(Y/n) was tired of it. She was tired of people taking away her past; of them dismissing who she was in favor of who they wanted her to be. No matter what, nothing belonged to her. Her body wasn't hers, her mind wasn't hers, and her beliefs weren't even hers. She was the product of breeding. That was all. It was nothing more and nothing less, and, in the end, no matter how many people had promised her they would protect her from that ending, she was left disappointed. So, what else was she to do besides do the protecting herself?

She all but kicked the door down to make the goal come to fruition, arriving later face to face with the brunette who had put the idea in her head. Giving a look of rage and desperation, she was quick to grab him at the collar and strangle him. Though the brunette pleaded with her to see reason and talk to him civilly, she would do no such thing. He was there because he had a role to play, just as she did, and he needed to stick to it.

"Go get Hotaka."

The brunette scampered off, probably still under the impression that she had been the one responsible for the decapitated head. Of course, she saw no need to correct the misunderstanding, especially since he listened better when he was afraid of her. In fact, he listened so well that the purple-haired male was brought to her within the hour, despite the fact that he had been across the city with his siblings. As he came back into the house, he gave a beaming expression, fiddling with his thumbs behind his back.

"You wanted me?" he questioned, tempting to emphasize that it was him she was in need of.

The girl didn't respond. At least, she didn't do so verbally. Instead, she wasted no time, moving to squeeze against him, her arms snaking around his form. She nuzzled into him, every aspect of his strength invigorating her. (Y/n) might have enjoyed it too much, forgetting how inexperienced the male was with romantic affection. As she looked up, she saw a very dumb look on his face, the male shocked and his nose bleeding a bit. She wiped it away promptly before interlocking her fingers with his.

"You stole my test."

The male's face burned up, the militant unsure of what to say or do to make an excuse for such an action. He had known it was wrong, but he didn't know that she would ever find out. That being said, being faced with it, he could only mumble words that had nothing to do with one another. It was his hope that he could mutter his way out of it, not wanting to be hated by her. That was his worst fear at the moment, and his heart raced conflictingly.

"And my pencil."

He flared up more, his nonsensical rambling just becoming even more incomplete and louder. She could even see the poor thing start to shake, his eyes watering up. The girl had to bite back a smile. Even if he didn't understand it himself, what he felt for her was love, so to see him struggle with that was precious. He was so adorably innocent, getting flustered like that. It was enough to make her want to tease him.

"I heard you broke both."

The male's look of fluster turned into one of guilt and regret. He had torn the test while trying to wrestle it away from Kenko. Then he had spiraled into a state of manic frenzy while trying to fix it and return it to its original luster. In the process, he realized there was no fixing the paper, so he began to fiddle with the pencil instead. Though, he must have been scared to break it as well, holding it extremely protectively wherever he walked. It just happened that he was a little too protective, snapping it in half when fearful of others asking for it.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed, clenching tightly onto her hand with utter despair, "I just...I just wanted to admire them, but I ended up destroying them. It wasn't on purpose, I swear. I can buy you a new pencil - No, I can buy you as many new pencils as you want! So, just, please, don't hate me."

"And the test?"

"I...can't fix it. I tried. I really tried! But I can't buy a new one and there's not another one and I-I-I - "

The younger girl pulled the male into a hug, hushing him gently while petting his head. He began to cry a bit more, a rare form of vulnerability from the militant. Either way, he was comforted wholly by her affection, preferring it almost to the test. His cheeks were red out of frustration and gratitude, and tears continued to pour down his cheeks. Standing meekly behind the two was Kenko, who remained as silent as possible, and who did his best to look away from the scene.

"Relax, hun," she chuckled.

The male flinched, his sobbing abruptly stopping. He had to take a moment to process what he had just been called, but when he verified she had, indeed, given him a pet name, he glowed. The sting of losing her test and pencil still remained, but he was so undeniably happy to have been given a special moniker. After all, he had been so envious of Ryota for ages. Whenever she would call him Ri-Ri, the purple-haired male would feel so left out. He hugged her a little tighter.

"Why did you like my test so much? I'll admit that the things you told me inspired me to answer that way, but...it was a selfish desire on my part."

"But it was so courageous!" he objected, turning the tables on her by trying to comfort her, "You have been through so much and you don't even pull your punches about it! You're ready to stand up to anyone who tries tearing you down! I admire that so much! Really!"

"Even if 'standing up to someone' means killing them?"

Hotaka's eyes flickered before softening. He had been torn about that from the moment he understood her true identity as a serial killer. She showed remorse and she had a reason for killing in order to protect herself. Then there was her traumatizing past that made her unstable. However, it was that spark of rebellion that made him view her in a different light. It was one that he wanted so desperately to have, but he was too much of a people pleaser to take that first step to his own freedom.

"Yes," he whispered, trembling as he attempted to make her feel secure, "If it's you, it's alright. I trust your judgment."

"Do you really mean that?"

"Yes."

"Then, are you willing to do something for me? It may cost a lot of lives and it will take a toll on you, but it will be worth it."

"I'm...prepared to do whatever you want. Because," the male stuttered, pulling back just a bit to look into her eyes, "I love you. I want to make you happy. I want to keep you safe. I just want you. So, you can tell me to do whatever you want. You don't even have to love me back."

"How generous."

The (h/c) haired girl laughed before pulling him in for a deep kiss, feeling the vibration of the male's surprise. She was claiming him. That was how he liked to think of the kiss, melting into her touch with no regard for whatever ethical consequences it would bring about. Hotaka didn't have to think before answering that trolley problem. If (Y/n) was standing on one side of the tracks, he didn't care if everyone else in the world was on the other side. He would choose to save her each and every time. A small smile made its way on both of their faces as they realized their thoughts were parallel.

"But I've already made up my mind to love you, so you'll have to deal with it."

"Yes? Yes!"

Surprised at her confession as well, thinking he would only ever get to say his peace, he began to get flustered once more. The male didn't know what to do. Even as she pulled him in for another kiss and smothered him with a few dozen pecks on his face, he simply stood still, red as a tomato. His heart was the only thing that moved, beating quicker and quicker to keep up with his panic.

"Are you ready to sign a deal with a demon? To sign your life away?"

"Yes," he mumbled, lovestruck and gullible.

"Great. Then you're going to help me chase out the Athainians."

"What?"

Hotaka was at a loss for words. He had never even had a thought that related to that. Athainians had always been in Afrua, so he, like many others, never thought they would leave. Their country was useful in terms of expediting wealth and cheap labor. The Athainians would never give that up. His mind began racing, trying to figure out just how she planned to do that. Panicking, he turned to a very flustered Kenko, realizing he had something to do with it as well.

"Your walkout," the brunette coughed awkwardly, trying to recover from all the PDA the two were showing, "I don't think you realize what effect it had on everyone."

"All I did was...throw a fit."

"I wouldn't call it that, and neither would any Afruan who doesn't currently live under a rock. Just think about who you are. You were already adored in your neighborhood for your stand-up personality, but then you solved cases no one could get close to."

"But that shouldn't - "

"You were the first Afruan-born to enter the military, and you were the youngest. You were scouted by dozens of countries for your clear leadership capabilities and your hands-on experience. And because of it, you were one of two Afruan students to be let into the Hatano Society in the history of Drisless."

"S-Stop already," the militant blushed, getting extremely embarrassed, especially as the younger girl smirked at him, "I'm not that big of a deal."

"Of course you are," she tutted, placing her finger to his lips to tell him to be quiet and listen, "Don't be so humble."

"What you need to understand, Hotaka, is that you walked out on all of that. You are a beaming example for everyone in this country. It made people realize just how lesser than Afruans are seen. You're an idol, and you need to keep being one."

"Right. So what we propose is that you lead the movement. You'll be the figurehead; the person everyone can rally behind and who will be the commander, so to speak. Kenko will work behind the scenes to make sure you're heard. And I'll use my people skills."

"People skills...?"

"Well, I know how people think and I know how to get them to listen. Trust me. I've got a kind of charm people don't ignore."

"You'll do it with me?" Hotaka nervously questioned.

"Of course, hun. Like I said, I'm sick and tired of people taking away my past, and I'm sick and tired of them trying to steal things from me. You're mine now, so it's only right I protect you."

The purple-haired male was surprisingly receptive to the idea after that. And when Kenko showed proof that the Akahito family would finance the whole thing, he felt energized to finally take charge. They began to discuss what to do first, but Kenko didn't realize that Hotaka and (Y/n) had to take care of something first. They had looked at one another silently in the midst of the conversation, giving a somber smile of understanding.

When Kenko left, the two waited together in mostly silence for Shota and Ryota to return. And as they did, seeing the two together, hand in hand, they both seethed in rage and envy. Ryota was the first one to act on impulse, fully intent on killing the militant. Shota followed behind as well, but both stopped in their tracks. The girl had called their names, and now they felt weak and unable to attack. That was when, within milliseconds of one another, Hotaka had shot Ryota to protect (Y/n) and (Y/n) had shot Shota to protect Hotaka. But that was just the start of the carnage to come.

Kenko had set everything up for the purple-haired male, and with the younger girl's help, they were able to formulate curated speeches for him to do. Starting with Drisless, they started up the cause, the school becoming nearly desolate, only populated by a small margin of wealthy Athainian nobles. Then they went from city to city across the country, technology playing a large part in spreading the message and garnering support from within the country to the outside of it. That part was thanks to Haru Akahito at Kenko's behest.

It wasn't a pretty and simple endeavor. The (h/c) haired girl had planned for them to start their attack the moment Athain realized they had received any taxes. It left a hole in their coffers, one that forced the motherland to pay out of pocket to fund the war. And while the Afruan populace was fighting for free, supplies provided by the Akahito family, Athain was feeling the detriments of the insurrection. Still, because they were not keen on giving up a large source of their income, they persisted.

Hotaka gave everyone something to rally behind and proved crucial as the movement's leader. That was perhaps why they tried to assassinate him. However, it backfired immensely. A mysterious woman - a masked individual that had been standing behind the militant since day one of the rebellion - dragged out those responsible. In front of everyone, she made them confess with nothing but her words. They had told of the country's plans, allowing for an immediately preemptive measure to be made.

People were in awe at the figure, and though they didn't know who she was, rumors spread like wildfire. Some thought she was the commander behind the scenes. Others believed she was an assassin, herself. However, the main consensus - whether out of wishful thinking or a need to have something else to rally behind - was that she was a guardian sent by the Sajisha deities. She didn't correct the misunderstanding, especially as it upped morale, but it was a huge weight on her shoulders to carry that connotation.

Some said that she had the power to give a soldier the strength of ten men, and they weren't wrong. She used that ability frequently, not that it left a trace visible to human eyes. Either way, Hotaka received the brunt of the power, the male pushing Athain further back with her help. On both sides, there were deaths, but, in the end, it was Afrua that claimed the victory, the country shouting loudly and proudly at the declaration of their freedom. The same day they won was the same day that the mysterious masked female disappeared.

The country started anew, doing away with its royal family, who had all but abandoned them the moment Athainians began waving around gold. They established a country that ran off of merit, placing trustworthy and ethical people in the seats of power. And though there was no guarantee that the country would remain that way forever, chances on the side of it falling back into corrupt hands, at the very least, for the time being, they were free.

"You did good," the (h/c) haired girl smiled, pulling the male into their new bedroom, "No one's going to tell us what to think anymore."

"It's a little surreal. Don't you think, Lavada?"

The male teased her for once, using one of the many names she'd been given as the mysterious masked woman. She flared up and punched him playfully, the militant glowing in adoration for her. He, too, wanted to believe that the girl in front of him had been sent by the deities of Sajisha. After all, many things she did could not be explained, and though she could try and explain it all to him, he would never be able to understand it. At least, not fully.

"Are you mad? Should I just call you (Y/n)?"

The girl paused, her eyes trailing away deep in thought. She debated whether or not to tell him to use that name. After all, it was the name that her "parents" had given her after buying her. She couldn't deny that she was attached to the name in some ways, used to hearing it laced with affection. However, when he had given her his real name, it felt wrong to conceal it from him. Besides, she wasn't planning on letting him leave her.

She pondered a little more. The girl genuinely didn't know how many people knew her real name. Though she knew of at least two individuals, anyone else was beyond her. A name was something sacred, a way to control someone else. That was what she had learned. But, it was also an intimate thing. She supposed, just for O'tka, she could spare some insight into who she really was. Leaning forward, she whispered her birth-given name, the male feeling a sense of calmness after hearing it along with a feeling that he had been bonded to her for life.

"Well, you know mine now. Should I call you O'tka instead of your Athainian stylized name?"

"Call me hun. Or something cute like that. I think...it would be nice."

"When's the wedding?"

She teased him back this time, the male flaring up bright red. Though he didn't respond, she knew he was thinking about it as he moved to cuddle her. For once, she had a restful night, able to sleep knowing there was something next to her. And, really, that was all she needed. Because now they were free and they would never be caged again.