Life After Death: The Strength Of Suffering

{Author's sanity died at the end of this.

Enjoy :D}

I was in a boat.

"Papa?" Eri's voice broke the silence. I hummed in acknowledgement.

"I miss Mama."

I snorted, holding my fishing rod in hand, and turned to look at my snowball. "She's only gone to get food for us—"

She giggled. "You mean for you, Papa~ You eat a lot!"

I laughed then coughed, hoping I hadn't scared away the fish. Rubbing her head, I hummed again. "I guess so. But, Eri?"

She hummed in response.

"Did you have fun today? I heard from Retsu that you and she went down the mountain and into town for cloth shopping."

Eri nodded eagerly. I withheld a snort as I turned to look at her. She sighed, and I furrowed my brow.

"Everything okay?"

I had to look down to meet her eyes, and I froze. Instead of being greeted by her usual bright innocent red eyes, I was met with red eyes filled with malice.

"Miss me?~"

I was forced to sit up straight as the boat wobbled. Before I could confront the fake Eri, I felt something lodge in my chest. It was a tendril of wood that sprouted from the boat. I felt it extend and wrap around my bones, locking me in place. Frozen, I watched as the fake Eri began to morph, unaffected by the rocking of the boat. My breath quickened as I realized what form it was taking.

"What's with that face, my special human?~"

Eri—no, Muzan spoke with glee as he approached. Before he could touch me, the boat tilted too far and flipped over.

"Mou~ Open your eyes!"

I felt his clawed fingers against my ears. And against my will my eyes were forced open, and I wished, so fucking wished that I could keep them closed.

"Welcome home, welcome back to the Blood River~"

Through the familiar sensation of blood I made out objects, swords of all shapes and sizes, each one pointed at me.

'I—I thought that brat destroyed the connection!'

A laugh echoed in my head. I felt my eyes turn against my will to look at Muzan, who was holding me at the waist. As I watched his mouth move, no words reached my ears. Instead, my mind was flooded with voices—voices I didn't want to remember, but had no choice but to hear.

"Drinking partner, let's drink till we drop!"

'You're not real!'

"Sasaki-san, please don't drink, it delays your healing!"

'I'm fine!'

"Sasaki-san, thank you for aiding us in our time of need."

'Shut up!'

"Sasaki-kun? I heard you enjoy plum wine, so I looked in my old storage and found this!"

"Fuck off!"

The voices stopped. I stilled, only able to feel the weapons in the Blood River graze and pierce my skin. Then decayed rotting hands reached up from the depths of the blood, grabbing hold of me.

"Sasaki-san, you left us."

'I—I'

"Papa, you promised!"

'I—'

Before I could plead I was dragged down by the hands of those I had once called family.

~Scene Change/ POV Change~

Two of the four watched casually as Sasaki Souta was held by chains around his arms, a Nodachi slowly cutting through his neck.

"Mikazuki-san, it's slower than normal."

The comment might have seemed odd, but it wasn't surprising given the experience of having witnessed it hundreds of times since Shigeno Haruto became a member of the Auspicious Twelve. 'Normally, it's over in seconds, but it's already been over half an hour, and the sword is only halfway through.'

The archer squinted at the form of Sasaki and his bleeding neck. 'I don't like this.' A strange feeling had settled in him the moment he fired his first arrow at the man. 'Not even he was able to sense my Cursed Technique, so how can a 'bum' sense and grab onto it?'

"Shigeno-san, it only means his guilt is immense."

The archer turned to the one known for his iron fist in justice and nodded lightly before speaking quietly. "Perhaps, or maybe he's resisting your Cursed Technique somehow?"

'Better to be cautious than not, my friend.'

However, all Haruto received was a snort before the Iron Judge responded properly.

"Shigeno-san, there is no one who can escape their sins."

Haruto looked back at the Nodachi slowly slicing through Sasaki's neck and sighed.

"I hope that's the case with this one too, Raito."

~Scene Change/ POV Change~

"Let go of me!"

'I'm getting far too old for this.' Sakurazawa Takahiro thought with a sigh as he held the Umemura Clan Head with one arm, sipping his tea with the other. 'Then again, I understand her worry.'

Takahiro placed his cup down and looked toward the distant battle. Even though he couldn't see it, he could certainly feel the Cursed Energy emanating from where Sasaki Souta was fighting. 'Though I'm surprised I haven't felt more of that energy.'

A shiver ran through his old bones as he recalled the Elders and Clan Head trying to seal the vile energy inside Sasaki. 'It's a miracle he can even stay sane with all that corruption running through him.'

Sighing, Takahiro released his grip on Kaede, forcing her to trip and fall to the ground with an oomph. She turned and looked up at him from the ground, pouting.

"That was mean! Hmph!"

Sighing again, Takahiro gestured toward the chair across from him. Surprisingly, Kaede sat down without protest.

"Kaede-sama, do you know why I don't want you to go to Sasaki-san?" he asked.

She hummed while rolling her eyes. 'What has the youth become?' Takahiro thought with a sigh.

"Because it's dangerous for me? I know that already, and I don't care! Even if it's just for a brief moment, I can—"

Takahiro interrupted her. "Help him? I don't doubt that even a second would aid him in fighting against members of the Auspicious Twelve."

'Why would that man send four, though? I'm aware Sasaki-san is strong, but for a man like that to send these particular members is odd.'

"But you would also guarantee people's deaths."

Kaede raised an eyebrow in confusion, and Takahiro let out a light smile.

"You're wearing him down, Kaede-sama."

Takahiro looked from her to the window, where rays of sunlight were starting to be overwhelmed by dark clouds once more.

"I've never seen or heard of a woman being so close to Sasaki-san."

He heard her snort before she spoke.

"Are you saying no one found Souta-san interesting and fell in love with him before?"

Takahiro let out a mirthful chuckle and shook his head. "No, women and a few men have found themselves enamoured with Sasaki-san."

He turned to meet Kaede's honey colored eyes. "They were all killed."

He sighed before continuing, ignoring her growing wide eyes. "When Sasaki Souta was titled the Eastern Bandit Leader, many clans sent their daughters to try to tie Sasaki into their families, hoping to claim his power. They ranged from as young as six to as old as they could be, but they were always sent back dead."

He heard her gasp, but he ignored it, looking down at his weathered hands.

"However, you are not dead. That's why, if you enter this war, you could die before you even blink. The seals on Sasaki-san would break, and the land would be destroyed."

Kaede blinked in confusion and tilted her head, thinking. 'Seals? I didn't see any or sense any on Souta, though?'

Takahiro sighed, debating whether or not he should speak on that particular matter. 'It should be fine, though'

~Takahiro Pov~

"A few months after the events of him becoming the Eastern Bandit Leader, he visited our clan claiming he had heard we specialized in soul based seals, seals that could calm one's soul in exchange for limiting their Cursed Energy." I looked down at the cup in my hands, trying to ignore the shiver that ran through my bones once more. "The Clan Head wasn't sure if our seals would be able to aid Sasaki-san, but we still tried. When we asked him to show us his Cursed Energy, we were fortunate that we had barriers in place, though they barely withstood his power."

'It cost the Clan Head an arm to get Sasaki-san's attention, though.'

"After that, we had our best experts along with Taoists to create four seals to aid Sasaki-san." Sighing deeply I continued. "We lost six of our seal experts, along with fourteen Taoists, during the placement of the seals."

I heard the young lady gasp, and I let out another sigh, feeling my age catching up to me.

"The survivors explained that when they placed the seals on Sasaki-san's body and soul, it felt as though they were fighting a beast with seven heads and seven horns." I looked her in the eyes tiredly. "The face Sasaki-san made that day was of someone who had suffered more than one could ever comprehend. A face that when questioned, threatened to wipe out our clan. That was when the Clan Head offered him sake to dull his memories and his pain."

I nodded acknowledging the expression Kaede had on her face. "That was the day we formed a bond of give and take. While our clan has fighters, not all of us are strong. We used our tie with Sasaki-san and in exchange, we gave him sake to dull his past."

She gave a slow nod before asking the question I was hoping she'd forget about.

"What does this have to do with keeping me away, though?"

Sighing once more, I turned toward where I felt a domain form. 'The Iron Judge? Goodness, I've truly gotten old.'

Turning back to the young lady, I spoke quietly. "One of Sasaki-san's seals was designed to reduce the nature of his Cursed Technique, which seemed to be formed by his soul."

~??? POV~

"Do you see now? Why I came to you regarding this matter?" The man received only a feminine snort in response, which made him sigh as he raised his hands in mock surrender. "I will even make a Binding Vow with you—"

Before he could finish, the woman who had started walking away, suddenly appeared in front of him and grabbed his hand. "Fine, though it's on my terms. Got it?" she spoke quickly.

In response, he only smiled.

"Stop smiling, you creep. It's gross."

~??? POV~

"Hahahaha! Do you feel that?" A man bathed in fiery embers tilted his head into the palm of his sun kissed hand, looking down at the firepit which showcased the halted fight. "Raito-chan's Domain has been active longer than it ever has before and all for one person! Hahaha!"

He glanced over at the one who spoke with a look of distain. "Do you think he's like you?" The imperfect being continued. "I mean Sasaki Souta? Only you've left Raito's Judgment unharmed and now someone else is about to—"

With a simple gesture as if wiping dust from his robes, the imperfect being was reduced to ashes. "Filthy being, know your place."

Turning back to the firepit, the man bathed in embers waited a few seconds before speaking. "If you have repented, you may show yourself once more in my presence."

The ashes swirled as though moved by wind and returned to form a person who immediately laughed and gave an exaggerated bow. "Sorry, sorry~ I only meant that he might be someone worthy of your time!~"

The fiery figure squinted his eyes at the imperfect being before turning back to the trembling firepit.

"Oh~ Seems like Souta-chan isn't going to die so quickly?~ Hmm? Are you going to aid him?"

He didn't respond but instead raised his hand toward the trembling fire. Molten embers flowed from his perfect palm.

'I gift you part of myself, Mikazuki Raito.'

For the last time of this day the perfect being spoke. "Do not disappoint me."

~R??uta Pov~

Why did you kill me?!

'I had no choice!'

Go to hell Sasaki-̴̙̞̑͐-̶͈̽-̴̦̠̓̚-̶̟͋

'Fuck off!

Papa?

'...E-Eri?'

Papa when are you coming home?

'S-soon.. I promise'

Papa, why are you a liar?

'W-what?'

Your dead, how would you come back home?

'I will come back."

Why d-did I follow you?

'R-Restu?'

DieWhyresist?It'syourfaultEnditNoescapeYou'renothingYoudeservethisWeakPatheticGive upSilenceityoufailedthemThere'snowayoutSufferScreamCan'thideNoonewillhelpThey're comingforyouFeelthe painNothingmattersYou'realoneRunNoonewillcarePainisallyou'll knowYouwantthisUnworthyScreamsechoWatchthemfallYou'reamonsterEveryonehatesyou

̵͇͙̌̂̐"̸͚͕̺͈̄̾̕͠Ḛ̷̗̯̓̂n̵͑ͅd̴̥͝ ̵̫̭̺̣́i̴̡̺̻̔̽͆ṫ̴̖̼̙͎͗̄.̸̗̺͙̎̌ ̴̟͈̰̀Ę̵̠̭̙̎n̴̙͍̙̩̾d̶̻̻̘̖͛̆ ̶͖̿͘t̷͚̃͑h̸̨̭͓͎̐̿̾è̴̱͙͓͗m̷̞̞̉̈́.̷̦̟̟͛"̴̲̖̖͋̋

Splash

I breached the water and clawed at the shallow edge, kicking away the rotten hands that grasped at my legs trying to pull me back into the abyss. I could feel my heartbeat pounding in my ears. 'Am I having a panic attack?' I shook off the thought and struggled to stand, each breath sharp burning pain in my chest. As I finally managed to get to my feet, I felt a familiar itch. 'That's one of the seals.'

My eyes widened as pain surged through my body. My left eye was ripped out and my right was torn from its socket. I collapsed to the ground gasping for air, my arms shaking as I tried to brace myself. But there was nothing as my left arm was gone, the pain of it still lingering even though it no longer existed.

"Hurts, doesn't it, my dear-" The voice slithered through the air, sharp and mocking. " -̶̜̥̇͠-̸̙̤̓́̍ͅ-̶̰̪̰̏̓ͅ-̷͍̓̉-̵̗͎̣̾̈́͌͝k̵̼̺͆͗u̸̲̇̓̊n̶͔̫͇̜͋̓?" The laughter that followed was sickening, filled with cruel amusement. "The pain of losing everything once more?~"

I grunted as I hobbled on my remaining leg, turning to face him. Muzan stood there impeccably dressed, his feet untouched by the rotting hands that clawed at him from the bloodied lake beneath. "H-how?" It was all I could manage to say, my voice hoarse and barely a whisper.

Muzan's smile twisted into something venomous as he saw the question in my eyes, though I never spoke it aloud. "Fool." He lifted a hand, and I watched in horror as a hole formed where my heart had once been. "You're losing it." he sneered. "You're broken."

I could barely stand my body trembling from the weight of his words. "What? Didn't think dying repeatedly, making deals left unpaid or failing to fulfill something that all previous users of—" He stopped, his words cut short as if he couldn't bear the thought of completing his sentence. "You my dear, are a fool~"

But before he could finish any more, something massive rose from the lake. My eyes went wide as a gigantic paw, a mix of lion and griffon, tore through the bloodied waters, crushing Muzan beneath it.

"N-no." A tremble ran through me, against my will. The creature emerged in all its hideous glory, seven heads of mythological beasts, seven horns crowned atop its massive form. Eyes from every head watched me, and its dragon head, its mouth gaping wide, descended toward me.

I couldn't move. I could only watch as it loomed closer, the dread building in my chest.

No!

It came closer, the darkness of its maw threatening to swallow me whole.

No!

No!

No!

No!

~Shigeno Haruto Pov~

Through years of honing my abilities, I made the motions of withdrawing a bow made from nothing, notching an invisible arrow and pointing it in the direction of the almost decapitated head of Sasaki Souta. "Something wrong, Haruto-chan?~"

I nodded keeping my eyes and posture steady. "Something's not right. His head should've been cut thirty seconds ago, but it's stayed in the same position." I heard the others tense and stand, there was no room for doubt as I had the best eyes among everyone.

"Shigeno-san, on my signal." Mikazuki said.

I waited for the signal to come, but it never came. We all froze.

We watched as the chains holding Sasaki crumbled as if they were made of rust rather than Cursed Energy. We saw the Nodachi lodged in his neck begin to erode, before slowly healing as if someone was stitching his neck back together bit by bit.

His hair still wet from the rain hid his eyes as he tilted his head side to side. Then, he looked up to the sky and let out a breath of steam.

Haaa

In the oppressive silence, we watched as he lowered his head, followed by a stream of smoke.

I could hear my heartbeat drumming in my chest. We all stood motionless as Sasaki raised his foot, and just as he was about to finish stepping, a flood of Cursed Energy erupted around him. A black and dark purple dragon maw formed.

Then his foot touched the ground, and he disappeared from sight.

"W-Where did—Shigeno!"

'Wha—' I felt something hard in my chest. Looking down, I felt the life drain from me as an arm, all the way up to the elbow, was ripped into my chest. 'F-fu-'

~Souta Pov~

'I can't keep this up for long.'

I clicked my tongue in frustration and tossed the body of the archer aside, briefly watching where I pierced his chest slowly erode before stopping after a second.

"B-Bastard!"

I raised an eyebrow at the heartfelt scream and chuckled then gritted my teeth as I felt the ground beneath me erode. 'Need to end this within the next five minutes.'

I pushed my weight onto my toes and enhanced the built up pressure with Cursed Energy, propelling myself toward the green haired woman before she could even blink.

"Takanami-chan, look out!"

But it was too late. I gripped her by both arms and ripped them off, ignoring her scream. I plunged both hands into her chest and tore her apart.

"H-how?!"

I turned from the now dead woman to Mikazuki Raito, tilting my head as I clenched my teeth. "How did you plead innocent?!"

Snorting, I ignored him and went for the white-haired weirdo who managed to react when I blitzed in front of him.

"Mou~ I don't fancy dying ye—"

I stopped him from wrapping himself in his threads, grabbing him by the throat. I ignored the way the threads cut into skin as I healed faster than they could do any lasting damage.

"N-not good—"

"Tremor"

I watched his head explode, and the brain matter splattered on my face. I wiped it off with indifference, and turned toward Mikazuki.