Chapter Text
Among the concubines, Sukuna rarely shows partiality. In fact, he seems to be pretty equally dismissive of you all. Typically, you don't particularly care about why the man does what he does. He'd brought you in and provided you shelter and food and enough expensive refinery to clothe the queens of the richest of empires. Most importantly, you'd been provided a surplus in the way of supplies for your hobbies.
And, coming from a family such as yours? It was enough to win your loyalty. You'd grown fond of the soft lifestyle he affords you. Quite fond of it.
Sukuna, despite his reputation, is pretty easy to live in proximity to; you just have to be quick to correct your behavior, because it isn't often he allows you to escape if you repeat an error. All in all, you're pretty comfortable with the man and his general preference for isolation, despite having fifteen concubines. By this point, you've all but admitted you don't think he does it for himself. The man's cruel and egotistical, but most of the women's stories before him were hell on earth. He isn't immune to the cries of the forgotten or rejected, or so it seems to you.
That wasn't true originally, though. You have to admit that much. Something about him triggered a primitive fear in you. More often than not for the first ten or so months of being here, you'd been just like a cornered, lone coyote. You'd growled at anyone who came near. That behavior never brought you many friends.
Hell, you still do feel a pervasive sense of anxiety, especially around him.
Sukuna having a need for solitude is respectable in your opinion. One that you understand painfully well. You'd never been a terribly clingy person. As a child you had been left alone a lot, and you clung to that trait into adulthood. If you only can survive by being around others all the time, it's due to some sort of guilt lingering on your mind that begs to be banished at all time, or so you believe.
Some of the others don't feel the same, specifically some of the new arrivals. They fret over how to gain his attention, likely due to their crushes on the man. They also have this conspiracy that he'll get rid of extra concubines who don't bother him.
Those won't last long here.
You can't fault them for their fascinations with him. You feel a deep affection for him; he was your savior too. You understood it well, the need to prove to him that he didn't waste energy saving and keeping you. That you too were a treasure which he should hoard.
From what you understand about the man, that assumption he'll dismiss or kill extra concubines that don't jump to lie in his bed is completely off base. He's been more prone to getting rid of the concubines too involved in him. While you can't fault them for their overactive imaginations, it seems that Sukuna can fault them.
Especially today.
"Is speaking all you do?" He replies irritably to May, a concubine who arrived a few months ago, who had been trying to pull a conversation from him; it was like witnessing a puppy nip at the heels of an overworked master. Sure, you can understand why the puppy acts that way, but it still gets a point where you have to kennel the thing.
When he comes back from his travels, the concubines to come to him and bathe and massage him that evening. It's one way he'll allow you all to interact with him, and he seems to enjoy being handled with such care on occasion. He's like a feral house cat. Of course, it's always followed by a few days of him becoming a ghost in his own shrine for a week or so before reasserting himself as the dominate presence. You'd not see hide or hair of him for those few days, but as of the past few times he's arrived back, you'd felt watched. After around a week, operations typically return to normal. Sukuna always distant, today more than normal. You'd all crawled into the bath with him without a word of acknowledgement thrown your way. Hence May's current pleading.
May shakes her head and bows it as she begins to focus on cleaning and massaging one of his arms. You can feel his eyes rooming over to you. It makes your hackles raise, but you remain quiet as you massage his leg. While you don't tremble at his presence like you once had, you can't completely rid yourself of the fear.
Iniko had already cleaned the area; she now lingered nearby with a sullen expression, pretending to be busy with the soap tray. You'd begun to work the tension out of his muscles effectively with nails bitten down the quick gently kneading the area.
The rest of the time you're together, Sukuna seems a bit lost in thought, and no more concubines attempt to bridge the gap. You'd been a talker at times, sure, but not with him. You'd not ever tried to get to know him anymore than necessary since coming here.
Your arrival wasn't a pleasant experience, but Sukuna had done what you needed him to, so you were content to keep your end of the bargain. You've stayed for him and picking up the slack around the shrine as needed, but never did you try to engage with him, as the others do. His harem isn't typical. The fifteen of you typically fulfill the maintenance of the shrine. He doesn't trust outsiders, so no servants are kept.
You used to worry when he left that someone would attack and kill you all, but when you voiced that concern to Marie, she shook her head and laughed before saying that some of the concubines were chosen for their combat abilities.
"Everyone here has a role," she had said.
But that wasn't true for you, was it?
Sukuna clears his throat. All the concubines rise nearly in sync, except you and May who are a second behind the others, and turn to leave. He reaches for your arm and you begin to tremble at the shock of the touch—his touch.
"Stay a moment." his rich voice drips with honey as amusement dances on his face as you turn back with apprehension on your face.
You'd never sought him out before. You weren't even sure if he knew your name. It'd been a little over a year since you had arrived, but you'd made yourself as scarce as possible to avoid this. Direct conversation with the master? Dangerous.
"Yes, sir."
His brows quirk up in amusement, "Polite thing, aren't you?"
Your nose twitches, and his observant eyes don't miss it. "I try to be."
He hums a raspy tone and replies with tired saccharine dripping from his words this time, "Don't you all."
He leans back in the water, and you fight the urge to squirm beneath his gaze. You aren't shy at this point, besides, he isn't looking at your body, he's looking at you, an infinitely worse option. You suddenly feel more bare than ever.
"You've been here for a month now, yet you haven't come to me for an assignment which leaves me to imagine that you're not worried about earning your keep."
You startle and shake your head before replying in a rush, words tumbling out only slightly jumbled, "No, I do try to earn my keep! I've just assumed I could find work on my own. You've been in and out of the shrine so often— Uraume told me to just do whatever needed to be done—"
He hums, and a light smirk crawls across his face. "I've noticed."
You feel your cheeks burn before you mumble back, "Of course you have—"
He tilts his head to the side, something in his eyes dances and makes your anxiety grow. "You have a nice voice. Why don't you speak more—ah—or is it just myself who you neglect? Your peers don't share that restraint."
"I haven't meant to neglect—"
He hums again, and the condescension in it makes your eye twitch. You knew he was a jackass, but experiencing and knowing are very different. The things he'd done to irritate the other concubines had, on more than one occasion, resulted in a sour mood for all of you. The close proximity made it contagious.
"No one means to leave the dogs unfed until they die of hunger, but the result is still the same."
You wouldn't die without me peacocking for your attention. You bite the inside of your lower lip to quell the urge to snap at him, and if his expression is to be trusted, he knows it too. Amusement once again flashes over his features.
Is he enjoying this?
"You'll stay at my side until I leave again. I like to know the people in my shrine." He says with a dismissive snort.
You frown. "Don't you like to be alone after—"
"I like to not be questioned." He reprimands.
Your eye twitches again at his assertion of authority. The continued power play wearies you quickly.
"Yes sir."
He hums and leans back against the smooth edge of the hot spring. His top set of eyes close, and you'd almost begun to imagine him asleep, if not for the way the lower ones remain locked onto you.
You hesitate for a moment with your hand still where he left it floating before he mumbles, "Don't tell me that you don't know how to do your job when the rest have left."
Sagely, you slide back into action like a wound up toy going back to its dance. Your hands go for his shoulders—the top ones— first. He lets out a soft hum of approval as you begin to work. The baker's dozen of thoughts swirling in your brain makes words form on your tongue like heavy weights, but his expression, just slightly pinched still with stress, makes it turn to syrup on your tongue, so you force yourself to swallow.
And so, that's how that interaction goes.
As you continue your efforts, you try to pay attention to him to gain some kind of information about him, although you don't know what to look out for. You notice that he winces when you press into his lower set of shoulders (perhaps he's ticklish? It's funny, the idea that the god could experience something so… human.) He doesn't tell you to stop, so you continue, mindful of what makes muscles spasm beneath your fingers and what does not. Occasionally, he releases a hum of what could be understood to be approval, and at other times, his lower set of eyes wrinkle up in disdain, which makes you quickly change course.
You sit there and drift around him well enough for a while after your fingers wrinkle. Eventually, he exits the water without warning. You lower your eyes in an effort to save their purity (a pathetic excuse, even by your standards).
You'd heard a lot about what he has… going on there. All of it must be misinformation though. Two of them? How does that even work, practically speaking? Every time all the concubines had gathered to help him bathe, you'd been very careful to avoid looking. Today was no exception.
Then again, you'd wondered about the rumors about him having four arms and eyes for the same reason. That doubt was…. obviously not worth the effort to dismiss.
You jolt when you hear him clear his throat, and you slide out of the water along with him and begin helping him dry off and moisturize.
He's incredibly meticulous. As you dry him off, he inspects his nails—claws— in case Marie left anything under the beds of them. Luckily for her, he fails to find any, and he once again relaxes into your hands. Your hands, which are void of the long nails usually maintained by typical concubines (the others agree, with one exception, that they're problematic when doing the labors of the shrine) work at his muscles again as the scented oils seem into his skin.
"Tell me about how the others feel about Iniko."
The order comes undiluted, and it makes you nearly balk.
"She's been a leading figure, Lord Sukuna. She's helped myself and the few after me get adjusted."
He quirks his brows up, as if questioning the recent accuracy of the situation. You sigh softly and shake your head.
"Usually," you add with reluctance.
He hums and looks off for a moment.
You sigh quietly, "She'd long since grown tired of this life, master."
But once you become a concubine, it's difficult to escape. Impossible, really, for everyone sans Sukuna's harem. It's rare, but you have seen him dismiss concubines. It's far more common for him to execute them, though. You can't help but resent the idea of him killing her.
"I think she's… bored. She's always been…" You falter a moment, debating whether or not to speak freely, "motherly. I think…"
"You think I should release her of her services so she can find a normal man? Is that what you all want?"
You wince at the way he spites that out. "Perhaps releasing her would be kind. As for the rest of them, I don't know, but several of the concubines enjoy being here." myself included sits on your tongue heavily. "Not all of us are family creatures." You end with a shrug, "but if I were allowed to advise you… yes, I'd push for you to release her without resentment."
It might be shocking to the villagers that whisper warnings about him, as though he's a creature that will snatch their children from their beds (which isn't completely incorrect, he does enjoy a… treat from time to time) that Sukuna does afford the concubines more lee-way that women could find anywhere else. Some take full advantage and live (essentially) like free birds, and only come here to roost. Save the fact they don't find a lover. You prefer to stay here and expand your collections of novels and paintings, having made no hobby of traveling. You've never been the traveling type, anyway, it'd always been outside of your reach.
"And you? Do you enjoy it here?"
It's a moment before you reply, but it's an earnest one, "Yes, Lord Sukuna, I do."
His brows quirk up in amusement and mockingly asks, "Are you not feeling the aches for motherhood? And a proper husband?"
You watch a moment as his arms flex as he half-way puts on clothing. As always, the front is left open and his sleeves are unused.
"I'm not terribly fond of the idea of being subservient to a man, my lord, nor risk my life in a dozen pregnancies for one." The bitterness in your tone is impossible to ignore.
He pauses a moment, and a sly smirk crosses his face before he chuckles dryly. "That's not as an uncommon sentiment as others will suggest."
You tilt your head in curiosity, "Really? I was always made to feel as if I was alone in this thought while at my… original home."
He shakes his head. You notice his expression sobering some as he disappears into a train of thought.
"No." He adds after a moment, his voice quiet, "No, you are not. You're one of the ones able to be free to speak about it, is all."
You bow your head. "I'm thankful for that, and much else of what you afford me."
He sighs and motions for you to get dressed. The fact that you'd forgotten your own nudity shocks you, and you feel heat rise into your cheeks as you stumble in your hast. This is a rare moment he could see you bare, though you don't feel his eyes wandering. It almost offends you before you chastise yourself for the thought. You'd always hoped whatever man you'd end up tied to wouldn't leer at you, yet here you are, a little hurt from the lack of attention.
You quickly put on clothes. Another thing you adore about being here is that modesty isn't enforced heavy. It's only Uraume, Sukuna, the rest of the concubines, so you rarely are full clothed during the summer, but when it's this cold, you have decided to layer.
Much to your chagrin, Sukuna is in the mood for conversation today, even as you struggle to put back on your clothing. You fingers are already stiff with the cold, and the cold you'd been blocking out in favor of behaving now has you shivering.
"Was that your assumption or directly from Iniko?"
His body radiates heat like a fire, and you find yourself a bit closer to him than normal in favor of it to the cold.
"Myself, master."
He hums quietly, "I see."
After that, it wasn't long before Sukuna spoke with Iniko. You never saw her return from the meeting. Though you did find it reassuring you didn't hear her screams, either, but it was beyond you to question Sukuna.
Over the next few days, you do as he said. You stick to his side except to sleep, and the other concubines, especially the more recent arrivals, notice. Without Iniko, you feel… a bit isolated. You'd grown to enjoy your friend's company. The rest of the concubines don't seem happy to have you around.
No matter, you're used to being left out.
You startle as you hear Uraume's knock on your door.
"The master's asking for you."
You call back to give you just a moment, and you finish the morning reset of your hair along with adding some liner around your eyes.
You cuss out loud as an old lullaby refuses to leave your mind. You begin to mumble it halfheartedly in an effort to rid yourself of it. It's one you haven't thought of in a decade or more. One your mother had shared with you.
"You scratch my hog, neighbor… One evening as the sun went down…" You huff quietly, "Stupid hillbilly tunes.."
One evening as the sun went down
and the jungle fire was burning
Down the track came a hobo hiking
And he said, "Boys I'm not turning"
You flip your hair to fluff it before turning back to the copper mirror to begin to pin it up with a new hairpin Sukuna had gotten for you during his trip.
I'm headed for a land that's far away
Besides the crystal fountains
So come with me, we'll go see
The big rock candy mountain
You struggle a bit as you try to braid your hair up quickly and neatly, ending up doing neither in the first attempt. You start over.
In the big rock candy mountain
There's a land that's fair and bright
Where the handouts grow on bushes
And you sleep out every night
You successfully tie up your hair on the second attempt.
Where the boxcars all are empty
And the sun shines every day
On the birds and the bees
And the cigarette trees
You drag yourself up and stifle the urge to continue the lullaby, but you can't stifle down the ache in your chest for the familiar scene of green back home.
The lemonade springs
Where the bluebird sings
In the big rock candy mountain
You walk out of your room and continue to hum, against your best efforts to stop, the familiar lullaby as you walk towards Sukuna's office. Unfortunately, you have to pass a group of the other concubines who send you a withering glare. It's the newer ones, else they wouldn't worry over you. You doubt they'll last long; Lord Sukuna abhors drama.
In the big rock candy mountain
All the cops have wooden legs
And the bulldogs all have rubber teeth
And the hens lay soft-boiled eggs
You sigh as you step into his office. Sukuna's leaned over a map with his brows furrowed in concentration. He doesn't react to your presence at first. But then you continue to hum, in your defense, it's nearly inaudible.
The farmers' trees are full of fruit
And the barns are full of hay
Oh, I'm bound to go
Where there ain't no snow
"What in the infernal are you humming about?"
You startle, "Sorry, I woke up with it stuck in my head. I barely registered I was doing it."
He scoffs and folds up the map, "Is it something I'd be aware of?"
Where the rain don't fall
The winds don't blow
In the big rock candy mountain
"No." you conclude. "Probably not."
In the big rock candy mountain
You never change your socks
And the little streams of alcohol
Come trickling down the rocks
"You're doing it again, coyote, when did you turn into a songbird?" This time he sounds less irritated as he settles in behind his desk. His hand twitches at his side, likely due to him trying to retrieve some information from within the cobwebs of his mind.
He's gotten bad about that lately. Not forgetful, just… lost within the piles of work he's beneath. He mentally berates himself for becoming so lost within his work. Perhaps he should slow down for a month or so and recoup.
"Sorry." You mutter in chastisement, "Have you forgotten something?"
He glances your way, and his hand stops twitching, "Hand me that book from behind you and sit down."
You reach up to the book he referred to and pass it his way before sitting down on the couch nearby. As he begins to glide through the book, skimming it; it appears like the song threatens to bubble out of you again. With a sigh he waves a hand to you to continue.
"Can't be that long." he mumbles.
The brakemen have to tip their hats
And the railway bulls are blind
There's a lake of stew and of whiskey too
You can paddle all around it in a big canoe
In the big rock candy mountain
I'll see all this coming fall
In the big rock candy mountain
"You were right, little coyote; I don't know it."
You huff quietly as the hold of the lullaby slowly drifts from you. "I'm sorry, Lord Sukuna, that happens from time to time, and I'm unsurprised that you haven't it's not a very popular one."
"Do you just know the tune or the words too?"
"Both."
He hums as he flips the page. "I see. Why don't you let me hear that pretty voice some, then?"
A few months pass and the other concubines continue to intermingle with one another, accidentally leaving you out (or so you hope, anyway). Sukuna's presence looms over the shrine as he recovers from his recent conquests, but you pay no attention to him. After being at his hip for a week, you're far more comfortable with his presence. He'd harassed the manners out of you. Instead, you fixate on the new koi and goldfish pond you've been having constructed. You need the plants to be well established before putting in goldfish because they'll rip them up, so you've been heavily concerned with supporting their growth. Additionally, the builders have been reticent to heed your demands.
Beyond infuriating.
"No. I need it to extend there so the birds don't eat my fish! The trees will keep them covered. They're expensive imports—" You fight to keep your voice even and untouched by anger, but it appears you're going to fail. There's a tightness in your words that makes the builders scoff.
"Listen, lady, why don't we just ask the master of the house—"
"Do you want to die, gentleman?" you ask in exasperation. "Lord Sukuna doesn't waste his time on the things he has imparted upon others. If you insist on seeing him, I can't ensure you'll be able to go home."
The men exchange glances; one of the quiet ones pipes up, "If it isn't to his tastes then they can bring us back."
The more assertive (translation: asshole) one of the bunch barks, "Yeah, and have him call us back to be executed because this broad don't know what to do? I don't know much about fish, but certainly he wouldn't wish to lose the tree because we weakened the root system—"
You stifle a huff and rub your temples. This wouldn't have been a problem if you didn't have to use a new company. The others have been… unavailable. You imagine it's because of how terribly Sukuna had terrified them during the last construction. You'd been in a foul mood because of the frequent occurrence of backtalk you've been receiving lately. More and more of the concubines have been dismissed, and it appears the respect for a concubine of Sukuna's has diminished. You feel a sort of childish annoyance bubble up within you as the men continue to speak as if you are nothing. Not to mention the increased work load resulting from fifteen dwindling down to just you.
Still, you hesitate to bother Sukuna. After all, it isn't as if you had asked if you could build the pond. You'd merely helped yourself to the funds and excused your behavior by rationalizing it as what was owed to you. Though you know you really are indebted to Lord Sukuna whether he cares to point it out or not.
Not that you worry about if he'll hurt you. You fully doubt such a thing, although that might be just a blind spot of yours; you weren't above thinking yourself too good a servant to be hurt by him despite you doing very little to earn that. Uraume seems to believe you do enough, though, which is where you gain that confidence.
Besides, Sukuna never uses his money on himself anyway. He has so much in conquests you couldn't make a dent in if you tried.
The asshole senses your indecision and tries to capitalize on it. "Yeah, I wanna talk to the master here, man to man."
"More like plebeian to god, but okay," you mumble back (you don't acknowledge the man's scoff) before turning on your heel to lead them into the shrine towards where you can sense Sukuna's malevolence spilling from his throne room. You're not particularly gifted in whatever powers he and Uraume share, but you can sense it, and you've been around Sukuna enough to sense his moods which tie in with his energy. He seems… bored, perhaps a tad annoyed already.
You lead them into the room with your head held high and peer up at him. He's draped across the throne with his legs spread wide, clearly content to take up the entire room. Two arms lay in his lap, while the other set lays on the arm rests, one fist propping up his head as his four eyes take in your appearance, the furs keeping you warm feel heavier underneath his gaze, along with the builders behind you. His upper half is covered by the top with open sides for his arms which you'd crafted for him a few months ago while you were busy learning how to crotchet (you hadn't stuck long with the craft— too time consuming). Your lips twitch in amusement at the sight, pleased that he wore it to keep the chill of the cold winter day off him.
His lips also curl, but it's something more sinister. You feel a frown creep along your lips as you catch his gaze. He knows now that you've been spending his money as if it's yours.
Mi dinero es su dinero, no?
"Master Sukuna, these men have declared I am not sufficient to be in advisement." You drawl lowly as you bow simply.
He hums, "I was unaware, little coyote, that we had employed them."
You huff quietly, "Because I was going to surprise you..."
He releases a low, almost nefarious laugh, "Mhm. Surprise me by stealing money from my coffers?"
You feel heat creep up your cheeks, "I'd hoped you wouldn't notice…"
He tilts his head to the side, at some point he had raised his head to from his fist to behold you, "There is nothing here I do not see, coyote."
You puff out a sigh and turn to reveal the builders. "I recognize my ignorance."
He hums and dryly replies, "Yet you won't apologize. Unsurprisingly."
It's your turn to tilt you head to the side, hair shifting with the motion. "I didn't see a need."
He waves a hand dismissively and looked to the builders, none the more bothered by your behavior. "What is so pressing and worthy of discourse that you would run to me after being told by her the correct action?"
The asshole steps forward and gives an untrained bow to Sukuna as he speaks, "Women typically overstep without a firm hand." Sukuna's lips twitch as he beholds the way your eye twitches.
"I'd believed she'd done just that, and it appears I was correct—"
You turn to inspect the flowers you'd placed in a vase nearly a month ago. They'd not begun to rot yet, interestingly. You take a sniff of them, and the sweetness is just as pure as when you had them installed before the cold set in. Sukuna had pretended to dislike them, but seeing them still in bloom and thriving, shows you the truth. He'd well received the offering despite it.
"Ah, so you believe my concubine unintelligent. I'm almost insulted on her behalf."
You airly reply, "No need to be, Master, I'm irritated enough for the both of us."
A grin slides across his features lazily as his eyes drift back over to you. He almost prefers you draped in expensive furs during the winter than nearly nude in the summer. You look good in expensive refinery. Though, he does more the loss of your figure beneath the clothing.
"Is that so, my coyote? Has the man displeased you so?"
You hum back as you toy with the flowers, taking a moment to appreciate the velvet feel of the petals briefly before turning from them. "Quite so, my lord."
He hums, "Come."
You patter to his side nearly silently, lined woolen boots making nary a sound on the floor. He reaches to you and toys with the ends of your hair momentarily. "I prefer it down like this."
You feel your lips quirk up, "I'm coming to prefer it this way as well."
He hums back, eyes temporarily locked on the hair before he withdraws his hand from your hair and returns his attention to the men. "I still can't shake the insult, coyote."
You tilt your head quizzically, "I—" You interrupt yourself with a hum of consideration, "Nor can I, but I want the pond built. I want the fish in it by mid-summer. We're already nearly out of winter."
He rolls his eyes and mumbles, "You and your damn fish."
"Me and my damn fish," you agree lightly, "but I saw you lingering near the other pond. You enjoy them as well."
He huffs quietly, "I prefer my money."
You tilt your head as if in consideration and shake your head, "I don't though."
He gruffly huffs at you and lets his hand fall from your hair and back into his lap. His attention turns back to the builders for a moment. His brows furrow.
"You still haven't apologized?" he dryly says, more like an observation than a question. "How hard will it be for you to find new builders?"
You blink at the question, "Well, the old group I like better may be convinced to return after the daddy gets back… You keep the young boys run off, but I wouldn't be able to have my pond built in time then…"
He glances your way, seemingly debating something for a moment. His lower set of eyes never leave intruders. "Is it that—"
"YES." you huff petulantly. "Can't import the fish during the winter."
He sighs before responding in disinterest, "Listen to what she asks of you. If I get bothered by you again, your wives will have to find another source of income or starve next winter."
The builders nod, all expect the asshole in the front, who stars hard lines into your skull, as if Sukuna backing your decision without hearing them out is something you've done to irritate him. You narrow your eyes back at him, briefly weighing the chances the other two will flee if you have him gutted.
You don't like the odds.
"Well!" you chirp as you clap your hands together and begin to pull away from Sukuna's arms, "Thank you for that, Master, we'll be on our way—"
"And you will have to repay me." he purrs, "Privately, I suppose, for what you've procured."
He turns his attention back to the builders, "How much did we agree to pay?"
The smaller builder replies fearfully, "Around ten thousand yen, m'lord."
Sukuna leans back on his throne and rubs his temples, "ten thousand."
You jump back towards him and bend down slightly while cooing, "It's a solid price, Lord Sukuna, it'll take them a few weeks to build it to my specifications."
He hums and glances your way, "I'll be expecting interest on it."
You continue out the door, and you attempt to ignore the feeling of his eyes on the back of your neck and your…
Well, that's just an assumption.