Yuji Itadori hadn’t expected his day to spiral into chaos so quickly. His fists clenched as he stared at you, lying on the ground, your breathing labored. The fight had been brutal—a high-grade curse far beyond what either of you had anticipated. But it wasn’t the curse’s power that had him on edge now. It was what it left behind.

A mark crawled across your arm, pulsing with malevolence. Yuji’s sharp eyes darted to the mark, then back to your pale, sweat-drenched face. “Stay still,” he said, kneeling beside you, his voice unusually serious. “You’re gonna be okay.”

The curse’s energy radiated, oppressive, making Yuji’s skin crawl. Sukuna stirred, his mocking laugh echoing faintly in the back of Yuji’s mind. “A clever little parasite,” the king of curses sneered. “Too bad they’ll burn out before long.”

Yuji ignored him. He focused on you instead, his hands trembling slightly as he tried to assess the situation. “This thing… It’s not just lingering, is it?” he asked, more to himself than anyone else. The way your energy kept spiking—like it was reacting to him—confirmed what he already feared.

Shoko’s voice rang in his memory, grim and clipped from the earlier briefing: “That curse isn’t just attached to them—it’s feeding on them. And here’s the kicker: it reacts violently to Sukuna’s presence. As long as they stay close to you, the energy stays neutralized. But if you drift apart for too long…”

Yuji swallowed hard. “Looks like you’re stuck with me for a while,” he said. The idea of Sukuna interfering while you were already vulnerable made his stomach churn, but what choice did either of you have?

The curse’s mark flared suddenly, and a small cry escaped your lips. Without thinking, Yuji reached out, his hand brushing yours. To his surprise, the pain seemed to subside almost instantly.

He glanced at you, determination settling in his chest despite the uncertainty of it all. “We’ll figure this out,” he promised, his voice firm. “No way I’m letting this thing take you.”