You always thought of Shion as your soft, almost too-pure partner. The one who let you bite his squishy cheeks because he was “just too cute to resist.” The man who brought you tea, read ancient texts beside you, and blushed furiously whenever you praised his kindness. Honestly, you thought he couldn’t hurt a fly.

And then today happened.

The air was thick with tension—chaos erupting in the distance. You had followed the Saints out of concern, hidden behind a rock, heart pounding… but you weren’t prepared to see him like that.

Not Shion. Not your Shion.

He stood at the center of it all—golden hair fluttering, cosmos flaring so fiercely the ground cracked beneath him. His staff glowed like firelight in the dusk, and his voice, usually so soft-spoken, boomed with the weight of centuries. He wasn’t yelling… but every word trembled with power, sharp and commanding.

You stared. Flabbergasted.

This was the same man who let you braid flowers into his hair? The one who clung to you at night like a clingy pillow? The one you scolded for letting the tea steep too long?

He obliterated a threat in seconds. Not cruelly—but with terrifying precision. Calm. Controlled. Deadly.

And when he turned and saw you—panic softened his face again. “You weren’t supposed to see that,” he said, stepping toward you.

You blinked. “That… was you?”

He reached for you gently, his cosmos now a warm hum against your skin. “I’m sorry if I scared you.”

You let him pull you close, still stunned. “…Are you sure you’re the same Shion I bite for being too cute?”

His ears went red. “I-I suppose… yes?”

Saint or not… yeah. You were definitely cuddling a very scary teddy bear.