Muon and Dainsleif

A series of short stories involving Outer Shadow Dainsleif and SFA-Muon, in between events of Beyond the Gods II as I have run into writer's block for the direction of the main story lol. This would be after the events of the Trial by Combat and Aaron's return (spoilers).

01

Several weeks have passed since Inner Shadow Slipstream threw me into SFA-Muon.

In these weeks alone, I learned a myriad of skills from squad coordination, disguise, and standard combat protocol and stances.

I learned of the things I lacked.

And the things that set me apart from others.

But among these things, was one thing that I would never forget.

"So how big are Sigurd's things?" Seven Five asked.

I spat out my oatmeal before my breakfast could even make it to the back of my throat.

"WHAT?!" I turned to the young Auxiliary Shadow of SFA-Muon.

Tactical War Doll 75-M of SFA-Muon was considered the strike force's greatest long-range marksman.

Based on her file, she was the daughter of a wealthy businessman named Alistair Winchester, and went by the name Charlotte Winchester. This connection alone would classify her as a noblewoman, or a young girl of noble status. According to the laws of her world, Charlotte would have learned the manners of a noble and carry herself with elegance.

Not that any of this mattered. Because from the first day till current, my impression of 75-M was anything but that.

In practice, the "noblewoman" in front of me, was probably the most chaotic little fifteen-year-old I had ever met. But then again, the only other teenaged girl I ever lived with and knew was June, who conducted herself far more properly.

If anything, if someone were to put June and Charlotte in one room, anyone with a brain would think that June was the daughter of House Winchester, and Charlotte the crazy fanatic of the yaoi Killing Stalking (don't ask me what yaoi means, because if you do not know, do NOT Google it. I had it explained by 75-M against my will).

"Wh- What do you mean by things? Haha, I'm gonna go take a dump now..." I muttered.

"Oh poppycock. Everybody knows you have your bowel movements at 0600 every morning, give or take ten minutes. It's 0700."

There is no way anybody except you would know that!

75 poked me on my arm.

"Spill the tea, Aaron-dearest! How big are her jugs? How big did Lord Gasket design them?"

"Why the hell do you need to know?!"

The War Doll leaned back and crossed her arms, pouting.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm an A-cup. And thanks to certain circumstances, I can't ever grow in this body ever again. My chest will forever remain the same."

"I didn't need to know that, thanks."

"Besides..." 75-M continued, completely ignoring my comment.

"...I heard on the first day of her assignment to your squad, you popped one! Is that true?"

"OKAY I am not having this conversation with you first thing in the morning," I exclaimed, getting up and tossing the cereal into the garbage.

Guess it turned out that War Dolls were also capable of assassinating appetites too. Good to know!

"AWWWW! Don't leave! Come back! Please please please please PLEASE!!!!" 75-M grabbed my waist and began wailing like a hysterical puppy.

"Let go of me, you moron! My god! Shouldn't a soldier be more prim and proper? You're a noble yet you're the most vulgar little girl I've ever met in my entire life!"

75 suddenly let go, as I turned around. Surprise crept into my face.

The War Doll's body language had changed.

Her facial expression had momentarily flashed with... hurt?

"Ah- Pigtails, I didn't mean-"

"Huh? What? What are you talking about? Hahaha!" 75-M quickly reverted back to her usual cutesy demeanour, forcing a laugh and twirling her pigtails.

"Was it my comment on your noble status? I didn't mean to-"

"No! No no no. It's fine. Totally fine."

"Are you sure? You know we're both interrogator types. We can't really lie to each other."

Charlotte looked away.

"Can we just drop it?" She whispered.

Concern laced my face. This was completely out of character for her, but if bringing this up made her uncomfortable, then it was best to drop it. Despite her teasing, Pigtails knew that I didn't really mind. As she herself was an interrogator as well, she could tell that her teasing only really just irritated me but never bothered me. If there was anything that crossed the line, she would know. Which was why of all the things she could tease me about, she never once brought up June.

And I had to take up my part of the bargain.

"Alright," I said gently, kneeling before the War Doll.

"But if there's anything bothering you, you can let me know. We're BFF's, remember?"

75-M slowly looked at me, surprise on her face, which transitioned into a big smile.

"BFF's... yeah... YEAH! Then once we're BFF's we can move onto the next stage and get marr-"

"Yeah, no."

"BLEH!"

The door behind us creaked open, revealing a red-haired girl with a relatively muscular tomboyish frame.

"The hell are you idiots doing speaking so loud in the morning? This isn't Basic, you're givin' me damn flashbacks again!" 76-M growled.

"Hey, it's Spitfire Spice," I replied.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"BAHAHAHA!" Pigtails laughed, kicking her feet in the air and giggling like an idiot.

"STOP LAUGHING!" 76-M snarled, trying to reach out to her fellow squad member, but 75-M darted away with superhuman speed. I had to remember that these girls were all technically super soldiers. Whenever I was with Pigtails, I tended to forget that since she was always so outgoing.

But when I was with 76-M, the realization returned just as quickly as it left.

"Her face is turning the same colour as her hair! Lighten up, Ginger Giggles,"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

SMASH.

75-M and I stopped teasing 76-M as the War Doll smashed the edge of the counter with her fist, shattering it.

"Imma rip your balls off!"

"Wait! Don't do that!" I yelped, scurrying away and bumping into another War Doll who squeaked in surprise, tackling me and pinning me to the ground with a complex judo throw.

76-M and 75-M peered at us curiously with raised eyebrows.

"GAH! My liver! My spleen! My liver and spleen! You're gonna kill me!" I gasped as 78-M quickly let go, her face bright red.

"S- Sorry..."

I narrowed my eyes at the War Doll.

Was it just me... or that body language... was that lov-

"Another morning, another headache. I am once again reminded that I have not just 75-M, but the Black Legion's greatest PITA to babysit now," 74-M grumbled from the corner of my vision.

"Good morning Tali," I said.

"Do not ever call me that again."

"Come on, lighten up! We're not on the battlefield. Let's just loosen up a bit."

"Who taught you this?"

I pointed at 78, who yelped in surprise. Her black hair covered her face like Samara from The Ring.

"I meant that it was fine to be relaxed when we were safe is all, safe with... Aaron..."

"Safe with Aaron?" 74-M's eyebrows scrunched together.

"Safe with Dainsleif! Dainsleif! I mean, safe from the battlefield! I'm... I'm going to take a shower now."

78-M tripped over herself and scurried to the bathroom.

I wonder what 75-M was thinking at a time like this-

"That little bitch...!" Pigtails muttered under her breath. I turned to her and her face quickly flashed back to a smile.

"Huh? What? Oh would you look at that, it's time to get dressed!"

76, 74, and I watched as 75-M quickly ran to her room and slammed the door so hard the wall around it cracked.

"So is nobody gonna comment on the fact that I have a legit minor crushing on me?" I asked.

"Ugh..." Thalia buried her face in her hand.

76 continued peering at the bathroom door.

"Love is dangerous on the battlefield."

"Yeah, but it isn't something that you can stop, you know?" I replied.

"I know. Believe me, I know. But it still doesn't make it any better. Added with the fact that you're old as fuck and Seven Eight is fifteen, it'll never work out."

"Hey! I'm not that old! I'm nineteen!"

"Can we not talk about dating minors for just a minute?" 74-M said.

"Sorry."

76-M and I watched as 74-M walked forward and put a stack of papers on the desk.

"We have another deployment."

"Another one? How many campaigns have you guys gone on at this point?" I exclaimed.

"75-M has been on 282, 77-M and 78-M have been on 291, 76-M has been on 395, and I've been on 467."

"You're joking."

"Nope. This is just the nature of interdimensional travel and having to kill the enemy as fast as possible. Sometimes War Dolls are placed on other strike teams, sometimes strike teams are mixed and mingled to confuse the enemy."

"I'm basically looking at a 100-year-old war vet in the body of a fifteen-year-old girl..."

Thalia suddenly perked up, her back straightening.

"Well, I am quite mature for my age...!"

76-M rolled her eyes.

"Says the other girl with a crush."

74-M and 76-M locked glares, tension filling the air.

"Um... can we start the briefing and fill in the others later?" I asked.

"The others kind of have an idea of what the mission is going to be. The only person who doesn't know is you, actually," 74-M said, breaking the glare.

"What? Did you girls really leave me out again?"

"No, you testosterone-filled idiot. You were there when the mission was announced!" 76-M replied.

"Wait, really?"

BONK.

Thalia buried her head into the table.

"Yes. Dainsleif. You were there. But instead of listening and scribing like I had ordered you to, you decided to fill my iPad with loli jokes. Do you seriously not remember?"

"Did you like them?"

"No, I did not like them! Why would I like them?!"

74-M sighed.

"Okay. Well. The gist of the mission is to take down a group of specialist soldiers currently tasked with guarding the Demon King Jinn."

"Specialist soldiers? In what way?"

"They are essentially the upper echelon. The best of the best. Hyper-lethal combatants and the most terrifying soldiers. They fight like us, tactically. Intelligence suggests they were contracted off of an interdimensional contact. Since another strike team is involved with taking down the nation itself, we need to divide the resources. SFA-Muon has been tasked with crippling their contracted forces. The other SFA company will take down the Demon King army."

74 slid a piece of paper in front of me.

"You will take up a sniper role for this deployment."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Me? Isn't Pigtails the sniper?"

"Ordinarily... but this deployment is a little different. Because we have identified one of the soldiers on the enemy lines, look at this photo."

I assessed the image.

Green hair... bright blue eyes.

His posture... was akin to that of a nobleman.

Of House Winchester.

"No way... is this... is this Alistair? I thought Evangelion had killed all your parents!"

"No. It wouldn't have made sense unless something transcended the Great Akuma's Hinokami. But this is not 75-M's father," 76-M took the picture and put it back into the binder, a grim look on her face.

"This is Richard Winchester. The last surviving son of the Winchester bloodline."

My eyes widened.

I should have seen it coming. After all, from what Thalia had told me, Evangelion had killed all of their parents. But she never mentioned siblings.

For all we knew, there was no knowledge of what had happened to the brothers and sisters of the girls in the SFA Regiment.

To know that Pigtails' brother was the enemy...

"So you're saying that 75-M might be influenced by the fact that her enemy is family?" I asked.

"Seven Five was always unusual in the SFA Regiment. Because she is one of the best interrogators in the company," 74 explained, putting the binder away.

"She is more sensitive than the other members of Muon, and even the company. This in itself is required for an interrogator to figure out her targets. But because she is so sensitive, stuff like this tends to overload her. The enemy knows about Muon through Charlotte Winchester, even if 75-M destroyed that part of herself. And Lord Hellion knows this. This is your opportunity to learn about long-range sharpshooter training. Learn by filling in where 75 lacks."

"..."

I didn't like the idea of 75-M going through something like this. The events that had transpired earlier this morning came back to my mind.

"Dainsleif," 74 said.

"?"

"75-M will be fine. You're underestimating us again."

"I know, but how can I not?"

"Being in a squad, leading your comrades also means you need to trust them and accept that they will always be in danger. This is the nature of having your subordinates. And by extension, the nature of your job as an Outer Shadow."

She had a point.

That night, during dinner, I found myself glancing at 75-M. I didn't want to, but the thought of her being uncomfortable kept replaying in my mind. And I knew for a fact that she was aware of this, because after everybody left the mess hall, I felt her grab my arm.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Wanna come over to my room tonight?"

"Could you have phrased that in any other way..."

75-M giggled as the two of us entered her room. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary, and was pretty much what I expected from someone like her. Stuffed animals and squishmellows all over the place. But something did catch my attention, from the corner of my eye.

"Hey is that a collar-"

BANG.

A bullet whizzed past my face and blasted the BDSM toy to smithereens. The barrel of 75-M's rifle was still smoking from where she had fired with superhuman dexterity.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Yes, of course," I replied nervously.

I sat down on the ground while 75-M lay on the bed, crossing her legs and resting her chin on her hands.

"So I take it you know that Dick Douche is one of the specialists in our mission?"

"Dick Douche?" I asked.

"Yeah. Because he's a douche."

I held back the urge to laugh.

"Yeah. I'm not saying this is too much for you, but it doesn't make me any less worried, to be honest."

"Aww... you're really sweet. I mean it. But you don't have to worry. I always knew DD would have survived something like Lord Evangelion's attack. I mean he was always such a tryhard trying to win over Dad's affection."

"Was he like, one of those guys who was proud of his family name?"

"Oh yeah. One hundred percent! Winchester this. Winchester that. He loved to mock me because I always hung out with girls who were less popular in Azure Academy. He hated it. So it isn't a surprise that he became a Dark Hound."

I glanced at the books in Charlotte's room.

"Thalia wants me to accompany you during sniping."

75 was silent for a few seconds. I was expecting her to say something like "Wow what a dream come true, let's get married!" But this was unexpected.

"Is this why you were so uneasy during dinner?"

"Sorta? I mean, I would have thought all the War Dolls were emotionless husks."

"If that was the case, everybody but Miss 74 would be binned! Trust me, Aaron, we're human too. At least a part of us, anyway."

75 slid off the bed and approached her mirror, undoing her pigtails and letting her minty green hair down.

"How many times have you sniped?"

"Several? I mean there was a time where I had to fight a bunch of gods at a distance since I didn't have the tech from Master Jun to fight them up front."

"How many times have you had to disguise yourself?"

I raised my eyebrow.

"Disguise? Why would I need to disguise myself when I'm hidden away at a distance?"

"Hmmm. Yep. This makes sense now. Why Miss 74 has assigned to me. You've never had to blend in before, have you?"

"..."

A huge grin appeared on 75's face.

"Tomorrow morning. 0400. We're going to Millennium City. Greer & Harlick! I'm going to turn you into a nobleman worthy of such a princess like me!"

Oh god.

So this was what 74 meant by me filling in what 75 was lacking.

What kind of sick divine joke was this?!

75 continued laughing, but I could tell.

From deep under that smile of hers.

No matter how much machine Lord Slipstream and Master Jun had supplanted her body with...

Charlotte Winchester was still under there. Under all that cold hard metal and death.

And the thought of being forced to back to her roots as a noblewoman was bothering her. Just like this morning.

78-M had once told me that she believed that when someone was forced to mature fast, something would always end up breaking. One way or another, a War Doll had an inherent flaw that forced them to transition from innocent little teenage schoolgirls to hardened killers.

Whether it is through trial or tribulation that part never dies.

And now Tactical War Doll 75-M of SFA-Muon had to face hers.

* * *

"Miss Winchester! Pleasure seeing you here again! Where are the rest of the girls?" The tailor greeted 75 and me happily.

"Hello, Meredith. We'd like to see your selection for my fiancee here. We're getting M A R R I E D!!!!"

Hey.

"Oh! Wonderful! Let's see what we're working with here!" Meredith said, clasping her hands together.

Hey. Hold up.

Meredith called her coworker over, an old pudgy man, who inspected me.

"May we take your measurements, son? A man's marriage is one of the most important events of his life."

I'm not getting married, you half-wit!

"Charlotte you conniving little..." I grumbled while the man continued to take measurements.

"Ah."

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

The man looked up at me.

"Hangman? Is that you?"

"Ah fuck- I mean yeah. Yes. The things you heard are all a lie, by the way, I didn't fondle the Millennium Medusa's tits or anything."

The man chuckled.

"Son. I meant to say that I am grateful for the things you have done."

"The things...?"

The man leaned forward and put a hand on my knee.

"My name is Rudolph McIntyre."

My heart skipped a beat.

"McIntyre... as in..."

"Yes. My father... Martin McIntyre used to run a weapons shop down in Downtown. I heard he went out a hero."

"I... I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't protect your father, Rudolph."

"It wasn't your fault. I know you did your best to protect him. But my father was always someone who would never listen to what people would say. He would jump into a tank of alligators if it meant saving a little girl. That was just the person he was. I know because I lived with him most of my life. And from the stories he would tell after the events of Doctor Destroyer's second invasion, we always wondered. If the rumours of the Hangman were really true."

Rudolph smiled warmly.

"You bringing me back from that Demon's destruction through the Maiden's power... it cemented it. You have nothing to be ashamed of. It is an honour for me to do this for you."

My chest welled up in emotion, and we sat in silence for a few minutes while Rudolph continued taking measurements with several tools and papers.

Now it felt weird to tell him I wasn't actually getting married to that idiot!

"Your body... those scars, I reckon you didn't get them from falling off a bike or anything?"

"No."

"I figured. From everything Pop used to tell us about you... it always pains me seeing young people go through stuff like that."

I glanced at Charlotte/75-M, who was happily trying on dresses and giggling with Meredith.

"We fight for the smiles of the people."

Rudolph smiled, and for a brief second, I saw Marty, almost like a small hallucination.

The old man lived on, through his son.

Even if Rudolph wasn't a marksman like his father, there was still a bit of Marty's legacy that lived on.

"Now up and at 'em. We will have your suit prepared promptly for your wonderful marriage."

"Oh, I'm not getting married."

"..."

We stood there for a good thirty seconds before Rudolph slowly scratched the back of his head.

"Well... that's a huge relief."

"You really thought I was getting engaged to a minor! So my reputation really is still shit!!!"

"Hey now! Don't go assuming these things! I just thought your fiancee looked a little young is all!"

"There's no way I would get engaged to that little brat!!!"

Rudolph threw his head back and laughed, just like Marty used to do.

"Well. It was a pleasure speaking to you. And thank you again, for everything you've done."

I nodded, heading off, but not before Rudolph stopped me.

"Aaron."

I stopped, slowly turning around to see Rudolph saluting me.

"Keep up the good work, kid."

A grin appeared on my face.

"Always."

I returned to see 75-M pressing a turtleneck against 74-M.

"Aaron?! How are you finished so fast?!" Thalia stumbled back, upon seeing me, her face flushed red like a tomato.

"What? You've never gone to a tailor with a guy before? We do these things pretty quickly," I answered as I looked Thalia up and down.

"Lookin' good, Chief!"

Thalia looked like she was about to swallow a mouse.

"I... You... Don't you dare tell anyone outside of Muon about this!"

"I won't."

That was most definitely a lie.

Charlotte skipped next to me.

"I wonder what would suit that turtleneck. Thoughts, partner?"

"Hmm..." I put a hand to my chin, turning on my analysis eyes.

All the while, Thalia pursed her lips in embarrassment. It wasn't often that I got to mess with Seven Four like this, what with her being so uptight about everything all the time.

"Let's go for a skirt, Miss Winchester."

"Absolutely, Mister Hope. Let's make it extra short to really bring out those slender legs."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!" 74 exclaimed, putting the turtleneck back and covering her face with her hands.

A few minutes later, 74 left the tailor with a bunch of new clothes.

"75. Dainsleif. Return to the barracks by 1600 for practice drills and PT. You may take time off right now."

"Roger."

I glanced at 75 and noticed she didn't buy anything.

"Uh, are you sure you don't wanna get anything?" I asked.

"Nope! Because you will feel obligated to carry it and I don't wanna get you to do that."

I raised my eyebrows. 75 was surprisingly considerate.

"Hey. Wanna go to the range?"

I turned to the War Doll.

"The range?"

Charlotte leaned closer to me, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Let's have a match. A sniping match. Let's see if your reputation precedes you, God-Eater! Loser pays for sundaes."

(One hour later)

"OH MAN! This Mega Sundae sure is GREAT when I'm not paying for it!" I gleamed, resting my face an inch away from the chilly bowl of sugary goodness.

"..." 75-M pouted from the other side.

I propped my feet against the bench across from me next to Charlotte, who continued pouting.

"Oh come on, it's not like you got demolished that badly. I'm actually quite surprised at your marksmanship skills; we were tied for the first half. You weren't relying on your cybernetics, were you? I could tell from the slight deviations in the bullet holes. Your shooting was human."

75-M looked up.

"Wow, you were able to tell from that distance? What's your eyesight? 40/20?"

"Apparently the doctor told me it was 80/20."

"80/20?!"

Charlotte shot to her feet.

"That's every marksman's dream! I remember when I used to grow up Dad always said someone with 60/20 vision was considered the cream of the crop for a Winchester. To know that someone exists with that level of acuity... that's superhuman! Did you train for it?"

"Sort of... By the way, were the Winchesters famed marksmen? You don't need to answer if you don't feel comfortable."

"No no. I don't mind. And yes. House Winchester is known for their marksmen. Originally, we were considered a long lineage of gold medallists in Shooting during the Olympics. That was what made us so wealthy in the first place. Dad was also a gold medallist but learned to capitalize on this by centring a business over our family name."

75-M stirred her parfait with her spoon, which had started to melt.

"My brother, Richard, hated how business-centric the Winchesters had become. And so did I. For a time, we were kinda on the same side. But the more we grew closer the more we grew apart. DD hated Winchester's business model, while I hated being a prim and proper lady. For my brother, being a Winchester meant being the best shooter possible, and so he left House Winchester and tried to revive the name on his own, while I left House Winchester by disgracing the title."

"Sorry to hear that. Was this why he joined the Dark Hounds?"

"Could be. But if DD knows I'm coming for Demon Lord Jinn, I will become a top priority for him. Because not only did I abandon the Winchesters in terms of being an Olympic class markswoman, but I also disgraced the name. The enemy now has a countermeasure for the Tactical Dolls sniper unit. Which was probably one reason why Miss 74 assigned you to me. My brother hates me."

I bit the edge of the spoon.

"I don't believe siblings truly hate each other. But then again, foster siblings probably don't count."

"Aww don't say that. I know you mean well. But DD really truly despises me. To the point of spite."

I looked out into the horizon at the flying cars in Millennium City.

"My own douchebag brother is out there. Hope I get to see 'em soon."

75 smiled at me, tilting her head.

"Then how about this? You help me with my douchebag brother, and I'll help you with yours!"

"You got a deal!"

02

A few days had passed, and with the clothes prepared for me, the day arrived for us to head to the world of Jinn.

I regrouped with SFA-Muon.

"Heya Aaron!" 75 waved at me happily, reaching for something on a bench when suddenly, 78 rushed forward and snatched it.

"GAH?!"

78 ran up to me and nervously handed me an object. I took it, realizing it was an M4A1 rifle, standard issue.

"Your rifle. We've issued you a standard one while you are still recovering from chakra and magic overuse."

"Do I need to speak some pledge or something?"

78 held back a laugh.

"No! We're not the Marine Corps. You've also already proven yourself back in our battle against the Ghosts of Tiamar. I think you're more than qualified."

"Aw, thanks. I appreciate it."

78-M brought her hands behind her back.

"Hey... I was wondering... after this deployment if you wanna go to the range with me too. Alone. You know..."

Yeah... this kid was definitely trying to ask me out.

And while I respected her efforts I had to turn her down before things got out of hand.

"Hey listen... Seven Eight, you're a wonderful girl, but-"

"HEY! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" 75-M squeaked, putting distance between me and her comrade.

"You got to go to the range with Aaron, why can't I?"

"It's SO OBVIOUS why you want to go. Besides, I've already set the bar. There's no way you can beat my score at the range."

78-M's face turned murderously dark.

"We are both cybernetically enhanced, but you chose to shoot without your upgrades. All I could do is use Stance 67 and I'd blow your score out of the water."

"Oh? Then maybe I should go again and show you-"

"That's enough!" 74 walked forward and split the two apart.

"What in the world are you two doing? We're about to deploy and you're arguing over this red-eyed idiot?"

"Wow, thanks, Thalia."

"Need I remind you both, Tactical War Dolls 75-M and 78-M, that while you two are Charlotte Winchester and Yuki Shinohara in Millennium City, everywhere else you are still soldiers. I will not tolerate this behaviour."

75 and 78 looked away.

Now I just felt weird. Plus I lost my chance to clear things up with 78-M before I could deploy.

"78, you will be with me and 76. 75-M and Dainsleif will establish their infiltration mission."

78's face flashed with indignation, but she hid it pretty well from 74-M.

"Yes, ma'am."

75 and I sat in our deployment zone away from the rest of Muon.

We were quiet for a bit, which was kinda awkward, but since we were already alone I might as well clarify things up with Charlotte first.

"You know... I thought I made it clear that I have no interest in dating any of you. You're all kids."

75-M pursed her lips.

"But we won't be kids forever. Three more years, and-"

"Even if you're eighteen my eyes are for Sarah only. She's coming back once we visit Chairon, and she was, and will be my fiancee."

75 looked like she wanted to say something, but she stopped herself.

"I... sorry. I lost composure a bit. What's gotten into me... we used to be all focused and everything but now look at what I'm doing. Arguing with my cell units..."

"It's fine. As long as we're clear on this."

75-M crossed her legs as the Shadows surrounded us.

Preparing to transport Auxiliary Shadow M75 and Outer Shadow Dainsleif to the deployment zone. Stand by.

"Love is dangerous for people like us. I know that more than anyone."

"..."

"But even so... I can't accept this. I will forever be loyal to both Sergeant Hellion and the Black Legion Organization, but even just for a little bit... I would endure wall cleaning for months if I could even experience it just a bit."

"Millennium City... you could live your life still there."

"But it isn't enough. I'm so sorry for sounding ungrateful, after everything you did for us, Aaron. But... once you're exposed to a little bit of a life that you were denied, you're naturally going to want to experience more. It's the nature of deprivation. I already have to put up with the fact that I will never age in this body. And that I'm not even human. And that I am basically half machine. In a way..."

75-M leaned back, smiling at me.

"I think this mission is almost like a treat for me. Even if it is just pretend, I can experience a life where I have a man. Just for a bit, Aaron, can you play along? For me? Please?"

* * *

The plan that we had devised involved infiltrating the kingdom of Trellis under the guise of a nobleman and noblewoman couple. Through the infiltration, 75-M could acquire the necessary information to plan her assassinations. This was the main thing she was trying to show me, and one of the biggest things I had neglected to acknowledge in my history of sniping.

As a sniper, it was important to understand the environment and the behaviour of one's target. Especially if everything banks on the success of a single shot.

This was the way that it was taught by Inner Shadow Slipstream, which was then passed on to me through Tactical War Doll 75-M.

"Sir Chestershire and Lady Chestershire, we look forward to you both at the Grand Ball of Jinn!" A Demon welcomed us into the entrance of the ball.

???

What the hell was I supposed to say?

"It is our pleasure to attend such a gathering. House Chestershire is greatly honoured to make Lord Jinn's acquaintance," 75-M bowed, her dress shimmering in the light.

For a split second, I found myself mesmerized by how elegant and graceful this BL freak was. It was almost completely out of character, and that was because it was.

The level of disguise Charlotte was able to achieve was incredible. And for the first time in my life, it was like I was seeing a full-on Winchester in 75-M.

"Smile and back straight," 75 instructed me.

I did as I was told while 75 led me by the arm. We had a prosthetic attached to my missing right side to avoid suspicion from the Demon King Army.

"Have you analyzed the behaviours of the nobles around you?" Charlotte whispered.

"Yeah. I'll mimic them."

"Good. But mimicking isn't enough. Most, if not all of the nobles here, are trained to uphold manners since birth. If you make even the slightest mistake, they will know."

"You know, I kinda like you like this."

"Oh, can it!"

We continued to socialize, and through this, we were able to extract crucial intel on the scheduling and movement patterns of the guests. But by the fifth hour, I could feel my jaw hurt from all the talking, and 75 noticed.

"Let's go outside."

I followed Winchester out the balcony, overlooking the expanse of medieval fantasy buildings.

"Damn! Never thought this would end!" I stretched my arm.

Charlotte smiled gently.

"I had fun! Though you could probably tell I was lying if I said I enjoyed being a noble again."

I scratched the back of my head.

"So do you do this every single time? Like espionage and blending in?"

75 shrugged her shoulders.

"Not all the time. But it doesn't hurt to witness their behavioral patterns firsthand even if a file has information. It is easier to retain information through experience than through some words on a page. No matter how much fanfictions I read it will never trump seeing a guy kabedon another guy."

Where the hell did the last part come from?!

I glanced at 75's hair, which had been dyed blonde and braided in almost like a circle around her head.

She really did look like a noble.

"I catch you looking...!"

"Geh!"

"Let's head back. Miss 74 has provided us with the rest of the evening before curfew. Let's try to make the best use of it."

"Sounds good."

We were about to head back when suddenly something caught the corner of my vision.

"Aaron? What is it?"

I paused.

Something in the distance. I thought I saw movement in the distance.

"I can't make it out, but... I thought I saw someone."

75 quickly approached my position.

"Initiating Stance 82 - "Bloodhound Protocol."

"Blood-what?"

Suddenly, 75-M's eyes turned red, glowing as her body started to steam. The War Doll got on her knees as if she was tracking something like a hunter.

"Elevated heart rate, adrenaline. Metabolic processes indicate distress and injuries. What you just saw was likely a prisoner being attacked. I think it might be an Elven species."

"What in the flipping ducks was that?!"

Charlotte stood up, her eyes reverting back to normal.

"Huh? Have you never seen us use our Stance Protocols before?"

"Umm... no? You looked like a damn Terminator! Do all the Dolls have this?"

"Yep! But we don't use it often. Sometimes our Protocols can leave behind cybernetic trails for tactical fighters to locate us. Anyway, I think what's going on is they're trading slaves."

I clenched my teeth.

"I kinda want to rescue them."

"This isn't in our protocol."

"What difference does it make if we're gonna end up blowing this whole Demon King nation to kingdom come anyway? Let's try to at least do some good. When the Demon Lord army is destroyed these prisoners will end up in the crossfire."

75-M contemplated for a bit.

"Okay. Fine. But only because it's you, Aaron-dearest."

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that nickname."

As the two of us sneaked down the slope entering the forest, we could hear the sounds of several voices.

"These slaves are usually worthy 10 juons apiece. If we can bid the females at the ball we can earn even more."

"Chief, do you think we can keep some for ourselves?"

"What? The slaves?"

"Yeah. Whole lotta messed up shit I got in mind for those honeys!"

"Tone it down! They got us listen' here. Don't need you being all down bad for everyone to hear."

I could hear the sounds of whimpering from within the cage as one of the male elves made a disgusted grunt.

"You people are worse than trash!"

"What was that? Say that again, long ears."

Scuffles ensued as 75 and I managed to sneak behind a bush, witnessing the slave boy who had spoken against the captors get beaten viciously. All of the elves looked severely malnourished and dirty. The males were wearing rags, but the females...

The females were barely wearing anything. Their bodies were covered in cuts and bruises and were exposed intentionally.

Rage filled my chest as I reached for my rifle.

"Dainsleif, you need to calm yourself. Irrationality is not the way to approach these things," 75 said, putting a hand on mine.

"Doesn't this piss you off? I say we take down the slave trader on the far side with a suppression shot, masking it with the pattern of their footsteps. Then the both of us can dispatch the others in sequence so we can avoid alerting-"

"We won't kill anyone."

"What?!"

75-M turned to me with a serious expression.

"Not yet."

"This plan is sound."

"That isn't the point. If the rest of Muon were here, we would probably have done something very similar to what you suggested. Your plan is solid, but that was if we aimed to go for the kill right away. What do you think would happen if we killed those traders and let those elves go loose? Would that alert other guards? What if this was a peace offering between nations? This will put the nation on high alert and screw over the plans of the other SFA Task Force. We need to think about how our actions will ripple amongst the enemy and how it affects the environment."

I watched the elven boy get beaten, clenching my fist so hard that blood began to leak.

"I can't bear to watch this."

75-M ignored me, as we continued huddling behind cover.

"Hey. Garen. Here's your chance."

To my surprise, another boy emerged from the darkness. Unlike the other human slave traders... his ears were pointy.

"G- Garen..." The boy muttered.

Garen approached the fellow elf with a bow in his hand. His eyes were absolutely terrified.

"Come on, Garen. You were gonna be a Hero, were you not? Now's your chance to use your bow, after complaining all your life for not being able to use it!"

Garen clenched his teeth.

"B- But... but they're innocent. They're-"

"What was that? Just because they've got fucked up ears like yours doesn't mean jack shit to us. They're property and merchandise. Remember. It was YOU who chose to defect from the elves. Who was the little runt who was begging for a job after barely starving to death? You're gonna bite back the hand that fed you? Is that it?"

"No! I... I can't... I just can't murder them. I resent them but-"

A larger man grabbed Garen by the throat and wrist and forced him to cock the bow.

"Do it. DO IT."

"DO IT YOU LITTLE BITCH!"

"KILL HIM!"

Shouting ensued, as Garen began shaking in fear, pointing the bow to the boy.

I turned to 75-M.

"Garen is gonna kill that kid! Are we really not gonna do anything?"

"I never said that."

"Huh?!"

75-M smirked, putting her hand to her throat.

"Initiating Stance 19 - 'Chameleon Protocol'."

GRRRR.... ROAAAAR...

What.

The.

Fuc-

"What was that?!"

"Was that a Death Boar?"

"It sounded like a big one. We need to get out of there!"

"What about the elves?"

"Screw them! No amount of money is worth getting trampled by one of those monsters!"

I could hear the rest of the men run away, but Garen fell to his knees, his face pale and eyes wide in fear.

From between his feet, a puddle of liquid had formed.

All the while, 75-M continued making growling noises with her cybernetic upgrade until the traders were gone.

The two of us emerged from the bushes.

"Hiya!" 75-M said.

"Hey, wonderful weather for a stroll huh," I muttered.

Garen blinked.

"What... who... what's going on..."

75 and I helped the slave up.

"Hey man, do you guys need anything immediately? You're all in terrible shape," I said.

The boy glared at Garen, who remained petrified.

"How about you kill that traitor for us?"

Garen looked away, clenching his teeth, but 75-M ignored him and reached for the bars.

"Hmm. Magically reinforced. Oh well."

RIP.

Everybody stared at the War Doll as she tore the steel bars with her bare hands.

"We're from the Chestershires. You're all safe now."

Yeah, real covert there, 75.

I sat the slave down, but before we could do anything, another slave from within the cart ran up to Garen and slapped him in the face.

"Traitor."

Garen remained motionless, as the rest of the slaves remained in the cage. They were too petrified to come out.

"You guys... this is your chance to escape," I told the slaves, but one of the captives shook her head.

"No. We cannot escape. He will find us. The Kingdom of Jinn has some of the best trackers in the world. No matter how many times someone breaks us out of the traders we will just wind up in here again. Only our torment will worsen."

I glared at Garen, my hand inching toward my handgun which was still concealed in my suit pocket.

"You would join the scumbags who caused your own people this much suffering? I've never seen such a spineless little shit in my life."

Garen turned around and ran away, but before I could pull out my firearm, 75 grabbed my shoulder.

"Don't."

"But-"

"We've meddled enough. This is as far as we can do."

I watched the War Doll face the horizon from where the captors had fled.

"The captors were low rank. These flunkies were tasked with moving these slaves, therefore the slaves here were likely of little to no value by the organization they were working for."

"Then what do we do?"

"Leave us. The captors will return," one of the elves said, dejectedly.

"What?!" I replied.

"Aaron. We will come for them another time but now is not the time. You're being too brash again," 75 said.

I clenched my teeth, as I followed 75 back to the castle.

I understood why 75 wanted me to withdraw, but a part of me refused to accept it. If there was someone that needed help, I felt compelled to take action. Who wouldn't? But after living with the War Dolls for so long, things that I originally thought were second nature or common sense had become attributed to irrationality.

To make calls like this in the future...

Recognizing emotion from morals...

Was this what it took to be a true soldier fit for Tiamar?

* * *

The next morning, 75 and I visited a nearby town, where we stopped by a pub-like restaurant.

"Pop quiz time!" Charlotte said, cheerfully.

"How could you still be so cheerful after what happened last night?!"

75 put her fork on the table.

"Last night, how many surveillance spells could you detect?"

I stared at the War Doll from the other side of the table.

"What?"

75 rested her head against the palm of her hand.

"How many of those captors were bugged?"

I thought back to our encounter last night. The captors were too busy speaking misogynistic crap so ordinarily it would have been easy to completely forget about analyzing them. After all, they pissed me off to the point where I wanted to bust their caps with my weapons.

However, analyzing my environment was always second nature.

"Six of them had some complex communications unit that was embedded in their gear. I could see it from the folds of their leather hide."

"Mmhm. Second question."

75-M leaned forward.

"What kind of coms unit do you think they were? Visual or audio?"

My eyebrows raised.

"I... I couldn't tell."

The War Doll leaned back in her seat, with a smug look on her face.

"Hehe! I gotcha! It was a trick question - I wouldn't have been able to tell either."

"I'm gonna yank at your pigtails when we get back."

"Meanie! But you know... I didn't need to. Because I already knew. It was an audio-type communications unit embedded with coms magic. Visual magic branches from the Aspectum Tree and is one of the harder branches. Remember how I said that these guys were low-class flunkies? The way that one guy shut the other guy up when he went on his disgusting rant about those female elves?"

"Wow. I... I never thought of it like that. I've always had to do inference in the past, but this is to a whole other level."

"When you're sniping, the first thing you need to do is make inferences. Then from those inferences, you need to be able to support those claims with evidence. This was why I was able to bend those bars without any hesitation. Even if someone were to call me out, either the elves or the flunkies would not be taken seriously."

75-M giggled, getting up.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Make sure no one steals my handbag!"

"Okay."

I watched 75-M leave, as I was left alone in the pub. My brain had already started analyzing and assessing the environment. From the exits to the entrances. Escape routes, and potential attack points if an assault or assassination were to take place.

"So. You're who they sent to try to cover her ass, I presume."

I spun around in surprise to see a man sitting across from me.

"Uh, that seat's taken."

"So?"

My hand inched toward my handgun.

"Can I ask you to find another seat?"

"I don't see the problem. After all, that seat was reserved for a Winchester, right? I'm sure I can fill that role."

My eyes widened as I pulled out my handgun, but to my shock, the barrel of another was pointed straight at me from within the folds of the man's clothes.

"I know you. The God-Eater. The legend of the Black Legion Organization who is only ever useful when he isn't recovering or injured. But judging from how none of your fabled weapons are on you, I take it you are exactly that. Recovering and injured. For a hitman of the gods, you sure are... amateurish."

Richard Winchester leaned closer, his eyes were as cold as ice and his green hair illuminated from the lights of the pub in a manner that was the complete opposite of his sister's.

"You don't have chakra. You don't have magic. All you are is a man who's a little bit talented. But you know what they say? When everybody's got something special, no one is. Your appeal was being able to fight at a prowess rivalling that of a Special Forces Operative since age twelve. Well, what do you know? So could I. And so could my disgrace of a sister despite abandoning the Winchester name."

I gritted my teeth.

"If you wanna fight, then let's do it outside. If you're so confident that you can beat me as I am now, then let's settle it here and now."

The Dark Hound operative smiled, revealing several shark-like teeth. Even his teeth were modified to be killing tools. This kid... was hardcore to the bone.

"No. There's no reason to fight. I'm a little curious too. After all, I'm someone who has quite a morbid curiosity. They dispatched Char despite knowing her connection with me and the definite possibility of us having knowledge of their sniper unit. This means the organization that sent you guys is specifically trying to test you. If this mission is a game to them, then it is a game to me. Let's see who can play it better, Outer Shadow Dainsleif."

I examined the brother of 75-M. He definitely wasn't bluffing. Judging from the way he moved and the way he was constantly alert, it really did feel like he had been trained since a young age, which was consistent with what 75 had told me.

Added to the fact that he kept going on and on about how his sister was a disgrace, I guess he probably already deduced that I did care about Charlotte.

He was trying to use this against me to rile me up and make me lose focus.

But...

When it came to stuff like this, I also knew a few things about him.

He didn't want to start a fight early, but he overstepped with his attempt at verbal warfare. The more he tried to lash at his sister, the more he was revealing something that maybe he didn't want to admit.

"If you're trying to play mind games on me, don't bother. I'm already used to it, from your sister. Who's way better at it than you, by the way."

Irritation flashed on Richard's face.

"Are you trying to antagonize a Dark Hound?"

"You're irritated."

"I am not. I couldn't care less. Not you, nor that disgrace."

"I didn't bring her up."

I gently placed my handgun on the table, spinning it as the metal slid against the wooden surface.

"You don't wanna fight me? That's fine. But just so you know, when we first met, Charlotte was expected to try to take me down, and she did it without hesitation. Using the mission and playing the narrative that you 'don't care' is a sorry excuse for getting cold feet."

SLAM.

Richard rushed forward, foot on the table as he aimed the barrel of his gun to my head, but I had already grabbed it and brought my face close to his.

"The Winchesters you're so proud of was in the past. I'd rather be with the Winchester who's into freaky BL novels than some insecure little prick like you."

"You have no idea who you're messing with. This multiverse is vast. There's plenty of people just like you."

"Then that's a lot of people who can kick your ass, yet you're still here trying to fan your ego?"

Richard tried to yank his gun out of my grip but froze in realization.

"What... what is this strength?"

"You also made another mistake. I don't have magic. But I still have access to a little bit of chakra."

I closed my grip, white cracks appearing on his handgun as the barrel warped. I pushed the Hound back and reached for my handgun, but stopped myself.

If I started a scene now...

I'd mess up the operations of the SFA Company. I had to keep a cool head.

Richard stumbled back, hatred plastered all over his face.

"Trust me. When we meet again... under different circumstances, not only is Charlotte's head on the plate. So is yours."

Winchester turned around and was about to leave, but stopped for a few more seconds.

"One more thing."

I glared at the Dark Hound.

"What?"

"I wouldn't go assuming I'm just any other 'Special Forces Operative'. You said it yourself from the expression on your face. You know I'm the real deal. After all..."

Richard flashed his shark teeth once more.

"You didn't even see me coming when Sis left, did you?"

My heart skipped a beat.

He noticed.

Normally, I wouldn't have been able to have someone infiltrate my concentration like that. Earlier, when Richard had taken 75's seat, it was like he had appeared out of thin air. I completely didn't notice him at all.

To be able to conceal himself in public already spoke volumes to his abilities.

But to be able to conceal himself from me of all people despite being in my general field of view...

"I'm looking forward to our showdown. I'll show you what a true Winchester is capable of... God-Eater."

I sat in silence, glaring at the crowd as Richard had slipped out of my vision once more.

Completely leaving without a trace.

He had evaded me again.

75 and I left the pub and walked down the street.

As I looked around, all I could see were innocent civilians. Even if they were Demon and Monsterkind in nature, they still tended to their business like normal people. A part of me was starting to feel regret for what we were going to do to their nation.

"Hey! That's the kid who shattered our windows and stole from our shops! Someone stop him!" A voice shouted from afar.

I could hear the sounds of frantic footsteps from what I could guess to be a young child.

"Huh. I could have sworn I heard these types of footsteps before..." I muttered.

"A thief stealing when it isn't even dark yet? Makes me think they don't do this often!" 75-M remarked when suddenly, the kid rounded the corner and just about plowed into 75.

Unfortunately, the outcome of this would not be the classic bumping into your childhood crush rom-com style scene, because the moment the kid was about to make contact with 75, the War Doll immediately shifted her weight, knocking the boy off balance and sending him into the pavement.

"Ouch!" The kid gasped as he stared at 75, who had her hands in her pockets with a nonchalant look on her face.

75-M smiled, causing the kid to get to his feet frantically, but I stepped in his way.

"Move!"

"Then make me, thief."

The kid growled and tried to swing at me with his knife, but in one motion, I had already drawn my handgun.

Trigrams Six Hands Combination Style: QUICKDRAW

SNIP.

The knife flew out of his hands. The boy quickly reached behind his back and took aim, but the hood on his head had already slipped off, revealing a familiar-looking elf boy.

"Garen? Garen! You son of a- after the humiliation of yesterday you still didn't learn your lesson?!" I snarled, stepping forward, but 75-M made a squeaking sound.

"No! Why would you say that?!"

"Huh?! What do you mean?!"

Garen stared at the two of us.

"Are you... the Chestershires?"

Oh.

I forgot we were out of our disguises.

Oops.

Garen continued staring until 75-M stepped in front of him and ripped the bow out of his hands.

"If you're going to hesitate, you shouldn't be in this line of work."

Garen's nose scrunched up in frustration.

"I don't need to hear that from you. You're the same age as me, what could you possibly know about taking lives?"

75-M tilted her head.

"And did you? Did you take any lives?"

"..."

I closed my eyes.

"Why are you doing this, Garen? Your own people. You backstabbed them and had the audacity to look upon them while they were in their cages. Now you're trying for petty crime. I've never seen such a failure of a kid before. Where even are your parents?"

"THEY'RE DEAD," Garen snapped, catching me by surprise. 75-M looked at the elven boy with an expressionless face.

"Do you think I wanted to do this? To do ANY of this? I never asked to be a criminal! But... but if it means being whatever it takes to survive, then I'll do it. A traitor if I need to be. What do any of you know? What do you know? Huh?"

Garen clenched his fists, breathing frantically.

"I never asked for any of this. I'm supposed to... to... to have the time of my life at this age, and that's been ripped away from me. NO ONE is allowed to judge me for my choices. NOBODY. I've been thrust into a life that I didn't ask-"

SLAP.

Time seemed to slow to a halt, as Garen stumbled back, the sound of 75-M's slap still reverberating in the air.

The green bangs on 75-M's hair cast a shadow across her eyes, nearly concealing them, but the lower part of her face said it all.

I had never seen 75-M act so seriously before... aside from when she was sniping, or teaching. This... this was different. It was like witnessing a side of her I had never seen.

"Ask this. Ask that. Boo hoo. You were forced to grow a little faster than other people. And? That's your justification for being a criminal?"

Garen clutched his cheek in complete shock.

"You-"

"You're coming back with us."

"HUH?!" Garen and I said at the same time.

75-M narrowed her eyes, her face flashing with murderous intent.

"For one thing, it isn't safe when you have a bunch of angry shopkeepers after you. Secondly, you sound like nobody has given you a reality check, considering that slap has gotten you all rubbery. And thirdly, there's something about you that REALLY ticks me off. I'm going to use that to my advantage."

The War Doll approached the Elven Boy.

"You're going to tell me everything you know about the Dark Hounds. After all. The criminal organization you're working under... it's run by him, isn't it?

"You're working for Richard Winchester."

03

"Let me go! You two have nothing to do with the Elven people! Do you have any idea how much trouble you'll be in if House Chestershire finds out you're involved in the Dark Hound underground?!"

Garen continued struggling in his binds, but 75-M paid him no attention, dragging a stool and sitting in front of him with menacing eyes.

"The captors you worked with, are you all assigned into individual platoons?"

Garen glared at Charlotte.

"I'll tell you NOTHING."

I watched nervously as 75-M narrowed her eyes.

"You will tell me everything. Because whether you want to say it out loud or not, I will get my information one way or another. You've never fired a bow before, and when asked to execute one of your own kind, you froze. The more experienced a criminal is, the more they can fake their fear. But you have little to no veil in yours. Turn back and do the right thing before it's too late."

Garen struggled again.

"Turn back... and go where? I have nowhere to go home to. This is the life I have to live."

"If that is so, then so be it. But crime isn't something you can do half-assed. Besides, you getting captured is already enough for your platoon to have abandoned you. Regardless of what you think, these people have already forgotten about you."

"BULLSHIT! They will come looking for me. I swear to you-"

"They will come looking for you, and they will kill you."

Garen's teeth clenched tightly, and beads of sweat ran down his face.

"What... what makes you so sure..."

75-M got up and reached behind her handbag, pulling out a small box.

Upon opening it in front of Garen, the kid's eyes widened in terror.

"What in the... what is THAT?!"

"You know what these are. They are exactly what you think they are."

Garen heaved, a gag surfacing from his throat as he lurched forward, but nothing came out.

Even I was unnerved.

Inside that box...

Were severed fingers.

"The previous owner of these appendages was let go with a 'slight warning'. All he did was let himself be captured for three minutes. Each minute was one finger cut off. The boy didn't once spill a single ounce of information, but just being held captive was enough for his higherups to make the call to make sure he would never dare get captured again. How long do you think it has been since you've been caught by us?"

75-M flipped open a military knife and inched the blade closer to Garen's fingers.

"One minute. Five minutes. Ten minutes. That scuffle alone the other night with the elves. That would have been enough to sever every single finger on your hands if your captors were merciful. Assuming you had the willpower to keep your trap shut."