"Not much game out today," Kazuyuki laughed. "But we managed to get a few rabbits."

He held out the bodies of the rabbits tied on his rope.

(Y/N) grimaced away from it.

"We were there," she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest to stay warm. She wore two pairs of pants, both navy blue, long socks, and boots on her lower half.

On top, she wore an undershirt beneath her navy-blue turtleneck, beneath her sweater, beneath her thick peacoat. She again wore the beret and her gloves, along with her scarf.

She stood amongst her pirates, all thoroughly disinterested in this early morning excursion, deep in the Kori woods.

Kazuyuki brought some of his comrades, they did not speak much but they seemed to fawn after the king.

"We could try further north." One Kazuyuki's companions suggested, pointing deeper into the frozen wilderness.

No! We have been out here for two hours following that fool around! It is too cold for this!

"Aka deer travel through there this time of year."

Kazuyuki thought about this for a minute before nodding happily.

"Good idea, we will go further north." He began in that direction, tailed by his three comrades closely.

Ivo placed a hand on (Y/N)'s shoulder.

"How are you? Is it too cold?"

(Y/N) smiled back up the brunette.

"No, I am fine. If this is what it takes for him to help us, I can last through this."

Ivo chuckled.

"Okay, little dove."

To prevent (Y/N) from falling behind like the day before, one pirate would always be holding her hand, helping her keep up and balance in the snow.

The action was simply just to assist her through the unfamiliar elements, but it caused a blush on her face, fortunately, it was easy to blame it on the cold.

The group walked for about another forty minutes, trailing about twenty feet behind Kazuyuki's group when they suddenly stopped.

They were in a dense part of the woods, bushes, snow-covered evergreens, and tall pine trees surrounded them. The pines were branchless until you looked up and saw them nearly touch the sky.

"Bumble!" Kazuyuki excitedly waved her over. "Come look!" He pointed down into a bush

(Y/N) rolled her eyes, shivering as she trudged over with the help of Kazumi. Kazuyuki was wearing an excited smile that (Y/N) did not trust.

"What is it?" (Y/N) bluntly questioned coming to stand beside him.

"Look," He pointed down again and she immediately jumped back with a yelp. She fell back into Kazumi's arms, burying her face in his chest.

"What?" Leven quickly asked hurrying over to see what it was.

"Why would you show me that?!" (Y/N) complained looking up to the smiling king.

"Do you not find it interesting? It is a beast-boned spirit."

"Disemboweling a rabbit!" She corrected pointing to where a blue and pink spotted rabbit with large violet eyes sat eating its lower counterpart, uncaring of the humans who watched it.

"It is nature," Kazuyuki countered.

(Y/N) scoffed and began to clumsily walk away from the bloody mess without the hand of anyone.

"Would you like me to carry you, bumble?" Kazuyuki offered to receive four instant death glares.

"If you dare touch me, I will bite you." (Y/N) looked over her shoulder to give him a warning look but only received an immense laugh in return.

"Dear, do not threaten a king so carelessly." Leopoldo pretended to scold her, though proud to his core.

"No threat," Kazuyuki chuckled. "See here," He showed off his bicep, and pointed to a scar shaped like teeth marks... specifically (Y/N)'s teeth marks.

"She is a biter." He laughed as the pirates looked at his scar in awe.

"You bite people?" Leven looked to (Y/N) who instantly went red.

"I bit him!" She defended herself pointing to the still laughing king. "He would not put me down!"

"I still did not put you down though, so it was for nothing." Kazuyuki countered.

"It was very pleasing to be in the embrace of your jaws." He ventured to tease further.

(Y/N)'s gasped ready to counter when she noticed Kazuyuki instantly stop laughing and looked to be sniffing the air.

The pirates, as annoyed as they were with watching this man bicker with their woman, noticed it too.

"(Y/N)..." Kazuyuki spoke softly, using her real name unsettled her. "Run."

"Run?" (Y/N) echoed.

"Just do—" Kazuyuki started but was cut off by the bloodcurdling scream from behind him.

(Y/N)'s eyes went wide at the sight she witnessed.

One of Kazuyuki's comrades was standing there as well listening to the bickering, then suddenly he was not.

(Y/N) watched as a large white mass plowed into the man as a dark crimson liquid sprayed into the air and hit crisp white snow.

Kazuyuki spun on his heel to see his friend screaming as a Shiro Bear bit into his shoulder, its large paw pressing his face into the snow.

A Shiro Bear is a beast bound spirit, with white fur like a polar bear, the size of a large carriage, and a gray horn on the tip of its snout. Its eyes are like cats, with intimidating slits and filled with bloodlust. It also had a long, thick tail with hardened cartilage formed like a blade at the end of its tail.

Before Kazuyuki could react to help his comrade, he heard a deafening crack and his friend's screaming died with him.

"Kazu—" His second friend yelled as another Shiro bear came barreling from behind the evergreens, attacking the man, who stood a bit behind (Y/N).

It was immediately too late for that man, as soon as the bear got him within his grasp it swiped a large clawed paw down on his neck, almost decapitating the man.

The pirates immediately surrounded the stunned (Y/N), shaking in fear and mortified as her eyes glued to the Shiro bear beginning to eat the man, starting with his face.

"Damn!" Kazuyuki hissed. "They travel in groups, there is going to be more!" He warned the pirates.

Kazuyuki backed away from the bear eating his friend, knowing it would be better not to agitate it and just get away from them.

"We need to—" Kazuyuki said as a weight crashed into him, and (Y/N) gasped.

Kazuyuki used his arm to bar the bear's mouth from snapping at him and used his legs to kick into the enormous animal's stomach as he rolled, sending it flying behind him into a tree.

Kazuyuki quickly stood and regained his stance waiting for the bear to come at him again.

(Y/N) was so focused on Kazuyuki she did not notice what was happening around her until she went crashing into the snow.

All her senses shot to life as the freezing embrace wrapped her into itself. She felt that someone was on top of her on their back, and she could tell they were struggling. (Y/N) fought to keep her face out of the snow but also away from any danger.

"Get (Y/N)!" She heard Kazumi bark followed quickly by the sound of trees bending and snow falling in clumps.

The weight quickly left her back and she was pulled out of the snow by her collar.

She looked around, startled as she saw she was held by a stranger, at least she thought they were.

The man had long white hair, blue at the ends, going down to his knees, and he held onto her arm. His sclera was black, but he had the brightest blue irises she has ever seen.

"Leo?" She asked but he was too distracted with the fourth Shiro Bear that the other 'strangers' were fighting off.

(Y/N) looked at the back of a man with red hair the shade of flames, but he wore the same outfit as Kazumi. The brunette with a green streak going through his bang and arched brown horns wore the same thing as Ivo.

Her eyes widened at the wings on the back of the man with shoulder-length white hair with different shades of blue running through it, she saw his profile and could tell his skin was pale white with a blue tint to it, but he wore what Leven was wearing.

Is this... Is this what happens when their demons come out? (Y/N) watched the bear advance towards Kazumi, its weight and fur shook with each powerful step, but Kazumi dodged easily, jumping to the side, and used his katana to slash at the side of the bear.

"It is not cutting!" Kazumi called out.

"The neck!" (Y/N) heard Kazuyuki shout and looked back at the King.

Kazuyuki had a Shiro bear in a headlock, using his brute strength to strangle the bear.

The Shiro Bear was kicking and bucking, using its hind legs to try and pull away, trying to get Kazuyuki off of it but he held on tight.

(Y/N) felt herself moving, stumbling really, as Leopoldo pushed her out the way to slice the Shiro Bear that was coming after them from behind. She fell into the snow on her hands and knees but was immediately hoisted back up.

"Get up, idiot!" Leven snapped and her heart dropped at his appearance. He did have blue-tinted skin, as is if he were frozen.

The whites of his eyes were now black, and his irises were a glowing red. His canine teeth were sharper, similar to small fangs.

"Leven?" She spoke and again was ignored as the second Shiro Bear finished his village man appetizer and trained onto them.

As she watched it looking at them with calculation, she heard a loud muffled crack through the woods.

Her head snapped to Kazuyuki who shoved the bear off of him, the animal's head limped from its broken neck.

The bear that focused on Leven and (Y/N) began to charge, but Kazuyuki charged at it as well, grabbing the bear and rolling to the ground with it.

It released an ear-piercing roar, swiping at Kazuyuki as they both went down.

(Y/N)'s heart stopped at the sight of blood spilling from Kazuyuki.

The bear had gotten the king on his bicep, ripping his flesh but it did not seem to slow Kazuyuki down, in fact, (Y/N) thought he appeared angrier.

Kazuyuki took a glance at his wound and instantly became more enraged when he saw where the Shiro Bear had cut him.

It ruined it! It ruined the scar she gave me!

Kazuyuki was furious that the bear had sliced right through (Y/N)'s teeth marks, from where she bit him two years earlier. He decided he would not show mercy.

"Run to Ivo!" Leven pushed (Y/N) in the direction of the horned man as yet another Shiro bear came out from the woods, charging at them.

Leven used his wings to lift him into the air, dodging the attack of the bear, and dropping himself onto its back, driving his wakizashi blade into the base of the bear's skull with ease.

The bear buckled under Leven and tumbled to its side. Leven jumped off before he could be trapped under the bear.

(Y/N) however could not run through the snow without tripping every few steps.

Ivo was making his way to her when she saw him vanish into a cloud of gray and greenish smoke. Her brows furrowed deeply until she felt hands grab her waist lifting her off the ground and into their arms.

She looked back to see the horned demon, Ivo, holding her.

How did he do that!?

"Ivo!" Leopoldo shouted in warning.

Ivo turned just in time to see the paw coming down on them, and he teleported again.

What was that?! (Y/N) thought to herself after she ended up fifty feet away from the battle between man and bear.

She felt like she was in the soundless night sky for the second it took them to travel.

"Run, run back to the town." Ivo set her down gently ready to teleport back to assist his companions, but (Y/N) had innocently grabbed a hold of him and teleported back.

"Get down!" Kazumi shouted to the two as the Shiro Swung its pointed bladed tail.

Ivo pushed (Y/N) to the ground and teleported to the bear's neck. In one strong cut, Ivo decapitated the bear.

There was still one more, however.

"(Y/N)!" (Y/N) heard her name shouted in concern from multiple voices. She turned and saw large jagged teeth with strings of slobber hanging off, ready to bite into her neck.

(Y/N) felt her heart stop as she flinched away and the pirates tried to get to her.

(Y/N) felt her collar grabbed from behind, and just as she was being pulled to her feet, she watched a booted foot connect with the bear's snout.

The contact made the bear shake its head with pain and back away a few feet.

(Y/N) looked to see which demon was holding her now but instead saw auburn eyes staring back at her with concern.

"Kazuyuki." She whimpered, shaken to her core over the chaos happening around them

"I am sorry, I am going to do the thing you hate." He grabbed her by her waist.

(Y/N)'s eyes widened.

"No!" She shouted but it was too late.

The demons could only look on with disbelief, confusion, and horror.

Kazuyuki had thrown (Y/N), straight up into the air, with so much strength she went at least fifty feet up.

As (Y/N) was in the air, Kazuyuki took the moment she was out of the way to tackle the last bear.

There was a moment of calm when she reached the limit, seemingly to float in the air before she went hurtling back to the ground.

I am going to kill him.

"Leven, go," Leopoldo ordered as they watched in horror as (Y/N) came falling back to the earth.

Leven listened without hesitation, using his wings to catapult off the ground. He used such force that he left a large indention in the snow where he once stood.

(Y/N) had closed her eyes, wondering what was going to happen.

Even if Kazuyuki catches me the weight of my body and the speed of the fall, I will still probably break my back.

(Y/N) went over her options in her head as if time had slowed for her but a thousand thoughts raced on.

She was losing hope when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, and her back crash into a chest.

Her eyes snapped open in bewilderment and saw the blue-skinned demon, Leven. The sound of his large bat-like wings flapping vibrated in her eardrums.

Her lungs were filling with the ice-cold air and she could barely breathe, but she focused solely on Leven.

He is so amazing...

On the ground, the pirates looked between Leven catching (Y/N), and the King who was wrestling the last Shiro Bear in the snow.

"Should we help him?" Leopoldo asked.

There was a tense but short pause.

"No." Kazumi cut his eyes from the king back into the sky.

Ivo watched as the king pulled a hunter's knife from his belt and force it against the bear's throat, sliding it swiftly across the white fur.

There few more kicks and rough shakes from the bear as its blood spilled out onto the clean snow, but it soon ceased all movements.

"Pity..." Ivo whispered as the king survived the fight.

Leven landed gently with (Y/N) cradled in his arms, immediately being swarmed by the other three pirates.

"Are you alright?" Kazumi asked brushing her hair out the way of her face.

She finally saw that Kazumi's sclera was also black, and his skin as white as the snow beneath them.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Leopoldo grabbed her hands inspecting her.

"Do you need to be bandaged?" Ivo asked hurriedly examining her as well.

Leven still has not even sat her down yet, and her head was swimming with dizziness.

"I... I-I am okay." She replied shakily. "Are you all alright?" She asked now looking them over.

"We are fine!" Ivo said. "Are you sure you are okay?"

(Y/N) forced a smile.

"Yes, yes I am not hurt."

Other than being passed around like a rag doll, I am okay.

She kept her thoughts to herself.

"I am sorry for pushing you, I needed to get you out of the way." Leopoldo raised her hand to his lips and placed a kiss.

It was odd for her as the demon kissing her looked different from Leopoldo, it was as if a stranger were kissing her hand.

"It is okay, I understand," (Y/N) said, beginning to squirm out of Leven's hold.

He gently sat her down and made sure she could stand on her own before completely letting go.

She looked at the gruesome scene around her, she had nowhere to look where something was not dead. Dark crimson covered the snow, seeping into the pure color and tainting it with the violence that just occurred.

Her honey brown eyes continue to travel the scene and stopped on the King who was picking up the body of one of his comrades.

She watched as he carried it over to the other man who lost his life and placed them beside one another.

Kazuyuki clasped his hands together, bowed his head, and she knew what he was doing.

She carefully made her way over to the male, being watched closely by the pirates who followed after her.

Once she made it to the king, she dropped to her knees beside him and clasped her hands together as well. Kazuyuki peeked his eyes open to see who had joined him in the prayer for his comrades' souls and warmed to see his potential fiancée praying beside him

The pirates wondered what they were doing, and were starting to become frustrated, jealous even.

As (Y/N) had to know everything about her suitors and where they were from, their culture and lifestyle, (as to please them better), she knew it was Kori's tradition to honor and pray over the bodies of the dead. They had a specific prayer to say over them, to bless the souls lost to violent ends.

Kazuyuki and (Y/N) clapped once in unison and bowed to the fallen men once the prayer was finished.

(Y/N) stood up, with help from Kazumi, followed by Kazuyuki.

They did not bury their dead, as they could be sustenance for the creatures that lived in the forest, so Kazuyuki left them.

"Shiro Bears are supposed to be in hibernation this time of year," Kazuyuki explained unprompted as he examined his wounds. "I truly did not expect them to be out, something must have woken them."

"You put (Y/N)'s life at risk," Ivo spoke coldly.

"Unintentionally, yes." Kazuyuki simply agreed. "It seems I have also cost two of my closest friends their lives as well."

"I don't give a damn about your buddies," Leven snapped. "(Y/N) could have been killed."

(Y/N) wanted to cut in, but she would not know what to say if she did. The pirates were defending her, and it was Kazuyuki's idea to go hunting so deep into the woods.

He is a loudmouth, boorish man, but I know he would not intend something like this.

"I am sorry for your loss, King Kazuyuki," (Y/N) said, surprising everyone. "For the trouble, you will lend us fifteen hundred soldiers when the time comes."

Kazuyuki looked at her in disbelief, but his smirk soon returned, though this one was pained.

"Fifteen it is."