I could feel the warmth of his body next to me. Aaron is always so warm, I thought, smiling to myself. I fumbled about, my hands searching for him while I was still half asleep, eyes closed. When my fingertips finally found their way to his chest, he seized my hand.
"Let me touch you, you like it when I do." I groaned, brushing off some drool at the corner of my mouth. I never thought my mattress to be this comfy, I haven't slept this good in ages. The sheets felt like silk against my naked chest, brushing my nipples. I shifted to face Aaron who was still firmly holding my hand and slowly opened my eyes.
"Tell me woman, who likes it when you touch him ?" he articulated, in a threatening tone.
Everything came back to me in a flash. Being under the impression that the bed was sinking below me, I jerked abruptly to catch the sheets not to fall off. Aaron wasn't in the silky bed which didn't even belonged to me. Sukuna was. He was lying down on his side, holding himself on his elbows. I grabbed the sheets to cover myself and quickly sat up.
"I..I was..." I stuttered. "I was dreaming, I'm sorry." I mumbled apologetically before I could ask myself why he was lying next to me.
"Oh. Dreaming." he sneered. "Who was starring in it ?"
I struggled to come up with something as he was piercing my soul with his glowing red eyes.
"...You !" I blurted out like the imbecile I was. I internally screamed.
What he did next was unexpected. He snapped his fingers and a black textbook appeared in his hand. He placed himself on his belly and started writing something with a grin. I was stoically looking at him.
"What are you -"
"Shush."
I sat cross legged, not sure what I was supposed to do right now. I wanted to go away. I wanted to go home. My boyfriend problems seemed futile compared to what was happening to me right now. I found myself hoping this was all a dream. I pinched my cheek, but I unfortunately didn't wake up from my nightmare.
He waved his little textbook in front of me.
"Do you remember what you said to me yesterday?" he questioned with a smirk.
I rewinded the events of yesterday's evening. The moment Ren saved me, the moment he covered my bloodied body and carried me to the King's chambers. The moment when Sukuna arrived and the moment when I hit Sukuna. I gasped. Oh fucking fuck. I'm gonna fucking die. I hit him, and insulted him and said so much shit. I knew he could see my eyes reflecting the overwhelming fear I was feeling, I started to panic.
"Fuck you, I hate you" he quoted with his hand, faking shock.
I froze in place, unable to get away from his snaring gaze. I instinctively started to mouth out an unintelligible apology. I couldn't word anything. He didn't pay attention to me and kept talking.
"I've spent some time watching you sleeping oh so peacefully, imagining how I was going to break you, like I did your ancestors for thousands of years." he sniggered, my blood ran cold.
"I got quite excited and almost lost control, so I wrote down each idea that came in mind meticulously in that -" he said, pointing at his silly textbook.
"... and I just thought of something else when you lied to me about that dream of yours."
I didn't have words. I didn't know what to do. I woke up in another nightmare, thinking the worst had passed after he healed me yesterday. An oppressing feeling took over my chest thinking of him taking care of me when I was wounded. Of course he didn't do that to help me, he did that to help himself. He wasn't angry because I was hurt, he was angry because somebody other than him hurt me. I clenched the sheets against my chest when I realised how dumb and naive I was. Deep down, I honestly thought he could be kind to me, and I hung on this supposition for comfort, for hope. I did that to keep my sanity, and returning to my reality was painful. Tears fell down my right eye, but my face was expressionless.
"Don't cry." he said, closing the space between us. "I didn't even get started with you." he whispered in my ear, his breath tickling my neck.
Someone knocked on the door.
"Come in." he sighed.
I shifted my head to face the door and saw Ren coming through. He was holding brown linen clothes. He glanced at us before he kneeled down in front of the door.
"King." he solemnly said.
Sukuna got off the bed in an ethereal motion. His kimono was falling off his tattooed shoulders, uncovering his chiseled chest. I could have swore he was floating above the ground, his crimson oversized haori trailing behind him as he walked toward his servant. No matter how much I resented him, I couldn't help to be fascinated by his being.
He patted Ren's head who was still kneeling down, I could see Ren getting annoyed.
"Make sure she is well fed." he said. He shifted his gaze to me, still talking to Ren. "She'll need her strength for tonight." A devilish grin split his face, teeth gleaming in the early sun rays creeping through the curtains. I tried not to ponder about what was awaiting me tonight. It was better not to know.
"Yes, my Lord." Ren nodded. "Meleia has been asking for you."
Sukuna clicked his tongue. "Is this woman insatiable?" he said to himself, sighing.
I was suddenly feeling bothered. Sukuna glanced at me, his iridescent eyes locked on me. I let my eyes wander up and down his body, not able to control where my gaze was focusing. Our eyes met for a last time before he vanished.
Ren got up on his feet and approached me.
"Dress up." he said as he handed me a change of clothes.
"Can I take a shower ?" Dried blood made my body all sticky. As well as Sukana's saliva...
He shrugged. "I guess. I'll take you to the river."
I frowned. "You guys don't have showers?" I asked.
"We do, but not for slaves."
The idea of bathing in a river didn't please me. Oh well. If I was filthy maybe Sukuna would stay away from me.
"Nevermind." I shook my head. He stood there looking at my body still covered by the sheets.
I cleared my throat. "Can you... turn around, please?"
He paused a minute to consider my words.
"Oh." he let out. His cheeks were rosy.
As soon as he turned around, I untangled my body from the sheets in precipitation. I looked at my almost naked body for traces of what happened yesterday. There weren't any cuts anymore. It's almost like nothing happened and I imagined it all. I sure didn't want any reminder of this episode left on me. The ghost feeling of my assailer's touch on me had been replaced by the sensation Sukuna's tongue left on my skin. I blushed at the thought and hit my head with my fist, a little harder than I intended to. Ouch.
I swiftly dressed up and got up. I was in really good shape, full of a new found energy. I was jumping around like a child having a sugar rush.
Ren was chuckling. "I see that you got the special treatment." he pointed out.
"What do you mean ?" I asked between two jumps. I couldn't stop moving around, energy was overflowing from me.
"He must have wetted his fingers before healing you." I stopped in my tracks, shifting my body in his direction.
"His fingers?" I tilted my head. His fingers? I repeated in my mind. He didn't use his fingers to heal me..
He frowned. "Were you unconscious when he healed you ?" he questioned.
I didn't know what he was on about. I just stood there dumbfounded.
"He uses his fingers to heal. He basically just has to touch you to mend any injuries. When it's lethal, he uses his saliva. It has certain...properties." he explained.
Blood rushed to my face. I felt so fucking embarrassed. "I was certainly unconscious, yeah..."
The asshole didn't have to actually lick me. I facepalmed.
"This fucker..." I breathed in between my teeth. I wanted to hit his annoying fucking face. I imagined myself strangling him. Oh the thought was so dreamy I played it on repeat.
We walked to the kitchens. People were bustling around, cooking today's meals. It smelled so good, so many scents I didn't recognize were overwhelming my sense of smell. I took a second to bask in the sweet smell of home cooked meals. It was comforting.
Ren took two plates, holding them with hand. He filled them with a variety of dishes, each of them seemingly delicious. I followed him around like a little puppy, dodging entranced chefs yelling around all sorts of commands, like conductors. For someone like me who was lazy to even make pasta, the effervescence around cooking was a peculiar thing to witness.
I followed Ren as we left the kitchens and proceeded outside. We put a good distance between us and the castle, getting further away from the gardens until we reached the edge of a forest.
He took his black haori off. Good thing he has another, I thought. I stained the one he gave me yesterday with blood and was afraid not to be able to wash it off of it.
He laid the haori on the ground and pointed down at it.
"Sit here." he ordered. I waved my hand in disagreement.
"I already dirtied one, I'll sit on the ground." I asserted.
"Sit." he insisted. He himself sat on it and placed the plates on it.
I got on it too, sighing, crossing my legs. He handed me my plate and we started eating in silence. He wasn't like Sukuna. Ren was kind and gentle. He wouldn't hurt me for pleasure. I didn't see him like someone who would rejoice in someone else's misfortune. His hair was getting in his eyes as he was eating. He had a pretty face, and his all-black look made the blue of his eyes even more glistening. I must have stared too long because he suddenly stopped eating.
"Do you need something ?" he genuinely asked.
I choked on my food. "No." I managed to say between two coughs. I got curious about something, though.
"Why do you look so human?" I wondered out loud.
He stopped his fork halfway to his mouth.
"Who told you I wasn't human ?" he resumed eating, unconcerned.
"Are you...?" I asked in anticipation. I wanted him to be.
"Mmmm." he paused. "Does it make a difference?"
"Of course it does!" I exclaimed.
He shrugged. "Then yes, I am."
"You're fishy ~" I pouted, crossing my arms on my chest.
He leaned down on me so swiftly I fell back on my elbows.
"What the f -"
Before I could finish my sentence, he brushed the corner of my mouth with the back of his hand, getting rid of the sauce sticking to my skin. He got back where he was.
"You're weak." he sighed. "Are you sure you're of Kuromiya descent ?"
"I never heard of this name before." I said, my heart pounding against myself from the start he just gave me.
He stroked his chin. "Where does that necklace come from then?"
"My mom said it was an heirloom from my dad's side. It was the only moment she ever mentioned him. I don't even know his name." I replied.
"Well you can see lower cursed spirits, so you are at least a little special." he remarked, more to himself than to me.
"You mentioned Sukuna wearing the heirlooms of my ancestors. And he seems pretty determined to make my life a living hell. Why...?"
He leaned back on his elbow, looking at the sun high in the sky.
"There are 7 main jujutsu sorcerers families. The Kuromiyas are one of the seven. Thousands years ago, when Sukuna was still a sorcerer, your great-great-great... Well you got the idea, one of your ancestors declared Sukuna as a lethal threat to be dealt with, and captured his wife and children to pressure him into surrendering." Ren explained.
I was captivated by his story. So Sukuna was once human ? Was it even possible for a human to actually become a cursed spirit ? This explained maybe why everyone was able to see him.
"But, something went wrong along the way. There is speculation for nobody knows exactly what happened." he shrugged and continued. "But anyway, they were murdered on the way to the Kuromiya estate. You can guess the rest of the story."
I clenched at my pendant. I was born into a hell of a mess. And now I was paying for the mistakes of people I wasn't even aware of 10 minutes ago. My family was responsible for his family being murdered.
He pointed at my chest. "The necklace you're holding was manufactured by your family. After being slaughtered for hundreds of years, they came up with this."
He sat cross legged and leaned toward me. His voice was now a whisper.
"He can't kill you with this on you. You have to willingly take it off."
I looked closer at the little triangle shaped moonstone. It didn't seem to hold any power no matter which angle I was looking at it, but I was sure relieved to have it on me right now. So that's why he didn't kill me in the alley. He simply couldn't. I smiled in triumph. For the first time since I met The King of Curses, I felt in control.
"Don't smile." Ren said.
"He'll torture you until you take it off. But he'll take his time doing it. He'll break you, like he did everybody before you. You'll soon be begging for death." His eyes bore what I guessed was sympathy, and pity.
Deep down I always knew that control was an illusion. You think you're in control of your life but really, you never really are. You're always carried away by the current, and when you think you successfully swam up the river, you realize you never really moved. Life always holds its mysterious ways to itself and in the end, you just spend your time dealing with the consequences of uncontrolled events, kept in the dark.
I prayed for that not to be the case.