𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏𝘼𝙇 𝙎𝘾𝘼𝙍𝙎, 𝙤𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙪 𝙙𝙖𝙯𝙖𝙞

𝙊𝙉𝙀

Being back in the agency feels like being choked. Like a punch to the face. It's hard to breathe. It's hard to think, and it's hard to hold a conversation.

You know it's because of him.

It was always him, wasn't it?

Looking at him used to take your breath away. Used to make your head go foggy—now, it does almost the exact same thing.

Almost.

Now, it's out of fear. Maybe it always was. Maybe you subconsciously knew how this was going to end. Maybe, just maybe, it was your bodies way of warning you about what was going to happen.

It hurts your chest to see him interact with anyone. With her. How easily she talks to him when it takes you forever to feel comfortable talking with anyone.

Only the agency knew about how bad he fucked you up. Talking to someone was too hard. Talking to a therapist was out of the picture. You were falling apart, and he was falling in love.

No. No, not love.

He was falling in love with the idea of ruining her.

He was a sick bastard. You were warned a million times over again, he himself told you that he couldn't be fixed. He told you that he wouldn't change.

God, if only you believed it. If only you didn't think it was some sort of joke.

You were just a game to him. A piece on a chess board for him to move as he pleased. He was the king, and you were the peasant. He always did think less of you.

.

The members of the agency don't leave you alone. In a good way. They don't leave the office unless someone is with you. They stay by your side, they drive you home. They'll do anything to keep him from hurting you again.

The issue is that he isn't the problem anymore. No, the one they have to keep you from—is yourself.

You were a danger to yourself. You had been since you were a child. Mentally unstable, they labeled you. Popped pills into your system that some adults would never see due to the harsh realities of the side effects.

Oh, if only they knew how much worse it would end up.

They told you to live a low stress life. Live a mundane life. If only you'd listened. Maybe you wouldn't be in this predicament. Maybe someone would have been able to love you properly.

Your life is a whole lot of maybes. Maybe if I did this, if I did that. Every decision you've made, every fork in the road you've come up to, everything has been the wrong choice.

Maybe, if i had chosen this instead of that.

You didn't even trust yourself at this point.

He had not only ruined you for anyone else, no—no, he ruined you for yourself. No one would love you, not even yourself.

.

Meeting with Fukuzawa goes by quickly. He knew about your arrival, he knew about the guild hunting you down—you were powerful. A weapon, and they would've done anything to get their hands on you.

The mission is simple.

You wait for them to come to you.

They had been keeping tabs on you. After all, their mission had been a big waiting game. The last five years of your life, someone had been watching your every move. They were waiting for the time to strike.