I was breathing heavily after so much emotion I carried, my eyes somewhat wide, and the fist where it collided with Hisa was still tingling, trembling from feeling so many of the blows that the greatest had given me; I did not know how to react, but my heart was pounding strongly.
My soul was finally beating in sync; I no longer felt so distant from it. I saw how Hisa came out of the place where I had thrown her, her head with blood beginning to fall slowly from her face. I believe that this blow was too impulsive since her face no longer showed euphoria; hidden behind that smile she had, she was showing herself more aggressive than before.
I think that it no longer seems fun to her; not moving was cooling my body, and the pain throughout my being is horrible " I- I'm sorry Hisa, I just overdid it " I spoke nervously, I think even my voice got lost a little because of that. I simply wanted to give her a blow as we have always been doing; it was not my intention to send her flying with that punch. It seemed incredible to me that by simply connecting with myself, my powerful blows without the need for cursed energy began to return.
" The game is over, brat " I swallowed upon hearing what Hisa told me. Nervously, I took a few steps; my body felt tired. I thought our fight was already over, but seeing how Hisa prepared to jump made me look for Mr. Daigo, he has to stop this beast now!
But this time my gaze diverted when I saw again that man who placed this seal on my chest, his serene walk and his dead face once again, although I noticed that the part where it seems I cut him with my blood began to rot; it is bruised and almost black in those spots. I put my hand on my chest again in that position I have been trained in, looking at both Hisa and Mui.
" This is a scandal, you ended up destroying what so many worked hard to repair " that hoarse voice burst from the man, but when I was about to speak, nothing came out of my mouth; instead of a phrase, the suffocation began, I clutched my throat wanting to breathe, a horrible burning in my chest.
It's damn it, he activate the mark. This pain, without being able to heal, went from being uncomfortable to being felt more and more. It was a strange pain; my whole body was resenting it, and besides the suffocation, it was so burning that it made me writhe.
And again, I lost consciousness; not using cursed energy to heal made all the differences noticeable, especially when I cannot defend myself.
But I promise it will not last long.
[...]
It feels warm. When I slowly opened my eyes, I heard a gentle stream, the sound of water, finding myself in a place like before, this time brighter than ever. The sky decorated with clouds at my feet, and the brightness where the sky should be.
It looked... so magical.
Finding that I was in my area of consciousness, those floating frames once again had blue eyes open, looking at me expectantly, as if they knew that I had once again found my true self; that coliseum no longer seemed about to crumble, everything looked fine.
Seeing that at the highest point of my space, a star as luminous as if it were the sun or a moon kept emitting a magnificent shine.
I smiled, knowing that once again my fragmented identity, no, it is no longer an identity, I am only myself; I sat down slowly, realizing that I no longer looked like Itadori.
My body no longer changed while being within my own space; now I am body and soul finally in harmony, this red hair and my lilac eyes with reddish touches, those small marks beneath my eyes which, although they came from Sukuna, are now part of me.
I am only myself, looking at myself.
I sighed calmly to get up; that gentle stream, I searched with my gaze, and I found, water?
It is very abundant; there is so much water that it surprises me. Why is there so much water in my consciousness now? I thought it was just a small stream after my acceptance, but there is so much that I cannot distinguish the sea from here.
" Possibly it is some part of me " I whispered softly, turning slowly toward the part of Sukuna's consciousness. The division remained very marked; the multiple cubes that had blue eyes followed me as I walked to the division. If Mui has made me faint, then… I think it may be the moment when I have to speak with Sukuna again.
I still abhor him; I hate him too much, but for me it is possible that he can never be sealed nor controlled, after all, he is still me. I remember the words that Mr. Daigo told me earlier in one of our talks, so many talks; all I needed was for someone to wake me up with blows and guide me.
He himself had said that if I had something so dangerous, that which I believed was a burden.
I have to turn it into a weapon, and it is only possible now to deal with it, I think that...
" Gojo-sensei and all my acquaintances will want to shoot me if they had found out " I smiled bitterly, letting out a deep sigh, steeling myself for what I would do. When I took the first step, I left my side of consciousness to enter Sukuna's, still as gloomy as I have known it, piles of bones and Torii gates resembling those of his domain expansion, chilling.
When I was going deeper, the echo of my footsteps was the only thing that could be heard, and finally I managed to look at him. He remained in a meditative position, what is he trying to achieve? It is strange to see him so serene; I always saw him as someone bloodthirsty, always possessing that smile of ecstasy when killing so many of my acquaintances, his appearance full of disdain for human life.
I know that has not changed. Although I clenched my fist, I stood in front of him, with this stature of a little boy, now he seems to me to be of colossal size as I have always seen him.
" What is it that you want, brat? " he murmured, his hoarse voice, regardless of how certain he was to find me there, it is incredible that he has not even lost concentration.
I stood still, trying to look at him, even though my firm expression did not change.
I apologize to all those who died because of Sukuna, and all that they had to suffer at his hands... but in the end, this is for my own good.
...
" Sukuna, I have come to make a binding vow with you "
Hearing the brat's voice, unlike how I have always heard it, that voice I had become accustomed to no longer exists, it was the voice of a child. His four eyes began to open slowly, letting his mind stop trying to break down the energy.
He had tried to decipher how to obtain the energy from the mark that that snake made on him, through the sensation of Yūji's body in his environment; however, he still does not know how to make Yūji's own body absorb it. He did not have control over the six eyes or the little he could use them to break down more of the energies.
However, I ignored that for a moment; what attracted me was not only the voice of his prey, but what he said those words.
Finally, a smile appeared; slowly he turned without tilting his body, his smile more pronounced.
To his surprise, he did not find Itadori Yūji; he once again witnessed that brat from the beginning when he arrived in this interesting world, that red-haired child, of the same color as the one he now had, eyes no longer empty nor without purpose.
Now it seems that he has something to cling to. That look... that is no longer the look of someone he considered prey.
He once again had that disgusting look that he always hated and still hates.
" A binding vow... " Sukuna stood up, having to look at the child toward the ground, the abysmal difference, thinking that now it is Yūji who is offering himself for a binding vow, being he who always persuaded him.
" The roles have changed, don't you think, Itadori Yūji? " his hoarse voice once again echoed in his own space of consciousness, his eyes narrowed to look more intently at the child.
" I am no longer Itadori; just call me Yūji, I am Yūji, and I will make a binding vow with you, despite the fact that I abhor you; I have no other option but the best for me " that firm voice, despite his noticeable childish accent, while Sukuna's lower arms crossed and the other two were shown in a superior position.
" Yes, I have noticed it " his half-smile as he watched the child get angry.
Yūji sighed to appear serious again " This time, I am the one who imposes the vow " Yūji clenched his hands tightly, not wanting to show weakness before the curse.
" Listen well. This pact is not just a contract. It is an unbreakable truth, a law written in my flesh and in my soul. There is no turning back, there are no deceptions, only the certainty that if you break it, you will pay the price. " This time Yūji began to recite part of the binding vow, his words precise and serious " I cede control of my body to you whenever you desire; you will be able to move, fight, take my strength and combine it with yours. But this is not a gift without conditions. It is not permission without limits. The moment you take control of my body, I will watch everything you do with your eyes; I will always be there, never, listen well, never shall you touch my loved ones. You will not raise my fist against those I know, nor against the innocents who have nothing to do with it. If you try to do so, the pact will be broken and you will return to your space of consciousness forever. " Sukuna listened without erasing his smile, looking with his main eyes half-closed at the brat.
" You will only fight against those who truly wish to destroy, against those who bring violence and chaos with genuine intent. You will not initiate combat without reason. If someone uses my loved ones as a weapon against me, you may defend yourself, but without taking unnecessary lives. And do not think that you can betray me. Do not try to break the rules of this pact. Do not think that you can twist my words in your favor. If you do, if you even try, you will lose all rights to this body and pay the price for your betrayal, confined forever to your part of consciousness. I am sure that the worst for you will be being locked away for the rest of your life " the child's look was frivolous for every word he was saying. " If you accept this... our forces will be together; we will be one... again "
" This vow will last until we both break it by mutual consent... or until the day of my death. This is my pact. My law. My soul made into words. If you accept, fulfill it. If you doubt, step back. Because once you take it, there is no turning back " Yūji did not raise his hand, because he knows that Sukuna might not take it.
But this time, there was an enlightening silence, a silence of twilight, that when I began to hear that scorching laughter, it twisted my mouth slightly; my eyebrows narrowed, causing my shoulders to tense.
And Sukuna burst into a fit of laughter, his lower hands holding onto the large mouth he used to conjure chants more quickly, while his normal hands came to his face trying to cover his mouth.
Yūji did not interrupt him; he knows how proud this curse can be, his gaze simply remained firm.
He knows what is going to happen now.
His body was beginning to tingle.
" THAT WAS VERY GOOD, ITADORI YŪJI! I am surprised by your audacity; who would say that you know how to plan a binding vow well? But you are so foolish to believe that you will have the best gains in all this " Sukuna looked at me with his eyes on the mutated part of his face on the right side, very amused by the situation.
Yūji's binding vow is not an exaggeration; this time there are no minutes in between, there was no time limit, it is normal for the boy to ask for so many things even if they may seem insignificant. If Sukuna obtains his body, he is taking a risk with this, but he will never know if he can do it like that.
He prefers to take risks above all, so that Sukuna and he finally become one, even though he has Sukuna's techniques, he does not have his experience in handling them, nor the ability to control his cursed energy; perhaps his body will react to it, but not one hundred percent. This is a measure so that finally, Sukuna and he can be only one.
" It doesn't seem little to me that you can use my body again as you used to; I am concerned that those who want it do not end up hurt again... You are a vile curse, and you will never change, and I have told you... that it is no longer Itadori, I am Yūji. " Yūji's voice is serene, despite his jaw being very tense, those narrowed eyes in his seriousness.
Sukuna leaned his body to one side, looking at the brat quite amused " Well, that is your vow... then, it seems that you want to remember the past; I have missed a good act, brat, when I first came out I couldn't get a little more play, so... we will do this " he clenched his hands with amusement, without erasing that increasingly pronounced smile " You have stated your version of the vow... if I kill you right here, it will be done as I desire; however, you will forget that you made the binding vow with me "
I felt this like déjà vu, but I cannot remember it, I simply clenched further to analyze his words.
" Well, then, let's begin, Itadori Yūji "
When I heard that, I opened my eyes forcefully. I saw how the power to dismantle came out at such a speed that I had to bend my body backwards, it was too fast. If that slash had hit me squarely, I would no longer have half my head.
It is time to have a rematch and show Sukuna why he will never be able to defeat me.
The outcome will not change, but if I need to prove it again… then, he is ready.