SHINYA

"Kureto suspected you," Shinya said. "After all, you're alive even if the students are dead."

The purple orbs stared impassively at the sky. "Why?"

"The day when Hyakuya Sect attacked the school, I told him I was protecting you at the time," The blue eyes flickered briefly at him. "However after her death, Kureto must have realized that I couldn't be beside you at the time. After all if I were, I would have known Mahiru was the one killed the student." Shinya snorted. "Although ironically I still knew Mahiru was the traitor."

"Doesn't that mean you're considered a traitor?"

"Kureto thought so. Then again, it wouldn't matter. It's you that he's interested in."

Over the window on the third floor was Kureto, looking over the courtyard.

The day arrived.

Kureto stood in the middle of the gym. His servant, an elite beta from the Sangu family by his side.

"Kureto-sama! This boy is really weak!" Mito said. Her eyes wide as she stared the sword on Kureto's hand. Beside her, Goshi groaned. It seemed the both of them convinced Guren was going to die.

Kureto ignored them. "Prepare to die, Ichinose." And he thrusted his sword.

Oh hell, Guren thought. There was no way around to escape this.

Quickly, he took his sword and blocked the attack. Undeterred, Kureto attacked again one after another. But it didn't matter for Guren, he was after all on par with Mahiru, the strongest child of Hiragi. Guren blocked all Kureto's attacks, and when Kureto took a step back while throwing a talisman, Guren cut it in half. His sword aimed straight at Kureto's chest.

But Kureto kicked Guren's sword, which he avoided, and took a step back. Their eyes stared each other's unflinching.

The gym fell silence. Both Mito and Goshi gaped, while Shinya grinned as he leaned on the wall.

"I see," Kureto muttered. "This is the strength of the next head of Ichinose." The brown eyes looked at him coldly. "It seems that I have no choice."

Needles after needles were thrown from five sides, and Guren felt his vision turned black.

He didn't know how many days had passed.

Then again, these methods of torture wouldn't affect him.

"Work with me, Ichinose Guren," Kureto said. "You're strong, unlike your father. Being my subordinate will raise your status."

"… It isn't as if I have a choice."

"You don't," He agreed. "Release him," He told his servant.

But Guren already freed himself from the rope.

While figuratively, he was still tied to Kureto's hands.

When he came back to school, everyone treated him differently. Sayuri worried her lips, Shigure was ramrod straight from tension.

He, after all, became the subordinate of Hiragi Kureto.

Except for Seishiro, who barged to his face angrily. "Don't think even though you're that Kureto's slave, that you weren't a trash." He spat on the ground. "I don't care what Kureto is doing, I do what I want."

Guren stepped forward.

"Oi, rat!" He tried to grab Guren's shoulder, but Guren was faster. His left hand blocked the attack while his other hand put a talisman on Seishiro's neck.

"Seishiro-sama," Guren spoke to his ear. "I have a message from Hiragi Tenri-sama."

The boy tensed. "What is it?"

"It seems Kureto-sama was in league with Mahiru-sama," Guren lied. "As to why, we still have to investigate."

"Why would you tell me?"

"… Hiragi Tenri-sama thinks of you quite highly. He doesn't trust both Kureto-sama and Shinya-sama."

"Are ordered to monitor them?"

"Yes I am." Guren breathed softly.

Interestingly, Seishiro blushed. "Well, I guess I'll help you out."

"Thank you, Seishiro-sama." He smiled, the violet eyes stared at Seishiro's reddening cheeks.

Score, he thought.

One of the perks being an omega.

"Seraph of the end… I wonder what it is," Shinya muttered to himself.

The dark-haired boy propped his head on the table. "Winged beings with immense power. She said they need great amount of sacrifice to be born."

"… By experimenting on children." Shinya brushed the hair from his face. "How cruel of her." But the tone had no bite.

Violet orbs stared at Shinya's lean body. He looked tired, dark circles under his eyes, lips chapped from worrying them all the time. Guren knew that the boy took her death just as hard as he did.

Although Guren had to wonder why Shinya stayed with him. "Shinya…" The blue eyes glanced at him. "Why are you here?" Guren asked.

One of his brow raised. "How unappreciative to the presence of your savior." Then the alpha sat on the table. "I don't think it's acceptable for Mahiru's effort to go to waste."

The fight at the zoo, the carcasses of mutating tiger. How both of them protected each other's back.

Was he worth her effort?

"Is that all?" Kureto asked after Guren finished his report.

"Yeah," He replied. "I'm outta here."

"You know… I'm really surprised." The brown eyes looked at him in amusement. "For you to have unsolicited relationship with Mahiru," He continued. "And to hide it for so long."

Impassive purple eyes glanced at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Kureto smirked. "Oh, but you know. As the one who drive Mahiru to betray her family for." Then he tilted Guren's chin. "As we speak, your father is taken as hostage."

"… Then I take my leave." Guren said.

The council heard of their relationship from the Hyakuya Sect.

It was unprecedented. Guren knew how secretive Mahiru was, she wouldn't let anything slide if she could. That means, the one gave away of their relationship was probably…

"Saitou? That freak of nature?" Shinya groaned, sitting cross-legged in the front of the sofa. "That guy couldn't take rejection. What a loser."

Guren didn't say anything. He had been lying on the sofa for hours, impassively listening to Sayuri's and Shigure's soft sobs, and apologizes from Mito and Goshi.

Shinya leaned his head back. "I'm sorry," He said softly. "We couldn't do anything."

Both Kureto and Shinya objected his father execution, but in the end the council voted for his death. Unanimously.

"Guren, it's time." His pale hand took Guren's wrist gently.

The only thing they could do was giving him time to say goodbye.

("I'm sorry… For dragging you into this mess."

His father, with gentle hands and gentle smiles, even disheveled. "I'm proud of to have you as my son."

And all Guren could do was to cry. Because he was powerless, and he couldn't save his father.)

"You're right. I'm weak."

Blue orbs stared outside the window. "You're not."

"But I am," Guren insisted. "I couldn't save my father. What a joke." He choked back a sob.

"I've always wondered…" Shinya leaned his head on the window glass. "Why Mahiru fell in love with you. Why she had the strength to do what she wanted." Teary violet eyes stared at him. "Why she chose your life over hers." His lips quirked. "Now I know. She was strong because she loved you, and you for her." Blue eyes stared back. "I think your father was like that. He was strong because you loved each other." Shinya smiled. "And you're strong because you are loved by them."

It hurt to think about Mahiru's last smile or his father's corpse after the execution. He loved them so much it felt like his heart had been ripped apart.

"Shinya… What do you live for?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "I guess I'm just waiting for the day I die." Shinya rolled his eyes. "Stop looking like that, Guren-chan."

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

"Sure you don't," He replied easily. The pale hand pushed the dark head onto his shoulder. "Here, I'm lending my shoulder for you to cry on."

"I don't need you to," Guren said. Still he didn't move.

Shinya's hand caressed the dark locks as Guren cried.

Sometimes he didn't understand Shinya.

As a son of Hiragi, he clearly stayed away from their power play. Instead, he accompanied Guren's team into missions, joking around and easy smiles, even though most of those were suicidal missions.

He wondered, if Shinya really wanted to live.

"Shinya! Shinya!" Guren kept calling his name. His usual handsome face became a grotesque painting from the blood. "Don't fall asleep, you idiot!"

Their team had a high-success rate in handling high-rated missions. However this time, it seemed that one of them wouldn't come back alive.

"Guren-chaaan… sleepy…" The shithead muttered over Goshi's shoulder.

His hand felt clammy holding onto Ashuramaru while fighting the vampires. Mito, Sayuri, and Shigure circled around Goshi who carried Shinya on his back. Even as they were disheveled and tired, none of them was injured as bad as Shinya did.

Guren slashed another vampire angrily. A noble vampire stabbed Shinya's thigh, lungs, and stomach. Leaving Shinya bleed on the floor and smirked condescendingly at them from the tower where Shinya stayed to snipe.

Noble vampire or not, Guren would never left him alive.

They did, kill the noble vampire. However, Shinya was still dying and these common vampires hindered their movements immensely.

Violet eyes glanced the blood stained Shinya, blood dripping to the ground.

No, Guren thought. He wouldn't lose Shinya, no matter what.

Disoriented blue eyes opened. "Gureeen-chaaan?"

Guren hit Shinya's head.

"Whasss dat fooor?" The guy whined.

But Guren was fed up with him. He'd been sitting on the hard stool for days, waiting for the shithead to wake up. "You're an idiot."

Shinya frowned. "I shoulda been the one cryiiing, Guren-chaaan."

Guren sniffed loudly. He'd been tasting his tears for so long his tongue tasted salty. "You idiot." Then he leaned forward, dripping tears on Shinya's face and kissing him deeply.