I. Civil War
II. Base Shenanigans
III. True Peace
IV. Pursuit
V. Moka
VI. Mizore
VII. Kurumu
Epilogue

HIRED GUNS

Volume 2

I. Civil War

Anakin Skywalker once said "I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. In the town of Ammus, North of Matria (Ayashi homeworld) that particular quote sprung in the minds of anyone who wasn't a sand-dweller. Sandstorms were as common as snow in winter and the highly pressurized winds could nick pieces of your skin if you weren't a thick-skinned monster or if you didn't have protective clothing. Day time temperatures were excruciatingly hot; the only saving grace is that it wasn't humid thanks to the ever-constant winds. While night temperatures where surprisingly cold and the storms usually subsided around seven to eight in the evening and resume at around twelve.

Ammus was set apart from other towns in that it had a dual layout. During the day, the inhabitants, mainly reptilian-like Ayashi, remained topside, while the more mammalian types would remain underground to stave off the heat that their warm-blooded selves could not stand. They rest there until the sun begins to shy away and a new cycle starts. Once the sky had been painted with a bright tinge of orange and pink, they'd emerge and the town turns lively.

Over the years their skin of the reptiles became thick enough to withstand the high-pressure storm, and it even became like a sort of test of adulthood to subject members of their kin to a particularly fierce storm without any clothes. Their scales harden as a result, capable of shrugging off a 9mm round at point-blank range.

And speaking of storms, it was just about time for one.

12:17 AM

"Fucking hell." A sharp-dressed man in 2006 Milan Fashion Week clothing looked outside of the window as grains of sand pelted the glass "Is it always like this here?" he looked like he was in his mid-thirties. He had dark wavy hair with a single curly lock dropping down his forehead. And his unkempt stubble contrasted with his otherwise clean-looking Scarface get up. His name was Rigiel Estafo: Arms Dealer.

"Yes," Loch replied in what seemed like his fifth time saying the word. Fucking tourists. Loch was best described as mean-looking, anthropomorphized Thorny Devil, with some bare hints of sapient features. In his hands was a Benneli M3 and he wore tactical gear modified to accommodate the various spikes on his body.

"I cannot believe that I'm stationed HERE of all places." Rigiel sat flopped down on the sofa and propped his legs on the desk that had booze and cocaine lines. They were in a compound just outside of the town proper. Guards routinely patrolled the perimeter and snipers were perched on the rooftops. The place was tight- all possible entry points had eyes on them.

"Yeah, I can't believe it either" Loch muttered and rolled his eyes.

"Loch get on the radio." He told his disgruntled bodyguard "Tell Kuyou that he'll only receive the rest of the DIABLO Missiles once he pays me in full with ten percent interest. If that motherfucking Fox thinks he can squeeze his way out of this one then he's pissing on the wrong tree. Not all foxes are sly you dumb fuck."

"Wouldn't it be better if you do it yourself?" Loch countered with a blank, deadpan face that screamed of weariness, annoyance, and sleep deprivation "I'm just a bodyguard."

"Really? You choose now of all times to grow a backbone?"

With a sigh, Loch lowered his head in defeat. His obedience was mainly from his irritation rather than the ire he drew from his ward "Very well. I shall tell him your conditions…" Loch opened the door "And that he is a 'dumb fuck'." and stepped out.

Rigiel's eyes widened in horror "WAIT!" and before he knew it he was alone in the room, regretting his decision to have a smartass as his right-hand man.

.

The war economy was the only real economy that they ever needed. The normal world had no place for men like them: men that thrived on the suffering of others, men that headed towards great fortunes with paths paved from the blood of the weapons they sold. Every WMD sold was just another transaction to them and every casualty, as a result, was collateral damage. It was just business.

But it would be a lie to say that everything they did was just business. No. That's the thing they always told themselves- to maintain a thin veneer of twisted nobility in their chosen profession.

When the war is gone, they'll go back searching for whatever conflicts that may arise. It was always a never endless search. At times they were tempted to start the conflict themselves, but alas their 'nobility' was the only thing that held them back. But in a world where balance was thrown out the window and chaos ran freely, it was like they found meaning. They didn't have to search and they didn't have to hide. Clients would go to them with loads of cash and it felt like the most normal thing in the world. The only problem was other competitors but then again, it was always a sign of a thriving economy.

War was their world. And with the Ayashi homeworld thrown into war, it felt it was their world as well.

Loch entered the communications room. The technician was by his desk and on his desk were tactical multi-band radios lumped together to form, well, a wall of radios. It was dim, with only a single desk lamp that provided illumination. From the back, it seemed like he was busy doing his job. But he was just having difficulty with a crossword puzzle.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

The tech shoved the crossword under a pile of paper and started turning some dials on one of the Datron RT7000s.

Loch rolled his eyes. It wasn't the first time he did that day "Get on the UAP frequency and get me Kuyou. Tell them it's from Romeo Echo."

"Yes sir."

By the time the technician got in communication with the peeps from the UAP the storm died down. Loch had an internal 'monitor' in his head- kind of like an HRM. Whenever things seemed unusual, the flat line would spike and a sudden feeling of emptiness crashes his gut.

"Quiet." He said to the technician. Loch went over to the window and unlocked it. He peered out, extending his forked tongue to pick-up the changes in the air. He looked towards the adjacent building and found that wasn't a sniper in their nest. "They're not at their posts… something's not right. Call in the sniper teams." He ordered the technician which by that time, already had balls of sweat dripping down his face.

"All sniper teams. Status. I repeat. All sniper teams. Report."

The door burst open and three well-placed shots hit the technician at the back of the head. The first round pierced through his skull, spraying blood and brain matter all over the equipment. The second and third followed and wrecked the radios, damaging them for good.

Before Loch could raise his weapon, an individual clad in desert camo tactical gear and a gas mask lunged toward him in a flash and disarmed him. It was so quick that he never knew what hit him. Before he knew it, the individual already put a round on the fleshy spot under his jaw. The Lizard Man dropped on the floor, twitching and spurting out blood.

The last thing he saw the barrel of a silenced gun aimed at his face.

An empty casing bounced on the wooden floor.

"Communications room. Clear." Ghoul said with zero emotion.

"We got him. Move-in on my position." A voice on the other line replied.

.

"Strike silent. Strike hard." was the Vipers motto. They were operatives of the Yokai Defense Force 3rd Battalion under Charlie Company as a detachment unit. The roles of each company are as followed: Sierra, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta.

The Reapers (Sierra Company) was more akin to the SEAL Team Six. They were top of the line with the superior raw strength, but as the war continued; their roles were relegated to high-danger missions for them to maximize the removal of their SPLs (Standardized Power Limiters) as to not violate Ayashi Armed Conflict Laws.

Alpha was the YDF's the 4th Battalion's main cavalry. They were strictly chosen by way of grueling selection to ensure that their frontlines provided a continuous assault in engagements. The next one was Bravo's "Boom Bastards" which were part of YDF's mechanized division. They provided the big guns: APC (armored personnel carriers), IFV's (infantry fighting vehicles), and Armored Warfare. Their requirements for joining the division were pretty simple: you must have wide AOE attacks. If not, you better go to Alpha.

Delta was the 3rd's ACE (air combat element). They were in charge of providing air support and pararescue. They were comprised of helicopter squadrons and Marine Fighter Attack squadrons, etc… They were looked upon as Gods- capable of turning the tides of war in a single carpet bombing run. But resources were limited, so a highly detailed procedure must be followed before such destruction was allowed on the battlefield.

And lastly, we have Charlie Company. Charlie Company was the reconnaissance. 2F, on the other hand, acted behind the scenes in a more discrete fashion. As a subdivision of the Reapers, their main purpose was special operations that embed them deep into enemy lines. Such services included force reconnaissance, VBSS, and unconventional warfare.

The team was inserted in the sandy slums of Ammus to capture an arms dealer Rigiel Estafo, who was supplying the UAP with weapons and high-grade explosives smuggled in from the human world.

Rigiel was bound and gagged. The team of soldiers removed their masks. Staff Sergeant Mach was the first one after he received the 'all clear' from his squadmates. The other two, Deetz and Spray, followed.

Ichinose, the bearded hulking ginger armed with an M240B, entered the room with blood all over his gear. On his tail was Sigma, a fresh-faced young man with very pale skin, red eyes, and short dark hair. He too was covered in blood.

"X-Man, Coony how are things over there?" Mach asked.

"Storm's kicking up in about a few minutes, better get moving Sarge," Coon replied.

"All right let's pack it up! Sigma, get on the radio. Call it in for extraction." He ordered the young man

"Yes, sir." Sigma nodded.

"Ghoul. Give me verbal."

"I found an underground bunker, Sarge. I'm checking it out."

"Okay, you do that. Jarhead, go with him." He radioed to the medic.

"Roger that."

"Big Man, get him up. We're moving out."

"Come on. Up you go." Sure enough, Ichinose lifted Rigiel with ease and carried him on his shoulder Caveman Style. He struggled for a bit, wiggling and kicking until he gave in under the man's immense strength.

Four shots were heard in the distance and it got them to heighten their guard "What's going on? Talk to me!"

.

Tsukune took down a Tango upon opening the hatch. He jumped down with his weapon readied and secured the narrow tunnel that connected to the bunker itself. He could sense hostile youki from beyond the door. His 'radar' was represented by glowing balls of light: the stronger the light, the more hostile the individual. There were nine of them, but strangely, only the six were truly bright. The rest seemed erratic, pulsating wildly like they didn't know what to feel.

One of the balls of light went directly to the behind the door. He aimed is black FN SCAR-17 and paced his breathing. Three…two…one! Tsukune fired five rounds. Splinters of wood and drops of blood exploded onto his face.

One down.

He kicked open the door and was met with a blade-hand going for his face. Fast. He evaded easily, the blade-like appendage getting stuck on the wall beside them.

Years of training honed his body to make the quickest reactions automatically. He fought faster opponents than this.

The hybrid tried pulling back his arms but it would not budge. Tsukune screamed and slammed the hybrid's face onto the wall. With his strength left unchecked, the hybrid's head popped like a baby's soft skull. The others aimed their weapons at Tsukune but he quickly used the headless corpse as a shield and pushed forward. With his right hand holding the body, he grabbed his Para Ordnance Black Ops (suppressed and double stacked) with his left and fired from the hip.

Once he got close enough to one of them, he threw the body to disorient his foe, and then fired three shots to the chest, two to the head. His body spun around and caught a barrel of an AK-47 with his hand. He forcefully pointed up the barrel upwards as the other hybrid fired carelessly at the ceiling. He had body armor on and there was no time to draw out his SCAR.

It was a struggle for control as the hybrid was surprisingly gifted in the strength department. Tsukune unloaded a full magazine onto the hybrid's vest. It knocked the wind out him and he stumbled backward. Tsukune used the opportunity to pop a cap in the hybrid's head.

Empty.

He heard a charging scream from his back and threw his empty pistol at the source. It hit a lizard-man straight in the face. It was enough time to hoist his SCAR and fire three shots to the chest and one on the head.

Two of them came charging at him at the same time. Tsukune dropped his weapon as he misdirected the pistols aimed point-blank at his body. It was quick and fast- an example of close quarter combat at its finest. As they kept aiming their weapons, Tsukune would adapt to their moves, deflect them and lock their arms in place, depriving them of the opportunity to aim at his vital spots.

He managed to disarm one of them and use the pistol for himself. They had body armor on so he couldn't empty an entire magazine for body shots. The skirmish reached its climax as Tsukune found an opening and pop two rounds on the Ayashi's neck and two for the other combatant's head.

He looked at the wall clock- only three minutes had passed. It certainly felt like an eternity. He couldn't remember much of the details as his body acted like it had a mind of its own. He dropped the pistol and tried catching his breath. He surveyed the room and the carnage. There were dozens of weapons and ammo crates scattered around. Guess he found the payload.

Heave "I found their stash…" heave.

"Okay man, I'm on my way!" Jarhead responded.

Tsukune picked up his SCAR on the ground. His internal sensor spiked up and he quickly aimed at one of the crates. Two small hybrid children slowly emerged from the shadows. They were scared shitless like they didn't understand what the had just happened.

Seeing the fear in their eyes, Tsukune lowered his weapon and extended out his hand "Come on… Come on. You're safe now."

As he reached for the kid's hand, time froze. He could hear his heartbeat; he could feel droplets of his sliding down his face and the subtle vibrations on the ground.

Footsteps.

His body moved again on its own and blocked an overhead knife strike aimed for his back using his SCAR.

Time resumed. He was prepared to not hold-back. That is until he saw the enemy. It was an adolescent girl, human-looking, but undoubtedly a hybrid. She had a boyish short hair and fierce eyes. It reminded him dangerously of someone close to him.

Kyouko…

His defenses momentarily wavered and it opened up his torso for an attack. The kids from earlier drew out knives. One of the little fuckers stabbed his leg and the other repeatedly stabbed him on the kidney.

"Fuck!"

The adrenaline rushing in his veins clouded his pain receptors so he functioned as if he wasn't stabbed at all.

He felt betrayed all of a sudden. And it hurt more than the knives. Tsukune shoved her hand to the side with his rifle. He slammed the butt of his gun on the face of the kid who was stabbing his kidney and followed through with smashing his gun on the young woman's face.

Then he grabbed the other kid by the back of his neck and threw him across the room. The child's back hit the wall hard. Realizing what he had done, he limped towards his small opponent and checked if he had a pulse.

There was. He could breathe easy knowing that he hadn't committed a war crime.

He slumped down the wall while he bled-out. The little kid did him in. This was not the way he planned to go. He gasped, putting pressure on the wound to stop on his side to stop the bleeding.

His eyes wandered to the girl's unconscious form- the reason for his hesitation.

Kyouko… he thought. How long has it been since that day? Three… maybe four years? He could still remember it vividly: the deaths, the rampages, and the pain. But if there was one thing that constantly plagued his dreams, then it was her smile.

He never understood why her smile was so beautiful at the moment of her death. The multiple stab wounds on his belly pumped out a lot of blood. His kidney and guts were ruptured. Sooner or later, he would slip out of consciousness.

Jarhead was late to the party. His entrance jolted him awake.

Guess it's not my time yet, huh? He smiled bitterly. It never was. Alucard's blood will never let him die to wounds like that.

Tsukune coughed up a few wads of blood "Hey…" casually greeted his comrade. Never mind the fatal wound to his kidney.

"Man down!" he radioed to his mates. Without a second-thought, Jarhead quickly tended to him "Come on let's get you patched up."

"Jarhead saves the day again…heh…heh…" Tsukune, whose consciousness was fading, had still enough spunk in him to make light of the situation. The medic pulled out a syringe of morphine and injected it into Tsukune's forearm.

"Are they still alive?" Jarhead asked, referring to the child soldiers.

"Yep"

"Why didn't you take them out?" he proceeded to remove Tsukune's vest.

"Why not?" Tsukune countered "It's not like I had it in me to kill children."

"But they were going to kill you."

Tsukune's eyes dulled and he became pale. He stared directly at Jarhead- his gaze piercing the other man's soul "What's so wrong with that?"

.

Jarhead worked wonders on his wounds. It was expected of a high-class mage well versed in the intricacies of Youjutsu. Coupled with his naturally fast-acting healing (courtesy of Alucard™) he was up and about in no time. It still hurt and he needed further treatment, but his bleeding was put to a halt- which was all that mattered at the time.

It kinda made him feel embarrassed being overly dramatic about earlier- thinking that he was about to bite the dust. But it felt so close that he could touch it.

The kids from earlier were incapacitated with heavy-duty zip cuffs and forcefully taken out of their hole. The five of them made their way topside where the rest of the team was waiting.

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. What the fuck?" Mach was very vocal in his opposition, even looking offended "Whose bright idea is to string these little fuckers along?" He looked over to Ghoul, who was still clutching the aching, semi-healed wound on his abdomen "Was it you, Ghoul?"

"It was mine." Jarhead quickly intervened on behalf of Tsukune. He leaned in closer to Mach's ear "Come on, man. If we bring them with us, that's three fewer enemies we have to deal with."

The Good Sergeant knew better than anyone else that he was just sticking up for the FNG. Mach went along to see where it went "Our orders are to extract Estafo and nothing else."

Jarhead placed a firm on the Sergeant's shoulder "Mach. They're just kids. If we leave them to their own devices, who knows what sort shit they're going to stir up."

"Then let them stir shit. Our job isn't to babysit."

"Letting them loose just like that would be like dropping a dog with rabies in a fucking chicken pen. You see what they can do right? Fucking caught Ghoul off-guard and almost wasted him. Imagine what they'd do if they reach the town." Jarhead may have exaggerated the violent tendencies of the kids a little bit too much. But he got to them off the streets, he thought.

Sarge wasn't as bright and unflappable as he thought he was and Jarhead had a habit of exploiting that. Sure he was competent, perhaps the most competent soldier of them all, but having competency on one thing did not equate to having the competency to another. He was a soldier down to the bone. He followed orders and gave them. Repeat cycle.

But people like him just need a little nudge.

Sargeant Mach stole glances to the kids in cuffs. The smaller ones couldn't have been more than ten years old, while the young woman couldn't have been more than sixteen. Their eyes were filled with a burning hatred from being taken away from their fucked-up families. Mach believed it to be misplaced. They should have hated having their childhood stolen from them by the killers who raised them.

"Aright" Mach begrudgingly conceded to Jarhead's reasoning "They're your baggage. Your liabilities." and followed it up with a warning.

"Okay." was Jarhead's only reply.

"We're moving out!" Mach ordered. They exited through the compound gate and headed towards their extraction point

"Ghoul" he brought his attention to Tsukune and glared at him for a few seconds "No heroics next time."

.

Five days later and everything went back to normal. The kids were put into rehabilitation and protective care. It was better than having them continue a twisted way of life. If there was any improvement, they could even be placed in foster care.

Rigiel Estafo spilled the beans before they could even lay a finger on him. Maybe it was because Ichinose was the one tasked with the interrogation. No one could blame him. Just one look at the guy was enough to elicit a response as strong as having to shit in your pants. Rigiel did just that and the task of mopping up the brown stains fell onto Deetz's hands.

Estafo revealed that a shipment of weapons had already arrived at the border town of Novae Terrae which was already captured by UAP forces. He also told them that a dossier containing a list of weapon shipments to other UAP bases. It pretty much confirmed the intel they received from Hokuto Kaneshiro.

And there was one other thing that slipped from his mouth: a bigger player was supplying the UAP with weapons. But unfortunately, poor sod popped a cyanide pill lodged between his molars. He died before they squeeze out all of the details.

They'll mobilize a strike soon, but for now, might as well savor every little slice of reprieve they can get.

II. Base Shenanigans

6:15 AM

"What do you think of the new guy?"

X-Man walked over to Ichinose. The big, hairy ginger was sitting on a bench and was chomping down on a big, fat, expensive cigar. They were out on the compound's open field and had just finished their morning routines. Jarhead was testing his drone on the far side of the fence, Deetz was doing some push-up (he was at fifty), and Sigma was mowing down a doner he got from the chow hall. Mach was nowhere to be found. Must've been reading some reports. "Downtime" was never part of his vocabulary.

"What? Ghoul?"

"Yeah. Ghoul." X-Man sat down besides Ichinose and pulled out a pack of Marlboro's

"Well, he doesn't talk much so I can't get a read on him. But ability-wise he's good. Took down several guys by himself with nothing but CQC."

"But the motherfucker almost got done-in by those three little piglets."

"I can't blame him for that. Kid's got his heart in the right place. I dunno about his brain though." he commended Tsukune's decision on sparing those little brats' lives and giving them a new lease on life. He couldn't deny that he would've fallen for the same trick. They're just kids. The last place they should be in was a fucking war zone. Curse their parents for bringing them into their world, Ichinose thought.

"Where is he by the way? Didn't see him in the barracks when we left." X-Man looked around the field with his single eye. With his enhanced perception, he should've spotted him by then. But he didn't.

"That's because he's over there." Ichinose pointed.

Ghoul sprinted laps on the field, all while covered head-to-toe in full battle gear. His bags and pouches had been filled with rocks, as evident from the clattering sound, they made from each vigorous step he took. He carried an empty M4 on his right hand, an M240B on his left, and a big-ass recoilless rifle slung to his back. He showed no visible sign of fatigue even with his gas mask on.

"What the fuck's he doing?"

"Cardio. He's been going at it for like an hour already." Ichinose replied nonchalantly with a hint of amusement. "The ladies from Sierra love him."

Any mention of women preferring other men over him was enough to ruffle his feathers "Oh yeah?" X-Man said with a sneer, a jealousy incarnate "So women nowadays like fairy-fuck-limp-dicks, huh?"

"I dunno man but I think you're describing yourself" Deetz joined them after he was done. "Y'know… limp dick and all."

"Wachusay?!" X-Man's sing-song dialect slipped along with his temper. He tried going for Jarhead's collar only to be immediately (and effortlessly) held off by Big Man Ichi, who, at that point in his life, was getting tired of the Cyclops' outbursts.

"Sit the fuck you down you fuckin Mike Wazowski piece-of-shit, he's just joking." X-Man was going all out and Ichi just held him off with one of his bulky, rock-like arms. Ironically, the Cyclops never was the physical fighter.

Ichi managed to push him back down on the bench while Deetz was just laughing his ass off.

"Breathe, little man. Breathe." X-Man took Ichi's advice and started pacing his breath "You got some fucking issues, man. It's a miracle you made it out of boot without a foot up your ass." Ichi started patting X-Man's bald head, which in a way, managed to calm the Cyclops down. Always leave it to Mama Ichi.

After a few seconds, Ichi rubbed the Cyclops' back, without restraint and the man almost flew forward "Are you cool now Scott Summers?"

X-Man coughed, trying to regain the air that was slapped out of his lungs "Ichi I swear if you throw in another pop-culture reference I'm gonna fuck your sister and your mom when we get back!"

Ichi was the one that gave him his nickname and it just stuck.

"Whoa whoa, slow down their tough guy… we're cool. We're cool." The big man held up his hands in mock-defeat, flashing him a stupid grin. Ichi looked back to Deetz "Deetz, we cool right?"

"Tch." X-Man sneered.

Deetz slumped back "We cool." He took a drag of his cigarette, his attention already back to Tsukune, who was probably done with his twentieth lap "I heard he beat Reika Sakurai in a straight-up fight." Jarhead added.

"No shit?" Ichinose eyes went wide "The S-Class Babe?"

"Yeah" he chuckled heartily "She proposed on the same day."

X-Man threw his arms up in defeat "Vampires, man. For all their thirsty shit they couldn't even consider going after wonderful specimen right here." He pointed to himself "Look at me. I'm fucking beautiful."

"You know, X-Man, I couldn't blame them even if I wanted to. A big single eye is just too fucking freaky, even if it shined like the holy cosmos I still wouldn't fuck that." Deetz was at it again, this time sporting his signature shit-eating grin. It was all in good fun but the thin-skinned Cyclops had none of it.

"You got a problem with my eye, Deetz?" X-Man's anger was like water to his crops. He lived off on it.

"Deetz would you shut the fuck up?" Ichinose mediated "And you calm-the-fuck down! Can you two leave the mess I cleaned-up for like ten fucking seconds?!"

"Aight aight sorry Mama" Deetz finally yielded his crusade against X-Man's temper.

"What else you got on him, Deetz?" Ichinose asked, referring to their FNG.

"I've heard stories going around chow hall and I had Maya look into it."

"What she find?" he asked. X-Man was out of the conversation and just smoked one of his cigs.

"You're never gonna believe this, but he led a coordinated assault on Fairy Tale's floating fortress." Both Ichinose and X-Man snapped their gazes to Deetz as their eyes lit up with surprise and genuine curiosity.

"That was him?"

"Yeah. Crazy right? And get this: he did it to save his girlfriend."

"FUCKING SIMP!" X-Man howled in laughter. The rest of the marines that went about their business stopped in their tracks. All eyes were on them. The three of them became introverts in seconds thanks to X-Man's inability to pull on his breaks. It got him a well-deserved slap at the back of the head.

"You. Are. Embarrassing." Ichinose scolded him until he shrank back to the feeble little man that he was. The Big Man looked over to Deetz "You know even I wouldn't go that far. But... love wins…I guess?"

"So we have a hero on our team? That's why kept he charging into danger like a fucking retard. He doesn't belong in a squad where one of the trade secrets is stealth." X-Man started to dislike Ghoul the more he learned about him.

"I wouldn't call him a hero" Deetz shook his head.

"Why is that?"

"He's a wanted fugitive in the Human world. Killed his cousin and a bunch of other sorry saps in a hospital. They even caught it on camera as well. He escaped to the mainland just in time for the Council to declare a national state of emergency and close all dimensional portals."

The two went silent with shock. That was probably the biggest 180 they've heard of. They thought they figured out why Ghoul enlisted in the Corps. They built up an image of him as a Champion of Peace, or some noble shit like that- not a fucking mass murderer.

"Hol-up. That true?"

"Yeah. Feds arrested him for trying to open one of the borders back to the human world. Him being here looks like a plea deal in exchange for prison time."

"They arrested him for that? But what about the people he killed!" X-Man was filled with indignation.

"X-Man I know you're stupid but not that stupid. Ayashi courts have no jurisdiction to try human-related cases because humans don't know we fucking exist. That being said, what do you guys think?

"I think you should mind your fucking business."

The trio stood up with perfect synchronization upon hearing the stern voice behind them. It was Jarhead and he did not look amused. Leave the gossip to the ladies, he thought. There was no room for that in the Corps.

"We have PT in thirty. Get a move on."

No objections were raised. Ichinose, Deetz, and X-Man headed towards the Charlie Company's formation for their morning physical training. They knew better than to mess with Jarhead.

The Mage's eyes followed Tsukune as he finished his final lap. He heard every little detail that came out of Deetz's mouth. Ghoul can't be like that, right? He wasn't that good at reading people like Deetz or Mach, but he sure as hell had a knack on plucking out the bad weeds. Ghoul, so far, hadn't given off any crazy, bloodthirsty vibes, but rather a perceptible air of sadness and resignation- like he was about to give up on life at any given time.

His eyes travel to the Reapers' formation, to the black-haired pretty girl who was also watching Ghoul, albeit with rose-tinted glasses. That must've been the vampire he defeated in Sparring Pit yesterday, he thought.

Jarhead chuckled softly and walked away "Vampires…"

.

The Forth Methuselah barracks were quite large compared to the other forts. Rather than a long singular stretch that had twenty-or-so bunks, the soldiers had apartment styled quarters with four bunks each and one big window at the end of the room that provided a hefty amount of illumination.

"Oh yeah…fuck! Work it! Yeah…. that's right! Work it, baby!" While Charlie Company was busy engaging in their PT, one of them was left in the barracks, not through negligence but deceit.

Said individual was Spray.

The maroon curtains were down and they were thick enough to block off the light the entered through the window. It was the perfect set-up for the Kraken. Spray undressed the beautiful ladies from Sierra Company with his lustful gaze through a pair of binoculars he snuck in from the armory.

His body convulsed in voyeuristic passion with every stroke. Spray stuck his tongue out, imagination filled with lewd thoughts of penetrating their tight little folds, squeezing their perky tits, and running his tongue down their luscious legs. It managed to arouse him even more and the tingling sensation in his loins became more pronounced. His core started to heat-up unbearably- a sign that he was nearing his climax.

Not yet!

The longer to endure, the bigger the payoff.

"Oh…Oh... Yeah!" Spray was about to live up to his name.

A hand slapped the back of his head with righteous fury. He was so close… so close to the bliss that was denied of him by joining the fucking Marines. His grand wank fantasy took weeks of planning… all for it to end abruptly when he was at the finish line! A part of him died that day due to a severe case of Blue Balls.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?"

He knew that voice… even if it was relatively new to his ears. He knew that voice. Spray immediately pushed his dick back into his pants and ran for his bed, which was the closest to the window, in a vain attempt to cover-up his depravity.

But it was too late.

Tsukune had already seen it. His wallet pictures of Moka and Mizore were scattered on Spray's bed. Picture of the exes whom he still loved dearly. Pictures that he personally took while he was in a relationship with them respectively.

Spray trembled uncontrollably, terror striking his heart and mind. The man in front of him wasn't just any other Ayashi. It was like he was darkness personified. Tsukune cracked his knuckles. He wasn't about to forgive anyone who jizzed all over his photos.

He was about to find out why they called him "GHOUL"

.

The belief in God was something he found overrated. Spray grew up in a religious family that put religion first than its family members. They displayed such devotion to the point of forsaking putting food on the table to give weekly tributes to the Church.

"The longer to endure, the bigger the payoff" he once heard in a church sermon. Such philosophy got him through most of the trials and tribulations in life. At the end of a long road of suffering, surely there was happiness, right?

Spray grew to hate it. God never rewarded their faith. And if the Almighty was truly a benevolent being, he would never put his subjects under such peril. So he concluded that God didn't exist. It was just a made-up deity to justify the harshness of reality.

But on the day he was caught dick-in-hand by a man that could kill him with zero effort, he suddenly found God again.

God was forgiveness, Spray thought.

The Kraken buried his face on the floor, shouting words of admiration at Ghoul's capacity for tolerance.

Tsukune just looked down at him utter contempt smeared on his face. He embodied the aesthetic of a dictator punishing dissidents while they groveled at his feet.

"I AM VERY SORRY!" Spray lifted his head and revealed a black eye. "I have this condition, you see? I see tits, I get hard. I see legs, I get hard. I see women, I get hard. Any interaction with the opposite sex gets me hard! Just look at their face gets me hard! So I have no choice but to jack off!"

"Man, you're fucked-up."

"I KNOW, RIGHT!"

"Do you want the rest of the squad to know about this?" Tsukune threatened. It was bad enough that he Spray was an extreme tosser, but to include Moka and Mizore… it felt like he couldn't protect the memory of the ones he loved.

"Nononononononono! Please don't tell them! Deetz will never shut the fuck about it."

"Then apologize to them!" Tsukune laid his exes' photos in front of the Kraken.

"I'M SORRY!" Sprayed planted his face violently on the ground in religious prostration.

"They cannot hear you!" Tsukune shouted.

"I AM SORRY MISS MOKA AKASHIYA AND MISS MIZORE SHIRAYUKI" Spray's apologies grew in intensity with each syllable.

Tsukune grinned and almost broke character. Though he was worried about the sadistic streak he never knew he had, his enjoyment reached its peak level at watching kneel on the floor. If he continued to immerse himself in being a total Dom, he might inadvertently become one. A step back from that thin line was all he needed.

"Get the fuck up."

.

Spray didn't fight back when I socked him in the face. He had a complete tactical advantage over me with his extra appendages. The only thing that stopped him from fighting back was that he didn't know I couldn't use my abilities to their fullest extent. He only knew that I had vampiric blood in me and it was enough to set him straight.

To think that this sorry excuse for a man had one of the highest kill-counts in Charlie… what a world we live in.

I cleaned myself up after I caught him jerking off to the ladies at Sierra. Sergeant Mach was kind enough in allowing me to return to the barracks since I did PT voluntarily while the rest of the guys practically had to be forced- which was strange because PT is like a religious prayer to soldiers. Can't miss a day without doing any PT.

I got out of the shower all fresh and clean. Then I saw him sprawled face-down and drooling on Sigma's bunk like he was in a fucking bed and breakfast. Does this man not have a shred of diligence? I guess it was a shared trait in Charlie. My hand immediately seized the nearest pillow and threw it at him. He stirred in his sleep, so I threw another one harder.

"Hey man, what the fuck? I'm sleepin' here." Spray wiped the corner of his mouth with his forearm. I visibly cringed when I saw the string of saliva get smeared on his skin. He was Kraken after all, mollusks are slimy. But their personalities didn't have to be.

"Get up." I stomped towards him as he pushed himself off the bed with the strength and reluctance of a Sloth "Get up." I repeated. This time I pulled him off the bed "Off you go." and pushed him towards his. Spray stumbled in his gait, most likely from still being half-asleep. He then sat on his bunk and blankly stared into space for a couple of seconds.

"Have you no intention of getting out of here?" I asked seriously. I was starting to question if the YDF had any standards when it came to selecting their recruits.

"No. I like it here." He lay down on his bed "Man you need to chill. It's not like we're in fucking Boot. I'll get up when I'm needed. "

I stared at him. It was like talking to a wall- a lazy, slimy wall that had eight limbs. Fucking pointless. Somehow his lack of urgency was contagious and I found myself lying down on my bed. It's good though. I might have fallen asleep since he had the gall to switch the AC on.

Slowly, I drifted to sleep.

"Hey man, why do you have pictures of your exes?"

Just when my eyelids were about to complete shut, he asks me that question "What?"

"I mean, like, they're your exes, right? Why keep photos of them?" There was not an ounce of wrongful or malicious intent in his voice. Just curiosity. He made it sound like it was the weirdest thing in the world.

"Yeah…well… I still love them." It was the first time I ever admitted it to anyone. And it's not like I had anyone to talk to about it. It's not like I had many friends. Gin is dead, Fangfang's doing shady shit in China and the rest of the Newspaper Club were in different places in the world by then. They're out there, saving lives… doing some good that the world badly needed… while I'm stuck in this shithole fighting for a war that meant nothing to me and for people that don't know we exist.

"Both of them?" he asked with surprise. I could feel a witty remark was building up. I wasn't in the mood for it.

"Yeah…both of them... fucking simpy right?" I let him know that I accepted how pathetic it was. The key to avoid being roasted is that you roast yourself first "And if you're asking if they're mediocre pussy then they're not." I pulled out my wallet and stuck my fingers into one of its compartments. A second later, I took both of their photos out "You see these two? Absolutely-fucking-beautiful wife material. How could I forget them?" I felt a sudden urge to justify my reasons for being hung-up.

Thanks to the self-depreciation Spray nodded without adding any snarky side comments "But who left who?" he asked.

"They left me." I became deflated. For all my boasting and bravado, when it came down to it, those two still left me in the end and there was nothing that could've changed that. Guess I was just lucky to have been with them when they could've been with more deserving lovers. "You know, it's even more painful when you break-up without an ounce of closure."

"Were they good to you?"

"I just told you: they were wife material. They were always good to me. Even now, when I look back at it, I could never say anything bad about them."

"You keep referring to them as 'they'. What the fuck man did you do them both at the same time?"

"What? No. 'They' refers to their shared traits of being good decent women. Moka was the first. She broke up with me. The next was Mizore. She also broke up with me."

"That sounds like an awfully short span between relationships." He was intuitive enough, I gave him that.

"That's because it was… You know I never got over Moka when I was with Mizore and after she left me, I never got over her."

"Whoaaaa theeeereeee. That's the biggest fucking sin to commit with the ladies, you fuckwit."

"I know. I know." I threw my hands up and embraced my idiocy.

Spray extended one of his tentacles until it reached his locker. I watched in amazement as the appendage turned the dial with uncanny dexterity. Oh, how convenient it was to have another set of limbs. I kind of wanted a pair myself. Spray named all of them. The one he used was Nemo because the film '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' had a Kraken in it.

He retracted Nemo from the locker and tossed me a flask. "What's in it?"

"Kelp Vodka. Try it. It's an Atlantic specialty."

As per base regulations, the stores were allowed to sell alcoholic drinks if the alcohol was ten percent or below. Beer and Wine fell on that range. When I took a sip of this 'Kelp Whisky' I sure as hell could tell that it went beyond fifty. The fucking thing burned. I could feel the burning trail all the way down to my stomach. It was like drinking undiluted Clorox with bits of Kelp mixed. It was surprisingly sweet though and my arms and legs were slightly paralyzed.

"What the fuck is in this thing?!"

"You feel it right? That's Tetrodotoxin. Don't worry it's safe in small doses. Kelp Vodka is made with a single drop of the stuff. Gives one hell of a kick, doesn't it?"

I threw the flask back at him with nothing but pure disgust. He caught it with Nemo and chugged the stuff like it was water.

The whiskey was fast-acting poison. I already felt its effects and that was only one sip.

"I once dated this girl for four years. Small, light skin, pretty eyes. An aspiring model. You know the type that girls wanted to be and the guys wanted to be with.

Let's call her 'Bacon'."

"Why 'Bacon'?" I interjected.

"It was the first thing that came to mind. Shut the fuck up. Anyway...I kept thinking 'why me?' every man she knew was at her beck and call yet she chose me. She was good to me, cooked me meals, helped me in my business and we took care of each other's needs.

Kind of like a wife.

Anyway, I told you about my condition, right? Yeah, it was way fucking worse back then. I used to download pictures of just about anyone that showed even just a tiny bit of skin. I get hard man, really hard. Like I need to be constantly fucking someone. She never failed me in that aspect since we fucked almost every day of the week.

But my condition always won in the end. I needed to jerk off to something and there was something different at having to wank to pictures of someone you knew. It felt wrong, but it felt fucking good.

At least to me anyway.

So I kept it a secret from her. Until one day she asked to borrow my phone. I forgot to delete all the photos I've saved up and it fucking tore her heart into pieces. I kept doing it all that time and never knew that I was already cheating on her.

I made it up to her but she never trusted me again. But it repeated until it reached a fourth time. I tried to change, man. I really did. That's the thing about cheating. I don't believe it hurts just one of the party, its hurts both of you. It hurts because you love her and yet you did it, it hurts because she loved you and yet you did it.

After the fourth time, it felt like I was a new man. I set my life straight and became a devoted boyfriend. That is until I found out that she'd been secretly dating her childhood friend. He was a good looking guy. He graduated from a high-prestige university, had a black belt in Taekwondo, and is a lead singer of an indie band.

And then there's me.

We broke up after that. A few years later I met my wife. I'm really happy with her. And ever since we got together, I never jerked off to a picture again.

But I still remember my ex and all of the regrets. She never left my mind, fucking hell it's like she set up shop there. Even now, I couldn't blame her for anything. It made me realize that God was just cruel enough to let you meet someone for character development.

If that's the case the only question now is: was there any development?

Then there's the off-chance that fate might play a part in it. If God meant for you to be together, you'll find yourself walking to a path that leads you back to her.

That's the thing you have to find out for yourself, Ghoul: whether if its destiny or character development.

Me…I already found my answer."

I was dumbstruck at how introspective the man was. I was at a loss for words at how everything he said made sense.

"You know for someone who said they didn't believe in God, you mention him quite often." I wasn't about to let it end there with a high note.

"I can't help it. I grew up with religious nutsacks after." Spray chuckled heartily and took a sip of his whiskey.

"Wait. You have a wife?" the information was quite hard to process that he of all people could have been blessed with a wife. Then it occurred to me that all his talk about 'character development' earlier was complete bullshit since I caught him wanking off to photos of my exes. "Then what the fuck were you doing earlier you piece of shit?" I threw a pillow at him, furious at having my time wasted and heartstrings tugged.

He blocked it with ease "Come on, man. You gotta let loose once in a while."

"Un-fucking-believable." I looked over to him and held my arm out "Hey… lemme take a sip."

He smiled proudly and handed me the flask. It burned my throat again but it wasn't quite like the first time.

"Hey, man. What does she look like?...your wife?" Spray pulled out his wallet and gave me his wife's picture "She's pretty" I said. I wasn't lying either. She had a nice smile, wavy hair, and pale skin. She looked like a decent person. Dunno why she'd marry Spray.

"I know right. She made me the happiest Kraken in the sea. There's not a thing in the world that I won't do for her."

I jokingly unbuckled my belt and tried pulling my dick out. Spray caught on to what I was doing and immediately wrestled me for control over the picture "See what it feels like, huh?!" I laughed. After I returned the photo, the two of us fell silent again with him staring out the window and me thinking about Moka and Mizore.

"Summer after high school when we first met…" his voice was soft. It was unnerving.

"What?" I asked. He was blurting out nonsense.

"We'd make-out in my Mustang to Radiohead…"

No. He was singing.

"And on my 18th birthday, we got matching tattoos…"

It was one of Katy Perry's most poignant songs.

"Used to steal your parents' liquor and climb to the roof" I added. I didn't know what the fuck came over me.

"Talk about our future like we had a clue" he was completely in the zone.

"Never planned that one day I'd be losing youuuuu" here it goes.

"In another life, I would be your man!" Our combined baritones echoed in room. They could probably hear all over to the field.

"We keep all our promises, be us against the world!" we poured our hearts out on that one.

"In another life, I would make you stay!" All traces of Katy's femininity were yeeted to oblivion and were replaced with the loud, tone-deaf cries of two sappy warriors who had difficulty in moving on.

"So I don't have to say you were the ONE THAT GOT AWAY!" every lyric was shouted, not sung. Our voices carried our sadness. Our regrets. For him it was Mango. For me… it was Moka and Mizore. Whether they're character development or not… we both could agree that they were:

"THE ONES THAT GOT AWAAAY~~"

III. True Peace

A few weeks later and I started to get to know every one of them. They're a weird bunch. But I felt like I belonged there. I got along with most of the squad except for that fucking dickbag Cyclops who seemed, for no apparent reason, to hate my guts with his entire being.

And there was one other guy I never talked to that much: Coon, the team's other Sniper. We exchanged a few pleasantries from time to time, but things never went deeper than 'hey wassup bro.'

The guy was like loose cannon and was always nowhere to be found- although he seemed to have been frequently spotted in the base's six watchtowers in rotation for the past couple of days.

A mission just came up and Sarge tasked me to go and find him. The base was fucking huge and it took me half a day to figure out where his last position was. Reika Sakurai, the black-haired Moka (as I called her) helped me find him, it came with a catch though, but I was willing to go for it since I was pressed for time.

We asked a bunch of guys in the base until we reached Tower 6. I thanked her for accompanying me but that wasn't enough. She demanded that I meet her at the Sparring Pit for the sixth time. She wasn't hard to please at all. I just set a time and date and she sped off without a word.

Forth Methuselah was one of the largest military installations commissioned by the YDF. It housed several thousand active-duty personnel and was the most advanced in terms of weaponry and defenses.

The base occupied an area of about 335 square miles smack-dab in the middle of Mesánychta Forest. The surrounding foliage was trimmed down to allow better visuals in case of enemy attacks. If an enemy unit were to step on the clearing they'd be sitting ducks for mortar fire.

Tower 6 was the oldest of the towers. It was pretty obvious since it was made of wood while the rest were made out of concrete. They called the tower 'Aldo'. A sniper with that name killed over two hundred enemy troops on top of the tree it was made of. It was customary to knock on the wood three times before climbing as a sign of luck.

I did just that climbed the ladder. Coon was behind his HK417. "Ghoul, that you?" he asked without taking his eye off the scope.

"We got an op. Briefing is at 0700."

"Roger that."

Did I just slog through a day's worth of searching and a deal with a vampire just for that? No. Fuck no. There was no fucking that I'd leave without finding out what the fuck he's been doing lately.

"Did you go to scout-sniper school?" he asked.

Actually, I did "Yeah." I answered.

"Get over here, man. Spot for me." All of a sudden the shoe was on the other foot. I didn't know what the fuck was happening, but I was oddly compelled to take position beside him and get on the tripod-mounted spotter scope.

"Give me your sectors." I requested and he immediately gave the details. We swept all four of his sectors while the river that ran across those sectors divided them into A and B. It was easier to locate the target points since the forest was divided by the color of their trees. One particular segment of the forest was stuck in a perpetual state of autumn with its moody yellow and red atmosphere. The treetops were covered thin red vines reminiscent of colorful street cables.

The only problem was: what were we looking for?

"What are our targets?"

"Chupacabras." he simply said "Its hunting season for them. They've been scouting out the base for quite some time now. I asked Lt. Col. Coca for permission to take them out."

It wasn't unheard of since the Mesánychta Forest was indeed home to a thousand different Yokai. I just never saw one in real life. Ms. Nekonome taught all about them when we were in the Academy. Chupacabras were a species that was originally from Mexico. Someone from the mainland screwed up and accidentally released a couple of them in the forest. Eventually, they grew in numbers- enough to be considered an invasive species.

"Why would you volunteer for this?"

"The nearest body of water is miles away. This is the closest I'll ever get to fishing." "Chupa Sniping as he called it. Coon intended to brand it as an extreme form of game hunting if the war ends. Big emphasis on the 'if'.

I saw movement dashing along the tree line. "Movement. Sector 2- Alpha. Go to your 3'o clock to the red K'Shar Tree."

Coon shifted his position towards the reference point "Contact." I do hope we were on the same page. "Target on the 3'oclock is looking an emaciated grease-rat with black skin and a face full of fangs." It was spot on.

"Check parallax and mill," I instructed. The shooter adjusted the knob on top of his 8X scope and stopped once he was satisfied with the crisper image.

"2.92," he said.

Once I heard about mill I quickly checked on my scope if it was the same. It was. I then got on the small ballistic computer he gave me and calculated the trajectory and wind speeds.

"Wind speed. 1.5 Right-to-left"

Coon fired the shot. The 7.62 round left a vapor trail that only a scope could see. It traveled at subsonic speeds and it hit its target, completely obliterating its shoulder. Once the creature went down, movement along sectors 1 and 3 became increased.

We picked out the targets until we could confirm that there weren't any stragglers.

Coon folded the bipods of his HK417 and flicked the safeties on. He leaned back on his chair and kicked his feet up on the ledge. I did the same and all that was left was to admire his work.

"Man… that's beautiful."

Red splotches of brains and viscera were strewn all over the field. God, I wished I had a camera. A shit load of funny things happened that deserved to be preserved on tape. One highlight was when this Chupabacabra came running straight into the line of fire. Coon took it down, then another came behind it. It happened twice and the corpses were piled over doggy-style in what Coon described as a "Menarche-a-Trois"

I decide to hang out for a while since there was a lot of time left before the briefing. It was almost sundown and the air became a lot cooler. I realized that as the sun slowly sunk, the day was almost about to end. We were closer and closer to the operation. Nervous shivers ran down my spine and a feeling of numbness took over my sweaty palms. Something about the operation triggered my gut feeling. Something bad.

"So this is where you ended up, huh?" I was knocked out of my contemplation.

"What?" I asked.

"Student Council President: Tsukune Aono."

I couldn't tell you how happy I was when I heard that. But it was short-lived- a momentary burst of joy that was ruined in a matter of seconds. I used to be the student council president. The term brought me a whole lot of pride back then… and it only brought resentment now. It was a reminder of how my life was supposed to go and how that life ended up right now.

"Your disappearance caused an uproar in the school. Even the Headmaster organized a search for you."

Headmaster? Oh…so that's why.

"I was most likely incarcerated when they searched for me." Mikogami must've pulled a few strings to get the plea deal going. What a great guy. Even now I have something to thank him for.

"What?! You were in prison?"

"Yeah… but that's a story for another time. Enough about me. What about you? What year were you in?" I asked. There were some things I wasn't capable of talking about at the moment- the circumstances of my imprisonment being one of them.

Coon looked like a sharp guy. I bet he could sense that I didn't want to talk about it. "I was a third-year when the war broke out."

"We're in the same year? I'm sorry man I never heard of you."

"Nah, it's fine. How could you? I was just a background character." He flatly said, "I remember that you used to visit the Newspaper Club all the time to see Prez."

"You were in the Newspaper Club?"

"Haha… yeah…After Shirayuki became the president a lot of new members joined the club, including me. It was an all-time high."

"I was surprised. Moka must have scared off all the potential members when we were still there."

"That was true!" Coon laughed "Man… those were good times."

That's all they were: good times. I thought that it all ended when we got rid of Fairy Tale. But that was just wishful thinking from my foolish younger self.

"Why made you join the military?" I asked him. It seemed like he got a good thing going. Coon froze and was hesitant to answer the question.

"The Tengu Alliance was a staunch supporter of interspecies exchange with the humans. UAP didn't like that so they bombed my hometown when they seized control of the North. I dropped out of the academy after I found out and joined as soon as I can."

Tengu's were one of the most peaceful creatures I knew. Fucking UAP terrorist scum.

"My family was in that town when they glassed the place. Only a handful of them made it out. This war's fucked, Aono. No matter how hard we fight for peace, it'll only go back to hell. It's a never-ending cycle."

It got me thinking: what if we did win the war? What then? Make friends with humans? Yokai were going to war for a species that didn't know about them. All that we've done… would've meant nothing for the humans if they just see us as monsters anyway.

Wait…when did start referring to myself as a monster?

"You know Tsukune, what we should be aiming for is True Peace."

"What's that?"

"True Peace is when you don't have to worry about a single thing. All that matters is yourself or the ones you love and the things you do."

"And… how do we achieve that?"

"We remove our problems at the source or act before they could happen." Coon armed his HK417 and looked through the scope as another Chupacabra stepped onto the field "We're slaves to the idea of peace. The only way we'll break free from those chains is that if we get rid of the reasons why we seek and preserve peace in the first place".

"If possible, with one bullet at a time" Coon followed his target "Only then can we be slaves to nothing but ourselves."

"That's what we should be aiming for. I'll aim using this." He slapped his trusty weapon.

"True peace, huh?" I repeated. The ideal was great. But it was ripe for twisted interpretation. But somehow, it brought me a strange modicum of comfort.

Coon pulled the trigger.

IV. Pursuit (chapter 5 cont.)

A .408 Cheyenne Tactical pierced through Tsukune's vest. The impact of the round launched him a few feet forward once Spray untangled his tentacles. Their skirmish went undetected thanks to the bullet being a subsonic variant.

Blood pooled beneath his convulsing body. The team froze in shock as they had to resort to such violence against one of their own. Even Sarge, who issued the order with zero hesitation, looked ultimately remorseful. Without wasting another second, Jarhead rushed to Tsukune's side and flipped him over.

"Sigma, help me get his vest off!" Jarhead was the only one who kept his cool, unlike the rest of the squad. The young man just stared at them, confusion and panic overriding his decision making. "Sigma!" another shout from Jarhead stopped him from drowning in perturbation. The Mage pulled out a shot of morphine and injected it into the dying man's arm. The two of them removed Tsukune's vest. Upon removal more of his blood spilled out.

"He's losing a lot of blood."

The squad shook themselves off of their stupor and went into a defensive position, providing cover while they tended to their injured teammate. They'd let their guilt consume them all they want later. But now was the time to take action.

Jarhead analyzed Tsukune's wounds. They were fatal, but he could see the muscle fibers and severed nerves stitch back together slowly. But his natural regeneration wasn't enough. It needed a supplement. Fuck! He didn't plan on using any advance healing magic in a situation as tight as theirs. But if they moved Tsukune to a safe spot he might be dead by then.

There was no other choice.

Jarhead placed his hands over Tsukune's wounds. He was a Mage, as well as a trained practitioner in Youjutsu. Embedded circuitry in his arms lit up. Tsukune's circuitry resonated with his.

Entitates in divinam formam

Dona humilem servum vestrum est petitio

et divinitatem te praebueris

Homo commutationem pro anima mea suas caro et sanguis

A blinding flash of light exploded from their position, with Tsukune and Jarhead at the center. It was for a split second, but its mark was left everywhere.

As the white void swallowed him whole, another vision of Kyouko appeared before him. There she was again with that damned smile of hers.

Kyouko...

.

The twin Sirens were the first to notice. They looked at their ward, Kuyou as he watched the townsfolk burn to ashes. He didn't seem to have been alerted. It wasn't just a hallucination either. But the rest of the grunts also seemed unaware. It must have been from the brightness of the flames.

Yes. It was just that and nothing more.

The clasped their hands together and unfurled their angelic wings. It caught the attention of Kuyou, who was just laughing manically a few seconds ago.

"Ligeia, Leucosia, what are you doing?!" he asked, but was ignored. The Twins unleashed their destructive 'song'. It was an ultrasonic frequency that acted like that of a dolphin's- only a thousand times stronger. It was loud, it was harsh, and it provided their most valuable advantage on the battlefield.

Coon was on top of a three-story building right next to the town hall when he got blasted by the deafening scream. He recoiled in pain and covered his ears in a fruitless attempt to drown out the sound. He expected it to continue until he ears bled but it only lasted for three seconds.

The Tengu got back on the scope of his Barret M82. He dropped a nervous sweat and his eye bulged from its socket.

The Sirens were looking directly at him.

"CONTACT!" he screamed on his radio. The Sirens were prepping for another bout. Coon realized this and fired another round. The Anti-material round exited the barrel and traveled towards its target. The .50 caliber round spun at high velocity. It broke the sound barrier and was poised to kill.

It was supposed to anyway.

The round hit an invisible wall of sound and was promptly flattened upon impact. Coon cannot fucking believe it. The Sirens on the other end of his scope had smug looks painted on. He was rarely affected by anything, but seeing the two with their wicked grins had his blood boiling. Coon rapidly fired five more shots. Heat and smoke escaped through the rifle's venting with each successive shot.

Clank! Clank! Clank! All of them were unable to reach their targets. "Motherfucker" He needed two seconds to reload. Those two seconds could mean the difference between life and death. Upon dropping the boxy magazine he immediately loaded another one.

Coon fired without hesitation. This time the bullet was different, upon exiting the barrel, the bullet ignited with a red glow, making its trajectory visible. The Sirens screamed again and stopped the round. Upon contact, the bullet exploded which caused them to flinch.

Two seconds! He thought. The Sirens halted their attack exactly that long. Another round flew directly after it. This time it was brighter, redder, and louder than before. Armor-piercing incendiary rounds had the power to penetrate a three-inch steel plate. Imagine what it could do if the target was flesh and blood?

Leucosia's entire upper body was completely blown away while her legs stood planted on the ground. Blood and gore splashed onto her sister's face. Ligeia was in complete and utter shock. It took her a full minute to be able to move a finger and another minute to let it all sink in.

It was enough time for them to escape.

"Sarge, whatever you're doing you better do it fast!" He radioed in.

"Coon. X-Man! We're moving out!" Sarge ordered. Fucking finally.

The spell that Jarhead cast managed to seal the wounds, but it was insufficient. Tsukune needed further treatment. But he regained consciousness and was, fortunately, able to stand. Ichinose, being the big guy, wrapped Tsukune's arm on his shoulder as a means for support. Sarge, Sigma, Deetz, and Spray covered their retreat, firing at anyone that got close to their positions.

"Pop the charges" Sarge ordered. Sigma pushed the detonator and a series of explosions engulfed the area surrounding town hall. Their pursuers were momentarily distracted and they successfully gave them the slip. The two snipers remained until the rest of the squad was in the clear.

The night was just beginning for the Vipers.

.

"Covering both rear flanks!" Deetz shouted in between shots of his M249 SAW.

"Contact!" Sigma laid down suppressing fire with his Salient Arms International GRY rifle. The team ran across the dark woods in a desperate bid to reach their extraction which was only half a klik away. They were running on pure survival instincts and let their training do the rest. Lives were at stake and that allowed them to use any means necessary to make it out.

Hybrids, Centipedes, Jorogumo's, Lizard Men, and other dangerous species of Ayashi were in pursuit. They were fast, deadly, and coordinated. The only thing that kept them from reaching the squad, was the fact that they were equally matched in unconventional warfare.

"FUCKING LEG IT!" Sarge ordered at the top of his lungs. At the front of their formation were X-Man and Sarge; at the center were Ichinose, Jarhead, and the wounded Tsukune, who held on to his pistol for dear life; and at the rear was Coon, Spray, Deetz, and Sigma.

Spray put his eight limbs to good use by planting Claymores and C4 along the tree line every thirty feet. Sigma and Deetz provided cover fire while Coon picked off the targets that went past their defenses.

"Target!" Sigma fired a controlled burst. Turns out those five rounds were the only ones left in the magazine. "RELOADING!" Sigma replaced his magazine while Deetz switched places with him and fired.

Upon reaching a certain distance, they noticed that explosions weren't going off anymore. The Claymores proved effective in reducing the pursuing force's numbers. However, given the silence, they must have already adapted their strategy.

Three hybrids jumped from the treetops. Their arms were transformed into grotesquely organic blades and scythes. Below them was Spray, who was at the rear of their formation. They leaped down to strike him in three places all at once. Three tentacles shot out and wrapped them in a death coil. Spray retracted his arms, closing the distance between him and his attackers.

Bang! Bang! Bang! They all dropped dead. A Lizard Man lunged towards him with a machete. While he was being pinned down, another five rushed to his position. Spray unleashed all eight of his tentacles at once and took them out one by one with increasingly creative kills using his versatility and acrobatics. He used them to their full extent: throwing, stabbing, and constricting. With such precision and skill, he dropped his attackers with ease.

His style was "Disable and Strike" a form brought to its maximum potential by creatures who had more than two limbs. It was almost impossible to get in close with anyone that mastered that style. You would either have to suicidal or you were fast enough to block, parry, and evade all of them coming at you at once.

That's why he had one of the highest kill counts in Charlie.

.

Ichinose was close to carrying Tsukune at that point. The wounded man could barely stand, let alone run at full pelt. He was also unable to provide combat assistance. He kept blacking out due to blood loss. Fortunately, Jarhead and Coon provided a defensive barrier by covering both of his flanks.

A high tensile mesh sprayed all over Jarhead's torso, gluing his arms to his body in a tight bind. Ichinose had to act fast since he was the closest to Jarhead. Coon was scanning his right flank when it happened so there was no time for him to got and get him. Ichinose dropped Tsukune as he did with his child support. He caught the medic by boot and violently played a game of tug o' war. But he was still holding back. There was a high chance that if he pulled Jarhead back, his strength would dislocate his ankle, or even possibly, tear his foot off.

"COOON!" Ichinose screamed. The Tengu snapped to Ichi's left. Fuck! It was too dark and the target was obscured by leaves and other branches. "I can't get a visual!" But if he didn't act soon, Jarhead would be their first casualty. He fired a shot and left it to chance. The incendiary projectile lit up the areas it traveled to and hit the branch that the attacker was perched on. The small explosion knocked the creature off and loosened its pull on Jarhead.

A screech came from above Ichinose. Eight sharpened spider legs were coming down on him hard and fast. He thought he was a goner. Life flashing in the blink of an eye- that sort of shit. Luckily, Tsukune was still in the fight. He unloaded a whole fourteen round magazine of .45 ACP on the Jorogumo's armored head. It only bought them time, but it was enough for Ichinose to morph into his true form: a Golem with an adamantine exoskeleton made of diamond.

True to her nature as a spider, she landed on the ground with poise. However, a solid fist shattered her thorax and sent her careening onto the nearest tree. And then another blow landed. And another and another. The chitinous shell was no match for a ten thousand pound straight. Ichinose clobbered his opponent with a set of lightning-fast strikes. Jab. Jab. Hook. Straight. The Spiderwoman swiped one of her claws blindly, praying to lady luck that she might land a hit. Ichinose easily deflected it with ease and put her on the defensive for the duration of the fight.

The onslaught continued until her exoskeleton was cracked and chipping all over. The soft, flesh underneath was completely exposed. The Jorogumo had been completely backed into the corner and was taking the punches like his ex-wife. Ichinose wanted to finish it off quickly and knew that punches alone weren't going to kill her. He morphed his right hand back into its human-looking form and drew out his pistol. While his left hand held her in place, he fired shots all over the exposed muscles until the magazine went dry.

The spider dropped dead on the ground in a heap of green ooze and tangled limbs. Ichinose ditched his armor since the added weight would only serve as a liability. He looked over to Sarge and X-Man who were done dealing with the opposition that intercepted them.

"Thanks for the save, Ghoul." He picked up Tsukune on the ground and continued their escape.

"EVERYONE SHIFT IT! WE'RE ALMOST THERE!" Sergeant Mach shouted.

And so the team ran. They ran as they had never before in their lives. The chopper's rotors could already be heard in the distance. Rescue was just beyond the horizon. They were wounded, exhausted, and on the verge of collapse. But they refused to lie down and let the enemy gain victory.

A howl echoed throughout the woods. It was something that'd make your skin crawl and shuddered through your bones. The team stopped dead in their tracks. It was like dread crept up behind them fucked them in the ass. They knew what that sound belonged to. The squad collectively cracked their heads to the night sky. No stars. No moon. Yet that howl was unmistakably real. Steeling themselves for the inevitable confrontation they reloaded their weapons and continued taking flight.

Spray had just finished wrapping up his fight seven Ayashi. Bodies were scattered on the woods- some had missing limbs and others were impaled on branches. There was no doubt that Spray had won the fight unscathed. But he was absolutely winded and had to be assisted by Deetz and Sigma. It was at that moment that they heard it: the howl of death. There was no way they could fight that thing in the current state. The best thing to do was make a run for it and ditch all unnecessary gear to make them lighter.

Splat! An invisible force sliced off three of Spray's tentacles. Splat! A chunk of Deetz's shoulder was torn off. The thing wasn't invisible. No matter how faint, they could feel the wind rush past them with every attack. Multiple opponents? Splat! Sigma's leg had five large and bloody claw wounds. No! There was only one.

And it was fast.

The sounds of rifles piercing the quiet of the woods had ceased for over a few minutes. They thought it was the sign that the pursuit had ended. No use in looking back. Spray, Sigma and Deetz were all capable men. They could handle whatever was coming to them.

"Shit!"

Ichinose abruptly pushed Tsukune away from him. A muscular beast with a mane as black as the night tore through the air and missed the two of them by a quarter of an inch. If it weren't for Ichinose, both of them would have been ripped to shreds.

"WEREWOLF!" Jarhead screamed. The wolf was the tallest motherfucker they've ever seen. It had a powerful build, claws sharper than razors, and it exuded an aura of savagery that could shake the souls of those that could feel it. The Lycan analyzed the team in the span on seconds…until it laid its eyes on Tsukune.

"OPEN FIRE!" The monster disappeared. Werewolves were famously known as monsters of speed. None could match a werewolf, especially when there's a full moon.

But there was no full moon. So how?! How could the thing fight in full power?! Tactics like that had a profound effect on the enemy team. By tearing down something established, their minds scramble to regain footing on the situation. Combine it with a relentless assault, there could no possible way for them to think of a counterattack.

The team was aware of that maneuver so they continued to lay down suppressing fire, removing the Werewolf's capacity to land a decent blow on them. Ichinose unloaded with his M240B while screaming bloody murder. The wolf-man swiftly avoided the hail of fire- using the tree line as cover and jumping from branch to branch so he could shake off Ichinose.

Click! Shit! Ichinose needed to reload. At worst, an MG could take about five seconds to reload. Five seconds was a lot of time for a creature known to be the fastest in the world. Sarge, Deetz, and X-Man quickly covered for him.

Tsukune watched as they fought desperately against an opponent way above their ranks. Fuck!Even now?! Even when he was a fucking soldier?! He got tired of being protected…of being the one to be saved. It only got worse when the wound on his belly reopened and started bleeding again.

The werewolf effortless breached their defensive line of fire and went straight for Tsukune with a single-minded determination to tear his guts out.

Why me!? He thought.

An injured Spray wrapped Tsukune in a tentacle and dragged him to safety before the wolf's claws could end him. With him out of harm's way, the werewolf was surrounded from all sides. Not one to let them have a victory wank just yet, the wolf zipped through their bullets with blinding speed and unleashed his true power.

It reminded them how powerless they were against an S-Class threat when not a single round could scratch the fucking thing. In the eyes of the Wolf, they were all moving slower than in real-time. He waded through each of them, swiping his six-inch claws through their torsos, legs, and other non-vital parts. It was a gruesome sight of a predator toying with his prey.

The wolf then bolted straight for Tsukune. He was unusually fixated on the wounded man. A thing that he found odd since they never met before. In his world of slowed time, the wolf got a clear look on Tsukune's terror-stricken face. Just inches before his claws could tear him a new asshole, the wolf pulled away.

Time resumed for the rest of them and it was only a matter of seconds before they became disabled. They were beaten pretty badly, and their ability to reach their extraction was severely diminished.

"FORM UP ON ME!" Sarge ordered. The squad covered each other's back to predict their opponent's movement. Even with their wounded bodies, their formation was solid with zero openings. But as they wait for the upcoming attack, they realized that it was what the werewolf wanted.

Visibility was almost close to zero. But when you're in the shit, you notice all the little details. Everything becomes brighter even if there were no means to lighten up the place; you feel things, things that cause the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up; your sense of smell picks up a lot of what you didn't before and then suddenly you started to smell the pile of rancid shit by your boot. But it was the ears that were the most important. Often you'd get to hear before you see.

Normally out in the woods with a lot of background interference like chirping birds or squealing rodents, you tend to pass over the littlest sounds. Not in their case. They heard everything.

So when they heard something drop on the pile of leaves at their center- they all heard it. It wasn't a rock. No. Rocks don't smell like gunpowder.

"GRENADE!" Ichinose morphed into his diamond form and pushed back the rest of the squad before diving in. The hot potato detonated. The others were blown back by the force, but thanks to Ichinose, they were alive.

They picked themselves up. Sigma, despite massive gash on his right leg, limped towards Ichinose. He was only unconscious. The Gollum's exoskeleton absorbed most of the blast and the shrapnel. But with their heaviest hitter out of the game, they went from going up shit creek to paddling on the river Styx.

"Sigma, help me get the big man up!" Mach ordered, "X-Man help Tsukune to his feet." The Cyclops set aside his animosity for the ghoul. No matter how hard they hated each other, they were still squadmates, and they had each other's backs. Most of the time, anyway.

Tsukune's radar started going off in multiple directions. "Sarge! We have hostile targets coming in fast!" he grabbed his pistol from the ground before being picked up by X-Man.

"We'll make a run for it!" Sarge ordered. They were so close. So fucking close. And they made it this far without hauling any of their mates in bin bags.

"You go on ahead. We'll cover you." Spray declared. Deetz and Jarhead stood beside him. The trio was staring down the werewolf that almost took out their squad. The Lycan watched them as if he were letting the rest escape. He was frighteningly still. They knew even the slightest movement would set him off.

[Butterfly- Asian Kung Fu Generation]

MAGE. Jarhead rolled his sleeves as magical circuitry traveled from his arms up to his face.

CHIMERA. Two very large scimitar-like blades protrude from Deetz's forearms.

KRAKEN. Colorful rings appeared on Spray's tentacles.

"What?" Mach's voice became desperate "I said no bloody heroics!" it sounded more like he was begging them to stay.

"It's not. We're doing our job." Deetz reminded him "Coony, get that intel out of here." The Tengu nodded. He knew what they were doing- they were warriors after all. If it meant laying down their lives to save many more, then they would do it in a heartbeat. Others do it for the paycheck, but when it came to, suddenly all the money in the world didn't matter.

The trees and surrounding foliage quickly caught fire like they were already doused with gasoline.

Kuyou was already close.

"Get out of here!" Spray shouted. The werewolf would just kill them all if they turned their backs.

"Spray!" Tsukune called out "Don't do this man!" X-Man fought to keep him under control "What about your wife!"

The Kraken smiled wistfully and looked at the younger man "My wife's already dead, Tsukune." It was the most serious expression Tsukune ever saw him make "Go. Live. You haven't found out what Mizore and Moka meant to you, right?" Spray smiled ear to ear.

"Tsukune!" Jarhead looked back "I practically brought you back to life. Better not waste it by fucking dying again."

A couple of tangos jumped out of nowhere. This time they weren't C- grade lowlifes. They were the real deal. They were A, maybe even S-class. The werewolf took the opportunity to strike while they were distracted. Deetz responded by crossing his blades and preventing the werewolf from advancing. Clang! Six-inch claws against organic steel. Spray shot out his tentacles even before Deetz and the werewolf collided. The appendages made of pure muscle aimed for the wolf's legs, completely immobilizing it even if just for a few seconds. Spray knew that if the Lycan were to blitz its way through Deetz, his arms would tear from its sockets. He didn't care. He just stalled for time.

Jarhead vanished into thin air with a resounding 'Zap!' that shook the ground. The reality around them distorted like fragmented glass. Suddenly the six or so attackers dropped like dead flies under his feet. Three of his circuits were burned out and his forearms were sizzling with friction smoke.

A drop of blood slid from the corner of his lips down to his chin. Jarhead surveyed the burning woods as silhouettes of stronger Ayashi became visible "GOOO!" he implored.

"FUCK!" Tsukune was on the verge of tears. The rest of the squad yielded to their demands and made their way to the chopper.

.

The forest was completely engulfed in flames. A UH-60 Black Hawk was ready and waiting for. All we need to do was board the damn thing and go home. We exit the forest, our bodies were covered in layers of ash and we were coughing like asthmatics. Ichinose regained only an ounce of consciousness and was still pretty much out of it.

It's been a while since we encountered resistance. And we didn't hear from the three since… I shook away those thoughts. No time to be thinking about that. I'll wallow in my grief when we get back.

I could tell that X-Man was already tired of lugging me around. The guy wasn't built for heavy lifting after all. The loud whirring blades were music to my ears. It was the best thing any soldier out in the field could hear. Except maybe when the chopper wasn't on your side.

We duck our heads once we felt the strong winds blowing against us. Didn't want to get decapitated now. Sigma slid open the chopper doors and helped Ichinose inside. Mach and Coon covered the clearing while X-Man and I got in. Mach tapped Coon on the shoulder, signaling him to get the fuck inside already.

The Tengu opened fire at three Ayashi exiting the burning forest. For that brief moment, I saw his face twisted with terror. He fought it and fired a shot. The fired another volley of anti-tank rounds. A woman with the lower body of snake emerged from the flames. Fucking Gorgons! The bullets were unable to pierce through the rune-like magic barrier she erected. Gorgons were deities that had countless years of thaumaturgical exposure. A simple thing such as deflecting kinetic projectiles posed no difficulty for them.

Coon tried to bail but the gorgon had already petrified him from the waist down without him even knowing. X-Man jumped out of the chopper as soon as it started lifting from the ground. Before the cyclops could reach him, a focused beam of flame blasted Coon. The fireball was off by about a few inches, but Coon's entire left-half was burned to a crisp. I couldn't see where it came from since there zero visibility due to the thick barrier of noxious smoke. But I knew who it belonged to.

"NO! NOT YET!" Sarge screamed at the pilot. X-Man got a hold on Coon, who was close to death. His face was charred all over and patches of his skin were covered in claret. I saw X-Man struggling to drag him back to the chopper. I was tempted to jump down, but once my body got a taste of a few seconds reprieve, all the pain that I hadn't felt came crashing down. I felt like shit and I couldn't move. The smoke presented a big problem for us since it concealed enemy movement. Right then and there, as if the universe was playing one big joke on us, droves of Ayashi armed with rifles and blades came charging from the smoke wall.

"This place is too hot we have to leave now!"

The best thing I could do was grab X-Man's CheyTac and cover them as they headed back to the chopper. Sarge got on the mounted M60 E6 and started pumping tracer rounds on the other emerging Ayashi troops. Sigma on the other hand also jumped out to aid X-Man. Kuyou hadn't made an appearance yet and I didn't know if it was a bad thing. One thing I knew, however, was that I had to take that Gorgon down before it bagged the three of them.

Things took a turn for the worst when Sigma's arm started getting stoned. I furiously scanned the vicinity with the scope and activated my youki detector. A large number of hostile auras masked hers. I couldn't pinpoint her exact position. I blindly fired a shot. The bullet parted the smoke just enough to get a view from the other side.

A layer of stone crept up X-Man's leg.

I fired again- this time I saw a tail. I felt a sadistic presence right next to it and snapped the rifle to the source. I pulled the trigger. Bang! It whizzed through the smoke, creating a tunnel of visibility. The Gorgon was right there with her barrier magic protecting her. Judging from the volume of smoke, it would only a few seconds before she was concealed and moved to another position. I didn't have that time. I removed one of my Holy Lock seals- something I vowed to never do.

I felt the power surge through the circuits in my arms. The glowing nerves infected the rifle and for that brief second, it was truly an extension of me, coating every inch with demonic energy. I breathed in. It was my only chance. This was the last round in the magazine. No time to reload. No time to waste. As I pulled the trigger, I felt a part of my lifeforce exit the barrel along with the bullet.

The Gorgon smiled. She thought she won. The supercharged, youki-infused .408 penetrated her barrier and slotted her in the left breast. Magic cancels out magic, that dumb bitch. Her smile got easily wiped off her face and I could feel one crawling up on mine.

"LIFT OFF!" Sarge shouted as they neared the chopper. We got them inside and continued to fend off the waves of incoming Ayashi. As the bird gained altitude, the UAP troops started firing. Higher and higher the bird went until none of their bullets meant shit.

I looked through the scope of the rifle and see Kuyou walking into the clearing. I pulled the trigger but it was already empty.

PRESENT DAY

V. Moka

Moka had a competitive spirit. She hated failure more than anything. Even if she outgrew her 'high school' phase, there was no getting rid of that pride of hers. She was a true vampire after all. Moka was stern, harsh, and just about every synonym of the word. But there was no denying that her methods of leadership produced results. It was one of the things she had to learn the hard way. Without the cold and callous professionalism she developed over the years she would have been nothing more than a lapdog for the council elders that wanted her out of the picture. Even her own family could not escape from politics.

She made sure to never show an ounce of sympathy for those who threaten the established order of her rule. Mistakes, even if they weren't hers, made her look weak. The mistakes of her employees reflected on her- it made it look like she had bad judgment. Minor mistakes were forgivable, but mistakes such as the clusterfuck in front of deserved no mercy.

"WHO THE FUCK HIRED THEM?!" she slammed her fist on her wooden desk and it split in half due to her tremendous strength. She was furious- a seething silvered haired demon that emitted a suffocating aura of pure darkness. Rather than face a gruesome, it was better to just shut up and take it like a champ.

In front of were remnants of the original "Black Parade". At least, those who haven't turned into ghouls anyway. There were five members in total, with skills ranging from surveillance, assassination, security, destabilization, and other tasks, they were a force to be reckoned. They were also known as the 'Shuzen Assassination Squad.' At the center, was the eldest of the Shuzen daughters, Akuha Shuzen.

As Moka continued her rant, not one of them could look up out of shame for their shared failure.

"I SAID WHO FUCKING HIRED THEM!" she asked again at lowered decibels, this time, baring her fangs. "I SWEAR THAT IF NONE OF YOU TALK IN THE NEXT FIVE SECONDS I WILL SLIT YOUR THROATS AND FEED YOU TO ALUCARD! 5! 4! 3! 2!-"

"I hired them." one of them had the guts to step forward and admit it. She was a young vampire, blonde, and looked slightly foreign.

Moka approached her, anger glazing over ruby red eyes "You entrusted a 165 MILLION dollar project that took almost EIGHT FUCKING YEARS to perfect, to a bunch Australian hicks that you found on the backside of beyond? Now that A-56 is out there doing God knows what, do you think that you'll make it out of this room alive?"

"No, Ma'am!"

"Moka! Stop it!" The silver-haired she-devil cracked her head to the side "I was the one the approved it."

She could not believe what she was hearing. "Everyone out." the squad left the room with hurried steps. She might have lost the scowl, but the disappointment was etched on her face.

"You've grown soft, Akuha. You would have never given this job to anyone else."

The Black Devil never spoke a word, fully taking responsibility for her lapse in judgment.

"Akuha, do you know what would happen if a human organization captured A-56? They'll cut him up, use him for some sort of military weapon and link it all back to Shuzen Pharmaceuticals. If they do that, we're all done for. Not just the clan, but the whole fucking monster race would be dragged into it. It's going to be war again, I tell you. That is...if it doesn't kill the rest of humanity first."

"I'll take care of it."

Moka mellowed out a bit "You better." she was completely drained and her face became pale "Because if you fail, I will not hesitate to kill you even if you are my flesh and blood."

"Understood."

"You're free to leave." Moka waved her hand dismissively "Oh and on your way out call the maids to clean this mess up." she pointed over to her obliterated desk. Moka realized that in her rage, she broke the picture frame that held the only picture she had with Tsukune. She knelt and brushed the splinters of wood and shards of glass to pick up the broken frame. A-56 was her life's work. In the off-chance that they fail to retrieve it, all of the sacrifices she made would've gone to waste.

"There's one more thing, Moka," Akuha added.

"What?" she asked in a soft, wary tone.

"We found him."

She continued eyeing the photo longingly "Where?"

"Here in Japan. We don't know where exactly, but he's here."

Moka stood up to face Akuha, her eyes filled with steely determination "Find him."

VI. Mizore

A night of wild drinking wasn't what she needed. What she needed was to get away from the world. Away from the conflict, her friends, her job…she wanted to be alone. Maybe a year of isolation on some deserted island that had Wifi and good books… and maybe throw in a cat or two.

Yet there she was waking up from a night of drinking for the second time in a row. The first night was with her friends. Fucking lunatics forced her to drink nine shots, plus ONE WHOLE GLASS of Vodka, and then forced her to drink more. The combination of whiskey, beer, vodka, and tequila almost dissolved the inner linings of her stomach. If she died of alcohol poisoning, she knew who she would haunt.

The second night was with her ex. It wasn't as intense as her previous liver-destroying, stomach-churning, head-splitting alcoholic escapade with the Newspaper Club. But it was a wholly personal affair- too much drama and too many bad memories. She was a cunthair away from revealing one big secret that she never planned on telling anybody. At least she let him knew the full extent of her feelings toward him.

Which came to the burning question: what happened after that? Beer cans were the last thing she saw. She remembered that her sleep was peaceful, and with no interruption. You know you slept well when you blink and it's already the next day. So who helped her up to her apartment? Nobody knew where she lived! Not even Kurumu or her coworkers. Certainly, it wasn't Tsukune…right? Did he?

Mizore tried to open her mouth but her tongue so was dry that it ended sticking on the roof of her mouth. After a few seconds of building moisture on her tongue, she licked her chapped lips. She could taste the awful stench of her bad breath and it was disgusting.

She wanted to move, but if she did, it felt like she'd shake her brain out place. Slowly and carefully she pushed herself off the bed and sat on the headrest. Just getting up from bed proved to be a chore. The sun shined through the windows, highlighting the scattered clothes and empty boxes of Chinese food. It was as if the world itself was telling her to go clean her fucking room.

A thick crust of rheum had formed on the corners of her eyes. It was thicker than normal. Oh no… did she fucking cry? In front of Tsukune?! Oh god… She took a pillow and buried her face in it. How embarrassing! She made a mental note to avoid drinking until next year. At least she won't get to see him again. She remembered the words that she said, but she didn't remember anything about fucking crying. And judging by her memory, the things she said were harsh. Tsukune was a reasonable guy, if rather dense. With her being that open, there's no way that he'd ever remain friends.

Maybe it was for the best…

The snow woman laid a foot on her cold apartment floor. She slowly stood up, cautiously avoiding triggering the throbbing of her head. She went over to the kitchen for a glass of water that she greedily chugged in one fell swoop. The pitcher emptied in less than a minute.

The cold water reacted to something in her stomach. A second later and it was already churning. She could taste the acid rising on her esophagus. "Oh my god…" she almost gagged. Her stomach felt hollow and acidic like she hadn't eaten for days. Yet at the same time, she needed to take a big, fat dump, which would undoubtedly smell shittier than regular shit.

Her mind was already made up "Alright. No more drinking for me." She declared with finality. If it were to be a passed bill, it would be immediately executory, no need for a publishing period in newspapers and the internet. Mizore Shirayuki, from that day onward, was a new woman.

She heard something stir in the living room.

"What?"

Mizore became wary of any possible intruders. Despite being the hung-over lass that she was, she immediately switched on her Officer Mizore persona. Beneath the kitchen counter was a hidden Glock for emergencies. She flicked off the safeties and prudently walked over to the living room.

What she found elicited a mixed bag of emotions: Anger, sadness, regret, awkwardness, wistfulness, and longing to name a few. And it wasn't necessarily in that order.

Tsukune was knocked-out on her expensive sofa bed. He was lightly shivering from the extremely cold air conditioning which was normal for a member of her species. The only thing that gave him warmth was the jacket he used as a makeshift blanket.

It gave her another massive headache.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Tsukune?" she whispered and flicked the safety of her Glock back on. She placed the weapon right beside the TV and crouched next to him. She was right- Tsukune did help her up to her apartment. She felt stupid for thinking that he would not have done so. Tsukune was still Tsukune. No matter how ripped he became. He was still an awkward boy trapped in the body of a 26-year-old man.

She planned on not seeing him again after that. Yet there he was. You gotta face your demons sometime. But why couldn't he just go back to his place? Why stay at hers?! Was he too drunk last night to call another cab? Mizore touched her body fearfully. Could he…? Nononono. It was Tsukune she was talking about.

All her stressing made her stomach churn even more. The acid filled her throat to the brim. Here it goes! Speaking of demons-she ran for the bathroom and released a few of them on the toilet.

.

Tsukune woke up to the sound of someone vomiting loudly. He didn't open his eyes at first and only listened to the regurgitated food sloshing around in what sounded like a toilet. The groaning and retching only grew worse and he knew that, at some point, he had to step in.

The one he hated most about the cold environment was its effects. It was always easier to fall asleep when the air was chilly. Look at bears during the winter. He felt like a bear and he wanted to be one. To just hibernate in a cold, dark cave with stockpiled food, water, and beer… ah… that would be the life. But alas, Mizore may have needed assistance

"I'm coming."

The ghoul went over to the bathroom where he found his ex close to barfing out her stomach. Without delay, he scooped the loose strands of the hair obstructing her face and held them back in a ponytail.

"Don't worry… I got you."

Mizore gladly accepted without question. It was a simple thing, but being able to help in any way got his heart fluttering and aching at the same time. The two stayed like that for a while until she was finished.

"I hated you...for the longest time..." he remembered her words clearly.

.

The last time someone cooked for her was three years ago. Her mom was an excellent cook and every time she ate her dishes it felt like she could die and go to heaven without regrets. She missed it dearly. The past years weren't good to her thanks to the upsurge in organized crime thanks to a law that legalized gambling in Japan. She couldn't even catch a break on holidays.

Speaking of which…she made a mental note to call her mother later.

She rarely set-foot on her apartment so ordering something with Uber Eats became a thing for her. Seeing Tsukune in the kitchen wearing an apron made her realize that she was missing out in life…and that she still had food on her fridge. Food that could've gone to waste if he didn't offer to make her breakfast.

As she watched him make breakfast, she took a closer look at his features. When she first saw Tsukune, he was a scrawny kid that was almost the same height as her. Ever since he started getting injected with Moka's blood and started training under her, he grew an inch every time. His broad back and his taut round buttocks were only accentuated by the apron strapped tightly to his waist.

Mizore looked away having felt the blood rushing to her face. Tsukune set down the food on the table and smiled warmly at her.

"Here…have some soup. It's good for 'ya." He pushed the bowl of Miso soup. Even with how she naturally preferred the coldness, she might benefit from being warmed up. It was a regular Japanese breakfast- one that she hadn't had for a long time. Glazed Salmon, a bowl of rice, some veggie side dishes, rolled egg, etc….

She sheepishly thanked him for the food and grabbed a spoon. It was delicious and pleasantly warm. She felt her rumbling stomach ease down and she smiled in relief.

"I would've made something different but it's all you have in the fridge."

"What about you?" she asked, noting how he only made a single serving.

"I'm not hungry yet." He replied as he took a seat in front of her.

Mizore's expression dimmed once she realized how she felt and how she acted in the situation. She placed the bowl back on the table and eyed him seriously.

"What are you doing here, Tsukune?"

He could immediately sense how the atmosphere shifted from lighthearted to something serious. He just wanted to do her some good, but he felt like every move he made was being frowned upon.

"You were very drunk last night. I just couldn't call a cab and let you be on your way."

She hated how her heart raced from the amount of genuine concern in his tone. Yet at the same time seeing him shrink like that felt wonderful. After all the shit she went through, having the tables turned gave her an incredible sense of empowerment. It was almost intoxicating. She wanted to see just how far she could go.

"But you could have gone back to your place." She folded her arms and raised a judging brow.

"About that…I'm really sorry. After I dropped you here I was supposed to leave but…I uh… lost my wallet. Must've dropped it in the cab last night. And I was really drunk myself and I didn't have the strength to walk back home."

"You mean the wallet under my bed?"

Ha...Ha…Ha… That was stupid of him.

That was it. His chagrined look was the sign that he was going to be at her beck and call. Mizore glared at him "Why was it under my bed anyway, huh?"

"Well..."

"You should've made sure that you dropped it in the cab. Unless…" Mizore wrapped her arms around her frame and shied away from all while giving glaring at him accusingly.

"No no no!" he put his arms. Unbeknownst to the snow woman, Tsukune had been already building up his frustration. That single implication about his character was the one thing he couldn't take "God, why are you interrogating me like this?!" he snapped "All I did was help you up to your place. Jeez, I know you really hate me, but I don't have to take shit from you." He stood up from his chair.

"This was a mistake, Mizore. I'll find my wallet and head out. Enjoy your breakfast."

Her heart dropped at hearing those words. She was so caught up with her power-tripping that she hadn't even stopped to think about what he felt. She hated him for what he did; she wanted him to suffer as she did. The moment he decides to leave, any semblance of composure was promptly scrapped.

The man in front of her was still Tsukune.

Mizore wrapped her arms around him when turned to the exit. Her embrace was tight and the slight pull she made let him know that she didn't want him to leave. Tsukune tried to ignore her but she wouldn't budge. He knew that if he ever saw her pleading face, his fragile resolve would shatter.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…please, don't leave." It was Yokai Academy all over again "I'm sorry for being such a bitch. I'm sorry for all the harsh and stupid things I said last night…" She thought she had her life together, but the moment he showed his pretty face again, she dissolved into a mess.

"They were harsh and they were stupid… but they were true…" he said. Mizore's reluctance to release him made him reevaluate the situation. "What do you want from me? You tell me you cared about me and then one second later, you tell me that you hate me. It feels like you don't want me around, yet you don't want me to leave." Tsukune pried himself out of her hold. He was strong. Way stronger than her. That's it. She fucked it up again. He was going to leave.

"I'm sorry..." her heart sank, but she couldn't let him see the tears streaming down her face.

"Come here." Tsukune held her in a gentle embrace "You really hate me, huh?" he asked with a hint resignation. It's been eight years already, surely in that amount of time she managed to move on and forgive him… even for just a little bit, right? Why were her feelings so damn strong as if it happened a few weeks ago?!

Mizore kept quiet, wanting to take it back. Everything about him confused her. She found out that she really didn't hate him. She didn't know what to feel about him and it scared her to the core. Their shared silence was getting to her. Slowly, she returned the gesture and rested her head on his chest, never mind that it smelled like alcohol.

Tsukune pulled away to meet her baby blue eyes "Mizore…I know what I did hurt you…and I'm sorry." his tone was soft, like a lullaby "Before we were exes, we were friends. I still care about you a lot and I want to make it up to you…

…So what do you say? Want to start over again"? He offered with sincerity. He wasn't going to live long anyway so why not live out the remainders of his life in relative peace?

She hoped that they were more than just sweet words. But she fell for that before. Fool her once… "If you want to start over again… I have one condition." She proposed a compromise.

"Name it." He was prepared for anything.

"Under no circumstance are you allowed to fall in love with me." She said it plain as day.

"What?"

"Don't question it and just listen. I'm gonna be transparent with you, so I want you to be transparent with me, okay? If I feel anything that might indicate you growing any sort of romantic affection towards me…I am going to cut you off from my life. You understand? We've been there and done that…I don't need romance right now. I just need friends."

Mizore held out her hand "If you think you can do it. Let's shake on it. If not, you're free to leave. This time I won't stop you. "

She saw the reluctance in his eyes and wondered if it was really mistaken. But you'll never know if it's a mistake if you don't see through it to end. With that in mind, she just hoped that he would shake her hand already.

Character development or something more? Spray's words echoed in his mind.

A small part of him wanted to rekindle what they had, so naturally, he would be disappointed. But he wanted to respect her wishes and he wanted to be part of her life again- even if all it'll ever amount to was friendship. The two of them shook on it, unaware of what they were getting themselves into. It indeed felt like a fresh start from them, though there was hesitation on both sides, they could only hope for the best.

"You can let go of my hand now," she said.

.

Tsukune left her apartment with a smile. He was a step closer in the right direction. Now all he needed to do was find a way to finish his business with Fangfang, tie all loose ends, go to someplace far, and die an obscure death.

Or maybe…just maybe…he could go search the ends of the earth to search for a cure.

His arrangement with Mizore gave him somewhat of a boost in morale. Kind of like a post-coital glow with zero sex. The giddy energy he carried all the way down from the building left him was more than enough to warrant a walk-a-thon to the nearest train station. He could also use the time to reflect on his game plan.

Before he could achieve anything, he must first deal with the major obstacle in his thorny path: Fangfang. It looked like the Yasha wasn't planning on letting him go any time soon based on their previous conversation. He wasn't surprised that sooner or later Fangfang would rather slit his throat in his sleep than to let him leave.

"I should've stayed as a mercenary." He had the money to buy an apartment, a car, and just about every living expense you could think of. When he was still a private contractor, the jobs were far in between and he lived in a dingy, rat-hole in Hong Kong. If someone were to walk up to him and offer him a chance to go back to being is said rat-hole, he'd give it all up in a heartbeat. Nothing compared to having freedom. The luxuries he had were just decorations for a glorified prison cell.

"There's got to be a way…"

A black Land Cruiser pulled over beside him. Before the huge vehicle arrived, he had already sensed a familiar youki getting closer to his position. The exhaust and engine grumbled idly, making it known to the world that it wasn't some stock SUV. Tsukune sighed and shook his head "Oh no." He muttered.

"Hey Sunshine, need a ride?" It was Fangfang's sister.

"What do you want, Lingling?"

"Get in. Boss wants to talk to you."

VII. Kurumu

"Thank you very much for your help!" the succubus politely bowed to the two security guards. She just got done with the groceries. Upon seeing her carry bags of food using her busted- if slightly healed- hands the guards rushed to her and offered to carry them up to her condo. Aside from being decent human-beings, Kurumu, after all, was a celebrity. Rising star and model, Kurumu Kurono, who recently starred in the Box Office Bomb "Requiem: A Tale of Love and Bullets." The movie was bad, but she was an absolute darling in it.

No doubt the two were part of her fan club.

Once the two nice gentlemen left, she dropped the bubbly persona she was known for. It was in her home that she was able to be her true self. On TV she was known for her bright and comedic ads, in the prints, she was known for beauty, and in the film industry, she was getting recognized for her surprisingly serious acting chops. But nobody really knew the real her except for a select few. She created so many masks that she sometimes forgot which one to use in a given situation.

Her hands were slightly healed thanks to Ruby's magic. She could already carry stuff around and grip small things although there were spikes and numbness when she did. She twisted her doorknob and pushed the door open with her knee. That's funny. She didn't remember leaving a lamp on.

"Kurumu" a familiar voice came from the dark. She jumped at the sound of her door closing.

"Mother?" she looked around but her mother, Ageha Kurono, was nowhere in sight. The bustier succubus emerged with a frightening motherly smile. Something was really off. Ageha wore a fancy black dress accompanied with a feather boa wrapped on her shoulders

"Sit down. I want to talk to you." Over at the living room, Kurumu sat down on the couch while her mother sat across from her on another set of furniture.

Ageha placed a medicine bottle on the coffee table. It was funny how one small thing was able to elicit fear and terror from Kurumu. She looked to her mother pleadingly as if begging for her not to do this to her. If there was a thing that could Kurumu feared more than anything in the world, then it was inciting her mother's anger.

Lying was never Kurumu's strong suit. She was way too obvious. Even a kid with an underdeveloped brain could pick up if she told a lie with the way her eye twitched or how lips quivered. On the phone, it didn't seem to be the case since whoever she lied to wasn't in front of her. The best she could do was to omit certain facts and compartmentalize. Rather than lie, she just wouldn't tell them at all.

But when her mother asked her a direct, no-shit, straight to the point question "Have you been taking your meds?" there was just no way of omitting a fact, so she lied. Since it was on the phone, Kurumu fared well and thought that was the last of it. She never expected it to bite in her the ass that hard.

Ageha, on the other hand, absolutely hated lying. Moreso if the one lying was her daughter. So imagine the anger Ageha felt at being betrayed like that?

"Kurumu that bottle was for March. What month is it?"

Kurumu was unable to meet her striking gaze "April…" she said weakly, voice trembling.

"I am very disappointed in you, Kurumu. You lied to me. Do you realize what would happen if you stop taking your medicine? No wonder you're having relapses." Ageha's words were heated, but her voice was ice cold. Her expression was as blank as paper and that made it even scarier "I was in a good mood today, so I'll let you off for now. But if you're condition worsens, I'll have no choice but to have you deported back to the mainland... you understand? I'll know about it, Kurumu."

The young woman could do nothing but meekly nod. As she tightly gripped the fabric of her skirt, she came to realize that fighting back her tears had the complete opposite effect. Kurumu sniffled "I'm…I'm s-sorry mother…" the amount of fear Ageha instilled in her was unbearable.

Kurumu never knew when she would snap. There were times when Ageha acted motherly, when she could act like a daughter, and there then were times that felt like she was a completely different person. Ever since she got pulled-off from the academy because of her 'condition' things were never the same.

Ageha sat beside her daughter "Oh sweetie…" she was back to being her 'normal' self, which only frightened Kurumu even more "I'm only doing this to protect you… I don't want to see go through the pain of your procedure again so you have to drink your medicine okay?" She ran a hand through Kurumu's short blue hair "There there…" she cooed.

The tenderness was only temporary. Ageha let go of her daughter and stood at the center of the room "About your boyfriend, Kurumu...:

Damn it! She completely forgot about that.

"The ball that the company's hosting will be moved next month due to some developments. Bring him there. I'm going to be pissed-off for the whole week and I don't want him to leave a bad impression on him."

Kurumu silently nodded and wiped her tears.

"You will bring him…right?" she wanted to believe that her daughter hadn't been lying to her again "I have already told my friends about it and they're as excited about it as I am. Don't embarrass me now, okay?" A magic circle formed under her feet, bathing the room in mystical purple light.

The older succubus dematerialized and Kurumu was left alone in the room. She let her head cool off and her tears dry. The source of her dread was gone and she could breathe again.

"Boyfriend…" she dug her own grave by saying that. Just where the hell would she find a boyfriend? She thought about it hard. With her looks and her money, she could get just about any man. It didn't have to be a long term thing. Hell, she could do it a week early. But it would have to be an Ayashi like her. The ball is going to be in the Succubus mainland. Bringing a human there would cause all sorts of trouble.

Unless…

"No. no. no. It was impossible..." she shot down the idea.

Ping! A text was sent to her personal number which read:

Hey, Kurumu! It's me, Kishou. This is a new number so save it! Meet me at Winston Café downtown at 8 PM. I have some good news for you. See you there."

Kurumu could use some good news. And Kishou's shitty jokes. Winston Café was also a low-key spot. Not many visitors. The food was also great.

"Ok." She plainly replied.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to rest for a bit before setting off to meet Director Kishou. 'Don't embarrass me now, huh?' her mother's words were going to cause her a lot of anxiety over the next few days.

"Since when have I not been an embarrassment to you, mother?" That was what she felt for the last eight years. Every move that she made was carefully watched and every decision had to go through her mother's approval. It was suffocating. It took a few more years after graduation for her to achieve even a semblance of autonomy.

Kurumu groaned at her situation. She looked over to the little white bottle on her table. It had no labels and the only thing she knew about it was that it was created by Shuzen Pharmaceuticals and that the pills prevented REM sleep which meant that it also prevented dreaming.

For Succubi, the dreamland was essentially another form besides their corporeal ones. It was as natural an environment to them as was the sea to a fish. Take that away and their souls become incomplete. Not being able to remember what happened, having gaps in her memories, having delusions about the man next door, being forced to take one of those awful pills…having to put up with her mother! She's had enough! Kurumu grabbed the bottle and, with all her might, threw it at the wall. The bottle burst and the contents spill out on her carpeted floor.

The anger and the rush felt good. She wanted to experience more of that.

.

Kurumu locked the door. It was already time for her meeting with the director. She was fresh and well dressed. Her bandages were discarded, no need for those ugly things to clash with her stylish get up.

"Hey, neighbor" a voice caught her by surprise. It was Tsukune. And he still wore the same clothes as yesterday. He just got back? She thought. That meant he spent the night somewhere other than his place? Her heart ached at the realization. Is he seeing someone? She thought. That woman from before…? Her nose twitched and tried to pick-up any residual scents on his body. Ayashi had enhanced senses after all. It smells sweet and fruity… why do I know this smell?

"Are you okay? Tsukune asked with an arched brow.

Whoa…why am I jealous? Kurumu shook her head "A-ah, it's nothing. Gotta go!" I don't know him that well… I don't have the right to be jealous. But it was normal to feel that way if you learned that your crush was having a fling. That meant ruined chances. Kurumu clutched her chest. She knew the feeling heartbreak all too well. It somehow made her nostalgic for memories she never had.

"Hey…"

"Yes?" she asked without looking back.

"Stay safe… I guess…"

"I will. Thank you." Without another word Kurumu walked and kept it casual. Her heart throbbed with vigor and cheeks were glowing with a dark shade of red. There was got to be a way to get closer to him. If she were to pick a partner for her "Operation: Boyfriend" she'd choose no one but him. She just had to crack that shell of his.

Just you wait! You'll never want to look at any other woman after I'm done with you!

To be continued...

EPILOGUE:

"...A series of gruesome murders have taken place in several areas around Tokyo. Bodies of the victims have been mutilated and are said to have been drained of blood completely. Government officials have issued a curfew starting at 7:00 PM for anyone not working on night shifts...Police continue to investigate the bizarre killings as they have no suspect at the moment..."

A/N: Alas, another update.

I hope you'll review the story. It really helps! Any form of constructive criticism is highly encouraged.

I had a really hard time with this chapter. it took me 13 drafts before I managed to settle on one.

Since I couldn't update in over a year, I hope this 'volume' made of seven short chapters could make it up to you. The pacing of the story will kick up a lot in chapter 7 so I hope you'll continue to read this story. I plan to release another chapter before quarantine ends so that I can advance the story further. Right now I'm taking my time to establish the world Tsukune's been in. I promise by chapter 7 the action and romance will pick up! Thanks for reading!