A/N: Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for-Yuichiro's biggest secret revealed! I'd like to thank all my readers and reviewers for their support of my story so far as well as my beta reader and editor, ResidentialPsycho. I based part of this chapter on the bonus chapter of the OnS manga "Guren and Yuu" which is a flashback taking place when Yuu was 13, before the start of the main story but there will be differences from the canon version since this fic is AU; please refer to the footnotes at the end. I hope this lives up to all your expectations so enjoy and please review! :D
Chapter 14: A Shocking Secret Revealed
May 15, 2017
"Ok, just a few more, Yuichiro! You can do it!" Goshi urged the panting girl as she forced herself to do another sit-up while he was locking her feet in place with his hands.
So far, Yuichiro had managed to do twenty sit-ups and push-ups but her instructor knew that she was going to have to do better than that if the Demon Army was going to consider her for admittance. The girl swore she could feel a vein popping in her forehead as she did her twenty-second sit-up before collapsing, panting on the ground with her arms sprawled on each side of her body. Though she was stronger than a normal child, Yuichiro wasn't used to performing such exercises on a time clock, at least not yet.
Taking pity on Yuichiro, Goshi decided to give her a break and released her feet before checking his stopwatch.
"Hmm… you did twenty push-ups and twenty-two sit-ups in eight minutes. Not bad but you'll have to do better than that if you want to be accepted into the Demon Army, Yuu. Even with Guren's recommendation, they won't take you in if you cannot even pass basic training."
As soon as she caught her breath, the girl glared at her instructor.
"You think I don't know that, Goshi?"
Realizing that he was being a bit insensitive, the blond man apologized.
"Sorry, kid. I guess I shouldn't expect too much from you just yet; this is your first day training under me for your physical conditioning, after all."
Yuichiro sighed and placed an arm over her forehead.
"It's ok, you're right. I gotta do better than this. I'll try harder, just give me a moment."
"Don't worry too much about it, kid. It's not like you can apply for the Demon Army any time soon; the minimal age of admittance is fourteen so you still have at least a year and a half to get ready. As long as you keep at it, you should be able to improve your stamina enough to pass basic training when the time comes," Goshi assured before giving the girl a grin. "And besides, you've got the best squad in Demon Army training you!"
Yuichiro laughed. "I suppose you're right. I bet not many cadets get the luxury of having you as a personal trainer, Goshi."
"Well, it's not like I could teach you anything else, Yuu," the blond man admitted while scratching his head. "Unlike Guren and the others, I'm not nearly as qualified to teach you the sword, kunai, gun, or unarmed combat. In battle, I usually provide back-up support for my squad."
"Like Shinya?"
"Well, yes but not exactly like him. My cursed gear produces illusions to fool and confuse the enemy in order to buy time for the other soldiers to attack or retreat. And I don't think that's something you'd be interested in or suited for; I can tell your passion lies in the sword like Guren. But since he does want all of us to help you, this is the best I can do. You need to be as physically fit as possible to fight to the best of your ability too."
"I know. Is it alright if we do something else for now?"
"Sure, what do you suggest?"
Yuichiro stared at the sky for a moment as she considered her options before saying:
"How about running laps?"
"Laps? Well, I suppose we could but are you sure you're good to run? Shinya told me you hurt your leg and foot trying to kick a tree under Mito's instruction. Personally, I think that's the dumbest thing she could tell you to do. You should have tried kicking her instead."
Yuichiro laughed. "I know. But I kind of asked for it because I didn't actually want to kick her."
Goshi could not help but smile at the younger girl's confession.
"I thought you might say that, Yuu. Are you sure you want to join the Demon Army? If you're hesitant to hurt your trainer, how will you deal with enemy soldiers on the battlefield? Going easy on them could cost you dearly."
Yuu's smile disappeared and her expression became serious as soon as she heard Goshi's concern.
"That's different, Goshi. I won't hesitate to take a vampire down. I did it before and there's no reason I can't do it again. Neither will I hesitate to fight other humans if they threaten the lives of the people I care about," the younger girl declared as she recalled the night she shot Ferid Bathory before escaping the vampire city as well as the time she tried taking on two older human boys who tried to rape a young girl she didn't even know.
Like Shinya, Goshi knew the story behind Yuichiro's escape, having heard it from Sayuri, and started to regret bringing up his thoughts that she would go easy on an enemy soldier, particularly a vampire.
"Well, I'm glad to know that you won't hesitate to fight if need be. But that doesn't mean I want you to become a merciless killer either. None of us want that, even Guren, despite what you might think of him. He may appear cold on the surface but deep down, he does care about his subordinates and never gives an order he isn't willing to carry out himself," Goshi said gently. It was quite rare that he praised his hard-ass superior but the blond man meant it from the bottom of his heart.
"Guren…" Yuu repeated her guardian's name as she looked up at the sky. Even after all these months, the man was still a mystery to her and she still didn't quite know what to make of him. "Say, Goshi, you and Shinya have known Guren for a long time, right?"
Startled and curious by the younger girl's sudden interest in his superior, Goshi nodded.
"Since we were fifteen, yes. Why?"
"I was thinking how strange it is how you and Shinya could be such good friends with Guren considering how different he is from you two. Both of you seem so light-hearted and easy-going while Guren is always so serious."
Goshi could not help laughing at Yuichiro's comment.
"Believe me, Yuichiro, you aren't the first one to tell me or Shinya that. Likewise, we wonder why Sayuri, Shigure, and Mito crush on Guren so much considering how his demeanor can make other women run, not walk, away from him pretty quickly despite his looks and talents."
"So what's your answer, Goshi?"
Instead of answering right away, the blond man got up before offering his hand to help Yuichiro follow suit. As soon as she was on her feet, he said:
"How about we talk about that while we're running those laps?"
"Sure. I think it's pretty nice of Shinya to let us use his shooting range for that."
"It is. This place is definitely more ideal for your physical conditioning than Guren's back yard. Especially since you can't use the track or gym at JIDA Headquarters just yet."
"I know."
"Well, let's get to running those laps, shall we?"
"Right."
"Good. Just remember to go at your own pace if your leg still hurts. No need to hurt yourself even more needlessly."
"But when you're on the battlefield, you still have to keep going, even if you're hurt, right Goshi?"
"Yes. That's why I said needlessly. We aren't fighting vampires now, just training, you get my drift?"
"I do. Then I'll just walk or jog lightly if that's ok with you."
"That's perfectly fine."
As the two began their laps around Shinya's wide shooting range, Goshi finally answered Yuichiro's inquiries about Guren earlier.
"You asked me how Shinya and I could be such good friends with Guren considering how different we are from him. The answer is pretty simple: it's because we're like that that we get along so well, at least when it really matters."
"What do you mean, Goshi?" the younger girl asked curiously as she tried keeping up with his pace. To accommodate Yuichiro, the blond man started to jog a bit slower so she could catch up to him.
"Think about it, Yuu. Opposites often complement each other. If you had a friend or a partner who was just as tense or hotheaded as you were, you would fight constantly. Shinya and I can be serious enough when the situation demands it but when we don't have to be, we can exert our efforts into helping Guren loosen up."
"What about Sayuri, Shigure, and Mito? Why do they like Guren so much? I'm a girl and I can't stand him most of the time."
Goshi found himself laughing and scratching his head at Yuichiro's touchy question.
"Well, that I don't know since I'm not a girl. You'll probably have to ask them that. I can only speak for myself and Shinya since we're guys as well as Guren's friends. When we were teens, Shinya often joked about liking Guren that way but I've never seen him try to make a serious move on any guy so I'm pretty sure he's straight. What about you? Shinya tells me you've caught the eye of more than a few girls at your school."
Remembering Shinoa's and Mitsuba's advances, Yuichiro frowned.
"I'm not interested, Goshi. Even if I really was a boy, I still wouldn't be," she said flatly.
"Because you only want to exterminate vampires?"
"Right. That's the only thing that interests me."
"Well, that doesn't surprise me since it was a vampire who killed your siblings. But you're still young, Yuu. I can promise you your interests will go beyond killing vampires as you grow up, if not change completely."
"My wish to kill all vampires will never change, Goshi. As far as I'm concerned, the only good vampire is a dead one."
"Never say never, Yuu," the older man replied as his expression suddenly became serious.
Yuichiro was startled at Goshi's tone and slowed down her steady jog.
"What?"
"I said 'never say never', Yuu. None of us knows what the future holds; things change, people change, and so do their feelings and priorities."
"I had no idea you were into philosophy, Goshi," Yuu said incredulously. The blond man, who struck her as a goofball, was the last person she would expect to lecture and give her advice on life.
Goshi smiled as his light-hearted demeanor returned.
"You don't have to be a philosopher to understand something as simple as that, Yuu. You're still young so I don't expect you to understand right away. But you'll get my drift when you're older."
Picking up the pace again, the girl thought her instructor's words over for a minute. What he said did sound logical even if her current feelings towards vampires might disagree.
"Maybe you're right. But I don't think my wish to exterminate vampires will change anytime soon."
"I don't doubt that. But I also think you should find something else to live for as well. You'll be so much happier if you do."
"Thanks, Goshi. I needed that."
"No problem, kiddo!"
And without another word, the two continued to jog around the shooting range in silence though Yuichiro found Goshi's words lingering in her mind. She had managed to complete about four or so laps before the ache in her right leg forced her to ask her instructor to call it a day.
Over the next few weeks and months, Yuichiro continued to train with each member of her guardian's squad as well as Guren himself one day out of the week for however many hours they could afford to spare her out of their busy schedules. Yuichiro suspected that if they knew, the young JIDA cadets would think she had an unfair advantage being trained one-on-one with Guren Ichinose as well as the other elite members of the Moon Demon Company. But Yuichiro also knew that unlike most of the JIDA cadets, she also had a lot of catching up to do regarding her education considering how much time she spent in vampire captivity. Knowing this, the girl tried her best to be a good student and not waste her instructors' valuable time, hoping that it will pay off in the end.
And fortunately for Yuichiro, it did.
SSSSSS
October 16, 2017
"Happy Birthday, Yuichiro!"
The raven-haired "boy" blushed from "his" seat at the dinner table as Goshi and the other members of Guren's squad cheered and urged "him" to blow out the candles on "his" birthday cake. Even Shigure and Guren themselves, who were normally so serious, had to smile and watched in amusement as Goshi placed a cone-shaped hat on Yuichiro's head while Shinya blew on a blow horn from his seat next to her.
Sayuri laughed and placed a motherly kiss on the younger girl's cheek.
"Happy Birthday, dear. Go on, blow out your candles and make a wish."
"Ok. But you didn't have to do all this for me, really!"
Mito snorted before smiling and giving the younger girl a playful light flick on the nose with her fingers.
"Of course we didn't have to, Yuu. We wanted to. I think you have a lot of potential, but still have a way to go before you can get as strong as me." she joked.
Although Mito disliked Yuichiro at first, the scarlet-haired woman warmed up to the younger girl over time. She also admitted that asking Yuichiro to kick a tree was dumb when Guren and the others questioned her about it, something that Mito's pride normally wouldn't allow her to do.
As the girl drew in a breath, she heard Mito reminding her to make a wish.
Yuichiro giggled for a moment before finally blowing out the candles on the cake Sayuri and Shigure baked for her. She knew they could have easily bought her one which would have saved them time and trouble, but still chose to make her one with their own hands. And it meant the world to her. When she was younger, her parents never celebrated or gave her anything for her birthday. Only her grandmother did.
In fact, if it wasn't for Misao, Yuichiro probably would have never known what a birthday was since her parents never cared for or told her about them. During her years in Sanguinem as livestock, Yuichiro, Mikaela, and their younger orphanage siblings never celebrated their birthdays either, not only because they couldn't keep track of the days, weeks, and months from lack of calendars, but also because it was a luxury that they couldn't afford; they considered themselves lucky whenever they got something to eat or drink that tasted remotely better than those nasty nutrient-replenishing packs the vampires provided.
After she blew the thirteen candles out, everyone clapped and cheered before handing Yuichiro her birthday gifts. Seeing their smiling faces reminded the girl of her previous family but she still knew that it was not the quite the same. Mika, Akane, and the other Hyakuya orphans were closer to her age, which likened them to siblings. But Guren and his squad were considerably older, making them more like a bunch of doting aunts and uncles even though Yuichiro did not quite consider her guardian a father figure.
"Thank you, everyone," she said politely. "I didn't think people made such a big deal out of birthdays."
"Well, why wouldn't they?" Goshi asked with a grin as he playfully twisted the cone hat on her head around. "It's your special day, after all."
"That's right!" Shinya exclaimed. "It's what sets birthdays apart from other holidays. Now go on and open your presents, Yuu."
"Ok!" the girl said happily as she started tearing open the colorfully wrapped packages one after another. The gifts her new family gave reminded Yuichiro of Mikaela; they gifted her with books, music CDs, magazines (from Goshi) and some new clothes, mostly for wearing at home. Which roused Guren's curiosity because not one of his squad members gave Yuu anything for wearing outside. Especially not Shinya. When the girl opened his gift, everyone stared at it in shock.
"Um…what's this?" the "boy" asked innocently as "he" pulled out what looked to "him" like a short satin nightgown with fancy laces and a matching panty. Looking at the tag, Yuichiro read:
"Victoria's Secret?"
The name sounded vaguely familiar to her and Yuichiro was confused until she remembered seeing a commercial for a western brand of women's undergarments with that name on TV years ago while still living with her parents.
Shinya laughed and stuck out his tongue when he saw Sayuri, Shigure, and Mito glaring at him for his outrageous gift while Guren gave him a look of complete bewilderment.
"Like it, Yuu?" he asked playfully when he finally managed to regain his composure.
"Shinya, what's the meaning of this?" Guren demanded after he had recovered from his shock.
"Why, whatever do you mean, Guren?" Shinya asked innocently as he pretended not to notice Goshi's smirk along with the glares their lady friends were giving him. The blond man knew from the moment he saw the lingerie piece that his friend was getting desperate because the year was almost up and Guren still had not been able to figure out Yuichiro's true sex; only three more days were left before Goshi can finally claim victory and Shinya would have to honor the terms of their wager by cleaning his dirty laundry for a year.
Especially if Shinya's gift was still not enough to convince Guren. And it wasn't. All it did was cause the poor (and dense) man more confusion.
Wanting to get out of this awkward and embarrassing situation she was in, Yuichiro took the undergarment as well as the rest of her birthday gifts in her arms before getting up from the table and asking to be excused.
"Umm, thanks for the presents, everyone. Is it ok if I go put them in my room now?"
"Of course, Yuu," Sayuri answered, relieved that the younger girl was offering a way to get the shocking gift out of Guren's sight. "Just remember to get back quick so we can all have some cake, ok?"
"Yes, Sayuri!"
After Yuichiro had left, Shinya found everyone's eyes on him, silently demanding answers.
"What?" he asked, feigning innocence and acting like he had no idea what he did to rile everyone up, especially his best friend. The white-haired man knew Sayuri, Shigure, and Mito would not say anything to expose Yuichiro's secret no matter how displeased they were with him. As for Goshi, they both knew Shinya was only bending, not breaking the rules of their wager so the blond man cannot object or claim victory just yet.
"First make-up and nail polish, then perfume, and now lingerie? What the hell do you think you're doing, you bastard?" Guren demanded. "The last thing I need is a kid with gender identity issues!"
In response to his friend's accusation, Shinya threw his arms up in the air in mock surrender.
"Aww, come on Guren, you still haven't figured it out yet?"
"Figure what out?"
"Sorry, can't tell!" Shinya shot back, looking like he was on the verge of laughing again.
Before Guren could demand that his friend give him a straight answer, they heard light footsteps as the object of their little spat returned.
"I'm back!" Yuichiro announced as she sat back down in front of her birthday cake.
Seeing that the child provided the perfect opportunity to end this awkward conversation, Sayuri took it and offered Yuu a knife to cut her cake.
"Here, you do the honors, birthday boy!" she said. "If you need help, let me know, ok?"
"I'll be fine, thanks, Sayuri!"
Now that Yuichiro had returned to cut the cake, Guren was forced to put off his questions for another day.
Little did he know that in less than three days, all of his questions would be answered. And in the most embarrassing way possible.
SSSSSS
October 18, 2017
Every time I close my eyes, I see the same thing…
In a world where vampires rule over humans, I see my family being murdered…
"Run, Yuu-chan!" Mikaela gasped as he struggled in Ferid Bathory's ironclad grip.
"No, Mika, I can't just leave you!" Yuichiro cried as she aimed the vampire lord's revolver at them, desperately looking for an opening where she could fire without hitting the blond boy. But before she could find one, Ferid grinned and bit into Mika's neck, tearing his carotid arteries and making blood gush out of this throat before sucking him dry and letting his lifeless corpse fall to the cold tile floor along with the rest of their orphanage brothers and sisters.
"MIKA!" the girl screamed, tears streaming from her eyes as she pulled the trigger…
Yuichiro gasped as her eyes flew open and she shot up into a sitting position from her futon. As she wiped her brow with an arm, the girl placed her other hand on her chest as if to calm her rapidly beating heart. Looking around, Yuichiro remembered that she was not in her room back at Guren's home in Shibuya but in a tent at a temporary base sent up by the JIDA in Shinjuku. Her guardian as well as the entire Moon Demon Company, had received an order from the higher-ups in the Demon Army to evacuate the remaining humans living in the city. *1*
And unlike with his previous missions, Guren chose not leave Yuichiro at home this time and took her along with him because he wanted his ward to have a valuable learning experience by witnessing other soldiers fight as well as protecting civilians.
Although she had no watch to tell the time, the girl could tell that it was still early morning from the smell of food being cooked for the soldiers outside. Opening her tent flap, Yuichiro saw that she was right when she noticed a group of young soldiers casually gathered around a small area of the base eating their breakfast as another group of soldiers, possibly the ones who scouted the city for human survivors over the previous evening, returned. *2*
If only I can get a sword, a real one, I can take on those bloodsuckers and start looking for the one who killed Mika and the others! Yuichiro thought.
The girl knew very well her guardian would never allow her to go into the city alone, especially without a weapon. And while she did bring a few kunai given to her by Shigure as well as the semi-automatic pistol given by Shinya, Yuichiro still felt like it wasn't enough. Although she could throw kunai and fire guns with at least eighty percent accuracy by now, her true passion was with the sword and she desperately wanted to have a real one after practicing with only bokkens for months.
But try as she might, Yuichiro could not convince her guardian to give her a sword.
Still, Yuichiro refused to give up and looking at the soldiers in the camp, her mind slowly devised a plan to get one from one of the other JIDA soldiers.
After getting properly dressed in a white button-up shirt and some slacks held up by a pair of suspenders as well as a pair of brown leather boots, Yuichiro went outside, her eyes scanning the group of soldiers who had returned to base after scouting the city last night before choosing a soldier who appeared to be the most tired of the group, one who had decided to sit down in the same area where the first group of soldiers was having breakfast before heading out into the city.
Putting on her brightest smile, Yuichiro walked up to the soldier, a dark-haired youth who appeared to be in his late teens and asked:
"You look very tired, Mister. How did your night go?"
Startled by the sudden question, the young soldier stared at the "boy" whose presence he did not notice at first due to his exhaustion.
"Um, excuse me, but who're you?" he asked curiously.
"Who me? Just someone who wants to be of service to humanity, like yourself. You don't look too well, sir. Why don't you let me borrow your sword and go out into the city in your place tonight while you rest here? You obviously deserve it."
As soon as he heard that, the young soldier found himself staring at Yuichiro incredulously. The "boy" looked no older than twelve or thirteen years of age yet spoke so eloquently that he was almost convinced to hand his sword over to "him." *3*
That was, until he saw an older raven-haired man with violet eyes quietly walk up from behind the "boy" and gave "him" a none-too-gentle smack on the back of "his" head.
"Oww!" Yuichiro cried and spun around, her angry expression changing to one of surprise when she saw none other than Guren himself and realized that he had caught her in the act of trying to obtain a sword from a tired soldier through sweet talk.
As soon as he recognized Guren as the leader of the Moon Demon Company, the soldier was about to stand up and salute him before the lieutenant colonel made a gesture for him to remain at ease.
"As you were, soldier. You obviously had a rough night. How goes the search for civilians?"
"We managed to find a handful out in the city, sir, but honestly, not as much as you may like. The good news is that we didn't lose any of our own troops," he answered tiredly.
"I'm glad to hear that," Guren said smoothly, his tone putting Yuichiro's earlier display of confidence to shame. "Don't worry that you cannot find more than a handful of civilians, it is better than none. And every life you can save matters. I do apologize for any trouble my kid might have caused you, however."
Upon hearing her guardian talk about her like she wasn't there, or worse, a mere nuisance, Yuichiro glared at Guren which he completely ignored. The young soldier, however, was surprised to hear Guren refer to Yuu as "his kid." From what he can see, the lieutenant colonel appeared no older than twenty or twenty-one years of age, not nearly old enough to have a child Yuichiro's age.
"This boy, do you mean he's your child? Or is he your little brother?"
At the question, Guren laughed as though he found the very notion absurd.
"No, you misunderstand, soldier. We're not actually related; I just found him on the outskirts of a vampire city a year ago and thought he might be useful to our cause though it looks like he still has a lot to learn before he can even think of taking on the bloodsuckers. In any case, he won't be troubling you anymore. Good day."
Before the curious soldier could make any further inquiries, Guren took his protesting ward by the arm and dragged her away.
When they returned to the tent they were sharing, the lieutenant colonel roughly pushed Yuichiro inside before demanding an answer from her. *4*
"What the hell did you think you were doing, Yuu?"
Turning to face her guardian, the disguised girl grinned shamelessly.
"Why, I was just trying to get a weapon before heading out into the city to kill me some bloodsuckers!" Yuu answered, trying to imitate an American accent from the Civil War era, a "Yankee accent" as she heard they were called.
Under other circumstances, Guren might have found Yuichiro's attitude amusing knowing her fascination with American culture, customs, and history. But this time he was not in the mood.
"Do you think this is a game, Yuichiro?" he demanded harshly. "Just because you got lucky once with a vampire lord does not mean you should keep pushing your luck when you are clearly not ready to fight."
Yuichiro's breath hitched in her throat at her guardian's tone. He may have been annoyed with her antics more than a few times in the past but this was the first time she saw him truly angry and ceased her mocking behavior.
"Do you not trust me, Guren?" she asked. "I've been training very hard over the last few months, what more do you want?"
"What I want is for you to find another incentive to fight besides revenge. An incentive that actually means something. Without that, you will never be a competent soldier no matter how strong or skilled you are with the sword and that is why I refuse to give you one."
"An incentive? What other 'incentive' could I possibly have to live for asides from revenge?" Yuichiro shot back, her eyes narrowing.
Guren sighed as he placed a hand on his forehead before answering.
"It's the desire to protect."
Yuichiro stared at him in confusion.
"What do you mean 'to protect?'"
Glad that his ward was finally starting to listen, Guren's expression softened as he answered her question.
"Friends, family, comrades, the innocent in general. You must find that first, the desire within yourself, or you'll never be strong."
Yuichiro scoffed as she turned away from him for a moment and mumbled something incoherent under her breath, causing Guren to raise a brow.
"What was that, Yuu?"
"I said I don't have anything to protect anymore!" the "boy" snapped harshly as "he" spun around. "My parents tried to kill me and my orphanage brothers and sisters were all killed by a vampire. You know this! And it's not like you or any of your squad members need my protection anyway!"
Guren rolled his eyes. "I see. It seems like you still don't quite understand what I'm trying to tell you. Think it over, Yuichiro. And when you find your answer, you may have a sword and not before. This is my final decision. As your guardian as well as commander of the Moon Demon Company, I decide whether or not you are fit to fight alongside the rest of us. You can't afford to displease me in this regard so I better not catch you trying to obtain a sword behind my back again. Do I make myself clear, Yuu?"
Yuichiro sighed as she finally acknowledged defeat and Guren was relieved that his ward was not going to try and argue with him on this like she did everything else though he tried his hardest not to let it show on his face. He didn't want Yuichiro to go out into the city, not only because she wasn't ready to fight, but also because he didn't want her to endanger her life needlessly and recklessly.
"Yes, sir," the child said simply.
Resisting the urge to sigh in relief, Guren smiled and said:
"Good. I must go now. There is still much work to be done here before we can go home. I want you to stay here until I return, ok?"
"Yes, Guren… Good luck."
"Thank you, Yuichiro," her guardian said before turning to leave the tent. "Remember your promise."
"I will."
SSSSSS
For the next several hours, Yuichiro kept her promise to Guren and remained in their tent. Thankfully, she brought along some books to read as well as her bokken to practice with or she would have been bored to tears waiting for him to return. But even though her books and bokken provided some much-needed distraction, the ravenette found her thoughts wandering back to the conversation between them before his departure. Asides from anger, Yuichiro also thought she saw worry and fear in Guren's eyes when they argued over his refusal to give her a sword and let her fight with the other soldiers. Did he try to keep her off the battlefield because he wanted to protect her or because he didn't have enough faith in her abilities just yet? Or maybe both?
Whatever, Yuichiro thought. It's not like she could just ask him since she doubted that even Guren himself could answer. Her guardian was such a difficult man to read and it was always hard for Yuu to tell what he was thinking and feeling. She was willing to bet even Shinya had difficulty reading Guren at times and the white-haired man had known him much longer than Yuu herself.
As she laid on her futon and pondered the thought, Yuichiro set the book she was reading down on her chest and closed her eyes. Before she knew it, Yuu found herself drifting off to sleep. How much time had passed since she dozed off, she did not know but her eyes flew open when she heard an alarm in the base going off followed by an announcement.
"Attention all soldiers and civilians! A vampire has entered the city! All soldiers report to your superiors! People of Shinjuku's 6th Division, please take urgent refuge!"
"What? An alarm?" Yuichiro mumbled as she snapped out of her sleepy haze and opened the flap of her tent where she saw the first group of soldiers preparing to depart again. Which she thought was unusual because the group that left that morning had not returned yet, indicating that the lone vampire that infiltrated the city must be a powerful one. If the soldiers all left, that would leave only the armed guards behind to protect the civilians at the base which Yuichiro worried may not be enough.
I can't just stay here, I gotta do something! The girl thought.
Despite Guren's orders for her to stay behind, Yuichiro could not bear to remain at their tent and do nothing. She may not have a sword but that did not mean she was totally helpless or powerless. Grabbing a jacket with slots inside that Shigure had given her to hold kunai, Yuichiro quickly checked to see if the tiny daggers were inside before putting it on. Next, she grabbed the leather holster Shinya had given her to hold her semi-automatic pistol and briefly took the firearm out to make sure it was loaded before sliding it back in and securing the holster to her body beneath her jacket. Lastly, she grabbed her bokken from the corner of the tent. It wasn't as good as a real sword but still better than nothing.
After Yuichiro was armed and ready, she peeked out of her tent flap again and saw that the coast was clear. With all the soldiers gone and the armed guards pre-occupied with protecting the civilians, it would be easy for her to slip out of the base unnoticed. She knew Guren would not be happy when he found out about this but since Yuichiro had not tried to obtain a sword before heading out into the city, she was technically not breaking her promise to him. At least, not the one that mattered most.
As civilians were pouring into the base, Yuichiro took the opportunity to sneak out an exit she knew would be lightly guarded. As soon as she was outside, Yuu took one last look at the base before heading into the city. Although she knew that the vampire who infiltrated Shinjuku was unlikely to be the same one who killed Mika and the others, she still chose to go after him or her.
Even if it wasn't Ferid Bathory, Yuichiro believed that if she could take the bloodsucker down, it would still be one less vampire in the world to terrorize humans.
As she ventured out further into the city, Yuichiro finally found what she was looking for. It wasn't hard since all she had to do was follow the trail of corpses which led her straight to what appeared to be a male vampire dressed flamboyantly as a swashbuckler from 15th century Europe.
Talk about outdated clothing! Yuu thought as she brandished her bokken when the vampire finally took notice of her after releasing a civilian man he was about to bite after she caught his eye.
"Well what have we here?" the vampire laughed, his fangs flashing. "It's been ages since I've had the sweet blood of a child!"
Before the creature could make a grab for Yuichiro, the girl suddenly saw a small group of soldiers run past her to try and take him down.
"Protect the civilians!" she heard one of them shout.
While the trio of soldiers tried to hold off the vampire who appeared to be a renegade with no allegiance to any of the vampire factions, Yuu saw a young mother and daughter pair trying to get away from the violent confrontation out of the corner of her eye.
Seeing a potentially tastier target in the little girl who was trying to keep up with her mother, the vampire quickly and easily swatted the soldiers trying to attack him aside as if they were mere flies as he had lost interest in them and went after her instead. The terrified girl, who looked no more than five or six years of age tripped over a piece of debris on the road and fell to the ground.
Shit! Yuichiro thought as she saw the other child hit the asphalt. That was when she also noticed a real sword on the ground just a few yards away from where the girl fell. It appeared to have belonged to one of the soldiers the vampire knocked aside earlier and in that moment, Yuichiro forgot her promise to Guren as she felt the overwhelming desire to take the weapon for her own.
That sword! If I can get it, I can finally get revenge for Mika and the others! She thought and was about to make a dash for it when she heard the mother of the girl scream.
"Yumiko!"
Turning, Yuichiro saw the vampire approaching the little girl named Yumiko, who had managed to sit up and started scooting back as she stared at him in terror.
It's got nothing to do with me! The ravenette thought and tried to ignore the situation unfolding before her but cursed herself when she found that she couldn't.
"Dammit!" Yuichiro cursed as she took out a kunai from her jacket and threw it at the vampire. She knew it wouldn't be nearly enough to kill the bloodsucker but hoped she could at least distract him long enough for Yumiko to get away. *5*
The vampire spun around and stared at Yuichiro when her kunai embedded itself in his back. Brandishing her bokken, she gave him her most intimidating glare to which he burst out laughing as if it was the funniest thing he ever saw.
"Well isn't this my lucky day!" he exclaimed. "Not only do I get the treat of one kid's blood, but two!"
"Hey, dummy! Halloween is still two weeks away, you know!" Yuu taunted, hoping to direct the creature's attention to herself instead of Yumiko.
Turning back to the younger girl, the vampire gave her a cruel, mocking wink.
"I'll be back for you in a minute, toots!"
And as soon as the creature had his back turned to her, Yuichiro attacked, bringing her bokken crashing down as hard as she could.
Of course, to a vampire, such a blow felt just about as painful as a light tap from a paddle. Annoyed, the vampire turned back to Yuichiro and swatted the bokken out of her hands before pushing her back. He could probably kill her right where she stood but the overconfident bastard wanted Yuichiro alive when he sucked her blood. Guren had once told Yuu that vampires tend to be overconfident and underestimate humans. And she knew this one was no exception.
Thinking quickly, Yuichiro reached inside her jacket and pulled out her semi-automatic from the holster hidden beneath. Shinya had told Yuichiro that when confronting vampires out in broad daylight, her best bet to end the battle quickly was to destroy their UV guards, the devices they wore to protect them from sunlight. Without them, even the most powerful vampires were vulnerable.
Hoping that her sniping instructor was right, Yuichiro quickly aimed for the vampire's UV guard that was strapped to his left shoulder. From her position, the girl could see the sun setting in the distance and knew she had very little time before it vanished. And to take on a vampire at night without the right weapons would be suicidal. As soon as she was sure her aim was true, Yuichiro fired a barrage of rounds in case one bullet was not enough to destroy the vampire's UV guard.
Incredibly, the arrogant bastard had not made any attempt to dodge Yuu's bullets.
"You think you can hurt me with such a puny toy?" he taunted, obviously not realizing how a dangerous a weapon a gun can be. Shinya had told Yuichiro to respect the power of firearms and to never to see them as toys like this vampire was obviously doing. Now she knew why.
As the vampire stood there laughing, the sun-protection device finally shattered by the time Yuichiro fired the sixth round and she fell to the ground on her bottom, sweating and panting as she watched the creature cease his obnoxious laughter when he finally burst into flames, screaming in pain. Seeing the sunlight slowly starting to vanish, Yuu realized that destroying the UV guard was not enough; if the vampire was not dead by the time the sun went down, he would start to regenerate and she as well as the mother and daughter she was trying to protect would be doomed.
Not wanting to take any chances, Yuichiro pulled out a magazine clip from her pocket and attempted to reload her pistol. Shinya had gone over it with her many times, his most important advice being that she try and stay calm while reloading in the middle of a battle so that she would not drop the magazine clip or reload the pistol incorrectly. That was when Yuu made the mistake of taking her eyes off her enemy, something Guren had told her never to do. But Yuichiro assumed it was alright since the creature was practically a walking bonfire now.
As soon as her eyes left the burning vampire, he quickly reached behind and pulled Yuichiro's kunai out of his back, which was now as hot as an iron, and flung it at her.
"AAHHHH!"
Yuichiro screamed and dropped her pistol when she felt her own kunai piercing her above the pectoral, just slightly below her shoulder, the searing heat making the wound even more agonizing. The girl gritted her teeth and tried her best to ignore the pain as she quickly swiped her pistol off the ground with her other hand which happened to be her left. Yuichiro knew she was not as good a shot with her left hand as she was her right but had no choice. Through the pain in her right upper chest, the ravenette tried her best to make another aim at the vampire. The sun would go down any second now and she had to try and kill him quickly.
As Yuu was about to pull the trigger again, she heard the voice of her guardian calling out from behind the burning vampire.
"That's enough, Yuu! We'll take it from here!"
Relieved that help had arrived, the girl let her left arm drop as she watched Guren strike the vampire from behind. The sun had just set and as she predicted, his body started to regenerate. But her guardian acted quickly and destroyed him before the creature could regain enough strength to attack again.
Now that she knew the danger had passed, Yuichiro started to faint from the pain of the hot kunai embedded in her chest but not before she felt herself being lifted off the ground into a pair of strong arms. Thinking it was Guren, Yuichiro looked up but saw that it was Shinya who had her this time.
"You did great, Yuichiro, we're all proud of you," the white-haired man said gently as he smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Thank you…" she answered weakly before finally passing out.
Shinya frowned at seeing the girl faint in his arms but the good news was that Yuichiro's wound did not appear serious and that she would be unable feel the pain from it while unconscious.
"How is she?" Goshi asked quietly as he walked up from behind Shinya.
"She's wounded but luckily, the kunai did not appear to strike a vital point. I'm going to take her to the medical ward back at the base for treatment. Tell Guren to send Sayuri and Shigure later."
"Sure thing, Shinya. The girls are helping the remaining civilians now but I'll make sure they know Yuichiro's taken care of. Even if I don't, I'm sure they'll go back to the base to help her as soon as they are able."
"I believe it. Guren too. Make sure you tell him Yuichiro should be fine, ok?"
"Ok. Catch you later, Shinya."
"You too, Goshi."
SSSSSS
"I swear, Guren, you're going to burn a hole into the ground if you keep pacing around like that," Goshi said wryly to his squad leader as he watched the other man walk back and forth outside the medical ward of the Demon Army's temporary Shinjuku base.
After the renegade vampire was destroyed and the remaining civilians found, Guren wasted no time rushing back to the base to check up on his ward. By the time he arrived, he found that Sayuri, Shigure, and Mito had beaten him to it since he had to stay behind to make sure all the soldiers from the Moon Demon Company were in check as well as the civilians. Currently, the three women were tending to the object of his concern while politely asking him to remain outside along with Shinya and Goshi.
Shinya, who carried Yuichiro back, took her to the medical ward and got a head start on treating the girl, removing the kunai from her chest and shoulder himself before Sayuri, Shigure, and Mito arrived and took over.
"Goshi's right," Shinya said gently. "I've already checked Yuichiro when I took him from the battle scene; his wound is not fatal and he'll be fine with the girls taking care of him now."
Although the other man tried his best to sound reassuring, that didn't really make Guren feel any better.
"This is my fault," he said as he ran his hand through his raven hair in frustration. "I shouldn't have left Yuichiro back at the base by himself without at least assigning a guard to watch him so that he wouldn't run off right into the middle of a war zone."
Goshi smirked at the very idea. "I don't think that would have done any good, Guren. Little Yuu probably would have found a way to persuade the guard to let him go. Just like he almost convince that soldier to loan him his sword before you showed up."
"Heh, I can definitely see that happening!" Shinya agreed. If the current situation had not deemed it inappropriate, he might have laughed at the implication.
The lieutenant colonel glared at his friends.
"You two aren't helping!" he snapped before turning back to the entrance to the medical ward tent. "Dammit, what's taking the girls so long? It's been almost two hours! They should have finished patching Yuu up by now!"
"Perhaps the wound is a little deeper than I thought," Shinya suggested. "Just give them a little more time; I'm sure Yuu will be alright."
"So am I," Goshi agreed. "Come on, Guren, a little scratch like this isn't going to kill him. After all, he did survive life in the vampire city without any adult supervision for years before you picked him up. He also survived a confrontation with a vampire stronger than the one you killed today."
"That was different! He just got lucky! If we hadn't shown up at the right time, that vampire would have recovered from his burns and killed Yuichiro along with that mother and daughter he was trying to protect!"
"But we did get there in time. So don't dwell on 'what ifs,' Guren. It's not like you," Shinya pointed out, hoping it will pacify his friend.
Guren sighed. "You're right. But it still doesn't change the fact that Yuichiro got hurt because of my carelessness. I can't wait for the girls any longer; I need to see for myself if he's all right."
And without another word, the lieutenant colonel turned and opened the flap of the medical ward tent before going in.
Startled, Goshi protested. "Guren, wait, I don't think that's a good idea!"
But the other man was long gone before he can even finish his sentence. Shinya, who also witnessed the scene, held his tongue and did not try to stop Guren. He knew that it was exactly one year to the day he and Goshi had made their bet and that he could not win it now; the best he could hope for was a draw.
Goshi, however, still had a chance for victory, so he chose to go after Guren.
"Dammit!" the blond man cursed as he followed his superior inside with Shinya close behind. As soon as they were inside the huge tent, they spotted Guren who was looking for the section where Sayuri, Shigure, and Mito were treating Yuichiro.
After being told by one of the army medics that Yuichiro and the girls were in the section furthest back, Guren wasted no time and picked up the pace, forcing Goshi and Shinya to move faster to catch up to him. As soon as he was certain he was at the right place, Guren, without asking for permission, quickly opened the flap and went inside. What he saw when he entered shocked him so much, he thought he was going to have a heart attack.
As the army medic said, Sayuri, Shigure, and Mito were inside treating Yuichiro, who had finally regained consciousness as well as enough strength to sit up on the table so that they could treat the other injuries she sustained after the kunai wound was treated. The child was completely topless, clad only in her pants, her arms wrapped around her torso.
When they saw Guren, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked wide-eyed in his direction.
For a whole minute, the lieutenant colonel could not say a word as he stared at his half-naked ward in disbelief. Even though the child was covering herself, Guren could still see the small outlines of her breasts and his jaw dropped, eyes looking as though they were going to pop out of his face when he realized that "he" was a "she"!
Yuichiro, on the other hand, found her face growing as red as a tomato now that her secret had finally been exposed to the man who had rescued her a year prior. But before she could say anything, Shigure spoke up.
"My lord, I believe we asked you to wait outside until after we finished treating Yuichiro."
Guren, who was still unable to say a word, finally snapped out of his stupor as he found himself staring at his female subordinates, his stomach dropping as he was finally able to put the pieces together.
Everything slowly started to make sense.
Yuichiro's delicate features.
Her unwillingness to disrobe in front of him.
Her perfect ease with allowing Sayuri, Shigure, or Mito to treat her when she got hurt.
Shinya's gifts of feminine nature.
The times he caught her with make-up, nail polish, and romping around the kitchen at night in high-heels.
When Goshi and Shinya finally caught up to Guren and witnessed the same scene, they also found themselves at a loss for words. But not for the same reason he was. Guren also noticed that his other two friends did not really seem surprised at seeing Yuu's body.
Which means…
"You all knew? All this time?" Guren gasped as his eyes roamed from Yuichiro to each and every one of his squad mates.
Shinya.
Goshi.
Sayuri.
Shigure.
And Mito. Even Mito knew. *6*
Oh God.
He had never, ever felt so stupid in his life.
Not to mention embarrassed.
Which made him and Yuichiro even.
Footnotes:
1. In the canon story, it was never really made clear where Guren and male!Yuu lived during the four-year time gap between Yuu's escape from Sanguinem and the start of the main story but I assumed it was Shibuya and that they had visited Shinjuku when Yuu was 13 to evacuate the civilians there.
2. From what I could see when I read the bonus chapter of the manga, the Demon Army soldiers who were sent to Shinjuku appeared to be stationed outside the city in some buildings but for my AU, I made it a temporary base composed of large tents as well as a wide area for the soldiers to rest and eat their meals when not on duty.
3. In the bonus chapter "Guren and Yuu", male!Yuu attempted to ambush a group of returning soldiers and take a sword from one of them by force but I had fem!Yuu simply try to talk a soldier into giving her one, a much easier (and more painless) method.
4. After reprimanding male!Yuu for trying to steal a sword from a soldier, Guren drags him to what looked like an apartment bedroom in the canon story. For fem!Yuu, I had Guren take her to a tent they shared since they were at a temporary base.
5. Male!Yuu had nothing to fight the renegade vampire he confronted in the city with but his bokken. In my fic, fem!Yuu had some kunai and a pistol as well. Guren also gives male!Yuu a real sword as a reward for choosing to protect the little girl instead of going for the discarded sword he saw on the ground after the vampire was destroyed but for fem!Yuu, I plan to have him wait a bit longer. Fem!Yuu should have a real sword of her own by next chapter ;)
6. Out of everyone in Guren's squad, Mito Jujo is the most naive and gullible which was why Guren was mortified when he realized that Mito had figured out Yuichiro was a girl before he did :D
