Soul Binding

Chapter 10: Special Grade & Death's Door

"I can't run away." Yuji starts as the two back up to stand on either side of me. "Not when I've gotten this close." He adds as he wraps his wound with the belt that had been for the sheath of Slaughter Demon.

The Special Grade laughs.

"Hey, Sukuna!" Yuji starts. "If I die here, you die too, right?! So you have to help me out!"

"Not true." The voice of Sukuna says as the extra eye on the left of Yuji's face opens to look up to him along with a mouth sprouting on his cheek just below it. "Even if the part of me inside you dies, there are eighteen other fragments of my soul still out there! Still, irritating enough, I don't yet have control of this body. So if you want to switch, go ahead and switch. But once you do, I'll kill this punk Sorcerer before this Cursed Spirit can!"

I grit my teeth as I glare at that pesky mouth and eye.

'Can't trust the King of Curses after all... Well... maybe... I don't think there's time for a Binding Vow though... and he's gotta make sure there's no loopholes that bastard can find to get his way... damn it...'

"And then I'll have to kill your little sister here and that woman." Sukuna continues. "They're lively ones! I'll have some fun with them!"

"I'm not going to let you do that." Yuji growls.

"Is that right?" Sukuna asks. "But if you get all focused on me, then your friends are gonna die!"

The curse in front of us makes a noise before I see energy building at it's mouth.

"Reversal Binds!" I quickly yell, crossing my arms and holding my palms towards me with my fingers partially bent.

Hands almost immediately grow in its path and wraps around my body. Something hits the ground just between them and in front of me, my eyes widening as it heads straight for me. I let out a small yelp as I get sent backwards as my protection wasn't fast enough to completely stop the attack.

"Yuka/Itadori!" Yuji and Megumi start just before the attack hits.

I groan as I hit the ground, slowly rolling onto my side before looking up from where I kneel. From in front of the curse to just a bit pass where I had stood, an indent had been formed. The curse laughs as if finding that all funny as I stand up.

"Fushiguro! Fushiguro!" Yuji yells as he saw I was fine. "Fushiguro!" Yuji yells, finally getting Megumi's attention. "Take Yuka, find Kugisaki and get them out of here!"

"Yuji!" I say, immediately knowing what he's thinking.

"I'll stay here and keep this one busy! At least until you three are clear!" Yuji ignores me. "As soon as you three are out, give me some kind of signal. And then, I'll switch bodies with Sukuna."

"You'll never stand a chance!" Megumi yells. "Fighting that thing with one hand!"

"Look closer." Yuji says as we look to the curse. "That curse is having fun. It's obviously toying with us. At least I can buy us some time."

"You can't!" Megumi says as I'm still trying to get the thought of what my brother's planning around my head.

"Yuji!"

"Fushiguro. Yuka." Yuji says. "It's okay." He smiles.

I move to walk towards them only for Megumi to grit his teeth and run towards me.

"No! Megumi!" I start but he's already grabbed my wrist and force me to jump into the hole in the ground.

As we free fall, he wraps his arms around me before putting his hands together.

"Nue!" Megumi summons his large owl shikigami.

His Shikigami grabs onto him and carries us down before letting go of us as soon as we reach the bottom.

"This way!" Megumi says, grabbing my wrist and pulling me after him. "Demon Dogs!" He summons as we run.

The black form of the wolf grows and runs on the other side of Megumi.

"Find Kugisaki!" Megumi orders his shikigami before glancing to make sure I'm still running with him.

"You. I know your face now. I swear. I'm going to curse you!" I hear Nobara say ahead of us as Megumi summons his frogs in time to save her.

The frog holds her in its mouth as we stand on either side. His Great Serpent grabs the curse to keep it back.

"We're out of here, now!" Megumi says as the doors are open behind us. "Let's go!"

"You know, I really hate frogs." Nobara says as I glare at the space in front of us.

"Well that's too damn bad!" Megumi says as he grabs my wrist. "Let's go!" He says as he pulls me to follow him as we run out the doors.

I run ahead a few yards from the others as I glare at the ground.

"Demon Dog!" Megumi starts before the dog howls.

I stay where I am, glancing over my shoulder where Megumi's on the ground, Nobara's being held up by Ijichi, and Demon Dog is howling into the Innate Domain.

'Please don't die on me... Yuji...'

Knowing what's happening now, I drop to my knees, glaring at the ground. I make a fist before punching the ground.

"Damn it!" I yell.

"Yuka." Megumi mutters.

I simply stand and lead the way away from the building in silence. The others don't say anything before Ijichi is putting an unconscious Nobara in the back of a car.

"We need to expand the evacuation area to 10 kilometers." Megumi says as I stand behind him with my arms crossed, glaring in the direction Sukuna is in.

"What about you two?" Ijichi asks.

"We'll stay." Megumi says, knowing I wasn't going to move any farther. "I'm going to wait for Itadori."

"Understood." Ijichi says in the driver seat. "Alright. Let me get Kugisaki to the hospital. Then I'll come back here for you."

"No." Megumi says. "You wouldn't be of much use in this situation. To really help, you could have them send us a Sorcerer who's Grade 1 or higher. If one was around." He adds, crossing his arms.

"I'll do my best." Ijichi says. "Later." He adds before putting his window up and driving off.

I pull my phone out of my pocket, sending a message to Gojo on the situation although I can only assume that he was purposely sent out far enough so he wouldn't get here in time anyway.

"Yuka." Megumi starts.

"Don't." I sigh, frown on my face. "We both know how tonight might end. Don't feel the need to give me pity." I say, glaring ahead of us. "Worst case scenario, one of us needs to deal the final blow and stop Sukuna." I say.