Chapter Fifteen – For Good or For Evil, Do Not Regret

Author's Note: I do not own the Buso Renkin series and the characters of the original series. I own only the original characters of this fic, Sakuya Mutou, Kaworu Jounouchi, their siblings and friends, Phalene, some members of the Alchemist Army, and the enemy, the Tetsujin Juusan. Buso Renkin is the creation of mangaka, Watsuki Nobuhiro.

Also, please read the fanfic at my deviantART, "KajiMotomiya", to view materials not posted in , such as character profiles and Buso Renkin data original to the fanfic itself. Just so you'd have an understanding of some of these OCs.

–

After my battle with Kabuto, Shusui-san, Ouka-sensei, and I went to find Kaworu. We found him collapsed in the abandoned factory, where it looked like an intense battle went on. He was covered in wounds, worse than mine, but the Kakuganes were slowly healing us. I don't know how he could smile like that after a battle with Homunculi. These "monsters" as they call it were once human. So what does that mean when we kill them? What does that mean…about Kabuto?

–

"She hasn't been out of her room since that Saturday," Mihoshi worriedly whispered to Souta. "I don't know what happened with her and Kaworu-sensei, but I think she's depressed…"

"Wait, you think something went on between her and Kaworu-san?" Souta blinked as Daisuke and Arata passed him. He puffed up his cheeks. "I knew I didn't like that guy…you think they're going out?"

"I think your sister would tell us." Mihoshi let out a sigh and turned to the window. "Listen, tell her that Ouka-chan, Yumi-chan, and I went to the convenience store. Can you ask her to meet us there?" Souta nodded, and the black-haired girl bowed and left the hall way. Soon, Souta left as well.

After a bit, Sakuya's door opened, and the teen silently crept out of the room. It didn't seem anyone saw her. Her hair was unkempt, and she was in pajamas. She slowly shuffled to the next haul and saw the door with Kaworu's name. "…Maybe I shouldn't…" she said to herself and looked down. Slowly, her hand raised to the door and pulled itself back.

"Come in," said the blonde's voice inside.

Sakuya was surprised that Kaworu knew that someone was at the door. She opened the door and poked her head in. "Are you busy?"

"Not at all, Sakuya-kun," Kaworu replied and placed some papers into the drawer of his desk. He then turned to Sakuya on his rolling chair. "How can I help you?" Sakuya was at a loss for words. She was staring at Kaworu by the doorway for a good minute or so. "…What's wrong? Something on my face?"

"N-No…" Sakuya stammered, nervously waving her hands side to side. "It's…just that I'm not used to you wearing glasses. You never wore those when you were tutoring us."

The blonde slightly blushed and took them off. "I-I only use these on certain occasions," he muttered.

"I think they look cute."

"Please don't call it that."

The atmosphere grew heavy and awkward, and Sakuya closed the door and walked to his bed, sitting in front of it. She hugged her knees and looked down. "…Kaworu…" she started to say, but cut herself short.

"What's wrong?" Kaworu asked. "I didn't think the rumors were true, but I can tell that you are depressed."

"Am I that easy to read?"

He smiled gently. "In this line of work, Sakuya-kun, it's easy to read a fellow Warrior when you've worked with them for a good while. It usually takes a while, but I've worked with you longer than anyone else." He then leaned forward with his fingers clasped together. "What's wrong? You've been down since our battle last Saturday. You didn't even want to train with me these past three days."

Sakuya didn't say anything at first. Then she said, "Are we…doing the right thing?" Kaworu raised an eyebrow. "These Homunculi…were once human. They probably didn't want to be Homunculi in the first placed, but just unfortunately became the way they are." She thought of Kabuto and bit the bottom of her lip. "Kabuto…didn't have to be our enemy."

"He didn't have to, but he was." The way Kaworu replied sounded cold. "As long as the Homunculi attack and kill humans, it is our job to kill them and protect the people."

"But Kabuto wasn't like that! Kabuto…Kabuto didn't want any of that. He just wanted to fight…to live…I fought him to protect the people I care about. But I cared about him too. He was my friend…I killed my own friend, Kaworu!"

Kaworu didn't say anything. He closed his eyes and turned away on his chair. The silence in the room was powerful and suffocating. All of a sudden, Sakuya felt thick bed sheets fall around her shoulders and back. Next to her, Kaworu knelt down and held her head to her chest.

"The Great Warrior Chief, Captain Bravo, once told me and your father…'For good or for evil, there is nothing wrong with following your beliefs.' According to my seniors, against his own wishes, he fought your father to protect many people, and vowed to end his own life after he succeeded. Kazuki-senpai…risked his own life to defeat Captain Bravo so he wouldn't have to die." Sakuya began to shake and hiccup as Kaworu held her close. "Sakuya-kun…what you did wasn't wrong. You saved many lives could have been taken that day. If it wasn't you…if you didn't make that sacrifice, many people would have died…Don't be ashamed of yourself. You did well. I promise you, Sakuya-kun, you did better than I could have ever done…" As he said those words, Sakuya sobbed behind her knees loudly as she leaned onto Kaworu. She was filled with regret, but at the same time, she felt reassured about the reason of receiving her power.

–

An hour passed, and Sakuya walked out the doorway and into the hall. She wiped any leftover tears from her reddened eyes and turned to Kaworu with a smile. "Thanks, Kaworu," she said.

Kaworu rubbed the back of his head. "Don't thank me. I should be thanking you." Then he smiled. "You've grown stronger, Sakuya-kun, than I had originally anticipated. As your trainer, I'm proud of you for all your accomplishments."

The blue-haired girl giggled a bit and leaned in a bit. Sakuya then leaned into the door, and her lips pressed against Kaworu's right cheek. "Even so…thanks." The blonde turned a bit red and nodded, slowly closing the door. Sakuya looked at Kaworu's name on the door and turned to the direction of her room, walking down the hall. She then realized what she had done and placed her fingers over his lips. "Omigod, wait! Wh-what did I just do?"

At the same time, Kaworu was leaning on his door, his hand resting on the spot Sakuya had kissed. His hand slowly traced to his right eye. Then he felt a sharp pain in his head. "Another headache…" he muttered and cringed slightly. "This is the second time this week…I have a bad feeling about this."

–

Now dressed, Sakuya walked down the light streets of Ginsei City. She stuck to a slim shirt that well-accented her breasts and jeans. It was still a workday, so not a lot of people would be out at this time. She looked up at the nearing convenience store, only to find Ouka and Mihoshi waiting and talking while Yumi was wildly waving at her. The girl smile and ran to her group of friends. "Sorry I'm late," she apologized.

"Meh," Ouka shrugged. "We figured you'd fix yourself somehow."

"So was it about Kaworu?" Yumi grinned, poking Sakuya's belly. "Or maybe a guy?"

"Yumi-chan, leave her be!" Mihoshi gave Yumi a quick tap on the head with her empty cold tea bottle. "Sakuya-chan doesn't have to talk about it if she doesn't want to."

All Sakuya did was shake her head with a smile, and the three gave concerned looks. "It's alright, Mihoshi," she said. "It's fine. I'm over it." She sat next to Yumi on the edge of the parking bump as Ouka handed her a can of soda. The can hissed as the tab was opened, and Sakuya gulped it down once or twice. "…You can say that it's a guy." The girls were all surprised by this. "He…left. Without saying a word. So…I was taking it pretty hard."

Mihoshi and Yumi were at a loss for words, but Ouka then said, "You too, huh?" Now the attention was turned to her. "My lover left without sayin' a word, too." The words "my" and "lover" escaping Ouka's lips made the other three's jaws drop. "It was a hush-hush relationship. Kinda looked down upon. But given my history, people wouldn't have found it surprising."

"Was it a super older guy?" Yumi asked.

Ouka nodded. "He was a teacher at Ginsei. I met him before I enrolled there back when I was the leader of th' Wild Fires. And I hated his guts." She looked into her water battle and moved the water around. "But…because of him, I was able to leave that life behind. I was happy. I met you guys at Ginsei, and…I owe him a lot. But all of a sudden, he left. There are rumors goin' around, but I don't wanna believe it…" Sakuya worriedly looked up at Ouka, but before she could say anything, Ouka added, "But even so, I don't regret the time I spent with him. 'Cause of him, I am where I am now. And even if he's not here…it's not the end for me or the world."

"Wow, I never expected you to be in a relationship, Ouka-chan…" Mihoshi looked out at a passing car and sighed. "To be honest, I'm not really interested in relationships."

"That's a lie," Sakuya teased. "I already know you like my brother."

The girls began to laugh jokingly, but Mihoshi then replied, "You're right…I do. He's fun and protective of his friends. He's like you, Sakuya-chan." Mihoshi sat down next to Sakuya on the parking bump. "But…I'm a boring person. I don't have much redeeming qualities like you three. And because of my social background, people are afraid to approach me, or are so cautious around me."

"Yeah, isn't your dad the owner of several manga magazine publishing companies?" Yumi asked. "Heh, I was surprised when I dug that information up."

Sakuya leaned in toward Mihoshi. "Seriously? How come I never knew that?"

Mihoshi nodded a bit. "And mom is a music star. We're pretty well-known around the world. But I wanted a normal life. With normal friends. I have that. And I don't regret it. Meeting you guys, Kaworu-sensei, Souta-kun…I'm having fun with the life I have now!"

Yumi snorted and stood up, stretching her arms. "That's fun and all, but I don't got problems like you guys."

"Oh?" Sakuya raised an eyebrow and grabbed Yumi by the head. "And what makes you better than us, shrimp?"

"Eeee! Leggo!" Yumi laughed as Sakuya and Ouka rubbed their knuckles on Yumi's head, and Mihoshi laughed a bit. Soon, they let go, and Yumi stuck a pocky stick into her mouth. "I don't. I just came to terms with what I am. I'm proud to be an otaku. I'm proud of being a fan of anime and manga." She grinned and held out her fist in front of them. "Even if the whole world is against me, you guys got my back! And I got yours!"

"She's right." Ouka pushed herself off the convenience store's pillar and placed her fist next to Yumi's. "No matter what happens or where we are, we'll always have each others' backs."

Mihoshi giggled and gently placed her fist next to theirs. "And no matter what, we won't regret any of our decisions. Because this is the life we chose."

The three looked down at Sakuya, who was at a loss for words. They all gave reassuring smiles and nods, and the blue-haired teen smiled herself, standing up from her seat. "Yeah. I trust you guys to have my back. Whether the world is with me or against me…We'll always have each other." She placed her fist onto her chest, where her Kakugane is. Then she pushed her fist forward, joining them. "No regrets. We are who we are, and there's nothing that can replace what we have."

There's nothing to replace what I have. I have to keep moving forward and become stronger. For my friends…for my mother and Souta…for Kaworu…I will become stronger!

–

Outside the town, the shaggy-haired figure looked down from the nearby hill with a cigarette in his lips. He pulled down his tinted shades a bit and blew smoke from his lips. "Are you done yet?" he asked the shadowed figure behind him. The figure had long black hair that covered her well-endowed chest. He could hear growling sounds coming from her position. "I take it you're almost done?"

The womanly figure turned to the shaggy-haired man and huffed. "Don't rush me, newbie" she growled. "You may be a higher rank, but you were the last one to join. So shut up and wait." She grinned as she held up various shards of metal. "I want this operation…to be PERFECT."

The man simply smirked and looked out at Ginsei City. "Sakuya…Muto…soon, I will have my revenge…on you, and the Alchemist Army."