**Megumi POV**

I tried to keep myself focused on just running quietly and quickly, but having her in my arms was making it difficult to think, let alone breathe.

She wasn't watching where we were going, she just nuzzled further into my chest. Her eyes were open but glossed over as if she really couldn't care less about her fate.

I didn't understand. I thought she'd be happier about this. We were saving her.

Then again, we found her tied up to fucking Naoya's bed... Maybe she was just still in shock over everything.

Did that happen to her often? I thought he hated her? But if he did, why would he have her there? Not only tied up, but dressed in practically nothing. It deepened my hatred for him.

We made it far outside the compound near the tree line before I set her down. It's the place we agreed to meet should we get separated.

Honestly, we were expecting things to go a lot smoother than they did, but it seems the Zenin's security ramped up recently. We weren't anticipating that, and now they probably know exactly who showed up and what they came for.

I'm glad we did it though. If we hadn't, she'd still be in bed with Naoya.

She dusted herself off lightly as she stood tall. The way she carried herself, it was as though there wasn't a single thing on this earth that could break her.

"You're a sorcerer then?" she asked as she finally looked up, not hesitating to connect her eyes to mine.

"Yes."

"Your age?" she questioned me as if she was the one in charge here, as if she just rescued me.

"18. About to graduate."

She nodded as she looked down at my jacket she was wearing. She was tall, so it didn't cover all of her. I refused to stare though. I refused to be anything like that monster who kept her as his own.

"From Jujutsu High right? Congratulations."

"Oh, uh, thank you."

She didn't smile but her eyes softened slightly, "And thank you, for letting me borrow your jacket."

"It's no problem."

Her eyes flickered briefly across my face before redirecting back towards where the compound was, "So now what?"

"The plan is to wait for the others."

She nodded before sitting down on the ground. She pulled her knees to her chest and then stretched my jacket out over her legs. I didn't mind at all though, I just wanted her to feel safe and comfortable with me.

After a moment of silence, I decided to sit next to her, "Can I ask how old you are?"

She glanced over at me, "I'm 19."

Naoya was close to Gojo's age, and that was almost enough to throw me into a rage. She's about 9 years younger than him. If I saw him again, I don't know if I'd be able to hold back.

"Y/n, right? Is it ok if I call you that?"

"Mm. And do you prefer Megumi or Fushiguro?"

"Megumi is fine."

"And the other two, the girl is Nobara and the boy is Yuuji?"

"Yea. Itadori Yuuji and Kugisaki Nobara. I'm sure they'll be fine with first names though."

The night air was brisk and cold, but the full moon illuminated everything, including her.

Her nose that pointed just slightly at the end. Her long, dark eyelashes. Her striking, hate-filled eyes. Her lips full and feminine but uninviting.

She was breathtaking. Even with the clear weariness and exhaustion, she was still the most beautiful person I had ever seen.

"Ok," she muttered as she pushed her hands back through her hair.

I didn't notice before but her hands were completely scarred. They had been wrapped in bandages this morning so I hadn't seen them. Every time I took a closer look, it seemed like a new torture wound appeared.

She quickly peered over at me, "You're staring."

I felt my face begin to flush but I didn't look away. I couldn't look away. Something about her, everything about her, it only drew me in.

"Your hands, what happened?"

"It's not from Naoya. This is actually from my technique." I froze as she pushed up the sleeve of my jacket, showcasing a stream of gashes and burn scars. They covered almost every inch of her forearm.

"These are the ones from Naoya. Along with most the others. But my hands, those are all mine."

"I'm so sorry," was all I could manage.

"Do you know how to get rid of the binding seal? So that I can fight again?"

The way she ignored my apology completely caught me off guard and I had to look away, afraid I'd let tears fall if I stared at her any longer.

How does she deal with this? How does she act as though it's nothing? She hadn't shown a single ounce of emotion since her rescue, and I didn't know what to think.

I so badly wanted to know what was going on inside her head.

"No, uh, but Gojo-sensei does."

"The man with white hair?"

"Mm."

I was shocked when I saw her jaw tighten slightly by the mention of him. She hadn't reacted to anything, but she reacted to that.

"Did you only rescue me so I could be his sex doll instead of Naoya's?"

"What?" my eyes widened at her. I mean, I saw her tied up, but hearing her confirm it was shocking.

Plus, Gojo would never do that... And I couldn't even begin to understand why she'd think any of us would let him or anyone else do that.

"Save your theatrics," she huffed out. "They're cut from the same cloth."

"Gojo can be a dick, but he's nothing like Naoya."

She paused for a moment, chewing on her lip as she glared at me.

"And what about you?" she asked. "Did you inherit the Zenin clan's chauvinism?"

My mouth dropped open slightly, "So you know?"

"I'm not a fucking idiot. The legendary Toji's son. The wayward boy who should've been the next clan leader. Of course I know."

"You know my father?"

She nodded, "Know him feels like a bit much. But I've been here since I was 17, so I've picked up on a lot."

17? So she's been stuck here for 2 years? Why haven't we ever seen her before? Where exactly did she come from?

I was too distracted to notice why but she immediately jumped up to her feet, "Sounds like someone found us."

I quickly joined her, focusing on the faint rustling sounds in the distance. I couldn't believe she managed to hear that as we were talking.

"I can still fight without my technique, but I won't be nearly as much as help. I'll try to stay out of the way for you to attack," she explained as she looked at me.

"Right."

"Eh, sorry we're late!" Gojo called out from behind us as he appeared with Yuuji and Nobara. "We had some trouble."

Y/n was in an attack stance ready for whoever was coming but she abandoned it as soon as he arrived, marching right up to him.

"Break the seal," she demanded.

He raised a brow at her, a smirk forming across his face, "Are you really in a position to make demands sweetheart?"

If she knew who I was, she must know who he is. Still, she didn't seem to care in the slightest.

She took another step closer to him, "I said break the fucking seal."

He licked his lips, following her lead by inching closer, "And what do I get if I do?"

Why the fuck was he always playing games? She was already worried about him as it was. Him doing this shit definitely wasn't going to help her trust me.

"Gojo," I warned. He couldn't talk to her like that. Especially not after everything we now know.

He let out a loud, obnoxious laugh.

"They're getting closer," Nobara huffed out, noticing the fleet of troops was now in view.

"Fine fine," he waved his arms before leaning his face down towards hers. "But just remember, I'm strong enough to stop you without a sealing."

Why did he say that as if he even knew what her technique was?

She held a stern look, waiting for him to release the binding. It was clear she really didn't care about anything else.

We observed as Gojo put both his hands on her, transferring his cursed energy until whatever seal they had on her broke.

What came next, none of us expected.

My eyes went wide as a golden aura began to surround her, a small bit of it swirling up her arms until it sunk into her skin.

She turned around to face the approaching guards wiggling her fingers before squeezing her hands into fists a few times.

"I've been waiting so long for this," she mumbled as she walked forward.

Before we could stop her, she sent gold chains flying from her hands, wrapping them around the first Zenin directly in front of us.

The moment she balled her fist again, the chains tightened around him until they sliced right through, causing blood to fly out everywhere.

Every other troop froze in their tracks at the horror they witnessed.

"Gojo-sensei!" Yuuji called out in concern.

"You all just stay back," she ordered. "I'll handle this."

"Hmm, guess we'll just enjoy the show then," Gojo chuckled.

Was he really ok with this? What does he know that we don't? This could cause an all out clan war if we weren't careful.

But since no one stopped her, Y/n was already off, using her chains to stab and slice through every last guard without hesitation.

It was only minutes before the patch of grass surrounding us was stained red, bodies dismembered and bleeding out everywhere.

When she finished the last one, she rose up and stood tall, retracting her chains until they returned to that gold aura and sunk back into her skin.

"Impressive," Gojo called out.

"Who are you?" Nobara looked at our new recruit with awe-filled eyes.

Y/n was about to join us once again when her body tensed up. It took me a moment, but I realized that she froze because she sensed something.

Her perceptiveness is nearly as pristine as her cursed technique and raw power.

"Y/n," Gojo's entire demeanor changed, dropping his smug act and being filled with urgency.

"It's him," she whipped back around.

"Y/n no!" he demanded as he fled by her side, grabbing onto one of her shoulders.

She looked up at him, and the way he stared back, it was as though they had already reached a mutual understanding.

But how? She had hated him just before they showed up. And he definitely didn't seem to think she was worth much prior to coming here tonight.

He said he was only coming so we wouldn't get caught and then get everyone in trouble.

He shook his head, "Now isn't the time."

"I will kill him," she hissed back, the golden glow returning to her body.

Just then, the Zenin leaders, Naoya included, appeared into view some meters ahead of us, Gojo's grip tightening on her shoulder.

"What have you done?" Naobito was the one who called out first.

Gojo quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her from their view, "We're leaving. No need to lose any more lives tonight."

Naoya took a few steps closer, his face twisted with pain and panic. It was a look I'd never seen on him before.

"Y/n. What are you doing?" She didn't say a word, so he pleaded with her again, "Y/n! Answer me!"

Gojo dropped his voice, making it so only we could hear, "If you kill him now, I can't protect you or any of those 3 that rescued you today."

She snapped her head back to glance at us, and just for a second, there was a flicker of concern in her eyes. It was the first sign of real emotion I'd seen from her so far.

I didn't know if he meant it or if he was just trying to deescalate the situation, but either way, it was a little terrifying to hear. None of us could have predicted tonight would turn south like this.

She stepped to the side of Gojo so she could stare at Naoya.

"Y/n, my love," his voice wrought with pain as he locked his eyes onto her.

His love? What the fuck is going on?

Her eyes shifted to Gojo before she nodded once, and in the blink of an eye, he grabbed hold of us all.

Naoya's shattering scream as he called out for Y/n was the last thing we heard before being transported back to Jujutsu High.