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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

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Chapter 7: Bitter Flame

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius

"Again."

That word was very despised by those that trained under the Fire Crest. One would imagine it was just the unease coming from being defeated so many times, but there was something more that not many students under a fighter's masterful guidance are able to witness. And that is pure and unrestrained humiliation.

To say that Carmesi was a terrifying opponent would be an understatement. Many have already witnessed and felt with great intensity the sheer ruthlessness of her attacks but also the brutality of her remarks with each defeat. She wasn't one to hold back, the honesty that came through her lips felt almost mocking and demeaning of the efforts used by many. Only a few got the praises they 'deserved' by the Fire Crest.

To the eyes of many, Carmesi was a horrible person even in social situations and, in a sense, that was indeed true. However, there's much that one didn't know about the Fox Prime. And her husband was one that knew the whole truth about it, but never once mentioned it to even his closest friends.

Between Dark and Fire, Howl's eerie appearance felt less threatening compared to Carmesi's own self, but that wasn't only due to appearance alone- the Crest of Dark was a more fatherly figure when it came to training. He wasn't keen to expose his students to genuine intensity unless strictly necessary for their growth or, quite commonly, if he was confident they could handle it.

But that's where the big question tended to be entertained: why would a man like Howl end up marrying someone like Carmesi? The answer was complex, but amusingly wrapped in a few words: there was love and there was loss.

This combination of differing feelings was quick to enlarge the factors which caused two elements so many times at odds with one another to actually find common ground and some understanding. Howl remembered it when it happened, when he felt there was a 'disruption' between his 'crushing' on Carmesi and when he decided to be around for her until she was up and well to get on her feet on her own.

The victory against the Emperor- that event many praised as the beginning of an Era of Peace was actually seen by most Crests as a grand loss in their ranks. Some were visibly upset, such as the queen, Grace and Xeanica. But it was Carmesi that shocked many with her seemingly-calm appearance.

She mentioned being upset, she would grow angry at each mention of Theo, but she would never show anything more than a cold shoulder and a general lack of reaction to all of this. Many would see it as her showing her true colors and revealing she wasn't as close to Theo as many said she was.

But Howl had been experienced and mature enough to know that something was going on and he was given confirmation of his suspicions when Carmesi, right as she went back to training days after the end of the war and right as Adela had started to go around on her own without requiring moral support. One would think that training would have put her in a good mood, that it would have rekindled her fighting spirit and pulled her out of the silent depression that was consuming her thoughts.

Yet, Howl was glad he had been around to keep an eye on her as the Wolf Prime found her curled in a fetal position by the showers hours after the closure time of the gym they were at. The hot water had turned cold and she had gotten close enough to get something because of the chilling temperature her body was at. Which was impressive considering her Crest was meant to protect her from that natural coldness. She had been purposely holding back on it and he didn't need to ask what had been her plan there.

Monitoring her on his own warranted some scowling from the Fire Crest. Anger, wrath, upset, but it was all a mix of pained whining with cries of help lingering within her masterful acting. A few days of being restrained and controlled over what she would do yielded the truth and... it was a sigh to remember.

Carmesi hardly cried for something or something, but it was through that narration that none of her strong self showed as her inner emotional self nudely exposed itself to Howl. She admitted that she had been able to hold back through the first few days around Adela. What moral support she gave to the queen turned back to her through the nostalgic remembrance of how close they were to the Grand Knight.

She mentioned the love, the many doubts and the many hopes she felt for him- while that would be enough to upset a fellow chaser of her heart, Howl was fine with these comments as, in a sense, could share some of that warmth she felt for the Knight as he too held him in a similar regard.

Then, Carmesi told him what made her snap. What caused her to break into that self-ending frenzy- it was the training itself. It was the fact she was now aware, through the very thing that had her bond with the human that was no longer there. The pain endured, but she was no longer alone as Howl shared her own upset. It wasn't the same as hers, that much he agreed to, but he admitted that Theo was someone they both had cared for on similar levels.

That surprised Carmesi, but she merely was surprised that someone like Howl, who had shown primarily interest in her would be also open to that option. It was enough to warrant a giggle, but to also pursue a degree of help for both. Acting as each other's crutches, they managed to outlast the pain and eventually get where they were now.

A somewhat working but imperfect relationship with a daughter both loved to the core. Vixy may not know this, but her mother loved her so much that she had gone through hell and back to prevent some of the more unpleasant companies from trying to buy out the small business the girl had started with her girlfriend.

After many years of sweat and hard work, Howl knew this all was working and that it was going to endure. It wasn't as healthy as he would have wanted it to be as Carmesi had taken an obsession in fostering her clan as if they were her troops ever since their baby daughter left the nest, but she was still willing to go out for some dates from time to time.

Eventually that led him there, on his own, to the mechanic job he learned to love through self-discovery of how wonderful was being an engineer. And such practical work pleased the many students he trained, with many seeing the advantage of knowing how to handle their own vehicles' potential issues.

It was a gratifying job, but nothing that prepared him for surprises such as the one that was currently pressing him about his relationship with Carmesi. Their backstory, albeit a secret by a lack of interest of many, was actually one Howl didn't mind parting ways with here and there to teach people on how love can be complicated at times.

But something about this masked man felt oddly... familiar. He recognized Ambar's daughter, same for Grace's eldest girl, but this man and his mask... so familiar and yet difficult to decipher. And his voice- he heard this voice before.

"And that's as much as I can tell you without... going into private details."

A pleased nod came from his mysterious interlocutor. "Which is fair, really. I am surprised by how things turned out in the end."

Surprised? For some reason that word felt off compared to the idea this man was a mere 'private historian', which further intrigued him.

"I am actually surprised that Ambar gave someone like you permission to dig into these matters. I thought she would be the one providing this information to you."

This 'Matt' had introduced himself as an agent for the High Prime which was busy 'educating' these students of his in advanced awareness for Knights. This was not unusual considering the wacky plans from Ambar, but even the Bear Prime wouldn't go this far for this matter. Naerie? She perhaps needed it, but Hope Ravenhurst was not that.

Nonetheless, the 'main reason' for their visit was to have a check up for their vehicle which, in Howl's own opinion, was highly unnecessary since the car was fine and was quite new from the looks of it. Something else motivated the visit, something less than official and something that held Howl in a tense state of self.

Yet, his investigation was brought to an end as the masked figure, perhaps growing tired of playing around so extensively, dropped the pieces that clued Howl in what was going on at the moment.

"I would have asked that, but I wanted to have an honest opinion from you, Howlson. After all, you have been around Carmie for so long and I wanted to be aware of what your opinion was as her husband."

While the practice of giving him annoying nicknames was not inherently centered around anyone in particular, the use of Carmie- the accent used to it so nostalgic and warmly, gave away who he was talking to and, tensing up in surprise, Howl didn't waste a moment to confirm if this was indeed who he thought he was.

The masked human paused and looked nervous when the Wolf Prime grasped him by his arm and then dove with his nostrils on his left shoulder. Strong sniffs dug into the clever cover of deodorant, ultimately finding what he was trying to find. His tail wagged, his heart rushed a bit and redness spread through his cheeks as he recognized this smell and- he proceeded to hug the ever-living out of that insufferable human.

"Theo!" He exclaimed in his shirt, tears flowing as his usually-stern expression melted into a fluffy one of delight.

The human groaned a bit as his mask was removed and he was there for him to see and he pressed his nose against him. The smile was tantalizing, and Howl was so tempted to just kiss him there, ignoring the surprised looks presented by the girls looking from the car. Yet, the Dark Crest held himself from being so sudden.

After all, he was better than this- that was until Theo pulled him in a hug, then his self-control broke with his tail wagging like crazy.

"Missed you too, you immense fluff."

"H-How? I thought- we all thought that you were gone!"

"I... I was," The blond admitted, pulling back a little from the hug. "The Gods didn't want me around and... I was out for about a decade."

...A decade?!

"But it's been-"

"Far longer here. I am aware and... imagine how awkward it was picking up the pieces after dealing with amnesia?"

Howl's lips dried up at this. The Gods did all of this? Why? And was this related to the meet-up Ambar wanted everyone to take part in?

"But-but why come here? I thought you would have gone for Carmesi and Grace?"

Matt sighed tiredly. "I... I want to take it slowly. Plus, I know you and Carmie got together. I didn't want to appear... you know-"

"You would never be a troublesome element to our marriage. I am well aware of how you two feel with each other and... I don't see any issue with it," Howl admitted, yet the reaction felt less pleased than he would have wanted. "I mean it, Theo."

"It's Matt," The human remarked. "'Theo' was a nickname Adela came up when we started the journey and it stuck."

That was something interesting but...

"Would you like to talk more over some coffee?"

He smiled. "I wouldn't mind."

Howl beamed in delight, wondering how he was going to make all of this work to everyone's advantage somehow...

AN

Yes, Howl is bi in this story.

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