Life After Death: The Strength Of Suffering

"Any news on Kaede's group?" I asked, my arms resting casually on the armrests of my chair as I sat in the clan's meeting hall. The same representatives from last time were present, with Arisawa Kaito standing to my right. The responses I received were brief, and none of them were to my liking.

"A month has passed since the last letter, yet we've heard nothing from the Northern region. Why?"

I wanted to believe that the lack of communication from Kaede or Takahiro was due to their efforts in settling the Fuyutsuki Clan, maintaining order among the people and handling the government. But I couldn't ignore the unease creeping into my thoughts.

"A week." I stated firmly.

The representatives turned to me in silence as I continued.

"If I receive no word by the end of this week, I will go myself. Understood?"

It took them a moment to process my words, their eyes widening in realization before one by one, they began to protest. I ignored them, glancing at Arisawa who was shifting his gaze between me and the representatives. With a small motion, I signalled that we were leaving.

As I stood, the room fell silent. I looked at them and spoke with finality.

"I understand your concerns, and I have listened to your worries. But as a Clan Leader, I cannot and will not leave my people alone in the face of a potential war." My voice was steady, unwavering. "I would walk into the heart of battle for those who call me their leader."

With that I turned and left, Arisawa following silently behind me.

We walked in silence along a gravel path, passing by market stalls selling various goods. Children ran past us, their laughter filling the air as they swung sticks at each other in play. I took a deep breath, letting the crisp mountain air fill my lungs before exhaling slowly.

"Speak your mind." I said, noticing Arisawa eyeing me carefully.

He hesitated for a moment before looking ahead, a frown forming on his face.

"Doesn't it seem like things are going too smoothly?"

I hummed in response, nodding slightly. "Yes. And while I would like to believe that it's a good thing, I believe it only means we're heading toward a storm, one that will test both us and our people."

I could hear Arisawa clenching and unclenching his fists before he spoke again.

"Sasaki-sama, please do not take my next words as an insult."

I stopped walking and turned to face him, tilting my head slightly as I listened. There was hesitation in his voice but beneath that, I could hear his fear.

"Aren't you afraid of dying? Of being forgotten?"

'Fear of death? Fear of being forgotten?'

A genuine smile formed on my lips before I turned and resumed walking. Arisawa hesitated before quickly following after me.

"I have no fear of death in my heart." I finally answered. "Nor do I fear being forgotten."

"How?" he asked, the unease in his voice replaced with curiosity. "Isn't the fear of death what makes a person cautious?"

I let out a light chuckle.

"I live and fight so that those I hold dear do not have to face their fears." I said, gesturing toward an elderly villager on the other side of the path. "Take them, for instance. They might fear armies arriving at our doorstep, but there will be no armies as only truly foolish men would wage war against us."

'That reminds me… Takahiro mentioned something before. I should have around four to five months.'

"We keep their fears at bay, Arisawa." I finished.

I could sense the unspoken question lingering in his silence, but I offered no further explanation. Instead, we walked on listening to the rustling leaves in the breeze and the lively chatter of merchants and children filling the mountain air.

~Scene Change / Kaede POV~

"This is truly a foolish idea, Lady Kaede…"

I heard Takahiro whisper ahead of me as we snuck past the guards. I responded lightly, keeping my steps quiet.

"Yet here you are, helping me with something you played a hand in."

He sighed as he opened a door, peeking inside before gesturing that it was empty.

"Why did you accept, Takahiro? I thought you wouldn't want anything to do with him."

Another sigh escaped him as he began removing the talismans on his body. I did the same, waiting for his answer.

"I don't know why."

I watched as he frowned, looking down at his weathered aged hands.

"Lady Kaede, I am old. I have seen many things and many people… and I truly believed that Sasaki Souta was the most vile and evil person to ever appear in my life."

I opened my mouth to protest. how dare he speak ill of my husband? but he raised a hand to stop me.

"But." he continued. "He proved that time and the people around him can heal a heart and soul. And so, I choose to believe that maybe that's why I'm here… To hope that if the boy is freed, time will heal him too."

I nodded with a smile, pumping my fist into the air.

"Yosh! Let's find Sukuna-chan and free him!"

Takahiro muttered something under his breath before shaking his head as I marched past him.

Then I paused, my expression turning serious.

"Isn't it strange that there have been barely any guards?"

He shook his head, stepping ahead to take the lead. I followed close behind.

"Lady Kaede, the Sealed Exile Hall is a place forbidden to most sorcerers. Even some of the elders aren't allowed here because of the people sealed away."

I hummed as we passed by cells, each covered in intricate seals.

"What kind of people were sealed here? I doubt any of them are stronger than Ryou."

Takahiro mouthed the name Ryou before realization dawned on him. He shook his head again.

"I agree, Lady Kaede. Some of these people are actually not—" He stopped abruptly. "We're here."

I turned to the seemingly empty cell before us, another powerful seal covering the entrance. Peering closer, I spotted a figure lying on the ground, arms outstretched, staring blankly at the dirt ceiling.

Sukuna.

His four eyes shifted from the ceiling and locked onto mine. A shiver crawled down my spine, a sensation like something slithering over my skin before it abruptly vanished, replaced by a strange warmth washing over me.

"We are here to break you out, Sukuna." Takahiro said calmly.

Sukuna blinked then rose to his feet, walking forward with an unreadable expression.

"You think I need your help to escape this shitty place?"

Takahiro started to respond, but I placed a hand on his arm silently telling him to step aside.

"Be careful, Young Lady." he murmured, sighing as he took a few steps back.

Sukuna's gaze shifted back to me.

"You're that woman."

I snorted lightly.

"I am his woman, yes."

His expression twisted into a scowl as he gripped the bars.

"You weakened him."

I raised an eyebrow, realizing what he meant. Then, with a smile, I shook my head.

"I believe I did the opposite."

I stepped closer.

"I gave him a reason to fight beyond merely surviving another day. I can give him things that battle never could—" Another step. Only the bars separated us now. "I have also given him hope."

His scowl deepened, then smoothed out into neutrality.

I turned to Takahiro, who sighed before stepping forward working on the seal as I continued speaking to Sukuna.

"Once you're free, head to the Southern or Central regions until things settle down."

He frowned at the command but nodded nonetheless.

As the seal unraveled, Takahiro tensed. Sukuna stepped forward, rolling his shoulders and stretching. Then, with a grin he took another step toward me—

A suffocating presence bore down on us.

A weight, heavy and unseen pressed against my very soul. It felt like something ancient, something vast, serpentine eyes peering down from above.

Sukuna gritted his teeth, his entire body rigid as he fought to keep his head up. Only when he took a step back did the feeling vanish, like a storm passing as quickly as it had arrived.

"S-So he's here…" Sukuna muttered under his breath.

I turned to Takahiro, who wiped the sweat from his brow before meeting my gaze. He shook his head slightly, uncertain if we were thinking of the same him.

~Scene Change~

Blood.

Even after everything I had witnessed in my life, I had never grown used to seeing so much of it.

It was everywhere.

Dripping from the walls, splattered across the trees, staining the blades of grass. The ground was slick with it. Corpses mangled and torn apart were piled atop one another, the most recognizable ones bearing gaping holes where their hearts had been ripped out.

And at the center of it all sitting atop a mound of bodies, was Ryou.

A bloodied bottle of sake dangled from one hand, and in the other, he gripped a weapon, a three-headed spear its blades still dripping crimson. His eyes swept over me, lingered on Takahiro for a fleeting moment then landed on Sukuna, who held his ground defiance burning in his gaze.

'He's upset.'

The thought settled heavily in my mind as Ryou sighed, pushing himself off the pile. Each step he took left a trail of fresh blood in his wake.

"The alarms were triggered after you broke through the third barrier, Takahiro-san." he muttered, cracking his neck before casually tossing the weapon toward Sukuna.

Sukuna caught it, his fingers tightening around the familiar grip. His frown deepened.

"Why are you giving this back?" he asked, voice laced with suspicion. "I thought you wanted nothing to do with me."

I opened my mouth to explain, but before I could utter a word, Ryou moved.

Faster than my eyes could follow, he was suddenly in front of me.

I stumbled, barely registering the motion before his bloodstained hands caught me. The scent of iron and sake mixed as I felt the warmth of fresh blood seep into my coat.

"Run."

The word was soft, but the weight behind it was undeniable.

Takahiro and I frowned, but Ryou ignored us turning instead to Sukuna. He raised his sake bottle in one hand, making a lazy shooing gesture with it.

"I'll give you a head start." he said, tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "If you survive what comes next, I won't pursue you."

Silence stretched between them.

For nearly thirty seconds, Sukuna didn't move. Then he scoffed turning on his heel.

"When I return, we'll fight." he declared. "And I will win."

Ryou merely started counting down.

"Fifteen."

I stepped forward, desperate to speak.

"Ryou, I can explain—"

Before I could finish, he grabbed me by the scruff of my clothing and unceremoniously deposited me beside Takahiro. Then, without another word, he turned his back to us.

"Twelve. Five. One."

'That wasn't fifteen seconds, Ryou!'

The ground trembled as he lifted his foot.

And then—

It fell.

A weight, crushing and suffocating bore down on my shoulders. The air turned thick, pressing down like an unseen mountain. My knees nearly buckled before Takahiro used his Cursed Energy, sharing the burden and keeping us both upright.

"Cursed Technique: Second Step."

The moment his foot connected with the earth, I remembered—

This was the man I had fallen in love with.

~Scene Change / Ryou POV~

The Exile Hall was gone.

Only ruin and death remained.

Smoke curled from the shattered earth, mingling with the scent of blood and burning flesh. I turned away from the destruction I had wrought, my gaze falling on Kaede and Takahiro, both sprawled on the ground still recovering from the aftershocks of my attack.

'Seems like that brat barely made it out alive.'

Sukuna's lingering Cursed Energy confirmed as much. He must have used both his Cursed Tool and some technique to shield himself. Not that it mattered. He was no longer my concern.

Shrugging off the thought, I refocused just as Kaede pulled herself to her feet brushing dust from her robes. Takahiro followed, slower, his breath still heavy.

"Why did you two want to free the brat?"

I honestly didn't care about Sukuna anymore. I had more important matters to deal with. But curiosity lingered.

Kaede didn't answer. She simply stared up at me, unreadable. Instead, it was Takahiro who spoke.

"He reminds me of you, Sasaki-san." His voice was steady, thoughtful. "I just hope that whatever has healed you can heal him."

I nodded, accepting the answer without comment.

Then Kaede stepped closer.

Her small hands cupped my face, fingers warm against my skin. I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden intimacy.

"Yes, Kaede?"

She studied me for a long moment, as if searching for something. Then—

"I want babies."

My brain short-circuited.

My body locked up, muscles failing to respond as I processed what I had just heard.

"...Bwah?"

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{Author here. Just a reminder that this'll turn into a multiverse(?) fanfiction and at this moment I'm still debating how I'll be introducing it (this time). That's all the Author has today.}