Chapter 68: For Love
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I never thought I'd reach here, and I'm glad yall supported this story so much :3
In return, I can't do much, but I'll give you a chance, I'll add to the story what you want, just write it here, and make it reasonable, please.
And if I get no suggestions, then I guess my story's just dead xd
Anyhow, enjoy!
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The room was lit only by the golden, luxurious chandelier hanging from the ceiling, adorned with jewels of the highest price. One such chandelier could buy anything one could desire.
The mansion of the Ryomen family, the true definition of extravagance.
The floor was adorned with a deep red, soft carpet which muffled the sounds of feet hitting the floor with agitation.
On the plush, yellow couch, sat Eva and Nect, a little distance between them.
Eva's head was in her hands, her lustrous hair hanging down as it covered her face, which seemed to be holding an expression that would incite fear.
"He's not gone!" A scream echoed in the otherwise silent room, the heavy atmosphere turning darker, almost eerie.
Nect slightly jumped at the loud shout, a drop of sweat rolling down her cheek as she slowly turned to look at the ghostly girl next to her, still maintaining the distance.
Their clothes sweaty and bloodied. They had just returned from the battle.
Nect was comparatively fine, just a little shaken by her exertion and the disappearance of Sukuna.
Eva, however, was quite distraught, almost breaking down as soon as she heard the news.
"Yeah... he'll be safe," Nect said in desperation, trying to calm the screaming Eva down.
Her voice, however, was slightly shaking. She had never seen Eva in this state before, in which she looked utterly... crazy.
"That's right." Eva's voice was gravelly, almost as if she had scratched her own throat down. "He'll never leave me..."
Eva suddenly turned to Nect, her lustrous hair flying to the side, revealing her face, which made Nect's heart skip a beat.
She grabbed Nect's shoulders with her hands, pulling her closer. Her touch was both gentle and aggressive, a contradiction which scared Nect about her intentions.
"He'll come back..." Eva whispered, her expression slowly going normal, the tension in the air dissipating slowly. "...right, Nect?"
Nect gulped, her tense body slightly relaxing as she felt Eva going back to normal.
"Of course he will," Nect said, forcing a smile. "Nothing can beat him."
Eva smiled like she always did, but there was something uncanny about it which made Nect uncomfortable.
"You both are such a handful," A deep, solemn voice rang out, echoing in the air like a calm island in the middle of a storm.
Both Eva and Nect's eyes widened, their heads snapping to the couch opposite to them, where a man was sitting with his hands on his knees.
Eiji Ryomen.
They hadn't even noticed when he came, nor how long he had been there for.
Eva gently left Nect's shoulders, both the girls turning to sit facing him, their gazes both admiring and frightened.
He already knew about what happened to Sukuna, but that wasn't what he had come here for.
"Amara has woken up," he announced, his voice quite monotonous. "She's fine right now."
Both the girls' eyes widened further, smiles forming on their faces after hearing the news.
However, one thing confused them. Eiji's wife had reawakened, yet there was no sign of happiness on his face or tone.
The happiest person right now was... Elara, listening in from the room beside this one.
She was almost jumping in excitement. She had built quite a deep bond with Sukuna's parents in the past few days, they were her grandparents now, after all.
Eiji's gaze rose to meet Eva's and Nect's, the intensity in his eyes shutting down any questions they had.
"For a price..." His voice went lower, almost as if he didn't want to speak. "I had to give away ... in return."
His next words made Nect's and Elara's eyes widen in shock, their mouths agape as they tried to make sure they heard him right.
Eva, on the other side, was numb with shock, her hands balling up into fists as she grit her teeth so hard that blood dripping from her gums.
Her eyes were vicious, hateful, almost. No... she understood why Eiji did it, but that doesn't mean she supported it.
"Why!?" She screamed, her hands landing on the wooden coffee table with a loud thud, cracking it body slightly.
Eiji was unbothered by her actions, but there was still some conflict in his eyes.
"Amara is my life," he spoke after a long pause, leaning back on the couch. "I would kill Sukuna with my own hands if it was to save her..."
Eva's eyes widened more at his words, her whole body trembling with emotion.
"...and you, Eva," he continued, his tone seemingly turning darker. "Your feelings mean as much to me as a dead bug."
He got up from the couch, leaning in to Eva's ear, his warm breath completely contrasting with his cold words.
"If you want him... no, us to love you..." his voice sent shivers down her spine, almost as if they were words of God. "...then take it yourself."
With a swipe, he turned away, walking back up the stairs to Amara's room.
Eva was left there, standing alone.
Nect stared at the figure of Eva, which seemed to be emanating an aura comparable to the bloodlust of Sukuna himself.
She had made up her mind... she would do anything... anything for Sukuna.
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(A Day Ago...)
Eiji walked in into the dimly lit room, a room whose mere aura could kill many.
His sharp footsteps echoed in the eerily silent room, his eyes half closed as he walked towards a man sitting right in the middle of the place.
This man was huge, almost twice the size of a normal human, tattoos all over his body. He was sitting on something similar to a throne, but it looked more like a big chair, as if the throne had eroded over time.
Eiji's footsteps stopped around a few feet before the man.
The man raised his head, his gaze locking onto Eiji's, the tension in the atmosphere suddenly rising. The air between them seemed to be crackling with energy.
"Why did you call me here..." Eiji's voice rang out, echoing multiple times in the dark and empty room. "...Shingen?"
The man's face, hidden in a shadow, rose slightly more, a clear, almost eerie smirk present on his face.
"Eiji..." Shingen's deep, gravelly, almost uncannily perfect voice rang out, a voice which Eiji remembered all too well. "...long time."
Eiji's eyes narrowed, his aura clashing with Shingen's like violent waves clashing with a beach.
"Your wife's state is..." Shingen continued, his voice dripping with amusement. "...pretty pathetic, isn't it?"
Eiji's teeth were grit at these words. He was on the verge of punching the man. Usually, he was the calmest person on the planet, but his wife's current state was taking a toll on his emotional health.
He held himself back. "Why did you call me here?" He repeated, his voice sharper than before, refusing to entertain Shingen anymore.
Shingen, noticing Eiji's irritation, held back a chuckle, his face, too, going serious. "I can heal her."
Eiji's eyebrow rose, both in surprise and in hope. He took a step closer, his face on eye level with the sitting Shingen.
"Our clan has numerous talented healers," Shingen continued, his voice solemn, echoing in the otherwise silent room like ripples in a peaceful lake. "More so than any you can find."
Eiji closed his eyes, thinking deeply of the proposal. Having his wife taken out from the clutches of death was his priority.
But this man... Shingen, he was not so simple.
"And what's the price?" Eiji asked after a few seconds, his gaze locked onto Shingen's, as if trying to peer into his soul.
Shingen, too, stared back at him, shifting in his throne as his long black hair fell over his face.
"Ryomen Sukuna..." Shingen finally said, his voice dripping with both alertness and amusement. "...his hand in marriage.'
Eiji's eyes widened in shock.
"You turned gay?" He asked incredulously.
Shingen, with a chuckle, leaned towards him, his elbows resting on his knees as he enjoyed Eiji's demeanor, something which reminded him of the old times. "My only daughter fell in love with him, unexpectedly."
Eiji stepped back, his face going solemn once more as he stared at the burly figure of the man in front of him in deep thought.
His first thought was to immediately say yes, but over time, he had come to love Sukuna, and was conflicted about playing with his future.
But then, something hit him... he was growing soft.
"He has a daughter, an adopted one, though," he said after a pause. "If you're okay with that."
This incited another chuckle from Shingen, though this was not of amusement, but of genuine happiness.
Eiji didn't think for too long to sell of the future of his child, just like Shingen thought.
"I guess you haven't changed," Shingen said, getting up from his seat, his huge body towering over Eiji, twice his size, almost like a... monster.
He extended a hand towards Eiji, a nostalgic smile on his face, one which seemed eerie too.
Eiji, after a pause, shook his hand in return.
The deal was sealed.
"I'll send the kids today," Shingen said, his voice seeming lighter than before as he sat back down on his throne, which creaked slightly under his weight.
"Kids?" Eiji asked, pushing his conflicting emotions to the back of his mind, as he raised an eyebrow, interested about the subject.
"Indeed," Shingen replied, playing with strands of his hair, which seemed to be like a waterfall flowing down his head. "The talents of this generation are truly beyond compare."
Eiji couldn't help but agree. Many talents had risen into view in this generation, some destined to achieve great things, and some already dead.
After a few minutes of trivial talk, Eiji finally began to leave, his hand hovering over the doorknob as he turned his head, looking over his shoulder to Shingen.
"Shingen," he called, causing Shingen to raise his head once more, their gazes locking.
"A girl might come here in anger," Eiji continued, his voice turning solemn, staring at Shingen. "Try not to kill her."
Shingen let out a hmm, resting his head on his hand. "I'll try, but if she does anything to my children..."
He didn't need to continue, Eiji understood well. If she hurt any of his children, it would be her end.
However...
"You say that like you actually care about them," Eiji replied, his voice dark, yet relaxed at the same time.
Shingen shifted in his seat, smiling at his words, an uncanny smile that didn't suit his monster-like features. "Fair enough."
"It was fun today, Shingen," Eiji said, his voice slightly trembling with emotion, a little bit of regret too. "But if she really does what I think she will, we'll be enemies from now on."
Shingen nodded, his face unchanging, yet his eyes gleamed with a dark light of sadness.
Eiji walked through the door, a silent voice, almost as low as a whisper, hitting his ears. "We've always been."
This made Eiji smile, the memories of his exploits with Shingen arising in his mind. "Yes... we have," he whispered back, shutting the door with a silent thud.
Shingen was left sitting alone in the dark room once more, the only sound echoing was his deep, slow breathing of his as he stared at the door through which Eiji left.
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.
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(Present)
"Do you think she'll succeed?" A soft voice rang out in the room, a room decorated with flowers as if someone was getting married.
Amara was sitting on the bed with a little smile. She had regained consciousness, but couldn't move too well.
"She'll live," Eiji replied, sitting on a chair next to the bed, a small smile on his face too, seeing his wife back to health.
Amara sighed, her gaze fixed onto Eiji's face.
She could effortlessly heal herself when she was attacked, but she didn't, and by the time she tried to, it was too late.
There was something which prevented her from healing herself, and it was her own mind... her own thoughts.
She had realized something... something important.
"Eiji..." she called, her voice slightly shaking, but the smile was still present on her face. "Ryogaku... that kid..."
Eiji looked up at her, raising an eyebrow in interest as he waited patiently for her to continue, his hand holding hers tightly, as if holding on to a precious jewel.
"Ruhen village... a kid escaped... it was Ryogaku..." she said, trying to get the words out forcefully.
She realized this just before her coma, she finally heard the words the woman had said, and it numbed her mind.
By the time she regained her senses, it was too late.
Eiji, however, showed not much of a reaction, both surprising and confusing Amara, who stared at him, as if asking for answers.
His smile didn't fade, but it seemed to turn sad as his head turned down, his eyes slowly and gently closing, as if trying to remember something.
A silence followed, one which seemed comfortable.
"I know," Eiji finally whispered after a long pause, his eyes still closed.
Amara's eyes widened in confusion. If he knew, why didn't he ever talk about it? Why did he never tell her, of all people? "Then wh—"
"Fate," Eiji cut her off with a slightly loud declaration, causing her to look at him in confusion.
"Fate is something very annoying," Eiji continued, the sad smile still present on his face. "We only think we have free will, but no..."
Eiji's grip on her hand tightened, his head rising back up, his closed eyes opening.
The look in his eyes sent a chill down Amara's spine. They were eerily empty, as if there was nothing but a void behind them.
"The future is already decided, we can only follow it..." Eiji rose up from the seat, wrapping his arms around Amara, pulling her into a tight hug. "...and hope that it is good."
Amara... didn't understand. But she knew that this was something which troubled Eiji deeply.
She raised her hands, though with some difficulty, and wrapped them around Eiji, her face buried into his chest.
The room was silent, the blooming of two flowers seemingly lighting it brightly.
Eiji had gone through a lot, and Amara was there to support him. He finally let his heart out, though just a little bit.
As he said, only time will tell what Fate has in store for them.
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Do I name Shingen's clan Yamazaki? Cuz I'm very... very inclined to do so.
Anyhow, I hope you're enjoying the story, and cya soon!
gimme POWER STOOONES :3