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 readers, ResidentialPsycho and Falchion1984, for their help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!

Chapter 25: Courage Under Fire

"What the hell was that?" Satoshi demanded as he turned in the direction of the loud shattering of a window, the aftereffects of the force behind it sending shards of glass flying everywhere as well as causing everyone's ears to ring.

When it finally dawned on them that they had not been discovered by vampires since there were none to be seen, Risa became the first to notice that something was amiss.

Or rather, someone.

"Hey, where's Yuichiro? I don't see her!"

Riku gasped, her eyes widened and darted around the room looking for the girl in question who was nowhere in sight. "You're right! She's gone!"

Shinoa clapped a hand over her mouth before she and the rest of her squad as well as Satoshi's and Shinya, rushed to the spot where the unconscious ravenette had been lying only moments before.

"Oh no! Don't tell me she…!"

"What?" Kimizuki asked. "Where did Yuu go?"

Yoichi gulped. "Um, I think I know…" he said, even though he left the answer unspoken.

Not like anyone needed to say it; they all knew Yuichiro had a one-track mind and right now, it was on her mentor. Even Takeshi, who was normally slow to catch on, knew it.

"Where else? She must have gone back for Guren!" Shinya answered grimly as he dropped to one knee and examined the now conspicuously empty expanse of Yoichi's cape before cursing himself for his carelessness in assuming that Yuichiro wouldn't wake up on her own and slip away while no one was looking.

"What are we going to do?" Mitsuba asked her superior.

"We have no choice: we must go back to Nagoya City Hall and find her before she gets herself killed!" Shinya answered. What he neglected to mention was that Guren would probably kill him for failing to keep Yuichiro out of danger. That was, if he didn't kill Shinya for kissing her first.

"Exactly what I was thinking, Nii-san!" *1* Shinoa agreed, relieved that her adoptive brother was of the same mind as herself.

"That girl…what the hell is she thinking?!" Satoshi cursed. "Didn't she hear the major general's orders back there?"

"I'm sure she did, but we don't have time to dwell on it now," Shinoa answered. "Let's find Yuu before it's too late!"

Satoshi sighed with frustration but he knew the other squad leader was right. "I understand" he said before turning to Shinya. "Lead the way, sir!"

Shinya nodded. Against his better judgement, he gave the junior squads his permission and approval to go after Yuichiro in hopes that they would find her before she put herself, the mission, and everyone present at risk just for Guren's sake. Were she anyone else, Shinya might have abandoned Yuu to her fate for disobeying direct orders but since he had made Guren a promise to protect her, he decided to make an exception.

"All right, everyone. Follow me!"

SSSSSS

"Hey, human! Wakey, wakey!" Chess Belle demanded impatiently as she jerked on Guren's hair to wake him from his previously unconscious state.

The lieutenant colonel groaned as the pain in his scalp forced him awake. Upon opening his eyes, he saw the same purple-haired vampire girl who was eyeballing him before he lost consciousness from the pain of his injuries in the hallway where he was separated from Shinya, Yuichiro, and the other squads under his command earlier. Without moving, which was almost impossible anyway because he was tied up, Guren made a cursory scan of the room where he had been moved. Judging from the unfamiliar surroundings, the lieutenant colonel assumed he must have been moved to a new location while he was unconscious.

"Alright, I'm awake!" Guren growled, glaring at Chess. "What do you want?"

"Lord Crowley wants to know how you and those other humans got those super-strong weapons!" she demanded childishly.

"Oh, I don't know, little girl!" Guren shot back with a grin despite his painful injuries. "Maybe some fairy gave them to us!" he joked, knowing very well he was playing with fire by giving a snarky answer to the female noble before him. As cute and delicate as Chess may appear, he knew she was just as deadly as any of her vampire brethren.

The vampire girl returned his glare while tightening her grip on Guren's hair. If she had wanted to, Chess could have easily ripped it from his scalp and was tempted to do just that. She may have tolerated being treated like a child from Crowley and Horn but refused to tolerate it from a mere human.

"Don't call me a little girl!" Chess hissed. "I'm actually old enough to be your great-grandmother!"

Before Guren could make any wisecracks about Chess's vampirism stunting her mental growth as well as physical, they both heard Crowley cut in. *2*

"That's enough, Chess. Lord Ferid wants that human alive and well enough to talk, so try to handle him with care, ok?"

Horn crossed her arms and sighed. "That's right, dear. Do we need to remind you that he's an important hostage we can't afford to lose, at least not yet?"

"Tsk, fine!" the younger vampire scoffed. If there was one thing she hated more than being reprimanded by Horn was being reprimanded by her and Crowley at the same time. "I'll try to be gentler," Chess sneered before releasing Guren's hair and bringing her foot down on his head in a less-than gentle gesture of dominance to remind the human of his place while holding back just enough not to crush his skull.

Not that Guren himself appreciated the effort since Chess's foot pressed down on his head nearly as hard as if she'd dropped a bowling ball on it. As crazy as it sounded, Guren actually hoped to be rendered unconscious again so that he wouldn't have to endure this humiliating treatment any longer; physical pain he could tolerate but not degradation, at least not since he became commander of the MDC.

Taking Guren's silence as a sign of submission, Chess was about to question him again when everyone in the room heard the sudden sound of glass shattering and turned to see a familiar raven-haired young girl jump through the window and land right in the middle of the room.

Upon seeing Yuichiro's dramatic entrance, Horn raised a brow. "Wow, it looks like you were right about this girl, Chess! She came running back sooner than I thought! Humans really are that foolhardy when they're fixated on someone!"

Ignoring Horn's condescending remark, Yuichiro took a stance and leveled her katana at the maroon-haired vampire lord who was holding her guardian and mentor hostage.

"I have no time to waste, so I'll get straight to the point: I challenge you, Crowley Eusford, to a duel. If I win, I want you to return Guren to me alive and in one piece."

Crowley flashed a grin at Yuichiro's audacious challenge, his interest clearly piqued, before returning one of his own.

"And if I win?"

Yuichiro took a deep breath. Knowing that there was only one thing she had that Crowley could possibly want, she offered it.

"Then I will surrender myself to you."

Were he any other noble, Crowley would have found Yuichiro's challenge laughable at best like Ferid, or insulting at worst like Lucal Wesker since he knew there was absolutely nothing to stop him from simply taking her by force if he so chose. But Crowley also admired the human girl's courage in the face of impossible odds, a quality that was too often lacking among humans and vampires alike. And though it was not something he would normally do, the vampire lord decided to oblige her.

Smiling, Crowley made a gesture for Horn to step back and for Chess to remain where she was with Guren before turning back to Yuichiro.

"Ferid was right about you, Miss Hyakuya. You are very spirited; I like that! Alright then, I accept your challenge. If you can defeat me in single combat, you have my word that I'll return your commander hale and whole. However, if I am the victor, you shall surrender yourself to me unconditionally. And I'll be wanting a taste of your blood too. Even now, the scent of it intoxicates me!" he said while making a gesture with his finger to a bleeding cut on Yuichiro's cheek caused by a stray glass shard when she jumped through the window earlier.

Yuichiro gritted her teeth as she took a fighting stance. She knew that Crowley would no doubt hand her over to Ferid after sampling her blood if she lost, but, if it was a risk she had to take to save Guren, then so be it.

"Deal."

Guren's jaw dropped at the nightmarish scenario unfolding before him. "Yuichiro, no!" he cried, his eyes and mouth agape. "You don't know what you're doing!"

Were it not for the sting of the tightly wound ropes cutting into his wrists, the lieutenant colonel would think this was all just a bad dream; Yuichiro had never even managed to best him in combat, and now she was thinking of challenging an ancient vampire lord who had twenty times her strength and centuries worth of sword-fighting experience? Guren swore that if he and Yuichiro ever got out of this predicament alive, he would kill Shinya for failing to keep his promise to prevent her from doing something this stupid.

But since his best friend was not here to stop her, Guren tried to talk Yuichiro out of dueling with Crowley for his freedom and escape.

"Yuu! Listen to me! You don't stand a chance against that noble so get out of here while you still can! That is an order!"

"Quiet!" Chess snapped as she grabbed Guren's hair again and roughly jerked his head back to silence him.

Trying her best to keep her eyes on her new opponent since she knew she could not afford to let her attention waver, Yuichiro nodded. Taking the hint, Crowley took his own fighting stance, holding his heavy broadsword with one hand while making a beckoning gesture to Yuichiro with the other. Over the centuries, the vampire lord had picked up casual human slang and lingo from around the world but every now and then, he tended to lapse back into the speech patterns that were commonplace for the knights of medieval Europe. *3*

"Come, my lady! Let us dance!" Crowley invited with a wolfish grin that highlighted the handsome features even his opponent had to appreciate.

Yuichiro wasted no time and made a sudden dash for the vampire lord with her sword drawn and her green eyes blazing, a move that almost took Crowley by surprise; he knew the human girl was impulsive but he didn't think she'd be foolish enough to try and take him head on. Disappointed, Crowley surmised that this would be a quick and boring duel after all and charged towards Yuichiro himself, intent on delivering a few quick, precise cuts that would subdue but not kill her. The girl might have been brazen, but she was fiery and he admired that; with any luck, Ferid might give Yuichiro to him once he got whatever he needed or wanted from her.

Like she had done in her duel with Guren at Ebina, Yuichiro dodged the attack using, surprisingly, a very basic evasive maneuver her mentor had taught her. Using her left tiptoe as a pivot to rotate her body, she dodged Crowley's blade in the very last second and circled him, taking a little bit of distance before turning around and attacked again, this time with a horizontal slash. Thinking quickly, Yuu parried with a vertical block although she needed to use both hands to be able to deflect Crowley's large and heavy broadsword which he easily wielded with one hand as though it was as light as a wooden bokken.

Catching onto Yuichiro's trick, which he had a hard time believing he actually fell for, the vampire lord went on the offensive, pressing the human girl nonstop while noticing that she only dodged or parried the attacks without countering at all. Despite everything, Crowley had to admit that Yuichiro's techniques were quite effective, especially with a demon to enhance her speed to keep up with his own. And not just that, Yuichiro also moved with grace and elegance, her movements fluid and precise. She didn't drop her guard for a single second, making Crowley reconsider his first impression of her being foolish and reckless in combat.

"My, this is turning out to be more interesting than I expected," Crowley said with a hint of amusement.

"Well, I thought you like being entertained, my lord," Yuichiro shot back with a smirk as though she was sparring with Guren.

"And I do, Miss Hyakuya," he admitted. "But if I didn't know better, I'd say you were only testing me. I must warn you that even though I'm fond of games, I am not your mentor or one of your peers; if you don't come at me with everything you've got, you'll never have a chance at victory."

"If that's how you want it," Yuichiro replied, taking her stance again.

With that said, combat resumed with the clashing of their swords becoming more intense. Both Horn and Chess as well as Guren noticed that Yuichiro was no longer on the defensive as much as in the beginning. Now she was taking advantage of the openings Crowley unwittingly provided to counterattack occasionally, causing their small audience to gape in amazement; it didn't seem like the ravenette was fighting, but rather performing a dance around her vampiric opponent, something Crowley wasn't exactly used to but did enjoy watching.

"Well, I'll be damned," the vampire lord said in a tone that sounded almost like awe. "It looks like I may have to start taking you seriously after all!"

Although she tried her best not to show it, Yuichiro found herself irked by Crowley's latest burn, which was almost as bad as the one he made about her not being his type in front of Guren, Shinya, and her squad mates.

"Are you saying these last few moments you weren't, Lord Crowley?"

Her opponent grinned. "I could ask the same of you, Miss Hyakuya. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, though. I did invite you to dance, after all. But as much as I'd love to stay here and play with you all day, it's time to get serious."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Yuichiro replied, knowing well that she didn't have all day but less than three minutes before the effects of the curse stimulant pills started to wear off. *4*

In that short span of time, the ravenette knew she would either have to kill Crowley or weaken him enough to admit defeat and release Guren. While both paths would undoubtedly be insanely difficult, the latter seemed more feasible, if only slightly.

Said and done, there was no time to play anymore. Crowley slowly started increasing the strength of his attacks. Due to this, Yuichiro started dodging while striking whenever she had an opening. With the difference in the size and strength of their weapons, Yuu had the feeling that Crowley was trying to break her defense and her katana along with it.

Such an assumption wasn't far off and Yuichiro started to worry a little; she didn't want Asuramaru, the prized demon sword that she risked her life for, to get broken in this duel nor could she allow Crowley to realize that if she could help it. The vampire lord shortened the distance between them and tried to break through her guard, while she countered by parrying the strikes as much as she could. When she slipped up a bit, he managed to force her into a vulnerable position and was about to deliver a powerful two-handed strike. Out of instinct, Yuichiro placed her katana on a diagonal guard, and focused.

Crowley raised a brow but did not halt his attack, believing that no matter what trick the human girl had up her sleeve, it would not be able to withstand the force behind his intended blow. Crowley even half-expected Yuichiro to evade his attack but what he got instead took him totally off-guard. Not only did Yuu stand her ground, but as soon as Crowley's blade made contact with her own, a brilliant flash of green light stung his eyes before a powerful force struck him in the chest, shoving him backwards and stunning him for a moment. And he could swear that, right before that instant, he saw that the blade of Yuichiro's katana was radiating a greenish-gold glow, manifesting the outline of a shield.

As a noble, his superior strength and stamina enabled Crowley to remain on his feet while a human, or even a common vampire, would have likely ended up sprawled on the floor from such a counter-attack but his eyes were still in a state of discomfort. As dismayed as he was that Yuichiro had managed to catch him off guard, Crowley still had to admit that the girl had indeed done her homework since she had taken advantage of the fact that vampires, especially nobles, had hyper-sensitive hearing, smell, touch, and of course, eyesight which could also be a double-edged sword in situations such as this.

"Well, that was rather unexpected and dirty of you, my lady," he said with a touch of humor. "Still, I must admit that I admire your resourcefulness."

Yuichiro smirked. "That sure sounds funny coming from someone like you, Lord Crowley. I've yet to meet a vampire who doesn't mind fighting dirty to win a duel."

Crowley frowned and gave Yuu a look as if her words offended him. "Someone like me?" he asked. "Please don't compare me to the likes of Ferid or the lower vampires, Miss Hyakuya; there is still chivalry in me yet and I expected the same of you. Or are you saying anything goes to win?"

"What do you think?" she shot back. "Did you think I'd expect you to play nice and fight me with a hand behind your back? Such a gesture would have been insulting to me as a warrior."

"Well, I'm glad you said so because I actually did consider offering just that to be fair," Crowley teased. And if Yuichiro didn't know better, she'd swore the vampire lord was flirting with her.

"And why would you do that?" Yuu demanded. "You'd never offer Guren such a thing. Is it because he's a man and I'm not? I'd advise you not to take me lightly just because I happen to have a pair of boobs, Crowley Eusford," Yuichiro sneered. Judging by his light-hearted demeanor, the ravenette assumed that her vampire opponent underestimated her more for being female than human.

"I wouldn't dream of it, my lady. In fact, I'm honored that you would save your best moves just for me and I'd love to see what else you can do!"

Yuichiro once again took a defensive stance and looked as though she was waiting for Crowley to make the first move. The vampire lord was familiar with black demon users; he knew they relied on magical attacks and underhanded tricks to compensate for their inferior physical strength compared to vampires and surmised that the maneuver Yuichiro used on him earlier turned the force of his own attack back against him, but only after doubling its strength.

And Crowley was damned if he was going to let himself fall for the same trick twice by rushing in to attack her right away. With his strength, which could be turned back against him with devastating effect, the counterattack would undoubtedly be brutal and for the first time in his life, Crowley found himself unsure as to what to do next. Centuries of sword fighting experience had taught him that knowing his opponent was half the battle and truthfully, he had expected Yuichiro's combat style to be very similar, if not identical to her mentor's. But after what he had just seen the human girl do, it didn't take Crowley long to realize that this wasn't the only trick she had up her sleeve.

"I'm waiting, Lord Crowley," Yuichiro said with a hint of impatience when she noticed that he had not made a move.

Not wanting the ravenette to catch wind of his uncertainty, Crowley decided it was best to let her come to him. Normally, he had no qualms about slaying his opponents in battle but Crowley also knew that Ferid wanted Yuichiro alive. And that fact made this duel a bit more complex than others he had fought before. Crowley had no doubt that he could defeat Yuichiro without too much trouble if he fought her without holding back but doing so would likely end up killing the girl or rendering her incapacitated and useless for whatever purpose Ferid had in mind for her.

"Ahem. It's rude to keep a lady waiting, my lord," Yuichiro spoke up again, snapping Crowley out of his thoughts.

Smiling at her, the vampire lord made a gesture with his free arm. "Ladies first!"

"With pleasure!" the girl replied with a grin before running towards him again, ready to deliver a direct thrust to his heart. Although she found Crowley's combination of arrogance and smug confidence just as infuriating as Guren's, Yuichiro had to admit that he did know how to be a gentleman, even with someone who was supposed to be his enemy. *5*

A vampire with honor…who'd have thought? The ravenette mused as her katana's blade became engulfed in a greenish-black energy while she ran the distance to her opponent. I almost regret having to fight a creature so rare…

Out of instinct, Crowley stepped to the side, surmising that Yuichiro was moving too fast to be able to stop herself. His plan was simple: side-step the human girl's attack and strike her down with the flat of his blade or rendering her unconscious with a blow to the head once her back was exposed to him, ending the duel once and for all.

Yuichiro grinned, her expression a tell-tell sign that she knew exactly what was on Crowley's mind and, with a precision and timing that astonished even him as well as their small audience, including Guren, she managed to stop when she was just within two or so yards away from the vampire lord.

WHOOOSH!

Keeping her distance, Yuichiro finally delivered the thrust. And while her blade didn't quite reach Crowley, the magical energy generated a tornado that would've sent most opponents flying. Most, but not Crowley. He was lucky enough to get a foothold by placing one foot behind him and use it to brace himself against the impact, otherwise he could have been thrown backwards. But in that time, the ravenette managed to get to him and started assaulting him with multiple lightning-speed attacks. With his vampiric speed and reflexes, Crowley managed to block them without too much difficulty though he could not help but feel that that they suddenly were growing faster by the minute.

Still, even over the din, the vampire lord expressed his thoughts on his human adversary's fighting style. She might not quite have the same raw power in her attacks as Guren but her creativity and ability to improvise made up for that.

"I'm very impressed, Miss Hyakuya! You have disproven my earlier assumption that you wouldn't last five seconds against me and for that, I commend you. Why don't you show me what else you can do?"

Without waiting for Yuichiro to answer, Crowley wasted no time starting his own lightning offensive, trying to keep a relatively short distance from the girl in case she had another special attack planned. But whenever he tried to circle her to get at her blind spot, she also changed positions, keeping always in parallel with him. On one occasion, the vampire lord looked at the Yuichiro's feet to analyze her movements and could almost swear he recognized the steps of a waltz.

"A literal sword-dancer, aren't we, my lady? Now where did you learn to do that?" Crowley asked sweetly, though he didn't actually expect Yuichiro to give him an answer.

Not that she needed to. Crowley easily surmised that dancing must be another one of Yuu's hidden talents and his guess wasn't far off; as a child, she had developed a fondness for dancing as well as singing. And Yuichiro was lucky that Shinya knew a few moves and enjoyed waltzing enough to practice with her after giving her sniping lessons in addition to the joyrides they had on his motorcycle without Guren's knowledge or consent.

Crowley's suspicions were confirmed when he lunged at Yuichiro again. The ravenette whirled out of his path in a graceful pirouette, almost as if putting on a show for him. Despite the seriousness of their duel, she maintained an air of grace and elegance in her movements, something even Guren wasn't able to do.

"How many more of those cute tricks do you have, Miss Hyakuya?" the vampire lord pressed with genuine curiosity.

"Cute? Now who's testing who?" Yuu shot back in annoyance as she once again unleashed her tornado thrust which Crowley saw coming and was better prepared for this time. After raising his sword and digging in his heels to block the powerful air current, he forced his way through the gale to try and attack her again

Once she realized his intent Yuichiro once again raised the barrier that would turn Crowley's own attack back against him and unleash it at double its power. But the vampire lord was not one to fall for the same trick twice and spun around to deliver a stinging blow with the flat of his blade, not against her front but her side.

Upon his earlier observation of Yuu, Crowley assumed that in order to save her energy, which her demon undoubtedly sapped from her to keep up with his vampiric speed, Yuichiro had channeled more power to the front of her demonic shield and less to her sides, leaving them more vulnerable.

Acting on his hunch, Crowley soon discovered he was right when his sword found its mark and Yuichiro cried out in pain as her opponent's weapon broke through her barrier, knocking her to the ground.

Knowing that she couldn't afford to stay down for even a second, Yuichiro ignored the pain in her right side and quickly got back on her feet again, her eyes never leaving Crowley's.

"I see…" the vampire lord said calmly as his gaze fell on Yuichiro who once again faced him and took a defensive stance. "These powers and clever tricks of yours… they demand a lot from your body, don't they? And if I'm not mistaken, they have a time limit too, right?"

Yuichiro gritted her teeth, refusing to answer. Although dismayed that Crowley had figured out the limitations of her strength and powers sooner than she had hoped, the ravenette couldn't say she was surprised that he did; there was no way Crowley hadn't noticed when he observed Guren and Shinya as they attempted to flee from him in the hallway earlier.

"You done talking?" Yuichiro demanded, side-stepping his question.

Crowley smirked. Despite refusing to answer his inquiry, her impatient tone told him all he needed to know; he could see it on Yuichiro's face that she knew as well as he did that time was not on her side while he on the other hand, could keep going almost indefinitely if need be.

Instead of answering, the vampire lord suddenly launched himself forward with the speed and force of a cannonball.

"Urgh!"

Yuichiro was unable to breathe as she raised Asuramaru just in time to intercept the calamity that was Crowley Eusford, her lungs crushed from the tension of her magically enhanced endurance as they struggled to withstand the almighty force of his single yet terrifyingly strong attack. Already she lost her footing and skidded across the ground while their blades remained interlocked, the vampire lord continuing to push her back with his overwhelming strength.

Shit! Yuu inwardly cursed while gritting her teeth. No matter what, she could not let herself show weakness in front of her adversary. Yuichiro knew Crowley would not kill her, at least not deliberately, since Ferid wanted her alive. But that didn't mean accidents couldn't happen and she had to take every precaution to see that one didn't. Especially since an accident was more likely to result in her death rather than Crowley's.

However, judging from the measured glint in the vampire lord's ruby eyes, it would seem that he had aimed to force Yuu's surrender by breaking Asuramaru with his attack just now, an attack she had resisted by instinctively predicting his movements. So, now she would be able to steal the initiative back from him. Crowley pulled back his sword and readied himself for another quick strike to her more vulnerable left side, but Yuichiro likewise used this chance to quickly disengage and sidestep swiftly to the right before jumping back a few yards when she heard her demon calling out to her within the recesses of her mind.

You've done incredibly well so far considering who you're up against, Yuu. But you won't be able to keep this up forever. You can feel it, can you? The pills are wearing off which will make it more and more difficult for you to keep up with him.

Yuichiro knew her demon was trying to bait her into asking for his power but she also knew that Asuramaru was right. The time limit for the curse stimulant pills was nearly up and her fight with Crowley was still far from over. Yuichiro had known from the start that her adversary was not fighting at his full power in order to avoid killing her (and possibly to enjoy the duel more by extending it), which was one edge she had over him. Seeing that the vampire lord had not broken a sweat since their fight began, her original idea of subduing him was now likely impossible. The only option Yuichiro had left was what Crowley had tried on her earlier: to break his sword.

I hate to admit it, but you're right, Asuramaru… the ravenette thought. Lend me your power- but only enough to keep up with Crowley.

As you wish…

No sooner had Yuichiro made her request, she felt the skin on her neck tighten where the purple demonic runes started to appear, slowly making their way past the collar of her uniform and up her throat.

With her renewed strength, Yuichiro charged towards her opponent again with Asuramaru raised over her head. Considering the height difference between them, the ravenette had to make a jump before attempting to bring her weapon crashing down on Crowley's head.

And as she had expected, the vampire lord easily saw it coming and raised his own sword in a horizontal position above his head to block her attack. Though his arm did not even budge and they both knew it wouldn't, Yuichiro continued to press down as hard as she could. In the short time that he knew the human girl, Crowley had to admit that she was intelligent enough to realize the she wouldn't be able to take him down with brute force alone.

"I see… trying to break my weapon, Miss Hyakuya?" he teased. "You do realize I can still fight you unarmed, don't you?"

With a burst of strength, the vampire lord forced Yuichiro back, the latter performing a backflip before landing gracefully on her booted feet like a cat. Crowley may have been right but what he didn't know was that Yuichiro was also capable of unarmed combat as well, thanks to her tutelage by Mito in various styles of martial arts, though she would prefer to fight with her weapon whenever possible.

Taking a defensive stance again, Yuichiro gave Crowley one of those smug smartass looks she used to give Guren whenever she managed to make him look the fool by using his own tricks against him, even if she had never been able to claim an outright victory over her mentor in actual combat.

"I know you can, my lord. But I also know you won't. This is a sword duel and as a knight, you would have to admit defeat if you lost your weapon regardless of whether or not you can still fight without it, am I right?"

Crowley raised a brow at Yuu's inquiry. Though he had given her only the smallest hints of his origins, Yuichiro was able to figure out quite a bit more from observing his mannerisms and fighting style.

"You're right about that. But if you want to make that a condition for victory than I must hold you to the same rule as well, my lady" he replied before suddenly swinging his sword to strike Yuichiro's right arm with the flat of the blade in an attempt to stun her into dropping Asuramaru.

And It would have worked if Yuichiro had not seen it coming and quickly switched her katana from one hand to the other. As Crowley had guessed, the human girl wasn't as skilled with her left hand as with her right, but it helped her stay in the game as their duel continued until she was able to switch back. Only once had she used the barrier spell to repel her attacker but the effect was not as strong as before. By this point, their duel had become one of stamina as well as strategic combat to see who could outlast or disarm the other first. And unfortunately, the vampire lord had yet to show any sign of being drained despite Yuichiro's best efforts.

As expected, Asuramaru sensed his mistress's frustration and played on it. Well, what did you expect, Yuu? He is a vampire and a noble after all. You can't outlast him with endurance; you need to end the duel as quickly as possible, do you understand?

The ravenette gritted her teeth. Not only was she fighting an insanely powerful vampire lord like Crowley in the real world, but she was also struggling with Asuramaru for control of her mind and body as well. And while she may be able to subdue one, Yuichiro could not conquer them both at the same time. Guren had once taught her that part of being an efficient soldier was having the ability to make hard decisions and quickly. With this in mind, the ravenette opted for the lesser of the two evils.

I need more power, Asuramaru. Give me however much it takes to win this duel!

In her mind's eye, the ravenette saw her demon contractor smile triumphantly at the one-hundred and eighty degree turn she made in her decision to stop restricting her use of his powers.

As you wish, Yuichiro Hyakuya. With this command, your body will be mine…

Now it was Yuichiro's turn to smile. But not if I lose to Crowley; you know that, don't you? If he or Ferid kills me or turns me into a vampire, then you will be purged from my mind and body…

Asuramaru scowled and Yuu had to admit that the look on his boyish face at her correct assumption was priceless.

Well, we can't let that happen, can we? The demon boy said coolly as his hold on her became vastly stronger and Yuichiro felt the demonic runes spread further on her body. Earlier, they were visible only on her neck and throat but now they were slowly spreading to her face and down her hands as well as her legs.

Guren, Horn, and Chess, who had been watching the duel between Crowley and Yuichiro in silence the whole time, gasped at the girl's changing appearance. While the two vampire women were at a loss as to what was going on her, Guren immediately recognized the signs of progressing demonic possession; he knew Yuichiro was tapping into more of her demon's power to compensate for the waning effects of the curse stimulant pills. And at the rate Asuramaru's control over his mistress was growing, it would not be long before she would be completely possessed by him. *6*

"That's enough, Yuu!" Guren shouted at the top of his lungs, hoping that his voice could still reach Yuichiro since that was pretty much all he had left to deter his ward from persisting in fighting a duel she could not win alone, even with Asuramaru's power. His own battle with Crowley as well as protecting Shinya earlier had sapped his strength too much for him to help her physically. That, and the fact that he was tied up while being held down by Horn and Chess made it virtually impossible for Guren to come to his ward's aid. "That noble is leagues above any vampire you've ever fought before so get out of here while you still can!"

Without taking her eyes off her opponent, Yuichiro made a scathing retort to her mentor, furious as well as wounded that he had shown no appreciation for her efforts to save his life.

"You disappoint me, sir!" she shouted angrily. "Even after all this time, you still underestimate me and my abilities! Do you want me to run so badly because it would embarrass you to be saved by a girl?!"

At Yuichiro's brazen accusation, Guren found himself groaning in frustration. Why did his ward have to take everything he said the wrong way? Why couldn't she understand that that he was telling her to escape because he wanted her to live, not because he was ashamed of her for being a girl and trying to save him?

"You little fool!" he growled. "You can't save me! No one can! Now will you please listen to me for once in your life and get the hell out of here before it's too late?!"

If Guren thought his ward was angry before, he hadn't seen anything yet and nearly choked when he saw two demon horns burst from Yuichiro's temples as well as her face twisting into the same menacing expression she wore when she attempted to bite Shinya. If anything, his words had only served to enrage Yuichiro further, speeding her demonic transformation.

"Shut up!" the ravenette howled as she moved to attack Crowley again, intent on taking her anger towards her mentor out on the vampire lord. "You were always such a fucking hypocrite! How dare you tell me to run, to live, while giving up on yourself so easily!? You've got no right!"

As used to emotional outbursts from younger soldiers as Guren was, even he was taken aback by Yuichiro's rage and cutting remark that they both knew wasn't far from the truth. Yes, he was a hypocrite at times, but the younger girl was wrong about Guren being willing to give up on himself as easily as he was making it look to their enemies and to Yuu herself.

Even so, the lieutenant colonel knew he had to choose his next words carefully while he watched Yuichiro continue to duel with Crowley. Judging from her movements, which were still executed with careful planning and strategy, Guren was somewhat relieved that his ward had not lost herself to her rage and demon, at least not yet, and that she still had at least some degree of control over herself.

Hanging onto the hope that Yuichiro could still be reasoned with, Guren made one more attempt to reach out to her.

"Yuu, listen to me!", he pleaded. "Don't use any more power or the demon will take over! It would be pointless for you to save me if you get possessed! Where is the logic in that?!"

Before Yuichiro could reply, Crowley finally cut in. "I think you'd better worry more about yourself than Miss Hyakuya, human," he said sharply. "She's as good as mine now and, as much fun as this duel has been, it's time for me to claim my prize."

Taking advantage of Yuichiro's hesitance at her mentor's words, the vampire lord suddenly made a grab for her right hand with his left and lifted her off the ground. Having been caught completely off guard, the ravenette found herself dangling helplessly by the wrist of her right hand. Which also happens to be the one holding Asuramaru. Even though she still had her weapon, Yuichiro knew there was no way should could fight back against Crowley with it in such a position.

"Hey, put me down, you bastard!" she yelled.

Crowley grinned in amusement at watching the human girl struggle in his grasp like a fish on a hook. "I'm sorry, my dear. You fight well, I'll give you that. But as much as I enjoyed our little sword dance, I'm now parched, and your blood calls to me."

Panicking at the vampire lord's intent to drink her blood, Yuichiro was about to kick Crowley in the chest in a desperate attempt to make him release her when both of them as well as everyone else in the room heard the loud crash of the doors being kicked down. Looking over Yuichiro's shoulder, Crowley saw a familiar blue-haired youth dashing towards him with his gold-toned katana drawn.

"Not a chance, bloodsucker. Now let her go!" Satoshi Hiwatari commanded.

Crowley said nothing but merely shifted his arm holding Yuichiro to the side so that he could deflect and counter Satoshi's attack. Even with only one free hand, it was still enough for the vampire lord to fend off the blue-haired human boy.

"Don't tell me you too, came here alone like Miss Hyakuya to rescue your commander? A very foolish move, human," he said in a condescending tone, his manner directly opposite of the formal politeness he had shown Yuichiro earlier when she challenged him for Guren's release.

Satoshi grinned. "I am not so foolhardy as Yuichiro, Crowley Eusford," he replied, ignoring the dirty look the vampire lord's captive was giving him for his snide remark.

Seeing no other humans with Satoshi, Crowley was about to ask the blue-haired boy what he meant even as he drew back his sword to strike again when he suddenly heard footsteps and felt a slight draft graze his side as if someone was running past and behind him. Realizing that a second human was indeed present, the vampire lord was about to turn around when he suddenly felt something akin to a whip coiling around the wrist of his sword hand and yanking it back.

"Well, what have we here? A human with invisibility magic?" Crowley asked in amusement as he used his strength to swing his sword arm forward, sending the invisible wielder of the whip flying towards the wall behind Satoshi.

Shit, he saw through us, Dark! Daisuke said silently to his demon as he quickly twisted in the air so that he hit the wall with his feet and backflipped before landing on the ground, although not as smoothly and gracefully as Yuichiro had earlier.

In his mind's eye, the red-haired boy saw his demon roll his eyes. One of the phantom thief's powers that he bestowed upon his master was a cloaking spell of invisibility, but it was useless if Daisuke didn't make enough effort to keep the sounds of his movements minimal as well.

Well, who's fault do you think that is, Dai? the demon asked in annoyance. Did you have to run that close to Crowley's side?

Now that Crowley was aware of Daisuke's presence, there was no point in maintaining his invisibility so Dark removed the cloaking spell on his master to conserve his energy. The vampire lord's sudden counter-attack on Daisuke had disarmed him since his whip was still coiled tightly around Crowley's wrist but Daisuke quickly invoked the summoning magic to make the weapon reappear in his hand.

Once he was armed again, Daisuke wasted no time rushing to Satoshi's aid in confronting Crowley. Now that he had to fend off two humans instead of one, the vampire lord was forced to release Yuichiro and tossed her to the side, not realizing that was what the two boys were counting on all along.

"Now, Kimizuki!" Satoshi shouted without turning around.

"Roger!", answered the pink-haired boy, who had quietly managed to slip into the room without being noticed by Guren, Horn and Chess due to them being distracted by Satoshi and Daisuke's attack on Crowley. Calling out to his demon contractor, Kimizuki raised one of his twin swords to the ceiling and gave his command. "Go, Kiseki-O! Open the Devil's Coffin on the count of nine!" *7*

The demon's response was instant and to the amazement of everyone in the room, an unearthly levitating coffin of obsidian wood suspended in mid-air by a glowing purple aura, appeared above Kimizuki. On the pink-haired boy's command, the black coffin opened slightly to reveal a pair of shining purple eyes that eerily begins the countdown.

"One…two…three…four..."

Slowing down his attacks on Satoshi and Daisuke slightly while still fending them off, Crowley looked up at the strange coffin that did not appear to be of this world.

"Hey, what is that thing?" he asked curiously. "Is this another one of your toys, human?"

Alarmed and thinking that the coffin must be some kind of attack on her lord, Horn called out to Crowley, reaching towards him with an outstretched hand.

"My lord, be careful! It must be another one of those humans' demonic attacks!"

"Five…six…seven…"

Without thinking, Chess released her hold on Guren's shoulder and snatched her rapier from her sheath. Seeing that the pink-haired boy was the one who summoned the demonic coffin, Chess figured that cutting him down was the best way to prevent whatever attack the ominous sight portended, and made a dash towards Kimizuki. Horn followed suit after she caught onto her friend's drift.

Kimizuki did not waver upon seeing Crowley's two retainers charge towards him with their weapons drawn and intent to kill, which confused the two vampire women for a moment. That was, until they spotted two brunette human girls, who appeared to be sisters, make their way into the room through the opened doors behind Kimizuki and ran past him to counter their attacks.

"Kitana, uplift!" Risa cried, using both of her war fans and calling upon her demon's power to emit invisible air waves to make Horn levitate helplessly in the air, halting her advance and leaving her only able to flail her whip before the brunette girl make a swiping gesture with one fan, which sent the blonde vampire woman slamming into the wall behind her.

"Mileena, sai blast!" Riku commanded, using her own demon's power to force Chess back by repeatedly firing purple energy from her sai, the blasts striking the vampire girl in the chest and keeping her away from Kimizuki as well as Riku herself.

Although none of Satoshi's squad's attacks were enough to take down Crowley, Horn, or Chess, it was enough to buy Kimizuki and Kiseki-O time to fulfill their intended purpose.

"Eight…nine…"

Once Kiseki-O reached the final count, the coffin opened and a giant, grotesque worm-like creature appeared out of it. Catching on to the pink-haired boy's plan, Guren shouted to catch his attention.

"Kimizuki! Yuichiro's lost control of herself! Get her out of here ASAP!"

The pink-haired boy nodded in acknowledgement to his commander's wish and order. "Understood sir!"

Yuichiro, who was still weakened and in a state of shock from being tossed by Crowley was about to protest. But Kimizuki did not give her a chance before he quickly rushed over, grabbed her, and tossed her into the gaping mouth of the creature inside his demonic coffin.

Once Yuichiro was secured and Risa was sure it was safe enough to do so, she turned to Guren and called out to her commander.

"Sir! We've come to rescue you and Yuichiro! Just give us a minute!"

Guren shook his head. "No, Risa! You can't waste any more time here!" Turning to Satoshi, he said, "This is my final order to you kids! Get out of here alive and complete your mission, all of you! Now go! And make sure you relay this to Shinoa!"

Like Yuichiro and the others, Satoshi wasn't keen on leaving Guren behind and at the mercy of his vampire captors, but he also knew his commander's orders were absolute and must be obeyed.

"Yes, sir!" he cried before giving the order for his own subordinates to retreat. "Daisuke! Risa! Riku! Let's go!"

Although not a member of Satoshi's squad himself, Kimizuki did not need to be told to retreat and willingly obeyed Satoshi as he would Shinoa.

"Everyone, get close to me!" the pink-haired boy ordered. And as soon as he was sure his allies in Satoshi's squad was close enough, Kimizuki quickly made a gesture with his hand for the coffin holding Yuichiro to fall in front of him before getting on one knee and striking the ground with his palm, resulting in a wave of orange-black energy that cut a hole around them through the floor, enabling the crew to fall to the story below and safely away from the three deadly vampire nobles.

Crowley, Horn, and Chess were about to pursue their fleeing human attackers when they suddenly saw the apparitions of Mitsuba, Yoichi, and Takeshi with their demon specters Tenjiryū, Gekkōin, and Kurashina Menou respectively appearing in the carved circular hole left in the floor, blocking any immediate chance of pursuit.

Crowley frowned and sighed in annoyance at the loss of his prize, Yuichiro, through the meddling of her infernal squad mates. "Man, I can't believe all this trouble for one human girl!" he remarked with a hint of exasperation in his tone, something that was quite rare for him to express until the day he met an enigma named Yuichiro Hyakuya. *8*

"So, what do we do now, Lord Crowley?" Horn asked as she stood up and dusted her dress off.

"Should we pursue them?" Chess added, following Horn's gesture.

Crowley shook his head. "No. Let them go. Like I've said before, we've already got the one we really need and don't have time to chase the girl. Right now, we must head to Nagoya Airport to meet up with Ferid."

"Understood, my lord."

SSSSSS

Moments after their escape, the small crew arrived at the lower floor and met up with Takeshi as well as their allies in Shinoa's squad, who had been acting as their rearguard, both to fight off any more vampires that might show up and to act as reinforcements in case Crowley and his retainers proved too strong for them to handle.

"How is she?" Shinoa asked Kimizuki worriedly as soon as she saw her pink-haired subordinate step aside and reveal the black coffin on the ground behind him.

Instead of answering, Kimizuki thought it best to show his squad leader. Since this was the first time he had actually used Kiseki-O's containment ability that was originally meant to take an enemy alive if needed, Kimizuki was unsure as to the condition of the coffin's occupant until he opened it to find Yuichiro alive, unharmed, and back to her normal human state with no signs of demonic possession.

Releasing a breath of relief, Kimizuki smiled and moved aside slightly to let Shinoa as well as his allies in both squads who had gathered around the coffin to see. Despite being asleep thanks to Kiseki-O's magic, Yuichiro appeared perfectly fine with only a few minor scrapes and bruises, a miracle considering that she had taken on a vampire noble of Crowley's caliber alone only moments before.

"It worked! She's breathing!" he exclaimed before reaching in and pulling his slumbering squad mate out.

As soon as he did so, the coffin disappeared in a puff of smoke and Kimizuki allowed Satoshi and Daisuke to help position Yuichiro on his back.

Shinoa smiled. "I'm glad…" she said before turning to Satoshi. "We couldn't have saved Yuichiro without the help of you and your squad. Thank you, Satoshi; you don't know how much this means to me."

Satoshi returned her smile and patted his fellow squad leader on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Shinoa. We're all in this together. We saw Guren as well but he told us to leave him and escape with Yuichiro. His last order was for us to survive and successfully carry out our mission."

Shinoa frowned as if in disappointment at their superior's order for them to abandon him but couldn't say she was surprised. "I understand. If that is his command, then we have no choice to obey."

"Right" Satoshi agreed before turning to the rest of their squads. "Everyone, move! We have to get out of here before the vamps decide to pursue us!"

"Shinya is waiting for us at the entrance", Shinoa added. "We'll be meeting with Narumi's squad on the way to Nagoya Airport. Let's go everyone!"

With the exception of Yuichiro, everyone in the two squads raised their weapons in the air.

"Right!"

Footnotes:

1. "Nii-san" is how Japanese people normally refer to their older siblings out of respect.

2. In the OnS series, vampires are implied to stop maturing emotionally and mentally as well as aging physically once they are turned.

3. During his human days, Crowley was a European knight who fought in the Crusades, a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims started primarily to secure control of holy sites considered sacred by both groups. In all, eight major Crusade expeditions occurred between 1096 and 1291 AD.

4. In the canon story, male!Yuu only had 2-3 minutes to fight Crowley while the curse stimulant pills were in effect. For my AU, I expanded it to 3-4 minutes to allow for a bit more dialogue between fem!Yuu and Crowley.

5. Unlike other vampires, Crowley seems to have a sense of honor due to his upbringing as a knight during his human days so he addresses and treats fem!Yuu as a lady in a gentlemanly fashion even though they are on opposite sides of the battlefield.

6. Unlike male!Yuu, fem!Yuu does not call upon Asuramaru to give her his full power until she was sure it was absolutely necessary to win her duel with Crowley. She is more cautious with her demon's power than her male counterpart.

7. Countdowns usually begin at ten but for reasons unknown, Kiseki-O's containment power only requires nine counts in the anime/manga.

8. In canon, Crowley is depicted as being very laid back and not easily angered or riled. Since fem!Yuu intrigues him, he is somewhat riled at losing her as his prize for winning their duel.