Unspoken Agreements

by Nightstar95

In an eventful, stormy night, Shirou comes to Michiru's aid during one of her nightmares, only for the duo to find themselves increasingly addicted to each other's presence. Now there's no going back. A new danger is looming, while strange feelings start blooming... and it all started with a damn unspoken agreement.

9. One Thing Leads to Another

I know, I know, it's been almost a year.

You guys have no idea how much crap was thrown my way in real life since the last chapter. Including but not limited to: my PC nearly being bricked(though I didn't lose much) which absolutely murdered my muse for writing, countless family issues, and most recently the loss of my beloved cat. Easy to say, working on this chapter was a very slow progress.

With all this aside, though, I'm so glad to finally post this thing. It was originally meant to be split in two chapters, but I had lots of issues balancing the pacing and found it best for the story's flow to have it all in one. Plus, I figured my readers deserved a big chapter after such a long wait(especially considering what happens in it).

This all resulted in a VERY dense, 31k words long chapter. You better brace yourself for the rollercoaster of angst you're about to hop into.

Goos reading!

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Chapter 9

One Thing Leads to Another

Michiru let out an exaggerated sigh as she heavily flopped down on a bench. Bags adorned with clothing brands were piled by her sides. Above her, the noontide sun was merciless in its summery reign, basking the world beneath in a sweltering gaze that left the girl bothered in her own skin… and after spending the whole morning shopping with Nazuna, she really wished to morph into her human form, for once.

But of course, that wasn't an option in their current situation.

At first, she had considered turning into a hairless animal. Maybe a mole rat like Barbara, or even a dolphin or elephant. However, she was advised against it in case her hairless form resembled her human one too closely. Besides, aquatic beastmen were notoriously bad at handling hot temperatures, and she didn't have clothes big enough to fit on bulkier forms such as an elephant's.

On the other hand, scaly beastmen usually had much higher resistance to hot weather and seemed like an ideal choice for today. Michiru chose to morph into her python form from back when Shirou chased her in the montane woods. It felt strange, for she still wasn't used to reptilian forms. The blunt snout wasn't as sensitive to scents as Michiru's usual canine nose, and the smoothness of her scaly skin made her feel somewhat naked.

Now and then, a gust of wind would blow past the pastel frilly blouse framing her body and send light shivers all the way down to her tail. It wasn't even the nice, refreshing kind of wind… instead, it might as well have been a foul beast's hot breath.

Grimacing, Michiru took a long look at her surroundings. Hundreds of people were busily roaming the shopping mall like swarming worker bees. Not a single one of them were in their beast form, obviously too uncomfortable in the heat to bother with fur or feathers. In fact, many of them were shooting Michiru odd looks for her apparent stubborn ways. She merely glared back and let out another annoyed huff, closing her eyes and rubbing her sweaty forehead.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad." Nazuna's melodic voice rang in her ears as she joined her tired friend on the bench. Like Michiru, she had gone for the scaly form of a cobra to better withstand the cruel weather.

"Right… it was worse. My legs are killing me!" The python grumbled back with a disgruntled gaze. To her relief, however, Nazuna then held out an ice cream cone before her eyes. It turned out she had bought two cones while Michiru looked for a free bench to rest on, and the sight of such a refreshing treat was enough to replace the annoyance in the girl's eyes with excitement. "Oh, thank you so much!" She eagerly snatched it away, lapping the creamy dessert like a voracious dog.

"Don't mention it." Nazuna giggled and turned to lick her own ice cream.

The silence that settled between them was… pleasant, but still carried a subtle weight to it, like a ball chain that insistently tugged on their legs in each attempt at a casual conversation. From the corner of an eye, Michiru saw Nazuna opening and closing her mouth several times, mentally debating what to say before giving up and resuming savoring the ice cream. The young singer's crimson eyes, usually bright with unmatched confidence, now seemed lost in a sea of uncertainty.

Michiru related to such feelings. She too wasn't sure of how to approach her once best friend. Even after spending all morning together, visiting stores and trying new clothes… this was the first time they had the opportunity for a proper talk.

It took a while, but Michiru eventually took a deep breath and voiced the first comment that came to mind. "You know, you look nice in that form. I rarely ever see you turn into anything besides a fox."

The random observation made Nazuna scoff lowly. "Maybe, but I really miss my hair." She raised a hand to stroke the pearly scales lining her scalp, her cobra hood flaring out slightly as she huffed in annoyance. "Bald isn't really my style, y'know? I feel like I'm going to blind people at this rate."

Michiru couldn't help but snort. "With the sun this strong, it wouldn't surprise me. I guess that's why everyone keeps staring at us!"

Such a silly thought drew amused giggles from both girls, but a thin breeze brushing over their heads only made it harder to ignore their current bald state.

Generally, although beastmen couldn't transform freely like Michiru or Nazuna, they did have some control over little things such as hair length, horn shape and claws. It was how they managed to have completely different hairstyles in either form or grow lengthy talons if needed. After all, they were shapeshifters in their core, and the species' BDA factor just happened to lose that flexibility for reasons still unknown to science.

Still, juggling these changing traits took a lot of focus and practice. It wasn't uncommon for the average beastmen to take up to two weeks to fully settle into a new hairstyle, often slipping into the old one out of habit. Michiru and Nazuna were no exceptions. They had yet to master those new reptilian bodies and adjust them to their preferences… and for now, the girls would have to deal with a bare, scaly head.

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I think you pull it off well enough. Plus, it fits your new… fashion taste." To make her point, Michiru gestured towards the black studded jacket and ripped jeans Nazuna was wearing. It contrasted greatly with her own lighter, summery attire.

The sly remark earned her a mild shove, but that only made Michiru giggle harder, her eyes brimming with mirth.

"Oh, shut up! You know I'd never be wearing this garbage if it was up to me." Nazuna snorted indignantly.

"C'mon, that's a little overdramatic."

Huffing again, Nazuna wrinkled her little snout and turned her attention back to the ice cream in hands, mentally rolling her eyes. In the blink of an eye, that conversation was over, and the two girls had gone back to that awkward, uncertain pause between them. This time it felt even heavier, somehow.

Michiru couldn't help but find it oddly fitting for Nazuna to have turned into a cobra, a creature which nature was often seen as treacherous and cryptic. Sometimes, Nazuna made for an enjoyable and loyal friend to have around, able to make Michiru laugh and smile. Other times, she would show off her fangs and let her ego consume the conversation like a corrosive toxin, giving little to no room for the tanuki's feelings to breathe. It was nothing short of frustrating.

It was then a question popped into Michiru's mind. A question that had been chewing on the back of her thoughts for years, now… but something deep inside always stopped her from voicing it out.

"Hey, Nazuna… can I ask you something?" Her voice was slow and careful, as if she was rounding a dangerous predator.

However, if Nazuna noticed the uneasy tone, she didn't show it. Instead, she just nodded quietly between licks on her cone.

"Do you regret participating in the Silver Wolf cult?"

Nazuna's eyes became as wide as saucers. She froze in place with her mouth agape, staring at Michiru as if she had suddenly grown a second head.

"Why the hell would you ask me that?!"

"Look, we never really talked about what happened then." She quickly continued. "And honestly, I can't tell whether you regret it or not. Back when you were bringing the cult into Anima City, you literally told me you enjoyed being a fake goddess-"

"That was before Alan took over and revealed his big plan!" Nazuna interrupted with a sharp, serpentine hiss. Thankfully, she kept her voice low enough so it wouldn't attract unwanted attention. "He manipulated me, Michiru. He manipulated everyone, even you."

Still, Michiru looked unfazed by her outraged reaction. "Nobody was manipulating you when you agreed to play goddess to a whole race." She all but spat back. "Alan never lied when he made you that offer, Nazuna. You took it for the sake of becoming an idol like you always wanted."

"I thought I was doing something good for everyone." She growled defensively.

"Oh, drop the bullshit, Nazuna!" The uncharacteristic foul language caught the cobra off guard. "You weren't some clueless kid. You knew perfectly well how sick it was to mess with the beastmen's religion and went along with it. The only time Alan truly manipulated you was when he came up with the confession idea."

"You speak as if I had options." A slight crack in Nazuna's voice hinted to the dread simmering deep in her chest. "My human life was over, Michiru. I had just turned into a beastman freak with powers I couldn't even imagine, and Alan took me in. He offered me guidance, he offered me hope. How could you expect me to say no?"

A pang of sympathy tickled the back of Michiru's mind. She definitely knew that feeling… the hopelessness she experienced after transforming into a beastman. Watching her human life being torn away from her very hands was nothing short of horrifying, and having to wander by herself on the streets like a stray animal was a fate she would never wish on anyone.

Michiru wondered… would she have taken Alan's offer in Nazuna's place? Even if it was just a matter of survival?

If she did, she certainly wouldn't be proud of it.

She frowned at the memory of a very cocky Nazuna boasting about such a decision. Her crimson eyes were lit with pride as she told Michiru the true nature of her place in the Silver Wolf cult.

"You didn't even seem conflicted at all about it, though." She scoffed. "If anything, you actually admitted enjoying every second of it. Remember that conversation after we met with the mayor at the restaurant?"

Michiru then raised a hand to her chest in an exaggerated gesture as she mockingly mimicked the words her friend had said years ago.

"'There's no way I'm going to quit, I'm finally becoming an idol. I'll do whatever it takes to achieve my dreams. I'm not Nazuna any longer, I'm Déesse Louve!'"

Huffing, Nazuna could only twist her snout in dismay at the obnoxious imitation. She hated to admit it, but recalling the name she had adopted for her godly persona made her whole body shrivel with raw embarrassment. "Well, what do you want me to say, then? It seems you already decided what the answer to your question is."

"I… just want you to be honest with me." Michiru's voice softened as she gazed down at her neglected ice cream cone. By now, it had started to melt and trickle down onto her fingers. "If you could go back in time and do things differently, would you?"

To say that the following pause was heavy with tension was an understatement. To both girls, it felt like an eternity. Their surroundings slowed down to a crawl as walking civilians were reduced to mere blurs of movement in the corner of their eyes. It wouldn't surprise Michiru if they could hear the drop of a needle right then and there.

Which made it all the more devastating when Nazuna finally mouthed a single, yet ground shaking word as her only reply.

"No."

SPLAT

Michiru looked down. The ice cream cone was now splattered on the concrete floor between her feet, leaving her sticky hand hanging helplessly in the air like a lost child's.

By her side, Nazuna looked as nonchalant as ever, not even acknowledging the tragic fate of Michiru's treat as she wiped her own hand with a napkin. "Look, Michiru… don't take me wrong. I know what I did wasn't great, but being an idol has always been my biggest dream. I may not be proud of how I got here, but there's no way I'd give it up now."

"Even with all the pain it's caused?" Michiru asked in disbelief, closing her hands into fists. "Do you have any idea how badly that affected everyone in Anima City?!"

"Of course, I do." After throwing the napkin in the bin next to their bench, Nazuna turned to Michiru with the sincerest look she could muster. Somehow, it still proved hard to read aside from some glimpses of sadness here and there. "Why do you think I'm always doing tours on the mainland? Most beastmen haven't forgiven me." She sighed. "I've always been a bigger success with humans. They think I'm exotic, after all."

"And that's how you want your dream career to be? A job where everyone either hates your guts or stays close to you for shallow motives?"

"As if that wasn't the reality of most jobs out there." The cobra shrugged with a dry chuckle. "But at the end of the day, arguing over how I got here doesn't make a difference. The best I can do is using my influence for good, right? Like bridging the gap between beastmen and humans." Nazuna then offered Michiru a small smile and extended her hand still holding the melty ice cream cone. "Here, you can have mine."

Michiru hesitated as she eyed back and forth between the girl and her offering. Nazuna's words lingered in the air like the embers of a smoldering fire… a fire that constantly threatened to consume their already frail friendship. No matter how much she may have tried to downplay the gravity of her reply, Nazuna had inadvertently set an ultimatum.

She wasn't sorry.

Such a realization made Michiru both disappointed and frustrated. It was obvious by now that neither of them would ever agree on this matter, they were simply too headstrong on their views to budge… now, it was up to Michiru whether to end their bond right then and there or try her best to salvage it.

Maybe they should simply… agree to disagree.

"I… suppose." After swallowing down the knot in her throat, she took the ice cream from Nazuna's hand with a thankful nod. "Although I still don't like that."

"You don't have to."

Another deep silence settled between the girls, this time carrying a much gentler touch regardless of its bittersweet nature. Michiru tried to distract herself with her new treat as she licked and savored its refreshing flavor, but even though their conversation had finished, it was hard to shake off the disappointment that loomed over her head. Truly, she had hoped Nazuna would have been better than that.

So much for closure. Michiru mentally scoffed.

Before she could mull further over the underwhelming discussion, however, her train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a thundering rumble that shook the ground beneath their feet.

BOOM

Horrified screams echoed throughout the whole mall, all but muffled by the much louder blast that had invaded everyone's ears and shattered countless windows nearby. Michiru, who had been violently swept by a mix of survival instincts and déjà vu, jumped off the bench as if it was red hot and closed her fists in a defensive stance.

"What the hell was that?!" She yelled, teal eyes wild as they frantically looked at the scared pedestrians. People were covering their ears and looking around, clearly just as frightened and confused. Some busied themselves by helping others get back on their feet. Surprisingly, though, nobody seemed hurt… in fact, aside from the destroyed windows, the shopping mall looked intact.

A nudge on Michiru's shoulder drove her attention back to Nazuna. She was covering her mouth in shock, pointing at something behind them while blood drained from her face. When Michiru followed her finger, she quickly found herself becoming pale as well.

Further down the street, a large pillar of smoke rose where the Anima City Police Station once stood.

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Shirou couldn't help but gawk at the sight before him. The police station, which sported a fresh coat of paint after being renewed and expanded just last year, now had half of its building reduced to a gaping maw befitting of a monstrous beast.

He had rushed to the disastrous site as soon as he heard the explosion, not a drop of hesitation in his blood. The memory of Michiru's scared voice followed by an explosion far too similar still felt fresh in his memory.

And although the girl was nowhere in sight, he still couldn't relax. There were people trapped in the destroyed remains… he could hear the wailing. He could smell the pungent mixture of ash and blood…

I need to help.

Gritting his teeth, Shirou jumped to action and looked around for detective Yuji, inwardly hoping the old man was safe and sound. It was hard to see anything when the surrounding air was so thick with smoke, dust and soot. Its murky haze stung at the eyes, making them water and burn… but that wasn't enough to hide the horrific nature of what had just happened. Not with the harrowing sirens and desperate screams dominating the whole place.

Somehow, Shirou managed to spot the weary dog amidst all the chaos. It turned out Yuji had been enjoying a break at the local café when the explosion happened. Lucky bastard.

Firefighters were already gathering at the scene like swarming bees. Some of them used water hoses to drown flames spreading among the debris, others climbed on the dusty piles of rubble to pull out flailing survivors. Shirou helped as best as he could, using his strength to push away large chunks of debris and uncover crying victims. Thanks to his sensitive nose, he even tracked those who were unconscious.

Sadly, it was too late for many of them.

Approaching ambulances soon painted the setting under ominous flashes of crimson, which he found oddly fitting. It made the whole place look like hell on Earth.

"Shirou!"

Wolf ears shot up and flicked towards the all-too-familiar voice, and Shirou barely had time to turn around before he was tackled by a pair of arms. Grunting, he staggered back and looked down at his attacker. A blue haired cheetah whose teal eyes were unmistakable.

"Michiru, what are you doing here?" He growled before gently pushing her away. Another cheetah, this time pink with red eyes, jogged up to them with a winded look.

"We were at the mall when it happened." Nazuna spoke up. "It took a while to ditch the covert guards, but we finally got here. We want to help!"

"You shouldn't have come, it's too dangerous." To Shirou's dismay, his stern voice barely made a dent in the girls' resolve. Their faces expressed nothing but determination.

"What, you expect us to just stay back and do nothing?" Michiru wrinkled her nose and exposed her fangs, snarling. "No way!"

Shirou reacted with a snarl of his own, however. "If this is another attack from the BLF, you two could be in their scope right goddamn now!"

"I don't care, these people need us!"

"And I need you to stay safe!"

"Then keep me safe!"

Her choice of words caught the wolf off guard, replacing his snarling visage with one of complete puzzlement. "… what?"

"I will be by your side the whole time." Michiru raised an eyebrow as if challenging him to argue further. "I trust you with my life, remember? I know I won't be in danger if I'm with you."

It was truly impressive how easily Michiru was able to render Shirou, the Silver Wolf himself, speechless. In one moment, he was about to throw Michiru over his shoulder and carry her all the way back to the Co-op like a rucksack. On the next, he was swept by such a wild mix of feelings, he found himself opening and closing his mouth wordlessly as his brain tried and failed to come up with a proper response.

Michiru's declaration of trust was a beam of warmth amidst the haunting cold of the destruction surrounding them all.

It was then a heavy hand on his shoulder snapped Shirou from his scrambled thoughts. Surprisingly, when he looked to the side, his eyes met Yuji Tachiki's tired gaze. Those dark chocolate irises had seemingly aged decades in the short time he spent with the rescue teams.

"Listen, Ogami… we really need all the help we can get." The dog detective sighed somberly. "If it helps, I'll tell my men to keep an eye out for anyone shady while the firefighters dig up the place." He covered his mouth for a moment and coughed several times. "With all this smoke it's unlikely anyone would try a ranged attack, at least."

"I wonder how they attacked the police station of all places." Nazuna suddenly piped in. She had been eyeing a commotion that broke out not too far from them. A new victim had been found in the rubble and was now being pulled out. "This should be a heavily guarded building, no?"

Yuji's expression darkened. "We might have foxes in the chicken coop." He turned back to Shirou and nodded towards the side of the building that still stayed intact. "If you ask me, I think this was an attempt to kill Kurt's goons. They are our only way to get intel on those bastards."

Shirou recalled his conversation with the mayor when Kurt's death was announced. The very real possibility of terrorists infiltrating the Anima City police made his stomach twist into a knot. For now, though, ensuring the prisoners' safety would be his priority. "Do you know if they are alive?"

"This is actually something I need your help with, Ogami." Yuji took off his hat and gave him a serious, but hopeful look. "I have some of my men ready to go underground and rescue the prisoners. We aren't sure how badly the cell room was affected by the bomb. That part of the building seems pretty intact, so I believe they must be well." His eyes then moved to Michiru. "Maybe you and Mrs. Kagemori can accompany my men and help them reach the prisoners. Your strength will be handy if there's rubble blocking the way. Besides, those guys are crucial for our investigation and need as much protection as possible after this attack."

"Sounds like a plan." Michiru placed both hands on her hips, then stared up expectantly at Shirou. "What do you say, then?"

Shirou looked between Yuji, Michiru and Nazuna for a moment. Their eyes buried into his with unbearable scrutiny, as if he was a child being peer-pressured into doing something he didn't like. He stubbornly weighted his options for a few more seconds with bated breath… until, finally, he let out a defeated groan.

"… Fine." Before Michiru could jump excitedly, though, he raised a hand and narrowed his eyes into a glare that might as well pierce through steel. "But you better not leave my sight. I want you right next to me at all times, understood?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got that." Michiru offered him a cheeky, but thankful smile. Obviously, she was simply happy to help even if that meant putting herself in considerable danger. "How about you, Nazuna?"

"They don't know I'm in Anima City, so I can stay with the detective and help the rescue team." Judging from Yuji's approving nod, he seemed to appreciate her voluntariness. "I guess I'll see you guys later!"

With everything settled, the group parted ways. Nazuna ran over to a group of volunteers nearby along with Yugi, while Shirou and Michiru joined three cops who would show them the way inside the building. All of them had guns in hands just in case.

"Here, miss." One of the cops, a young male jackal, handed Michiru a bulky oxygen mask like the ones worn by firefighters. She quickly noticed everyone else was strapping one to their faces as well, including Shirou. "The smoke is much thicker inside the building right now. You're gonna need this."

She thanked him and worked on fitting the large accessory on her lithe feline face, which proved a little tricky. At least Shirou was kind enough to step in and help her strap it properly. Once everyone was ready, they headed for a large broken window and carefully jumped inside. A mix of broken glass and grit cracked under their shoes and echoed down the long, dark hall with each step.

If the visibility outside was already horrible, now Michiru found herself all but blinded by the thick, dusty smoke plaguing the whole building. She was thankful for the mask shielding her eyes and nose from it, given how just looking at the countless particles drifting in the air made her throat itch uncomfortably.

It wouldn't be hard to get lost in these conditions. Even when Michiru morphed back to her tanuki form and lit up her bioluminescent tail, its glow merely added to the murky veil rather than penetrate it. The smoke was simply too dense. In a wordless, instinctive gesture, Michiru gripped onto Shirou's arm and pressed herself to his side, fearing that at any moment he could vanish amidst the hazy fog like some sort of mirage. The last thing she needed was to end up left behind in such a place.

If Shirou minded her clinginess, though, he didn't show it at all. Instead, he kept staring ahead at the cops leading the way, watching as their guns' flashlights struggled to light anything past an arm's length.

"The stairway shouldn't be too far, it's right next to the interrogation rooms." A tall lion spoke through the communicator inbuilt in his mask. "You've been there before, haven't you?"

"Yeah." Shirou frowned upon recalling the last time he had been to one of those rooms, back when he questioned Kurt himself. "But it's hard to tell the way when everything is this dark."

"That's why we're here." Said the third cop, a badger whose voice carried a strange accent neither Shirou nor Michiru could quite put their finger on. He didn't sound like a native… probably one of the many foreign beastmen who found refuge in Anima City.

Like Yuji had predicted, there was some rubble scattered on the hallways. Some of the branching pathways were blocked by chunks of concrete that had fallen off the upper floors, which forced them to take a longer route towards the stairs. Shirou stepped in to lift and shove debris away several times, after all, they'd need a clear path to carry the prisoners out if they were injured.

It didn't take much longer for them to finally reach the stairway and climb it down. The trio of cops readied their guns as a safety measure upon approaching the reinforced doors to the cell room. A number pad could be seen right next to them, indicating they were once power locked. However, to everyone's surprise, the doors were hanging ajar.

"Something is wrong." The lion whispered before making a few hand signs to the rest of the group. They moved away from the doors and backed against the walls, keeping themselves away from any potential gunfire. Shirou's hackles stirred up as a bad feeling twisted his stomach. If it wasn't for the dense smoke plaguing that hall or the mask hugging his features, he would at least be able to track scents and tell whether they were in true danger or not.

They would have to do things the old-fashioned way, it seemed. The jackal raised a hand and counted to three with his fingers before turning around and barging into the room along with his partners. "Police! Don't move!" He yelled as he pointed his cocked gun around, searching for anyone who might be hiding in the shadows.

But they were met with nothing but silence… well, silence, and the overwhelming stench of blood.

Even in the dark environment laden with dusty smoke, the vibrant reds smeared all over the floor stood out like a macabre piece of art. Michiru covered her mouth in shock at the sight, watching as the soft blue glow of her tail revealed an extensive trail of death and destruction. "W-What happened here?!"

Behind her, Shirou growled in such a way that made the tanuki jump. "We were too late." He stepped past her and followed the cops, checking each holding cell that once housed Kurt's accomplices. Their floors were painted red, with long trails indicating that whoever had been wounded was subsequently dragged out like a bag of meat. They followed the trails all the way to the very last cell in the room, where three familiar figures had been carelessly thrown into a pile by the wall. An alligator, a moose and a hippo. Each of their faces had been frozen in a wide-eyed expression of sheer horror.

Michiru whimpered. Although those men had attempted to kill her at the university, she couldn't help but pity their horrifying demise, and the longer she took it all in, the more hideous details revealed themselves to her eyes. Bloody slashes on the prisoners' orange overalls showed they had been stabbed repeatedly and mercilessly. The moose's once magnificent antlers were now broken stumps on his skull. The alligator's mighty jaws hung open with many holes where teeth were violently pulled out… and for a final gruesome touch, Michiru was sure she could see fleshy entrails pouring out of the hippo's paunchy stomach.

Such a view would certainly haunt her nightmares in the future.

"Shit." The badger cursed in his gruff accent before pointing at the jackal. "You, run to Yuji and get backup, we need this crime scene vetoed asap!" The younger cop nodded and darted out without the slightest hesitance. "This is a goddamn bloodbath."

Visibly sickened by the ghastly sight, the lion walked away as well. "I'll keep watch by the door. You guys be careful not to touch anything, we can't afford losing evidence."

His partner's only reply was a quick nod before he leaned on a wall and doubled over with a deep breath. Whatever thoughts must have been running through his mind then and there, handling them all seemed like a struggle.

Now with only one cop remaining in the room, Shirou carefully walked around the red splatters and checked each cell again. Even without using his psychometry, he could paint a clear image in his mind of what had happened based on splatter patterns and sheer amount of blood left behind. "Strange." He narrowed his eyes. Something was really, really wrong.

Somehow, his quiet observation managed to peel Michiru's attention away from the raw fear stamped on each dead man's face. She shook her head to clear her mind and warily approached her friend. "What's it, Shirou?"

"Look at all this blood… those men were tortured and killed in their own cells." He then gestured towards the crimson trails leading to the last cell. "And then the killer spent time and effort dragging all the bodies away. Why?"

It was Michiru's turn to narrow her eyes. Indeed, that seemed very strange.

Her investigative side was kicking in now, and she tried her best to ignore the horrifying crime scene at hand to study it more closely. It proved much easier said than done, but soon enough she was crouching down next to the body pile alongside Shirou, inspecting the red stains with the same scrutiny of a bloodhound.

"This looks a bit fresh, doesn't it?" She gently touched a droplet and rubbed the substance between two fingers, which stained her pads the same vibrant color. "Maybe the explosion was a distraction. While everyone was busy with the destroyed side of the building, the terrorists came here and killed them."

"But then why not just bomb this side and get rid of them right away?" Shirou rubbed his masked chin. "And why pile these men in one cell after they were dead?"

"It really makes no sense." Michiru hummed quietly, feeling her mind struggling to connect the pieces. There was something bizarre about this whole ordeal that felt barely out of reach, something teasing her mental cogs as they raced to figure out what was going on. It was on the very tip of her tongue. "It's almost as if… as if…"

Suddenly, Michiru's eyes shot wide. The world around her came to a halt, and a spark of realization made the dark, dusty room feel more suffocating than ever.

"As if someone was trying to lure us here."

Her words hit Shirou like a brick. His hackles bristled once again under a refreshed sense of threat, and when he turned around to look for their cop companion, his eyes met an empty wall. As if on cue, the telltale click of locking doors soon followed.

It was a trap.

"GET OUT!"

There was no time to react. Before Michiru knew it, Shirou had shoved her so hard across the room, she felt the wind leave her lungs with the impact. Her body rolled on the ground until it hit the opposite wall.

And it was then the world turned white with light and heat.

Covering her ears, Michiru managed to curl into a ball with her tail before the flying shrapnel hit her. Most got entangled in a mass of tanuki hair, although some still managed to graze her arms. Hissing, she could only stay still and wait for the tremors to cease, while a ringing noise rattled her brain mercilessly.

As if that wasn't bad enough, déjà-vu quickly struck Michiru with the same force as Shirou's blow, filling her stunned mind with the horrific memories from the university bombing. She could almost see them in the darkness of her tail, the way walls cracked and crumbled all around her. The men she had just seen dead on the ground rising and cornering her with sickening, bloody grins...

Snap out of it!

Michiru gritted her teeth and shook her throbbing head. Now wasn't time to get lost in her reveries. Not when Shirou needed her help.

"Shirou?" Groaning, the tanuki uncurled from her protective position and watched the world spin around her. She coughed several times, still short of breath from both the blast and the rough treatment she got from Shirou moments prior. At least her oxygen mask still worked despite a crack now marring its glass cover.

The room was in shambles, to put it simply. The doors of the cell they had been inspecting were blown off their hinges, its iron bars badly misshapen as if a giant fist had punched through them. Grit, shrapnel and concrete debris covered the whole floor… and Michiru really hoped her blurry vision was playing tricks on her when she spotted chunks of flesh scattered here and there. She could swear there was more smeared on the walls as well, and her stomach turned inside out at the implications.

"Shirou?" She called again, this time louder and palpably fearful. The lack of a response from her friend made her blood run cold, and as her concern grew bigger and bigger, Michiru's thoughts tunneled into only one objective: finding Shirou. The stinging pain from the shards biting at her palms and knees no longer mattered, neither did the macabre sight of scorched limbs strewn around the room. Michiru simply kept crawling towards the blast site.

"… over… here…"

The quiet, raspy voice made the girl stop in her tracks. It was certainly Shirou's, except… it sounded so frail, so… pained. It reminded Michiru of his voice when that beastly rhino beat him into a pulp years ago, and such a notion only served to make her stomach sink further with dread.

Hitting and rolling on the floor must have bruised her back, considering the hot pain that plagued it when Michiru pushed herself up. She used a wall for support, taking slow, unstable steps with wobbly feet while her head felt far too heavy for her body.

The voice had come from a pile of rubble next to the destroyed cell, and now that she looked at it more closely, Michiru could see part of the wolfman's trench coat sticking out from under several chunks of concrete, as well as a shattered oxygen mask lying next to them. Apparently, the blast had caused part of the ceiling to collapse.

Panic flared deep in Michiru's chest. "Shirou!"

With adrenaline wiping off the last remnants of her dizziness, the girl managed to run the rest of the way and morph her arms into a gorilla's. She removed the boulders one by one, gradually revealing a horrifying sight that put her worst nightmares to shame.

Shirou laid on the cracked ground in wolf form, his pristine white fur now matted in a thick mix of blood and dirt. His muzzle and legs were bent in unnatural angles, while large portions of his clothes had been scorched and torn away. The gaping holes on his sweater served as windows to nasty burns that had consumed both fur and flesh. A hideous consequence of being so close to the bomb.

But Michiru barely took notice of those horrible things. Her eyes were too busy staring in horror at Shirou's right arm… or, more accurately, the lack thereof.

The limb was completely gone, leaving behind a messy stump of ragged flesh and crushed bone. Blood pooled underneath and ran down the surrounding boulders like a crimson waterfall. Ironically, seeing Shirou's blood drained Michiru's face of her own.

"Are you... alright?" Even something as basic as breathing seemed to be painful for his broken body, which earned a look of sheer disbelief from Michiru.

"Me?! Look at yourself!"

Instead of answering, Shirou leaned his head back and breathed slowly through his clenched teeth, which made him look at the verge of passing out. Panicking, Michiru grabbed his intact shoulder and shook it gently. It was enough to make the wolfman groan in pain.

"C'mon, Shirou, you need to stay awake! Please, talk to me!"

He let out an annoyed grunt, then opened his eyes to weakly glare up at Michiru. She didn't look in great shape herself. Her soft fur was caked in dirt and blood, parted in spots that had been scraped raw by the floor. A red stream ran down the left corner of her face and dribbled on his clothes, probably from a cut hidden somewhere in her blue hair.

"I'm… I'm not going anywhere." He croaked. "Immortal god, remember?"

"You don't look immortal right now! I haven't seen you this bad since-" She choked on her own words for a moment. Every time those memories returned to her mind, they felt like clawed hands were gripping and squeezing her very heart. Indeed, the sight before her wasn't much different from what she saw on that day at the pier, back when she witnessed helplessly as the mad rhino impaled her dear friend on his gargantuan horn.

Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes upon realizing he had ended up in this state all over again just to protect her.

"Y-You shouldn't have done this." She reached out and brushed her fingers through the fur of his scalp. To her horror, her hand came back covered in blood. "You shouldn't have taken the blow for me. Look at you now!"

His body jolted lightly, followed by noises of cracking bones. Suddenly, Shirou's bent muzzle snapped back in its right position and made him grunt painfully. "You would have been dead now, Michiru." He continued, now in a much clearer voice. Still, Michiru could hear the contained pain lingering on each word. "Listen, I don't have much time. I'll be fine, Michiru, but-" He gritted his teeth, once again overtaken by the painful feeling of bones rearranging and coming back together. "Y-You need to get me out of here before others see us. Call the mayor, take me to her."

"But what about-" Michiru was interrupted when Shirou let out a blood curdling cry, arching his back and tensing his whole body.

The entire place was abruptly enveloped by blinding light yet again. At first, Michiru thought it was another bomb and covered her face in fear. When nothing else happened, however, she peeked through her fingers and found herself gawking with a mix of awe and revulsion shimmering in her wide eyes.

As Shirou wailed and convulsed in place, a bright blue light had consumed the stump that used to be his arm. Flesh fizzled and smoked with what could only be described as raw energy, but instead of being burned away, the tissues seemed to be… regenerating. New bone gradually stretched out from the stump, followed by blood vessels that branched out and wrapped around the calcifying shaft like little tendrils. Muscles covered everything up all the way to his fingertips, before layers of skin hid the fresh new anatomy with a healthy coat of wolf fur on top.

She had no idea how long the whole process took, far too mesmerized by its nightmarish uncanniness to keep track of the world surrounding them. By the time the blue glow finally died down, the only proof left of Shirou's previous wound was the large crimson pool staining the ground beneath.

Michiru was speechless. Although she had witnessed Shirou's healing abilities countless times over the years, she had never seen him regenerate a whole limb from scratch. His supernatural abilities never ceased to amaze her… even if they were particularly hard to watch at times.

"Shirou, are you-" When she met the wolf's face again, Michiru suddenly realized Shirou was no longer conscious. His closed eyes creased in discomfort, accompanied by ragged breaths and grunts as quieter pops of healing bones echoed in the room. The overwhelming pain and exertion he went through must have knocked him out cold. Truth to be told, Michiru found that relieving. She simply couldn't stand to see him in such agony.

Call the mayor.

Her eyes grew wide again upon recalling Shirou's words. Michiru stepped back and frantically searched her pockets for a smartphone, but the device she found looked damaged beyond belief. Its screen had been reduced to an intricate web of cracks and colorful splotches, forming an incoherent picture where a lovely photo of Anima City once was. Thinking fast, Michiru turned to Shirou and searched his pockets as well, but his own phone looked even worse. It had been crushed to the point of being bent in the middle and its screen having popped out.

A frustrated huff left her lips. What was she supposed to do now?

It didn't take long for her to start hearing very distant sirens in the background, a sign people were approaching the second explosion site. In normal circumstances, the sound of ambulance sirens should bring nothing but hope and comfort to a victim like Michiru. In this case, however, they actually made the tanuki extremely nervous. It was her responsibility to keep the paramedics away from Shirou, but how? The doors leading out of that hellhole were locked shut.

She looked up. The collapsed ceiling had formed a gaping hole right above her head that surprisingly went through two stories. If there were cracks leading outside as well, Michiru would be able to fly Shirou out of that place and to the town hall… but judging from the lack of sunlight, it didn't look like the blast had been strong enough to carve an exit that way.

Still, the longer Michiru stared into the depths of that dark, smoky maw, the more it tantalized her like a resting trap, ready to consume her whole as soon as she flew too close. The darkness invaded her ears with little whispers of freedom, while the approaching ambulance sirens only made her anxiety skyrocket. It was obvious what she should do.

After clearing the rest of the rubble surrounding Shirou, Michiru crouched down and gently dragged him into her arms. His bigger size made it a much more challenging task than she would have liked, especially with her back still screaming in pain. Worst of all, though, she quickly realized there was no way to fly him with both her hands busy.

… or at least not in the traditional, Michiru way.

With a deep breath, the tanuki closed her eyes and tried to focus on every muscle and bone that formed her aching spine. It had been a while since she had last used her abilities to bend the rules of anatomy and biology. Stretching her limbs was usually something she only did in the heat of the moment, as the adrenaline rush often masked the aches of new tissues forming and deconstructing. What she was doing now, though, was much more complex.

Slowly, the skin of her back shifted and bulged out, forming a hump that made Michiru resemble a hunched old lady. With more effort, she managed to split said hump into a pair of stumps, which then grew into the distinct shapes of naked avian wings. Their size and bulkiness made for a very unsettling visual in contrast with Michiru's lithe tanuki body. Thankfully, though, blue feathers soon sprouted along their entire length and hid away their unsightly appearance.

Michiru clenched her teeth. The newly formed muscles and joints popped painfully every time she gave her large wings a tentative flap. Deep inside, she couldn't help but silently curse Nazuna for making this look so easy.

"Ok, Michiru, you can do this." She told herself in the most confident tone she could muster. It cracked a little at the end, but it was good enough in her head. "Shirou needs you right now. Focus."

The girl took a moment to flex her shoulders, back and neck before carefully picking Shirou up in her gorilla arms. Just standing up already felt like a challenge, given the way when her body's center of gravity kept swaying between her heavy wings and comically large arms… but taking flight proved to be far, far worse. Every time Michiru moved her wings resulted in searing hot pain washing through her already sore back muscles. A particularly sharp sting on her side hinted to a fractured rib, too.

She had to clumsily kick at the ground several times before successfully launching herself through the destroyed ceiling. The air was even denser with smoke in the uppermost floors, making visibility nearly impossible as Michiru ran down the hallway with Shirou tightly clutched to her chest. To her relief, she spotted a dull light coming from the very end of the hall. A broken window she could easily slip through. It was her ticket out of that hellhole.

There was no time for hesitation. She darted towards the light source and threw herself at it, paying no mind to the shards that embedded themselves in her fur and flesh. Surprised gasps from watching bystanders met her ears when she took a very sharp dive towards the street, only to fully stretch her magnificent wings like a rising phoenix and soar away. The gust of fresh air that engulfed her sooty body was more than welcome. Michiru even wiggled an arm free to tear the oxygen mask away and enjoy the wind on her features. To say it felt revitalizing would be an understatement.

Unfortunately, that didn't do much for the throbbing ache in her inexperienced wings. As much as she tried to ignore it, it felt as if the surrounding winds were yanking them in different directions, trying its hardest to tear the wings off Michiru's beaten body. It didn't take long for her to start faltering in her flight, unable to keep a constant glide.

She looked at the town hall standing proudly on the horizon. Never had it looked so far away, so… unreachable.

Whimpering, Michiru quickly realized there was no way she'd be able to get to the mayor in her current condition. At this rate, she would likely drop from the sky like a rock halfway there. The thought alone made her shudder. Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes from the sheer exertion as her head buzzed with wild thoughts, it was both disorienting and frightening.

In a desperate move, Michiru veered to the side and aimed for the next best safe spot to seek help in… the Co-op.

Michiru just hoped she'd come up with a good excuse for Gem and Melissa in time…

---

Nothingness.

Shirou had been in this place before… far too many times to count throughout his long, immortal life. It was a peaceful void where nothing was everything, where time and space were nonexistent, and his very sense of being was split into thousands of little voices.

Each voice had a name. Cadmus, Yusef, Hayri, Nadir, Malena… people who once lived fruitful lives, thriving on the streets of Nirvasyl like little ants in a buzzing colony. Although Shirou had never met most of those souls in life, his immortality had given him more than enough time to get acquainted with each and every single one of them.

Or what remained of them, that is.

Faces, memories and personalities had long been eroded away by time, reducing their existence to mere echoes of a distant past. Sometimes, their voices would still manage to carry emotions, many of which reflected the horror and anguish from their last moments in life. Inevitably, such occasions often resulted in nights plagued by nightmares for the lone wolf.

As Shirou's mind drifted in the nothingness, he was surrounded by a feeling that would be best described as fuzzy static. Little ethereal hands belonging to countless whispering souls reached out from the void and cradled him in their warm touch, slowly healing up his body and mind. His heart was lulled by their chants into a slow, steady rhythm, and the line between conscious and unconscious only blurred further.

At times, though, he could swear he heard a new voice in the background. Its words were muffled and incoherent, as if Shirou was slowly sinking in deep, murky waters while the voice frantically tried to reach his ears. The closer it got, the more it stirred him from his slumber. It sounded feminine and… sad? Desperate, even. But why?

It eventually dawned on him that such a voice didn't belong to the deceased... but rather, a very lively tanuki girl he knew too well.

Michiru.

That's right… she was there when he fell, wasn't she?

Little fragments of memories were returning to him now. Michiru leaned over him with tears in her eyes, her gaze brimming with concern and terror at the sight of his mauled body. She looked so frightened, he couldn't help but reach out to wipe the mix of tears and blood off her cheeks, only for the memory to dissipate between his fingers like fine clouds of smoke.

And yet her voice kept echoing throughout the void, its garbled words now much clearer… it called for him. Begged for his return to the world of the living.

"You need to wake up, Shirou."

Something stirred deep within. His heart filled with a very familiar warmth and gradually sped back up, like a beast waking up from a long hibernation. The countless souls that surrounded Shirou grew agitated, their whispers becoming frantic mumbles that filled his mind with constant noise. Every time he sluggishly tried to go towards Michiru's voice, the once gentle hands tugged and gripped harder at his body, visibly fearful of letting their precious guardian go. The noise grew louder and louder, until it was outright disorienting.

But enough was enough.

The burning warmth in his chest suddenly erupted into a bright flame. Startled, the swarm of souls scrambled away as the dark void was bathed in a golden, flickering glow. Shirou looked down at the lively fire with awe, raising his hands around it as if carefully cupping a delicate flower in his palms. In the heart of the flames, he saw Michiru's face again, this time flashing him an inviting grin. Something about it was so… mesmerizing. He simply couldn't take his eyes away, like a helpless moth drawn to the light.

And the longer Shirou stared into it, the brighter it shone. Eventually, the whole void was engulfed in white light, turning the nothingness into something completely new. A state of being the wolfman had never experienced before. For once, he didn't feel a thousand years old, nor did he feel the presence of his godly burden in the form of noisy spirits. Shirou was simply free.

He didn't know how long he stayed in that place. Hours? Days? The only constant in the white void was that welcoming, addicting warmth, which Shirou had grown rather fond of. Eventually, however, his hazy mind was drawn to something else. A strange tingling sensation slowly crawled up his hands and feet, driving him to instinctively flex them. Unlike the previous times he moved around in the depths of his mind, there was weight to his limbs. They felt real.

It slowly dawned on him as well that his throat felt awfully dry. Gulping felt like rubbing two sheets of sandpaper together, making Shirou furrow his brows into a deep grimace.

And then he opened his eyes.

Shirou regretted it as soon as the blinding sunlight hit his unprepared irises. Hissing, he raised an arm to cover his face, quietly cursing whoever had opened his curtains so early in the morning. Somehow, his limbs felt oddly stiff. Joints popped and ached as if they hadn't been used in a while, and for a fleeting moment he questioned if his actual age was starting to show.

Now that he thought about it… he didn't remember going to bed last night.

Any recollections from his dip into the subconscious world had already vanished in thin air by now, leaving only confusion and a jumbled mess of memories to sort through. Firstly, though, Shirou tried to take in his surroundings and make sense of his current state. From the feeling of soft, velvety cushions under his body, he could tell he was lying on his couch. The gentle breeze on the bare skin of his arms told Shirou he was in his human form as well, seemingly only wearing loose pants.

Once his eyes stopped aching, he uncovered them and squinted at the blurry environment. It took a while for Shirou's vision to focus, but it was easy to recognize his study room under the bright evening sunlight. Even in his human form, the comforting scents of mahogany wood and aging books were impossible to miss. At the very least, that eased his disoriented mind a little.

"Oh, you're awake!"

The sudden voice made Shirou jolt up, startled, only for the world to spin around his stunned head. Groaning, he flopped back on the couch and pressed a hand to his aching temples.

A quick glance towards the door revealed a very apologetic looking Melissa. She stood by the entrance with a tray in hands, which balanced a fresh glass of water with ice cubes and a lemon slice on the rim. The sight of such a tantalizing drink reminded Shirou of his unbearably dry throat.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Ogami." Melissa quickly apologized as placed the tray on top of a nearby coffee table. For some reason, she was keeping a hushed tone. "I didn't expect to find you awake. How are you feeling?"

Shirou rubbed his head tiredly and opened his mouth, but before he could utter a single word, Melissa raised a finger to her lips and pointed at the floor. The gesture puzzled him at first. Considering he had just woken up from a deep slumber, Shirou's brain still struggled to keep up with everything happening around him. Concepts of time, space, and even his own body felt harder to grasp than usual.

As soon as his eyes followed Melissa's pointing finger, however, Shirou's sluggish mind finally snapped to full awareness. Now he knew the reason for her whispering voice.

A simple cot mattress was placed only a few steps beside his couch. Sprawled on it was Michiru, whose furrowed features and twitching ears hinted to a troubled slumber. The way her limbs were entangled in a mess of bedsheets indicated she had been squirming and moving around a lot on the makeshift bed, something that Shirou often witnessed whenever the girl experienced nightmares. Judging from the dark bags under her eyes, which were surprisingly visible even with her tanuki mask, that seemed to be the case.

"We had to improvise a bed here or else she'd just lie on the hard floor anyway." Melissa picked up the glass of water and carefully approached the couch, making sure to walk on her tiptoes. After sitting down next to Shirou's legs, she quietly offered him the refreshing drink. He didn't hesitate to snatch it and gulp every last drop down like a thirsty camel. "She has been looking after you every day since you passed out, changing your bandages and everything. Even when Mayor Rose was going to take you in her care, Michiru stood her ground and refused to leave your side." She continued with a light chuckle. "We quickly realized she would be miserable and worried sick otherwise, so we just let her have her way."

Shirou put down his now empty glass and wiped his mouth. "How long was I unconscious?"

"Two weeks." His eyes widened lightly, to which Melissa's own grew stoic with motherly concern. "You were in really bad shape when Michiru brought you here, you know? Broken bones, bloody clothes, gashes and burns everywhere… she was so distraught and beaten up, she almost passed out on the spot too." Sighing, she picked the glass from his hands and put it away. "If I didn't know you were the Silver Wolf, I'd have thought Michiru brought us a corpse."

Shirou gulped dryly. By now, the memories of that day were finally untangling themselves before his eyes. He suddenly grew aware of the many bandages wrapped around his whole torso, covering places where his worst wounds once were…

Wait a minute.

His eyes shot wide open, staring at Melissa with a dumbfounded look once he fully realized what she had just said. "You knew?" The disbelief in his voice earned him another chuckle from the woman, which only puzzled him further. "… how long?"

"Oh, a few years already. Ever since the Nirvasyl Syndrome incident at the concert." Melissa brushed a few hair strands behind her ear with a long, heavy sigh. Recalling the events of that day seemed to bring a weight to her shoulders. "Gem had injured his leg and couldn't move, so we took shelter inside our giant Silver Wolf mecha. We watched you transform and fight Alan yourself."

Shirou blinked, surprised. He remembered Gem sporting a leg cast after that day and hearing that he had broken it in the confusion. It never occurred to him they had been so close to the fight that whole time, though.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "To be honest with you… we were terrified at first. We thought you were one of the monsters when we saw you fight that day." Shirou couldn't help but wince at her words, but Melissa was quick to raise a hand to stop any ill thoughts from infecting his mind. "But, seeing you mourn over Michiru and then hearing that wonderful howl… it was beautiful. I could feel my heart being soothed by your passion and devotion to all beastmen. You weren't a monster, you were just a kind soul who deserved understanding like the rest of us." A warm glint shone in her chocolate eyes as she gently rested a hand on his bandaged shoulder. "And if you had your reasons to keep secrets, we would respect them and treat you no differently from any of our friends. Besides, it was an honor to have the Silver Wolf himself as our best tenant, right?"

Shirou was speechless. He never expected to hear such kind, heartfelt words from anyone besides Michiru, and Melissa's declaration inevitably brought a warm blush to his cheeks, causing him to look away and clear his throat awkwardly.

"I… I don't know what to say." He mumbled after a while. "Thank you."

The smile she gave him might as well have lit up the whole room. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with us." After reaching for the empty glass, Melissa got up and carefully made her way between the couch and Michiru's mattress. The tanuki hadn't even budged during their conversation, probably way too exhausted from stress and sleepless nights. A pang of concern prodded the back of Shirou's mind at the thought.

"Say, how about you come to the living room once you're feeling better?" Melissa said while grabbing the tray. "I meant to give Michiru the water, but she clearly doesn't need it right now. You, on the other hand, could definitely use more, huh? And maybe some food in that empty stomach, too."

Shirou absentmindedly licked his lips. That didn't sound like a bad idea at all, especially considering how dry his throat still felt.

He nodded quietly, watching as Melissa disappeared through the door. For a while he simply leaned his head back on the cushions and stared at the ceiling. His head buzzed with wild thoughts, taking in everything he had learned since rising from his dreams. It was a bit overwhelming, to say the least.

A glance to the side brought his eyes to Michiru's sleeping face. She looked more peaceful now, her features no longer creased in discomfort from whatever she witnessed in the depths of her mind. Shirou felt a silent voice coaxing him to move over and drag the girl into his arms, just like they had done countless times. It was odd how such a behavior had become part of his instincts.

Eventually, Shirou took in a long, deep breath and leaned up. The world didn't spin around him this time, thankfully. His limbs felt less stiff aside from some numbness left on his fingers and toes. Still, other than wobbling a little when he pushed himself to his feet, Shirou didn't have much trouble moving. He, more than anyone, was quick to adapt in such situations.

He shuffled towards the exit with slow, dragging steps. Rather than closing the door behind him, Shirou merely left it ajar to minimize the noise. The last thing he wanted was to disturb Michiru in her much-needed rest.

A pleasant scent of herbal tea tickled his nose as soon as he left the room. It was accompanied by hints of fresh bread and cinnamon, which immediately drew a hungry growl from Shirou's stomach.

Nothing like a two week-long fast to stir a wolf god's appetite.

Using the wall for support, he wobbled further down the hallway and met the friendly couple in the living room. Gem was quick to offer Shirou a shoulder to lean on before guiding him to the nearest couch, while Melissa rushed into the kitchen to grab a new glass of water. It didn't take long for Shirou to spot the source of those mouthwatering perfumes. Before him, a large plate of freshly baked cinnamon cookies rested on top of a coffee table, along with a steaming tea kettle and its accompanying cups. It made for a very cozy, welcoming sight.

The chatter that followed was nothing short of pleasant. The Horners were very happy to see Shirou up and well… even if he was a bit roughed up. And as they updated him on everything that happened in the past two weeks, he couldn't help but wonder back to their knowledge of his secret. The way they both had treated him as just an ordinary friend all these years regardless of their clear devotion to the Silver Wolf. Even now, after witnessing his supernatural healing abilities under their own roof, nothing about their behavior towards him had changed. They simply cared for him like any close, dear friend.

In a way, Shirou now had a newfound appreciation for Melissa and Gem.

"Michiru is going to be so happy to see you awake." Gem said between sips of his tea, a wide grin stretching his lips. "The poor girl has been through so much lately, that new bombing really left her shaken."

Shirou frowned lightly before taking a bite from a cookie. His memories from that day were still somewhat murky, but he had a good grasp on what had happened. "It was a trap." He mumbled. "Not for Michiru, though… I don't think they even knew she was around."

"Then who was it for?"

A chill ran down his spine at the question. This whole time, everyone had been so focused on protecting Michiru, they never considered other possible targets. The mayor was an obvious option, but she would be far too difficult to reach given the security reinforcements she had implemented after Pingua's attack years ago. Other big politicians were deeply involved with the Flip Family and had their protection as well…

Narrowing his eyes, Shirou recalled the trio of cops that accompanied him and Michiru inside the building. They were the ones who led them straight into the trap's awaiting maw, like clueless lambs to be sacrificed. Then, upon finding the prisoners' dead bodies, two of them immediately left the room, leaving only the badger behind... who later sneaked out and locked the doors behind him anyway.

They knew.

A low, feral snarl escaped his human's lips. Those three filthy traitors had been the ones to plant the bomb there. Maybe they had even killed the prisoners as well, but it wouldn't be surprising if there were even more infiltrated terrorists helping them out with that intricate scheme.

And if the whole plan was to bring Shirou to the rigged cell room…

"… I think it was me."

He watched Gem exchange a wide-eyed look with his wife, visibly surprised. Indeed, it would be easy to dismiss such a thought as pointless paranoia… but the more Shirou mulled over it, the more sense it made. Yuji wouldn't send a team to fetch such important prisoners without him involved, and they took the opportunity.

"There were terrorists infiltrated in the police, and they must have known about my affiliation with them as a special agent. Not to mention I'm protecting Michiru as well." He elaborated in a slow, calculated voice. "I was someone they wanted to get rid of, and what better way to do that than targeting the station? Not only would they weaken the city's police force, but also lure me to rescue the prisoners stuck in there."

"Two birds with one stone." Gem concluded grimly, to which Shirou nodded. "Why a bomb, though? Couldn't they just have shot you?"

"Let's just say I have a reputation on the streets as being very hard to kill. I guess they wanted to make sure I wouldn't get out of there alive." He scoffed before finishing his cookie. "They would have succeeded if it weren't for my powers."

"You still gave us quite the scare, so I'm glad you managed to recover." Melissa added. "Michiru said you had never taken so long to heal and was worried sick. Mayor Rose kept reassuring her this was normal and that she shouldn't panic, but… it's easier said than done."

Shirou looked down at the drink he held in his other hand, suddenly feeling the weight of guilt resting upon his mind. From the somber glint in Melissa's eyes, he could tell she had been worried about him as well.

Truth to be told, such a long recovery was no surprise to him. Shirou only had access to a limited amount of his godly power in beastman form, and after burning so much on instantly regenerating a whole arm, his body shut down to slowly heal the rest of his injuries. The last time Shirou was given a similar beating, he had at least morphed into his Silver Wolf form and tapped the full potential of its healing power. All he needed afterwards was a full day's rest before jumping back to action.

No wonder Michiru was so scared.

"You mentioned she brought me here, right?" Shirou suddenly recalled as he took a swig from his glass. "That's strange, I've always told Michiru to take me to the mayor."

"Oh, she tried to." Melissa spoke before pouring more tea for herself. "Michiru said she was flying towards the town hall, but she was in too much pain and had to land here instead."

Pain. The word would have made his ears perk up at full attention if Shirou was in his beast form. "How bad was her condition?"

"She looked exhausted and burned out, could barely say anything before she set you down and collapsed on the floor." Gem sighed. "Thankfully, her injuries weren't too extensive. Only some lacerations and a broken rib, according to the doctors. They released her the next day."

His wife let out an amused snort. "Not that they'd be able to keep her in the hospital any longer. She was driving the nurses mad."

The corner of Shirou's lip curled up at the mental image, although concern quickly washed the subtle little grin away. "I shouldn't have brought her along... she would have been caught in the explosion if I hadn't pushed her away."

Melissa placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Well, I'm glad you were there to protect her. It's all that matters, right?"

He shook his head. "I wouldn't call bringing her straight into a trap 'protection'." Sighing, Shirou absentmindedly twirled the water in his glass, eyes lost in the endless whirlpool. "She still got hurt and saw horrible things that day."

"You really care about her, don't you?"

Knowing her tenant, Melissa didn't really expect an answer to such a question. After all, Shirou wasn't the kind to voice out his feelings and make himself vulnerable. To her surprise, however, he took a long, deep breath and allowed his body to slump under the burden of a single word.

"Yes."

The pause that followed was thick with unspoken emotions. They tied Shirou's insides into knots and squirmed wildly within the depths of his skull like mocking imps. Somehow, it didn't fully dawn on him that he had just admitted something big and personal out loud. He simply kept gazing into the swirling pool inside his glass as if in a trance.

Both Melissa and Gem were astonished. They exchanged looks again and quietly communicated through their eyes, something they had learned throughout their many years of marriage.

"Gem, dear, would you mind taking the dishes to the kitchen?" Melissa asked after a while. "I think Mr. Ogami is done now, and I'd like to have a word with him."

Hearing his name snapped Shirou out of his reveries. He raised an eyebrow and gave the couple a questioning look, but they paid him no mind. Instead, Gem answered with a knowing nod, seemingly aware of something their tenant didn't know as he started gathering the dishes.

Shirou didn't protest. It wouldn't be wise to stuff himself full of cookies after two weeks on an empty stomach, and it didn't help that the sudden flux of intrusive thoughts had all but killed the remnants of his appetite. He drank the rest of the water and handed the empty glass to Gem. Strangely, the man rushed away before Shirou could say his thanks.

Melissa suddenly cleared her throat, drawing his attention back to her. The expression on her face was oddly stoic. "Shirou, I have something very important to discuss with you." Hearing her use his first name made him inwardly tense up. That couldn't be a good sign. "I know what's been going on between you and Michiru."

The revelation hit Shirou like a brick. For a moment, he found himself at a loss for words, simply blinking slowly as his brain tried to process what exactly Melissa was talking about. "… what?"

"Your scents." She tapped her nose with a finger. "You smell like each other every morning. Besides, I've seen you two sleeping together on the couch at least twice."

That came as a surprise. Shirou always got up early in the morning to ensure this exact scenario wouldn't happen, and to hear they had been seen was startling.

… then again, now that he thought harder about it, he could recall a few times where he overslept a little, particularly after he and Michiru first cuddled on the couch. They had resumed their nightly habit after a lengthy break from it, which made it much harder to resist her company and warmth. Shirou's body ended up ignoring its inner clock just to make the most of their time together.

"You can imagine my surprise when I walked into your room to check on Michiru and found you two like that." Snorting, Melissa rested her chin on top of her hand and arched an accusatory eyebrow in Shirou's direction.

The thought of being caught sleeping with his housemate made his cheeks warm up.

"It's not what you think." He was quick to explain. "There's nothing 'going on' between us, we are just friends."

"Friends that smell like mates?"

"… I guess." Shirou grew flustered and looked away, suddenly finding the floor between his feet very interesting. "We sleep together and that's it."

Being scrutinized by those relentless dark eyes made Shirou feel like a scolded child, especially as Melissa stared him up and down in complete silence for a brief while. Her lips were pressed into a thin line.

"You know, Michiru is a really sweet girl. She is passionate, headstrong and never hesitates to help those in need, even if that means neglecting her own wellbeing." Melissa's voice then hardened. "I've already explained how worried she was about you in the past two weeks. Truth is… Michiru was devastated, Shirou." That word rolled off her tongue with such intensity, Shirou found himself holding back a flinch. "She was convinced you had taken a bomb meant for her and couldn't forgive herself. I had to comfort that girl countless times while she bawled her eyes out over your condition. It didn't matter if Mayor Rose told her you would recover, Michiru just kept crying herself to sleep and spending hours watching over you… waiting for you to wake up. Do you know how hard it was to see her like that?"

If guilt had weighted his mind before, Shirou now felt crushed under a boulder. Just imagining the anguish Melissa described made a pang of shame clutch his heart with its icy talons. Still, he managed to bring his walls back up and kept a mostly blank expression. His voice slow and monotonous. "… where are you going with this, exactly?"

"I'm saying that Michiru clearly cares deeply for you, Shirou." She crossed her arms and narrowed her gaze into a glare. "And I'd hate to see her heart broken even more if you two don't sort out this weird relationship of yours."

"I already told you. We are friends and there's nothing more to it."

"Does she know that?"

Shirou opened his mouth, but no words came out. That was a surprisingly loaded question he wasn't sure how to handle, considering neither he nor Michiru had brought up their intimate habits before. It was merely something they accepted as part of their routine over the past few months, and he didn't know what exactly Michiru thought about it… in the end, the only thing that mattered was that she had fully welcomed him in her bed out of her own volition, right?

Right?

"You have no idea, do you?" Sighing, Melissa rubbed her forehead in a disappointed manner. "Shirou, for someone a thousand years old, you can be really clueless at times."

That earned her a miffed look from him. "Excuse me?"

"Have you ever considered the possibility she might have feelings for you?"

Pale olive eyes widened. "W-What?"

Deep in the confines of his head, something seemed to click.

All this time, Shirou had been so busy thinking about his own tangled mess of emotions, he never really stopped to think about Michiru's. Sure, he noticed it whenever she was distressed or sad, even having gone out of his way to make her feel better with a trip to his mountain shelter. When it came to how she might feel towards him as a person, though?

Dumbfounded realization was written all over his face. Shirou thought about the times Michiru stared up at him with longing in her beautiful teal eyes. The heartfelt smiles, blissful laughter and kind words she constantly bombarded him with, the way she sought his company no matter how many times he pushed her away…

Looking back at those moments with new eyes painted a very different picture, and Shirou wasn't sure how to take it in.

"Of course, this is only a guess." Melissa continued, this time with a softer voice. "But friends don't sleep together, Shirou. By doing that, you might be giving Michiru the wrong idea and leading her on. What do you think will happen if her hopes and expectations aren't met later? You'll break her heart!"

Her accusatory tone made Shirou's defensive side kick in. "Look, the only reason I've been doing that is to help Michiru with her nightmares." A spark of annoyance glimmered in his pale green eyes. "You've seen how bad her night terrors are, Melissa. Spending the night with her keeps those at bay."

"Is that something you two agreed on, then?"

"We…" Shirou's voice faltered as his eyebrows creased in thought. "We actually never spoke about it."

"Never?" She asked in an exasperated tone. He could only look away to hide the embarrassment painting his face red. "How can you be on the same page with Michiru if you haven't even talked things out?"

"It's not something we felt the need to talk about, I suppose…"

Groaning, Melissa exhaled a long puff of air like a disgruntled bull and shook her head. "Don't you think this is a bit unfair for Michiru?"

"I'm doing this for her, so I don't understand how that would be the case."

"Is it only for her, though?" She asked skeptically. "Because something tells me you're doing this for yourself as well."

The implications in her words made Shirou's brows crease further, forming an offended scowl. Of all people, he never expected her to suggest such a thing. "What kind of man do you think I am, Melissa? I would never try to take advantage of Michiru!" He growled, which made the woman raise her hands in an apologetic manner.

"That's not what I meant. I'm talking about something else entirely." Insightful dark eyes bore straight through Shirou's walls as if they were made of butter, ready to push him into a corner of his psyche he had been dreading, if not outright battling, for months. "I'm talking about your feelings for Michiru."

Shirou felt the blood pumping in his veins turn freezing cold, followed by a tightness in his chest that made each heartbeat ache throbbingly. He had to resist the urge to clutch the bandages covering his core.

Feelings.

Something about that word sounded like a threat far greater than any bomb.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Melissa didn't look convinced.

"You see, Shirou, I've known you well enough to tell you're not exactly a friendly type. You keep mostly to yourself, even when it comes to those you're closest to." She said in a gentle, knowing voice. Somehow, there was a sageness to her presence. An aura of wisdom that made her seem far older and more experienced even than the Silver Wolf himself. "So I must wonder, why is Michiru different? What would make you do something as intimate as sleeping with her if she's just a 'friend'? That's not like the Shirou I know at all."

Like a wild beast being backed into a cage, Shirou coiled away with gritted teeth. There was a truth to her words he simply couldn't deny, but recognizing that felt like a betrayal of his very self. The persona he had spent literal centuries building behind layers upon layers of fortified walls. To witness all this effort crumble to shambles was nothing short of frustrating.

Before he could snap and cut this conversation off, however, Melissa suddenly leaned over and rested her hand on Shirou's arm. The warm touch seemed to halt the buzzing thoughts racing in his mind, at least for the time being.

"Look, I'm not here to attack or accuse you of anything." She continued softly, a kind smile gracing her lips. "It's just that… well, you two are like the children I never had."

The statement caught Shirou off guard. Any lingering annoyance from his building frustration quickly melted away, turning into a mix of disbelief and sheepishness. His expression must have been quite the sight, considering how Melissa broke into chuckles upon meeting his eyes.

"I'm serious!" The hand on his arm rubbed it gently as she spoke. "Gem and I… we can't have kids, you know? You and Michiru are the only family we have."

Blinking slowly, Shirou had no idea how to digest this new find. It sent a warm, humbling feeling straight to his heart and removed all tension from his body, including the tightness that had been plaguing his chest. Between this and Melissa revealing her knowledge about his godly identity, Shirou simply felt so… flattered.

What was he supposed to say?

"You do realize I'm way older than you, right?" He mentally slapped himself for such a lame, poorly thought response. At least judging from Melissa's laughter, she seemed to find it amusing.

"That doesn't change anything. You still act like a young man I'd gladly call my son." To make her point, she reached up and playfully ruffled his white hair. Shirou huffed lightly before brushing the hand off. "I'm just worried, Shirou. I really don't want to see either of you get hurt, but I'm afraid this is what will happen if nothing changes. Michiru doesn't need to go through any more heartaches."

For a while, Shirou simply stared into her eyes in silence, seemingly searching for something among those pools of chocolate. Although he treasured Melissa as a friend, what she was asking from him required a much superior level of trust… she wanted Shirou to open himself about his deepest, most suppressed feelings. Such a feat had only been achieved by Barbara and Michiru, but even then, those were very brief moments of weakness where he displayed mere hints of the storm raging inside his body and mind. Would it be smart to make himself so vulnerable?

Once again, he felt that warm sensation blooming in his heart. Not only for being called a dear family member by Melissa, but also thanks to a new urge coming to life in the back of his head. It told him to share his burdens once and for all. To swallow down his pride and welcome her help…

And as he found nothing but sincerity in her motherly gaze, that swelling urge became incredibly persuasive.

Eventually, Shirou finally broke eye contact and let out a long, heavy breath. He just hoped he wouldn't regret this…

"Michiru is different because she deserves better." He spoke out, which earned a surprised, yet pleased look from Melissa. "She may be as stubborn as a mule and even drives me mad sometimes, but… she is too nice for her own good, which usually gets her in trouble." A light snort escaped his nose. "I don't think I've ever had anyone else try so hard to be my friend. She's like a clingy tick that won't get off my fur."

"That must be annoying, huh?" Melissa rested her chin on both palms, visibly interested in what her tenant had to say as a sly glint shone in those chocolate gems.

"… it used to be." Shirou paused hesitantly before continuing. "Particularly whenever Michiru tried to stick her nose in my business. She is quite a curious little pest."

"What changed, then?"

Shrugging, he slumped forward and propped his elbows onto his knees with a sigh. His features seemed to age decades just from that single breath. "When you live as long as me, you learn a very important lesson: kindness is a luxury." He said in a slow, weary voice. "Be kind to others and you'll be taken advantage of. Have someone else show you kindness, and they will weaponize it against you. I've seen it happen far too many times to count. There are exceptions, of course, but they are so far and few in between, it's much easier to keep to myself."

Melissa pursed her lips, frowning. Every fiber of her being wanted to argue against such a negative viewpoint, but she knew better than interrupting Shirou now that he was finally opening up.

"Michiru… is something else." His eyes closed thoughtfully. "At first, I just thought she was being nosy and wanted her to leave me alone. The more I pushed her away, though, the more she pushed back with nothing but kindness… even when I didn't deserve it. Even after I nearly killed her."

A sour memory then flashed under his eyelids. Shirou towered over gawking civilians with his ghastly mutated body and stretched limbs. The once pristine white fur that framed his wolf form had been painted a deep, oily black, accented by luminescent patches of teal and purple. His muzzle hung open in a haunting grin full of sharp teeth, a façade of vicious anger that hid suffering beyond comprehension.

Shirou remembered helplessly watching from deep within his mind as he trapped Michiru in his maw. The taste of her blood still lingered in the back of his throat, making his stomach twist in disgust.

"I haven't forgiven myself… I don't think I ever will. Michiru, though? She forgave me without beating an eye and even said she'd always trust me with her life, of all things." The little curl on the corner of Shirou's lip didn't go unnoticed by Melissa. "Because that's just the way she is. Michiru sees good in everyone and will go out of her way to make them happy, whether they are human or beastman… or an immortal grouch like myself." Surprisingly, calling himself that word he had heard so many times from the tanuki felt oddly amusing. "That's something I… I've come to admire in her."

The silence that followed was gentle and soothing. Voicing out such thoughts after having them pester his head for so long had lifted a huge weight off Shirou's shoulders, which surprised him. As someone who usually saw emotions as weaknesses, he had expected them to be far more painful.

By his side, Melissa merely observed him with a warm, knowing grin. She had never seen Shirou look so expressive before, so… happy. "Oh, Shirou…" She breathed after a while. "You're in love."

That made his eyes shoot wide open and cast her a look of sheer disbelief. No way.

"That's ridiculous." He scoffed dismissively, but Melissa's grin only widened further. In response, she raised a hand and gestured to his whole body.

"You morphed."

Blinking, he leaned back and looked down at himself. To his dismay, Melissa was right. At some point in his heartfelt speech, Shirou's human body had transformed into his characteristic wolf form, with the bandages wrapped around his torso now stretched taut over a thick layer of fur. It was a classic sign of a beastman experiencing powerful emotions.

In Melissa's eyes, the truth was laid bare for all to see. The little smirk in Shirou's lips, the flick of an ear, the softness in his voice… everything was a piece belonging to the big puzzle known as Shirou's heart.

But of course, he wouldn't admit that so easily.

"That means nothing." He grumbled, crossing his arms and turning his head away. In a way, he reminded Melissa of a stubborn child.

"You may be many things, Shirou, but I know for a fact you're not a fool." Her words earned an annoyed growl from the wolf. "What do you expect to gain from denial?"

"I'm not in denial!" He nearly barked.

Unfazed, Melissa flashed him a smug grin. "That sounds like denial to me."

Shirou gritted his teeth, hackles bristling as he exasperatedly rubbed his face. Now Melissa was rivaling Michiru in matters of being obnoxious. He didn't exactly appreciate being prodded for reactions like a circus animal.

"This is pointless." He hissed. "Even if I did feel something like… that for her, it's not like we'd ever be anything more than friends, anyway. I'm immortal, she isn't. End of conversation."

Something about those words stung deeply in his chest and caused Shirou's voice to falter a little at the end. Acknowledging the harsh reality of his loneliness bothered him far more than he would like to admit. It was a side of his godly powers many would consider a burden, if not a curse. Rather than mulling over these unpleasant thoughts, however, Shirou usually shoved them to the farthest, darkest corner of his skull and focused on more important matters, such as his duty as the protector of beastmen.

But no matter how hard he tried to bury it beneath a stoic façade, tiny hints of sorrow still showed themselves in his features and body language, creating an aura of melancholy he carried around like an ever-looming shadow.

Being as observant as usual, Melissa easily caught onto such cues. While Shirou's eyes gleamed with a lively sparkle as he spoke of Michiru a minute ago, now they looked sullen and crestfallen.

"You know, if kindness truly is a luxury like you said, then being with the love of your life is a gift." She started after a while, her voice warm and mellow. "And you should never take a gift for granted. It may not last long, it may even be taken away… but that's just how unpredictable life is. At the end of the day, what matters is making the most of it for as long as you can."

Melissa raised a hand and gently rubbed Shirou's back, combing through the soft fur with her fingers in slow, steady strokes. Sighing heavily, he gave her a glance from the corner of an eye and silently recalled something Barbara told him quite a while ago.

How much longer do you plan to stay alone?

Suddenly, a loud slam echoed from the hallway, followed by the sound of rushing footsteps. Both Shirou and Melissa whipped their heads around just in time to see a very disheveled Michiru appear at the entrance to the living room. Her hair, fur and clothes were rumpled all over from a restless night of sleep, which would have been comical if not for the distressed look in her face. She had to lean on the doorframe for a moment just to catch her breath.

"He's gone!" She cried, rubbing her still sleep-laden eyes. "Shirou is gone! I woke up and the couch was empty, he-"

The words died on her tongue as soon as her vision cleared enough to spot the familiar face peeking out from the couch. After spending two weeks watching Shirou's features locked in a permanent unconscious state, seeing him fully awake and well felt strangely surreal, not unlike one of the many dreams she'd had of this exact scenario…

Still, the longer she stared into his eyes, the more palpable that whole picture became. There was real relief in those pale olive gems she hadn't seen in so long. They softened with a welcoming gaze, silently inviting Michiru to come closer.

"S-Shirou?" She covered her mouth with a hand, all but frozen in place as her brain struggled to process the scene before her eyes.

Shirou merely offered her a tiny, sheepish smile. "Hi, Michiru."

Before he knew it, Michiru had crossed the distance between them and thrown herself over the couch, landing heavily in Shirou's arms. He flopped back on the cushions with a grunt, hands instinctively wrapping around her midriff so Michiru wouldn't fall off. If she noticed Melissa in the room, she didn't show it or seemed to care. All she wanted was to feel Shirou's warmth once again.

"You're awake!" Michiru buried her face in his mane, tail wagging with nothing but bliss. A glimpse of teal caught Shirou's eye and, to his surprise, he quickly realized her fur had started to emanate a soft glow. Was she that happy to see him? "I was so worried, Shirou. I'd never seen you take this long to recover, a-and everyone told me you would be fine… but you were so hurt, and it was all my fault!" A sob shook her body against his. "I-I'm so sorry."

Shirou was dumbfounded, unsure of what he should do next as Michiru fluctuated from happiness to regret. Feeling her tears form a wet patch in his chest fur only exacerbated his helplessness. "It's alright, Michiru." He whispered before awkwardly raising a hand to rub her back. The gesture was stiff, but still genuine. "It wasn't your fault, and I'm fine now. You have nothing to worry about."

Michiru shook her head in his mane and tried to protest, but Shirou was quick to shush any incoming words, hugging her even closer as if to muffle her sobs. Throughout their many nights spent together, he had learned Michiru was easily soothed by snuggling into his fur. She would often even request him to morph into his wolf form just to enjoy his warm, soft pelt, especially after a particularly bad nightmare. This time wasn't much different. After all, the past two weeks might as well have been a long bad dream.

And judging from the way her body relaxed in his comforting embrace, that seemed to do the trick. Soon, the sobs quaking Michiru's frame were reduced to mere hiccups, her fur still glowing weakly despite the immense anguish plaguing her heart. It showed Shirou how much she treasured his presence.

A hint of movement nearby then snapped Shirou's attention away from Michiru for a moment. He looked across the couch to find Melissa rising to her feet, which brought a sudden realization down onto his head like a falling anvil. She had been watching all along, even as the two of them openly cuddled in the cushions. The thought alone made his cheeks blush a deep red.

"Well, Shirou, I will join Gem in the kitchen for now." She said in a calm, nonchalant voice, as if the scene that had just played before her eyes never happened. After dusting her skirt, however, she turned to Shirou with a more serious look on her features. "Please, give what we talked about some thought. I think it's important for you… both of you. Would you do that for me?"

The concern in her voice was impossible to ignore. Although Shirou still had his own misgivings about that whole conversation, he respected Melissa enough to heed her advice with utmost care. It's not like he could stop his brain from mulling it over in the next few weeks, anyway.

With that in mind, his response was a single, meaningful nod. It wasn't much, but Melissa still smiled at the promising gesture. She quietly thanked Shirou again before turning around and walking away, leaving the two beastmen to enjoy each other's warmth in privacy.

Somehow, though, Michiru had seemingly caught some of Melissa's words. After a brief period of silence, she raised her head from Shirou's chest and gave him a sleepy look. Her eyes were visibly tired after such a rush of emotions. "What was she talking about?"

"Don't worry about it." He sighed. The hand on Michiru's back trailed further up to tenderly stroke her head, fingers carefully burying themselves in strands of blue hair. In normal circumstances, the girl would keep questioning him after proper answers… but right now she was simply too exhausted to bother. Days of poor sleep and stressful thoughts had taken a great toll on Michiru, and after finally finding Shirou fully conscious again, all she cared about was reacquainting herself with his embrace.

So she allowed her head to fall back onto his mane with a deep breath, happily enjoying the caresses on her scalp. Shirou seemed just as elated to lay back and savor the company. Although, deep inside, he kept repeating his own words to himself.

Don't worry about it.

---

The following weeks passed by as smoothly as a trainwreck.

Tension in the city was at its peak, with news media coverage constantly speculating about the terrorists' next move, while the number of people going missing kept rising. Several protests and riots even broke out in the mainland over the safety of Anima City's small human population. Years of hard work to bring humans and beastmen closer together were crumbling down before everyone's eyes.

Unsurprisingly, Mayor Rose was quickly overwhelmed and backed into a corner. People both in Anima City and the mainland criticized her ability to manage the situation as resources were directed to the rebuilding of the Police Station, yet investigations showed little to no progress. To make matters worse, with the high risk of her being among the BLF's next targets, Mayor Rose was forced to stay away from public settings and reinforced her security even further. Any announcements were far and few in between, always done through TV screens from the safety of her office rather than press conferences or proper interviews.

Unfortunately, hiding behind walls only increased the distance between the mayor and her panicking citizens. After all, if even Barbara was afraid of the terrorists' next move, how was everyone else supposed to feel safe?

And as morale took a nosedive, aggression started to boil among the citizens like the contents of a whistling kettle. Beastmen would suddenly morph and burst into fights in the middle of the streets at the slightest disagreement, vandalism and violent crimes were on the rise as well. What was once a haven for all beastmen now seemed like an inescapable trap.

In the middle of all this was Shirou, who had been keeping a low profile since awakening from his healing slumber. Given how the BLF likely believed he had been killed in the last bombing, both he and Barbara agreed playing dead would be wise. Now he settled for observing questionable activities from a distance, sneaking in the shadows of buildings and rooftops while relying on allies such as Marie to make direct contact with suspects. It was tricky, but manageable.

Strangely, however, the chaotic state of Anima City wasn't the biggest concern in his mind. If anything, Shirou was gradually finding it increasingly difficult to focus on his investigative tasks as a special agent. Whenever he tried to follow a track or use his intuitive thinking, his thoughts would scatter all over the place like vermin scurrying away from the light.

All thoughts except one, that is.

Michiru.

Ever since that heavy conversation with Melissa, her words had been haunting Shirou like relentless ghosts. They poked and prodded him when he least expected, infecting his troubled mind with countless insecurities. No matter how hard he reassured himself there was nothing to worry about, that he was merely overreacting over nothing… a little voice in his ears would always whisper a taunting "are you sure?".

These recurring moments of weakness deeply disturbed Shirou. He had always seen himself as a person of unshakeable willpower. His stubbornness and hardened spirit were nothing short of impressive… and yet, somehow, they were slowly crumbling away under the weight of his own self-doubts. Which, of all things, revolved around his feelings towards a certain pesky tanuki.

Not that said tanuki was making this situation any easier for Shirou.

Although Michiru was beyond glad to see him awake and well once again, she was still shaken by the police station bombing and its subsequent impact on Anima City. Any support from Nazuna and the Horners did little to soothe the fresh batch of nightmares that came to plague her sleep, resulting in Shirou becoming a glorified plush toy for her to hug fiercely every night.

In any other circumstance, he wouldn't have minded that so much. By now, Shirou had become more than used to their nightly cuddles and admittedly even caught himself yearning for them at times. However, his conversation with Melissa had given him a new perspective on the whole ordeal, one that kept tugging at his heartstrings every time Michiru buried her face in his neck, hugged his body tightly against hers, combed her fingers through his fur, kissed him on the cheek…

"Have you ever considered the possibility she might have feelings for you?"

Ideas were dangerous little things. They had a way to wiggle into one's mind and spread like the most contagious of viruses, corrupting everything they touched until, inevitably, it was impossible to think of anything but them. Even a godly being like Shirou wasn't safe from their infectious influence.

As such, restless nights had become a recurring pattern. He would often lay wide awake on the closet cot with Michiru entangled in his arms, far too aware of her every movement as she pressed herself to his chest. Sometimes she whimpered Shirou's name and closed her fists in his fur, as if afraid he would disappear at any moment. He couldn't help but wonder what she was seeing in her dreams. Whether she was simply traumatized by his absence or felt… something more.

The possibility alone made Shirou all the more conflicted about his own feelings, especially because, to his own dismay, he kept catching himself wishing those assumptions to be true.

It was that creeping warmth again, always nestling deep within his ribcage and making his body ache with something Shirou could only describe as a maddening, unquenchable craving. Oddly enough, it seemed to come to a rest as soon as it met Michiru's soothing company. He had once compared it to the sensations of withdrawal, but then quickly scolded himself for the implications of such a thought.

No. It was out of the question. Shirou could not have feelings for Michiru.

That had become the mantra he would tell himself every night, all while staring longingly at the girl's sleeping features. At times, a sudden urge would drive Shirou's hand to hover just above her cheek, tempted to cup and stroke it fondly.

Just like he had done when they nearly kissed by the campfire.

Memories soon became his worst enemies. They would dig up countless moments of tenderness between Shirou and Michiru as counterproof to his neverending denial, ranging from a friendly exchange of smiles to outright intimate situations anyone would consider far from platonic. The hardened husk encasing his fragile heart was chipped by each memory raining upon it, but Shirou still persisted. No matter how much his head hurt from the stress, no matter how much his chest ached with conflicting feelings, no matter how tired he felt from all the sleepless nights… he refused to buckle under pressure from his own treacherous mind. Shirou was better than that. It was all just a matter of ignoring those foolish ideas long enough for them to leave him alone, like he had been doing for literal centuries.

However, something was wrong. The repressed feelings grew wilder, furious. Like magnets, they attracted each other and agglomerated with Shirou's deepest insecurities, becoming ravenous beasts that clawed and gnawed at his defenses in a constant fit of rage. The longer they were pushed aside, the fiercer they turned.

Until, finally, one of them breached the worn shield and lanced through his very core in a flash of lightning.

The warmth was gone, leaving only a tortuous sense of emptiness behind. Its ominous chill swept Shirou under a thick veil of dread and anxiety as he suddenly found himself peering down a gaping abyss. There was no bottom in sight, only an endless darkness that throbbed with rhythmic thumps. Heartbeats.

A ghoulish groan coming from behind made him whip his body around with a startled jump. Before his eyes, the shadowy essence of his inner beast writhed in a shapeless cloud, giving him little glimpses of teeth, claws and eyes in chaotic wisps. Its menacing presence turned the air foul with the stench of fear, for Shirou knew there was nowhere to go this time. No way to escape the crushing reality of his own self. No way to deny the feelings that had been simmering for so long. He could only brace himself for the emotional beating that was to come.

But nothing would have prepared Shirou for the horror that came next.

The amorphous being pulsated and squirmed further, gradually solidifying into a humanoid shape. Its bleak, smoky form gave way to silken white garbs and scarlet fur. Wispy tendrils turned into long locks of hair dancing to a nonexistent wind, their rich red color resembling lively flames. Once blown aside, they revealed the beautiful face of a young wolfess. A face that had fueled far too many nightmares throughout Shirou's lengthy life.

Foolish little wolf.

She flashed a sickeningly sweet grin that made Shirou viscerally recoil in terror. He wanted to do nothing more than turning around and clawing his way out of that place, but his body wouldn't move. It felt cold and lifeless, like a corpse left to rot under the elements. His visible distress only seemed to amuse the girl further.

How long did you think you could keep this up, Abiyad?

The abyss behind grew wider and darker, a yawning maw ready to swallow him whole. Those ominous, thundering heartbeats from deep within became increasingly louder the closer the wolfess drifted in Shirou's direction, until each thump shook his insides into mush.

Although her gossamer gown floated about with angelical elegance, the girl's ruby eyes displayed a dangerous spark that could very well belong in the deepest corners of Hell. A delicate hand stretched out to gently stroke Shirou's cheek. Short, but sharp claws prickled his skin, followed by a harrowing whisper that slithered inside his ear like a venomous serpent.

History is bound to repeat itself, you know? Tell me…

The hand on his cheek moved away and trailed down his throat, raking those freezing cold claws over Shirou's sensitive scar in a way that sent dreadful shivers down his whole body. Her touch felt revolting, if not outright cursed, just like that uncanny smile marring her muzzle. He needed to get away.

… are you ready to ruin another girl's life?

With the flick of a wrist, the gentle hand suddenly shoved his chest with enough force to knock the wind out of his lungs. The grin on her lips became sinister as she watched Shirou helplessly plummet down the gaping abyss.

The fall was horrifying. His body still felt limp and lifeless, tumbling heavily in the chasm's neverending darkness for what may have been minutes… perhaps hours. As panic engulfed Shirou's very being, he opened his mouth to scream over and over again, yet nothing came out. The only sound in the shadows was the howling wind rushing through his ears.

Over time, however, said howl slowly split into thousands of wailing voices, a haunting chorus of pain and misery that mercilessly attacked Shirou's senses. They deafened his thoughts and worsened his disoriented state. Somehow, the shadows surrounding his falling form were turning an eerie shade of crimson as well…

Until, finally, his continual freefall came to an abrupt halt when a piercing ache exploded in his chest.

Shirou cried out, suddenly finding himself able to move again as he immediately brought both hands to the source of his pain… only to find himself touching a wooden rod that jutted out of his torso. Shocked, his eyes shot wide open and stared in disbelief at the long spear currently pinning his body to the ground. Blood and grit painted his once white fur a sickly maroon all over. In the background, he could hear the ever-ominous sounds of swords slicing through flesh, followed by lamenting cries of the fallen.

Oh no.

Shirou felt his insides twist grimly in realization. He knew this place.

Around him, the whole landscape had been soiled red with the blood of countless bodies. Some unmoving, some still moaning and gurgling in agony. Children cried over their mauled parents while holding their own spilling entrails in hands. Spouses hugged their mate's lifeless body right before being beheaded themselves. People slipping on the blood and gore of their fellow beastmen as they desperately tried to escape, all in vain. Pursuing soldiers would simply lance the escapees with spears like servants of Death itself.

Shirou's pupils shrunk into pinholes. He gripped the rod impaling his chest and tried his hardest to move it out, but it wouldn't budge. All he accomplished was another explosion of red-hot pain and several squirts of blood from his wounded heart. His cries of agony fell onto deaf ears, for they joined thousands more as the humans kept slaughtering the helpless innocents. Shirou might as well have been invisible to those wicked murderers.

Shirou.

His lungs tightened achingly, forcing him to cough out blood the more he struggled with the unmovable weapon. Still, Shirou gritted his teeth and ignored the coppery stench flooding his nostrils. He had to get back up. He had to save them!

Shirou!

More cries. This time from a young ram who had just tripped on a corpse and fallen to his knees. It was a boy Shirou knew well from his childhood days. Several arrows lining his back had already sentenced him to a painful, torturous death, but the soldier behind him didn't seem interested in ending the poor boy's suffering. Instead, he merely stood back and watched him crawl in Shirou's direction. His face a twisted visage of utter disgust.

Shirou!

The ram stared into Shirou's eyes pleadingly, red liquid foaming in his mouth and nose with every labored breath. By now, the wolf's struggles had grown erratic. Rather than tugging at the spear, he was clawing desperately at the flesh surrounding it with his bare claws. The pain didn't matter. The blood didn't matter. If he was fast enough, he could still save them!

"SHIROU!"

Shirou jolted awake with a strangled gasp. His gaze was wild and unhinged, no different from a panicking animal cornered in a slaughterhouse. A pulsating red haze obscured his vision and made it even harder to make sense of his surroundings, as they were little more than shadowed blurs. At the same time, his chest ached and burned horribly, with each breath setting his nerves ablaze all the way to his fingertips.

To make matters worse, though, Shirou quickly realized he couldn't move. Something was pinning his body to the ground and holding his wrists with a grip of steel. Distraught, he pulled against the tight clutch, growing more frustrated when, just like the spear, it refused to budge. Shirou's muzzle twisted into a snarl, ears pressed flat against his skull as he kept squirming and growling. A frenzied mix of survival instincts boiled in his veins, all but turning him feral on the spot.

"Shirou, please… stop."

Somehow, that soft, frail voice snapped Shirou out of his agitated state.

It was as if a spell had been lifted away with the gentlest of commands, unclouding his mind and gradually allowing it to process his current situation without the ever-so-persuasive haze of fear. As his pupils relaxed and expanded, the blurry shadows of his surroundings morphed into a much clearer picture. A dark room full of piled boxes, furniture and file cabinets.

And when he looked up, Shirou's olive eyes locked onto glimmering teal gems.

Michiru looked nothing short of distressed. She had trapped Shirou's torso between her knees and shakingly held his wrists in the air, chest heaving deeply with each strained breath. Her disheveled hair and sweating brows would have convinced anyone she had just ran a marathon, but judging from the loose pajama top and shorts she was wearing, Shirou knew that wasn't the case.

A strange blue glow bathed upon her face. He wasn't sure where it was coming from, but it only emphasized the raw concern etched on those features. Her clenched teeth, furrowed grimace, trembling lip and… were those tears edging Michiru's eyes? They glittered in the glow like little diamonds.

As his senses became sharper, he also grew increasingly aware of the hardwood floor his back was pressed against while a perfectly fine cot stood right next to them. Had they fallen off the bed?

"… Michiru?"

The girl's body visibly slumped at the mention of her name, finally able to relax after being tense for what felt like an eternity. "Thank goodness." She breathed in relief. "You're back."

Back?

Shirou's gaze moved to his hands, which were still held firmly in the girl's own. He suddenly noticed how both his and Michiru's arms seemed covered in a dark substance. It was hard to tell its color under that blue light flickering between them, but it soaked and clumped their fur with liquid warmth. It felt off-putting, to say the least.

And then he caught the smell.

His eyes grew wide again. It was the same coppery stench that plagued his nightmare just moments ago, the damning scent of death itself. Blood.

Shirou instinctively jolted up in a fit of panic, but Michiru was fast. She tightened her legs around his torso and shoved his wrists on the floor beneath, pinning him further to the ground with a strained grimace. When he tried to move his legs, Shirou quickly realized they were firmly bound together by something thick and leathery… a reptilian tail?

"Easy, easy…" She spoke in the softest voice she could muster, like a mother soothing her startled child back to sleep. Although it didn't fully calm Shirou down, it at least stilled his struggles once more. "It's ok, Shirou. You're safe. We are safe."

The blue glow was much brighter now, enough to coat Michiru's whole upper body. It unveiled more of those horrid stains splattered all over on her clothes and fur. Shirou found it hard not to stare as his mind raced to explain the situation at hand. An uncomfortable, feverish heat blooming under his skin muddled his thoughts all the more.

"Hey." Michiru moved a hand away from his to gently cup his cheek, turning Shirou's face away from the bloody sight and trapping his eyes in hers. Unlike the red wolfess's touch, Michiru's felt warm and comforting. "Look at me, ok? Everything is alright."

For a while, Shirou stared wordlessly with a conflicted expression on his features. Far too many questions still buzzed in his head, and the ghastly flashes from his nightmare only made it harder to focus. Michiru was persistent, though. Every time she saw Shirou's gaze stray away under a haze of unease, she would gently caress his cheek to draw his attention back.

Neither of them was sure how long they stayed like that, but Shirou soon found himself leaning into her palm. The repeating patterns of Michiru's fingers on his burning skin sent his mind into a lulling trance, as if her very touch drained away Shirou's turmoil little by little.

Even with her soothing motions, however, one concern still clawed at the back of his skull.

"… are you hurt?" His voice was all but a whisper, laced with hints of fear and guilt. Having just relived the horrors of his past, Shirou couldn't help but dread the worst after seeing Michiru's fur soaked in fresh blood.

The hand on his cheek drew to a halt, and Michiru's body stiffened above Shirou's. Her eyes, once warm and welcoming, now carried a bleak look in their depths.

"I'm fine." The fact she hadn't denied his assumption didn't go unnoticed by the wolfman. "This blood… it's not mine, Shirou."

He frowned. Not hers?

While he pondered over her words, Michiru took a moment to search for more signs of distress and panic in his visage. Upon finding none, she let out a little sigh and reared back, carefully uncoiling her tail from his legs as she shuffled to the side. Shirou didn't take long to understand that as a silent request for him to sit up.

But as soon as he attempted to lean upwards, his chest burst in waves of searing pain.

The wind was knocked out of his lungs in the form of a stifled cry. Shirou might as well have been punched by déjà vu itself as his hands flew to his aching core, expecting to meet the cold, unrelenting rod of a spear which had sealed his fate so long ago. Instead, however, his fingers found a soggy mess of flesh and fur. A sickening texture that made his stomach drop all the way to his feet.

"Careful!" Michiru was quick to hold Shirou before he could drop back to the floor, but he barely paid attention to her at all, too busy staring down at himself in horror.

His whole torso was marred by deep, gruesome crisscrossing gashes that resembled claw marks from an enraged beast. They overlapped and clustered into a gaping wound right above his heart, bleeding freely with each aching breath. It was impressive how Shirou hadn't felt any of that earlier… but then again, the panic-induced adrenaline could numb even the worst of pains. Only now had he composed himself enough to be aware of his own body.

It was then he also realized where the strange blue glow was coming from.

The black leather collar Shirou always wore on his neck was crooked in a way that fully exposed his scar. It shone and throbbed with raw energy, growing even brighter as the wolf's distress intensified. A faint sizzling noise indicated the sheer heat emanating from the rough skin. No wonder Shirou felt so feverish.

"You were whimpering and clawing at yourself." Michiru's voice snapped his attention back to her grim features. Eyes dulled behind a veil of concern. "I kept calling your name and trying to hold your hands still, but you wouldn't wake up. You just fought back even harder until we ended up on the floor." She touched her arm with a troubled look, and Shirou suddenly noticed several claw marks parting the fur of her shoulder and biceps. They weren't deep enough to be a concern, but he still felt an overwhelming pang of guilt at the sight. "I… I've seen you have night terrors before, Shirou, but never something like this."

Shirou gulped dryly. He was no stranger to such violent episodes, but it had been years since his last one… and far too long since someone else got to witness it. Until now, only Barbara had been in this position.

"I'm sorry, Michiru. You shouldn't have seen that." He sighed and looked down at his hands. His nails were long and curved, resembling menacing talons rather than the simple sharp claws he had grown used to. Perfect for slashing and tearing into flesh.

Frowning, Shirou closed his fists and tried to push himself up, which only resulted in more pain rushing into his veins. He hissed through gritted teeth, the glowing scar on his neck flickering ominously once more.

A hand on his shoulder gently stopped Shirou from pushing himself any further. "Don't. You'll only make it worse."

"It's not a big deal. I will heal up soon enough."

"And until then, you should stay still." Her sharp tone made it beyond clear that Michiru was far from amused by his stubbornness. "You're bleeding, Shirou. The last thing I need is watching you collapse and then worrying myself sick for another two weeks."

Shirou pressed his lips shut. The thought of putting Michiru through that again made him inwardly wince.

She took his silence as compliance and carefully nudged her friend, helping Shirou scoot towards the cot until his back rested against it. The cool touch of metal on his hot skin made Shirou's pelt ripple and shudder, followed by an uncomfortable grunt. Being shirtless brought him no relief from the heat simmering deep within his wounds.

"You're burning up." Michiru tenderly pressed the back of her hand on his forehead, grimacing. She had witnessed Shirou go through a similar phenomenon before, particularly after experiencing intense distress or anger. It wasn't surprising, given his Silver Wolf powers… but Michiru still found it concerning. She had never seen his scar light up just from a nightmare. Besides, his temperature seemed to be rising instead of going down, especially near his gashes.

"Happens." He said curtly. "Don't worry about it."

Her grimace twisted into a disapproving scowl. "Stay here, I will go grab something to help."

She swiftly jumped to her feet and rushed towards the door. Shirou raised a hand, opening his mouth to protest and insist he didn't need her assistance, but a sharp sting from his aching wounds stopped any words from leaving his mouth. Michiru had already vanished from sight a second later.

Even Shirou's own body was scolding him, it seemed.

Peeved, he looked down at himself and inspected the full extent of his injuries under the blue glow of his scar. Indeed, he was still bleeding heavily. Every time Shirou's chest rose with a shaky, pained breath, the crimson streaks dying his fur would thicken and pool around the rim of his sweatpants, saturating the soft fabric in ways that would certainly be a pain to wash off later. There was a small puddle forming by his hip as well.

Shirou wasn't concerned, however. He could already feel the edges of his mangled flesh grow numb with a warm, tingling sensation, a sign his healing factor was kicking in. It felt slower than usual, but then again, going through such a horrible experience had taken a toll on him both physically and mentally. Shirou still found himself struggling to fully grasp on his surroundings, his mind a bit foggy from remaining fragments of the nightmare. At times, the darkness would even tease him with glimpses of familiar ruby eyes.

Such things only served to make Shirou increasingly restless. He felt as if he was sitting in the bottom of that harrowing abyss, enveloped by dancing shadows that suffocated his senses and mocked his confused state. The longer he stared at the door, the more tempted he felt to leave the room regardless of Michiru's wishes. A shower would be really appreciated to cleanse him of all the blood and unwanted thoughts.

Thankfully, though, it didn't take much longer for Michiru to return. Nearby steps made Shirou's ears flick towards the door, and he looked up just in time to see the tanuki push it open with her hip. She carried a bunch of towels in one hand and a heavy bucket in the other. A light smile graced her lips upon finding Shirou still in the same spot as before.

Something about that grin offered him relief from the relentless shadows of fear, and Shirou couldn't help but silently compare it to the red wolfess's accursed simper. The differences were night and day.

"Alright..." Michiru kneeled by his side and placed the bucket down. The sounds of sloshing water tickled Shirou's ears as she gently dipped one of the towels inside, then proceeded to wring it several times. "I'll need you to stay still for me, ok?" He raised a questioning eyebrow at her request, but chose against saying anything. The calm look in his observant eyes was all the permission Michiru needed.

She wrung the towel one more time and shuffled closer to the wolfman's sitting form, pausing for a moment to take another close look at his wounded torso. A pleased expression washed over Michiru's features when she spotted the first visible signs of healing. The edges of Shirou's torn skin were lined by a soft, glimmering blue light. It moved and expanded across his chest as if alive, somewhat resembling smoldering paper. Unlike a destructive blaze, however, the strange glow seemed to leave healthy new tissue in its wake. Michiru found the sight surprisingly mesmerizing.

Even with his healing factor now active, though, Shirou's body was still soiled with blood and incredibly hot to the touch. In fact, the constant heat had dried most of the red substance by now, leaving his fur caked in a mix of crusty and damp textures that made Michiru grimace.

With all this in mind, she shot her friend another fleeting look full of hesitation. Her next move was bold, to say the least. Michiru hastily threw a leg over Shirou's and straddled his lap, which caught him completely off-guard judging from the way his eyes shot wide open. Before he could say a word, though, his vision turned red with a sharp spike of pain.

Michiru had pressed the cold cloth on his oversensitive, exposed flesh. That previous tingling sensation had suddenly transformed into countless frigid needles raining upon Shirou's nerve endings. Such a thermic shock made him jolt up violently and seethe out a canine yip. "What the hell, Michiru?"

"Sorry!" She offered him an apologetic look, both ears drooping sheepishly as she gently started wiping his injuries. "I wanted to get this over with fast."

"What's even the point of this, anyway?" Shirou growled begrudgingly. "I'm already healing, damnit!"

"It will be faster if I clean up all this gunk. Besides, you really could use something to bring that temperature down… your scar doesn't look too good."

As if on cue, the scar grew brighter and fizzled even more. Shirou was quick to grab his crooked collar and yank it over the offending mark with a huff. "Then just let me have a shower instead."

Scoffing, Michiru eyed the pooled blood on the floor and wrinkled her snout. "I don't know about you, but I really doubt the Horners would appreciate having blood splattered all the way to the bathroom."

Shirou pinned his ears back and narrowed his eyes into a disgruntled glare. He couldn't disagree with her, though. Melissa and Gem had already witnessed Michiru bring him in a horribly mauled state, and seeing blood staining their house yet again would be another scare they didn't deserve. The very least he should do was to let Michiru clean him up until his body had regenerated properly.

Sighing deeply, Shirou leaned back and tried his hardest to ignore the stinging ache following each stroke of her towel. They pricked his tender skin like sharp little claws running up and down, rendering his whole body as stiff as steel. It didn't help that his current fever had begun to give him a headache, either.

Even though he was obviously still tense, Michiru was glad to see Shirou finally relent and let her take care of him. Having such a responsibility brought a warm sense of pride to her bosom and a smile to her lips. It was a feeling that greatly contrasted the harsh helplessness she had experienced back when Shirou was unconscious.

"Here." After grabbing another towel, Michiru reached for Shirou's right hand and brought it to his midriff, where a particularly deep gash persisted in bleeding. She carefully covered it with the cloth and then pushed his hand on top. "Keep pressing this, will you?"

Shirou showed the girl no resistance and simply nodded once. The blood flow had become much thinner by now, but it was still significant enough to be a concern. The sooner they stemmed it, the better.

The next couple minutes dragged on for way longer than they should. Michiru continued washing off the clumps of dried clots stuck to his fur and flesh, and as newly formed scabs were ripped off, the exposed injuries burned in feverish, prickly throbs. Now and then Shirou's silence would be interrupted by a low hiss or grunt under his breath, to which Michiru reacted with quiet apologies. The genuine guilt in her voice mellowed his heart a bit… it was obvious she hated being the one to cause him pain.

Thankfully, whenever Michiru had to scrub off a stubborn scab more fiercely, she would immediately follow with very gentle strokes on the surrounding pelt, allowing its cool touch to give Shirou's sore skin some relief. The refreshing sensation slowly grew on him as it soaked his fur and stifled the bothersome heat.

Michiru's ears perked up when Shirou's pained breaths eventually turned into deep, relaxed sighs. The slashes she had just finished cleaning were already almost fully swallowed by a healing glow, and regenerating skin soon dulled his discomfort to a tingling numbness he gladly welcomed. Indeed, it seemed Shirou's healing factor acted much faster without debris on the way.

"Much better, isn't it?" She spoke softly, then grinned in amusement when Shirou looked away with a low grumble. His abashed response only boosted the pride simmering deep within Michiru's chest.

She had to change the towels several times as they became saturated in blood, and even after getting rid of all the crimson grime caked in Shirou's furry coat, Michiru simply continued stroking it with damp cloths to keep his temperature at bay. It was a matter of minutes for the abdominal bleeding to come to a full stop as well, which she was relieved to notice.

The circular motions of her palm on Shirou's chest were incredibly soothing… but soon enough, a pestering thought invaded his brain. It drew his attention away from peaceful reveries and towards the girl still caring for his closing wounds. Michiru was humming an unknown tune to herself, brows creased into a focused expression while she carefully wiped around one of the glowing cuts. Her dedication to the task at hand was palpable and, yet again, Shirou found himself astonished by Michiru's kindness.

Instead of fretting upon witnessing her friend go through such a horrifying episode, she went out of her way to make Shirou calm and comfortable. Michiru even kept him grounded when he nearly slipped back to a panicked state...

It reminded the wolfman of an incident at the hospital a good while ago. Back when he watched Michiru experience a panic attack and was quick to bring her back to reality, then hugged her tight until the anesthetics finally kicked in.

How the tables had turned.

"Is something wrong?"

Michiru's voice snapped Shirou out of his thoughts. She was tilting her head questioningly with a puzzled glint in her eyes, and it didn't take much brainpower for him to realize he had been caught staring.

"Sorry." Shirou awkwardly cleared his throat. "I was just… thinking."

She gave him a curious look, but didn't press on the matter. Instead, Michiru chose to lean back and take a good look at Shirou's torso as if admiring the fruits of her hard work. The slashes were nearly done healing, having become little more than thin, glowing lines scattered across his chest and abdomen. Amusingly enough, Michiru couldn't help but see those as squiggles drawn by a child with a glow-in-the-dark marker, which brought a little smile to her lips.

She gave his fur several more wipes to get rid of the remaining red stains and finished by patting his chest, a gesture that fluctuated between childish and patronizing. Irked, Shirou lightly wrinkled his snout in response.

"This should do." Michiru had a pleased glint in her eyes as she wrung the towel over the bucket. Shirou, however, didn't look so amused.

"Could you get off me, then?" He deadpanned. "My legs are going numb."

"Hey!" Her tail twitched back and forth in annoyance. "I'm not that heavy!"

"My legs beg to differ." Rolling his eyes, Shirou moved his hands to her waist and gently pushed her up. "Now move."

An indignant huff left her nostrils before Michiru slowly slid off his lap. Shirou quickly tried to get up, but his body felt very stiff after sitting on the hardwood floor for so long. It took some effort to properly push himself up and stretch the sore, freshly healed muscles, all while Michiru busied herself with taking the towels and bucket to the nearest bathroom.

She emptied the maroon water into the toilet and left the bucket in a corner with the dirty cloths inside, making a mental note to take care of those next morning. A quick look at the mirror made Michiru's face twist into a disgusted grimace. Blood still stained her arms all the way to her elbows, its drying shades of brown gradually blending in with her own fur color. Thin cuts stretching across her shoulders, arms and neck would make anyone think she had just lost a battle to a feral beast.

Michiru took a deep breath and shook her head. She would rather not stare at her grisly reflection any longer. It reminded her far too closely to the gruesome scenes she often experienced in her sleep, and that was the last place her mind needed to be right now. She grabbed the last clean towel, soaked it under the tap and worked on scrubbing and rinsing as much blood off her fur as possible.

By the time she returned to the room, Shirou had already moved back onto the cot and made himself comfortable. He was sprawled across the mattress with closed eyes and both arms folded beneath his head, seemingly calm as his chest lazily rose and fell to a rhythm only he could hear. Whatever scratches had remained on his pelt were all gone at this point, and if Michiru didn't know better, she would never guess Shirou had been horribly injured mere minutes ago.

But the peaceful façade couldn't fool the tanuki's keen eyes. She easily spotted creasing wrinkles on Shirou's brows and snout, plus the way his steady breathing would be interrupted by a deep, ragged intake of air now and then. It wouldn't surprise her if his hands were clenching and unclenching under his mane as well. Suspicious, Michiru slowly made her way towards him and sat down on her side of the bed, teal eyes meeting stoic olive ones as soon as Shirou felt the soft mattress sink.

His gaze, usually piercing and hardened by a long history of mistrust, resembled a lost child's. They were confused and charged with emotions far too tangled to discern, likely still struggling to digest the events of the past hour or so. After all, being dragged out of a horrific nightmare, then washed in cold water right after would have left anyone a little stunned.

A hint of movement suddenly drew his gaze downwards. Michiru had brought the wet towel along and was still wiping her fingers with it, absentmindedly cleaning the blood stuck to corners of her nails. That brought Shirou's attention to the red stains that remained on her clothes and patches of fur.

Are you ready to ruin another girl's life?

Chills ran down his spine all the way to the tip of his tail. That voice again.

In the blink of an eye, Michiru's form had been replaced with the lithe red wolfess from his dreams. This time, however, the flowing white silks that framed her body were shredded and coated in layers of aged blood. Her eyes, once sweet and pure, now looked as dull as a corpse's… and yet that sinister smile still clung to her lips. Those pale, blue tinted lips.

Like the standard of death, a longsword blade protruded from her chest. It looked worn by countless battles, possibly having fed on the blood of innocent beastmen… but a single glance at the wolfess' lifeless eyes told Shirou she wasn't necessarily innocent. A small flame of hatred burned deep within their sockets, its presence so intense and poisonous, it had been clutching Shirou's heart with talons of steel for nearly seven centuries.

"Shirou?"

Another blink and the wolfess was gone. It was Michiru who stared back with concern written all over her face.

Her eyes were fixated on Shirou's collar. An intense blue glow bled around the edges of the black leather, making the surrounding air pulsate and ripple under the constant heat emanating off the scar beneath. Michiru frowned, she thought the glow had faded away shortly after Shirou covered it up and cooled down. If anything, now his neck looked hotter than ever.

Maybe there was something still troubling her friend, and he simply didn't want to address it.

Michiru rolled her eyes. Knowing Shirou, that sounded about right.

"Hey, Shirou..." She spoke in a slow, gentle voice. Shirou's body language and alert expression reminded her of a startled deer in the headlights, and Michiru knew she would have to tread carefully around the upcoming subject. "May I take a look at your scar?"

Shirou's brows furrowed into an uneasy scowl, his body growing tense as alarm bells went off in his mind. "That won't be necessary." He said gruffly.

"But I can feel the heat from here." Michiru huffed insistently. "There's no way that feels comfortable."

A low growl bubbled in Shirou's chest. "Just leave it alone. It will go back to normal on its own." After flashing Michiru a warning glare that could very well wilt any nearby plants, he rolled over so his back faced her like a solid, imposing wall between the tanuki and his troublesome feelings. Clearly, it was a silent demand to let the topic die and give him space.

Michiru refused to let this go so easily, though. She pulled herself further onto the bed and roughly yanked on Shirou's shoulder, turning him on his back again before he could even blink. When he opened his mouth to tell her off, she pressed a hand on his chest to pin the stubborn male in place. "I want to help you, Shirou. Is that too much to ask?"

The sheer frustration in her voice made Shirou's throat tighten a little. He knew how deeply she cared for him and didn't want to hurt her feelings, but his lone wolf nature made it difficult to trust anyone with his most vulnerable, sensitive spot… even Michiru. That scar was a reminder of his neverending curse, a mark branded on his skin with the blood of countless innocents. He often hid it from sight not only to avoid prying eyes, but also out of respect to everyone who had succumbed under its wrath throughout the centuries. In a way, Shirou couldn't help but wonder if touching it would corrupt Michiru's kind soul.

It was then a question arose from the depths of his mind. One that had been plaguing Shirou's conscience for a long time, in fact. Before he knew it, the words had already slipped from his lips.

"Why do you care?"

Michiru blinked, suddenly confused. "What?"

"You know very well I can't die." He stated matter-of-factly. "But you still worry about my wellbeing regardless... why?"

At first, Michiru's only reaction was a wide-eyed, dumbfounded stare, as if someone had just stunned her with a punch. As her brain properly took in each word, however, her features soon twisted into an incredulous grimace.

"You fucking moron!" The profane snarl made Shirou jump a little. He hadn't expected Michiru to react so angrily, and the sudden mood shift was only exacerbated when she raised a hand to repeatedly jab a finger on his chest. "You have no idea, do you? You may be immortal, but that doesn't make it any easier to watch you getting hurt. That's the whole reason why I started sleeping with you, goddamnit!"

Now that caught him off guard.

It was Shirou's turn to stare dumbfoundedly at his friend. His head quickly became a messy paradox, having been rendered blank by such a statement while also raising a million new questions surrounding it. He opened and closed his mouth, unsure what to say nor ask, until a single word rolled off his tongue.

"How?"

Michiru's irate visage immediately softened into a somber, hesitant look. She bit her lower lip and looked down, silently debating whether to spill out one of her deepest secrets. A truth so hurtful, she never dared to put into words neither spoken nor written. It was always pushed aside in foolish hopes it would simply vanish, only to have it return repeatedly in her most vulnerable moments.

For the longest time, Michiru had promised herself never to burden Shirou with such a thing. After all, her ludicrous heartaches and insecurities were her own to carry… but now, having just glimpsed a glimmer of genuine concern in his eyes, she came to realize how hypocritical that was. She was behaving exactly like Shirou, playing the role of a lone wolf she despised so much rather than helping him understand her feelings…

Maybe it would be best to address the source of her nightly afflictions once and for all.

"You don't know what it was like." She started in a frail, whispering voice that made Shirou's ears perk up. "Remember that time we fell off a building together? You hugged me tight and took the brunt of the fall for me. I could hear and feel your bones breaking with each hit." She flinched at the memory and leaned away from him, bringing both hands up to hug herself. "Then when we fought Yaba at the harbor, I watched him beat you into a pulp. There was blood and guts everywhere, some even splattered on me…" Her brows furrowed into a sickened expression. "I couldn't bear wearing my jacket for weeks after that, or anything red for that matter. It always reminded me of the blood. I even avoided meat like the plague because it made me nauseous, too."

Sighing shakingly, the tanuki gave Shirou a look of unbridled sorrow and pain, which made his skin prickle with a protective urge. He wanted to comfort her, maybe even pull her close for a hug, as strange as that sounded coming from him… but the most he could do was raising a hand to gently rub Michiru's arm.

She seemed to appreciate his gesture, judging from the way she placed her hand atop his.

"There were more incidents like those and every single time, you just brushed them off and expected me to be fine. Well, I'm not fine, Shirou." Michiru's voice cracked, her hand now gripping his in a tight fist. "It doesn't matter if you're immortal, I still saw you get mauled in ways nobody else would survive from. I keep reliving those horrific things in my nightmares, I see you being ripped apart and then put together over and over again." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I see myself covered in your blood, how can you expect me to not care?!"

The silence that followed trampled Shirou's mind into mush. He didn't know what to say… what to think. Throughout his life, he had always prioritized the bigger picture: his divine duty towards beastmankind. As such, he often forgot about the impact of his actions on a smaller scale and how much he could affect beastmen as individuals rather than a whole race. Juggling relationships had been pushed so far back in his head, it became little more than white noise. It wasn't something worth pursuing, he would tell himself. Any exceptions were purely incidental.

And Michiru was one of said exceptions. Seeing her so upset as a result of his actions made his heart ache, especially after they had grown so close. How could he pride himself in shielding her from nightmares when he was the one who kept feeding those dreadful beasts?

His pale green eyes mellowed with remorse. Never before had he felt so selfish.

Still not saying a word, Shirou turned his hand within Michiru's to gently grip her wrist, then tugged on it ever-so-slowly. Michiru shot him a questioning look, but realization quickly shone in her irises as the wolfman hesitantly brought her hand towards his collar.

The air around it felt hot in a strange, unnatural way, making the fur on her arms bristle a little with what she could best describe as pulsing static. Its steady waves matched the flickering patterns of the glow and, surprisingly, Michiru's own heartbeat gradually followed the rhythm. Whether that felt soothing or unnerving, she couldn't decide.

Her eyes met his in a last request for permission before Michiru's fingers finally met leather, and Shirou's hand released hers to explore freely. The collar was very hot, but not enough to burn her pads… yet. Frowning, she grabbed the damp towel left on her lap and carefully wrapped it around her fingers to safely undo the much hotter metal buckles. It was an awkward ordeal that took way more fiddling than both Michiru and Shirou would have liked.

A metallic click and the canid accessory finally came loose. Michiru gently pried it away, dropping it on the floor before taking a long, concerned look at the state of Shirou's scar. It fizzled as if hissing angrily at her, its light now bright enough to make Michiru's eyes ache. Deep inside, she found it mesmerizing to peek into Shirou's powerful core.

Her touch was gentle once she pressed the wet cloth on top of the long-healed wound. Moisture met heated skin with a much louder fizzle, obscuring the blinding light and drawing an uncomfortable grunt from Shirou's lips. Michiru's ears perked up at the sound.

"Does it hurt?" She asked softly.

Although that seemed like a simple, straightforward question, Shirou could tell it was loaded with hidden nuances. She wasn't only asking if his scar hurt in a literal sense, but rather the burden it carried.

"… sometimes." His voice was quiet and rocky, making it obvious he was carefully weighing his words.

Nodding, Michiru all but draped her body over his while wiping the scar in slow, soothing motions. Small puffs of steam arose from the contact point, each time becoming thinner as the area gradually cooled down.

"I'm sorry for blowing up on you like that." She eventually mumbled. "I… I guess this has been building up for a while."

Shirou simply shook his head. "Don't apologize. I should have been more considerate." He closed his eyes with a long sigh. "Look… I'm really not good at this, Michiru. You know, being open and such. I… don't do emotions well."

Michiru raised an eyebrow and closely observed his conflicted expression. What Shirou had just said was far from news to her, but she did find it surprising to see him acknowledge such a struggle. After a short pause, she halted her strokes and gave his fluffy mane a light scratch, which earned her a questioning stare from the wolf.

"Why is it so hard to trust me, Shirou?" Her voice was quiet, but Shirou's ears still managed to catch onto the sadness entangled in her words. "You should know by now I would never do you any harm."

He opened his mouth only to snap it shut immediately, brows creasing into a conflicted expression as he averted his eyes away from Michiru's. The way his tail twitched restlessly emphasized his aggravated state.

"You wouldn't understand."

Judging from the frown twisting Michiru's features, his reply had been anything but satisfying.

"Seriously?" She scoffed dryly. "You're gonna use that card on me, of all things? Shirou, this whole time I've been nothing but understanding to that thick skull of yours!"

Shirou curled up his lip to expose fangs, snarling. "This is none of your business, Michiru."

The sharp answer combined with his fiery glare made Michiru realize how entitled she had just sounded. She cowered, pinning her ears back and softening her visage into an apologetic look.

"Sorry. It's just that… I hate seeing you suffer, Shirou." After wiping the scar a few more times, she left the damp cloth on top of it and rested her chin on Shirou's chest. Her right hand idly twirled a lock of fur between two fingers. "I'm not stupid, I can tell something really bothers you. Something that made you distant and distrustful of everyone." Michiru's voice grew cautious. She knew this was a very dangerous territory to intrude on. "And whatever it is, it hurts. I can see it in your eyes sometimes, you're unhappy." Her teal gems flicked up, brimming with nothing but sincerity. "And I just want to help you find the happiness you deserve."

Her words left Shirou stumped. Suddenly, the abrasive heat in his neck gave way to a gentle warmth blooming deep in his heart. It crawled up his body all the way to his cheeks, where it settled as a tingling red blush. He gulped dryly, thankful for the darkness currently enveloping them both and obscuring his momentary bolt of sheepishness.

Even with Michiru valuing his feelings to such an extent, he never managed to get used to it. After all, a lifetime spent with people leaving him be, assuming he was simply antisocial and secretive, left him very apathetic. His reputation as a tough crime fighter didn't help, either.

And as he stared into Michiru's glimmering eyes, a distant voice in the depths of his mind showed its sly face. It whispered tempting little words, compelling him to finally tell her the secret he loathed so much... at the end of the day, it was only fair when Michiru had just shared her own painful truth, right?

Of course, though, that wouldn't be so easy. Shirou had said so himself, he wasn't good with emotions… let alone when it came to talking about his inner demons.

Maybe if he stuck to simple answers…

"I've been betrayed in the past." He grunted in a tight, low voice, which sounded as if there was a hand gripping him by the throat. Considering his tense body language, it wouldn't be farfetched to think Shirou was speaking at gunpoint.

If Michiru noticed that, however, she didn't show. Instead, her left ear perked up with curiosity.

"Oh?" She halted her hand atop his chest and scrutinized Shirou's features in attentive detail, quietly searching for signs of hidden feelings simmering beneath his stoic mask. "Was it someone you were close to?"

Before Shirou knew it, he had already blurted out his next words.

"She was my mate."

To say Michiru was shocked would have been a massive understatement.

She couldn't deny she had wondered about that subject in the past. Even with Shirou being so tactless here and there, it was foolish to assume he hadn't been in any relationships during his lifetime. In fact, a thousand years was such a long period of time, it would be much easier to question what Shirou didn't do.

But hearing the confirmation straight from his mouth was a punch of reality she hadn't been prepared for, especially with the implications of his previous statement.

Betrayal.

Michiru glanced up at his face again. Shirou's gaze was distant, his pale irises now dulled by a whirlpool of sorrow and conflict. Clearly, sharing that sensitive piece of information had brought forth years of long-buried anguish… possibly even centuries. She gulped thickly, wondering how to continue the conversation without being invasive. Touching upon such old wounds required Michiru's utmost care, otherwise Shirou might get defensive and push her away.

For now, maybe focusing on his good memories would be the wisest way to go.

"What was she like?" She spoke in a soothing, kind voice, once again combing through Shirou's fuzzy chest with tender strokes of her fingers. As predicted, that snapped his attention back to Michiru instantly. "I mean, she must have been really special to catch the Silver Wolf's eye, huh?"

Shirou blinked in surprise. The question made instincts deeply tangled in his heartstrings churn around with uncertainty, and he couldn't help but closely inspect the girl currently lying on his torso in search of ulterior motives. Thankfully, the gentle caresses on his chest helped him relax a little. Tension seeped away through the growing cracks on Shirou's walls with each brush of Michiru's hand.

And as he mentally went through her inquiry again and again, long forgotten memories slowly revealed themselves from the deepest corners of Shirou's mind. Moments of genuine joy that were once corrupted by the claws of grief and misery. They brought a fickle, but welcome fuzziness he hadn't felt in decades, and that pesky voice in his head was demanding for more…

Shirou never realized how much he missed her.

"She was beautiful." He breathed quietly, his eyes shining with longing. "A wolfess with vibrant red fur, fiery eyes and quite the sharp mouth." A light snort escaped his nostrils at the last part. "Her strength and willpower were unmatched. She refused to give up even after losing everything… and if anyone stood in her way, she wouldn't hesitate to beat them into submission. Truly a remarkable woman." Shirou then gave Michiru a look that sent butterflies aflutter within her stomach. "You remind me of her sometimes."

Michiru felt her cheeks burn hot and quickly turned her face away, sheepishly avoiding those olive eyes she always found so endearing. Her twitching tail and flattened ears were testament of her mortified state.

She had no idea what to say.

After muttering a curse under her breath, Michiru cleared her throat and shook her head to get rid of the awkwardness plaguing her body. Shirou simply observed her with amusement in his eyes the whole time… until, suddenly, he noticed her sheepish expression transform into a mix of shock and realization. Her tanuki ears and tail shot up at full alert in a nearly comical manner, as if Michiru had just been struck by a bolt of electricity.

"Wait a minute. Is that the same wolf girl you painted in your cave?"

The drastic shift in Shirou's visage made her immediately regret blurting those words out. His features twisted into a pained scowl, eyes becoming just as dark and hollow as those of the cursed cave mural. There was no anger nor hurt in them… only emptiness. A primal inkling of fear ran down Michiru's spine at the sight, for she felt like a helpless mouse under the hardened gaze of a hawk.

She didn't need a spoken reply to know she had guessed correctly.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"Her name was Gwynevere." Although his voice sounded slow and calm, Shirou's abrupt interruption still startled Michiru a little. "We met roughly three hundred years after Nirvasyl's downfall. As a nomadic merchant, I'd travel from town to town and help beastmen in need along the way. I also kept track of the humans." His eyes narrowed as old memories came to mind. "The ottomans were a ruthless bunch, raiding countless beastman settlements, driving whole towns to the brink of starvation… I was very active as the Silver Wolf back then."

Shirou's composed demeanor helped dissipate Michiru's uneasiness. The last time she brought up that painting, he had snapped to the point of hurting her arm. Now, however, he seemed oddly calm about it, even if still a little cautious…

And well, Michiru simply couldn't resist Shirou's fascinating tales of the past.

"And you met her in one of those towns?"

Shirou nodded. "She was running away from a screaming baker when I first saw her, obviously a street rat who had just stolen something." He let out a cynical scoff before continuing. "Imagine my shock when I found her hiding in my wagon later that day. That little thief had eaten all my food!"

A tiny smile graced Michiru's lips as she rested her chin atop both hands. "I bet you were mad."

"Of course." Rolling his eyes, he took a deep, slow breath that pushed Michiru up and down on his chest. Somehow, she found the motions very soothing. "But… she was such a frail thing, little more than skin and bones. I couldn't simply leave her to starve away and be picked by vultures." He leaned his head back and stared up at the ceiling for a moment, seemingly lost in recollections of a distant life. "Besides… her situation was entirely my fault."

That last comment made Michiru blink in puzzlement. "What do you mean?"

At first, Shirou was hesitant. This particular thorn had been stuck deep in his heart for far too long and yanking at it didn't sound like a good idea. Thankfully, though, Michiru seemed to catch onto the cues of anxiety subtly scattered all over his body language. She gently grabbed his hand and started playing with his fingers, both comforting and distracting him from those ancient heartaches.

After a weary sigh, he spoke up again. "She… she told me her village had been destroyed in a battle between the humans and the Silver Wolf." The revelation earned him a wide-eyed look from Michiru. "It was a raid. Humans had set everything on fire, hunting beastmen down like animals. I tried my best to save them, but… I was reckless. Many innocents died under my claws."

"Oh, Shirou…" Michiru tried to interject, but Shirou raised a hand so she would let him finish.

"Gwynevere lost her whole family that day. She was left with nothing, forced to survive on the streets of other towns as a thief." He muttered somberly. "It was all my fault, and the least I should do was to help her."

Tanuki ears drooped lightly in sympathy. Although Michiru knew she couldn't do much to alleviate his guilt, she still tried to show support by tenderly caressing Shirou's knuckles. "And you did, didn't you?"

"Yes... I offered her food and shelter as long as she worked as my attendant. She accepted."

Smiling, Michiru nuzzled his palm and spoke as softly as possible. "That was very kind of you, Shirou."

Unfortunately, unbeknownst to her, the kind comment only served to push that pesky thorn even deeper within Shirou's heart. He couldn't help but inwardly wince.

Maybe too kind.

"She was a handful at first. We kept butting heads and yelling at each other, her fiery spirit always tested my patience. Still, Gwyn made for an entertaining company, to say the least." Shirou's use of a pet name didn't go unnoticed by Michiru. "Those ragged clothes and bony body hid how old she really was… a few years ahead of you, actually. As time passed, she recovered her health, and before long I found myself accompanied by a beautiful young woman."

There was a faint, bothersome feeling on the back of Michiru's head, like a pestering bee buzzing behind her ear. She instinctively flicked the appendage as if trying to swat the damn thing away, only to have it sting her mind with venomous thoughts.

Was that… jealousy?

Wrinkling her nose, Michiru mentally smacked herself. It would be incredibly foolish to be jealous of the dead, especially when Shirou was pouring his heart out to her at this very moment. She was quick to snuff out that toxic feeling before it could bloom and spread like a disease.

"You said she was your mate." She continued. "To beastmen, that means you two fell in love, right?"

"It's… more than that." Shirou's brows creased. It was so difficult to put such a concept into words to a former human, not to mention he already struggled to explain emotions in the first place. "To be one's mate is a bond unlike any other. You make a great sacrifice by giving all of yourself, both in flesh and spirit, to become one half of a whole. Without each other, we are incomplete." His free hand rose to a spot on his neck and rubbed it mindlessly. "And among beastmen, this bond is set with a bite to the neck. A mark to let the world know you've been claimed. Although in my case… well, it just heals over."

"That sounds beautiful." Michiru's eyes glimmered in awe. "I was right then, she really was special."

To her surprise, Shirou's features darkened instantly at the remark. His pale green irises now resembled the agitated tides of a stormy sea, raging with a myriad of emotions she couldn't keep track of.

"… Indeed." His calm tone had turned ominous and strained, and once again Shirou found himself hesitant to continue. Somehow, the stubborn voice deep in his mind still pushed him on. "But that didn't last."

Shirou's words might as well have been chains containing a rattling Pandora's Box, and the faint fizzling coming from his throat only emphasized that. Admittedly, Michiru felt her curiosity peaking.

She offered him a comforting smile and resumed playing with his fingers. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The way Shirou pinned his ears back and pressed his lips made his inner conflict visible. The last and only person he ever shared this information with was Barbara, and that had been decades ago. The mere thought of explaining that episode of his life out loud again made his heart ache with angst.

But Michiru didn't press him. Instead, she continued absentmindedly nuzzling and fiddling with his hand as a short pause settled between them, a silent reminder that she was still there for Shirou. He had already told her so much, it would be understandable if he chose to stop now. Maybe they could talk about this again another day…

"I had to tell her." His sudden voice made Michiru's ears perk up, teal eyes meeting pained olive ones. "I couldn't hide the truth, she would find out sooner or later."

"You mean about the Silver Wolf?"

Nodding, Shirou took a deep breath and rubbed his face in a distressed manner. "Gwyn didn't take it well. It took a while to convince her I was serious, but when I did, she became… quiet. Distant. We spent days without talking to each other. I just assumed she needed space to digest it all."

The sizzling noise grew louder, accompanied by a faint glow bleeding around the cloth still resting upon his throat. Sensing Shirou's discomfort, Michiru reached up and flipped the towel over so its colder side would touch his scar. The surrounding pelt rippled in response.

"One day she came to me saying we needed to talk, so I followed her to a small clearing nearby. 'A quiet place where we can chat', she said." His hand suddenly closed around Michiru's, entwining their fingers together in a tight grip. She reacted with a reassuring squeeze.

"Look, Shirou, you don't need to-"

"It was a trap."

The shaky whisper sent chills down Michiru's spine. Its tone was an uncanny blend of horror, anguish and fury, three volatile emotions entangled in a vicious battle for dominance over Shirou's shredded heart.

"Human soldiers jumped out of the bushes all around us. They jabbed me with spears, threw a chain around my neck, pinned me to the ground and… she just stood there." His eyes shone dangerously as his voice cracked. "I took their hits so she could run away, but she was talking to them. Something about gold coins and keeping my wares. She… she had sold me out."

The more Shirou talked, the lower Michiru's jaw hung in sheer disbelief. "W-What?"

"They were after the Silver Wolf, and Gwyn gave it to them on a platter." He all but spat out through gritted teeth. "She turned to me, saying she couldn't forgive me for ruining her life. That it was cruel to… to trick her into a relationship, and that a monster like me shouldn't expect to live like a normal person."

Reliving those heartbreaking moments overwhelmed Shirou with searing pain, the kind no physical injury could ever compare to. It trapped his whole body in coils of raw emotion, and no matter how hard he struggled against them, the deadly grip only suffocated him further with each breath.

Soon enough, the hand still in Michiru's hold started shaking. She gulped thickly, feeling her own heart break upon glimpsing the torment written all over Shirou's features. His gaze had become distant and unfocused, likely lost in the memories he had spent so long repressing, while the fur lining his shoulders and arms bristled on end. It was a disturbing sight coming from someone as composed as Shirou.

Michiru had only seen such a visceral reaction from him back when Alan revealed the truth about his Sylvasta lineage.

"And then, just as I thought it couldn't get any worse…" Shirou choked in his own words for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut as he mustered the courage to proceed. Sensing his distress, Michiru hugged his trembling hand to her chest and stroked it tenderly. "… one of the soldiers snuck up behind her and drove a sword through her heart."

Time all but screeched to a halt right then and there, and Michiru suddenly found herself speechless yet again. The air became dense and heavy with dread, its menacing aura crushing both beastmen as if they were nothing more than fleeting cockroaches. Although Shirou's scar still throbbed angrily, the intense glow and fizzling noises were gradually dying down. Maybe its spark had been snuffed out by the grief dominating the wolf's heart.

"The bastards." His whisper was quiet and hoarse, crackling like the embers of a moribund bonfire. "I… I don't know what happened next. I just remember waking up covered in blood and surrounded by their dead bodies…whatever was left of them." A strange glimmer lined the corner of his eyes. To Michiru's surprise, she quickly recognized those as pooling tears. "And Gwyn was… gone."

A new urge bubbled underneath the tanuki's skin. She felt the need to comfort her hurting friend… to embrace this old, battered wolf who was clearly hurting before her very eyes. Knowing Shirou's current fragile state, though, Michiru didn't want to risk pushing him too far. He could still shut her away from his wounded heart.

"I'm so sorry, Shirou." She shuffled further onto his chest and tenderly nuzzled the base of his fluffy neck. His body instinctively tensed up in response, but thankfully, that didn't last long. Shirou let out a deep breath and draped his free hand on Michiru's back, giving it slow, circular rubs that showed his appreciation for her company.

"Don't be." He spoke dryly. "In the end, I was taught an important lesson that day."

Michiru tilted her head in a questioning manner. "You did?"

Shirou noddled, his features creasing into a stoic frown. "That an immortal being has no place seeking relationships, especially romance." Something about his words struck Michiru's heart like an icy spear, making her scowl and clutch onto his fur for a moment. "It would never work. If anything, it would only serve as a distraction from my duty as the Silver Wolf. I… I shouldn't risk allowing anyone too close again."

Realization gradually dawned on Michiru. The cold, stern image Shirou always kept around others. His constant attempts to push everyone away. His struggle to socialize outside of work interactions… he was scared.

"Then what about me?" She huffed. "And Barbara, Gem, Melissa… aren't we all your friends?"

Shirou pursed his lips and looked away, a pensive glint shining in his eyes. "You were an exception to the rule. I never meant to build friendships, they simply… happened, I suppose."

That drew a quiet chuckle from Michiru's lips. "That's how friendships work, silly." Her amused grin widened upon hearing Shirou's disgruntled snort, but then vanished once another question rolled onto her tongue. "Do you regret it?"

He arched an eyebrow, puzzled. "What?"

"You know… meeting us." Michiru shrugged in a dismissive manner, although the uneasy look in her eyes contradicted the nonchalant gesture. "You did say relationships were a distraction."

Realizing how insensitive his comment had been, Shirou groaned and mentally scolded himself. Still, a hint of uncertainty kept him from answering right away. That was a question he had grown very familiar with, for it often pestered his thoughts whenever he tried to rest from a busy day's work. It never resulted in proper closure, only frustrating non-answers that sent Shirou's thoughts in maddening circles.

On one hand, he didn't want to upset Michiru with those conflicting feelings. On the other… he didn't want to be anything other than honest with her. She deserved the truth.

"… not in the way you think." He spoke in a careful, slow voice, all while paying close attention to the girl's shocked expression. "You and the others have joined my mission to protect the beastmen rather than staying in the way. It's not a distraction at all."

"… but?" Michiru pried warily. In response, Shirou exhaled through his nostrils and looked up at the ceiling.

"Gwyn was right." He mumbled. "It's foolish of me to expect a normal life among mortals. Not only because of my powers… but also because those who get involved with me tend to end up either hurt or dead." The hand stroking Michiru's back trailed over to her right shoulder, fingers gently tracing the faded punctures of a large bite mark. A horrible injury Shirou himself had given her years ago. "And there's nothing I hate more than seeing you suffering for me, Michiru."

Tingles spread across Michiru's cheeks, neck and shoulders. Whether they came from Shirou's caring words or his warm touch, however, she had no idea.

And as touching as his statement was… Michiru still couldn't ignore another feeling churning deep within her guts. Little clues fluttering between the lines told her Shirou was trying to deflect her attention from a much bigger issue at hand.

"Her death wasn't your fault, Shirou." Michiru's voice was both stern and caring, which instantly brought Shirou's eyes back to hers. "She brought it on herself when she betrayed you."

The hand atop her shoulder drew to halt, growing heavy and tense just like the rest of Shirou's body. Had Michiru's head been resting a little higher on his chest, she would likely have felt the moment his heart skipped a beat.

"… I know."

Something about his rocky, nearly robotic tone made Michiru's chest ache a little. It was slightly different from the monotonous inflection she had grown so familiar with. Rather than deadpanned, it sounded… worn. Defeated. Akin to a blade long turned dull by a lifetime of battles with Shirou's own heavy conscience.

"But you still blame yourself… why?"

His ears flattened back as the thorn embedded in his heart ached once more. "I… the Silver Wolf ruined her life, Michiru." He breathed slowly. "I can't really blame Gwyn for what she did. She lost her home, her family, everything… I don't think I'd forgive myself in her place either."

Wrinkles formed along Michiru's snout, turning her concerned visage into one of frustration. "Bullshit." She hissed, which caught him off guard. "Shirou, that wasn't just a matter of not forgiving you. She was vindictive and cruel! Gwyn went out of her way to hurt you that day."

"She was hurt by the Silver Wolf just as badly." He stubbornly insisted.

"That's not true and you know it!" Michiru pushed her hands on the mattress and swiftly moved further up his body, making sure to trap his surprised eyes in her own fiery irises. "You aren't perfect, Shirou. Nobody is. But that doesn't stop you from doing your best with what you're given. Look at all the people you've saved!"

His sorrowful gaze narrowed into a warning glare. "It doesn't make me any less responsible for those deaths."

"Maybe, but they were accidental." Michiru added before letting out a cynical scoff. "Meanwhile, Gwyn intentionally handed you to the humans knowing fully well what they would do to you. Between you and her, take a guess on who the real monster is."

Shirou pressed his lips together with a conflicted frown. Although Michiru's points were solid, the poisonous sting of that thorn kept jumbling his thoughts into a mess of self-loathing. He was simply too used to carrying the burden of guilt on his shoulders, to the point of feeling incomplete without it. In a way, clinging to its noxious presence had become part of Shirou's very identity, one last remnant of his deceased mate that would always accompany him throughout his immortal life.

The thought of letting go was surprisingly upsetting.

Suddenly, two hands shot forward and cupped Shirou's cheeks, forcing his distant stare to focus on her resolute face. She was incredibly close. So much, in fact, that he could even feel her breaths tickling his whiskers.

"Listen, Shirou." She spoke in a slow, soothing tone that made the back of his neck tingle. "You're not the omnipresent god everyone thinks. You're just a man burdened with incredible powers and a responsibility bigger than the world itself. At the end of the day, you're flawed like anyone else… and no matter how much you try, you can't save everyone." Shirou felt her warm thumb pads tracing little circles on his cheekbones. "But that doesn't make you a bad person. You said it yourself, didn't you? As long as you keep fighting to protect the beastmen, you'll be honoring the ones you've failed."

Shirou recalled the night when he said such a thing. Michiru was sitting by his couch in her pajamas, looking like a frightened child in need of comfort while he readily offered her words of wisdom. To his dismay, it seemed they had swapped roles this time.

But a stubborn flare still refused to release the grip on Shirou's heartstrings. "I may not be a monster, but the Silver Wolf behaves like one." He grumbled quietly. "It's power and instinct in their rawest forms, and even after a thousand years I still struggle to control it at times. That's when casualties happen." A frustrated scoff escaped from his flared nostrils. "So much for the protector of beastmen, huh?"

His last words were barely a whisper, tickling Michiru's ears with touches of melancholy. Slowly, one of her hands moved down to the damp towel lying on Shirou's throat, then pushed it aside to reveal his still glowing scar. Although the exposed skin no longer felt searing hot, its light pulsated as if acknowledging her touch.

"You really shouldn't separate yourself from the Silver Wolf like that. It's part of you." She whispered back, her voice as calm and gentle as a summer breeze. "Sure, it's wild, powerful and reckless, but… it's still you, Shirou."

Pale green eyes rolled cynically in their sockets. "It's not exactly a pretty side of mine, Michiru."

"Well, I disagree." Huffing, Michiru absentmindedly stroked the edges of Shirou's scar. "The Silver Wolf saved my life before, y'know?"

"… the Silver Wolf nearly killed you." Shirou hissed sharply, which made the tanuki flinch. Annoyed, Michiru flashed him a mild glare and swished her tail irritably.

"Oh, come on, that was different." She growled. "It was the Nirvasyl Syndrome's doing, Shirou. You weren't yourself!"

"And how can you be so sure the Silver Wolf would never hurt you like that again?"

"Because it's you, Shirou!" Her adamant, strong voice made him snap his mouth shut. "I said I'd always trust you with my life, remember? I'm sure you would never raise a hand to hurt me, and the beast that attacked me that night was not the Shirou I know. It was… something else."

Judging from the frown marring Shirou's features, he was obviously still unconvinced. Soon enough, the thorn lodged in his heart began throbbing yet again, pumping his veins with a fear Shirou found oddly familiar. It felt ancient, likely fed by centuries of regret he had been harvesting ever since his first rampage in Nirvasyl. Now and then it would raise its ugly head to haunt his conscience like a persistent ghoul.

Somehow, Michiru seemed to catch onto his turmoil. All it took was a glance into those pained green eyes.

"This is about Gwyn, isn't it?" The mention of his deceased mate made Shirou whip his attention back to Michiru, jaw agape in shock. "She never accepted the Silver Wolf, so now you reject it too." Her voice then grew heavy with sadness. "… do you think I might turn on you like she did?"

"No." Shirou blurted out a little too fast, surprising even himself. "Michiru, I… I know you would never betray my trust. It's just that…" He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no matter what, those wretched feelings kept slipping from his grasp. In the end, the only noise Shirou could muster was a frustrated groan. "It's complicated."

After releasing a long, exasperated breath, he let his head sink into the pillow beneath and closed his eyes, silently cursing the emotions currently playing tug-of-war with his brain. As much as Shirou appreciated Michiru's concern and company, he had to admit that whole conversation was beginning to wear him down. Reopening old wounds wasn't something he did often, if at all.

A soft, curt chuckle made his ears perk up. "I guess that's something humans and beastmen have in common." Michiru muttered as her fingers resumed their caresses on Shirou's neck, slowly combing through long locks of fur. "We overcomplicate things."

His nostrils flared with a snort of agreement. "Some more than others…"

By now, Shirou's demeanor showed no intention of continuing the discussion. With his eyes closed and body finally relaxing into the mattress, he seemed ready to call this a night and doze off to the world of dreams. He even gave Michiru's side a tug in a wordless request for her to fully lay down and rest.

He knew too well she had many more questions to bombard at him. Michiru was essentially an endless pit of curiosity and energy, able to exhaust even the most patient of monks if left unattended. Sometimes, Shirou humored himself with the thought of weaponizing that quirk of hers… chucking the tanuki at the enemy and letting her ramble their sanity away didn't seem that bad as an idea.

Right now, however, he felt too emotionally drained to handle further questions. Tomorrow would be rough if they spent all night digging up the dusty skeletons in his closet.

But then, just as Shirou opened his mouth to say he was done, his eyes shot wide open with a startled look. A really warm, wet sensation had brushed the tender skin of his scar, which set his survival instincts off like a shrieking fire alarm. His body tensed up once more, and Shirou quickly tilted his head aside to take a proper look at the culprit. To both his shock and bafflement, he found Michiru placing her soft lips atop his glowing neck.

Did… did she just kiss his scar?

The moment couldn't have lasted longer than two seconds, but in Shirou's stunned mind, it might as well have been hours.

"W-What was that for?!" He stuttered in a miffed voice, feeling heat rushing to his cheeks and ears at breakneck speed. Michiru, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by his indignant reaction.

"Unlike you, I think the Silver Wolf deserves some love." She all but purred back before flashing him a pair of mellow, mirthful teal gems. Something about the way she said the last word made Shirou gulp dryly.

And he wasn't the only one to notice that.

As soon as Michiru realized what she had just said, her jovial poise turned into intense bashfulness. She averted her eyes from Shirou's and quietly cleared her throat, clearly flustered by the whole thing. "I-I mean, uh…" Her fingers fidgeted with his fur as she took a deep, nervous breath.

It was now or never.

"Shirou, I know I can't talk much about the Silver Wolf, not when you've had literal centuries behind it... but I can talk about what I've seen in the years since I met you." A meek, but determined smile formed on her lips. "Look at all the good you've brought to this city. You saved so many people… you saved me. And yes, there were times you lost control, but that shouldn't undermine everything you've sacrificed to make the world a better place for beastmen."

After another brief pause, Michiru faced the male once more with the most heartfelt of visages. It was stoic, passionate and loving, a combination that set Shirou's very core ablaze with newfound admiration. He barely even noticed the gentle hand now cupping his right cheek.

Her next words would echo in the depths of his mind for years to come.

"… and to be frank, if Gwyn couldn't see all the good in you, then she really didn't deserve to be called your mate."

Such a bold statement sent cold ripples through every bone in his body like the aftershocks of a quaking blow. It was as if a sledgehammer had been thrown at the wall encasing Shirou's heart, finally crumbling it into dust and allowing a flood of long-suppressed emotions to overwhelm his senses. Awe, grief, anger, denial… they were far too many to keep track of.

Deeply rooted instincts were quick to demand Shirou to push Michiru away, ready to refute her words and tuck their owner back in the shadowy embrace of his own comfort zone, just as he had done countless times throughout a long life of guilt and self-loathing.

Not this time, however.

Something in Michiru's intense gaze kept Shirou's mind firmly grounded in place, a radiant presence that greatly contrasted the cold chains of denial he had grown so familiar with. For once, he chose to ignore the instincts snarling and tugging on his frozen form, while a brand-new urge bloomed in their wake.

Thoughts became muddled in a rush of confusing sensations. His heart fluttered, fingertips tingled, and throat tightened with hitched breaths. Whereas the surrounding world seemingly slowed down to a crawl, Shirou found his eyes suddenly wandering away from Michiru's. They swiftly ran over every little detail on her features, from subtle creases in her fur to the way her little button nose twitched ever-so-slightly… until, finally, his gaze halted atop her lips.

Did they always look so soft, so inviting?

A fiery blaze swelled deep within his ribcage and, before Shirou knew it, he had already closed the space between himself and Michiru. His mouth pressed on hers in a fierce lock, muffling a surprised gasp his ears failed to register.

To say Michiru was caught off guard would have been the understatement of the century. Her whole body instantly tensed up, eyes wide open while her brain struggled to catch up with what had just happened. The way her stomach turned and twisted with a swarm of butterflies tickling its insides only made it the situation all the harder to process.

Thankfully, it was only a matter of seconds for shock to turn into a burst of euphoria. Michiru smiled excitedly against Shirou's lips and returned the kiss with gusto, even clutching the fur of his chest as her body nearly combusted with passion. An approving grunt escaped Shirou's throat in response.

What followed was a slow, but ardent dance of lips and tongue. Michiru all but melted in Shirou's arms when they snaked around her back and brought her closer, her tail wagging not far behind. The world around them had long vanished into nothingness, and any disapproving thoughts still lingering in their heads were soon replaced with raw emotion. For a moment, there was no guilt. No doubts. No burdens… It felt liberating, to say the least.

Eventually, albeit reluctantly, the lack of oxygen forced them to part ways. Shirou and Michiru gasped for air and panted, lightheaded both from the kiss and the adrenaline rushing in their veins. Their hearts thumped so hard against their ribcages, it felt as if they were trying to meet in the middle.

And as the duo stared deeply into each other's eyes, it dawned on them that this was the last chance to turn back. The opportunity to look away and pretend this momentous lapse of judgement never happened. Why ruin such a good friendship with overcomplicated feelings, after all?

Shirou silently recalled his life as a lone wolf. He had found comfort in an existence of solitude, but the longer he observed Michiru's delicate face, the less drawn he felt to the prospect of spending his immortality as such. Oddly enough, at the end of the day, his comfort zone proved to be anything but comfortable.

Still, as much as he wanted to press their muzzles together again, he couldn't help but wonder whether it was fair to involve Michiru in a relationship with him. Surely, she deserved more than a brooding immortal by her side, right?

But she looked so beautiful right now…

Visibly conflicted, he took a deep breath that pushed the girl lying on his chest up and down. That seemed to snap Michiru out of her own self-doubting stupor and focus on Shirou once more, only to find his questioning gaze piercing mercilessly into her very soul. His eyes, usually an icy shade of green, had turned dark with contained desire. The way he licked his lips was quite telling as well.

Words weren't needed between them. Michiru knew he was asking for permission.

A small, amused grin made its way to her muzzle. She showed little to no hesitation before wrapping her arms around his fluffy neck and planting another kiss on Shirou's mouth.

Maybe it was time for another unspoken agreement.

Nothing would hold them back this time. Months of building emotions finally culminated into a moment of pure bliss, and what started as a chaste kiss quickly escalated into something much more heated and passionate. A powerful blaze they simply couldn't have enough of.

The first thing to be shed were their inhibitions. Their clothes followed shortly after.

And as the moon outside slowly waned along the bleak sky of Anima City, it became the sole witness of two wayward souls joining as one. Their shared bond having long surpassed the boundaries of both body and mind.

---

I'm very curious to see what you guys thought of all these turns of events. We've now reached the end of Act 2 and I must say, things will get a bit crazy from now on. Hopefully my writing muse won't let me down this time, but just know that, no matter how long it takes, I'm definitely finishing this fanfic.

On a side note, I was very happy to FINALLY reveal Gwyn's backstory after fleshing it out for so long. If you're curious to see what Gwyn looks like, a dear friend of mine actually made a bunch of wonderful artworks as we discussed her design. You can check them out by going to twitter's URL and pasting /salmonpiffy_art/status/1519145697861271552 at the end.