06.
the devil incarnate
TW: GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF BLOOD AND PANIC ATTACKS
The most important day yet in Akane's life is nothing but a hazy memory now.
She was five years old, adorned in her purple kimono with her black hair tied up. Akane still remembers the innocence she saw every time she saw the reflection of her five-year-old self in the mirror. The innocence that is gone now. All Akane sees in the mirror today is pure, raging misery.
It was the day when every member of the Amano blood was present. Dozens from the branch family scattered around the sacred grounds and from the main family- Akito, her mother; Miyu, her cousin; Eiji, her uncle and finally- Amano Ukiyo.
Akane's grandmother was the oldest in what was left of her clan. The strongest too. Amano Ukiyo was an odd woman who barely left her quarters in the estate- Akane hadn't seen her in years. She thought maybe her grandmother was sick- she was an old woman, after all. Not to mention the stitches across her forehead. Akane wondered what injury Ukiyo suffered from to have had a needle poked through her forehead multiple times.
Akane took a deep breath as everyone gathered around her and folded her legs in the centre of the ground. Today, her life will change. Her clan members will pass on half their Cursed Energies to her to activate the power that will help her restore the Amano glory. Akito told her daughter that with their powers, she would be able to do it! Her new powers will lead her to the strongest Cursed Spirit to exist and when she is ready, she will wield the Mikazuki Katana- Amano Mito's own sword that gnashed Ryomen Sukuna's skin- and she will kill that curse. When she does that, her clan will be at the top of the pyramid once more. No one will dare defy the Amano's again.
Akane believed her mother back then. She really, really did. She would be blessed with the red string. She would make her mother proud, and maybe her father wouldn't think of her as a monster anymore.
Amano Ukiyo took a seat across Akane to start the ritual. She looked at the five-year-old girl, her expression unreadable and then, Akane felt her breath halt with sheer fear when her grandmother's lips curved upward in malicious glee. Her grandmother who was over sixty, with wrinkles adorning her pale face looked younger, as though the person Akane was locking eyes with was not her grandmother. It felt like there was an imposter who took over Ukiyo's body.
That look vanished a second later as the elderly woman started the ritual, her face back to normal, scrunched in concentration. Even as Ukiyo chanted mystery words and Akane floated in the air with Cursed Energy flourishing through her body, she never forgot her grandmother's sinister look.
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Akane doesn't understand why an old memory she hasn't thought about for years suddenly crept into her mind, and why now when she is moments away from death. Face-to-face with the Special Grade Curse that looks like a shark, Akane should only be thinking of escaping.
But she can't. She can't think straight. Akane's heart dropped in a chasm when she saw her red string split into two halves, tying her to another curse that was a womb just a few hours ago. The Cursed Spirit is staring her down as if it's imagining ripping her body in half and that's when she understands why the buried memory of her grandmother came back- it was the same look Ukiyo had given her. A look that should have made Akane realise she was doomed.
Did her grandmother tie her to Sukuna and this... shark-curse on purpose? How is that even possible?
Not the time to think about that. A sharp voice in her mind snaps at her and she's finally reminded of her current situation: seconds away from death.
Thankfully, the curse seems distracted by the new red thread knotted around its finger as it gapes at its hand confusedly. Now is the time to strike- she has to use Mind Warping and fry the shark brain-
Yuuji moves before she can complete her thoughts, all Akane sees is a blur of pink zipping towards the Curse and then the spine-curling sound of a limb being chopped.
Akane sighs a breath of relief, "Good job, Yu-"
She shrieks out when she sees Yuuji gaping at his missing hand, blood spraying from the clean-cut.
Megumi's face turns pale. "Ita...dori?"
Akane's body begins to tremble and she balls her fists and bites her lips violently to stay still. Run, run, run run run run run run
"I can't escape after it's gotten this close!" Yuuji says, knotting his belt around his severed hand. Akane stares at him wide-eyed, how is he able to keep his thoughts clear when his hand got chopped like raw meat?
"Ay, Sukuna! If I die, you die, right? If you don't want that, help me out!"
Akane can hear her own heartbeats when a red eye and a mouth appear under Yuuji's eye, fear overtaking her body. All she sees is red red red red.
"Nope. Even if the parts of me inside you die, there are eighteen other fragments of my soul." Sukuna says, "Still, irritatingly enough I don't have control over this body. If you want to switch, go ahead and switch. But before you do, I'll kill that brat before this Cursed Spirit can!"
The red eye peers at Akane when he says the last line and she can't stop her knees from trembling in fear. Sukuna laughs maniacally when he notices it. "I'll kill him and the other lively girl too. She seems fun."
"I won't let you do that-"
The rest of Yuuji's words get muffled as her vision slowly starts to blur. Her breathing gets heavier as if there was a lack of oxygen in the dungeon. Oh god, did the Cursed Spirit take away the oxygen? Is it trying to kill them? Beads of sweat form on her forehead, and her legs almost give out. It was as though she was on the threshold of separating reality from dreams. Her heart paced excessively.
What has gotten to her today? Akane was always composed, no matter how grave the situation was. Her feelings never splayed out, they were always trapped inside her. Her emotions never took over her actions, not once. So why does it have to happen today? Why now?
It's true that Akane has been on edge for the last couple of days. Was it even worse than she realised?
She doesn't realise that she's falling down until Megumi takes a hold of her shoulders and drags her to the corner. The Cursed Spirit just spat a fireball at them and she narrowly escaped.
"Amano?! Are you alright?"
No. She wants to say no. Why can't the word come out?
"That... that was no jujutsu." Megumi speaks in horror, his eyes wide. "It just unleashed pure cursed energy..."
The two things running in Akane's mind are red, death, red, death death death red red red
She's going to die today. She knows it.
"Fushiguro? Fushiguro!" Yuuji shouts at the dark-haired boy, shaking his shoulders. "Take Akane and Kugisaki and get the hell outta here!"
Akane snaps to reality then. "What? NO. Yuuji, you can't fight him alone! I can use Mind Warping- it's powerful and I know- think- it can kill this so please leave with Fushiguro and trust me with-"
"I'm going to switch." He interrupts.
Akane's eyes widen. "What?"
"Sukuna's gonna take over. So please, just get out of here safely. I'll be with you before you know it."
Akane doesn't want to face Sukuna. She really, really doesn't want to. But she can't leave Yuuji alone here, she knows that. Yuuji wasn't even involved with the jujutsu world until a few days ago and he expects her to just let him lead them? He could die! How can he expect her to let him die?
Akane shakes her head vigorously, feeling the rims of her eyes sting with tears. What is going on with her today? Why can't she just think straight?
"You can't handle Mind Warping in this state," Megumi says and before she can comprehend what he's saying, he lifts her off the floor and sprints away from the Spirit and Sukuna. "Let's just find Kugisaki for now."
She wants to say 'okay' but her tongue has turned to stone. She clutches Megumi's shirt, letting the tears fall as she becomes a prisoner in her own mind.
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"I hate frogs, you know." Nobara grunts, currently stuffed inside a four-foot frog's mouth.
"Yeah, well, sorry," Megumi looks at her irritatingly, turning towards the mushroom-shaped curses that were just about to consume Nobara before they entered. Megumi slowly nudges Akane behind him as if he realises she's weak right now.
It makes the dual-toned girl clench her jaw in disgust. She is disgusted with herself. Pathetic.
Megumi won't stop holding onto Akane's shoulders as they rush out of the detention center, and Akane is grateful for that. She was pretty much useless in the fight against the curses that kidnapped Nobara. Akane has been useless ever since she lost the Mikazuki Katana, she realises now.
She isn't worthy of being a Grade 1 sorcerer.
By the time they get out of the building, Nobara has become unconscious. Ijichi who was waiting for them by the gates immediately takes the brunette in his arms. He looks over at the two teenagers, his eyebrows furrowed. "What about Ita-"
An inexplicable pain surges through her then and her eyes widen in relation. "Yuuji!" She cries, extending her hand towards the building. "He's hurt!"
Megumi lets out a frustrated grunt and looks over at the building. He then turns towards the black Divine Dog. Passing a silent command to its shikigami, Megumi nods his head and the wolf starts to howl.
"What's going on?" Ijichi demands.
Akane widens her eyes. "Sukuna," is all she says.
"Please expand the evacuation till ten kilometres from the detention center," Megumi says, nudging Ijichi towards the car. Icy sheets of rain still pour on them, and strangely Akane starts to feel calm drenched in it. Perhaps all her hot emotions fuelling within her just needed to cool down.
"Right, what about you?"
"I'll stay here and wait for Itadori." Megumi answers, before turning towards Akane. "You should go too."
Akane looks at him incredulously. "What? No."
Megumi's exasperated sigh offends the girl. "Amano, you're in no state to fight right now."
"Fight? " Akane slowly feels her hot emotions flowing back. "If you think that you can take out two Special Grade Cursed Spirits on your own- one of whom is Sukuna- then I'm sorry to say but you're overestimating yourself, Fushiguro."
"Amano." He sighs again. "It won't come to that, and you need rest. I know you're not doing well after everything that's happening and that is okay-"
"Don't pretend to understand what I'm going through," Akane snaps. She turns to look at a bored Ijichi, waiting patiently in the car. "Please carry on, Ijichi-san, we'll be waiting for Yuuji."
"Alright," The older man says. "After I take Kugisaki-san to the hospital, I'll return as quickly as I can."
"No, there wouldn't be much point in you staying here," Megumi says. "If you want to do something, please send over a Grade One or higher sorcerer. Although I can't imagine you will find any-"
"I am a Grade One sorcerer." Akane snaps again, her cheeks hot with anger. Why is he so eager on insulting her today?
He sighs again, "Amano, you're not at your best right now- physically and mentally and you know that."
Akane is about to protest but she stops herself, biting her lips. He was right- she did know that she wasn't at her best today. It's the weakest she has ever been.
Still, she can't leave Megumi to fight Sukuna alone if it comes to that.
"I'll do what I can," Ijichi says before driving off.
Silence fills the duo as the car speeds off, only sounds of the pouring rain echoing in their ears.
"I'm not trying to insult you," Megumi says, breaking the silence. "I just don't want you to wear yourself out. You've always kept your burdens to yourself and now it has become really overbearing for you."
Akane doesn't respond, feeling her eyes well for the second time in thirty minutes.
"You should take more care of yourself, Amano, I mean it."
She sniffles, meeting his obsidian eyes for a split second. "Thank you," She says. "You've been a good friend, and although we haven't spoken much I've always appreciated you, Fushiguro."
A soft smile lands on his lips. "Me too,"
A few more minutes pass wordlessly, which was natural for the duo. Then Megumi points at the building. "Look! The Innate Domain is down!"
Akane looks at it, "That Special Grade must be dead, then."
She turns to her classmate and hesitantly asks, "Yuuji will be fine, right?"
Megumi looks at her and she can see the worry on his face. "I hope so, for all our sakes."
A compelling fear takes over Akane's body for a split second and she's back in that chasm of endless screams. Screams of people dying and sounds of blood spilling play like loud drums inside Akane's ears and she can't breathe. It lasts hardly a second.
She clenches her fists and closes her eyes. It's time to be ready to use Mind Warping, Sukuna is on his way to snap her throat just like he did her sword.
"Sorry, but he's not coming back."
Her throat feels clogged when she recognises the voice. Akane is afraid of opening her eyes, afraid that she'll only see her death.
"Don't be so frightened," Sukuna chuckles. "I'm in a good mood right now, so let's chat for a bit."
A hand clasps her shoulder in a death grip, forcing open her eyes.
Four red eyes sneer back at her.
He turns to look at Megumi who is frozen in his spot. Sukuna's hand doesn't leave her shoulder. "This is what that brat gets for trying to use me without any kind of pact, feels like he was having some trouble switching back."
He leaves Akane's shoulder but she still feels the shadow of his grip there. There's no mistaking that his hand has been marked there. "Still though, it's only a matter of time."
Sukuna rips off the top of Yuuji's uniform, the look of malice never leaving his face. "So... I thought about what I can do right now."
Akane watches in horror as Sukuna's talons dig inside Yuuji's chest, his laughter growing louder psychopathically.
"What- what are you..."
His fingers clench inside and he yanks his hand out, clutching the most important thing to Akane right now. There's a gaping hole in his chest now, blood spewing out like a stream, flowing from the corners of his mouth- and yet, he laughs like a maniac, holding onto Yuuji's still-beating heart like a trophy.
It's over. Akane thinks. We lost.
Her hands instinctively move to her chest as though to protect her own heart.
"I'm taking this brat hostage," Sukuna says.
"H-hostage?"
"Yeah, I can live without this, but that ain't true for the brat."
He then tosses Yuuji's heart into the bushes like it's nothing. "Switching out means he dies, and also..."
His hand reaches Yuuji's pocket and he picks out something, the smirk never leaving his face. Akane feels like her heart has been ripped out of her chest- it was another one of Sukuna's fingers. How did he find it?
Her eyes widen. Was that why the red string split? Because that Special Grade possessed Sukuna's finger...? But how did it get it in the first place?
"Just for good measure," Akane understands now that Sukuna does not know how to shut up, but he finally does as he swallows the disgusting finger, smile still present as if it's fucking delicious.
"I'm free as a bird, with that. You can be scared now..." His eyes turn into a deeper scarlet as his smirk widens. "I'll kill you."
Megumi summons Nue and sprints towards Sukuna. The Cursed Spirit laughs like he's playing a sport- to him, this probably is a sport- and he dodges every hit Megumi throws towards him, just like he did to Akane moments before snapping her sword.
He does that with his hands in his pockets- it awes and frightens Akane at the same time.
"Hm, interesting," Sukuna says, "You use shikigami, yet you come to attack me yourself."
He then proceeds to dodge all of Nue's attacks, hands still in his pockets. Nothing short of what Akane expected is happening.
Megumi attacks again. Sukuna dodges again, saying "More. More. More!"
Does he want more? Fine. Akane will give him more.
She narrows down her focus to the devil, her hands splayed out, pointing towards him. As she channels all her Cursed Energy to her mind and fingers, she feels the power surge through her. Her mismatched hair floats above, defying gravity. Her eyes glow in a godly hue, and the power within her mixed with hot rage turned her Cursed Energy into a metamorphosis- she felt much more powerful.
Sukuna smacks Megumi's head to the ground and he hisses in pain, his hand reaching for his head. He turns around to see Akane and his eyes widen in anger and confusion.
"You bitch-"
Sukuna's curse dies out and silence surrounds Akane, as does darkness. She finds herself standing in the middle of nowhere, in an endless yet serene pit of black light.
"Yes." Akane says to herself, mentally giving herself a pat on the back. She actually did it! She inhabited Sukuna's brain. Now she can buy some time for Megumi and utilize her time by trying to find Yuuji.
She gasps when she sees a figure standing a few meters away from her... a woman. Akane has possessed minds before, so she knows that what she's looking at is a memory.
The woman looked like a samurai, a warrior. But it was her elusive appearance that crucified Akane. She had snowy white hair- even more white than Gojo's, with ominous purple eyes that held more Cursed Energy than even Akane. This woman, whoever she was, was beautiful and mystical- like a siren. She must have been important somehow to Sukuna if she's still embedded in his memory.
She loses her breath when she takes a closer look at what the woman is wearing, or rather, the sword that's hanging by her dress.
The Mikazuki Katana. Akane's sword... Mito-sama's sword.
Her mismatched eyes slowly look up to see the woman's face again. This was Amano Mito... the warrior who failed to salvage her clan. The strongest Amano to have ever existed. She died at Sukuna's hands, but before that, she managed to wound Sukuna with the same katana- a wound so fatal that Ryomen Sukuna's Reversed Cursed Technique failed to heal it.
She moves forward, wanting to touch the woman she heard so much about.
Then she's yanked out of the memory, finding herself choked in Sukuna's grip again. His eyes are wide open, but his pupils are concentrated. Akane can feel his brimming fury.
"You think you can get in my mind, Amano? You think you can control me?" His grip tightens around her neck. "You should know better... after what I've done to your clan, you think you have a chance against me?"
"I do... have control... over you!" Akane manages to choke out.
Nue the shikigami comes to the rescue and yanks one of Sukuna's fingers from Akane's neck just enough for her to squeeze through.
"I was bluffing, you sicko, of course, I don't have control over you."
There's a heavy blow to her stomach as Sukuna kicks her, thrusts her to the sky and the next thing she knows she's flying meters away from the detention center. The anticipated fall blows her hair to her face but before she can fall to her death, Nue rescues her, again.
The shikigami catches Akane by her feet, so her head is thumped against the ground. Akane groans in pain, clutching her head tightly.
It's definitely a concussion, her vision has started to blur again.
Some minutes later, Megumi's voice breaks through. But he isn't speaking to her, she realises. "Just so you know... I don't have any logical reason for saving you back then. Even if it was dangerous, I couldn't bear to see a good person like you die."
Akane feels her heart clench. Yuuji?
"I did have my reservations, but ultimately, it was for selfish, emotional reasons. That's fine, though. I'm not a hero... I'm just a jujutsu sorcerer."
Akane tries to crack an eye open. She's looking directly at Sukuna... but the black marks on his body are fading. She tries to stand up straight, ignoring her pounding head and heart. Ignoring the tears that fall on her cheeks.
"So I've never once regretted saving you," Megumi says, at last, a soft, forlorn smile on his face. A smile Akane had never seen on her friend before.
Sukuna's marks have completely faded out and Akane is shamelessly bursting with tears, looking at the gaping hole of a missing heart. A human without a heart.
"I see!" Yuuji says joyously and it breaks Akane's heart. "You're really smart Fushiguro. You've thought about this more than I have. I think your convincing was a proper one, but I don't think mine is wrong either."
Blood spills from his chest. She staggers- tries to run- towards the pink head as her tears cloud her vision and Akane thinks of his sunny smile, his pure heart- how desperately she wanted to protect him from the dangers of the jujutsu world- a boy she barely knew.
Akane engulfs him into her, burying her nose into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry," She whimpers. Sorry I couldn't protect you. Sorry I lied. Sorry I'm weak.
"Heh-" Yuuji sounds like he wanted to chuckle but it comes out as a cough. She holds him tighter like that can keep him alive. His head lightly touches her head, "I had a crush on you, ya know?"
He takes his last breath as his last words spill from his tongue, "Live a long life." He says to both of them.
Itadori Yuuji died in her arms.
Akane falls to her knees, still holding him, tears spilling from her eyes.
Two seconds later, her heart stops beating.
Amano Akane is dead.