“I’m so sleepy~” Mimiko mumbled as she stumbled beside you.
“I know I know~ You can sleep more when we get to Yoko…” You cooed to her while patting her back.
“Do you wish to ride with me? You can sleep on the way there?” Getou questioned the girl.
She nodded her head, “Yes, please…”
You helped Getou and Mimiko onto their horse, making sure the two were comfortable for the journey. Looking over, you noticed Nanako rubbing at her eye with her fist.
“Nanako? Would you like to ride with me so you can sleep?”
The girl dropped her hand like a rock, “No- I’m not tired.”
That was a full-blown lie, but you didn’t call her out on it. “Okie dokie…”
After everyone got onto their horse, your pack set off. With Toji and Sukuna trailing back.
Not even a few minutes into riding did you see Nanako’s head start to nod off. Yet she would fight the sandman with everything she got—a losing battle for sure.
You called Gojo so he could ride next to you. “She’s going to fall off her horse- catch her if she does…”
“Yes, ma’am.”
You kept your eyes on Nanako as you said, “The girl is so stub-“
You couldn’t even finish your sentence before the pup was knocked out by the sandman with a two-hit KO. The girl dropped off her horse and let out a screech when she realized her fate. Gojo flicked his hand, yanking the pup toward you so you could catch her with one arm.
“Ngh!” Nanako released a grunt as she went from falling off her horse to your arm.
She looked up at you with wide eyes, lips open in a speechless trance, like she had seen a monster.
“You aren’t sleepy, huh?”
“I-I was r-resting my eyes!”
Nanami circled back to grab Nanako’s horse, “What happened?”
“The pup fell asleep.” Gojo called.
“N-no I didn’t!”
You released a snort, “Nanako, if you want to be stubborn, you can- but the next time you fall off that horse, I'm going to let you hit the ground. And let me say, falling off your horse is not fun, Nanami would know.”
“Yes, it is not fun…” Your blonde agreed.
“What? Nanami, you fell off your horse?” Getou questioned, Mimiko sleeping soundly with him.
“When did you fall off your horse?” Gojo added.
“It was so long ago, truly…” Nanami began to blush, making you laugh.
You then returned your attention to the rowdy pup in your arms. “So what is it going to be?”
“Fine…but you smell funny…” Nanako humphed as she pulled out a tiny bottle that looked like a fancy gold perfume bottle with sparkles on it.
“Ah…” you watched as she began to spray you like you were a teenage girl getting ready to meet your crush after P.E class.
She then took a sniff and smiled, “There, much better.”
You sniffed at yourself, surprised that the spray successfully covered your scent and the fishy smell.
“What is that?”
“My special perfume, I made it myself!” She stated proudly.
It had a sweet smell of flowers. “Wow, that smells really good.”
“Thanks…” Nanako smiled, but then it was like she realized she was talking to you. Her eyes widened for a moment before she looked ahead.
“I’m sure you're really sleepy. Get some rest, and we will be in Yoko soon.” You wrap your arms around her as if you didn’t notice her change in attitude. You were just going to keep on carrying on. However, you think you were starting to get to her. She was tense at first, and then she soon fell asleep, her body resting against yours as you kept her safe within your arms.
You flashed Getou a hopeful smile while he sent you a thumbs-up.
~
The journey continued, but a pitstop was needed before you got to Yoko. The horses slowed down, pitter-pattering to the small lake. Their heads dropped as they started drinking some much-needed water.
Nanako yawned as she slowly woke up, “Are we there yet?”
“Not yet, we gotta take a break to eat. I’m sure you are hungry.” You say, knowing that she skipped out on dinner last night. You got off your horse, seeing her face twisted up a bit as if she were about to lie. Is that how clear it was for Sukuna to see when you were about to lie?
She couldn’t even say anything, her stomach growling loudly to answer your question.
“Haha~ See, you can’t even lie.” You laugh as the girl pouts a bit.
“I-I don’t like veggies…” She says as you help her off the horse. Everyone else getting a small camp set.
“We still have some of the curry from last night. Would you like some?” Getou offered.
Nanako nodded.
“Perfect, I’ll get some warmed up for you, come sit next to your sister.” Your usually lazy alpha got to work warming up the curry in a pot over the fire.
Surprisingly, Nanako walked over and dropped down next to her sister, who was still sleeping. She stared at her for a moment before resting her chin upon her knees.
You were very impressed seeing your sassy alpha be a sassy man. Taking care of the pups.
Of course, Getou caught you staring, “Can I help you, darling?”
“Just enjoying the view.” You smiled, looking toward Nanami and Gojo, who were slipping away into the bushes. Your brow raised, “Ah? Where are you two going?”
Gojo and Nanami froze, looking over their shoulders…
“Ah…” Gojo began looking toward Nanami.
Your blonde looked at Gojo, then you, “We are just going for some training…”
“Training?” You questioned, walking toward them with your hands upon your hips. “You mean Sukuna beating you close to death?” Your eyes narrow ever so slightly.
Nanami shook his head softly, turning to give you his full attention, “It’s not like that… I promise…”
“Then what is it like?”
“Kind of like-“ Gojo jumped in, “-like when Sukuna beat me up!”
Your eyes widen in shock as Nanami hissed.
“Not like that!” Your blonde threw his hand up, “He’s pushing us to be able to use our… primal energy… is what he calls it.
“Primal energy, huh?”
“It’s like when Goku uses Kaioken.” Gojo smiled, but that did not make you smile.
“That causes a lot of damage, Gojo…”
Nanami sighed, “Gojo let me do the talking.”
“No he explained it fine. I understand what you guys are doing. Just please be careful and don’t overdo it…”
Nanami gave you a soft kiss to your forehead before stepping back, “Sukuna may be harsh, but he is a very good trainer…I just want you to know, I’m doing this so I can protect you…”
“I know…” You fixed your lips into a smile; you knew there wasn’t any way around this. Like you said, you understood what he was doing and why. He wanted to be able to use that same barrier as before. “…So then what are you trying to learn, Gojo?”
“Well, you know how we were talking about our super moves? Sukuna’s true form was also like ours; he couldn’t use it on cue like he does now, he had to teach his body to push out the life-or-death energy-“
“The primal energy.” Nanami corrected.
“Life or death energy makes more sense to me, but anyways- I thought he could teach me so I could use my super form on cue and not have to wait for it to just click.”
They were literally pushing their bodies to the brink of death to activate that special kind of ability. It reminds you of how you thought of your own situation. You didn’t want any more canon events to occur; you would rather use your special ability beforehand. It made a lot of sense. So you decided that it would be good for you, too.
“…I should join you guys… this could help me use my shadowform…”
You could see mixed emotions on their faces as they looked at each other.
“You sure?”
“Yeah…” You nodded, looking back at Getou and the pups, “…Will you guys be alright?”
Nanako looked a little confused, looking toward Getou as he spoke.
“Darling, leave that bloody training to them, it’s not fit for us.”
“This is important, Getou... I need to be able to use my shadow form when I need it, not when it’s too late…”
Getou sighed, his eyes then moved to the other alphas, “Tell Sukuna not to overdo it.”
“We wouldn’t let him.” Nanami stated firmly.
“Alright then, let’s get this training going. We won’t be far. Call us if you need anything!” You shouted while leaving with your other alphas.
The three of you barely walked far before you found Toji and Sukuna waiting around.
“Took you long enough…” Sukuna started but then looked toward you, “…What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to train too.” You state feeling a bit nervous for some reason.
Toji raised a brow, “This isn’t that kind of training, baby. Did you guys tell her what you were doing?”
Nanami answered the question with a flare of sass, “We tried just like you tried to deter her from rubbing fish on herself.”
“So not at all, huh?” Sukuna chuckled.
Toji rolled his eyes, “Not funny, Sukuna." He then settled his softer gaze on you. "Princess, this isn’t the training that you want to deal with; it’s brutal.”
“I know…” You stated feeling even more anxious. Why were they making this worse for you? You knew what you were getting into! Actually, you didn’t, but still… You knew it was going to be difficult, and you were ready for the difficult! No matter what, you had to learn how to use your shadow form. It didn’t matter how you learned it; it had to be done so that you could use it before something bad could happen. "Now stop talking about it and trying to make me back out. I need to do this."
"You don't have to tell me twice." Sukuna said as he walked in front of the three of you. He then set his hands upon his hips. "Alright, Nanami already knows how to start this, so I'll explain it to you guys."
"This is your first time?" You questioned Gojo.
"Mhm...but I'm aware of how shitty this is going to be..." He seemed locked in, his tone holding a sort of seriousness.
Sukuna snapped his fingers in front of you, "Pay attention, the sooner we get into it, the sooner you will understand." The alpha took out a knife and then cut his hand. He knelt as he started drawing out an intricate symbol with his blood. As he did so, he said, "One at a time, you guys are going to stand in this circle and allow it to take all your curse energy to the point it feels like you are going to die...only then will you step out of it."
Once your alpha was finished, you cocked your head to the side, seeing that the symbol resembled a trap that you would see in the game. "Oh, it's the trap that syphons your energy." If you stand on it for too long, it will take all your energy, but you have never stood in it for longer than needed.
"Exactly, but we are going to be using it for training. Nanami, go ahead." Sukuna nodded his head.
Your blonde stepped forward onto the circle, and then he breathed deeply as the symbol glowed. You could see his energy begin to drain from him, feeding into the trap. His curse energy had a light yellow glow. As the seconds went by, his face began to grow more and more uncomfortable. Soon, he fell to his knees with a grunt, sweat dotting his forehead as he began to breathe heavily. Yet he stayed within the trap. It was an easy trap to get out of, and you had rarely used it without sleeping an opponent or paralyzing them, but purposely standing in it was a whole level of mental gymnastics.
"What's the difference between this and the sleazy hotel we went to underground?" You questioned watching Nanami become more and more sickly looking.
Gojo leaned over as he said, "That place just siphons your curse energy to the point where it's zero...this trap is a little different...it goes past that, causing extreme fatigue and curse sickness."
You furrowed your brows as Sukuna finally told Nanami to step out of the circle.
"That's good, Kento."
Your blonde had to drag himself out of the trap and nearly fell over once he made it past. His arms could barely keep him up. You went to help him up, but Toji put a hand up, gesturing you to stop.
"Don't help him, he has to do this on his own."
Your lips fixed into a tight pout, still watching as your blonde struggled to even sit upon his butt.
Sukuna looked at the two of you, "Who's next?"
Gojo and you audibly gulped.
"Ladies first?"
"Satoru!"
"Fine, fine, I'll go next!" Gojo stepped upon the circle, and then he pointed at you. "I love you."
You let out a little laugh, but your nervousness was still evident.
Sukuna rolled his eyes, while Toji shook his head.
"So dramatic."
The siphoning began, your alpha's blue energy being drained from him.
After a few moments had passed, Gojo smiled, "Hey, this doesn't feel too bad."
"Is it working?" Toji questioned, watching as Gojo stood there without even breaking a sweat.
"Well~ you do have a lot of curse energy." You pointed out.
"Yes...it's gonna take a minute to hit..." Sukuna had his arms crossed as he tapped a finger on his bicep.
A few more minutes had gone by before Gojo winced, "Ah, okay, now it's starting to..." His eye pinched as he fell to one knee. "-yup-yup there it is-Fuck this sucks-"
"Stay in it, Gojo, until I say so." Sukuna stated.
You watched as your alpha's body trembled and then fell; it looked as if some imaginary force was pushing him down, his arms and legs struggling to stand.
"Ai ai- alright -can- can I come out now-" He struggled to speak, his teeth clenched together, saliva drooling past his canine.
Sukuna denied his request, "No. You are actually just now feeling it. Don't be a pup."
You watched with a grimace on your face; this shit looked like straight torture. Nanami was still on the ground, watching Gojo. His eyes looked like they were having a hard time staying open. Fuck- both of their eyes looked that way.
"Fuuuck this..." Gojo hissed as he went to crawl out, but Sukuna pushed him back in with his foot.
Your alpha gasped as he collapsed with a heavy thud.
"Sukuna!" You were already going to your alpha, but Toji grabbed you by your arm; you hadn't even seen him move. You looked at him with worry, "Toji- this is too much for him!"
"Sukuna knows best, let him handle this. Trust him." Toji looked pained to tell you such a thing, understanding that you hated seeing any of them hurt. "This has to be done."
Gojo let out a long groan before Sukuna decided he had had enough. He picked him up by his arm and tossed him out of the circle. Your alpha lay upon his back, his chest heaving up and down as his lips quivered with each breath.
"Satoru?" You call him, but all you got for an answer was a long-
"Mmm..."
Sukuna looked toward you with amusement in his eyes, a smirk sneaking upon his lips, "Your turn."
"No, let her decide if she wants to do this or not." Toji tugged you back toward him protectively.
You were scared; you didn't know what kind of pain your alphas dealt with, but it did not look pretty. "C-can I tap out...if it's...too much?"
"Yes-"
"No-"
Toji said yes, and of course, your fiend said no.
"Ryoumen, she doesn't need to do this-"
"No, she wants to do this. And I'm not going to let her taka out halfway through; there's no point, and it will do her no good. Remember what you used to say? Balls to the wall or nothing at all."
"W-well, I- I say that jokingly! This is like- this is torture!"
"I never said it wasn't. How do you think I got this strong? I certainly wasn't born with it. I fought for it. Fight the torture. Nothing I have gained has been through joyful fun."
You were having second thoughts about this; you were indeed afraid to experience such pain, and knowing that Sukuna would not allow you to tap out. A new kind of anxiety had your skin crawling. Your heart was starting to beat faster now that it was your time to shine.
Toji rubbed your arm gently, "It's okay, sweetheart, you do not have to do this. We will protect you."
They could tell you were about to taka out.
"Listen." Sukuna stated firmly. "Does it suck? Absolutely, but you aren't going to die. I used to do this shit all the time, and now I can use my true form and more. This is how I was able to do that."
"I know I get it, but it doesn't make this situation any less scary...what does it feel like?"
"..."
"I'll step into it with her..." Toji suggested.
Sukuna stepped into the circle, reaching for you, "No...I'll do it. We can't have most of our team zapped of energy. We can still be attacked."
You took a deep breath, huffing it out in an exaggerated fashion. You needed to do this. An image of Six flashed before your gaze, and it hurt to see. It was like your mind was reminding you why you had to do this. This moment of pain could not compare to the pain of losing someone. This was temporary.
Though your voice wavered, you finally conceded. "Okay...is it gonna take your energy too?" You questioned as you stepped closer with uncertainty.
"No, I made the circle. I'll be fine."
You held onto Sukuna as he pulled you closer to his chest, his arms wrapped around you as you rested your hands upon his biceps.
Well, you were in the circle.
"Balls to the wall or nothing at all..." You whispered.
"You will be fine."
"..."
You felt the siphoning of your energy from the moment you had stepped into the circle. It felt just like before. This part was the easy part. You had to keep repeating in your mind why you were doing this. You closed your eyes as you held Sukuna tight. For Nanami-for Sukuna-for-Toji-for Gojo- for Getou-for-
The pain started.
You could feel the pressure like you were being crushed under something heavy. You let out a tight whine as you felt your legs buckle under it. Sukuna knelt with you as he cradled you upon the ground.
"You got this..." He cooed softly, and soon he was purring.
Your eyes fluttered as you looked upon his face, Toji not too far from you as he encouraged you.
"You are doing so well, princess..."
"This-this sucks-" You whined, trying to joke the pain away, but soon you felt like your lungs were collapsing in on themselves. You sniffed as tears spilled from your eyes, the pain becoming too heavy. It hurt to even keep your eyes open, so you accepted the pain and let your body deadweight within Sukuna's arms.
However, the worst was yet to come.
The crushing was soon accompanied by a feeling of intense burning.
You let out a screech as you gripped onto Sukuna, digging your nails into his flesh as your body seemed to be set on fire from the inside.
"No noo! Get me-ah-" You were now crying, but you could barely even cry. It took too much energy to do that. It was like your body was failing, and nothing you did could get you away from its impending doom. You wouldn't even be able to crawl away even if you wanted to.
You heard Toji release a light growl, but then Sukuna hushed him.
"She's fine- just a moment longer, you're fine." Your alpha wiped at your eyes and continued to purr.
You tried to listen to the purrs but it was all too much. Your ears began to ring, and your mind swayed, thinking became muddled, and you weren't sure where one thought began and the other ended.
It was excruciating.
Pure insanity.
You wanted to scream, but it was like you had no mouth. No limbs....no mind...no body.
You felt nothing and everything all at the same time.
And then a cool spark shot through your blood, and you thought for sure you were dead.
Your body had gone numb.
"Sweetheart?"
"Mmm..." You could barely speak to whoever was talking to you. You don't even know who was talking to you or where you were.
Never again.
You will never ever ever ever do this again.
Fuck it.
You aren't strong enough to do this shit.
Kudos to Sukuna for having the mentality and the sadistic masochist mind to do this shit, Even Nanami was doing this shit. This was his second time doing it.
You doubt Gojo would want to do this again, but if he does, kudos to the guy.
They were just built different.
But fuck this shit. Fuck it all. You were cursing everything from hell and back.
"Sukuna...I told you this could be too much for her..."
You could hear your alphas talking, but it sounded so far away… and it sounded like they were getting further and further away from you.
"She's fine."
Someone was rubbing your cheek and your hair gently.
Your eyes struggled to open, like you were trashed beyond measure. Your vision was blurry, and when you tried to focus on Sukuna, you saw multiples of him spinning around in a blur.
"Fuckin...hell..." You croaked, throat drier than the desert. A sore throat times ten. Every swallow was like shards of glass. You closed your eyes, letting your body be taken away by the pain... and then you felt...
Like you were...in water...
You opened your eyes and found something...strange...
You were underwater, drifting deeper and deeper.
Above the water, you can see a large shadow creature with glowing eyes staring down at you.
"Poorlittlestarhero...yourguardianangelisntheretosaveyou?" The voice sounded like that of a demon. And then it laughed...a wickedly cruel laugh.
You couldn't breathe...and slowly but surely you had accepted your fate instead of fighting it. It hurt too much to fight. The water fills your lungs.
It felt peaceful and terrifying at the same time...
You saw a limb float above you...
An arm...
It was your own...
But how did it get up there?
Why was it drifting away so lifelessly...
Seperate from your body...
You gasp in horror, coming back to. Your body still felt heavy, and your mind still mushy. You grabbed your arm, checking that it was in fact still there...and then you let out a shivering cry. You just felt numb to the world around you. Breathing felt like it was a new function you had just discovered.
"See? She's here with us." Sukuna smiled at you. "I knew you could do it."
Your body still felt like shit. And your stomach felt heavy like you were about to throw up. You were nauseous as fuck. That weird image was invading your mind, but you tried to focus on reality.
"Mmm..." Your throat didn't hurt as much as you tried to sit up. Your body still felt like it was overly drunk, though.
"I didn't get cuddles and kisses during my training." Gojo pouted.
"The training isn’t over yet..." Nanami murmured as he swayed back and forth, readying his knife; he looked like he was cosplaying drunken Lee.
"What- what is next!?" Gojo groaned.
"Now fight me." Sukuna pulled you up and then jumped back, ready to fight.
"This-this isn't fair-" Gojo panted, with his hands upon his knees.
"That's the point." Sukuna stepped forward, kicking Gojo in his stomach, sending him flying across the field.
He hit a tree and fell face-first into the ground. "Ngh-this is so ass..." His words mumbled into the dirt.
Nanami went to attack Sukuna, but he could barely swing his knife, your alpha side-stepping him so easily. You couldn't even keep your eyes on the fight as you closed them and fell backward, your legs jellyfied.
You felt someone catch you. "You alright?" Toji's voice tickled your ear.
"I think I'm going to be sick..." You blinked at him with a miserable expression. You felt as miserable as you probably looked.
"Sukuna, she's stopping here..." Toji scooped you up as the other alpha let out an annoyed growl after sending Nanami tumbling.
Your blonde rolling in the dirt until he stopped. He was motionless at first, but then he struggled to get up. You could see how hard he was fighting all of this.
You wish it had inspired you to also fight...to continue this training... but you just couldn't.
Sukuna stepped into your view as he popped off in all his fiery passion, "This is part of the training! You have to fight through the pain and conquer it! Don't let your efforts go to waste!"
You felt like you were failing yourself and your pack. Tears prickled in your eyes as you leaned against Toji's chest, "I..I can't..."
"You-"
"Stop, Sukuna. She's done." Toji finalized as he walked away with you.
You wanted to close your eyes, but every time you did, you were faced with the dark shadow creature that laughed in the darkness of your mind. You could hear it laughing as you sank deeper and deeper into the dark depths of the water…
Dying…
So you just sat with your eyes open, looking at nothing.
Trying to understand what you just saw.
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Chef Note: I know this little plot crumb is probably making your theories go wild right now 😶