Chapter Text
You know you're down in the pits when you start wandering around aimlessly in a military base, desperate for something to do so you could pretend you weren't in a catastrophe of feelings and indecision.
As Shinya trailed through the long, elaborate hallways, giving a nod and a smile of greeting here and there, he wondered who he was trying to fool with this act of nonchalance. Probably himself. It was always easier to act like nothing affected him, because sooner or later he might start to believe his own lies. Then again, never had he actually been that lucky. If he had, then that cheery expression and kind smile that always made him look so much more harmless than he actually was would've been a genuine expression of relaxation rather than a habit that made things easier for him to deal with. At the same time, that happy expression of his had grown to be more real over the past few years. It probably had something to do with the change of heart he had, with the way his personality shifted from being a cold-blooded killer fighting for nothing but his own survival to a gentler being that actually started to value other existences beside his own. Someone who did not feign the care he showed those around him, someone who offered kindness that he himself took no benefit from.
And it was all thanks to that one person, who has now made the emptiness return to his eyes.
He froze in his steps momentarily, and nearly cursed himself out loud.
What's the point of avoiding him if you're just going to end up thinking of him all the time?!
It frustrated him to no end. Whether it was his past, his future, his engagement, his indecision regarding how he should really feel about it, if he could really move on, or even mundane things like what to eat for breakfast and when to actually finish his paperwork, everything seemed to lead right back to Guren, ever since he started avoiding him, and it was testament to how much that one particular plan of his was backfiring on him. Plan for what? For actually starting to get over Guren.
It was sad, especially when the urge to just give in and go right back to where he stood in his relationship with the lieutenant colonel was uncomfortably strong. Doubly so, when he knew he was being childish and pathetic.
You don't love me back? I'm just gonna avoid you for the rest of our lives in hopes that I could stop feeling this way about you, effectively ruining our friendship as I try to move on with my life.
He should just go and throw himself off a cliff. He might, if he didn't know the possibility of Tenri dragging him back from the dead just to glare at him and call him garbage for disobeying him and being so ungraceful, missing out on his own engagement meeting.
Oh, there was that thing too.
A sigh left him as he continued his aimless stroll, remembering that he was going to meet his fiancée tonight, officially. As in, for more than five minutes. He knew it wasn't going to be a big deal. Just a little meeting during which the head of the Jujō family would suck up to Tenri who would just stay silent and scary. Actually, Shinya wouldn't be surprised if he didn't even attend the meeting. It was a relieving thought, until he remembered that Kureto was going to be there, and that was actually worse. At the very least, Tenri tended to ignore his very existence, unless he wanted to threaten or scold him. Kureto, on the other hand…
God, I don't care if I end up committing suicide by the end of this entire ordeal. But if that happens, just please drag those two down with me, and I'll be happy.
Because they'd probably be the cause of it, and Shinya was pretty damn vindictive.
… Or maybe just Tenri. If those two ended up dying at once, the next in line for the leadership of the Hīragi—in other words, the entirety of Japan—would be Seishirou. And Shinya cared enough about his country's future to never want that to happen. Best case scenario, a rebellion would occur and the Hīragi would fall. Otherwise, Shinya only saw a black abyss waiting for their country to fall into in case Seishirou did become the supreme leader.
And between Tenri and Kureto, his adoptive brother was the lesser of two evils, he knew that much.
But what would happen to Guren when Kureto becomes the—shut up.
"… That's it?"
The question resounded between the five teenagers huddled together at the entrance of the military base. It was asked by none other than Mitsuba Sanguu, who was currently staring suspiciously at her ashen-haired squad leader, whose sweet smile put her on edge.
"That's it." Shinoa sang, head tilted to a side and hands clasped behind her back, looking for all the world like the embodiment of innocence when the rest of them knew better.
"Excuse me," Kimizuki cut in sharply, eyes narrowed in a glare, "Exactly what do you mean by "that's it"? We're gonna end up in the hospital by the time this plan of yours is over."
Shinoa gasped, feigning surprise as she raised a hand to place it on her cheek, "Oh my! I didn't know you would be so alerted and fearful at the mere concept of having to face the lieutenant colonel in a fair fight, Kimizuki! I sincerely apologize."
A vein popped up in the pink-haired teenager's head and he gritted his teeth. He had to try very hard not to draw his weapons and give that girl a piece of his mind. His eyes momentarily trailed towards Yoichi, who stood back, an uncertain expression on his face, and managed to calm himself.
Do it for him.
"Nothing's going to be fair about it. He's just gonna beat us up the moment we try to ask him to do it and we can't do anything since he's our superior—"
"That's not true!" Yuu cut in, fire in his eyes, "I fight with Guren all the time. In fact, this is a good opportunity to—"
"Not everyone's as much of an idiot as you, BakaYuu! And if by "fight" you mean getting your ass handed to you by the lieutenant colonel when you try to kick him as a greeting—"
"Shut up! You're just a fucking pansy—"
"Who the hell are you calling a pansy—"
"Now now!" Yoichi, ever the peacemaker, cut in placatingly, stepping forward between the two as they prepared to swing their fists at each other with a small smile, "Let's not fight. Umm…" He paused, turning to look at Shinoa, "I-is there any chance of, you know, not having to confront the lieutenant colonel?"
Shinoa hummed, "Well, our original plan was to merely ask him to accompany us. However, given the update of information that we received from Sayuri-san, he's become even angrier since yesterday, and will not stand to hear Shinya nii-san's name said in his presence."
"How the hell does he not have blood pressure problems?" Mitsuba said with a snort.
"The lieutenant colonel is extremely resilient."
"That aside, is there, well, any way to make him… Less violent?" Yoichi asked, a worried on his face.
Shinoa tapped her chin, "Well, we could make him not see Yuu-san."
Yuu blanched, "What?!"
"You know, since you're always annoying him. If you're not there he is less likely to kick us out of a window before even saying "drop dead and stop bothering me"." Shinoa did a mock imitation of Guren's angry face and voice rather flatly.
"…"
"If it's about rising his anger levels that are already skyrocketing, aren't you as much of a threat?" Kimizuki said dryly, scowling.
"Hmm? I'm sure I'm the lieutenant colonel's favorite though~"
"Yeah right." Kimizuki and Mitsuba chorused and rolled their eyes at once. It was actually quite impressive.
Shinoa gave a mock hurt look, and then promptly straightened, sophisticated smile in place, "Well, jokes aside, it seems like we've agreed upon the teams. Yuu-san and I will take care of Shinya nii-san, while you three go and fetch the lieutenant colonel."
"We didn't agree on anything. You're just deciding things on your own. Again." Mitsuba growled, glaring at her.
The Hīragi girl blinked, before her eyes promptly lit up with a smile as she gazed upon the blond, "Oh! I see how it is. Mi-chan wants me there with her. Do not worry. If you wish it I will be there to hold your skirt down so no one will—"
"Hold it down or stealthily look it up?!" Mitsuba snapped, face reddening slightly.
Shinoa gasped in clearly faked horror, "Eh?! Mi-chan is accusing me of strange things!"
"Actually, you did do that once. Probably twice." Yuu said blandly, looking at her with bored eyes.
"Probably more times." Yoichi nodded in agreement.
"Aside from being a tyrant, you're also a pervert." Kimizuki snorted, smirking.
A blank look settled on Shinoa's face. She then proceeded to lower her head, closing her eyes with a saddened expression as she pressed a hand against her chest, where her heart was.
"Everyone's misunderstanding my good intentions so much." She sighed, shaking her head, "I might have to go to Kureto nii-san to share our woes about being mistaken for such horrible beings. Although Kureto nii-san is a horrible being. I'm just a pure angel."
"Actually, it's times like this where I can tell you two are related." Kimizuki replied darkly.
Shinoa's head suddenly snapped up, completely shattering the image of grief she was creating a moment ago with a sweet smile, "Ah! Are you telling me that Kureto nii-san looks up the skirts of innocent girls? That is certainly interesting information. I shall go to him tonight to inquire about this, specifically stating that one Shiho Kimizuki has informed me of the matter—"
"Anyway!" Mitsuba snapped, gritting her teeth, "Can't we just get this stupid thing over with?!"
"Certainly! Although I wouldn't have expected you to have those ropes with you, Mi-chan. I wonder what you were doing with them while I wasn't looking."
"Shinoa, I swear to god—"
"Well then! Let's go, Yuu-san. Good luck!" The ashen-haired girl stepped forward, hooking her arm through Yuu's, who had been watching the exchange of words in amusement and secretly wishing Shinoa would go along with her word, and led him away from the rest, giving them a small wave.
The dark-haired boy blinked and immediately protested, "Hey! I said I wanted to get Guren—"
"Yes, yes, you like getting on the lieutenant colonel's last nerve. There's time for that later. When he isn't an inch away from cleaving you in half." Shinoa sighed, before looking up with a smile, "Who knows, maybe we will find Mika-san lost in the corridors again and have him help."
Yuu looked ready to protest once more, but sighed and dropped his shoulders. Well, she was right. Mika was coming back today and even if they didn't catch him wandering around in the corridors trying to find his way, he would still get to see him today after one week and it made him happy. Although there was this other thing…
"… Hey, Shinoa."
"Hm?"
"What if Shinya gets angry with what we'll do?" He asked uncertainly, shifting his uniform coat on his arm, underneath which the ropes were hidden.
"Oh, of course he will be unhappy. But don't worry, he doesn't get angry over these things the way the lieutenant colonel does."
"But he does get angry?"
"Yes. You won't notice it though. But he will likely humiliate you in some sort of way the next time he sees you."
"Oh… Why aren't you worried about that?"
"Because I have blackmail. And so does he. Therefore we've come to a mutual agreement to be nice to each other even when we don't want to."
"… And me?"
"…"
"… I see."
"It's okay, Yuu-san."
"Somehow, I don't feel that way."
Meanwhile…
"Kimizuki-kun, Mitsuba-san…?"
"Hmm?"
The two slowly turned towards Yoichi, having previously been staring at the sky with a blank expression, as if it was going to be their last time seeing it.
"I was just wondering… Don't you feel like we were, kind of, tricked?"
Mitsuba blinked, then rolled her eyes, "We're doing this against our will in the first place. What do you mean?"
"I mean… Well, Shinoa's knows the lieutenant colonel for the longest, so she's probably the best out of us at dealing with him. Plus, she could've just told us who to be in what group but…"
"… Goddamnit, Shinoa."
"Major general Shinya!"
The call almost made him walk into a wall.
Apparently, when you try hard not to think about someone, you just end up thinking about them more. It didn't matter how much he walked around. He even paused when he caught sight of Shigure and greeted her, asking her how she was feeling. The small black-haired woman bowed slightly in respect, replying that she was better and thanked him for his concern. She then proceeded to stare at him inquisitively until Shinya got the hint of what she wanted to ask him about, and was one second too late in walking away before Shigure stared him down and questioned him about the entire ordeal with Guren, commenting that he had been in an explosive mood lately. Shinya had merely smiled, feeling slightly uneasy, but mostly satisfied, knowing that Guren was getting affected too.
Served him right.
But of course he couldn't say that to Shigure, so he merely smiled gently and said that they had a bit of a misunderstanding and Shinya was human, after all, he needed his space once in a while. Shigure gave him a look that clearly said she didn't believe that to be the entire story, but thankfully did not press any further, bidding him a good day as she bowed once more and excused herself.
Shinya was then left to his thoughts once more. Which actually wasn't a good thing. But neither was talking to his friends, whom would inevitably question him about what was going on between him and Guren. People just needed to start minding their own business.
And now these two showed up as well.
Turning around, he greeted the two teenagers approaching him cheerfully, "Hello, Shinoa-chan, Yuu-kun."
His sister beamed at him, "Good day, major general."
"Is there something you needed from me?"
"Indeed. But it's a bit of a private matter. Would you mind moving to your office?" Shinoa's smile was polite, she seemed rather innocent in her request.
Shinya lifted an eyebrow. Private, huh…
"Might this be about—"
"It's about Yuu-san's relationship issues with Mika-san. And my own with Mi-chan. Won't you help us?" Yuu blinked, opened his mouth to say something, and then seemed to think better of it.
Shinya stared at the girl before him, "… Shinoa-chan, I've never been in a romantic relationship before. I don't know what I could help you with—"
"Great! Let's go then."
"I didn't—"
Shinoa didn't let him finish. She promptly reached out, hooked her free arm through his, and begun tugging him towards the direction of his office. He momentarily glanced at Yuu, who gave him a look of despair, and understood.
A Hīragi was a Hīragi.
Guren Ichinose sat before his table, littered with papers, and regretted. He regretted spending eight years of his life going after the key of world destruction.
He should've spent them trying to figure out how to break solid objects with his glare alone. Then he could get them fixed without paying for the damage. How did that make sense? He didn't know. He just knew he was very pissed off, and he did not feel like doing anything about it.
"Akari has been engaged to marry Shinya-san."
He wanted to punch a hole through a wall. Even more so, he wanted to punch himself.
Why the hell was he so angry about this? So what if Shinya was going to get married, probably against his will? It didn't have anything to do with him. Shinya was adopted by the Hīragi since he was five years old, way before Guren even knew him. Whether he liked it or not, they had a say in his life. One that he probably could not oppose. There was nothing Guren could do about it.
And he didn't want to either. Of course not. Why would he?
It's not like he thought about hunting down Shinya, pin him against a wall or tie him to a chair and demand he tell him what made him lie and hide this entire marriage thing from him. It's not like he felt angry and maybe a little bit hurt that he had done so. It's not like Shinya's lack of presence in his life was making him think more irrationally than he usually does. It's not like Shinya also seemed to have taken away around seventy percent of his patience and self control.
It's not like Guren was acting like a spoiled child that had his pet taken away. He was way more mature than that. Nope, Guren did not care.
He just didn't like the fact that Shinya had lied to him, and was keeping secrets from him. Never mind that Guren had done that on multiple occasions before.
There was a knock on his door, and Guren was this close to throwing his chair at whoever it was when they pushed open the door before he gave permission. The only thing that stopped him from doing so was the small figure of Yoichi standing next to the doorframe, almost trembling when Guren's near bloodthirsty glare settled on him.
Seeing the brunette who was usually innocent and good-natured, Guren took a deep breath and managed to turn his expression into something less scary than it was. His eyes spotted Kimizuki and Mitsuba standing behind the boy, but he ignored them.
"What is it, Yoichi?"
The addressed boy stiffened, blinked and replied in a nervous voice, "L-lieutenant colonel, it's, umm, I was wondering if you could… Come with me somewhere?"
Guren's eyes narrowed, "Why?"
"Umm… Shinoa and Yuu-kun are stuck there—"
"Don't care. Get lost."
"…"
Silence fell and Guren glanced away in disinterest, waiting for his three subordinates to leave him alone to his seething.
They didn't.
"… L-lieutenant colonel! I-I think you're being extremely irresponsible!"
Mitsuba and Kimizuki gaped. Guren simply stared ahead, a little speechless as Yoichi continued.
"U-umm… As our superior, you are technically responsible for us. But you're being neglectful simply because you're having an argument with Shinya-san. I think… I think that is very irresponsible of you!"
It took a few moments for Guren to realise that he was being told off. By his subordinate. By Yoichi.
It was a bit surreal.
Until he realized he was getting told off by Yoichi because of Shinya.
It was all because of Shinya.
The three teenagers jumped as Guren's fist banged on his desk and he stood to his feet.
"Let's go. I have something to take care of too."
Damn these humans and their buildings.
Mika stomped his way through the long, elaborate corridors, hands clenching by his sides, face twisted in a snarl. Whoever crossed his path immediately glanced away with a cringe, and he was pretty sure he heard a few whispers of it's that vampire too. He did not care. He was well aware that humans weren't exactly happy with having him there. It didn't matter.
What did matter was that, for possibly the hundredth time since he became part of their military, he was lost in the main base.
It didn't have anything to do with his sense of navigation. The architecture was just complicated.
…. Okay, so, his sense of navigation wasn't the best. In fact, he was certain there was something wrong with him given that he has already walked these hallways enough times.
Damnit.
As the blond-haired vampire rounded a corner he was pretty sure he's already passed once, his eyes caught sight of the double doors situated on the way down the hall, signifying that it was probably an office. Maybe he could go there and ask for directions? At least the officers didn't ignore him out of fear the way most common soldiers did. He didn't like the idea of asking for assistance, especially with something like this, but he'll probably end up spending another hour in this godforsaken place trying to find his way.
One hour in which he could've been with Yuu-chan.
The thought of his beloved angel motivating him, he took a deep breath and moved closer to the doors.
And promptly froze when he heard something… wrong.
"Ugh, stay still!"
"How can you tell someone you're forcefully tying down to stay still?!"
The first voice was unmistakable. Mika recognized it clearly as his Yuu-chan's. The second voice belonged to… Right, Shinya. Shinya. The white-haired Hīragi member. And they were… What Yuu-can just said…
"What the—ow. Yuu-kun, please do stop what you're doing—"
"It wouldn't hurt if you just stop resisting! Just let me tie you down—"
BONDAGE?!
Mika knew. When you spend four years in the presence of one such as Ferid Bathory, you're bound to learn some things you shouldn't learn. At least while you're still that young. He stumbled from sheer horror, leaning his side against the wall. His mind was running a mile in a second, eyes wide.
Eh? B-b-but… Yuu-chan… Yuu-chan is an angel. He's a precious angel. Why's he doing this? In fact, why's he doing this? Humans are the ones who take advantage of him… Yes. Yes. That's it, that dirty human seduced him. I should save Yuu-chan. There's no way he wants this—
"For the love of God, what are you even thinking—"
"Just let me tie you down! You'll find out later. For now just listen to me and stop moving—"
B-but… It sounds like… Wait, isn't that guy in his mid-twenties or something? If… If Yuu-chan is the one… Th-then… Yuu-chan is… Yuu-chan is into older men?! E-eh…? Is-is that why he's so close to that bag of dirt named Ichinose? Eh? B-but… But, that means…
He promptly dropped to his knees in despair.
I'm never going to be Yuu-chan's type!
"Shinoa! Stop standing there and help!"
What?
"What are you—Shinoa-chan, put your scythe down—"
… Exactly what were they doing to that guy?
Curiosity and alert biting at him, Mika slowly stood to his feet. He stared at the double doors for a moment, heard more shouts and demands for an explanation, before his determination was firmly set. Without another thought, the blond-haired vampire moved forward, grabbed the handles and threw the double doors open.
The sight that greeted him was, in one word, strange.
Shinya Hīragi laid in the centre of the room, flat on his back. His arms were pinned to his chest by a rope that was wrapped around his torso. The two ends of it were held by Yuu-chan, who was sitting on top of him, clearly trying to bind the white-haired man underneath him, and just barely succeeding as the sniper struggled. Shinoa stood next to them, scythe in hand, looking like she was having the time of her life.
"Y-Yuu-chan…?"
Yuu stiffened and turned to him, eyes lighting up, "Mika, you're back! Quick, come help."
Mika choked, "He—"
BANG!
Today just isn't my day.
Was what he thought as he was sent face first into the floor when the door was thrown open, crashing into his back. Yoichi burst in, followed by Kimizuki, Mitsuba and Guren, whose face seemed to freeze a bit.
"Yuu-kun! We brought the—eh? Mika-kun?" Yoichi's bright smile turned into a look of confusion as his eyes spotted the blond laying on the floor. "Are you okay?"
The vampire in question slowly lifted himself into a sitting position, ready to tell him that no, his nose actually hurt a lot, but then Yuu-chan turned to him, concern in his eyes, and he was unable to do so.
"I'm okay." He said, eyes locked with the green ones of the wrong person.
"Excuse me, I'm not okay…" Shinya's voice trailed off as he lifted his head, only to have his eyes meet the violet ones of the man he'd been avoiding for the past few days.
An awkward, heavy silence fell. Shinoa internally cheered.
"… Hello, Guren."