Chapter Text
They brought back a child. He didn’t look surprised.
Seconds passed by. Yuuji felt his heart beating faster as the principal remained silently staring at the three of them warily shuffling closer to circle the young girl with an unreadable gaze. To her credit, the girl was calm compared to when Yuuji had learned of a whole different society. She was silent like the principal too, but not the anxious kind of silence, it was akin to the silence that permeated after his grandfather’s death.
The principal sighed. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” he muttered darkly and Yuuji felt abashed at the disappointment. His friends were probably horrified at the comparison. “Why is she here?”
Now, wasn’t that a good question?
It was supposed to be an easy routine mission. They were told to observe how to deal with underground curses, to learn the procedures of dealing with the dangers that came with fragile cave systems. They were explicitly told not to, under any circumstances, interfere. He was confused at the severity of the order but Kugisaki and Fushiguro only nodded as if it made sense.
To ensure obedience, the first years had to make a binding vow (not like Yuuji knew what it meant, he only copied what his friends said). “Standard protocol,” was what the assistant manager said. The sorcerer tasked with leading the mission was too busy surveying the map of the cave to explain further and the assistant manager didn’t care to sate Yuuji’s implied question.
He hadn’t quite understood what the fuss was all about. He does now.
With helmets strapped and flashlights on, they delved deep. Each path they took was followed with a taut rope that began from the entrance of the cave. It’s usually used in cave diving when disturbed sentiment obscures the diver’s vision but as sorcerers, they had no time to check the map when they’re on the run from either curses or crumbling rocks. At least that’s what Fushiguro said.
And in hindsight, he’s more than glad there were safety measures in place, even if it kind of didn’t really do much considering what happened was short of a shit show.
It was dark and humid. Every step they took echoed for what seemed like forever.
The three of them had no experience in this situation and along with his own inability to sense curses, he was on edge the whole time. The curse could’ve been behind them, to their left, or right, or above… It’s a maze where the curse has the upper hand. Caving is already perilous without the added innate hazards that came with sorcery. There were no guides to teach them the cave’s layout; they could easily get lost and die.
In the short time he’d known them, he’d never seen his new friends so uncertain before. Fushiguro always had this unwavering sureness, save for their first meeting, and Kugisaki doesn’t strike him as hesitant at all. He bet that in the face of death, she’d give her all until her last breath.
He felt nervous. He never felt this way before, even when confronted with the threat of execution after swallowing Sukuna’s finger. Speaking of the devil, Sukuna had been uncharacteristically quiet the closer they got to the cave during the car ride. It’s like he’s slowly disappearing and Yuuji would have thought so too if it weren’t for the overbearing presence at the back of his mind.
They took another turn and he inexplicably felt his heart jumping to his throat. That brief moment where his vision was still dark every time he turned his head was starting to get to him. He felt silly. He usually wasn’t this much of a scaredy-cat.
As the walls and ceiling began to cave in on them the deeper they go, he finally mustered up the courage to break the silence. “Um, are we really going in there?” he asked, cautiously eyeing the only way forward: a crawl space that led to somewhere. He really didn’t want to be on his hands and knees and exorcise a cursed spirit at the same time.
They all stopped in their tracks. The sorcerer sighed and grumbled. “No. We have to have to turn back.”
It’d been what felt like hours. Deeper in the earth, the cave ceiling was practically touching Kugisaki’s head. Yuuji had been hunching until he couldn’t feel his neck anymore. The numbing pain was clouding his thinking.
“What about that one?” Kugisaki said more than asked, pointing to another entrance on the other side of the chamber they’re in. Huh. Yuuji hadn’t noticed that when he looked around but he had more hope for that passage. They wouldn’t have to crawl.
“That.” The sorcerer did a double-take. He furrowed his brows and squinted at the map. “It’s not on the map.”
She muttered a curse.
Nevermind, Yuuji had no more hope for that one— he had no more hope for the mission, actually, because every other route they’ve not taken were those of which they’d have to crawl into. Even Fushiguro’s usually apathetic face started to grow disturbed.
“Are underground curses usually this quiet?” Yuuji had to ask. “Aren’t they all attracted to humans or something?” Why was this curse particularly tricky to find?
Maybe it’s just him discovering his hidden phobia, but he’s starting to think there’s actually something in the air. He gulped. The sound echoed. He felt sick. There’s definitely something in the air.
Ah, the headache really wasn’t doing him any favours right now.
“Itadori, breathe,” Fushiguro calmly advised him. Yuuji took a deep breath in but found he’s still ill. “What should we do, then?”
It’s not the time to be panicking, he needed to keep his wits about him. The longer the curse ran amok in the cave and unexorcised, it could potentially grow stronger and wreak havoc, then the cave would collapse, and then people on the surface would suffer, and then the curse would escape and kill—
They turned back around after he was handed the rope as the tail of the team. He mindlessly followed them like a lost duckling, mind spiralling. He looked back to the dead end, neck painfully twisting, staring at the passage that shouldn’t exist until they made a turn and it disappeared from his sight. Was it just the explorers’ mistake? Could it be part of the curse’s technique? With how calm the others are, maybe it’s just a mistake, but something in him was screaming a denial.
Then again, it wasn’t as if this cave system was open for tourists. It’s just a random cave that someone had found and documented. There were plenty of unexplored caves in the world, maybe this was just one of many. And sure, yeah, maybe it’s a bit suspicious how they were dispatched to deal with a curse so far from society that it couldn’t have possibly been worth it to go caving over, but maybe there’s something he’s missing. He’s not smart or observant. That’s probably it.
The cave’s glistening walls seemed to mock him. Do caves glisten? Was this normal? It didn’t feel or look wet until now.
He tripped. He knocked over Kugisaki.
“Watch your step, idiot!” she snapped out, groaning as she hauled herself up and dusted her uniform. Yuuji wrapped the rope tightly in his hand, making sure it’s still taut like he was told to, and stood up. He bit back a whimper as his helmet knocked against the ceiling.
“Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts.” His vision blurred a bit but it soon cleared up.
She gave him a nasty look. “That’s dangerous.”
“Hey!” He looked at her, aggrieved.
“Am I wrong? You’re lucky this cave is as simple as you. Actually, no, that’s worse. I don’t know how you managed to trip—”
“Kugisaki.” Fushiguro interrupted firmly. He glared at them both. Kugisaki glared back. Yuuji absentmindedly looked over the teen’s shoulder, watching the sorcerer continue back without so much as a glance at them. “This isn’t the time to be arguing.”
“Whatever.”
Yuuji said softly, “Sorry guys. I really didn’t mean to get distracted.” He rubbed his neck.
Fushiguro sighed. “Let’s go. We’ve wasted enough time.” They continued walking along the rope. Well, more like Yuuji was adjusting his grip on the rope with every step while they both just continued on. He’d usually be more than happy to take on tasks, but in this context? Why did he have to flank the group? He didn’t want to be flanking!
“Eh, we’re going back? What about the curse?” What if it was behind him?
Kugisaki asked, deadpan, “Are you offering to crawl in those tunnels?”
Yuuji shivered. “No,” he muttered, and then shivered again. “Man, I can’t wait to get out of here. It’s giving me the creeps.”
It really was creepy and it couldn’t have only been his imagination. Sukuna hadn’t uttered a peep from the beginning of their caving expedition, no huffs or scoffs or hums. Just the suffocating pressure of intense observation.
The back of his neck tingled and he rubbed it. He abruptly stopped. He looked behind him suspiciously, neck creaking. There was nothing, just the emptiness and silence and the glistening walls.
‘Sukuna?’ Yuuji mentally called out. ‘Are you there?’ There wasn’t a verbal reply but he could feel the curse’s heavy attention. ‘Sukuna?’
‘Stop dawdling, it’s as if you want to be left behind.’
He could feel the judgement from that tone alone. Nodding his head, he quickened his pace.
Now, he knew without a doubt that the air in the cave was fucking up his psyche because under any normal circumstances, he’d have found the silence a godsent. He wouldn’t have been seeking comfort in Sukuna.
He continued along the rope, feeling the sense of unease rising in him.
He’s used to the dark and loneliness (had actually wished to be alone ever since consuming Sukuna’s finger), it was never a bother to him. He had to be brave as an orphan with his sole guardian taking permanent residence at the hospital. Every childish fear he ever had faded throughout the years. There wasn’t any other choice— no one was there for him. What would he do anyway, stay scared for the rest of his life?
And yet. The cave just felt so much more crushing than the accumulated stress and uncertainty in his life, including getting smacked in the face with sorcery.
Everything in the cave just felt so… wrong.
Unbidden, he anxiously called out, “Fushiguro? Kugisaki?” Why was he being so clingy now? He cooked and cleaned ever since he could do so. He paid the rent and bills himself. Every parent-teacher meeting was attended by his lonesome.
There was no response. They probably reached the surface by now. He took a deep breath. Calm down, Yuuji. You’re throwing this out of proportion.
He could only continue.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
He stopped in his tracks. What?
Desperate, he whispered out loud, skin crawling at a frightening thought, “Sukuna, did you—”
‘Shut up.’ The King of Curses rattled Yuuji’s mind. The vehemence of the order temporarily deafened him and the rope in his hand felt more of an anchor to reality than anything else now. ‘Don’t make a sound.’ He snapped his jaw shut.
He could feel Sukuna surfacing closer to the forefront to the point it’s like he wanted possession of his body, yet no possession happened. He was just lurking behind Yuuji’s eyes.
Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Calm down.
Senses heightened to a painful level, Yuuji slowly looked around the passage he’s in. They’ve cleared the way behind, they came from the way ahead… There was nowhere that sound could’ve originated from except the tiny tunnels. But that couldn’t have been it. It’s just simply impossible. That rhythmic sound of someone leisurely tapping their foot.
‘Get a move on, brat!’
Yuuji startled and bumped his head. Ah, fuck, his vision swam once more. It hurt.
No. Now that he thought about it, everything about himself hurt. His stomach clenched into itself, trying to devour his internal organs. His head throbbed not from the collision but from something internal, like his brain was swelling and was pushing against his skull. His neck had gone numb like it’d been pulverised. His palm chafed from how hard he’d been gripping the rope. His heart beat so fast it was skipping beats; he’s feeling faint.
Everything was painful.
‘Focus!’
There was humming. Was Sukuna humming? Was he humming? Or were his friends humming? Where did it come from?
‘If you don’t fucking move this instant, I will—’
Did his flashlight go out? Why was it so dark? There was a cut off yelp. It sounded distant yet near. Someone was shouting. A name?
‘Shit, stay awake, don’t—’