Shinoa P.O.V
We sprint with brisk urgency toward the main square of Shinjuku. Yuu, Mika and the rest of the squad follow closely behind me; our goal is to rescue Guren from his recent possession. We are determined to free our comrade and family. I come to a sudden halt as we reach the buildings bordering the square. "Alright, everyone fall in line." I command and everyone surrounds me. A look of ferocity dwells in their innocent eyes. "Let's go over the plan one more time." They nod in unison. "We will lure him out into the open and then attack him head on. You will distract him long enough for me to enact the enchantment, forcing Mahiru out of his body. Then we will distract her, enabling Yuu and Kimizuki to retreat with Guren. Let's go!" I shout and we return to our attack formation.
Finally, we reach the city square. The Japanese Imperial Demon Army approaches from the East, the Vampires approach from the west. They halt upon meeting. They reach for their weapons in order to mount a full-scale assault. At the cusp of their tension, a voice interrupts. Our attention darts to the rubble of a decrepit concrete wall North of the square. A mysterious girl sits, perched atop the wall; one knee is bent and the other hangs over the edge. A dark black cape conceals her physique. She speaks tauntingly.
"Tsk… Tsk… The silly, arrogant humans and vampires are still fighting a war built on selfishness and lust. How pathetic. Don't you ever learn your lesson?" The monotony of her unimpressed tone lingers across the battlefield. The soldiers remain stationary, overcome by confusion. "Let's have some fun!" She moves from her position. Within seconds she turns into a blur and disappears. Suddenly, she appears beside Kureto. She floats above the ground, her finger pressed to her cheek in perplexity as she stares him up and down. She vanishes once again and appears behind Kureto. Their skin is a mere centimeter apart. She reaches her hand out and pulls at his hair. Soon, his reaction time kicks in and he thrusts his sword at the ground. His surroundings erupt in a fit of electricity. The expression on his face reveals obvious irritation, but the girl has vanished once again. She coughs under her breath, drawing our attention back to the crumbled wall. She lays sprawled along the wall's edge. "This is boring." She grumbles and yawns, wiping the sleep from her eyes.
"Who is that?" Yuu questions intently. I nod my head to let him know I am also confused. "Well whoever she is, I'm going to destroy her!" Yuu barks, but I grab his collar and pull him back. I have an eerie feeling about this girl.
"She is strong." I state, letting go of Yuu's collar. He pouts with discontent. Upon spotting Ferid Bathory, the girl dashes towards him. Ferid avoids her approach easily and twirls to a stop.
"Now this is better!" The mysterious girl rejoices. But, Kureto is not finished with her.
"Guren, destroy her." He commands with force. Guren steps forth from the mass of human soldiers. His eyes blaze a fiery red. He is not the Guren that we know and cherish. I feel the others gasp behind me out of excitement and fear. This is it. Suddenly, the girl in the black hood snaps her head towards me. I can feel her gaze pierce mine. In a matter of seconds she is drifting beside me. A cunning smile flickers in my peripheral. She is fast, I didn't even see her move. I reach for my weapon, but she disappears into the rubble of the derelict city. Guren bounds after her with bloodlust and insidious intent. We follow closely behind, unable to compete with their speed. When we arrive at the scene, it appears that Guren has cornered the lewd girl.
"Now!" I shout and the others assemble. We charge forward, our weapons cocked and ready for the kill. But, to no avail. Even as a team of 6, we are unable to land a strike on him. Out of nowhere I feel an arm wrap firmly around my waist and lift me into the air. I am set down in the 10th story window of a disheveled building. "What do you think you are doing?" I growl at the mysterious girl, but she remains unmoving. " Do you plan to kill me?" I question with fear echoing in every word. I point my weapon towards her.
"You are going to get your team killed. You are no match for a demon. He is too strong. Wait here." She states curtly then races out of the window. My trembling knees give out beneath me and I fall to the ground. I clutch onto my weapon, tears brim my eyes. I thought I was dead. After a few moments, the girl delivers the rest of the team to the 10th story room. Yuu screams and stomps at the cryptic black hood.
"Who the hell do you think you are? I am going back out there to save my family!" He stomps towards the door, but she intercepts his path.
"Let's get somewhere safe and I will explain." The girl mumbles shyly.
"And why the hell should I listen to you?" Yuu bellows with aggravation, but Mika holds him back. I place my hand on his shoulder and walk towards the door. I have no choice but to trust her.
"Let's go…"
After half an hour of walking in the sweltering heat, we reach our headquarters and make our way inside. It's a dingy building. 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms provide us with the necessities we need. It is small but, for the meantime, it has kept us safe. Once everyone is sitting and reassumed a calm persona, I speak. "Who are you?"
"You came to the battlefield today in order to save someone important to you, someone who has been possessed by a demon. I came to the battlefield today to unite the vampires and humans in order to rebuild this corrupt world, but they are still arrogant and selfish. That's when your group caught my eye, humans and vampires working together. In short, I want to be your ally in this war, considering we have mutual goals." She speaks with an onerous tone. "You would have ended up dead today because, unfortunately, it takes a demon to defeat a demon." She's right. Demon's are much more powerful then vampires and our cursed gear would have no affect on Mahiru. I turn to the others with chagrin. I am ashamed of my own insolence. I almost led my team to their deaths. I cringe with regret as I speak.
"She's right." I clench my fist. "But, you still haven't answered my question." She replies rapidly and without hesitation.
"My name is Rin Aeria and seven years ago I was a student at the Imperial Demon Army's academy. I was apart of the first class of cursed gear users." Everyone in the room gasps, their eyes wide with astonishment. "On the day the test was administered for the black demon series only 3 individuals passed. Guren, Mahiru and me. But, I was different than the others. Not only could I withstand the powerful dark haze, an aura surrounded me that repelled it. So, I was chosen to try for the one weapon more powerful than a black demon series. Yashirohira, the king of demons. Unfortunately, I failed and my body was possessed. I was transported miles away, to a different country, where I remained possessed for 2 years. Finally, I was able to regain my self-awareness and began to fight back against my demon. But, a battle of mental strength was not in the cards; I had to physically kill the demon in order to escape. After 3 years I was finally able to defeat the demon and took his powers. Now, I am half demon, half human." She stops speaking and everyone is too terrified to move. This girl is a demon. This human girl was able to do the impossible and unthinkable with her bare hands. After we have had time to process our reality, she continues her speech. "You need my help. I am the only one who can save your friend. In exchange, I want you to let me join your team and help in my goal of uniting and rebuilding this hopeless and corrupt world."
"How can we trust you?" The words escape my lips before I have time to think about the consequences. I regret my interrogation at the sound of her tears hitting the floor. She throws her head into her hands and pleads. I can tell by her sorrow that she has faced an agonizing journey. "We'll do it." I can feel her body rejoice and she rushes forward to smother me in a hug. Before I can say anything more, Yuu rips me away from Rin.
"You seriously defeated a demon? You have demonic powers?" Yuu exults, his eyes shining radiantly. Rin just giggles and nods. She really is cute.
"Awe come on Shinoa, don't be so uptight! She seems harmless." Mitsuba coos and gives Rin a thumbs up.
"I hate to agree with Mitsuba, but she is rather sweet." Yoichi stutters, a small blush on his cheeks. How disgusting. It seems that everyone trusts her and is getting along relatively well with her. Plus, she did save us from certain death. I owe her my life. I watch as everyone welcomes the new member of our squad with laughter and affection. I cough to get their attention.
"So what's your plan?" I question coldly.
"Well, it really isn't that different from yours. The one you designed was extremely skillful and intelligent. It just lacked the right power to complete." She laughs to herself and a heavy blush falls over my cheeks. Everyone snickers at my sudden approval of the once mysterious demon girl. "Shinoa will use her enchantment to separate the demon from his body, I will defeat the demon and the rest of you will use a simple spell to form a barrier because things might get a little out of control." She speaks the last part with sinister intent and winks, but I know in my heart I can trust her.
"Sounds like a good plan to me!" Kimizuki cheers and everyone chimes in with him. We begin to prepare ourselves for the battle ahead. Yuu wraps his arm around Rin's shoulder and triumphs.
"Let's go save Guren!"