Since I have 100 views on the last chapter and I'm not quite done with the current chapter, I'll just leave this short extra chapter here as a thanks for those who have dutifully kept up with this fic. This chapter takes place a little before chapter 7.

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters except for OC's

Bonus Chapter: Chivalrous Spirit! Yet...

A metallic roar echoes through the forest, causing birds to fly out from their perches in panic. Several trees topple over as a large creature thrashes wildly through the evergreen. The creature was about ten feet high and bulky from the steel plates covering its body. A couple of horns protruded from the plate on its head along with a single spike coming out of its wrists. Behind it, several warriors mounted on horses sped towards the creature with swords in hand.

"Don't let it reach the town!" Hyuuga shouted, leading the fleet of the Guardian Patrol.

There was a shout of acknowledgement as the fleet split up into several different groups and surrounded the Guardian.

Syo and another warrior stayed by Hyuuga's side, silently awaiting the captain's orders.

The Guardian's blue eyes glanced to the side, spotting a group of warriors on its side. It slowed its pace before swinging its arm down towards them. While some managed to move out of the way in time, a couple were not as fortunate and were struck down once the Guardian's arm slammed into the ground.

While the Guardian was distracted, the warriors on the other side moved in to attack. However, when their swords struck the Guardian, its armor proved to be sturdier than they expected. Their swords ricocheted off the armor, sending the warriors flying backwards.

Catching the Guardian's attention, the creature swung its tail at the recovering warriors, sending them flying into several trees.

Syo's eyes stretched wide with horror as he watched helplessly while his comrades fell.

"Damn, this one is quite resilient," Tsugu growled beside Hyuuga, pushing his glasses higher up on the bridge of his nose.

Hyuuga narrowed his eyes. Things were not looking good; especially how about an eighth of the fleet was already taken out. However, if they did not take it out now, the nearby town would surely be destroyed.

The problem at hand was how to get around those armored plates. What could they do if they could not physically damage it?

"Kurusu, Matsuoka, stay on standby until I give the order! I'm not sure how much more our squad can take." Hyuuga commanded.

"Yes, sir." Tsugu replied.

Syo gritted his teeth in frustration. How could he just stand and watch as his comrades were being struck down right in front of him? He desperately scanned the area, trying to find something that could possibly aid them in stopping the monster.

A thought suddenly struck him. He recalled on their way towards the next town there was a cliff side with a giant lake at the bottom. From the way the plates on the Guardian's body looked, Syo figured it must be pretty heavy.

Without waiting for orders, Syo quickly sped ahead on his horse towards the Guardian.

"Kurusu, stop!" Hyuuga ordered but Syo continued forward.

"Suicidal idiot," Tsugu sighed.

As he neared the armored Guardian, Syo readied his sword. Once he was close enough, he threw the sword towards the Guardian's face. The sword struck part of its lower jaw, bouncing off with a clang. The Guardian stopped its attack on the other warriors and turned towards Syo's direction.

"Hey! Over here!" Syo called out.

The Guardian stared at the young apprentice for a moment before making it way towards him.

Reacting quickly, Syo guided his horse towards the cliff the fleet had passed earlier.

"Kurusu, what are you doing?!" one of the fleet members demanded as several others rode after the Guardian.

Some of them tried to gain back the Guardian's attention but were unfortunately crushed by the Guardian's footsteps in the process.

"Get away from it! Regroup!" Ryuuya commanded.

The captain swore under his breath as he snapped the reins of his horse in pursuit of the Guardian and Syo.

Syo had made good distance away from the Guardian, but close enough for the massive creature to remain interest in following him.

The Guardian in turn picked up its pace, trying to keep up with him.

"Heh, I knew that thing was too slow under all that armor," Syo said with a grin as he looked back at the Guardian, whom was lagging behind him.

The Guardian's body suddenly started glowing and to Syo's shock, its pace picked up tremendously.

"Crap!" Syo cursed as the Guardian's momentum continued to increase.

Syo started to feel himself panic as the Guardian was steadily gaining. He snapped the reigns on his horse a few more times in desperation, trying to keep a considerable amount of distance from the Guardian.

'How is it suddenly moving so fast?!' Syo thought in panic.

He could hear the cries from the other warriors behind him. But he couldn't hear them over the pounding of his heart in his ears.

'I can make it…I can make it,' Syo said to himself as a bead of sweat raced down the side of his face.

From the Guardian's pounding footsteps, Syo could tell that it was rather close. However, he was too afraid to turn around to check.

To his relief, the cliff side finally came into view. He quickly glanced behind him and was horrified to see the Guardian right behind him. When the Guardian raised its claw, Syo felt his blood run cold. He was going to die.

Syo could only stare in horror as everything around him felt as if it was moving in slow motion.

A sudden shot sounded, causing the Guardian to pause and look to the side.

"KURUSU TURN NOW!"

Syo snapped out of his trance and realized he was headed straight towards the edge of the cliff. At the last moment, he pulled the reigns to his left. As he quickly veered off to the side, just grazing the edge of the cliff, a flare gun was suddenly fired, striking the Guardian right in the eye.

The Guardian let out a pained roar, catching it off guard as it lost its footing. Its momentum carried it off the cliff side, sending it careening down into the lake below. A howl of panic echoed off the rocky walls before being silenced by a large splash of water.

Syo slowly brought his horse to a halt as he tried to catch his breath. He suddenly winced as he gripped his chest.

The clip-clop of hooves could be heard and Syo looked over once the pain subsided. Hyuuga rode up beside him, looking down at him through cold, orange eyes.

"What did you think you were doing?!" Hyuuga demanded.

Syo winced at his tone before lowering his head shamefully. "I thought it was the only way to stop the Guardian…"

Hyuuga let out a frustrated grunt before turning towards his squad. "Retrieve the bodies. We'll be heading back."

The squadron saluted before backtracking to their fallen comrades. Hyuuga turned to follow before Syo's voiced stopped him.

"Captain-"

"Though you helped to defeat the Guardian, you still disobeyed a direct order. Not only that, your actions caused unnecessary casualties," Hyuuga replied coldly. "Once we get back to the palace, you are to stay on standby until further notice."

Syo opened his mouth to argue but quickly decided against it.

"…Yes sir."

Ryuuya let out a frustrated huff before turning back to the other patrol members. "We're heading back to the palace. Set up camp when you reach the outskirts of the next city."

"Where are you going, sir?" Tsugu asked.

"I want to check something. I'll meet up with you at the campsite. I'm leaving you in charge until I return." Ryuuya said.

"Sir!" Tsugu said.

Ryuuya nodded before he rode off.

"All right, let's go!" Tsugu commanded as he started off in the other direction.

The trip back was almost unbearable. A dark cloud of uncertainty and disappointment hung over Syo as he followed slowly behind the other patrol members.

When they reached the place they would rest, all of patrol members unmounted their horses and started preparing the camp site.

While the Patrol members went about preparing different parts of camp, Syo lead several horses by the reins over to a nearby tree. As he tied to the trunk, he glanced over at the wagon they had brought. Several bodies were piled on top of each other under a blanket, blood staining parts of it.

"Kurusu."

Syo jolted out of his thoughts and turned to see Tsugu. "Y-Yes?"

"When you're done tying up the horses, help collect some firewood." Tsugu instructed.

"Right..." Syo said, casting his gaze downwards.

Tsugu lifted his brow. When Syo noticed he hadn't moved, he looked back up at his superior. "What?"

"You generally never give me an answer without some attitude. That response was very unlike you." Tsugu said, adjusting his glasses.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?!" Syo demanded, his temper flaring.

His reaction caused Tsugu to chuckle.

"What's so funny?!"

Tsugu smirked. "Being sullen and quiet is unlike you and is a bit creepy."

"Creepy?! If anyone is creepy, it would be you, four eyes!"

"Please, what have I ever done to deserve such a title?" Tsugu said in amusement.

"You're always talking about being dead in a ditch! How is that not creepy?!" Syo argued while waving his arms for good measure.

"In this line of duty, one does have to be careful of ending up that way. Why not put in some forewarning?"

Syo let out an exasperated groan while he rubbed the back of his head.

"In full seriousness, what you did may have stopped the Guardian, but did you ever stop to think about the repercussions?" Tsugu said.

"Huh?"

"The sudden change in formation caused several of our comrades to die. Not only that, but you nearly died yourself," Tsugu explained. "While we are prepared for casualties in this line of duty, the responsibility for those deaths fall on the captain."

Syo's eyes widened in shock. "But-!"

Tsugu lifted a hand, cutting Syo off. "As the captain, Hyuuga-san carries the responsibility of the lives of his men on his shoulders. You may not be able to fully understand this, but our comrades deaths do have a major influence on Hyuuga-san."

Syo's expression softened as his gaze fell back to the ground.

"So please, do take better care next time." Tsugu said as he turned to walk away.

After he took a couple steps he paused and turned his head to the side slightly in Syo's direction. "Don't throw your life or others' away meaninglessly."

Syo furrowed his brow as Tsugu went to go attend the preparation of food rations.

He took a moment to think about his superior's words. He reached up and placed a hand over his chest, clutching the fabric of his uniform between his fingers.

'I have to become stronger...' Syo said to himself. 'I can't let something like this happen again.'

He glanced back over at the wagon a fierce look of determination crossing over his face.

'I won't let another person die on my account.'

A/N: This was originally supposed to be a part of chapter 7 but got cut out because it made it unnecessarily long. So if you were wondering what Syo did back in chapter 7, hope this clears it up. Will get the next chapter as soon as I can! Stay posted!