichi-sensei had you on bedrest, 'Yame," he changes the subject back to her. "Did Gojō send you here?"

   "Do I have to answer that for you?"

   A faint sense of new, but familiar cursed energy suddenly fills the area. Speak of their irresponsible guardian, and he shall appear. "So what's the situation?"

   Whatever calm Megumi has diminishes almost instantly. His head snaps in Satoru's direction, green eyes narrowed in annoyance. "I'm amazed they keep you around."

   Satoru frowns. "Megumi! Is that any way to greet your sensei and loving guardian?" His hands stuff themselves in his pockets. "It looks like you and Mey have everything under control — I knew I wouldn't really be needed if I sent her along first to find you."

   "Under control is giving us a lot of credit," Ayame responds first, standing up straight with a small huff. Satoru smiles at the sight of her unharmed. "Megumi's injured and I had to use Zetsu ..."

   "Why would you send Ayame here alone after her mission yesterday?" Megumi fires at Satoru, not even giving his childhood friend a chance to finish her sentence. The sharpness in his tone causes Satoru to jump, and Ayame falls silent knowing her place in this conversation has just become void. "You know she has to get full rest after Ieiri-san heals her or her cursed energy output gets dangerous and unsteady. Why are you so careless all the time?!"

   Satoru gasps at the accusation. "Careless?" he repeats incredulously. Ayame sighs. She can't deal with the two of them sometimes. "All have you know, the Elders were complaining about you not coming back last night with the cursed object like you were supposed — so Masamichi sent me to see what's up, and I figured it couldn't hurt to bring 'Yame along too," Satoru explains half-heartedly. "Why're you being so hostile about her being here in the first place, huh? You hate going on missions without her."

   Megumi's lips fall into a straight line. "You hate going on missions without her," he flips the accusation back on him. "And that's not even the point. You brought her here when you knew she needed to rest because you didn't want to deal with it yourself and you can't let her out of your sight for longer than five seconds."

   Satoru rolls his eyes. "Untrue. Frankly, I wasn't even going to come in the first place," he admits, examining Megumi's frazzled physical state, "but I got a little worried about you kids so I headed over. And it's a good thing I did, because man — you're really messed up!" Satoru almost instantly pulls out his phone and opens his camera, snapping a few pictures of Megumi with a big smile on his face. The flash of his camera is as bright as the noise is loud, and Megumi looks away in annoyance and (very slight) embarrassment. "I should show all the second-years. Maki would love these."

   Ayame reaches out and gently, but firmly snatches the phone from her sensei's slender fingers. She'll delete those stupid pictures later ... but if Maki is home, she might have to show her first.

   "Anyways, your terrible attitude aside —" Satoru continues, hands stuffing themselves back into his pockets. Ayame eyes the small shopping bags hanging on his wrists she didn't notice before whilst Megumi hardens his glare, "— the Elders weren't too happy about you not coming back yesterday with the special-grade object you were sent to retrieve, so that's why we're here. Did you get it?"

   Megumi and Ayame turn their gazes to Yūji, who slowly raises his hand like a child caught with something he wasn't supposed to have. Ayame can feel his nerves spike a bit before he speaks. "Sorry," the boy apologizes, using his other hand to point shamefully at his mouth, "I sort of ... ate it ...?"

   Ayame blinks twice. Wait, what?

   Satoru has the same reaction, a blank stare in this unfamiliar boy's direction. "For real?"

   Megumi grits his teeth. "Yes."

   Disgusting, Ayame thinks, but she somehow can't stop the small smile that forms on her lips at the thought of it all. A random encounter with a cursed object for the first time, and his instinct was to eat it. She bets Megumi's injuries had to do with whatever cursed spirit was involved before Yūji swallowed the finger and let Sukuna out; and with Yūji oozing warmth like an overgrown teddy bear, he likely swallowed the finger to help Megumi and whoever else was involved.

   Too good for our way of life.

   "Can you switch out to Sukuna?"

   Ayame's head snaps in Satoru's direction at the sound of the question. "What?"

   Yūji remains confused. "Sukuna ...?"

   "The finger you ate, remember?" Ayame answers. His eyes flicker to her instantly, and Sukuna's muttering in his head grows infinitely louder at the sight of her. Her attention, however, remains on Satoru, who stands just in front of Yūji's figure. "Gojō-san, can we just decide what to do with him for the time being? Megumi needs to get back to the school and we've already made a mess as is."

   Satoru, despite his nonchalance, does not take Ayame's concern lightly. He can feel how her cursed energy is unraveling by being connected to Yūji's being and therefore, Sukuna's. He knows he should have told her not to use her venom unless absolutely necessary, but he really did want to see what would happen if she were to. Now, Yūji needs to pass his test being connected to her. "I want to see something first," he eventually says to Ayame. He asks Yūji again, "Could you switch out with him right now?"

   Instinctively, Yūji's gaze falls back on Ayame. He can't, right? She told him not to, to keep Sukuna contained so that there was no more fighting. Even if he wanted to switch out, because of her, he doesn't think he could; he thinks Ayame would kill him before he ever got the chance to. "Um, I don't know ..."

   "I just need ten seconds," Satoru reasons, backing up a bit from him as he begins to stretch in a squatted position. Ayame eyes him with even greater concern, Zetsu beginning to come back to life on her arm. "Take control again after ten seconds, and don't think too hard about the switching-in, switching-out part of it."

   Worry now laces Yūji's features, overriding the confusion previously placed there. He can't be serious about this, can he? Asking him to hand his body back over to the thing that probably would have killed Ayame if she hadn't brought him back? There is no way this goes smoothly, he's certain of it. "Are you sure about this?" he hesitantly questions. "I don't know if you saw, but he was ready to kill her —" He nods his head in Ayame's general direction, "— not five minutes ago. Do you really think it's a good idea to bring him back out after that?"

   Ayame smiles at the gesture of concern, though she's sure majority of it comes from her current influence over him. She wonders if his protective nature will translate once he's free of her control. If he lives that long. "It's okay, Itadori-san."

   Satoru lets out a fond chuckle himself as he stands back up straight from his small stretching session, all too tickled by Yūji's concern. "Don't worry!" he also reassures, his bright smile and white hair like a shining knight glowing beneath the moon. "I'm the strongest. And Ayame is one of my strongest students, so you don't have to worry about her, either." Just as the words leave his mouth, Zetsu fully forms behind Ayame again, loosely wrapping his large body around Megumi and his owner to prepare them for what's about to come. "See?"

   The eldest of the bunch quickly slides the small shopping bags he has on his arm off and tosses them in Megumi's direction. "Hold on to these for me, will you, Megumi?"

   He just barely catches the two bags. His green eyes stare at them with haste. "What are these?"

   "Kikufuku Mochi from Kikusuian," Satoru answers cheerfully. "It's Sendai City's specialty, and it's really good. I recommend the edamame and cream flavor."

   Megumi's irritation flares to a new height for the night. He cannot believe this is the man they left in charge of them. "You were shopping for souvenirs while Ayame was here dealing with the mess you were sent to handle?!"

   "Those are not souvenirs," Satoru is quick to correct. "They are for me to eat on the bullet train back home. But don't worry, I got some for 'Yame, and if she's feeling nice, maybe she'll share with you."

   Ayame notices Yūji's warmth has been sucked from the air. She scans the area for his body when she sees he isn't where she left him, and then she feels it — Sukuna's bloodlust coming from straight above. "Satoru!"

   The strike from Sukuna hits the ground harder than Ayame could have ever anticipated. It breaks up the ground completely, dust and heavy pieces of concrete breaking up, flying everywhere. Zetsu uses his body as a shield to protect Ayame and Megumi from the collision, though even he turns his head to protect his face from the damage. When the debris settles, he loosens his grip around the two of them; and from behind his large tail, Ayame spots Sukuna's crouched figure in front of them with a look of great bewilderment across his features. Satoru is sat atop the cursed spirit's back, not even having broke a sweat from dodging his attack.

   "You're gonna love the mochi, Ayame," he speaks fondly, like he always does when addressing the Devil Child he considered a gift from God himself, "I just know it."

   Quickly, Sukuna tries to attack Satoru again, only for the younger man to easily dodge him once more. The ever-present grin on her mentor's features proves to Ayame that this is nothing more than a game to him; a little test to see if Ryōmen Sukuna can live up to even a portion of his hype in his current form, and if at the end of all this, Yūji can take back control on his own — without Ayame's influence and control guiding him to it.

   Ayame hopes, for his sake and for Megumi's, that he can. Otherwise, this will have all been for nothing.

   "I've got my two favorite students watching right now," Satoru says lowly as he and Sukuna stand back-to-back in the midst of the latter's attack, "so I hope you don't mind if I show off a little here."

   Then, the two men resume their fighting. Sukuna tries his best to land blow after blow, but Satoru is just too quick to handle. The self-proclaimed and proven strongest jujutsu sorcerer, on the other hand, is easily landing hit after hit on Sukuna, his abilities far superior to the cursed entity in his current form. Once he's finished with his lighter attacks, Satoru manages to plant his feet on the ground before taking a wide swing at Sukuna, his infinity making the blow even harder as Sukuna flies to the other side of the roof harshly.

   Within seconds, the ground is exploding from some powerful blow Ayame didn't quite see again. Zetsu tightens his hold on her and Megumi to shield them from the impact, more debris flying up in the air as a result. Once the dust settles, Zetsu begins transforming back into his smaller form before slithering back onto his place upon Ayame's arm.

   "By the way, Ayame," She turns her head to the side a bit at the sound of Satoru's voice again, his taller figure coming into view in front of her, "Zetsu's reaction time and the amount of control you have over him is exactly why I think you can handle his full form without losing control." He turns his attention back to Yūji's possessed body, finishing the countdown he's been keeping in his head since the moment this all began. "Should be about time ..."

   One second is all it takes for Yūji to resume control over his body as instructed. The tattoos fade as they did before, and Sukuna's malicious red irises fade back into Yūji's soft caramel ones. Ayame finds herself feeling unexpected relief seeing him come back again.

   "What a surprise!" Satoru exclaims in honesty. The large pieces of debris surrounding him drop suddenly as he lets go of the technique keeping them there. "You really can control it on your own."

   "Yeah, but he's kind of annoying," Yūji admits, hitting his head lightly in frustration at the curse who can't stop muttering in his mind. "I can hear his voice and he won't shut up."

   Satoru chuckles half-heartedly. "Kid, it's a miracle that's the only side effect for now — trust me," he replies as he makes his way over the gaping hole in the roof to be by Yūji's side. "But now, it's time for me to discuss your life with my students. Ayame?"

   She glances at Yūji. "Sleep."

   The boy has no chance to protest; his body instantly falls limp at Ayame's command. Satoru catches Yūji over his arm, making sure to keep him steady enough before returning his attention to his juniors. He's quite impressed with what they handled here. Maybe he's not such a terrible guardian after all.

   "I'm happy to see he was able to switch so smoothly," Ayame comments honestly. "He did it like it was nothing. It's strange to be able to do that in such a short amount of time."

   Satoru shrugs. "He's only got one of Sukuna's fingers in him," he reminds her, "but still, you're right in a sense — it's not that easy and it probably should have killed him the moment he swallowed the finger. But since it didn't, if he wakes up un-possessed, he has the potential to be a vessel for one of the worst cursed spirits to ever have lived." Satoru then winks at Ayame from behind his mask. "You just might have to guide this kid through being possessed by a demon, kiddo."

   Ayame lets out a very similar chuckle to Satoru's just a few moments ago. Megumi finds himself shuddering at the reminder of how alike his best friend and guardian are.

   "But now I gotta question for you two," the eldest of the three says. Ayame quirks a brow and Megumi stiffens at what's to come next. "What do I do with him?"

   The only girl present places her eyes back on Yūji's sleeping figure. Logically, she already knows the answer to this question: exorcize Yūji and eliminate the chance of the King of Curses being reincarnated into this new age. Jujutsu society suffered huge losses from the Demon Parade and is only just getting back on its feet; the Elders and therefore Masamichi had their eyes glued to her every move in case she herself were to become Devil Reincarnate; and as always, Gojō Satoru proved to be a wild card with each new student he gained. Could they handle the threat of someone like Ryōmen Sukuna roaming about in this century, the only thing holding him back being the will of a boy who hardly knows what's going on?

   On the other hand, Ayame does find herself wanting to see the end of this. Yūji is a kind and pure soul, that much she can tell just from reading his aura; being connected to him, however, enhances this feeling of intrigue (and dare she say ... admiration?) in both him, and in that of the cursed spirit that lies in his subconscious. Their energies produce such a peculiar mix, one so polar opposite and yet put together so perfectly, as though it was always meant to be this way. And whilst Ayame is sure Yūji is too innocent for the likes of her and those a part of jujutsu society, she finds herself wondering rather desperately what would happen if he were to face a tragedy like any she's faced in her lifetime.

   Morbid curiosity? (More like wanting everyone to taste her pain.)

   "Keep him alive," she finally breaks the silence that overcame their small group, a gentle crack through the tension that had built between the teacher and his students. Megumi looks up at her with curious eyes, whilst Satoru urges her to go on. "At least, if we can. We should see where this goes." She takes a step towards Megumi and places her hand softly upon his shoulder. "Megumi wouldn't have asked me not to kill him if he didn't think Itadori-san was worth it. If he can keep control now, he can keep control later too. I'll do what I can to help him, we'll have you as reassurance, and the rest he'll have to figure out as we go."

   Satoru simply hums in response. He expected nothing less from Ayame. "And Megumi?" he questions, the one he's really curious to hear from. "Thoughts? Concerns? Do you agree with Ayame?"

   Of course he does. Megumi doesn't want to see Yūji die; he's one of the good ones, one of the good ones that he and Ayame have to protect in order to build better karma for their many faults. He's already determined that they have to save Itadori Yūji, and if the possibility of Ryōmen Sukuna wreaking havoc hung in the balance because of that, he didn't really care. As long as he had Satoru and Ayame by his side to help, that was good enough for him.

   The onyx-haired boy turns his head to face his guardian, green eyes hardened in his stare. "I don't want to let Itadori-san die."

   Satoru grins. "Is that a personal opinion I'm hearing?"

   Megumi sighs as he stands up from the ground, fighting an eye roll at Satoru's provoking tone. Ayame immediately tucks her arm around Megumi's torso to help keep him on his feet. "Yes, sensei," he replies quietly. "Please do something about it."

   Satoru laughs eagerly, the charming noise ringing throughout Ayame's small ears like a melody. A small smile breaks upon her face as he raises his free hand to give Megumi a thumbs-up, winking behind his midnight-colored mask.

   "Just leave it to me!"