A few days after the bombing incident at Sylvasta Pharmaceutical, Yuki was in her room brushing a comb through her long locks of brown hair. She hummed to one of her favorite songs, Comedy by Gen Hoshino, with a small smile on her face. She had been bursting with happiness since the day Shirou finally started to accept her, even if he won't admit it himself. His hatred for humans still baffles her and she still doesn't understand exactly why he does. Even more so as to why he was pushing it on her.
Before the day began, Yuki hid a birthday cake she specially ordered for Michiru under her bed. It is her birthday after all! She plans on bringing it out at the end of the day and show her how much she appreciates her. Michiru is definitely a one of a kind friend she will cherish forever and ever!
She and Michiru journeyed to City Hall where her friend was hailed by Mayor Rose.
They were greeted upon entry and sent straight up to Mayor Rose's office. Standing in front of Mayor Rose's lavish wooden desk, Michiru was handed a brown envelope by one of her bodyguards. "That's your Beastman Resident Certificate and your health insurance card," He said with the nod of his head.
"I saw it hadn't been processed yet, so this is a thank you for the Medi-Cen bombing case. I know you had a rough time," Mayor Rose explained clasping her hands in front of her.
Michiru bowed and chuckled nervously, "Thank you."
With a small, genuine smile, Mayor Rose announced, "Now you're an official resident of Anima-City. Welcome to the beastman metropolis."
Yuki smiled in congratulations to her friend and pushed the jealousy rising in her chest down to the back of her mind. To be accepted with open arms even knowing she used to be a human before becoming a beastman was something Yuki craved. It was no secret she loathed being a human, seeing as they were the reason why she suffered so much as a child. Another thought for another time, she had to swallow the bitterness in her throat seeing Michiru continue to chuckle nervously at the prospect of now being seen as an official beastman, as if she were never human.
She reached in her pocket of her shorts and withdrew her cracked phone. "You can have this back," She said sliding it across Mayor Rose's desk, Yuki following suit.
"You can keep it," Mayor Rose suggested but they only shook their heads.
"But there's really no use for it," Yuki mumbled with the tilt of her head, "It doesn't connect to the Internet in the outside world. No matter what we do, it just shows the city hall website."
Mayor Rose's bodyguard answered for them, "According to the Special Beastmen District Provision, access to news of the human world is restricted."
"What? That's not fair!" Michiru huffed.
Yuki, an avid advocate for beastmen rights, scowled, "You deserve rights to see the human world just like everybody else. Why would they restrict something that is fun and exciting?"
Mayor Rose's smile never faltered. Instead, it hardened into one of concentration when she spoke, "Yuki, Michiru, this is a good opportunity for you to learn some things."
Yuki and Michiru eyed each other wearily when a screen propped up behind them.
Revealing a double helix shape she recognized as DNA and mammals that looked similar to monkeys, Mayor Rose explained, "Beastmen, or beast humans, are a different human species than homo sapiens. Due to a special DNA, beast deoxyribonucleic acid, they can morph their bodies." In various different slides showing Ancient Egyptians and animal family trees, she continued, "In ancient times, they mimicked the animal deities that each of the different tribes worshiped. They wanted to become like gods. But the kind of animal they can morph into is determined by their ancestors. Lion cubs can morph into lions. When they cross-marry, the children gain only one parent's genes. In this case, either a lion or a tiger will be born. They won't be born a liger."
Then, she said something that startled them.
"For a human that doesn't carry beast deoxyribonucleic acid, turning into a beastman is incomprehensible," She finished.
"But I did," Michiru mumbled.
Nazuna, too, Yuki almost muttered but kept to herself, thinking sadly back on her friend she hadn't seen in over a year.
Mayor Rose nodded her head and stood from her seat. The powerpoint slide officially finished at that. She gazed out into the window and contemplated silently for a moment. "Right. What couldn't possibly happen has happened to you," She sighed out looking down at the bustling city of Anima-City. "Beastmen have always avoided contact with homo sapiens or humans. We've lived in forests, mountains, uninhabited islands, and deserts. But due to human environmental development, we had no choice but to show ourselves. Since the existence of beast humans became apparent, there have been many conflicts, but Anima-City was finally established. And now, here you are."
"I see," Michiru can only speak.
A copy of Michiru's DNA analytical results popped up on the screen.
"I had your DNA analyzed. It's different than an ordinary beastman's," Mayor Rose deciphered suddenly looking very serious. "Whenever you morph, explosive yet unstable cell division occurs. That's probably why you can change your shape at will. Though it's still just a theory."
"Can I be cured?" Michiru instantly asked much to Yuki's disbelief.
Mayor Rose shook her head. "I don't know yet. Give me a little more time. In the meantime, let the Beast Co-Op take care of you."
Yuki and Michiru looked at each other and just shrugged.
When they left the building, Michiru pulled out her cracked phone, huffing, "I kind of understand, but then again, I don't." Tapping on the Internet button and seeing the city hall front page pull up, she huffed again, "I do understand this is useless."
Yuki pulled out her phone and was just as annoyed at the front page website too. Then, she realized she had an unread message in her text inbox from a few hours ago. Her eyes went wide and her cheekbones went warm at the sender's name. Shirou Ogami. He wanted to meet up with her back at the Beast Co-Op and talk about something! What did he want to talk about? What could it be?! Why is Yuki getting nervous all of sudden? It was fine! Everything is completely fine!
Trying her best to still the tremble in her hands and in her voice, Yuki chuckled, "Um, Shirou messaged me saying he wanted to meet up and talk about something. I'm going to head out now."
Michiru looked confused, at first.
Then, her face gave way to a teasing smirk. "Are you guys going on a date?" She cackled.
"No, we are not!" Yuki shrieked in pure fluster impulsively slapping Michiru across the face. She didn't hesitate to continue shrieking, "G-Get your mind out of the gutter! If it was a d-date-I'm not saying it is-he would've said something! He would've indicated it was a d-d-d-!"
"A d-d-date?" Michiru teased her again, not caring about the hand print on her cheek, laughing at her reddened face.
Yuki growled under her breath, "Don't make me slap you again."
Michiru hugged her shoulders, giggling lightly, "Shirou is all right in my book now. He's not the same creepy weirdo I thought he was. Yuki, seriously, go have fun. But not too much fun."
Yuki blushed heavily at the implication but nodded her head nonetheless with a large smile.
Hurrying back to the Beastman Co-Op, Yuki couldn't stifle the excited giggles escaping her mouth. She shouldn't get her hopes up that Shirou was asking her on a date. He still holds too much a grudge against humans to do that, but he wanted to be with her! And only her! He didn't even ask Michiru to accompany her like he always does! Does that mean he's starting to trust her, even a little bit?! Then that means they might actually become real friends!
When she rounded the corner of a street, she gasped seeing Shirou waiting outside the Beastman Co-Op. She was so thrilled to see him she didn't notice the annoyance and frustration building on his face. She approached without precaution, waving her hand and greeting loudly, "Hi, Shirou! Sorry I didn't message back sooner! I was at city hall with Michiru!"
She almost faltered seeing his blue eyes, usually emotionless, become cold the instant they landed on her. "You came here without Kagemori? After I insistently tell you not to go anywhere without her?" He suddenly growled.
Yuki instantly took a disliking to his attitude. "You didn't include you wanted her to tag along," She scoffed back trying to hide the hurt in her voice.
"Typical human behavior to do whatever they want no matter the repercussions," Shirou tsked under his breath.
Fists balling at her sides, she couldn't contain the anger swelling inside of her. "Did something happen this morning that you made so mean for no reason? What happened between the text message then and now? You're rude and stubborn, sure, but not to this extent! I thought things between us were finally getting better after I helped you out a few days ago," She spat.
"I've been thinking about it, your feelings towards the beastmen and their prosperity. I know it's all an act, and nothing more. No human would ever want us to thrive and earn basic rights for survival, citizenship, and more. You almost made me believe you might've actually cared, but I won't. No human will ever help us. You can drop it already. I already know you're just like every other human out there; greedy, selfish, arrogant, and naive," He seethed crossing his arms.
Yuki felt her heart shatter in her chest.
Every other human out there...?
The cries, the screams, and the terror she felt that day, all those years ago, flashed inside her mind. The bodies of two corpses, the laughter of people, of humans, and being compared to them... it made Yuki mad enough to push out a hand and slap him across the face.
The sound of her hand hitting his cheek was hard enough to break the sound barrier. The pop reverberated through the air and stung her hand like pins and needles, but she didn't care.
His face whipped to the side and his eyes widened in shock. When they landed back on her, he mumbled, "Hanamura...?"
Yuki furiously met his eyes, angry tears running down her face, as she screamed, "How dare you call it an act! How dare you compare me to other humans! How dare you pretend to know what I've been through!" Her fists were shaking at her side and it took everything she had to not start balling in front of him. "You can't possibly understand the pain, the suffering, the anguish I've gone through! You know why? Because you never gave me a chance! You hated me the moment you realized I was a human and never bothered to get to know the real me! I admire you, you care so much about the beastmen it sends shivers down my spine, but... when it comes to me, all you see is disgusting vermin."
Wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hoodie's arm sleeve, she scowled, "You always will, and that won't ever change until you give humans a second chance!" before turning on her heel.
She didn't know when she started running but she was. Stumbling on the sidewalk, she ran and ran, tears flowing out of her eyes, to the sound of sobs that wouldn't stop spilling from her mouth. The shattered remains of her heart felt like they crumbled to dust flowing away in the wind trailing her. Her legs trembled, her fists still clenched tightly at her sides, and her mind raced as to possibly why Shirou would antagonize her like that. Why he would possibly think that way after what they've been through!
Yuki nearly fell to her knees when she couldn't run any longer but managed to fall on a wooden bench. There, she slowly tried to stop the heaving of her chest, the gasping for breath, and waterfall of tears running down her face. It took a while but she managed to steady her breathing to one of shudders but the occasional tear still fell freely.
Her eyes scoured her environment and she found herself in a park. They ran, sadly, among the children playing with their parents. They laughed, squealed in excitement, and smiled in pure happiness. Yuki knew what it felt like, even if she only had it for such a short amount of time.
BZZ! BZZ!
Yuki's eyes flared in anger at the name popping up on her phone. Shirou Ogami.
Taking in a deep breath, she defiantly declined the call and tossed the phone from her and on to the seat beside her. Her annoyance and frustration with him built every passing second he kept trying to reach her. But she ignored every single one of them. She meant what she said. Of course she did, she wouldn't have said anything if she didn't. He needed to know she was dead serious about it. She won't pick up the phone any time soon, not for him.
Then, the calls stopped.
It took everything she had to not pick up the phone and stare at the screen, hoping he will call just one more time.
BZZ! BZZ!
Her head perked up but instead of Shirou's name, it was Michiru's. She swallowed the disappointment she didn't want to feel down her throat and picked up the call. Clearing her throat, she forced the corners of her lips into a smile, speaking into the phone, "Hey, Michiru! What's up?"
"Hey! Sorry to bother you, but I made a new friend! Her name is Nina, she's a dolphin beastman, and she wants to go see the human world! You want to tag along with? Oh, and I have a big surprise to show you!" Michiru squealed loudly on the other end.
Yuki didn't squeal along. She'd rather be alone but it was Michiru's birthday after all. "Sure, where do you want to meet?" She asked relenting.
Michiru went silent for a time. Then she asked, "Is something wrong? Your voice seems... a bit different."
Yuki stared at the ground, eyes wavering and vision blurring, but she feigned a giggle, speaking, "Nothing! I'm totally fine! I can't wait for the surprise you mentioned! Where do you want to meet?"
More silence but Michiru answered, "On the beach along the West coast. You can't miss it. We'll be waiting for you there."
It seemed she didn't want to push the subject. Yuki was grateful.
Arriving at the beach, Yuki gasped seeing Michiru standing in front of her... as a human! Her hair was brown, her skin devoid of all fur, no ears, or bushy tail! She was really human again! All she could scream was, "Oh my god! Michiru... you're human again!" seeing her friend standing proudly and confidently in front of her!
"I know! Isn't it great?!" Michiru squealed doing a twirl before both girls clasped hands and jumped in the air for joy.
Then, she quickly turned and gestured an arm to a girl standing nearby. "This is Nina, the girl we're going to show around the human world," She quickly introduced.
The girl had a tan complexion, large turquoise eyes, aqua eyebrows, with long aqua hair pulled into a ponytail, and she wore pink lipstick. She was downed in a white halter top dress with a pink ribbon wrapped around her waist and blue pumps. She smiled widely meeting Yuki for the first time and shook her hand enthusiastically, shrieking, "I can't wait to go to the human world with you two! It's so beautiful and, well, I need to see the world so I'm not stuck in Anima-City my entire life. I mean, just look at it! It's so sparkly!"
Their eyes gazed across the sea acting as a barrier to the human world.
Michiru nodded her head in determination. "Let's go."
Riding Nina's back across the sea deep into the night and journeying into the heart of the city, Nina showed them the building the party was being hosted in. Yuki's eyes widened seeing the spike of the massive building scrape against the against of the starry night. She could see disco lights illuminating windows at the very topmost of the building. They walked inside and took the elevator up to the penthouse suit. Even inside, they could feel the vibration of the booming music, the muffled sounds of cheers, screaming, and squealing, and footsteps racing all across the floor. Yuki being nervous was a slight understatement.
The elevator doors opened to reveal a glow-in-the-dark masked theme party.
Yuki carefully walked in with Michiru and Nina on either side of her looking over the entire room. It was dark glowing with numerous fluorescent necklaces, bracelets, paints, and more. Everyone wore elaborate masks that shielded their true identifies from the people they were drinking, dancing, or conversing with. She ran her eyes uneasily over the alcoholic beverages laid on the table next to the door, people grind-dancing, and stumbling like drunks.
She quickly whizzed by them and approached the center of the room.
A large circular aquarium filled with a coral reef and tens of different type of fish, the waters illuminated a beautiful pale blue, ran from the first to the third floor of the penthouse suit. She was almost lost in thought until she heard a song playing on the overhead speakers.
It was Night Running by Shin Sakiura.
Images of she, Michiru, and Nazuna listening to the song, sitting on a park bench after school, with earphones in their ears, entered her head. Their eyes were closed, hands held, and laid back, relaxed, letting the sun bathe on their skin. Not a single one of them talked. It was filled with a warm, welcoming silence. It was peaceful, calm, and... during much better times. Yuki didn't realize how much she missed her friend until that moment when she heard that song she hadn't listened to in over a year.
She almost cried, felt the sting of her eyes and saw the blurry of her vision, if she hadn't heard... that laughter.
Yuki immediately tensed up in horror. The laugh echoed and reverberated all around the room hitting her ears. Her hands clenched at her side, her shoulders trembling, and her eyes went wide at the sound that still kept coming. Her gasps came out in shudders and she slowly turned her head. At the far end of the room stood a man laughing and smiling with the other party-goers.
As soon as her eyes landed on him, her vision flashed a crimson red. When she looked at him, she saw the body of a woman sprawled on the ground with a deep, horizontal gouge in her throat, her eyes wide open in betrayal and tears running down her cheek. When she heard him, she heard the panicking mutters of a coward, the sneer of a monster, and the laughter of an enemy. When she thought of him, all she could remember was pain beaten into her and the shatter of her heart of the woods, the forests, of where she was abandoned.
Her eyes landed on Seto, her grandfather. The man she hasn't seen, hasn't cared for, and hasn't forgiven in 10 years.
"Y-You...! YOU...!" Yuki could barely contain the scream from her throat. Her body was overcome with trembling rage, fury, she didn't know how to control. She had learned to contain it, wield it, but for him to be standing there merely across the room... it was as if Ares himself bestowed upon her the wrath she hid inside of herself.
Then, his eyes met hers.
It was like time slowed down. The pounding of her heart entered her chest and seemed to have sped up drastically. His green eyes, that once sparkled staring at his cohorts, went ice cold at the sight of her. She felt the unfriendly, hateful aura of unfinished business swelling around him.
I... will make him PAY FOR WHAT HE'S DONE!
Before Yuki can move, and act on her promise, she heard a familiar terrified gasp and shriek, "What is going on?!"
It took all the strength she had to look away from the man staring her down and see Michiru pounding her fist against the aquarium tank. A terrified gasp of her own choked out of her seeing Nina trapped inside of it! In her beastman form, she pounded her fists desperately against the tank choking and gasping for air. What is she doing in there?! She was suffocating!
"Nina! Nina!" Yuki screamed rushing forward. She turned to Lisa, the girl hosting the party, and quickly demanded, "What are you doing?!"
The girl shrugged and answered, "Nina was tired, so I thought I would put her in some seawater. I mean, she's a dolphin, right?"
"Are you insane?! Why are you treating her as if she's an animal?!" Yuki shrilled nearly throwing her fist out at the girl's face. "She's only half-dolphin! She's still a human being, too, she needs air to breathe!" Yuki screamed in her face and added, with a scowl, "Oh, and fyi, dolphins are mammals! They need air to breathe too!"
Yuki and Michiru kept pounding their fists and ramming their shoulders, but nothing worked! The glass was too strong and too thick!
She desperately looked at Michiru and screamed, "Help her! You have to help her!"
Michiru didn't hesitate to morph back into her beastman form. With a loud, thunderous roar, she lifted her fists up high. They grew and grew until they were as big as the elevator doors! She reared her fist back and smashed it into the glass! It immediately shattered on impact and exploded outwards. Water from the enormous tank spilled out and flooded the entire penthouse soaking nearly everyone on the first floor. The poor fishes jumped and gasped at the sudden new environment but laying beside them was Nina.
Yuki and Michiru immediately raced forward when she started coughing out water from her lungs. They helped her to her feet when she morphed back into her human form.
"Are you okay?" They both softly asked.
She didn't answer.
Yuki grabbed her hand and spoke, "Let's go home."
She nodded her head to that.
They left the party in shambles and silence without a care. The three of them walked out without looking back or speaking to any of them. Yuki forced her eyes forward and didn't dare to look back at Seto. Nina, her friend, needed her now more than ever. She won't give into hate when her friend almost lost her life.
Yuki, Michiru, and Nina were walking back to the dock in silent. The highway to the city was nearly empty as midnight started coming closer and closer.
It was silent... until they heard the click of a gun.
The three of them immediately froze in a cold sweat. They slowly turned their heads... and the wrath Yuki felt before, in the party, somehow burned hotter and brighter seeing Seto with his gun aimed at her. His face stayed stoic, emotionless, but the same cold glare still penetrated her skull.
"Who... Who the heck are you?!" Michiru screamed.
Yuki whipped out a hand at her. She didn't have to say anything for her to keep her mouth shut.
Seto's hand didn't waver with hesitation or fear. It remained completely steady, even as he scoffed, "So... the pup managed to live after all these years."
"Of course I am alive!" Yuki almost started to scream with her vision turning the same bright, bloody red hue. "No matter how hard you try, no matter how much you spend to have my existence erased, I am a survivor. I always will be," She growled. Then, she eyed the gun and made a signal at Michiru, who immediately caught on.
Then, they both sprung into action.
Michiru caught Seto's attention by activating her powers to grow her fists into the size of a small building again. She immediately swung for the man who was forced to jump out of the way. As she grabbed his attention, Yuki ran as fast and as hard she could towards him. As she raced around the mayhem, watching Seto try to split his attention among her and his attacker, her eyes were instantly glued on the black handgun in his grip. Her breathing heavied, her eyes popped out of her skull, and she screamed when she was just within reach.
She threw out a fist and connected it hard against his skull.
At his recoil, she reached forward and snatched the gun from his hand, aiming it directly at his head.
"Yuki... w-what are you doing?" She heard Nina timidly ask.
Inhumane growls dripped out of her mouth. "Doing what I should've done a long time ago," Was all she answered before placing her finger on the trigger.
Seto looked amused at the sudden development of the situation.
He harshly swiped at the blood dripping from his lip with his thumb and cackled, "I know you don't have the guts to do it, girl. You never did. Not after all this time." He spared Michiru a glance, smirking. "I bet you never told anyone what happened, did you? How your parents died, were slaughtered, like the true animals they were. They pretended to love you, you know? How could anyone love a sad, timid, disgusting girl such as yourself? That's the reason why you never had a real home-"
"SHUT UP!" Yuki screamed in sheer anguish and hatred, her throat burning like fire, as she fired a bullet in the sky above them as a warning before aiming back at his head. "I don't care what you think of me! What you think about me! All I care about is getting revenge for my mom, for my parents! I'll do it, right here, right now!"
"Yuki, don't do it!" Michiru pleaded.
Yuki only spared her a glance. "You don't know what he did! How much money he spent just so I can-!"
"You're right! I don't know what he did, but that doesn't mean you have to murder him!" She shouted at her. Yuki didn't falter. "I cannot understand the pain you're going through. What you went through. I never will! What I do understand is that you're one of my best friends! You're kind, smart, compassionate, and never fail to be there for someone who is pain! You never want anyone else to go through what you went through. You're not a murderer. I would rather die than see you kill someone!"
Yuki gasped slightly. "Die...?" She choked out.
The gun trembled violently in her grip as tears streamed down her cheeks at the thought. She didn't... want anyone else close to her die. She sniffed, let out a small sob, before slowly lowering the gun.
"You're... a coward, just like your filthy mother," Seto growled at her.
"You shut your mouth!" Michiru and Nina screamed out but Yuki blocked them out.
Something snapped inside her core.
It was as if emotions, turmoil, pain, anguish, of it all, disappeared. She had embodied nothingness. It felt as if her soul was stripped away at the words defiling her mom. At the undeserved slander of the most kind, loving, and generous woman she's ever known. At the genuine smile she held for Yuki, the warm embrace, the tender kisses, and the overwhelming mother's love she would never feel again.
There was no more trembling or shakiness.
She raised the gun at Seto without a thought, without a care in the world, and pulled the trigger.
At the sound of terrified screams, at the sound of crying, Yuki gasped back into reality. The barrel of the gun was smoking. Her hands hurt from the force of the bullets projectile. Strangely, it was aimed at the night sky. She found the gun pointing into the air instead of Seto's head as she thought she did. He stood in front of her baffled just as much as she was.
Her eyes slowly ran along the gun and to her hands. Her eyes widened slightly seeing a third wrapped around the grip cradling her fingers. They followed their arm and came into contact with familiar, icy blue eyes. They were Shirou's.
She felt nothing at first.
Then, at the warmth emitting from his body, at the gaze of his soft yet stern eyes, she started to cry.
"Shirou... Shirou...!" She whimpered his name through harsh sobs.
He slowly took the gun from her hands and tossed it over the edge of the bridge, letting it splash into the waters and out of her range. He stayed staring down at her, hands gripping her shoulders, before bringing her close to him. He was too tall for her to wrap her arms around his neck. Instead, she desperately clung to his torso, digging her face into his shoulder, and cried so hard her throat burned. Her mother is dead because of this man. Her parents died because of this man. Her life was an uphill battle because of this man!
No, not a man. A monster! The true monster of their world.
And she almost... killed somebody.
"Shirou, I... I almost-" She tried to choke out but he placed a hand on her head, shushing her.
She heard Seto growl lowly under his breath. "You're one of those freaks, too, aren't you-?"
"I'd keep your mouth shut if I were you," She heard Shirou snarl at him harshly. The same anger that overwhelmed Yuki... she suddenly felt it from him. Accompanying it was dangerous energy... she never felt something like this. "Tormenting and torturing a girl... you humans absolutely make me sick. Get the hell out of here before I do something I know I will not regret."
"Yeah, get the hell out of here, you creep!" Michiru piped in forming a wall between Shirou and Yuki, and Seto.
Seto had no choice but to storm away, and Yuki watched him with a menacing glare in her eye. A promise that if she saw him again... Shirou wouldn't be there to stop her.
They dropped Nina off at her home, daughter to the mafia family that almost waged a war on humans because they saw her morphed into a beastman by pictures posted on the Internet. That's how Shirou was able to find them.
Yuki found herself sitting on the roof of the Beastman Co-Op hugging her legs close to her chest. She had no more tears left to shed and her heart was slowly piecing itself back together. She never thought she'd see that monster again, but she did. She didn't know whether she'd go through with killing him or not, and she almost did. He'd be dead, his blood on her hands, if Shirou hadn't been there to stop her. To push the barrel of the gun away from Seto's head... another memory of pain, anger, and blood would've been added to the collection if it weren't for him.
"Rough night."
She lifted her head and saw Shirou standing on the edge of the roof overlooking the city.
Dropping her chin to her knees, she mumbled, "Understatement of the century."
Shoving his hands in his pockets, he turned to look over his shoulder, speaking cautiously, "I didn't think you'd ever have it in you to pull the trigger on anyone. You barely had courage to wield a knife against someone. I need to know why you thought it was the best course of action. I need to know... what happened."
Yuki stiffened yet took a deep breath.
She let go of her legs, letting them fall and cross in front of her, and placed her elbows on her knees. Her voice didn't shake nor tremble, when she said, "I saw my biological dad slit the throat of my mom in front of me."
Shirou immediately turned with a shocked start.
"I was only a child. At first, I didn't understand what happened. I was wondering why my mom was bleeding so much and why she wouldn't wake up. Then, years later, I realized my biological dad killed her and Seto, my grandfather, covered it up," She spat out recounting the long untold story. "I suffered abuse at my dad's hands, and my mom used herself as a shield to try and keep me safe. When she died, and he remarried, the abuse worsened, especially when I was saved from a speeding car by a beastman who died from the impact. Not before long, they dumped me in the woods and left me to die."
A small grin formed on her face. "A beastman couple found me, took their time to get to know me, heal me, help me, and adopted me. For five years, I was genuinely happy," She chuckled lightly.
Then, her core burned.
"When I was 13, Seto paid Beastmen Hunters to attack the house and kill my adopted parents. I was forced to watch them get beaten to hell, and I was beaten in turn when I tried to help them. All I remember was waking up in a hospital and crying out for them. Crying out for my mom. I was all alone." She mindlessly picked at the nails of her fingers. "Later that year, I was adopted by my grandfather from my mom's side and I was sent to a new school. I met Michiru and Nazuna who were adamant on being my friend. I mean, they really, really wanted to be my friend. They made it their mission to do so. Now, five years later, we're the bestest of friends."
Yuki grew saddened at the thought of what happened a year earlier. "Except, Nazuna disappeared and Michiru went into hiding. Once again, I was all alone, until Michiru called me saying she was going to go to Anima-City. I... didn't want her to know the pain and suffering of being alone, and the fact I missed her so, so much, I didn't let her leave by herself. I went with her and I will always be with her no matter what. Now, you know why I am an advocate for beastmen. They saved my life and showed me happiness I didn't think was real anymore."
Her determined stare met Shirou's. She was serious about what she said.
Shirou was silent for a long time. He seemed to be taking time to process what he had just heard. He walked a few paces towards her and knelt down on one knee in front of her. "What you went through... there's no words," He started to speak meeting her eyes, "I'm sorry about this morning. I was angry, frustrated, and I wrongly took it out on you. I try my best to get along with you, despite hating your kind, but I see now that I am not trying hard enough. I hope you can forgive me."
"Shirou..." Yuki mumbled in surprise.
"You may be the only decent human being in the world, and I swear I will protect you. You have my word," He said placing a fist over his heart.
Yuki stared wide-eyed, heart beating faster than the speed of light, seeing the determination on his face and the genuine strength in his voice. She grinned and held up her pinky. "You pinky promise?" She breathed out.
Shirou stared down at it, raised an eyebrow, and scoffed. "Seriously?"
"Dead serious."
It was funny seeing Shirou look embarrassed, but he looped his pinky with hers, speaking, "Pinky promise," a slight smile playing on his lips.
Yuki smiled back at him, cheeks warming, and heart fluttering. His strong grip on her pinky signified and showed he meant the promise. He was willing to put aside his feelings of humans... just for her. Perhaps it was the start of something new.