A Cinderella Demon Tale: Sukuna and Cinderella

Chapter 8: A Demon Receives Soup

Author's Note: Sorry for the late update!! Had an unexpected busy day but tomorrow I'll have a lot more time to push out some more chapters and content! Wanted to make the chapter wasn't too rushed for you guys :) Hope you guys enjoy : D

Sukuna slowly roused from a well-rested slumber, his mind momentarily clouded with sleep. As consciousness seeped in, his thoughts turned to Cinderella and her circumstances. He couldn't help but wonder where she had ended up sleeping last night.

Rubbing his eyes, he shifted his gaze around the room they shared. Sukuna's keen eye observed the stark contrast between Cinderella's quarters and those of her stepsisters. The sisters enjoyed large rooms adorned with extravagant amenities: sitting areas, personal bathrooms, lavish beds with velvet curtains, and rugs that caressed their feet with a soft touch. Gold trimmings adorned the opulent spaces, showcasing the family's affluence.

Comparatively, Cinderella's "room" seemed more like a storage area than a place for someone to live. The wood was rotting, the ceiling harbored mold that Sukuna was certain Cinderella cleaned regularly, and the air held a dusty, musty scent. The lone window, barred and barely a sliver, offered a meager glimpse of the outside world.

Sukuna continued to scan the room, his eyes taking in the bleak reality. There was space only for a simple bed, a pathetic excuse for a table, a stool, and a minuscule closet that contained hardly any clothes, just scraps of fabric. His gaze fell upon a divider that housed a large wooden bucket, presumably for her shower. The stark contrast between Cinderella's living conditions and the excessive comfort her stepsisters enjoyed left him sighing with frustration and sympathy.

Before he could allow his anger to consume him further, Cinderella herself walked into the room, bringing with her a presence that softened the harsh realities of their surroundings.

Cinderella greeted him with a soft smile. She was already dressed in her uniform, ready to face another laborious day of chores and mistreatment that she had endured for the past decade. Cinderella, her kind demeanor shining through her weary expression, asked how his injuries were feeling. Sukuna, as a demon who grew stronger by absorbing souls, knew that he would be completely healed from his injuries before he even opened his eyes.

"Hello," Sukuna uttered, the unfamiliarity of responding to not only a morning greeting, but a question about his well-being, left him feeling somewhat awkward, "I'm fine". It had been so long since someone had been there when he awoke from slumber or anyone that had cared about his condition, these were all foreign feelings of a past he chose to forget.

He couldn't help but notice the size of the bed he had rested in—it was only big enough for one person to sleep on. As he glanced around the room, his thoughts turned to Cinderella's sleeping arrangements. Sukuna also knew that the room was tiny and couldn't help but wonder if Cinderella had slept on the floor. The thought alone tugged at his heartstrings. Lost in his thoughts, he remembered waking up briefly during the night and seeing a figure slouched beside the bed. "Was that her falling asleep while nursing me?" he thought to himself. If he had known that this pathetic room was the only place she could rest, he would've put up more of a fight to return to his realm and rest there. However, deep down, he couldn't deny a strange sense of relief that he had stayed, even if he wasn't ready to admit it just yet.

Cinderella's kindness never ceased to amaze him as she asked, "Would you like some breakfast?" Sukuna had no need for human food, as it didn't offer the same sustenance as souls or the negative human energy he preferred. He couldn't even recall the last time he had indulged in human food, and he wondered if it was worth the effort to consume something he wasn't particularly fond of.

However, when he looked at Cinderella and saw her sincere expression, holding a bowl in her frail, scuffed hands, he felt an obligation to accept her generosity. Sukuna nodded in agreement. "When you are done eating, please let me see the bandages," she requested, her caring nature evident in her words. He prepared himself for the first bite, but when the warm and inviting liquid entered his mouth, his eyes widened in surprise. He had never expected something as simple as soup to taste so good. To his surprise, he finished the bowl quickly, almost as if he had missed eating human food all these centuries.

Sukuna couldn't help but notice the amusement in Cinderella's giggle as she observed him savoring the soup. He wiped his mouth, feeling a touch awkward as he tried to express his appreciation. "Uh," he began, finding himself in an unfamiliar position of uncertainty, "you've really outdone yourself with this soup..." He stumbled through his words, struggling to offer a sincere compliment. After a moment's hesitation, he settled on, "It's quite... edible."

Cinderella burst into even heartier laughter, and Sukuna couldn't help but cringe slightly at his clumsy attempt at a compliment. After Cinderella finished laughing, she wiped a small tear that had formed and said with a warm smile, "Now that you've finished, let's change those bandages and get you some fresh ones!"

Sukuna moved to sit up, his torso becoming exposed as the blanket shifted with his movement. Cinderella immediately blushed at the sight, her eyes involuntarily drawn to the cloth bandages that seemed to conform to the ripples of his abs. The morning light accentuated the glistening of his unmarred skin. Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red as she quickly reminded herself to focus on the task at hand.

Cinderella was meticulous as she carefully removed the bandages, avoiding any areas that could potentially cause Sukuna pain. As she unraveled the bandages, she couldn't help but notice that his skin looked as if he hadn't been in a battle at all. It puzzled her. She turned to Sukuna, who averted his gaze, almost as if he were hiding something. Could it be embarrassment? Cinderella decided not to pry; perhaps there were things she wasn't meant to know.

Cinderella checked the time and exclaimed, "Oh my, I need to start preparing breakfast this morning! I must go. Please excuse yourself whenever you feel ready to do so. Your clothes are fixed, washed, and ironed. They are hanging on the divider to your right." She hurriedly left the room, closing the door softly behind her, leaving Sukuna alone with his thoughts.

Sukuna sighed as he allowed the silence of the room to envelop him. He, for some reason, didn't want her to leave just yet, but he understood that she had her duties to attend to. The conversation from earlier lingered in his mind. "Is this what friendship is?" he wondered. The way she had hummed him to sleep the previous night had felt comforting, something he had never experienced before. Sukuna contemplated the idea of being friends with her, the concept making his stomach churn, he couldn't believe he pondered such ridiculous thoughts. This wouldn't have crossed his mind two moons ago. Demons, especially powerful ones like him, didn't have friends. He couldn't help but pinch his temples as his head began to throb. "Who am I if not a powerful demon?" he mused.

He shook off those thoughts, deciding they were unimportant for now. Sukuna knew he had to leave. With that in mind, he tidied up the room, ensuring everything was in order. "It's the least I could do," he thought. He was a demon, but he had basic manners. Sukuna threw away the used bandages, cleaned up any messes, and fixed the bed. Once everything was in place, he retrieved his butler uniform and, with a brief moment of hesitation, teleported back to his realm, leaving behind the memories of a night shared with Cinderella.