Cursed | Ryomen Sukuna & Gojo Satoru

(8) The Difference

For a brief, suspended moment, the world seemed to hold its breath. Then, with the bang that reverberated even outside of the cursed barrier, Sukuna staggered back, his form faltering with the strain of the chidori's impact.

"Y- You've grown strong, woman," Sukuna admitted, his voice tinged with begrudging respect.

Kasaii stood before him, panting heavily but unbowed. She knew pushing him could be dangerous, but she wanted to see just how far she could go with the man who plagued her dreams.

The tension between them crackled like static electricity, "You must also recall who defeated that patch-face just now. 2 special grades in a day is quite tiring, you know?" Kasaii said, her tone challenging.

Sukuna scoffed, a flicker of annoyance crossing his features. "Hah?! Please, woman. You wound me by placing myself in the same league as that fool. Also, it was clearly my power that dispatched him, no?"

Kasaii's eyebrows arched in disbelief. "Your power, is it? Last I checked, you merely kicked someone who was already down."

Their banter is still the same throughout their unknown history— neither willing to concede.

Sukuna, growing irritated with the argument, crossed his arms. "Enough," he growled with suppressed rage. "I tire of this conversation."

Kasaii smirked, refusing to let him off the hook. This came to her easily, as if she'd done it a thousand times. "Oh, come on, Ryomen. Admit it."

Ryomen.

Sukuna's eyes narrowed, but a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth upon hearing his name from her mouth. "Never. Just who do you think you are, woman."

Kasaii chuckled, her stance relaxing slightly. "Whatever. Sparring with you did keep things interesting, anyway."

Sukuna leaned in closer, his tone mockingly low. "If you wanted my autograph, you could've just asked."

Kasaii rolled her eyes but couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. "Oh, please. Bold of you to assume an autograph is all I want. I want your head, tough guy."

Sukuna feigned offense, clutching his chest dramatically. "You wound me again. Truly."

Megumi, who was sent to check up on Kasaii and Itadori after being gone for more than an hour, watched the exchange with wide eyes. Finally finding his voice, he said, "U-Uh, are you two... Uchiha-sensei, is this normal? Should I... call for Gojo?"

Kasaii glanced at him, her expression softening. "Ah, Megumi! I apologize for taking this long. And no. No need to call Satoru. Everything's fine."

Sukuna snorted, his demeanor shifting back to one of amusement. "The kid's got potential. Maybe with my guidance, he'll learn to appreciate my brilliance."

Kasaii shot him a sideways look. "Or maybe with my guidance, he'll learn to avoid becoming a megalomaniac."

Aside from the fact that they just battled for each other's heads and that they were arguing, there was a strange comfort in their familiarity— how everything just seemed to make sense despite having just met each other.

Kasaii said, her tone sobering slightly. "Next time, try not to drag innocent buildings into our little spat, okay?"

Sukuna raised an eyebrow. "And miss the chance to see you all riled up? Where's the fun in that?"

Kasaii shook her head, a smile playing on her lips. "You're impossible."

"And you're grating down to the soul," Sukuna countered, his grin widening.

With a final, lingering glance, Sukuna relinquished control, allowing Yuji to resurface. Yuji stumbled slightly, disoriented from the sudden shift in consciousness. Kasaii watched him closely, her heart still racing from the encounter with Sukuna.

She sensed Yuji's confusion and took a step closer, her gaze softening slightly while she ruffled his pink hair.

"Sensei," Yuji finally spoke, breaking the tension. "You and Sukuna... you argued like an old couple just now."

Kasaii's smile softened further, touched by the innocence and perceptiveness in his remark. "Old couple, huh?" Kasaii echoes thoughtfully, her gaze drifting momentarily to how Sukuna looked.

Yuji tilted his head curiously. "Have you already encountered him before?"

Kasaii hesitated, her mind flickering through fragments of memories that refused to fully materialize. "Sort of," she finally answered, choosing her words carefully. "You could call it that."

Before Yuji could press further, a distant commotion caught their attention. Megumi and Nobara were approaching. Concern was etched on their faces as they surveyed the aftermath of the battle. How the hell could dealing with a Grade 2 curse, result in the whole right side of a building being blown apart?

"You two alright?" Megumi called out, his voice tinged with relief upon seeing them unharmed.

"We're fine," Kasaii assured him, her tone steady. "The original curse has been dealt with. However, a special grade suddenly appeared. I almost killed him, but he unfortunately got away. Sorry."

Nobara eyes Kasaii shrewdly, her gaze lingering on her bleeding eyes and the subtle signs of fatigue. "You look... like you've been through a lot," she remarked bluntly.

Kasaii managed a faint smile. "This is nothing. Just another day in the life," she quipped.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the day waned and the evening shadows appeared, Sukuna retreated into the depths of Yuji's consciousness, once again lost in thought.

Her movements were all calculated, her attacks both graceful and deadly. Watching her, Sukuna felt a strange mix of pride and protectiveness. Her presence was so familiar, so warm. To put it simply, it mesmerized him. Their bodies moved in sync as if riding a bike— a movement you couldn't forget no matter how many years pass— or rather, even if your mind forgets... your body would never.

Sukuna felt alive, his blood singing with thrill. It's been a long time since he had felt a strange, almost playful irritation. He had despised everyone he encountered— they were mere insects beneath his feet. But not her. He had fought countless opponents, reveling in their fear and agony. But not with her.

Oh, no, not her.

Sukuna clenched his fists, wrestling with the tumultuous emotions. The realizations unsettled him, challenging the very core of his being. He was the King of Curses, a being of unrivaled power and malevolence. The world was his plaything to torment and destroy.

But Kasaii... Kasaii.

He couldn't bring himself to despise the white-haired sorcerer. No... Not even a little bit.

She was a paradox of both strength and vulnerability— defiance and obedience.

The world around them faded into insignificance as they circled each other. But how could it not? How could it not when, once again, after a millennia...

They danced.