Eric called on the radio every night after dinner. I could tell he missed his daughter, but said there was lots of work to be done at Simon’s outpost. I held the walkie-talkie up to Abby during every conversation so he could hear her coo or cry, and he listened intently, as if he was hanging onto every single sound she made. I reassured him she was well, though the little one was certainly keeping me on my toes.

One night when he called, I put Abby back in her crib and sat down on my bed, clutching the radio in my hand. I hated that I didn’t get to see Eric every day. Now that Amy was gone, I found myself opening up to him and looking forward to his daily calls. Negan was busy leading the Sanctuary, and Vivienne had her garden to work on. Although I was in a huge community full of people, I somehow felt very alone.

“You okay?” Eric’s voice came through and I pressed the talk button quickly.

“Yeah, sorry…” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. “I’m probably just tired.”

“Well I hope you know I appreciate everything you do for Abby. She’s lucky to have you.” Eric’s voice inflected a bit, hinting there was something else on his mind. I paused a few seconds and then replied.

“How are you holding up?”

Eric sighed into the radio and then let out a dry chuckle.

“I don’t know. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t come here. There’s some…interesting people here.”

“What do you mean?”

He didn’t answer right away and I pressed on.

“Eric?”

Static came through and then he spoke.

“Some of the men have pictures hanging up of these brutal murders…like gore and blood. It’s disgusting, but I think it’s people they’ve killed...or people Negan’s killed.”

“Why would they do that?” I asked, ignoring the chill that was running through me. My mind instantly brought me back to the hallway outside of the principal’s office where I listened to the sound of Derek’s head being crushed.

“I don’t know. But Elle… Many of them look exactly like when you bashed Adam’s head in. They display them like trophies. I’m not sure we’re on the right side here…”

I knew Negan could be cruel with his punishments, but I’d never witnessed firsthand how he handled his other communities. I remembered the first time we met him and how he’d said he usually beat someone to death to prove how serious he was. He’d showed us mercy, but Eric was looking at photo proof that others weren’t so lucky.

“I’m not so sure there is a right side anymore,” I said, trying not to picture the bloody sight of Adam at my feet.

How could I possibly judge Negan for bashing in someone’s skull when I had done the exact same thing?

After Eric said good night, I took out a stack of notebooks where all the points had been tallied for the day. It was a meticulous job, but I was glad Negan was willing to let me work. As I scanned over the many names listed and the points earned, I double checked math to make sure no one was cheating the system—not that the system itself was fair to begin with.

Negan’s Saviors didn’t have to work for points, only the members of the Sanctuary did. His Saviors were allowed to take whatever they wanted, and this caused a bit of a problem with keeping track of items. Where one person might have to save up weeks just to earn a desired new piece of clothing, a Savior could just go to the marketplace and take it.

I approached Negan about the issue on the first day of my new job, suggesting that if the Saviors also worked for points and we kept everyone on the same standards, it would be more fair. He brushed me off as he went into a meeting and told me ‘nothing is fair anymore’.

A few days after I’d started counting points, the whole Sanctuary was buzzing with talk that the people who’d stolen medical supplies had returned to beg for Negan’s forgiveness. They said one of them didn’t make it, but the married couple didn’t want to chance surviving out on their own. I had thought it was just rumors, but then Negan called a meeting for the entire Sanctuary and announced there would be a public punishment that evening before dinner. Attendance was mandatory.

During lunch, I saw Vivienne sitting at a table eating some rice and vegetables. I had to give it to the cook—they knew how to make good grub. The Sanctuary members were kept well fed, and because of Vivienne’s hard work, they’d been able to incorporate more produce in their meals.

Setting my plate down on the spot in front of her, I smiled.

“Hey stranger,” I said. She glanced up from her fork and looked confused.

“Hey, Elle. Where’s Abby?”

“She’s with Frankie and Tanya,” I quickly explained. Negan’s wives had offered to watch her any time I needed a break, and although any interaction with them made me uncomfortable, I was grateful to have a few minutes to myself. “Mind if I join you?”

Vivienne gestured for me to sit, and as I did, she took a bite of rice.

“How are things with the greenhouse?” I asked. It felt like forever since I had gotten a chance to speak with her. She was always working her ass off.

“Very good. We’ve got plenty of seeds, and soil is good. We gotta make sure we keep things watered. I certainly have lots of room. We’re not just using the greenhouse. Negan’s got me planting things everywhere.”

Vivienne seemed very proud of her work and I grinned as she talked. I was happy to see that, much like her garden, she was flourishing here.

“That’s great, Viv. I know he appreciates it.”

“Would help if some Saviors would stop plucking food from the vine before it’s ripe. The tomato plant I grew last time we were here has been completely raided. Thankfully one of those brutes didn’t eat the seeds and was wise enough to keep them.”

“I talked to Negan about that, but I don’t think he’s willing to make changes,” I said, taking a bite of rice. Vivienne shook her head.

“No, it’s fine. The Saviors work hard to keep us safe. It’s just a plant…” She avoided my gaze and I reached out to touch her hand.

“Vivienne, what’s wrong?”

A nervous smile painted her face and she fidgeted with her hands.

“Nothing. I’m fine. I’m just trying to mentally prepare for tonight. That’s all.”

I didn’t understand at first, but then I remembered Negan was going to punish the thieves.

“You don’t have to go, Viv,” I said in a low voice.

“Of course I do.” She looked shocked that I would suggest such a thing.

“Well I’m not going.”

“You have to!” Her voice raised and she stared at me appalled. “He has to punish those who screw over the rest of the community!”

I stared at her wide eyed. Seeing her get so defensive over Negan was off-putting and I frowned as she watched me sternly.

“Why are you suddenly drinking the kool-aid?”

“It’s how it has to be, Elle. I know it’s not great, but without order, these people would just take whatever they want all the time. It would be mass chaos. There has to be punishments when people do something wrong.” She swallowed hard and lowered her voice. “We don’t have to like it. That doesn’t matter. But we have to respect the system.”

I could have argued about it more with her, but I could already tell her mind was made up. Perhaps it had been the trauma of losing Amy and Ryan, or maybe she truly believed what she was saying. Either way, she was more than willing to play by Negan’s rules. I wasn’t as agreeable to his violent nature, and refused to accept it.

We ate the rest of our lunch in silence. Afterwards, I left Vivienne in a hurry, storming off to head for Negan’s bedroom. I pounded on the door a few times, and when no one answered, I decided I would check the main floor. As I entered the stairwell, I was met with the sight of a woman puffing on a cigarette and leaning up against the wall.

She was pretty, with medium-long, soft brown hair and a thin build. My eyes went from her face to the tight-fitting black dress she was wearing. I stood there gawking at her as she took me in. Then, she moved out of my way so I could head down the stairs.

But I was frozen in place, unable to look away from her.

I glanced down at the heels I knew would be strapped to her feet. She looked away, as if she was hoping I would just go on and stop blatantly staring at her. I felt like throwing up, but I pushed past the sick feeling and walked down the steps, doing my best to ignore the woman that was still smoking behind me.

Negan had taken another wife.

When I came to the main floor, I could hear a deep voice talking to someone, demanding they hurry up. As I crossed the room, I noted there were four armed Saviors standing guard nearby him and a few more up on the catwalks. They peered down at me through the yellow bars as I made my way to Negan.

At the center of the room in front of a fire pit, there was a man sitting in a chair with his hands tied behind his back. He had stringy, blonde hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and light-colored facial hair covering his upper lip and chin. His head was hanging down and he looked utterly defeated. Negan was staring over the shoulder of the Savior working the fire pit.

“Having trouble igniting the flame, Fat Joey? Bet you can’t get it up either.” He teased the man.

“Negan?” I called out, hearing the irritation in my voice. He turned and looked back at where I was, completely unaffected by my tone.

“Hello, Elle.” He greeted me nonchalantly, as if there wasn’t a man tied to a chair only a few feet from us.

“This is wrong,” I stated, loud enough so I knew everyone in the room could hear me.

“You know full well this is how we do things. Besides, this fucker’s lucky to be alive.” He gestured to the man in the chair who wasn’t even acknowledging us. As much as I pitied the man awaiting his punishment, it wasn’t why I had started this confrontation.

Taking a step closer to Negan, I lowered my voice.

“You took on another wife?”

Negan’s cocky visage didn’t crack and he shrugged. “It doesn’t involve you.”

“Like hell it doesn’t!” I exclaimed. My raised voice seemed to take the stringy-haired man off guard and his head shot up. Glancing down at him, I noticed he was watching me, looking distraught.

Then I realized it wasn’t my loud outburst that had affected him.

“There was a woman in the stairwell...she was smoking. Is she your wife?” As I spoke, he glanced away, trying hard not to meet my eyes. I took a step towards him, hoping to get him to look at me, but Negan stepped in my way, blocking my sight of the tied up man.

“This doesn’t fucking concern you, Elle.”

I attempted to look past him, but the man was squeezing his eyes shut and had his head tilted down. I hadn’t thought he could look more miserable, but after learning about his wife’s fate, he became even more dispirited.

Looking back up at Negan, I scowled at him.

“You’re so full of shit, you know that?” I snarled. “You said you married those women to protect them. This is just heartless.”

“Sherry offered!” Negan said, unaffected by my words. “And we haven’t made anything official. She’s just trying on the dress. Making sure it hugs all the right places.” Negan’s eyes went over to the man in the chair and he waggled his brows mockingly. “She begged me not to kill Dwight here, but I think she just wanted to know what it’s like to be with a real man. Well now she knows.”

As he spoke, I knew he was trying to upset Dwight, but in his efforts, it was as if he’d forgotten I was standing with them. My eyes widened as I absorbed what he was saying.

He’d slept with this woman.

So many emotions ran through me in the next few seconds. He had already told me he was still sleeping with his other wives, but learning he’d taken on a sixth was like a punch to the gut. I stared up at him as he continued to taunt Dwight.

And I saw red.

Reaching up, my hand connected with his face as I slapped him.

The sound echoed throughout the room. Within a fraction of a second, his men raised their guns and aimed them at me. I didn’t care and glared up at Negan. His head was turned to the side from the force of the slap and he reached up to touch his face. Then his eyes went to me. Where I thought I’d see fire I saw genuine confusion.

He looked past me at a Savior that was pointing his weapon at my head, and only then did he become angry.

“Put those fucking things down!” he shouted. As they lowered their weapons, I continued to scowl at him through tear filled eyes. I wanted to yell, but I couldn’t find my voice. I felt so exposed standing in front of all of his men that I suddenly felt very trapped.

Turning from him, I went to step away when a Savior blocked my path. I froze, meeting the man’s gaze. We stared each other down for a few seconds before Negan cleared his throat.

“Let her go,” he ordered.

I didn’t look back and rushed out of the room. Going outside, I saw a supply truck had just pulled up into the yard and that the gate leading into the yard was open. Sprinting over to the truck, I got into the driver’s side and found the keys were still in the ignition and the engine was running. I heard shouting as I put the truck into drive and stepped on the gas. Within seconds, I was speeding away from the Sanctuary.

Fuck him.

I squeezed the wheel and glared out the windshield. Of course he would take on another wife. Why wouldn’t he? It’s not like we were in a relationship. Sherry was a beautiful lady—they all were. Negan was like a king in his castle and he got whatever the fuck he wanted. Hell, even Vivienne was totally on board with his games now. She’d probably make an argument for him on why he needed multiple women to fuck.

I’d almost driven for an hour, flying down the road and getting more upset with each minute, when the truck started to slow. I furrowed my brow in confusion as it came to a halt in the middle of the street. Glancing at the gas gauge, I let out a frustrated sigh. It was empty.

“GODDAMMIT!” I yelled, slamming my hand on the steering wheel multiple times. Tears welled up in my eyes as my anger boiled over. It was like the straw that broke the camel’s back—I had been so focused on getting away from the Sanctuary that I hadn’t stopped to think what I was doing. Now I was stranded out in the middle of nowhere.

Except it wasn’t nowhere.

Studying my surroundings, I realized I knew exactly where I was. The familiar signs made me feel a little better that I wasn’t miserably lost.

Leaving the keys on the seat of the truck, I hopped out and shut the door. I figured Negan’s men would retrieve it sooner rather than later. Checking around to make sure there weren’t any nearby walkers, I continued making my way down the street.

It took about an hour of walking, but eventually I came to a road I knew all too well. As I made my way down it, I heard a strange sound. At first it was far away, but the more I walked, the closer it got. Every few moments there was a sharp ringing noise, as if someone was banging on metal. I knew it couldn’t be walkers, and was too curious for my own good. Stepping off the road, I chose to walk in the trees and creep forward until I could see the wall that wrapped around the school. I got as close as I dared, and then hid behind a tree to see what I was hearing.

It didn’t take long to figure out someone was trying to mend the gate. As the banging noise continued, I waited patiently and wondered if I should approach. Perhaps Negan had sent some of his men to fix the school for me?

When the gate swung open to reveal the person patching the broken metal piece, I stared in surprise. Charlotte wiped at her sweaty brow and tested the gate to make sure it moved properly. I remained hidden, studying her from a distance. She looked exhausted; she was clutching a hammer in her hand, and after opening and closing the gate a few times, she went back to trying to fix the latch.

I noticed there were a few walker bodies laying on the ground near the gate, and wondered if she’d had to kill them due to the noise. I also couldn’t help but wonder how she would react to seeing me. I was happy she was alive, but knew she hated me for what happened to Derek.

I watched her work on the gate for a long time, debating if I should reveal myself or not. I wanted so desperately to talk to someone and wished we could go back to the day we’d met in her treehouse. It had felt good to open up to someone—to talk to a person with an outsider’s perspective. But Charlotte wasn’t that person anymore, and she’d never want to talk to me. Not after what I'd done.

Eventually, the gate was pulled closed and Charlotte seemed content with her work. After locking the metal into place, she gathered her tools and returned to the school building. I placed my hand on the bark of the tree I was leaning against and started to cry as I looked at the gate.

Doveport wasn’t mine anymore.

It only felt fair Charlotte should inherit it. She deserved to have a safe place to call home. It would never be enough for taking her brother away from her, but it was a start.

As I tried to collect myself, I realized Negan was wrong. His way wasn’t the only way to survive in this new world. There were still good people making a living—still better ways to handle things without burning faces and bashing in heads.

Charlotte was proof of that.

Doveport was still proof of that.

As the sun set, I eventually left the trees and headed back down the road. I didn’t have any food or water, and my sore stomach and dry mouth were already a sign this trip home would be hell. It would take me all night to walk back, and that was if I didn’t run into any problems.

Sure enough, walkers began to catch sight of me and followed me down the road. I walked briskly, keeping ahead of the threat. There were only about five of them, but I didn’t want to waste my energy killing them off. As long as I moved fast, I could keep a good distance from them.

If only I could have stolen a truck with a full tank of gas.

Two hours later, I’d made little progress. The sky was a deep pink and orange, and I was panting in the Virginia heat. The group of walkers had tripled and was fast becoming a serious threat. I couldn’t stop, although my feet were already sore and tired. I mentally kicked myself for putting myself in such a stupid position.

The sun had barely disappeared on the horizon when a supply truck came speeding down the road. I watched as it flew past me and did a U-turn, only to pull up next to me and stop. I looked through the window to see Negan peering out at me. As we stared at one another, I glanced over at the hoard of walkers that were quickly closing the distance. I really didn’t want to have to suffer the awkward ride, but it beat becoming a snack for the dead.

Getting into the truck, I pulled the door shut and Negan hit the gas. We sped away from the group of walkers and I watched them disappear in the rearview mirror.

“Here.” Negan offered me a water bottle and I took it. Not caring how it looked, I chugged the water gratefully, finishing half of it within seconds. Negan watched me out of the corner of his eye, but I ignored him and turned to look out the window. We spent the remainder of the car ride in silence, though I could tell he was itching to say something. I wished he would have just sent one of his men to fetch me.

We reached the Sanctuary and Negan parked the truck near the entrance to the factory, but didn’t get out. I placed my hand on the door handle just as he began to speak.

“I want you to come up to my bedroom…” His voice was stern, as if he wasn’t asking. I didn’t look at him.

“Why don’t you just have Sherry do it?” I muttered, opening the truck door.

Negan got out just as I did, but he slammed the door shut so loud it rocked the entire truck. Rolling my eyes at his childish behavior, I headed into the Sanctuary. I decided I would let him lecture me in the hopes I could go to bed and get off my aching feet.

As we walked down the hallway, I glanced into my room to see Tanya was holding Abby and sitting on my bed.

“Oh, Negan!” she said, standing up. “I just-”

“Not now,” he barked, ignoring her big eyes and entering into his bedroom. I gave her an apologetic look and then followed him in. I had stormed off and left Abby behind, and Tanya had become responsible in my absence. I never planned on abandoning her, but knew that if Amy was still alive, she would be furious with me. Not because Tanya wasn’t capable, but because I had promised her I would watch over her child.

Taking a deep breath, I closed the door behind me and then faced the beast.

“That little fucking adventure you went on could have gotten you killed!” Negan bellowed the second the latch clicked. “I know you’re pissed off about the whole wife situation, but I can’t have you disrespecting me in front of my men like that.”

“Fine. Anything else?” I gave him a scathing look, hoping to cut this short.

“What the fuck has gotten into you? You’ve been acting so fucking cold ever since you moved here!”

“I’ll be sure to work on that,” I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “It’s not like I just watched my friends die or anything. Oh, and I just LOVE looking at this growing collection of women you’re accumulating!” I gestured in the direction of the parlor room and my saccharine tone faded away and was replaced with one of frustration. “It fucking kills me that you’d take on another wife. You said before that you hated having to drive to Doveport, but now I’m here, and you’re still sleeping with them. It was never about the distance. You’re just fucking selfish!”

“I was trying to do the right thing!” he shouted. “Tina needed meds. She was fucking diabetic and couldn’t afford insulin. I offered for her to become a wife so she wouldn’t have to work anymore, but she didn’t like that either, and instead, she chose secret option C. The three of them robbed us and fled. She died out there, and Dwight and Sherry realized they fucked up. I was going to kill them both, but Sherry is practical. She didn’t want me to kill Dwight, so she offered to marry me.”

“But you could have said no!”

Negan let out a sigh and shook his head. “What’s done is done. It doesn’t change the way I feel about you…” He was shifting gears; his tone becoming soft. I looked away and scoffed, disgusted with him.

“Oh, just stop, Negan.”

“Fuck, Elle! It’s not like we’re fucking married!” he argued.

He was right—we weren’t committed to each other, but that remark caused me to wonder about something…

“Did you sleep with other people when you were with Lucille?” I asked suddenly. As I said her name, Negan’s hardened features cracked and he became confused. Then my words sunk in and a look of guilt spread across his face, giving me my answer.

“What the fuck does that have to do with anything?” he muttered, looking away to avoid my gaze.

“Did you cheat on her?” I refused to let him dodge this.

His jaw became stiff and he tensed up. His eyes went to the barbed wire bat that was leaning against his nightside table.

“Negan, did you cheat-”

“Yes.”

His confession felt heavy, and we both stood there soaking in such a simple word. I remembered back to our fight—the ugly argument we’d had months prior, before we’d met Derek and right after I’d finished my rehab from the pain pills. I’d asked Negan if Lucille knew she wasn’t enough for him in attempt to get under his skin, and it had worked. I’d never thought more about what that insinuated, until now.

Negan sat down on his bed and stared off into space. He appeared distraught, and I thought he wasn’t going to talk anymore. Then he swallowed hard and looked down at his hands.

“She fainted one day. It just happened out of fucking nowhere. One minute everything was fine, and the next I’m rushing her to the hospital. Doc said it was cancer. I held her in my arms while she cried. I knew I couldn’t fix it…knew that our time together had an expiration date. I tried to focus on being a coach, and I hit the gym every day, but it wasn’t enough of a distraction…”

He trailed off and closed his eyes, then took a deep breath before continuing.

“I was already cheating on her before we got the diagnosis. Back then it was an occasional fling, but after she got sick, the affair became weekly. It wasn’t that I resented her, or that I stopped loving her. I never stopped loving her…I just wanted to feel something other than this fucking emptiness eating away at me. The guilt was easier to handle. But I realized too late that I was wasting what little time we had left—that all I needed was her. So I ended the affair and committed myself to Lucille.”

His voice cracked as he said her name. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that he had been unfaithful in his first marriage, and yet I found myself shocked. The way he spoke about Lucille, I never would have thought him to have cheated on her in a million years. But he had…

“She knew about the other woman, and was mad I ended it. She couldn’t understand why I would pick 'the sick one’, but she let me stay with her...after all the crap I’d put her through...She started chemo, and we bullshitted like we used to, but it wasn’t the same. Then her hair… Her beautiful, dark locks fell out and she had to wear those fucking cancer scarves. She said she felt so ugly, but she was still so fucking beautiful. I brought her to every appointment and anywhere she wanted to go. We used to go to the park and feed the birds, before she got too weak to get out of bed. I stayed by her side up until the very end, when she had tubes shoved down her throat and in her nose…”

My heart felt like it stopped when I realized he was crying. Negan hung his head down to hide his face, and his voice was strained as he fought the tears.

“That’s when the world ended. The dead came to life just as she died. I couldn’t save her from the cancer, but I can keep others alive now.” Negan looked up with watery eyes and a stern expression.

“The rules have kept us safe. Dwight and Sherry stole medication and had to be punished. Being a wife is Sherry’s punishment, even if it was her idea. She knows how shit works around here. People have to be kept in line. There are tons of Sherrys and Dwights just waiting to fuck us all over. When they see the ones who try get reprimanded, it ensures order.”

“But you slept with her, Negan,” I whispered as I studied his face. I never thought I’d see him cry.

“Because I feel like I’m losing you,” he said quietly. “You haven’t been the same since Amy died. I know you need time to grieve, but it’s like you’re still at that fucking school. There’s this distance between us, and I can’t stand it.”

He shook his head and took a deep breath. “Marrying Sherry was a mistake. I fuckin’ know that. And I know I’ve only added to that distance, but if I could fuck up the good thing I had with Lucille, it was only a matter of time before I fucked it up with you. I’m still that same, stupid man cheating on his wife. I’ve always been an asshole, but now I’m so much worse. I’ve done things for the Sanctuary… Unspeakable fucking things, Elle…” He put his face into his hands and tried to hide the fact he was weeping.

I wanted so badly to go to him—to comfort him—to forgive him.

But I couldn’t.

My feet were frozen in place as I watched this man fall apart before me. I knew he was right—I hadn’t been the same since Amy passed. I didn’t feel like myself anymore, but he could have talked to me. We could have tried to fix things.

Instead, he took on wife number six.

I was sick of sitting back and letting him do whatever he wanted with these women. I felt neglected and taken for granted. I wanted what we had to be more than sex, but the romance felt like it was dying. I could either put up or shut up. It was time to lay all my cards on the table.

“I can’t do this anymore,” I said quietly. It came out more monotone than I intended. I stood there like a statue and wanted so badly just to feel something other than this horrible numbness.

“What if I stopped sleeping with them?” he asked through misty eyes.

“That’s not the point.” I shook my head and looked away. It was difficult to see him with tear-stained cheeks, knowing I was the one causing him to feel guilty. “You don’t get to have me and those other women. It doesn’t work that way.”

Finding the courage to move, I stepped over to the door and fought my own tears that were building. I hated the finality in my voice, but knew if i didn’t say my peace—if I didn’t give him this ultimatum now, I’d regret it.

“I’m not Lucille—I don’t want you to pick them. I want you to pick me.”

I hated how selfish I sounded in that moment. I knew he didn’t care about his wives the way he cared for me, but I still envied them. They caused a rift in our relationship, and the only way I could move forward was if it was just us. I didn’t want to have to wonder if he would be spending the night with me or one of them. I wanted all of him, not just a part.

“Me or them. You have to choose.”

Ball in his court, I turned away and opened the door. As I stepped into the hallway, I heard his voice.

“Elle…” he called, sounding desperate. I stopped for only a second, and when he didn’t say anything, I let the door fall shut. Turning back, I thought maybe he would chase after me. When he didn’t, I pressed my ear against the wood and listened. At first I heard nothing. Then, I heard the muffled sound of his voice.

“I’m sorry.”

He had no way of knowing I heard him, but I had. He sounded remorseful, and it killed me. I’d sent him on one hell of a guilt trip, and I wanted so badly to go back into his room and assure him everything would be okay.

I wanted to forgive him.

Lucille had—but I couldn’t.

Stepping away from his door, I felt hot tears spill down my cheeks. I hated this. I hated how this choice was hard for him.

But he still needed to make it.

Wiping at my eyes, I did my best to get my bearings and then headed for my bedroom where Tanya and Abby were waiting for me.

Please choose me.


Shibuya

In the late afternoon, the sun shines down as Kureto enters through the front gates of Shibuya on horseback with Aiko following close behind him. Their large party and guard follow close behind them. He looks around to see various men with short, near balding hair and black robes walking throughout the capital with hard black sticks in their hands.

As the beta enters commoners and citizens take note of him and his golden hand. The citizens move to bow as Kureto rides past them towards the Royal Keep, barely acknowledging them. The dark robed men eye him with scorn and wariness.

Kureto turns away from them and looks ahead as his eyes fall on the faint outline of Mahiru's chamber window near the top of the castle as he feels the anticipation and nervousness for their reunion building within him.

Inside Mahiru's chambers, the omega sits in her chair with a goblet of wine. Her purple hair still a short pixie cut, yet growing longer at the ends. She is clad in a pink dress with red embroideries.

Mahiru looks somberly at the ground, depressed that Tyuri has not come yet to see her. Mahiru's eyes look towards the door in excitement when it opens as hope fills her.

Kureto enters through the door as Mahiru's feels the disappointment settle within her. She is relieved to see Kureto, but she would much rather see Tyuri. She can't help the way she feels as Kureto's eyes widen when he takes in her state and new appearance.

"You changed your hair." Kureto observes.

A wistful smirk settles on Mahiru's face as she turns back towards the window from her chair. "Not of my will, of course. I would never choose to look like a little omegan boy, if I had any say in it."

Kureto walks towards the omega before kneeling down in front of her. Mahiru keeps her eyes ahead.

"What happened when I was gone?" Kureto asks.

Mahiru looks at him before looking back out the window, "I never should have sent you away."

"What happened?" Kureto implores.

"The High Sparrow." Mahiru says after a beat passes, "I brought the Faith Militant back to the forefront of Shibuya and appointed the High Sparrow their leader because I wanted to rid myself of those fucking Inoue's, especially that simpering cunt, Rika."

Kureto keeps his eyes on her. "Those were the men in the dark robes patrolling the streets?"

"It worked for a while before it all turned back on me." Mahiru says with a nod, "The old cunt Inoue, I know it was her, she must have told them about what I did with you, Hozumi, and Goshi. Every bad thing I've done. The only way that she could have known any of that is, if she had someone who was around us all of this time."

"Kagiyama?" Kureto suggests correctly.

Mahiru nods tearfully, "They threw me in the black cells beneath the Sept. I was there for so long."

Kureto listens on as he feels his blood boil.

"But, then I confessed to what I did to Hozumi." Mahiru says. "I denied everything else because, I can't lose you. It's the reason why you were not accosted by the Faith in the streets. I can't give you up."

Kureto feels his heart stutter as a warm feeling fills his body when Mahiru tells him this.

"Because I did not confess to all of the supposed crimes, they allowed me to return to the Royal Keep to await a further trial to decide my fate." Mahiru says bitterly before her eyes grow dark and sad, "The only way they would let me return was by walking back here to atone for what I confessed to with Hozumi."

Kureto's gaze turns murderous and his eyes grow dark.

Tears begin to pour from Mahiru's eyes as she cries out, "They cut my hair and stripped me naked. The High Sparrow forced me to walk like that back here for all of Shibuya to see! Every one of those fucking peasants shouted curses at me and threw every revolting thing they could find as I walked back here. The ground was so hot my feet were bleeding by the time I returned."

Kureto immediately moves to consume the crying omega. He embraces his sister as he feels love for her protecting him fill him. He feels the fury and murderous destruction towards those who wronged her grow as he listens to her sobs.

"I'm back now. You and Tyuri are the two most important things to me." Kureto tells her soothingly. "I am going to protect you both now, no matter what happens."

Mahiru pulls away to look at Kureto. She sees the serious intent of his gaze and feels the sincerity of his words give her comfort.

"Tyuri hasn't even come to see me since I've returned." Mahiru tells him.

"I'll talk to him." Kureto tells her. "I'll make sure he comes."

Mahiru still has water eyes when she tells Kureto, "He's all I have left. He was always the good one from our children. I always thought if I could make something so good, so pure...maybe I’m not a monster. It's only a matter of time before he's dead in the ground like Takashi."

Kureto looks up at her in shock before shaking his head, "They were my children and I failed them as a father."

"No, I knew this would happen." Mahiru looks away from his eyes, "The witch told me years ago. She promised me two children. She promised me they’d die. And gold their shrouds. Everything she said came true so far. You couldn’t have stopped it. It’s prophecy. It’s fate."

"You don’t believe that." Kureto tells her.

"Of course I do." Mahiru meets his gaze, "You told me yourself when father and uncle died. You said we had to stay together. You said people would try to tear us apart, take what’s ours. That was a prophecy, too. I didn’t listen to you, and everything you said came true."

Kureto places his flesh hand on Mahiru's cheek. Gentle, yet firm on the soft flesh of her cheek as he gazes up at her.

"Fuck prophecy. Fuck fate. Fuck everyone who isn’t us. We’re the only ones who matter, the only ones in this world. And everything they’ve taken from us, we’re going to take back and more." Kureto declares to her.

Mahiru nods and leans in. Kureto knows he shouldn't, but he can't help the love he feels for this omega. Despite what he and Aiko talked about on the tour of the Riverlands, he can't stop his love for Mahiru, especially after knowing what she did for him.

Kureto leans in to meet her halfway before kissing her passionately. Mahiru returns it for a moment before pulling away from her brother.

Kureto embraces and holds her against his body. Mahiru's head rests on his shoulder as she stops crying from the words the Kureto has told her. Kureto closes his eyes as his hand rests on her naked nape.

"We’re going to take everything there is." Kureto tells her intimately.

Mahiru hardens her gaze as she agrees while finally returning Kureto's embrace.

In her black cell, Rika sits on her knees with her head lowered before a standing Septa Kiyomi. The gray-robed septa with the matching barbette headdress reads dully from "The Seven-Pointed Star." Rika's blonde's hair is stringy and she is covered with dirt. The imprisoned omega is clad in her knee-length grey-brown dress. Hay litters the floor of her dark cell.

"“The Seven Hells brim with the souls of saintly men. They scream in agony and their shame is so great, they do not feel the flames, for now they see if not for a single sin they concealed, they were saved.”" Septa Kiyomi reads to Rika.

"I’d like to see my brother." Rika says.

"Confess." Septa Kiyomi tells her.

"Please. How is he? At least tell me that." Rika pleads slightly.

"Confess."

"I am the Queen and I demand to see my brother." Rika says lowly.

"Sinners don’t make commands. They make confessions." Septa Kiyomi says.

A dark sneer covers the alpha woman's face before she slams the book shut and approaches Rika aggressively. Rika recoils back into the room, preparing herself for Septa Kiyomi's merciless reprimand.

Suddenly, the lock on the door is pulled off and the door opens. Septa Kiyomi stiffens.

"Septa Kiyomi." The High Sparrow's voice rings around the cell as he enters. The High Sparrow sighs before telling her, "Our other guests need you."

Septa Kiyomi curls her lip in disgust at Rika before turning and exiting out the black cell, leaving just Rika and the High Sparrow.

Rika glances up as hair covers her face to watch the alpha leave.

The High Sparrow approaches her and gently brushes a large section of her blonde hair over her shoulder. Rika tenses slightly, letting out a surprised gasp before meeting the old alpha's eyes as he stands above her.

"There." The High Sparrow whispers soothingly to the tense omega.

"Septa Kiyomi can be overzealous at times. I’ll speak with her." The High Sparrow tells Rika.

"My brother, can you tell me how he is?" Rika looks up at the man.

The High Sparrow sighs before taking a seat on a wooden bench, "It isn’t Ser Reo that brings me here. Your husband misses you dearly. The love between a husband and wife is sacred. It reflects the love the gods have for all of us. But sin leads us away from the sacred. And only confession can purge sin."

Rika looks at the man before slightly shaking her head, "I have nothing to confess."

"So you believe you are pure? Perfect? Wholly without sin?" The High Sparrow asks her.

Rika looks down in contemplation at his words before shaking her head. "None of us are."

"You have started down the path. But you have many miles to go." The High Sparrow tells Rika.

Rika looks up at him and meets his gaze. The alpha rises off of the bench, Rika watches him leave before moving to hug her knees in contemplation as a plan begins to formulate in her head.

 Harajuku

A man makes his way down the street of Harajuku where it is known that beggars lie. A beta woman holds out an open pot for him to put some coinage in, but he ignores her and walks further down the street. The man turns the corner, walking past an alpha girl in brown robes.

The blonde head of hair looks up blindly to reveal the white pupils of Mitsuba Sanguu. The alpha is covered with dirt from begging and being chased away after blindly stealing scraps. She's been unable to see anything for almost a month since Nix forced her out of the House of Black and White. Mitsu's tattered blonde hair goes down to her middle back. The alpha holds a bowl in her hands as another alpha man walks pass her to throw a coin into it. The sound alerting her towards the direction where the man walks as she remembers to hold out the bowl.

"Thank you." Mitsu says in the direction the man came from.

Mitsu falls silent and begins to listen once again to the chatter of the common folk as they pass by this little blind girl.

"Are you listening, blind girl?" The Waif's familiar voice says in front of Mitsu.

Mitsu looks up in the direction of the voice. Her ears pick up on the sound of the end of two sticks hitting the ground as the Waif turns them.

"Do you hear them talking? Do any of them talk to you? No. So sad." The Waif mocks.

Mitsu huffs a breath.

The Waif holds out a stick to her before remembering Mitsu is blinded. The Waif tosses the stick and when it lands on Mitsu's lap, the alpha drops her bowl in shock. The sound of coins clattering to the ground fill her ears as Mitsu grabs the stick.

The Waif approaches a still sitting and confused Mitsu. She hits Mitsu on her right arm causing the woman to cry out in pain.

"Stand and fight, blind girl." The Waif tells Mitsu.

Mitsu stands, she breathes out in both frustration and fear. The alpha holds the stick pointed in the direction she believes the Waif to be.

"I can’t see." Mitsu says with a slight plea in her voice.

"That’s your problem, not mine." The Waif says.

The Waif hits her in the leg causing Mitsu to stumble, yet remain standing.

Mitsu swings in the direction the hit came from, only to find air as the Waif moves around her. Mitsu moves to the spot where the Waif was originally and turns to point her stick across from the Waif.

The Waif backs away before jabbing her in the stomach and striking her in the knee causing Mitsu to fall onto the ground with two pained groans.

Mitsu rises quickly and swings angrily at the Waif as she switches places with the Waif who moves to the spot Mitsu just was.

The Waif hits her right cheek before striking her left cheek harder causing Mitsu to fall to the ground as blood begins to fill her mouth. Mitsu grunts before standing and swinging randomly, hoping to hit the Waif.

The Waif jabs Mitsu in the stomach twice, before raising her stick to hit her chin, and finally hit her side. Mitsu falls to the ground as the pain grows from the Waif's continuous assault.

Mitsu struggles to rise and tries to stand with the help of her stick before the Waif knocks it causing her to fall again.

Mitsu quickly grabs the stick and points it in the direction of the Waif's footsteps as she stands in front of her.

The Waif looks down at her blankly before saying, "See you tomorrow."

Mitsu keeps her stick raised as the footsteps draw further from her. She lowers it when she cannot hear them anymore. Mitsu pants as she looks down while blood pours from her mouth.

Shinjuku - Meeridan

From the bottom of the Great Pyramid of Meeridan, Yukimi and Shinya exit the door onto the streets of Meeridan. Shinya has his silver hair in a ponytail while wearing the white underdress with a brown robe over it, dark slacks, and black boots. Yukimi has her blue hair in one braid and wears a similar outfit to Shinya.

"We’re never going to fix what’s wrong with this city from the top of an 800-foot pyramid." Shinya tells the omega as a commoner walks past them.

Yukimi looks over her shoulder at the commoner.

Shinya notices this before sighing at her, "We’ll be fine. We’re dressed like common merchants."

"You walk like a rich person." Yukimi tells the other omega.

"You’ve spent a lot of time studying the way rich people walk?" Shinya asks teasingly.

"You walk as though the paving stones were your personal property. I used to steal from people like you when I was a girl." Yukimi tells Shinya.

"And how did that work out for you?" Shinya asks as they come upon a woman on the street cradling her baby.

Shinya makes his way to her as Yukimi follows taking coinage out from his pocket.

"For your baby. To eat." Shinya attempts in Valyrian.

The omega woman cowers away from Shinya and clutches her baby tighter.

"She thinks you want to eat her baby." Yukimi tells Shinya.

Yukimi kneels before taking the coin from a gaping Shinya's hand, "His Valyrian is terrible. He only wants to give you money, so your baby can eat."

Yukimi hands the woman the coin as Shinya smiles in slight embarrassment. The woman gestures her hand to her forehead in a gesture of thanks.

Both omega's nod before continuing on down the street.

Shinya and Yukimi walk past a wall that has written on it in black ink, "KILL THE MASTERS." Under it is written in red "MHYSA IS A MASTER."

"Mhysa means mother in Valyrian." Yukimi explains to Shinya.

"I know what mhysa means." Shinya says rolling his eyes.

"Who wrote it?" Yukimi asks.

"Hard to know. Our queen is not as popular in Meeridan as he used to be." Shinya says.

"The Sons of the Harpy?" Yukimi asks.

"Very possibly. Mikaela Shindo took away their most valuable property, told them human beings weren’t even property to begin with. You can see why they’re unhappy. Of course, it could also be the freed men." Shinya ponders.

Shinya and Yukimi look behind them as a group of commoners enter a tunnel. The two omega's glance at each other before moving to follow them.

Inside of the tunnel, a large group of around fifty commoners surround a beta man in a red robe that stands on a box and preaches to the group in Valyrian. A red priest, most likely.

"For the night is dark and full of terrors." The group of commoners say as Yukimi and Shinya listen.

"The Lord of Light sent the Mother of Dragons to you, and those who love the darkness chased him away." The Red Priest tells the group.

"Many of the former slaves feel that Mikaela has abandoned them." Shinya says.

"He did fly away on a dragon and not come back." Yukimi points out.

"How will you respond? Will you wring your hands, while you wait for the Mother of Dragons to return? Or will you take up his flames yourselves? Will you fight for your own salvation, now that Queen Mikaela is not here to fight for you?" The Red Priest tells the crowd.

"It’s a problem." Shinya says as he and Yukimi head towards the courtyard at the end of the tunnel.

"Fear has brought Meeridan to a standstill. Whoever you are, wherever you go, someone in this city wants to murder you. We can’t fight an enemy we don’t know." Shinya says to Yukimi when they enter the courtyard.

"The Sons of the Harpy planned their attack in the fighting pits very carefully, which means they take orders from someone." Yukimi says.

"And have you started looking for that someone?" Shinya asks.

"My little birds have already taken wing. Soon they’ll return, singing songs of men in gold masks." Yukimi smirks.

Suddenly a shout sounds off as Shinya and Yukimi look towards the open entrance of the courtyard. A bell begins to toll as a flood of people begin to run inside.

Shinya turns back to look at Yukimi before the two move towards where everyone is running from.

The two omega's proceed to the archway and head towards the harbor where everyone seems to be running from.

Shinya and Yukimi's eyes widen when the see a large clout of smoke and hear large screams come from people as they rush away from the harbor.

Shinya and Yukimi both openly gape in shock at the large amount of ships burning in the dock. Smoke coming from the burning wood and leaving a great deal of wreckage when it comes to the numbers in Mika's fleet.

Shinya and Yukimi's faces fall before looks of frustration appear as they realize the Harpy problem in Meeridan is only growing the longer that Mika's gone.

"Well, we won’t be sailing to Westeria anytime soon." Shinya remarks as he and Yukimi watch a large portion of Mika's fleet burn to ashes in the sea.

 Shinjuku Countryside - Near the Dothraki Sea

In the countryside, Ser Lacus and Shahal ride along grass-covered rocky mountains. They begin to ride further up the mountain before a large black circle filled with bones catches their eyes.

Ser Lacus rides closer as Shahal follows after. The beta man dismounts from his horse as he enters the dark circle and kneels to pick up the charred skull of a ram. Makoton took Mika here that much is clear, but there is not a sign of either of them.

"Goat?" Shahal asks, still mounted.

"Ram." Ser Lacus says simply.

"You think our friend got him?" Shahal asks.

"Don’t know anything else that can melt a ram’s horn." Ser Lacus says as he scans the skull.

"We’re on the right path, then." Shahal says, looking around.

Ser Lacus nods before returning to his horse and mounting it.

The two men ride down the mountain countryside.

"Perhaps he’s tired of being queen. I don’t think he likes it very much." Shahal says.

"He’s too smart to like it." Ser Lacus tells Shahal.

"Maybe he’s flown somewhere else, somewhere far away from men like us." Shahal says.

"I’ve been all over the world. There’s no escaping men like us." Ser Lacus says.

"There’s no escaping her, eh?" Shahal asks teasingly, yet tensely with a jealous undertone. "You keep coming back. Why?"

"You know why." The beta says.

"Isn’t it frustrating wanting someone who doesn’t want you back?" Shahal asks.

"Of course it is." Ser Lacus says simply.

"You’re a romantic. I admire that. Sometimes I look at you and I think, “So that’s what I’ll be like when I grow old.”" Shahal tells Ser Lacus, mockingly.

"If you grow old." Ser Lacus retorts.

"If I grow old." Shahal agrees before continuing, "I hope I do. I want to see what the world looks like when he’s done conquering it."

"So do I." Ser Lacus says.

Ser Lacus stops his horse while Shahal continues to slowly pace his head. The beta pulls down the purple sleeve of his shirt to see the advancing patches of greyscale growing more on his arm, it almost covers his entire forearm.

Ser Lacus looks back at Shahal before joining him as they continue to ride down the countryside.

They stop when their eyes fall on something in the grass. Large circular swathes of horse tracks that stretch around the area making the grass black, it surrounds a small circle in the center that remains perfect, green, and untouched.

"Huh, an army?" Shahal asks.

Ser Lacus shakes his head as a realization strikes him, "Not an army. A horde."

The two men ride towards the circle. Ser Lacus dismounts to get a closer look as Shahal grabs the reins of his horse.

The beta looks around as he stands in the green circle before his eyes meet Shahal.

"Dothraki?" Shahal asks.

Ser Lacus remains silent before looking down, his eyes fall on something silver right near him.

Ser Lacus kneels and picks up a silver ring with black edgings. On top rests a white pearl.

Ser Lacus' eyes hone in on it with familiar recognition. This is Mika's mother's ring, the one he has always worn since Ser Lacus first met him.

Ser Lacus looks back up at Shahal with worry evident on his face.

"They have him." Ser Lacus says as unease fills him.

Shahal sighs and looks around. Ser Lacus closes the ring in his palm and places it in his pocket.

 Shinjuku - Dothraki Settlement Camp in the Shinjuku Arid Lands

The Dothraki Horde travels together in great numbers inside of the sand-covered pits and valleys.

Mikaela Shindo walks alongside two Dothraki alpha bloodriders. The omega's long, pale blonde hair has grown completely undone and frizzes slightly in the heat of the burning sun. His white dress has turned mostly dark grey with black edges from the amount of dirt he's around. He still has his dragon necklace on him. The omega's hands are tied together. Mika squints his eyes as he tries to avoid getting any sand in them. It's unlucky for him that there's a hole in his path that he stumbles and his step falters causing him to almost trip. The omega catches himself and rises, but he cannot avoid the bloodrider's whip on his back as he curses the omega. The bloodrider laugh as Mika grunts in pain.

The omega looks up at the bloodriders, gritting his teeth in murderous annoyance. The alpha's only laugh at him as they look down superiorly at him.

Mika turns back and keeps his eyes ahead making sure to watch his step as he walks.

"Maybe he saw a ghost. My friend’s mother saw a ghost and her hair turned white." The bloodrider next to Mika tells the other one about him in Dothraki.

Mika can understand every word they're saying and it only adds more fuel to his fury.

"Pink people are afraid of the sun. It burns their skin. This one stands too long in the sun and his hair goes white." The other one mocks about his pale blonde hair.

"You think he’s got white hair down there too? You ever been with an omega with white pussy hair?" The alpha asks the other one.

"Only when I was fucking your grandma." The other one says as the other one chuckles.

They both eye Mika before the one nearest to him makes kissing faces at the omega to get his attention. Mika turns with irritation written on his face.

"I’ll ask Khal Doro for a night with you. What do you think?" The man asks Mika.

"Pretty, but he’s an idiot." The other one says as Mika turns his hate-filled gaze onto him.

"He doesn’t have to be smart to get fucked in the ass." The first bloodrider says to the other.

Mika looks back ahead and slightly shakes his head at the situation he's found himself in.

"I like to talk when I’m finished. Otherwise, we might as well be dogs." The other one says.

Mika looks back up as they enter into Khal Doro's large camp, fury curdles in his stomach and only grows.

 Nagoya - Snowstorm

Storm clouds cover the sky surrounding Snowstorm, Hanayori bannermen stand posted outside the castle gates.

In the cold room where the Maester performs his healing duties, Ky and Lord Hanayori stand over Sayuri's pale corpse lying on the table before them. The Maester of Snowstorm stands further away from the two.

"She was so sweet when she came out of her mother." Lord Hanayori reminisces mournfully. "A quiet and peaceful child, the maester in the Riverlands had to smack her ass four times before she began to cry. Sayuri always had this way of taking pain."

Ky nods bitterly in melancholy. She liked him being rough with her when they fucked, he supposes it makes sense. "I remember I was only five when I first saw her."

Lord Hanayori nods. "I brought her to you after her mother died."

Ky looks down at her closed eyes, never to open again. "She was so small and smelled like dog. Everyone was already afraid of me by then, but she never was. She told me, "What could I do to her that those hounds couldn’t?" She was fearless. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for me."

Lord Hanayori grunts in agreement.

Ky places a cold hand onto the omega's forehead, "Your pain will be paid for a thousand times over. I wish you could be here to watch."

Ky's eyes begin to water as he looks at the omega he loved for a long time. He feels like he's about to cry, but he holds it in before his father's dead gaze.

"Shall I have a grave dug for her, My Lord? Or would you rather the men build a pyre?" The Maester asks Lord Hanayori.

"Burn her." Lord Hanayori says. "When the bloodsuckers come for us all, I don't want to see her as one."

Ky nods before looking back down at Sayuri's beautiful and cold face.

Ky and Lord Hanayori walk down the halls of the castle.

"Your command of the cavalry was impressive. Thanks to you, the holdfast is back under our thumb. Do you know who struck the killing blow?" Lord Hanayori asks.

"No." Ky answers with a slight shake of his head.

"A shame. I’d reward the man. Still, a great victory. Do you feel like a victor?" Lord Hanayori asks.

Lord Hanayori stops walking, Ky walks one more pace before stopping and turning back.

Ky stares at his father over his shoulder.

"I rebelled against the crown to arrange your marriage to Shinoa Hiiragi. Do you think that burning wagons in the night and mowing down tired, outnumbered Northerners is the same as facing a prepared and provisioned Hiiragi army?" Lord Hanayori asks Ky testily.

"No." Ky replies unsteadily.

Lord Hanayori walks past Ky and enters the Great Hall of Snowstorm.

"A reckoning will come. We need the North to face it. The entire North. They won’t back us without Shinoa Hiiragi. We no longer have Shinoa Hiiragi. You played your games with her. You played your games with the heir to Osaka Bay and now they’re both gone." Lord Hanayori coldly reprimands.

"I have a team of men after them with some of my best hounds. They won’t get far." Ky tells his father.

"I’m glad to hear it. Without Shinoa, you won’t be able to produce an heir. And without an heir, well…" Lord Hanayori trails off as a worried look crosses Ky's face. "...let’s hope the Maesters are right and Lady Wakiru’s carrying a boy."

Ky's eyes widen as he watches his father coolly take a seat in front of him. Ky looks down as his father moves to pour himself wine.

Ky gulps slightly and curls his lips inward as he feels an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. His fingernails curl into his rough palm until blood is drawn in crescent-shaped marks.

 Nagoya - The Winterwoods

Kimizuki leads Shinoa through the Winterwoods as they run frantically from their former home. Snow cushioned their fall and they only have minor pain, but they know that they have to keep going otherwise Ky will catch them. They run through the forest of naked snow and ice-covered trees. The cold weaken their strengths as it consumes them.

Shinoa huffs breaths as she runs through while struggling to follow after the alpha. She stops and begins to heave breaths, feeling herself unable to continue.

Kimizuki stops and runs back before grabbing her arm to pull her onward, "Come on, let's go."

Shinoa tires as they hear the sound of barking dogs in the distance which only motivates Kimizuki more.

"We can’t stop." Kimizuki tells her as they continue to run.

They come out of a large clearing where a large snowy river flows with water.

Kimizuki stops as they reach the large and slightly shallow body of water, Shinoa stops when he does.

"We have to cross here." Kimizuki tells her.

Shinoa moves to step onto a patch, only for it to be thin ice. Her boot sinks into the water and she can even feel the coldness of it through her boot as she quickly pulls it out.

"I can’t." The omega shakes her head.

"It’s the only way to throw off the hounds." Kimizuki says before grabbing her arm to pull her.

Shinoa remains steadfast as she meets Kimizuki's reddish-brown gaze, "But it’s too cold. I can’t. I won’t make it. I’ll die."

"I’ve seen what his hounds do to a person. This way is better." Kimizuki tells her with a firm and frozen grip on her cloak.

Shinoa contemplates this as she huffs chilled breaths.

Kimizuki puts his feet in the water, yet ignores the coldness. He gently guides Shinoa into the water.

Once the omega's legs enter the water, her breaths grow more labored as the cold inside of her intensifies.

Kimizuki pulls her along, keeping his face stoic and trying to ignore the coldness. Shinoa gasps at the cold of the icy river with every breath she takes as the two wade through the body of water together.

Kimizuki leads Shinoa out of the water and onto the other side of the snow-covered woods. The alpha and omega are both blue with coldness, but they can no longer hear the barking of the hounds.

Kimizuki grabs Shinoa's arm to help her as she heaves breaths.

Kimizuki looks up and his eyes widen when they fall on something in the distance.

Kimizuki grabs Shinoa's arm, "Over here. Come on."

Shinoa struggles and her breaths grow weaker as she lets Kimizuki lead her.

Kimizuki makes his way towards a large overturned tree. The roots big enough to function as a small cave and shelter the two from snow.

Kimizuki runs back to where Shinoa struggles behind him and wraps an arm around her shoulders as he guides her to sit under the large tree.

Shinoa sits there while Kimizuki watches her with worry and wariness beside her. They both shiver, but Shinoa does to a larger extent while panting breaths.

"Shinoa. Shinoa." Kimizuki tries to get the omega's attention, but she remains dazed as she looks ahead of her.

Kimizuki watches her in slight contemplation before he wraps the omega in his embrace. He rubs Shinoa's back as she rests her head on his shoulder.

Shinoa feels at peace in her Kimizuki's arms, more than she has felt in such a long time. The same goes for Kimizuki who is glad to embrace the omega. The two were the most distant siblings from each other when they were growing up. But, now when they are uncertain about where they'll end up, they can't help but feel the most comfort either have felt in such a long time. Shinoa closes her eyes as she leans into the alpha's embrace and soothing stronger scent. Kimizuki feels calmer with Shinoa's sweet floral scent and closes his eyes. Both are so exhausted and are glad to be together with each other as themselves.

They sit like this for a few moments before the sound of barking in the distance and coming closer causes Shinoa's eyes to jump open.

Shinoa pulls away as Kimizuki opens his eyes and quickly turns around as the sound of Hanayori men shouting catches his attention.

"Stay here. I’ll lure them away." Kimizuki tells his sister.

The alpha rises, but Shinoa grabs her brother's arm.

"No, I won’t make it without you." Shinoa says.

"You will." Kimizuki says before leaning his face down, "Go west and remain only north. Yuu is Lord Commander at Ikebukuro. He’ll help you."

Shinoa's breaths grow more silent as she stares at Kimizuki's reddish-brown gaze. Kimizuki looks at his sister in melancholy, knowing this may very well be his last stand.

The alpha stands and runs out from behind the tree. He runs down towards the entrance to the path that he hears the barks of the hounds coming from.

Immediately as he reaches the entrance, Kimizuki is stopped by five Hanayori men. Four are on horses and one stand before him with two barking hounds.

"Where is Lady Hanayori?" The lead alpha Hanayori guard asks Kimizuki from his horse.

Kimizuki looks down at the hounds before saying, "Dead."

"Liar." The lead guard sneers at him darkly.

Shinoa curls herself further into the roots of the tree to stay hidden as she hears the exchange behind her.

"She broke her leg jumping from the ramparts. I left her to die in the snow." Kimizuki tells the guard.

The hounds bark and charge in a direction, but the guards pull them back. Kimizuku shifts his eyes nervously, the guard with the hound catches him doing so. The guard takes it as his cue to loosen his grip on the hounds so that they can lead him towards where Shinoa's scent is at.

The guards on horseback follow closely behind as Kimizuki rushes to head back to the fallen tree.

Shinoa curls in as the men circle the path towards the tree, the hounds bark as they finally find their target. Shinoa curls under the tree from the hounds when they try to jump at her before they are pulled back by the guards.

Kimizuki reaches back next to her as the men all look at the two. Shinoa cowers from the barking hounds.

The lead guard meets Kimizuki's eyes before telling the alpha, "I can’t wait to see what parts Ky cuts off you this time."

Kimizuki looks back as one of the men have dismounted from their horse and begun to grab Shinoa, trying to pull her to her feet. Shinoa grunts and tries to get out of his hold as he gets her to stand.

Suddenly, the sound of a horse whinnying causes all action to stop amongst the two parties.

Kimizuki looks back as the sound of two more horses come into his sight.

The lead guard draws his sword as Aoi charges him with her sword on horseback.

"It's a fucking woman." The lead guard says before Aoi slices him across the throat with her sword causing him to get knocked off of his horse.

His corpse hits the ground with a splattering of blood.

Shinoa's eyes widen as Junji charges one of the men on horseback. Both begin to clash swords and trade blows.

Aoi rides past before turning back. Two men on horseback engage her. Aoi dodges the strike of one man as they charge each other. The other man directly behind her hits her harshly on her chest armor causing her to fall off of her horse.

Aoi falls on the ground with a thud as Shinoa glances at her in recognition and shock. Kimizuki looks around at the fighting going on around them.

Aoi rolls over as the man who knocked her over dismounts from his horse. Shinoa gasps and bristles.

Aoi grabs her sword as the man approaches her before rolling over to dodge a kick. She rises and parries the man. They both trade blows as their swords clang before Aoi goes right when he swings heavily down on her left. She dodges and slashes across his back. The man falls to his knees before Aoi comes around and cuts his throat with a shout. The man's corpse falls to the ground as blood pours on the icy snow.

Junji continues to engage his guard. The other man on horseback neighs his steed loudly to catch Aoi's attention.

Aoi turns as the man charges her. She spins around to dodge his swing while slicing him in the side with her sword causing him to fall off with the horse landing on top of his legs.

Kimizuki turns to see Junji still fighting the same man. The beta still continues to trade blows with the other one. Kimizuki looks around before his eyes fall on a sword a few feet away. Kimizuki picks it up without alerting the guard holding the hounds. He is uncertain of his skill considering he has not used a sword in such a long time, but he'll do what he can to protect Shinoa.

Junji finally gets an opening and stabs the beta in the stomach. He impales the other man causing them both to fall off of their horses as Junji pulls out his blood-covered sword.

The man that Aoi knocked off the horse struggle to get his leg out from under the horse. The last man ties the hounds to a tree before drawing his sword on Junji. He rises as the alpha man comes toward him. Junji dodges and pulls back when the man swings wide.

Aoi's eyes fall on the man struggling under the horse and she crawls towards him.

"No, please!" The man begs when she gets close enough.

Aoi grabs his knife from its holster before slitting his throat. The alpha woman sits back and pants tiredly.

Junji and the man continue to fight each other. The man swings his sword strongly when Junji cannot parry and the sword is knocked out of the beta's hand while he also loses his balance. Junji lands on the ground and his sword is far away from them.

Junji backs away from the man as he hones in on him and comes closer towards him.

The man raises his sword to strike him before Kimizuki enters the sword right through his throat. The man's corpse falls to the ground next to Junji who looks up at Kimizuki. Kimizuki glares with hatred and vengeance at the fallen Hanayori man he's just killed.

Junji stands while Shinoa gapes at the fight and carnage before her.

Aoi makes her way towards her and stands at a distance across from her.

Shinoa rises unsteadily as Kimizuki runs to stand next to her protectively.

Junji similarly moves to stand with Aoi.

Aoi and Shinoa look and study each other, seeing how the other has changed since the last time they saw each other on the night of the Battle of Bluewater.

Aoi notices that the omega is still very petite despite having grown taller. She sees how Shinoa's face looks more mature and world-weary, yet still childish. A beautiful young omega woman that has grown from the naïve omega girl she last saw in Shibuya.

Shinoa also notices that the woman has not changed much in terms of size and looks. Her face looks more worn and tired, like she's just done with all of the world. She is still rather pretty, yet rough looking. Her fight moves are jerkier, despite still being excellent, meaning she might be healing from other wounds.

Aoi takes the first step forward with her sword turned so that she holds the end of the blade in her right hand and the hilt in her left one. The alpha lays the sword at Shinoa's feet before kneeling before her.

"Lady Shinoa, I offer my services once again. I will shield your back and keep your council and give my life for yours if need be. I swear it by the old gods and the new." Aoi says as she looks up at the omega. She knows this is the only way to speak to the omega so that she will let Aoi protect her and she means what she says.

Kimizuki looks at her quizzically, clearly someone that Shinoa knows.

The omega looks at her alpha brother for confirmation. Kimizuki gives her a nod that he has no problem, the two of them did just save Shinoa and him. They can clearly trust what she says to them and Shinoa seems to.

Shinoa looks back down at her and nods, "And I vow...that you shall always have a place by my hearth and..."

The omega trails off, not remembering the rest.

"Meat and mead at my table." Junji finishes helpfully.

"Meat and mead at my table." Shinoa finishes quickly before speaking up again, "And I pledge to ask no service of you that might bring you dishonor. I swear it by the old gods and the new. Arise, Lady Aoi Sanguu."

Kimizuki's eyes widen at the last name, so that's Mitsu's sister. He should have been able to tell with one look, but he can see where she got her fighter spirit from.

Aoi rises to stand in front of Shinoa. Shinoa's parted lips slowly form into a small smile as Aoi's lips form a ghost of one.

 Nagoya - The Nightfort

Ako and Chihiro wheel Yoichi on top of the wagon as the omega looks up at the Nightfort castle before them.

This will be the first time in two years that he won't be beyond the wall, he'll be back home in Westeria.

"Well, it looks to have barely changed since we were last here." Yoichi says.

"We're the ones who changed, especially in numbers." Chihiro says.

A tense and sad silence overtakes the group of three.

"Hopefully, it's still abandoned." Ako says, deciding they should not waste any more time out in the cold.

"It's been abandoned for a long time, and it will continue to be." Yoichi says.

The three look up at the fortress as black as the night sky.

Ako starts a fire while Yoichi sits nearby in contemplation. Chihiro has gone to gather more wood to keep as kindling for the fire.

When Chihiro arrives back with a snow rabbit and wood, Ako has already gotten the fire started for them to warm themselves by.

"You found dinner?" Yoichi asks.

"Yes, little Lord." Chihiro says.

The beta woman moves to skin and cook the rabbit while Yoichi watches her do so. Ako cleans her dagger near the light of the fire.

"When we go back to Westeria, we are not going to Snowstorm or Ikebukuro." Yoichi says.

Chihiro looks up at him in annoyance, "But, your brother is at Ikebukuro. I can understand Snowstorm, but your family is at Ikebukuro. He can keep you safe and give you protection."

"We can't go there, not yet." Yoichi starts. "I saw something in my vision."

"What did you see?" Ako asks.

Yoichi looks at them and contemplates for a moment before telling them, "I can't tell you both. It's something that must remain a secret, but I need to find proof that would completely answer all of the questions about this secret with complete certainty, I cannot tell you any more about it than what I've just."

"Where would we have to go?" Chihiro sternly asks Yoichi.

Yoichi tenses before saying, "For what I need to see, we would have to go to the Citadel in Wisetown."

Yoichi has to find out the truth about Tenri Hiiragi's child and relationship with that whore. The only place that would have record evidence is the Citadel.

Chihiro and Ako take that in as Yoichi decides to continue.

"You both would be safe there, it's the home of Maesters." Yoichi tells them, "House Saotome has the ability to sway them to do their bidding because our House is renowned for creating Maesters."

"How far would it be?" Ako asks.

"The center of Westeria." Yoichi says. "More towards the Westerlands than the Riverlands."

Yoichi looks at the two before Ako pipes up after a moment of contemplation.

"I'll take you." Ako says.

Chihiro openly gapes at her.

"He's the Three-Eyed Raven now and that comes with responsibilities." Ako tells Chihiro before looking at Yoichi, "If this is what he has to do to carry out his duties as the Three-Eyed Raven, then I'll help any way I can."

Chihiro looks uncertain when she nods, "We've carried you this far, there's no chance of us ever being at peace until you're safe with your family."

Yoichi nods. "If I find what I'm looking for at the Citadel and I'm pretty certain I will, then wherever my family is at will be where I'm be going next. I swear it on the old gods and the new."

Chihiro nods her consent.

"Though before we go to the Citadel, there is one place before Wisetown I have to go to." Yoichi says. "You both will be completely safe there, even more so than the Citadel."

Both Ako and Chihiro give him curious looks that tell him to continue.

"I'm going to Hawkhill Castle, the castle of House Saotome." Yoichi says. "I want to meet my family by blood before I return to my family by choice."

Ako and Chihiro nod their assent.

"Thank you both for being here and protecting me all this time." Yoichi says gratefully to the two beta women.

They smile at him.

Yoichi nods to them as his thoughts drift towards returning to a place that he hasn't been to since he was born. He's going to his home.

 Ikebukuro

The morning light of the sunrise begins to fill the dark night sky of Ikebukuro. The snow-covered roofs emphasize the black castle's darkness as fog fills the air around the courtyard.

Asu howls in the night from his cage.

In the same spot as before in the corner of the courtyard, Yuuichirou Amane's corpse lies in the snow. A pool of blood covers the white snow while a cross with the words, "TRAITOR" written on it is planted in the dirt behind the former Lord Commander and Warden of the North.

Yuu's green eyes are open and his skin pale, it almost looks as though his lifeless body were looking up at the sky.

Inside of his pen nearby, Asu stands on his hind legs and howls louder while pushing against the door to his pen.

Ser Kouta sits in his chambers awake before the growing sound of howling catches his attention.

Ser Kouta exits his chambers and goes out to stand on the stairway in the courtyard. The beta man looks around before his eyes fall on someone's corpse lying in the snow all the way across the courtyard.

Ser Kouta quickly descends the steps as he runs towards the patch of bloody snow. His eyes pick up on the indigo-black hair that looks so familiar to him.

Ser Kouta stops when he realizes who is dead on the ground before slowly making his way towards him while gaping.

Other brothers begin to approach after hearing the howls of Asu.

Ser Kouta kneels down in shock as he takes in the sight of Yuu's pale corpse.

"It’s the Lord Commander!" One of the brothers shout in shock.

Ser Kouta looks up and sees the cross and immediately knows who did this.

Tadayo runs to the front of the pack of four brothers of the Watch. He stops short when he sees Yuu on the ground.

"Help me get him inside." Ser Kouta tells the men before moving back to let them pick up Yuu's body.

Tadayo watches in shock before going with the men as they carry Yuu towards the room. Ser Kouta looks back at the remaining pool of blood in the snow, just staring at it.

When the sun has just fully risen, the shouts of guards sound off as Kusunoki emerges from the stairwell and enters the courtyard.

"OPEN THE GATES!"

"OPEN THE GATES!"

"Who the fuck is it?" Kusunoki calls out from the bottom of the gates.

The old guard turns to see Kusunoki and more men coming to stand behind him in curiosity.

"It's Lord Ichinose." The older guard says in shock as he says it.

"What the fuck are you getting at?" Kusunoki shouts, thinking he's being messed with. "The fucker's dead."

"No, Ser Kusunoki." The old guard says sincerely. "He's outside."

Kusunoki's eyes widen in shock before giving the order out of curiosity and certainty that Guren Ichinose won't be behind those gates, "OPEN THE GATES!"

The gates open and Guren Ichinose rides through the gates of Ikebukuro on a brown horse. He wears a dark black cloak and his indigo hair is slicked back. His violet eyes meet Kusunoki's shocked and gaping gaze. The alpha wears dark slacks, a black doublet, and black riding boots. His face looks mature and still very handsome, despite age taking its toll on him. Mito watches from the top of the stairs.

"Lord Ichinose." Kusunoki says, gaping like a fish. "We thought you died in the capital."

Guren stops his horse and dismounts to greet the beta. As a large group of men begin to join the two others.

"I didn't." Guren simply says, looking around for Yuu. "I escaped and hid in Shinjuku for four years, then I came back when I heard that my son no longer holds Snowstorm and that all of you escaped to Ikebukuro. I'm here to get back House Ichinose's home."

Kusunoki can only stare at Guren as he says this, in complete shock that the man still lives after all this time where everyone in Westeria thought he was dead. Many of the men look at Guren in awe and reverence as he stands before them.

"Where is he?" Guren asks. "Where's Yuu?"

Kusunoki tenses and stiffens because Guren could kill him with one swing of his sword.

Kusunoki places a false somber expression on his face as he looks down before meeting Guren's eyes, "Your bastard, he died."

Guren's eyes widen as a rage and melancholy both fill him. "You're lying to me."

"I wish I were, My Lord." Kusunoki tells Guren sadly.

"How long ago?" Guren asks.

"Not even three days have passed since he died." Kusunoki says. "We only found out the day before today."

Guren now gapes in horror and despair. "How did it happen?"

Kusunoki meets his gaze and sighs before telling him, "Let's go to the mess hall so that I can tell all of the men how their Lord Commander died."

Kusunoki walks past Guren and leads him towards the familiar mess hall of Ikebukuro.

Guren's eyes fall on something as he moves to follow behind the men while looking around the courtyard.

He sees the word, "TRAITOR" written on a cross before his eyes move slightly downward to find a pool of blood in the snow.

A pang of suspicion fills Guren as he looks back at Kusunoki before entering the mess hall.

Tadayo clears off the scrolls on Yuu's table in the Lord Commander chambers. The brothers lay Yuu's cold body onto the table.

Seishi enters the room with Haruki and his baby in tow. The beta gasps and stutters at the sight of Yuu's corpse as tears bubble in his eyes.

Seishi places his hand on Yuu stab wounds and getting his fingers stained red with his cool blood. He closes Yuu's eyes shit with his other hand.

Ser Kouta and Tadayo watch in sadness.

"Kusunoki did this." Seishi says darkly.

"How many brothers do you think we can trust?" Ser Kouta asks Tadayo and Seishi.

"Trust? The men in this room." Tadayo says.

"Does the wolf know you?" Ser Kouta asks.

Seishi nods, wiping his eyes as Haruki comforts him while holding his child.

"We need all the help we can get." Ser Kouta tells Seishi.

Seishi nods and moves towards the door to get Asu. He is about to open it before a knock comes from it.

The brothers inside draw their blades. The room tenses.

"Who is it?" Ser Kouta asks.

"Ser Kouta." Mito's muffled voice says through the thick, wooden door.

Tadayo and Seishi return their gaze to Ser Kouta for his consent. Ser Kouta nods as the men replace their swords.

Seishi moves to open the door.

Mito stands outside in her red cloaked dress, her matching hair done in a bun.

Mito enters as she takes in the sight of the brothers in the room. Seishi exits to go get Asu when Mito passes.

Mito's eyes widen when they fall Yuu's corpse, she looks distressed at the sight.

The omega moves closer to the alpha man on the table, coming to stand next to Ser Kouta. Mito moves forward, staring at his wounds before her eyes land on his face.

"I saw him in the flames, fighting at Snowstorm." Mito says, at a loss for words.

"I can’t speak for the flames, but he’s gone." Ser Kouta tells Mito.

Mito brings her warm hand up and rubs his cold cheek with the back of her knuckles as she stares down at him.

"His father, he's here." Mito says.

Ser Kouta looks up as Mito meets his gaze.

"His father is dead." Ser Kouta says in confusion.

"No, he lives and he needs to see this." Mito says. "The men took Guren Ichinose into the mess hall."

"YOU FUCKING DID WHAT?!?!" Guren shouts in anger to Kusunoki as he stands before the beta sitting at the head table on the platform where the Lord Commander would sit. Anger, hatred, and rage etched on the alpha's face.

Uproars sound along the crowd as everyone shouts at one another in the mess hall after Kusunoki has told everyone that he has murdered Yuu.

"He was our Lord Commander!" A younger brother shouts.

"He never should have been!" Another older brother with Kusunoki shouts.

Guren only meets the beta's eyes with a murderous glare, ready to pounce on him to end his existence.

Kusunoki slowly rises and pounds his fist harshly three times on the table and the room quiets down as they look at the blonde man that stands elevated above them.

"You all know why you’re here. Yuuichirou Amane is dead." Kusunoki says.

"Who all killed him?" An elder brother asks.

"I did." Kusunoki says as Guren grinds his teeth to keep his composure.

"And Boward and Othellian and the other officers in this castle." Kusunoki says.

Guren closes his gloved hands into fists to try to restrain himself.

"Murderers!"

"Traitors!"

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Guren growls, "I ALWAYS KNEW WHAT A SHIT YOU ARE, BUT I NEVER TOOK YOU FOR A TREASONOUS CUNT!"

Banko moves to stand alongside Kusunoki at the high table as the shouting resumes.

Kusunoki pounds on the high table three times to get their attention.

"You’re right!" Kusunoki shouts his eyes meeting Guren's head on. "We’ve committed treason, all of us. Yuuichirou Amane was my Lord Commander. I had no love for him, you all know this. It was no secret. But I never once disobeyed an order. Loyalty is the foundation on which the Night's Watch is built, and the Watch means everything to me. I have given my life, we have all given our lives to the Night’s Watch. Yuuichirou Amane was going to destroy the Night’s Watch. He let the Wild Ones through our gates, as no Lord Commander has ever done before. He gave them the very land on which they raped and murdered. Lord Commander Amane did what he thought was right, I’ve no doubt about that. And what he thought was right would have been the end of us. He thrust a terrible choice upon us, and we made it."

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Guren growls out again. "I am the Warden of the North, I have the power here!"

Murmurs of equal balance between agreement and disagreement go off around the crowd in the mess hall.

"No, Lord Ichinose." Kusunoki sneers down at Guren, "You are not, you were five years ago, but not anymore. The true Warden of the North is Shoya Hanayori. You have no power here and we could kill you to make sure you stay dead, finish the job for the Hiiragi's. You left Nagoya in your bastard's hands and he lost it. We were all forced to come here. You hold as much blame as him for why we're here, if not more."

Murmurs of agreement with Kusunoki grow more around the room as Guren looks around to find the support of his men decreasing.

Around half it seems willingly side with Kusunoki while the other half unwillingly cannot argue with him.

"Now, Lord Ichinose." Kusunoki says. "You are welcome to stay here at our mercy as another brother of the Night's Watch. If you act in any way that I do not like, we'll send you to meet your bastard."

Guren growls and grits his teeth at having his hands tied before stomping out of the mess hall.

Ser Kouta makes his way out of the Lord Commander's chambers into the morning light of the courtyard.

The beta's eyes scan around the empty courtyard. He still sees the empty pool of blood with the cross in front of it and in front of the puddle, an alpha man looks down. He has a murderous look of hatred on his face that is coupled with mournful eyes that look like they're about to water.

He looks the spitting image of Yuuichirou, especially with that angry look etched on his alpha face. He has slicked back indigo-black hair with violet eyes.

Ser Kouta breathes out a gasp before making his way towards Guren Ichinose.

Guren is looking down at the puddle of his son's blood with the word, "TRAITOR," written on the cross behind it.

"Idiot Yuu, what did you get yourself into?" Guren asks in despair to himself.

"Lord Ichinose." An unfamiliar voice says from behind him.

Guren growls as he turns, ready to kill the brother for interrupting his moment of grieving.

He takes in the beta's kind dark brown eyes and medium length black hair.

"What do you fucking want?" Guren asks roughly.

"I have the Lord Commander's body in his chambers." Ser Kouta tells Guren.

Guren's eyes widen.

"Would you like to see him?" Ser Kouta asks Guren.

Guren studies the young beta wondering if this is a possible ploy to get him to follow him to his death. But, it's not like Guren has much to lose any more anyway. He could easily cut down ten of these brothers with barely a scratch, if he needed to.

Guren nods his assent as Ser Kouta begins to lead him.

Ser Kouta gestures a hand into the Lord Commander's chambers, indicating Guren should enter first when the door opened for them.

Guren glances at him warily before entering through the open door as he sees a brother put his sword away.

Guren sees a beta standing by Yuu, an omega with a child seated on the crate, and an alpha staring him down. Five other Watch brothers stand behind the alpha.

Guren's eyes fall on the familiar wolf with red eyes nudging Yuu's large hand, hoping the alpha wakes up. When he doesn't move, she whimpers sadly.

He feels a bit of nostalgia and relief at seeing Asu so close and watching over Yuu because he couldn't. Direwolves are like that with their masters.

Guren makes his way towards his son. His footsteps feel heavy as he takes each step. Guren finally looks down at the cold and dead corpse of his son. Yuuichirou has definitely grown taller since he last saw him. The alpha now taller than him. Yuu has slight stubble on his face and the childish features of his face have almost gone away to fill out more handsomely. He has also filled out in his body with more muscles and broad shoulders. The one thing Guren is grateful for is that he has the same bird's nest of black hair on top of his head that he always did. His alpha boy had become an alpha man while he was gone. He missed it all. Guren feels his eyes water at the thought of never seeing Yuu open his emerald eyes and gaze at him. Dying before never seeing his father again. A large pang of regret hits Guren as he allows the tears to pour over.

"Who the fuck is that?" Tadayo asks Ser Kouta.

"That is Lord Guren Ichinose." Ser Kouta says from behind Guren.

"Yuu's father?" Seishi asks curiously, "I thought he was-"

"Dead." Guren finishes, glancing back at them. "I never was, though everyone had to think I was for a long time. I only hoped I could make it back before any of my children died."

Guren looks back at his son as the others look at him in shock, awe, and unease.

"Kusunoki has made it official now. Ikebukuro is his." Guren says as Asu comes to nuzzle his gloved palm. Guren rubs the wolf's head.

Ser Kouta looks back at him before meeting Tadayo's gaze.

"He’ll have seen we didn’t come." Ser Kouta says.

"I don’t care who’s sitting at the high table. The Lord Commander was our friend, and those fuckers butchered him. Now we return the favor." Tadayo says with a slight growl.

"We don’t have the numbers." Seishi says simply.

"Kusunoki intimidated even those who hate him onto his side." Guren says before muttering to himself. "I never should have left Snowstorm."

"We have a direwolf." Tadayo points out.

"It’s not enough. I didn’t know Lord Commander Amane for long, but I have to believe he wouldn’t have wanted his friends to die for nothing." Ser Kouta tells them all.

"If you were planning to see tomorrow, you picked the wrong room. We all die today. I say we do our best to take Kusunoki with us when we go." Tadayo retorts.

"We need to fight, but we don’t need to die. Not if we have help." Seishi says.

"We don't exactly have much help here." Guren points out. "Who else is left?"

Ser Kouta's eyes widen in realization when the answer hits him. "We’re not the only ones who owe our lives to Yuuichirou Amane."

Seishi's eyes light up as he gets it before it hits Tadayo, as well.

"Who is it?" Guren asks in confusion.

"The Wild Ones." Seishi says. "They owe the Lord Commander more than anyone."

"I remember Kusunoki mentioning something about that in the mess hall. But, can we trust them?" Guren asks in hesitance. "They are Wild Ones."

"Lord Ichinose the situation with the Wild Ones has changed very much since you were last here." Seishi says. "The Lord Commander saved them all from certain death."

"Okay." Guren nods his assent. "Not like we have much other option left."

"Seishi, come with me." Tadayo says as he heads towards the door. "We'll bring the army."

Seishi kisses Haruki on the forehead before following after Tadayo.

"We'll be back as soon as we can." Seishi says.

The two men leave the room with Ser Kouta, Haruki, Little Seishi, Asu, and Guren left behind among the five Watch brothers.

"Bolt the door. Don’t let anyone in." Guren tells Ser Kouta.

Ser Kouta nods and moves to action. Guren tenses in the room before turning to Haruki.

"We're going to be in here for a long time." Guren says, taking a seat next to Yuu's body as Asu sits beside him. Guren pets the wolf with a sad smirk.

Haruki nods tensely as he holds Little Seishi tighter.

It is late afternoon by the time Kusunoki finally engages them.

Men stand outside around the courtyard with swords drawn and crossbows pointed at the locked Lord Commander chambers. Seishi and Tadayo have already managed to sneak out with two other men behind them.

Kusunoki cloaked in a black feather cloak ascends the stairs with three senior officers behind him.

The beta enters the hallway before standing in front of the door and knocking tree times on it.

Ser Kouta and Guren look at each other. The alpha's hands moving towards his sword while the other five brothers have already risen to draw their ones. Ser Kouta and Lord Guren stand near the door while Asu growls at it.

"Lord Ichinose. Ser Kouta. We have no cause to fight. We are all disgraced men with no honor left." Kusunoki says through the thick door.

"Hear that, men? Nothing to fear." Guren tells the men behind him.

"I will grant amnesty to all brothers who thrown down their arms before nightfall. As for you two, Ser Kouta and Lord Ichinose, I will allow you to travel south, a free men with a fresh horse." Kusunoki says.

"And some mutton. I’d like some mutton." Ser Kouta says.

"What?" Kusunoki asks in confusion.

"I’m not much of a hunter. I’ll need some food if I’m gonna make it south without starving." Ser Kouta says.

Guren picks up on what the beta is doing.

"We’ll give you food. You can even bring the Red Woman and that omega in there with you if you like. Or you can leave them here with us, whichever you choose. But surrender by nightfall or this ends with blood." Kusunoki tells him.

"Thank you, Ser Kusunoki. We’ll discuss amongst ourselves and come back to you with an answer." Ser Kouta says.

Kusunoki sneers silently before turning on his heel and stomping away. Guren and Ser Kouta hear the sound of loud footsteps going further away from the room. When they're gone completely Guren and Ser Kouta turn to face the other men.

"Boys, I’ve been running from men like that all my life. In my learned opinion, we open that door-" Ser Kouta says.

"And they’ll slaughter us all." Guren finishes in agreement.

"They want to come in, they’re gonna come in." Haruki says.

"Aye, but we don’t need to make it easy for them." Guren says.

"Seishi and Tadayo are our only chance." One of the brother's with them says.

"It’s a sad fucking statement if Tadayo is our only chance." Another brother jests.

"There’s always the Red Woman." Ser Kouta brings up.

"What’s one redhead gonna do against forty armed men?" Guren asks.

"You haven’t seen her do what I’ve seen her do." Ser Kouta tells Guren definitively.

Mito sits in her chambers near the comforting warmth of the fireplace. Her red hair is in a single thick braid going down her back and she is only in her red dress with her red necklace.

The omega runs her left hand over the smooth skin of her right arm. Mito looks up and her eyes land on a mirror.

Mito comes to stand in front of the mirror, the reflection of her youthful face staring back at her with something painful in her purple eyes.

Mito braces herself as she slowly unties the ribbon around her dress before unhooking the clasp that keeps it closed.

The omega opens the gown to reveal her naked form. Her naked breasts and vulva are revealed as the omega lets the gown fall to the ground.

Mito looks at herself, the necklace still around her neck. She takes in the sight of her pale and perky breasts. Their rounded pink nipples. She looks downward at her bright red pubic hair. There is not a wrinkle on this omega's body. She looks at herself with pity and despair in her eyes, almost ruefully studying her youth.

The closes her eyes before bringing her hands up towards her red jewel in the center of the cage necklace glimmers before she unhooks it around her neck. She sets it gently down onto the table beside her.

When the omega opens her eyes, her true form is revealed in the dim candle light. The reflection that looks back at Mito now is that of an extremely old lady. Her head is almost bald with a thin layer of grey, stringy hair that covers her scalp, yet goes down past her shoulders. Her vulva is now covered with a small amount of grey pubic hair. The omega's breasts are sagging on her stomach. Her violet eyes cold and dead. Wrinkles cover every part of her body. Pale skin and stomach fat accumulate on her abdomen. She can barely stand straight, almost like a hunchback. Her face old and aged almost deathly. Her backbone visible through her skin.

Mito stares coldly at her true self in the mirror before she turns back and heads towards her bed. The omega pulls the thick brown furs up before crawling under the covers and pulling them up so that it covers her entirely in darkness.