A Cinderella Demon Tale: Sukuna and Cinderella

Chapter 7: The Demon's Bubble

Author's Note: Hey guys!! Sorry the update was a little late, chapter 8 is almost completed :) I couldn't post a notification on Tik Tok about the new chapter :( The video keeps getting shadow banned and I'm not entirely sure why D : I love creating content for you guyss, but I'll figure that issue out later! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter nonetheless :)

Sukuna let out a sigh, his crimson eyes gazing distantly into the room's shadows. "I've been alone for a long time," he began, his voice carrying a weight of weariness, "and nothing has been amusing me. In all honesty, it's rather boring. Maybe I'm just bored out of my mind." Silence settled between them for a few minutes, as Sukuna grappled with how to continue. Before he could find the words, Cinderella chimed in, her voice soft and empathetic. "You've been alone for a long time? You must've been so lonely."

Sukuna was momentarily taken aback by her seemingly simple statement. Lonely? The idea seemed absurd to him. Demons didn't experience loneliness or so he believed. "Don't be mistaken, girl," he retorted, "there's a difference between being alone and being lonely. I welcomed the emptiness as it best suited me. Having companions was fleeting and never entertained me for long."

Though Sukuna spoke with conviction, Cinderella detected a subtle wavering in his voice. To her, it sounded like he wasn't entirely sure of his own words. She pondered her response carefully. "Are you afraid of feeling hurt if you let your companions become friends?" she asked softly.

The question caused Sukuna to wince, both from the inquiry itself and the needle's slight burrowing into his back. Him? Afraid? The thought seemed preposterous, but Cinderella's audacity in making such bold assumptions intrigued him. Sukuna knew in the back of his mind that Cinderella wasn't aware of his true identity, however, he couldn't reveal himself as the demon lord Sukuna to her just yet. "Why would someone be afraid of having friends?" he asked with genuine curiosity, unable to wrap his mind around the concept of friendship being a source of fear.

Cinderella quickly apologized for delving too deeply with the needle, her gentle touch soothing the discomfort. Sukuna couldn't help but feel a strange sensation, almost like a pang of something he couldn't quite identify.

Cinderella finally answered, her words taking on a thoughtful tone, "Your life is like a bubble." Her six words baffled Sukuna, and he furrowed his brow in confusion. "Bubbles?" he silently mused.

Cinderella continued, "Your bubble is a barrier that is mighty strong from the outside but very weak on the inside. When you let people into your life, you are letting them enter that bubble. They become an extension of you. Their happiness is usually your happiness, and their sadness is usually your sadness."

Sukuna, still perplexed, inquired, "And that would make one afraid because?"

"Because you no longer have to worry just about yourself," Cinderella explained. "Once you welcome another into your life, you inherit a shared burden, a sense of responsibility for their happiness and well-being." Cinderella pauses trying to find the right words to explain it in further detail.

"Allowing someone entry into your bubble grants them the ability to influence your emotions, and this is why people often fear opening up to others. As they learn more about you, there's a lurking apprehension that they might exploit your vulnerabilities at any given moment, causing your emotional balance to waver. Essentially, they hold the power to penetrate your inner sanctum, potentially causing your world to shatter from within." She demonstrated this by walking in front of him, miming the act of popping an imaginary bubble with the needle, making a "pop" noise with her mouth.

Sukuna let out a sigh, dismissing the analogy, "That's ridiculous; bubbles are weak on the outside and the inside. Your analogy is flawed."

Cinderella pouted and crossed her arms slightly, retorting, "Well, you'll have to use your imagination for this bubble. Let's say it has magic cast on it, okay?"

"Well, that's different," Sukuna shrugged, somewhat amused by her persistence. A magic bubble, he thought, was a completely different matter.

Sukuna's response elicited a wholehearted laugh from her, the sound filling the room with warmth. "I didn't know you believed in magic," she remarked, her giggles continuing.

"What do you mean, 'believe'? It's real," Sukuna replied with a deadpan expression.

Cinderella's laughter intensified. "Well, it looks like you do have an imagination, sir," she teased.

"Sukuna," he corrected her, "and what imagination? It seems like you have this idea in your head that magic isn't real."

Cinderella, still amused, replied, "I'm sorry, sir, I mean, Sukuna. Yes, magic is real. I'm terribly sorry." Her voice tinged with subtle sarcasm that Sukuna doesn't pick up on.

Cinderella decided to let him believe in the notion of magic. After all, what harm would it do to indulge his beliefs? In fact, she found his openness to such ideas quite charming, a stark departure from the somewhat rude butler she had grown accustomed to.

As Cinderella began to bandage the stitches and clean up her makeshift hospital, she hummed softly, the melody filling the room. Sukuna fell into deep thought, his mind fixated on the bubble analogy Cinderella had presented earlier. All he could think about was how she reinforced the idea that friends were a vulnerability and that his supposed "bubble" should remain impenetrable by never letting anyone in to keep himself protected.

He struggled with his thoughts, resting his forehead on the palm of his hand. Cinderella noticed his contemplative state and turned toward him, her finger gently under his chin, lifting his head to make eye contact. Her sky-blue eyes tinged with worry met his crimson gaze.

"Are you alright? You don't feel like you're going to pass out, right?" she asked, examining him up and down before resting her own palm on his forehead. "Oh my! Sukuna! You're burning up!"

Before Sukuna could protest, she helped him up, grabbed the cloth bag she had initially carried, and led him toward her room. "I can't let you go like this. I'll call the doctor once you lay down," she said with concern.

"No doctor," Sukuna responded angrily.

Cinderella huffed in protest but decided she would keep a watchful eye on him. If things took a turn for the worse, she would have to disobey his wishes for the sake of his health. "Alright then, just lay down for a bit before you leave."

Sukuna contemplated telling her that demons didn't usually require nursing, but he refrained. His mind was already occupied with thoughts, and he mindlessly followed the blonde girl to her chambers. When they arrived, she gently laid him down, placing a damp cloth on his forehead within minutes.

To his surprise, Sukuna began to feel his eyelids grow heavy, a sensation that was far from common, especially in the presence of a stranger. How could he let his guard down like this in front of someone he had only observed for such a short time? Things weren't making sense. Why did she, out of the thousands he had encountered in his long existence, make him feel... safe?

Sukuna had always believed that humans were inherently worse than demons, hiding their true intentions behind innocent faces. In his eyes, demons were more upfront about their mischievousness. As his eyelids gently closed, he drifted away, the same soothing hum he had become accustomed to serving as his lullaby.