Owari no Seraph: Seraph of the End: Protectorate

Chapter 1: Curve Balls

….

I don't own the characters from "Owari No Seraph." Would that I did.

….

The military jetcopter sped over the badlands, being careful to skirt the Deadlands, on its way to its destination. Within, Captain Yuichiro Hyakuya watched over the sleeping form of the demon known as Asuramaru. Watched him while holding his hand.

Never wanting to let him go.

"Yu?" Yu turned to see his best friend, Mikaela Hyakuya, just stooping to enter the small compartment where they were. Mika put a hand on Yu's shoulder. "He'll be alright, Yu. Everything'll be alright."

Yu didn't say anything. He couldn't say anything. So much had happened.

After a terrible argument, Asuramaru had decided that Yu, whom he felt he'd driven away forever, meant more to him than his own life, and had tried to kill himself by slicing his own arm open with the magical sword bearing his name. Somehow, Yu had sensed that, and had raced back to his room, barely in time to save his…

…his…

The love of his life. The one person in all the universes, both that were and were not, that he could not live without.

He looked back at the sleeping demon's face. It was relaxed and calm; they'd given him some sedatives specifically tailored to vampire biology. He was resting comfortably.

"Come on, Yu." Mika indicated some blankets next to Asuramaru's cot. "He'll be okay. But you need some rest too. Now, come on, don't fight me on this…" And he led Yu over to the improvised cot. "We'll be there shortly. You need to be at least rested up enough to walk without weaving back and forth. It'd play hell with your image if I had to carry you. More hell than usual, I mean." Mika's best friend and blood brother had developed such an awesome reputation during the Vampire Wars as a force of destruction, that most humans, and even some vampires, went for cover when they saw him coming. Mika laid him down on the blankets, stuffed a rolled-up blanket under his head, made sure he was comfortable, and, after a brief inspection, left. He paused at the doorway, looking back.

Even though neither Yu nor Asuramaru had moved, something about them communicated their feelings to Mika. He shook his head. They might not be physically holding hands at the moment, but he knew, somehow, that in their hearts, they would always be linked by far stronger bonds than that.

Mika went into the forward cockpit. Major General Guren Ichinose acknowledged him with a brief nod. "How are they?"

"They're fine. Just exhausted." He directed his attention to the view from the forward windshield. "How soon till we get there?"

"We should be just coming up on it, now." Sure enough, a low mountain range hove into view. The copter made for it, not slowing down.

"That's it?"

"The base is actually below the range. You'd best make sure Captain Hyakuya's and Prince Asuramaru's harnesses are secure, and strap in yourself." As he spoke, the jetcopter began to decelerate, its blades unfolding and coming to life, circling in, zeroing in on a specific part. Mika could see a shadowed area begin to take form as a portion of the mountainside gave way, a gateway opening into the hidden fortress within. Guren's mouth drew into a line as he tried to come up with a good way of reporting recent events to his superior…

"He's what?" The question clearly communicated the speaker's complete and total surprise. The figure on the rose-adorned throne shifted slightly, in itself as much an indication of shock as General Guren had ever recalled his Queen as expressing. Krul Tepes' expression was, for the first time in Guren's recollection, one of complete amazement. "What did you say, General?"

"Your Highness, mind you, I've not yet spoken more than a dozen words with either of them, but from all accounts, I believe it safe to say that they're-*"

"In love. My brother. In love with a mortal. And another man, at that." She sat back on the Rose Throne, her face slack with shock. She took a moment to digest this, then straightened, sitting there on the throne. "Well, brother," she murmured, too low for anyone but Guren to hear, "you always did have a knack for surprising me." She turned her attention back to Guren. "Alright. Assign them quarters in the royal sector. As soon as they're awake, I want to know. Especially my brother. I've some…questions for him."

Asuramaru came to a groggy consciousness, already reaching out with both his supernatural senses and his purely physical ones for Yu. Then he suddenly sat up; Yu was nowhere within his range. "Easy," said a voice beside him, a familiar voice.

His vision focused and he looked up to see Sayuri Hanayori standing over him. "Take it easy," she soothed. "You've been through an ordeal."

Why was she here? Asuramaru put a hand to his head. "I…Sayuri? Where…is he? Where am I? What's going on?"

"He's fine," she soothed further, holding a bulb of blood up to him. He'd been given blood transfusions—one good thing about being a vampire, blood type didn't matter—but he still needed simple nourishment, if for no other reason, than to jump-start his biological systems. He took the bulb from her and drank, thirstily, still wondering why she was here.

He'd done his best to drive her away. He knew now that he'd been motivated by jealousy, jealousy of her and Yu's previous relationship. So he'd pretended to be involved with Yu, yes, in precisely that way, trying to produce that same feeling in her. He'd thought it had worked.

So why was she here? "Where's Yu?" he asked again.

"He's fine," she repeated. "He's recovering in the room down the hall from you."

"Recovering? But…" Then he noticed the bulb in his hand. It had tasted very familiar, very sweet and good. And the flavor… "Oh…"

"Yeah. He couldn't wait to give blood for you." She glanced up at the bags hanging from the racks, and quirked a smile. "We had to humor him. It was either that or he'd barge in here and deliver his blood personally."

Part of me wishes he had, thought Asuramaru. But in his condition… He put the bulb on the nightstand and sat up as well as he could, given the circumstances. The hospital gown, standard for patients everywhere, was drafty in the back, and Asuramaru, like many demons, was acutely conscious of the cold. "But…where are we?" He could sense the human's emotions. She knew about his and Yu's relationship, and she wasn't put off by it. Instead, her caring, her friendship with Yu had extended itself to his new love, the Black Demon Asuramaru.

"You're deep within Sanctuary Prime. We're about five hundred miles from your old home. Don't worry; we brought everything with us." She patted his arm, the one not connected to the IV. "But take your time. You need to get your strength back. Someone very important wants to speak to you, ASAP."

"Who, exactly, is it that needs to see me in such a hurry?"

"The Rose Queen herself. Your sister. Krul Tepes."

Gulp!

….

{{Where are you? Are you still out there?

{{I have to find you.}}

"Easy, Yu," Mika was beside his bed as he came awake. "You're exhausted. Take a couple of minutes. Everything's fine. Better than I had hoped for, actually. At least," he said, in a low voice, which Yu couldn't quite make out, a frown coming over his face, "I think it is."

"Where…where's Maru?"

"Right down the hall, doing the same thing you are, only faster. He's fine, Yu. Just get to where you can stand without falling over and I'll take you to him."

Yu put a hand to his head. It seemed like he'd dreamed something, something very important… "Where are we?"

"A place called Sanctuary Prime. Your old commander, Guren Ichinose, seems to be second in command here. But all that can wait."

"No, it can't. I've gotta see Maru!"

"Not yet. He's not fully recovered and neither are you. You gave an awful lot of blood, especially for someone who already consisted of no more than one single frayed nerve to begin with. Now come on. Look, I'll personally make sure he's alright, okay? You trust me to take care of that, don't you?"

"Yeah." He lay back. If he couldn't trust Mika, it meant the world was ending.

Something about that last phrase seemed to resonate within his mind.

"O…kay. Just…I just wanna see him as soon as I can."

"I know. You were asking about him, in your sleep."

"I was?"

"You were saying, 'where are you?' And, 'I have to find you.' Plus a few other words I couldn't quite make out, but I'm reasonably sure they were along the same lines."

"Oh…well, yeah. I mean…Mika…" Mika, I don't understand it, but I'm in love with a Black Demon, a vampire, and I can't bear to be parted from him. I never saw this coming.

But Mika could read his blood-brother like a book. Funny, the curve balls life throws you. The boy who'd wanted nothing more than to kill vampires… "Just rest a bit, Yu. Everything's under control." And Yu, trusting in him, drifted off back to sleep.

{{Are you still out there, in the Deadlands?

{{I have to find you.

{{The universe is ending, and I have to find you.}}

…

"You sent for me, Your Majesty?" Asuramaru bowed in respect towards the slim figure on the throne.

"Please, Ashura. We're alone, and this hardly formal. I just wanted to see how my big brother's been. After all, it's been… quite a while. Come. Have a seat." She indicated a nearby chair. "I've taken the liberty of ordering you some O negative. I remember that was your favorite type, from when we were children."

"You've a good memory, Krul. And I should take this time to say I appreciate the…rescue." The expression on his face was one Krul never thought she'd see: shame. "I fear I let my emotions get the better of me. Again."

"Indeed you did. Ashura, what happened? I mean, between you and Yuichiro? What has happened, I mean? I'm not trying to pry, but it's rather important."

But Asuramaru just shook his head. "Sister, in a million years, I would never have foreseen what has happened. Not only am I physical, once again-and the curse appears to be, at least partially, broken, by the way, but…I'm...in love." He looked up at her. "With a mortal human, at that. As I said, I would have never foreseen it."

Funny, thought the Rose Queen, the curve balls life throws you...the demon who didn't want to have anything more to do with humans, who hated them..."So…you are in love with him. How does he feel about you?"

"The same." As a demon specializing in emotions, Asuramaru was quite certain of his lover's feelings. They were as obvious to him as sunlight is to a plant. He smiled, a bit shamefacedly. "Perhaps, had I not been so blinded to the truth, I would have seen it sooner." He paused, toying with his bulb of blood. Then his smile broadened, as he remembered. "But we were having way too much fun fighting."

"Yes, I…heard about some of that. Well, brother. If you are both certain of that…then there are some details that need addressing."

They chatted a bit longer, and Asuramaru left, pale as a sheet.

He found Yu in the main lounge talking with Mika and Guren. At his entrance, Yu immediately leaped to his feet and enveloped Asuramaru in a bear hug. "Maru, I was starting to get worried! Where were you?"

"Just having a little chat with my sister. How are you feeling?"

"Much better now. Just knowing you're alright…" It was like he couldn't let go, and Asuramaru returned the gesture, holding him so tightly, he was afraid the curse chains would spring forth. But they didn't. They were only activated when Asuramaru intended Yu harm, and Asuramaru intended anything but harm to his lover.

He held him even tighter. It felt so good to hold Yu once again…to hold him, and even more, to be held by him. "I'm fine. Hard to beat vampire recovery speed. But, Yu…" And here his voice took on a serious turn that immediately alerted Yu that something was amiss. "Well, let's just say there's some things we need to talk about." He glanced, significantly, at Mika and Guren, who swiftly excused themselves. "My sister has allotted us quarters in the royal sector. Come; I'll show you where they are." And he led him by the hand down the hallway. Halfway there, he paused. "Uhm, Yu?"

"Yes, Maru?" He could tell something was eating at Maru, something he was having a hard time expressing.

"I…it's nothing. It can wait. Come on!"

The rooms proved to be spacious and lavishly furnished. The bed was a huge and round, and one of the softest Yu had ever seen. He sat on the edge of the bed, bouncing on it, slightly. "Wow. Your sister really went all out." He went over to the window. The drapes were of a heavy, old-world variety, with the Tepes family crest inscribed in gold design. Gold tassels bordered the edges, with the predominating color being a rose-red. Not surprisingly (considering that the entire palace was originally constructed by and for vampires), they were completely opaque.

Asuramaru came and sat on the bed. Something still seemed to be on his mind. "Yes, yes, she did. Yu? Come sit by me, would you?" Yu complied, mystified as to why Asuramaru seemed so worried. "Yu? How…how do you feel about me?"

"What? Maru, I love you. You ought to know that without me telling you; you can sense emotions, right?"

Again that nervousness, and he fumbled with his fingers in his lap. "Yes, Yu, I can sense what you're feeling. But being able to sense what you're feeling right now doesn't always translate over into telling how you will feel, in the…near future."

He slid over to him, put an arm around the Black Demon. "Alright, Maru. Spit it out. Something's bothering you, and if it's bothering you, it's bothering me. So let's have it. Your sister didn't…I mean, she doesn't, like, disapprove of us, did she?"

"No, no, nothing like that." More finger-fumbling. "Quite the opposite, in fact. She's happy for us." This was a very different demon than the one Yu had first met on the astral plane, but then, he was in a very different situation, one his experience had never prepared him for. And, like all mortal beings, and, for that matter, all immortal ones, those whose environments were subject to being changed, he'd changed. He'd had to. "Yu, have you noticed where we are?"

"Sure. One of the royal suites. It's really nice." Yu had been used to sleeping in barracks and out in the field. He wondered if he'd even be able to go to sleep on such a soft mattress, were he to try. Well, not to worry; he was sure Mika had brought his futon. There was room over by the window. Or, more probably, in the next room. After all, this room was where Maru was assigned to sleep.

"And what we're sitting on?"

"Sure. A bed. Nothing unusual there, is there?"

Asuramaru leaned back on his hands, one leg crossed over the other in front of him. "Yu, it's a marriage bed."

"A…what now?" He heard the clear inflection in Maru's voice. What was a marriage bed?

"A custom from the old days." He was studiously looking everywhere but at Yu. "We…are to 'consummate our relationship,' quote unquote, here. Tonight."

Whoa. "You mean…we're expected to…?"

"Yes. Tonight. Right here." He patted the bed they were sitting on. "In this bed. We get in as two...we get out as one."

"Oh. Well, I…see why you're nervous." He was beginning to feel a touch of nerves himself; this was a little sudden. "Can she do that? I mean, order us to, to…"

"She's actually cutting us a break," Asuramaru said, again looking everywhere but at him. "In the old days, there were supposed to be witnesses."

"Witnesses?"

"Witnesses. That was to insure that the…offspring," he was obviously searching for the right wording, "would be legitimate heirs to…whatever station in life they were…born into. Of course, in our case, that part isn't a concern," he said, looking at his hands, "But it was also to, well, to insure that the couple had relations in the first place." He shrugged, shifting and sitting forward on the bed, clearly embarrassed. "It had been known to happen. You don't need email to have long-distance 'hook-ups' that never actually 'hook up.'" He looked up at Yu, an anxious expression on his face. "Don't…don't you want to?"

Yu had been thinking: wow. Things sure had been different in those days. Now he looked at him, startled. "Of course I do! But, I don't care who she is, I'm not gonna be stampeded into doing something you're not ready for!"

Asuramaru leaned up against him, his head on Yu's shoulder, his hand going across Yu's chest. Yu's arm went around him automatically. "But that's just it. I do want to. I'm just…well, I guess I'm just nervous, is all. For...more than one reason."

Later: Lying in bed together, they were naked beneath the covers. "Well," said Asuramaru, "Here we are." Oh, that was brilliant, Ashura. Why don't you try for an unintelligible grunt next time?

Here I am, the demon of desire, and I don't know what to do next.

Yu's mouth was dry. "Yeah." His fingers were wrapped tightly around Maru's. Then he decided: What the heck, Yu. Time to go for broke. But first…one last check… He turned to Asuramaru, propping his head up on his elbow. "Maru, if this is whole sudden thing is really making you this uncomfortable…"

Asuramaru sighed. "It's…not that, Yu. Yeah, it makes me nervous, but that's not the biggest concern. There's still one more thing, and more time wouldn't make that go away. It's…I…I guess I worry that…I worry that I won't be…what you want. After all, "He dropped his gaze, removing his hand from Yu's, "I'm not a girl. I mean…oh, you know what I mean."

In response, Yu reached over and pulled the Black Demon to him, pulling him into an embrace, their naked bodies touching. Feeling Maru's nude body pressed up against his…it was a more wonderful sensation than he'd ever even imagined. Way better than anything he'd ever experienced before. "Maru. You can sense my emotions, can't you?"

"Yeah?"

"Then you ought to know that, even if things go no further tonight than this, you've already been…everything I hoped for, and then some. I'm no love guru, but even I know that love is a great deal more than just sex. People can have sex, and yet not love each other. It's like…like cake compared to a full meal. However," and with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, he pulled him in closer, and kissed him. "There. That was just some icing on the cake." Another kiss. "There. More icing." Yet another kiss. "Even more icing." Then he sobered. "You know, I have the same worry. I worry you won't be…satisfied with me. I mean, it's not like I know all about how this works…I'm just kinda feeling my way along. But this is your first time, and I really want it to be special.

Asuramaru reached up and caressed his face. "It will be. Because you're special." He blushed and smiled simultaneously, pressing up even closer, his arousal clearly evident to Yu. "Crazy human. The icing's good, but I think I'm ready for the meal now."

….

"Are you sure about this? This is…how it works?"

"I'm sure there's more than just this. This is just something I pulled out of the air to, you know, get us...started, let's just say. An ice-breaker. After all, this is gonna be our first time, and I want it to be extra extra-special." They were still lying in bed, naked, but Asuramaru was now lying on top of Yu, the physical evidence of his arousal (which was bordering on painful) throbbing. "Just move like I showed you."

"Like…like this?" The petroleum jelly helped reduce friction. His physical body was already confirming the motions, however. Ooooh, yeah….

"Just like that. Oh, I almost forgot…" He reached up and put something in his ears.

"What was that?" Asuramaru was still curious, even as he was rapidly reaching the point of no return.

Yu shrugged, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Oh, just a little...precaution."

….

The next day: Asuramaru again met with Krul Tepes in the throne room. She had just been finishing up with some reports, and dismissed the couriers who'd brought them, placing the folders aside. "Well, big brother, how did it go?"

"It went well," said Asuramaru, again taking the proffered seat. Then he blushed. "What am I saying. It went fantastic." He nodded, remembering. "The earplugs turned out to be a really good idea."

"You wore earplugs?"

A smug smile. "Not me."

Krul closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ah, brother, that borders on Too Much Information."

…

Asuramaru sneaked back into the room he shared with Yu. My love, he thought, looking fondly at the sleeping human. At one time, not all that long ago, he'd have thought that was nuts. A demon, let alone a Black demon, the worst of the worst, actually in love? And with a mortal?

He swiftly slid out of his dress, and, once again naked, slipped underneath the covers with Yu. Rolled partially towards him, propping his head up on his elbow and just watched Yu sleep. He could not imagine a more beautiful sight. Two of us. Together. One flesh.

I'm home.

After all I've been through, the places I've been, I'm finally home.

He moved over towards Yu as close as he could without waking the crazy human. Heh, he thought. Not all that long ago, that had been his derogatory description of Yu. Now…

Funny, the curve balls life throws you.

He didn't want to wake Yu up, but he did want to talk to him. Something was bothering his sister, something Yu might have some insight on. Unlike mortals, and most vampires, Asuramaru couldn't completely read Krul's emotions very well, but maybe Yu had heard something from Guren or one of the others. Yes, something was bothering her, and he got the impression that, not only was time of the essence, but that it somehow involved them. Something big.

Yu's eyelids fluttered, and he awoke, to see who was next to him: his love, Asuramaru. "Hey, beautiful."

"I was just about to say the same thing." Asuramaru pressed up against him, his kisses once again arousing them both. How could a simple kiss turn me on like this? Then he drew back slightly. "Yu, I've a question."

"Shoot."

"Does it seem, to you, like everybody here's a little…tense, I guess, is the best word for it?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah, it does. Guren especially. He was asking me something the other day I thought was kinda odd." He rolled over on his back, hands behind his head, thinking.

"Oh? What?"

"About that last patrol I was on, the one I had just come back from, before I contacted you. Asking me if I remembered anything unusual about it."

Asuramaru thought. "Hm. He'd have access to the reports, so...something not in any official report, then. What did you tell him?"

"Of course, I remembered it. It's hard to forget the Deadlands."

"The Deadlands?"

"Yeah. There's this part of the countryside up towards the north from the old base, that's completely barren of all life. I mean, everything. You never see a bird, a bug, a plant…nothing. Even the air seems…still. No wind. It never rains, and…nobody sleeps there. Nobody seems to know why, or if they do, they aren't telling, but our patrol commander told us that. 'Don't ever go to sleep there in the Deadlands.' Those exact words. We wondered why, but we figured it was maybe just enemy action. But it's called 'the Deadlands.' The badlands are pretty barren, but they're basically just deserts. But…when you're there, you somehow know the Deadlands are something...different. Worse, yeah, but mostly just different. I don't know how to explain it. You just...feel it."

"What caused them?"

He shrugged. "No one knows. Most people seem to think it was due to some sort of experimental weapons testing from the old days, or something like that." But he didn't sound convinced. "But I can't even imagine what sort of, of, whatever would produce something like that."

"Yu…you were there. What do you think caused them?" He traced a finger on Yu's chest.

He was silent for a minute, hands behind his head, thinking. "Something…out of the ordinary. I would say, 'supernatural,' but…not the ordinary kind of supernatural, if you get my drift. Something way out of the ordinary." He turned his head towards him. "Why? Did Krul mention anything?"

"No…and that's peculiar, because I get the distinct impression something's bothering her. Something really big. Something she keeps dancing around. For some reason, she doesn't want to bring it up, it seems like. At least not directly." Now he lay back on his back, staring at the ceiling. "But whatever it is, I can sense that it somehow involves us."

"Us? Why would it involve you? For that matter, I don't see how it could involve either of us, really. I mean, the Deadlands are just there."

Asuramaru shook his head. He'd tied his hair up before getting in bed with Yu, and Yu wanted so badly to run his fingers through it. That wonderful hair… "Don't know. I wonder if it doesn't have something to do with high angel activity, though."

"Angels?"

"Yeah. Remember, I warned you about them." He paused. "Not the seraphs humans experimented with. Those are a lower order, not much different from demons, or vampires, actually." Another pause. "You think vampires and demons are bad. You can't negotiate with high angels. You can't even really communicate with them. They aren't interested in anything you have to say. They're a totally different form of life, a completely different order of being, from somewhere a long way from anywhere we know or can even guess. 'Angels' is really just a term we used to refer to 'em. What they actually are, may be something completely different from anything we know of. In fact, I'd be surprised if it wasn't. You saw some, back in my realm, my old realm, I mean."

"Yeah. They did seem pretty… intimidating."

"Believe me, they're scarier than you know. Ninety-nine percent of the time, they just come, deliver their message, and go.

"Most of the time, that message is 'die.'"

…

Mika entered Krul's throne room, bowing deferentially. "You asked for these reports, My Lady?"

"Indeed I did. What did you determine back at that old base, by the by?" She'd sent him on a clandestine mission back to the base they'd extracted Yu and Asuramaru from.

Mika shook his head. "I went in as close as I dared, your Majesty, as per your orders, without being detected. I could sense no sign of life. However, I also sensed no indication of any sort of battle. I would have thought that any battle, no matter how one-sided, would have left some sign of itself."

"No sign of any attack?"

"None, My Lady. There were no signs of bodies. Even given the Purifier custom of retrieving any and all corpses, there should have been some."

"Mm." Krul had a bulb of blood in her hand, looking over the reports. There wasn't much in them. It was as Mika had said: no evidence of any attacks. But there was more. "Mika, I want you to take a squadron. Go in there and see…if you can determine anything. Anything that might have bearing on our current…dilemma.

"Of course, it goes without saying, don't endanger your own life or those with you. This isn't a combat situation. But I'm…getting what you call a 'bad vibe' from this whole thing. You went to that base before, to meet with its commander, Ansen, and you spoke with Sayuri and Yuichiro while there. Yet now…"

Mika nodded, completing his monarch's statement. "My Queen, it looks as though no one has been there for a thousand years."

To be continued…