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It was an unspoken rule that every and any news involving one Zanka Nijiku was to be reported immediately to either the commander, or second in command of the Red Horns squadron.
Not once had either Kyouka, or Goka made this rule clear, but the Hell Guard were smart enough to infer that keeping the Nijiku siblings in the dark about anything involving Zanka would always end in an… Undesirable outcome.
However, this little tidbit that they had found… Well, it wasn’t exactly the easiest piece of news they could relay to the terrifying leaders. In fact, many of the Hell Guard were hesitant in bringing it up at all. After all, Commander Kyouka and Second in Command Goka had full access to almost every information network available on the ground. Surely they already knew about this?
Unfortunately for the Hell Guard, it seemed this was the one and only piece of crucial information that bypassed the Nijikus entirely. And the consequences fell unto some very, very unlucky trainees in the Hell Guard Academy.
* * *
It was Wednesday at noon, meaning the start of lunch time for the students at Hell Guard Academy. Their schedules were quite strict, and their one and only break lasted from noon till quarter to one. Being young teens, obviously they’re going to be taking advantage of this break in whatever way they can. And what better way to spend their time than reading trashy magazines and playing smash or pass with the celebrities or models used in ads.
“Alright everyone!” Himiko exclaimed, slamming a small stack of mags onto her desk. “You know the drill, find your top smash and top pass and present them to the council for judgement. Now go!”
The four girls, Himiko included, quickly snatched the magazines and began flipping through them like crazy.
Not five seconds had passed before Yumi gasped. “Oh my! This man is beautiful! Ya guys gotta look at this!” She turned her magazine around, displaying a close up of a man with ash blonde hair, dressed in black royal robes, and blue tassel earrings hanging low from his ears. The shot captured the right side of his face, which was angled just slightly toward the camera, blue eyes trained on the lens and small, soft smile gracing his features. On the next page, a midshot of the same man, eyes closed and head angled down as he takes off the outer robe, revealing a white button up underneath that’s cinched by a dainty black belt.
“I think I’ve got the same guy on mine!” Dia exclaims, slamming her magazine down. The other three looked closely, recognising the same blue eyes, ash blonde hair and tassel earrings on the model. Rather than royal, this time he was dressed in wizard robes, a blue and white scarf wrapped around his neck, a matching tie tucked underneath a white vest. He was also scowling at the camera, giving him a completely different vibe to the previous photos they’d seen.
Himiko and Rae quickly flipped through their own mags, trying to see if the model was on theirs as well.
“Aha!” They said in unison, showing off their findings. On Himiko’s, the photos seemed to be action shots of the model with some kind of staff. A look of concentration was on his face as he fought an unseen opponent. Blood was dripping down his face and a mask hung at the back of his head. The most notable part, were the dog ears, dyed to his exact shade of blonde hair that was pinned atop his head. Rae’s magazine featured him in winter clothes. A white button up layered under a black sweater, and a big, brown, fluffy coat on top. He was staring directly at the camera and holding the massive hood out of his face.
The four girls gave each other a look before saying in unison, “smash.”
They devolved into giggles.
“Urgh, I can’t believe I’ve never seen ‘dis model before!” Dia said. “If he’s in four different mags he can’t be that new.”
“Don’t ya think he looks kinda familiar though?” Yumi asked. “Maybe we’ve seen him before but didn’t notice?”
“With a face like that there’s no way we’d see ‘im and forget.” Himiko pointed out.
“Who is this guy anyway?” Rae questioned, scouring the page for a name. “There we go! Zanka Nijiku!”
“Ohhhh.” The others chorused. Then paused.
Oh.
A jolt of fear ran down their spines as they recalled in that second exactly why the Nijiku name was so familiar.
CRACK.
The four girls flinched, standing up ramrod straight and turning to see Red Horns’ Second in Command, Goka Nijiku holding onto the doorframe so tightly that it splintered. His face was kept carefully blank as he stared at the girls. All the students in the room immediately bowed and exclaimed their greetings, waiting in tense silence for Goka to excuse them.
He waved his free hand, and everyone stood back up to attention.
“You four,” he pointed at the girls. Ice cold fear ran through their blood as they awaited further instruction and potential punishment. “Give me those magazines.”
Himiko swiftly piled them together and handed them over to Goka. To the untrained eye, he flipped through them idly, no one catching onto the slight pause when Zanka’s face entered his vision. Snapping them closed, Goka addressed their teacher.
“For the next week, those four are to remain in trainin’ from noon ta’ quarter ta’ one. They must complete twenty laps around the field within that time frame. Any missed laps will result in an extra day of running per lap.”
After receiving a nod from the teacher, he left without another word.
The four girls looked at each other with relief. Goka must be in a relatively good mood if laps and missed break were the only punishments they faced. Their classmates whispered and sent looks of pity their way, but they were too exhausted from that brief interaction to care.
“No more magazines until we’re in the safety of our dorms or homes?” Dia suggested.
“Agreed.”
* * *
Goka entered the Red Horns Commander’s office after knocking once, not bothering to wait for affirmation to come in. Kyouka frowned at the lack of respect but said nothing, sensing the odd tension surrounding her brother.
Before she could speak a word, Goka tossed the magazines onto her desk and gestured at her to look. Refraining from showing any confusion on her face, even to family, Kyouka picked up the closest one and began flipping through.
Then she froze, seeing a familiar face staring back at her. (A face she missed so dearly-)
“It’s Zanka.” Goka stated, sitting on the mat in front of the desk. “No doubt ‘bout it. His name is there for all to see. No one would be stupid enough ta’ use the same name as a Nijiku. Disowned ‘r not.”
Kyouka continued to flip through the magazines, not allowing any kind of emotion show on her face.
“How long do ya suppose he’s been… Modelling?” She asked.
“This is the first I’m hearin’ of it. But considering the amount ‘a photos and the different release dates on those things, at least a few months now.”
There’s no way the other Hell Guards were unaware of this information. They thought in tandem. Making eye contact, the two came to the same conclusion regarding the next steps they would take regarding this situation.
“I’ll question our squadron.” Goka said, standing up. “I’ll make my way down, then conclude with the HQ Commander.”
Placing the magazines into a neat pile, Kyouka nodded at her brother, dismissing him. As she moved to file them away, Goka hesitated slightly at the door. She raised a brow at him. He turned to face her fully.
“In the Know, page fourty-two.” Goka’s tone was clipped and professional. To an outsider, his words were nothing more than a professional statement, but to Kyouka? The hesitation, and the lack of the usual tension that framed him told her a different story. With a short bow, Goka swiftly made his exit.
Taking a second to herself, Kyouka carefully picked up the ‘In the Know’ magazine, flipping to the page Goka mentioned. Despite the solitude of her office, Kyouka didn’t allow herself the grace of any outward reaction. She then closed the magazine just as quickly as she opened it, filing it away with the others.
Without so much as a second glance, she continued to go through the reports piled on her desk as if Goka had never entered. But the image of Zanka in that hood wouldn’t leave her mind.
(In her mind, his cheeks were chubbier, ears unpierced and a wide, toothless smile almost overtaking his face. Essentially drowning in their mother’s coat, one hand holding it over his head, the other reaching out for his two older siblings-)
Kyouka shook her head, taking in a deep breath in order to focus better on her work.
Ya always did have such a distracting face, Zanka.