The Heart of a Howl

Occupational Hazard

I probably woke up with the biggest headache from last night. It was supposed to be a nice dinner with company but instead I got what was almost a party. Oh well, at least it was kinda fun. Hell, I didn't know Kamui was such a good cook. Even Estelle was surprised at it. Blair made some new friends that I wasn't expecting at all, same as Reina. "Last night, wasn't so bad, I suppose." I whisper to myself. Lights from outside bathe my room through the curtains, and I cover my head with my pillow. "Mmm.. I wish I could just stay in bed all day.." Suddenly the door barges open and I hear Blair almost singing as she walks inside with Reina holding Ambrose. "Well you can't big bro! Because you're going to take us to check out the guild your a part of!" Blair opens the curtains and I just cover myself even more in my blankets. "Oh come on Vio, you have to get up. I mean it's Saturday and the girls have nothing to do. Hell, even Es is waiting." "Zip it cat, I'm tired." "Come on bro, don't make Reina and I jump on your bed!" I felt Blair and Reina looming over the bed, and I immediately create small blades all over my body to ward them off. "B-bro! You were going to cut us?!" "Nah, just keeping you two at bay." I dissipate the blades and they vanish into smaller particles, Ambrose even swatting at them. "Ugh, fine, just give me a few minutes to wake up and take a shower. Go make breakfast will ya?" They both cheer happily and make their way out the room. Finally getting time to myself I stretch to wake up my muscles, I catch a glimpse of the crest on my hand. "So, yesterday really did happen, huh?" My phone vibrates on the nightstand next to my bed, and for a second I was a little nervous to pick it up. Holding it and looking at the lock screen, it was a message from the organization. "Agent Night, you have been tasked with two assignments. Two targets of interest. First is Kaya Shizuka, a former nurse who is indirectly responsible for the deaths of the patients being held in the Seibo Hospital. Address has been sent to your email. Second is a drug trafficker named Koro Xianho, address has been sent to your email. Report to the organization's headquarters for briefing." Wow, not even a good morning text? Well that's a bit rude, but oh well. I'll take care of one today and the other tomorrow, I'm in no rush for anything anyway. Before putting my phone down, I get another text, this time, from Bathym. When the hell did I give him my number? Hm, Blair probably did. "I have a feeling I know who you're trying to impress." What?! I'm not trying to impress anyone! What is he getting at!? I don't even bother replying to him, I just leave my phone to charge on my desk. Man, it's going to be a long day. Grabbing my change of clothes and heading to the shower, Estelle runs into me, laughing probably from Blair and Reina. "Oh! Vio, you're taking the girls to the guild today right?" "Well, I guess I am apparently. Don't know if I actually agreed to it or not but I'm pretty sure they'd be pissed if I didn't take them with me at all." "Ahahah! Well those are our sisters. When you take them just make sure you keep an eye on them." "Yeah, I'll be sure to. I just hope they won't cause too much of a scene or embarrass me when we're there." In the middle of our conversation, Blair shouts across the house. "Brooo! Hurry up! And you better not do BDU on me again for calling Kamui hot! I know you have a crush on him!" Estelle laughs softly at Blair's remark, and I snap my fingers, causing a bit of negative light to spark from the tips. "AAAAAHHHHHH! Why is there a spider in here?! Ambrose! Kill it!" "Um, Blair? I, don't see a spider anywhere." "How can you not see it?! It's as big as my hand! Uh- Bro! Seriously!?" Estelle and I both laugh, and she catches a small particle of light in her hand. "Well it looks like you're getting the hand of using that. But, what do you call that again?" "Well, Blair calls it Bad Dreams Uprising. One of the more annoying things about this is I'm more prone to dreams, I think." "Hm, well I'm sure you'll figure it out soon. But I must ask, have you, used that in a fight yet?" "No, I haven't. I don't exactly trust it, so I just stick with the hard light constructs instead. Plus they don't use much power anyway, and it's my preferred method of fighting." She places her palm on her chest with a sigh of relief and we part ways. I head into the shower and turn the water on, still hearing Blair scream in fear from the fake spider I scared her with. The steam builds up quickly, and I just stand under the shower head, letting the hot water soak in my fur. I'm still not used to the longer hairstyle I'm using, but I think I'll keep it messy. Turning around for a few seconds, I stare at my back in the mirror. Vine like scars protruding all over my back from my shoulders down to my waist. Hm, I think my butt looks a bit bigger. Guessing all that gym work is paying off. Well, it's not exactly what I'm going for, but progress is progress. The small glow on my hand gives off a cold feeling, ugh, last thing I need is another stain on my fur. I run my hand under the hot water, but the cold feeling is still there. 'If this is how his brand feels on me, how does mine feel on him?' I shake my head and snap back into reality. 'Whatever, maybe I'll ask him later today or something.' Finishing my shower, I dry up and put on a similar outfit from yesterday, but with a dark blue color scheme instead of the red I used. Before I open the bathroom door, it flung open, with Blair on the other side. "Alright! You're all cleaned and dressed, let's get going bro!" "Geez sis, couldn't you have been a little patient? Hell, I don't even know if I'm allowed to bring you two with me." "Oh don't worry about it. Marcy and Bathym said we can visit whenever as long as we're with you! Besides, it's been some time since I've seen you in action big bro!" "Um, Vio? Are you normally gonna wear dark clothes like that? I think it makes you look kinda edgy." "Well, Reina, I have something to take care of today at night, and it'll be best if I dressed in darker clothes. I got another assignment to do from the organization." "Oh! Can I go?! I bet it's some nefarious politician using the government for his own gain!" I throw my towel at Blair and she freaks out as she catches it. "Eww! Don't throw your dirty bath towel at me!!" "Alright! Let's get going you two." Reina laughs behind me and Blair is still ranting. We all lock up the house and set for the guild, right after we run into two familiar faces. "Hey guys! What took ya so long?" 'Huh? Bathym and Marcy were waiting for us?' "Aah! Marcy! It's great to see you again!" Blair gelled our with glee. The two hug and laugh like that haven't seen each other in years. Seriously, they just met yesterday. "Hey Vi, hope you're having a good morning." "Well, I didn't intend on bringing these two with me today." "Uh, that's actually three!" The sudden voice caught me by surprise. Turning around, it was Estelle chasing after us from the front door. "Oh Es, don't tell me." "Why not? It could be fun to check out the guild!" "Yeah I guess, but I don't know if I'm allowed to take anyone with me to visit." "Oh don't worry Vi, the guild always accepts guests! So there's no problem!" Bathym always seems to know the answer to everything. At least I'll get some answers while I'm there. Marcy looks around at the whole group, holding her phone up, angled at all of us with a bright smile on her face. "Alright everyone! Smile!" I didn't even notice she was taking a picture, but by the time she took the photo, I was fixing my tie with probably the most clueless face I've ever made. Blair and Marcy ran off towards the guild, with Bathym running after them, all laughing and spitting raspberries. Reina and Estelle stayed behind with me, seeing as they didn't really know where the guild is. Estelle locks the front door and the three of us make our way to the coliseum. "So big brother? How is the place? Is it accommodating?" "Hm? Oh, well, I haven't exactly explored the whole place. All I really saw was the main hall, the guild master's office and the arena. Nothin' much else really. Oh! And the room they gave me to use while I'm there." "Oh? They even offer rooms Violet? Hm, not every guild I know does that. This must be more high class than I expected." They we're almost completely invested in how the place was. They asked all kinds of questions, like what kind of food they served, how the members were, and I lost track of how many they asked. "Hey, Vio? When you spoke to Blair after you changed clothes, she mentioned someone who tried to, eat her. There really people like that there, right?" "I'm not sure Es, who knows what kind of people are in that guild. But my main concern is taking care of the job, and making sure you three don't get hurt." "Awwww, c'mon little brother, don't act like you don't have some kind of interest in that dashing wolf." "What?! Not even!! Look, I just want to get this job over with already. I don't have time for any romance, got it Es?" "Violet, I didn't say anything about romance.~" Oh crap, she didn't. Needless to say but I tried my absolute hardest not to blush, but I can tell my face was red from Reina's laughing. "Ahahaha! Vio has a crush on Kamui! That's so cute!" I pointed at her flushed, and a little embarrassed since we were still in public at the market street. "Now listen here you two! I do not have any feelings for that, that stoic, and possibly self absorbed wolf, understand?!" "Awww, you can't even find a decent insult for him. Wow big brother, it's only been a day and you're definitely head over heels for him!" Almost immediately I materialized a sword, pointing the blade at Reina's throat. "Say that again, and I'll make sure you won't make it to the guild in the next five minutes." She laughs, knowing all too well I'm bluffing. "Oh come now Violet, we're just teasing you. No need to get all fussy, now put that sword away, we're in public." "Es? We're going to have a long chat after all this is over." She smiles and laughs with Reina, how I've dealt with these two my whole life I will never know. Picking up some coffee from a small shop in the market place, the same tea shop Kamui and I went to yesterday actually, and one of the hostesses recognized me. She thanked me for getting rid of the ruffians who tend to come around and make their lives harder. I told her she should be thanking Kamui, but before I could, she offered my sisters and I a free cup of whatever we liked. Honestly I felt bad taking the spoils of what someone else did, but hey, it's free. Of course, being a samaritan, who also kills people, I still pay for what the orders would've been normally. After that little encounter, we make our way to the coliseum, only to see the other three who ran off talking to someone new. A wolf beastman, shorter than me, but with an interesting attire. Teared up formal clothing and, gold chains all over his body? Well, I'm not one to really nitpick fashion choices. "Hey guys! It's about time you caught up already! Wait, what?! You got coffee without me?!" "Well you shouldn't have ran off Blair, kinda your fault." She pouts and Marcy laughs, and Bathym makes his way into the conversation. "Huh, you four are so different. Kinda hard to believe you're all brother and sisters. Speaking of that, do you all have the same kind of power since you're related?" Reina hops at the opportunity to answer, she's such a geek when it comes to these kind of things. "Oh! I'll answer for us! All of us have different abilities! As you probably know, Vio's ability besides the sharpness the app gave him, is the control of light! He can create constructs of solid light, as well as make his body dissipate into it also. He's light on his feet so he's much faster than most beastmen. He also has control over negative light, but it's not something he hasn't practiced too much with it. But I'll keep our abilities a secret, it's no fun if you know all our powers." "Aww man, and here I thought I could get the upper hand is some duels with you four." Hm, I don't know why but when I first met Bathym, I had a bad feeling about him. But he seems like a decent enough guy, I mean, Blair likes him, and he's Marcy'a supposed guard. Although, I wonder what happened to that tiger from yesterday, Nomad, I believe his name was. "Grrrrr, who are strangers?!" I hear a growling like noise behind Bathym, and I remember about the new wolf standing in front of the coliseum's doors, as if he's guarding it. "Oh! I should probably introduce you guys to this cutie!" Marcy hops joyfully towards the guard dog. I can tell he's trying to keep his tail from wagging. "This the guild's resident guard dog Garmr! He's a good boy through and through! He's not really much on the intelligence department, so he only thinks and speaks in really simplified ways, but you'll never find a better guard dog than him!" "Lady Marceline praise Garmr! Garmr do good!" "Oh yes you did! Who's a good boy!? Yes you are!" Garmr sticks his tongue out like a puppy while Marcy's petting him. Huh, he almost is like a normal dog. "Hm? Garmr smell something new." The new wolf started sniffing the air, mostly having his nose in my direction. He locks his eyes on me and growls lowly. On instinct, I assume he's sensed who I am, and maybe he already classified me as a threat. While holding my coffee in one hand, I place my other in my pocket, silently making my hand sharp in case he tries something. "Hm? Oh! That's right! You weren't around at the time. Garmr! This is our newest recruit! Meet Vio Rosewood! He's a really strong fighter, even held his own against Kamui! There's no need to growl at him, he's a nice guy!" Garmr's ears perk up, as if he heard some kind of good news. "Vio, a good person? Vio a good fighter! Vio spar with Garmr!" Wait what? Is this gonna be a running thing now? Am I going to have to fight someone every morning from now on or something? "You, want to fight me? Isn't it a little early for sparring?" "Never too early! Fight Garmr! Will be really fun!" "Oh come on big bro! It'll be awesome to see you fight again! I mean, yeah we spar sometimes, but there's no way I'll miss seeing you in your element!" Blair speaks up in high hopes I'll accept. I look at Reina and Estelle, both looking at me with anticipation. "Alright alright, I'll accept. I still think it's a little early." Everyone, including Garmr, start clapping and cheering. Garmr hops around jauntily and sends me the battle invite. Accepting it, the ten second countdown appears and starts ticking. My opponent gets close to the ground on all fours, glaring and growling at me, baring fangs as well. 'Hm, well he surely acts like a dog, he might fight in a feral way, I'll have to keep an eye out for whatever he tries.' The clock runs out, and the battle starts. Garmr rushes me, like how a predator hunts it's prey with fierce ferocity. He's on all fours, just as we started and begins to swipe at me quickly. Avoiding his attacks, I try to keep any coffee inside of its cup, I got it for free yeah but I didn't want it to go to waste. Seeing this as an opportunity, I use this battle to practice my balance. 'Hm, let's see how long I can last without spilling any.' I can't use my sharpness, not just with the risk of hurting him too much, but also possibly giving away my identity. Garmr begins to growl at me, glaring at me. I know well enough he's closely watching my movements. I'm pretty much fighting one handed on my own terms, but at least it'll make things interesting. "Oh come on Garmr, show him what you got!" Bathym cheered. Garmr grins at me, and a small burst of a dark kind of energy surrounds him. "Pursuer!" He dashes at me with incredible speed. It caught me by surprised, but I reacted quickly enough to dodge it. Honestly, these are my first experiences in fighting others in app battles, it's kind of, exhilarating. He misses several attacks aimed at me, I guess he's not used to using such speed like that. He charges me again, but I manage to dodge it in time. He slides to the other end of the battle's barrier, leaving claw marks along the concrete. 'Hm, since I'm here, I might as well work on some new weapons.' Throwing my coffee cup into the air, I place the side of my right fist into the palm of my left hand, acting as though I'm pulling something out. Garmr stares at me in surprise, like he's excited to see some sort of magic trick. Swiftly, I snap my arm downwards, and a gust of wind blows away from me, in my right hand is a guard and hilt like that of a sword, but the expected blade is replaced with a vine like whip, long, and deadly. Everyone looks in awe at the new weapon, and I'm fairly surprised I got it's material structure right on the first try. "Alright Garmr. You wanted to fight huh?" "Yeah! It's getting fun!" He smiles brightly, and wagged his tail with anticipation. Wrapping the whip around my hand and snapping it, I grab the cup I threw in the air earlier, and point the newly made tool towards Garmr. "Well in that case, obedience class is now in session." He lunges at me again, attacking with all kinds of scratches and bites. Keeping my distance from him, I use the whip to grab his leg, causing him to trip on himself. It barely grazed his health bar, but a poison symbol appeared next to him. "Huh, this weapon can inflict a poison status?" "Garmr amazed! New wolf amazing!" Whew, wow, did not expect him to say that. He rushes me, this time biting the whip and holding it tight. I pull it towards me, but Garmr's hold on it is first class, almost like a vice grip. Dumbest idea I've had in a while, I take a sip from the coffee cup, and toss it at Garmr. The hot liquid made him lose his grip and he pats his face and muzzle to ease the heated pain. 'Aw man, I wanted to finish that. Oh well, the app is gonna restore it anyway.' Garmr growls at me again, keeping his eyes locked on me. Using this whip is going to be a pain in the ass to figure out how to use. Really, of all weapons, I made this? Oh well, no point in pouting about it now. Garmr closes his eyes, and starts slowly to grind his claws against the ground. Then in the blink of an eye, he vanished. A swift and violent gust of wind blew past me, and this sudden burst of pain came from my arm. Three large slashes bled through my tattered sleeves, but I quickly tore off my other sleeve to make a makeshift bandage. 'Damn! How did he move so quickly?! I had my eyes on him the whole time! Aagh.. I can't let my blood show too much. Let it bleed out, and chances are roses will start to form. I can't risk anyone finding out. I have to end this now so this can get healed up.' Breaking the whip, it dissipates into light. I look at my health bar, it's fallen pretty far. That attack he did was really strong, much more than I expected. "I have to admit, that caught me off guard. Hah, no wonder you're the guild's guard dog Garmr! That was amazing!" Garmr blushes, he probably didn't expect a compliment like that, but I meant it honestly. I really was impressed. "But as much fun as this fight is.." Behind me, I materialize a new weapon, a better, much stronger version of the katana I used yesterday, pure white, but deathly sharp. "I'm afraid, this fight is over." Pointing the blade at Garmr, stares at me awestruck. A wide area of energy bursts around me, sending a small gust of wind to spin around me, a faint, white glow shining from my body. A sense of weightlessness surges through my entire body, and movement seemed like second nature to me. I immediately dashed towards Garmr, getting one good slash into his side. He falls to the floor, in a small puddle of blood drenching his purple jacket. "Agh... G-Garmr.. give up.." With him saying that, the battle ends, and the victory screen shows up. As the barrier around us begins to fade away, any and all destruction restores itself. The gashes in my arm begin to disappear, but some pain still remained. I walk towards Garmr while he's on the floor, licking his wounds, and I hold out my hand. "You're an amazing fighter Garmr! That Pursuer attack you did was incredible! I've never seen anyone most that fast before!" He grabs my hand and helps himself up, his wound healing up quickly. "And sorry if I got a little carried away, it's not often I get to let loss in fights like this!" "It no problem! Garmr had fun! Fight Garmr again sometime! Garmr will win!" I flash him a friendly smile, but also try to conceal my deep wounds while everything is regenerating under my sleeve. "Wow, I gotta say Vio, that was a pretty dirty trick you pulled. I didn't know you had a mischievous side to ya." "Well, I honestly didn't plan on throwing my latte at Garmr. I kinda improvised that." Bathym laughs, and leads us inside. "Wait! Hold on! I need to take a picture with Garmr!" "Ugh, Blair, this isn't exactly a field trip." "Who cares!? Garmr is so cuute! Reina! Get in here!" I toke a look at Reina, she looked a bit, red, well, not her hair obviously, but her face was. Hm, probably the heat from being outside. "Oh, okay! Sure!" She rushes over to Blair and the others, cleaning her glasses before she strikes a pose with them. "Hah, they never change, do they?" "Well, I'd hope not Es. Honestly I'm surprised even when they're trapped here, they're still themselves." Blair cheers with Marcy as she takes the photo. They both run inside the coliseum with Reina following behind after talking a bit with Garmr. He stands firm in front of the doors, guarding it with intense loyalty. Hm, I wonder what she was talking to him about. Inside are several member of the guild I didn't recognize yesterday, some are even Dragonborn, you don't really see that many here in the east. Before I take one step, out of no where, someone covers my eyes. And it caught me so much by surprise that when I face ran into it I actually fell back. My head bumped into something hard, but also soft, and fluffy. "Uh- Huh?" "Hah, for an advanced fighter you're far more clumsier than I thought." Looking up, my vision was blocked by a tuft of fur, but I recognize the voice, and I realized I fell on someone's chest. "Uh, K-Kamui?!" What?! Of all people, he's the type who plays games?! My face turned a bit red, and when he stared at me, even if it was for a second, I think his did too. "Okay dork, enough playing around. Show us the place! I've been dying to check it all out!" "Ugh, okay okay. Geez Blair, can't you be a little patient?" She spits raspberry at me and laughs. Reina is staring around at the architecture of the coliseum, practically mesmerized. I get back on my feet and Kamui flashes me a warm smile. 'Uh- well, I'll admit, he is kinda attractive. And, I didn't expect his chest to be so, comfortable.' "I heard that big brother." "D-damn it Rei! Quit reading my thoughts!" "Ahahaha! Okay! I promise I won't do it again!" "Hm? Is something wrong Vio?" Kamui asked behind me caught me by surprised, and now I'm at Reina's mercy. "Well Mister Kamui, I'm a telepath! I can read people's minds, and Vio here, was just thinking about yo-" Immediately I cover her mouth carry her away and start scolding her, making sure no one else of importance was around to eavesdrop, especially Blair. "Rei! What the hell?! Were you seriously going to say what I was thinking?!" "Ahahaha! Of course not! I'm just messing with you Vi! Really, you think I'm so mischievous as to reveal your dirty little secrets?" "Aagh! Don't call it that! Look, if I buy you furutsu sando on the way back home will you please keep your mouth shut?" "Oh my! Vio are you bribe me-." "Going once, going twice!" "Okay okay! Deal! Wooo! It's been so long since I've had a sando! I can't wait!" Reina gets all giddy and smiley about the treat, and I'll admit it was kinda cute. "Uh, bro? Weird question but, where, are the others?" "Wait, what?" I look across the hallway, and the others are gone. I run back, trying to pick up their scents, but there were so many other people around it got all mixed up. "Oh my god. Oh my god I lost Es and Blair! Shit! They're probably with Kamui! And Bathym! And Marcy! Crap what if Blair is spilling all my secrets to them?!" Reina laughs softly and pats my back to ease my nerves. "Hah, calm down big brother. I'm sure they aren't doing anything like that. Even if Blair does get any ideas, I know Es would be on top of her." "Ugh, I guess you're right but just, agh, I thought today would be different." "Let me guess, you wanted to hang out with Kamui, huh?" I keep my head low looking at her, and with a low growl and grunt, I answer. "Yeah." "Hah, well let's go look for them then! I'm sure they couldn't have gone far." Reina pulls on my arm, pointing down the hallway, we start walking through the coliseum. We speak to a few other members if they've seen our group, but a lot say no, which isn't exactly what I wanted to hear. Reina and I pass the messhall, surprisingly it's full of people. Huh, this guild has a lot more people than I expected. Well, with how full the arena was yesterday I really shouldn't be. Although I assumed people would be training, but I still don't know how this place is. From what I know it's more or less full of battle junkies. The two of us continue our wandering, but passing the main office, this strange sensation came throughout my being. Like, I was being watched. I looked around, keeping my eyes keen, but no one was looking at me, or Reina. "Hm? Vi? Is something the matter?" I keep looking around, trying to see if I can track down what gave me that feeling. "Nah, just got a chill is all." I turn around and bump into a familiar face. "Oh! Snow? How can I help you?" "Good morning Sir, I hope all is well for you today. Oh, and who's this beautiful flower?" Reina blushes slightly and let's out a small giggle. "This is one of my younger sisters, this is Reina." "Hah, well met, my dear. Vio, if you please, my master Claude has requested to see you." "He wants to see me? Uh, it's not for that fight with Garmr earlier, right? He wanted to fight in the first place." "Oh no, of course not. Any and all battles are allowed here. My master just wished to speak with you. Milady Reina, you are more then welcome to come along." We follow the white tiger through various hallways, Reina pointing out the building's designs and other members of the guild. Walking into the office, the sensation from earlier came back. I look around, keeping an eye out, but I get distracted and accidentally bump into who I assume another grunt of the coliseum. "Oh, forgive me. I didn't see you there." My accidental collision victim was a dragon. One much taller than the normal members here. He wore overalls, covered in an unbuttoned shirt. He wore a necklace that caught my attention for a second but I snap back into reality. "Oh, it's no problem. Sorry about that." He laughs, and moves on his way. I caught a glimpse in the mirror of him turning around before he leaves the offices. Something just, gave me a strange feeling. I didn't catch his name but, he surely stood out to me. "Please, this way sir, milady." Reina and I walk into Claude's office, with him writing various signatures on documents. "Aaah, Vio! Welcome! Oh? Who is this young lady?" "This is my little sister Reina. We kinda lost our little group when we got here. So we're stuck with each other for now." "Ah! Marvelous! It's a pleasure to meet a sibling of Vio! He's a very skilled fighter, you must be proud of him!" "Mhm! I don't get to see him fight too often, but I'm always amazed when he does!" "Okay okay, enough of the niceties. What did you call me here for?" "Ah yes, forgive me. After reviewing your battle with HorkeuKamui from yesterday, I think it's more than necessary to introduce you to our guild's ranker system." "The, ranker system? I'm not sure I'm following really." "Allow me to explain! Since the Berserker's guild is a house for brawlers, plenty always fight for the top. So we implemented a system that ranks members based on their performance in battles. HorkeuKamui doesn't care much for the system, but is still considered to be one of our highest ranked." "Okay, and I'm guessing you want to rank me, don't you?" "I can see nothing gets passed you sir." "Get to the point Claude. I need to find the others." "Yes yes, you seen indeed correct. I would like you to be part of our system. You have potential, and I want to see it flourish! You are truly capable of many things, and I simply wish to see it grow ever more. I think it would be a treat for the whole guild, to see you do battle against our best fighter." "You want me to fight against the strongest member here? Wouldn't that be a little over the top?" "Yes! It would be! You've only been here for a two days and you've already proven yourself to be a warrior of high caliber." "Alright, I'll fight whoever you want, can we please leave now?" "Always on the move I see. Yes of course, please! If there is anything you need, feel free to speak to me! You and your family are always welcome here!" Snow holds the door open for us as we make our way out the offices. "Man, he's such a motor mouth Vio. You're boss must love talking." "Hah, Hey now I don't wanna get fired. Besides, whoever I'm fighting probably won't be very different compared to Kamui from yesterday really." "Oh! Actually, ahah, speaking of Kamui.." "Oh god what did you and Blair do." "Nothing! Well, it was actually Es's idea! She knows how hard you've been working lately, so she wanted us to go to-" "The beach." Reina stops talking for a second for us to process the sudden voice. We look around completely clueless until he both recognized who it belonged to. "Oh! Miss Vessel! I didn't expect to see you here!" "It's nice to see you two also. Did you need something from the office?" "Oh no, Claude just wanted to talk to me about the whole ranker system he has here. Apparently he wants to pit me against his strongest. Honestly, I'm not really looking for to it. Not because I'm scared or anything, I just don't want to be fighting all the time." "Claude wants to put you against our strongest? Hm, that's a little strange. He doesn't normally do that to anyone unless it's some big event. Oh, I almost forgot. I ran into the others earlier, they actually went to see the strongest member we have." "Oh perfect! Can you take us to find them? If it's okay with you of course." "Sure, I wouldn't mind at all. They're at the underground coliseum though." Wait, there's an underground one now? Ugh, fantastic. I thought there was just the one arena, how does this place house two of those? Agh, whatever. Vessel leads through the hallway, but as we make a turn, I feel a hand touch my shoulder, and when I turn it was a familiar face. "Oh! Nomad, I haven't seen you since yesterday." "Yeah, hey Vio. What's up?" "Okay, I didn't take you as the small talk kind of guy. Vessel is just taking us to find the others. Kinda lost them when we first got here." "Oh, uh, is Marcy, with them?" Reina lets out a little laugh and answers for me. "Hah, yeah, she should be kidding around with Blair. You can come with us if you want." "Huh?! N-no! That's fine. Look just, give this to her will you?" He hands me a small box, wrapped in a red scarf, similar to the one he's wearing. "What's this? A late birthday present or something?" "Shut your mouth and just give it to her." His sudden change in tone put me on edge, and I gripped the item tightly, a bit aggravated. "Look tiger, I was making things light hearted, I didn't ask for your attitude." He looks at me in surprise, causing his ears to perk up slightly. "Agh, I'm sorry man just, I'm struggling with a case, well, two cases, and I've hit nothing." "It's fine, but what are these two about?" "Well, one is a more personal, but there's been sightings of a transient going around. I bet it's the bastard that turned me into how I look now. Before, I was human. Then some bastard came in and changed me into this. I never meant to come out as cold to you. After seeing your fight with Kamui, I knew you couldn't be him. Your powers are so similar, but I know he's a nether type, and you're an aether. He was also a wolf like you, but, his presence felt so threatening. He was like you, but your polar opposite." "My opposite? Hm, I've been around town for some time, but I don't recall anyone looking like me stand out. But, I did get a weird sensation, the other day when I was at the church, the day before Pastor Uso's corpse was found, but I still didn't see anyone that looked out of the ordinary. What about your second case?" "Oh, that was has me dumb founded really. I'm on the case for the assassin that's been running around killing government officials. People are calling them the "Fatal Rose" since whenever he's reported to kill someone, their blood turns into rose petals or something of the sort. He's elusive, not even top operatives from the police department haven't been able to catch him. Still, I have to give them credit though, it's been almost two years, and we still have barely anything on him or his whereabouts." 'H-he's a detective.. and was in my house.. currently on my case.. thank god I'm a decent actor.' "Hm, well, I'm sure a detective like you will figure it out eventually." 'Yeah right, I'll be so screwed if he gets even the smallest lead on me.' Reina laughs nervously, and walks with Vessel to find the others, with Nomad and I following behind them. "Oh, you're coming with us? I thought you didn't want to." "Nah, I'm just going to see Claude, and see what other kind of crap he wants me to take care of. I'll see you later." He walks into the offices and leaves, with me following behind Reina and Vessel. Getting close to the staircase that leads underground, we hear a roar, a deep, spin tingling roar that could be heard all throughout the coliseum, followed by a scream that made my blood curdle. But, it was recognizable. Reina looked at me in fear, and we both knew who that scream belonged to. "Estelle!" The two of us ran down the stairway, completely neglecting Vessel's warnings to not worry. 'Don't worry? We just heard a scream that we both know came from our big sister.'  The pathway led to several cells, almost like a jail, or cages for circus animals. We heard the scream again, and took a path to the left. "Big brother! I think she's this way!" I run to Reina, my heart practically beating out of my chest. We run to the source of the screams, but, not to the sight we were expecting. Like, at all. "Uh- s-sis?!" Estelle looks at us while, being, nuzzled?! "Oh? Oh! Hey guys! Took you two long enough to get here!" She was being cuddled by, an insanely muscular tiger. "Uh, Estelle? What the hell is happening here?" "Marcy showed us around the place and we ran into this big lug! His name is Macan Gadungan! You remember Admin? Turns out he works here! And is his boyfriend!" Huh, I haven't heard of Admin in one hell of a long time. Didn't expect him to work here though. Wait, could he be the guy Nomad was talking about? The one who turned him into what he is now? "Blair! Is everything okay?!" "Yeah sis! He's so fluffy! I can see why Admin is all over him!" "Ahahahaha! Admin isn't all over me really! But I am admittedly! He's told me so much about you guys! I can see why he likes you all so much!" So, he still talks about us huh? A sigh of relief comes out of me, just thankful the scream was a the beginning of Es's laugh. "Hey Vio! About time you showed up! How's 'bout a little fight? I've been meaning to see what you're made up with my own eyes!" Bathym places his hand on my shoulder, flashing a smug grin on his face. "Seriously? Didn't you see it with your own eyes earlier when I was fighting Garmr?" "Yeah true, but seeing as how you're oh so powerful, I wanted to try my hand at beating you!" "Ugh, fine, let's make this quick." "Oh hell yes! Let's do this!" Bathym takes a few steps away from me and sends me the battle invitation. "Oh! Macan! You'll be blown away from Vio! He's like nothing you've scene before! He has a whole arsenal of weapons! So far he's shown off a katana, a scythe, and a whip! Who knows what else he has!" "So he's a warrior? I wanna fight him!" "Oh! You against our best! I'd actually watch that! Screw you and me, I wanna see you fight Macan!" Wait, he's the strongest ranker in the guild? Macan gets up and flexes his muscles, as if he's trying to impress someone. 'Oh please, as if that's intimidating at all.' "Alright hun, don't go beating my other half too badly ya' know." "What the- Admin!? You're here!?" "Well yeah, I mean, I work here and all. But I don't think I the one you should be more concerned about." He crosses his arms and lays against the wall next to Blair, and Kamui?! When the hell did he get here!? "Oh come on Vio, give it a try! Of course, fighting you myself is second to none. We may be in a contract, so keep in mind, I always know where you are. And as your partner, I still have to push you past your limits. So test yourself against Macan!" Shit, I forgot about the damn blood pact we made. Great, this is gonna be a pain in the ass now. "Well Vio? What's it gonna be?" "Can you give me a minute Bathym? I'm thinking!" "Yeah, about Kamui." My face blushes for a second, and I tighten my gloves, trying to blow off Bathym's cocky remark and hope Kamui didn't notice it. "Alright Macan! Let's do this." The large tiger hops with joy, and he sends me the battle invitation. Accepting the request, I take a peek at Kamui, smiling with glee. D-damn that smile. "Oh well, I'll impress her with a fight later then." I heard from Bathym mumbling. "Huh? Hah, who are you trying to impress?" "Uh- w-well, ugh, we'll talk after the fight!" I laugh, and turn my attention to Macan. God, he's much bigger than I realized. Geez, how did Admin fall for him? The countdown starts, and gradually lowers. He assumes a fighting stance of, well, his own. 'Hm, I don't like showing off my weapons in the beginning of a match. At least not to quickly.' The countdown stops, and Macan rushes me. There's was such ferocity in each stride he made. I was quick enough to avoid his frontal assault, and I land to the side, but he uses his claws to grab onto the ground and change his momentum fast. I didn't even have enough time to regain my balance by the time he was headed towards me again. He was too fast for me at the moment and he gets one good punch in my side. I start to tumble and roll on the floor before I manage to roll myself to my feet. "D-damn, he hits like a truck." I look at my health bar, and from one hit, almost twenty percent was already gone. He hits that hard?! Ow.. that really hurt too. 'Hm, he's ridiculously strong, and has decent speed to boot. I bet Admin taught him that redirection trick. That's exactly how he fights, from what I remember.' Macan punches his palm, and gets into another stance. 'Looks like I'll have to use my weapons, even if I don't want to.' "Alright, if you want to go all out.." Quickly, I move my arm to the side of me, katana already in hand. "It's time to get serious." "Oh.. now it's starting to get fun. I thought you were the type to run and avoid. I'm so relieved to see you're the kind who likes to get his hands dirty!" He glares at me, smiling, baring his large sharp fangs. He rushes me again, prepping another powerful punch. His strike is blocked by the back end of my blade, and I knock him back. Since he still punched a sword, he was inflicted with self damage, but it barely grazed his health bar. I dash in, slashing at his waist, same as I did to Garmr, hoping that's all it would've took. He slashed at me with his claw, causing me to back away. We clashed, and knocked both of us back. His impact was so intense, the blade shattered from the pressure. 'Aagh, damn it. I just finished it's design too!' The shattered pieces dissipated into light and faded away. "It broke from two hits? Well that's a rather flimsy toy." Okay, was not expecting the shit talk, but, whatever. Macan charges me again, this time covered in a lime green aura, and it felt like a dominating presence. I ran towards him, jumping quickly and landing on his head, using it as a step to propel me through the air, and send face first him to the floor. 'I'm smaller than he is, so maybe I can use his huge physique to my advantage. Still, he shattered Opal like it was nothing. It would be a waste of time to use Onyx.' The white katana is broken, so constructing the black one wouldn't be worth the risk. 'Hm, maybe, maybe Chrome would be a better pick.' Creating a small beam of light in front of me, I swiftly snatch it and it takes its scythe like shape, landing on my shoulder, a small glint of light reflecting off the blade from the lights in the dungeon. "Oh! It's his scythe from when he fought Kamui!" Marcy pointed out. "So, that's what Marcy was talking about yesterday. Impressive! Maybe you are worth eating! But, will it hold up better than your katana!?" 'Wait what?' Macan dashes to me, and I managed to block his attack with the bar of the scythe. The impact from the strike made me slide on the floor, and pushed me a fairs bit away from my opponent. I hear clapping from outside the battle arena, and it was from Kamui. 'What, is he applauding?' He just smiled at me. 'Ugh, damn wolf, he's just trying to distract you Vi! Ignore him, and focus on beating Macan!' I run towards him, and he launches a punch at me, but I'm fast enough to avoid it, and cut his arm. A loud roar filled the dungeon, and he held the wound tightly to stop any bleeding. His health bar ticked down, at least I'm making some progress now. "Hah, very nice. You seem like you have potential. Looks like your fight with Kamui wasn't just a fluke." He tears off a piece of his loincloth and wraps it around his damaged arm. He rushes in again, this time attempting to grab me. I try to dodge him, but he grabs my tail and yanks me towards the wall. It hurt let me tell you, but I used the wall to get back on my feet. "Hah.. just a scratch." Macan's face changes from a cocky demeanor to an annoyed and aggressive one. A small bit of blood drips from my lip, and I wipe it away. I take a look at Kamui, an expression of wonder on his face. 'Aagh, why I'm a thinking of impressing him? This pact won't even last long anyway.' Macan charges me again, this time, holding my ground and blocking his bullrush. The sheer impact of the tackle made some dust fly around us. He was pressing hard on the scythe's handle, my bones felt like they were going to shatter at any given moment. He was fighting to win, and I know why, and it just pissed me off. I look again at Kamui, this time a face of surprise was all over it. And for some reason, that look just pushed me over the edge. I pull the scythe back quickly, making Macan fall forward with all his momentum, and I kicked him in the back of the head, causing him fall down onto the floor. Making some distance between us, I fade Chrome away, and create a weapon I didn't think I should've. But Macan was a threat, and I wanted this fight over with. "That's it, now I'm ending this little wolf!" Macan's body starts glowing, strange and unfamiliar markings appear all over his body. His hair tie and gloves dissipate and he roars. "Tyranny of the Lunatic Tiger.." he says lowly. He charges me at tremendous speeds, his muscles claw barely touching my head, but a bright shine pushes him back. I stand up as the fierce glimmer dies down slightly and I hold out my hand, as if I'm holding a handle. "Hikari." The light quickly gathers to my hand, forming a deadly, flesh rending blade. Sharper than obsidian, and stronger than steel. My first weapon, and what I guess you can consider my sacred artifact. "Wait, Es? I thought Vio didn't use that weapon anymore!" Blair yells out. "Geez, I forgot how bright Vio can be." Reina says to herself. My black clothes temporarily change to a white and lighter hue, a large scissor blade in my right hand. Macan stares at me, completely in awe, but grits his teeth and preparation for another charge at me. He sprints, claws scratching the ground. "It doesn't matter if this makes you stronger, I'll show you why I'm the best!" His hard fist zooms towards me, only to be blocked by the side of my blade. 'I could use Hikari's light, but I've already shown off too much. I'll end this now!' I dash at him, my body glowing a faint but powerful light. But right as we clash, the battle ends. "Time's up! Draw!" The game's text says. I look at our health bars, and they were equal. All the chaos we made was being restored and my normal color returns. Macan walks up to me, spinning his arm in circles, probably stretching it or something. "Damn, your evasive game is amazing. You kept me on my toes the whole game little wolf. Your weapons are second to none, but, I'm sorry for breaking one of your blades." 'Huh? Why is he being so apologetic?' The app's barrier disappears and everything returns to normal. "Well, thanks, I guess." "Oh learn to take a compliment big brother!" As of right now, I didn't even mean to take out Hikari, so I'm incredibly nervous right now. Kamui walks up to me, damn that handsome strut of his. "I have to say, I'm really impressed Vio. I must say, that last weapon you pulled out before the battle ended, what was it? It was so shrouded in light I couldn't make it out." 'Then, he didn't notice it? Oh thank god.' "Well, a smart fighter can't give away all their secrets to early-" 'Agh... wait.. what..?' My body felt so broken down, like all of the air was sucked out of me. I felt my body hit the floor, but, I couldn't move. Everyone's voices, got so fuzzy. I couldn't keep my eyes open for long, but the last thing I saw before I passed out was Kamui running towards me, with Blair and the others following behind him. "What's.. happening..?" I couldn't hear them, it was all a blur. Did, Macan hit me too hard or something? No, it couldn't be. It didn't feel like fatigue or any kind of injury. Just like, like the life was being drained out of me. I felt, a touch on my shoulder, it was cold, most likely Kamui. Why, would he be so worried of me? "Get him up! Quickly, take him to the infirmary!" One voice said. "No! Take him to our house! We know what to do! Fast! Come on!" Someone carried me, but I was too out of it for rational thought, I couldn't clearly, or move myself. The person holding me was, cold. My head was so fuzzy, so to keep my confusion at a minimum, I just let myself pass out. But, as I was out, I was, in some fever dream, or something. It was, me, but like, some kind of twisted of me. There was this disgusting aura about it. What ever it was, it had Hikari behind it, and the new weapon I'm working on. Who, or what, is this? Suddenly, this cold sensation was all over my face and I shot up awake. "Aaaaggh! Wha.. what the hell?!" I lay up quickly, holding my cheek and look around, trying to get my bearings. "Oh! Hey! Don't move too quickly, calm down, you're safe here." It was Kamui who spoke out. I was in my room and most of my clothes were on their hangers. "Agh.. what, happened earlier?" "Hm, Estelle and Marcy said you must've fainted from either fatigue or you overexerted yourself during the fight with Macan. Blair told me you don't normally fight with so much power. You usually make due with your weapons and wit." "Nnngh.. yeah, probably. Hey, what time is it?" "It's almost 6pm. You were out for some time. But, I need to ask you something." 'Shit, don't tell me he knows something.' "Huh? Oh, sure. What's on your mind?" "Well, Reina told me, you were having some nightmare while you were asleep. Do you remember what it was?" "What? Oh, I, I think I do. It, was like I was looking in some kind of mirror. But it was, like a dark version of me. It had such a bad feeling with it, as if it was some kind of disease. It had, uh, two of my weapons behind it." "Two of your weapons? Like your katanas?" "Yeah, something like that. Wait, where's everyone else?" "Well, to relax Blair and Reina, Estelle and Bathym are dueling them. They're outside, want to go see them?" "Y-yeah, I should be okay enough to walk." "Wait, let me help you up." He walks to my bed and places my arm over his shoulder. This was, the first time I actually felt his body, well, at least conscience. He was as strong as I expected it to be. Just as usual, he felt cold, but it was, nice. It didn't feel uncomfortable. He stood me up, but I was still struggling to stand on my own. "Oh.. you still can't stand? Here." He scoops up my legs, carrying me in his arms. "Hah, just like earlier. It's almost like we're lovers." "Uh- hey! Don't let this get to your head! This is only because I'm, crippled right now." He smiles gently, and admittedly, it was really charming. 'Haah.. this is so unfair..' "So, has this happened before?" He snaps me out of my train of thought as he spoke. "Estelle has told me that you've fainted before after using your power a lot at one time. But, when she inspected you, she said this was different." "Oh, well, yeah. Nothing like that though. It would only happen when I would over exert myself. I never had some, dream before, or anything like that." Kamui looks the other way. It looks like he in thought about something. We finally get down stairs, but the worst possible thing happens. Kamui gets to the last step and trips. Not only dropping me on the floor, but landing on top of me. I lean upwards trying to get shake off the impact. But I really hurt. 'Damn, what a klutz.' "Owww.. damn that, hurt.. uh.." My voice completely cut itself off, seeing Kamui's face was only inches away from me. "Uh- um.. h-hah.. sorry about that." I was speechless, his lips were mere centimeters from mine. He was rubbing his forehead, and I'm guessing that's where he hit his head as we fell. "Ow.. hey, are you okay?" "Y-yeah, I'm, okay." He picks me up again, holding me on his back. He grabs my legs and I wrap my arms around his neck, ugh, I really hope I'm not choking him. We make our way to the backyard door, and see Reina and Blair fighting Estelle and Bathym. "Wow, you guys got Reina to fight? I'm actually surprised." "Yeah well, it didn't take too much convincing really." "Awww come on! I totally hit you Es!" Blair hell's out. "Oh come on Blair. You know when I have Burning Grace active, my body is made of flames. So a lot of attacks phase through me!" Kamui's face looks confused, and he looks to the side to look at me. "Burning Grace? What's that?" "Oh right, I should probably explain the power my sisters have. Well, Estelle can control fire. She has the ability to make her whole body combust in flames. Because of her white hair, her flames normally take the form of blue fire, which is regarded to be the one of the hottest types out there. But of course, she has a lot of experience using it, so she can do things like precise pinpoint aiming if she wanted to." Bathym grabs Estelle's arm and spins her around, as if they're dancing together. "Oh my dear, you're terrifyingly beautiful! Not even Nomad can hold a candle to your elegance." "Hey! Nomad's flames are second to none!" Marcy yells out. 'Hm, looks like Es is enjoying the attention Bathym is giving her.' "Hah, I guess she really does like Nomad, huh. Oh! I almost forgot. Kamui, did you find a small box in my coat when you guys were getting back to the house?" "Hm? Oh yeah, it was addressed to Marceline, so I delivered it to her. She's wearing it now actually." I look past the window in the back door, and noticed Marcy's slight change in wardrobe. She adorned a red scarf, with a single red ear cuff that resembled a burning lily. Awww, it's actually kinda cute on her. "Oh hey! Vio's up!" I heard Reina say out loud. Everyone came running to us, even Admin and Macan who were into the cherry blossom tree. Estelle places her hand on my cheek, a warm feeling from it with her natural heat. "Oh thank goodness, your fatigue seems to be gone. How are you feeling? And, hah, you're being carried by Kamui?" "Ugh, well, my body just feels really weak to move, so he's carrying me around for a bit." "I don't mind really. He's fairly light, even for a man with a good build." 'Uh, thanks? I guess?' "Hah, thank you for taking care of him Kamui. But, would you mind doing one last favor?" "Hm? Of course, I wouldn't mind." I glare at Estelle, knowing all too well she's probably up to no good again. "Would, you mind giving Violet a bath?" My heart dropped. 'Are you serious Es?!' "You see, after Vio passes out from something like that, his body tends to get weak, well, as you can see." 'Estelle when I get feeling back, you are dead!' "Sure, I wouldn't mind washing him." "Oh really? That's great! I'll have to take Vio somewhere later, so I'd prefer if he was clean and presentable!" "Of course, may I ask what the occasion is?" "Oh! We're going to visit an older friend of ours is all. We do so every so often to make her feel more comfortable." Huh? An older friend? Who the hell is she talking about. Something about Es confused me, until I saw her subtle signal. She was rubbing her thumb with the other, specifically on her nail. We came up with this little system that involves talking about the organization when Blair and Reina are around. I almost forgot the mission I need to get done today. Ambrose even nodded his head in my direction. "Ugh, Es, don't think I need to take a bath, I'm sure I can go just as I am now." "Nope! You're going to take a bath, got it!? I'm going to get dressed, okay? To go get ready!" Everyone around us laughs, and even got some remarks about how much of a mom Estelle can act like. "Whew, what a woman.." "Really Bathym? Don't let Es hear that." His purple furred face immediately turned red. Hah, looks like I hit a weak spot. "Hey uh, when you come back, can I actually talk to you about something?" Hm? From what little I've seen from him, he doesn't look like the shy type, more like extroverted and straightforward. "Yeah, sure, I wouldn't mind." "Wow, look at you Vio. Are you some kind of match maker?" "Kamui, if you weren't carrying me, I would murder where you stand." He laughs and carries me upstairs, and everyone's voices drown each other out. We get to the shower room, but this is when things couldn't possibly get worse. "Uh- u-um... you.." "Hm? Is everything alright?" I just hid my face his his jacket, and I couldn't feel more embarrassed. "You, need to take, off my clothes.. I, still don't have much feeling in my arms or legs." "Hah, it's okay. I don't mind." Uh- Huh?! You don't mind?! Hell I sure do! This isn't weird to him?! Dear god don't tell me he's gay too. Oh god please no this couldn't be any weird or awkward! He sits me down on one of the bathing chairs and starts by my upper half. "Can I ask you something Vio?" 'Sure! Why the hell not?! I mean you're already seeing me naked on the second day so please, be my damn guest!' "Huh? Yeah, sure. What's, on your mind?" He started loosening my tie and unbuttoning my shirt, and I tried to not stare at his chest. "Well, I was wondering about two things really. Why did you decide to join the guild? And where did you learn how to fight like you do?" He stops, and just looks at me awaiting an answer. Ugh, trying to ignore this situation is harder than I thought. "Well, the reason I joined? I, needed to find a better source of income really. I used to work at a bar as a bartender for a while, but I found out about the guild taking in new members and thought this could be better." "Hm, I see. And what got you into fighting? Or, how did you learn how to fight?" "I learned from my dad actually. His name was Lupin Rosewood. He was a heir of the family name, and he taught me how to fight. He showed me how to use light as a weapon of self defense, how to make objects and the such. My mother, Amelia Rosewood, taught me the beauty of using light the way I do. All four of us learned how to take care of each other from them." "Strange. You say, was. Excuse me for asking but, did something happen? Well, our mother passed away a while after she gave birth to Blair. She got, really sick, and I guess her body couldn't hold up anymore. As for our father? He, died, of a broken heart. While our mother was sick, she taught Estelle and Reina all manners of care and nursery. Our father showed us how to use our powers, and, he didn't even have any. Our parents came from two very different families. Our father came from a famous family in France, known for hosting all sorts of battles, ones similar to the app's. Our mother came from a rich family in London, and they owned a company that supplied wines and other goods. They met one day and fell madly in love with each other. Their parents didn't approve, so they eloped, fled to China for a new home, and had us. Honestly I'm probably not supposed to look the way I do now." "Huh? Why is that?" "The beastmen gene isn't very present in our bloodline. My mother's family would get a beastmen child every four generations, but we're actually the fifth." "Hm, I didn't know your family was so expansive." "Well, not exactly. We don't really know out cousins and aunts, or uncles and grandparents. Our parents were kinda abandoned by them, besides we can't miss what we never really had." "Ah, I get it. I don't really know my family if I'm being honest. It's kinda why I like being around you. You just had this welcoming air around you when we first met. Honestly I couldn't bring myself to hurt you when we were fighting. I hope I didn't make it too easy for you of course." "Uh- I had to remake my scythe because of you! Do you know how much work that took to get it done on?!" "Ahahahaha! And look! You made it quickly!" Ugh, that's not the point damn it. "Hah, anyway, let me get you cleaned up." My face may have turned a slight red from his remark. Oh god, this is gonna be weird. Gently, he started untying my boots, then my socks, and then my pants. 'Shit, don't do it, don't do it. Vio don't do it!' He started to unbuckle my jeans, and slowly slid them off, leaving me in my underwear. 'This literally couldn't be worse.' He reaches for my shirt next, unzipping it down and slides it off my shoulders, he then lifts my shirt from below. I regained some feeling in my arms, and covered my chest before he could pull up my shirt all the way. "Hm? Is something wrong?" I hesitated to answer him. My scarred back, is what I'm most nervous to show. I never take my shirt off, not even when in water when I know I'm not alone. "U-um.. it's just. I, don't normally, take off my shirt, in front of people." Kamui puts my shirt down, and places his hand on mine softly, the cold sensation of his touch follows soon after. He smiles softly, and shows me the sign on his. "It's okay, you can trust me." My nervous expression changed by hearing that. 'I can trust you? I don't even know who the hell you are.' I look away, really embarrassed, but Kamui places his hand on my face towards his, and smiles again. "Vio, you can." I sigh, and decide to shove away my pride, just for this one instance. I move my hands from my shirt, and let him unbutton it. "H-hey.. what, is this?" He points out the faint heart pattern on my chest, and the various scars along my back and shoulders. He was gentle, feeling the marks over my back. "I, used to have a friend. A.. monster of a man. We were, bounty hunters, in a way. We would hunt down people who were corrupted and insane when it comes to control. But I didn't want part of it. So one day, I left our group, and him. He, got really upset about it, and tried to take me back, by force. When I wanted to turn them in to the authorities, he wanted more. He chained me up, and tried to convince me to join back in." Kamui kept quite, and I'm pretty sure he knew this wouldn't be a pleasant story. "He, started, whipping me, with chains and.. stripped me down for his own, lecherous amusement. His, love for me, turned into a venomous obsession. His, disgusting hands were, all over me. And no matter how many times I told him to stop, he just, kept going, getting more and more aggressive. Until, Estelle found me, because she tracked my phone. She burned his face, and broke the chains." My body started trembling, and I knew if I kept talking, I'd probably burst into tears. But I couldn't stop, and the words just kept flowing like water in a stream. "Reina and Blair weren't around. They were at a trip for school, and god knows how happy I was, knowing they wouldn't see me like that. The chains he used on me were hot and burning, and so.." Kamui gently rubbed his fingers over my scars. "You can see the end results of that. He, didn't give up, until he left his mark on me." For, the first time, I felt like it was okay to talk about this. The only other person who knows about this is Estelle and well, now Kamui. But, can I trust him with all this? He stayed silent as I was talking, as I was pouring out all this hate and secrets I've told no one else. God, what's wrong with me? He just stares at me, then he suddenly holds me to him. He said nothing, but his gesture spoke thousands of words. "Why... why are you.. you, don't even know me." "It's because I don't. I'm here because you let me Vio. And you trust me too." He's, right. I just told him something I wouldn't dream of telling anyone else. I just stood there, laying my forehead on his shoulder, I felt my body shake, but not from his cold touch. Here I am, spilling all this in front of him. Was it really so wise of me to be in such a state of vulnerability now? We've only known each other for two days, but, agh, what am I saying? "Hah, alright, let's get you cleaned up now. I won't ask for his name, I'm more than sure you don't want to say it again. But let's move past that." I nod, my body still trembling slightly, but his voice calmed me down. But, just as things got emotional, they immediately got weird again. "Uh, I'm, gonna have to take off your undergarments." 'Uh- oh shit.' Reluctantly, I move my body in a way that let me remove my underwear. Of course having him look the other way! "O-okay, you can, look now." He laughs as he doused my body in warm water, the large difference from his cold body kinda made the water feel more hot than normal. His hands softly lathered the soaps and shampoos on me, and it was comforting feeling. 'Can, I really trust him? I hope I'm not making a mistake again. I feel like, he's not a complete asshole.' "Have you, ever tried covering up these scars?" "I haven't, I mean, I'm always wearing dark clothes, so half the time I don't even remember they're there." He laughs softly, and wraps his arms around me, his cold embrace clashing with the heat of the water. "I know, we haven't known each other long but.." Kamui holds my right hand, with his, showing both the brands glowing slightly. "I promise you, I will never leave your side. Not for anything." I looked down for a moment, almost laughing at his remark. 'Don't promise yourself to someone you only know what they show you. But, I guess I'll humor him at the least.' We finish bathing, and he leaves, leaving me in the bathroom alone. My fur damp and my body still hot from the heat, I just stand there, staring at the mirror. 'Hah, look at me, I literally just took a bath with another guy. What the hell. But, ugh, why did it feel, natural?' Drying myself off and leaving the shower, I hear laughs downstairs. Probably from Blair, she's the loudest one out of the four of us. Walking into my room, a set of clothes were already laid out. My usual kind of attire, but just a normal jacket instead of my coat. I put everything on, but even when my body feels warm, Kamui's cold touch still stays, barely, but I can still feel it. "Hey! You look good!" Estelle cheers behind me. "Well, you know this isn't for some happy reunion sis." "Yeah, I know who Kaya is, I read up her report. It, is a shame, but I guess it has to be done." "Es, you know you're not the one getting blood on their hands." "Yeah, I know. But, promise me, it won't hurt her." "Don't worry." Inside my closet is a small, secret compartment, full of all kinds of medicines, as well as poisons. Taking out a small syringe, and filling it with cyanide, I ensure the dose will surely kill. "She won't feel a thing big sister." "Hah, I still can't believe you took the time to make that little cabinet. Oh well, I guess it has its use now." It's small, and easily concealed with the other things I have in my closet. Clothes, boxes full of movies, shoes, and it's locked too with a password, even though it's just Es's birthday. "I've been meaning to ask you, little brother. Where, do you get all that actually." "You know the packages that come from the organization sometimes? They usually come with things like this. It's also where I keep the normal medicine since Blair loves to poke around." "Aah! That's where they've disappeared too!" She scolds me for a bit until we both head out. But as we get to the front door, Bathym stops us. "Hey, where are you two going?" "Oh! We're going going to go say hello to a friend of ours and pick up some groceries! I'll make dinner tonight! You're more than welcome to stay to eat." Bathym's face seemed to light up a bit, hah, guess he does have a thing for Es. We both leave, and she digs into the pocket in her dress and takes out the address for my target. "Okay, Kaya is at an apartment in Shibuya. Pretty close to our home in Shinjuku." I nod, and we make our way through town. It was a quite walk, usually we just enjoy each other's company, but for this time, I decided to break the ice. "So Es, you've been a little buddy buddy with Bathym. What's the story behind that?" "Uh- huh?! W-where did that come from?! I, have no idea what you're talking about!" "Hah! Well you didn't seem to mind him when he danced with you." "Ah.! W-well, I don't see you complaining about that Kamui washing you!" "I was weak sis, I kinda had no say in the matter!" "Fine! Well, maybe, I might, find Bathym, a little handsome." "Really? Even with his more sexual like tendencies?" "Honestly, I don't mind that about him. It's part of his charm, plus, have you seen him! He's so strong, and confident, and his little horns are so cute! Oh! And have you seen his cute butt!?" "How can you not, he's barely wearing anything." "Yeah yeah, anyway what about you and that handsome Kamui?" I think my face got as red as a tomato when she put handsome in front of his name. "Uh, um.. he's, fine. And, his name isn't Kamui. It's actually Horkeu." "Hm? Oh! Right, he's a transient. Kamui is his clan name right? I still think Horkeu sounds lovely! A strong name for a strong man like him!" "Hah, I don't think you need to be that kind to him." "Aww come on! I think he's great for you! Besides, you really do seem to be less reserved than usual. It's a good look on you. Makes you much more approachable. So come on! Tell me!" "Agh.. well, I, can't read him. It's like, he has this, way of, getting through to me. Ugh and the same with that black cat Marcy! Last night at that dinner I kept trying to push her away because I didn't want her to get to know me and I ended up telling her that one time I face planted into the water at the water park because Blair spiked my lemonade! I still don't know where she got that alcohol from!" Estelle laughs as we continue our walk, and honestly, it was nice to be open for once. I specifically didn't tell her about what Horkeu and I talked about in the shower. I don't think Es ever needs to hear that again. We finally make to the apartment, it's quite, and we walk behind the building. "Hm, it looks like mostly everyone is asleep." Estelle creates a small flame, using me as cover. I checked the perimeter for anyone, luckily no one is around. Kaya's apartment is on the third floor, and the building is five stories. The flame Es made floated to Kaya's balcony. Seconds later, fire surrounded me, and my bison changed, from the outdoors, to the third floor of the building. I take a deep breath, and put on a mask before going in. A mask made of charcoal that Estelle fashioned, even though she won't be alone for long, still best to keep my identity a secret, no matter what. She left her back door open, making it easy to slip in. Without making my body shine, I make it incredibly light, as to not make a sound. It was dark, and I look at the clock in the kitchen. 'Hm, it's already 9pm. I'm guessing she's asleep.' I wonder throughout the room, eventually finding her bedroom, unlocked too. It's almost as if she wants to me kill her. I see her in her bed, sound asleep, like she doesn't have a care in the world. I sat next to her bed, a chair was set next to her window. I waited for a few minutes, leaving the window open, letting the wind hit and shake the curtains, and I hear the bed sheets start to shuffle. Thanks fo my dark clothes, she can't see me very well, and she finally wakes up. "Hmm..? Who's there.?" I stay silent, but I can tell she senses me near her. She looks around disoriented, until she looks at her blankets, holds them tightly then laughs softly. "So.. I suppose it's my time, isn't it?" I look at her in silence, but, still surprised. "I know you're in here, so, please, why do you hide in the shadows?" Hm, guess she knew the organization was after her. I answer her, by showing myself from dark. She gets startled for a second, but she makes out my silhouette. "Oh.. your, you.. you must be, the Fatal Rose. The wolf dawned in black, but spill red." 'Huh? Well that's a new one.' "Tell me.. is it, my time to go..?" "Ms. Shizuka, it is. I'm charging you, with the death of countless children, under your care at the Seibo Hospital." She stays silent, and, she smiles. "Ah.. I see. I knew, I couldn't stay secret for too long. But please, may I ask two questions, at least?" I nod, the least I can do is this for her. "Will, I ever see the children again..? And, will it hurt?" Wow, something so selfless? Honestly, I started feeling guilty, but what's needed to be done, has to be done. "They're all waiting for you, and ready to forgive you." She lets out a sigh of relief, and wipes a tear from her face. "And, for the second one..?" I close my eyes for a second, and place my hand on hers, sitting on the corner of her bed. "Oh my dear.." I pull out the syringe, empty, with only small droplets remaining on the needle. "I already have killed you." Kaya looks at me, then smiles gently. "Ah.. I see.. then, just, to make amends with those I've done so wrong, to those who I've done nothing to help. I offer you, my life. Please.. I wish to see them again.." Her voice grows more and more quiet, until the light in her eyes start to fade away. Her hand softly lays on her bed sheets, gradually growing weak, and cold. Her last breath escapes her lips, and a single tear gently falls down her face. The moonlight seeps through windows, and washes over her. Her body cold and lifeless, yet as if she's sound asleep as she was no more than five minutes ago. I grab some of her pills and supplements next to her night stand, and let them around her hand to make it as if she overdosed. I look at her one last time before I leave, leaving a white rose in her hand on her chest, and I exit the same way I came in. Estelle stayed where she was when I first got inside. "So, how did it go?" "She complied with everything. Honestly, I was surprised when she didn't fight back at all. She accepted dying by me." "Hmm, well, what's done is done. Now, let's go home." I nod, and we make our way back to the house. It was a quite walk, but I didn't mind the silence. That was probably the last time for a good while, I'll be able to enjoy the quietness again.