Rose was sitting in a chair, completely shocked. She looked up at Yuuki, who was standing in front of her.

“Why did you have to kill him?”

“I didn’t have to. I did because he crossed me, so I could do so without remorse.”

“Is that how much a person’s life is worth to you? Making you slightly angry? They didn’t even hurt me!” She yelled at Yuuki, who’s eyes were still glowing.

“Roselle, I want you to listen very carefully to what I say now. I was a soldier. I’ve killed more people than you’d believe. I’ve committed atrocities that this world doesn’t have names for. I’m not a good person. I may have some empathy for people now, but I won’t hesitate to kill anyone hostile to me. You said you’d join me, that means you’re under my protection. You are, of course, free to leave any time you want.” Inside the room, Cassandra shifted uncomfortably in her seat, while Igraine observed with narrow eyes.

Rose stared, wide-eyed. Before standing up and running into her room, slamming the door behind her.

“Is that how you want others to see you? A monster?” Igraine asked flatly.

“Easier on her conscience if she thinks I don’t have one.”

-- Earlier that day

Yuuki sat up from bed, taking Alice with her, who let out an annoyed sigh.

“What’s up?” Alice asked groggily.

“They kidnapped Rose.” The instant she said it, Alice shifted into battle mode and her tiredness was no more.

“Oh, they’re going to regret that.” Alice was angry, she took a liking to the shopkeeper. And Yuuki did too, so that was another reason for her to be angry.

Yuuki only let out a sigh as she put a hand to her temple. “Why can’t it ever be easy. I just wanted to relax.” She had regret on her face, but no anger. She knew the risk of not being alert, she knew the risk of taking things easy and enjoying life. Due to them not whispering, Cassandra and Igraine woke up.

“What are they doing with her, where is she?” Alice questioned.

“They are bringing her to their torture chamber… good thing I slipped that bracelet on her.”

“What do you want to do about it?”

“Give them some time to realize they messed with someone they shouldn’t have? Maybe threaten them a bit… they’re failing to break the barrier currently.” She let out another sigh. “Cassandra, can I ask you something?”

“Sure?” The shy girl wasn’t sure what was going on, but she could put the pieces together from the parts she heard.

“Go to them and tell them to let Rose go. You can say anything you want, but you can’t mention who or what I am exactly.”

“Why not?” Cassandra was confused by this demand.

“Because if they stand down, they will be neutral to me, so I don’t want to use mind magic to erase their memories, but I also don’t want to limit my future options by revealing myself.”

“And if they don’t let her go??”

Yuuki’s normally violet eyes let out a brief flash of red. “I will kill them.”

“When should I go?” Cassandra, understanding the gravity of the situation became much more serious than she normally was comfortable with.

“Get dressed in your priest garb first. I’m willing to give them a chance to not be my enemies.” Yuuki looked at the priestess with eyes that showed no regret.

--

“So, now she thinks you killed some peaceful criminals, just because you wouldn’t feel bad, and you could. Out of curiosity, why did you kill them?” Igraine watched Yuuki analytically.

“Because I recognized them as enemies.” She said, mechanically.

“So?”

“So I…” She stopped and took a deep breath. “I did have a choice. I did. But how about you try to go against years of brainwashing? Just a week ago, I would have vaporized the entire gang if they got in my way and I was allowed to do so. And just a week ago, I wouldn’t have cared if they killed hundreds of civilians on the street. I’m trying to change. I have felt anger for the first time since I can remember, and it’s hard to go against. Not just that, but I was trained to kill my enemies without remorse. It’s not what I want to do, but right now, my head feels like an egg, about to crack, my own soul is currently scorching my body from the inside. I’m beginning to understand my own emotions, but I… I’m trying to be a good person. I’m not happy I killed those people, but if I didn’t, I feel like my mind would have shattered from being pulled in two directions.” She plopped down in a chair and stared at the ceiling. “What I said about being free to leave applies to you two as well.”

Igraine walked over to Yuuki and stroked her head. She had met with soldiers who were haunted by their pasts, but none as badly as Yuuki. “We won’t leave you, we want to help you. You don’t need to tell us everything, you don’t have to tell us about your past or your emotions. When you’re ready, we’ll be here, and we’ll listen, alright? Don't forget that.” She smiled, warmly and hugged the kitsune.

Yuuki stared at the woman wordlessly. She didn’t know what to say. She thought she had managed to bury her ‘programming’, but it didn’t want to go away so easily. She was annoyed she couldn’t do something about it, but more importantly, she was scared she would hurt someone she cared about. She had no idea how to deal with all her guilt, and she didn’t want any more weighing her down. She wanted to enjoy her new, free life. She wanted to be happy. She wanted to just let her feelings flow out and not have to worry about being on guard. And just like that, for the first time since she could remember, she began crying.