Author's note: So this is an idea I just thought of, and the idea seemed too cool to pass up on, so I guess we're doing this. I've also wanted to do a Haruno and Hachi story for a while now, so there's that too. Those of you who've read some of my older work might see some familiar elements here. There's going to be a lot of supernatural and action stuff, martial arts, and it's also a bit of a power fantasy in addition to being very lemon-heavy. In other words, it's the least Oregairu-ish Oregairu fic ever. Anyway, that's enough of a preface. Let's get this show on the road!

Prologue:

There's a curious thing about the darkness. When you stare into it, it always, always stares back. So be careful where you cast your eyes, you might just end up seeing much more than you wanted to. And be careful what you wish for… because you might just get it.

A long time ago, long before humanity had even evolved into existence, there was light and dark. God had given His Power to his creations, his manifestations, and He had given them free will. And thus, life became a glorious blank page, upon which each living being could write their own story. Thus, power took many forms. In later ages, they would be called gods and demons. Creatures of blinding light, and crushing darkness. Both sought to shape the universe according to their own desires. And thus, they clashed. Yet, in the shadow of that war, other life came to be. Humans were born. And though they lacked the strength of those who had come before them, they were ingenious, and determined. And so, through wits and perseverance, humanity stole the power and techniques of the light and the dark, wielding them for itself. The creatures we had cowered from were driven out of the world, and we claimed the Earth for ourselves.

As the centuries passed by, the world entered an age of reason, and the memory of the old war dimmed, until it was forgotten by all but a few. The warriors that had fought light and dark alike disappeared into the shadows. Yet, they did not die. They waited, and trained, for they knew humanity's sin, and knew that a day would come when those that had been banished would return for vengeance. And so, they would wait. Wait until their time came, to once more rise up, and fight.

Chapter 1, Part 1: The Prodigy of the Yukinoshita Clan

Yukinoshita Haruno sighed. Listlessly, she blew lightly on a bang of her own hair, even as she tapped away at the table in front of her. Turning her head slightly, she looked out the window. It was a beautiful night outside. The sky was clear, with barely any clouds diluting the vast, black canvas. Even the myriad of lights from the city below wasn't enough to completely blot out the stars. And there was the moon itself, shining in all its glory.

A full moon, huh?

According to the old texts, the moon was strongly connected to many forces that weren't properly understood. Its appearance and cycle indicated many things. The full moon, in particular, was said to be linked to fate itself.

She snorted. As if.

Turning around, she found a familiar pair of icy blue eyes looking at her, slightly annoyed. The hint of a smile made its way onto her face, and she lunged towards the owner of said eyes.

"Yukino chan~"

Without batting an eyelid, this person moved aside, casually avoiding her attempt at a hug with the practised ease of someone used to it. As a result, Haruno found herself clutching thin air. Reproachfully, she turned around and pouted slightly.

"Rude," she said.

The girl identified as Yukinoshita Yukino brought one hand to her temple, feeling the onset of a headache she wanted to avoid. This was precisely why she did her best to not find herself in the same room as her sister, because it inevitably led to a headache. Closing her eyes, she exhaled once to calm herself down. She was used to Haruno's sudden bursts of physical affection, which were balanced out by her equally unpredictable bouts of chaotic behaviour.

"Nee san, contain yourself, and try not to misbehave. Remember what we're here for."

The bright light in Haruno's eyes dimmed a little, and the excitement on her face was replaced by indifference. Resting her hand on her chin, she turned a bored glance back towards the cityscape again. "Yes, yes," she drawled out, not even bothering to look at her sister as she answered. Typical Yukino chan: disciplined and obedient to a fault, completely focused on carrying out orders, and fulfilling expectations. Although, that was one of the reasons she was so fun to tease. Bringing her out of her comfort zone and into situations where she had to be spontaneous was an absolute treat. However, it appeared she wasn't going to be tempted on this particular night.

Tch. Of course. She's doing her best, given the "special" occasion.

"Nee san. Try and take this seriously. Both Father and Mother went to some effort to arrange this. They're depending on you to see this through."

Haruno grunted noncommittally, continuing to stare out the window. Of course they were counting on her. That was how these things usually went. They made their plans in advance, often years before time. And when that time came, they simply dumped them on her, expecting her to see them through. From the moment of her birth, that was how it had been. Her entire life had been carefully mapped out, and she'd simply followed that path to the best of her abilities. A part of her understood why it was important to do so. A lot more was riding on it than just her parents' wishes.

That didn't make it any less annoying.

Fast forward to the present, she now found herself in the penthouse suite of one of Chiba's premier highrises, dressed up like the prize piece in a doll collection. The form-fitting, light purple dress she had on hugged her almost like a second skin, emphasising every curve of her lithe body while still somehow straddling the line between alluring and downright slutty. Her short hair had been done up too so that it was tied back neatly, leaving some bangs to frame her face. She looked, all in all, like the beautiful eldest daughter of some rich business moghul, which, admittedly, she was.

Across the table from her sat her young sister, who had also been similarly dolled-up. For her more slender frame, a different cut of dress had been chosen, which revealed more of her back and had a high cut down the legs. In contrast to Haruno's, hers was dark blue. Her long dark hair, which usually framed her face in curtains, had been tied up, probably to play to the strengths of the dress. Haruno had to admit, it suited her well. Enough that she harboured a small hope that the person they were here to meet might go for her instead.

She caught herself thinking that, and immediately pushed it out of her head: it was an ugly thought. It was most likely true that the boy wasn't a bad person. He was the son of trusted family friends after all, and from what she had heard of him, he had decent enough character. In fact, she had a feeling he was in the same situation as her, forced into this predicament by his family, and unable to go against their wishes. It was about as cold of a business decision as she had ever seen, but the practical benefits of it couldn't be denied. The Yukinoshita's were one of the largest remaining old clans, and one of the few that still retained its practice of the old ways. The Hayama's were another such clan. In this time of waning strength and resources, the two old families coming together had obvious advantages. In terms of the big picture, it was the right move to make.

All that being said, she felt about as enthusiastic about it as a visit to the dentist.

"Nee san, at least try to look interested," deadpanned Yukino.

"I am interested," Haruno answered in her faux-bright tone. "Can't you tell just from this smile on my face?"

"Nee san," Yukino attempted to admonish. She couldn't blame her elder sister: this wasn't really a situation one would feel happy about finding oneself in. However, in it they were, and it behoved them to make sure they took this through to the end.

"The alliance, Nee san. Remember that," she said aloud.

"Yes, yes, I know," Haruno replied, sighing again. "Still, there are limits to how much one can feign interest, you know?" Among her clan, one of the social skills that were taught and highly valued was the ability to mask one's true thoughts, emotions and intentions through control of one's face and body language, along with one's choice of words. Haruno herself was rather good at it, if everyone around her was to be believed. She herself simply thought that most people simply didn't know where and how to look. Even with all of that, though, there was a limit to her ability to put on a performance.

Yukino frowned. "If you end up alienating the Hayama heir to us, it will be a problem."

Haruno rolled her eyes. "It's not like I want to alienate him," she said. "But I've never so much as spoken to the guy. It'd be a little unrealistic if I were to be charmed right off the bat, you know? Besides, have you ever seen him? I don't even know what he looks like."

"That's-" Yukino bit her tongue, becoming silent. It was true, neither of them had met Hayama Hayato before. This wasn't particularly unusual when it came to arranged marriages between old families. In most such cases, the first meeting between the prospective bride and groom took place when the parents saw fit, often long after the union had already been decided. However, that didn't do the actual pair any favours. It wasn't exactly easy to form some kind of bond on command, even if it was trust and not attraction. She didn't envy the situation Haruno was in. As the eldest daughter, the burden of expectations had always been thrust upon her.

She searched for something she could say to improve the mood, though she knew it was fruitless. Haruno was older than her, and mature for her age to boot. She would already have made her peace with the situation. Before she could say anything, however, she felt it.

A spark went off in her consciousness. The first thing to be felt was a fluctuation in the world's energy, an energy she had learned to sense. It sounded esoteric, more spiritual than physical, but it was very much real. An ambient bio-energetic field that was spoken of in the old texts, known by many names. Ki. Qi. Chakra. Less than a second after the fluctuation came the smell, something her senses had been sharpened and honed to detect. The putrid stench was quite a distance away, but still unmistakeable.

The look of boredom vanished from Haruno's face, replaced by a grin as she stood up.

"Nee san! Leave it be. We already have Hunters on patrol."

"Maybe, but I'm feeling a bit antsy. Killing a Fiend might help to take the edge off, you know? And isn't that what you want? For me to be on my best behaviour?"

"That's…"

Yukino paused, in two minds.

Without giving her time to gather her thoughts, Haruno strolled over to the window and opened it. Turning, she faced Yukino and gave her a wide smile.

"Well then, I'm off! I'll be back before you know it!"

Without any ado, she leaned backwards, allowing herself to fall gracefully out of the building, 30 storeys high.

As she descended, the rush of the air drowned out whatever Yukino's voice might have been yelling to her.

As gravity pulled her towards a fatal collision, her body's chemical balance changed. Adrenaline rushed through her, along with a very specific mix of hormones. This mixture performed a few different functions. In the first place, it undid the natural neural limiters on the body, while also greatly accentuating mental focus. The result was drastically enhanced reaction time. Haruno's own fall seemed to be happening in slow motion. She could see everything happening behind the windows rushing past her, as though in a movie played at 1/4th speed. However, that wasn't all. Removing the limiter on the nervous system had another effect. It meant the motor nerves could recruit 100 percent of the body's voluntary muscle fibres. This allowed the muscles to generate forces up to one hundred times greater than usual. This level of force generation was dangerous, since the muscles were at risk of tearing themselves, and breaking the bones.

However, if somehow, the body's skeletal structure were to be hundreds of times stronger than normal, and an individual were to be trained to consciously output exactly the right amount of power, then, combined with the removal of the neural limiter, the result was…

Functional super strength.

As she fell, Haruno removed the dress, flipping and contorting her body with inhuman agility. Along with clothing, she also removed a thin layer of synthetic material coating what had previously been the exposed parts of her. As it came away, she was revealed to be wearing a skintight suit underneath, leaving absolutely no part of her athletic, feminine frame to the imagination.

In one hand, a hidden device slid into place, and she swung her arm, even as she hit the trigger on it. A wire was shot forth. Screaming like a bolt from a crossbow, the grappling hook latched onto a railing overhead, and Haruno swung her hips, transitioning from downward to forward momentum, converting her fall into a swing.

Normally, a move like that would have wrenched the arm free of the shoulder socket, likely torn the oblique and biceps muscles, and led to a painful fall. However, her enhanced strength, agility and reactions allowed her to perform it as smoothly and naturally as breathing. As her momentum carried her towards another building, she adjusted her position, landing on it feet-first, and running along the wall to continue moving even as she undid the grappling hook, freeing it for another shot.

This method of movement had been used in the feudal era by shinobi to great success for scaling castle fortifications or reaching secluded places where targets might be hiding. The modern era, with its abundant of high rise structures, had made it even more versatile and effective, making it possible for a ninja to traverse an entire city in a fraction of the time it would take by foot.

Taking another shot and successfully hooking onto a bridge, she swung towards the location from where she could smell the presence.

Hah. There it is. Boy, that's an ugly one, huh?

The creature came into view.

"Fiend" was a term used to refer to a creature from the Realm of Darkness. Denizens of that world were not all the same, varying widely in behaviour, battle power and form. With the doorway between dimensions shut, only weaker creatures could cross through, meaning Fiends were not among the stronger foes shinobi would encounter. On the official Data Book, they were rated a Difficulty of 2, placing them in the second-weakest class of otherworldly enemies for a ninja.

The one in front of Haruno right now stood around twelve feet tall, which was an average size for Fiends, who were characterised by their bulk and muscle mass. Its skin was a dark, leathery green, underneath which corded fibres could be seen flexing. Long, sharp claws protruded from its fingers. Its head was closer to insectoid than human, with a structure similar to that of a spider, including large mandibles.

Without a doubt, a creature like that would easily have been an apex predator on most land environments on earth.

However, humans had designed their own ways of fighting such visitors from other worlds.

As her swing carried her towards the Fiend, Haruno detached the hook, flipping through the air as her momentum shot her towards the creature. Entering a corkscrew, she utilised every last bit of that momentum, combining it with her own considerable strength.

A steel-soled boot connected with the Fiend's head as the spinning heel kick landed flush.

Even as her attack hit, Haruno pushed off the creature, flipping once more to land smoothly on the ground in a crouch.

As for the Fiend, it was sent flying backwards by a force equivalent to a 10 ton hammer. It smashed backfirst into a parked sedan, completely totalling it as it rolled over the destroyed automobile to land on the pavement, its skull completely crushed, and its brains utterly scrambled.

"Eh? It's already over? I expected at least a little resistance."

Haruno shrugged. Early in her training in the ninja ways, she was taught the specific weaknesses of various dark dwellers. While there were Regenerator Types who were harder to kill, most of these creatures, including Fiends, went down if one could completely destroy the brain, which was responsible for controlling their rapid healing factor.

It had ended earlier than expected. She was hoping to spend at least a few more minutes fighting, which would hopefully give her an excuse to enter the meeting a little late. She would take pretty much any excuse she could to get out that whole arrangement.

Oh well. Guess that's just my luck.

As she was about to make her way back to the penthouse, she heard the absolute last thing she expected.

"What the hell…"

She wheeled around quickly, one hand poised to draw her weapons, when she saw the one who had spoken.

Sitting on the ground, looking like he had seen a ghost, was a young boy. He was shaking slightly, staring at her with a mixture of awe, disbelief, and fear. The first thing Haruno noted about him was his eyes. Beady, and inconveniently sharp even in his current state, they gave the unnerving feeling of being able to see completely through you. His dark hair was rather untidy, with a particularly unruly strand sticking up at the back.

Evidently, he hadn't actually meant to say anything out loud, because he smiled sheepishly, the nervousness on his face going up by several notches when Haruno's gaze landed on him.

As for the kunoichi herself…

That's… not good.

Chapter 1, Part 2: A Good Way to Die

Hikigaya Hachiman had been having more or less the usual kind of day. Classes had ended quite a while back. He'd decided to hit a few stores before heading home. A plentiful supply of cheap but tasty snacks and caffeinated drinks had been procured. It wasn't the healthiest way to fuel the body, but it was the ideal diet for an otaku who'd all but turned his back on reality. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the packet of cigarettes he'd bought earlier, fishing one out from it and lighting it up as he walked.

Reality's boring, he mused. Not to mention depressing. And there's not much point in depressing oneself.

Of course, one couldn't completely ignore the demands of the real world. One had to survive, which meant food, clothing and shelter, which in turn meant needing to earn money. Of course, a lot of high schoolers were provided for by their parents. And this was true for Hachiman as well, although he'd decided a while back that he'd rather depend as little as possible on them. To that end, he'd figured out ways to make some money while still in school. That, along with maintaining decent grades, meant he was free to spend on supporting his passions, which in turn meant he had become a proper otaku.

And there couldn't be a better time to choose that path either, he thought. After all, the advances in technology and the improvements in art meant that more and more amazing games were being made, along with more and more incredible manga and anime. It was truly the golden age for people of culture.

Speaking of which, he'd been hearing online that the trailer for Testament was out. He'd already tried out Baiken, and it had been tempting to watch the new trailer at school, but he'd decided to save it for when he got home. Perhaps that had been for the best: he'd already been chewed out by his homeroom teacher. Thankfully, he'd managed to avoid any extra assignments. He had the evening free, and by that, he meant the entire night.

That was to say, Komachi was staying over at a friend's place, which meant he'd be alone.

For a moment, he felt a twinge of guilt for being happy she wasn't around.

In truth, that wasn't how he felt at all.

But given what had happened in his second year of high school, the relationship between them was strained now. They weren't completely distant from each other. Far from it. Had that been the case, perhaps neither of them would have felt as bothered. Relatives often became indifferent to each other. And in such cases, they eventually stopped feeling guilt or sorrow over each other. No, Hachiman and Komachi had always been close. Which is why what had happened had hit them hard.

Now, it was painful for him to be around her, because it was a constant reminder of what had happened.

He pushed the thought out of his head.

It didn't matter.

Disappointments were a part of life. The sooner she got used to that idea, the better.

He would always be a disappointment. He had made his peace with that, stopped tearing himself up over it. To be certain, he was still functional on a societal level. Enough that he could maintain his own little world, where he could live in peace. That much was enough for him.

He took a drag from the cigarette in his hand as he walked. It was already fairly late. Well, he wasn't too far from home. A short walk later, he should be chilling in front of his computer. It was actually quite a pleasant night out, now that he looked. There weren't any people around him, and no vehicles either. He looked up.

Full moon, huh?

In a lot of anime, the moon was connected to the supernatural, and even to fate. A full moon often indicated that something significant was going to happen. While it was a cool enough visual plot device, things didn't really work that way in real life.

As he was thinking this, he turned the corner, and came upon something he had never encountered before. So out of his usual realm of experiences was it that it took him several seconds to be sure what he was actually looking at, and that it wasn't some kind of trick of the eyes.

A few feet away from him, right in front, stood an entirely naked, green creature. Roughly twelve feet tall, it was a hulking mass of muscle, complete with what looked like razor sharp mandibles and claws.

… I'm seeing things, right? This has to be some kind of illusion. A 3D projection or something? Or am I just losing my mind?

The next moment, the creature took a step towards him, and the ground shook slightly, removing all doubts from his mind.

Gotta… gotta run.

He wanted to turn around and sprint, dash away as fast as his legs would carry him. But he was almost frozen. Unable to turn, unable to look away. He had the unmistakable feeling that the moment he exposed his back to this creature, his life was over.

"TTTTTTT!"

A strange groaning cry emanated from the creature, along with the loud clicking of its mandibles, and it took a step in his direction.

Oh shi-

Before it could move another inch, something crashed into it.

Hachiman's eyes widened as he realised that it was a woman.

And even in the situation he was in, the very male part of him noted that she was a very attractive woman.

As her diving kick connected, sending the creature flying, she flipped over, landing smoothly in a crouched stance, her back facing Hachiman. It was a graceful stance, her back slightly arched, hip back, knees bent and body low to the ground. It was almost feline in a way. Of course, Hachiman couldn't help his eyes from wandering over to her round, perfect ass. She was kind of sticking it up, and although she probably didn't intend it, it was almost like she was deliberately giving him a view. And what a view it was: whatever weird leather bodysuit she was wearing was hugging her so tightly, absolutely nothing was hidden. Even in the poor lighting, Hachiman could clearly see her special place, lips pressing tightly against the leather between her cheeks.

Scared, shocked and aroused: he was all of a sudden all three of those things, and as this fact hit him, he stumbled backwards, and fell.

"What the hell…" he grunted out.

Immediately, the woman wheeled around to face him, alert.

As she took in the sight of him, the expression on her own face changed, to one of surprise. Hachiman's own experience kicked in. While he was almost a shut-in, and had turned his back on society, he had nevertheless cultivated an ability to read people. While she hid her reaction well, it wasn't well enough to conceal it from him. She had the unmistakable look of someone who had just been seen when she wasn't supposed to be.

Okay. Stay calm. Whatever you do, don't piss her off.

He was completely out of his depth here, but a combination of his wits and his experience from reading countless manga told him a few things.

Whoever this woman was, she was capable of effortlessly one-shotting a gigantic monster that looked like it could bench press an entire house. This meant that it was absolutely in his best interests to not piss her off.

He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, even as he got back up to his feet cautiously.

"Okay…" he muttered, half to himself. "This has officially entered crazy territory. I didn't see anything, and I don't remember anything, so I'll be leaving now-"

Before he could so much as take a step, he found a blade at his throat. The point of it pressed lightly against his skin, and he knew right away that it was sharper than any razor.

"Out of the question," the woman said. "Whether you remember or not, you definitely saw, and that means I can't let you go."

Hachiman blinked.

So I'm about to be killed by a hot kunoichi who looks straight out of the Taimanin series? I can't tell if this is a really good way to die, or a really shitty way.

He was about to open his mouth, and try to talk his way out of it, in any way necessary, when he saw something behind her. Moving on instinct, he pushed her out of the way.

There wasn't any time to even feel a sense of relief.

He felt something cold and hard in his stomach, looking down, he saw a long, sharp bladelike protrusion that had impaled him.

He looked up at the creature in front of him. This one was built similarly to the one the woman had defeated moments ago, but it wasn't the same. For one thing, it was red, not green. For another, it had blades coming out of its wrists where hands should have been.

"Ah," he said aloud. "So that's how it ends. Oh well. It could have been worse, I suppose."

Surprisingly, he wasn't in as much pain as he thought he'd be. He was still in absolute agony, but he had started to lose feeling in his body, so it was slowly becoming numb.

As the creature pulled its arm free of him, he sank to the ground on his knees.

His mind drifted back to a conversation he'd had some while back.

He almost chuckled.

Why the hell am I remembering that now?

"When are you going to live, Onii chan? When are you going to stop throwing your life away?"

Sorry, Komachi. I never quite got over that habit of mine.

His eyes closed.

Chapter 1, Part 3: Connection

Haruno blinked. Lying on the ground, she looked at the boy in front of her, currently with a Fiend's blade running him clean through.

Watching someone die was different from what she had imagined. It was certainly different from what she had seen in movies. There was dramatic music for one thing. Nor any chance to say one last thing before the end. The breath was there one moment, and then, it was gone. The line between the two was absurdly thin. And yet, there was all the difference in the world between one side and the other.

The light in the boy's eyes slowly began to fade, and in his last moments, Haruno noted there was far less panic and fear than she had expected. If he had screamed and cried and thrashed, she would not have thought less of him for it. Life is all one has. Of course one wouldn't want to lose it. Yet, there hadn't been any of that. For all his fear and nervousness earlier, he was surprisingly calm in the end.

Unconsciously, her hands wandered to her shoulders, where he had touched her when pushing her out of the way. His final act in life had been to save her, at the cost of his own.

It was an absurd thing.

Humans lived, first and foremost, for themselves. They were selfish beings. They did absolutely nothing unless it benefited them in some way. She had seen it all her life. Even (and especially) in her own family, who were the supposed protectors of humanity. Hardened warriors with decades of training, who had sworn oaths to protect and defend, thinking nothing of fighting their own brothers, of sacrificing their own families.

And yet, this boy had done what they had not.

And in the end, he had faced his death with courage and dignity.

It made no sense. It made absolutely no sense.

She got to her feet, unsheathing a hidden staff as she did so. At her touch, it extended, a blade rising out of one end as it assumed its true form, a glaive.

She sprang forward, enhanced strength launching her like a bolt from a ballista.

The Fiend was barely able to get both its arms up to block in time, and was still pushed backward by the force of the hit.

"TTTTTTTTTT"

"Shut up."

Sliding the glaive forward in her grip, she slammed the second hit of the thrust into the monster. With the weight of the weapon, it was impossible to hold on to the very end of its staff and wield it with any degree of control. At least, not with human strength.

However, channelling Ki through herself allowed Haruno to briefly push her strength past its limits.

The Fiend had recovered from the two thrusts and leapt into the air, looking to close the gap, recognizing the weakness of the glaive. As a long range weapon, it left the wielder exposed if one could get inside.

"Naive. I screwed up once because I got careless. Did you think I'd do it a second time?"

As the Fiend approached her in air, she used the temporary increase in strength from her Ki charge to turn the thrust into an upward swing. With her grip on the very end of the staff, the power of the swing was at its absolute maximum. Using a technique of this level for a worthless opponent like this was humiliating. But she would not allow it to live for a moment longer.

Secret Art: Sky Cleaver.

The force from the swing tore through concrete, metal and flesh alike like thin paper, bifurcating the Fiend completely.

Haruno didn't even spare the two halves a second glance, instead rushing over to where the boy had fallen. Crouching next to him, she started slightly.

He's still breathing.

He's still alive!

She wiped her eyes.

"Hey. Can you hear me? You're still there, aren't you? Please, tell me you're there."

He grunted, and managed to open his eyes a little.

"Unhhh…"

She knew even staying conscious right now must be pure agony for him. But there was only one possible way to save him, and in order to use it, she needed his permission first.

"Listen carefully," she said. "I can save you. But you'll no longer be human. The choice is yours. What will it be?"

For one frightening moment, she thought he would choose the abyss.

But when he spoke, his words were soft, but clear.

"I want to live."

She nodded, even as she lifted him off the ground.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Hikigaya Hachiman…"

"Hachiman… I'm Yukinoshita Haruno. You saved my life today. No matter what, I'll save you. So rest for now."

With that, Hachiman felt his consciousness slip to the void.