Kibishi's POV

  "Whoa! Really?!" Akuma's eyebrows raised as she smiled at us.

  "I guess that settles it—"

  "Hold on, David. We're not finished with the negotiation." Tao pced her hands on her hips. "We said we'd join the fight. That doesn't mean we trust the goals of this so-called organization."

  "Agreed. Akuma isn't a bad person—at least, that's how I see it based on her actions so far. I'm not saying I fully trust her right off the bat, and I'm not saying she can't earn our trust either. But from an outsider's perspective, this seems too good to be true," I added.

  "So, I'd rather those who can handle themselves in the wilds of this world join in, while the rest sit back and enjoy their new lives in the city," I said, raising my index finger.

  "What are you, an idiot?! There's no way I'm sitting back and letting you two harm yourselves for Riley's and my sake!" David yelled at me, looking angrier than I'd ever seen him.

  "David's right! There's no way in hell I'll let you two suffer just so I can rex!" Riley added, her face flushed with anger.

  "Akuma! Sign me up too! I don't care what these two say to me or Riley! I won't let my friends die out there without any help!" David demanded.

  "That makes double for me! I refuse to let my friends die in this shady world!" Riley clenched her fists, her cheeks puffing out.

  "But think about it. None of you have anything strange going on with your bodies. Only Kibishi and I have these weird, unnatural things happening to us. So I figured—"

  "Can it, Tao! No offense! I'm sorry for yelling at you!" Riley shouted, then immediately apologized.

  "Yeah! Who cares if your body's weird or whatever? You eat, sleep, shit, and breathe like human beings! That's what matters in my eyes! Screw anyone who thinks being human only means being 'normal'! Nothing and no one here is normal!" David barked, punching his fists together. "I'd rather die out there helping you than sleep here and get the news that you both died for our sake!"

  "David! Stop being such an idiot!" I shouted.

  "Takes one to know one! Plus, I'd rather be that than disloyal to someone I consider my own brother!" David shot back, pointing at me.

  "W-what?" I was taken aback by his words.

  "Like a brother?" Tao whispered.

  "A brother...?" Akuma raised her brows again. She seemed content to let us finish, but a few soldiers were approaching.

  "U-um, excuse me, but that information is cssified—"

  "Shut the hell up! I'm talking to my friends right now! I don't need a soldier interrupting us!" David snapped, then turned back to me.

  I saw the soldier he'd yelled at try to intervene, but Akuma stopped them.

  "Wait. Let them finish. This is a big decision. I'll expin things to the others ter..." Akuma said.

  "But—!"

  The soldier sighed deeply and stepped back, swallowing his words.

  "Finally..." David sighed and scratched his head. "Listen, man. I get your logic. Riley and I aren't like you two. And I'll admit, I knew from the start that you two weren't like the rest of us in prison."

  "Then why—?!"

  "I told you already! I think of you as a brother! And Tao's like a sister to me too!" David yelled, cutting me off.

  "H-huh?!" I took a step back. David wasn't backing down. I'd never seen him so determined unless it was something he *truly* wanted.

  "Do you two have any idea how heartbroken I was when I saw you fall victim to that monster in the cell?! I was frozen in fear, thinking I'd never see either of you again!" Riley sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "And now you're telling us to sit back and watch you get hurt again?! How thoughtless can you be?!"

  "..." Tao closed her eyes in regret, and so did I.

  I didn't understand. We were only trying to protect them. We hadn't expected to survive that attack, but still—because of our actions, I at least wanted those two to be safe. They were normal. Fragile. People who could die so easily. I didn't want that.

  I opened my eyes, sweating intensely.

  But no words came out. I was frozen, struggling to keep my mind intact.

  I was trying to be the bigger person, but it backfired. Seeing them like this made my heart ache. That was how much I cared. In a way, we were like a family.

  I bet Tao felt the same.

  The way I saw it, she regretted suggesting this idea. But could you bme us? We were trying to protect the people we cared about. And we did care about them.

  "P-please... I'm begging you. Don't leave us behind. Not like... when my parents did when the Forbiddens attacked and left me for dead." Riley's voice broke.

  Stab.

  Like a knife to the chest, her words reminded me of the day I'd found Tao. People fleeing the harsh realities of this world left others broken. And there was nothing wrong with that—even I was guilty of it.

  How could I be so selfish?

  Knowing their pasts, I'd still suggested an idea that would abandon them.

  "That shit ain't funny, man. When you die out there, it's for real. I know you two have weird powers or whatever, but those could fail one day. I won't fail to protect my family. Never again..." Grief and sorrow were written all over David's face.

  He, too, had faced a harsh reality. His family had been torn apart in front of him. He'd hidden in terror, running away, believing himself a coward.

  But in truth, it had been the right choice.

  Unlike me, David could've died that day. I was just gd he and Riley had found each other again. They were lucky—their parents had known each other, and they'd had pydates as kids.

  Fate had a funny way of setting things up, huh?

  And now, here we were, with fate pying with us again.

  That was why I'd suggested this. I didn't want them to die. I knew I was repeating myself, but I couldn't bear the thought of losing them. I just—couldn't.

  "I can't. I can't let anyone else die!" The words burst out before I could stop them.

  "Kishi...?" Tao whispered.

  "Don't you see? I'm trying to protect you two! I don't want anyone else dying like my family did! My mother, my father, my older sister—they died because of me! The people in the prison when I rebelled against the Forbiddens! How can you expect me to let you join when it's so dangerous?!" My emotions overwhelmed me.

  "I already told you—!"

  "People die every day, David! Because of these freaks of nature who take lives like it's nothing!" Tears streamed down my face.

  "Kishi?! C-calm down, they're just—!"

  "I can't lose you two! I'm already risking it with Tao joining! I can't lose anyone else. Not again... not again..."

  "..." David stared at me, his expression unreadable.

  "Kibishi..." Riley whispered.

  "..." Tao looked at the ground in shame.

  I couldn't hold back—not after everything they'd said. I'd id out my reasoning, my justification. I had to protect them, all of them. And to do that, I had to go without them. It was selfish, but it was the only way.

  "Then... I'll make sure none of them die out there." Akuma spoke up, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked up, surprised, tears still falling.

  "What do you mean?" Tao asked.

  "With all this heartwarming drama, I almost forgot to mention something." Akuma grinned. "If you don't want them dying, Kibishi, why don't you and Tao join as the execution team, and they join as the backline team? That way, if any of you are in trouble, you can teleport out immediately—thanks to the Super Codes!" She bumped her fists together, beaming.