Chapter Text
Life never goes the way you want it to. At the age of five, Yuuto lost his parents in an anti-monsters rally. Their killers - while known to police and arrested on site, were never charged. Daisuke and Chiyoko Kidou had been prominent members of the community; well liked around Inazuma Town and proud activists for supernatural rights.
As a pure-blood vampire and a witch, it seemed like a natural position to fall into. Their relationship itself was controversial, and so were the two children they sired together. It wasn’t required of them; Daisuke was the CEO to Kidou Zaibatsu and would never be in any real danger of the anti-monster legislation. Similarly Chiyoko was classified as “human” and was therefore even safer.
Neither of them had to care. They did anyway. They loved Inazuma Town, and moreover, they wanted their children to have a bright future. So they used their influence, their time and money to make the change they wanted to see. They went out often, campaigning, until they left one morning and didn’t return.
Up until that point, Yuuto and Haruna were sheltered and had no real concept of how much the world hated them. Or Yuuto, in particular. Once thought of beloved relatives, left them to the system while the Kidou’s assets were divided amongst them and their business partners. The Kidou children were the only thing no one seemed to want.
Yuuto remembers the mixed, underfunded orphanage and the sneering contempt Yuuto was treated with for being a dhampir, and the disgust Haruna for being related to him. His classification affected hers and he spent a lot of his time protecting them, and getting in trouble for not passively accepting the treatment they apparently deserved.
They were there for a year, growing weary and distrustful. Then, Daisuke’s old business partner came to visit. Yuuto vaguely recalled the man, nervous and shifty eyed - before his parents died. Attempting to be an uncle to them - beings that scared him. Yuuto didn’t know what to expect, when Daigo turned up with a shadow, of the name Kageyama Reiji, asking to see them.
An adoption wasn’t even the top twenty of possibilities Yuuto had come up with. But that’s what they wanted. What Daigo apparently wanted, but he seemed to only want Yuuto. Had no interest at all in Haruna.
‘What about Haruna?’ Yuuto demanded, as he held onto his little sister’s hand as tightly as he could without hurting her. He can still feel how she trembled against him. Eyes wide and wet as they looked between the two men and her brother.
‘What about -?’ Daigo was about to repeat, only to be outspoken, as Kageyama leaned forward in his chair. Eyes hidden by his sunglasses. Yuuto hadn’t gotten a good feeling for either of them.
‘You don’t think it’ll be in her best interest to stay with her, do you?’ Kageyama asked, like an accusation. Yuuto felt himself freeze. Even then, he knew what Kageyama was suggesting; that Haruna would be better off without him. Safer. Happier. Because, although they were siblings, they didn’t share the same heritage, and if not for Yuuto, she’d have already been adopted.
‘Oniisan?’ Haruna whispered, voice thin and uneven.
‘We’re - she’s my sister.’ Yuuto tried to rally, but it felt weak. It didn’t feel enough.
‘She’s also human. Don’t you think she’d be happier without having to worry about her safety?’ Because people attacked when they were together. If not for Yuuto -
‘I can protect her.’ Yuuto stated but his resilience against this line of attack was gone and he didn’t know what was best. He was just too young to be making adult decisions. Too young to see the manipulation.
‘Can you?’ Kageyama asked. Yuuto remembers bristling at the tone, remembers going to open his mouth to retort, when -
‘Your cousin has offered to take her in.’
The more they spoke, the less of a choice they seemed to have. The more Yuuto realised that maybe they were right. Maybe it was best if they were separated, at least for awhile. Haruna was devastated and Yuuto wasn’t much better. He just hid it.
They didn’t even have an opportunity to say goodbye.
Haruna cried as he left.
Yuuto was led away - driven back into Shin Teikoku territory, but not even the familiarity of a place he once called home, had been enough to soothe the loss of his sister. The manor Daigo returned to was large and well kept; spacious and clean and with little welcome.
Daigo had never hidden his scent well; the ill-concealed smell of fear, body odour and stale coffee burnt Yuuto’s nose. This man didn’t want him. So why was he there? He was given strict instructions not to leave his wing of the manor, to stay in his room like he was captive rather than a resident.
Yuuto played along. It became obvious soon enough, when he snuck out of his room. His nose and hearing gave him enough warning that no one was around. No staff. No nothing. He crept through the shadows, until he eventually discovered Daigo’s office. The voice’s inside weren’t especially loud, but Yuuto could hear them from the beginning of the hall, and sunk down on his hunches to listen.
‘Kageyama-san, are you sure that this is necessary?’ Daigo asked, a nervous quality about his voice.
‘Kidou Yuuto has the potential to be an effective enforcer.’
‘Yes - but...having a monster here -’
‘Kidou Daisuke’s heritage is too valuable to lose. The boy is young and malleable, so he’ll be useful for the cause.’
Useful, Yuuto thought in dread.
‘His age doesn’t -’
‘Are you suggesting that your fear is more important than what Fifth Sector is attempting to achieve?’
‘N-no! No, of course not. You know I’m loyal to Fifth Sector.’
‘Good. It wouldn’t do for you to forget how you’re in the position you’re in. You’d still be slaving under that vampire if not for us.’
What? Yuuto thought as fear and denial took root in his heart. The vampire -? Dad?
‘I - I know…’
‘Then, this will be the last I hear of your complaints.’
‘It’s just...odd. That Fifth Sector wants supernaturals,’ the word was spat, uneasy and casually hateful. ‘We want a pure society, don’t we? How is - is empowering these things going to -’
‘To kill a beast, Daigo-san, you use a beast.’
Even as young as Yuuto was, that conversation he overheard was enough for him to understand what had happened to his parents. And for him to know how much danger he was in. He was trapped, though. Yuuto couldn’t give away what he knew. The likelihood of getting killed or - just “disappearing”, was too high. Besides him, Kageyama had arranged Haruna’s adoption too. If he acted out and didn’t do what he was told, what happened to Haruna?
They’d mentioned Fifth Sector - the controlling organisation in Inazuma Town that publicly decries hate crime and purports equality for humans, monsters and creatures alike. If they were onboard with his parent’s murder, if they were truly anti-supernatural -
Nowhere was safe.
There was the Council, the amnesty…But they were located all the way in Raimon. Too far away for Yuuto on foot. What would he even say? He had no proof, it would just be his word against an organisation thousands strong, with years of public good will. And if he spoke out and they didn’t believe him, then he’d given himself away for nothing.
Yuuto spent over a decade pretending to be a good son, while desperately looking for a way out. He did as Daigo told him, never strayed from his room, and agreed to go to Teikoku Gakuen - right into Kageyama’s influence. He played dumb over what he knew. It was almost enough. Sometimes his contempt felt too large to hide.
With the knowledge he possessed, it was easier to see the hidden cruelty hiding in the dark, growing in plain sight in Teikoku. Yuuto attempted to help when he could, but they’d made him a chained dog. However cleverly he disguised his aid, played ignorant - it was still aid. And a risk every time.
Yuuto was eventually inducted into Fifth Sector once he came of-age, at sixteen. His foster-father was insistent and Yuuto had no reason good enough to refuse. And he was good at it, just like Kageyama said. He made enforcer within the year; a government approved thug, with a nice shiny badge to prove it.
Kageyama - Yuuto could tell, was thrilled. Yuuto wasn’t, but his feelings hadn’t mattered since his parents died. He acted like he was proud, anyway. Like his new position was his due. It was the best defence he had.
Soon enough he had a squad of his own. It killed him a bit, seeing these supernaturals, and how they believed they were doing good; that they helped others like them and their town, under Fifth Sector’s thumb. Jimon, Genda, Sakuma, Oono, Sakiyama, Domon… Yuuto became responsible for these beings. He wanted more than anything to get them away from Kageyama and all his honeyed words.
Domon, who was a bit too smart and caught on too quickly - Kageyama released orders soon after Domon began acting oddly, that the monster needed to be detained. With a blatantly false explanation. To Yuuto, it was perfectly clear.
Yuuto caught up to Domon easily, stuck at a doorway that wouldn’t open, with others’ fast approaching. His security clearance was revoked quickly, before he could escape. Yuuto felt sick, looking into Domon’s terrified expression and how he pushed himself further and further into the wall, when Yuuto drew near.
Yuuto pressed his key card into Domon’s limb hand and turned around, just in time to bump into Genda. Before he could travel down the hall, Yuuto took hold of his arm and monitored him back the other way. ‘He’s not here,’ Yuuto stated clearly, just a bit too loud. ‘Let’s try Sector 3-B.’
Domon, presumably escaped the compound. Yuuto reported his key card missing later that day.
It wasn’t fair.
More and more supernaturals were disappearing by the day, quickly covered up in the media. Some, turned up in Teikoku, if they were lucky; quiet and traumatised. Others - Kidou hadn’t known until this year. He assumed they were killed. Some were.
It would have been better if they all were.
Yuuto is approached on patrol. Grabbed and dragged into an alley. He’s too startled to cry out to his squad nearby, before there’s a hand over his mouth and he’s looking up into dark eyes. ‘Don’t make any sudden sounds. I’m going to reach for my pocket to show you my badge.’ Yuuto is informed as his breath quietens. ‘It’ll be my police badge. Nod if you understand.’
Yuuto nodded, shaky at this unexpected development. He’s not used to being caught unawares anymore. Has learnt to play with a stacked deck.
‘Good.’ The man telegraphed his movements clearly and Yuuto watched. The badge is produced, held in a battered wallet. “Onigawara Gengorou,” is the name on the ID. Yuuto committed both it and the detective’s badge number to memory.
Onigawara loosened his grip. Yuuto works his jaw but doesn’t attempt to scream. He doesn’t have enough information yet. It wouldn’t be wise. He needed to know more, before he made a decision. ‘...detective?’ he queried.
‘Yes. Kidou Yuuto, right?’ Onigawara said right back, finally stepping back and allowing Yuuto some space. Yuuto tensed but he had tonfa in holsters on his thighs. He didn’t reach for them. ‘Your parents were Daisuke and Chiyoko? Have a sister?’
Yuuto’s eyes narrowed behind his goggles. He’s known enough at Teikoku, for being a young captain. But it’s still odd that a detective knew his family. ‘...I thought interrogations happened at your precinct, after you’ve read me my rights and with an attorney or representation of my choice.’
Onigawara smirked, but it didn’t fit his face. His gaze remained steady, in that way, he almost reminded Yuuto of Kageyama. ‘Yeh, Kid. Sure. If I was gonna arrest you. Should I be arresting you?’ He tilted his head in mock curiosity.
Yuuto tried not to let that get to him. ‘What do you want? My squad is going to get worried if -’
‘I won’t keep you long. I’m a part of a task force investigating Fifth Sector.’
Yuuto’s stomach tightened. ‘If you’re truly part of a task force, should you be informing a member of Fifth Sector.’
‘Wouldn’t be. Only - Remember a boy, Domon Asuka.’
Yuuto took a long, drawn breath. Mind making connections that are pure speculation. ‘...He was brought into Fifth Sector a few years previously. Flippant, disorganised and not always on time. But he was a part of my squad and he settled in well, until it was discovered that he was responsible for corporate espionage.’
‘...is that the cover story?’ Onigawara asked curiously.
‘He was hacking into Fifth Sector files, compromising our security -’
‘Domon-kun was a plant.’
‘...what?’ Even then, it sounded right. Domon had been so confident, but far too searching.
‘He’s working with the police in conjunction with the council, to investigate Fifth Sector. Officer Domon reported that he was discovered while he was looking for information on Fifth Sector’s mainframe, that he nearly hadn’t escaped.’
Yuuto could almost accept this, but - ‘What do you want, detective?’
‘Why did you help him? For all you knew, it was like Fifth Sector had said. Corporate espionage. Nasty business. Why give a way out to someone like that?’
It’s what Fifth Sector would deserve. Except, that’s not who Domon. Domon was a good guy. The little that Yuuto knew him, he was amiable and mischievous and was good natured to anyone who spoke to him, no matter their classification. But he could have been none of those things and Yuuto still would have given Domon his key card.
‘Because Fifth Sector’s dirty.’ That’s not the kind of thing that’s safe to say out loud, but out it went; snarling from his throat. Onigawara didn’t look surprised, or threatened by a monster displaying aggression.
‘Yeh, kid. They are.’
Yuuto swallowed. Feeling freer than he had for a good while at the approval. The agreement. ‘They - they killed my parents. They’re…’ he trailed off.
‘Killed a lot of people. A member of the hunter’s guild, to keep them in line. The previous alpha of the lycan pack, to keep him quiet. That might come as a surprise, but it seems like you know enough. So, why’re you with them?’
It was cowardly, especially with so many others at risk. But Yuuto answered honestly. ‘Because I can’t go against them. My foster-father ordered me to join and Kageyama is involved with my sister’s adoption.’
‘Kidou Haruna?’ Onigawara asked for clarification.
Yuuto managed to nod. ‘Yes. She’s the only family I have left.’
Onigawara took a breath. ‘She’s not with Kageyama’s placement anymore.’
‘W-what?’ Yuuto didn’t speak with Haruna much, if at all. He made it out at the manor, like he was too good for her. In reality, it felt like the only proper way to protect her. Occasionally he’d ask after her, as nonchalant as possible. And Daigo would state that she was happy were they dumped her. Had they - lied?
‘I didn’t research too extensively, but she’s living on pack land now. Registered as a witch. She moved out from her foster family while she was still a minor. But the pack wouldn’t release her back into their care. She’s been there ever since.’
‘She’s...safe?’ Yuuto leant backwards, collapsed back against the alley wall.
‘Yeh, kid.’ Onigawara said with an awkward grin. ‘She’s safe.’
Yuuto took a moment to digest that. Just a moment to think and straightened immediately afterwards. ‘....you want something. That’s why you’ve come to me.’
‘I want to help you.’
Yuuto was too proud to shrug. ‘Maybe. But if that was all, you’d have thrown me into your cop car and not into a wall.’ ‘You’ve lost Domon. He was interrupted while he was working. I presume he hadn’t finished what he was there for.’
‘No. Look. You have every right to refuse. You probably should refuse.’ Onigawara hesitated. ‘But, Kid, we’re desperate.’
It didn’t take him a second to think about it. ‘I’ll do it. Tell me what to do.’
Yuuto left the alley, with a memory stick in his pocket. He ran late and didn’t have much of an excuse besides “I thought I saw something suspicious, so I loitered on the street for a bit, but it turned out to be nothing.’ Oono looked like he believed it but Kageyama spent a lot longer reading his report than he usually did that night.
‘Remember, Yuuto, if you spit on the gods they’ll rain on you later,’ Kageyama stated. He liked that saying. Hearing it again, however, was a warning sign. But Haruna was safe, outside of Fifth Sector’s influence and Yuuto had years and years of wrongs to right. He goes through with the plan anyway.
Yuuto started with stealing their files that Domon wasn’t able to collect. Yuuto spent days infiltrating Fifth Sector’s computers, downloading everything and anything of interest. Eventually he’s finished.
It would have been a relief. If, once he’d removed the memory stick and hidden it on his person, Kageyama hadn’t opened the door. He stepped through, into the office Yuuto in no way should have access to, and his task force fans out around him.
Yuuto stands. Doesn’t care how the chair tips. His goggles are absent, from alluring the guard on duty - and he stares directly at Kageyama. ‘I suppose you won’t believe I’m just up for some midnight reading.’ It isn’t a question. It was time bought.
Kageyama’s face is as blank as ever. ‘It’s a shame this couldn’t work out, Yuuto. You’ve been quite the asset.’
‘I couldn’t regret anything more.’
Kageyama nods slowly, like that was the response he was expecting. ‘Let’s see if we can’t change your mind.’
Discussion over. The task force swarms him. Yuuto manages to defend himself for a few minutes, before he’s over taken and gets stabbed in the torso. His Blood Arts are weak, but just enough to allure the bastard into unconsciousness. In the scuffle, a window was broken. He can use that to his advantage. They haven’t been feeding him correctly, so he’s never been at full strength, never able to fly. The injuries hinder him further. But he’s powerful enough to glide over the wall - before they can grab him, and into the woods surrounding Teikoku.
He hears shouting, and yelling and then the alarm.
He runs.
Yuuto is brave enough to admit to the terror he’s been attempting to strangle; that dark, consuming panic clawing at his throat. He’s up a creek without a paddle. If he doesn’t figure out how to swim, he’s going to drown. But there’s not much else for him to do but run.
All that work. All those sacrifices and a few more files is all he can achieve. Perhaps its karmic - What Yuuto deserves. To think he’d make a difference, when he can’t even help himself or his sister. What a joke. If he can’t get this memory stick back to Onigawara it’s all for nothing, anyway.
Yuuto only just escapes his pursuers - he can tell how close they were follow his trail until it started to rain.. He finds the alley Onigawara first shoved him inside, all that time ago. Their scents have long been obscured, but he slinks inside anyway.
He slumps behind some dumpsters, mostly hidden. Just need to catch my breath, he thinks desperately. There’s not much hope for him. Maybe, he could leave the memory stick here. Maybe the detective would think to come back here.
It’s a very big “if”, Yuuto’s wounds are vast and plentiful and if he can’t get away -
Yuuto might as well be dead.
Whatever they do to the supernaturals they capture -
Yuuto would prefer to be dead.
He fears his will be the death of a thousand cuts. Yuuto's weakening and daylight's approaching. The chances of his capture are growing if he can’t think a way out. However futile, he refuses to make it easy for them.
Yuuto exhales slowly, and looks down to his abdomen and the one stab wound that has quickly become a hindrance. A sliver knife. Figured Kageyama would have something like that. It bleeds and with the purity of the blade, it’ll continue to do so. His natural healing isn’t enough to combat this kind of injury. He’s already ruined his cape trying to stop it, and besides that - he’s losing focus, any number of the supernaturals at Fifth Sector’s disposal will be able to sniff him out like this. The bins won’t be enough to hide the smell.
Yuuto takes another breath only to almost inhale his own tongue when his nostril fills with thistle, ylang ylang and burning ember; an altogether heady scent that aids in his disorientation. He tries to concentrate on the approaching odour, on tenterhooks. Ember's a sign of mana. A sign of -
Lycan .
Yuuto’s stomach drops. He quickly scents the air and inhales the presence of what's undeniably a lycan and another, less notable smell: that of gunpowder and herbs, something usually associated with hunters and his fear grows. Fifth Sector held no hunter members but that didn’t make it a positive, in his case.
Hunting supernaturals has been increasing in recent years. The lycan didn’t smell injured either, or in any distress. And neither being like vampires. Yuuto has no way of defending himself, not to a lycan and definitely not to a hunter. He's a sitting duck like this, useless and so very inferior.
Yuuto’s heartbeat thumps traitorously against his breastbone and he attempts feebly to quieten himself, pushing himself further into the alley’s wall in the hope that he will stay unfound. There's only one way out in his condition, knowing already that he'll be unable to climb.
His eyes - exposed and vulnerable with the loss of his goggles, stare at the entrance of the alley. He sees the instance when two figures appear; their shadows stretch across the alley like looming death. Yuuto holds the air inside his lung and curls into himself tighter, he can’t run and he can’t fight. He watches, though, refuses to look away. If he can seize a chance, then he’ll try to make a break for it.
‘Woah…’ the lycan murmurs, little more than a silhouette with the streetlight behind them. He's shorter than his companion, even with the ears. It's unusual; lycans are typically imposing figures. ‘I told you the blood was coming from this direction.’
The hunter sighs. ‘You seek out too much trouble if you’ve become this good at tracking it.’
The lycan laughs, and doesn’t say anything in his own defence as they step further into the alley. Yuuto tries to disappear into the dustbins. ‘I didn’t see you complaining,’ the lycan teases but it just seems to make the hunter tense.
‘You didn’t pinpoint me to a street. You were searching for hours.’
‘Practise makes perfect.’
The hunter clears his throat. ‘Mamoru.’
‘Right,’ the lycan says, voice booming as they both walk down the cluttered, dirty path in Yuuto's direction. It feels like his heart is going to burst as he watches their shadows draw nearer, footsteps getting louder. They stop just short of rounding the bins. He can see the toe of a worn boot, though.
‘So...you doin’ alright there, buddy?’ the lycan asks, voice soft.
‘Mamoru.’
‘What? I don't wanna spook him.’
The question brings Yuuto up short. How…am I doing?
He swallows as he glances back to the wound he can’t stem. ‘Fine,’ he responds tensely though he attempts to be as passive as possible. Maybe they're just - what, concerned bystanders? However unusual, the two of them make as a pair; a lycan and a hunter. Yuuto doesn’t even know if it's a positive at this point.
‘…you’re bleeding a lot for someone who's “fine”,’ the lycan retorts but it’s a gentle thing. No, these strangers definitely aren’t with Fifth Sector. They wouldn’t bother with this subterfuge, especially after Yuuto had run from them - from him .
‘Everything’s fine, but I’d appreciate it if you were to leave,’ Yuuto asks because these strangers don’t need to be dragged into this. He doesn’t need that on his conscience, too and if they didn’t disappear soon, Yuuto is sure the pair will run into Fifth Sector’s searches.
‘Well...we could,’ the lycan seems to assent though the hunter snorts.
‘Could we?’ the hunter asks doubtfully, like that's an impossibility. The lycan ignores him, which seems to give heed to the theory.
‘But, we sort of promised your sister that we’d find you.’ Yuuto stills and he starts to wonder if he has a concussion, after all. He hit his once or twice and he thought it’d been light, all things considered but maybe -
The detective had mentioned Haruna living on Pack territory but - even if this was a lycan, wasn’t it too much of a coincidence? Yuuto finds he doesn’t care. ‘My sister?’ Yuuto asks over his heartbeat, staring wide-eyed at that one boot. Frozen.
The lycan awkwardly clears his throat. ‘Yeah, we were pretty surprised when all of a sudden Kidou was yelling about her oniisan needing help -’
Yuuto bursts out from behind the dustbins and tries not to wince as he pulls on his injuries. He doesn’t have the time to give it as he comes face-to-face with the two strangers; the lycan who's knelt down and the hunter, appearing to be standing guard over the creature’s shoulder. ‘My sister, Haruna? My little sister?!’
Round golden eyes blink at him. ‘Yeah, Kidou’s kind of became pack, and I’d do anything for my pack,’ the lycan admits as he rubs the back of his head, dislodging his orange headband as his dark wolfish ears twitch on top of his head. ‘She Saw you in trouble while scrying and became really worried, so I said I’d come get you.’
This lycan’s face is incredibly sincere and open to Yuuto’s scrutiny. ‘But…she must have told you that I’m -’
‘A dhampir,’ the lycan finishes like that's perfectly acceptable to him…for how unbothered he sounds, it might just as well be. Which is more than just odd, it's unimaginable . 'Yeah, she mentioned but I’ve never really cared about, um…’
‘Politics,’ the hunter suggests to which the lycan nods. Like they were discussing the weather. Who the hell has Haruna fallen in with? Yuuto tried to keep himself as ignorant as possible, to keep his distance, since he’d essentially cut off ties, but now he wishes he asked more questions, that he allowed her to tell him anything so that this would make sense.
‘I can like who I want to like and help who I want to help,’ the lycan proclaims with a stubbornness that shines in his eyes like fire. But that's the point, isn’t it? Vampires and lycan are feuding; they don't “like” each other and help between the two races is unthinkable. 'Besides, you’re Kidou’s brother.’
‘Haruna’s a - a witch.’ Witches were at least considered human - and didn’t tend to have bad blood with any race, but that good fortune often bred ugly feelings. Yuuto’s statement is met with shrugs and he’s starting to wonder what kind of pack this lycan has made, to be so unbothered by what his pack members he takes in are .
The lycan laughs. ‘She’s pretty talented,’ he says like that’s all that matters, missing Yuuto’s point entirely. Maybe they’ve already gotten to him and he's unconscious - it’d make more sense than what he's trying to wrap his mind around.
The hunter clears his throat. ‘Maybe you should tell him Kidou’s message?’
The lycan blinks before readdressing Yuuto with a kind grin. ‘Oh, right. She said to tell you not to be stubborn about this, that you’ll be fine with us if you stop trying to do everything by yourself. She’s - er, really worried about you.’ The lycan uses one of his clawed fingers to scratch his cheek awkwardly.
The hunter elbows the lycan in the side. ' And... '
The prompt has the lycan flinching before his face lights with realisation. 'Oh! Right...sorry.' The lycan readdress Yuuto with shining eyes. ‘Kidou also said...that - "moonshine points you home."'
Yuuto blows out a breath, startled but relieved as their family's old saying is repeated; something they could never know if Haruna had not told them. When was the least time he’d heard that?
The hunter inclines his head. 'She said you'd know what that means.'
'She really is worried,' the lycan adds again.
Yuuto slumps forward. Of course she is, that's to be expected even if they hadn’t properly talked in months, and the last time they saw each other was when they were children. ‘This is - a dangerous situation.’
The lycan huffs. ‘Don’t care.’ He offers his hand - rough skin, large palm, long fingers, and it is open to Yuuto. An invitation that he's free to take.
...or not.
‘C’mon, let us help.’
Yuuto stares, unable to help how he falters under the weight of the knowledge that his sister has sent her - pack, to him or that this lycan is agreeable enough to offer it on the back of so little. It's absolutely ridiculous, who did this?
‘Yuuto,’ the lycan addresses, and Yuuto startles at his first name. Kageyama uses it, almost like a taunt, but no one else. ‘We know, okay? Fifth Sector’s hurt us too. Even if we hadn’t taken in Kidou or Domon. We know. One more won’t hurt.’
‘D-Domon?’
‘Yeh. Detective Onigawara asked for a favour, and he’s done a lot for the pack and - Domon’s a good person.’ A good person? The words echo in Yuuto’s skull.
‘He’s a ghoul.’ The words are dull to Yuuto’s ears. Why is he even surprised at this point? Seems like the lycan has no real concept of orthodoxy. The lycan is young, Yuuto’s age - how has he survived this long? What on earth -
‘Yeh. We have a few monsters with us. Domon’s fit right in. You can too.’ The lycan shrugs, uncaring.
‘Fifth Sector’s going to be furious with me and however helps me.’ The warning doesn’t seem to go in, or maybe it does and the lycan truly doesn’t care. What - a ridiculous creature.
‘I don’t care.’
Yuuto can’t help but flinch. ‘You don’t care about your pack?’ Yuuto demands far too harshly for two beings that have come through Raimon to Teikoku just to help him. ‘What will happen when someone gets hurt because of me?’
The lycan doesn’t respond straight away but the hunter’s face twitches with anger. ‘It won’t be because of you,’ the lycan corrects lowly. There’s something unnerving about it. ‘My pack is everything to me. I’ll do anything for them. You’re Kidou’s brother. You’re basically pack already. So come with us. Please.’
Yuuto doesn’t know what to say to that. He doesn’t know what to do.
‘It’ll get better,’ the hunter promises after Yuuto hesitates for moments too long. He has dark eyes - darker still in the lowlights of the alley and in comparison to his platinum blonde hair, seemingly as young as the lycan and appearing just as soft. He speaks as if to say, " I’ve been where you are". Yuuto doesn’t know how to take any of this.
Yuuto swallows thickly. It tastes like venom. ‘You have no idea what you’re getting involved with,’ he states uneasily, perhaps incorrectly. It’s all he can think of.
The lycan’s expression, if at all possible, becomes that much more compassionate. ‘I can tell enough.’
And Yuuto really cannot help the compulsion to take the lycan's hand.