《CHAPTER SEVENTEEN》
《WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF MOLESTATION, CHILD ABUSE, GASLIGHTING》
ITADORI GROANED SOFTLY, slowly opening his eyes. His body swayed, the effects of his drowsiness still lingering. His vision began to focus, and he looked down at his feet. Suddenly, everything came rushing back to him, making him jolt upright.
“Are you awake now?”
He looked up quickly. Gen was sitting across from him, bound to a chair. Dried blood cracked under his nose, and it looked like his eye was starting to darken as well. Itadori jerked his shoulders, seeing that he was also in the same position.
“Where are we?” He asked, looking around the room. The wall and floor were made of concrete, and there was a solid metal door on the far side of the room.
“I dunno,” Gen said. “But Neoma did something to us. I can’t use any of my cursed energy. Can you?”
Itadori shook his head. “No. And these ropes don’t have seals on them, either. Must be part of her technique or something.”
“Then how are we supposed to get out of here?” Gen frowned. “Wait until someone comes and saves us?”
“We can’t guarantee that’ll happen,” Itadori said. “For now, we need to--”
He cut himself off when the door opened. They both watched as Neoma walked in, placing her hands in her pockets after she closed the door.
“Morning, boys,” She greeted, smiling. She took the empty chair from against the wall, turning it around before sitting down in front of them. “Have a nice nap?”
“What the hell do you want from us?” Gen frowned.
“Jeez, don’t even want to have small talk?” She muttered. “Alright, then. I’ll cut straight to the chase.”
“Please do,” He grumbled. She glared at him briefly.
“Let me ask you both something,” She said, raising her hand. “Do you know why I chose you two, and not the other two?”
“Because we’re vessels? You said that,” Itadori said.
“No. Well, yes. But,” She said. “Both of you mean something special to my siblings. Gen-kun, you are Shota’s son. Itadori-kun, you are like a son to Y/n. Now, I know she has her own daughter, but I have no use for a mere infant. The two of you, however. Now that is a different story.”
“What do you want?” Gen repeated, emphasizing his words. Neoma grinned.
“In the Old Testament of the bible, there was a multi-headed sea serpent, whomst God killed, and fed to the creatures of the wilderness. He was a serpent, a symbol of evil, and the symbol of Israel’s enemies, who will be slain by the wrath of God,” She stood up, walking around the room. “Psalm 74:14 states that. It continues on in Isaiah about how God will take his sword and slay the mighty serpent, blah. Blah. Blah.”
She placed her hands on Gen’s shoulders as she stopped behind him. Gen jolted, jerking his body forward. Neoma pulled him back, making his back press against the wooden chair. Itadori jerked his shoulders, trying to loosen the ropes binding him there. Gen glared at the woman over his shoulder.
“Where are you even going with all of this?” Gen asked.
“The serpent is seen as both good and evil,” She said, rubbing his shoulders. Gen glanced at Itadori, discomfort clear in his eyes. “In a way, you’re the same. Nobody actually trusts you...you know that, don’t you, Gen-kun?”
“Shut up,” He muttered, turning his head away.
“What’s the matter, Gen?” She pouted, leaning down. “Don’t you trust what your Obasan has to say?”
Gen grimaced, turning his head away further. “G-Get off me!”
“Oh, that’s right,” She hummed, moving her hand to the back of his neck. “You were molested as a child, weren’t you?”
Itadori’s eyes widened. He could see Gen shaking as he screwed his eyes shut. His chest heaved up and down, and his jaw was tight.
The sound of the chair breaking filled the air. Neoma narrowly missed the piece that Itadori threw at her. He slammed his fist against her stomach, but he made contact with nothing. Her image vanished in a wisp of shadows.
“Y-Yuu!” Gen exclaimed, watching chains seemingly appear from nowhere, and lock around Itadori’s body.
“Bitch!” Itadori yelled, his voice bouncing off the walls. “You’re a sick bitch! You deserve to rot in fucking hell!”
His back slammed against the wall as Neoma reappeared, a frown on her lips. Itadori’s face twisted with pain as his head bashed against the solid concrete, and the chains tightened. The woman scoffed.
“I underestimated your strength,” She said.
“Get away from him!” Itadori snapped. Despite the fact that his hair was beginning to turn red, the sandy blonde strands matting together with blood, his eyes blazed with anger, and he continued to thrash around.
“You’re beginning to piss me off,” She growled, eyebrows furrowing together.
“If you even dare to lay your fucking hands on him again…”
Neoma’s eyes widened slightly. The chains were pulled so tight around his wrists that she knew the bones there had already snapped. A feral grin spread across his face as his eyes darkened, his demeanor shifting completely.
“...I’ll fucking kill you.”
Neoma’s eyes narrowed into thin slits. She snapped her fingers, making Itadori’s arms separate, now locked with the chains hanging from the ceiling. He huffed, yanking on his arms.
“I’ll come back when you’ve calmed down some,” She said. “If you keep acting like that, I’ll muzzle you next? Got it?”
“Fuck. You.”
He watched her leave, his face still twisted with anger. Gen had his head down, his blonde hair hanging in front of his face. The chains rattled as Itadori pulled on them, trying to break them.
He knew he was stronger than this. He’s done a lot more than this. Why was this so hard? The chains were heavy, and the more he yanked and pulled on them, the more he could feel the strain on his body. He was growing tired. And quickly.
“Yuuji, stop,” Gen said, making the boy pause. His chest heaved up and down as he panted.
“No,” He grunted, yanking again. “I’m gonna--shit--get. Us. Out. Of. Here!”
With every word, he pulled harder. Itadori slumped forward, wincing in pain. Gen lifted his head, glaring at him.
“You’re only wearing yourself out!” He snapped. “You’re not gonna be able to get out of here if you’re too exhausted to even keep yourself up! Just stop!”
“You’re scared,” Itadori panted, making Gen pause. “You’re shaking. I can see it. I swear, I swear on everything I fucking care about, I’m not gonna let you die. I can’t let you die. You’re my best fucking friend, Gen. I can’t lose someone else, especially not you.”
“You’re gonna get yourself killed,” He said.
“And Sukuna’ll bring me back, just like he did the last time. Or Shota or Y/n or Gojo will,” He said.
“Why are you willing to risk your life for me?” Gen frowned.
“I don’t know what you’ve been through, Gen,” Itadori said, shaking his head. “And I will never ask you to tell me. The only thing I can do is prevent anything else from happening to you again.”
“You’re never going to be able to do that,” He said, voice wavering.
“Watch me.”
《CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: END》
《IMAGE NOT MINE》
《also, I'm going with the manga color scheme rather than the anime 👍》