Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This fic is an alternate retelling of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. I would also like to thank my co-writer of my Final Fantasy Tactics fic, Falchion1984 for his suggestions for the fighting scenes. On another note, I apologize for the delay because I really struggled with this chapter which I'm going to have to split in two because of the length. The good news is that the next chapter won't be long in coming so please look forward to it. Enjoy and please review!
Chapter 14: The True Fear of Loss, Part II
"Shinoa, Yuichiro's been in there for a while. I'm starting to get a little worried. Do you think she's alright?" Yoichi asked Shinoa as everyone from their squad and Satoshi's stood outside the building while waiting for the other girl to return.
"She's probably being lectured on punctuality by Guren again," the purple-haired girl answered. "But don't worry, Yoichi, this isn't the first time. I'm sure she'll be all right."
"Maybe not, but this is the first time Yuichiro- as well as the rest of us- have been late to a very important mission because of your pranks, Miss Hiragi," Satoshi pointed out. "Do you really think the lieutenant colonel will be so forgiving?"
"Knowing him, likely not, especially if our tardiness hampers the mission's chances of success." Kimizuki answered wryly, recalling with a sour face how badly Guren reacted when he spotted both squads trying to blend in with the other soldiers before calling them out. Few things frightened the pink-haired boy but seeing their superior's displeased expression actually made him shudder.
Even Mitsuba, who was always at odds with her raven-haired squad mate, started to worry,
Though she was damned if she were ever going to admit it.
"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm tired for waiting for Yuichiro, so why don't we all go inside and apologize with her already?" the blonde girl suggested impatiently with her arms crossed, hoping the others wouldn't figure that she really wanted to see if Yuichiro was all right.
"I think going in without the lieutenant colonel's permission would be pushing it, especially since we all showed up to the gathering half an hour late," Daisuke said quietly. That comment got him a pointed glare from the Harada twins, so he turned his head away nervously.
Takeshi, who knew better than to say such an insensitive thing this time, tried a different approach.
"Well, everyone already knows we're late, so I don't think it can get any worse if we decide to check up on Miss Hyakuya right now. Her guardian may even go a bit easier on her if we all apologize so what do you say, everyone?"
Forgetting their anger towards Daisuke, the Harada twins quickly agreed, their concern for Yuichiro apparent in their eyes.
"I think that's a great idea, Takeshi!" Risa said, feeling grateful that even he could come up with helpful suggestions every now and then, before turning to her twin. "Right, Riku?"
"Yes, I think we should go in now," Riku answered. "We've already waited long enough right, Satoshi? Shinoa?"
As she said this, Riku turned to the two squad leaders since she knew that, in the end, it was their decision to make.
Satoshi sighed and turned to Shinoa. "Well, Miss Hiragi? I know what you allow your squad to do is your choice but, personally, I think you owe it to your subordinate to straighten things out and not let her take the heat for your mistake."
Shinoa rolled her eyes. "Ok, ok. I get it. That's what I intended to do from the start. I can't believe all of you seriously think I would-"
But before the purple-haired girl could say another word, everyone suddenly heard an ear-piercing female scream coming from inside the building.
"Shit, what was that?!" Kimizuki cried as he unsheathed his twin swords, concern and worry for Yuichiro starting to wash over him. *1*
Instead of answering (because she had no idea), Shinoa quickly summoned her demon scythe while urging everyone else to arm themselves.
"Quick, everyone! Get your weapons out! We're going in!"
"Right, do as Shinoa says!" Satoshi ordered his squad as he unsheathed Krad and made a gesture for them to follow him and Shinoa's squad into the building.
SSSSSS
As soon as they were inside, both squads quickly made their way up an out-of-commission escalator to the second floor where the screams were coming from. When they finally reached the room where they thought Yuichiro would be, everyone was shocked to see her dressed in dirty white rags while tied to a tall wooden stake like the ones used in Medieval Europe for burning witches, with a huge bonfire right at her feet.
Finally allowing herself to panic, Mitsuba tightened her grip on her demon axe and made a plea to her squad leader to do something.
"Shinoa, we gotta get Yuu out of there before she gets burned alive!"
Instead of panicking like the rest of her comrades, Shinoa merely scowled (a rarity for her), before running up to "Yuichiro" without any heed for the fire surrounding them and swinging her scythe at the other girl, effectively slicing her in half.
Or rather, an illusion of her. *2*
"What was that?" Yoichi asked breathlessly as the wispy, purple smoke from the fire finally dissipated and revealed the real Yuichiro standing next to her guardian while the rest of his squad stood in the background with their arms crossed.
With the exception of Yuichiro herself, Guren and his squad looked upon the teenagers with disappointment as well as a bit of contempt. Even Shinya regarded Shinoa rather coldly for her prank on Yuichiro. One thing was for sure: nobody in the veteran squad was impressed that she saw through the illusion.
"Looks like it's some kind of illusion spell," Kimizuki answered as he lowered his twin swords slightly.
Before anyone could say anything else, Shinoa shot Guren a dirty look. "What kind of sick joke is this?" she demanded.
Yuichiro felt bad for making everyone worry about her, even though the illusion was clearly her mentor's idea. She wanted to apologize but Guren lifted the blade of his sword to her throat, slightly away from her skin, to keep Yuichiro quiet before answering.
"A joke, Shinoa? What you pulled on Yuichiro on the way here was a joke. This illusion was to teach you a lesson. Up until now, you were lucky never to have lost a comrade from not taking your orders seriously. But that likely won't be the case anymore now that we're about to go up against a group of vampire nobles, and I think this was quite necessary to get it through your thick skull that even one mistake on your part can easily get your squad killed. Not only that, you could also end up dragging other squads down with you," Guren said harshly before nodding in Satoshi's direction.
Although he was just as upset as Guren and Yuichiro with the prank Shinoa pulled that landed them into this situation in the first place, Satoshi began to feel sorry for her now that she was being reprimanded by their superior in front of everyone. But, even so, he could not open his mouth to utter a word in Shinoa's defense since he knew there was nothing he could say to refute Guren's claim.
Knowing that the older man was absolutely right, Shinoa relented and lowered her scythe slightly.
"I understand, but you still went too far with that sick illusion!" the purple-haired girl accused, trying her best to keep her voice low and even.
"Too far? No, not far enough, I'm afraid. It looks like you still don't get it, brat. If you truly knew what it was like to fear losing someone important to you, you wouldn't be pulling stupid pranks like ditching Yuichiro on the highway for an hour or two." *3*
Upon seeing the startled look on Shinoa's face, Guren gave a smug grin.
"What, you didn't think I would figure out what really happened and why you all arrived late? I know both you and Yuichiro like the back of my hand, Shinoa. But enough of that. What I want to know is what you would do if you and your squad were faced with a huge threat now? Would you be able to lead them to safety, if not victory?"
"I…"
Not giving Shinoa a chance to finish, Guren went on. "Oh, I know! Why don't I give you a little test to see if your teamwork has really improved?"
"A test?"
"Yes. My squad against yours in a mock battle. I know this may sound a bit unfair since we are more experienced than you, but I'm feeling a bit generous today. So, I'll allow Satoshi and his squad to assist yours. Ten of you against six of us should even out the odds a bit more and, if you and Satoshi have trained your squads effectively in teamwork, you should have nothing to worry about, Shinoa."
The purple-haired girl disliked the idea of taking on her superior and his squad knowing how skilled they were. She knew what the older man proposed was nothing more than a public hazing to humiliate both her and Satoshi's squads since the veteran squad's skill and experience exceeded theirs by far, so much that any chance of victory they had would be very slim. But Shinoa also knew that Guren wasn't really giving her or Satoshi a choice in the matter.
After all, the entire Moon Demon Company viewed both squads as tardy rookies and held them in contempt at this point.
Sensing his fellow squad leader's uneasiness, Satoshi gently placed a hand on Shinoa's shoulder and gave her a quiet nod, as if letting her know that he had her back despite what happened, something Shinoa was secretly grateful for, even if she could not voice her gratitude at the moment.
Turning to Guren, the blue-haired boy said, "We understand, sir. When do we begin?"
In answer, the older man smiled and drew his demon sword from his sheath before pointing it at them.
"You have exactly two minutes before we come after you, so I suggest you get moving. All of you." The commander of the Moon Demon Company said nothing more but his eyes seem to sparkle with mischief as if saying:
Go now! Start running!
Not wanting to waste any valuable time by questioning their superior further, Satoshi squeezed Shinoa's shoulder and nodded his head towards the exit. Taking the hint, the purple-haired girl followed his lead gave the order for her squad to depart.
And without Yuichiro.
After both squads were gone, Guren lowered his blade from Yuichiro's throat. Like Satoshi, the ravenette pitied Shinoa for being chewed out by Guren and did not hesitate to tell him what she thought of his so-called punishment for her squad leader.
"Did you have to embarrass Shinoa in front of everyone like that, Guren? She may be an annoying pain-in-the-ass sometimes, but we both know she's trying very hard to be a good squad leader."
Guren smirked at Yuichiro as he lowered his sword to his side without sheathing it.
"Well, aren't you full of surprises, Yuu?" he teased. "I wasn't expecting to see you come to Shinoa's defense after that little stunt she pulled on you earlier. But if you're that concerned for your squad leader, then why don't you help her win by showing us what you're made of?"
Yuichiro threw her head up into the air as she unsheathed Asuramaru and proceeded to walk towards the exit.
"Hmph!" she scoffed. "As if I would just stand idly by and let my squad take on yours without me!"
"I knew you'd say that, Yuu. Now go and make me proud, brat!"
Without turning around, Yuichiro grinned at the older man's praise before running out the door to join her squad.
After Yuichiro was gone, Shinya broke into a laugh again. "My, how little Yuu has grown! This is the boldest I've seen her yet! It looks like you might have to start taking your ward a bit more seriously now, Guren!"
Guren snorted. "I don't doubt that she's good, Shinya. Especially since I've trained her myself and so did you. But we both know it takes more than technical skill to be a good soldier. And it's not Yuu I'm actually worried about but those good-for-nothing squad mates of hers, including Shinoa."
"What exactly is it about them that worries you so, Guren?" Mito asked curiously. "Their inexperience or inability to work as a team?"
"I'm guessing it's a bit of both," Shinya answered. "This shouldn't come as a surprise since we were once like them not too long ago. Everyone has to start from somewhere."
"Maybe. But I have to admit that we had the luxury of time to sharpen our skills while they don't. That's why I'm having them do this. Both Shinoa and Satoshi's squads need to get their act together and quick if they want to survive this mission. They may not see it this way, but we're actually doing them a favor by testing their skills now."
"Oh, I'm sure at least Yuichiro realizes that, my lord," Goshi said with a touch of humor. "She's always been quick to catch on to your ideas, Guren."
"True. Now let's hope the rest of those brats catch on just as quickly because their lives may very well depend on it."
"Well, since they're rookies, this shouldn't take too long," Mito said coolly as she materialized her black demon gauntlets with their glowing green orbs centered on the back of her hands and tugged on them slightly with her fingers to make sure they fitted snugly.
Such a gesture was more out of habit rather than necessity on Mito's part since her demon, Kagutsuchi, made sure they always fitted her perfectly.
Shinya chuckled. "I wouldn't take them too lightly, Mito. At least three of those rookies from Shinoa's squad and another three from Satoshi's are Black Demon wielders, including Hiwatari himself." *4*
Mito was startled at the revelation. "What? Why didn't anyone tell me about this?" she demanded as she shot Guren and Shinya a disapproving glare for keeping such a secret from her.
"Well, it's not like you ever asked, Mito," Guren answered with a roll of his eyes before giving his crimson-haired squad mate a mischievous smile. "What's the matter?" he teased. "Are you scared?"
Mito, as usual, took the bait. "Of a bunch of sniveling little kids? Never!" she scoffed as she tossed her long red ponytail over her shoulder, another habit Yuichiro had subconsciously picked up from her. Like Mito, the younger girl also tossed her ponytail whenever she got riled, especially by Guren himself.
Sayuri and Shigure, who had been listening to the entire conversation in silence, shot each other a brief glance. Though neither woman voiced their thoughts, they both knew Guren was secretly worried and concerned for the rookies under his command, especially Yuichiro.
SSSSSS
Once they were back outside, everyone in Shinoa and Satoshi's squads took a moment to catch their breaths before discussing what they should do when Guren and his squad came for them.
"All right, everyone, let's do this!" Satoshi exclaimed as he clapped a fist to his open palm in dogged determination despite the chances of victory clearly being in favor of their opponents.
"Right on!" Daisuke agreed with excitement. "We'll just have to win this and show 'em how awesome we are!"
Kimizuki, ever the critic, or as he preferred to call himself, realist, scoffed at Daisuke's annoying optimism.
"You make it sound so easy, Niwa. Have you forgotten that we're up against the leader of the MDC and his squad who happens to be the elite of the Demon Army?" the pink-haired boy reprimanded.
"I'm sure he's fully aware of that, Kimizuki," Takeshi answered in Daisuke's defense, "but being pessimistic about it doesn't help."
Yoichi raised a hand. "Um, sorry, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with Kimizuki here. I mean, we give them detailed reports of our exploits all the time; they know everything we can do, right?"
"Right," Mitsuba replied before turning to Yuichiro, who had finally caught up to them just now. "I'm sure Guren's squad knows everything about you in particular since they were the ones who trained you in combat from childhood, right, Yuu?"
Yuichiro shook her head as she drew Asuramaru from its sheath. "No, not everything. Despite what you may think, I am capable of coming up with my own strategies, not just imitating what I was taught, Mitsu."
"Good," Shinoa said, "because we're going to need some of those strategies if we want to stand a chance against Guren's squad."
The Harada twins gave her a puzzled look. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't coming up with strategies the job of the squad leader?" Risa asked curiously.
"Normally, it is," Satoshi answered. "But against Guren's squad, we're going to need all the bright ideas we can get."
Riku snapped her fingers as a thought suddenly came to her. "That's right!" she exclaimed as she turned to Yuichiro. "Since you were raised and trained by the lieutenant colonel as well as his squad, shouldn't you be familiar with their fighting styles, Yuu?" the brunette girl asked hopefully.
Yuichiro sighed. "Yes, but I only know what they taught me, and I'm sure they didn't teach me everything they knew."
"Even so, you must know more about their abilities than the rest of us," Shinoa persisted. "Please, Yuu, anything you can tell us will help."
Yuichiro closed her eyes for a moment in silence before answering. "I know that Shinya is a sniper- and he's the best I've ever seen. His demon weapon manifests as a black rifle that can fire projectiles resembling white tigers made of light." *5*
"Then as a long-ranged fighter, it would be best if we let Yoichi and Takeshi handle him since they are also snipers," Shinoa suggested.
Excited by the prospect of taking on another sniper of Shinya's caliber, Takeshi's eyes lit up.
"Great idea, Miss Hiragi!" he exclaimed, his brown eyes glittering with anticipation.
Unfortunately, Yoichi did not share the other archer's enthusiasm. "Um, you do realize that Shinya is also a Black Demon wielder and a more experienced sniper than we are, right, Takeshi?"
"You worry too much, Saotome," Takeshi said as he summoned his demon crossbow and pretended to take aim with it. "The major general may be good, but he's still just one man. If we work together, we should be able to take him down with no problems."
"It's good that you're keeping a positive attitude, but don't underestimate my big brother, Mr. Saehara," Shinoa warned before turning to Daisuke and the Harada twins. "My scythe's ability is to detect anything that comes within the attack radius of it. That means that anything Yoichi and Takeshi fail to shoot, I can take down."
"And my axe can spawn multiple demons to attack our opponents. However, they aren't that strong individually so they're best used as decoys" Mitsuba confessed grimly.
"So what will you two do?" Risa asked.
"Mitsuba and I will take on Colonel Mito Jujo while you and Riku handle Lieutenants Sayuri Hanayori and Shigure Yukimi with Daisuke's help," Shinoa answered. "Colonel Jujo is tough but the lieutenants are no push-overs either, so be careful." *6*
"Ok, we will," Riku assured before turning to Satoshi as if seeking his approval for going along with Shinoa's plan before consulting him since it was his orders they were supposed to be following.
To Shinoa's relief, her fellow squad leader was of the same mind as herself.
"It's all right. I agree with Miss Hiragi's plan. However, it's not those three ladies I'm most worried about but rather the lieutenant colonel himself," Satoshi said.
"Right," Shinoa said. "Since Guren is a master sword fighter, only you, Yuichiro, and Kimizuki would be able to take him on in close-ranged combat. No matter what, you can't let him break past you or all of us in the middle to rear ranks will be finished."
"I don't doubt that," Kimizuki said coolly. "And even with the three of us working together, the lieutenant colonel will be a force to reckon with, so we better not take him lightly."
"I have never taken Guren lightly," Yuichiro replied before frowning slightly. "Though I can't say the reverse is true."
"But you've been raised and trained by him since childhood, so surely you can let us in on any weaknesses of his? I'm sure he must have at least one," Satoshi persisted.
Yuichiro brought a hand to her face, resting her chin on top of a knuckle as she thought over Satoshi's request for a moment.
"Well, if you were to press me, I'd say one of Guren's biggest weaknesses is that he tends to be a bit over-confident and looks down on rookies a bit. I sometimes hear him say he thinks of us as unruly and undisciplined children that 'need to be kept in line' or something like that."
"Well, that wouldn't be too far from the truth," Daisuke admitted, "but we're going to need any break we can get. What about that blond guy with the goatee? What can he do?"
"You mean Norito Goshi? Well, do you remember that illusion of Yuichiro we saw when we entered the building? That was his doing. Despite his robust appearance, Goshi isn't much of a fighter; his specialty is creating powerful life-like illusions to fool enemy soldiers into thinking they're outnumbered or creating decoys of his squad, so their opponents waste time and energy attacking the wrong targets. In doing so, the doubles would create an opening for Guren's squad to attack and give them the advantage. It wouldn't surprise me if he plans to do the latter us since both of our squads together outnumber his ten to six," Shinoa answered.
"So how will we know which ones are real and which are the illusions, then?" Riku demanded. "You should know since you saw through that illusion of Yuichiro right away."
Shinoa was about to answer when she suddenly saw Risa point over her shoulder with one of her war fans.
"No time to explain; they're coming!" she exclaimed.
Both squads cursed under their breaths as they finally turned around to face their older and more experienced opponents who casually waltzed out of the building to take the fight outside. *7*
As if trying to humor the teens, Guren stood slightly ahead of his own squad for a moment and gave them a smug, even if teasing grin as he drew his dark demon blade from its sheath and pointed it at them. The rest of Guren's squad remained silent but gave the rookies the same intimidating stare.
"Hey, kids, it's showtime! You ready?" the older man called in a sing-song tone.
Unfortunately, Shinoa and Satoshi's squads were not the only ones who noticed. All around them, soldiers from the other squads had begun to gather around them in a large circle.
"Hey, what's going on?" a young raven-haired man asked his squad leader. "Is this some kind of training exercise for the rookies? The lieutenant colonel even drew his blade; it's been forever since I got to see him fight so he must be serious with these kids!"
Narumi smirked. "Since when has he not been serious, Shusaku? I'm guessing he has a rookie hazing in mind to teach them a lesson for showing up late; this should be interesting to watch."
The brunette squad leader made no attempt to keep his voice down to avoid being heard and with her sharp hearing, Yuichiro heard it easily. But she resisted the temptation to shoot Narumi a dirty look since she knew it would be unwise to take her eyes off Guren now that the fight was about to begin.
Lifting her demon scythe, Shinoa spun it in a circular motion while instructing the two squads on their first move. Since Satoshi was going to join Yuichiro and Kimizuki in trying to hold off Guren, it left her in charge of everyone else in the middle-to-rear ranks.
"Everyone, contain your battle in this circumference around me!" she ordered. "Make sure you are not fragmented or forced out of this circle, or it will be all over for us!"
Yoichi sweat-dropped as he gripped his demon bow tightly. "Say, this isn't going to be a fight to the death, is it?" he asked nervously.
"Of course not, Yoi. Guren just wants to mess with us. And if these other guys in the background want a show, then let's give them one!" Yuichiro answered before withdrawing Asuramaru and proceeding to charge straight at Guren like a raging bull.
This sudden move finally prompted everyone involved in the fight to action as well as taking both Satoshi and Kimizuki by surprise.
"What the hell, Yuu!? You're supposed to wait for us!" Satoshi cried as he gripped Krad and attempted to catch up to the ravenette with Kimizuki following closely behind.
"Remember, stay together!" Shinoa ordered. "We must hold our lines and protect each other!"
"Oh, I think you'll get split up real quick," Guren replied with a smirk before bringing his sword to meet Yuichiro's when she came within striking distance of him.
And so it's begun…thought Shinya, who stood in the back of his squad ahead of Goshi, as he raised his demon rifle and took aim at the younger snipers Shinoa had ordered to fight him.
Mitsuba, who quickly caught onto the major general's intent, tried to warn Yoichi and Takeshi.
"Look out! Something's coming!" she cried.
Before either archer could react, Shinya quickly pulled the trigger and fired a single demonic projectile resembling a white tiger in the direction of the younger squads.
And the resulting blast was nearly overwhelming, making the teens tremble from its shockwave alone.
"See? Your formation is already falling apart," Guren taunted. "And we've only just begun."
Yuichiro gritted her teeth. "I think you should be paying more attention to what's right in front of you instead of looking over my shoulder and talking to someone else, Guren!"
After living in his home for nearly four years, Yuichiro knew that her guardian was good at multi-tasking, but this was getting ridiculous.
"Worried for your teammates, Yuu?" Guren teased as he easily held off Satoshi and Kimizuki, who had finally caught up to Yuichiro, with his sword as well as a few talismans up his sleeve despite the fact that they were fighting three-on-one. "Well, you have no choice but to trust them since you can't do everything by yourself. I thought that your time in the MDC has already taught you this."
"Shut. Your. Trap!" the ravenette snarled as she did her best not to take the bait Guren had cleverly laid out for her. But, despite his teasing, she knew he was right. While Yuichiro could follow her squad leader's orders of guarding the front lines to the best of her abilities, she still had to rely on her allies in Shinoa and Satoshi's squads to watch her back and each other's as well.
If she didn't know that turning her back to Guren would be a huge mistake, Yuichiro would have turned around for a moment just to see how the rest of her comrades were doing. But even without looking, she can only imagine that they weren't very well-off, despite Daisuke's attempt at a pep talk earlier.
Having seen everyone from all three squads in action before, the ravenette knew that Guren's squad had at least a decade more of experience than Shinoa and Satoshi's.
And unlike Guren's squad, neither of the younger squads had the luxury of a master illusionist like Norito Goshi.
As Shinoa predicted, the blond man used his demon pipe to create doubles of his squad members, including Guren himself, to confuse the teens by sending some purple smoke their way to impair their vision for the moment it took him to create the illusions. Were he not standing behind Shinya, who was protecting him, Yoichi and Takeshi would have made Goshi their first target to prevent him from creating the doubles of Guren's squad in the first place. *8*
After the smoke cleared, Yoichi and Takeshi drew their bows and attempted to take Shinya down knowing that they had to get past him to stop Goshi, before he can fire again. For a moment, they thought they had succeeded when one of Takeshi's arrows struck Shinya head on. But both boys soon found themselves crushed with disappointment when they saw the major general disappear in puff of smoke, proving beyond a doubt that he was only an illusion before the real Shinya stepped forward and fired at them.
To their dismay (and fright) Yoichi and Takeshi were taken by surprise once more when they discovered that Goshi could even produce illusions of his squad mates' weapons and their effects that also looked and felt very real.
As a result, the two young archers panicked and ended up firing blind, missing their target.
Meanwhile, Shinoa and Mitsuba were struggling to hold Mito off. Despite not having a standard demon weapon, the older crimson-haired woman fought like a Fury, using her entire body as a weapon in addition to her fists as she easily dodged the axe and scythe swings the younger girls were sending her way. Mito was also unafraid to use underhanded tricks like feints, which was launching one attack to sucker her foe into moving or acting in such a way that sets them up for a second attack.
Like Guren (and Yuichiro), Mito was more than capable of fighting multiple opponents, especially with the demon gauntlets that enhanced her speed and strength. As an experienced martial artist skilled in several fighting styles, her legs and feet were just as lethal as her fists, despite her less-than-robust appearance. And unlike Shinoa and Mitsuba, who had to take more care guarding their blind spots with their longer weapons, Mito could easily strike more rapidly while guarding her own blind spots with little trouble.
While keeping her eyes on Mito, Shinoa silently called for her demon, Shikama Doji, to tell her how Daisuke and the Harada twins were doing while the crimson-haired woman attempted to kick Mitsuba's axe out of her hands.
"Shi-chan, how are Daisuke and the twins faring? Better than Mi-chan and myself, I hope?"
"Honestly? Not by much; it looks like they've got quite a struggle on their hands…" the demon answered grimly.
Shinoa frowned. Though she could not see it herself, the purple-haired girl knew her demon wouldn't lie to her, and Daisuke and the Harada twins were indeed struggling with Sayuri and Shigure as well as their doubles. Since the illusions looked completely identical to their real counterparts and the three never got a chance to hear Shinoa's answer on how to tell them apart, they were forced to use trial and error by fighting them all.
And, as Shinoa predicted, such a tactic proved costly in terms of time and exerted energy.
Footnotes:
1. In canon, Kimizuki does not panic easily except when his sister is in danger. For my AU, he's more prone to panicking when he thinks fem!Yuu is in danger as well because he's also very fond of her.
2. In the anime version, the illusion of male!Yuu was hanging over a fire by a rope when Shinoa's squad arrived. I didn't like the manga version where he appears nude with a stack of brinks on his lap and since Guren is protective of fem!Yuu's modesty and chastity, he wouldn't ask Goshi to produce such an illusion of her.
3. In canon, it's not clear how Guren know it wasn't really male!Yuu's fault that his squad showed up late for the meeting but I assumed it was because he knew male!Yuu was not the kind of person to play pranks like Shinoa. For my AU, Guren figures out the truth because he knew both fem!Yuu and Shinoa very well.
4. The Black Demon wielders of Shinoa's squad are fem!Yuu, Yoichi, and Kimizuki while the ones from Satoshi's squad are Satoshi, Daisuke, and Takeshi. Shinoa, Mitsuba, Risa, and Riku wield manifestation-type demons.
5. In canon, male!Yuu is familiar with Shinya's weapon and attack because he witnesses them in his interview with Kureto. Fem!Yuu had been aware of Shinya's abilities since she was twelve because he was the one who taught her how shoot and handle firearms.
6. In canon, Sayuri and Shigure do not participate in the mock battle between Guren's squad and Shinoa's, only Guren, Shinya, and Mito does. But since my AU also includes Satoshi's squad, all members of Guren's squad participate to even the odds a bit more.
7. In the anime version, the fight takes place inside the building where Shinoa's squad finds male!Yuu and slowly makes its way outside. But since there are three squads involved in my AU, the whole fight takes place outside due to the space needed to accommodate all of them.
8. As someone who provides back-up support for his squad, I assume that a member of Guren's squad would have to stay near and protect Goshi from being cut down while he takes time to produce the illusions needed to fool their enemies. Since I have never seen Goshi actually fight in the manga or anime, I believe he would need careful protection when engaging in battle.