I just had this quick idea, so I wanted to write it :) Have a look at the other entries as well: @gureshin-week-2023
Guren gasped for air. His lungs burned just like the rest of his body. But he did it. He finished them off. One by one.
There was no vampire left. He had cut them all with his sword and had sealed her fate with the curse. This demonic curse that kept him running until now slowly faded and Guren started to feel his body again. This weak body, that was now coughing and gasping for air.
He was standing all alone. It had been the right decision not to get anyone else involved. Anyone else could have been killed. But he had been capable of fighting all of them. Even if it had drained him to his limits. Now he just needed to get back…
Guren lifted his sword to put it back into the shed, when his legs collapsed. His mind went blank in an instant. But he didn’t hit the ground.
At first, he thought he regained his consciousness quickly enough to save himself from falling. But then he noticed the firm grip around his shoulders.
He was put to the ground, cautiously and slowly, but the arm around his shoulders didn’t let go of him. His head rested on someone’s shoulder.
“Guren!”
Guren knew this voice. It had always pulled him back into reality. And instantly Guren knew he was saved.
He just opened his eyes for a second to see Shinya’s worried face in front of him, before he closed them again. He felt way too tired to keep his eyes open.
Now that Shinya was here, there was no need in trying to fight his aching body any longer. He could relax. Giving himself a rest.
His shoulder was warm and Guren let himself sink deeper into this feeling. Into the warmth and silence of the moment.
If he listened closely, he could even hear Shinya’s heart pumping. Beat by beat. Maybe a bit faster than usual. But it was pumping steadily. Shinya was alive. It had all been worth it.
“Guren! Stay awake!”
Shinya was shaking him slightly. That was the last thing Guren needed right now.
“Hey, Shinya…” Guren whispered with closed eyes, “Don’t be annoying…”
Guren could feel Shinya’s grip tighten around him, as he pressed him closer to his chest. Shinya’s heart beat had increased but still, it was calming for Guren to listen to it.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/6
Fandom: 終わりのセラフ | Owari no Seraph | Seraph of the End
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Hiiragi Shinya/Ichinose Guren, Hiiragi Shinya & Ichinose Guren
Characters: Ichinose Guren, Hiiragi Shinya, Juujou Mito, Goshi Norito, Hanayori Sayuri, Yukimi Shigure
Additional Tags: Fluff and Angst, GureShin Week, Shinya is a Sweetheart, Shinya is a little shit, Seraph of the End: Ichinose Guren: Catastrophe at Sixteen
Summary:
My contribution to Gureshin week in 2022. Small one-shots to keep the fandom alive.
Day 2 of GureShin Week - It’s Shinya’s birthday today! Happy Birthday 🎉🥳
So let’s take the occasion and have a deeper look into Shinya’s character.
I already did an analysis for Mahiru because of an anon ask. It was really interesting to think more about why she does what she does and how she became the person she's now.
So I wanted to do this also for Shinya. I did a lot of reflection about his character when I was writing my fanfiction "Why we cannot stop loving". As he was the point of view character I really wanted to dive deeper into his motives and why he’s feeling how he feels. Also I explored some situations I really wanted to see Shinya reacting to it. Like what Guren has been hiding from him.
But there’s also a lot of stuff that didn’t fit into the story which I had been thinking about as well. So I am now trying to write it down and explain where this might be coming from.
But maybe a short disclaimer beforehand because I know Shinya is a very well loved character:
I base my analysis on what I feel would complete the narrative. There could be a lot of other interpretations about him. So this is just one version.
And it turned out a lot longer than expected. So apologies for that.
Drawing by Yo Asami, artist of Catastroph at Sixteen Manga
Analysis of Shinya's Character
Let's go back to...
Shinya’s childhood (Prologue book 3)
To know why a character is like they are, it’s always interesting to look into their childhood. In Shinya’s case, he first grew up with his parents. I expect him to have had a rather good childhood . It was said that he was already part of a Hiragi kindergarten when he was five but without the competition. Shinya was talented, was really good in school and had a lot of other talents. He was fast, good at magic. A lot better than the other kids. So he was probably praised by his parents, by other adults and he was used to surpass others, because he is very skilled. And no person is not infected by praise at an early age. Shinya probably got used to be able to do everything. He might even have been a lot more arrogant than now because he knew he could do all the stuff and was doing really great and he also got the confirmation that this was good and achievable. He was told that he was special and there was no instance that could have made him reflect about it. So when I think about Shinya being arrogant, I think more of the Shinya we see when he's desperate. Like the ice cold look he gave Guren when he was disappointed in him for not fulfilling his expectations. But more about it later. In general, I feel like Shinya wasn't always just nice and sweet. Or rather didn't use it socially that often back then because he didn't need to.
But then the Hiragi noticed his talent and took him in. First, this must have been a huge lost because he was taken from the parents he loved and that loved him. Maybe this also made him think they don't love him anymore because he never heard about them ever again. Knowing the way he later can very well hide his emotions, I can imagine that he also back then hid his sadness. He maybe cried a lot, maybe in secret at night later. Even thought it is said that he didn't have the time anymore when he was in Tokyo. And the reason for that might be the fact, that it was "an honour" to be selected by the Hiragi.
Because of the social status the Hiragi have, Shinya was probably also kind of proud. Everyone must have told him how well he was doing that he was given the honor to get with the Hiragi. In some way this must have pushed Shinya's ego though I still think on the inside he was hurt that he was given away. Nevertheless Shinya seemd to be a person that adapts very well to situations. So I can imagine him also managing well to fit in the new situation and surrounding. He maybe cried at night, but at day he was the same talented guy that impressed others. He probably made already some friends among the other contestens very quickly.
But we know he wasn't the only smart and talented guy. Even though he might got along well with others, this was also one of the first moments, Shinya had a real competition. The contest might has motivated him in the beginning to push himself even further. He always won in the past, so he was now in a surrounding where he had to win. And he must have done well.
But the competition always also meant that other children got killed. For being bad at school, and later in direct fights. So the challenge developed quickly into a hard, bloody reality. And he must have lost a lot of friends. Imagine just meeting a person one day and the next they will be gone and worst they have been killed by some other guys you know.
So slowly Shinya stopped making friends for real, because he knew in the end he would lose them again. He started to protect himself emotionally by not building bonds anymore with other people and focusing on himself. So a loss won't hurt that much anymore. Also he must have stopped showing his true emotions in general. Emotions can be a weakness in fights and in order to be strong, he might also have started to surpress his emotions. This way he became apathetic inside. Not showing emotion, not feeling anything, not forming bonds and friendships with people. All in order to win and most importantly survive.
It is said that Shinya started smiling permanently at that time to relive the stress. Also Shinya must have tried to cope with him surpressing his own emotions. Smile was his mechanism. Also it helped him socialice with people so he would not be pulled into trouble. Also it is said that it confused his enemies in battle. And I can imagine that Shinya started to use it as a weapon. To fool others to be able to win again them when they didn't expect it from such a seemingly nice guy that always smiles.
So Shinya's only goal was now to survive. And the price for that was the hand of Mahiru. He used all his energy for that one goal. He only lived for that goal. Only to then realize when he was suddenly selected as the winner of the tournament, that she doesn't even want him.
All the time and effort he put into it, shattered in just a second when Mahiru told him, she's already in love with someone else. Even though Shinya survived, he lost because his apparent goal was already out of reach. It's the first massive lost he experienced in his life. His ego must have been totally shatterd, realizing that it was all for seemingly nothing. A guy named Guren was already ahead of him.
And this was a new challange for Shinya. Despite having fallen deep by realizing he lost his goal and seemingly wasn't able to win Mahiru over whatever he did, he slowly started to shift his goal to Guren. He had what Shinya wanted. He was his opponent. Mahiru had told him mutiple times that Guren was a lot stronger and more special than him.
So Shinya wanted to meet Guren, desperately. That was Shinya's goal at that moment. Meeting him and finding out what was so special about him. Why Mahiru was talking so highly about him and what had made her fall in love with him.
And they met. In High School
Beginning of the High School Years (Book 1-4)
Shinya knew Guren was coming to their school. To find out what was so special about Guren, he wanted to challenge him. Find out if he's strong, if he's better in magic, if he was smarter, what so ever.
To approach him, Shinya used the techniques he learned from his childhood. Smiling and be nice to people, so you get what you want. He kind of treid to fake a friendshop between them. Just that it didn't work on Guren.
Guren hid his power from him. And even though Shinya pushed him, tried to beat him up, Guren just let it happen. And Shinya was really pissed that none of his usually techniques worked on Guren. He smiled, tried to get Guren's attention, but he just ignored him.
This led to that scene where Shinya protect Guren but starts being cold towards him. Shinya is disappointed in Guren. The person Mahiru spoke so highly about all those years, was nothing but weak. He seemingly wasn't strong, talented or anything. And Shinya still lost against him. And to make it even worth, if he was strong, he didn't even use his powers for something relevant. Another goal of Shinya was shattered.
But things change, when Shinya sees Guren fight at the tournament in school. He sees that Guren knows a lot more magic than he says. And Shinya's interest is back. He proceeds trying to befriend him and as we know, he succeeds.
Shinya starts getting to know Guren and he realizes that what makes Guren different is that he is still trying to achieve his goal. In book 4 there's one scene from Shinya POV where he thinks about why Mahiru chose Guren in which he realized that Guren is passionate about his goal. He is fighting for it. Shinya gave up fighting and winning when he realized he couldn't win Mahiru over. And Shinya thinks about how stupid Guren is to give up his humanity to save others. Though thereby he realizes himself that he always just killed for himself. He killed for the sake of surviving. Never did he invest any energy for others. And though Shinya thinks what Guren is doing is massively supid, he kind of admires him for this. And at the same time, it makes him want to help Guren as well. Even though he would risk his life, he wants to save Guren from the mess he got himself into. He wants to get Guren back.
Without noticing he had already formed a bond with Guren. The interactions he intially used to get close to Guren now made him actually made him becoming friends with him. And Shinya, who had not felt anything in years, now suddenly had again something he wanted. He wanted to protect Guren, if necessary to kill him himself.
That's why he went to the school and made a plan to attack Guren and keep him in place. He wanted to be the one saving Guren.
In the same events it is said that Shinya wanted to save Mahiru to be finally recognized by her. He was never recognized in the past. He wasn't strong enough. And by challenging her, he might get the recognition he always wanted. But we know how it ends, he never got it. But maybe it wasn't even necessary anymore for him.
Shinya and human bonds (Book 5-7 + Vampire Reign)
After the event in the High School in book 4, Shinya starts developing a deeper friendship with Guren. It seems like he had accepted that he couldn't take back that he started to care for Guren.
The next inside we get into Shinya's character is in book 6 where he saves Guren from Seishiro and they start to have a heart to heart talk about human bonds. Funnily in this dialogue it's now Shinya telling Guren that human bonds are important to have a reason to be strong. Because it was Guren that made Shinya realize that friendship and bonds were important in the first place.
Shinya, a person that had hid his feelings, became cold, never had a goal is now telling Guren, that he shouldn't become that way. And that's remarkable. Because it means that Guren changed Shinya, he changed how he's thinking. Shinya has learned that he doesn't want to be a lone fighter anymore and he doesn't want Guren to become one. He found his goal in supporting Guren and fight alongside with him. Shinya wants to use his power for something he believes in.
Later in book 7 he even tells Mahiru that he chose Guren over power. He knows it's stupid, but it's what give him joy, a reason for contuing, a reason for living.
But Shinya dies believing in Guren. Though he doesn't remember later. He dies knowing that he had good moments in his life in the year in which he had finally made friends for real again. In which he had shared good moments with others and wasn't alone anymore.
Though as Shinya doesn't remember failing on that route. His goal to be with Guren and to protect and follow him doesn't change. When Guren starts losing his own hope and goal in Resurrection Shinya pushes him to follow his goal. To give himself a reason again to continue.
And later, when Guren even betrays them in Vampire Reign, Shinya is the one that desperatly calls for more power to prevent him from leaving. Even though Shinya can still kill without mercy, if it is necessary - he can't leave anyone important to him behind anymore.
So why is Shinya so obssesed with Guren?
I believe the reason why Shinya started to develop a friendship and feelings for with Guren is that Guren was the first one in a long time to see and care about him.
Shinya had been used to be praised as a kid. Then his parents were taken away from him. He stopped making friends. Mahiru never saw him for what he was. And then Guren came along and he cared for him (even though he said he didn't because he's a tsundere).
And Shinya wanted to be seen by Guren. By protecting him, by helping him out, by staying by his side. Shinya wanted Guren's attention because it was someone that was stronger than him that he admired.
But at the same time, Shinya started to also care for Guren. And as we know, Guren also found comfort in having someone who he can blindly trust. That's what made their bond so strong and hopefully still makes it strong.
Just as Shinya is Guren's soft spot, Guren is Shinya's.
Guren changed Shinya and Shinya does not want to lose his trust in him again. He doesn't want to accept that he decieded wrong when he chose Guren. Because he started to undertand what made Guren so attractive.
and I instantly thought about this scene that made me fall in love with them in just a blink of an eye. I didn't get any vibes and then suddenly I totally got it. From 0 to 100 % in 3 seconds 😄
So I wanted to color it. I used some "hacks" that mde it possible to do some quick coloring and as I am not an artist, I mostly guessed where to put a bit more shadows. So it's far from perfect.
As it's rather an optical change, here are some headcanons for their styles:
- Shinya takes great care of her hair. She likes it long because she thinks she looks super cute with it. She also likes putting stuff in her hair or braiding it but usually she goes for a simple headband. When she's not in cute clothes, she likes to keep it simple but elegant
- Guren doesn't care for her hair at all. That's why she keeps it rather short and just brushes it when it gets too messy. Also she likes to wear simple hoodies and no makeup at all
