Chapter Text
This was the worst case scenario.
Megumi couldn’t help thinking as he stared at the (very likely) possessed teen.
Itadori had his back to Megumi, his body hadn’t moved even as the last pieces of the curse disintegrated around him. Clawed (and wasn’t that alarming) hand still raised slightly in the direction of where the creature once existed.
If it weren’t for the aforementioned claws, the black markings Megumi could barely make out creeping along the back of Itadori’s neck, and the wild miasma of aura that threatened to choke him where he stood, he could almost be fooled into thinking that the being that stood before him might’ve still been-
A choked sound forces him out of his thoughts, forcing his complete focus back to the scene in time to watch Itadori’s body lurch forward slightly as the teen desperately takes in shaky, gasping breaths. The hand that had been raised before now lowered in a way that looked like it was pressing against Itadori’s chest.
(It might have been the head injury and darkness playing tricks on him, but it looked like Itadori’s body was trembling.)
Was he wrong?
He shifts in place, torn between trying to help the (maybe-possibly not actually possessed?) clearly distressed teen, and trying to exorcize the curse before it can get its bearings.
Is Itadori still-
The soft crunch of his shoe shifting against the roof rips the decision away from him entirely, the quiet sound being enough to snap the figure in front of him out of its confusion, Itadori’s body going eerily still.
For a moment, Megumi thought it had stopped breathing entirely.
But then-
It turned and-
Looked-
At-
Him .
There was probably something to be said about the universe’s cruel sense of humor (or dramatics) that that was the exact moment the clouds decided to part, bathing the scene in pale moonlight and allowing Megumi to see more clearly.
Megumi stared at the being that was once Itadori Yuuji.
It stared back with four red eyes that almost seemed to be glowing in the moonlight, expression unreadable. The black markings Megumi had spotted on Itadori’s neck were also on his face, framing the expression in a way that only served to unsettle him more.
(Its stance was almost defensive, there were gashes in Itadori’s sweatshirt where its clawed hand had dug into the material. Megumi couldn't even begin to read into it.)
Itadori- no- Ryoumen Sukuna just stared at him, blank and unmoving. It came with a feeling that made his skin crawl, like every inch of his very being was being studied and dissected with merely a look.
The oppressive, malicious aura had intensified with the curse focusing its sole undivided attention on Megumi. If he thought it was choking him before, it was outright smothering him now.
He couldn’t breathe.
He was frozen in place, trapped in some sort of hellish staring contest with the King of Curses. It hadn’t done anything and some part of Megumi’s mind irrationally thought that if he tried anything it would break the standstill that held them both.
What idiotic thinking. The more rational part of his mind thought.
Evidently the curse had thought so too, as it had decided to break the tension itself.
He barely processed that it had moved until it had already done so. His body registered the sudden pain in his upper arm before his eyes caught up.
The being had crossed the space between the two of them in an instant, snatching his upper arm in a crushing grip, fingers digging in deep enough that, assuming those claws hadn’t torn through his skin outright, would be more than enough to cause some sort of damage to the limb.
(Not that it will matter much in the end. He was going to die either way.)
They were face-to-face now, something that only made the very act of breathing even more strenuous than before. He tried to snatch his arm out of the curse’s grasp, only for the thing to tighten its grip on his arm, eliciting a pained gasp from him (if the claws hadn’t broken skin before, they certainly had now).
The curse narrowed its eyes at him. It still hadn’t spoken a word.
Something in its expression shifts and Megumi can't help but brace himself.
He expected it to eviscerate him in the same way it had done to the other curse moments prior.
He barely even notices what the curse was actually doing until a few seconds pass, and he realizes he was no longer feeling any pain from the injuries he had received earlier.
What?
He jolts away from the curse. It allows him to do so this time, releasing his arm and drawing its (Itadori’s) own back.
Just as quickly as it had approached him, it had backed out of Megumi’s personal space and arm’s reach.
Almost immediately he was able to breathe with relative ease again, the aura suddenly feeling far less oppressive (but not completely gone) with the sudden distance between himself and the curse.
Had it-
Had it healed him?!
The pain from his earlier injuries was completely gone, the cooling blood on his skin and hair was the only remaining sign of his injuries.
A quick glance at his arm showed that his sleeve was damaged but not enough to reveal the skin underneath; he suspected the only thing he might find would be dried blood if he got the chance to check.
(He tries not to think about the wet crimson he could glimpse on the clawed fingers.)
He looked back at the curse, knowing his confusion and apprehension was on full display for the thing to see.
Why would it have healed him?!
Something in the way it was holding itself had changed, but Megumi couldn’t quite name what it was. There was something that almost looked like…satisfaction curling in its eyes now, something that only unsettled Megumi more.
It takes another step back, before suddenly freezing in place, one of its hands (the non-bloodied one) suddenly roughly grabbing its own jaw.
”Hey, what do you think you’re doing with my body? Give it back.” A voice sounded out across the rooftop.
That was-
Itadori?
The curse (Itadori??) blinks, a bewildered expression (that Megumi no doubt mirrored his own) flashing across its face for a moment before vanishing just as quickly, replaced with muted curiosity.
And for the first time since he had incarnated in the modern era, Ryoumen Sukuna the King of Curses spoke.
“Oh? And who might you be, Little Vessel?” It spoke, voice low and containing a strange, almost softness to it that greatly contrasted the oppressive aura that still hung loosely around Megumi’s neck. It had a slight rasp to it, akin to the way a person’s voice gets after a period of disuse.
The curse’s (or was it Itadori?) eyes flicked over to Megumi for a moment, its crimson eyes now having a gold-ish hue to them now.
“I’m the guy whose body you’re currently using. Now give it back.” Itadori’s response was indignant, and if it weren’t for the severity of the situation it might have even been humorous.
The curse seemed to think it was if the amused sound it gave as response was any indication.
Its next words were so quiet Megumi nearly missed what it said next.
“And what would you do if I were to refuse?” It murmured, curious amusement practically dripping from its quiet words, as if the thing was actually interested in whatever response Itadori might give. The hand grabbing its jaw twitches, the grip tightening slightly.
Megumi’s blood runs even colder at those words. That was right, regardless of the curse’s strange actions thus far, it was still a very, very dangerous curse actively in the process of possessing Itadori’s body.
But what could he do?
Could he even do anything?
“Then I’d just take it back!” The pink-haired teen angrily and vehemently proclaimed, startling Megumi with how sure he sounded, how confident he was about his ability to reclaim his own body from the King of Curses himself.
A pause…
And then-
Ryoumen Sukuna laughed.
It was the short kind of laughter, the sharp burst of sound that comes when a person experiences something so unbelievable that that’s the only reaction they can give.
Megumi could only assume it was the sheer audacity Itadori was displaying that provoked such a reaction.
But no… The curse didn’t look offended or outraged.
It looked absolutely delighted by something Itadori had done, and that only made Megumi’s skin crawl more, especially when he couldn’t understand just what was causing this.
And then the being spoke again, its voice loud enough to carry across the rooftop.
“There is no need for that, Vessel. You are free to have it. ”
What?
Why would it-?
Almost as soon as it had said its piece, the markings on Itadori’s body began to fade, the malicious aura disappearing alongside it.
The eyes were the last thing to go, fading from red back to Itadori’s normal color, the second set of eyes closing into scar-like lines underneath his eyes.
Itadori blinks, looking to be in complete control of his body again.
Megumi could only stare with bated breath.
“That was…” The other teen starts, mild confusion painting his features. “That was easier than I thought it would be…” He looks at Megumi. “Is it normally that easy? He didn’t even try to resist or fight back once I started pulling him back…”
And wasn’t that unnerving? Megumi thought. The idea that the King of Curses would be so…cooperative.
Was Itadori actually in control? Or was the Curse merely toying with them?
Itadori blinks again, before tilting his head back slightly. “Ooh, that’s weird.”
Megumi looks at him with wide eyes, not bothering to hide his concern. “Itadori?”
The pink-haired teen looks over at him, pointing at his temple. “He’s still here, not really doing anything, he’s kinda just… chilling?” He blinks again, “He’s telling me to ‘pay him no mind’.”
That was… concerning actually. Megumi was about to voice his concerns when the teen suddenly spoke up again.
“Hey! You don’t get to complain about the noise! You’re the one in my head!” Itadori argues with the air, going quiet as if listening for something before giving a small huff of frustration. “Well it wasn’t mine either-”
Itadori cuts himself off, before opening his mouth again-
Whatever else Itadori was going to say is cut off by another voice sounding out from right beside Megumi, startling the black haired teen.
”Yo, how’s the situation?”
”Gojo-sensei!?”