TW: blood and knives. Also shogi if you find that threatening.
"From the bottom of my heart, I won't do anything stupid."
(y/n) pressed her palm against her chest and smiled at him. Yuji would've believed her if it weren't for the ominous aura she's currently emitting.
"Go on, switch with him. I ain't angry," she lied. She was once again reminded of what the king of curses had done to the poor boy and vengeance is very much needed--or anything that inflicts the curse some sort of pain.
Thank the Gods that Satoru's not here right now.
"Uh, I don't think Sukuna would do it, anyway," Itadori said, fidgeting with the sleeve of his yellow hoodie. He almost forgot how scary she can get. "Actually, he hasn't spoke a word ever since, you know..."
"Aw, too bad. I wanted to play with him."
He watched the girl sigh in disappointment and bring out an antique wooden box.
"A board game?" He tilted his head.
"Shogi," (y/n) corrected, shaking a smaller box filled with shogi pieces, creating a rattling sound. "Do you know how to play?"
Itadori hesitated, "Would you hate me if I told you that I don't..?"
"Yes."
"I--huh!? Please teach me!" He sputtered, mortified.
(y/n) laughed and agreed, explaining that it was similar to chess albeit a bit more difficult. A player can use their opponent's captured piece and use it as their own. The only pieces that moves the same as chess was the rook, king and bisho--
The girl paused, already sensing Itadori's silence as confusion.
"...Do you know how to play chess? " She slowly asked as if she's talking to an injured animal.
"Uh..." Yuji trailed off. He didn't want to admit it but he was too busy staring.
An all-too-familiar voice interrupted their conversation, surprising both teenagers.
"This is embarrassing to watch," remarked Sukuna, in his gruff tones.
"So you finally decided to show up. Play with me instead then," (y/n) challenged, leaning forward on her seat but Sukuna disappeared as quickly as he had arrived.
"..Oi!" She hastily stood up. He didn't respond.
"Pussy," (y/n) scoffed. "What, too scared to lose?" she taunted the curse, leaning even more closer to Yuji's face, making him flustered.
"(y/n) I-- I don't think you should--" Itadori tried to reason with her but quickly got interrupted when she grabbed the boy's face with both of her hands.
"Too scared to get dominated again, Sukuna ?"
The slits under Yuji's eyes greeted her with a glare that could kill thousands. Literally.
Jackpot, she grinned.
"One game. One minute."
"I've been waiting to play with you and that's all the time I can get?" She huffed, "Why is that, Mr. King of curses? Cocky that you'll win?"
"You could say that," he growled out. "Just prepare the damn shogi and get over with it."
Fascinating, the girl hummed, squinting her eyes in suspicion. Why would he be so adamant on finishing it in a minute?
Eh, who cares! She's been aching a--hopefully civilized--game of shogi with the curse that she had to steal the board game from one of the elders. Buying one would be a waste of money.
"So, how was being dead?" She causally asked both of them, placing each shogi piece in their respective places. Sukuna stayed quiet forcing Itadori to do all the talking.
"I don't remember a thing to be honest. I remembered talking to him face-to-face but it's all hazy," he explained, squirming in his seat.
(y/n) paused, about to place the king piece in its place. "Interesting," was all she said. The way she was staring at the wooden shogi piece made the teenager shiver in fright that he almost apologized.
"I'm--"
"Yuji, close your eyes and ears" She warned. Before the boy could even question her, the sorcerer took out a newly sharpened knife and nonchalantly placed it in front of her with a light thud.
"A cursed tool," she inputted. The boy gaped at the weapon.
"I'm going to assume that you feel pain," (y/n) smiled, referring to Sukuna, "Luckily for me, I built a very high pain tolerance throughout the years."
"Care to explain the purpose of this?" Sukuna's eyes peered, finally deciding to open his mouth.
"I wanted to make things interesting."
"Each time we lose a shogi piece, we pick up the knife and cut ourselves," she leaned on the palm of her hand, "The other has to pick which part of the body to cut."
Sukuna hummed, amused, this woman has gone mental.
"What do I get if I win?" The girl scoffed at his question, seriously?
"Whatever you want. You can kill me, I won't fight back." She said, leaning back on her seat to find a comfortable position.
The curse frowned at this, as if I could actually do that. What a bad time to make a vow with that brat.
"..If you win?" (y/n) raised an eyebrow at his hesitation.
"After our little game, heal Yuji. That's all," she eerily smiled, not really interested in prizes. She doubts that the curse can heal her too.
Admittedly, she didn't think that far. She just wanted a fun game where everyone gets hurt fairly. It's not because she's sadomasochistic. No, not at all.
"Is that really all you're asking?" Sukuna stubbornly urged, still suspicious of the deal.
"Why are you the one who's unsatisfied? It's my prize," She huffed in annoyance. (y/n) took her time to think for a reward but nothing came to mind. What the hell does she need from him? Protection?
That could be beneficial in the future, but her pride prevented her from saying that.
As if, she scowled.
"Uh, kiss me, I guess. That's my prize," she shamelessly blurted out. Not even batting an eye.
Both men only sat there in silence, definitely bewildered. (y/n) decided to break the ice when a few seconds of awkward silence passed by.
"Do you consent?"
"..I do."
Itadori gaped at the girl and the bizarre conversation that's happening before him. He's literally a spectator at this point.
"..Do I have a say in this...?"
"No," Both players said with certainty.
"The game's all set, old man," she grinned at the curse, crossing her arms.
"Enchain," Sukuna chanted, and slowly, the familiar marks began to manifest on Itadori's skin.
(y/n)'s eyes widen, finally connecting the dots.
"--You revived him and made a binding vow with him."
Sukuna ignored the girl's remark, pushing a pawn forward. "Be quick," was all he said.
(y/n) challenged the curse by placing her pawn forward that's on the same column as his. The pawn adjacent to his bishop was now vulnerable. In spite of that fact, taking it would risk her cutting herself too, oh this is fun, her eyes twinkled.
5 seconds has passed and Sukuna finally decided to snatch one of her pieces.
"Eyebrow," he grunted out, leaning his head on his palm. If someone told him that he'll be playing shogi as he bleeds to death with a mere girl in the far future, he'd laugh and decapitate the person who decided to tell him such a ridiculous joke. He sighed at the irony.
"Clever choice," she sneered. It was chosen so that the blood clouds her vision. An asshole move, really.
Quickly placing back the knife down, she moved one of her silver for the first time, taking his promoted pawn.
"Same like the last. Eyebrow," she grinned, sliding the cursed tool towards him. He complied with no hesitation.
The air was filled with sounds of wooden shogi pieces getting moved around as well as passive-aggressive orders that's given to one another.
"Forearm."
"Hand."
"Stomach."
"...Chest."
"What the hell," she tutted, raising the knife.
Seems like they're more focused on inflicting pain rather than winning.
"The last time you played shogi, did you win?" She casually asked, breaking the tension as crimson dripped from her forehead down to her cheek. A conversation should be enough to distract her from the fact that the shogi board--that she stole and was yet to return--is slowly getting stained by their blood.
"Killed 'im before there was a victor," He said in a lazy manner, taking a piece from her. "I got impatient. It was boring."
The sorcerer took the knife and raised an eyebrow, waiting for his order.
"Thigh."
"Interesting choice," she mocked, standing up and showing him her bare thigh. She slowly slides the sharp edge of the cursed tool against her flesh. A small amount of blood bloomed from the self-inflicted wound.
The king of curses took his time to watch the crimson liquid trail down her legs.
If Sukuna wasn't so stubborn, he'd allow himself to think that the color red looks good on her, attractive even. Just by looking at her was mesmerizing enough.
Maybe drenched in someone else's blood would look even better.
"You're staring. Finally falling in love with me?" She cooed, not so gently placing the knife down to snap him out of his reverie.
Don't test me, is what he would say but he isn't actually denying her. So Sukuna does what Sukuna does best in an attempt to hide his vulnerability: being gross and arrogant.
"Watching you bleed to death is a sight for sore eyes--a turn on, maybe, " He grinned maniacally, tapping his finger on the shogi board in a rhythm he once heard while he was still...whole.
"I wonder what face you'll make once I defile you and lose to your own game."
Still standing, (y/n) moved her bishop, easily taking a pawn from him.
Didn't think you'd be into necrophilia, she mentally grimaced.
"Kindly slice your dick off," she said, starting to feel lightheaded from losing too much blood.
"Hm, try again," he grinned, not exactly comfortable with the choice.
"You're lucky I'm nice. Go for the neck," and he did just that. The crimson blood dripped down his skin, staining Itadori's yellow hoodie.
That's gonna be hard to remove, she thought. Maybe Satoru has table salt lying around.
"You know, I never expected you to act so...compliant," well, most of the time, she remarked, breezily shifting the game to her favor forcing Sukuna to go on defense.
"What do you mean by that?" He said, not minding the disadvantage on his part.
"I expected you to...you know, wreck havoc inside sensei's 'house'," she tilted her head, double-checking if she made the right move. "Or maybe use the opportunity to hurt me while I'm still bleeding."
I would if I could, he grimly thought.
"What, can't a person not have a decent game of shogi?" He cooed, deciding to enjoy soaking in the sorcerer's bloodied form. He took her rook off the board.
"Shoulders," he ordered.
"Well, that said 'person' happens to be a genocidal curse who is also a capriciously malevolent bully," she retorted after taking another piece from him. Sukuna's figure goes blurry for a second then goes back to normal.
"Cheek," she hummed.
"You're also a necrophile, judging by what you said earlier," she lazily pointed at the curse after he placed the knife back to its place.
Sukuna frowned, only replying by shrugging his shoulders. He's not going to deny that. But he's not that desperate to look for a relief.
"Oh, actually--" she snorted.
"Have you kissed someone--" She held her breath, preventing herself from laughing, "--with consent?" The blood loss was finally getting to her, making her act a bit hysterical.
He glared at his shogi piece, frowning even deeper.
"Soon, I may have to," he grumbled, almost inaudible. That was an embarrassing statement to Sukuna but he was too focused on counting down the time.
15 seconds left
(y/n) froze. Soon?
In one swift and unconcerned movement, Sukuna placed his king right in front of her promoted silver.
That was dumb move.
A really dumb move.
"Uh, buddy, maybe you should reconsider that--"
"I got impatient. Was never good at shogi," he grunted, not really minding the fact that he lost in a mere board game. Whatever, so much for being arrogant on winning.
As if he could actually do anything he'd like if he did win. Sucks to be him.
Before the girl could taunt the curse in hopes of angering him and continue the game, Sukuna lazily stood up, rudely swiping the game off the table.
Oh, is this the part where I die? She mused, unfazed by the mess that the curse had caused.
"May I?"
He's asking permission to kill me, she scoffed, unable to read his expression.
"I won, you know?"
"I know."
6 seconds left.
Sukuna grabbed the collar of her shirt, forcing her to climb on the table, knocking over a few more shogi pieces. Dazed and confused, she hastily held his shoulder so that she doesn't accidentally topple-over.
"Wha--"
One would say that time slowed down, but the universe continued on, not bearing any mind on such a small, insignificant moment.
Her adversary gave her the searing reward she oh-so wanted. Sukuna was insistent on leaving a bruise on her lips. Bending her body backwards, both of them can taste the sweet, metallic flavor of their blood that dripped down their forehead.
If the sorcerer wasn't so distracted by the delirious muscle inside her mouth she would've concluded that this was some sort of blood ritual that the curse cleverly planned.
She let out a squeak.
He grinned.
"I actually got to do it first before the bra--are you okay!?"
Itadori gasped, holding her waist, seemingly focused more on her bloodied state rather than the fact that he was literally shoving his tongue down her throat making her choke on his spit a few seconds ago.
Holy shit.
"Yuji...I think I'm going to faint..."
And she did.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Can't believe I made an effort to actually learn shogi for a damn fanfic. (Sadly I didn't focused on the game itself knowing that it will be boring.)
Next chapter? You'll never guess what happens next.
Once again, thanks for the support even though this is cringe lmao