"Yuji, you know you don't have to walk me home right? Nobody is going to attack me. They're scared of me anyways." You laughed because Yuji made it a daily routine to take you home if you weren't going to sleep on campus. He only wanted to make sure you're safe even though he's done it multiple times. He grew fond of this so he doesn't want to stop. Even if Yuji's sick, he'll still pick himself out of bed and accompany you home.
"Listen, y/n, listen… I'm not going to stop this! I like taking you home—" When Yuji blurted that out, his heart quickened as he made eye contact with you. This caused the both of you to freeze for a second.
Wait what? He likes taking me home? I thought it was a chore. You said to yourself, trying to understand why it's important to him that he made it a habit.
Oh shit, I better cover it up! Yuji yelled at himself for messing up. He didn't want to ruin the good atmosphere because of some misunderstanding.
Yuji's face turned red as he made up a quick lie to cover up his tracks. "B-because I also get to enjoy the scenery! Autumn is very pretty during the evening...yeah," He managed to seamlessly tie up his sentence in an awkward yet goofy way. If he was being honest, he didn't know what he said. He just went with whatever that made sense in his head.
You gave him a weird smile and shrugged it off. "Oh...okay…" It didn't bother you but it sounded forced yet then again it's Yuji you're talking to. He's the type to lie if he doesn't want to hurt your feelings.
After Yuji had dropped you off at your house, you waved goodbye to him and watched his figure disappear.
You went to the mailbox to see if you had anything in there and to your surprise, you got a response from the mysterious person from before. Pulling the envelope to your chest, your eyes darted your surroundings and you ran inside the house. Your heart was racing in anticipation. You really wonder what the person wrote and if they're legit too.
Slamming the door shut and running to your bedroom, your finger hooked under the sealed tab and sliced the fold open. You didn't waste your time and pulled out the white printed paper. You knew the person typed it on a computer instead of handwriting it since it's easy to track.
It said: 'You can choose where you want us to meet. Just give me the place and time, and it has to be us or else you'll never discover the truth.'
You gritted your teeth and thought deeply about it. "I'm so close yet it's dangerous. Who knows what's going to happen to me if I go alone?" Then you unconsciously picked up your phone to text Yuji. You tapped on his message and you wanted to write to him. He's the only person you can rely on. He's seen the good and bad sides of you. You really wanted to tell him but you couldn't lose this opportunity either so you tossed your phone on your bed. "He can't get tangled in my personal matters. This involves me and only me… And besides, nothing can take me down. I'm strong enough to fight back."
So you put a time and location on another paper and put it back in your mailbox.
Five days later, you were at an abandoned hotel. You wore a hoodie and a face mask even though they probably knew how you looked as you walked inside, staring at the moldy, deteriorating ceiling and walls. It looked like it could collapse very soon. You chose this place because it was in the middle of where your house was and the school. The distance wouldn't be far if you were to escape and it's secluded from civilians too.
CLICK CLACK CLICK CLACK
You whipped around to find a tall figure making their way inside the run-down building. You could tell that the figure was a man by the broad shoulders sticking out and the boxy appearance due to the baggy clothes. You really wondered who it could be.
Then his footsteps stopped, leaving a large gap between you and him.
You still couldn't see his face because this time he lowered his head. Your nose scrunched up in dismay as you really wanted to know how he looked even if it was just his eyes. This man talked big on letters so hopefully he does the same in person.
"So who are you if you know who I am," You bluntly asked, demanding to know his identity then and there.
Just like what you said, the man slowly lifted up his head and revealed a grin. Seeing his face caused you to gasp as you knew who he was. "How is that possible?!" You stumbled back, trying to make sense of what's going on. "You!" Your index finger pointed at him. "You're supposed to be dead!" Information of what you were told about him wasn't matching up to what you're seeing.
Then the man just laughed from your perplexed reaction because it looked like you'd seen a ghost. "Oh my! Don't worry about my status, y/n! I'm going to make a comeback sooner or later. I just wanted to surprise you."
You gulped, still wondering if you should listen to a 'dead' man: Geto Suguru. I should hear him out because he rebelled against the system so he would have dirt on everyone.
"So what do you know that I don't know?"
"Well for starters, I don't want anything in return. I'm just giving you this information because it's something you should know."
You weren't sure how to take this in. Most people would want something in return because they're doing you a favor. In addition, it felt ominous yet you weren't fully going to turn it down. He knew more than Gojo.
"I won't drag this long because you're dying to know the answer too. The higher ups sent a curse user to kill you and your family that day. It failed at the end because you still survived."
Your heart twitched from the bold accusation as you were too stunned to speak. How? Why? Did the higher ups know about the curse of Kameko? If they did, I thought they would brush it off because they wouldn't believe something that's over a thousand years old. Even if it is true, it's hard to believe they would send someone to kill me. I need physical evidence over verbal.
Geto, being the observant person he was, noticed how quiet you were. He knew you were taking in the information but struggled to process the truth. "Well, if you're wondering about the evidence, I came prepared."
Then out of nowhere, a beaten curse user was thrown to the ground. He looked like he was in his 40's due to his wrinkles and sunspots. He was bruised and bloody, having a hard time sitting up as he breathed laboriously.
"Why don't you tell the survivor of your failed mission why you killed her parents?" Geto cooed sinisterly.
Chills ran down your spine as you faced one of your killers. You looked at him dead in the eyes, wondering why he committed the crime that changed your life forever. You were never the same child after that day.
You could tell the old man was scared of Geto and you didn't care what Geto did to him. All you wanted was answers now.
Fear took over the curse user's eyes as he blurted out the truth. "T-the higher ups paid me lots of money to kill you and your family! They had it all planned out. They stalked your family's every move so it could be seamless. I made sure to play my cards right," he explained the intricate plan the higher ups wrote down together, collaborating ideas to make the murder seem like an accident. They wanted to make sure no evidence wasn't trackable either, that's why they used a curse user because it can never be led back to them. If it did happen, the higher ups would've killed the curse user on the spot since they hold power in the system. "When I failed to kill you, I made a run for it! I didn't want to die because you were special!" The old man yelled, recalling his days in hiding. He couldn't even show his face or else the higher ups would've gotten to him. He didn't want to die; he wanted to live like a rich man.
Your heart raced as you're close to getting an answer about the higher ups' decisions. "What was the reason?! Why did they target me and my family?!" Your heartbeat echoed in your ears and your body temperature rose in frustration as your eyes water from your high emotions. After all these years, you're going to get an answer.
The man smirked, giving you a disappointed look. He held the power to your emotions and ripped your heart apart. "They never told me, kid. They said it's only for them to know and for me to get paid and do my job." Even with the killer in your grasp, he left you defeated just like he did ten years ago.
Tears dripped down your stiffened face. Your eyes were burning his soul as you wanted him to die, not because he wasn't useful but because he took part in the incident. "I won't kill you just yet, but I'll make sure you rot in hell!" Instantly, you kicked him in the face causing him to knock out.
You turned away in defeat, sniffing in your runny nose. After hearing his story, you wanted to believe it was true that the higher ups did commit this crime. It sounded legit because back in the olden days, the higher ups wanted to kill Kameko due to their greed. You completely believe they're out to get you too because they might know about the curse. Why else would they do that? Go so far to kill you and now suppress you. This made you want to confront the higher ups once and for all. You have to kill them because it's under Kameko's curse. You're not going to do it for her but for you and your family. The higher ups won't get away.
As there's a small seed of doubt lingering in your chest because you wanted to see more proof, Geto placed a hand on your shoulder and alerted you. "You're not going to get anymore evidence, y/n. The people in power always have a way of hiding things. They wouldn't want to jeopardize their power and influence over their people." He whispered in your ear. Then the next thing he said ignited the spark of who Geto truly was. "It's a shame how you carry the burden of Kameko's curse on your shoulders. Isn't it tiring?"
Immediately, you jumped back from him and stared in horror. How in the world does he know that? I should be the only one. Who is he?!
You tried playing it off in a cool manner as you controlled your body language. "What are you talking about? There's no such thing as—"
Geto's eerie expression stayed on his face like you were falling in a trap he created without you noticing. "You don't have to play like that! I already know how she died. It's a tragedy that the higher ups pinned her and…" The words coming out from his mouth just kept shocking you. You're in disbelief because he knew so much. You didn't understand how he knew Kameko's death. It's not written in the books nor anyone knows about it but an old soul like Master Tengen.
"Who are you?" You uttered out.
"I'm just an old soul…"
Chills shot down in your spine. You couldn't tell if it was a joke or not. You were too confused to differentiate and scared to ask because mentally you weren't ready to hear it.
"Why don't you confront the higher ups? I have a feeling they know it too."