Chapter Text
Guren was still expecting to wake up and everything that happened within the last two days would be nothing but a sick, twisted dream. That he would open his eyes and still be standing on top of that building just before Shibuya with Crowley and Ferid.
This didn’t feel real.
He almost felt numb.
In a way, it felt like all the weight had been lifted off of him. His extreme need for revenge felt like it had been quenched. Satisfied.
Yet, it still felt like a part of him had been taken again.
That he was ripped at the seams all over again and there was nothing that he could do about it.
There was something also so unsatisfying about it. He had done what he had set out to do. He came out of the shadows for this. This moment that felt like he should have some triumph over the people who abused him in ways that he would never wish on another person. Yet, it felt like there was still a big, gaping hole left behind. One that couldn’t be filled.
Like, the job wasn’t done yet.
Guren stopped as he leaned back against the wall. He had no idea where he was at the moment. He should be at Nagoya within a few hours. The sun was starting to rise. It had been a while since he had taken a moment to just look at it.
The Omega couldn’t stop moving. He had just killed all of the remaining Top Brass of the Imperial Demon Army aside from Kureto, Shinya, and Seishiro. If there was any chance that he didn’t finish off Tenri, he had to keep moving.
But he also made a promise.
He had to get to Nagoya. The sooner, the better. He felt almost desperate to do so. He winced the second the sun came over the horizon and it shined against his skin. It burned. Painful. Still, he stood there for a second. Just watching. He only started moving when the reminder rang in his mind that he needed to get going. He was on the third day. He couldn’t stop. He couldn’t stop to hide out and rest. He had to go. He had no choice now. It didn’t matter if the sun was out.
He would just have to deal with it.
Guren used the walls and alleyways once more. Trying to stay as much in the shade and seclusion away from the rising sun as possible. There would be a point that it probably wouldn’t matter. He really wished his body would agree and let him move quickly. If he was at full strength, he would have been there yesterday.
The Omega gasped, curling an arm around himself as the tightness came back to his body. He hit the wall, sliding down it as he squeezed his eyes shut. Practically pleading for it to pass. He couldn’t tell if it was from injuries or thirst.
He wasn’t about to wait to figure it out.
Despite the pain, he forced himself to stand back up and start back up on his journey.
He wasn’t about to let this stop him now.
It had been shockingly easy to get out of Shibuya. They had left as easy as possible. Almost as soon as the sun was up in the sky. Shinya had his suspicions. He wondered if Kureto ran into any issues or not, because that was way too easy for them. The others had questioned it just as much as he had whenever they headed off to Ebina.
It was a few hours by car to get there and hopefully the other soldiers didn’t run into any issues either. How did Tenri not notice that Shouto was missing by now? They were already almost there, so there wasn’t any going back now.
They had a mission to complete.
Well, two.
One was the suicide mission that Kureto thought off. The second was Shouto. Reuniting Shouto and Guren. Not only would it make sure that Shouto was safe, but maybe, Shinya wouldn’t see that guilty look on Guren’s face anymore. His baby was alive and well. They had proof of it. Guren would get to see for himself.
The second they arrived at the rendezvous point in Ebina, it was easy to find Kureto. His truck was parked right out front. He was already inside the building and awake when they walked in. Shouto was fast asleep behind him. It was clear to Shinya that Kureto had stayed up for the night to stand watch over Shouto to make sure nothing happened. Unless he did manage to get a tiny bit of sleep between guarding.
Kureto had gotten to his feet the second they had walked in. “Any trouble?”
Shinya shook his head, “We did leave as soon as we could. Just as soon as the sun came up.” The silver-haired Alpha replied, “Did you run into any problems?”
“No.” Kureto stated, “We arrived in the middle of the night. He was asleep when we got here.” Shinya had noticed the look that Kureto had. He must have been questioning the same thing that they were. Why was it so easy to get out of Shibuya? “It seems we got it easy.” Kureto gaze moved back to Shouto, but Shinya could see that glimmer of curiosity. Suspicion. “How was it so easy?”
“I was asking myself that, but we’re here now.” Shinya replied. “I assume you already checked the place.”
Kureto nodded. “Once the soldiers arrive, we can head out.”
“Kureto, this is a suicide mission.” Shinya murmured, “We’re going to lose a lot of soldiers over this.”
“It will help in the long run.” The elder Alpha whispered back, “It was the best plan we could do on such short notice that wouldn’t raise suspicion. I have faith in the Moon Demon Company to be able to pull this off.”
“We’ll leave here at 0700 hours.” Kureto stated.
“Yeah.” Shinya whispered as Kureto turned his attention back to Shouto.
Shinya had a feeling.
He couldn’t place it, but the last time he felt like this, nothing good came of it.
All the soldiers had arrived. Kureto was standing off to the side as Shinya addressed all of them. Shouto was standing next to him, leaning into his leg as his hand remained clasped in his. The boy looked bashful. Maybe even a bit scared. This would all be new to him. Not only has he been taken out of Shibuya, but he was also surrounded by people he didn’t know. Shouto was practically hiding behind his leg, peeking around him every so often. Though, he was more inclined to wave to those standing before the soldiers.
All one hundred of them were here. They had managed to get out of Shibuya. This still felt way too easy. It had Kureto suspicious.
Could it be a trap?
To follow all of them here?
That wouldn’t make sense to him. It could make sense, but when it came to Shouto that felt wrong. He kept Shouto locked away for a reason. It was clear to Kureto that Tenri had been doing something to him. Experiments, maybe? When they first met, Shouto had bandages all over his arm and a paleness to him that came with blood loss. The thought made him tighten his grasp just a bit, but he kept his gaze on the soldiers.
He could see them looking in their direction. The curious glances that were fixated on Shouto that kept causing the boy to hide further behind the Alpha’s leg.
“It’s okay, Shouto.” Kureto muttered, keeping his voice down, “They just don’t know who you are.”
“Do they know who Momma is?” Shouto questioned, turning his head to look at him.
“They do.” Kureto confirmed, “They just don’t know that he’s your Momma.”
Kureto turned his attention back to Shinya, listening to him speak more. “This mission will be the most dangerous that you ever have, and I thank all of you for coming here on such short notice. Many of you will die, but your sacrifices will ensure our success. It’s not our goal to leave alive. It’s to leave victorious.” Shinya stated, “Please understand that this mission is vital to this war. I understand that all of you might have questions. Especially regarding what happened in Shinjuku with Guren Ichinose. Guren will be among the Nobles in Nagoya.” Shinya stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath as he raised a fist in front of himself and balled it, “This mission is important. It is far more than just targeting the Nobles who live in there. It is protecting this young boy you see behind Lieutenant General Kureto.” Kureto could hear the murmurs break out as Shinya looked at him and nodded.
Kureto stepped forward, and Shouto came with him rather it was out of clinging to him or just to follow him. “I know that none of you have reason to trust me or follow me,” Kureto said, raising his voice a bit to echo over the soldiers, “However, my presence here isn’t to command this mission. Your orders will come directly from Major General Shinya. I was the one who organized this mission, and for that, all of you have made the honorable and admirable decision to take the risk of going after the vampire Nobles.” Kureto exhaled sharply, straightening his back more, “I’m not going to lie to you. I am using your mission here in Nagoya as a cover. This boy standing behind me is the son of Lieutenant Colonel Guren Ichinose, the former leader of the Moon Demon Company.”
Kureto watched the stunned silence fall over the soldiers as all eyes fell onto Shouto.
Kureto looked down to him, lifting his hand and placing it on top of the boy’s head. “Momma used to work with all of them?”
Kureto nodded before looking back to the soldiers, “All of you will be leaving here at 0700 hours. Myself and Shouto will be leaving here at 0630 hours. It will give us enough time to slip into City Hall before the fighting begins.” Kureto explained, “Inside City Hall will be four Nobles. Thirteenth Progenitor Crowley Eusford who runs the territory. His aides Seventeenth Progenitors Horn Skuld and Chess Belle. As well as Eighth Progenitor Guren Ichinose. My mission is to take Shouto to Guren. Rather you kill the Nobles or not, your role here in Nagoya is vital to the turn out of the war. It will tip the odds into the favor of humanity. It relies on you. I have my faith in the Moon Demon Company. You are the elite among the Vampire Extermination Unit. Show those vampires why humanity will remain on top!”
Kureto exhaled sharply the second that the favor was won over. He turned to look at Shouto giving him a slight smile before walking towards Shinya and placing his hand on his shoulder.
“We have a mission, brother Kureto.”
“And we will ensure that it is a success.”
Guren had traveled through the night and into the day before he had found himself finally at the outskirts of Nagoya. His body was screaming. Pain in every movement. He had lost almost all use of his arm. He could smell his own blood. That told him all he needed to know. He needed to drink something soon to restart up the process of healing. His body was weak enough that healing himself felt almost impossible.
He still had the spell tags around his wrists and ankles. The Omega had been so hyper focused that he hadn’t thought of actually disenchanting them, but every time he touched them, it sent a spark of pain through him. He probably wasn’t going to be able to get them off himself. They were definitely adding into the weakness that his body was feeling.
The more time that passed, the more that he could feel his muscles screaming at him. His throat felt like it was in fire. The thirst was getting to his head. He had to be on day three now. He could feel it through every fiber of his being.
He needed blood soon.
He could see the burns on his hands now. He was sure there were more. Since he had started traveling in the day, it only started to get worse and with the spell tags, it only added to weakening even his skin from the general weakness against sunlight.
He just had to get to City Hall.
Crowley would know what to do.
As he got into Nagoya, it was pretty clear something was going on.
Guren could feel the exhaustion. The dots and black auras were covering his vision every time that he tried to blink them away. He was almost there. He just had to keep going. He was so close.
Guren could feel his eyes getting heavier for a second as the instincts slowly started to kick in. The bloodlust was trying to take over. The sun kept hitting his skin. It was slowly clouding over. Soon enough, the sky should be completely covered. It would be easier to move around then. Less painful.
Everything felt so distant. He couldn’t explain it. It felt like tunnel vision. His ears were ringing. White noise filling them as his stomach knotted up tightly. His throat hurt. Every single fiber of him screamed with each movement. Guren choked as he collapsed to the ground. His cheek pressing into the cold concrete as he stared straight at his blood coated fingers. He was covered in blood. He was sure the white of his, well entire, outfit was stained red.
His nose twitched for a second.
Blood.
He could smell… blood.
It smelt good.
Sweet and tranquil.
Guren felt himself hyper fixating on it as he slowly pushed himself up onto shaky arms. As he managed to stumble to his feet, his nose twitched again as he closed his eyes. Focusing solely on that scent. Safe. It was safe.
Blood… The word echoed in Guren’s mind. Almost taunting him in a way as his stomach and throat started to tighten again. Telling him that he was thirsty.
Drink. Kill.
Kill.
Guren found himself moving before he even had the chance to think.
Kureto had been careful as he waited for the opportunity. The Moon Demon Company was already fast at work, and he took his chance the second that he saw the groups of soldiers distracting the vampires that worked underneath Crowley. The other squads, including Shinya’s should be busy at the moment dealing with their own Nobles.
This team had a special mission.
Let it slip that Shinya, Guren’s friends, and Kureto were here to Crowley.
Crowley must have taken the bait as he did take the squads hostage, leaving them hanging on cross-like structures. Kureto had been parked in an alley not far from it.
The Alpha took a moment, looking over to Shouto as he said, “Are you ready, Shouto?”
Shouto gave him a determined nod, looking back towards City Hall. “Momma is inside?”
“He should be.” Kureto stated. Kureto looked back to City Hall again before finally relenting and opening up the door. “You need to do exactly as I say. We are in, technically, enemy territory. Just because Crowley Eusford is aligned with Guren doesn’t mean that the other vampires won’t take the opportunity to go after you. So, I need to you to stick close to me. Okay?”
“Okay.” Shouto murmured.
Kureto slipped out of the truck, closing the door before rounding it and going towards the door that was on the side Shouto was. Once Shouto was out, he closed the door, double checking to make sure that they hadn’t been noticed before he scooped up the boy and started for the back of City Hall.
It was easy enough to get in. Probably due to the hostages that Crowley now had. They needed the soldiers of the vampires to guard them. They were probably waiting for the rest to arrive. He had watched Sargeant Kusunoki had been sent away. Probably to tell Shinya that hostages were being held.
And if the message was passed along, it should have tipped Crowley off that he was here.
Walking the halls had been quiet at first as he put Shouto back down onto his feet. He kept his guard up. His hand on the hilt of Raimeiki as he looked around. If the intel was correct, Crowley should be on the fourth floor. He’d probably be hanging around with Horn Skuld and Chess Belle. Guren would probably be close by.
He headed for the steps. Careful as he went through. Telling Shouto when to stay quiet and to stay down as they kept going. The closer they got, the better that Kureto could hear their voices. Three of them. Crowley and the two women. For a second, Kureto listened in, trying to pick up if Guren’s voice was among them. Sometimes, he could be a soft talker or just didn’t speak at all. There could be a chance that he was in there.
“Lord Crowley?” It was one of the women, he just didn’t know which.
“We have visitors.” That was definitely Crowley.
Kureto straightened his back a bit more as Shouto’s hand clasped into his. Kureto had taken that moment to step forward, getting closer to the door before peeking in. Much to his surprise, the door was opened up and the blonde vampire from Shinjuku was smiling at him. “Lord Crowley did say there was a probability you might show up.” Horn Skuld, Kureto believed her name was, stated. “Step in. Lord Crowley is waiting for you.”
Kureto hummed, stepping into the room as he caught sight of Crowley quickly. He caught sight of the other female vampire, but he did notice that Guren wasn’t among them.
“Kureto Hiragi.” Crowley mused, “We meet again so soon.” Then Crowley’s gaze turned to Shouto. The surprise on his face for a second as he stood up, “And this has to be little Shouto.” Kureto had to bite back the urge to say anything or suddenly jerk as Crowley rounded the table and kneeled before the boy. “You do look so much like him. Your hair is a bit shaggier and, in your face, but you are definitely his.”
“Hi.” Shouto whispered, giving a slight wave but still holding onto Kureto’s hand.
“I’m Crowley Eusford.” Crowley stated.
“My name is Shouto Hiragi.” Shouto replied, sounding just as bashful as before.
“Where’s Guren?” Kureto questioned.
Then he noticed the confusion on Crowley’s face. The Thirteenth Progenitor stood up, straightening his back as he said, “Last time I saw him, he was going into Shibuya.”
Now, Kureto was confused. Did Guren never make it back here? “I told him to come back here to Nagoya. He never went into Shibuya.” Kureto stated, “He’s not here?”
Crowley shook his head, “No.”
Kureto felt the concern spike in him. Guren never made it to Nagoya. Did he go to Sanguinem? His thoughts were racing as he tried not to show it as Shouto’s gaze turned to him, “Momma’s not here?”
Kureto looked back to Crowley as the vampire got back to his feet. He could see the sharp glance that he got as his attention turned to the window. “Ladies, can you take Shouto out of the room for the moment? Guard him. Let nothing happen to him.” Crowley ordered.
“Of course, Lord Crowley.” Horn replied, stepping forward as she held her hand out, “I’m a friend of your Momma’s. Would you like a snack? I’m sure we have something.”
Shouto’s gaze turned to him as he whispered, “Is that okay?”
Kureto eyed Horn Skuld for a moment before he nodded, “Call for me if you need me.” Then he turned a sharp glare to Horn, “If you do anything—”
“He’s Guren’s baby.” Horn cut him off, “I won’t do anything to him.”
“He’s perfectly safe.” Crowley added, “We just need to talk.”
Kureto finally relented and nodded as Shouto dropped his hand and instead took Horn’s. Both men stayed quiet until the second that Shouto, Horn, and Chess had left the room.
Once the silence filled the room, Kureto’s mind started racing. “Is there any chance he went to Sanguinem?”
“If you told him to come here,” Crowley replied, “No.”
Kureto turned his gaze to the window. They promised to meet here in Nagoya. Then it struck him. Why it was so easy to get out of Shibuya. Tenri never checked for Shouto because he was busy. “That bastard.” Kureto growled, “Guren never made it. That bastard got his hands on him.”
They managed to get out of Shibuya scot-free because of Guren.
And Kureto left him behind.
They had managed to take down Mel Stefano. It had taken a lot, but somehow, they managed to do it. Shinya was nowhere close to being good at close quarters combat against vampires as he was with humans. His Cursed Gear just didn’t allow it. It had gotten him into a pinch at first, but Byakkomaru really had came through for him in the end.
Five Nobles had been taken care of. Three of them were technically safe, but the other two had managed to defeat the teams sent to them. Kusunoki had already informed him that their message had been delivered to City Hall. Now, it was time for the next part of the mission. Underneath the façade that they were doing a rescue operation – in technicality, it could be seen as one, but from what Kusunoki said, it was going the way it should – they would get to City Hall and come in contact with Guren.
Still, Shinya couldn’t get it out of his head why it had been so easy to get out of Shibuya. It should have been locked down. Tenri had opportune time to figure out that Shouto was missing and who he was with.
He just couldn’t get it out of his head.
He still didn’t get it.
From what Shouto said, Tenri always checked on him at night to make sure he was there before heading off to bed.
So, how did they get out.
It was one thing that Kureto managed to slip away.
It wasn’t adding up.
As they walked the path, Shinya kept his attention ahead of them. He kept running it over and over again. Every possibility. Emergency meetings? That was a definite at least. Shinya didn’t get it.
“Shinya-sama?” Sayuri questioned, “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.” Shinya murmured, looking around again. He kept having this feeling. This feeling that something was wrong. He didn’t understand it. He couldn’t place it either. It just felt like it was there. Maybe he wasn’t looking in the right direction. Shinya paused, turning to face the soldiers behind him, “Kusunoki!”
“Yes, sir?” The Sargeant replied, stepping forward.
“How did Crowley Eusford react whenever you mentioned Guren?” Shinya questioned.
The others were confused at the question. He could see it written all over their faces as Kusunoki looked over to the side for a second before back at the Major General. “He looked confused. Why?”
Confused. Why would Crowley be confused? Shinya hummed for a second, turning to look back ahead. Something was really wrong here. Just what was it?
“What is it, Shinya-sama?” Goshi questioned.
“Why was he confused?” Shinya questioned out loud.
“What are you talking about?” Mito added in.
The silver-haired Alpha exhaled sharply, coming to a stop as he remembered what Kureto said. He felt his blood run cold as his eyes widened. Kureto had stopped Guren from going into Shibuya. Had watched to make sure that he left. That they were supposed to meet in Nagoya. If Guren did leave, he should have been here.
Then the thought came to mind.
Shinya didn’t see the Hiragi Heads at all. He had assumed either they were in a meeting or hiding out.
Maybe, they didn’t.
“What is it, Shinya-sama?” Shigure added in, “Do you think something happened to Guren?”
Shinya nodded, “We all kept questioning why it was so easy to leave Shibuya with Shouto.” He stated, turning to look back at all of them as the realization started dawning on the faces of his own friends. “Because he didn’t know. He was too… busy.”
“Wait,” Goshi started, “What?”
“Brother Kureto said that Guren was heading to Shibuya not Sanguinem, but he intercepted him and told him to come here to Nagoya.” Shinya explained, “But… if Crowley Eusford was confused on the mention of Guren being here in Nagoya…” He exhaled sharply and shook his head as it completely dawned on him. “Damnit.” He ran a hand over his face as he turned again.
“What is it, Shinya-sama?” Sayuri pushed.
“Guren never made it Nagoya. He’s not here.” Shinya stated, looking straight ahead of them, “We were able to leave Shibuya because of Guren. That bastard has him.”
No one else could speak as the chill suddenly went down Shinya’s spine and he placed his focus ahead of them. He frowned for a second as he narrowed his gaze. Someone was ahead of them. Stumbling almost. Covering their face with their hands. It only took a quick glance once they kept getting closer to see that they were covered in blood.
Shinya took a step forward, quickly calling out, “Be prepared—” He stopped the second the person dropped their hands as they got to one of the nearby trees. Practically leaning on it for support. His eyes widened the second he realized who it was. “Guren!” He shouted, already breaking out into a run before he had a chance to think. Blood. That was a lot of blood. Was he injured? What the hell happened? He got up to the Omega just as Guren fell down. Hitting his hip on the ground as he caught himself by his forearms. Shinya dropped down by his friend, careful of reaching out as he quickly surveyed him. “Guren, what happened?!”
Guren wasn’t answering him, but it was clear that he went through hell.
He was practically covered head to toe in blood. It was splattered all over his face. Coating his right cheek completely and going up his forehead and disappearing under his bangs. It went down his neck. His clothes were in ruins. His shirt was slightly unbuttoned. His jacket was open, and his belt just thrown on over the top. His pants were stained in blood. The bands that he had been wearing around his leg were gone. The sleeves of his jacket were completely stained in red. Almost as if they were supposed to be that color. His jacket was splotched and covered in it. Blood ran down his front, disappearing underneath the black shirt. His hands were covered completely.
Shinya had caught sight of the hole in Guren’s jacket on the front and back. Followed by the blood that was still leaving the wound. A gunshot. Probably enchanted. There was a chance that it wasn’t, but Shinya couldn’t leave out the option. It was on the right side, completely away from anything vital that could kill a Noble.
There was another mark on his left cheek. Like a bullet had grazed him there. Shinya could also see burn marks. Almost as if something hot had been pressed against his face. His left cheek had a blistering wound moving down his jaw and to his neck. His hands had them. The revealed parts of his torso did.
Almost like sunburns.
Shinya did a quick glance to his arm, spotting that the band that vampires typically wore to go into the sun was gone. It had been quick to spot now that he got a good look, but he could see the spell tags on both of Guren’s wrists and ankles. He wasn’t wearing any socks or shoes.
Guren had definitely been captured.
And fought like hell to get out.
He was right.
They only got out of Shibuya because of Guren.
“Guren-sama!” Shigure and Sayuri both screamed.
“Stay back!” Shinya exclaimed immediately.
This was bad.
Guren was heavily injured, but it was the look in his eyes.
Bloodlust. Distant. Pain. Guren was curling his arms around himself. Like his entire body was screaming at him. In a way, he looked like he was drugged and delirious. Like he had no idea where he actually was or what he was doing.
Then it hit him.
Three days.
It had been three days since they had last seen him. Any of them. If Guren hadn’t eaten anything, he was definitely about to lose control soon.
“Guren?” Shinya tried, “Can you hear me?” For a second, the clouds parted enough that the sun came out, hitting Guren right on the face as the Omega cried out in pain before shielding his face. Well, that answered that. “Goshi! I need your cloak!”
He could hear rustling behind him as he held his hand out and he was met with Goshi’s cloak in his hand. “What happened to him?!” Goshi questioned.
“He looks like he got…” Mito whispered.
“I need everyone to get back!” Shinya exclaimed. Thankfully, they listened and stepped back as Shinya turned his attention back onto the Omega. “Guren, I’m going to put this over you. It will block out the sun and then we’ll take you to City Hall. Okay?”
Shinya’s heart was pounding. Guren didn’t answer him. He moved Goshi’s cloak, ready to move to throw it over Guren’s head but stopped the second that Guren’s gaze moved to him. The bloodlust that was there. “Blood.” Guren whispered, “I need…” His voice sounded so small. Painfilled. “Blood.”
Shinya’s eyes widened as Guren suddenly lurched forward, sending them both into the ground as his head went back. Guren was pressed into him, almost making sure he couldn’t move as his hands trapped Shinya’s wrists. The air caught in Shinya’s throat the second that he felt the pierce to his neck.