DARK RED [ITADORI Y.]

―XXXIX. MAGNET

CHAPTER XXXIX. MAGNET TO DANGER

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I stared at Gojo in shock. His words were processed in my mind, and when I came to the realization of what he said, I turned and looked at Yuuji. He looked just as confused as I did, but there was something else lurking behind his eyes. His eyebrows laced together as he glanced at me for a second, then turned his gaze to Gojo.

"Why are they executing us?" He asked, his lips pulling into a frown. "Because of what happened?"

"I don't know if she's revealed this to you, and I'm apologizing to you now, Y/n, if you haven't," Gojo said, turning his head to Yuuji. "Y/n's a vessel, like you. Sukuna and Eris were both detected that night."

"He was going to kill her!" Yuuji exclaimed abruptly, rising onto his feet. "If I didn't ask for help from Sukuna, Y/n would be dead instead of Kazuhiro!"

I stared at him with wide eyes. Gojo acted calmly, seeming to be unaffected by Yuuji's outburst.

"I'm not saying what you did was wrong," Gojo replied. "If Y/n hadn't killed him, then I would have."

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. I hadn't realized it before, but everyone had been tiptoing around the subject. I killed Kazuhiro. I killed someone. I took someone's life.

Yuuji put his hand on my shoulder, holding it tightly. I slowly reached up, placing my hand over his. I exhaled shakily, swallowing the lump forming in my throat. I looked up at Gojo.

"S-So what? They're going to kill us because we...defended ourselves?" I asked, my voice quieter than I intended it to be. Luckily, though, Gojo heard me.

"The council is a bunch of assholes who don't give a damn about the younger generation," He replied, leaning back in his chair. "They don't care that Kazuhiro kidnapped you or that his intentions were malicious and that he was going to kill you both. They don't care about your trauma or whatever abuse he'd given you. Their narrowed gazes are set on the fact that you both broke the rules and called upon Sukuna and Eris."

"That's a bunch of bullshit," Yuuji growled, his grip on my shoulder tightening.

"You're not going to let them execute us, are you?" I asked, my hand falling into my lap. "Gojo-sensei?"

"I made a promise. Not only to your parents but to you as well. This same principle applies to you too, Yuuji," Gojo peered at us over the rim of his glasses. "I'm your teacher, and right now, both of your guardians. Therefore, it's my job to protect you from any harm. If you believe that I'm going to let them execute you, then you need to be knocked upside the head."

I felt my shoulders relax. Yuuji's tense grip loosened. Gojo smirked at us, a short chuckle passing over his lips.

"So what do we do?" I asked. "They're sending people after us."

"You're going to hide—both of you," He said, leaning forward as he draped his arms over the surface of his desk. "I'm not going to tell you where at, just to make sure that it never gets leaked. I'm the only one who knows, and I'm going to keep it that way."

"When are we supposed to do that?" Yuuji frowned. "They're everywhere."

"Leave all the worrying to me," Gojo replied, waving his hand dismissively. "Pack your bags, and when you're done, meet me here."

Yuuji exchanged a glance, but nonetheless agreed. I stood up and followed him out, pausing in the doorway. I looked back at our teacher, watching him take his glasses off, tossing them onto the desk. He lifted his hand to his face, rubbing the bridge of his nose out of stress.

"You coming?" Yuuji called.

I nodded and shut the door softly, jogging to catch up with him at the end of the hall. And for the next hour after that, Yuuji and I were in our separate rooms, packing our bags with our possessions.

All of this started when Yuki and I chased Oyama into that abandoned house. If we had just gone down a different road, maybe waited a little while before leaving—maybe none of this would be happening.

I've always been a magnet to danger. Everyone always told me that it would come back and bite me in my ass one day. I think it decided now would be the best time, and it was ripping my heart from behind my ribs.

I felt horrible. Not only was I lying to my family as it was, but now I wouldn't even be able to speak with them. I knew I wasn't going to be able to have any kind of contact with anyone once we left. I understood what kind of danger Yuuji and I were in. And I wished we weren't a part of it.

A soft knock on my door made me look away from the picture of my family in my hands. Yuuji pushed open my half-cracked door, peering around the wood until he spotted me near my bed. He had a backpack slung over one of his shoulders, a duffle bag in his opposite hand.

"You close to being done?" He asked, setting his stuff onto the floor.

"I just need a few more things," I said, my voice quiet. Yuuji reached out and gently took my wrist.

"Hey, it'll be alright," He said, pulling me towards him. He took his hand from my wrist, bringing his other hand up as he cupped my face. "You don't have to cry, Y/n."

I hadn't even realized it, but now I understood why my throat was feeling so tight. "I just want to go home..."

Yuuji's gaze softened. He brought my head closer, pressing his lips to my forehead. I put my hands on his chest and leaned against him. He wrapped his arms around me.

"It's going to be okay," He whispered, dragging his fingers through my hair. "I know you're scared, but I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I'll die before I let someone else hurt you."

"Y-Yuuji.."

"I mean it," He said, tilting my head up to look at him.

"I didn't even tell you," I said, my voice breaking.

"You didn't have to," He said. "I knew. Trust me. That day at the school...I knew."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"You didn't want anyone to know," He said, rubbing his thumb over my cheek. "And I completely understand that. I wished everyone didn't know I was Sukuna's vessel. But we're in this together now. Everyone is going to know about Eris."

"Are we really going to die?" I asked, loosely holding his wrists.

"We're going to die eventually. They won't stop until we are dead. But it doesn't mean we're going to let them kill us," He touched his forehead to mine.

"As long as I'm here, Y/n, no one will hurt you."

[Chapter XXXIX. End]
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