Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This is an alternate version of chapter 22 of the manga and episode 16 of the anime where Mika confronts and questions Krul about her intentions with Yuu.

A Daughter's Plea

Mikaela Hyakuya clutched the front of her vampire guard uniform as she took a deep breath, trying to resist the urge to let herself slide to the ground where she was leaning against a building in downtown Sanguinem. She had yet another unpleasant encounter with her ex-benefactor just moments before when he tried for the umpteenth time to tempt her into drinking human blood by swiping a livestock child off the street and piercing the skin of his neck slightly to make the boy bleed with his razor-sharp vampire talons. It was times like these that the blonde really wished she was strong enough to carry out her threat of killing Ferid; she may no longer have to share his bed but that still didn't stop the bastard from teasing her relentlessly about denying her thirst for blood. Mika just knew that she would be thanked by humans and vampires alike if she actually could and did kill Ferid. That was how unpopular the seventh progenitor was.

Mika often heard Krul say that Ferid was a thorn in her side but could not kill him since that would raise too many uncomfortable questions from the progenitor council that she would not have been able to answer without arousing a great deal of suspicion. But for the moment, Ferid Bathory was not her greatest problem; what she desperately needed right now was to relieve the ache in her throat that was becoming more insufferable by the second. As soon as the blonde regained her composure, she quickly made her way to Queen Krul's palace, ignoring the curious glances of the humans and vampires she rushed past.

As soon as Mika arrived at the royal audience hall, she found her dame sitting on her throne, holding a glass vial half-filled with her blood in one hand while letting her blood drip from an open cut in her wrist in the other. As soon as the queen saw her fledgling, she smiled.

"Oh, Mika, you're here! I was just getting some blood ready..."

Krul never got to finish her sentence before Mika grabbed her and bit her in the neck, relaxing only slightly when she finally got some relief from the terrible ache in her throat. Even though she knew she could easily break her fledgling's hold, Krul remained completely unresisting until Mikaela finally had her fill.

Laughing as she embraced her adopted daughter, the queen asked "Were you really that thirsty? There, there, drink your fill, my pet" she cooed in the most soothing tone she could muster.

When the young blonde finally realized what she had just done, she quickly released her dame and pushed her away.

"I'm so sorry, Your Majesty!" she apologized, fully expecting the queen to be angry and berate her for her insolence. But to her surprise, Krul simply smiled and said:

"It's alright, we all get a little ravenous when we haven't had enough blood."

Relieved that Krul was not angry, Mikaela quickly changed the subject "I'm sorry for asking, but could you give me a little extra today?"

"Of course, my dear, I can give you as much as you need. Or want."

"Thank you..." Mikaela said as she tried to resist letting out a breath of relief. As soon as she noticed Krul's smile become a frown, the blond asked. "What's wrong?"

"Did you fight with Ferid again?"

Mika was startled at the sudden question. "W...what makes you think that, Your Majesty?"

As if in answer, Krul approached Mika and gently placed her hands on the blonde's face. When her fledgling was first brought to her as a human child, Mika barely stood to her chin. Now, the young woman towered over her by almost half a foot.

"I am the one who made you what you are, Mika. As your dame, I can sense your thoughts and feelings even if I cannot read your mind. And I am guessing you recently had yet another unpleasant confrontation with Ferid, am I right?"

For a moment, Mika hesitated to answer. It was eerie to the young blonde how Krul had an uncanny way of knowing just about everything that concerned her and she wondered if it was truly because of the close bond shared by vampire parents and their fledglings that seem to run even deeper than that of human parents and their children. At times, Mikaela felt that Krul knew her even better than her own birth parents did; she could never lie to her vampire mother and nodded.

"Yes... but its nothing worth mentioning. Ferid was just up to his usual antics."

"Like telling you to drink human blood?"

Mika flinched slightly before answering. "Yes. But it's nothing you need concern yourself with, really."

Krul shook her head sadly. "I am sorry, Mikaela, but I'm afraid he's right this time. You won't last forever on my blood alone; sooner or later, you'll have to drink from a human. There is no avoiding it if you don't want to become a mindless demon."

"I understand. But for now, I'll be fine; you need not worry about me, Your Majesty."

The queen nodded as she released Mika's face and walked back to her throne. "Very well. In any case, I would like a full report on the attack on Shinjuku. I want to hear it from you because I obviously do not trust Ferid."

Instead of answering right away, Mika gave a question of her own. "About that..." she began "I think you owe me an explanation first."

Krul raised a brow. This was the first time Mika had ever questioned her and normally, the queen did not tolerate her subjects questioning her decisions but she always made an exception for her adopted daughter.

"Are you talking about the progenitor council?"

"Yes. You told me that the people who ran the Hyakuya Orphanage were using me, Yuichiro and the other kids as guinea pigs in their spell-craft experiments and that you saved us."

"Yes, that is true, Mika. I have not lied to you about that."

"No, you have not, but you did leave something out; according to the council, you were supposed to kill us. So why did you spare us, hiding us in Sanguinem as livestock? Why would you put yourself at risk for us? What's in it for you?"

The queen was silent for a moment before answering "That... is something you do not need to know, Mikaela. In fact, it's better for you if you don't."

The blonde gritted her teeth. Despite the fact that Krul implied that she was protecting her by withholding the knowledge she sought, Mika grew angry but forced herself to remain calm. Krul Tepes was her dame as well as a high-ranking progenitor and the blonde knew that she could not force the queen to do or reveal anything against her will and that it would be unwise for her to try. The best Mika could do was politely request the information she desired. After taking a moment to think about it, she took a deep breath and began, hoping her choice of words would make Krul reconsider her decision.

"Queen Krul... mother... please. Even though you forced me to become a vampire against my will, I still served you loyally these past four years and I have never once disobeyed your orders or questioned your decisions until now. Is it too much to ask that you grant me this one answer, this one favor, in return?"

Upon hearing Mika's plea, Krul's expression softened. "That's the first time I've ever heard you call me 'mother', Mikaela. Very well, then. If its that important to you, I will tell you why I spared you as well as Yuichiro and the other Hyakuya orphans."

After taking a quick glance around to make sure no one was within sight or earshot, Krul walked over to Mika and whispered her secret.

The blonde almost stumbled over. "Are you serious?" she exclaimed.

The queen nodded as she gently took Mika's face in her hand, her thumb gently brushing over the young blonde's soft rosy lips.

"Next month, we're attacking the humans again and we won't be holding back; they are too dangerous a threat to take lightly, especially with Yuichiro in their hands. If abused, his power will cause a disaster the likes of which the world has never seen and it will be far worse than the epidemic of eight years ago. To prevent that, I'm giving you a secret mission: you will conveniently become 'missing in action' when the attack begins. Use this opportunity to find Yuichiro and bring him to me. I will take care of the rest."

Mika swallowed nervously. Although the blonde did not relish the idea of bringing Yuu back to the city where he nearly got killed trying to escape years ago, she knew she had to comply or at least pretend to comply with her dame's order because this was likely the last chance she was ever going to get to find her adopted brother. And as much as she hated to admit it, Yuu was probably better off with her and Krul than the humans anyway; he couldn't stay with the JIDA any more than he could be allowed to fall into the hands of the other vampire progenitors.

"Yes, mother. As you command."

Krul smiled as she leaned over and gently placed a kiss on Mika's forehead. As her adopted daughter and favorite swordmaiden, Mikaela Hyakuya was the queen's pride and joy. The blonde's dazzling beauty have piqued the interest of male humans and vampires alike and to protect her identity as a seraph, Krul had forbidden the common vampires in Sanguinem from drinking Mika's blood on the pain of death.

"I love you like you were my own daughter, Mikaela. I understand why you want to save Yuichiro so badly but I must warn you that with things the way they are now, your love for him will only bring you pain. I won't lie to you: children who bear the seraph gene are destined to live tragic lives. Many will die tragic deaths as well. And that's if they're lucky. The unlucky ones, if their genes become permanently active, become angelic monstrosities that live on forever."

Mika gasped at this horrifying revelation. "Is that Yuu-chan's fate? Is there anyway to prevent it?"

"There are only two ways to save him from that fate: kill him or turn him. One or the other."

"Is there no other way?"

"Not that I know of. I'm sorry, Mika. Now that you know this, do you still want to go to him?"

The blonde was silent for a moment. Every word Krul said was likely true but even so, Mika knew the answer she must give.

"Yes."

A/N: Ok, I'm going to end this snippit here. As saga is an ongoing project, I will continue to update it as long as I keep getting ideas. I welcome suggestions and requests from my readers as well as appreciate reviews. See you next chapter! ;)