With Nanami left behind, I ran to the tree line. My heart pounded in perfect rhythm with my racing stride.

I couldn't control my incoherent and anxious thoughts as they continued to consume me.

I slowed as I began to approach the clearing Nanami referenced. I knew these woods like the back of my hand. I could find my way through them in the dark if i needed to.

Fuck. My eyes fell upon Suguru kneeling in the ground, being threatened with a sword at his neck by a familiar figure.

She held my fucking Guardian sword to his neck. The audacity.

I crept up behind the woman, creating an ice dagger and putting it to her throat, "Drop the sword, Aiko."

She smirked, "You've always been so skillful. And with that damn heavenly restriction, it's like you appear out of thin air."

"Y/n?" Suguru looked up at me with wild, confused eyes.

"It's ok," I reassured him. "I can handle her. Easily."

Aiko scoffed, "So that's how it is? You're really choosing these sorcerers?"

"I said drop the fucking sword."

"Your parents would be so disappointed."

I pushed the dagger further into her skin, causing a small drop of blood to trickle down her neck, "Don't push me."

I felt her body tremble slightly at my words, and she quickly did as I said. In seconds I snatched sword and repositioned myself between her and Suguru, pointing the blade at her.

"What are you doing here?" I glared. If she had my sword, then she must have been in Baba's house, and she must be the one who injured Nanami.

"Y/n, who is this?" Suguru's voice put me on high alert, and my instincts took over.

I really wanted to trust him, but if anything were to happen, I didn't want to give him an advantage. With his technique, he'd be a challenge for me to keep up with.

I'd be lucky not to get killed honestly. For someone as strong as he is, I also wouldn't be able to cancel his cursed energy for the entire duration of our fight.

My mind was swirling with attack plans as I jumped back, moving myself so I could see them both.

"Stay where you're at Suguru," I demanded.

He became stern and forceful as he stared me down, his own instincts kicking in. He most likely wasn't used to being held captivate on his knees either.

"So this is the boyfriend that caused you to turn your back on us?" Aiko snarled.

"I didn't turn my back on you."

"Of course you did!" she yelled back. "You've been ignoring our outreach! You haven't followed any of the protocol and plans once you got captured!"

She wasn't wrong. I saw the plans for Relocation 7 and didn't do shit.

I chose Suguru, and seeing that the protectors always seem to be watching me, they probably knew that.

I nervously glanced over at Suguru, noticing his eyes get softer as she yelled at me. I didn't really want him to know how much I had abandoned the protectors since meeting him.

He may have been saying a lot of nice things over the last 12 hours, but this man changes his mind more than anyone I've ever fucking known.

"Is that true?" he asked me as our eyes met.

I nodded before adverting my attention back to Aiko. I really wasn't feeling up to showing any more weakness right now. I needed them to be afraid of me, of what I was capable of.

"Where's Baba?" I asked. "Did you hurt her?"

"I can't believe you have the nerve to ask me that," she huffed. "She's with Mya."

Aiko knew me almost better than anyone. We've known each other since our days on the playground. She was raised as a protector too.

When I left the protectors, she was there. When my parents were killed and I came back, she was there. When I decided on med school, she was there.

Honestly, I was stuck between two people I would never hurt, but I couldn't let them know that.

I needed them to both see me as unpredictable to keep them from attacking each other. I wanted them on edge, afraid to fight since they didn't know which side I would choose.

If I couldn't win in a physical battle, I'd have to win by outsmarting them- and winning meant keeping everyone alive and unharmed.

"Y/n! Who is this!?" Suguru's voice came out desperate.

"Aiko," I mumbled in response as I held her eyes. "She's a protector too... What are you even doing here?"

"I came to stop you."

I shook my head, "Stop me from what?"

"Making the biggest mistake of your life! Don't forget who they are, Y/n! They're monsters!"

I swung around the sword, sheathing it across my back as I approached her.

I felt ice creeping up my arms as I slowly began to lose control, "Coming from the one who stabbed Nanami."

"Nanami?" she tried to play it cool.

"You know exactly who Nanami is! Don't pretend you haven't been watching me."

"I saw him when I stopped at Baba's, and I had to sneak up on him, immobilize him so I could get to you. Don't worry, he'll be fine."

I heard Suguru begin to shuffle and I quickly shot out an ice dagger towards him, cutting through the fabric of his sweater near his shoulder.

"No one fucking moves," I hissed at him.

Aiko smirked, "Glad to see you haven't changed all that much."

"You're playing games, Aiko. A game I'll easily win, so this is the last time I'll ask. Why did you come?"

"There's one more sorcerer here. Where is he?" she asked me. "Maybe he should tell you."

My entire body tensed up as she referenced Gojo. What the fuck did he do this time? Now there's a person I definitely didn't trust.

"Or maybe your boyfriend should tell you," she smirked. "That way you can hate him and see him for the liar he is."

"Watch the way you talk about him," I warned.

"Why?" she smirked as she moved closer to me. "Worried you won't be able to run off with him into the sunset?"

I bit down on the inside of my cheek, tasting the blood as it fell to my tongue. The way they knew everything was terrifying as hell. Still, I should've known.

This village, it was their territory. It was their safe space. Even though many of the villagers had no cursed abilities, they all became very aware of who we were once my grandparents settled here.

"I have every intention of leaving with him Aiko, so I suggest you leave before my patience runs out."

An anger consumed her as Suguru took that as his cue to stand up and wait directly behind me. I finally confirmed my plans and explicitly chose a side.

Except in my mind, I wasn't choosing sorcerers or protectors, I was choosing Suguru. And together, we were choosing a third option-a brand new life. A clean slate to start over.

"You've always been so fucking naive!! You never learn!" she screamed at me in a way I had never heard from her before.

"After the shit you've seen!? How the hell do you still trust so easily!?" she continued to berate me. "They've been using you!!"

"Tell her!" she demanded as she focused on Suguru.

I quickly glanced back at him, a little wary of her words, "What is she talking about?"

"Y/n, I have no idea. I promise," his eyes glazed over with concern.

She scoffed, "Typical sorcerer shit. They didn't bring you out here to search for the cursed objects."

That definitely caught my attention because it was what had been on mind since yesterday.

They already knew nothing was here, so it didn't make any sense to come. Still, here we are, and they so easily agreed to stay longer.

Fuck. Why do I continuously ignore red flags with them... I just so badly want to trust Suguru.

"Yes, we did," he quickly interjected, snapping my attention back to him. I didn't know who to believe.

"No. You brought her here so she wouldn't stop your massacre back in Tokyo. Isn't that right?"

"Massacre?" we both muttered out in unison, making me think maybe Suguru really was in the dark about this too.

Aiko's eyes glossed over with tears as she spoke, "Niko, before they killed him, he told them about one of the safe zones."

"Y-y/n," she pleaded through soft sobs. "They killed them all."

I stared at Aiko in horror, my hands trembling as my mouth dropped slightly open. My mind couldn't seem to process her words over the pounding echos of my heartbeat.

Killed them all?

If Niko told them about a safe zone, it was filled with young, helpless surveyors like him, trained to observe and report.

He was such a low rank, he wouldn't have known about any of the hideouts of meetup spots for upper ranks like me.

If what she was saying was true, sorcerers murdered a bunch of underage adolescents in cold blood. Some of who were so weak they probably couldn't even see curses or cursed energy.

Tears poured down my cheeks as I looked at Suguru who appeared to be as heartbroken and devastated as I was.

"Is it true?" my voice came out barely above a whisper.

"Y/n."

The way he said my name... It told me everything I needed to know.

Whatever remorse I felt was quickly replaced with an unmistakable rage. The same bitterness I experienced when I heard about my parents.

The kind of fury that consumes every inch of you, leaving only an overwhelming need for revenge.

He must've noticed because he took a small step forward as he lifted up his hands in defense, "I-I had no idea. You have to believe me."

"Believe you?" I shook my head.

"Y-yes, believe me... It was only supposed to be a reckon visit for more information."

"Which is it Suguru!?" I snapped. "Did you know nothing about it or did you know about an intel mission so you brought me here!?"

"Y/n we have to go," Aiko interjected.

"Then go!" I screamed back at her.

She let out a soft, defeated sigh and decided to give me the space she knew I needed. The space I always demanded after receiving this kind of news.

The earth-shattering news that seemed to come much too frequently.

"I'll be waiting for you," she muttered as she turned to leave.

Suguru took another small step closer to me, his hands trembling as he reached out to me, "Y/n. Don't go with her. Please. We're so close to being together, remember? I didn't know about this. I promise."

I didn't even get a chance to respond because as he finished his sentence Gojo showed up, standing directly in front of Aiko, "Sorry sweetheart. I'm afraid you know too much."

My body moved on its own. My intuition taking over once again as Suguru screamed my name at the top of his lungs.

But it was too late.

I lunged in front of Aiko as Gojo aimed to pierce his blue cursed energy technique through her heart. I took the blow for her.

Because this is what I do. I am a protector. In every sense of the word.

I felt a rush of pain and adrenaline course through me as Gojo's attack shot through my stomach.

Holding my bleeding wound, I immediately collapsed to my knees and crashed to the ground.

I caught a glimpse of Gojo's face, struck with disbelief and regret and fear, his blindfold already ripped off to stare at me fully.

"Y/n!!" Aiko shrieked out as she dropped down to grab hold of me, my blood staining her hands and clothes.

My eyes darted around, anxiously seeking out Suguru, but I couldn't see anything. My vision faded so quickly as my mind went foggy.

I wanted to stay conscious. I wanted to fight though it, but the darkness called out to me and my body refused to obey.

I wanted to start a new life, but as I began to fade, I finally realized this one would never let me go...