Author's Note: Coming for you Marvel Universe hehe... Thank you again to everyone who came from Tik Tok and leave such sweet comments! You guys are inspiring me to finish quickly!!!
Sukuna's patience was wearing thin as he once again found himself summoned by the stepmother.
He couldn't hide his annoyance as he entered the room and demanded, "What more could you want now? My patience is thinning."
The stepmother, though visibly frightened, managed to hold her ground and stammered, "Our deal isn't through yet. The noble house you thought you took care of is sending their knights over to seize us. Words from the maids in the house are saying that they are summoning... a beast from hell. They say they could hear its mighty roars throughout their underground dungeon."
Sukuna clicked his tongue in irritation, muttering, "Annoying rats are getting desperate," as he turned sharply to exit the room, his expression darkening.
As he opened the door, he was surprised to see Cinderella standing on the other side, jumping back in shock at the door's aggressive opening. His features softened for a moment as he looked at her, but he quickly shifted his gaze back to the stepmother.
"You," the stepmother pointed at Cinderella, "leave our honored guest alone! Get over here, girl."
Sukuna turned to see Cinderella's face paling, trembling slightly. She seemed too focused on her stepmother's wrath to question the peculiar designation of the butler as an honored guest. Sukuna left, turning back one last time to witness Cinderella disappearing behind the grand doors.
Sukuna moved swiftly toward the rival noble house, determined to eradicate them. Upon arriving at the front of the mansion, he scoffed at the sight of knights and archers surrounding the property, ready to defend.
"You think you feeble things have a chance against ME?" he shouted with arrogance.
But to his surprise, a figure emerged from the balcony, and Sukuna assumed it was the son seeking revenge for his fallen father.
The figure calmly explained, "No, they are just precautionary measures. This will be your opponent."
Before Sukuna could ask, a deafening roar erupted from the forest behind the mansion, followed by screams and the sound of trees being torn apart.
In moments, orange fur emerged, one tail, two tails, three, four, five... "Dammit," Sukuna cursed to himself.
"He must've sacrificed a lot to summon the nine-tailed beast."
He called out to the screeching beast, "KURAMA! YOU'RE A FOOL FOR BEING SUMMONED TO THIS WEAKLING!"
Kurama, the nine-tailed beast, recognized Sukuna and bellowed, "Sukuna. I've been waiting for a chance to kill you."
Sukuna grimaced, realizing he was in for a challenging battle, something he hadn't experienced in a long time.
After his long and grueling battle, Sukuna returned to Cinderella's mansion, battered and exhausted. He entered the stepmother's drawing room to report his victory.
"The whole house is gone," Sukuna said, trying to conceal his weariness.
The stepmother, astonished, couldn't believe how swiftly her troubles had disappeared.
"W-what?" she stammered, clutching the brooch from the newly-fallen noble house.
Sukuna snapped back, "Don't make me repeat myself."
The stepmother quickly composed herself, hiding her growing grin behind her extravagantly decorated fan.
"Yes, of course, your majesty. Thank you. Your power is indescribable."
Sukuna grunted in response and added, "I'll wait before collecting your daughter's soul to make sure no other houses try something. The more I take out, the better."
With a maniacal laugh, he sent shivers down the stepmother's spine, prompting her to nervously agree, "Yes, as you wish," while fanning herself slightly.
As Sukuna left, he felt his body taking a toll from the fight with Kurama. He tried to maintain his composure as he walked down the corridor, using one arm to hug his torso, where scratches from the battle still stung. Ignoring the blood staining the wallpaper, he welcomed the emptiness of the corridor to lean against the wall, catching his breath. Before he realized it, he heard a soft gasp, and he turned to see Cinderella standing there, dressed in her nightgown, holding a cloth filled with something close to her chest. Before he could tell her to leave him alone, Cinderella slipped under his arm, her presence a surprising but welcomed comfort. Without a word, she began to support him, guiding them somewhere. Sukuna, though grateful for her help, couldn't help but notice her determined focus on his well-being, her soft nightgown brushing against him.
Cinderella had quickly assessed his condition and decided that giving him first aid was the priority, setting aside any questions about the discrepancy between his current state and the butler persona he usually maintained. As she led him forward, her fingers pressing gently into his side, Sukuna's toned arms and the tense veins in his forearms wrapped around her shoulders didn't escape her notice. She mentally scolded herself for noticing such details when his well-being was at stake, but the mystery surrounding her honored butler only deepened.
Cinderella found herself once again in a position of having Sukuna strip his clothing, turning her head ever so slightly to give him whatever privacy she could, all while feeling a subtle heat on her cheeks. She couldn't help but gasp as she saw the gruesome wounds that marred his back, the scratches and gaping wounds that made her heart ache. Cinderella thought it would be best to remain quiet, worried that she might upset Sukuna as he seemed to be in a lot of pain.
In a secluded room, Sukuna sat himself on the chair Cinderella had grabbed for him, the upper half of his body fully exposed. As she began cleaning his wounds, she couldn't stop staring at the markings that adorned his back and his arms. They were black and had a variety of geometric shapes from jagged lines to rings, but they also held a strange allure.
As she finished cleaning his wounds, Cinderella couldn't help but notice how painful they looked. The scratches and gaping wounds on Sukuna's back were a testament to the intense battle he had endured. She meticulously cleaned each wound, her heart aching with sympathy for his suffering.
After she completed the cleaning, she found herself tracing her index finger along the markings on the butler's back. The seconds that followed revealed the back muscles tensing, displaying a defined physique that was not only toned but carried scars that told endless stories of past battles. Sukuna, caught off guard by her touch, turned his head slightly toward her, his eyes widening ever so slightly.
"Shit," Sukuna thought to himself, realizing that he was too weak to fully disguise himself as a human in his current state.
He hadn't expected the fox to put up such a fight; they had had their fair share of battles through the centuries, and Sukuna had never had to exert this much energy.
Cinderella, realizing her mistake, quickly apologized, "I'm sorry; I didn't realize! I thought maybe they were something that had to be cleaned!"
Sukuna turned his face back to the front, saying nothing. Cinderella took it as a cue to continue bandaging him, but she noticed how some of the wounds need stitching – something she has never done before.
Cinderella finished bandaging Sukuna's more minor wounds, the sound of clattering noises from Cinderella rummaging through drawers filled the room. Cinderella tried to focus on her task, feeling a bit uneasy about the upcoming process but not wanting to show any weakness. After setting up the towels and the newly acquired needle, Cinderella prepared the needle to stitch his more serious wounds.
"I'm going to heat up this needle to disinfect it, but you will need stitches," Cinderella warned, lacking confidence in her ability to handle such a task.
Sukuna simply nodded and dropped his head, looking between his knees, as if deep in thought.
Silence filled the room as Cinderella stitched him up. She wanted to distract Sukuna from the potential pain and discomfort, so she decided to strike up a conversation.
"May I ask how you got these wounds? Did the stepmother do something?" she asked with genuine concern.
Sukuna shook his head slightly, perhaps it was because of the blood loss but he didn't have the energy to feel annoyed by the question, and answered, "No, the madam didn't do this. It was the assignment I was given that led to these injuries."
Cinderella's curiosity was piqued, "Oh my, what a dangerous job! Aren't you a butler?"
Sukuna confirmed, "I am a butler, but the madam hired me because of my experience."
Cinderella inquired further, "What is your experience?"
Sukuna hesitated for a moment, debating how much to reveal for he didn't wish for her to know he was a demon.
Finally, he settled on, "I'm an ex-mercenary, so I have a lot of experience handling the jobs no one wants to do."
Cinderella's curiosity persisted as she inquired, "Is that why you have these markings on your back? Are they proof of a guild you were loyal to?"
Her eyes traced back to his markings, and without thinking, she brought her finger once again to them. Sukuna felt her touch and slightly tensed, expecting discomfort, but instead, he felt warmth.
"Do you find them disturbing?" Sukuna chuckled slightly.
His markings were proof of the demon he was, and anyone with such markings essentially painted themselves as a threat, both to demons and humans.
"No, not at all," Cinderella stated as her finger traced down to his lower back. "I think they are actually quite beautiful." Sukuna's breath hitched slightly. "What nonsense... how could she find them beautiful? They are the epitome of destruction and chaos. They make me the demon I am," he thought to himself, perplexed by her perspective. He noticed his ears feeling hot and wondered if it was a sign of losing too much blood. It had been a long time since Sukuna had been injured this badly, and he couldn't remember the symptoms of severe injury like this. Once he harvested Cinderella's soul, his regenerative abilities would be stronger and faster. But there was a nagging feeling of unease within him. "Once I get my soul," he thought again.
Cinderella's soft voice interrupted his thoughts, "Sir? Did that stitch hurt?" Sukuna realized he had been silent for too long. "No," he replied, "I was thinking about how you could see such markings as beautiful." Cinderella chuckled as if he had said something ridiculous, which prompted him to turn his head slightly. "Well?" he asked impatiently.
"They tell a story, and they make you... you. It's art inked onto your body. How could I not see them as beautiful?" Cinderella explained as she made her way up to his shoulders, where a circle and ring decorated him. She once again traced her finger along the markings. Sukuna laughed dryly, "Art? You must not have seen the numerous art decorating your walls. That is art. This is proof that I am someone to be feared." Cinderella pouted, unsure of how to convince him otherwise. "Why do you think you are someone to be feared?" she inquired. This was a question Sukuna had not expected, and for some reason, he wanted to answer her.