tranquility - Fushiguro M. x Gender Neutral! Reader

26| one of them

     MEGUMI never left my thoughts the following night, leaving me restless. I told Taro that I wasn't able to sleep and that I'd keep watch. The fire was the only source of light and heat, and Taro slept soundly, wrapped in a blanket with his back facing me. I sat in front of the fire, picking at the skin around my nails, causing them to bleed. But I couldn't help it.

What exactly was he going to do? And how did he expect to get my clan to back off? They've been after me since the day I ran off, albeit it took them an entire week to notice that I was even gone in the first place. They didn't care for years on end. They never cared about me then, so why did they suddenly care so much now?

The possibility of Jett telling them hadn't left my mind either. To be honest, I would not put it past him. Jett has never liked me, and that's been obvious. The day Boone found me down in the creek, so beat and exhausted, so scared and weak, was the day that Jett began to hate me. It was only he and Boone until I came along. Boone was the only father either of us have ever known, so I could understand his attachment to him.

But Boone saw right through Jett's jealousy, and it only made him want to protect me more. Jett thought it was favoritism, but all Boone wanted to do was to keep us both safe. Had Jett not had his outburst, I honestly believe that the three of us would still be together, and Jett would be getting over his jealousy. I was getting older, and I could protect myself. Boone didn't need to hover over me all the time. Jett would back off.

But that couldn't happen. That day, I lost the only person who I could ever call my dad. We loved Boone. Boone loved us. I loved Jett as my brother too. But he never saw me as his sibling. He only saw me as his rival.

That's why I couldn't dismiss the possibility of Jett going to my clan and turning me in. He knew everything about me. He knew the woods as well as Boone did. He was agile enough to get up and down the mountain in the snow, and I know this because he's done it before. If he was alone, Jett could do lots of things.

I knew it was no coincidence that when Boone and Jett disappeared, people from my clan began their search again, this time much closer to my location. I knew it was no coincidence that when Jett returned, Boone was not with him. I knew that it wasn't a coincidence that Jett magically appeared out of nowhere when those people were after me. He couldn't have just shown up and knew that I was there.

Jett was with them. Jett was attempting to collect the bounty on my head and he was going to turn me into my clan. He didn't care that we were raised together. He never saw me as a part of his family as I did. Jett couldn't care less about me.

Whatever Megumi had planned, I hoped that he'd return before Jett found me. I know that Taro would protect me with his last breath; I was a part of his family. But if Jett came around, I knew he'd kill Taro.

In the back of my mind, I knew that Jett had killed Boone, too.

I couldn't protect myself against Jett. He was taller than I was, stronger, and faster. I wouldn't even stand a chance against him. I couldn't even use anything Boone taught me to escape him because he knew the exact same things. I would be utterly helpless against Jett, and I knew it.

"Scout."

I lifted my head, my guard raising at the sound of Taro's voice. He had sat up, his hand reaching for the weapon at his side. I shifted onto my knees, taking my bow from my feet. I reached behind me and drew an arrow, lining it up with the string as I moved my gaze to him.

"Do you hear that?"

I held my breath, heightening the sounds around me. I heard the quiet clicking of bats, chirping of crickets, the fire crackling against the wood, and...was that? I rose to my feet in a swift motion, pulling the string on my bow back as I did. When Taro had his suspicion confirmed, he rose as well, bringing a pistol from his side. A click filled the air as he cocked it, lifting it up.

My eyes scanned through the dark forest, my gaze flashing around the thicket of trees. I heard the cracking of sticks cease for a moment, and a familiar presence surrounded me. I released the breath I'd been holding, slowly lowering my bow as a figure emerged from the treeline.

"Megs," I whispered.

Megumi lowered his hands from where he'd held them up, his gaze shifting from me to Taro. Taro gave a short nod to him and lowered his gun, returning it to his side. Megumi then returned his attention to me.

Then, I felt it.

The slightest shift in his presence. The slightest shift in his cursed energy. The slightest shift of his appearance, his green eyes darkening for a moment before returning to their normal jade color.

I lifted my bow once more, releasing the string as soon as I drew it.

Taro called out my name in surprise, though, his next words died out in his throat. The appearance of the mimic in front of me changed, twisting back into its original form. It crumbled to the ground, fading away into nothing but dust after a moment. I exhaled heavily and walked forward to retrieve my arrow.

"How did you know?" Taro asked.

I examined the tip of my arrow, picking at the dried blood on it. "I know Megumi's cursed energy."

"You care deeply for that boy, don't you?" He asked.

I paused. Taro continued.

"You act differently around him. You act differently toward him. You are much more caring when it comes to Fushiguro, and he is toward you. You care for each other," He said. "You trust him, don't you?"

I returned my arrow to the quiver. "Get some sleep. The sun will rise in a few hours. We need to be going before then."

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Fact: Scout has gotten so used to Megumi that when they saw the mimic, they instantly knew that it wasn't him.