Beast [Irregular at Magic High School fanfic] (Boyxboy)

Chapter 11

Years pass.

Tatsuya and Miyuki Shiba graduate from high school, and are openly reinstated, along with their missing brother, to their positions in the Yotsuba family. Miyuki is designated the Clan's heir. The siblings are arranged to be married, yet throughout the long process, not a single day goes by when certain people remember the little brother to the strong pair.

Juumonji Katsuto officially becomes head of the Juumonji Clan, as well as Saegusa Mayumi heading the Saegusa Clan. The country goes to war with the Hong Kong Alliance. During the second year of the war, Juumonji Katsuto, Shiba Tatsuya, Saegusa Mayumi, Saijou Leonhart and Shiba Miyuki are all reunited upon the battlefield, as the soldiers of a special unit.

Project Ori.

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The large man stood almost stiffly by the entrance to the currently empty command tent. He was clad in a soldier's outfit of black pants and long sleeved shirt, with a bullet-resistant vest and guards upon his arms and legs. Upon his left forearm is his signature CAD, similar to that of a metal gauntlet. Green eyes scanned the area watchfully, with a certain anxiety in them that was reminiscent of the days he played Monolith Code. His gaze picked out the larger man that stepped out of the shadows with precise accuracy, and he saluted his greeting.

"At ease, Saijou. You're part of the team now."

Leo smiled wryly to himself, relaxing out of the salute but remaining tense. The older male only sighed at the effect of the times, stepping inside the tent. Leo follows.

"How was the journey?"

"Nothing held us back besides the heavyweight magic cannons. They get stuck in the mud frequently. I'll take it over an ambush any day, that being said. How are things here?"

"Activity has been low on their end. We've taken the time to restock supplies. I was surprised when I was pulled for this though... I honestly don't know what's going on."

"I'll explain once everyone's arrived... Though I can tell you it's mostly due to the Yotsuba's agenda that this is happening."

Leo spares a glance outside with a hesitant look, busying himself with the papers upon the table. Juumonji sits with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, quiet for a moment before speaking again.

"Saijou. What's your view of the Yotsubas right now? It's just a personal curiosity."

"Well.... I don't really know. I stay out of most politics, as a soldier. I respect Tatsuya and Miyuki, but... I think I always preferred his way of thinking."

"I see. Thank you."

Before Leo can respond, the entrance to the tent is opened, revealing a slim young woman with flowing black hair and crimson eyes that seemed to continuously laugh. Having grown since her high school days, Mayumi boasted the curved figure most men desired, a flower amongst the masculinity of the soldiers.

"I do hope you haven't started without me, Juumonji-kun..."

"We were just discussing the state of things around here. Your own journey went well?"

"Not a hitch. All helicopters are ready to go at a moment's notice."

Mayumi sits to the left of Juumonji, accepting the warm cup of tea passed to her by Leo, the cup matching that of the one sitting in front of Juumonji. Leo returns to keeping watch outside, ignoring the casual conversation inside. It isn't long before he spots the familiar two figures of the Shiba siblings, the elder walking slightly behind his sister in a highly protective manner. Leo smiled as he greeted them, but only received a polite greeting from Miyuki. Tatsuya merely nodded his head slightly, a classically inexpressive look on his face.

For a moment, Leo felt that he looking not at the two people he'd gone to school with, but high-class clan members. The feeling faded, but he remained internally shaken. As he ushered the pair into the tent, he found himself looking in the direction they'd come from, hopeful. The feeling passed as quickly as the first, and he shook his head, murmured a reminder to get some sleep soon before entering the tent.

Inside, everyone sat around the table with a fresh cup of warm tea, though none seemed to touch it this time around. Juumonji greeted the group formally, before beginning his briefing.

"Some of you already are aware of our team's purpose, but I'll go over it. This team has three objectives, one primary and two secondary. The primary objective is the infiltration and destruction of the closest enemy camps by any method necessary. The secondary are less straightforward. The first: locate and recover a creature called Ori, identifiable by it's mismatched eyes. The second: return Ori to it's original state before returning it to the Yotsuba."

He pauses, letting his serious gaze, move to the quiet siblings.

"I'm not a fool. The one they call Ori, that's really Minoru Shiba. Or shall I say, Minoru Yotsuba?"

Miyuki glances briefly to her unperturbed brother before answering, folding her hands neatly in her lap over her light green dress.

"Minoru is Ori, but Ori is not Minoru. It's impossible to both be sharing the forward consciousness, yet the few sightings have shown this to be going on. Ori is the name for the familiar. Minoru is Minoru. We'd like to have him returned safely. However... Brother and I believe Ori is no longer part of our brother."

Mayumi speaks up, a worried glance sent to the other two members of the party.

"I thought it was impossible to separate a familiar from it's host body without the host body dying. If the familiar really isn't with him anymore... Minoru should be dead."

"The eyes."

All attention is focused upon Tatsuya as he speaks, yet his gaze seems to be off towards another point in space.

"You always know which is which by the eyes. Ori's eyes are golden. Minoru's would have been the same as mine."

Juumonji frowns, interrupting in a low tone. Miyuki glances to her brother as he closes his eyes, having said his say.

"Would have been?"

Miyuki takes over, a guilty expression upon her face.

"Minoru was born with an appearance very similar to our mother and aunt. In order to keep us from discovery, his appearance was changed with magic to mirror Brother. That magic would have deactivated upon our revealing our relationship to the clan."

"So what color would his eyes be then?"

"I'm sorry... We don't know. Our brother was extremely frail before accepting Ori into his body, so he was kept secluded to a separate area. When we first met him, the magic had already been in place."

"So we don't know how to check for Minoru himself."

Mayumi spoke up once again, this time turning her torso to face Juumonji. Her voice is calm, the voice of one who's learned to keep doubts inside.

"The sightings reported mismatched eyes. Meaning they aren't both golden. There's a chance Minoru's still in there."

Juumonji sighes, closing his eyes briefly before reopening them with a fresh topic upon his lips.

"Now that we've covered that, let's talk over our main objective."

As the team's conversation turns towards less emotional matters, a silent observer watches the tent from the forest growth surrounding the camp. A wolf, alone. It's wet nose twitches slightly as it breathes in the air, dissecting it for scents. Muscles ripple beneath a thick brown coat, ears rotating slowly to pick up any signs of movement.

No one sees it. None notice the mismatched gaze, the left eye a brilliant gold, the right a mysterious teal matching that of the elder Shiba. None see as the wolf's teeth are bared, lips pulled back in a strange resemblance of a grin.

Then, before even the guard standing at his post can even blink, it is gone.

We meet again, Juumonji Katsuto.