"You still have that branding mark on your neck I gave you, right?" He asked.

I leaned against the shelf and rubbed my neck, "I haven't looked in a while, but as far as I know it's still there." I swept my hair to the side and flashed him my neck.

"Is it?" I asked.

Sukuna gave me a sly grin and nodded.

"I knew it was there anyways." He said.

"Then why did you ask?"

"I just wanted to see if my suspicions were correct."

I rolled my eyes, "Huh?"

"I think you'll sleep better at night if I don't tell you."

"Well now I just want to know more."

"Fine." He sighed and stepped closer, I wanted to back away but I was already leaning against the book shelf.

"I feel like I've told you this before, but that mark, it allows me to feel your emotions."

"My emotions? Wait so, if I'm sad, you'll be sad too?"

"Not exactly, I can't take on your emotions, I don't become what you are. It's a bit more like mind reading. I know exactly what you're feeling at any given time... That mark, bonds us."

I gave him a lop sided glare, "So what are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying... A moment ago, I knew you felt a desire for me... That's why I thought you came in trying to-."

I clammed up, "You don't have to go into gory detail."

So he knew?... He knew I felt attracted to him in that moment?

"So I was right then? You want to have sex." He said casually.

"What? No! I-."

My heart was beating like crazy, I couldn't find the right words, better yet the right response to what he'd just said.

"I... It was just for a moment." I said timidly.

He stared at me, nearly stunned that I just went out and said it.

I continued on, "I don't want to be intimate with you though. You should know that. I hate you, and nothing will ever change that. Even if for a split second you made me feel-"

"Aroused?" He interrupted.

"Shut up! You're always so vulgar."

"Is that not what you felt? You just can't admit it can you."

I crossed my arms, "I hate this. Is there a way you can get rid of this stupid mark?"

"So you can fantasize about me in peace?" He teased.

"No, so that I can at least have some privacy in my own head."

"It's more fun this way."

"Not for me!"

"It is for me."

"What are you, a sadist? Just get rid of it. You already have me right where you want me. I'm locked up in your house. It's not even needed. Wasn't it just to keep track of me?"

Sukuna grabbed a shirt from his drawer and slipped his body inside, "You're right." He said, pulling down the fringes of the t-shirt.

"So if that's what you want y/n... I'll do it for you." He added.

I widened my eyes.

Really, he was just gonna do this for me? No catch? I thought.

"Come here." He said, making a come hither motion with his fingers.

I approached him and he took a step closer.

"Put your back to me." He instructed. I turned as he pulled my waist up against him from behind. I flinched like a petrified cat.

He slowly wrapped his fingers around my neck. They were callous, riddled with scars. The hairs on the back of my neck tingled, my spine was erect. I could feel his breathing on my skin.

My heart beat.

"Do you like this?" He asked quietly.

Did he seriously just say that!?

My face felt red as fire. With the cold touch of his fingers, I could feel my stomach churn. I guess you could call it 'butterflies'. He probably knew how I was feeling considering the mark wasn't gone yet.

"Just... Just get it over with." I replied.

He wrapped his hand around my throat just a bit tighter, loose enough so that I could breathe. I felt a strange sensation where the mark was. It was like this light clawing feeling.

Before I knew it, he let go and stepped away, "It's gone." He said.

"Really! I'm so happy. Thank you."

Sukuna nodded plainly.

It hadn't registered yet to me how strange it was that he'd just so easily answered my request of removing the mark. This was really unlike him, now that I thought about it. He had nothing to gain from doing that.

Why do something nice for me?

I just didn't get it.

The sound of the front doorbell echoed throughout the house.

"Our guest is here, let's go." He said, exiting the bedroom. I followed right behind.

There was something calm about Sukuna that night. Almost alluring. I think he was actually starting to grow on me...

At the same time, my mind was telling me to hate him. I remembered everything he'd done to me. After all, he even was planning to have me killed.

It felt like I had two voices in my head telling me two totally different things.

I swallowed my pride and grabbed his hand, "Wait!" I said.

Sukuna turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked.

His face was flat with almost zero reaction to my words. Once again, I couldn't read him. I realized I was still holding his hand, I quickly let go.

"This is a childish subject y/n, come on." He said coldly.

I gritted my teeth and grabbed his hand again.

"What is it you're not telling me! Sukuna?" I asked, boldly looking into his eyes. He pulled his hand away.

"You're irritating me... y/n."

I let out a small gasp and he walked right in front of me again.

Was I stupid for asking him that? Was I just looking too much into things by thinking that he was being kind to me before?

Now I was second guessing myself.

Our guest was the red headed woman from the bar, Valorie. Her and Sukuna seemed to have been well acquainted. She entered with a small pot of food in hand.

"I figured he wasn't feeding you, so I made some dinner." She smiled at me.

The three of us went into the dining room where two bottles of wine sat at the edge of the table. Some glasses had already been set up as well. I hesitantly took a seat as Sukuna went and sat next to me, Valorie sat across from us. I was surprised when Sukuna immediately chose a seat next to me and not his acquaintance.

"What is it you want Valorie? Ah? You're the one who insisted on coming over today. Get on with it." Sukuna spat.

Valorie smiled coily, leaning her chin on her palm, "You really have no table manners. Anyways, I thought it was a good idea to let your girl in on the plan. I mean, that is if you still intend on killing her off in the sacrifice."

"It doesn't matter if she knows or not. Makes no difference."

"I- I want to know." I interjected.

Sukuna grimaced as Valorie smirked.

"Very well, I like curious girls like you." She giggled and looked me in the eye. I felt devoured. She had one of those looks where it felt like the person was reading your mind. Like they're too close. It got under my skin.

"This man was cursed with immortality 1000 years ago by a witch."  She blurted.

I looked at Sukuna, "That woman you told me about, on the roof that night?"

He ignored me.

Valorie glanced at the two of us then continued on, "Oh so you know that part of the story at least. That witch, Ella, killed him and made him and herself into immortal beings. Ever since then, for 1000 years, he's been trying to find Ella, and work out a way to break the spell. That's where I come in, for how long? Seven years I've been helping Sukuna try and track down Ella. A year ago, we found a loop hole to the curse."

So all this time Sukuna was just trying to kill himself? I didn't believe it.

"What's the loophole?" I asked

"You..."

"Me?"

"Pretty much. Ella tied her and Sukunas immortality to her future bloodline. Immortality can't exist unless it's bonded to an energy source, that being, her family tree. As long as Ella's bloodline is still alive, so will she, and Sukuna. You y/n are the only living relative of that witch."

What...

My heart pulsated, I just stared back at Valorie in utter shock.

How the hell was I related to a witch? I mean I thought I knew enough about my family history. For god sakes I never knew about this shit.

I gulped.

Valorie wasted no time and kept going with the story, "But of course it's not that simple, a witch, meaning me, has to preform this complex ritual to break an immortality spell. Either way, you'd die as a sacrifice. And Sukuna here, would be free."

I looked at him, "Is this true?" I said.

Sukuna took a sip from his wine glass and acted like I didn't even exist. He just glanced at me shamelessly.

"I'm related to some old witch?"

"Pretty much, I mean. You do look like her too. You both got lucky in the beauty department that's for sure." Valorie said casually.

I felt like I was about to vomit. My hands shook beneath the table.

"And so all this time... You were just trying to kill yourself?" I added.

He called me pathetic for trying to drown myself, meanwhile he had been trying to do the same thing for years. I remembered his words on the beach.

"...because you remind me of myself."

That's what he told me. Now it all made sense.

Valorie chimed in, "Yup, he's probably the most suicidal dude I've ever met. However, there is one other way to break the spell. You wouldn't have to die y/n"

"What is it?" I replied.

"It's a pretty well known loophole however, he thinks it's a lie."

"Can you tell me at least?"

"It entails that, immortality can be broken, if the immortal being is killed by someone they deeply love. Isn't that right, Sukuna?"

My breath hitched.

Valorie preceded, "He just thought it was bullshit. Why bother wasting time falling in love when it's not even confirmed if this will actually break the curse. So we scrapped that plan."

"But... What if it's true?" I asked.

"I guess we'll never know, he won't bother with it." She said sharply and glared at him.

There was an odd tension in that room. I was still trying to process the absolute bomb that had just been dropped on me, my mind was racing a mile a minute in an attempt to comprehend the story. Meanwhile, Valorie and Sukuna had this really off putting energy with one another. It felt like Valorie was hiding something and Sukuna was starting to catch on.

"You look bothered. Is it because I told your girl about the plan? I'm just trying to be nice here. I thought it was only fair that she knew." Valorie said to him.

Sukuna gave her a deadpan stare. He didn't look angry nor did he look happy. It was more like he was just unimpressed. It was like Valorie was constantly trying to poke at him to get some sort of reaction. However, Sukuna wasn't the emotional type... he was smart.

"You see Valorie, you came here, just to tell some stories and that's it? I feel like your true intentions lay somewhere else. So open your filthy mouth and speak up. Enough games." His voice dropped low to a tone that would make any normal person run in fear.

I tensed up even though he wasn't talking to me.

"You're smart for an old man." She laughed.

Without warning, Valorie stood up, and with the swift wave of her hand, my throat started to hurt. It felt like it was burning. She smirked, Sukuna stood up and glanced at me then back at Valorie.

I started to cough up blood.

As soon as Sukuna realized what was happening to me, he got ready to attack Valorie. But she flexed her hand, causing the pain in my throat to worsen.

"Make another move and I'll kill her right now." She said sharply.

Sukuna paused and gritted his teeth. I held my neck in pain. Blood splattered from my mouth all over the table.

"It-.. It hurts." I croaked between labored breaths.

"Leave her alone." Sukuna grumbled.

I'd never seen him show restraint like this. I thought he surely would've killed Valorie almost instantaneously.

He... protected me?

Valorie looked amused, "Huh... I see it now. You don't just protect her because you want to use her in the sacrifice... You actually care for this girl don't you?" She said.

There was an uncanny silence immediately after Valorie's words. I looked at Sukuna, expecting him to deny her accusation, but he didn't.

❂