The sky loomed gray, thick with the weight of an impending storm. The air was heavy, clinging to her skin like an unshaken sorrow. Subuhi stepped out of the ritual pit, the stone beneath her feet icy and unyielding. She did not shiver, though. Cold had long since lost its grip on her.
Ten years. It has been ten years of her living in this world, of being swallowed by darkness every fortnight, of the same incantations whispered over her like a spell meant to dull her edges. They thought she would learn obedience, that she would surrender to the silence forced upon her. But she never did. She never stopped asking why. Never bowed her head in fear. Never let herself be erased.
"Bam!"
The sharp sound startled her, heart leaping against her ribs. Then, laughter—light and free, the kind she rarely heard within these walls. She turned and saw Naoaki, a grin stretched across his face, triumphant in his childish mischief.
Her lips curled into a smile, soft despite the ache lingering in her bones. So easily, he brightens her world.
"What are you doing out here, huh?" she asked, tugging at his scarf, her fingers brushing against his warmth. "It'll rain soon."
"He wanted to see you," a voice murmured. "So, I brought him here."
Subuhi lifted her gaze and met Yuina’s. The girl stood with her usual grace, the ever-present air of propriety draped over her like a second skin. And yet—she had broken the rules today. Their mother forbade Naoaki from seeking Subuhi, forbade him from forming bonds that could tether him to his cursed sister. But Yuina, ever the obedient one, had still brought him here.
Subuhi's heart swelled. The clouds above might threaten a storm, but warmth bloomed inside her.
"Let’s play, Sister! I want to play tag!" Naoaki beamed up at her, eyes alight with a child's untamed joy.
She reached out, ruffling his hair, as she had done countless times before. A habit. A comfort.
"Mother will scold you, Nao," she warned, though there was no real weight behind her words. She wanted to spend time with him.
"Don't care," he huffed, folding his arms. "Even Yuina said she’d play. Please, sister."
Yuina offered an easy reassurance. "Come on, Subuhi. It'll be fine."
Subuhi hesitated. She had lived her life calculating risks, knowing when to step back, when to steel herself. But this—this was different. This was the laughter of her brother, the quiet defiance of a friend who had chosen her over rules. This was something she did not wish to lose.
With a sigh, she nodded.
Naoaki cheered, "You will be the first chaser." He said as he ran, Yuina following close behind. The cold stone path gave way to open ground, and for a fleeting moment, Subuhi forgot the weight of her existence.
She ran, the wind carrying her laughter, her breath mixing with the air that smelled of coming rain. She thought—perhaps her life is not all suffering. Perhaps, as long as she have them, she can endure.
Naoaki practically ran toward the prison, his heart hammering against his ribs. The air was thick with the scent of sweat and fear, the kind that clung to men in the face of ruin. The palace was in chaos—guards scrambling toward the front lines, their shouts merging into a cacophony of panic.
His feet barely skidded to a stop when he collided with someone. The impact stole his breath, his steps faltering as he looked up.
The Zenin clan head.
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IGNITE | Sukuna
Fanfiction❝Ignite, my Disgraced One, ignite❞ Creation and destruction-two forces destined to clash. Their very nature opposes the other, yet neither can survive alone. When Subuhi, the embodiment of creation, crosses paths with Sukuna, the harbinger of destru...
