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Chapter Text

Akatsuki was perched atop a rooftop as she was more and more often recently. The sun had set, leaving purple trails across the sky before the night came rolling in, and a cool breeze touched her skin as she gave a tired sigh and looked up to the sky.

"That makes so much more sense, thank you sensei!" Came a bubbly voice, followed by a warm laugh that set Akatsuki's nerves on fire.

Her fists involuntarily clenched as she looked down to the balcony just a few buildings from her, where Shiroe, the powerful and ingenious man who had saved her from living a life she didn't want was being flirted with by some petty middle schooler.

Though Akatsuki's slender frame was well hidden by the darkness around her, she could easily make out the scene across the street and hear every word they'd say. They would regularly come out here to talk each night. She always knew this and while it always made her upset, she couldn't stop herself from perching out of their sight and staring at the scene unfolding.

How the two were drinking something warm together, their warm breaths coming out as mist as the two laughed, flushes painted on their faces...

They looked so happy and casual together and it felt like Akatsuki couldn't give that kind of company to Shiroe.

She couldn't give anything to him. He didn't need her protection on the battlefield or her company while doing paperwork. She couldn't contribute to his politics or even hold a conversation that interested him in the same way Minori could.

Finally she'd had enough, and decided to leave, biting her lip and trying to remain stoic as she felt a tear rolling down her cheek. She wasn't good for anything. The was level 90 and Minori would probably find some cunning way to beat her in a duel just like Shiroe would. Sometimes she even felt ugly.

As she turned and left with her eyes half shut, she uncharacteristically misstepped and had to catch her balance on the rooftops, the noise drawing Shiroe's attention. She internally cursed and hid behind a chimney, noticing him staring in her general direction, Minori's eyes trying to follow his.

As a light rain started to pick up and the air became colder, Shiroe and Minori made their ways inside, Shiroe shutting the door after glancing again in Akatsuki's direction.

Akatsuki shivered, dropping down to the road and walking down the street for some time, unsure of where to go. Often she would find herself in this mood in the evenings after watching Shiroe and Minori having their chats, and would come back to the guildhall very late at night, usually worrying Shiroe.

She sighed again before her ears pricked up at the sound of giggles from across the street. She instinctively hid behind a vacant carriage as she saw a group of Soujiro's fangirls patrolling the street, arms in arms without a care in the world.

She was jealous of them, but while Soujiro was undeniably attractive, she could certainly control herself when he was nearby. Sometimes they frustrated her, but now she just stared at them and wondered why Soujiro had it so easy.

Soujiro...

That's it.

Akatsuki's eyes widened as the idea passed through her head before hunching her shoulders from a gust of wind. She had decided she'd go to visit Soujiro and see if he could help her. While they weren't the closest friends and he wasn't sure if he knew much about romance at all, she was desperate to enter his guildhall just down the road to escape from the cold and be able to talk to people without constantly being reminded of Minori.

"Ah, Akatsuki," came a female voice that startled her as she slowly approached the guild doors.

"A-ah, Nazuna!" Akatsuki stuttered, taken aback by the sudden appearance of the sub guild master of the West Wind Brigade and former member of the debauchery tea party.

"What are you doing here at this hour? It's pretty cold out."

"W-well, I was just... I was..."

"Wanna come in? You're gonna get unhealthy if you stay here."

"Y..." Akatsuki barely managed, facing the ground. Approaching places and people was extremely difficult for her sometimes, and she had been given the perfect entrance just by luck, as the woman was completing her patrol. "Thank you." She barely whispered, marching for the guildhall doors.

She felt the warm air hit her as she stepped inside and the instant merry atmosphere almost seemed like something out of TV. She stared for a moment at the mass of annoying, squeaking, giggling girls gossipping and shouting amongst each other before shaking her head, scanning the room for Soujiro.

"Looking for someone, Akatsuki?" She heard a voice above the crowd and everyone turned to face her.

"Ah, Akatsukiiiii, did you come here to join the Soujiro fan club?" Someone asked.

"I'm sure Soujiro wouldn't mind having a ninja like you at his side-"

Honestly.

Akatsuki internally scoffed before vanishing into the air in a purple streak, the crowd making faces of confusion or disappointment. It only took her a few moments to find the room Soujiro was in using her tracker sense and he was... Filling out paperwork... Did every guild master spend their whole time doing that?

She materialised just outside his door, staring at its engravings in anticipation. She didn't realise this would make her this nervous.

With a breath, she raised her hand and gently knocked twice. She couldn't believe she was actively seeking out romantic advice.

"What the..." Soujiro asked in confusion after quickly opening the door wide and inspecting who had knocked. After the sweet smell of scented candles hit her, Akatsuki bowed, unsure of what to say.

"Ehm... Soujiro..."

"Are you okay Akatsuki?" He asked tenderly, looking her in the eye. She felt a part of her bouncing about in the back of her mind when he spoke to her and certainly understood why he was popular with girls.

"I, ehm... Could I please... Have some advice?"

"Akatsuki?" He asked again, surprised. "O-of course, please come in," he concluded, stepping back and allowing her to enter his private room. Akatsuki inwardly grinned, knowing that any of the girls in the floor below would kill to be in her position.

"I... I'm sorry for coming here so late..."

"No no, it's totally fine, I just wasn't expecting to see you here at all... Is everything okay over at your guild?"

"Everything is fine, I was just... Walking, and I thought I'd pop into your guildhall for a while... If that's okay..."

"Sure thing! So, what's up?"

Akatsuki stared at him nervously for another moment, taken aback by his childish excitement.

"I, ehm... Please don't take this the wrong way..." She rambled, screwing her eyes shut and clenching her fists, feeling a blush burning bright red on her face. "I need help with Shiroe."

"Shiroe?" Soujiro stared for a moment, brows furrowed in thought before he realised what was happening and you could literally see the moment his brain clicked into place, his eyes slightly widening and his movements stopping. "You need help with Shiroe?" He asked with a hint of smugness.

"Y-yeah... I'm sorry for coming to you about it, I know it may seem random, but-"

"It's fine, I don't mind dealing with this kind of thing at all! Besides, I was in the Debauchery Tea party with Shiroe, I know him."

"R-right... Thanks... So..." She stuttered, forcing the words out. "I... Kinda... L... L-l... L-"

"Like him." Soujiro interrupted innocently, causing Akatsuki to jump and gasp.

"N-n... Yeah... But the thing is he's always talking to that Minori girl who obviously... Totally likes him too... And it's not like that between us, there's nothing likeable about me, I can't ever help him and he always seems-"

"Hold on, Minori?" Soujiro asked, taken aback. "I don't mean to sound rude or presumptuous, but... Isn't she, what, 15"

"14," Akatsuki corrected him.

"I don't think that you have to worry about Shiroe being romantically involved with her, Akatsuki."

"W-what?" Akatsuki asked, her eyes widening and hope blossoming. She had taken Soujiro's words that she was so desperate to hear into her heart like gospel.

"They're not like that. I certainly know Shiroe isn't like that, at least. Don't they have that whole mentor thing going on between them?"

"Yes, and they spend more time together than anyone else because of it, and it's infuriating!" She suddenly burst out. "S-sorry..."

"Don't worry, we've all been there Akatsuki. Do you know what they talk about in their conversations they're always having?"

"N-no..."

"I would never say you should spy on anyone... But I think you need to find that out, and see if what you think is actually the truth. I couldn't possibly imagine Shiroe and Minori being a couple."

"Really? Not at all?"

"No. They're like a student and teacher, nothing more. You know that's true." Akatsuki faced the ground, excitement and relief building. "The second Shiroe realises she's got feelings for him, he'll just gently put her down. If I hadn't realised Minori liked him, he certainly hasn't," Soujiro said with a grin.

"And as for you, I wouldn't be so sure he dislikes you." Soujiro sighed when he saw the poor girl clutching her knees with her palms, facing the ground with hunched shoulders.

"Look Akatsuki," he said while leaning forwards, "There is plenty likeable about you. You're a skilled tracker and fighter, a mature woman, attractive, unique, and extremely helpful to him. He says you're almost always with him and he really appreciates your company."

"W-Whawhat!?!" Akatsuki burst, jumping out of her seat again, causing Soujiro to laugh.

"And you were going to say he's always so distant, weren't you?"

"Ho... Yeah, I was..."

"Well don't worry, he's like that with everyone. Not just me, but even with Naotsugu."

"I guess you're right..."

"I'm not saying anything for sure, but it seemed to me like he's more into you than anyone else around him-" Soujiro continued casually, unaware that with every word the ninja girl became more flustered, slowly rising up from her seat.

"TH-THANK YOU SOUJIRO-SENPAI THANKYOU-" She shouted, blushing brightly as she stood up, bright red, bowing and making her way quickly towards the door in embarrassment.

"Hold on, I was saying I'm not sure at all, I'm sorry. I don't know that for sure. Of course, there's only one person who can tell you. You've just got to be honest with him."

"Th..." Akatsuki frowned. "Thank you Soujiro."

"My pleasure. Feel free to come back here and let me know how your little lover's conflict is going-" he was cut off by Akatsuki instantly bouncing back like a squeaky toy as he said that and disappearing into thin air, leaving him chuckling.

Akatsuki sighed, climbing out through a window to avoid the rabble downstairs and shutting it behind her, taking a deep breath of the cool night air as she tried to shake the warm, rising feeling in her core when she thought about what Soujiro had said. She almost doubled over as she felt the butterflies in her stomach gnawing violently at her. She couldn't stop grinning but was at the same time was even more afraid.

It didn't take her long to get back to the guild hall. As it was only midnight, she was surprised to find Shiroe was already asleep in bed, rather than face first in paperwork. It seemed that the only people still awake were Rudy and Isuzu, which she decided not to question, and...

Oh god.

"Akatsukiiii deeeear... I can seeensee youuuuu!" Came a muffled call from the main hall. "You shouldn't keep coming back to the hall so late, you're scaring me and I don't get to see you as muuuuch-"

Akastuki shuddered.

She quickly made her way into her master's room and stood there for a short while, staring, unsure of what was going through her head. She couldn't wake him up to talk to him when she so rarely saw him asleep so she quickly made the decision to leave and try to get some sleep herself, suddenly feeling the cold air sink into her skin.

Chapter Text

"Akatsuki? Are you okay?"

Akatsuki's eyes slowly opened, her body weak and cold and an awful headache pushing itself into her mind.

"M-my lord?" She asked in confusion, seeing Shiroe stood by her bed with a concerned expression. "Is everything okay? Did something happen-" Akatsuki began, darting up to stand but instantly pain shot through her abdomen and she got very light headed, causing her to quickly lie back down.

"You're very unwell, Akatsuki. What have you been doing?" Shiroe asked gently, kneeling down by her bed.

"I-I haven't been doing anything... I was just... Up late yesterday, and I suppose it was quite cold..."

"Akatsuki..." Shiroe repeated gently, shaking his head. Akatsuki felt her cheeks slowly start burning red but not because of her sudden illness. "I was worried you weren't up yet since you're always up first," he continued, gesturing to the clock.

Akatsuki's eyes widened. It was almost mid day.

"S-sorry my lord! Please allow me to return to my duties immediately! I didn't mean-"

"No," Shiroe said firmly, resting a palm on her forehead for a moment, causing her to blush again.

"My lord?" Shiroe smirked at the simple question, looking down at the unwell girl. For the first time, he felt truly protective of her, like he'd go to any ends to keep her safe and wouldn't let her near a single level 1 monster until she was better.

"You have a high temperature and your glands very are swollen. You even have some negative HP and MP status effects."

"Right..." Akatsuki managed while staring at Shiroe, whose hand had moved to rest on the top of her head. She was somewhat used to it as Shiroe did that from time to time, but it was rare and she considered it a treat. "So I'm not to return to my duties?"

Shiroe sighed, briefly distracted by her hair, moving his fingers through it softly.

"Do what you want," he began. "Just don't go out fighting monsters... Or anything physically challenging. Also please don't leave the Guildhall, I want to be near you while you recover."

Akatsuki instantly turned bright red as he said that, jumping like a squeaky toy again. Shiroe was totally clueless so he probably just meant to make sure she was safe and so she could get well properly, but she couldn't help remember what Soujiro had said.

Eventually she sighed and relaxed.

"Yes, my lord," she answered, taking a risk and moving her left hand and placing it on Shiroe's hand on her head.

"Oh, sorry," Shiroe said, quickly retracting his hand. "Anyway, I'll be checking in on you regularly... Get well soon, okay?"

"Y-yeah... Okay..." She slowly responded, mentally cursing Shiroe's cluelessness.

"Marielle..." Though Akatsuki had understood that Shiroe misinterpreted her sentiment as trying to get rid of his hand, she was still hurt, and finally decided she'd talk to someone a bit closer than Soujiro about her feelings.

"Akatsuki?" She blonde guild master turned to her with some concern. This was the first time the ninja had approached her and started a conversation.

"Could we... Talk about something?"

Marielle stared.

"Is this about Na-wait, wait! Is this about Shiroe?"

"W-why do you ask?" Akatsuki panicked and asked.

"Well," Marielle began with a smirk, "Let's start off with the fact that you're constantly, constantly following Shiroe around, take an extreme interest in everything that he does, and usually have plenty to say around him. Then there's the fact that Shiroe went into 'protect Akatsuki' mode when you got sick and the two of you emerged from a room alone together not long ago blushing. Then there's the fact that you're constantly blushing whenever he shows affection towards you. You clearly like him and Minori does too and you're concerned that Shiroe is spending a lot of time with Minori."

During her speech, Akatsuki had been frozen solid.

"Well, am I right?"

No response.

"Uh oh, did I kill you? I killed you, didn't I," Marielle continued, poking the statue Akatsuki. "Aww, but Shiroe would be so disappointed! There was so much he never got to talk out with you!"

"Eh?" Akatsuki came back to life.

"Oh, didn't you know? Shiroe is totally head over heals for you!"

"Wha? H-h-he is?"

"Well, he hasn't told me or anything. But I can totally tell!"

Akatsuki frowned.

"Right."

"Anyway, what were you going to ask?" Marielle asked with a sparkle in her eyes.

"E-ehhh... Y-yeah, so... Minori... I just... Don't know if Shiroe shares... Said affections..."

"Akatsuki," Marielle said while leaning forwards, taking on a deadly serious look.

"Y-yes!"

"Why wouldn't Shiroe like you?"

"Eh?"

"You're his personal ninja, that's coool!" She shouted, jumping up. "And you're soo kawaiii! You're like - EEEE!" Marielle shouted, pulling on Akatsuki's cheeks.

"Hey!" She complained, pushing the woman's hands away. "That's... That's just what you think. I mean, thanks, but..."

"Hey. If you don't think Shiroe likes you, you've got to spend more time with him. And I know you already spend a whole load of time with him, but I mean the really nitty gritty stuff! You should go on a raid with him, then accompany him in the shower and the bed afterwards!"

"H-hey! Stop fantasising!" Akatsuki shouted, almost falling backwards off her chair. "It's totally not like that!"

"Hmm? Totally not like that? Alright then, whatever you say Akatsuki. Just... Pay close attention to how he acts towards you, and when you're around. Trust me, he's way nicer to you than he is to most of us."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Now go and confess your undying love!" She shouted, earning Akatsuki's hands desperately covering her mouth.

"Not so loud!" She hissed. "Please!" Before curling up into a small ball and trying to hide on the floor. Marielle leaned forwards and looked over the table between them at Akatsuki.

"You quite alright there-"

"I heard something about undying love!" Henrietta shouted, jumping into the room a maniacal grin. "And I know Akatsuki is here somewhere! You're talking about Akatsuki's undying love, aren't you!"

Dammit.

"There you are!" She shouted, homing in on the ball of human on the floor.

"You have a crush, don't you! EEEEEEEEE, YES, Akatsuki dear has a crush! Who is it, Marielle? Who? Who?" She shouted, waving her arms in the air. The overwhelmed guild master didn't have time to answer before Shiroe walked in through the door.

"Is everything okay in here? I heard shouting-"

"Everything is fine, my lord," Akatsuki cut him off, perched on top of Henrietta's shoulders with her hands over her mouth. "And nothing important is being discussed."

"R-right." Shiroe answered with confusion.

"Akatsuki dear has a cr-" Henrietta cried before being silenced again by the blushing ninja.

"I have a cramp!" Akatsuki shouted. "I have a nasty cramp in my ears from all your shouting!" She yelled at Henrietta.

"Henrietta," Shiroe began. "Leave Akatsuki alone. She's unwell."

"She's unwell? Poor dear! Let me get her something hot to drink! I need to get her changed into something more cosy - let me keep her warm-"

"Henrietta." Shiroe repeated.

"She's gone so red! She's so adorable, don't you think Shiroe! I don't mind if she's unwell, let me at her, I'll help her get bette-"

"Henrietta!" Shiroe said again, much more sternly.

Akatsuki stared in amazement as Henrietta stopped dead, Marielle watching in amazement. She rarely heard a tone with that much authority and power, like if Shiroe wanted he could demand that the Earth would split into two.

"C'mere, Akatsuki," Shiroe continued and walked up to Henriette, casually picking up the blushing girl in question and placing her on his shoulders.

Akatsuki instantly turned another shade redder and Marielle grinned at each other as Shiroe turned to leave.

"M-my lord, what are you doing?"

"Honestly I just wanted to get you away from Henrietta's perverted eyes." He said, walking down the corridor. Mariell flashed Akatsuki an 'I told you so' look before they turned the corner.

Later on in the evening, Akatsuki still hadn't confronted Shiroe. It was nearing dusk again, almost 24 hours since she was perched atop the rooftop, staring at Shiroe's conversation with Minori.

She was about to knock on the door to Shiroe's study when she heard voices from the inside. Cursing her luck, she decided to move to a nearby rooftop where she could see through a window and listen to the conversation through her tracker skills.

Oh, It's Minori.

Akatsuki sighed. She wouldn't allow herself to harbour that ugly jealousy for Minori, she was just a young, harmless kid who didn't know better. And as Soujiro had made clear to her, there was no way Shiroe like her back.

Remembering what Soujiro had told her, Akatsuki decided to take a moment to actually listen to the whole conversation and hear what they were talking about.

"While bards can heal, it's mostly the healers' job. That's not to say they can't both heal at once, though it's a waste of MP to make the bards heal. No, don't worry about priority of protecting bards and healers, they're both a part of the backline and should be operating together. You should protect the whole group." Akatsuki zoned in to just Shiroe's voice.

"I guess the field operator is often overlooked and not a part of a standard configuration... I'd say you stay further back than everyone else. You need to be able to see the whole battlefield after all."

Soujiro was so right. She instantly felt better, knowing their conversations were about raids.

"If the front line can't be healed in time can other members substitute in? Hm. Sure, so long as they have decent armour and HP. We both know a certain sorcerer who almost died doing that. I think that should be named the Haus-Code manoeuvre."

"It's getting kinda late, Minori."

"Oh, right, sorry-"

"It's fine. I need to go check on Akatsuki to see if she's alright now anyway. I'll talk to you later."

"Sure thing!"

With a sudden warmth in her heart and growing excitement, Akatsuki hopped up and quickly made her way to her room, remembering her lord's orders to stay inside the Guildhall.

Akatsuki flopped down into her bed and pulled the covers over her, trying to pretend she was feeling a lot worse than she was as that had earned her a lot of affection from Shiroe recently. Try as she might, she positively couldn't stop herself from bouncing up and down with excitement and anticipation as she heard his approaching footsteps.

"Akatsuki?" He gently asked, turning the corner and seeing her curled up in her bed. He paused briefly, taken aback by the image.

Cute.

"My lord? Is everything okay?"

"I just came to see if you were okay," he answered while slowly walking up to the bed.

"My lord, would you please close the door?" She innocently asked, to which Shiroe shrugged.

"Of course."

After the shut the door and the room became slightly darker, he knelt down next to the bed to face her and she shuffled a bit towards him.

"I'm fine, my lord. I... I appreciate that you've come in to check."

"Of course I would, you mean a lot to me, Akatsuki."

Akatsuki felt the blush rising up already.

"Th-thank you my lord, and you do to me as well."

Shiroe smiled.

"I... I was wondering, my lord... You're spending a lot of time with Minori..."

"Yeah?"

"Well, she's like... Your student, right?"

"That's right."

"And are you just friends? Or is the... Student/teacher thing... More than friends?" She asked, slightly avoiding what she meant to ask.

"I'm not sure what you mean but we're not more than friends. She's just my friend who I teach." Shiroe faced the ground. "I guess she looks up to me quite a lot what with how I saved her and her brother, and all the times she's tried to bring me to dates and cafés... I can see how you'd think that. But no."

"That's a relie-good. That's really good. Good that you're... Friends with her..." Akatsuki tried to recover what she almost accidentally said but she knew it was a lost cause.

"Were you going to say that was a relief?" Shiroe asked and Akatsuki could swear she saw him start to blush himself.

"N-nnnn-n... Y-yes..." She whispered, screwing her eyes shut. She waited desperately for a response, unsure if Shiroe finally understood what she was saying before she felt his warm hand tracer down the left side of her jaw, the right side of her head on the bed, facing Shiroe. She opened her eyes in shock and found Shiroe kneeling right in front of her.

Suddenly Shiroe started blushing too.

"I-I was just taking your temperature. I'm glad you've cooled down a bit..." He stuttered awkwardly, absent-mindedly twirling her hair around his finger.

Akatsuki giggled then smiled, placing her hand on his again, just like that morning, but this time he didn't pull back. He understood.

They stayed like that for a short while before Akatsuki sat up, leaving her head just above his. She brought his hand down to her lap and held it between both of hers.

"Shiroe... I know you're really dense about this kind of thing..."

"Hey!"

"But whenever Minori and I would drag you around and compete for your attention, it wasn't just that."

"Eh?"

"Shiroe, Minori has a massive crush on you."

"Sh-she does? Oh god. I mean, uh. Oh."

Akatsuki looked at her lord for a moment, hoping he would understand.

"My lord... I do too," she finally admitted.

Shiroe stared, eyes wide. Akatsuki screwed hers shut, silently praying he wouldn't push her away.

"A-Akatsuki? I..."

"My lord?"

With one hand in hers, Shiroe brought his other up to cup her face, gently stroking her hair behind her head.

"Akatsuki, I honestly had no idea."

"My lord... Shiroe... Are you serious?"

"W-what?" He asked, suddenly turning red. "How was I supposed to know?"

"Geez. You're so clueless." She answered, turning red and facing away with embarrassment. He hadn't given her an answer. "S-so... My lord... Is that-"

Akatsuki was cut short as he felt both of his hands cupping her face, moving around to her hair as Shiroe moved a tiny bit further forwards and closed the distance.

Akatsuki's heart skipped a beat and her veins set on fire once again as his lips met hers. Very slowly, very gently, and stayed there for what seemed like an eternity. Her eyes wide, she stared into his, which were looking sincerely back. Akatsuki couldn't breathe. The whole world outside the two of them had frozen, no sounds penetrating their shell.

Akatsuki unconsciously moved her hands up to Shiroe's shoulders and gripped onto them before the two broke apart, breathing heavily and still looking into each other's' eyes, not speaking a word. They stayed like that for a long time, the two of them leaning into each other.

Moonlight flooded the room as Akatsuki's illness disappeared in an instant. She made a light breathing noise and Shiroe felt the vibrations in his mouth as her arms moved around to his back, her chest pressing against his.

Shutting her eyes, Akatsuki was getting carried away and opened her mouth as an invitation which Shiroe gladly took, slowly exploring her. Excited sparks danced around a subtle rose magic circle that had formed above the two, lighting the scene in pink. As Shiroe moved a hand behind her back he placed another on top of her head to stroke her hair, causing the ninja girl to squirm slightly from pleasure, eliciting a sweet muffled giggle from her mouth.

Finally, the two broke apart, breathing heavily and still looking into each other in the eyes.

"Akatsuki... I wanted to talk to you about this earlier but i was worried you would find it weird..."

"You dummy," she said while bopping him on the head. "If being ill is all it takes to get this, I would gladly be ill every day."