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"You want to be my dog?" 

you asked, tilting your head slightly as you gazed at Yuji. The words were laced with a mix of curiosity and subtle manipulation, as if testing the waters to see just how far he'd go with this idea. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Yuji's gaze dropped to his lap, his hands trembling slightly as he struggled to put his feelings into words. "I don't... want to think for myself anymore," he confessed quietly, his voice laced with a depth of sorrow and guilt that had clearly been gnawing at him for a long time. "I can't keep carrying this weight... I just... I can't keep thinking about all of it."

He swallowed hard before continuing, his voice cracking under the pressure. "There are a thousand things I have to think about now, all at once. I couldn't even save my friends. I couldn't even save myself. Maybe Megumi and the others only died because I'm stupid. Maybe if I never ate that disgusting finger... Maybe if I'd known sooner and warned my friends."

Yuji paused, his hands absently petting two of your dogs, their soft fur a small comfort as he fought to hold it together. "Maybe if I knew what killed my classmates... Maybe if I'd never gotten close to them in the first place, I wouldn't feel so... crappy."

The words seemed to hang in the air, heavy with the weight of his regrets. "There's no point in thinking about all this stuff," he muttered, but his voice wavered with a quiet desperation, "Yet it's all I think about, from the moment I wake up until the moment I fall asleep."

Finally, Yuji looked up at you, his eyes hollow and devoid of hope, as if he were resigned to the idea that nothing would ever get better. "You're a lot smarter than me, right? So... if I just do whatever you say, maybe I won't put anyone else in danger. Maybe I won't feel so drained anymore."

You studied him carefully, your cold smile curling at the edges of your lips as you considered his request. "Are you serious about this?" you asked, your tone both challenging and inviting, as though you were daring him to confirm his decision.

Yuji nodded, the resolve in his eyes clear despite the despair that clouded his expression. "Yeah... I'm serious."

"You sure?" you pressed, the words coated in something darker, more sinister. "Because my dogs, they obey me with complete devotion."

Without hesitation, Yuji gave you a thumbs up, his decision firm even if his emotions were tangled in uncertainty.

You smirked, satisfied with his response. "Paw," you commanded. Without a second thought, Yuji placed his hand into yours, just like a trained animal.

"Roll over." Again, Yuji followed your command without question, his movements mechanical, as though he were already slipping into the role you had set for him.

"What a smart dog you are, Yuji," you cooed, your voice dripping with mock affection as you petted his hair. "Good boy."

Yuji closed his eyes, almost completely lost in his belief that this was the right choice for him—that being subservient, giving up his agency, was the only way to escape the weight of his grief.

But before the moment could stretch any longer, the doorbell rang, snapping him out of the trance.

"Ah, there she is," you murmured, breaking the spell you had cast over him. "I called Nobara over. Stand."

Yuji's expression morphed into confusion as he looked at you, still not fully understanding what was happening. "Why did you call Nobara over?" he asked, his voice a mixture of curiosity and wariness.

You smiled at him, the glint in your eyes dark and predatory. "Dogs shouldn't think, silly."

"Woof," Yuji responded almost automatically, the words slipping out of him like second nature, his mind still reeling from the previous commands.

You held out your hand to him, your expression calm, almost playful. "Come on, let's go get her."

He hesitated for only a moment before taking your hand, his grip tight and unsteady. "You open the door, Yuji," you instructed, your voice soft but chilling. "Because I'm going to kill her."

"Woof. Huh?" Yuji's heart skipped a beat, the confusion in his eyes turning to panic as he processed your words. "Wait, what? What did you say, Miss Y/N? Were you... joking?"

You didn't answer, instead keeping your gaze fixed on him.

"Miss Y/N...?" Yuji asked again, the first twinges of panic now unmistakable in his voice.

"Go on, Yuji," you said, your voice calm and commanding as you urged him forward. "Open the door."

His mind screamed at him to stop. Don't open the door. Don't open the door. Don't open the door. But his body moved as though it had no choice, no will of its own. His trembling hand reached for the door handle, the decision feeling almost like it was out of his control.

Your voice sliced through his thoughts. "Open it. You be the one to open it."

Leaning in close, you whispered in his ear, your words barely audible but striking with terrifying clarity. "You don't have to think about a thing. Trust me."

Yuji's eyes darted to the door handle, his body now on autopilot as he slowly stepped closer. He couldn't shake the thought that something was wrong, that something would be horribly off when he opened that door. When I open it... Nobara will be there. She'll be smiling. She'll have a cake, right? A party popper...

His hand was already on the door.

Right... my birthday...

The door creaked open.

There she stood. Nobara, smiling brightly, holding a cake that read, "Happy 16th Birthday Yuji."

"Yuji," she said softly, her voice weak but filled with warmth, and yet, Yuji could barely hear her over the roar in his ears.

Before she could say another word, you raised your hand, mimicking the shape of a gun with your fingers.

"Bang."

Nobara's body collapsed, lifeless, to the floor. Blood splattered across Yuji's cheek as he stared, wide-eyed, at the scene before him, unable to process what had just happened. His gaze shifted back to you, disbelief written all over his face.

You took his cold hands into yours once more, your fingers warm against his chilled skin. "Your hands are cold again, poor thing," you murmured with false sympathy. "Shall we go back inside?"

Yuji opened his mouth, then closed it again, too stunned to speak, his mind scrambling to make sense of it all. The twisted smile on your face only deepened.

Without a word, you shut the door, sealing Nobara's lifeless form outside, and led him back into the apartment. You sat down on the couch, petting Tiramisu as though nothing had changed. Yuji, however, was lost in the distance, staring at nothing in particular, as though he were still trying to process what he had just witnessed.

Reaching for the cup of tea on the table, you made a show of inspecting it. "The tea's gone cold," you noted, your voice detached. "Shall I make some more?"

Yuji didn't answer at first. Instead, he asked, his voice hollow, "Am I dreaming?"

You glanced up at him, genuinely curious. "Huh?"

"Miss Y/N... Is this... a dream?" he asked again, a strained smile pulling at his lips, but there was no humor in it, only confusion and fear.

You burst into laughter, your head falling into his lap as your laughter filled the room.

"Huh? What? What is it?" Yuji looked down at you, utterly bewildered, unsure whether he should be comforting you or fearing what was coming next.

You laughed until tears welled in your eyes. After a moment, you regained your composure, wiping the tears away as you looked up at him.

"Ahh, that was a good laugh," you said, your voice almost affectionate. "Your pact with Sukuna wasn't exactly what I had in mind. His powers are restricted. He can only take control for a minute without hurting anyone, right?"

You continued, tilting your head slightly. "But me... that's a different story. So I asked myself, How could I make you fully embrace Sukuna? How could I make you so broken, so empty, that you'd stop caring altogether?"

Yuji's eyes widened, his shock deepening as your words sank in.

"After all, you're all about saving people, right?" you teased, your smile twisting darker. "So I took all your happiness and shattered it. From now on? Any happiness you feel, I'll be the one to destroy it. If you make new friends, I'll kill them. Immediately."

Yuji's voice trembled as he asked, "But... why would you...?"

"Because it's time for you to atone for your sins," you said coldly, your gaze piercing into him. "I looked into your past, Yuji. You don't even know the half of it, do you?"

You stood, slowly walking around him. "Your entire existence? It's just so Sukuna can have a vessel. That's why you're here. He's your uncle, Yuji. It's no surprise that finger didn't kill you. You're a descendant of someone who's taken thousands of lives. Your existence has caused nothing but death."

You leaned down, your face inches from his. "You don't deserve happiness. You need to understand that you're cursed, Yuji. Embrace it. Let go of any hope or dreams, because they'll only bring you more pain."

Yuji's eyes widened in horror as you smiled at him, your voice filled with finality.

"Someone like you has no right to wish for a good life, do they?"

Your eyes gleamed with malice as you whispered, 

"Nuh-uh."

─── ⋆⋅ ♰ ⋅⋆ ───

whoopsies

definitely my new fav chapter so far

-🪱