Hayato Back to Senses
The air was suffocating—thick with dust and the acrid tang of blood. Yuki's breaths came shallow and ragged, pain flaring hot beneath her ribs where claws had torn through her suit. Her vision blurred, sweat and blood trickling down her temple, but she forced herself to stay upright, blades quivering in her grip.
Across the shattered hall, Hayato—no, the werewolf wearing his face—stalked forward, crimson eyes burning with mindless fury. Muscles rippled beneath dark fur, claws clicking against the marble with a sound that sent icy chills down her spine.
Yuki gritted her teeth, blinking through the haze of pain and disbelief. "Hayato…" she choked out, voice cracking. "Please—if you can hear me, fight it!"
But there was no flicker of recognition in those eyes—only savage red, hollow and enraged. The werewolf's snarl was a monstrous growl that rattled the walls, fangs bared with lethal intent.
Yuki's heart clenched, memories flickering behind her eyes—the Hayato she knew, all warm smiles and protective words, the one who had shielded her with his own body to give her a chance to escape that day. Not this. It can't be.
But the werewolf lunged with terrifying speed, claws gleaming with lethal purpose. Yuki barely raised her blades in time, the impact reverberating up her arms with a bone-rattling force. Her boots slid across cracked marble, each strike heavier and more desperate.
---
"Hayato, listen to me!" she pleaded, parrying another swipe that left sparks skittering. "It's me—Yuki! You're stronger than this—you have to fight it!"
For a fleeting second, those crimson eyes flickered, a flash of pain breaking through the rage. Yuki's breath caught, hope flaring despite the odds.
But it was gone in an instant, drowned beneath the weight of whatever hellish control twisted him into this. A clawed hand swiped with brutal efficiency, tearing through her guard and raking across her side with a sickening rip.
Pain exploded, white-hot and excruciating.
Yuki screamed, crashing into a column with enough force to crack the stone, blades clattering from numb fingers. Blood dripped warm and slow, painting crimson streaks down her side, but she grit her teeth, forcing her vision to focus through the agony.
Get up. Move. The words were a mantra, harsh and desperate. She struggled to her knees, gasping for air as the werewolf's growl deepened, claws glinting with fresh blood.
---
From the observation deck above, Lopart watched with a smirk, fingers drumming leisurely against the console. "Come now, Ms. Panther," he drawled, voice slick with mockery. "Don't tell me this is the extent of Ho Dieng's training?"
Yuki's glare was lethal despite the pain, eyes narrowed with fury. "Shut up," she snarled, spitting blood onto the marble. "You twisted monster—how could you do this to him?"
Lopart chuckled, shrugging with exaggerated indifference. "He made such a good candidate," he mused. "Loyal, strong-willed… of course, we had to make some adjustments."
Yuki's grip tightened on her blades, hatred coiling hot and searing in her gut. "I'll kill you," she vowed, voice a broken whisper. "I swear—"
But the werewolf lunged again, claws cleaving through steel and concrete with feral force. Yuki rolled aside, wincing as pain lanced through her ribs, breaths coming in shallow, pained gasps.
---
The fight was a brutal dance, savage and relentless. Yuki's movements were slowing, limbs heavy with exhaustion and blood loss, strikes growing desperate. For every slash and strike she landed, the werewolf responded with savage precision, claws rending through her defenses.
"Hayato, please," she gasped, parrying another lethal swipe. Her arms trembled with the effort, vision swimming. "You have to fight—this isn't you!"
A snarl was her only answer, and claws tore through her defenses with ruthless efficiency. Pain exploded—blinding and all-consuming. Her back hit the ground hard, breath leaving her lungs in a choked gasp.
The werewolf loomed, eyes glowing with murderous crimson, fangs bared. Yuki's vision blurred, limbs numb and heavy. Blood pooled warm beneath her, breaths shallow and ragged.
I can't— Her thoughts were fading, darkness creeping at the edges of her vision. Not like this—Hayato, please—
---
But just as claws arced down, a blur of motion sliced between them—a flash of silver and wind that sent the werewolf skidding back with a pained snarl.
Yuki's breath caught, eyes widening with disbelief as a familiar figure stepped forward, blades glinting with lethal intent. The old man's eyes were sharp as ever, robes fluttering with every step.
"You've caused enough trouble, pup," Ho Dieng's voice was calm, but the danger laced beneath it was unmistakable. "Stand down."
The werewolf's snarl deepened, claws gouging the marble, but its movements faltered—crimson eyes flickering with confusion.
---
Ho Dieng's gaze softened—just barely—as he approached, one hand outstretched, fingers glowing with an ethereal light that pulsed with soothing warmth.
"Hayato," he spoke, voice low and firm, commanding but gentle. "I know you're in there. It's time to come back."
The werewolf's snarl wavered, claws scraping with uncertainty, eyes flickering from crimson to deep brown. The tension bled from its stance, fur bristling as if warring within itself.
The light from Ho Dieng's fingers pulsed brighter, washing the hall in a soft, warm glow. "Come back, son," he urged, voice almost a whisper. "You're safe now."
---
Slowly—painfully—the werewolf began to shrink, fur receding as claws and fangs dulled to human form. Muscles contracted, bones snapping back with sickening cracks until a young man collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.
Hayato's eyes fluttered open, no longer crimson but dark and familiar, confusion and horror flickering in their depths. "M-Master…?" his voice was hoarse, broken.
Yuki's breath hitched, relief flooding her veins so fast it left her dizzy. "Hayato…" she choked out, staggering forward despite the pain lancing through her side.
---
But Lopart's sneer twisted, fury darkening his features. "You—you think this changes anything?" he spat, fingers flying over the console. "I'll—"
Hayato's eyes darkened, lips pulling back in a snarl as he advanced, steps slow and deliberate. "You did this to me," he growled, voice low and lethal. "You turned me into—"
Lopart paled, stumbling back, but Hayato was faster, hand snapping out to grip his throat with bruising force, claws still half-formed.
"Hayato, don't!" Yuki's voice was desperate, pained. "If you do this—you'll become like them!"
His hand trembled, claws digging in, but Hayato's breath was shallow, eyes torn with rage and guilt.
A long, agonizing moment passed.
Finally, with a shuddering breath, Hayato released him, Lopart crumpling to the floor with a wheeze.
"I am only sparing your life because she says so," Hayato ground out, voice raw with hatred. "Otherwise, I would have killed you."
Lopart's eyes flashed with fear, throat bobbing.
---
Yuki's legs nearly gave out, relief flooding through her limbs. Her hand reached out, grasping Hayato's arm with a tremble she couldn't hide.
"Thank you," she whispered, voice cracking.
Hayato's eyes softened, guilt flickering beneath the exhaustion. "I'm… sorry," he choked out, voice barely above a whisper. "Yuki, I—" he comes near to Yuki, crouched down.
" There's no need to apologize. I am just..... happy to.... see you alive..... back." Yuki says before losing her consciousness.