Disclaimer: I do not own Seraph of the End
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
Chapter Two: Back in Action
Yuichiro awoke just as the sun was breaking over the horizon. He was surprised to find himself alone as he had recalled having Shinoa in his arms just before he passed out. "She must've left earlier then." The green eyed boy stumbled out of bed and exited the room. He did not get very far before bumping into Guren in the hallway.
"Watch where you are going." His CO remarked.
"I could tell you the same thing." Yuichiro mumbled much to Guren's annoyance. Yuichiro's backtalk earned him a solid 'bonk' on the head and a spiel from Guren about respect. Having learned his lesson the boy rubbed his head and listened quietly.
"Now that that is over with, I brought you something."
"What is it?"
"What else? You're uniform idiot." Guren said as he handed it over. "Kimizuki is currently holding onto your cursed gear."
"Why does he have it?" Yuichiro asked a little annoyed at the thought of Kimizuki holding Asuramaru.
"If you'd have let me finish you would have known that I was just getting to that! Anyway find Kimizuki, retrieve your gear, and then spar with him. We need to make sure that you are in top shape and what better way to do that than by sparing. The vampires aren't going to wait around so we aren't either. Get to it." Guren ordered.
"Yes sir, but where do I look?"
"Last I heard Kimizuki and your squad were practicing in a little field just behind the hospital. It shouldn't be too far from here." Guren then left Yuichiro to do as he ordered and went to handle his own business. "Good luck kid. You are our only hope."
At the field…
"Man what's taking that loser so long!? I've got half a mind to go fetch him myself." Kimizuki spouted impatiently. Everyone else was getting their workout but him. He had received strict orders to holdout until Yuichiro arrived.
"Aww what's the matter Kimizuki? Can't wait to see Yuichiro again?" Shinoa teased as she managed to avoid another swipe from Mitsuba's axe.
"Gah! Stand still!" Mitsuba yelled in frustration.
"Psh! As if. If I didn't have to see his ugly mug again it'd be too soon. Besides, why do I have to be the one to spar with him anyway?" Kimizuki complained. Mitsuba decided to speak up after realizing that she was getting nowhere swinging at the ever-elusive Shinoa.
"You know exactly why you do Kimizuki. You two are our team's best close quarter fighters. The whole point is to see if he's back up to strength. If not then we are out of commission as long as he is. So quit your complaining. We are a team after all." The orange-haired member of the Shinoa squad just huffed at the blondie's answer. Truth be told he was still mad at her for knocking him out cold the other day.
"Oh come on don't be like that! I'm sure that Yu will be here any minute now. Just be patient. Oh and Shinoa—" Yoichi paused until he had her attention. "I'm ready for some combat practice. I'm confident at a range, but I need more training in close quarters." The bow user switched to a stance and held his bow at a different angle to better his chances in melee combat.
"Alright then. Let's see what you've got. Mitsuba and I will come at you with full strength. Think you can handle it?" Shinoa asked. When Yoichi nodded his head the two girls charged forward and maneuvered to attack him from the sides. The bow user leapt back just in time to avoid both strikes and fired one arrow towards Mitsuba successfully pushing her back. Seeing a small window, Yoichi engaged Shinoa by swinging his bow at her. Shinoa easily blocked the attack and unleashed a swipe of her own. Luckily Yoichi managed to avoid the full brunt of the attack and escaped with a small scratch on his left shoulder. He was not completely out of the woods yet, as Mitsuba suddenly came with an attack from behind. The bow user was able to bring up his bow in time so that the axe slid off of it and into the floor. Seeing as how Mitsuba was completely wide open, Yoichi landed a decent strike with his bow to her stomach before having to leap away from Shinoa.
"Not bad Yoichi! You managed to land a hit on me. Nice work. You are definitely getting better." Mitsuba complimented as she prepared to attack the boy again.
"Thanks! You guys are doing a good job of keeping me on my toes! I've never had to move so fast in my life!"
"Good work! You managed to avoid us there. Now let's see how you handle this!" Shinoa and Mitsuba charged forward this time in perfect unison. Poor Yoichi wasn't skilled enough to evade the attack and was instantly taken down by the two girls.
"Ouch. I'd hate to be him right now." Kimizuki winced after seeing the beat down that Yoichi just received. Even when they were just using a fraction of their regular power, it was pretty clear that bow boy was going to be out for a while. Shinoa left Mitsuba to take care of Yoichi when she saw Yuichiro approaching their location. "About damn time. I'm going to give him a serious beating for being so late." He retrieved Yu's gear and chucked it like a spear a good twenty feet where it landed in the ground hilt up. Grabbing his own twin swords, he made his way down field and stood ready for his showdown with Yuichiro.
"Hey Kimizuki!" Shinoa called. She waited until he met her gaze to continue. "Remember, he just got out of the hospital. Take it easy."
"Yeah, yeah I hear you. Since when are you so worried about him anyway?" he replied coolly. Shinoa didn't answer him and chose to sit down near Mitsuba and a recovering Yoichi in order to watch the big match.
"So who do you think is going to win?" Mitsuba asked. Yoichi replied first, surprising both girls.
"I think Yuichiro's got this. You can see it in his eyes. He's got more to fight for. At least that's what I think." He said weakly.
"I didn't think you'd be up so soon. We kind of did a number on you back there." Shinoa said sheepishly. Mitsuba nodded her head in agreement before voicing her own opinion.
"Well I think that Kimizuki's got this one. We've had almost a full week of training and Kimizuki has been putting in a lot of work with his cursed gear. Seeing as how Yu has been asleep this whole time, I don't think the odds are in his favor. What do you think Shinoa?"
"Whoever is stronger will win." She said simply. Deep down however, she was cheering for Yuichiro. She didn't know why she suddenly felt this way, being as how she never really cared much for the people in her life. Her own family disowned her and she was never close to anyone to begin with. She figured that it was because only she could relate to Yuichiro in a way that no one else could possibly understand. Her newfound feelings bothered her, but also brought her a great deal of joy. She wanted to talk to him about the night before, but now wasn't the time. "When the time is right, I'll do it." She was brought out of her thoughts when Mitsu suddenly threw a fit.
"What! That's no way to answer! You have to choose one or the other. No ifs, ands, or buts. Yuichiro or Kimizuki?"
"Hmm alright if you say so. That's a tough one. I'd say—" Shinoa never finished her sentence as Kimizuki called out to Yuichiro.
"Ready for an ass kicking? I know we were cut short a little early yesterday." Kimizuki stopped and glared over at Mitsuba who crossed her arms and 'hmphed' at his little jab. "But, that doesn't matter now as no one is going to stop me from wiping the floor with you."
"Is that so? I think you need to clean those glasses of yours four-eyes because the only thing that's going to be on the floor is you." Yuichiro replied smugly. He pulled Asuramaru out from the dirt and felt a sudden surge of power. It felt good to hold his katana again. "Ready Asuramaru?" he asked as he took a fighting stance.
"To beat this clown? Let's make this quick." The demon replied. The tension coming from the two had the trio observing them on the edge of their seats. Neither opponent seemed to be moving, like they were calculating each other's every move. It seemed like the fight would never begin, until a slight shift of Yuichiro's right foot started it all. Kimizuki lurched forward and the green eyed katana wielder was quickly put on the defensive.
Meanwhile…
"Damn it!" Guren yelled as he slammed his desk sending papers flying everywhere. "I knew that this was going to happen eventually, but never this soon!" he sighed heavily as the memory of his meeting with the Hiragi family came flooding back in.
"And just where do you think you are going GurenIchinose?" Tenri Hiragi said to the departing leader of the Moon Demon Company. The way that he said his last name irritated Guren greatly. He knew however, that now was not the time to make a fuss over it. Seeing as how he couldn't just ignore the head of the Hiragi's, he turned and prepared himself for whatever was about to come his way.
"Bah! Just let him leave already! Low-life scum like him shouldn't be here anyways." Seishiro complained. That would be the only sentence to come from the mohawk haired member of the Hiragi family as Kureto spoke up directly after.
"Shut up you fool." He said to Seishiro. He turned his attention to Guren who was just standing at the door, sporting his usual bored expression. "I'm going to enjoy wiping that stupid look off of your face." He cleared his throat before speaking once more, "Guren I'm sure you know why you can't just waltz out of here this time. Surely you have something to say concerning the events at Shinjuku. More specifically, that young boy you seem to be fond of, what's his name again? Ah yes, Yuichiro! Your personal little Seraph! Care to explain?" Kureto smirked. He knew full well that he finally had Guren right where he wanted him and now he could watch him squirm.
Guren gritted his teeth. He wasn't exactly hiding the fact that Yu had the Seraph gene, but he didn't want the Hiragi's to find out so soon either. With Kureto on his case there really was no way around this one. "Damn you." He thought. Clearly cornered, Guren needed to come up with something and quick before he ended up in even more trouble. "Look Kureto, Yuichiro is a member of the Moon Demon Extermination Unit. Seraph or not, his allegiance lies with the Japanese Imperial Demon Army. I don't see what the big deal is here. He hates vampires just as much as any of you do, so I don't see why I have to stick around and be interrogated for something so pointless. Unless you have something of actual importance to tell me then I'll be on my way." Guren said angrily. He turned to leave but stopped when Kureto spoke up again. "Does this guy ever shut up!?"
"Fine. As a matter of fact, we do have something important to tell you. As punishment for keeping something like this hidden from us, you have two options Guren. One, relinquish command of your precious Moon Demon Company—"
"What?" Guren was furious now. Although he didn't show it, it was clear to everyone that Kureto's first option had set something off in the lower branch family member.
"Please let me finish." Kureto smirked. "Or take a small force to Nagoya and exterminate the vampire nobles located there. Be sure to include your squad and that other squad with your Seraph pet. Are we clear, Ichinose?"
"Are you serious!? That's practically suicide! I can't possibly do that to my men!" Guren exclaimed in protest.
"You don't have much of a choice. Resign and I'll make someone else do it, or you do it yourself. Besides, word has it that the vampire army is preparing a full out attack on Tokyo in a month's time. We don't want a massacre on our hands now do we? So a preemptive strike should tip the odds in our favor, don't you think?" Kureto was not about to let up on Guren now that he had him backed into a wall. If everything went as he planned, Guren would be the perfect distraction for him to launch an attack on the location he and his father, Tenri, had previously agreed on.
"Fine. I'll lead the charge on Nagoya. How many soldiers?" Guren asked in defeat. He wanted no part in this, but he had no other choice. "One day." He vowed silently to himself.
"This is going to be a small operation so no more than one hundred soldiers. Not counting your black demon series wielders of course." Tenri Hiragi informed. "Kill the nobles and any vampires you come across and secure that base. You may go now, but before you do, allow me to remind you that next time you withhold any information from the Hiragi family, I will have you killed. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir." Guren mouthed once more in his office. He was so frustrated with himself for allowing them to back him into a corner like that. He should have been more careful but, there was no use crying about it now. The damage was done and all the Moon Demon leader could do now was come up with a suitable strategy to conquer Nagoya. He sat back in his chair and looked over at Mahiru-No-Yo. The sheathed katana sat there in all its beauty, like it was ready to listen to all of his problems. "It's almost time to put my plans in action. Just this last mission, and then we will all be free from the Hiragi's tyranny. That I promise you, Mahiru."
Back at the field…
Yuichiro and Kimizuki were clearly exhausted but showed no signs of giving in. Both combatants were standing an equal distance away from one another, slowly catching their breaths. "I won't lose." Yuichiro thought to himself. Seizing an opportunity Yu charged forward and unleashed a flurry of slashes that successfully pushed the twin sword wielder back. Not to be outdone Kimizuki responded with a vicious combo of his own that nearly broke through Yuichiro's defenses. Luckily for Yu, the end of Kimizuki's attack left him wide open for a brutal kick to his side. The orange haired teen leapt away to avoid any more damage.
"Nice one. You aren't so bad after all." Kimizuki said while panting. He really didn't expect the fight to turn out like this. It was like Yuichiro had been training with the group the entire week. They were dead even.
"Thanks. You are pretty good yourself. What do you say you admit that I've got this in the bag and we can call it a day?" Yuichiro said with a smirk.
"As if! What's the matter? Tired all ready?"
"Oh no! I can go all day, believe me. I've hadplenty of rest." Yu said sarcastically.
Kimizuki laughed at Yu's reply. "You're an idiot, you know that? You are starting to sound like Shinoa now."
The purple haired girl sneezed from her spot on the sidelines. Yuichiro shook his head before responding, "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"That's because it is!" Kimizuki said as he leapt forward once more and crossed his swords like an X for a powerful attack. Yu barely managed to block it in time before he stumbled back from the sheer power of Kimizuki's strike. Now that he was off balance he was at the mercy of Kimzuki who was being relentless in his attacks.
"Damn! I need to get out of here and quick!" Yu thought. He continued blocking the incoming slashes as best as he could, waiting for the right moment to make his move. Finally after several moments, a small opening made itself clear as the last of Kimizuki's attacks bounced off Asuramaru. With newfound speed Yu went low with a leg sweep that knocked his opponent to the floor and successfully won the fight after holding the edge of his sword at the base of Kimizuki's neck. "Guess I win." Yuichiro said with a smile as he helped Kimizuki back to his feet.
"See I told you that Yuichiro would win!" Yoichi cheered.
"I have to admit, I didn't expect that. It was like Yuichiro was never in a coma. Kimizuki did put up a good fight though. You have to admit he almost had him there." Mitsuba added. Yoichi simply nodded his head in agreement before standing up alongside the blondie and Shinoa so that they could join Kimizuki and Yuichiro on the field.
"You just got lucky this time punk. It won't happen again." Kimizuki said as he dusted himself off. Although he wouldn't admit it he was both proud and surprised at Yuichiro's strength. He was sure that he had him at the end, but he was shocked when he ended up on the floor instead with the tip of a sword pointed at his neck. "I need to get stronger." He resolved. Just as Yuichiro was about to reply the rest of the Shinoa squad showed up and congratulated him on his win and exit from the hospital. Seeing as how there really wasn't much else to do in terms of training, the team decided to head to the showers to clean up.
On the groups' way there Shinoa was trying to find the right moment to approach Yuichiro, but everyone else was practically swarming him making it difficult to talk with him privately. Kimizuki was going on about a rematch, Yoichi was asking him how he managed to move so quick at the end of the fight, and Mitsuba was trying to hammer in the importance of teamwork. The scene that her team was making before her made Shinoa smile. They were all glad to have him back again. The thought of their little family brought the sarcastic teen a great deal of joy. "Glad to have you back Yu." She said to herself as she and Mitsuba split off into their showering area. It then donned on her that she still hadn't talked to Yuichiro about the other night. She made it her mission to talk to him as soon as they all had exited their shower, but that wouldn't happen because Mitsuba suggested they all go eat together effectively putting her plans on hold. "Fine. After lunch then." she told herself. As luck would have it however, in the middle of her meal she was summoned to Guren's office for a mission briefing. "Seriously!? Today is not my day!" the small girl began to grow frustrated, a fact that Guren quickly became aware of when she first spoke up. "What is it?"
"Am I interrupting something? This is the second time I get to see you upset. Were you going to make the move on Yuichiro?" Guren teased.
"No. I'm just not in the mood. So what did you call me in for?" Shinoa tapped her foot impatiently. Normally she wouldn't behave like this, but she really wanted to go and talk to Yuichiro. Just before she left she had overheard that the group was going to go hangout for a bit and she was somewhat jealous that she was the only one that wouldn't be spending any time with him. For once she wished that Mitsuba had gotten the leadership position instead of her.
"Alright, I can see that. I'll make this quick then. This morning Kureto ordered that the Moon Demon Company launch a small preemptive strike of one hundred men and all of our black demon series wielders on Nagoya. We are to kill the ten Nobles located there as well as any vampires there and secure the base." Guren explained.
"Sounds like a suicide run to me. Just what I'd expect from that monster Kureto. What did you do this time? Walk out again?" Shinoa asked.
"No. They found out about Yuichiro's transformation in Shinjuku and—"
"You're letting them blackmail you!?" At the mention of Yuichiro Shinoa's attitude completely changed. Knowing full well how her brother operated she was more worried about her squad mate now more than ever. It wasn't like Guren to put his teammates on the line and now Yu is unknowingly a piece in her family's stupid power struggle. The whole idea infuriated Shinoa and she let it show with her sudden interruption of Guren and the slamming of her palm on his desk.
"Relax. Yuichiro is safe, okay? Although Kureto may be interested in him, you and your squad are coming along with us on this mission. He can't touch him."
"He better be." She huffed. Guren sighed and rubbed his temples. This whole ordeal was turning out to be a real headache. Up until now he hadn't of even thought of what would happen should they return from the mission. If the Hiragi's took Yu away for their own personal uses then they were surely doomed and now that he was on a short leash Guren was really running out of options. All except for one.
"Shinoa?" when the girl in question finally turned her attention to him (albeit very reluctantly), Guren relayed his plan to her. The young girl listened to every detail closely, shocked that the time had already come. As soon as he finished explaining everything to the sergeant, the Moon Demon Company leader sat back in his chair and waited for a response. He was unsure of exactly how long he sat there as he eventually spaced out but, when he received the young girl's answer, he smiled. "Glad we understand each other. Now let's get to work."
A/N: And the second chapter of Shadows of The Earth comes to an end! What's Guren's secret plan? Will Shinoa ever get to talk to Yuichiro? Stay tuned until next time to find out! I didn't think I was going to be updating this soon, but I got a little break from work and I was able to get this bad boy out. As you can see I am going to be following the Nagoya arc (somewhat at least) and then this story is going to take its very own direction! So if any of you would like to leave any comments, reviews, questions, suggestions, or concerns please feel free to PM me or leave a review. So until next time Seraphans! Frosty out!
