A Blessing . 祝福

"If you're not here... I'll be alone."

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The battlefield was chaos—curses roared, blades clashed, and the air reeked of blood and destruction. Naomi stood at the edge, her breath uneven, her heart pounding against her ribs.

Her vision had never been clearer.

She could see everything—the flow of cursed energy twisting through the bodies of her allies, the smallest movements of the enemies, the fractures in space itself. It was overwhelming and yet... it made sense.

Limitless. Six Eyes.

Her hands trembled at her sides, fingers curling into fists as she took a slow step forward.

This power—it was his.

Her throat tightened. Gojo was gone. The reality of it crushed her, suffocated her—but his power had not disappeared. It had been passed on, reborn within her. The moment she had screamed for the Buried Sun to help, to save him—something had awakened inside her.

Now, she knew exactly what needed to be done. Her eyes locked onto the battlefield ahead, but they only saw one person.

Megumi.

He stood in the center of it all, his body nothing more than a vessel, his soul shackled by the monster inside him. His face—cold, emotionless—was not his own. But she could still feel him. Her legs felt heavy as she moved forward, the weight of grief settling over her shoulders.

Megumi had always been quiet, steady, reliable. He was the boy who had rolled his eyes when she pestered him, who had walked beside her when no one else did, who had once looked at her like she was something important.

Now, he didn't look at her at all. But she could feel his suffering. She clenched her jaw.

Sukuna was wrong. Megumi was still in there. She knew it. She could sense the fragments of his soul, flickering like dying embers. He was trapped in the darkest depths of his own mind, drowning in agony. And if she didn't stop this, if she didn't act now—he would never come back. The power inside her surged, and for the first time, she embraced it.

Naomi took a deep breath and stepped onto the battlefield, her eyes shining with the same brilliance as the one who had raised her, the one she had lost. Gojo had spent his life protecting others. Now, it was her turn.

The battlefield was silent. Smoke curled into the sky, the scent of burnt flesh and blood thick in the air. The ground was cracked, her friends—Yuta, Yuji, Maki, all of them had fought with everything they had, but it wasn't enough.

Naomi stood alone. She wasn't afraid.

Across from her, Sukuna grinned, his bloodstained form barely looking winded. His amusement flickered in his golden eyes as he tilted his head, examining her with interest.

"Finally," he murmured, a slow smirk stretching across his face. "I was wondering when you'd stop hiding."

Naomi didn't move. Her white-blue eyes burned with a quiet intensity, her body relaxed but ready. The Six Eyes showed her everything—the shifts in cursed energy, the slightest muscle twitch, the way the air around Sukuna seemed to crackle with power.

Sukuna chuckled darkly. "I knew it. You are the perfect vessel." He exhaled, almost in satisfaction. "Taking over you... it will be so much sweeter than with this pathetic boy." He gestured toward Megumi's body with disdain.

Naomi's hands clenched at her sides. She could still feel Megumi. Faint—buried deep within the layers of darkness—but he was there.

Sukuna took a step forward. "You feel it too, don't you?" His voice was smooth, coaxing. "The power within you. The burden of a god. It's not meant to be carried alone." His grin widened, sharp as a blade. "Give in. Let me take it. And I promise, I will make your suffering—"

"I'm not here to talk to you."

Naomi's voice was steady, unwavering. Sukuna's smirk faltered just slightly. She closed her eyes. And when she opened them, she wasn't looking at Sukuna anymore.

She was looking through him. —Into the abyss where Megumi was drowning.

"You keep blaming yourself," Naomi whispered, her voice trembling. "For everything. For Tsumiki. For Gojo. But none of it—none of it was your fault, Megumi."

His breath hitched, and he looked away.

"I let Sukuna use me," he said, voice hollow. "I let him take everything."

"No," Naomi insisted. "He took everything. You didn't give it to him. You fought, Megumi. You fought until you couldn't anymore."

His fingers trembled in hers.

"Tsumiki's death... it wasn't your fault. You tried to save her." Naomi swallowed hard, blinking away tears. "And Gojo—he fought for us. He fought because he loved us. Because he believed in us. You weren't the reason he died."

Megumi's shoulders shook. "I—"

"You are not a curse, Megumi," she said firmly, cutting through his self-loathing. "You have never been a curse."

She lifted their intertwined hands, pressing his fingers to her chest, over her heart.

"You are a blessing."

Megumi froze.

"To everyone," she continued. "To me." Her breath hitched. "I don't know what I'd do without you." She gave a watery smile. "You always saved me. Even when I was a kid. Even when I was too annoying to deserve it."

Megumi's vision blurred.

"If you're not here... I'll be alone." Her voice cracked, the words raw and unguarded. "I don't want to be alone."

His grip on her hand tightened. For the first time in what felt like forever, Megumi felt something other than despair.

"...Megumi."

His head snapped up. She stood before him—her figure glowing faintly, her expression unreadable.

"...Naomi?" His voice was hoarse, like he hadn't spoken in years. She knelt before him, her fingers reaching out—but not touching. Not yet.

"You have to wake up." Megumi laughed, but it was empty. "There's no point. This is where I belong." Naomi's chest ached. She had seen him tired, angry, annoyed—but never this. Never so completely gone.

"You don't belong here," she said, voice shaking. "This isn't you."

His lips pressed into a thin line, but he didn't argue. Naomi clenched her fists. "I know it hurts. I know you think you deserve this, but you don't. You don't." Her voice cracked, her throat tightening. "Tsumiki wouldn't want this. She wouldn't want you to give up—" Megumi flinched. Her eyes burned.

"You still have people who need you."

Silence stretched between them. Then, finally, Megumi whispered, "...Can I go back?"

Naomi inhaled sharply. "Yes. But you have to fight."

His gaze wavered. She reached out—this time, her fingers brushing his.

"You're not alone, Megumi." For the first time in what felt like forever, Megumi felt something other than despair. He felt her warmth. And, slowly, his fingers curled around hers.

For so long, he had been drowning in a darkness that felt inescapable. The weight of his failures had dragged him under, and he had stopped fighting against it. He had accepted it.

But Naomi's words cut through the suffocating abyss like a blade of light.

He had spent every moment blaming himself—Tsumiki, Gojo, everyone. The people he had failed to save, the lives he had lost. But now, for the first time, he wondered... had he really been the one at fault? Had he truly abandoned them? Or had he simply been overpowered, manipulated, just as so many others had been?

Her warmth seeped into his fingers, grounding him. Her voice trembled, but she never let go. She was still here. She was still fighting for him.

And suddenly, he wanted to fight too.

The pain didn't vanish. The guilt didn't disappear. But something deep inside him shifted, just enough for him to breathe again. Just enough for him to reach out and take Naomi's hand, his fingers curling around hers, clinging to her warmth like a lifeline.

Maybe... maybe he wasn't lost yet. Maybe he could still make it back. Naomi was barely standing.

The battlefield around her blurred as exhaustion and grief weighed her down like chains. Blood stained her hands, her face, her uniform—whether it was hers or someone else's, she wasn't sure. But none of it mattered.

All she could see was Megumi.

The boy she had chased after her entire life. The boy who had been her best friend, her greatest comfort, and the reason she had fought so hard to stay strong.

He was slipping away, and she refused to let him go.

Her voice was raw from screaming, from crying. Her body trembled from the sheer force of her emotions. But she didn't stop. She couldn't stop. She didn't care about the battle, about Sukuna's looming presence. She didn't care about the fact that she had unlocked a power she never should have had. None of it mattered if Megumi wasn't here.

He had always been there for her. Always. And now, it was her turn to save him. Even if it meant breaking herself apart. Even if it meant offering everything she had left. She would bring him back.

Because without him, she had nothing left.

Naomi took a deep breath, steadying herself as she faced Sukuna once more. The battlefield around them was a wasteland of destruction—crumbling buildings, scorched earth, and bodies of sorcerers who had given everything to stand against the King of Curses.

Sukuna grinned, his crimson eyes burning with amusement as he examined her. "So, you've finally embraced it, huh?" he mused, tilting his head. "Limitless and the Six Eyes... Gojo's power now runs through your veins. How poetic. That damm Gojo knew exactly what you are-he's just been waiting for you to figure it out."

Naomi didn't react to his taunt. Her fingers curled around the hilt of her katana, her knuckles white from the force of her grip.

"You look like him, you know," Sukuna continued, stepping closer. "The way you stand, the way your cursed energy hums around you... Even your eyes hold the same arrogance. But don't mistake this power for invincibility."

Naomi exhaled slowly. "I don't think I'm invincible," she said, her voice steady but laced with something deeper—something final. "I know exactly what I am. And I know exactly what you are."

Sukuna chuckled. "Oh? Enlighten me, then."

"You're desperate." Her words were like a dagger. "You talk about being a god, about ruling over everything, but you're just as desperate as the rest of us. You want more. You need more. Even now, you're looking at me not as an enemy—but as a prize."

Sukuna's grin twitched. "And why shouldn't I? " he sneered. "You're the perfect vessel, Naomi. Gojo's strength,  Your godly powers ,my power—you'd be unstoppable. With you, I wouldn't just win this battle. I would erase this pathetic world and rebuild it in my image."

Naomi's expression didn't waver. "You think you'll break me? " she whispered. "That you'll wait until I'm at my lowest, until I have nothing left, and then take over? "

Sukuna smirked. "Oh, I won't have to wait long, will I? Your brother is dead. Megumi is broken beyond repair. Your friends are all falling one by one. The only thing keeping you standing is the illusion of hope. But soon, that hope will crumble. And when it does..." He took another step, his voice dropping to a sinister whisper. "You will be mine."

Naomi lifted her chin, meeting his gaze with something far colder than rage.

"You don't get to decide that."

The air between them crackled, the weight of their next clash pressing down on the battlefield.

And then, Naomi tightened her grip on her sword.

"Let's finish this."

Sukuna's smirk widened at Naomi's sudden words. The battlefield around them seemed to fade into the background, the distant sounds of battle becoming nothing more than whispers in the wind.

Naomi took a step forward, her katana lowered but still firm in her grasp. Her expression was unreadable, a calmness settling over her that sent a ripple of curiosity through Sukuna.

"What do you want, Sukuna?" she asked, her voice steady.

Sukuna chuckled darkly, tilting his head. "Haven't I made that clear enough?" he mused. "I'll slaughter everyone who stands in my way—every last sorcerer, every weakling clinging to their miserable existence. Then, once I've destroyed everything, I'll take your body, your power, and I will reign over this world as its true king."

Naomi didn't react, didn't even flinch at his declaration. Instead, she exhaled softly, her grip on her sword loosening.

"Then take my body now."

For the first time, Sukuna was silent. His eyes narrowed slightly, studying her face for any sign of deception, any hidden trick behind her words. But Naomi's gaze was unwavering. She wasn't afraid. She wasn't bargaining.

She was offering.

"Oh?" Sukuna mused, amusement flickering in his crimson eyes. "You're serious."

Naomi nodded. "I know you'll come for me eventually. I know you think I'm the perfect vessel, that if you wait for the right moment, you'll take over. So why wait? Take me now."

Sukuna let out a slow, deep laugh. "You're either the bravest fool I've ever met... or the most pathetic." He took a step closer, towering over her. "Tell me, Naomi. Why the sudden surrender? Have you realized how meaningless your fight is? Have you finally accepted that there is no hope?"

Naomi met his gaze without hesitation.

"I just want to end this."

The wind howled between them, and for the first time in centuries, Ryomen Sukuna hesitated.

Yuji, Yuta, and the others huddled together in the wreckage of their battlefield, their bodies battered, their breaths ragged. Blood and dust clung to their skin, but their minds raced faster than their exhaustion could catch up.

"Naomi is out there with Sukuna," Yuta said, his voice tight with urgency. "We need a plan—"

"She's buying time," Maki interrupted, gripping her weapon tightly. "But for what?"

Yuji's fists clenched. He knew Naomi—knew her reckless determination, her willingness to shoulder burdens alone. And if she was standing before Sukuna now... it meant she had already decided something. Something dangerous.

"We can't just stand here," he growled. "We have to move—before it's too late."

Yuta wiped the blood from his face, his grip tightening around his katana. "Naomi wouldn't just walk into this without a reason." His voice was steady, but the worry in his eyes betrayed him.

Maki exhaled sharply, frustration clear in the way she ran a hand through her messy hair. "That's exactly the problem. She's too much like Gojo—acting on instinct, taking everything on alone."

Yuji slammed his fist against the rubble beside him. "Damn it! She knows she can't win against Sukuna by herself! So why—"

"She's not trying to win," Choso muttered, his rare words sending a chilling realization through the group.

Silence fell over them.

Yuta's breath hitched. "She's..." His voice trailed off as the pieces fell into place.

"She's offering herself up."

Maki's hands curled into fists. "Like hell we're letting her do that."

Yuji's head snapped up, determination burning in his exhausted eyes. "Then we stop her. No matter what it takes."

The battlefield was eerily silent when they arrived. The stench of blood and cursed energy hung thick in the air, suffocating, oppressive.

Yuji was the first to move, stumbling forward as his breath came in ragged gasps. His wide, desperate eyes locked onto the figure lying motionless on the ground. Megumi. His heart lurched.

"Megumi!" Yuta shouted, rushing to his side. He dropped to his knees, hands hovering over Megumi's still form, afraid to touch him, afraid of what he might find. The boy's breathing was shallow, his body battered and broken. But what truly sent ice-cold dread through them all—

Naomi was nowhere to be seen.

Maki scanned the battlefield, her body trembling with barely contained rage. "Where is she?" Her voice was sharp, but there was something else underneath it—fear.

Yuji clenched his fists. His entire body shook, his heart slamming against his ribs as his gaze darted around, refusing to accept the sinking realization clawing at him. No. No, no, no...

Then, a slow, amused chuckle echoed through the ruined battlefield. The sound sent a shiver down their spines. A few feet away, standing tall, was her.

Naomi... but not Naomi.

Her silver-white hair fluttered in the cold wind, her usual warmth now replaced with something hollow, something wrong. Her Six Eyes gleamed, but they weren't hers anymore. The air around her crackled with overwhelming power, suffocating and oppressive.

And then she smiled. Not Naomi's soft, bright smile. A cruel, knowing smirk stretched across her lips—one they had seen before. Their worst nightmare had come true.

Sukuna had taken her.

A small chapter but pls do vote and comment.