Life After Death: The Strength Of Suffering

"Fight—L-Let go of me!" I grabbed Sukuna by the scruff of his kimono as he charged toward me, poised to attack again. I met his gaze calmly and kept my voice casual. "I'm meeting with a few people. Want to join me?" I released him, and he landed gracefully, blinking in confusion.

"Will there be a fight?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "If there is, there'll be at most one casualty, but that's not why I want you there."

Sukuna tilted his head his curiosity piqued, and I sighed gesturing for him to follow as I began walking. "Two sorcerer clans will be present. One's particularly renowned for its healing techniques. My plan is to train you for a year or two before you go to their compound and learn from them."

I heard his footsteps falter, then stop behind me. Turning around, I saw him staring at me with a frown. Raising an eyebrow, I asked. "What?"

He clenched his jaw, unease flashing across his face. "You're not kicking me out, right?"

I blinked, speaking plainly. "Did you want to stay here after learning everything from me?"

He froze, blinking clearly processing my words. "You think two years will be enough for me to learn everything?"

I nodded glancing at the grey sky, noticing the distant clouds gathering. 'Seems like rain's coming. Good. We've been needing it.'

"We seem to have similar cursed techniques, so teaching you will be easier. I don't have many techniques though, just the ones I've perfected to overpower my opponents."

His eyes met mine, and I could see a flicker of understanding before he nodded. He resumed walking toward me as I continued forward. "Oh, and I should mention." I added over my shoulder, smirking. "I'll still be stronger even after you learn from me."

His reaction almost made this day perfect. 'If only I had sake.'

"Fucking old gee—Ack!"

~Scene Change~

~Sayaka Fuyutsuki POV~

From the very beginning when the Clan Head ordered me to guard the Umemura heir, my instincts screamed to refuse. But ignoring orders wasn't an option. Still, as we approached the Twin Mountains, dread gnawed at me. 'I might die today.'

Why? Because Takahiro Sakurazawa the elder from the Sakurazawa Clan, had told me why were where here. 'Not that it matters if we die anyway.' But while the chances were high they weren't guaranteed as it was quite well known that Sasaki Souta loved the sake made from the Sakurazawa Clan.

'Guess it doesn't matter how insane a man is, they're all the same.'

I couldn't help but inch closer to Takahiro, subtly distancing myself from the giant target known as the Umemura heir and dreading the meeting ahead. 'I can't believe the Umemura Clan thought this was a good idea.'

When I pressed Takahiro about the mission's true purpose, the Umemura heir revealed something even more alarming, his father had opted not to pay the Bandit Leader and instead planned to threaten him with the threat of war. 'We're all going to die.'

~Takahiro Sakurazawa POV~

"Frowning doesn't suit a young lady." I said lightly, trying to distract the young Fuyutsuki from her supposed impending doom. It was a valid fear, death was all but a high chance. But I doubted it was our fate today.

I glanced over at the Umemura heir. Sighing, I couldn't help but think of his father's misguided ambition. 'Greed. Such a wretched thing.'

What neither Sasaki Souta nor anyone else knew was that the Umemura Clan had arranged a marriage between their heir and a daughter of the Imperial Court. They were convinced that the Bandit Leader would cower in the face of war and the threat of having to fight against hundreds or possibly thousands of Sorcerers.

'He'll laugh it off and then kill him. Or he might parade the boys dead body in front of major clans.'

I sighed quietly as the guides left us to our seats. Before they could even leave, the Umemura heir made a fatal misstep.

"Don't you know who I am? Get your barbaric leader here now!"

I shook my head, glancing at the person who would carry that message to Sasaki. Whoever they were, they'd be lucky to walk away from this. I turned to the heir. 'He's just signed his life away.'

~Souta POV~

As I entered the room, my gaze immediately locking with Takahiro's. "Takahiro, it's good to see you again."

He gave a slight bow from his seat, and I turned to survey the rest of the guests. My eyes first settled on a woman, dressed in an almost entirely white kimono with intricate snowflake designs. 'Not part of the fabric... A cursed technique?' Her pale skin and short white hair contrasted sharply with the rest of the room. Her frightened gaze was unsettling, and yet, there was something deeper I couldn't place.

The final guest caught my attention immediately. The Umemura heir. My gaze hardened. 'So, this is the heir to the Umemura Clan. He better have a good reason for my money being late.'

I took my seat at the larger chair, gesturing for Sukuna to pull up a chair next to me. The others around the table wore expressions of confusion and fear. 'I thought as much. It's not just his appearance that's startling them, his cursed energy feels the same way as mine does.'

"Souta Sasaki. It's about time you showed up."

I raised an eyebrow, my posture relaxed though my irritation was palpable. "Show up? Bold words, considering your clan hasn't repaid me. And when did we get on first name terms? Enlighten me."

The heir's cocky expression faltered, then quickly returned to smugness. 'They've got something planned.'

I glanced at the other two in the room, the woman her face reluctant and Takahiro who seemed to be calculating his next move. 'They don't want any part of this. I'll remember that.'

"We the Umemura Clan, will not pay you."

The simple declaration carried far more weight than it should have. To many, it might've seemed like a simple statement, but to me? It was personal. I fucking loved money.

"Is that so?" I said with a smirk, my voice calm but with a dangerous edge. "I guess I'll just kill you now—"

Before I could finish my thought, Kiyoshi surprised me. "That's correct!"

He suddenly stood, walked to the center of the room and bowed with hands and knees on the floor. "Forgive my foolish clan!"

I felt Sukuna's amusement ripple through the room, but I stayed focused on Kiyoshi. My mind raced, disbelief flooding my thoughts.

'The fuck?'

As the heir bowed, I noticed something I hadn't expected. 'She's actually a woman?'

The Umemura Clan heir... was a female.