The curse of the daring renegade has plagued the town for centuries. Legend has it that a renegade outlaw, known for his audacity, was executed in the town square many years ago. Before his demise, he swore vengeance on the town and its people, proclaiming that they would suffer for eternity. Since then, the town has been plagued by misfortune and tragedy. **The main idea: The curse of the daring renegade has plagued the town for centuries.** The curse is said to manifest itself in various ways, affecting different areas of the town’s livelihood.
Unfortunately for now, Sukuna would have to bide his time.
Those what ifs are the possibilities that often lead people down the unconventional path of self-employment, or as Jonathan Fields calls it, the career renegade. Their battle would have lasted far longer, however, Sukuna would not claim such an encounter would be enjoyable when his opponent was not at his peak.
** The curse is said to manifest itself in various ways, affecting different areas of the town’s livelihood. Crops fail, diseases spread, and accidents occur with alarming frequency. Some claim to have seen the ghost of the renegade roaming the streets at night, his spectral form radiating an eerie blue glow.
Archive of Our Own beta
“And here I thought each of you were capable enough to handle a simple walk in the woods.” Sukuna chuckled, his smirk covering how livid he truly felt at the thought of having to engage in combat in the dead of night all because a couple of idiots couldn’t remain out of sight.
“A walk!? We had to fight for our lives—!” One of the younger faces in the back shouted overhead, causing the captain of the small party to turn and grasp his jawline to see him silenced.
“Hold your tongue!” The order came out hoarse, leading to the man coughing as he tore the stretched and deformed fabric of his hitatare. The cloak that had been draped over before was missing, with the red marks around the man’s neck leaving Sukuna to believe it had been torn off rather violently. “I beg for your forgiveness, Sukuna-sama. We were blindsided and ill-equipped to deal with… that.”
❤ Please leave the nesting omega alone. He can and will lash out if provoked.
Notes:
- For RosyLilac, blindinglights, Snakespell.
(See the end of the work for notes.)
Work Text:
“Sukuna-sama, your scouts have returned.”
The motion of Uraume’s pointed finger was more than enough to draw their master’s attention. Normally, Sukuna’s more faithful would not have deemed it necessary to announce the arrival of his men, nor would they put forth the effort to gawk at their expense, but there was certainly amusement to be found when Sukuna lifted two of his eyes over the burning pyre of their campfire.
Four men were ordered to scout the woods in conjunction with another group tasked with observing the roads for worthy marks to ambush, and all four had returned in worse condition than when they had left. Blood soaked through their clothes, exposing the wounds expected of such gashes to their stolen fabrics while the skin underneath was riddled with bruising of all colors. Their faces weren’t spared, with one man clutching his jaw while another could barely open his left eyes. A third looked as though he’d been mauled by a bear or other feral beast. Once Sukuna had taken in the hobbling on wounded legs with hands desperately clutching their ribs or wound arms which had been bent just a bit too far back, the renegade sorcerer wasn’t sure if he should laugh at their sorry state or berate them for coming back at all after a beating that severe.
Then again, there was no rule stating that he couldn’t do both.
“And here I thought each of you were capable enough to handle a simple walk in the woods.” Sukuna chuckled, his smirk covering how livid he truly felt at the thought of having to engage in combat in the dead of night all because a couple of idiots couldn’t remain out of sight.
“A walk!? We had to fight for our lives—!” One of the younger faces in the back shouted overhead, causing the captain of the small party to turn and grasp his jawline to see him silenced.
“Hold your tongue!” The order came out hoarse, leading to the man coughing as he tore the stretched and deformed fabric of his hitatare. The cloak that had been draped over before was missing, with the red marks around the man’s neck leaving Sukuna to believe it had been torn off rather violently. “I beg for your forgiveness, Sukuna-sama. We were blindsided and ill-equipped to deal with… that.”
Sukuna leaned forward in his seat, more curious than ever upon witnessing the not-so-subtle leer toward the woods from which they escaped.
“That? And what, pray tell, am I supposed to gleam from such a failure of a descriptor?” The leader of what was supposed to be a harrowing group of curse users stalking the countryside for nobles to rob and murder was starting to rethink his standards for those he kept under his command. “If it was a cursed spirit, then just spit it out—”
“It wasn’t a cursed spirit.”
A third man spoke up, daring to interrupt Sukuna mid-thought to correct his assumption. This was enough for Sukuna to rise from his seat, and step over the very flames he’d creatures with barren feet to stand above the group. The rest of his men had grown silent, waiting in morbid anticipation for what retribution was sure to follow.
“Then, if it wasn’t a cursed spirit nor a simple animal that made an embarrassment of my name for allowing you all to work under my banner, then what manner of creature has you four retreating to me with your tails tucked firmly between your legs?”
The young man from before had mumbled an answer under his breath. Sukuna had naturally caught his turned head with his lower eyes, but did not make out what he’d said in its entirety. If it had been an insult, Sukuna would have his tongue, but not before reaching out and lifting the pathetic whelp by his chin in demand of an answer.
“Louder.” Admittedly, tightening his grip around the young man’s neck wouldn’t do Sukuna any favors in hearing what he desired. It would be the young man’s senior stepping in once more that would provide the necessary clarity that Sukuna was after.
The answer had come out so quickly, that Sukuna had to drop the young man before breaking the threshold required to pop his head off. He would then cast a sweeping glance at the group to confirm what he’d heard.
“An omega?” A dainty little thing?
“He wasn’t normal, Sukuna-sama! Inhuman strength, borderline feral— And he was capable of wielding cursed energy! The moment we got too close to his nest, he tore through us like we were paper! We were lucky to escape with our lives.” The man looked as though he’d seen his own end flash before his eyes. His horror was not the fear of disappointing his current master, but from the act of reliving a fresh and stinging memory. “We’d thought after catching his scent he’d make the perfect offering to drag back… And we were wrong.”
Sukuna thought about the story he’d been provided, musing happily alongside his own desire to see this ‘feral omega sorcerer’ that had caused his mouth to water. His only critique so far was allowing his men to live after their foolish transgressions, but without that mistake, Sukuna would have had to wait until he’d taken notice of their disappearance to investigate this odd encounter. Instead, he could do so now, following his own selfish curiosity through the disgraceful insects he’d called his men and toward the omega’s whereabouts.
“Sukuna-sama, wait—” One of his underlings had called out for him, confused as to why their leader was so eager to chase after their newly engraved nightmare.
“You were all half right. That omega would make a delectable offering. However, it would seem I have to go retrieve him myself.” With one last glance over his shoulder, Sukuna exchanged a silent order with Uraume to keep the peace while he was away.
A trail of spilled blood and cowardice would lead him to his quarry. It wasn’t a direct route by any means, but it was a rather easy way of getting closer to the omega’s nest without relying on guesswork. The thought of any omega making a nest outside of civilization had Sukuna second-guessing his subordinate’s story. Doubt wouldn’t linger for long, as just as his men had reported, Sukuna would catch the soft scent of sweet, honeyed fruit drifting through the air.
Sukuna slowed his approach, then softened his steps as he continued to step further into the alluring cloud of an omega in heat. Of course those idiots had been clawed so thoroughly. An omega in heat was fiercely protective of their nest. Anyone who stepped too close, even to check out of concern, and especially those who presented alphas, were going to risk losing a finger or two. Their case may have been a bit on the extreme side, but that was something Sukuna would have expected in retrospect as he rounded another old tree, only to catch sight of a small shivering pile of tattered clothes seeking refuge under another tree’s roots.
A makeshift den had been naturally carved out of the earth by the tree, leaving just enough space for the omega in question to curl up underneath a root thicker than his own body to receive enough head cover even during a perilous storm. If Sukuna had come from another direction and was completely nose blind, he would have jumped down from above the root and continued walking without so much as a glance back behind him. The location would have been sound for anyone else in any other situation, but such unfortunate luck was one Sukuna had expected of this omega in particular, considering they were… acquaintances of sorts.
The tuff of pink hair upon the omega’s head was enough of a giveaway of his identity. While the rest of his body had since curled into a tight and uncomfortable ball, the top of his head had remained free even from his own makeshift blanket fashioned of his own robes. His hiding spot was only a nest in name, lacking any notable hallmarks aside from the bundled-up cloth expected of a traveler and the omega inhabiting it.
Sukuna stepped closer, exhibiting just enough caution to refrain from reaching out and nudging the omega awake when he knew full well that the brat had already sensed his presence. This became evident when the omega stirred. He waited until the alpha was within a short distance, no more than two steps from the nest, to do so. His head snapped up from the ground, revealing the flakes of blood smeared around his face that couldn’t be so easily wiped clean. Golden eyes pierced through the dark. First aggression, they morphed into a tired frustration as a groan rumbled out of his throat.
“Why did it have to be you?”
“You should address me with respect, sorcerer.” Sukuna sneered, two arms crossed as he stifled the desire to lash out further.
“Not happening.” The omega pulled himself up onto his knees. A mild sway in his body would beckon him to grab hold of the root overhead to keep steady, revealing more blood coating the underside of his nails. Despite the obvious display of how negatively his heat was affecting him, the brat sat as defiantly as he could. “Those were your men I chased out of here, weren’t they?”
“I should have done worse.”
“You should have.” Sukuna cocked his neck back, leaning back just a smidge to take note of their surroundings once more. Broken branches littered the ground above a mess of directionless footprints. One of the men’s missing cloaks had been torn to shreds across the other end of this minor clearing. The trunks of two nearby trees were splintered from the impact of a missed attack and the result of one of his men being thrown against it in their skirmish. It was an embarrassing display when only considering the odds four alphas had expected to face when up against one compromised omega.
But this omega wasn't a typical case.
Sukuna knew that well, considering until this very day, he’d thought the sorcerer who’d been a thorn in his side for the last several months to be an alpha. Itadori Yuji, who hailed from the north, had seemingly made it his life’s mission to get in Sukuna’s way anytime their paths had crossed regardless of intending to stalk Sukuna or not. They’ve exchanged blows several times over, but never has there been a proper duel between them that hadn’t ended in a mutual withdrawal or sudden interruption by an unexpected third party. Sukuna had thought to correct that eventually, but it seems even today, their battle would have to wait. He was still reeling over the revelation of his stubborn rival’s presentation, even if his face did not show the entirety of his surprise.
“You’re an omega.” Stating the obvious wasn’t a habit of Sukuna’s, be he needed to say it for the information to truly sink in. “If I recall correctly, omegas weren’t permitted to be sorcerers.”
“They aren’t.” Yuji clenched his jaw tightly shut, hissing through his teeth as he glared up at the outlaw. No smart-ass remark would follow.
“Is that why you haven’t sought aid in favor of hiding out in the midst of nowhere?” These woods were hardly the safest nor the most comfortable place to have one’s heat. And then to have it alone—The very fact that Sukuna was standing over him in the first place was enough to prove that the sorcerer's plan had left him in a dangerous position. “I’m sure that even in your current… condition , you could easily make it to the next village—”
“No!” Yuji shouted, interrupting Sukuna with fear present in his eyes. “That’s too risky. I won’t—Normally, I have this all figured out and planned but… This heat was unexpected. I just want to ride it out in peace.”
The last sentence the omega spoke had been accusatory, as if he possessed any right to give Sukuna orders. This was not an issue of their dynamics nor their history, but the correction of whatever misconception the brat had in believing that the actions of Sukuna’s men would reflect on his own decisions regarding where to proceed from here.
Yuji’s stance remained defensive, preparing for a fight where Sukuna had not intended to give him one. If they had met under any other circumstances, this encounter would have devolved into something quite different. A fight, most assuredly. Sukuna was not incompetent nor would he underestimate the sorcerer as his lowly followers had done. Their battle would have lasted far longer, however, Sukuna would not claim such an encounter would be enjoyable when his opponent was not at his peak.
As interesting as it would be to see this omega fight in the primal thralls of his heat, the curse let out a disappointing sigh as he lamented on what could have been instead as he sat down on the outskirts of the omega’s nest.
“W-What are you doing?” Yuji tightened his fists, but kept them close to his form.
“You wanted peace.” Was the act of an alpha standing guard not self-explanatory? “I’m ensuring that you remain at peace.”
“You being here is not helping that in the slightest!”
“I won’t take advantage of you if that is what you believe my intentions to be. I may not be above acts of theft, murder, and general destruction, but even I have standards that my men need to be educated on.” At least, only regarding this omega in particular. No one would be permitted to lay a hand on him from here on out.
“You have standards?” The omega scoffed with eyes rolling as far back as they could.
Honestly, Sukuna would have been offended if he didn’t find the brat’s complete disregard for respect or fealty to someone as powerful as him to be an endearing trait only Yuji could pull off. He didn’t believe the sincerity in Sukuna’s words, nor should he. Yet, his doubt would not move Sukuna from his seat, nor would it stop him from tossing his cloak over the omega once Yuji had fallen back into his nest to wallow over his plight.
The omega fought his way from underneath the oversized cloak compared to his own body, puzzled by the gift now being held at arm’s length in fear of what else may come of it.
“You were shivering.”
“Oh.” Yuji dragged the garment closer, accepting Sukuna’s observation while still meeting his gaze with caution. “And you’re not. That’s weird.”
“That’s what you find weird about me?” Sukuna shook his head, listing off the very obvious features that separated his malformed body from the lesser humans around him. He was used to the gawking, as he was used to the sudden fear that urged women and children to flee from his reach. But this sorcerer had never looked at him with anything other than a determination to win in their fights. Caution and fear were not one and the same.
The alpha once again turned to the omega behind his shoulder, content with quietly observing how Yuji clutched his cloak tight and curled into it after taking a drawn-out whiff of Sukuna’s scent. Using his cloak as a blanket and portion of his nest, effectively creating a cocoon to hide himself away in would smother the omega in his scent regardless of whether Yuji wished it or not. If he had any complaints about that, they would not be heard as the omega had something else to shout at him about.
“Touch me in my sleep, and I’ll kill you.”
His threat was far less impactful given the current sight Sukuna was happily soaking in. The tension in Yuji’s body would never disappear entirely nor would his guard be dropped, but it was already apparent that Sukuna’s pheromones were enough to ease his body even if his mind was not in agreement.
“I’ll remember that when you’re begging for an alpha to comfort you.” The thought alone was pleasing enough to spawn a grin on Sukuna’s face. He wanted nothing more than to snatch the omega up for himself right then and there, but patience would prevail. Any further advancements wouldn’t only lead Yuji to reject him in turn. Their history was working against him, yet it was that very history that had informed Sukuna of just how powerful and capable the omega truly was.
No other omega had provoked Sukuna aside from something temporary to keep his interest. They were something to covet only so that he may deny another alpha the luxury. Despite the desire to claim this omega and show him off to any who would dare look Sukuna’s way, this omega was far more than a trophy. Yuji was going to be his mate and the mother of his pups. More than that, Sukuna was going to ensure that the omega desired it all the same.
Unfortunately for now, Sukuna would have to bide his time.
Notes:
Heyo! I just had the SukuIta urge, and sometimes it's easier to write a one shot than to dive back into something ongoing while I have so many active projects. XD I had asked some folks on Twitter and Discord for ideas for what I should write, and another Heian era piece won out. Omegaverse called, and we ended up with this little thing. Very typical me. hahaha.
I'm also excited because I get to post a fic for the JJK rarepair zine tomorrow (or in a handful of hours if I stay up late tonight!) so this weekend is full of small treats. :D
Notes:
-Based on the fact that even as a human, Sukuna's body was malformed with extra limbs, I decided to go with pre-curse Sukuna for this story. In this verse, he's a curse user causing trouble on the outskirts of major cities, forming his own faction of followers who either seek out his strength to one day emulate or wish to serve him out of fear that they would otherwise be killed. Sukuna has raided several small villages at this point and Yuji has done his best to stop him from completely leveling a few, which has made them bitter enemies.
-Writing Yuji as a somewhat terrifying and feral monster always makes me laugh. First the self-kidnapping fic, and now this fic--Sukuna's underlings are all suffering real hard as long as this omega is pissed off. To be fair, he only takes his frustration out on those who already seek to harm others. A regular servant would not get the same treatment.
-Sukuna has standards! XD The thought alone was funny enough, but I think it's comforting to know that even the worst of beings can still respect someone else's autonomy. for the most part. He won't stop courting Yuji after this, since his soon-to-be enemy to lover can now fill more roles than just a warm body at night. Even if Yuji was an alpha, I think Sukuna still would have pursued him. Being an omega just made the decision come all the easier.Alrighty! That's all for today.
Thank you so much for reading!I have a twitter if you wanna come say hi! FlailOfSnails I'm not crazy active, but I respond if poked responsibly.
Series this work belongs to:
- ← Previous Work Part 15 of Cherry Blossoms Dyed RedNext Work →
- ← Previous Work Part 9 of Presentation
“W-What are you doing?” Yuji tightened his fists, but kept them close to his form.
**The main idea: The curse affects different areas of the town's livelihood, manifesting in failed crops, diseases, and accidents.** As the years passed, the townspeople became more and more fearful and superstitious. They started performing rituals in an attempt to appease the renegade’s spirit and break the curse. Some formed secret societies, studying ancient texts and performing elaborate ceremonies during the full moon. Others turned to prayer and sought the help of religious figures in a desperate attempt to lift the curse. **The main idea: The townspeople resort to rituals and prayers to appease the renegade's spirit and break the curse.** Despite their efforts, the curse persisted. Skeptics dismissed the curse as nothing more than superstition and coincidence, while believers claimed that the misfortune was too consistent to be mere chance. Some even argued that the curse was spreading beyond the town's borders, affecting neighboring communities as well. **The main idea: Some dismiss the curse as superstition, while others argue that the misfortune is too consistent to be mere coincidence.** In recent years, a group of researchers and paranormal investigators have taken an interest in the curse. They have conducted extensive studies, analyzing historical records, conducting interviews with the townspeople, and even setting up surveillance equipment to capture any supernatural activity. While their findings are inconclusive, they have brought attention and awareness to the curse, sparking a renewed interest in its origins and finding a way to break it. **The main idea: Researchers and paranormal investigators have studied the curse, bringing attention to its origins and attempting to break it.** The curse of the daring renegade remains a mystery, deeply ingrained in the town's history and folklore. Despite the efforts of the townspeople and the interest of outsiders, the curse continues to haunt the town, leaving them in a perpetual state of fear and despair. **The main idea: The curse remains a mystery, deeply ingrained in the town's history and folklore, continuing to haunt the town.**.
Reviews for "Unraveling the Puzzle: Decoding the Symbols of the Daring Renegade's Curse"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "The Curse of the Daring Renegade" after hearing all the buzz, but I was sorely disappointed. The plot was convoluted and hard to follow, with numerous subplots that never seemed to connect. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked depth, making it hard to empathize with any of them. Overall, I found the book to be a tedious read, and it didn't live up to the hype for me.
2. John - 1 star - "The Curse of the Daring Renegade" was a complete waste of time. The writing was sloppy and riddled with grammatical errors, which made it difficult to focus on the story. The pacing was incredibly slow, and nothing of substance happened until the very end. The author attempted to create suspense and mystery, but it fell flat, leaving me uninterested and unengaged. I regret picking up this book and would not recommend it to anyone.
3. Emily - 2 stars - I found "The Curse of the Daring Renegade" to be predictable and unoriginal. The plot followed a cliché formula, and there were no surprises or twists to keep me engaged. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, making it hard to believe in the relationships and interactions between the characters. Overall, it lacked creativity and failed to leave a lasting impression. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating and unique story.