Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version 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 and editor, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!
Chapter 21: A Fate Worse than Death
"How do you feel now, Sergeant Aihara? I know the treatment is probably not as good as you would get back at base, but it's the best I can do," a field medic who had been tending to Aihara's injury, said as he removed the bandage that he had placed on his superior's forearm earlier to prevent her wound from being infected while waiting for her demon to heal it.
Aihara sighed and shook her head before pulling her sleeve back down over her newly healed forearm that had sustained a deep gash from a particularly nasty vampire she encountered in the battle where she lost more than half her crew.
"No, it's all right, Yoshi," she said from her seat on the fountain to the young man kneeling before her. "We learn to make do with what we've got, and your efforts have been more than enough. I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" he asked in concern. "If you need, I do have some medication that will help with any lingering pain you might have in your arm."
"Yes, I'm sure," Aihara replied. "It's nothing I can't live with. Plus, we should save our medical supplies as much as possible for real emergencies."
"Of course, ma'am. I understand. Speaking of which, it's been almost half an hour since Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose left, hasn't it?"
Aihara reached into her uniform and fiddled around for her pocket watch to check for the time. As her medic surmised, it was almost time for her and the rest of the soldiers under her command to leave and catch up with Guren because the squads he ordered her to wait for were still nowhere in sight.
Nobody is here yet. Could they all really be dead? She thought grimly with a frown.
Although Aihara wanted to keep her crew's spirits up, she had to acknowledge the possibility that their other comrades might have perished by the hands of the targets they had sought to eliminate.
"You're right, Yoshi. Wait here and I'll call for the others…"
The young medic was about to reply when both he and Aihara heard a relatively weak voice call out to them.
"Sergeant Airhara? Is that you?" A young female soldier asked as she limped painfully ahead of the handful of other soldiers who had managed to make it back alive from their last vampire encounter. And from the looks of it, the new squad appeared in even worse shape than Aihara's own- not only did they have fewer soldiers, they also lost their commanding officer as well.
"Yes, it's me!" Aihara answered as she jumped from her seat on the fountain. Ignoring her own pain and discomfort, rushed forward to catch the young woman limping weakly towards her before she collapsed to the ground. "Are you all right, Sayo?" Aihara asked in concern as she looked the other soldier over and found to her relief that she did not have any life-threatening injuries at least.
"I'm all right," the young woman answered as she slowly righted herself. "I'm sorry we're late. As you can see, our commander fell, and I had to take his place as second in command. I regret to say that bringing back only three of our crew is the best I could do under the circumstances."
"There is no need to apologize; you did the best you could, and I commend you for bringing back at least three of your comrades alive," Aihara assured her. "Truth be told, I wasn't sure if any of us would return alive at all."
The other woman looked like she wanted to say something else when both she and Aihara heard what sounded like war planes above them.
"Shit, they've found us!" Aihara cursed.
"What are we going to do, Aihara?!" Sayo cried. "We could be outnumbered!"
The other soldiers, who had also noticed the approaching enemy, prepared to draw their weapons and awaited their superior's orders.
"Stay back!" Aihara ordered. "The lieutenant colonel is at Nagoya Airport, so I'll act as a decoy and hold them off while the rest of you can escape and meet him there!"
"But ma'am…!" Sayo protested.
"No buts! Let me handle this; that's an order!"
The other woman sighed but nodded in obedience before putting some distance between herself and Aihara and joining the other soldiers.
Once she was certain there was no chance of her subordinates being caught in the crossfire, Aiko Aihara drew her demon weapon, a longbow, and took careful aim at an aircraft carrier in the sky above them before firing.
With her precision and hawk-like vision, the young sergeant succeeded in striking her target, causing the aircraft carrier to explode in mid-air but not before a crew of hungry vampires managed to jump off and descend on her own rag-tag group of soldiers. Aihara had no time to tell them to run before she found herself surrounded by three vampire soldiers, one with black hair, another with purple, and a blond who stood out from the rest because of his crystal-blue eyes, which she noticed when he landed right in front of her.
"Don't look surprised, human. I just have a few questions for you…" he said calmly even as his face betrayed no interest.
Alarmed, the young sergeant reached for her back-up weapon, a firearm like the one Yuichiro usually carried. But Mikaela did not give her the chance to use it when he swiftly grabbed Aihara by the front of her uniform jacket with one arm and lifted her into the air.
"Don't even think about it," he warned. "You and your crew are outnumbered, so it's best if you simply surrender."
"Like hell, we will!" Aihara snarled even though she knew the blond vampire was right. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw what was left of her squad and Sayo's being surrounded and cornered by the vampire soldiers who were confident that there would be no escape for them.
Or so they thought.
"Everyone, do it!" Aihara screamed.
Before any of the vampires could catch on to her meaning, the human soldiers started dropping dead like flies, many in the grip of their captors, after their commander gave the order that only they could understand.
"Hey, what's going on?" Lacus asked in confusion as he shook the corpse of the dead soldier he was holding onto by the neck before turning to Rene. Though the older vampire said nothing, Lacus could tell he was wondering the same thing.
Being the most perceptive of the three, it didn't take Mika long to figure out what happened when he saw Aihira's mouth moved slightly as if she was about to chew on something she had been hiding. He swiftly stuck two of his fingers in her mouth and pulled out whatever it was before slamming her to the ground hard.
"So that's what it is," the blond said coldly even though he kept his voice low enough not to be heard by two companions as well as other vampire soldiers. "You were hiding some kind of poison pill in your mouth. Very clever. Your loyalty to your kind is admirable, a quality we sometimes lack. Unfortunately, I can't let you die just yet; I have some questions for you."
The young human woman glared at her assailant defiantly and fearlessly. "Fuck you…" she spat. "You won't get anything out of me no matter what you do so save yourself the trouble and just kill me now. Or I swear, I'll kill you later!"
If he were still human, Mikaela might have laughed at Aihara's threat, but right now he had other priorities.
Like finding Yuichiro.
"I don't think you understand the position you're in, woman," Mika replied as he emphasized his captive's gender, confusing her slightly.
Thinking that the blond vampire was threating to torture and kill her if she didn't talk, Aihara sneered at him.
"You think I'd have become a soldier if I was afraid of death?" she challenged.
"I do not. But I think you've misunderstood me, Miss. What I mean is that there are fates far worse than death."
"Oh?"
Mika narrowed his eyes at Aihara slightly while trying to look as intimidating as possible. He knew that if he wanted information on Yuichiro's whereabouts, he had to choose his words carefully and be discreet, especially with the other vampires nearby.
"I suggest you keep your voice down if you don't want the others to know you're still alive. Do you have any idea what becomes of humans we capture alive? Information isn't all my brethren are interested in. Contrary to what you've been taught, some of them do have voracious sexual appetites. And… they don't mind sharing." *1*
For a moment, Aihara's defiant demeanor and confident attitude faltered slightly, but that was all Mika needed to know she understood what he was talking about.
Still, she decided to test him further. "You lie…"
"Do you really want to find out if I am? There's only one thing worse than being a plaything for a vampire. Do you know what that is?"
Aihara was silent for a moment before asking. "What?"
"It's being a vampire's plaything for all eternity should you have the misfortune of capturing a noble's fancy like I once did. Now, do you understand?"
If the threat of death did not faze Aiko Aihara, the thought of becoming an undying, blood-sucking monster herself forever certainly did. Mikaela could see it on her face and knew he had her right where he wanted her before continuing with his inquires.
"But you need not fear. I'll let you escape if you pretend to be dead and answer my questions truthfully. Do you know Yuichiro Hyakuya? She's actually a girl but has a boy's name. The Moon Demon Company is not all that big, so I'm sure you must have run across her at least once."
As Mika had expected, the human woman in his grip looked surprised at the direction their conversation was heading, but that still didn't mean she would comply with him so easily.
"I don't know who are you are talking about…" Aihara answered quietly.
Mika's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Lying won't do you any good," he said as he reached into her uniform jacket and pulled out Yuichiro's handkerchief and, for a moment, Aihara thought she saw something akin to sadness and longing in the blond vampire's dark blue eyes. "Pink was one of Yuu-chan's favorite colors. And this handkerchief still has her scent on it. So, you want to start telling me the truth now?"
"Tsk, fine! Yes, I have met her once," Aihara finally confessed in dismay, not liking that Mika was able to call her out on her previous lie so easily. "She's the ward of Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose or so I've been told."
At the mention of Guren, Mikaela gritted his teeth as he summoned all his willpower not to break Aihara's neck for bringing up the man he believed to be manipulating and exploiting Yuichiro. Especially since Mika's issues with Guren had nothing to do with her.
"Do NOT mention that bastard's name in my presence, woman!" he hissed softly instead. "Just tell me where she is, now!"
"Any why should I sell her out to you? Why are you so interested in Miss Hyakuya, anyway?" Aihara shot back.
"THAT is not your concern," he answered coldly before stashing Yuichiro's handkerchief in his pocket. "If you know what's good for you, you'd tell me what I want to know right now, or I can't promise I won't turn you over to my superiors."
Before Aihara could answer, they heard Rene calling out to Mika. No doubt the older vampire was wondering what he was doing that was taking so long.
"Mikaela, what are you doing? Does that human woman interest you so much?" Rene asked curiously.
Mika shook his head as he slowly stood up and faced his companion. "No," he answered calmly. "Why would she?"
Lacus snickered at the blond's answer. "Oh, please. Did you think I wouldn't notice that that human has dark hair just like your precious Yuu-chan?"
Mika glared at him. "And what's it to you, Lacus? Not like it matters since she's dead anyway."
"Oh? Did she kill herself just like the others?"
"Yes."
Upon hearing Mika's answer, Aihara had to restrain herself from gasping aloud as she wondered why the blond vampire would lie to his companions to protect her when she had yet to provide the answers he sought.
Lacus raised a brow. "You know, the loyalty these humans have for their superiors can be scary…" he admitted. "Not to mention stupid. Don't they realize that they just threw their lives away for nothing?"
"Ha, that sure sounds funny coming from an ex-Nazi officer, Lacus!" Mika sneered. "Your own loyalty to your Führer and his twisted ambitions costed you your human life during the last great war, so you shouldn't talk!" *2*
Knowing that Mikaela was right, Lacus scowled and was about to make a snarky retort when Rene cut in like he always did when he sensed things were going to get ugly between his two companions.
"That's enough, you two," Rene said, his voice raised slightly to ensure he had Mika and Lacus's attention. "In case you've both forgotten, we do have a mission. And that's to find out exactly what happened here. As one of the larger territories inside this city, this area was supposed to be run by Lords Wesker and Stefano, yet neither have been answering the queen's summons, so we were sent to investigate."
Forgetting his displeasure at Mika, Lacus turned to Rene and asked, "Do you think they were killed by the humans? That can't be possible! There's no way those weaklings can ever take down a noble!"
"Never say never, Lacus," Rene replied in a low voice as he dropped his knees to examine what appeared to be the ashes of his vampire brethren on the ground. "Humans are more intelligent and resourceful than you give them credit for."
As if to confirm Rene's suspicions, the trio heard the loud voice of a vampire guard calling from the entry of the subway where Guren and his squad had battled Mel Stefano earlier.
"Hey, you're not going to believe this, but all of the vampires underground have been massacred! Their ashes are scattered all over the place, and we think that Lord Stefano may be among them!"
"Clarify!" Rene ordered. "What exactly happened?"
"I'm not sure, sir," the other vampire guard answered. "But some of the livestock claimed that a group of humans wearing dark military uniforms showed up and murdered Lord Stefano along with his bodyguards! They said the group was led by a man with dark hair, pale skin, and purple eyes!" *3*
Mika balled his fists slightly as he tried his best not to let his displeasure show at the mention of the man he knew fit Guren's description. He also knew from their brief encounter in Shinjuku that if there was someone who could lead a small group of humans to victory against a vampire noble, it would be Yuichiro's guardian.
Lacus, on the other hand, found himself whistling at the surprising revelation. As prideful as the purple-haired vampire was, even he could admit when he was wrong about something.
"This is disturbing…" Lacus confessed. "If its true what the livestock say, then maybe we should start worrying."
"Of course," Rene confirmed. "No matter weak our enemies may seem, its always wise to be cautious on the battlefield. That means we must protect the next noble who's likely to be on the humans' hit list: Lord Crowley Eusford who resides at Nagoya City Hall."
Aihara gasped softly when she heard Rene's plan. Thinking quickly, she grabbed a piece of glass that was lying on the ground next to her before jumping to her feet and grabbing Mika from behind, placing the crude weapon against this throat.
"Freeze, all of you!" she shouted. "Make one move, and I'll cut your little friend's throat out!"
At the sound of Aihara's voice, both Lacus and Rene turned around to face her and her new hostage.
Unfazed, Lacus chided his blond companion while ignoring the human woman holding a wickedly sharp piece of glass to his throat.
"Sheez, Mika, I know you can be a bit slow sometimes, but at least try to ensure your targets are truly dead."
"Never mind that," Rene said flatly. "If she's still alive, capture her; she might be able to tell use something useful. If not, I'm sure the higher-ups can find other uses for her."
Lacus sighed. "Whatever you say, Rene…" he began as he took a step forward.
Alarmed, Aihara pressed the glass shard slightly harder against Mikaela's skin, nicking him and causing a thin stream of blood to trickle down his throat and into the collar of his uniform. Even so, the blond did not flinch.
"I said don't move!" she shrieked even as the sweat on her brow betrayed her nervousness.
Incredibly, the other two vampires obeyed. While neither of them may genuinely care for Mika, both Lacus and Rene knew that Queen Krul would have their heads if they dared to return to Sanguinem without him. *4*
"Don't do anything foolish, human…" Rene warned softly as he shook his head and wagged his finger in a scolding manner at Aihara like he was reprimanding a child.
"Why did you move?" Mika asked Aihara quietly as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye even as he stepped back slightly to keep up with his captor's pace. "You realize that they'll never let you go now that they know you're alive, don't you?"
"It doesn't matter anymore," the human woman answered in a low voice, making sure she was quiet enough not to be heard by anyone but Mika himself. "Miss Hyakuya is heading to Nagoya Hall with her squad and guardian. If you let your brethren go there, she could very well end up being killed."
At the revelation, Mika gasped softly before quickly reaching behind him and grabbing Aihara by the wrist, pulling her in front of him, so he can look her in the eye.
"Is that really true?" he demanded. "Just a minute ago, you were prepared to go to your grave without revealing Yuu-chan's whereabouts and now you're telling me exactly where to find her. Why? Why trust me now?"
"B… because what you called her, 'Yuu-chan.' And the fact that you know she's a girl. It made me assume that you two are close. If that is so, then you must get there first if you want to find her alive…"
Taking the hint, Mikaela quickly threw Aihara to the ground and regarded her coldly. "Just a moment ago, you ordered your subordinates to die, yet you chose to play dead to save your own neck," the blond began, making sure he was loud enough to be heard to be heard by Lacus and Rene. "As far as I'm concerned, that is already a betrayal of your comrades. But since they're already dead, it won't make any difference if you talk. Do that, and maybe I'll spare your life."
Aihara blinked in confusion for a moment but quickly caught on to Mika's unspoken plan.
"Fine!" she hissed while giving him a dirty look. "What do you want?"
"Where are the rest of the humans who attacked this place?" Mika demanded. "Talk now!"
To make their act look more convincing, he kicked Aihara in the side while trying his best not to hurt her too much.
Unfortunately, the blond's vampiric strength made this very difficult. Even when holding back with all his effort, Mika's attack was roughly equivalent to a strong human kicking their hardest and Aihara cried out in pain as she felt her ribs crack after being knocked a few feet away and landing on her back.
Walking up to his fallen victim, Mika placed a booted foot on her throat like he saw Krul do to Ferid all those years ago during their spat at the gates of Sanguinem.
"Tell me…" he pressed, while making sure the pressure from his foot was light enough for her to talk. "Or I'll crush your throat."
Taking a deep breath, Aihara answered as loudly as she could. "The Demon Army sent a platoon of fifty to attack the automobile museum! Their orders are to assassinate the noble Zane Lindau!"
Satisfied with his captive's lie, Mika turned to Lacus and Rene to see if they bought it. "Who is Zane Lindau?" he asked.
Lacus stared at him incredulously. "Wow, you really don't get out much when you're not on missions, do you, Mika? Lord Lindau is a seventeenth progenitor."
"This isn't good," Rene said while resting his chin in his hand as if in deep thought. "If the humans know the names and location of the nobility, then they are a bigger threat than I originally thought."
"So, what should we do?" Lacus inquired.
"We have no choice. We must go to where the human said because if it becomes known that we did not act on this information as soon as we found out, it won't bode well for us," the older vampire answered.
"Ok, I get it. Let's go," Lacus said with a roll of his eyes before turning to Mika who was looking down at the dark-haired human woman sprawled on the ground. Aihara said nothing, but the slight look of approval in Mika's eyes told her that their plan worked.
Bending over slightly, the blond's expression softened and he whispered "Thank you, you have my gratitude. Now play dead for real this time. It may very well be your last chance to escape."
Aihara looked at Mika sadly. "No.." she said. "I can never go back to the army now that I've ordered my subordinates to die. There's nothing left for me now, so just kill me and be done with it."
"Nothing?" Mika pressed. "Are you saying you don't have anyone waiting for you back home? Like your parents? Siblings? Friends? I have a hard time believing that."
"I can never face them if it ever becomes known what I've done."
"But at least you will live. Isn't that enough? Leave the army and start a new life somewhere else. Your superiors and their cause aren't as noble as you think. Don't throw away your life for nothing."
Aihara looked like she was about to say something else when they hard Lacus call out to Mika.
"Hey, Mika, are you coming? Take the human along! She might still have other useful info for us! If not, I can always use a new toy!" the purple-haired vampire snickered.
"A corpse can't tell you anything, Lacus; she's dead. I crushed her throat while you and Rene were chit-chatting over there." Mika said coldly as he stood up and faced his two companions.
Rene raised a brow. "Are you sure, Mikaela?" he asked while pointing over the blond's shoulder. "For a corpse, she still looks very much alive to me," he said.
Gritting his teeth, Mika looked over his shoulder and saw Aihara blow her last chance for him to spare her life by slowly scrambling to her feet while summoning her demon bow and taking aim at him.
"Bastards! I'd rather die than suffer the humiliation of being held captive by filth like you!" she screamed before firing her weapon. As Mikaela predicted, the human woman's aim was slightly off and her demonic arrow missed him. It wasn't hard for him to figure out what she was trying to do.
I am sorry, human. You leave me no choice… Mika thought sadly before releasing an energy wave from his sword directly at the woman who gave him hope of finding Yuichiro before his superiors did.
This time, there was no mistaking the fatal wound his attack inflicted on Aiko Aihara as she collapsed to the ground dead for good but not before her lips curved into a small smile of gratitude for granting her final wish.
"Aww, you killed her!" Lacus pouted. "For a human, that woman wasn't bad-looking! If you didn't want her, I would have been happy to take her off your hands, Mika!"
The blond looked at his companion in disgust. "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to play with your food, Lacus?" he sneered.
Lacus grinned. Even though he thought Mika was a goody two-shoes, he had to admit that the younger vampire was an endless source of entertainment for him when riled. "I don't know, maybe?" he answered. "If she did, I don't remember since it's been over eighty years since she died."
"Never mind that," Rene said with a roll of his eyes. "The fact that these humans are willing to die for their leaders and their cause is something we should be concerned about. If they really don't fear death, who knows what else they're capable of? In any case, we'd best head to the automobile museum to protect Lord Lindau. Are you coming, Mikalea?"
Mika shook his head. "No… You two go on ahead. I don't trust what that human said so I'll go check out city hall."
Rene looked at him curiously. "By yourself?"
"Yes. Will that be a problem?"
"I don't think that's wise. Take at least five of our soldiers with you. I don't want to be held responsible by the queen should you fail to return to Sanguinem for any reason."
Mika sighed but chose to take his companion's advice. He had hoped that by going to city hall alone, he would be able to find Yuichiro and take her away from her guardian without rousing suspicion among his fellow vampire guards. But if he refused Rene's recommendation, his intentions would come off as suspicious anyway.
"I understand, Rene," the blond said as he sheathed his sword and slowly walked away from Aihara's body but not before sparing her one final glance.
Were you trying to protect Yuu-chan? Mika thought curiously before his expression became cold again. No, you couldn't have been. You were just using her, just like that cursed man who commands your squads. There's no way any organization that orders its people to die could be on the side of justice.
When he realized what he had just thought, Mika found himself fighting the urge to laugh bitterly lest his companions suspect that he was up to something.
What am I talking about? Justice? Such a thing has no meaning in today's world. Not like it matters anyway. What matters is that I find Yuu-chan and take her as far away as I can.
Finding comfort in the hope of finally being reunited with his orphanage sister for good, Mika took out Yuichiro's pink handkerchief from his pocket, which had a mixture of her scent and Aihara's, and pressed to face while ignoring the dirt and blood on it.
Just hang in there, Yuu-chan! I'm finally coming for you!
Footnotes:
1. In canon, the OnS vampires have extremely diminished emotions and no sexual desires. For my AU, emotional intensity and sexual desires vary between individual vampires.
2. The personal history of Lacus Welt is currently not known in canon but his surname made me assume he is of German descent so I made up his history for my AU as a former Nazi officer in his human life.
3. In real life, pale skin and black/dark hair vaguely describes most Japanese as well as Chinese and Korean people but in anime, their hair, skin, and eye color can vary.
4. Neither Lacus nor Rene have an genuine concern or caring for Mika. In my AU, they only protect him with their lives because they know he is Krul's favorite as well as adopted son.