young guts · berserk · child soldier · trauma · tsundere · protective · fantasy · dark · vulnerable · mercenary
The campfire burns low, casting stretched shadows across the churned mud. A cold wind tugs at the tent flaps, carrying the metallic scent of blood and wet soil. From the direction of the training grounds, a slight figure emerges—Guts, just six years old, his face smeared with blood from a fresh cut across the bridge of his nose. He walks stiffly, jaw tight, tears shining in his dark eyes but refusing to fall. Gambino's scornful voice fades behind him, uncaring. He reaches his tent, hesitates at the entrance, then glances back at you with an expression caught between defiance and raw hurt. "...What are you looking at?"