For the ages

by BL-lover23

The mouth of the tiger on his neck slowly dripped blood as the knife carved along. Something gently touched his cheek and his eyes immediately snapped up. He inhaled sharply, eyes widening. Gold met Rusty Red. (“You’ll come find me, right?”) Bajitora Omegaverse

12. Chapter 12: Farewell, my paradise - Part

And we'll run for our lives

I can hardly speak, I understand

Why you can't raise your voice to say

To think I might not see those eyes

Makes it so hard not to cry

And as we say our long goobyes

I nearly do

Snow Patrol - Run

A few hours earlier

"Commander, why are we rushing like this?"

Colored in the Baji House insignia, one of the more daring knights, Jita who'd been around battlefields far longer than either the commander or him rode forward to catch up to the former with a healthy amount of concern on his face. The gallops of horses splashed through the muddy, snow-riddled path. Ryusei chuckled to the side, hoping the commander would ignore him altogether in his determination to reach home. He had a hunch about why the guy would possibly be rushing for. It was 1,74m tall with fetching golden eyes and a diabolical petty streak.

Baji kept his intense face towards the road, not giving them any thought as his horse just gained more speed. The soldier tried again to gain his commander's attention. "Leave it be. He's grown homesick, can't you see? or should I say lovesick?" Ryusei stopped the man with another snicker. The soldier spluttered, looking at him like he'd grown another head.

"Shut up Ryusei"

Oh. so he did hear them. Oops. "Yessir" he tried to keep a straight face, but Baji's narrowed eyes told him, he was doing a rather shoddy job of it.

He couldn't fault the man though. He'd gotten quite antsy about returning as well. Being unable to tease his dear blonde Lieutenant did something to his poor heartstrings. He'd have to complain all about it to the blonde, who'd probably swing at him.

Ah~ he couldn't wait. The souvenir in his bag was bound to get him beat up faster than his words could. The omegas had been more than generous when he'd asked for it. Though now that he'd thought about it, the persuasion might have been the commander's making. One did not have the (mis-)fortune to witness such gruesomeness every day of their life.

Anyways, if he was lucky he'd get to view Chifuyu's pouty cheeks get that special tone of pink and that made the trauma those poor fellows suffered a sacrifice he did not object to.

Ryusei needed to find out if that little prank of his bore any fruit as well. He'd banked on the duchess to play along, if only for the pettiness of it. They might have gotten off on the wrong foot, but he had no doubt, Chifuyu had a special way of worming his way into anybody's good graces. He had a feeling he could wear the Commander's wife down if he'd put his mind to it. Not to mention the face Chifuyu would make when he'd realize Ryusei had set him up.

"Scrap that look on your face" Baji grumbled with a scowl as his gaze turned back to the road ahead. He wanted to be back in Omamori as quickly as possible. Whatever the wolf-masked stranger had said was not done out of a whim to rile him up. Though he'd done a magnificent job at that as well.

He could not shake off the churning feeling of something going horrifically wrong.

The only way to find out was to see for himself. Maybe he was just blowing things out of proportion. The deity had mentioned trouble brewing. It could indicate anything.

Chifuyu was home. And so was Chou. The city was as safe as it could be in their hands. The walls had not fallen in the millennium after the first of the six Kings had erected it. They were no longer at war. It was senseless to assume that any attack was coming. It was just his mind going to the worst-case scenario.

Omamori was safe.

Herald was safe.

Kazutora was in the safest place he could be.

The fatigue of that battle must be getting to him. It still felt like he'd been drugged and conjured the whole thing up. But he had bruises matching the wounds it had inflicted on him. In the weeks had spent inside that space he'd found somewhat clarity. But knowing was one thing. It was a whole other matter to try to act on it. He couldn't just rid himself of it completely.

Twelve years was an awfully long time.

Still, he hastened his pace anyway.

A gasp of offense brought him back to reality "But that's my normal expression, boss. I have it on good account that the Lieutenant even likes this mug" Baji raised an eyebrow but knew better than to try and stop him "Stop giving him grief, will ya.."

"How am I doing so right now~"

A flock of birds flew in their direction. How bizarre. His neck prickled with the itch that only ever came with his instincts surfacing "I have a feeling he'd be cursing you as we speak"

"He would! I miss his face, Commander!" Ryusei bemoaned.

"Spare me your woes. I have heard enough" he replied with an eye roll.

"I told you, you could share your own woes concerning your terrific wife! It's you who wouldn't take up my offer"

"I'm good, thanks" His commander drily replied, a pinched expression on his face as his mind turned back to the omega.

Perhaps he hadn't taken it in a stride after all. His 'death'.

He'd placed a lid on the flashing wound festering for twelve years when he'd discovered the omega had been alive all along. His grief had been groundless, unnecessary. It was stupid.

There was no reason to mourn what was alive.

But still..

for twelve awful years, he'd thought him dead, only to encounter…

kind, sweet, good Kazutora as he'd attempted to slit his own throat.

His jaw clenched at the memory. If he'd stepped into the room only a moment later, he could have lost him all over again without ever being any wiser.

But they were bonded, weren't they? He would have found out the second he shuddered through his last breath. And what then?

And what could he have done then?

He was alive, the rest shouldn't matter.

It was a terrifying thought to consider. He guessed that was something he had left to fester as well.

It had been sheer dumb luck. That was all Baji had to his name.

Not the strength he gained, not the skills he honed, none of those had mattered. They couldn't have guaranteed him Kazutora's survival. He'd seen the hollowness in the omega's dimmed eyes, the defeat adorning his lips. That willingness to put an end to his own life.

He invariably understood Kazutora struggled, whether at six or twenty-two. The misery in his golden irises a persistent companion. Baji was not sightless. The only reason Kazutora was alive at all was because of his accidental command.

It had been heartwrenching enough to watch as he implored those willing to put him out of his misery for good. He might have stopped consciously making enemies out of anyone in hopes of finding someone who was just foolish enough to try (and gods above be damned he would set them ablaze for ever daring to have played with the thought) but that didn't mean that omega stopped tempting death at every opportunity.

His throat burned at the reminder alone. He didn't know half of what happened to him. He'd just taken fucking Junpeke's word for it, the Isle's word for it, when they'd proclaimed the sole heir to the Southern Isles dead. To use his supposed murder to begin a war with the kingdom.

He should have known better. How had he not noticed his bonded to be alive? What good was that bond for when he couldn't even notice that his—

Kazutora had been alive all along and Baji had not come for him.

He'd fucking vowed to him. and then left him there to rot. Baji might as well have doomed him with that promise. Kazutora must have had opportunities to leave the Isles behind, turn his back on the whole kingdom, and never look back. And yet..

Yet he'd remained right by his tormentor's side. Baji might not have swung the weapon himself, but how much had his words influenced him? Kazutora did not remember him on a conscious level at least. But his actions and his demeanor proved different. What miserable solace that was. He did not know whether he was deluding himself and saw something where there was nothing.

The alpha's hand brushed over the dangling bell still snugly tied to Rampage, his stomach churning.

('I think somebody.. gave it to me. It's a part of me- I never really considered taking it off before')

Even with his brows crinkled in confusion Kazutora although not aware of it, had obliged the alpha's words from twelve years ago all the same.

"Your loss. I'm a great listener." Ryusei teased and Baji blinked back into existence.

"Commander-!" another soldier surged forward.

"what now?" he sighed with irritation.

"S-smoke!" the man blurted out, stumbling over his words and his horse almost with him. "There's smoke coming from the direction of Omamori!"

Every cell in his body turned to ash a feeling of dread filled his chest. It was a mere moment, but a moment too fucking long.

Trouble is brewing and it's heading towards home.

His eyes turned toward the direction, what appeared to be a small smudge on the horizon was dark, billowing smoke, tainting the greyish-white clouds above. His fists trembled against the obsidian reigns as he urged Goki forward. Together horse and rider must have looked like a black cloud of utter doom. He had no time to lose.

"Speed up your pace!" Baji barked at his men. Almost all of the men with any experience were with him right now. The only protection securing the city was the walls. If push came to shove, Chifuyu would have to handle whatever disaster by himself.

If you leave now, you might still be on time.

Baji's jaw clenched. might was not an option. He had to make it. Come what may.

He just had to. And he'd slaughter the cowards that had dared to bring war to his doorstep while he was not there to greet them.

It didn't take long for them to be back on the wolf's path leading towards the primary gate of Omamori.

The silence in the ranks behind him was deafening. He didn't remember the last time he'd seen the road so vacant.

A bustling road of merchants and traders alike completely deserted of life. An eerie blanket of silence welcoming them. Nobody dared to speak. The only sound coming from the rhythmic gallops of the horses.

Ryusei mustered the stormy gaze of his commander. Baji was out for blood.

"Look!" the men started shouting over one another in alarm. Off in the horizon, the outline of the first outer ring became visible.

His blood froze over. His hope along with it.

the gate…

Thousand years of safety and shelter.. utterly obliterated. The unconquered city of legends. The First King's legacy..

He swallowed. At least fifteen meters had been blown off and breached- "..Keisuke-" In his utter shock Ryusei hadn't even been able to remember to address him by his proper rank, falling back into the boy he'd been when they had first met one another.

"I know." The scent of the alpha was almost unbearable as the man struggled to reign his emotions in. He had trouble distinguishing whether the scent was coming from his friend or the billowing haze in front of them.

A few dozen meters between them and the walls and something else became evident. or rather the absence of it.

What should be the echoes of weapons clashing against one another, the screams of people fighting for their survival were a hollow hush.

Eerie silence.

His throat was dry. Was the only thing, that was going to greet them be nothing but corpses? Had they been too little too late?

Rational, he had to cling to rational, attempting to calm himself, good old reliable Matsuno Chifuyu would not let it come to that.

They were close enough now for him to be able to use a transfer spell, he told himself. For at least a few seconds he'd see beyond the smokey screen and crumbled wall. It wouldn't hold for long and it took a lot of energy to use. But at least like this, they would gain some clarity. Whether it would be a graveyard, an ambush, or victory… he almost let out a deprecating laugh. The latter seemed more and more of a delusion.

He didn't have to say anything, Baji's eyes were already on him with a curt nod "Don't overdo it"

As he closed his eyes and prepared the spell, he found himself praying. How ironic, in the end, even he had succumbed to the despair, that helplessness had embraced him with to have turned to the gods.

He prayed one among the six to take pity on him. Only to be spared the lifeless corpses of his friends.

He didn't think he could stomach it once more.

Darkness enveloped him.

.

.

.

He opened his eyes, irises glowing unnaturally purple.

Piles of corpses lay all over. He blinked, his ears ringing with the screams of people all around him. Their opened mouths with fear written all over. The billowing smoke made it strenuous to see, the only comfort he had, for now, was that the corpses he could take a glimpse of were not clothed in the proud, dark azure- typical of the northern armor. He had yet to locate Chifuyu or one of the others in the remaining unit.

He darted from one side to the other and he was greeted with the same image. Those scarcely left were attempting to flee. Others just cowered in fear incapable of moving. It painfully reminded him of the war periods of his childhood when foreign soldiers had pillaged his remote village and massacred indiscriminately whether child or elder. So many had lost their lives, just like here..it was-

"pandemonium… so much death-" his breathing hitched in the middle of the piles of dying bodies stood something..

A sharp pain tugged at him. Everything grew distorted. He was losing connection. He tried getting a closer look.

He glanced to the side for only a moment and his eyes widened in horror. He could feel his heart plummet as he met the vacant eyes of Chou-san. what remained of him… Of all people—

He clenched his teeth, body trembling with grief and fury alike. What did they do to you, old friend

Ryusei closed his eyes only to rid himself of the image. The grotesque pieces that were left of him, his entire chest had been mangled open and his neck-

He could feel his teeth chafe against one another. and for a terrible moment, his mind went back to Chifuyu. For if Chou-san was here, then he could not be far off. If he turned, would those seafoam irises stare lifelessly through him as well?

He wasn't able to answer that question as the decision was seized from him. He could narrowly catch a glimpse before a quick shadow hastened past him.

His head whirled around trying to comprehend what it had seen, he could feel his connection slipping. Not now. not when —

Ryusei reeled back, not daring to breathe.

a demon-

absurd- It was not human. It did not move like one, but

it was coated in blood its breath heavy, wearing familiar attire made for omegas in mind or the tatters that remained from it.

Suddenly its head snapped towards him, looking right at him. How was that possible..? nobody should even be able to perceive him.

Golden eyes. Its mouth opened like it was about to say something. It lunged for him and with a heave Ryusei snapped back to reality. His hands were shaking, his heartbeat uncontrollable as he tried to get his bearings. Sweat gathered at the back of his neck.

His eyes were still blown wide as the terror took its time to release him. Terrifying indeed, he blanched.

"How many dead are we speaking?" Baji asked in a clipped tone, getting straight to the point. He'd understood by Ryusei's reaction alone that the catastrophe that would greet them would be nothing short of damning "…By the looks of it between two maybe two and a half thousand"

"that couldn't be- Lord Ryusei, my family lives right by the wall side!" the man behind him yelled in horrified disbelief.

"..most of them were not our own.. their clothing.. their armor was not ours" he tried not to think of the familiar royal blue left on one of his oldest friends in the First Division. Mentioning Chou's demise would only worsen their spirit. They needed to be focused, not have their morale be in jeopardy.

He didn't look at the Commander, listening as the men in earshot sagged in little relief before continuing "As far as I saw, there were no civilian casualties. This doesn't mean anything though. Remember what I saw was only a few seconds. I didn't see further into the city" he was not going to give them false hope either. "I don't know how deep into Omamori they might have advanced"

His commander remained quiet. His gaze only hardened at the words that left Ryusei's mouth.

"..but how?" one of the men softly asked. And Ryusei did not comprehend- How what?

The man caught himself. "how did our remaining men hold them back if what you said was true? That many corpses, most of which are not in our banner colors...presumably. We left less than a hundred back.. most of whom are still stable boys and green around the ears. Hardly seasoned fighters to struggle against an invasion of this caliber"

Ryusei had trouble understanding that as well for a moment, but then his mind zeroed back on the thing…

No person, it had been a person that stood like a deity encircled by mayhem.

"there was someone.. covered in blood all over.. too quick to catch a proper glimpse off, but the invaders trembled in fear of him." Ryusei himself had been swept away by the primal instinct to flee.

Old Jita whistled behind him with appreciation "I don't care what they are or how gruesome they did it. I'm gonna kiss their feet if they managed to defend our city and had these little fucks of invaders running tails tucked "

"but who?" another butted in, his eyes towards the front. everybody pointedly glanced at their commander as well.

He was the only one, who'd be able to cause such a gruesome scene, but as they were all painstakingly aware he was with them. There would have been no reason to worry at all if the warden had remained in Omamori, no matter how badly the stakes were placed against him.

"Maybe Lieutenant Chifuyu-"

"It wasn't him" he interrupted before the other could finish. It wasn't an absurd conclusion. Chifuyu was the closest in prowess to the commander. There was a reason he was named his Lieutenant. But it couldn't have been him. Neither the height nor the clothes would have been a match. Chifuyu also never looked this deranged and bloodthirsty.

…But he had an inkling for someone who would be.

"Who else is left? Do you have an idea Lord Ryusei?"

Yes "No" His head unwillingly turned to his commander's strapped sword. The small jingle of a bell fluttered in the wind.

They were almost there. "the first fifty men behind us will go after any remaining Bastards that are trying to flee. I want them rounded up before the sun sets" his commander spoke up for the first time. His voice held no room for argument. A chorus of 'yessir' fell behind him and the fifty men turned their horses in different directions and spread out. Some of the runners were visible from here. It shouldn't take them long.

"The ones of you with an ounce of healing affinity will be on first aid duty. Set up a tent to help our injured. If the fight is still ongoing I want you to evacuate the civilians to safer grounds. If necessary gather them in Herald. Otherwise, take out the trash. I want whoever is responsible in front of me before the hours up"

Ryusei spoke up hesitantly, his mind burning with the image golden eyes. "what about the unknown fighter?"

"I'll deal with them" That was for the best probably, he thought privately. A feral omega should be handled by their alpha.

Stone debris greeted them. The commander didn't bother to get off his horse first and immediately rode into the plaza. Ryusei was right behind him. He looked around again, desperately searching for a familiar head of blond hair between the piles of bodies, and found nothing. He did not know whether to be relieved.

Then he heard it, the squelching sound of flesh being ripped from bone and marrow. His eyes blinked as a head rolled towards his feet, the expression on his face on of horror. Ryusei turned towards the source watching as-

the demon, the monster, the hunter-

the duchess

his mind supplied faintly.

He had not entertained it, too skeptical of what he'd seen, but there was no mistaking it now.

The soldiers behind him stayed frozen as well as they watched it unfold in front of them.

The omega barely held on to consciousness stepping towards a cowering lump adorned in enemy colors.

The killing intent was palpable.

But so were the injuries littering his shaking, ashen body. He should not even be able to stand right now, Ryusei's throat clogged in pity watching as he barely held on to the last strings of life.

"Kazutora"

Ryusei's head snapped to his superior, jaw-slacked. Never in all of his years in his service had he ever heard him sound so full of sorrow and grief. No, it was more of a plea, wasn't it?

Everything after flew by in bits and pieces.

He didn't know how long it had taken to even get Chifuyu into the capable hands of a seasoned healer. His hands still trembled.

In the second district, they would have been swimming in them, he thought with irritation.

When this was over, they had to rectify that. There was no brute force that could substitute for Healing. What was victory when you died from your wounds right after?

He was still in the midst of planning the transportation of the soldiers, that had given their lives defending the city.

He could go to Chifuyu soon, he hoped.

The redhead was a good helping hand if only he'd be able to recall this name. At this point, asking seemed frivolous and Ryusei could not even feel the shamelessness to ask anymore. Even the seemed awfully pointless now. "—should be fine. The bereaved will be able to properly mourn their fallen"

"right.." he cleared his throat. That was all they could do now. mourn the fallen, eh?

"when everything is handled perhaps a mourning period should be called upon. Central also needs to be informed. Not to mention a funeral-"

"You" the redhead stopped with a jerk as the commander zeroed in on him. Ryusei wondered when he'd even made it back outside the tent and took a step back. "Start Sendo."

Sendo! right.., Sendo swallowed and took a deep breath before launching into his retelling. It was a whirlwind of information, invaders coming to the gate, demanding entrance, threatening to bring the whole wall down if they weren't let in. Declaring to have been sent by the Akashi House because the commander of all people had requested aid. His eyebrows had raised to his hairline by the end, scoffing at the nerve of it.

Out of all people, Baji was the last one to ever ask for help of anyone, let alone someone associated with the Meadows. The man wasn't exactly fond of the Akashi household.

"That's what the duchess thought as well-" the poor fellow didn't get much further, before- yikes. Ryusei took another respectful step back.

"explain to me again, why any of you braindead idiots decided to bring my wife into this?" the commander grabbed the redhead by the scruff of his tattered shirt, the fiery scent growing more suffocating. Sendo looked like he was about to faint. His knees were buckling and simultaneously trying to gain some footing. And Ryusei couldn't blame him.

An involuntary shudder went down his back. He remembered being in similar shoes with the alpha's better half not an hour ago when he had been a nothing more than mere projection. Scary duo those two.. "-was no other choice! T-the leader of the invaders demanded he come-"

"And what?! You just went right ahead with his demand!? I will skin every one of you for daring-"

The commander immediately stilled, dropping Sendo. His face went blank as he turned to Ryusei "Where is Chifuyu?"

"he received a heavy head injury. He's currently being treated" Ryusei replied right away.

"…how? he wouldn't just be caught off guard like that." The alpha was taken aback. He too had assumed him to be fine.

"he wasn't. he protected the duchess. He and Chou-san caught the brunt of the explosion"

He could see the alpha process the words with a mix of stunned disbelief.

"Chifuyu's in good hands, boss" he spoke and a part of him wondered whether the alpha would even realize he had left out Chou-san. He hoped if only for the alpha's own peace of mind, that he'd remain oblivious to it a while longer. There was enough to grapple with as it was.

Wife going feral and almost dying from the repercussions. His best friend fighting for his life. A city in shambles. A district in jeopardy. And the enemy- fighters were still not all accounted for.

There was truly no worse skin to be in right now than the Baji Keisuke's, he thought.

"How bad is it?" it took him a moment to realize it was Ryusei again that the alpha was addressing. "his skull got fractured and his right side was heavily damaged. Sendo over here did what he could try to halt the injury" he replied strangely calm.

Baji nodded stiffly. He heard words enter his ears, but his brain was unable to process any of them. Baji remained silent for a long time. "But he'll live?"

"Almost every capable healer of the city is currently working on saving him. he'll make it." Ryusei looked determinedly at him as if challenging him to deny it. The alpha sighed, the stiffness in his body releasing albeit a smidge.

"and Chou?" ah, so that hadn't been lost on him after all.

"…his remains are being brought to the chapel. Together with the other fallen men"

There was a heavy silence before the commander spoke again. "I see."

Sendo kowtowed to the floor. "please do not blame the duchess, your grace. Without him, the whole city would have fallen-"

Ryusei would have snorted any other day at the sheer absurdity of thinking the Baji Keisuke would blame his wife for anything. ever.

Yeah, he would have snorted if they weren't surrounded by the corpses of their friends and packmates.

"t-the duchess called for an evacuation of the civilian houses surrounding the parameter before the battle even began. He only commanded the gates to be opened so-"

"the people underneath wouldn't be buried beneath the rubble" the alpha finished. That's what Baji would have done. The fall of the wall would have meant the stones would have buried more than half of the city in its rubble. But as he stared at its remains they had not been successful. It would take days if not weeks perhaps to dig through the rubble for any survivors or corpses he should say. If they were not quick enough there would be no one left to rescue.

"— there were so many. They surrounded us in a matter of minutes. The more skilled sharpmen were able to take some of them out when out of nowhere explosions began to hail on everyone. they aimed at their own… Who does that?" Sendo wasn't even seeing either of them as he spoke.

"the next thing I remember was the duchess screaming for me to help him with Chifuyu-" he took another hasty breath as he babbled. " we tried to move him when a sword appeared out of nowhere. The duchess stopped the attack before it could reach Chifuyu. The duchess- he" Actual tears sprang to Sendo's face. With detached realization he noted, this must have been the redhead's first proper battle.

Baji's eyes remained stoic, he'd seen the last of it and was once more reminded of a memory of stepping over a path of corpses in a mansion a thousand of miles away to the very same picture.

He took a moment to take it all in. He didn't know what to focus on. he wanted to raze the world to the ground.

The picture of a helpless Kazutora made his stomach burn with rage. The alpha had one task as his alpha. What had actually changed for the omega if Baji still left him to fend for himself once again?

But you aren't really his alpha, are you? Baji swallowed at the reminder of their farce. You did not mark him.

Kazutora was forced to come to the wall to fight Baji's battles for him. The omega had to risk his life to protect the city and where was he? He let out a breath and smoke and sparks came out of his lips.

'screaming at me to help' looped around his mind. Too similar to the taunting words years ago of the pleas of mercy that had haunted him for twelve years.

Baji had promised the omega he would only know peace from now on. He promised he'd never have to fight again. Kazutora disliked fighting, even if he hid it behind indifference. He loved a good brawl. But battles where lives were at stake? The omega had a gentle heart. There was no shame in his compassion. Baji could never hold it against him. It was one of his greatest strengths even if Kazutora might not agree.

Baji bit his tongue to stop himself from damaging everything around him. His hands were shaking. He was a joke.

Kazutora got hurt in Baji's territory where he should have been safest. He wanted to snap the necks of every one of them. It was maddening, his alpha screamed at him to purge them all, knowing it wasn't going to be enough to dose any of the rage, about to boil over. Gods beneath, he needed to get a grip.

when he went feral and his alpha went on a rampage in the academy. Or the other last time when he had incinerated a southerner for mocking his memory and every last time that followed Baji after. His alpha demanded he kill them all.

But in the end, he'd never been able to. Kazutora had finished off most of his own tormentors himself. He hadn't needed Baji for that.

Even now, he had deluded himself over the years to think that if Baji had been there, he could have changed something, but he was proven over and over again, that the omega had no use or need for him.

What good was he then? It seemed he was giving Kazutora more pain with every day he continued to cling to him. Still, that selfish part of him, he just wasn't willing to shake- he didn't have it in him to set the omega free of him.

He had mourned him for more than a decade, Baji didn't think he could mourn his absence once more knowing he was out there in the world where Baji was not.

In the end, he was nothing but a selfish bastard. He turned back to Sendo and took another breath. Now was not the time. He looked around the rubble. The bodies were almost gone. Ordinary citizens had begun helping with the fallen debris. Others had begun to bring food to feed those in need of it. Some brought warm clothes.

And Baji felt nothing but rage.

He stepped past Sendo before stopping "Stay here. I'll be back" and back inside he went not before ripping a few blankets away from an innocent bystander.

It took quite a while for him to get back, Sendo noted. Weirdly enough people started hightailing out of the tent as if the devil himself had chased them out and by the look on their faces, he had.

He prayed for whoever was treating the duchess. The pressure in there must be scalding.

Moments later said physician, too came out. He did not look as put out as Atsushi had assumed. Rather an amused glint was playing in his eyes. He was intrigued but didn't have the guts to ask him what that was about.

Atsushi realized that the commander might take longer than expected and began helping around with the wounded, stilling their bleeding wounds with all the time-stoppers that were left in his mana reserves. He made sure to remain facing the tent the commander had gone into. He was not trying to catch more of his foul temper. He'd feared the man rip his throat out at some point.

Chifuyu hadn't been exaggerating when he spoke of the man's temper when it came to the duchess. He straightened when the tent opened loudly the man in question came out with an expression even stormier than before. Atsushi flinched inside. The man walked right past him telling him to follow. He barely got out an embarrassing Eeep! and quickly trailed after him. 'michi had rubbed off on him, he thought a memory of the cornflower blonde appearing in his mind.

"You mentioned the leader of them several times. He alive?"

"yes, the last I saw of him, he was alive, pissing his pants, but alive"

Atsushi was pretty sure, the commander too had walked right passed him as he'd taken the duchess to the tents. If the circumstances were not so dire he'd thought it sweet that the alpha's gaze was solely fixed on his beloved bride, blending out the rest of the world.

He shuddered at the darkening expression on the alpha's face. "You're going to show me who it is and then you're going to escort my wife home"

He was dumbfounded by the second part but agreed all the same. He heard so far only Lord Ryusei and Chifuyu were allowed to be with the duchess alone. He swallowed his dry spit down his throat, remembering how one of them was fighting for their life and the other was getting ready to be by his side,

And as they turned another corner into an abandoned stable he recognized the culprit immediately. Atsushi's lips thinned. He much like his underlings was tied to a wooden column.

Only his breathing was much worse off, the duchess' damage visible on his dented ribcage. good, he thought, silently hoping for him to suffer a great deal more at the hands of his husband. For what he dared to do today. He hoped he rotted to hell and back.

Before the commander could even ask he pointed at the kingpin of it all, whose nervous features turned downright terrified at the finger pointed at him. "That's him" he cleared his throat "They stormed the wall on his command"

The commander's eyes were glowing as they stared down his prey. "You can take your leave now Atsushi"

He was startled at the man calling him by his given name. He hid his smile and bowed "Yes, your grace" he took a few steps before he stopped "There is something else"

The alpha stopped in his steps "I'm all ears."

"He called the duchess a whore threatening to force himself on him when he'd conquered the city" He heard a loud ripping of flesh and screaming, as the man screeched about his private area, blubbering for mercy he wouldn't receive. Baji Keisuke would kill every one of them, he would tear them limb from limb. That at least Atsushi was sure of.

He didn't bother looking back as he'd turned back the corner.

Baji would lie if he'd said those screams did not satisfy an itch he'd been dying to scratch. But somehow he'd only grown more restless. He had not been able to take his sweet time as there were still many things to be seen through before dawn broke.

But he'd made sure to leave the cunt just at the cusp of death, he wasn't finished with his him yet and he wouldn't grant that bitch the mercy of death.

He was grateful the Northlands didn't adhere as strictly to The Foe as it did to The Brother. Otherwise, his actions might have been seen as blasphemous. In the Isles, this would have gotten him a witch hunt. For when mercy was asked upon by one's enemy, one had to oblige. For that was the Foe's blessing.

Yeah, fuck that.

The Isles might be Kazutora's home but those folks were off their rocks if they thought that shit would fly around here.

He made sure the prisoners remained jailed until all of them were accounted for. So far he'd been informed they were three thousand and three in total, courtesy of the guy whose dick he'd ripped out. 2856 of whom were dead. Another hundred and twelve were in critical condition soon to be dead. Baji was not about to outsource the scarce healers and doctors he had. They made their bed when they thought it a good idea to enter Baji's territory, he thought with apathy.

Of the remaining 32, half a dozen were still unaccounted for. He heard from one of his men that all but two were in the custody of the catchers he'd send out.

To find the remaining he called for an inspection of the whole city. Every person would have to verify their person in case the last two were hiding in the city.

Ryusei had helped make a new seal for the remains of the gate before he'd left to see Chifuyu. So far he hadn't received any news on his condition.

But at this point no news was good news, he figured.

Absentmindedly he thought, he might have to send for Pah to guarantee that the new gate would be impenetrable. No matter how much he wished, it would simply be impossible for him to remain in the city all the time. He took one of the physician's loose papers and a feather. Might as well do this now. The parts of the wall that were still intact had the cages of delivery ravens coming in and out of the city as the other Districts and Central were informed of what had transpired here today.

He'd sleep better knowing Kazutora was protected by the work of the most well-inclined Stone user, whose manipulation of Iron and Steel was considered The Impeccable. He'd have to buy the guy some good dinner for the trouble, he thought as he scrawled his signature on the letter and sent out the raven with a good-natured pat on its little head.

It was early morning now. The whole clean-up had taken more of his time than he'd assumed. And they were still not anywhere near finished.

And the short fuse he was sporting was a dead giveaway. Most of his men avoided him in a wide berth. The only one he tried to maintain composure for was his wife, but since he found out that both he and Chifuyu were injured in this, he'd simply given up trying.

After Kazutora had left, he dressed down every soldier that dared not show an ounce of injury after his wife had risked his life while they'd remained unharmed. And then he went another round for allowing his wife to even come here.

He wasn't finished with them yet. They would receive their due punishment once everything was dealt with.

On his way back to the castle, he stopped for the chapel where Chifuyu was in treatment and went in, leaving an exhausted Goki by the grass to feed.

He felt like one of Pah's Earth slips had rolled over him as he walked through the rooms. A brave nurse took pity on his ass and brought him to the room of his second. She nervously smiled at him as he did so and that was too much happiness for this early of a morning. He just scowled at her and went in.

To his surprise it was Chifuyu who was awake while Ryusei had his head rested on the bed, sleeping by the looks of it. Relief washed over him. "I thought you bit the curb there for a second, Chifuyu"

"Baji-saaan! yer back~ how wash the trrip?" Chifuyu's words were slurred like he'd been shitfaced all night long. The herbs must be kicking. An unbidden smile grew on his face.

"nothing to write home about" he slumped into the unoccupied chair the fatigue catching up to him.

Chifuyu had a troubled expression on his face but before the alpha could ask "Ya really shouldn't with yer ugly penmanship" …he'd answered. Baji could feel a migraine coming. "how you feeling?"

"Superb' neva been bettah!"

"you sure about that? half your face is covered in bandages"

"Duh. I promished Kazhuto- Kazhutora not to die! Duh.. I would never break a promish, so I'm doin' great. Yer wife'sh too demandin' "

Chifuyu smiled and gave him a wobbly thumbs up. A breeze would knock the guy out. Baji was wholly unimpressed though he couldn't keep the ghost of a smile from his lips. Chifuyu had been very apprehensive at the beginning about Kazutora. He had never outright said anything or protested Baji's decisions but the alpha had known him long enough to see through it.

It eased his mind all the more to know that Kazutora and Chifuyu had formed some sort of truce if not outright friendship. Though the bitter aftertaste of his own shortcomings that had led to it overshadowed the thought.

It didn't take long for the Beta's expression to turn back into a frown as he mustered the room with growing alarm. The alpha wondered for a moment, if his Lieutenant only noticed now, that he was in a makeshift hospital.

"where ish he? If he got hurt' o'shomethin' I'll beat his assh" his hazy eyes were filled with worry.

"He's at home, getting some sleep hopefully. I'll tell him you wanted to see him" he acquiesced the injured Beta.

"Nuh-uh" he shook his head in protest before grimacing in pain at the action. "didn't ye hear th'orders of th' commanda? Kazhutora-san hash to shtay in th'cashtle while he'sh gone"

So Chifuyu did know how to follow orders when drugged, he thought with a raised brow. At least his dearest Lieutenant wouldn't be able to fake ignorance when he was all better. Baji'd remotely kick his ass when he'd recovered enough.

Baji was almost startled when the Beta leaned over to him with an ominous expression "I hafta tell ye a shecret, but you hafta promish not to tell, eshpeshially not the commanda!" he whispered in full volume.

Oh, this was going to be interesting. "My lips are sealed"

"promish not to tell, but the commanda told me to keep Kazhu company and I brought him with me to the barracks to teach'im the bashics of magic" Baji leaned back from the beta flabbergasted. Hadn't Kazutora played them by the noose with his sealing magic, making one riddle harder than the other when they arrived in the Isles? It had taken them hours make landfall-

The alpha heard a snort, that was neither his nor Chifuyu's. he narrowed his eyes to the blonde's lap.

"I think 'e lied to me about not knowing tho. he knew exhactly how I should ushe my mana to mak'a shtorm"

He had to bite his lip to stifle his own laughter. That wasn't too outlandish for the omega. He always had a knack for pranks. And it sounded just like Chifuyu to fall it "Is that your secret?"

"Nooo-uh! the shecret is somethin' else." the Beta insisted "When I finished teachin'im I invited him to supper in the barracks" The smile slipped from his face as his mood soured, not liking where this was going. "an' we only had ale therah! I told 'im to stop drinkin" Chifuyu sounded as if he'd been brought upon the stand to confess his sins. "but he just kept goin'"

Baji was distinctively reminded of a flushed Kazutora, clinging to him and wanting to be held the last time he'd had ale. He heard a small snap, his eyes flew to the now splintered armrest he was still clutching.

"and then he took Akkun's guitar and deman'ed shongs! I tried tah stop it but every'ody kept gloatin' him to do it" Chifuyu bemoaned.

Baji pursed his lips as he let the broken armrest fall to the ground, his mind still processing the words falling out of the beta's suicidal mouth.

"Did'cha know Akkun's mom ish from the ishles, too? shmall world. He played lotsa shongs, everybody hata lot of fun shingin' and danchin'! Kazhu espechially, he'sh hella good at singin—"

That's it.

"You're lucky your head's already cracked open, Chifuyu" he growled quietly, fuming. How dare all of these fucking assholes get to hear his wife sing when Baji himself didn't even know of this hidden talent of his. Not to mention the dancing. He'd rain hell on all of them.

"okay.. okay, but mak'shure not to tell Baji-shan. He'll kill me"

Baji absentmindedly grunted in agreement as he planned for vengeance. he turned his attention to the sprawled head on the bed before kicking its attached shin.

"stop pretending you're asleep, bastard"

"ouch… how could I interrupt him as he dug himself deeper" Ryusei tiredly grinned at him, rubbing his injured limb before raising his head. "It's not every day your golden child is in hot waters with you~" golden child, my ass

"Ryu! Yer alive?!" Chifuyu shouted. His perception of sound was yet to be regulated.

"I am!" the heathen replied with all the innocence in the world.

"than' god, I wouldha missed' ya"

"Oho?" It was as if a shark was smelling blood in the water. Utterly appalling. But at least yesterday's worry lines had disappeared some as his former Lieutenant pulled the blonde's cheek teasingly.

"remind this golden idiot of his fumblings when he's not as high as a kite."

"Fubmled?! Who did I fubmle? not you, right?" Chifuyu turned to Ryusei, devastation written on his face. Baji didn't know whether he should note the fact that the S's weren't his only speech impediment of the day. Not that he had much room to talk.

"You could never fubmle me~" Ryusei true to his character milked every moment of it.

"When will he be released?" he sighed. He was awfully reminded why he stopped putting those two on the same mission.

"There is not much more the healers here can do. He'll probably be discharged sooner rather than later considering how many people are still waiting to be treated. Do you need me for something?"

Baji played with the thought for a mere moment- he could use him to take some of his load off of himself but- he shook his head "Nah, make sure the blabbermouth doesn't spill military secrets to the civilians" and bid his goodbyes and with lighter shoulders.

Kazutora hadn't slept at all that night.

How could he have? His quarters had been high up in the castle yet as the news of the attack and resulting death of beloved soldiers- no, most of them still had been recruits with all their lives ahead of them had broken it had swept over the whole castle.

He had heard the cries and wails of the bereaved. A young girl, that used to bring him his meals occasionally could not be consoled. A grandfather, who manned the stables lost his grandson. He swore he could even hear the shrewd Headmistress place comforting words on a grieving soul. And those were just the ones he'd been able to note. Who knew how many more had lost someone due to his failings?

Up here in the lands of snow and ice, everybody appeared to know of one another. That was true at least. Northerners stuck together in happiness and sorrow alike.

In the early evening, just as promised by Miss Chiyo a serving of snacks and fruit had been brought to him to him. But it remained untouched on the table. Some of the fruit had bruised and browned in the night.

He probably should at least make it look like he'd eaten before someone decided to become overbearing with their forced concern. Gods beneath knew they didn't actually care what happened to him. They wouldn't want to be scolded by Kazutora's husband.

Right.. His husband who hadn't even bothered to show his face at any point in the night let alone at least given word of his arrival at the castle. But that shouldn't be new to him, they had been in separate rooms for quite some time..

He discarded you once. He will do so again. Do not trust him. he will turn his back on you.

Do not trust him. Do not trust him. Do not trust him. Do not trust him. Do nOT TRUST HI—

He pinched his forearm until the voice in his ears quietened and the only sound he could note was the sound of his own heartbeat.

He rearranged the platter numbly, already experienced in the art of making food look less than it was. He smiled, his lips stretching uncomfortably at the reminder of a faceless woman seeing right through his trickery and scolding him for not finishing his vegetables. By the end, the dish gave off the feeling that somebody had eaten at least some of it. He checked that from his mental list as he went to change into his daily attire.

His mood had not worsened much from yesterday evening. He felt stagnant as if his brain had forgotten to reconnect itself to the rest of his body, the emptiness of indifference embracing him softly. This he knew like the back of his hand.

"-your grace?"

.

.

.

.

Kazutora blinked up at the lightly haired man wearing a mask. Where had he come from? He looked around them. Huh?

The last thing he remembered was struggling into his clothes and now he sat in the glass garden with a book opened one-third in with no recollection of what the plot had been. He blinked in confusion looking around, alarm bells blared in his ears. How had he let his mind slip like this?

"Do you have a moment, your grace?" The blurry staff member repeated, his eyes nervously darting to the entrance and then back to Kazutora who still had trouble focusing on his features.

He motioned for him to go ahead, uncaring about whatever the man could possibly want, and looked back at the page he seemingly was on from the novel he'd presumably begun.

Kazutora was unprepared when the Beta pressed an envelope onto the open page. He looked at the blotchy specks of ink with his name written on it. It itched at the back of his mind, but he could not place it. He turned it over even more confused when he was met with a burgundy wax seal. Only when he squinted did he notice the symbol was no symbol at all, but a snake… shaped like an infinity..?

his eyes widened, just like-

he looked at the man with bewilderment. Sato had no reason to send him a letter, least of all with a wax seal replica of his tattoo. Kazutora also did not go out of his way to have his own tattoo embellished into one. And no matter how eccentric Sato portrayed himself this was not something he would do. Especially not so shortly after a recent invasion.

"Grandmaster Hishi sends his regards" who-?

His ears began to ring.

"I don't-" he didn't get to finish his sentence. His attention flew to the guards stationed outside the room as they straightened when the sound of steps neared.

Just as his head turned to the entrance, the staff member had vanished. Kazutora had to suppress the shudder running down his back, his heartbeat quickening at an enormous speed, the odd man all but forgotten.

Far too quickly he shut the book, pushing it away from himself as a darkly clad person entered, the scent of ash covering any of the pine. His nose scrunched up.

Baji

Do not trust him. Do not trust him. Do not trust him. Do not trust him.

Kazutora swallowed down the urge to stand up or worse even tilt his neck in submission. He hadn't had this impulse since the day they met. The rut did not count, he told himself. Neither of them had been able to access a cognitive thought then.

Unlike yesterday, the alpha's steely gaze had simmered down somewhat. Even his scent turned back to a more pleasant pine forest scent. Kazutora's anxiety loosened a bit. The eye bags under the alpha's eyes made it seem as if he hadn't considered the option of proper rest in weeks. Traitor, he will betray you.

The northerner looked exhausted and it was Kazutora's fault. He was still in yesterday's attire, even the armor was still resting on top of his chest and shoulders.

Then he'd only arrived now… he ignored the subtle pinch of relief at the back of his mind, the man hadn't gotten the chance to rest and all Kazutora could do was concern himself with such an insignificant detail, that meant nothing in the end. Do not fall for his games. He fooled you once.

He was probably here to berate and reprimand him for the incident yesterday. He'll fool you again. Kazutora pinched deeper into his flesh.

But Kazutora's eyes kept going to the dark lines under the alpha's eyes. "you should rest" the words left his lips, startling them both. Baji's features softened as he brushed him off, stepping closer to his right. Kazutora didn't understand at first but then the alpha gently grabbed his wrist holding the hand up for inspection and it clicked. He kept forgetting it was injured. Though it was weird to see the alpha having no qualms with touching him again. "How's the pain?"

Mortification spread through his chest at the overdramatic behavior he'd displayed the previous day. "g-good… it's-" he wanted to plant his face against a brick wall at the choice of words he used.

"good..?" Baji, too looked at him with a raised brow and an almost amused expression. He's making fun of you. he thinks you're stupid and dumb. The sting of shame flared up in Kazutora as he bit the inside of his cheek.

A part of him wanted to scream and shout at the alpha if only for what little pride was left in him. But another part wondered why bother at all. The latter one out in the end "I'm not feeling much of it" he softly answered. He had trouble feeling nothing but a dullness since he'd gotten out of bed, but he wasn't going to voice that. Don't worry, he almost added out of reflex, then caught himself.

The alpha nodded though not without suspicion as he turned the wrist to check even the sides of it that hadn't had even bandages covering it. "and the rest?"

"…the rest?"

"your other injuries" the alpha pointed out as he evidently stared at the small cut on his head, that should be hidden away by his bangs. His hand had yet to leave his wrist.

"same there" Kazutora shrugged not having much more to add than that. He was not about to tell him of his headache.

"Are you sure?" the alpha did not let up.

Kazutora abruptly took his hand off of the man's grasp. "Yes. Is that all?" he couldn't help keeping the irritation from his tone, the words sounding harsher than they needed to. Baji's eyes widened a fraction as they stared at him. Kazutora cleared his throat, looking away. He was unable to bear his gaze. What a pathetic creature he'd turned out to become. "you should get some sleep, there is no need to waste your time on something so minor. One of the handmaids could have told me when you woke up…and take a bath or somethin'.." his words became mere mutterings by the end.

He still didn't dare look up, he should have just not opened his mouth to begin with. What had he been thinking?!

He didn't know if his ears were mistaken, but it almost sounded like the alpha was chuckling. "Aren't you demanding?" He's lying to you. Do not trust him.

"But I wouldn't want to upset you unnecessarily"

"I 'm not upset!" he wasn't. Why would he think that- He doesn't care about you. He's deceiving you. He will stab you in the back. He will if you're not watchful.

"Of course" The alpha didn't sound like he took him seriously at all. It felt like he was back to square one being goaded into bickering with the man. Do not fall for it. He's tricking you.

Kazutora had to get a grip. He couldn't lose sight of his standing in this place again. The alpha was just belittling him.

Kazutora was so preoccupied with his thoughts he didn't notice the alpha's hand hovering over his head as if to caress him before the man decided against it.

And after the alpha's shortcomings in recent memory, it wasn't surprising the omega fell back into old patterns. Gods he was an idiot to make Kazutora think he could not stand to be near him.

He'd initially come to speak to Kazutora about the misunderstanding he'd caused- to apologize for having let his insecurities get the better of him, but as he stared at Kazutora and the brittleness in his movements he shook his head. It would be far too selfish to open that can of worms while the omega was still wearied from yesterday's battle. No matter how much it irked him to let it be for now.

The last thing he'd want to hear, was Baji yapping at him right now. He could take that much of a hint at least.

"Before I go though, I went to check on Chifuyu this morning" The omega's breath hitched, and he clenched his fist to maintain his composure. "He's doing rather well. Was up and talking with no care..or self-preservation" the alpha muttered the last part to himself.

Kazutora felt the tension leave his body in one swoop, his heart hammering through his chest at the sudden urge to stand up before catching himself "—t-that's good.." he replied so softly, that he had trouble hearing himself.

"talked about you too, couldn't shut up about your little adventures" that part was said rather spitefully, slapping Kazutora back into reality again. The alpha was probably not too happy about Kazutora getting close to his Lieutenant.. if it was him he probably wouldn't want the person responsible for his friend's injuries to be chumming it up with them, either.

…Not to mention putting another in a coffin. He shrank into himself. He stared holes into the ground, the relief as shortlived. He'd remembered what Chifuyu had told him. Chou-san had been by Baji's side far longer than even Sato. and Kazutora had taken-

if only he'd noticed it earlier.

If he hadn't let himself be caught off guard,

-hadn't let Chou-san and Chifuyu take the brunt of the explosion

If only Kazutora had not been there.

He nodded to himself dazed. He should avoid interacting with Chifuyu. With any of them… he brought nothing but misfortune and Baji was right to protect them from him.

He truly does protect the ones he cherishes. What a shame that you're not one of them

"He'll be back in the castle soon if you-"

"I understand." he interrupted, desperately wishing the alpha would drop the matter.

"..I'll be off then for now, see you later" Kazutora nodded at the alpha half-mindedly, not having the energy to verbally say anything more.

The envelope resting between the pages of the novel was all but forgotten as he too scrambled to get away from the suffocating sensation in his chest.

"Commander, with the weather the clean-up will be delayed by a couple of more days"

"I see" Baji replied in a clipped tone. He'd tried not to let too much of his frustration bleed through to the volunteer, he'd lost two of his cousins in the attack. But the longer the restructuring stretched the more harrowing it became by the day.

And another day of snow and hail pelting down on them was just what he needed.

Time flew through his hands like unbidden sand.

He didn't feel like he had been able to accomplish much of anything. There were still soldiers missing who had yet to be found under the rubble. Two members of the Invading party had yet to be accounted for. And the list just stretched on and on.

Due to the temporary seal, Ryusei had put on the breach, nobody was allowed in or out of the city. so whatever gutter those rats were trying to hide in would not sustain them. The North was not kind to those unused to it. And if not the cold, a rat had to eat at some point.

And Baji was not a patient man. "Sendo."

"yes, sir?"

"I need a party of five for each neighborhood in Omamori. Tell them to search through every building, every dumpster, every nook and cranny. Wherever the last two fuckers are hiding I want them found"

"Of course" the Beta bowed before immediately grouping people together. He hadn't held much promise for a guy who willingly called himself a childhood friend of Takemitchy, but the guy sure was competent at least.

"oh~ Commander, busy as ever, eh?" Ryusei grinned as he skipped down from his horse. "Shouldn't you be annoying your better half or something?" Baji remained unimpressed.

"He fell asleep telling me to shut it, can you believe it?"

"no, not at all."

"he's still mad at me-"

"for your repulsive souvenir or the prank?"

"I have not yet given him the souvenir, but thanks for reminding me. I will give it to him when I get back"

"so the prank then"

"Actually, it's because I didn't stop him from bearing his very soul to you"

A snort escaped Baji "Yeah, you're an asshole"

"hah? I just tried to bring him closer to his idol?"

"Stop making him out to be some mindless follower" Baji raised an eyebrow.

"you told him to wear his hair a certain way and he has not looked back ever since? You stole my youth from me when you told him to stop wearing the mohawk!"

"It's been years. Get over it" Baji sighed "Maybe he'd listen to you if not all of your plans ended up in him being in some compromising situation or other"

"but where is the fun in that?"

"There is no helping you. Get out of my face already"

"cruel, Keisuke. After all those years we've known each other"

"It is because of all those years we've known each other"

"Rude, but not unwarranted" Ryusei pursed his lips into a pout before turning into a more serious expression. "I've talked to the coroners. It seems the families unanimously agreed to the Carrier's way"

It was to be expected. The Northlands prided themselves in following the olden path. The northern tradition of having the body be cremated to thank The Brother and ease the transition to the lifestream at the hands of The Wanderer, blah blah "They wished for you to do the honors"

"of course" he'd prepared himself for that. It did not make hearing it any easier. "there is also something else as well.."

Baji raised an eyebrow but before he could even open his mouth to ask "Your grace!"

A young girl, with puffy eyes and the remnants of tearstreaks approached them. Her face looked familiar. "ah, Ruki-chan. Should you not be at home at this hour?" Ryusei cut in before he could ponder the thought.

"That is why I am here. The house has become stifling after.." her face contorted for a moment before she gathered herself again. Ryusei gave her a look of compassion "I imagine it must be rather difficult without Uncle Chou" Baji's eyes widened.

The girl nodded somberly "It is indeed" before she suddenly slapped both of her cheeks with her hands. Both of them looked at her in shock. "I apologize! But I did not come here to mope. I wished to ask you something, your grace" She turned her attention to him and the realization hit him as he remembered a similar apology coming from her as she profusely apologized after calling him and Kazutora … what had she said? A good match.

The corners of his lips moved up for a second. "go ahead" He'd indulge her. He remembered he had been quite short with her when he'd mistakenly assumed her to be daringly making fun of Kazutora which in hindsight she really hadn't.

"I know it is outrageous to ask this outright-" she looked nervously at him. "and the funeral has no set date yet but a lot of us were wondering if.." she fiddled with her vest. "if the duchess will attend?"

"…" Baji was at a loss for words.

…He didn't know. He had no answer for her. "the duchess is still in recovery, Ruki-chan. He's not been cleared for much activity right now" Ryusei stepped in.

"Oh no. I heard he received a gruesome injury, but with the commander here I assumed he was in better condition. How ignorant of me. I apologize, Your Grace!" she gnawed on her lip, close to tears once more "he's not in a critical state, is he? The duchess, too put his life on the line for Omamori.."

"He will be fine. Just like you said, good old Baji wouldn't be here if that wasn't the case" Ryusei replied. Not that he could know for sure when even Baji couldn't.

By the time the alpha made it back to the castle, Kazutora was long asleep. That had been a recurring theme for the last few days. Any attempt he made at leaving earlier was foiled by loose debris, worsening weather, or presumed sightings of the yet-to-be-found rats in his city.

Whatever fate was conspiring against him, seemed to succeed.

He had yet to find a moment to have a proper conversation with him. When he had the opportunity to speak to him he'd run like a coward and now that he finally rediscovered his backbone, time plotted against him.

If at least Chifuyu was here to take over for him, but that too was not feasible as he too was on strict bedrest and therefore out of the question. The blonde had enough on his plate anyway. He could barely move half his body. His cognitive skills had suffered albeit a bit it was still noticeable. He got confused rather easily. They had to break the news of Chou's passing to him several times in the first three days, which had been quite… harrowing. The healers promised it was nothing permanent, as his short-term memory was taking time to recover.

He was doing far better now than at the beginning of the week and when the moon finished its cycle he might be back to his usual self if the healers were to be trusted. They were no Mitsuya but beggars couldn't be choosers.

"That's great to hear. Sato-san you're returning to Herald, right? Would it be too bold to ask if you could take me with you?"

"Aren't you on leave?" after all, she had lost her uncle less than a week ago.

"I am. But working helps keep my mind off of things"

"don't force yourself, kid" Chou had shown him a lot of grace in their time together, the least he could do was give his family the same. He was an asshole, yes. But that didn't mean he had to go out of his way to be cruel and let Chou's niece work herself to death to escape her grief.

"well then Ruki-chan, let us take our leave. I still have some work to finish before I am allowed to annoy the Lieutenant again" Ryusei winked at him as he steered the girl towards his horse with a cheerful handwave.

"-how is he? I hope his recovery is going smooth—" Baji could not hear more of what she'd asked as their voices went out of earshot.

He looked back at the mess around him once again reminded of the miniscule progress the repairs were making. He hoped he received word from Pah soon at least. Draken at least had been quick in his reply, ever the efficient, promising to keep an eye out for suspicious activity. He had offered to come up here which Baji had immediately denied. Wherever Draken went, Mikey was sure to be part of.

And he loved the guy. He truly did, and he did not doubt he would drop everything to come up here to aid him, but…

Make sure to keep him in the furthest corner of the north.

Baji made a grimace. Yeah, he'd made his stance clear. And he didn't think Kazutora in his current state would handle either of them very well, either.

It would have been a powder keg waiting to explode. And Baji might have been a pyromaniac in their group of misfits but even he wouldn't want to chance that.

"Sir! We located one of them in the sewer canal. He is being brought to the cells as we speak"

He grinned with a crack of his knuckles.

Maybe this day was ought to be lucky after all.

With an off-tune whistle he lazily knocked on the open door of the glass garden. He made enough noise to not possibly startle the omega inside..

Only to find the room deserted of anyone.

Strange.

Ryusei was sure the maids had mentioned the duchess frequenting these rooms while he was recuperating.

He couldn't reproach him. Daylight caught these windows quite nicely whenever the sun did choose to gift this place with its presence. It was far better than if he were to hole himself in his quarters.

He saw the throw pillows in a sort of disarray on the plush seat, a stack of books not too far off, but no omega.

Originally, he'd come to check how he was faring. The battle had left most of those who had defended the city battered and exhausted. They had all been witness to the horrifying scene that had unraveled before their eyes at their arrival.

Alphas already had trouble surviving a feral episode if it went for longer than a tenth of sand falling through an hourglass.

It was unheard of for an omega to survive at all. And to the other eyewitnesses, he'd been in the midst of it for more than thirty minutes. The duchess was lucky to call himself alive.

Curiously he walked over to the seat, wondering what an omega such as Hanemiya Kazutora would be inclined to read. His fingers slid over the different spines, the leather in most of them worn, the titles barely eligible.

But from what he could see, most of the contents were analyses of various astronomical phenomena. It wasn't surprising, he'd gathered the omega's affinity lay in the stars when Baji had ordered him to prepare the abandoned observatory through a half-eligible letter before the alpha had even stepped out of Central.

No hello, how are you?s' no 'heads up, the war is over' or 'just so you know, I'm married'

no, only one sentence

'Ryusei,

Get the observatory running before the sixteenth

B.K.'

He'd assumed his commander was pulling a prank of some sort, the guy had never shown any interest in what happened outside of the atmosphere after he'd taken the Starseeker to the castle in the first place. And there he was demanding an observatory (that did not exist prior to that day) but Ryusei was nothing if not an overachiever, so of course he did the impossible in the small timeframe. If only to spite Chifuyu about his lack of effort. all in good nature of course, he thought fondly, a flicker of guilt washing over it now.

He shook his head. Back then, he did wonder what type of mental breakdown could have caused the outlandish demand. Lady Ryouko almost had a heart attack when the news of a marriage broke a day after the letter arrived. Now that day he would not forget. The castle, if not all of Omamori went crazy when the announcement reached them.

Baji had been famous for his handling of eager fathers shoving their omegan children into his face for a favorable match. He was the most sought-after bachelor in the country right after the warden of the second district, dear old Mitsuya. Many hearts were broken that day.

Herald had gone into mayhem to prepare for a new duchess nobody knew about. Lady Ryouko had ordered seamstresses called to have clothes prepared. Another one she called for blankets and pillows and all an omega might need.

"Ryusei-kun. Do you think this will do? I have spoken to a few omegas to ensure everything would be arranged and ready for an omega, but I am a Beta myself, and if my good-for-nothing son would have had the decency to at least mention anything about a wife to begin with-"

"I am sure it will be fine, your grace. If there is anything the new duchess might lack, I am sure your son will see to it. But with the preparations you've made I do not think it will be necessary")

Ah. what fun days. Rumor after rumor had spread through the halls. A southern omega who the alpha had scandalously compromised in a drunken stupor (Ryusei was pretty sure that had been inspired from a plotline of one of Chifuyu's steamy novellas) and gods, had he laughed when he'd heard that one.

A bet the alpha had won after placing his own life as collateral in a match of life and death with a high-ranking noble from foreign lands only to forgo the price in favor of the omegan beauty that had belonged to that noble.

He had tears in his eyes by the time the folks had turned the duchess into some fabled deity that had descended from the heavens after gazing at the alpha and promptly bewitched him.

Though looking back at Baji's switch of personality when it came to his wife the latter rumor might have been closest to the actual truth…

Still, it did not change the fact that said omega was not in this room. And here he had hoped he could persuade him into visiting Chifuyu now that he had returned from the chapel. He was still on bed rest, but it had been quite obvious the blonde still held concern for the omega's wellbeing. Especially after finding out about his injuries …and how he had acquired them. That had been quite the uncomfortable conversation. not to mention, he had to repeat that information every couple of hours until the blonde's memory issues receeded.

Ryusei still had trouble making sense of what had occurred. To think if it had not been for the duchess, it would not just be Chou-san he'd have to bury. By the time they'd returned, the city would have been nothing but a graveyard.

With shaky fingers he let the book fall back onto the stack when it slipped from his hand falling right to the floor. His brows raised in curiosity as he crouched down with a sigh to pick it back up when he noticed something peeking out from the side of it. An envelope..?

With a raised eyebrow he wrily wondered if Baji and his wife were the type to send each other love notes as he flipped to the right page with glee. They seemed like the type to do that.

All amusement slipped from his face when the burgundy-purple wax seal caught his eye, his shaky fingers going up to graze over the rigs of a symbol much like the one on his neck. And right under it in the repulsive handwriting of only one man stood the name of the duchess.

("You dabble in poison?"

"Indeed, I do~ How did you guess, your grace?"

"the symbol on your clothes is from the Yotsuya Kaidan-Clan or am I mistaken?")

His mind blanked. No way. That couldn't be-

Surely, he wouldn't have let himself be manipulated to this extent. The attack.. the duchess could not have possibly—

He quickly caught himself, before his mind could spiral pocketing the letter as his eyes swept over the room to see if anyone was about to walk in.

When the coast remained clear, he immediately went through every book in the stack, searching for any more hidden messages that all of them had been oblivious to, his stomach churned with something ugly he'd buried four years ago.

He clenched his jaw. he closed the last book and the letter burning in his breastpocket seemed to be the only one. It did not give him much relief. He let out a shaky breath before placing the books back on top of one another.

Perhaps he was jumping the gun and this was all a misunderstanding.

…He didn't know what to do if it wasn't.

He'd taken off without thought. Speeding through different hallways just to find a moment of peace.

Somehow it felt as if this castle was swallowing him whole. Eyes moving in his direction the moment he came in earshot of staff members. It felt as if their very presence was glued to his shadow.

The whispers were the worst of it, hiding their words behind palms as their eyes darted to him. They hate you~ they hate you~ They cannot wait to be rid of you.

He breathed out a shaky sigh in exhaustion as he leaned against the wall of halls long abandoned. Dust danced where the light from the windows shone through. All moving even as the particles floated away from the rays of the sun, would not be hindered by invisibility.

A constant that would remain long after Kazutora departed. It was a calming thought. Dust did not settle. At least not here.

creak!

His gaze snapped to the corner of the hallway where the noise had come from. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he waited with bated breath for something to appear.

"Have you made your decision?" Kazutora flinched, his body whirling around in the opposite direction as he came face-to-face with the masked man from earlier in the week. "..you" He took a couple of steps back in the other direction. "how dare you sneak up on me."

The man bowed, his mohawk still defied gravity somehow. "I apologize. I did not intend to startle you" before straightening again "I merely came here to inquire about your choice"

"my choice..? I don't follow" his hackles rose higher. The man's eyes widened for a split second before they turned to calm "I assume then you have not read the letter yet?"

His eyes widened, he'd completely forgotten about it with Baji's arrival. The stranger seemed to gauge the answer by Kazutora's dawning expression.

The half-masked freak had given him a letter.

A letter.

addressed to him…

An act that turned more and more incriminating the longer he thought about it. A man he'd never met had given him an envelope, shortly after the city was ambushed, from a foreign adversary that by all means could have been the same group of people that had attacked them.

Wasn't that something he should have brought to his husband's attention? So shortly after an ambush, not to mention an imposter still roaming around-

At best the letter would be perceived as a scandalous love affair (which was nauseating by itself) at worst a… betrayal.

His breath hitched, as he took another small step back, not trying to let his growing anxiety bleed through his expression. "you're no northerner, are you?"

"I was tasked to bring the letter to you and ensure your escape-"

"escape?" Kazutora stumbled back in horror, his mind reeling. "the wall.. that was your doing-"

"no, it was not, your grace" The stranger remained calm, or perhaps it was his mask that made it seem so. It unnerved him either way as he snapped back with insistence "Then whose?! Who would possibly wish to aid an escape I did not request-"

"I was tasked by Yotsuya Kaidan" Yo…tsuya ..Kaidan..?

"I, myself am from a daughter guild of theirs named the Killer Bee"

"I have no relation to Yotsuya. Attacking the northern capital-"

The man held his hand up to pause his tirade "Yotsuya Kaidan had no involvement with that. The Grandmaster emphasized that no harm should befall you"

Kazutora scoffed at the nerve "So you happened to act conveniently right after out of sheer coincidence?" Did he think him stupid?

The other hesitated before speaking "..I must admit, I only did so now, because Herald's security is at its current lowest." but did not lose his monotone expression as he admitted to not daring to go toe to toe with the warden of the northlands. At least he knew his place, Kazutora wrinkled his nose. "I urge you to read the letter, your grace. I shall come for your answer once more"

Kazutora would rather eat shit than admit to the man that he might have possibly compromised not only the latter's mission but also this man's life. "do us both the favor and just tell me-"

"I do not know the contents of the letter" He bowed to Kazutora once more before melting back into the shadows.

.

.

.

Fuck.

…Kazutora was fucked.

Baji let out a curse as his dirtied fist met the wall in frustration. No one said anything about the dent in the wall. He could taste the fear on his tongue as the foreign pest quivered in front of him like a flock of cockroaches.

"no luck with the traitor, huh?" came the dry voice of his recovering Lieutenant strolling down the cells like half his head was not still wrapped like a mummy. The alpha dismissed the guards around them and waited until no one but the two of them remained safe for the incarcerated captives.

"the last rat was just some stray footsoldier. Scum he was but far from traitor… or imposter I should say" the alpha grumbled. Imposters did not tend to wear the army colors of the invanding party like a beacon to point them out in a crowd. Whoever the infiltrator was had masked himself flawlessly. And with the ongoing chaos, Baji was just playing further into his hands "With the trading between cities let alone Districts they could be about anyone"

"yeah, I heard from Ryusei that the other two Kazutora-san had first discovered had been stationed at their post for months" Chifuyu mentioned "They began their work right around the time we arrived back north in September"

"fuck this shit. I know exactly who's behind this. As soon as the wall's back up I'm going down there and-"

"Easy there, Baji-san or the wrong person might hear" Chifuyu whispered the reminder with a grimace. As long as the infiltrator was not found, that little rat by Mikey's side had the upper hand. The bastard was the one with apparent eyes and ears in Baji's home while he had nothing to go off on. Gods beneath did it piss him off.

Chifuyu motioned with his chin towards the captives. "I assume none of them mentioned anything we could go off on?"

The consecutive flinch between the group that had observed Baji's wrath so far would have been comical under other circumstances. But sadly for them, the alpha had yet to find a comedic bone in his body to find the humor in their actions.

"the ringleader over there insists he was set up as well, but can't say by who.." Baji's dark gaze fell on the man in question with a mocking tone. He was a mere lump on the floor with maybe one limb left attached to his body. By the wheezing sound coming from him, he was yet to succumb to what Baji had inflicted him with. Sendo's little time-stopper trick was quite the opportunity.

The corners of his mouth turned up with a satisfied smile. Baji had still so much in store for him. "something about receiving the money in advance and being fooled into a binding vow"

"a binding vow with someone you do not know?" Chifuyu was flabbergasted. Baji couldn't blame him. Internally he'd made the same face when he'd heard it the first time as well. A binding vow was a contract very few dared to offer let alone enter.

A pact, that binds two souls together for eternity.

To some, it was a sign of the greatest of bonds. For others, it remained a curse. Either way, it was a double-edged sword. If one could not uphold their side of the bargain great misfortune would befall not only oneself but everything around them.

It was a decision not made lightly. And certainly not with a stranger you have no relation to. But of course, Baji had the luck of having the latter as an esteemed guest of his cell, which made him.

"useless. He's of no use at all" Chifuyu concluded with a creased brow.

"Funny you say that because that was exactly what I was thinking" The alpha straightened as he rolled his shoulder.

And like a gaggle of hens, the whimpering behind him turned louder once more "p-please, your grace. forgive us. W-we told you everything we know—" the newest addition to these halls cowered.

"We went over this already, didn't we? But I will be lenient since you haven't been here for long" Baji stepped inside the cell looming over them "I'm not the forgiving type"

"He really isn't!" Chifuyu chimed in happily from behind the iron bars.

"You heard him" Baji grinned.

The terrified screams that followed were pure music to his ears.

.

.

.

Baji groaned in frustration as he slumped on the cushion of his office chair, listening to his Lieutenant dragging the chair opposite him to take a seat as well. The alpha would have to take a shower to rid himself of the blood stains before he remembered something "Shouldn't you be on bed rest?"

"no…"

"Uhuh."

"But it's just so boring to lay in bed" The Beta defended himself but Baji remained wholly unimpressed. "Don't you have Ryusei bothering you?"

".. he's been acting weird lately" Chifuyu gnawed on his bottom lip. Must be quite something then, Baji thought. The last time he'd made that expression had been X1009 when the whole Kaidan fiasco had happened. "how so?"

"He's holed himself inside his little chamber"

"That's not unusual for him"

"that is not the odd part, Commander. Usually, he tells me in grotesque detail about whatever experiment he's engrossed in but with this one, he's being overly secretive" Chifuyu grumbled.

"maybe he's trying to not put your blood pressure higher than it needs to be"

"If that were the case, he wouldn't have gifted me that disgusting piece-"

"so you received your souvenir" Baji concluded wrily and watched as Chifuyu held his face in simultaneous anger and embarrassment "-he has no shame! I will beat his face in, I swear"

"Try to get better first"

"…Fine, fine." the blonde sighed before turning to face him again with more downturned eyes, glinting with melancholy. "Did anyone speak to you about the funeral proceedings?"

"I spoke to Sendo and Ryusei a bit. Will you be up to it?"

"Of course, the remembrance plate is almost done as well. Everything should be ready for the ceremony" Baji nodded absentmindedly, his mind wandering back to Chou's niece and her request. Even after a few days of mulling it over, he could not make up his mind.

The thought of forcing Kazutora into a crowd of people, who undoubtedly would dissect his every movement after the rumors that had emerged with his victory. The alpha could care less if their gazes were of admiration. For Kazutora it would make no difference, he'd feel cornered, right out hunted if push came to shove. And Baji did not want to put him through more suffering than he'd already forced him through. "something's bothering you, Baji-san?"

His palm dragged over his face with deep exhaustion. "something like that"

"what about Kazutora-san? how is he?" Baji blinked dumbfounded, wondering if the Beta had some built-in radar that let him know whenever the alpha's troubles were connected to his wife.

"..could be better." He said suspiciously "His injury at least seems to not bother him, though it remains to be seen whether he'll have permanent nerve damage" Baji held his head in frustration. The physician that had stitched him up had concluded as much at least. The scar, too would be a lasting reminder of the omega's sacrifice and Baji's failure. The haunted glint in his red-rimmed eyes was something the alpha deservedly had to bear for the rest of his life. That was the least he could do for the omega. "All of it.. has rattled him more than he will admit"

"Figures. He seems to make it a point to avoid me" Chifuyu crossed his arms in frustration. "what happened.. I know it is a lot to stomach, so I have not tried to approach him in case of making it worse for him"

The alpha hummed in agreement, he too had noticed Kazutora avoid any topic about Chifuyu, and.. yeah, Baji had spent the last few days dodging any thought that might lead him into a spiral of grief himself. Even if he could not allow himself the luxury of mourning Kazutora at least should have the option to. "have you spoken to him yet about the misunderstanding..?" the Beta hesitantly asked.

"no, not yet" Baji can't keep the frustration out of his voice. It was killing him to let the matter go on for this long. But it wasn't as if it would be resolved within two sentences. He'd fucked up. And Kazutora deserved a proper explanation.

The ambush had left a mark on the southerner. When he'd visited him after the smallest action had him on high alert. It was all the more reason to find the bastard who'd conspired against the Northlands "This traitor eats more of my time than I'd like to admit" and it wasn't as if he could just drop the matter and ignore it for even an hour. Whoever was behind it had a personal vendetta against either the omega or him. The longer the threat roamed around in the northerner's midst the easier it was for Kazutora to become his next target.

Especially now that a target was placed on his back after the battle. Anyone who had witnessed his single-handled annihilation of their attackers would consider him nothing less than a threat.

The faster Baji could get rid of the rat still roaming around the easier he could breathe out.

"Ryusei told me what happened when I was out for the count. This is quite the dilemma, huh?" Chifuyu too wanted to put the matter behind them so they could focus on better things. He couldn't wait to lose these bandages, he was practically counting the days until he could finally get to be himself again.

And maybe then his appearance wouldn't cause Ryusei to have that constipated expression on his and who knows, Kazutira-san might be less likely to scurry off like a frightened cat as well when he caught a glimpse of him.

"I need to have a list of every new recruit and merchant that has entered and left the city since the end of the war"

"That is going to take some time"

"More reason to have them drafted as soon as possible" The alpha stood up and made for the door.

"Now-?" the beta spluttered. He was pretty sure Baji-san had not seen a bed since he'd come back from the border. "Shouldn't you rest-"

"I'm not about to let that four-eyed cunt get one over me again"

"W-wait, Baji-san. There is something you should know." the alpha raised a curious brow at the sudden nervousness on Chifuyu's face. "when you and the others had left for the Borderlands, that night Kazutora was…"

"you mean the night you brought my wife to the den of heathens to party? that night?" he asked pointedly. Chifuyu leaned a respectful distance away pursing his lips "Did I mention how thankful I am that you have not chosen to punish us for it"

"yet. I have not chosen to punish you lot yet. Thank your injury for that"

"Believe me nobody is more grateful for that than me" Chifuyu meekly answered holding his bandaged side before his expression turned somber "but I wanted to speak to you about what happened after"

"there was an after? Do enlighten me, Lieutenant." he asked through gritted teeth, he could feel the vein on his forehead pulsating. But something about the conflicted expression on Chifyu's face threw him off. The Beta seemed almost afraid to voice his words as his eyebrows twitched nervously, his eyes darting from the door to him, not out of fear of his commander but more that one would overhear.

"Baji-san listen…" The alpha watched as his lips moved and somehow the words that left the beta's lips pricked a wound so steep inside of him that the quiet sound of desolation remained all there was.

Kazutora had not found the book.

He chewed on his bottom lip. He'd gone back to his chambers first to check for the stupid thing, whose goddamn title he could not even recall. and found. Nothing.

The same went for the glass garden and the drawing room.

It was difficult enough with an injury incapacitating half his ability to search for it properly. Let alone fucking dress-

"Fuck!" He kicked the chair in frustration after his third failure of buttoning his shirt properly, cursing out the Killer Bee idiot for giving him the letter in the first place! If it weren't for his fucking mission or whatever Kazutora would not have to be in this stupid game of a scavenger hunt.

His fucking name was on it which meant.. Treason. He was fucked. And he hadn't even done anything.

It would be inevitable. And the worst thing, he didn't even know why!

Whatever, he didn't need his shirt buttoned all the way anyway. Who cared if anyone saw his neck? The nonexistent bitemark was the least of his current problems. And he was pretty sure at least three of the maids had been exposed to it when he'd been too out of it to do anything about it. The hag had been there, too now that he remembered. She must have had a field day with that revelation. The stares, too made more sense now. Hah…. Right, right.. right!

Treason didn't sound too bad all of a sudden. It would be befitting of his character. The audacious fake duchess, married to the Northern Warden, who was too revolted to even bite him after he'd (faultily) scored him. He can't wait to be rid of you-

Ah, Kazutora couldn't wait for it either. A laugh escaped his lips. "..what are you laughing about?"

"Hm?" Kazutora's amused face languidly turned to the door where a bewildered fake, fake, fake alpha stared at him. Right, his smile brightened. He'd been asked a question. "at me… at you" he mused, not at all surprised when the fake's own mouth turned into a wide-toothed grin, grotesquely splitting to his ears as it widened.. finally turning into the shadowed creature following him for what must be eons "you noticed?" it purred.

"I always do"

"what gave it away this time?" It asked playfully. though it looked anything but.

"your eyes, they were all wrong" he shrugged.

"you're not going to tell me more than that?"

"eh.. where would the fun in that be?" he rolled his eyes as he walked past the nightmare without ever turning his gaze toward it. "where will you go?" it asked.

"nowhere"

"..what a shame" the voice echoed before disappearing entirely. He let out the breath he was holding.

Peace. At last, he thought as he made his way towards the library. The only place he had not checked yet. It had been long enough for the book to have been brought back to the library by some staff member, would the letter still be in there? He might not remember the title. But there were only so many maroon-colored books in the isle he tended to frequent. If he was lucky…

His lips curved up. Was he ever?

As he entered once more he took note of the man from the corner of his eye, giving him an odd stare, his eyes empty as they gazed at him. His face remained motionless. Unnerved by the blatant disrespectful behavior, Kazutora raised an eyebrow at him until the staff member startled, his whole face turning to the side, averting his eyes now altogether. Served him right. Had he not learned of manners before he'd applied for his position? "y-your grace, I was only-"

"At least pretend to do the work you are being paid for" Kazutora bit out and brushed past him, he was not in the mood for stalkerish excuses. Gossip must have been in a drought, now that he kept to himself mostly. But the audacity still pissed him off he thought as he stepped into the astronomy isles that had somehow grown since he'd first come here. His eye flew over the shelves searching for the color match-

"by chance are you searching for this?"

Frozen, Kazutora turned to the man in question, his stomach dropping to his feet as his eyes did not meet the expectant charcoal black of Ryusei's instead transfixed to what the Beta held up in his hand…

The letter.

.

.

..the cursed evidence of his treason. But somehow the meaning of what that would mean for him had yet to wash over him. Numbly his eyes zeroed in on the wax seal and noticed the crookedness of the symbol. He crossed his arms unimpressed. "Has nobody told you that reading letters not addressed to you is rude?"

The wax seal had been tampered with. At least one of them knew the contents of the letter and it was not Kazutora. He should have gone in search of it sooner, huh? His eyes fell to the wall behind the Beta if only to burn it.

Seemed whatever the grandmaster could possibly have doomed him with was something he'd never find out.

"so you noticed, huh?" Sato looked sheepish but not apologetic "Then we should skip the false pleasantries. What connection do you have to good old Yotsuya?"

Kazutora's face soured at the implication "you tell me. If I'm not mistaken, you're the one with their sigil branded on your neck."

"and yet it is your name on the letter. So I ask again what relation do you have to Kensho?"

"Who?" it came out before he could stomp the urge down. Kazutora had trouble keeping the confusion from his face, unintentionally giving up the small semblance of control he'd had.

For a moment the Beta was taken aback before his features narrowed "I almost fell for that. You really are a different league, your grace." he chuckled drily. Kazutora frowned, but couldn't exactly argue. All of his actions bit him in the ass eventually. He should not be surprised."but I'm not in the mood for it. See, the evidence is very damning" he waved the envelope for emphasis.

"How so?" he remained defiant, clenching his jaw as his fingernails dug into his arms. "Omamori was attacked at a quite convenient time. And then a letter by a former adversary of the first division, who'd threatened revenge after their defeat makes its way here.. somehow all of it leads back to you"

"then what use is telling me of this?" Kazutora remained carefully neutral "Apparently you have been stewing on this for quite some time" he continued with a raised brow "you know where your commander is. you could have chosen to inform him of this letter at any point and yet… you have not. Instead, you are here informing for all you know the possible orchestrator of your findings, why?" he held his finger to his chin with genuine curiosity. But the Beta remained silent.

"you know what my impression is, former-member-of-Yotsuya-Kaidan-kun? you're quite anxious.. jumpy even. as if it was yourself on the line… or maybe not you?" Kazutora thought aloud "Perhaps you are compensating for someone else?" Sato stiffened. It did not go unnoticed. "Ah? I'm sorry, did I hit a sore spot?"

The Beta broke from his stupor with another blink of his eyes. "You really are terrifying, your grace. Would have been quite the adversary had you taken part in the battle four years ago" Sato was absolutely winded, he could tell. But it chaffed him the wrong way how he immediately assumed the omega to be an enemy of Baj- the first Division. "However, you are avoiding the question… what connection do you have to Kensho"

"Kensho this, Kensho that- " The irritation bubbled over as another mutter left his lips. Kazutora did not know that man!

"don't lie"

Kazutora stilled, unaware he'd spoken his thoughts aloud but quickly regained his composure by rolling his eyes with forced nonchalance.

A sudden creak alerted them, and once more he saw the odd staff member looking awkwardly at them. But the glint in his eyes spelled something chilling as he mustered Kazutora for too long to be normal before he caught their glares and hightailed it outside the door. "popular, ain't you?" came the dry question.

Kazutora flinched. As if he'd asked for anyone to bear their attention towards him. "Are you implying I'm in cahoots with him as well?" He wrinkled his nose in disgust "Though he is quite bold, I must admit. Let us not pretend, he is of any substance if he is caught so easily"

He held out his hand impatiently "Give me the letter and I shall give you an answer to your burning question" He mocked "Or are you scared I'll get rid of your evidence?"

"I am curious though how you are going to spin the contents into your favor so by all means"

The Beta handed over the letter without further fuss. He should feel relieved now, shouldn't he? Yet still, his body thought differently as he took it with masked indifference the uneasy pieces of his gut growing in their turmoil. With shaking fingers he ripped the seal off, praying the contents would not screw him over.

He closed his eyes when he caught a glimpse of the first word.

Fuck. By the familiarity in his address, his body was ready to depart to the nethers below.

Dearest Kazutora,

He swallowed the dust in his throat. The affection was an affirmation of the one thing he'd feared most. Let it not be, he thought the inside of his cheeks bitten raw. Let it not include a distortion alluding to a lover, he never even had. Out of all the things, this was the one he could least stomach. At least let the gods spare him of this much.

He could never meet Baji's eyes again after this. The paper crinkled from his white-knuckled hold. He wanted nothing more than to rip it into pieces until nothing of it would remain. Damn it all.

I apologize for my tardiness in contacting you. But know your goodwill is remembered to this day. As such a debt is owed to you. See this letter as an outstretched hand should you need it.

I did not forget your words or your actions. Should you still wish to turn the world that wronged you to hell, know I will see it through. Just send the word.

This old ghost will always hold a space for you.

-Kensho

Kazutora choked, his lungs constricting with a painful hiss. His ears rang as his cursed eye burned through his eyelid.

The letter fell to the floor.

Disoriented, he took a step back to regain his balance only to knock a shelve filled with a platitude of books to the ground as well.

"-shooo~ why are you working under someone? You should be your own boss, y'know?"

"You want me to make my own organization, brat?"

He nodded enthusiastically "You gotta name it somethin' cool, like —tsu— Ka—-n" he scrunched his eyes up.

"That's a real lame name-" the shapeless voice next to him piped up making a cold shiver go down his back.

"Shut up, —ji! It's cool, right —-sho?"

"It does not sound all too bad, a name like that. I am quite fond of ghost stories" The tall shadow laughed.

"See?" He poked his tongue out at the faceless boy in victory. "I have great taste-"

He gasped in terror, unable to take a proper breath.

Sato remained frozen to his spot as he watched over what unfolded in front of him with growing confusion.

Calm down.

Kazutora straightened though the shaking of his limbs had yet to abandon him. But just as his eyes raised to the dark irises of the Beta, the confusion gave away for something else, his eyes widening, his mouth opened to say something. Kazutora's head immediately turned downwards before their gazes could properly cross, eyes going in and out of focus, exhaustion washing over him. It felt as if his body was about to give out, the only thing preventing it from becoming reality was the shelve he was backed against.

He let out a shaky breath "…you were correct. The evidence is damning indeed" He had the urge to laugh all of a sudden but he only managed to raise the corners of his lips for a wobbly second before giving up.

There was no point to it.

There was no point to anything. No matter how he twisted it every road did lead back to Kazutora after all.

"…you're not going to say anything to defend yourself?" Sato questioned baffled.

And what use would that be? he thought bewildered.

"I am guilty" he realized, partially still in shock as he met the Beta's gaze more properly, oblivious to the sharp intake of air from the latter. He motioned to the entrance "Go on." He swallowed "Tell your commander and have me incarcerated properly. or do you wish me to accompany you to ease your paranoia of any escape attempt?" he continued as if he was making note of the weather rather than his arrest.

"your grace-" funny his voice sounded alarmed almost he thought distantly. Breathing was difficult.

"I… am responsible for the death of your friends." He insisted with a forced smile, his head pounding. It was as if he'd been sucked in by a monsoon.

"your grace-"

"I almost got your lover killed. If you wish to execute me yourself, you may do that as well. I will not struggle nor am I picky" he babbled. after all. Didn't matter who dished it. Death was death. was death. was death. was deATH WAS DEATH WAS DEA—

and what was Kazutora if not its embodiment.

"Your Grace!" he stumbled at the unexpected volume in Sato's commanding voice before the Beta seemed to regain his composure. "…your left eye, it is bleeding"

Kazutora's eyes fluttered, his fingers numbly going to touch his skin, and sure enough it came off red."…it is" he concluded puzzled.

"sit down, I'll call for a doctor"

He jerked away "No, that won't be necessary" and stepped away using his dark-colored sleeve to clean the stained part of his face, ignoring Sato's protests, his mind slowly filling with static. "what will it be, former Lieutenant?"

Sato seemed to wish to argue but relented his shoulders hitching up to his shoulders with frustration as he picked the letter back up "I… do not know" The Beta swallowed around the words, truly at a loss. "Are you not at all afraid of what may happen? We Southerners are under a lot of scrutiny up here as it is. For something like this to come out" he looked troubled.

"so? Do you wish for me to quiver in fear and beg for your secrecy?" He chuckled at the irony of the Beta wanting Kazutora to defend himself properly now "I made my bed, I do not fear to lay in it" His lips cracked into a tired smile. This was horrible. "At least spare yourself the scrutiny of the unfogiving Northlands and be the loyal servant you pledged to be. It is past time you inform your warden" He nodded towards the door the staff member had escaped through after they'd discovered him "…before the gossip gets to him first"

Kazutora made to leave when the Beta's arm stretched out in his path "Here" the latter held the once more closed letter up to his hand. "What are you-"

"Take it."

"Shouldn't you keep this as evidence?"

"As you said, it was not mine to open"

"You have a copy" the omega concluded severely unimpressed as he snatched the letter.

"I do have a copy" The beta's lip curled up in somber amusement.

.

.

.

That whole incident had been two days ago and Ryusei still churned at what decision was the proper one to make here.

But the omega had been right about one thing. It was high time he spoke with the commander.

His body was floating.

Among the murky light of the shimmering stars and the depth of space and time, his eyes glimpsed open. And closed. and open once more. A low whistle was drowned out by the vastness of the planets orbitting him.

Kazutora was floating.

His hair danced with ethereality. In the seam of constellations, he was placed in with careful stitches to hold his too fragile seams. The pressure in his chest weighted him down he noted with a furrow of his brow. It dampened the lightness he preferred. His eyes closed once more as he fell deeper into its soft embrace, his face growing slack.

An awful itch in his back. The whole galaxy is begging him to be released. Let us fly

But Kazutora didn't—

The whistling grew louder. Currents swept over him that had his shoulders shaking entrapped by the waves as something broke him through the surface propelling his burning eyelids to snap open.

For a moment there was nothing.

.

and then there was too much.

"—zu—ra!" The whistling bore down on him as he screwed his eyes back closed, an unwilling sound choking through his lips as liquid dripped down with it. It hurt. "—hey ——ook at me—"

His shoulders were still shaking with the force of an earthquake. Hadn't he been up high with stars? How quickly the earth had stolen him again. Dazed his eyes were forced open once more. A firm grip holding onto his head as if he were a newborn babe yet to learn how to support it himself.

And perhaps he was, he thought delirious."—ou hear me-" He scrunched his nose up at the gruff voice and the accompanying prodding of his body and sluggishly tried to slap the annoying pokes away. But the pesk persisted "—swer me please"

His spine straightened, the deepest crevices of his chest hurting at the devastating plea in the tones of those words, tightly clutching onto what he too belatedly realized was a wet sleeve. He blinked until his vision finally cleared.

His breath hitched when he was met with the ashen face of "…Baji?" his throat choked out, a mix of water and saliva disgustingly spilling through his lips, still. He let out a few more wet coughs.

..still?

He didn't have much time to ponder the confusing thought when he was crashed against a broad warm chest, the muffled voice lost to him. A shudder ran through his frame. This was nicer- He belatedly noticed the wetness clinging to him. wet.

He was wet. and cold.

Without any thought, he buried his face deeper into the heat as another shiver rocked through his body. What had he done to…

His eyes darted to the tiled floor where puddles of water had formed. the tub lay on its side, emptied of any water.

Right, he had a bath drawn. As his last meal of sorts. One last guilty pleasure to cheer himself up before the verdict of his treasonous affairs would befall him. He remembered getting inside, he thought. Disappointment had filled him when the usually satisfying heat had done little to improve his stagnating mood. He frowned he didn't remember falling asleep. But he must have otherwise how had he ended up—

He froze, with his limited ability looking down on himself. If he were to be standing, he'd have surely fallen to the floor out of sheer mortification—

-naked.

He was naked. Yet none of his skin was near close enough to touch the very cold tiles. Embarrassed, his grip grew unconsciously tighter at the realization the alpha had gathered all of his limbs into his trembling embrace.

Tentatively his eyes peeked through his eyelashes to catch a glimpse of the alpha's facial expression. As if knowing that the omega's gaze was one him Baji's eyes caught his. He instinctively shrunk back.

The alpha seemed to take it as another chill of the cold pulling him closer as the temperature around him rose higher. A shuddering puff of air left his lips that came close to a sigh of relief. "better?"

"y-yeah" he tested. His answer relaxed the stiffness the northerners had unconsciously held his body with as well as whatever shock the alpha had felt when he'd found him seemingly gave away to outrage. "what the fuck were you thinking?!"

"I-I-.." and Kazutora had nothing. His lungs constricted the longer it took him to come up with an explanation that would excuse this-

crazy, crazy crazy, you're fucking crazy

A hand pressed against his neck in apology "I shouldn't have shouted" he was surprised at the overly remorseful tone in the alpha's voice. Although unwarranted it was not unwelcome.

Kazutora couldn't do much more than nod numbly.

"…Let's get you somewhere dryer" He was still nodding when the sudden change in gravity had him scrambling to not fall. Which had been unnecessary in retrospect as the alpha had not struggled to raise himself into a standing position while holding Kazutora in his arms.

The omega was hyperaware of the warm press of his palms against the bare skin of his ribs and thigh respectively. Although the respect Kazutora held for himself was diminishing with every breath he had to continuously take afterward.

As they stood he could hear the splashes of water trickling down from the alpha. His clothes too had been drenched in the endeavor of getting his dumbfuck ass out of the water.

"My clothes.." he weakly trailed off.

"I know" the alpha sounded strained as he stepped through the water until he'd reached the threshold to the main quarters. The splashing was the only sound filling the silence until it turned into the distinct squeaking of dry floors meeting wet… everything. Kazutora hung his head in shame gnawing through his lip until too late he realized the alpha was trying to place him on the loveseat only Kazutora was still gripping him, his knuckles white as he clung to the man's shirt.

As if burned he let go almost falling backward the sole reason he didn't make more of a fool out of himself being the northerner cushioning him into the seat. As soon as they were no longer touching Kazutora curled into himself as if it would save him from the mortification of the last couple of minutes… hours, days, months, lifetimes-

He didn't dare raise his head, his head bracketed by his knees as his ears listened to the shuffling around him. He clenched his jaw forcing his body not to make his shivering movements visible. The cold droplets of long-since-cooled water slowly dripped from the wet strands of his hair down his neck and shoulders.

The footsteps grew closer again and Kazutora held his breath. Warm skin softly grazed his frozen shoulder. His eyes burned as he hunched further inwards. The hand on his skin grew firmer. "let's get you dressed. You're gonna catch a cold otherwise" The lack of anger had him taken aback as his head raised involuntarily.

Not a moment later steam came out of the alpha's fingers as they gathered Kazutoras sleep robe and took hold of Kazutora's left arm first guiding it through the much warmer sleeve- oh so that was what the steam had been for- of his maroon robe before switching over to his injured side and doing the exact opposite, guiding the sleeve instead of his bandaged arm. "This needs to be changed" the alpha murmured to himself, engrossed in his task as his nimble fingers tightened the robe around him methodically. Seemingly out of thin air he placed a sling over his shoulder and helped his damaged limb inside of it. It immediately elevated the strain he didn't know he had only then did the northerner step back now that he'd made sure it was fastened properly with another nod to himself.

The alpha's eyes zeroed in on his still dripping hair before he'd rounded around him. Kazutora was with his back to him now. "Lean back"

Kazutora did so without thinking his head naturally falling back against the backrest. Dumbstruck, he shuddered as the alpha's hand carded through the strands of his longer hair, the previous warmth turning hotter- never touching actual skin until he finally understood. drying. Baji was drying his hair with his fire affinity.

For a comical moment, he wondered if this was the first time he'd used his abilities for such unconventional methods. But remembering the alpha's much longer hair and the way he seemed so attuned to know what he was doing told me differently. "your hair.." Kazutora stiffened at the suspicion in his tone "Were there this many light hair strands last time, too?"

His eyes widened with an urge to slip out of the man's grasp so he wouldn't get to inspect him anymore and find more odd things about him. Kazutora did not spend much time looking into his own reflection. Not that it would have helped him know what was going on in the back of his head. He'd always known his hair hadn't always been two-toned. But that didn't mean he didn't have an explanation for it. He shrugged with forced nonchalance, his voice still scratchy "..maybe" not elaborating further.

The alpha didn't enquire, either, and stopped his ministrations after only faint dampness remained on the parts of his hair much closer to his scalp. It took a moment for the alpha's fingers to disappear completely as he took his time brushing through them one last time. Kazutora internally let out a sigh of relief when the distance between them grew once more, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling spreading in his chest at the loss of heat. Cold, he was simply cold.

His eyes turned to the hearth and the alpha's eyes followed his gaze. The anxious scent of smoke stung his nose before the alpha's stalked towards hearth suddenly.

Kazutora watched as his hands moved over the flames, an aura of blue encasing his large frame. It only stopped when the alpha brushed his fingers against the flames and the omega watched in fascination as they somehow avoided touching the man's skin. He hadn't known he could bend the fire to this extent. He shook his head, he shouldn't be surprised. He and the other commanders had been called prodigies for a reason. Of course, something so complicated to the common man would have been child's play in the northerner's hands.

With a nod the alpha rose from the hearth, finally able to register his state of wetness. Kazutora too noticed the guilt in his gut flaring as his eyes darted away from him. He opened his mouth to say something when steam grew out of the alpha as he seemingly turned himself into a furnace. In a matter of moments he was completely dry, his hand carding lazily through his hair even and wow, wasn't he full of himself?

Kazutora forgot how to blink an irrational surge of jealousy flaring through him with a huff. The alpha remained oblivious to his ogling- glare, he was glaring. out of bitterness. for not having been blessed with the same affinity. "why are you here?" unnerved, the words impatiently left his lips before he reeled back "..your grace" he tacked on lamely, suddenly wishing to bury his head in embarrassment. Into the cold earth. Six feet deep.

The alpha flared his nostrils with irritation by the time he managed to add the befitting honorifics. "I came to speak to you-" he watched him clench his jaw as he worked through his next words. And whatever it was Kazutora knew from the complicated glint in the alpha's eyes, he would not like what would come out of his mouth next. "…What were you doing, Kazutora?"

Kazutora couldn't stop the flinch, the overwhelming feeling in his chest returning. "..bathing." he pointedly replied, suddenly feeling very defensive. He knew what it must have looked like. But that was not what he'd tried to do. He wasn't a person like that. Like what? "I must have fallen asleep" The roof of his mouth was made out of lead as his tongue pressed against it. But still, he glared at the alpha, daring him to fight him on this.

And he knew the alpha did not buy it. The narrow of his eyebrow said as much. The downturned disappointment in the corners of his mouth was another stinging reminder of that. "Kazutora" The tension in the room grew charged.

"what" Kazutora didn't give him an inch, his teeth bared. Neither of them was willing to back down. The alpha let out a sigh of frustration. "I do not wish to fight with you"

"then don't" For a moment he tried to cross his arms before remembering the sling and forfeiting that endeavor and dug his fingers into the padding of the seat.

A knock on the door had them both stop their staredown as the door opened with the face of a nervous guard. "uh, commander-"

"What." Baji seemed close to boiling if the veins were anything to go by. But Kazutora couldn't have been more relieved at the disruption. He would have lost that staredown if it had continued. The guard hunched into himself. "Lord Rsyusei is looking for you. It seems to be urgent"

The relief turned into hot coal of dread. So he'd finally made his decision. He watched Baji curse softly with a frustrated expression, his eyes darting from him to the door and then to the restroom.

Kazutora sighed in acceptance. why delay the inevitable? "go. I will be still here when you return"

Baji wished to argue, he could tell. "supper will be brought shortly. Let us talk then" he offered a truce, not just to prepare for their ensuring fight but reassurance as well. If only to let the alpha know, he would not find Kazutora on the precipice of another questionable situation. Baji's eyes narrowed still not quite believing him. The next words out of the omega's lips were not more than two, still, they felt like too much even for him. "I promise"

Baji was taken aback. Kazutora could tell the moment, it finally registered. 'Promise me, you won't do anything that could bring you harm'- the request that he'd rejected then. Kazutora couldn't bear to look at him his eyes going back to his lap as he fiddled with the seams of the robe. He could only hear it, but somehow his mind still managed to conjure up its own image of the alpha finally relenting with acceptance, the steel in his shoulders relaxing. "fine, okay. fine, I won't be long"

the words were hasty, nervous almost. "I… I'll be back shortly"

please don't be, he thought dreadfully but nodded stiffly ahead.

As the alpha finally left the panic set in. He sprung up, his knees wobbly as his fingers curled into his hair strands unknowingly as the situation set in. fuck. fuck. fuck. He began to mutter.

He wished he could go back to drowning. As soon as the news werre given to him Baji would wish it too, he thought hysterically. Scratch that, he'd made sure Kazutora'd never resurfaced at all. His heartbeat was growing rapidly as his hair turned from disheveled into a nest of knots. His scalp distantly burned from the pulling of his fingers, but he couldn't seem to stop. He paced in front of the hearth, contemplating what he could do.

Waiting for the hangman to appear just seemed dreadful. He'd rather get it over with. He wondered what face the alpha would make when Sato told him. The fury he'd feel, knowing that the omega he'd made his duchess, the person he'd just held had caused the death of his citizens, his friends, his pack. The sting of Betrayal at the revelation.

Kazutora didn't think he could bear the look on his face. Perhaps the alpha would be so disgusted with his actions that he'd refuse to gift him with any more of his presence and let another do the work for him. Perhaps he was already sending a notice to Central to have the marriage annulled so he would not be connected to a treasonous whore who'd chummed it up with his enemy. He wondered what form of execution he'd be given.

Maybe the alpha would let him burn with the remnants of his dead comrades to teach him a lesson. Maybe he'd be inspired by father.

Bile rose up his throat. no, not that. please not that.

Baji wouldn't do that. He wouldn't. you don't know that.

Shut up, shut up, shut up, hUT UP-"

with a frustrated yelp, he tore a few strands out. stupid. fucking hair! he never let it grow this long for a reason. See what he got from that. It was only in the way. His eyes blazed towards the vanity.

He stalked over to it, his hand frantically flipping the ink block over splattering the unused letters. The cursed letter with it. There was no use hiding it. he did not care. Where were the bloody scissors when he needed them?!

The hair brush flung to the ground in his erratic movements.

The doors opened once more without a knock and his heartbeat stilled. Only when the distinctive scent of the alpha did not follow did he glimpse towards it in confusion. Once more he was met with the odd staff member he'd encountered in the library with Sato. Immediately he was on edge as he watched him deliver his evening meal.

Unlike last time, he did not dare look at Kazutora. Must have finally learned some decorum. Although his entering without even a knock was glaringly telling the opposite. you're so preoccupied with yourself, how would you have heard him, silly

right.. right. He hadn't heard Baji enter either and he must have been anything but quiet. Bathtubs did not fall over quietly. don't just stand there, silly. they already think you're crazy

He immediately sat himself in front of the vanity. Leaning down to get the brush. His hair was a birdnest. It was only logical to brush it after a bath. That was not an odd thing to do, he nodded to himself grasping at any semblance of normalcy. However, the task became more difficult with one hand incapacitated. Still, he acted natural, avoiding any glancing into the mirror. He had no proof, but his gut told him if he looked he'd cross eyes with the creepy staff member. The only creep here is you. Mumbling to yourself. They can see you

His eyes began to sting for an inexplicable reason. He searched for a handkerchief. He was being too rough with his scalp, was all. His skin was sensitive, of course, his eyes would sting. Suddenly white cloth was raised in front of him startling him out of his thoughts. He blinked noticing the outstretched hand of the staff member… holding out a napkin with a friendly expression, that brought immediate dislike to his gut.

It felt like a parody of the first time he'd met Chifuyu when he'd offered him his handkerchief. Only this time he didn't feel as thankful about it. Perhaps he'd been too rude in his clipped reply, but at the moment he could not have cared less. "What. do you think you are doing?" he had no patience left.

"Uh-"

"Leave." He bit out with a glare, hoping that was the end of it. He just wanted to be left alone.

"You know… maybe Father dearest was right " His breath hitched when the dark tone reached him. "In the end, your husband will betray you, like all of them" A cold bucket of ice slammed down his spine with terror. "…w-what?"

"I wondered whether you needed assistance in combing your hair, your grace" He blinked at the man, the comb in his hand was still trembling.

"n-no" He choked out, a husk of his former bravado as the request finally registered. It made him nauseous, repulsed to even humor the thought of anyone touching him, in the vicinity of his exposed neck his hand moving to shield it from the possible threat.

It took a moment for the audacity of such a request to click. It was insulting to make such an outlandish offer to a married omega of all things. Did he think him already stripped of his station? "I am in no need of your services. Make sure to close the door when you leave"

"your grace I w-was only-" Kazutora's eyes widened, his fingers clenching against his skin for still daring to- He'd show him. He'd show all of them-

"Is there a reason for you to disturb the room this late in the evening?" The omega whirled around to the alpha, his frame rigid. The staff member, too turned to the entry in shock.

It seemed Sato had finally done it. the alpha didn't remove his gaze away from him. not once. He swallowed.

"n-no, your grace"

"then fucking get out. And tell the Headmistress not to let just any half-witted idiot enter this place without permission again" Baji did not have any patience left for an audience, Kazutora concluded. Not that he'd ever cared about insulting someone.

"I was only bringing his supper, your grace" Baji narrowed his eyes, his nose flaring as he pointed his chin towards the food steaming on the table.

The staff member did not take a moment more to hightail out of there with a few more apologies. The door finally fell shut.

"I'll wring his neck, I swear-" the alpha grumbled before taking note that Kazutora had yet to reprimand him for bullying the staff as the omega liked to say. But he remained eerily quiet. And by the haunted glint in his bloodshot eyes, it was no wonder. He was probably glad to not have a stranger disturbing him right after..

Baji stiffened, trying to blink away the images from earlier that night. He was alright now. Kazutora had promised, he told himself. That was all that mattered. His gaze went to the omega struggling to pick the hairbrush up. He moved before he knew it. "can I?"

Kazutora's eyes met the alpha's in the mirror. The offer was innocent enough and he had no reason to decline on the surface. So he bit the insides of his cheek and nodded, albeit stiffly, wondering what game was at play as the alpha combed his hair for him.

The repititive brushing soothed something inside yet it did not dissipate the anxiousness that was readying itself to level Kazutora as a current would a fisherboat. He concentrated on the tangles that turned less and less. He hated it "How are you holding up?" the question startled him, the alpha could tell as well to his chagrin.

"f-fine" the alpha stopped combing his hair, his fingers lifting Kazutora's chin to meet his troubled, inspecting gaze. "what are you.." he asked, his voice filled with panic. He knows. He knows. He knows.

"Ryusei mentioned your eye having issues. Does it hurt?"

"N-no." It was a knee-jerk response with no sincerity. But Kazutora didn't care. Was this how the alpha intended to breach the topic? With false concern-

Baji sighed unwillingly letting go "I know you are not fond of physicians and the like. But this is serious. If this happens again, I need you to tell me. I have still half a mind to call on a healer now-"

"Don't!" he blurted out before clearing his throat in search of a more calm response "I am perfectly fine" the alpha was still not fully convinced not to let a physician come. Only because Ryusei had insisted not to for the sake of his wife's mental stability had he relented. But looking at the huffiness in his breathing and the paleness of his skin he was reconsidering that decision all over again. Kazutora was hanging on by a thread. Not to any fault of his own.

Baji had brought him to that ledge. He needed to rectify his mistakes. "we need to speak."

Kazutora leaned away, his head still swimming with every scenario that was bound to happen, and mustered the alpha, his hackles raised for a fight "..do we?"

"We do. the day I left… I shouldn't have made those assumptions without consulting you. I burdened you of all people with my shortcomings-"

The omega's eyes narrowed. Kazutora of all people..? what was that supposed to mean-

"Cut the crap. That is not what you are here for" Kazutora interrupted, standing up and whirled around. To act like the matter of who was scared of who held any meaning in the light of Kazutora's betrayal was a mocking insult. He would be a fool to believe an alpha to hold remorse for insignificant matters and toying with it now to unnerve Kazutora further was just cruel. "Let's get to the point. Beating around the bush is not your strong suit"

Baji looked like he wanted to argue, but Kazutora did not give him the chance. If he wanted the whole package, he'd gladly give him a show. "I stepped out of line at the gates" Baji was the head of the household and Kazutora had acted without his permission after all. "You were completely in your right to reprimand me, your grace. I put many people in jeopardy with my choices that day and you had been generous enough not to punish me for it then"

He took a deep breath "Of course, considering the letter from Yotsuya Kaidan if you wanted to do so now I would gladly accept it-"

"what." Kazutora turned ramrod straight when the dark tone reached his ears. "what is this about Yotsuya Kaidan? what letter, Kazutora?" He could feel the anger emanating from the alpha as he inhaled the harsh scent of smoke. And then it clicked.

Oh.

Had he screwed himself over? But Sato… he'd talked to Baji.

He licked his lips "Sato told you..?" Baji's expression was answer enough. Sato had kept his mouth shut. And Kazutora had exposed himself like a fool without any outside interference. "No. he did not." A shudder went down his back at the calm sound of his voice that hid the storm behind crimson eyes.

Baji was livid.

Kazutora could feel the frigid coldness of regret seep into his marrow. Somehow speaking was more difficult than it had been not two moments ago. And what could he even say? How could he explain that he was no adultress, going behind Baji's back- it felt like his mouth turned to lead. What use was it? The alpha would not believe him. Making that joke about hiding a lover beneath his bed all those weeks ago did not sound all that funny anymore.

"Start from the beginning. "

Kazutora jerked at the sudden demand. "You should discuss this with Sato-" he stopped when he felt the steam radiating from the other.

He bit his tongue. It took him a few minutes to compose himself but at least Baji did not hurry him though his eyes grew in intensity the longer Kazutora remained quiet.

"A… A letter from Yotsuya Kaidain arrived shortly after .." he trailed off, gesturing to Baji and his arrival back in the city, knowing how unbelievably untruthful he sounded to his own ears "it was addressed to me" he looked at the floor, unwilling to meet the alpha's furious expression.

"to you?" came the monotone reply. For a split second, he debated whether to insist on his innocence, that he had not been in cahoots with Baji's former adversaries but he discarded the notion just as quickly. It had never done him any favors with his sire.

Kazutora was a liar. And Baji knew it, too. He nodded in shame. It was pitiful. "Yes, your grace.. to me"

"The bastard just won't relent, will he?! that fucking-" The alpha cursed aloud, but then stopped himself when Kazutora visibly recoiled from the volume of his voice. With a sigh that was somehow frustration and exhaustion in one he breathed through his nose. "give me the letter"

Kazutora bit his cheek, looking away as his fingers turned the tainted paper over. "here"

"here? This whole time…" Baji stilled once more as he took it, ripping it open without a care.

Kazutora shrunk further back, the scent of disapproval brought him into a fit of panic as he watched the alpha's eyes fly through the paper. "I know what it looks like-"

Baji let out an appalled laugh. Laughing at you, he's laughing at you"What does it look like, Kazutora? Because to me it looks like Hishi Kensho tried to invade my district and jeopardize yo-"

"It wasn't him!" he interrupted far too quickly not to be ominous. But Killer Bee had said so- It made no sense to lie about it. But before he can voice that Baji's disbelief hit his ears first.

"unbelievable" Kazutora's stomach dropped to his feet at the disappointment that shone through the alpha's quiet voice" even after everything you defend him"

Horrified, he tried to backtrack "I- I wasn't-" he'd tried to explain himself but instead he'd managed to dig himself deeper. believe me, almost left his lips please, believe me before he caught himself. How pitiful of a display. It would not appease reality.

He hung his head in defeat. It would not appease Baji's judgment. "…forget it. As mentioned I will accept any punishment you see fit for my misdeeds, your grace"

"wha- Are you out of your mind, I 'm not going to punish you!" the alpha sounded insulted of all things.

Kazutora's eyes snapped up at the alpha's aghast outburst. "You are …not?" tilting his head in confusion.

"No, Kazutora. I am not" Baji replied as he took Kazutora's healthy hand in his. The omega narrowed his eyes. These actions were part of the reason why Kazutora had let himself be swayed and deluded, to begin with. Baji said one thing and did another.

But Kazutora knew better now. Your husband will betray you. Your husband will betray you. Your husband will

The ghost of a smile graced his lips. Whatever. it seemed they were both out to stab one another in the back.

The alpha's face turned from perplexion to concern "You feel warmer than usual. Did you catch a cold after all?"

Kazutora still managed to remain dumbfounded at the unexpectedness of the question, his voice a show of muffled insistence "m'fine."

Baji pressed his palm more firmly against the omega's skin with a skeptical eyebrow. Kazutora suppressed the shiver it left in its wake. "Honestly.. why would you even jump to that conclusion.." Baji muttered. It sounded more like a question directed at himself than the other participant in this conversation.

Kazutora scoffed."…Why would I not come to that conclusion?" Baji's offhand words pissed him off to no end. The man had given him the silent treatment for the whole ordeal only now to act like Kazutora was pulling everything out of thin air. Here comes the crazy omega. "You weren't exactly generous with your words, your grace. Were you or were you not angry that I left the castle grounds?"

"I was but-"

"Did your Lieutenant not receive a grievous injury due to my presence?" his mind trailed back to Chifuyu's bloodied, unresponsive frame on the floor, before it distorted into Chou and the other ones, who had paid with their lives that day "did.. did your men not die-" he swallowed down the overwhelming wave of guilt that was ready to pull him under "…you already agreed that you were blowing a casket when you found out not only was I there but I was also responsible for the fall of the gate. Tell me, was my thought process truly off?"

"I understand that it came off that way, but believe me-"

"I don't." Kazutora pulled his hand out of the alpha's grasp and looked at him emotionlessly. "the gods know I don't believe you"

His chest was numb. He wondered if this was the moment the organ between his lungs would finally quit "I never have and I never will. "

He stepped past the alpha towards the table, fully turning his back to him as the silver cutlery glimmered in the soft light of the room. Hunger was the furthest thing he felt right now. "No offense to you, your grace. I don't go around giving my trust to a stranger"

"..what do you mean by strangers?"

"We are strangers, aren't we? We've met less than four months ago and barely know one another. Surely you must agree"

Baji was unable to react barely processing what he was being told. Once more, it felt as if Kazutora had been switched out. His words sounded rehearsed, unfeeling.

"Of course, this farce of a marriage did force us into proximity, so the play-pretend was convenient" Kazutora didn't stop even as the words felt like poison was being smeared around the roof of his mouth for every word he spoke.

"play-pretend?" Baji sounded like his mouth was barely able to work through the words in his mouth for a while now.

"Yes." Kazutora was on the verge of laughing at himself. Honestly, his behavior in the beginning had been utterly shameless. "Clinging to your arm, disrupting your work to give me attention. I'm sure the headmistress wanted my head on a platter for my antics" he smiled bitterly. It felt like lifetimes ago.

"… You're saying that the whole time it was you... pretending?" Kazutora did not dare to look back at the man, but the words left goose's skin in their wake anyway.

"We both got something out of it, didn't we?" He smiled, it was more of a grimace than anything. he chuckled to distract himself from the sick feeling in his stomach. ".. you were pretending right along with me, weren't you? Acting all coy now, like you weren't in on it"

Baji had been the one who graciously pointed out that he does not lose sight of his actual position here.

What makes you think you are needed-

Baji continued to stay quiet, not speaking a word. The silence made Kazutora all the more unnerved the longer it prolonged. He cleared his throat. "I should not obscure you from your duties. I'm sure recent events must keep you quite busy" he curtsied, One of the main reasons the head-maid gave him the stink eye for when he didn't follow the proper protocol on how to interact with your spouse correctly. She'd shed tears of joy if she was able to see him right now, he was sure.

It was better like this. and he hadn't been lying. This marriage was a play pretend. It was Kazutora who'd forgotten his place. But even if late, he was content he was able to rectify it. Now both of them were on the same page again.

He hoped with this the alpha would get the hint and either leave or let Kazutora leave.. yeah, that was probably best. Kazutora should leave, this was Baji's castle after all. But where could he go? He had no home to return to. That didn't matter though, did it?

He turned to step away but a hand shot out and grabbed his arm in a steely grip jerking him backward. A startled sound left his throat.

Now face to face with burning red eyes so scalding, it felt like the alpha was ready to set the room on fire. And Kazutora with it "You think you can spout this shit and then up and what- leave?" if the alpha's eyes were burning, then his lips were spitting lava, sparks flying with every word leaving his mouth as their distance declined. The dark baritone raised goosebumps on Kazutora's skin. His whole body felt paralyzed by the overwhelming presence. "I-I.." A hand grabbed hold of his face, pulling him closer. The scent of wildfire made his eyes burn.

"Lost for words now? You had so much to say a few seconds ago" Suddenly it was as if he was back in the office eons away, where they'd first crossed paths. The animosity between them as they waited for the other to pounce. Only one thing was different. Kazutora was unarmed while Baji wasn't. And he didn't mean weaponry.

With every breath he took, smoke filled his lungs almost making him choke and cough. Kazutora tried to step away but the alpha would not let him. "Are you finished with the lies?"

It felt like a punch to the gut. Baji unraveled the ribbon already loose. Still, Kazutora scoffed spitefully. "Oh, I am the liar?" In the end, it was always Kazutora. "would it make you feel better about it all if I pretended to the bitter end?" Sure, why not? What was the point in arguing? Let us go all out.

"Oh alpha dearest, I could not possibly function without you" He bemoaned dramatically like he'd seen the Pleasure District workers do "How could a pitiful omega such as myself possibly breathe without being filled by your co—" Kazutora had a talent for pushing a man's buttons even if unintentionally. But this? This was done with every intention he held in his body.

He didn't even get to finish his sentence before his words snapped the alpha's last string of patience. "You are driving me up the wall with your damned mind games Kazutora!" The man burst out, eyes swimming with something incomprehensible "You think you are oh so clever?"

They had been steps away from each other but somehow the alpha had closed in on him without his notice as his hip hit the table " I see right through your bullshit"

Kazutora was pushed into a corner. "before or after you assumed, I quivered in fear of you?" he laughed before sobering up, his eyes darting to the exit too far away. "but believe what you will, it has not stopped you so far" He spits right back, hyperaware of the power imbalance in their position. If it came down to it, Kazutora had no chance against him. he gnawed at the inside of his cheek. Trapped, he was trapped.

"Are you telling me or yourself?" Baji shot his words right back at him. After a heartbeat the heat of the moment seemed to have left the northerner, regret replacing it as the alpha let out a pained sigh and all his frustration with it, leaving a bitter taste behind for letting himself get swept away by Kazutora's words at all. He knew better. "Sorry.. I shouldn't have-"

But the omega was not done yet "Shouldn't have what? Let yourself get swept away in the throes of your ego? Slept with me, maybe? made me duchess? no? brought me North? coerced your future King into gifting me to you? hit me against a bookshelf? let yourself get stabbed like a fucking idiot? no wait, you know what you should have done? minded your own fucking business and never have entered that fucking room at all! gods know I would have been better for it." Kazutora breathed heavily as Baji's expression turned grief-stricken but his voice remained solemnly enduring."…you don't mean that"

"and you'd know, right? didn't it strike your mind at all, that I was only pretending? An omega getting one over you must sting" Kazutora sneered but Baji did not take the bait, remaining silent.

It unnerved Kazutora "nothing to say now?!" he screamed, the last of his hinges ripping apart. It felt like every hair on his body raised with it. His eyes wildly darted from the alpha to the rest of the room before darting back to him. why did he not say anything! Baji was out to get him, wasn't he? your husband will betray you.

.

.

.

Hah, betrayal? he would have had to place his trust in the bastard first for that to be true.

His hackles rose as he watched the alpha take four steadying breaths. Only with the final draw of breath did the alpha speak again "Look at me, 'tora"

"No-" he jerked, stepping a couple of steps back. The thought alone rattled Kazutora to his very core. He didn't think much of his bravado would remain if he met the man's all-consuming gaze.

"Look at me" Baji took measures into his own hands, reducing their distance to nothing as he pulled Kazutora's face by the chin before leaning in, forcing Kazutora's eyes to lock with his, searching for something.

Don't look at me! he wanted to yell, don't you dare look- Kazutora tried to avert his gaze and look anywhere but at the man, don't, don't, don't, don't see-

A sound of fear left his lips. And Baji found what he was looking for despite his attempts- the previous rigidness left the northerner's body and Kazutora's throat felt like the District Three's desert had taken refuge in it.

The next words from the alpha were spoken gently, resolutely "you didn't pretend…" yet it felt like a slap to the face all the same "you didn't pretend at all, Kazutora "

Kazutora's world shattered around him. He couldn't breathe.

"shut up" his words a mere whisper biting his tongue so his mind could focus on anything other than the agonizing burn in his chest as Baji lay his every bone bare for the vultures to feast upon. His voice grew in volume like a cry for help "shut up, shut up, shut up!" as if it would force the alpha's words back into his mouth. Back into the crevices of the shadows they should have remained buried in.

It wasn't fair—

"you don't know me!"

"tora" then why does the simple utter of Kazutora's own name tell him different?

He couldn't take it anymore. "how many times do I have to tell you, not to call me by that fucking nickname?!" he screamed, his breath shortening "You're the biggest asshole I've ever met! Who do you think you are?!"

Baji looked at him intently, his mouth opening before closing again, deciding against whatever he was about to say. "Answer me! who are you-"you know, don't you?

He stilled, his lungs constricting. he didn't. he didn't.

He looked down at his trembling hands. One bandaged and one healthy. The alpha had yet to speak. who was Baji Keisuke? It dawned on him that he'd lost somewhere along the path that Baji had so meticulously pushed him into. He didn't know where or when, but he'd lost all the same. There was nothing left.

of him.

of Kazutora.

Baji had greedily carved it away scrap by scrap, and Kazutora, like an ant to a crumb, like a fool. fool. fool- had let him.

The alpha had not tried to hide it. Had that not been the first thing Kazutora had noticed? The blazing eyes of the predator ready to devour him.

When had he closed his eyes to the threat?

Why had he closed his eyes to the threat?

The warmth had consumed him, he'd craved it so deeply that he ignored it boiling him alive.

"I need to lea-" he tried to shove the alpha away, desperate to gain distance, as if it would bring him the salvation needed to escape the alpha's gaze completely. But to no avail.

Like sheep, he had let himself be walked to the slaughterhouse. It was far too late to cry about the butchered chunks that had been severed and eaten. The only thing he could do now was gather the bleeding scraps left behind and hide them.

Hide them away from the wolf with the sharpest of canines.

And what an adversary he was, squaring his shoulders as determined red met forsaken gold. His hand stopped the omega by his wrist, encircling it in its entirety like he had done when Kazutora'd been holding the knife to his own throat, so easily, so effortlessly. Kazutora wasn't a fight at all. "You may not like it, but I refuse to continue these misunderstandings any longer. We are speaking about this."

Once upon a time, all too long ago a questionably wise person had told Kazutora all the grant characteristics of tigers. He did not remember much. But he'd taken to their words like a child to candy. After all, it was part of his name!

'- the true kings of the jungle. The stripes on their fur are unique to every tiger. They can swim through the harshest rivers and climb the smoothest trees. They hunt at night like no other. Loners they are, but that does not stop them from fighting for their territory.'

And there had been one line that had stuck with him through the years even if the person who told him couldn't.

—what did tigers do when cornered?

"Leave me alo-" The steel hand on his wrist didn't let up when he tried to jerk it away again. It was humiliating, he took a shaky breath, it was difficult to keep the desperate note from his voice. "let go-"

Kazutora wouldn't- he refused to shed a tear in front of this man. He's taken enough from you-

But with every attempt at breaking free of his grip, his stomach contorted at his failure of not getting himself away from the man's grasp. It was humiliating. The alpha was once more mocking him. Showing him just how easily he could have bested him even then. He'd truly played with Kazutora from the very beginning, hadn't he? It was difficult to keep his expression from cracking, why did the man wish to rid him of everything, he wouldn't even let him hold onto the last specs of his dignity-

His eyes glanced at the cutlery again. Funny what one was capable of. Kazutora had not woken up today with such intentions. He'd woken up and got dressed as he'd done over a hundred times before. waiting, waiting waiting. He'd looked out the balcony, watched the snowflakes slowly drift to the ground, and marveled at the horizon. Listened to the ruckus of working northerners. Had taken a bath-

Ah, that was where it had gone wrong, huh? Funny.

Like he said, he had no intention at all. But the alpha had fooled him first.

With dread he knew, Baji, Ryouko-san even Chifuyu and Sato snickering about his obliviousness as soon as he was out of earshot. They were all laughing at him.

Did the northerner have to stoop so low just to one-up him? Was that truly all he'd been worth?

He bit his tongue until he could taste the familiar iron on his tongue to stage the burn at the back of his eyes. If he could just leave and gather his thoughts. But the alpha would not relent no matter how much he tried. So it wasn't Kazutora's fault. It wasn't.

Maybe if Baji had just let him go it could have been avoided.

The wreckage that was left of them. So why hadn't he?

why hadn't Baji - "Let me go!"

—they went for the kill.