Sorcerer's Bride (COMPLETED)

23.

CHAPTER 23

"You stupid radish cat!"

"Well, you are a prune panda!"

"Will you two just quit it?!" Y/n yelled as red panda Sukuna tried to scratch Satoru's face while the cat was taking a bath. "Sukuna, go to your room!"

"Right, right! Go to your room! It's me and my Y/n time." Satoru stuck his tongue out.

"I'll give you a scrub after him, okay?" Y/n then pet Sukuna's head before he begrudgingly walked away.

"Sorry about that, he's edgy..." Y/n apologized as she poured water on Satoru and gave him a scrub. "I mean, who wouldn't, right? He was immediately captured when we set our feet here."

"Yes, the Seiho monks felt his presence the moment you two arrived. So, it's fine..." Satoru smiled. "He has all the reasons to be edgy, especially in my presence."

"You wouldn't hurt him, would you?"

"No one will try, I promise you."

Y/n paused as she remembered the time Sukuna opened up his past to her, "Why?" she mumbled in a very low tone.

"Hmm?"

"Why did you have to do it?"

Satoru looked at Y/n who had a shadow on her face, "Ahh... I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that. All I know was I was a kid too when that happened."

— *** —

"Come on now, Sukuna." Y/n urged the red panda to get out of his room but he barely moved from his spot. "I know you're angry with Satoru... but could you please, try to get along? I mean... you will have to help him... in some sort of way."

The panda's ears drooped a bit yet it was not facing her at all. It remained facing the garden in his room.

Y/n sat beside Sukuna on the engawa and lifted him by his stomach before sitting him on her lap while she hugged its fluffy tummy and put her chin over his furry head, gently tickling her chin.

"What's the problem?" she asked so gently while her eyes trained on the garden in front of them.

"They... They are scared." He mumbled, ears dropping even more so. "But I do not give a damn if they were scared but..."

"You're scared too."

"I am not! I am the Male—"

"The Malevolent Sorcerer... I know. But I can feel it in your heart." Y/n hugged him tighter, her palm pressing on the panda's chest. "You're scared. They have weapons who can subdue you anytime they want and you felt being forced to help someone who took everything from you. It feels like the world is playing you in its hands."

Sukuna was silent. She was right.

"You... you don't hate me."

"Why would I?"

"I hurt you."

"But I forgave you."

Once again Sukuna fell silent. "It's getting dark." He said in a low voice.

"Yeah, it is." Y/n stood up while still holding Sukuna in her arms. The moment she entered the room, the door leading to engawa slammed all of a sudden making her look back only to see it tightly close and when she darted her eyes up front, she saw Sukuna towering over her.

"Oh... you're back to being a human and... you're healed." She commented with a smile, "The contract must have been turned you back to being a panda when it sensed that you're going to hurt Sator—"