Chapter Text
Megumi looked at all the people around him with a sad look. His sister, Tsumiki. His limbless father, Toji. His mother, Tsumire. His injured sensei, Gojo. His friend, Kugisaki. His senpais and comrades.
“Gumi, I’m sorry. If only I could win. If only I could– *Cough*!!!” Gojo-sensei’s coughing cut his sentence. There is blood came out from his mouth, making Shoko-san quickly trying to check up on him.
Yesterday, a final fight between the sorcerers and king of curses happened. All of them trying to hold on other curses and sorcerer siding with king of curses while Gojo fighting king of curses. They put all hope for Gojo to win the fight, but in the end a new type of cutting technique manages to by pass Gojo’s infinity. At that time Megumi didn’t want to lose his sensei who he thought as the second father for him. With determination, Megumi summoned Mahoraga and start the exorcism ritual in hope Mahoraga can defeat king of curses. In the end, Mahoraga got defeated by king of curses.
Everyone thought it was the end, until the king of curses proposing something ridiculous. A very ridiculous thing. The king of curses asked Megumi to be his wife in exchange he won’t kill anyone without Megumi permission. Of course, at first Megumi call it bullshit until the king of curses said they can apply a binding vow on it. That’s how Megumi now saying goodbye for the last time towards all his loved ones before being taken away today by king of curses.
“Oi, Megumi! Bring us with you too! You can’t just go without any of us!” yelled Nobara followed by the other agreement.
“Don’t be stupid all of you! There is no way king of curse will let all of you go with him! You all will be just killed for nothing!” scolded Utahime.
“Don’t go, Gumi. Please don’t go” crying his sister while hugging him.
Megumi only can hug her back because there is no way Megumi can run away even if he wanted to. The higher up forced him to take the deal and it looks like if he didn’t take the deal, all of them will be killed at the battle field that time and Megumi will just get taken after that. Megumi now because he had encountering king of curses multiple times.
Megumi was there when his father fight king of curses and become limbless. Megumi was there when the king of curses killing all the curses surrounding him. Megumi was there when king of curses killing all the other ten shadow users. Megumi was there when the king of curses dueling with a special grade curse. Megumi was there when the king of curses opening his domain annihilating the whole village of sorcerers.
With all that encounter, Megumi always came out alive and almost unscathed. It surely raised suspicious that king of curses wants Megumi alive for something. This marrying king of curses must be one of his schemes to gain something from Megumi. What it’s still unknown for them all. But one thing for sure, the king of curses will do any mean to get Megumi. That’s why it’s the best for Megumi to agree with this while trying to figured out what it’s king of curses planned before betray him and informed the Jujutsu sorcerer about the king of curses plan. If it wasn’t because of that, Megumi doesn’t want to go along with this.
“Let Mama and Papa see your face, Gumi. We wanted to remember your face before we can’t see it anymore” crying his mother while cradling Megumi’s face on the angle where she and his father can see his face.
“Cease this pathetic display all of you showing now. You will meet him again at the wedding, so stop acting like you will never see him again and let me take my bride”
The booming voice from behind Megumi startled all of them. But more than voice, it was the words that startled them.
“I can meet my son again at the wedding?” his father is the one to asking when all of them is looking in disbelief at king of curses.
Ryomen Sukuna, the one who has the tittle king of curses, scoffing at that before answering.
“What nonsense are you asking me? Of course, you can meet him at the wedding and visit him too at my estate. So now cease this prolonged goodbye you made because I need to take my bride now”
All of them is silent as they tried to understand– No. They are trying to not believing what they just heard until his mother speaking up.
“So, when is the wedding?”
“That still need to be discussed first. I will send the invitation when the date finally settled” answer Sukuna calmly.
“Stop! Stop! I don’t understand what the fuck are you talking about!” screaming Gojo before he let out a series of coughing.
Sukuna suddenly pointed at Shoko-san and everyone went to fighting stance at that.
“You go check on his ears and brain. Something must be wrong with those things if he can understand what am I saying” ordered Sukuna.
Shoko-san looks like she was so done with everything, but still nodding her head as an answer. The next thing happen is Sukuna sharp gaze directed at Megumi.
“Now I will take my bride and go back to my estate to prepare the wedding” it was the last thing Megumi heard before he got lifted by Sukuna and being taken away from there.
He tried to look behind Sukuna’s body and found the already far away from where everyone is before to the point Megumi can’t see them now. Gaping at such speed Sukuna use to leave the sorcerer camps, Megumi doesn’t know what to think about the situation now.
“We won’t take a rest until we reach the next village, but if you feel tired then you need to tell me” Sukuna informed Megumi was the only words being spoken the entire journey until they reach the next village.
Megumi know this village. One of the few lucky villages who doesn’t get demolished by king of curses and from the look of it, the village is empty from anyone beside one person and Megumi know who they’re. The loyal servant of Ryomen Sukuna, the frozen star, Uraume. They have a very powerful ice technique that kill so many sorcerers at war. Megumi thought Uraume was dead for he doesn’t saw the androgynous sorcerer for days in the war, but seems Megumi is wrong.
“Sukuna-sama, the carriage you order me to prepare is ready” informed Uraume as they bowed while make a gesture at the carriage without horse behind them.
A humming sound came from Sukuna before putting Megumi down on the ground.
“Get him settle inside” it was all Sukuna said before Uraume moving to lead Megumi inside the carriage which Megumi show the sign of not cooperating.
“Why I need to get inside?” suspicious Megumi.
Four crimson eyes gazing at Megumi intently. He refusing to show how it intimidate him and looking back at those crimson eyes.
“Our journey is still very long and we need to fetch someone first before going to my estate. You will be more comfortable to go there in the carriage than me carrying you”
Megumi stilled for a moment as he tried to take in the new information. The king of curse needs to pick up someone, but who and where? This person might be another servant like Uraume or maybe another unfortunate soul like Megumi. Whichever, nothing is good.
With that in mind, Megumi get in the carriage with Uraume while Sukuna, for Megumi surprise, is the who pull the carriage. The entire time, Sukuna doesn’t slow down and keep moving. At some point, Uraume offer some food for Megumi. There is a possibility the food got poisoned. Maybe the poison won’t kill Megumi, but it possible the poison could give another effect to him. So, Megumi decline the food along with drink offered by Uraume.
When the sun almost set is when they finally stopping. As soon as Megumi out of the carriage, he immediately recognizes where they’re right now. It’s a village that known for their service in delivery quicker than any other established. Even faster than the one nobles from Heian-kyo usually use. Why they’re here is still mystery, but one thing for sure. They’re here to pick up someone like what Sukuna said before.
Looking around for the possible person the king of curses will pick up, Megumi notice other thing going on in the village. All the villager is greeting Sukuna.
“Sukuna-sama, it’s great to see you again”
“Do you want me to take care of the carriage, Sukuna-sama?”
“Sukuna-sama, it’s been so long for us to be graced with your presence”
“Is there anything you need, Sukuna-sama?”
All of the villager oddly doesn’t have any fear and only warm in their face. Even children happily go to greet king of curses. It strikes Megumi on alert. Is this village affiliated with Sukuna? And why the king of curses isn’t doing anything? Megumi usually saw Sukuna doing massacre indifferently at anyone in his path. Children, woman, old people, and man alike without care. So, this kind of display is so strange for Megumi.
“Eek! Is that Sukuna I’m seeing?!” there is a shrieking voice. Not from fear, but from excitement.
Megumi watched as the crowd of people parted to make a way for a woman towards Sukuna. The woman as tall as Megumi. Wearing a purple Kiribakama with white Kosode and covered with red Ke no Kazami patterned bird silhouette. On her head sat a wide-brimmed headdress with a red veil covering her face.
The woman run with ease despite her long Kazami. There is nothing weird about her beside the excitement she showed, but Megumi can sense a weird energy from the woman. It’s like curse energy, but Megumi can’t tell if it was the kind human have or a curse have. It wasn’t the first time Megumi came to this village, but it’s the first time Megumi feels such weird curse energy.
He watched how the woman excitedly hugging the king of curses. There is an annoyed expression on Sukuna, but he isn’t trying to pry the woman away which is something shocking.
“When was the last time we met? A year? 2? And look at you, grow so big” rumbling the woman.
“We just met last month, stop being dramatic!” irritated Sukuna.
Megumi watched as the woman detached herself from Sukuna. “You’re no fun, Sukuna”
At that time, Megumi feels like the woman is looking at him even if he can’t see it with the veil covering her face.
“Sukuna, I heard you taking a hostage after playing with Jujutsu sorcerer. But I didn’t know the one you took is the heir of Zenin clan, the user of ten shadow technique, and the adoptive child of the current head of Gojo clan” the woman voice is light, but bearing a dangerous tone on it.
The instinct of fight or flight came to Megumi’s mind because how the woman knows who he is and the information about him. This woman isn’t a normal person. She is dangerous, very dangerous.
“He isn’t a hostage. He is my bride”
As soon as those words came out from Sukuna’s mouth. The woman dementor quickly changed.
“What?! Bride!”
The next thing happen is for the woman to go straight at Megumi and clasping her hands around his. “My name is Tanso! What is your name?”
“You already know his name, why did you even asked?” complain Sukuna.
“Oh hush! I wanted to be close with him, Kuna” the woman, Tanso, just shushing a king of curses and Megumi see in disbelief as Sukuna just crossing all four of his arms and just that. No massacre and all that.
Megumi already saw how Sukuna kill someone who replying to him, but this woman shushing the king of curses and still alive. As Megumi mind still trying to process everything, Tanso quickly speak again, this time at Megumi.
“So how was your trip? Is Sukuna treat you right? If he isn’t, just tell me and I will scold that unruly brat for you”
“Oi!” he heard Sukuna only yelled and doesn’t kill the woman right away, but Tanso just ignore the king of curses while keep talking to Megumi.
“Are you hungry from your trip? You look skinny. No. That won’t be good. Let’s get to my home and feed you with food!”
With that, Tanso lead Megumi to the biggest building in that village while keep the one-side conversation between them. The building is the main operation place of the delivery service. Megumi went to this place a few times in the past to send a quick letter about completing his mission and delivering some information when he was in the area. The building is bustling with people and birds. The service is called bird messenger because they use many kinds of birds in delivering letter or even package. They have some branch in other provinces like one in Heian-kyo and Harami province. The main branch of course located at Mutsu province’s is that close to where Gojo’s estate is located. If when there with walks from Gojo’s estate, it will take 2 days to get there.
So, Sukuna must use his own speed to get them here faster, but it still makes no senses for Megumi as to why they’re here and who it’s they need to pick up. The strangest thing is why Sukuna just let Tanso do as she please. Is she the one Sukuna wanted to pick up? Why so? And what kind of relationship they even had?
Getting inside, Tanso led them to the back area of the building. It’s just room full of scroll, paper, brush, and ink. Nothing special until Tanso pull down a secret passage on the ceiling where wooden stairs came out. The passage is big enough for even Sukuna to get in and from inside Megumi can feels something weird there. He was hesitating to follow Tanso, but king of curses just lifted Megumi up and processed to carry him along as Sukuna ascending the stairs along with Uraume and Tanso. There is so many paper talisman around and from the shape of the seal written on the talisman, Megumi know it was the type of seal used to block curses energy. Maybe that’s why Megumi never sensing Tanso's weird curse energy before, these talismans blocking him if Tanso really live here.
Once they got to the top, there is more talismans around the place, but it looks like a normal inside of someone house.
“Come, sit here you two. Uraume, can you go to my kitchen and prepare some tea and snack? Oh, Sukuna let me fetch some writing tools for you. I know you came here must be to tell the others about how you will get married in no time” after saying all of that, Tanso disappear to who-know-where. Leaving Megumi with king of curses alone.
Sukuna put him down on the tatami floor in front of the big table there before sitting down beside Megumi. It was silent for a few minutes before Tanso came back with the writing tools and paper. She put it in front of Sukuna before sitting down on the opposite side from them. Not long Uraume came with some tea and what looked like biscuit with some of it has a red color on it. Which is weird in Megumi opinion. He watched Uraume put the red biscuit for Sukuna while they served Megumi and Tanso with different biscuit.
“I’m glad I still have your favorite biscuit in case you visit me again. Not many of us eat that kind of biscuit and not many also come to visit me. Also, Uraume, can you go and prepare for dinner too when we talking? Thank you” spoke Tanso before she taking off her headdress.
Megumi eyes widening as he finally has a look of Tanso’s face. She has red short hair and red lips along with small nose. But what horrify Megumi is not just 2 fork tongues she has, but she also has 2 pair of black eyes. The woman who sitting in front of Megumi isn’t human. She definitely a curse.
“Why do you look at her like that?” a sharp warning voice speak to Megumi from his left side.
A surge curse energy can be sensed from king of curse and Megumi doesn’t need to look at Sukuna to know king of curses is pissed at him.
“Calm down, Kuna. I don’t mind by his reaction at all. It was normal for people to seeing my face for the first time” chimed Tanso very calm.
There is no reply from Sukuna and from the corner of his eyes, Megumi saw how Sukuna began to write something on the paper using brush and ink from Tanso.
“So, Megumi, can you tell me about yourself?” asked Tanso as she began to drink the tea.
“You already know many things about him, stop asking him question” grumble Sukuna.
“How rude, Sukuna. Then let me ask you a question. Why you didn’t tell me you go and declare a war to get him, Sukuna? I mean I heard a few information from my birds that you encounter him a lot, but I don’t know you actually wanted to marry him”
There is only silent came from beside Megumi. Looking up at Sukuna, his face is so focused on whatever he was writing, but Megumi could see how red king of curse’s ear is. Megumi try to make senses as to why, but Tanso’s voice get his attention quickly.
“See! You don’t even answer the question. Then Megumi what do you think about your groom?”
“Why are you never shut up?” groaned Sukuna.
“Someone is embarrassed” teased Tanso while giggling at Sukuna reaction.
Megumi only can watching while feeling bewildered because never in millions time Megumi saw or heard king of curses have interaction like this. Even in his own experience, Sukuna is an arrogant bastard who only know about killing people. His ruthlessness always on display in every time Megumi encounter Sukuna. Like the massacre he did in Mushashi province and the disregard of human casualty in his fight against special grade curse at Sagami province.
The conversation continuing with Tanso talking about many things with some input from Sukuna while Megumi is silent the entire time. He isn’t silent because he tries to listen and gain information from the conversation. He is silent because he was dumbfounded by what Tanso keep talking about.
“I tell you Sukuna, the head clan of Minamoto have an affair with someone from assassin group in Sun Squad under Fujiwara clan”
“So, what it’s to do with me?”
“Nothing, but can you imagine how vile the act is. The man already married with woman from Tachibana clan and they had children already. Poor woman”
“Can she just divorce him then?”
“That’s the problem, the woman is stupid to still in love with that man. Remind me about the dispute in Kashimo clan I heard 2 days ago”
“How so?”
“So, there is this man wanted to marry Kashimo Hajime, but Kashimo Hajime just need to…”
That kind of conversation continuing until Sukuna finish writing whatever it’s he was writing. Megumi wanted to take a look, but a chance to be spotted is very big. So, he refraining from doing it.
“Done, you can send it to them now” announced Sukuna.
Megumi watched as Tanso rolled her sleeves. Both of her arms has a weird slashing mark that began to bleeds.
“Creature Consumption Technique: Blood Birds”
The blood leaking from Tanso's arms suddenly shaped into red birds just like how Shikigami user summon Shikigami, Megumi also can sense amount of curse energy came out from Tanso.
“Take the letter and send them to the name written on it” was all Tanso said before all the birds flying to take the paper that have Sukuna's writing and flying away from there.
“Megumi, are you curious about my curse technique?” asked Tanso cheerfully.
Megumi doesn’t say anything at all for that, but Tanso began explaining her technique excitedly.
“I can create shikigami using my blood. They can last as long as no one kill them or I dismiss them. All shikigami I created have a mind of their own, but they still connected to me no matter how far they’re. I can give them order telepathically and know what they see, hear, and think. Very convenient ability if you ask me”
That technique like a mix of a normal shikigami summoning technique and Mei Mei’s black bird technique, but with more advantage in some point. If Tanso said is true, that mean she was a very skilled informant the Jujutsu world doesn’t know and she is a big treat for jujutsu sorcerer especially since she affiliated with king of curses.
“Yet you used it mainly to collect gossip” murmured Sukuna suddenly.
“At least it was better than that Mei Mei woman who works for money. I work for entertainment only” retorted Tanso lightly.
“Like the time you made people from Tajima province and Harima province go into a war?”
“Precisely”
Megumi almost choked with his own saliva hearing that. So that big war caused by the woman in front of him. And for what? Entertainment? Megumi can’t believe it at all.