𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐄 | R. SUKUNA

26

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The pain radiating through Sukuna's body was unbearable, his fever raging and his pleas for help falling on deaf ears.

He was barely conscious, his mother's indifferent responses stabbing at his heart like shards of ice.

"Don't be dramatic, it'll heal," Kaori would dismiss him callously, her words cutting through his haze of agony.

"It's just a cold, hurry up and recover," she would say, her tone devoid of any sympathy or concern.

"It's your own fault, now you deal with the consequences!" she would scold, leaving Sukuna feeling abandoned and alone in his suffering.

This neglect wasn't new to Sukuna. It had been a constant throughout his life, a cruel cycle of indifference and disregard from the one person who should have cared for him the most.

As a child, Sukuna was accustomed to being neglected. Whenever he was injured, his mother would brush it off, offering no comfort or care. And when illness struck, she would simply tuck him into bed, leaving him to fend for himself with no medication or treatment.

It wasn't a matter of financial struggle. Sukuna's mother had the means to provide for him, but she chose to prioritize her own desires and indulgences over her son's well-being.

She spent the money Jin provided on herself like jewelry, clothes, and beauty products.

Somehow, Sukuna managed to survive, though he often wondered how. It felt like a miracle, a testament to his resilience in the face of neglect and apathy.

But there was one instance that stood out in Sukuna's memory, a moment of desperation that finally broke through the wall of neglect.

It was when his condition became critical, when he could barely draw breath, and Jin, his father, returned home to find his son on the brink of death.

In a fit of rage, Jin unleashed his fury upon Kaori, beating her mercilessly. And finally, Sukuna was taken to the hospital, where he received the care and treatment he so desperately needed.

After a week of fighting for his life, Sukuna returned home, but the scars of neglect ran deep.

His mother couldn't even meet his gaze, her hatred and envy evident in every avoiding glance. She blamed her beating on Sukuna.

She wouldn't talk to him for two weeks until she eventually said. "Because of your dramatic play you've ruined our family." She would say in spite.

Sukuna didn't know what to say. Despite everything, Sukuna couldn't bring himself to hate his mother. He longed for her love and affection, even as he endured the pain of her neglect.

So Sukuna made a promise to himself long ago that he wouldn't succumb to weakness or complain about his health.

It was a vow he took seriously, a mantra he repeated to himself whenever illness or injury threatened to overwhelm him.

But what he didn't realize was that this childhood trauma, buried deep within him, continued to affect him long after the wounds had supposedly healed.

When Yuji fell ill, Sukuna's instinctive response was annoyance, a reflection of his own upbringing where showing weakness was met with scorn and dismissal.

He chided Yuji for his perceived weakness which only made his grandpa scold him for it and now his aunt.

In Sukuna's mind, toughness was the ultimate virtue, a shield against the vulnerability he had experienced as a child. He believed that if he could just toughen up and endure, he would be immune to the pain and suffering that plagued him.