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“I refuse.”
I groan as I stumble away from the newborn curse, it’s claws catching on my jacket and ripping through the fabric, “what do you want in exchange then?”
I hear Sukuna hum well I duck under another swipe that whips through the air above me. It’s as I roll forwards under the curses other arm and swipe at its back with the remains of demon slaughter that I hear his reply, “when I chant ‘enchain’ three times, I will have full control of the body for the next 15 minutes. And you will not remember making this binding vow.”
So, the same vow from the canon story. Because that worked so well for Yuuji.
“No, I want to remember the terms of the deal, and during those 15 minutes, you must not touch any of my classmates physically or with cursed energy of any kind,” I insist, jumping back away from the curse as it swings wildly at me with both hands.
“You really think you can make demands of me, brat?” Sukuna snarls.
“I’m stubborn enough to try- aCk!” I’m cut off as a leg slams into my side, sending me crashing to the other side of the room like a shitty, squishy skipping stone, “fucking oW”
Sukuna chuckles lowly inside my skull as I wheeze, winded as I shove myself shakily up. I can feel my ribs throbbing as I heave. But I have to get up, I need to get up, that purple bastard is going to crush me if I don’t get up- wait.
Why is it giving me time to get up?
I brace myself against the warm, cracked concrete wall, digging my bloody nails into it as I pull myself up on shaky legs. I look over at the curse.
It stands still.
Tense.
Afraid.
“That’s… you, isn’t it?” I ask once I finally have enough air in my lungs.
Sukuna hums an affirmative before being to speak, “You, brat, cannot win here. You are weak, untrained, haven’t even unlocked your cursed technique yet. You’re in no position to refuse me.”
I can hear his smile. He knows he’s right. I know he’s right. I can’t win here, hell, I can’t even survive here. The only reason I’m still standing is because Sukuna is holding back the curse with pure aura or whatever. A vow with Sukuna is the only way I can beat this fucker and get the hell out of here.
I grit my teeth, air whistling through the gaps as I breathe through the pain. There’s blood running down my face. I can’t breath through my nose. I'm pretty sure it's broken. My knees are shaking and my ribs creak in protest. Everything hurts.
I’m not Yuuji, I may be stuck in his body, but I’m not him. He might have been able to push through the pain, ignore it and keep going, but I can’t. I can’t think straight, my head is swimming, I don’t want to be here, I don’t want to be Yuuji, I want my brothers and my mom and my dad and my cat and my books and my bed and I want to go HOME.
“Tick tock Yuuji, I won’t wait forever.”
Hate. I hate him. I hate this stupid curse and I hate this stupid other curse and I hate that I’m here and that I’m Itadori FUCKING Yuuji and I need to take this deal if I want to live and keep the plot going-
….
But this isn’t a story anymore.
This isn’t a story anymore. The people here are real people. I don't have Itadori's skills, I could die here, Nobara almost did die here. The prisoners here did die. If I make this vow, so many people are going to die. the innocent, the guilty, the young and old, good and bad, everyone. Nanami is going to die, Megumi is going to go through so much pain, Gojo is going to be cut in half and then his body be used like a secondhand suit, Maki is going to lose her sister, something horrible will properly happen to panda and the rest of the characters I don't really remember- the point is; these are real people. It's not a story anymore. Real people are going to get hurt if I make that vow.
This isn’t a story. There isn’t an audience reading with bated breath, and I’m stuck in a body that isn’t mine with no hope of seeing my family again.
….
Well then. With that all in mind…
“No.”
“…. what.”
The pressure in this concrete hell increases, the purple bastard curse twitches and shudders, and I smile through blood teeth as adrenaline and fear start pumping anew in my veins.
“I said no deal. What, your hearing going bad in your old age?”
The room grew hot. I can feel the cursed energy rolling out of me like fire trying to escape to open air. Hungry and angry.
“I will give you. One. Last. Chance,” Sukuna’s voice is a growl, it doesn’t sound human.
I laugh hysterically, afraid and shaking. Everything hurts and I sound more like I'm wheezing then laughing but I refuse to back down. No. This is the hill I’m going to die on.
“No.”
Sukuna’s…. displeasure, rolls through the room for what feels an eternity, I can feel the blood and sweat dripping off of me, hear the droplets hit the ground before he finally replies, “then suffer.” What ever was stopping the purple curse suddenly disappears, and it lunges for me without hesitation.
I duck under it as its hands slam into the concrete above me, only for its knee to meet my sternum with a sharp crack and crunch of bone snapping. I gasp out what little air was in my lunges before a clawed hand grips me by the skull and throws me into the floor with enough force to crack the concrete. I don’t even have time to blink the spots out of my vision when a clawed foot slams down into my ribs.
Literally.
I hear bone snapping and popping as it gives way, the foot crushing the remains of my sternum below it as my chest caves.
I choke.
What remains of my ribs have punctured my lungs, my liver, my fucking clavicle is stabbing into my throat from the inside-
Crack- SNAP
I gasp in air desperately as I can suddenly breathe. I risk a glance down and see my ribs are intact, my sternum in one piece instead of dust under a curse’s gross foot. I can hear Sukuna laugh.
Ah. I see.
This is going to suck, isn’t it?
The curse blinks in confusion for a moment, then it lifts its foot once more. I scramble to get my hands under me, to get out of the way, to move, damn it just move awAY-
Its heel comes down on my stomach.
I vomit.
It burns on the way out, stomach acid, blood and what was left of my lunch spewing out of my mouth without my consent. I turned my head to the side too late. It’s stuck in my mouth, it’s disgusting, it’s warm and I’m choking and some of it landed right under my nose and its all I can smell-
Its foot slams into my chest again.
The force of it causes me to vomit again. It’s right beside my face, more blood then food. It smells horrible and I attempt to dry heave violently. Its completely ineffective due to my lungs being crushed. I vague note that my pants are wet. The curse has gone still again above me.
“What was your answer again?” Sukuna coos inside my head. Condescending and smug as my ribs snap back into place.
I breathe in through my mouth, air filling newly healed lungs and granting me a moment of relief, I manage to turn away from the vomit beside me, eyes clenched shut.
“Fuck… Off-“
CRUNCH.
I have enough air in my lungs to scream this time.
I claw helplessly at my leg, pain spiking through what’s left of it (because the rest is in the curse’s hand it ripped my leg off it ripped my leg off, it ripped my fucking leg off oh god-)
“Insolent child.”
I’m in the air again.
SQUCKKK
Oh. I’ve been impaled.
I stare down at the rebar stick through my stomach. Bits of flesh and muscle caught on the rust and newly exposed ribs as it tore through me. Blood's not the only thing coming out of me now I think hysterically as some part of my pierced intestine begins leaking waste out onto my stained and ragged jacket.
I can already feel the remains of my shin twist and grow. Healing again.
“Agree, and I will kill it.”
I shudder, feeling the rebar scrap against my guts, I swear I can feel the rust flaking away and infecting me. Ever move is agony, burning hot and terrifying. I’m crying. Probably have been for awhile. I can hear myself sob through the blood in my throat and the ringing in my ears.
“N-no”
The curse has my arm in its grip.
I slap my other hand against it, weak and pathetic.
“Nn, no! No no no no no-“
CRRRRR-POP
I scream as my arm is pulled from its socket.
I can hear laughing.
I can’t do this.
“Ssstop, st-stop!” I beg. I can’t do this. I can’t I can’t I can’t.
“Agree to the vow, Yuuji. And it all stops. Just say the words ”
I pant as the curse infront of me giggles, it’s gripping my other arm. It’s already twisting, I can hear them both laughing, laughing laughing laughing-
“I… I vow…”
I can feel Sukuna smile inside my skull.
My arm keeps twisting, the bone is already cracking, breaking. It’s not stopping.
It’s not going to stop.
I hate it. I hate it I hate it.
I am not Idatori Yuuji.
I can’t do this.
“I vow….”
Bones snapping, claws puncturing flesh, hand facing the wrong way.
Laughing.
My leg has already healed. The first arm is already half way formed.
“Keep going brat, what’s taking so long? Having trouble focusing?” Sukuna mocks.
Something snaps.
And it’s not any of my bones this time.
“I vow-“ With every last bit of my will, with every inch of spite and stubborn angry, with every cell in my body, with blood in my eyes and mouth and ears and lungs, with everything I am and will ever be“- to never make a binding vow with Sukuna Ryomen, King of Curse!”
Chains slam over my heart with the finality of a executioner’s blade.
Everything is still.
Rage.
Hot boiling blood red rage. Anger and disbelief and incredulous confusion.
“What.”
The word is red hot and spoken through clenched teeth that don’t exist. And all I can do is laugh.
The funny thing about binding vows, is that a sorcerer’s cursed energy, in self preservation, will respond before the sorcerer can make a conscious decision. It would take a lot of conscious effort and will to break a binding vow.
And I’m not capable of thinking very straight right now.
I wheeze out what might be a laugh as my forearm snaps in half, delirious with pain and hysterics.
I am not Yuuji.
This is not a story.
So fuck the plot.
And fuck Sukuna’s plans and his stupid binding vow.
I will die here, in pain and alone and probably regretting that vow. But in this moment, I’ve won.
I laugh between screams as the purple bastard curse pulls my forearm away from me, muscle and tendons snapping one at a time well Sukuna screams in outrage inside my head.
I pant between sobs as the curse scrambles away from me, arm forgotten in its rushes to escape Sukuna’s rage. I can hear Sukuna demand it stop, to continue pulling me apart, but it’s too late. The curse is fleeing, and cannot hear Sukuna.
He howls in frustration, cursing me a fool. I can barely hear him over my own breathing. I am exhausted and bleeding out.
But hey, I stopped Sukuna, right?
I slump forward, remains of my arms dangling under me (no longer healing I note absently) and finally, despite Sukuna’s howling, fall still.