Chapter Text
Guren still felt entirely numb. It kept going through his mind. Did he tell Kureto that his baby was Kureto’s baby? There was always that slight possibility that Tenri lied to him to make him drop his guard. There was always the possibility that he didn’t carry to term. Babies could survive outside of the womb after a certain period, and his body had been under an immense amount of stress at the time.
Though, he felt like he was right. That Tenri didn’t lie to him, and that his baby was in fact Kureto’s. The timeframe fit for a full-term pregnancy if he did his calculations right.
His baby was alive.
He had gone into all of this ready to seek his revenge, but something more came out of it.
The Omega leaned against the rail, looking down at the same spot from before. He was going to use the strength that he was given. He would bring them all down. That didn’t change.
But there was a desire in him. One to know if Kureto was right. Kureto wouldn’t lie to him. Not about this.
Guren turned his gaze, looking over to Kureto for a moment. Every time he so much as tried to say it. The words stopped. He could barely admit that he had a baby in the first place. How did he tell Kureto they shared a baby? Right now, it seemed like Kureto might be under the impression that Tenri fathered his baby.
There was technically still that slim chance.
Did Kureto really father his baby or was it Tenri?
Guren hoped with everything that if his baby truly was alive, that his baby was Kureto’s. He didn’t think he could live with the thought. He knew people could do it, but he didn’t think he had that kind of thing in him. The only comforting thing to him about it was the thought that all the evidence seemed to point to Kureto. The only way to know for sure was to get his hands on his baby.
Though, he felt like even if his baby was Tenri’s, he’d still want his baby. It had taken a while, but by the time that he gave birth, he did want his baby.
Even now.
He shuffled on his feet, picking at his nails for a second. His nails were sharp now. Wearing gloves kept him from accidentally cutting someone with them. He didn’t wear his gloves unless he left Sanguinem. Technically, now, he didn’t have to live there. He could go anywhere.
Mika would have to stay until he finally caved and drank human blood. Yuu would want to stay with Mika. Guren didn’t think he could leave Sanguinem without knowing they were okay and taken care of. Everything was changing now.
This wasn’t how he thought this was going to go.
But he didn’t hate it either.
“Guren,” Kureto said, pulling Guren’s attention to him. Kureto’s amber eyes were fixated on him. He would be mindless right now if it wasn’t for the Alpha. Guren could feel his stomach twist slightly. Could love carry over? He could still feel something for Kureto. Even after this change. “I don’t know what will come next, but even on opposite sides of this war…”
Guren reached over, curling his hand over Kureto’s. He eyed their hands for a second. Kureto’s hand was so warm. He could still smell his blood. How intoxicating and sweet that it smelled. It was the most desirable thing that he had ever smelled. It was making his appetite spike.
It was taking a lot of self-control not to turn and sink his teeth back into Kureto’s skin.
He curled his hand a bit more. He needed to tell him. It felt wrong not to tell him. He could do this. He had to do this. “Kureto…” Guren whispered, lifting his gaze again, “There’s something I need to tell you.” Almost as soon as he made eye contact with Kureto, the words got stuck. He opened his mouth to speak again, finding that the same thing happened. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t tell him. He relaxed a bit, letting a smile come to his face, “I love you.” It was the truth. It was something that he wanted to tell him. It just wasn’t what he actually wanted to say. He just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Kureto still had that soft smile, but he turned to look back out at the skyline. “What happens now?”
“I don’t know, Guren.” Kureto whispered back. “We’re on two different sides of a war.”
“Yeah.” The Omega said, shrugging as he dropped his hands. “Can’t really change… this.” He motioned at himself. He still hadn’t fully came to terms with it. With any of this. He wasn’t sure if he could. It wasn’t like he could go back to what he was. He couldn’t just go back to being human. He was stuck now at this age. This appearance. And would be that way unless someone managed to kill him. He would outlive all of them. He almost hated that thought more than anything.
They would grow old, and he would remain frozen in time.
If any of them made it that far.
He let his gaze move back to Kureto. Would he ever be able to tell him? He didn’t even have complete confirmation for himself. It felt almost premature to say anything. He didn’t even know if this boy that Kureto was talking about was in fact his baby. It could be a random kid, but at the same time, that felt completely unlikely.
He still had things he needed to do. Just because he discovered this, didn’t mean he was backing down from his original plan. He was going to end all of those men for what they did to him.
“Those bloodsuckers—” Kureto stopped, eyeing Guren for a second before he was laughing softly. Guren gave him an amused look as he tilted his head. Shinya had done almost something similar. Should he actually tell them that he often called his own kind that too? He decided against it in favor of watching Kureto stumble over himself. “Excuse me, vampires, said that you are repulsed by human blood?”
“Adults, I guess.” Guren shrugged. “The thought… just having their blood in my body sounds disgusting.” He gave a breathy laugh, turning and bracing his hands on the rail as he shook his head. “Any time I tried, and I did… I tried for the last four years… I froze. I couldn’t do it. I kept seeing them come to my mind. I saw him. Then I would just stop. The natural instinct of a vampire is to drink human blood and I suppose I’m failing at that.”
Kureto hummed, “You’re going to starve yourself.”
“I’ll be fine.” Guren whispered, shrugging his shoulders again. “In a way, it’s a cursed life, but I’m alive. Miserably alive… but alive.”
Through the corner of his eye, he could see a look come to Kureto’s eye. One that he knew that came to his face whenever the Alpha got deep into thought. Whatever he was thinking about, he didn’t actually say it.
“The others are offering their blood to you.” Guren blinked, turning to look at the Alpha as his mouth fell open slightly. When did they agree on that? Oh wait. He had been in a sort of state of shock. That must have been when. “Vampires can only last a few days before their thirst becomes too much. I’m not sure how that little plan would work. Especially if you live in Sanguinem.”
“I can live wherever I want too.” Guren stated, “I just lived there because I was living off of Queen Krul’s blood. I had to stay… close. Also…” He stopped, gritting his teeth for a second, “It kept me hidden.”
“I doubt any of them will turn their backs now that they know what happened to you.” Kureto stated, “I won’t. I already plan on taking that bastard down, and now I have even more reason too.”
In a way, it felt comforting to know that his friends still cared. Even if he was this now. He leaned over, letting his head settle against Kureto’s arm. This was a dangerous game. Guren didn’t really have anything to lose anymore except his friends. That was what was at stake if he failed. His friends had a hell of a lot more to lose if they sided with him.
He just didn’t know if he could allow them to do that.
So, Guren was alive. After all this time, he came out of hiding as a vampire. This had just gotten a lot more interesting for him. Tenri felt a smirk coming to his face as he made his way through his home. Stopping briefly at Shouto’s room and peeking in on the boy. The boy was fast asleep in his bed. Once he was sure that he was asleep, the Alpha had made his way to his room. Stepping in and pulling over his over jacket. He eyed the bookshelf on his wall before he was walking over.
He reached up, sliding the shelf over until it revealed the door behind it. Guren never did know about the shelf that blocked the door. He just assumed it was a door only. He opened the door, stepping into the room that Guren once called his room. The room had long since been cleaned and no one else had stepped foot inside since that day.
The flashes came back to mind as he looked at the mat in the corner. Guren final moments were in this room. Tenri let his eyes flutter shut. Remembering his screams. He opened his eyes again. Guren had been his favorite. It was a shame that he had to let him go. He wondered how Guren would have been if he was still here.
Guren never broke.
At least, not until that moment.
The moment Guren believed he had killed Shouto.
He wondered what was truly fueling Guren’s rage. And he had a lot of it from what he had been told. What he did to that subordinate of Tenri’s. That was a lot of rage in one person. It had to be more than just being used for over half a day. Kento – the man that Guren had killed – was a father. It made him wonder. He was curious to see what Guren would do to the others. If his theory was right. If it was more than just the rage of being abused that ran through his system.
Tenri had been careful in how he manipulated Guren’s mind. It was slow work, but he had managed to get Guren to attach himself to his baby. Want the pregnancy and want his baby. To love his baby.
His maternal desire was probably his strongest desire that transferred over.
Only, Tenri wouldn’t know unless he saw him again.
There was that desire too.
He had been working on new experiments. To strengthen the line even more before he passed. Guren felt like an extremely good candidate now.
It didn’t take him long to figure out Guren’s game plan. The Omega was absolutely going to save him for last. Tenri would give up his subordinates to him. If they couldn’t capture him, it would be their own fault for not being able to stop the fate that was being handed down to them.
But Guren would also be playing right into his hands.
Bringing him right to him.
The Omega probably didn’t even realize it. He had spent enough time with the Omega to know what really set him off. It was all in the cards. What Guren Ichinose was willing to do for the others around him, even at the cost of himself. It was a beautiful sight. Something that Tenri exploited greatly to his advantage.
He walked forward into the room, stopping at the mat as he let his eyes close again. Remembering the moment that he had laid eyes on Shouto for the first time. He had almost pulled the trigger on him. The bullet hole was still in the wall where he had shot the wall instead. Guren was so focused on his baby that he never heard the impact. A silencing tag had worked wonders in stopping the crying newborn’s noises. It was the perfect plan. Guren never saw a thing. He never saw the way that Shouto still flailed and kicked. Angry that he was ripped away from his mother.
That had been the moment.
The moment that something finally broke within the Omega.
Months of trying came down to one final moment.
If only Tenri had managed to do it sooner. Maybe Guren might still be here. He knew as soon as Kureto started digging around that he couldn’t keep Guren around, but he could have found a way. Wiped his memories. Forced Guren to stop Kureto himself. There were plenty of other options, but death had been the most merciful at the time. Tenri had been done with him.
Or so he thought.
This only made things that much more interesting.
Guren was going to become well acquainted with his room again.
Guren was quiet whenever they got down to the others. The others still sounded like they were planning. Kureto couldn’t fault them. They were extremely loyal to Guren. Even with the newfound discovery. Kureto never thought that when he saw Guren again that he would be a vampire.
From what he could see, Guren was only half listening to what everyone else was saying. Honestly, it didn’t look like he was listening at all. Kureto’s neck ached, but the wound was long since closed thanks to Raimeiki’s intervention. He didn’t regret a thing. He’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Kureto had to be honest. He was in the same boat as Guren. He had stopped listening as well. He was more focused on Guren. After all this time, and Guren was standing right here next to him. Albeit not the same Guren but it was Guren.
It wasn’t that hard to tell that Guren’s focus was grabbed. Either he was lost in thought, or he was coming down from the adrenaline of his revenge. That was until Guren had walked away from them despite the others actually speaking to him. Stepping out into the street and looking down at that spot.
Kureto eyed Shinya for a moment as the other Alpha said, “I had no idea this entire time.”
“Considering everything, there is a lot we don’t know.” Kureto replied.
Guren stopped in the street, just staring down with his new scarlet eyes. The others were lingering behind Kureto. All of them also looking over to Guren. Crowley and Ferid had joined Guren. They were talking quietly enough that none of them could actually hear what was being said.
Guren’s gaze had moved to Crowley as he nodded before he was walking back over to them. The Omega gave them a soft look as he said, “It’s time to go.”
“But…” It was Mito as the red-haired Alpha took a step forward, “We just got you back.”
Guren gave her that same gentle smile before he made a noise. “Mito, I don’t really have a choice here.” He looked down for a moment, shifting his weight on his feet as he slipped his hands into his pockets. “I’m going back to Sanguniem. I’ll figure out what I’m doing from there.”
Kureto knew that look. Even if Guren didn’t say it, that wasn’t what he actually meant. It was a lie that easily slipped off of his tongue. Kureto exhaled sharply through his nose. Now that he had strength again, his mind was probably full of his revenge plot again. He wasn’t going back to Sanguinem. He was going to Shibuya.
Guren didn’t have to say it. He just knew. Guren was doing it again where he kept things close to himself. Guren’s scarlet gaze moved to him momentarily as Crowley leaned over, whispering something into his ear as the Omega nodded.
“We need to go.” Guren stated.
Shigure stepped forward, quickly muttering out, “Will you be okay? With… with the whole blood thing?”
Guren turned his attention to her, just giving her a look for a moment. “I’ll be fine. I made it over four years. I’ll figure something out.”
“But Guren—” This time it was Sayuri as she moved to walk forward.
Guren held up his hand, taking a slight step back, “I know what you’re going to say, but honestly… do you all think you can reasonably not only sustain me, but also hide the fact you’re doing it from the Hiragi family?” That had them all going quiet. Despite Kureto being the next in line, Guren made an excellent point. If Tenri found out, they were all as good as dead. This wasn’t about Guren. It was about them.
“Will we see you again?” Mito questioned.
Guren nodded. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“We need to go now.” Ferid said, casting a glance in their direction. “We’ve spent quite a bit of time mingling with the livestock as it is.”
If Guren could kill with his gaze alone, Ferid would have became a pile of ash on the ground from the look that the Omega gave him. “Do not call them that.” Ferid just shrugged, laughing softly for a minute as he turned to walk away. Guren looked back at them. Giving them a slight wave before he was following after Ferid. Crowley was following closely.
Once the vampires were completely out of earshot, Kureto finally spoke up with, “We’ll see him sooner than you think.”
When Shouto got up the next morning, Tenri was acting differently. There was something strange about his behavior, but Shouto wasn’t about to question it. He sat at his desk like normal, twirling his pencil in his hand as he looked at the new bruises that decorated his wrist. They were in the shape of a fingers from where Tenri had pulled at him.
They only hurt whenever he messed with them, but it wasn’t anything that he couldn’t deal with. He wasn’t really interested in doing his studies. He couldn’t get his mind off of the picture. It was tucked away in a safe place. Hidden away so Tenri would never find out that he had it.
Shouto had this feeling. One that he couldn’t place. It was hard for him to explain even to himself what it was. Just that his gut was telling him something, and he didn’t know how to seek out the answer that he was wanting from it.
Tenri had left for the day. Shouto had watched him leave through the window. His caregivers would be coming in soon. He had his contacts in already. Tenri had already made sure that he put them in before he had left for the day. His eyes were itchy from them, but Shouto was ignoring it the best that he could.
Shouto pouted a bit as he placed his face into his hands. Just staring outside as he did so.
It was still heavy on his mind.
He really wanted to speak to Kureto Hiragi. He felt like Kureto would have the information that he wanted. He would just have to be able to sneak out to see him. He had never got to meet him before. It almost felt like fate that he got to meet him in the first place.
Shouto looked over his shoulder towards the door for a moment before he was slipping out of his chair. Rushing over to his little hiding spot for the photo and grabbing it. He slipped it into his sweatshirt pocket. Shouto grabbed his shoes. He walked over to his window, popping it open before pulling himself up and slipping out. His feet touched the roof as he reached back to lower his window back down, leaving it cracked just enough that he could get back in.
He turned, slipping his shoes on before he started off in the direction that he would normally lay in to look at the night sky. Shouto was careful to keep his balance as he moved, heading towards the edge of the room to get to a place that he had found before. He could use it to climb down, but never chanced it until now.
He turned, slowly making his way down the siding. Careful of his feet placement. Shouto looked down to the ground, continuing down before his feet hit the ground. He let out a sharp breath looking up. He didn’t have much time, but Kureto couldn’t be that far away?
Could he?
Guren hated lying to the others, but at this point, it had only came naturally to him. He was so easily able to do it. It almost felt easier now. Guren stood on a building not far from Shibuya. He hadn’t been here in over four years. He had once called this place home. It had been home for him.
He had kept trying to talk himself out of this. Trying to reason with himself that he should wait. He couldn’t. No matter how much he told himself that this isn’t what he should be doing.
Guren was sure his heart would be racing if it could beat. All the people who led him down this path lived there.
And he knew where each of them lived.
He felt great now. It did feel so much better to finally have completed the transformation. He wasn’t in pain. It didn’t hurt anymore. He felt great.
“Are you sure that this is what you want to do?” Ferid was standing behind him, just watching him.
Guren hummed. He could do it. He kept thinking about it. He wanted to get his revenge. He needed to get it before he could ever think about him. He had to take out the people who would dare harm him. There was something going through him. A feeling that he couldn’t place as he stared at his former home. His humanity died there. His human life came to an end because of that place. Because of the humans inside.
“It doesn’t matter.” Guren stated.
Ferid chuckled softly, walking forward until he was standing next to his side. “Remember, you only have three days before the hunger becomes too much.”
“I’ve been like this for four years.” The Omega retorted, “I’m already aware of that. The only difference now is…”
“You are truly one of us.” Ferid purred, “Such a beautiful specimen that you make.”
“Call me that again, and I will kill you.” The Omega growled, sending a quick glare to Ferid before turning his attention back to Shibuya.
“Shibuya is warded with anti-vampire spellcraft.” Crowley added, “Now that you are a complete vampire, those will affect you just the same as us.”
“I’m aware.” Guren whispered, “I helped create those wards. I also know how to get around them.” If he did this, he would go in alone and undetectable. At least, until he let people know he was there. With the enhanced strength that he had now, he could easily take out all of the Heads of the family by himself. Even as a complete vampire at Progenitor status, Tenri was going to be a problem. Sick or not. Tenri had singlehandedly killed multiple Nobles alone. “This… this has been the only reason I wanted to live.”
“You know your baby is alive now.” Ferid added, “You have something else now. You can have him back.”
“I’m not going to let that bastard keep him.” Guren hissed, gritting his teeth as he balled his fists. “That bastard… tricked me.”
“The humans could be lying to you.” Crowley mused, looking almost amused as he stepped up on Guren’s other side.
“Not them.” Guren whispered. “I’m the liar among them.”
Guren needed to do this. He had to put an end to his need for revenge. It was the only reason that he had been living. If Kureto really was telling the truth, his son was just beyond those walls. His baby. A baby that he hadn’t even been sure that he wanted at first. One that he slowly came to care for and love. Then it was all ripped away from him in an instant.
Tenri probably knew he was alive by now.
Enough time had passed since the Battle of Shinjuku.
He was probably waiting for him. He doubted that Tenri would think that he wouldn’t come after him.
Revenge tasted so sweet.
He still had that image in his mind. How it felt to finally put the people who caused him suffering into pain. He still had the rest to go. He wasn’t finished yet.
He wouldn’t back down until he did so.
“We could go in with you. Make your life a little bit easier.” Crowley stated.
Guren shook his head. “I don’t need help for this.” The Omega lifted his hand, looking down at his palm. “This is something I need to do alone.”
“Make sure to make it brutal.” Ferid added, slipping in a bit closer by him as he added in, “It was quite the sight in Shinjuku. You know those livestock will know your coming.”
“I wanted them to know.” Guren growled, balling his fist again as he dropped it. His nails were biting into his skin. Threatening to make his palm bleed. “I want them to know that they can’t hide from me. It doesn’t matter where they go. I’m going to rip them all apart.”
“So ruthless.” Ferid chuckled. “You even have a small group of humans to back you up.”
“They’re my family.” Guren muttered. “It’s… just kind of what they do. All of them.”
It felt so nice to see them. After so long, he finally got to see all of them again. Every single one of them. They were all alive and okay. Which, he knew because of Shinya, but seeing them for himself was a different story. To see their faces. To see their smiles. They didn’t even care about what he had become. Even as he told them just the least bit of what happened to him, they still supported him in whatever decision that he made.
He would never be able to go back to life as he knew it. He would watch all of them grow old and eventually die. Die human lives. That was something that he would never get to be again. His humanity would leave him. He would no longer be able to hold onto that. Nothing could change what happened to him now. Turning into a vampire saved him. It gave him the salvation that he needed in the darkest moment of his life. And he had plenty of those. Many dark moments that overshadowed his mind.
He didn’t think he could compare the situations. They were both miserable as it was. They were both so fucked up. He had been through so much torment and suffering in his life. Now, he felt like he could do anything.
Guren let his eyes close for a minute. Letting everything flash before his mind. Almost like he was adding the fuel back to the fire to reignite that desire to take their heads.
“Be careful, Guren.” Ferid stated, slipping his arm over the Omega’s shoulders. “We’ll see you soon.”
“See you in Nagoya.” Crowley added, leaving Guren standing there as the two of them moved to start off.
Guren kept standing there, turning his attention back to Shibuya. He crossed his arms over his chest. Scanning the buildings as he located each one that would hold one of his targets. Shinya told them that they never moved out of their homes.
He wanted them to feel fear. He wanted them to beg for their lives. It didn’t matter what they said or did, the second they touched him, their fate was sealed. Guren was going to kill them all.
He had never had a lust for killing like this before.
Now that he had a true taste of what it felt like to destroy his oppressors, it didn’t feel like he could stop now.
As he stood there, his legs felt like lead. He almost didn’t know if he could even move at all. Guren slipped his hands into his pockets, pulling out the spell tags that he had prepared. Shibuya might be warded, but it wasn’t warded against him. There was a bit of perks to being one of the people who created those wards.
If he could do this… get his revenge. Confirm that Shouto truly was alive. Maybe he could tell Kureto the truth.
Maybe, there was even the chance for something between the two of them.
Even now, he still had feelings. He was still in love with him. He needed to be able to tell him that Shouto was his. It was like the words couldn’t come out. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t protect their child. And now, Tenri had their child. Since Guren had revealed that he was alive, how much longer did Shouto have?
He couldn’t let Shouto stay there any longer. He had to be able to get to him. He would save him from Tenri Hiragi. He had to make it up to him. He couldn’t protect him in his captivity, so he had to be able to do it now.
He had to be able to tell Kureto about him.
It felt so stupid that he couldn’t. That when he had the best moment to do so, he just couldn’t do it.
Guren gritted his teeth, pushing all the thoughts to the back of his mind as he stared back ahead. He stepped forward, jumping right off the edge of the building. He had a mission to do. He couldn’t back out now.