When Yuki walked into Yuno's room, the girl—who resembled a white-and-purple mandrake—seemed to dash out of nowhere and threw her arms around him.
"You smell like another woman," she said, sniffing him with a hint of jealousy.
But this display of possessiveness was clearly playful. Both Yuki and Yuno knew it was merely the lingering psychic trace of that unfortunate psyker. She caressed Yuki's body, nuzzling against him like a small kitten.
Yuki, who had intended to question her sternly, felt his resolve soften instantly.
"Yuno, you almost killed me."
Yuno looked up at him, a trace of confusion in her eyes. "Killed you? How is that possible? You are nearly as immortal as I am now. Your soul has entered mine; the physical body is merely an inconsequential shackle."
This sentence silenced Yuki. According to Yuno, Yuki's soul now resided within the collective consciousness of the Tyranid Hive Mind. As long as the Tyranids existed, Yuki's soul would never be devoured by the Warp. As long as Yuno loved him, death was a distant, unreachable thing.
"This..."
"Yuki, I know how you feel. You want to do so many things; you have such beautiful dreams. Do you really think I wouldn't know? We possess the quality that all couples envy most: our souls are one."
Yuno smiled. The hair around her ears seemed to pulse with allure. Using her miraculous power, she led Yuki to the bedside, where small flowers bloomed, emitting a seductive fragrance.
Yuki's heart began to race. Yuno pressed her lips against his, and their psychic connection allowed their thoughts to flow as one.
"What are you confused about?" Yuno teased with a mischievous grin.
"Do you really think I would ever harm you? Yuki, you don't understand. I have lived for far too long. The countless agonies I have endured have made me lose my grasp on such concepts. I'm sorry if I made you worry."
She fell silent for a moment, and a flicker of regret passed through the eyes of this supreme being, who carried the memories of countless Tyranid organisms.
"I don't want you to experience those pains. I want you to become strong. I want you to become an existence just like me, Yuki. Can you understand that?"
She took Yuki's hand and guided it to her face. "Can you feel it? My love."
Yuki didn't know what to say. He had never been in love before and didn't know what a "normal" relationship looked like, but he knew for certain that dating the Great Devourer was absolutely not normal.
However, as he touched Yuno's soft cheek, a concrete sensation flooded his mind.
Ah, dammit. It couldn't be fake. Yuno had completely exposed her inner self to him. Yuki felt it—Yuno's love was searing and wild. It was something that couldn't be hidden, lied about, or faked. He felt it clearly: this love was even hotter than the fire that had once burned him to death.
"I... I need to strengthen my body. I can't handle any more psychic energy right now."
Yuki felt a bit awkward, but Yuno only smiled.
"Alright. Once you become stronger, you can accept more of my gifts. One day, your psychic abilities will rival those of Mephiston, Ezekiel, or even Magnus."
Yuno seemed quite proud. She released her arms and spun around in front of Yuki, her excitement impossible to hide.
"I want so badly to see you become like that." She cupped her face, beginning to fantasize. "You could be the best general, strategist, ruler, and husband by my side. You could share in my satisfaction and happiness. Hehe, am I dreaming?"
She threw herself back onto the bed, pinning Yuki down. Yuki was at a loss. Hadn't he come here to demand why she put him in danger? Why was he speechless now?
Since crossing over, what had he actually accomplished?
He was pushed by fate, doing things without any clear reason. In front of Yuno, his efforts felt like a child's game.
Dammit, what on earth am I doing?
Yuki began to cry. He was shocked by the fragility of his own heart. He hadn't cried when he arrived in the Warhammer world. He hadn't cried when facing countless tragedies beyond his comprehension. But when he realized he was conducting a life in this world that lacked any logic or meaning, he wept.
He wanted to actually do something.
Yuno noticed the shift in his emotions. Even without psychic communication, such profound sadness was easy to capture. Ultimately, he was still just an ordinary man.
"You've already done very well. You took over a district in just a few days. Don't rush; we have all the time in the world."
The fragrance emanating from Yuno caused Yuki's thoughts to slow down. He fell asleep, his head resting on Yuno's shoulder.
Such a contradictory person. Or is this just how humans are? Yuno thought. He's already become Tyranid, yet he still dreams of changing the plight of the Imperium of Man? How many more tragedies will he have to witness before he finally gives up on humanity?
Yuno pondered. Ever since she found Yuki, he had acted strangely. He did many things, but few of them had any real impact. Aside from survival, he spent his energy trying to help others. This was undoubtedly at odds with her own position. If Yuki couldn't change his pro-human stance within twenty years, a day would come when he would stand in opposition to her.
Yuno feared that day.
After being killed once, Yuki's thoughts were in a state of violent conflict. He was still in the process of accepting his current identity.
Should she accelerate this stage?
With her means, it wouldn't be hard to control the hundreds of thousands of humans nearby, orchestrate countless tragedies, and drive Yuki to total despair regarding humanity, forcing him to fully embrace the Tyranids.
But was that love?
Yuno didn't know what love truly was. Her understanding of it came entirely from the various galgames she had played on the internet. Truthfully, she didn't think she could learn how to love from those things.
She had existed longer than almost any life form could imagine, yet she had only known the concept of "love" for a few years.
Give him some time.
Looking at the deeply sleeping Yuki, Yuno smiled unconsciously. Across the galaxy, every Tyranid organism reflected that joy. They shared all glory and all loss. What Yuki received was the love of the entire Hive Mind.
Realizing she was smiling like a "smitten girl," Yuno quickly covered her face.
"Really... I guess it's true what they say: you really do giggle like a fool when you look at the person you like."
Perhaps some things in those galgames were true after all.
She quietly lay down beside Yuki, adjusting his limbs so that he was holding her. And so, they both fell into a deep sleep. In this brief moment of rest, it seemed as though the entire universe consisted only of the two of them.