**YUKIME AND GETTAN**

Yukime and her people were backed into a corner, forced to choose between two warring Great Tribes.

If they sided with one, they’d be drafted as cannon fodder. If they opposed the other, they’d be wiped off the map. It was a classic "no-win" scenario. The Spirit Fox Tribe and the Great Wolf Tribe sat down to talk it out and eventually came up with a brilliant solution:

They’d side with nobody.

It was an idealistic, fence-sitting pile of nonsense that took them until the final hour to decide on. They clearly didn't understand that "neutrality" is just another word for "target" in a heartless era of war.

The Great Wolf Tribe had the muscle. The Spirit Fox Tribe had the brains. They actually thought that by holding hands and singing songs of friendship, they could survive the meat grinder.

Reality, however, wasn't feeling particularly sentimental.

The Village of the Spirit Fox and Great Wolf Tribes was erased in a single night.

The place was painted red and reduced to ash. Gettan—the guy known as the Strongest Warrior of the Great Wolf Tribe—fought like a demon, but in the end, the best he could do was tuck tail and run with his one and only fiancée in tow.

As the sun crawled over the horizon, the two of them just stood there, staring blankly at the charred remains of their home.

"If only I... had more power..." Gettan groaned.

"You did your best," Yukime said, leaning into her wounded, moping fiancé.

"If I had the strength, they wouldn't have taken everything from us!"

"It’s not your fault, Gettan."

"Shut up! Just shut up!"

Gettan’s roar made Yukime flatten her fox ears and tremble.

"...Sorry," he muttered.

"It's okay..."

Gettan stared at the ground, his voice dropping to a low crawl. "I was the one who pitched the idea to everyone. I told them that with this power, we could make it through the war without picking a side..."

"This power...?"

"This."

Gettan pulled out a pill. It was a Red Pill, the color of fresh blood.

"It’s a source of pure strength. If we’d taken these, we would’ve been unstoppable. But they refused. They wanted to hold hands and skip through the battlefield without 'relying on drugs.' Idiots. I should’ve just killed them all myself..."

Yukime took a step back. Gettan was chuckling to himself now, and it wasn't the "ha-ha" kind of funny.

"Gettan...?"

"Hey, Yukime. I’m the one who killed your mother."

"Wh... what are you talking about?"

Yukime’s Mother had vanished as soon as the Great Tribe attacked. Yukime had been holding onto this faint hope that she was still out there somewhere.

"That woman’s nagging ruined everything. My whole plan fell apart because of her. If we’d just taken the pills and accepted the protection of The Cult, we’d be living the high life right now."

"The Cult...? Gettan, stop. I’m not smart enough for this... you’re just joking, right?"

"Does this sound like a joke? I hacked her head off from behind! Everything would have been fine if it wasn't for her—!"

"Gettan, you’re lying. Tell me you’re lying..."

Yukime backed away again.

"I had to do it. It was the only way to protect you and the village!"

"N-no... stay away from me!"

"Why are you looking at me like that? Come on, it’s time for some revenge."

Gettan held the Red Pill out to her like it was some kind of prize.

"You’re taking this, too. You want to stop people from robbing you? Then you start robbing them. Get some power and go slaughter the bastards who did this! It’s a rob-or-be-robed world, Yukime!"

"No! Get away!!"

She finally turned and bolted.

"Are you rejecting me too?!"

I felt a phantom pain in my own back just imagining the impact. Gettan’s sword caught her right between the shoulder blades. She hit the dirt face-first, blood soaking through her clothes.

"Don't you dare refuse this power."

"G-Gettan... why...?"

"Don't be afraid of revenge. If you don't take, you'll be taken from."

"Stop... please stop..."

"Still stubborn, are we?!"

Gettan didn't stop. As Yukime tried to crawl away, he swung his sword down again and again. He wasn't trying to kill her quickly; he was just shredding her back. He stepped on her spine, leaning down to whisper in her ear while she gasped in agony.

"Come on, Yukime. Just swallow the pill. Let’s go get our revenge together."

"...No."

That was her final stand—a single word of defiance before the pain finally dragged her into the black.

When she woke up, it was night.

Her back felt like it had been through a woodchipper, but the bleeding had stopped. Gettan was gone. Curiously, her clothes were drenched in a massive amount of blood that definitely wasn't hers—she could tell by the scent. It wasn't there when she’d blacked out.

Wincing with every move, Yukime forced herself up and limped back to the village to find her mother.

She found her, alright. Her mother’s head had been severed, and her eyes were still frozen in a look of pure shock. Those fluffy Three Tails Yukime loved so much were nothing but charred tufts of fur.

"Mother...!"

Her mother was dead. Her friends, her neighbors—all gone. The village was ash, the money was looted, and her beloved fiancé was now her worst enemy.

"Ugh... uuh..."

She stood there crying, burning the image of her dead mother and her ruined home into her memory. She bit her lip so hard it bled. She had nothing left now—nothing but the burning need to destroy the man who took it all.

But a fourteen-year-old girl with no money, no power, and no family doesn't exactly have many career options. She survived as a prostitute on the battlefields, drifting from one war zone to the next.

By seventeen, she’d sold herself to a high-class brothel and clawed her way to the top. Once she had the money, she went after the power.

She’d been robbed of everything once. Now, she was going to make sure her enemy felt exactly how that felt.

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By the time Yukime finished her story, her eyes had gone soft again. Total pro.

"I’ve lived for nothing but revenge. You probably realized that already, John-han. You knew I didn't actually care about the alliance or the money. My only goal is to strip Gettan of everything he has. His wealth, his status, his life... I want to tear down everything he’s built. I needed the alliance's resources—and your strength—to do it. I’m sorry for deceiving you. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

"Hmm..."

I mean, yeah, obviously. Revenge backstories are a dime a dozen in this trope-filled world. I totally knew. Definitely wasn't just here for the gold.

"Now that the moment is finally here, I’ve actually started thinking about what comes next. Maybe you and I could get... even closer, John-han?"

She gave me a mischievous little smile.

"Well, it’s time I go settle the score with Gettan. Believe in me, okay? Just wait right here for my return."

She smiled one last time and stood up.

"Good luck. I’m about ready to make my move, too," I said, keeping the John Smith persona cool and detached.

"Then let me walk you to the exit..."

And so, John Smith and Yukime stepped out of the room together. Time to get this show on the road.