As Sukuna in Invincible

Yuji Itadori awoke to the sterile smell of antiseptic and the soft beeping of medical equipment.

His eyes fluttered open, taking in surroundings that were decidedly not the devastated shopping district where he had last been conscious.

Instead, he found himself in a medical bay of some kind - white walls, fluorescent lighting, and monitoring equipment surrounding the bed where he lay.

The room had the impersonal efficiency of a government facility, with reinforced windows showing glimpses of a city skyline he didn't recognize.

He didn't move immediately, simply staring at the ceiling as fragmented memories washed over him. The dimensional shift. Being trapped in his own body as Sukuna took control.

The devastation of Shibuya replaying in his mind - people screaming, buildings collapsing, blood on his hands that wasn't his own but that he'd been powerless to prevent.

And then... a four-armed figure with multiple eyes who had somehow expelled the King of Curses from his body.

His hand moved slowly to his chest where the cursed objects had been forcibly removed. There was no wound, no sign of trauma - just smooth, unbroken skin beneath the medical gown someone had dressed him in.

"You're awake," a calm female voice observed from nearby.

Yuji turned his head slightly, not startled by the presence. A young woman in traditional Japanese clothing - incongruous against the sterile modernity of the room - sat in a chair beside his bed, her expression serene but watchful.

"Uraume," he said quietly, recognizing her immediately. Not from direct interaction, but from Sukuna's memories that had bled into his consciousness during their unwilling cohabitation.

She inclined her head slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing her features. "You know me."

"I know... pieces," Yuji replied, his voice hollow. "When he was in control, I could still see. Still feel." He closed his eyes briefly. "Everything."

Understanding dawned in Uraume's expression. "The connection went both ways," she said. "You experienced his actions as your own."

"Shibuya," Yuji whispered, the single word carrying the weight of countless deaths, countless atrocities committed with his hands but not by his will. "I couldn't stop him. I tried, but I couldn't..."

His voice broke, and he turned his face away, unwilling to let her see the tears that threatened to spill.

Uraume remained silent, allowing him his moment of grief. When she finally spoke, her voice was measured, clinical.

"The cursed objects have been contained," she said. "Sukuna-sama has ensured they cannot influence you or seek another host."

Yuji gave a small, bitter laugh, having regained enough awareness unlike when he first resurfaced to understand what he saw. "Sukuna," he echoed. "The four-armed one. He's... different from mine."

"Yes," Uraume confirmed. "Though they share an origin, they have walked different paths."

Yuji nodded slightly, still not looking at her. "I know. I could feel it when he forced my Sukuna out. There was... recognition. Connection. Like looking at a reflection that's somehow become more than you are."

He finally turned back to her, his eyes hollow with exhaustion and trauma. "Where am I?"

"A secure medical facility within what is called the Global Defense Agency headquarters," Uraume replied. "Sukuna-sama arranged for your care here while he attends to other matters."

"The dimensional merger," Yuji said, not a question but a statement. "I felt it happening even before I crossed over. Sukuna knew what it was immediately - was excited by it, even. A chance to expand his influence beyond our world."

Uraume nodded, pouring water from a nearby pitcher into a cup. "The barriers between realities are collapsing. Multiple timelines converging into one." She offered him the water, which he accepted after a moment's hesitation.

"Why are you here?" he asked after taking a small sip. "With me, I mean. Shouldn't you be at his side? At least, that's what I got from the brief flashes about you."

Uraume's expression remained impassive, betraying nothing of her thoughts. "Sukuna-sama assigned me to ensure your recovery," she replied. "I follow his directives precisely."

Yuji studied her with tired eyes. "Just following orders, then."

"My duty is to serve Sukuna-sama," she stated simply. "That has been my purpose for centuries."

She rose, moving to a nearby counter where various medical supplies were arranged. With practiced movements, she began preparing what appeared to be medication.

"Your body requires nourishment," she explained, her tone professional. "The forced separation from the cursed objects has left you weakened. This will help restore your strength."

Yuji watched her work, noting the precision of her movements, the careful attention she paid to each step of the process. It was the behavior of someone accustomed to serving, to caring for others with meticulous dedication.

"You followed him here," he observed quietly. "Across dimensions."

Itadori Yuji was no fool. He may be one who acts like a goof, but when it matters he can piece many things together - especially the fact that he can see the soul of one unsuited for this world.

For he himself is the spiritual son of the First Son of Heaven. Heaven conceals not from those it deems its own.

Uraume paused briefly in her work, then continued. "Yes."

"Why?"

She brought the prepared medicine to him - a clear liquid in a small cup. "Because he is my master. I have served him for centuries, through death and rebirth."

Yuji accepted the medicine but didn't drink immediately. "That's not an answer."

Uraume met his gaze, her expression revealing nothing. "It is the only answer that matters."

Yuji looked down at the medicine, then back at her. Without further question, he drank it, grimacing slightly at the bitter taste.

"He's different here," Uraume said after a moment, taking the empty cup from him. "The Sukuna you knew and the one I serve now - they diverged somewhere in their existence. Made different choices."

"I felt that," Yuji acknowledged, leaning back against the pillows as warmth spread through his body from the medicine. "When he forced the fingers out. There was... this - I don't know how to really describe it, like a calm purpose behind his power. Direction. "

He closed his eyes, suddenly overwhelmed by exhaustion. "He helped me," he whispered, disbelief coloring his tone. "After everything... he actually helped me."

"Rest now," Uraume said, her voice neutral. "Your body needs time to recover."

Yuji didn't resist as sleep began to claim him again, the medicine working to restore his depleted energy. But before consciousness faded completely, he murmured, "Why did he do it? Why help me?"

Uraume was silent for so long that Yuji thought she might not answer. When she finally spoke, her voice was measured, revealing nothing of her own thoughts on the matter.

"Sukuna-sama's decisions serve his own purposes," she said. "It is not my place to question them."

Yuji wanted to ask more, to understand what she meant, but darkness was already closing in, pulling him down into dreamless sleep.

As his breathing deepened and steadied, Uraume remained by his bedside, her expression unreadable as she watched over him.

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When Yuji awoke again, the quality of light in the room had changed, suggesting several hours had passed. He felt stronger, the medicine having done its work to restore some of his depleted energy.

Uraume was still there, seated in the same chair, her posture as perfect as before. If she had moved at all during his rest, there was no sign of it.

"How long was I asleep?" he asked, his voice clearer than before.

"Six hours," she replied. "Your body needed the recovery time."

Yuji pushed himself into a sitting position, noting with mild surprise that the movement didn't cause the weakness or dizziness he had expected.

"The medicine is working," Uraume observed. "Your natural strength is returning."

Yuji nodded, looking down at his hands - hands that had caused so much destruction under Sukuna's control. He flexed his fingers, marveling at the simple fact that they moved according to his will alone.

"The fingers," he said suddenly, looking up. "Where are they?"

"In a secure containment facility within this building," Uraume answered. "Sukuna-sama ensured they were properly sealed before he departed."

"Departed?" Yuji repeated. "Where did he go?"

Uraume's expression remained neutral, but something in her eyes suggested concern. "There have been... complications with the dimensional merger. Other entities have crossed over, including another version of himself."

Yuji's eyes widened slightly. "Another Sukuna? Besides mine?"

"Yes," she confirmed.

Yuji absorbed this information, trying to imagine what it would mean for multiple versions of Sukuna to exist in one world. The thought was terrifying.

"What happens now?" he asked after a moment. "With me, I mean."

Uraume rose, moving to a nearby closet and withdrawing fresh clothing - modern attire that would help him blend in with this world.

"You are free to choose your own path," she said, placing the clothes at the foot of his bed. "Though Sukuna-sama suggested you might wish to remain under his protection until the dimensional situation stabilizes."

Yuji stared at the clothes, then at Uraume, disbelief evident in his expression. "Free?" he repeated. "Just like that?"

"Yes," Uraume confirmed. "You are not a prisoner here."

Yuji shook his head slowly, struggling to reconcile this reality with everything he had experienced. "I don't understand. After everything Sukuna did - everything he made me do - why would his counterpart here care what happens to me?"

Uraume seemed to consider her words carefully before answering. "Sukuna-sama has... evolved since coming to this world. His perspective has broadened in ways I am still coming to understand."

She hesitated, then added, "And perhaps he recognizes a connection between you. A bond forged through the sharing of a soul, however unwilling that sharing might have been."

Yuji looked down at his hands again, remembering all the blood they had spilled under Sukuna's control. "I don't know if I can ever move past what he made me do," he said quietly. "All those people in Shibuya... their deaths are on my hands."

"No," Uraume said, with unexpected firmness. "They are on his. You were as much a victim as they were."

Yuji looked up, surprised by the conviction in her voice. "You really believe that?"

"I have served Sukuna for centuries," she replied. "I know better than most the extent of his power, his will. That you maintained any sense of self at all during his possession is remarkable. And I know better than anyone that he abhors one taking credit for his actions."

She moved toward the door, pausing with her hand on the frame. "Rest. Change when you feel ready. I will return with food shortly."

As she turned to leave, Yuji called after her, "Why are you really taking care of me? It can't just be because he ordered you to."

Uraume paused, her back still to him. For a long moment, she was silent, and Yuji thought she might leave without answering.

"Sukuna-sama's orders are absolute," she reiterated finally, her voice betraying no emotion. "My duty is to fulfill them without question or hesitation."

She turned slightly, her profile visible in the harsh fluorescent light. "Your recovery serves his purposes. That is all that matters."

"That's not an answer," Yuji pressed, sensing there was more beneath her carefully controlled response.

Uraume turned to face him fully, her expression perfectly composed. "You share a connection with Sukuna-sama that few beings have ever experienced. That makes you significant, regardless of how that connection was formed."

Her eyes met his with cool assessment. "In my centuries of service, I have learned that Sukuna-sama's decisions often have multiple layers of purpose. If he wishes you recovered and free, then that is what shall be done."

Without another word, she left, closing the door behind her with quiet precision.

Yuji stared after her, unsure what to make of the exchange.

Uraume had revealed nothing of her personal thoughts or feelings - if she even had any beyond her devotion to Sukuna.

She remained an enigma, her motivations hidden behind a mask of perfect service.

He looked down at the clothes she had left, then at the room around him. A room in a facility he didn't know, in a world that wasn't his own, during a dimensional crisis he barely understood.

And yet, despite everything, he felt something he hadn't experienced in a long time: the faintest glimmer of hope.

For the first time since accidentally consuming that first cursed object, he was truly alone in his own body.

Free.

Whatever else this world's Sukuna might be, whatever changes he might have undergone, he had given Yuji something his own version never would have - liberation from the curse that had defined his existence for so long.

That, at least, deserved some measure of gratitude.

Yuji closed his eyes, allowing himself to feel the simple pleasure of being the sole occupant of his own body. Whatever came next, whatever challenges this merged world might present, he would face them as himself.

Just himself.

And that was a gift beyond measure.

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Outside the room, Uraume stood perfectly still, her face composed into its customary mask of serene detachment. Her conversation with Yuji had prompted thoughts she rarely allowed herself to entertain.

For centuries, her existence had been defined by service to Sukuna-sama. Her purpose, her identity, her very reason for being - all were bound to him with unquestioning devotion.

It was a role she had embraced completely, finding satisfaction in the perfect execution of her duties.

Yet since arriving in this world, subtle changes had occurred in her master that, by necessity, created corresponding adjustments in her own position.

His consideration for others, once nonexistent, had expanded. His perspective had broadened. His decisions reflected new priorities that sometimes contradicted his former nature.

Caring for Yuji Itadori was one such contradiction - a task that would have been inconceivable to the Sukuna she had first pledged herself to serve.

"Care for him," Sukuna-sama had instructed before departing, his tone carrying none of the dismissive cruelty that once characterized his commands. "Ensure his recovery. His freedom."

Freedom. A concept Sukuna-sama had never before considered valuable for anyone but himself.

Uraume straightened her already perfect posture, centering herself with practiced discipline. These contemplations were unnecessary distractions from her duty. Whatever changes occurred in Sukuna-sama, her role remained the same: perfect service, perfect obedience.

If that service now included caring for a young man who had shared a soul with a version of her master, then she would execute that task with the same flawless precision she brought to all her responsibilities.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

With that clarity restored, Uraume moved purposefully down the corridor toward the facility's kitchen. She would prepare a meal suitable for Yuji's recovery needs, deliver it with appropriate efficiency, and continue to monitor his progress as instructed.

Her own thoughts on the matter - whatever they might be - were irrelevant to the execution of her duties. Sukuna-sama had given her a task. She would complete it with perfection.

That was all that mattered.

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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all liked the chapter!

We got a bit of more focus on Yuji and Uraume.

Uraume herself isn't really admitting it right now, but she does have begrudging respect and care towards Yuji and that for one reason and one only.

He won against Sukuna.

And in some ways Uraume is kind of happy about that now.

Since, since her arrival to this world, Sukuna has been more fatherly and affectionate towards her - mostly off screen, but I did show that headpat and hair ruffle a couple chapters ago.

Sukuna because of his first life, and his new situation in a way is also grateful for his loss. Sukuna after all isn't arrogant. He is a being that acts befitting his stature, and wants the perfect life, the perfect pleasure. 

If losing means he comes to understand that path, then he is happy with losing once so that he forever wins.

For that loss in actuality is a more true win, than winning and living a life that is not as pleasurable - which Sukuna has definitely recognized, especially since coming to experience caring for others and falling in love with Eve.

So yeah, I hope you all enjoyed and I hope to see you all later,

Bye!)