-Malleus-
Thankfully enough, I managed to wiggle myself out of Kuroki's grasp. For whatever reason, she was very determined to get me in the mood, and she certainly managed. However, as frustrated as I was, and how enticing the prospect of a good lay may have been, I wasn't about to stick it inside a woman whom I barely even knew.
Of course, my words had seemed to bounce off the charcoal-skinned Oni's head, and just the next morning, and the following days after, she started treating me like, well…
''I can eat by myself, Kuroki.'' I reminded, frowning at the Oni, who held one stew-filled spoon close to my lips. ''I'm not a child.''
Immediately, the woman shook her head. ''Mothe—Chief said this, as many others, are tasks Kuroki has to do. Being mate requires it.'' With her other hand firmly below the spoon, she insisted on pressing the cutlery and delicious-smelling food—That I made—as close to my lips as possible.
'Pff…' My eyebrow twitched.
My lips were thinly pressed against each other before I opened my mouth. These past days, my teeth had fully sharpened, and now they were fully like those of other Oni.
'Not a word, Sukuna…'
'I haven't said anything, you brat.' The woman scoffed, even if I knew she was evilly amused at my predicament. 'I couldn't care less about the riffraff that wants to take a bite out of you. We have a deal, and that's the end of that.'
I call bullshit.
Mostly because I saw a mental image of her, lazily sprawled on the steps of her creepy shrine, with her kimono barely containing her shaking chest as silent chuckles escaped past her lips.
At this point, I bet any kind of suffering on my part was a treat for the old hag.
I munched on the stew silently. I couldn't even get that mad because, unnoticed by most, Kuroki… was very expressive.
Fingers twitching slightly, her lips barely made a small upturn. Most noticeable of all, her crimson eyes gained an excited hint.
…It was somewhat entertaining to see, I'll say.
Instead, I side-glared at the other, taller, and even more amused Oni that was the Chief itself. Since I was living in their home for the meantime, we have been eating meals as a group.
And now, the mother of the Oni that wanted to tear my clothes off was barely holding her own chuckles, shoulders shaking, as she looked at the scene with amused, maroon-colored eyes.
''Silence,'' I demanded, glaring with the full intensity of my eyes.
''I—Pfff—I do not know what you mean?'' Chief Orikita replied with a tone filled with fake innocence. ''I have nay spoken word, have I, daughter?''
Kuroki, bless her heart, simply looked confused. Or, as confused as she could be with a completely impassive face, before nodding along with her mother. ''Yes. Chief hasn't spoken.''
I took a deep sigh, resting my head on my fist. ''Forget it—Mhn!''
Another spoonful of stew being directly shoved into my throat by the overexcited Oni silenced me.
On the other hand, my personal progress has been going… more or less smoothly, since I was always training.
The punch I had begun calling 'Rippling Fist', due to its nature of pushing waves of cursed energy into the target to rip them from the inside, was hard to replicate.
I managed to get it to work once or twice, but it was unreliable. The timing had to be just right, like I was trying to put force into the blow after I punched, instead of right at the moment of contact.
On the other hand, blocking with my Infinity has been getting easier. The more I use these eyes of mine, the lesser the strain becomes in the long while, and that lets me have Infinity on for longer.
My current limit was around an hour before my eyes started to hurt, but that was more than the… minute and a half? That I could do three days ago.
As for what I meant by ''always'' training… Sukuna was very damn creative in her training methods. Must be because of all the fucking time she has to waste inside my head!
''Faster, brat.'' Sukuna boredly commanded as I strained myself by simply walking. ''A mule without cursed energy would have been faster. Cannot even make use of your own name, now can you?''
''The fuck… is that… supposed to mean!'' I grunted as the cart, which I was pulling with two tight ropes, scraped against the ice and snow on the ground.
Also, I freaking doubted that a mule could pull this faster, because by the absurd pile of fruits, dried meats, and vegetables on the cart, I could guess that this thing weighed a ton and then some.
At first, it was mere volunteer work. The Chief was hesitant, and the farmers too. However, this was one of the times where putting my foot down actually worked.
That sense of respect they already held for me, and the fight I had won the other day, went a long way to keep the illusion of me being stronger than I looked. So, I helped around by mostly carrying things. Of course, that's when this big idea occurred.
Meaning, it was Sukuna's idea for me to carry a week's worth of supplies for the village from the outskirts of the freezing tundra all the way to the center plaza. Most of these foods were completely frozen, and while that did wonders for conservation, it also doubled down on increasing the weight of the load by a bit.
''Besides… Easy for you to say… you hag.'' I grunted, pushing another step forward. ''You fucking broke…haa…the wheels on this thing!''
Yes, Sukuna, in her great 'teaching' method, had used one of her 'forcibly controlling' my body times to slash the wheels of the cart into splinters.
''I could do this in my sleep, you lazy scum. Now get to it. If I don't have anything to eat by noon, I'm chopping off your arm and eating it.'' A shiver went down my spine at her serious tone, before an evil chuckle followed after ''I'm not regenerating it back either. Better hurry up, prudish brat.''
''…You can be a fucking bitch when you want to—Fuck!'' I bit down on my lower lip, drawing blood.
I released the cart, making the wood creak as it hit the snowy ground with all the weight it was carrying. I tasted copper in my mouth that I quickly spit out, and glared daggers at my left hand.
Specifically, at the pinky finger, which is now missing. I hissed, seeing it drip with blood. The cut was clean; there was not even flesh ripped off, or loose skin, simply cut, not even the bone was broken or splintered.
And that missing digit was now lying on the snow and ice below, tainting it red with blood.
''Sukuna, you're a petty bastard, you know that, right?'' It didn't hurt nearly as much as I thought it would. It was more annoying than anything.
The mouth on my neck laughed, sharp teeth stretched into a wide smile. My right arm suddenly felt stiff, and I saw my hand become filled with tattoos for a moment. Annoyed, I let the arm do as it pleased as it picked up the finger and…
''…That's disgusting,'' I muttered over the sound of teeth crunching bone and meat. Thankfully, I was not tasting my own finger as Sukuna's mouth swallowed it whole. The nauseating feeling churning in my stomach was more than enough. ''You done? The sun is rising, and I need to get this thing back to the village.''
Why were the crop farms that far? Where, even, was the darn green forest? I haven't seen it again since I've stepped foot into this place!
''Maybe I am, maybe I'm not.'' She hummed, and a shiver went down my spine as the feeling of a tongue barely touching my neck as Sukuna licked her 'lips'. ''I'll say, your meat is not half bad~.''
On another occasion, I would have done a joke, but I preferred to keep the rest of my fingers.
''So… are you going to let my arm go or…'' The following evil chuckles were enough. ''Are you really going to waste your fifteen minutes today to make me lose time and munch on my arm?!''
''You're getting more perceptive, good for you, brat.'' The Oni mocked while patting my left shoulder with my own arm. ''Now get going. It will be hard to explain how the strong 'Dehorned' lost an arm by carrying mere supplies, right? Ha!''
Pettiest motherfucker alive, I swear to God—Fuck!
''Weak devils cannot say that name, brat,'' Sukuna scoffed.
''…Of—fucking—course.'' I sighed.
Now I had a left hand missing a finger, even if the bleeding had strangely stopped on its own, and Sukuna taking my right arm as a hostage so she could later on fuck me over with the Oni village and munch on my damn arm.
How was I even supposed to take all of these things back to the village? It was already hard without the wheels and my two arms. So…
'Hm. That thing I did before…' I frowned, scratching my chin with my only available hand as I stared with bandaged eyes into the wood of the cart, as if it had the answers to my musing. ''Best shot I got, but Sukuna, if this is your idea of training, then you are one horrible teacher.''
''This isn't working…'' I huffed, slowly walking behind the wheel-less cart. The snow and ice below it parted slowly as it was pushed inch by inch. ''Nifty trick, I guess…''
I had tried pushing instead of pulling, using my shoulder and cursed energy, but it was getting me nowhere, and wasting too much time and effort. Instead, I tried using Infinity to do the work for me.
Since it's supposed to impede things from reaching my body, if I deactivated it and placed my hand right on the wooden cart, then activated it again, the cart was pushed by at least half an inch.
''It's too slow, the sun is getting higher,'' I grunted in frustration, glaring at my still tattooed yet unresponsive right arm.
''Come on, I know I can push this further than that.'' I thought to myself, remembering my fight with the hunter Oni I had learnt was named Oriwa. ''If I could push that brick-wall of a woman, then I should be able to push this with some effort.''
…What if I used a bit more cursed energy?
Unraveling the cloth around my eyes, I looked straight at my stretched hand and tried to get a feel for it. Infinity, previously being a sort of invisible wall, was now… somewhat visible.
I couldn't see the barrier itself, but the cursed energy that made up its composition. It was a thin, bubblegum pink colored energy that came from my lower torso, and all the way to the rest of my body, covering even the smallest hair follicle.
The reason behind regular attacks stopping before tearing apart my clothes was that the energy of Infinity could be pushed outwards, making it cover a far larger area.
For example, with a bigger area, an arrow shot from a bow could stop around two inches away from my chest, but if the area of effect was small enough, it would stop millimeters away from touching me instead.
The main reason I focused on improving my usage of Infinity was that now, I was not wasting nearly as much energy on it.
But what happens if I try to take… a portion of it?
A small, invisible ball of Infinity rested on the tip of my finger. The color fluctuated between the pink of the technique and the red of my own cursed energy.
I took a deep breath and pushed more energy into it; the ball got bigger, and instinctively, I knew that it had actually become visible.
''Stay still, you little shit…'' I huffed as the energy became unstable. Thankfully, the Eyes of Mystery allowed me to catch these things early. Otherwise, this thing could have possibly exploded on my face. ''…There?''
The clashing red and pink… became a pale blue. The small sphere was actually sucking in the air around it, as if it had a gravitational pull of its own.
…Was this even safe to use, actually? Hmm.
''Eh, if I die because of a small ball of energy, it was natural selection at that point.'' I shrugged.
''Smartest thing I've heard out of your mouth.''
''Fuck off,'' Rolling my eyes at the annoying Oni's words, I pushed the blue light with my fingertip against the cart, and, surprisingly enough, it started to move. ''…It's moving towards me, though.''
Indeed, the cursed technique was actually just slowly pulling the cart towards me, instead of the direction I was supposed to go. However, I simply walked to the front of the cart… and started walking backwards while concentrating on the blue light not falling apart.
The snow rustled as the cart moved, faster than by just using Infinity, but still a little slow.
Hmm… Maybe just a bit more?
-Sukuna-
The Queen of Curses raised an amused brow while lazily lying on the bloodied waters of her Inner Domain. The devil brat had been too tame for her liking, and while she had to follow up the conditions of the Binding Vow, that didn't mean she was not getting impatient.
'Peaceful times just make meek, mediocre, and unremarkable little morsels.'' She huffed, one of her pointy nails scraping her left fang in boredom. 'Though I didn't expect him to figure out part of his technique so fast.'
It would have been more remarkable if the impatience of the idiotic white-haired brat wasn't greater than the potential he held within.
''Just a bit more energy, and this should get a little faster—Shit!'' Sukuna saw through the eye resting on the brat's neck, how he put way too much energy into the already oversaturated ball of gravitational pull. ''…Uuugh.''
The result was the ball itself collapsing and pushing the cart away from him, and making many a fruit, meat, and vegetable fall from the sudden movement.
And now, he was staring daggers at one finger of his remaining four as if it had personally offended him.
''And you were on your way to become a half-decent mailman.'' Sukuna mocked, grinning, knowing perfectly well she was the reason for the man's most probable lateness. ''A shame, isn't it? Say, do you think there's more than salt and pepper on that bore of a village?''
''Fucking choke on it, Sukuna. You're not eating my arm.'' The man replied, smacking the place where her eye and mouth were resting, a moment too late as she made them appear on the arm she was holding hostage. ''…I'll gouge that eye out one day.''
Ignoring the brat's mumbling, she focused on the progress he had been making instead.
More than once, she had caught the brat's mind comparing that devil he wanted to kill so much with her, to the point it almost annoyed her. However, she didn't remember if the name 'Rizevim' was important; that was the other Youkai's job, but the memory the brat held told Sukuna that whoever that devil was, he had a modicum of strength, at least.
'Bah… The other man was vastly more interesting, that 'Worthless'… I wonder just how far it could be pushed.'
That was another thing the Queen did when she was bored. It was no surprise that she had a liking for a good fight, and while she had definitely got one, that was too long ago, a lot of interesting techniques could be developed in a mere century, and she didn't know just how long it was since her sealing.
However, there was one thing that she had noticed.
'It's further down north now.' The eye on the brat's cheek looked at the icy, mild weather. While normally, the snow would be too thick to see past, with the brat's eyes, it was easier to see far ahead. 'Just out of view, and that is causing all this? What a coward.'
One of them was near. One of her 'fragments'.
Why her body was split into pieces in the first place was a mystery. After she had fallen, that was it. No second chance. She lived the way she pleased… and had died, too. However, there was some bastard who dared to split her being into cursed objects.
''Uraume and that drunkard would no doubt have killed the bastard by now…' Sukuna huffed, looking away from the direction of the cursed energy that hid along the storm, to focus back on the brat, who had managed to pull the cart alongside him without blowing it up and scattering the foods all over the snow again. 'That is, if they were even alive by now.'
That would have been inconvenient. Mostly the former, considering how bothersome it would be to get a new chef…
'…The brat's cooking is not half bad, however.' Sukuna frowned, clicking her tongue at how annoying it would be to get the brat cooking with one arm less.
''I changed my mind,'' With a flick of her hand, the brat's right arm was freed from the possession, much to his surprise. ''You're cooking me something once we get back, and I'm not dealing with you carelessly wasting ingredients by being a clumsy piece of crap.''
The white haired devil blinked, clenching and unclenching his right arm before giving it a raised eyebrow. ''Well, who's being weird now? Ah, am I growing on the big, bad, terrible curse? I knew you had a heart, below the damn fat of your chest and a thousand rows of rot-covered daggers.''
An annoyed tick appeared on the Queen's head as her smile tightened. The temptation to leave the brat completely un-armed was oh so tempting. ''…Do not test me, you insolent weakling. Now hurry up before I snack on your carotid.''
Really, it may have been better to stay dead if the other option was dealing with this nuisance every single day.
-Malleus-
''Thank you, strong one!''
''Dehorned, dehorned, dehorned~''
''We apologize for cart durability! Forgive us, strong one!''
I shrugged off both apologies and praise from the villagers. The broken cart lay in the middle of the plaza. Vendor and civilians alike were doing a line-up and getting their respective amounts of food.
Of course, to make it so it's not a mess of rowdy Oni, some stronger hunters surrounded the cart and handed out the things themselves if necessary.
Among them, I noticed a copper-skinned Oni glaring daggers my way. Oriwa's frown was the same as that night, only that now, her left lower fang was just ever so slightly out of place.
Apparently, Oni could regenerate quite well. Growing bone and flesh was not out of the question, but it heavily depended on the one doing it.
''Malleus.'' A flat voice spoke through the crowd, to which I paid more attention than to the villagers I knew nothing about.
Turning my head to the side, the charcoal-black form of Kuroki approached. The way hunter and civilian alike parted as she walked told me the degree of respect they held for the chief's daughter. Though it was no wonder, Kuroki was plenty strong, after all.
'Better than the everyday trash.' Sukuna hummed. 'Though trash in a golden bag is still trash.'
'I do not know what is weirder, that you care enough to give your opinion on it, or that comment being the closest thing to praise I've heard from you.' I jabbed back for no reason other than being petty after the curse's extremist training regime, before stepping forward to the expectant Oni. ''Yes, Kuroki?''
The taller woman's eye glinted with happiness, as it did each time I used her name for some reason.
I conducted some research over the past few days, and I now understand where I went wrong in my cultural approach. First of all, being addressed by name and not job or charge was a bit personal.
Second was feeding the Oni, preparing her food even as a guest, which is seen as the work of a provider.
And third, to seal the darn coffin of my missed clues, was giving her my 'family' name, which was seen as a claim of sorts. Why were names so important in the first place? I did not know.
However, this particular bout of happiness born of addressing her by name was purely a Kuroki thing, and not the common norm.
''Chief… She looking for you.'' She informed me, her hand moved, only to pause mid-way. ''…Private, she said. Important. Kuroki… scolts you?''
The way she tried to spend time with me, even in the short walk I knew by memory now, was… somewhat adorable.
Looking at her hesitant hand, I huffed and took it. Her digits clenched minutely in surprise before I tightened the grip between our hands, which is what she wanted in the first place: to hold my hand on the way to her home.
With my perfect eyesight, I could see some Oni looking amazed at each other. However, I chose to ignore the fact and start walking. Kuroki didn't fall behind and easily kept pace with her longer stride.
''Malleus injured.'' Kuroki suddenly whispered as we walked. Her split eyes looked at the hand I was using to hold hers. The left one that missed a pinky and was covered in cloth. ''…Malleus needs medical care? Kuroki can provide.''
''I'm alright, Kuroki.'' I squeezed her hard, softly. Though, considering the way her head tilted minutely to the side at the gesture, she may not know it was a show of reassurance. ''Do you believe me so weak that this is somehow a problem? Be reassured, it's of no complication.''
I bit my inner cheek at the way Kuroki's impassive face turned to the side. Damn her and the way she looked like a kicked puppy without even showing any expression, and damn these eyes for showing me the way her shoulders slightly slumped over, as if dejected, and how her step faltered by nothing more than a second.
''However… If it's for your own peace of mind, I'll let you treat my wounds.'' I relented, much to her slight surprise. ''It is one of your… mate duties, is it not? Do as you please then.''
I would have enjoyed how Kuroki's eyes gained a determined hint, and how she started walking faster, making me try and keep pace, if it wasn't for the mocking chuckle inside my head.
'Getting softer for the first little morsel that tries to get into your pants?' The curse questioned, a hint of mocking glee in her voice.
'Fuck off, Sukuna.' I grumbled internally.
'Make me, spineless brat.' The image of the coral-pink-haired woman with a shark-like grin was enough to dissuade me of that notion. 'That's what I thought, coward.'
This woman was testing my patience, I swear to God—Ow!
Motherfucker! What do devils even curse to, if not their biggest enemy in biblical history! This fucking race was bullshit!
''Thank you for the short-notice arrival, Dehorned one. There was a particular matter that I wished to discuss with you.'' Unlike the last time I've interacted with Chief Orikita, this time, her face was tight into a displeased frown.
Her 'office' in question was nothing more than her bedroom, re-purposed with a small table between the two of us, which held two small cups and a gourd I was sure had some sort of hard alcohol in it. She sat with her legs crossed, while I preferred to use the more respectful approach of sitting on my legs.
''As always, it's no problem.'' I waved off the woman's concern for what it felt like the twelfth time this past few days, before gesturing for her to go on. ''However, Kuroki told me this was of great importance. Getting it out of the way first would be the best, and the pleasantries can wait till later.''
The Matriarch Oni laughed and shook her head, frizzy mane of hair swaying side to side. For some reason, she always found amusement in my way of formal speech. ''Very well, but before that, I need to ask, do you know what Curses are?''
I blinked as information I knew wasn't mine flooded my head, and gave a nod after a short while.
''In short, negative emotions turned form. It could come from a lot of emotions and experiences, but the stronger these were, the stronger the Curse would be.''
The Oni tilted her head in a so-so gesture, pleased. Yet, her fingers tapped on the small table between us. Her grey, exposed shoulders were somewhat tense, and while she stared at my face, she particularly avoided my bandaged eyes. ''More or less. However, do you know how these are ranked?''
This time, my mind drew a blank at the question, so I just shook my head.
''Not rare. There's another thing you missed about a curse's definition, and it's that… the stronger the creature who birthed it, the stronger the curse would be, too.'' Orikita huffed. ''That's why, the higher up you go in the ladder, the more difficult it is to know how strong a curse is.''
I think I was starting to draw a small conclusion of why I was called in here for, and considering the small hints I've been noticing through my stay in this village, it was not pretty.
''How do the rankings work?'' I questioned.
''Uhm… last I checked, the capital was using a new system… but I don't know anything about that. Instead, the old one would do.'' Orikita scratched her chin, lips pursed. ''The weakest of all is the Grade Four; they are annoying, but easy to deal with, like slapping off a fly.''
''Then, there's Grade Three; still weak, just bigger. Punch it to death, you will be fine.'' I deadpanned at the explanation, which did nothing to deter the smiling woman. ''Grade Two; Not that weak, but manageable. You may need a weapon; fists don't tend to cut it. And then there's Grade One; Strong Oni, like us, can easily deal with it.''
'Strong Oni... Is she saying 'us' including or excluding her daughter? Because I have my doubts about being stronger than Kuroki.'
One would believe that was the end of the explanation, but I saw the Oni falter, her next word paused as she pressed her lips together. ''There's one more, isn't it?''
Orikita's eyes widened in surprise before she sighed. Her hand grabbed onto the gourd in the middle of the table. She offered me some, but I shook my head, which prompted her to uncork it and drink straight from the tap. ''Haa… Special Grade: Very strong. Could wipe whole village easily.''
I drew a sharp breath. Even with covered eyes, I knew that the woman understood the glare I was throwing her way, considering the way she flinched. ''The information is nice, however, I believe you're not just giving it for the sake of it, right?''
''You have a problem with a curse. That much is obvious.'' Before she could answer, I raised a hand, placing it on the table. Unconsciously, my finger started playing with the rim of my empty glass. ''I'm not here to pry information out of you. There's something you're not telling me. I can see that, but that's your own matter. I am curious, however, why have you not dealt with the problem yourself?''
Settling down, the woman sighed, rustling her wild mane nervously. ''A Binding Vow. Inside the village, I am Chief, strong. But if I step out… not so much.'' If Orikita said anything about me clicking my tongue, she didn't show it.
''I do not intend to send you alone—'' For some reason, the admission kind of stung a little. Some stupid sense of pride born either of being an Oni or a Devil. ''Kuroki, my spawn, she is strong. Strong as if I stepped out of the village.''
That was somewhat comforting in its own way. However, if the Chief herself was as strong as her daughter by stepping out of the village, but hadn't done so already, it meant that she didn't believe her daughter was enough to defeat this curse.
''I have questions.'' I sighed. ''And you will answer.''
Orikita nodded grimly, taking another gulp of the sake gourd.
''First. The storm outside…'' The first day, I had noticed just how odd the snow and ice were, and how most of the Oni around didn't seem to bother with proper clothing, even with the freezing temperatures. Also, the fact that I haven't seen a hint of greenery, even if I left the village and kept walking, was fishy. ''That's a product of the curse, is it not?''
The chief nodded, holding my gaze. ''A full generation of Oni was born under this ice and snow.''
''How long until you run out of food?''
''…Years. Crops keep growing, but so does village. Expanding is dangerous.''
''Can you move out of the village? Reach a better place to settle down?'' I started tapping my fingers against the table.
Orikita shook her head. ''Snow stretches miles, even further. Warriors and Hunters may last. Others will not.''
Basically, every Oni that isn't used to the harsh weather outside the village, like children and… Wait. How were new Oni born if the village population was entirely female?
…Do Oni reproduce by mitosis? No, no. Don't be a dumbass. If not by the proper 'natural' method, there must be an additional way, probably related to their spirit-like nature.
''Last question.'' I huffed, even if I already knew my answer. ''Just… how strong is this curse?''
The woman paused for a moment, hands clenching together as the gourd was put to the side. During all these questions, she had looked me straight in the 'eye', and the only other time she hadn't done so was when avoiding details about the curse in general.
''Grade One.'' She replied tightly.
Orikita sounded sure, but not in the sense of knowing that she was right, no. She was hoping she was right. I would say she even prayed, but I doubted that Oni were too into that.
The most important detail, however, she averted her gaze.
Silence filled the office, except for the rhythmic sound of my fingers tapping the wood. It was a very nice wood. Props to the village's carpenter, really.
I could see Orikita getting nervous at my silence. I didn't have any outward reaction, and even if I knew my answer, it was still hard to swallow down the ramifications of this problem.
'Ha. Going barely informed against a threat, interesting, if the reason wasn't your bleeding heart.' Sukuna even sounded somewhat angry. 'Idiotic, but it's a good way to get killed for sure.'
''I accept,'' I said, ignoring the bitter curse, but then I pointed a finger at Orikita. ''But, you're doing me a favor afterwards. A big favor, and before we even go searching for this thing, you're getting me a weapon.''
Doing demands wasn't really my style, but considering the magnitude of the threat we were about to face… yeah. I believe this was completely fair.
''At once.'' Orikita nodded, trying and failing to contain the smile currently stretching her face. The tall woman easily scooted over and grabbed me by the shoulder in a side-hug. ''Any favor you need, you're doing my people a great service, so ask and claim away, Dehorned one~!''
Through the woman's usually loud and boisterous tone, I could catch a hint of… something. And, considering how she pressed my body against hers, and just how close my head was to her breasts, which her robes could barely hold, I had the feeling there was an insinuation of some kind here.
'…Are all Oni this horny?' I thought to myself.
Bonus Scene: Cold, so cold.
-?-
When night fell, a harsh storm started to brew. Snow fell carelessly, uncaring, and the wind could have even pushed a fully grown adult. The temperature was so low that water would freeze almost instantly.
The only exception was the Oni Village, protected by the Guardian.
Just the memory of her was enough to send it into a choking sob. The wind became almost razor-sharp as it cracked against nature. Boulder and tree alike were cut and shattered into smithereens, then turned to the coldest of ice not long after.
''Daughter…'' It knew that attacking the village wouldn't work. It had tried before, and it almost cost its life. ''Die…die…die…''
Tears had brought it back, and someone had to pay for it. It lurked, waiting for her next prey, but it won't be quick, no. It had to be slow, freezing, cold. Just like it, everything else would be frozen, turned into the most beautiful of sculptures, and then left to be, untouched, unchanged.
Pale scales, like the snow itself, slithered across the storm. It was completely unimpeded as slow hisses accompanied each movement.
A broken sob escaped past a mouth, only for a shriek of anger to escape another. Like a cacophony of sounds, every mouth spoke of its own grief. Yet, all stopped as a feminine, small tone commanded.
''Silence, silence…'' It hissed in its stride, claws grazing trees, five-finger claw marks that would not look out of place if made by a bear. ''Daughter… daughter… do not… dieeeeee.''
The Curse's hisses and pleas went unanswered as it hid under the storm.
.
.
.
Author's Note:
Sukuna's training is, as expected: sink or swim but I'm forcing you to put on concrete shoes. If you survive it, then you're coming out stronger, that's for sure, kek.
Would she have actually cut the arm off? Most surely, but then again, how would Quin cook her any good food without it?
Also, I live for Kuroki being a cutie, dorky, freaking giant muscle lady. Peak.
I have 5 more chapters of this fic on my Patreo n, in which 'The Oni Village' arc has ended.
Discord Link: discord .gg/ 92Yt5wxeWN
Patreo n: patreo n .com (slash) HamsterX42