#gureshinweek2022

[thankyourluckystars13]

Happy Birthday Shinya ❤️🎂

[withoutzeuzey]

(Click in for better quality!)

Gureshin Week Day 1: Sky / Most Memorable Scene

For me, the most memorable scene is when Shinya held Guren still and they were chained together for hours in ca16! (Novel: Vol 4 Chapter 4, Manga Cahpter 24) 

I’ve been wanting to draw this scene for forever so i’m glad i finally did ( •̀ ω •́ ) I’m really happy with the final outcome too so I hope you’ll like it! Unfortunately tho, the next days’ art won’t be this detailed and they’re in a more skecthy style,, anyways I’m starting the gureshin week with this :3

@gureshin-week-2022

[distinguished-slacker]

~ Day 2 - Shinya’s Birthday! ~

@gureshin-week-2022

[nayruwu]

november 21st // day 1: sky

all was golden in the sky when the sun met the night.

@gureshin-week-2022

[esquefae]

day 1 for most memorable scene!

im late but

[twurger]

HOW COULD I FORGET TO POST THE LESBIANS ON TUMBLR? SOBBIGN

[schneereggen]

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.

[mercheswan]

“Hey, stupid Guren, can I go this Saturday to my friend’s house to meet her brother’s tiger?” Yuu asks as he enters the living room, grabbing the attention of the three occupants of the room.

~~~

Guren gets mesmerized by the tigers’ owner. And the fact that the tiger doesn’t like him seems to be the least of his problems.

For @gureshin-week-2022 DAY 4: Animals.

Fic on AO3 - user: MerCevans or ⬇️

Guren is quietly reading some reports, while Sayuri pours him some tea and Shigure cleans her knives and weapons.

“W-What!? Yuuichiro… Did you just say..?” Sayuri exclaims in shock.

“Huh? What are you taking about? You don’t have friends” Guren scoffs a laugh.

“Guren-sama! That’s not what’s strange about what Yuuichiro just said!” Sayuri protests.

“Of course I do! Mika is my friend! And Yoichi… I guess Shinoa can also be considered one…” Yuu huffs indignant. “I don’t care what you say. Can I go or not?”

“Ah, yes, the Tepes boy. You’re obsessed with him. But who is this girl, where did she come from? You have a girlfriend already, I never thought you would” Guren snorts mockingly.

“Shinoa is not my girlfriend. That’s gross. She is annoying, but Yoichi likes her and she has been sitting with us during lunch this past days. So… I guess it’s fine”

Guren huffs. “How difficult it is to be a twelve year old boy, huh?”

“Whatever. So, can I go?” Yuu presses.

Guren averts his eyes to continue reading his reports. “Do as you like”

“Guren-sama!” Sayuri exclaims horrified.

Guren raises his eyebrow at his retainer. “What is it?”

“I believe Sayuri is worried, because Yuuichiro mentioned that he is going to meet a tiger” Shigure explains.

“It can not be a real tiger, right? Who has a tiger in their house” Sayuri questions glaring at Yuu.

“It’s domesticated. A tiger it’s just a big cat” Yuu shrugs.

“Tigers are indeed felines. But the comparison is not truly accurate. Tigers are wild animals.” Shigure punctuates.

“You befriended the Tepes boy who comes from a nobiliary house, and now, someone rich enough to have a tiger as a pet? Do you have a magnet for weird rich kids?” Guren questions.

“Ask yourself that. You adopted me too.” Yuu huffs.

“Getting you out of the orphanage was charity work actually” Guren argues.

“Guren-sama! Don’t say things like that!” Sayuri cries outraged.

Yuu snorts, clicking his tongue. He knows that Guren didn’t mean that. “Well then I’ll go. I’ll be in my room.”

“Wait a minute” Guren calls. “What’s the girls last name, she could be from an influential family”

Yuu grimaces. He hates the political stuff of being in a prominent clan. Deals, confrontations, alliances… it’s all very complicated, and Yuu doesn’t want to be mixed and all that. “Umm… I don’t know… she is just Shinoa…”

“Use your almost non-existent brain”

Yuu huffs annoyed. “It’s starts with an H… I think… it’s Hima… no— Hiro… Ah! Got it! It’s Hiiragi! Hiiragi Shinoa”

The room becomes quiet except for the sound of Shigure’s knife hitting the floor. The three young adults look at Yuu with stupefaction.

“Yuuichiro you can’t be friends with her” Shigure declares with a menacing voice.

“Huh?”

“I explained to you, right, Yuu? The origins of the Ichinose clan.” Sayuri adds.

“What are you guys talking about. What’s that got to do with anything?” Yuu asks confused.

“The Hiiragi clan and the Ichinose clan have been at odds for centuries brat.” Guren sighed out loud. “The families were once united, but there was a big betrayal because someone was assassinated. It caused a big conflict and the clans became enemies. At the present moment we are business competitors.” He explained. “I can’t believe you went an befriended one of the kids from that dammed family…” Guren groans.

“But that happened so long ago. That has nothing to do with me or Shinoa” Yuu says irritated.

“We can’t associate ourselves with the Hiiragi clan, Yuu” Sayuri smiles apologetic.

“You said the girl is the one who approached you?” Guren asks.

Yuu nods. “She is in my class with Yoichi”

Guren rests his hand on his chin, wearing a thoughtful expression. “It could be a trap”

Yuu furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean Guren-sama?” Shigure glares at the raven haired.

“The next clan head it’s Hiiragi Kureto. I’ve met him a couple of times. He is prepotent, greedy and a little bit callous. I don’t trust him, but he has expressed that once he is the clan’s leader, he wants our clans to come closer and make peace.” Guren reveals.

“That’s good, right? If they are powerful you can benefit from that” Yuu argues.

Guren sighs. “They could be trying to trick us”

“They can’t be trusted” Shigure adds and Sayuri nods.

“I just want to go see a tiger. Why are you making it be so complicated. Shinoa is still going to be in my class, and she can be pretty annoying” Yuu huffs.

“Okay” Guren agrees. “We’ll go to meet the tiger”

“Great! Thanks I— wait a minute. What do you mean we?” Yuu questions.

“I’ll go with you. That way we can determine if they ordered the girl to get close to you, so they’ll have a connection to our clan. It’s better to go directly to the source and show them that they can’t trick us” Guren alleges.

“I can’t just appear accompanied with you! It’s like going with your father, I’m not a little kid!” Yuu protests.

“Oh? You see me as your father, brat?” Guren smirks teasingly.

Yuu groans out loud. “Whatever. I’ll ask Shinoa…”.

With that Yuu leaves to his room. At dinner he informs his caretakers that Shinoa said that it was fine, that Guren could come too. “She teased me a lot about it! I will get revenge from this, stupid Guren!”

On Saturday, Guren and Yuu arrive and park the car next to the Hiiragi Manor.

“Whoa” Yuu whistles staring at the enormous house. “They are much more richer than you”

Guren clicks his tongue. “They are known to me merciless in business. That’s not how I like to do things” He claims.

They continue waking to the main door. “You said the tiger was that girl, Shinoa’s brother, right?”

Yuu nods. “Yeah, the tiger it’s not hers. She told me that it belonged his older sibling. It has to belong to the guy you know, right? The one who wants our clans to come closer”

Guren feels a quick spark of happiness at hearing Yuu including himself as part of the clan. He stayed with his original last name, even if legally he should be an Ichinose. “Not necessarily” The raven haired responds. Yuu quirks a brow at him. “I can’t really imagine Kureto having a tiger as a pet, not even as a power move. There’s another Hiiragi sibling. His name it’s Seishirō. He is a total imbecile, he looks more like the type of guy who would get a tiger just to show that he has an exotic animal”

“Yuu-kun!” A voice calling grabs the attention of the pair.

In front of the main gate, Yoichi waves his hand cheerfully. Next to him, Mika also waves his hand at him.

“Mika! Yoichi!” Yuu grins widely and runs to his friends.

“Good morning Yuu-chan” Mika returns a kind smile.

“Huh? You came too?” Yuu sends an unfriendly glance to Kimizuki, another student in his class.

Kimizuki huffs annoyed. “What of it?”

“Ah, good thing, we are all here already” A girl says joining the group of boys.

“Mitsuba!”

“Then let’s call Shinoa..— Who are you?” Kimizuki questions to Guren when he stops next to Yuu.

“That’s Yuu-chan’s caretaker” Mika replies., having already known Guren a couple of times. Although he is not particularly thrilled to see the man.

“Ha! You brought your father?” Kimizuki snorts teasingly. Yuu feels a blush coming to his face.

“I’m not his father. Call the intercom already. I came here for my own reasons, you brats don’t need to understand it” Guren moves his hand with indifference.

“You’re never too old to want to see a tiger” Yoichi interjects with an innocent and happily voice. Guren glares at him with a confounded face. Mika and Mitsuba silently laugh behind him.

Kimizuki presses the intercom.

“Hiiragi residence. Who— Ah! It’s for me, Aoba-san. Let me take care of it!” The group hear two voices speak.

“Shinoa?” Mitsuba calls.

“Ah, Mitsu-chan, I can see that everyone is here. Splendid. Come in!” Shinoa says through the intercom and the doors open.

The teenagers plus Guren, enter the Hiiragi Manor. The Ichinose observes that they are carefully being watched by the personnel of the residence.

“Hello guys!” A girl with purple hair and a big bow in her hair greets them. “Thanks for coming. Let’s not waist more time, Shinya is with the tiger now, so it’s a perfect moment to meet him. He always listen to him.” The Hiiragi girl claims as he motions the group to follow her to the gardens on the right side of the terrains.

Shinya? Guren mentally questions. Must be the tigers keeper. Then Shinoa meets eyes with him. The Ichinose frowns at how mature and mischievous her glare looks. “You must be Guren-san, right? Yuu-san’s caretaker” She extends her hand for him to shake in a polite manner. “I told Kureto nii-san, that you were coming, I hope that you don’t mind. He says he wants to speak with you. He is busy at this very moment, but he will come to greet you later. In the mean time, you can come with us to see the tiger, if you want”. Guren makes a sound of agreement.

The group walks around the Hiiragi Manor’s terrains. The place it’s big enough to be considered a whole neighborhood.

“Is it free? Don’t you have it in a cage?” Yoichi asks.

“He has his own space, but Shinya let’s him out when he is with him. But don’t worry, the tiger obeys Shinya, after all, he is the one who rescue him. Shinya was sixteen at that time, so, they’ve been together for years.” Shinoa explains. “Ah. There he is! Shinya!”

Some meter in front the group can distinguish two forms. One of them is huge and white and the other is clearly a boy. The boy, supposedly Shinya, waves back at Shinoa .

“The tiger is white! Oh it’s beautiful!” Mitsuba exclaims.

Guren glares at Yuu. He can’t hide that he is impressed and excited to see the animal, it makes the raven haired snort mentally.

Shinya walks to meet them and that’s when Guren fully sees him. Shinya is breathtaking. He is young, more or less his age, with silver/white hair and pale skin. His smile is warm and friendly. And his eyes. His eyes are the most beautiful blue, Guren has even seen.

“Hey, so this are your friends?” Shinya asks Shinoa who nods with a smile.

“It’s bigger than I thought it would be” Kimizuki comments.

“Oh… are you afraid?” Yuu teases with a mischievous smirk.

“It’s normal to be unsettle Yuu-kun. It’s a wild animal after all” Yoichi remarks.

“It’s like a big cat” Yuu huffs.

“Oh? We have a brave boy here… You think he is not dangerous?” Shinya asks with a smile that makes Guren tremble with an unknown feeling. It’s not amicably like before, it’s almost menacing.

“Byakkomaru” Shinya murmurs in a soft and serious voice.

A second after the silver haired utters those words, the white tiger who has been laying peacefully on the grass some meter away from them, roars loudly and begins sprinting like a wild beast at them.

Guren’s heart starts to beat out of control at the threat before him. The kids began to scream in absolute fear trying to get away from the animal.

“Yuu-chan!” Mika’s scream alerts Guren. Yuu hasn’t moved, paralyzed by the fear and the tiger is running towards him.

“Yuu!” Guren advances to stand in front of the animal but then a firm hand grabs him by the arm, making him unable to move. It’s Shinya. The Ichinose’s eyes widen in shock as he tries to get away from the grasp.

But he doesn’t manage to and he has to watch how the giant tiger jumps on top of Yuu.

“Yuu!” “Yuu-chan!” “Yuuichiro!” The kids scream.

“Let go!” Guren groans, turning around to punch Shinya.

The silver haired meets his eyes with a gently smile. “Look” He points to the tiger with his head.

Guren glares at the animal as sees him getting up. His violent attitude has disappeared, and on the ground it’s Yuu, completely unharmed although wearing a shocked and frightened face.

“Yuu-chan!” Mika moves beside his friend.

The tiger walks slowly to Shinoa’s side. It’s when Guren notices that the girl is not looking afraid like the rest of the kids.

“Well done Byakkomaru” The girl pats the tiger who purrs.

“Wha.. what’s the meaning of this!?” Kimozuki asks agitated.

“I told you it would be too much” Shinya says glaring the Hiiragi girl. He has still not let go of Guren’s arm.

“Ma.. but it was so fun to see Yuu-san acting so brave and just a second later being completely scared” Shinoa giggles.

Yuu manages to stand thanks to Mika. “This was a prank!?” He squeaks. Shinoa shows her tongue in a playful manner.

“Shinoa! That was too much!”

“I thought I was going to die!”

“You Hiiragi are absolutely mental…” Guren mutters in a low voice, although Shinya’s soft chuckle indicates that he has heard him.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t help myself…” Shinoa offers.

Yuu huffs out loud. “Whatever. Don’t do that to your friends, okay?”

Guren notices that Shinoa’s face turns shocked at Yuu’s comment. I guess the stupid girl doesn’t have that many friends… He thinks.

Shinoa smiles gently. “You’re right Yuu-san. No more pranks, I promise. So, who wants to pet Byakkomaru?” She says as he caressed the tiger’s fur.

Surprisingly, It’s Yoichi the ones who approaches the animal first.

Guren observes as the children come closer and play with the tiger.

“Don’t worry, he won’t attack again. I have trained him well” Guren freezes at hearing Shinya’s voice in his ear. He turns around and meets the silver haired’s gentle smile.

“It’s crazy to have a tiger as a pet” Guren comments, looking at the other adult.

Shinya hums cheerfully. “Perhaps.” He brushes his shoulder with Guren. “You’re young to be the father of one of those…” He points to the children group.

Guren snorts. “Nah… I’m Yuu’s tutor. The boy who was attacked by the Tiger”

Shinya’s eyes widen a little. “Oh. I guess I should be happy that you didn’t break my nose when I stopped you to save the kid”

Guren grins. “I wanted to. But, your grasp was quite strong”. Shinya chuckles.

He has a nice laugh. Guren thinks. It’s a shame that the works for the Hiiragi.

“You live in the Hiiragi Manor?” Guren questions.

“Yeah. I do. I was living abroad for some time, and I decided to return to Japan” Shinya responds.

“Studying how to tame tigers?” Guren teases.

Shinya laughs. “Byakkomaru has been my loyal companion for years. Wherever I go, he goes”

“And I suppose that you’ll be staying here for the foreseeable future”

Shinya raises his eyebrow wearing a flirty expression. “Oh? Have I picked your interest?”

Guren meets blue amused eyes. “You wish” he snorts.

“I’m a very mysterious person. I know how to make things interesting” Shinya adds.

Guren chuckles. “Yeah, I bet”.

When the Ichinose decided to accompany Yuu, he could have never imagine that he would end up flirting with a Hiiragi servant. But, he has to admit that he is interested in the silver haired.

“They say that the Ichinose are trouble. You look like trouble all right”. It shouldn’t sound sexy, but Guren finds that he doesn’t mind if Shinya calls him a troublemaker.

“The Hiiragi can’t control us. And they absolutely loathe it”

“Which surely makes you very gratified” Shinya claims. Guren offers him a cheeky grin to which Shinya responds by laughing good-naturally. “So you came with your… protégée cause you think that Shinoa befriending him is some obscure tactic?”

Guren just glares at him, not wanting to confirm or deny anything. It seems that Shinya is very aware of the reality of the relationships between both clans. ‘So. He isn’t just an animal keeper… could he be a trusted retainer?’ Guren muses mentally.

“I can assure you that that’s not the case. Shinoa is not interested in the clan’s politics. She does not really brag about being a Hiiragi. But, I can’t blame you for being cautious” Shinya declares.

“And you?” Guren asks. Shinya quirks his brow in confusion. “Are you blindly loyal to the Hiiragi?”

‘Ah..’ Shinya suspires and grins. “I was brought to this family. I do not completely agree with everything they do. However, I have understood that they want an approach to the Ichinose clan. I didn’t really care, but considering…” The silver haired glares shamelessly at Guren from head to toe. “I might be in favor of that idea…”

“Maybe if the Hiiragi were more like you, I may consider it…” Guren claims playfully.

Shinya chuckles. “Don’t say that out loud, or they might send me to seduce you…”

“You think you can seduce me?” Guren grins suggestively.

“I thought I was doing a good job about it… Tell me, what does it take to seduce the mighty Ichinose Guren~” Shinya whispers, his lips brushing Guren’s ear.

‘You are doing a spectacular job’ Guren internally thinks. He has to admit that it has been long since he has felt this type of attraction for someone else. The fact that the silver haired works for the Hiiragi it’s becoming something unimportant. He has to admit that he wants to meet Shinya again once their visit to the Hiiragi Mansion ends, preferably in his house. In his bedroom to be more precise.

Purple eyes met blue ones, the tension between them is palpable. Guren hopes that the kids are busy enough playing with the tiger, so they don’t pay attention to the older men’s flirting.

The kids are indeed busy, but apparently Byakkomaru doesn’t appreciate when someone comes close to his keeper.

An angry roar breaks the intimate moment between Shinya and Guren. The raven haired eyes the animal with caution, the tiger seems to be in a bad mood, but curiously, it’s anger it’s not directed to the children, but at Guren.

Byakkomaru advances with a threatening aura towards the Ichinose. “Shinya… if it’s another prank…” Guren says, his eyes never leaving the animal.

“Byakkomaru. Stop” Shinya orders in a commanding voice, but the tiger doesn’t comply to it.

“I thought you said that he listens to you” Guren whispers to the silver haired. The tiger keeps roaring and making menacing sounds, he looks as if he is going to attack at any moment, and Shinya can’t control it.

“Byakkomaru. Down. Now.” Shinya positions himself between the beast and Guren, and glares at his tiger with harshness.

And the tiger and his keeper stare at each other for a few seconds in which they strangely appear to be having a mental conversation. In the end, the white animal decides to leave to rest in some rocks some meters away.

“That was weird…” Shinoa proclaims breaking the silence that has fallen into the group.

“I suppose our time with Byakkomaru has come to an end” Mitsuba adds.

“Oh, but it was fun! I did not expect to actually be able to play with the tiger!” Yoichi says with clear excitement in his voice.

The group of children soon begin discussing their encounter with the animal and who is the one who seems to have bonded more with him. Which apparently is Yoichi as Mika claims.

“I don’t understand what’s happened, Byakkomaru has never reacted like that to anyone before… not even Seishirō got a response like that…” Shinya comments glancing at the tiger from the comer of his eye.

Guren turns to face him. “Your tiger is clearly dumb if he prefers that brainless jerk over me” He huffs.

“I don’t know Guren… the tiger seemed to be very intelligent. Perhaps he just sensed how stupid you are” Yuu claims, entering the conversation.

Shinya lefts out a muffled chuckle at the comments that makes Guren sent him an aggravated glare.

“Shut up. In any case, it’s normal if the tiger prefers Seishirō. It’s his new master, right?” Guren puffed.

Shinya quirks his brow at him with confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Seishirō bought the tiger, right?” Guren clarifies.

“Emm… no Guren… why would you think that?” Shinya questions.

Guren frowns. “So the tiger it’s actually Kureto’s?”

“What? No! Guren, Byakkomaru it’s my companion, it belongs to me” Shinya claims.

“Yeah, I get that, you’re his keeper, the caretaker. But, the the tiger was bought by the Hiiragi, right? So, technically now it belongs to them.” Guren explains. “The brat” He points with his head at Yuu. “Told me that the tiger was owned by one of the brothers”

Shinya’s eyes widen in surprise. “Oh.. I thought you knew…”

“Know what?—”

“Shinya. Shinoa” The arrival of Hiiragi Kureto interrupts the previous conversation.

“Hello, hello, Nii-san. Did you finish your work?” The Hiiragi asks.

Kureto nods. “Yes. And I can see that you have also finished playing with Byakkomaru. Was everything okay? The staff said they heard screams”

“Just a little prank that went a little bit overboard, Kureto nii-san, but everyone it’s fine” Shinya smiles at the the older Hiiragi.

Guren snaps his neck in Shinya’s direction incredibly fast.

“Guren, it was a surprise to hear that you were coming I didn’t know that Shinoa—”

“Wait” Guren interjects, interrupting Kureto, who raises his eyebrow affronted. “Nii-san?” Guren questions, staring at Shinya.

Shinya huffs a laugh. “Yeah, I thought you knew… but, since I’m adopted, it’s true that some people don’t usually count me as one of the siblings…” He scratches his back. “I’ll introduce myself properly then: Hello, I’m Hiiragi Shinya. Nice yo meet you Guren” The silver haired offers his hand to shake.

No. No, no no! Arggg really!? Guren’s mind groans.

“Shinya was adopted when he was nine. But, he is not really much involved in the business.” Kureto intervenes.

“But, my adoptive father wants me to be more involved. That’s why I came back.” Shinya adds.

“I actually wanted to put Shinya as a representative in a little project I have in mind. One in which I was hoping our clans could work as partners” Kureto reveals. Guren glares at the Hiiragi with skepticism. “If you have time, we can discuss it while the children play inside and have some snacks”

Guren turns to look at Shinya, who offers him a gently smile. The Ichinose nods and the group walk to the mansion.

A couple of hours later, Guren enters the living room where the kids are playing some bored games. “Yuu. We’re leaving”

“Already?” Yuu groans.

“You can come whenever you want, Yuu-san” Shinoa smiles.

“Yeah, we should do this again” Mitsuba claims and the others agree with her.

They say their goodbyes and Yuu and Guren walk to their car. The young boy glances at his caretaker from the corner of his eye. The man hasn’t said a word since he began driving.

“So, what they did offer you?” Yuu asks.

“None of your business. You’re not part of the company” Guren replies.

“Maybe they are not that bad. Shinoa is annoying but she is not bad. And that Shinya guy seemed nice. You looked like you liked him. A lot. I saw you laughing. You never laugh” Yuu presses.

Guren clicks his tongue. “It’s complicated. I don’t know if I can trust them”

“What’s your heart telling you. Not about the Hiiragi in general, or that Kureto guy who seemed to be a little bit cold-blooded, but about Shinya. Do you think you can trust him?”

‘I do. But what if I make a mistake by deciding to follow what I feel…’. Guren mentally thinks.

“You overthink too much” Yuu huffs and turns to look through the car’s windows.

~~~~~

“Guren-sama. Welcome home” Sayuri greets the Ichinose.

“Hiiragi Kureto has called. He says that if you are interested in what you discussed that now was the time to work on it. That you should call him” Shigure announces.

Guren groans out loud. He still hasn’t decided what he wants to do.

“Speaking of Hiiragi…” Sayuri mutters. Guren raises his eyebrow in her direction. The retainer meets the man’s glare. “We have a visitor.”

Guren’s heart skips a little beat. Shinya? The voice in his mind sounds hopefully. A week has passed since he met the man, and the raven haired hasn’t been able to forget about him. He knows that he wants to see him again and get to know him. It’s weird for someone to grab his attention like that, but it took Shinya less than an hour to do so.

If Guren agrees to what Kureto proposed, that would mean that he and Shinya would spend a lot of time together. And he wants that.

“What visitor?” Guren asks, trying not to sound too hopeful.

“She is in Yuu’s room” Sayuri replies.

‘She?.. oh. Her’. Guren clicks his tongue and walks towards the kid’s room.

“Yuu-san, trust me with this, the presentation will look better if we do this…”

Guren hears the voice of the girl as he comes closer to the room

“It looks too pink…”

“Nonsense. Izumi-sensei likes pink. You have to go with your heart with this things!”

“Who told you that?”

“Shinya” At the mention of the silver haired’s name, Guren stops at the doorframe to listen. “He always says that you can’t go wrong if you follow your heart”

Guren breathes out, pressing his head on the wall. Should he follow his heart too?

“In any case, I did the majority of this project. So it’s gotta be pink cause I say so”

“Huh!? Oi! That’s not fair Shinoa!”

Guren lefts out a little snort before knocking on the door and entering Yuu’s room. “Hey brat”

Yuu and Shinoa meet their eyes. “Stupid Guren!” “Guren-san, good afternoon.”

Guren scoffs. “That for school?” He says pointing at the mess of cardboards, pointers and paper on the floor.

“Yes. We have a presentation tomorrow, and we needed to finish it” Shinoa answers

“It’s okay that I invited her, right? It’s for school” Yuu asks looking at his caretaker.

Guren nods. “Yeah, I’ll let you finish”

A couple of hours later, Yuu and Shinoa exit the other’s room. Guren, Shigure and Sayuri were preparing dinner.

“Sayuri-san. Thank you so much for the cookies they were delicious. Oh, and could you make sure that Yuuichiro doesn’t forget the project at home tomorrow?” Shinoa smiles.

“I won’t forget!” Yuu complains.

“I’ll remind him tomorrow” Sayuri laughs softly.

“It’s late. Should I call a cab?” Guren asks

Shinoa shakes her head. “Someone it’s coming to pick me up. In fact… he is here already” The girl says checking her phone. “Guren-san, walk me? It’s only proper”

Guren frowns at her. He senses a trap, but accompanies her outside. There is indeed a car waiting at the entrance. He has expected a servant, but then Shinya exits the vehicle with a bright smile on his face.

“Hop in” He says.

Shinoa smirks to the Ichinose before entering the vehicle. Guren can swear that the smile looks a little devilish.

“Guren” Shinya calls him.

“Shinya” Guren greets back.

“I hope she wasn’t so much of a nuisance?”

“Nah, they were working on that famous project” Guren replies.

Shinya nods as he glares at Guren. It looks like he wants to say something more, but he is not sure if he should.

“Gure—”

“Shiny—”

The silver haired chuckles. “I just wanted to say that, I know you don’t trust Kureto nii-san, and I totally get it. You should be cautious in fact. But, I guess, I just wanted to let you know that you can trust me. If we were to work together, I’d be on your side, like an ally”

Guren meets the other’s deep blue eyes. He and Shinya working together, being partners. He wants that. He wants Shinya. “I suppose I’ll have to confirm that in the future”. Shinya tilts his head in confusion. “I’ll accept Kureto’s proposal. So I guess we’ll be seeing each other more”.

Guren is pleased to see Shinya’s expression turning gleeful. It seems he is not the only one who has been wanting to get closer to the other.

“Oh that’s great news! Can’t wait to work with you Guren” Shinya smiles. “We shall celebrate, we can go to have diner next week”

“With Kureto?”

“I was thinking it would be better just us two… if you want~?” Shinya says, his voice turning a little bit suggestive.

‘Oh I want to’ Guren thinks. “Sure. But you’re paying”

“How cheap! Usually the pretty one is the one who gets invited”

Guren snorts. “Who says you’re the pretty one”

“It’s quite obvious” Shinya says pouting at his face.

Guren rolls his eyes with amusement. “Whatever. You should leave. We’ll talk about it another time. Drive safely”

“Bye Guren” Shinya winks at him before entering the car to go back home.

Guren watches the car go and he feels a sense of excitement. He might be making a mistake, but he needs to take the risk. He wants to pursue what he feels for the Hiiragi.

The raven haired enters his home again and has diner with Yuu, Shigure and Sayuri.

“Yuuichiro, don’t stay late, you have school tomorrow” Sayuri orders.

“Yeah, yeah” Yuu says engulfed in his phone.

“If the phone is going to be problem, you’ll leave it here before going back to your room” Guren declares.

“I’m speaking with Shinoa. Who is telling me something very interesting…” Yuu smirks mischievously glaring at his caretaker.

“What is it” Guren asks unimpressed.

“Apparently you’re having a date with her brother… the one who owns the tiger” Yuu smirks again. Guren’s eyes widen.

“A-A date!?” Sayuri squeals.

“I’ll make sure to send the tiger after you. And this time it won’t be a prank” Guren says trying to sound threatening to cover up his embarrassment.

“I seem to recall that Byakkomaru didn’t like you at all… so good luck with that” Yuu leaves the room laughing out loud and leaving a distressed Sayuri and Shigure and an embarrassed Guren.

It takes indeed a very long time for Byakkomaru to simply tolerate Guren. Even after he and Shinya begin to officially date.