1: In Which a Puppy is Found

Guren's own words had come back to bite him in the ass. On the day Yu, Yoichi and Kimizuki had made contracts with their demons, he had said it was a pain raising kids. He stood by those words. He said them regularly – every time he had to apologise (mockingly) to whoever had been disturbed by Yu's constant attempts to take him down, every time Yu burst into his office without knocking and scattered his paperwork everywhere, every time that Yu – alright, scratch that.

Raising kids wasn't the problem. For the most part his having taken charge of the three new recruits (finders keepers, as they say) was only as difficult as occasionally preventing something from killing them, making sure subtly that Yoichi didn't step off side of the steps while apologising or being teased by the others, poking fun at Kimizuki for being too serious. All minor things. Not much trouble really. Hell, he complained but his self-proclaimed friends were worse.

No, raising kid soldiers wasn't particularly taxing. What was hard, what did take the biscuit (and the piss in Guren's opinion), was raising Yu.

Now Guren never claimed to be the boy's guardian. As far as he was concerned, family – blood relations, babies crying, attending parent-teacher conferences and pretending to care when you were told your kid was disruptive - it was some distant obligation. Sure, Guren had claimed credit when Yu was found. Sure, he'd taken him under his military wing. But actual guardianship? Parenting? No, not him. Not now. Not, if he had his way, ever.

He made sure the kid was provided with food and training. The kid made sure to not die while he wasn't looking. It was a winning situation. The most guidance Guren ever gave him was the tactical military guidance his father had given him – and not discouraging him from picking a fight to see how far he'd come.

Sure, he had visited the boy. And there might have been a few stories read and words said to drive him on but it wasn't anything parental. He was just nurturing the potential talent before him… The stronger the material, the stronger the weapon, right?

'Hey, Stupid Guren! You having a senior moment? I said, can I keep him?'

Two pairs of pleading eyes looked up at him. Yu Hyakuya. Orphan. New member of the Moon Demon Company, its potential trump card. And child, honest to God child, holding up a dust and dirt coloured puppy and waiting, for once in his life, waiting for permission.

'A puppy? Where did you-?' Guren's disbelieving response was cut off as a green and black blur brushed past him.

'A puppy!' Oh no, Yoichi had seen and was now rubbing the animal's head while it licked his face. It was hard tell which was more excited – the ball of fluff with the wagging tail or the giggling boy beside it. 'You're such a good dog – yes you are! Yes you are!'

Guren cleared his throat to get their attention. 'No. Get rid of it.'

Two pairs of scandalised green eyes stared up at him.

'But Guuuuren-'

'No.'

Here came the faces. Yoichi's lower lip started to jut, his face as crestfallen as if he had just told the boy he was grounded for life and out of the military to boot. Yu's expression wavered between devastated and determined. It settled on the latter. His mouth opened to protest and Guren changed tactics fast.

'Look, it's just a puppy. Its mother's probably looking for it. She's not gonna be happy when she sees your grubby mitts all over it.'

Wrong move. Yu's jaw immediately tightened. For a moment he looked away. When he looked back, his eyes held a new intensity. Guren knew there and then that winning this one would almost be more effort than it was worth.

'She doesn't have a mother. I found her mother dead over there.'

That explained why the boy was so adamant he should keep the puppy. While dogs and other animals typically escaped the monsters (and vampires) roaming the remains of the city, food was scarce and a small puppy like this one would not survive without the protection of its mother. Maybe Yu even saw something of himself in the orphaned scrap of flesh. But either way, it was just a small sack of unappealing flesh, not even worth saving.

'Yu, you are a military officer now. You have neither the time nor the facilities to have a pet. And you're a minor. Just who do you think will take care of this puppy when you aren't around? And who is going to pay for its food and care when you don't receive a wage?'

Shit, that sounded official. That was not a tone Guren liked to hear in his own voice – far too responsible. He sounded like his father and the day he became that man would be the day he let go of all ambition and chose to warm himself by the Hiragi's hearth like a tame dog.

Still, it had the desired effect. Yu deflated. For a second, Guren thought he had won. But the boy shuffled his feet and hugged the puppy tighter to his chest. It whined. Yoichi stopped playing with the dog's ears, pressed closer to Yu's side and patted its fluffy head instead.

'Um, well, I was thinking,' Yu mumbled, 'that maybe you might pay for it?'

Guren raised an eyebrow. Yu's gaze snapped back onto his, a glint of determination renewed. 'I'll pay you back of course.'

They stared each other down: Guren sternly, Yu pleading. Guren was about to break the stalemate by pointing out that he wasn't the boys damned daddy and asking if Yu even knew how much puppies cost to feed these days, when a voice piped up from behind him.
'Ohh~ Is that a puppy?'

Shinoa deliberately bumped Guren's arm as she passed him by in favour of the puppy. 'Hello!' she cooed as she approached. The puppy yipped, whined, twisted its body in an attempt to escape its captor. Yu tried to quiet it, adjusted his grip, cursed under his breath. He almost dropped it. But Guren's wishes were never answered that easily and Shinoa extended her arms to receive the puppy. It scrambled out of Yu's hold and into Shinoa's, front paws scratching at her chest until they found enough purchase for the creature to rub itself against the side of her face.

'Oh, you are adorable!' she said.

The puppy licked her hair, shook its head and sneezed on her neck. Instead of being disgusted by the drooling mass attempting to clamber over her shoulder, she laughed like this was acceptable.

Guren resisted the urge to release the irritated growl he could feel building in the back of his throat. Soon it would be that or scream. Surely Shinoa understood just as well as he did that the military, no Japan, was no place to be having pets. Surely she would have to back up him. Making a fuss over the dog only to shoot Yu's hopes down was a little cruel, even for her – better to be straight with him.

Grinning, Yu said, 'Hey Shinoa, you have money right? Guren said I could keep her if I could pay for her.'

Guren's hand rose unbidden to his temples. His mouth flapped open and closed with nothing but a strangled breath escaping. Shinoa shot him a look over the writhing mass of fluff at her shoulder that spelt nothing but trouble. It was the push he needed. 'Oi, were you even listening to me? That is not what I said! You can't have a pet. You're a soldier now for-'

They ignored him. As he repeated his point, yet again, Shinoa approached him, pulling the puppy off her shoulder and flipping it onto its back until she cradled it like a baby.

'Aww, the mean old man won't pay for you?' she said, playing with the puppy's paw. The puppy was unimpressed. It whined and fussed, its little legs running in mid-air. 'Obviously his vision's going with his age because he clearly doesn't see how precious you are.'

After rubbing her face against the squirming ball of fluff one more time, she offered it to Guren like a pushy mother. Sensing the impending catastrophe of having the slobbering dog forced upon him like someone's chubby child (neither situation favourable), he took action. He took a hasty step backwards and lifted his hands to ward her off.

That was the moment the puppy broke free of Shinoa's arms. Mid step, he caught it reflexively. Its weight unbalanced him. His heel slipped. His back struck the concrete. For a moment, he was too stunned to breathe. The puppy was not.
Tail wagging so hard it was a blur that obscured Guren's view of Yoichi's mortified face, the puppy advanced.

'No,' he commanded, drawing noxious dog breath into its lungs. A string of drool dripped down onto his neck. 'No.'

The puppy attacked his face with rough yet slobbery tongue, Guren shaking his head in a bid to keep it away from his nose and mouth. The puppy barked, pawed at his retreating cheek with a paw and promptly trod down on it and started mouthing on his nose.

With a cry of disgust, Guren remembered he could just sit up. Yu was very obviously laughing. Guren was under no illusions that the reason he clapped a hand over his mouth was anything other than that he wanted Guren to let him keep the nose-destroying, garbage smelling drool-bag. Shinoa did not even have the decency to try hiding her amusement.

Yoichi swooped in with a sense of purpose that would have impressed Guren in a combat situation, scratched the puppy's dirty backside to get its attention and scooped it out of Guren's lap. Guren quickly stood and brushed himself off.

'Oi! Everyone alright?' Kimizuki approached with Mitsuba in tow, both on guard, Kimizuki's weapons drawn.

Mitsuba's seasoned eyes examined the surroundings as Guren wiped the last of the drool from his face. 'We thought you raised the alarm.'

Shinoa shook her head. Yu, finally silent but with tears beading in the corners of his eyes, took a breath to speak. Guren cut him off with a look.

'One word,' he warned.

Kimizuki and Mitsuba shared a suspicious glance. Guren subtly brushed dust from his trousers. The puppy yipped and pawed Yoichi's shoulder, prompting the boy to adjust his hold.

'That's a… puppy.' Mitsuba seemed to gravitate towards the creature without noticing.

'It's not staying,' Guren insisted sharply.

Yoichi held the puppy more tightly, angling his body to the side as though to become the insignificant fluffball's shield. The puppy whined and started licking his ear. Yoichi soothed it with soft words and gentle touches. Mitsuba's usually tense shoulders dropped. Looking between Guren and the puppy, she seemed torn. He watched her serious façade crumble; the puppy won out over duty. She stood between Guren and Yoichi, smiling at the dog and patting the head it rested on Yoichi's shoulder.

Only Kimizuki remained unaffected. 'The jeep is ready when we are. If we leave now, we should make it back to Shibuya before nightfall.'

Mitsuba stiffened, her military manner reasserting itself, and moved away. 'Right, what are your orders, Lieutenant Colonel?'

Guren sighed. Order had been resumed. 'Move out. Yu, put that animal back where you found it and get in the jeep.'

For a moment, the 5 members of Shinoa's squad were silent and still. Even the puppy stopped making noise and twisted to stare at Guren. It was the eye of storm. The puppy whined and made to clamber out of Yoichi's slacked grip. The moment passed.
Shinoa raised her eyebrows. Yu clenched his fists and took a sharp breath for a sharp response. But Yoichi beat both of them to it.

Still fumbling with the restless ball of fluff, he said, 'But she likes you! You can't turn her away now, Lieutenant Colonel, look!'

Guren could and he would. Yoichi brought the puppy closer as though looking at it might change his mind. The stupid animal started wagging its matted tail again, so much that its butt shook from side side, straining in Yoichi's grip to reach him and begin Round 2 of Puppy vs. Nose. He swore it was staring into his soul with those stupid trusting eyes, and with his own, he told it no. Maybe if it was a respectable military dog, like an Alsatian or something, and the apocalypse wasn't upon them, and Yu actually could take care of it like he promised so Guren wouldn't have to deal with it.

But it wasn't. It was a mangy mutt with a clumpy coat, terrible breath and goopy drool that he swore he would be feeling for days to come. He'd rather be soaked in vampire blood. No, if it died, it was no loss to him. His heart was hardened. He was no little girl, no kid – he had known sacrifice and this was just another one of those. He was only sorry that it wasn't some hulking great cow that he could kill and eat afterwards.

He opened his mouth to repeat himself, but since that had gone so well before and Yoichi and Shinoa had now taken Yu's side of the argument, he appealed directly to Yu. 'Think practically about this. Where would you even keep it? You live in the barracks – no place for it to piss in there.'

'In my room,' Yu said, as though there was no issue with this. 'I'll train her so she'll only pee when I take her outside.'

The pressure in Guren's skull intensified. 'And what about the damned rules?'

Shinoa interjected, 'Oh I'm sure you can pull rank to get around those, Lieutenant Colonel~' Guren did not like the way she dragged out his title, or the way she smiled sweetly with her lips when her eyes said, plain and simple, 'You're screwed.'

'It's not that easy,' Guren protested, pushing back his hair in a mix of irritation and desperation. He was beginning to raise his voice – and lose his mind. The two were invariably connected at this stage. 'How are you gonna look aft-'

Interrupted again, by Yoichi this time. 'We can't just leave her to die! She's an orphan – she's all alone – she needs us!'

He cradled the creature carefully beneath his chin and begged Guren with eyes reminiscent of the animal in his arms in all but colour. The puppy started to fuss and whine. Guren's impending migraine now felt inevitable.

He was about to open his mouth to demand that the madness end now because he had work to get back to, damn it, when Kimizuki spoke up.

'Look, the jeep has been ready for ages – puppy or no puppy, can we leave?'

And Yu responded adamantly, 'Puppy. I found her. By the law of finders keepers, she's mine.'

With that, he gently took the animal from Yoichi, looking determinedly up at Guren as it licked under his chin. It might have been comical had Yu chosen to glare. Too riled up now to laugh at him convincingly, Guren would have flat out refused regardless. But Yu did not glare. Instead, the look he gave him was something rawer than that bravado. There was uncertainty, pleading, perhaps even a dash of… no couldn't be that. There was no threat here at the moment. There was no need to be afraid, and yet…

Suddenly Guren's chest felt tighter than it had before. A weight tugged in his stomach. Guilt? No, there was no need. This was for the boy's own good. It was a waste of rations, time, energy. His frown deepened but Yu's stare did not change. It wasn't like Yu was his kid or anything; he was just a subordinate, someone whose life was to be protected. That was all he owed the kid, nothing more. But when the boy looked at him like that, there was a voice in the back of his mind that said it would be a cold day in hell before Guren would stand by and let anything happen to the boy that was in his power to prevent.

It was impossible – Yu was a soldier; the world of a soldier meant danger; he couldn't be there to hold all his subordinates hands just in case. It was ridiculous – all of his subordinates were capable and it would be frankly insulting to be concerned for their safety. But it was understandable. There always had been a part of him that had wanted to save everyone and play the hero, idealistic fool that he used to be. That's all this was.

So why was there a part of him that wanted to give in and let the boy have the damned dog just to get that look out of his eyes?

Kimizuki griped, 'Can we please leave now?'

But still Yu looked up at Guren, and beneath the noise of Kimizuki's impatience and Mitsuba's chiding, Guren thought he heard a faint, childlike voice ask, 'Please?'

He didn't know why, but the word 'no' died in his throat.

'Alright,' he said, with a long suffering sigh.

'Finally,' Kimizuki replied and spun on his heels in the direction of the jeep.

The other four looked at him in wide eyed confusion. Yu had to yet to look away, but now his lips parted with a silent question. It reached Guren regardless. Does this mean-?

With a casual wave of the hand, he said, 'The dog can stay.'

He wanted it to sound begrudging, he really did. He wanted to keep up his disapproval with his poker face – because he did disapprove, damnit. This was something that would be referred to in any mission log as a Very Bad Idea, capitalised for extra emphasis. But Yu let out a cry of triumph and the puppy yelped. Laughing Shinoa took it from him, while Mitsuba flushed because she'd squealed when the first cheer had erupted from Yu and this was not proper conducted. Yoichi beamed like an excited child.

Nearing the parked jeep, Kimizuki turned back and yelled, 'Puppy?'

Yu punched the air and shouted back, 'Puppy!'

The corners of Guren's lips curved upwards without his permission. His face at least had the decency to let it turn into a smirk, but not before Shinoa gave him a satisfied smile that put his own to shame. Shaking his head, he turned towards the jeep and lazily reminded them to move.

The celebration did not cease until the puppy fell asleep in transit while Yu stroked circles on its belly. Silence only fell because Mitsuba hushed them lest they wake 'the baby'. It reigned for a blissful minute and a half. Guren enjoyed the first 20 seconds of it, before the puppy sneezed in its sleep, Mitsuba stifled a squeal and Guren realised the number of asses (mostly Hiragi asses, which made it worse) he would have to (metaphorically) kiss to pull those strings for it.

Stifling a low groan, he said, 'Yu Hyakuya, you had better pay me back every penny with interest. And you clean up when it shits or pukes or pisses everywhere. And you train it properly. And-'

'Hey, Lieutenant Colonel?' Yoichi timidly piped up.

'What?'

He could see the boy fidgeting in the rear view mirror. 'Can you stop the car a minute? I think she's gonna be sick.'

'Oh hell no.'

Whatever part of Guren that had started to think that Yu having a dog might not be so bad died there and then. By the time the jeep rolled into Shibuya, all its passengers had become desensitised to the smell of vomit, Yoichi was missing his hat, and Shinoa had to explain to Shinya, who had greeted them at the gate, exactly why Yu was standing there in his underwear.

A/N: I saw an Owari no Seraph 4 koma on tumblr and just couldn't help myself. This will be a multi-chapter fic following the adventures of Yu's dog. So far it's got a few chapters of fluffy dog times to come, and a chapter focusing Mika and the vampires. It will use multiple points of view and will hopefully visit all of Shinoa's Squad and a few others along the way.

The puppy in case anyone's wondering, is a Tibetan Mastiff type dog. So big, fluffy and definitely going to slobber on Guren again in the future.

I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. All comments and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading! ^_^