Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. The song "The Phantom of the Opera" is written and owned by Andrew Llyod Webber and originally sung by Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford. This should be the last chapter of my fem!Yuu prequel before the events of the manga/anime timeline. Keep in mind that this story is AU and will have differences from canon. Please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I'd like to thank my beta reader and editor, Residential Psycho, for her help in making this fic possible.

Chapter 20: Sing Once Again with Me

May 1, 2019

"Remember, Yuu, always keep your guard up!" Mito called as she threw a hook punch accompanied by a roundhouse kick to Yuichiro's flank to see how well the younger girl could block her attacks. By now, Yuichiro knew eight different ways to block or deflect punches and kicks coming from nearly all directions. She even learned how to do so while holding on to her sword because she knew she would be fighting with it at least most of the time. And in case Yuichiro were ever to lose her sword and ended up with nothing but her bare hands to defend herself, she would be able to do so efficiently with the help of her demon contractor as soon as she obtained one.

"Yes, Mito, I remember!" Yuu shot back as she closed her fist and rotated her forearm to the right to block her instructor's hook punch and then quickly lifted her left leg to block the kick right after.

As an expert in unarmed combat, Mito was knowledgeable and familiar with several styles of martial arts including Kempo, Muay Thai, and Ju-Jit-Su. And while she studied forms in her youth as well, the scarlet-haired woman preferred to practice as well as teach moves that she felt were most useful and practical on the battlefield. As a person with a fiery temper and little patience, Mito did not like to waste time practicing or teaching things she deemed "useless" like various moves in Kung Fu or other martial arts styles that were aesthetically pleasing to the eye but have no practicality in real life combat.

In order to make the training session simulate how Yuichiro would actually fight on the battlefield, Mito intentionally tried to wear the younger girl down by throwing lighter but more constant jabs as well as weaker kicks before starting to fight more seriously with stronger attacks. This was to test Yuichiro's reaction time as well as ability to defend herself or attack her enemies efficiently, even when she was short of peak condition and awareness. The goal was to sharpen the younger girl's reflexes and make her reactions more automatic so that she could perform them without a thought when needed.

Yuichiro herself was well-aware of this and familiarized herself with Mito's training methods enough to tell when the older woman was about to get serious. She also knew when it was better to simply take a minor hit rather than exert energy in evading or blocking so that she would have more strength and energy to attack or defend when she really needed to. Mito had taught Yuu that in addition to knowing how to dish out attacks, she must also be able to take them when necessary or unavoidable as well. This was where Goshi's physical conditioning came in. So far, Mito could see that the blond man had done an excellent job in training Yuichiro so that she would have more endurance and stamina, which were also essential to survival on the battlefield.

After she had successfully fended off Mito's attacks, Yuichiro quickly came back with a combination of kicks and punches of her own. Though she liked having a weapon in her hand, Yuichiro understood the importance of being able to fight without one should she ever get caught in a situation where she had no choice. By now, both of them had a good number of bruises on their bodies but neither minded since they both found sparring fun as well as stimulating.

Over the last two and a half years, Yuichiro had improved on all her fighting skills drastically, so much that it was hard for most people to believe she had not been training all her life. Even Mito had to admit that Yuichiro fought just as well as herself at her age but supposed that was a perk of having one-on-one training from six members of an elite Demon Army squad, one of whom was her guardian.

And not only was sparring physically stimulating but also mentally as well. Yuichiro found that she also enjoyed playing mind games with her instructors by pretending like she was going to do one thing while completely planning and performing another, something they found made the younger girl more challenging to train even though they themselves taught and expected it of her. Yuichiro herself also knew how to be creative and come up with her own fighting strategies as well, not just simply imitate what she was taught.

Mito laughed as she skillfully blocked or evaded some of Yuichiro's attacks while taking others with nary a flinch. Even though she was the older and more experienced fighter, Mito still found Yuichiro a bit of a challenge because the younger girl had the knowledge of several elite fighters, not just herself. And Mito also liked it that she could hold back less and less every time she and Yuichiro trained together. The scarlet-haired woman had trained many JIDA cadets over the years but Yuu was by far her favorite student even though she wasn't officially a cadet just yet. Perhaps it was because of the younger girl's connection to her other squad mates that made Mito think of Yuichiro as a favorite niece or younger sister, similar to her friendship with Shinoa Hiragi through her older adoptive brother, Shinya.

Another reason Mito had taken a liking to Yuichiro was because, unknown to her, the younger girl had chosen to take Sayuri's advice and kiss up to her a little as well as bake her favorite sweets whenever she came over to Guren's house to visit. Yuichiro even imitated Mito's trademark ponytail when her hair grew out long enough to tie back.

And Mito was, as Guren had predicted, indeed proud when she learned that Yuichiro had punched an unruly classmate at school who dared to pull up her skirt even though she thought the younger girl had gone a bit too easy on Takeshi Saehara by her standards. If it were Mito herself who had been the victim of such a prank, she would have likely beaten the crap out of the offender but didn't tell Yuichiro that because Sayuri implored her not to teach the younger girl to be more aggressive (or violent) than necessary.

"Ayyeeeee!" Yuichiro squealed with delight as she grew into one of her more playful moods and tackled Mito, taking her to the ground so that they could grapple a bit. At only fourteen years of age, Yuichiro was now taller than both Sayuri and Shigure and almost tall enough to stare Mito in the eye when standing. Anyone who saw them now might think they were a pair of unruly sisters wrestling for dominance while laughing with glee.

"Hey, Mito, are you ticklish?" Yuichiro asked playfully as her big green eyes twinkled with mischief.

"Oh no! Anything but that!" Mito cried in feigned terror before the younger girl attacked, lightly brushing her sides that were left bare by her tank top with her fingertips.

"Tickle, tickle, hee hee!"

"Nooooo! Stop, pleeeaassee!" the older woman cried as she howled with laughter. Mito's laughing didn't go unnoticed and Sayuri could not help smiling when the sound caught her attention as she watched her friend and Yuu wrestle in Guren's yard through the window from the kitchen where she was making dinner preparations.

"Is that Mito laughing out there? I swear she sounds like a hyena when she does that," Shigure said in astonishment as she entered the kitchen after the noise had roused her attention from setting the table in the dining room.

Sayuri chuckled as she stepped slightly away from the window to allow the other woman to see for herself. When Shigure got a clear view of what was going on, even she had to laugh.

"You know, I'm really going to miss Yuichiro when she leaves for the Shibuya Guard in the fall," the raven-haired woman confessed.

"Mmm… me too," Sayuri admitted. "Guren told me that he's grooming her for the entry exam into the Demon Army as well. At the rate she's learning and growing, I'm sure Yuichiro will join us in the Moon Demon Company before we know it."

"Right. And as much as I love having her at home, it's important for Yuu to have the dorm experience so she can be more independent and make friends her own age."

"Yes, that too. It's been how long since we took her in? Almost three years? Time really flies, doesn't it?"

"That it does," Shigure agreed. "Anyway, I think we better call Yuu and Mito in for dinner before the neighbors start to think we're keeping a hyena in our yard."

"You're right. Would you do me a favor and keep an eye on the stove while I go get them?"

"Of course."

While Shigure was watching the food cooking on the stove, Sayuri stepped out into the back yard and called for Yuu and Mito to come in.

"Hey, you two! Dinner should be ready soon so maybe you should come in and shower so you'll be ready to join us when Guren gets home! Shinya and Goshi will be coming over tonight, too."

"Ok, Sayuri!" Yuu called as she ceased her attack on Mito before getting up and offering her hand to the older woman.

"Are you hungry yet, Mito?"

"Yeah, kind of. I always do feel starved after training," Mito answered after she allowed Yuichiro to help her up. "What's for dinner?"

"I think Sayuri is making beef curry tonight. I already helped her cut the vegetables and meat before you came. Even made dessert too!"

"Really? What?" the older woman asked with a glint of excitement in her eyes. If there was anything that got Mito just as, if not more excited as fighting, were her favorite sweets.

"We made a western-style apple pie!"

"Oh, that I haven't had it before, but it sounds delicious!"

"It is! I used to make it with my grandma when I was little."

"I see. By the way, Guren told me you've just recently been accepted into the Shibuya Guard. Is that right?"

"Yes. But I won't start until the fall. I should be eligible to take the Demon Army entry exam by then too."

"That's good," Mito said before gently placing her hand on the younger girl's face. "You've been a very good student, Yuichiro. I can see by how you fought today that you've learned everything I know about martial arts, and there's only one more thing left that I can teach you." *1*

Yuichiro blinked, curious as to what her instructor meant.

"What is it, Mito?"

The scarlet-haired woman smiled and gently pressed her forehead to Yuichiro's before answering.

"No matter what others say, you must never lose pride in being a woman. Even if you find yourself on the same stage as men, don't try to become one. Instead, be a woman, and do all those other things men can't. Do you understand, Yuichiro?"

The younger girl blinked again. After nearly a lifetime of pretending to be a boy because her parents told her she should be, she now had someone telling her that she should not only accept being female, but also be proud of it.

"I understand, Mito. And thank you. For everything. That means a lot to me. If it's not too much to ask, could you continue to spar with me until I leave home?"

"I'd love to. For now, let's get inside and shower before dinner. I'm in a good mood and I don't need Guren telling me I stink to ruin it. I'm sure you don't either."

Yuichiro laughed. "Yeah, me too."

SSSSSS

"Phew…" Yuichiro breathed as she placed the last clean dish in the dishwasher. As usual, she was helping Sayuri wash the dishes after dinner and dessert. Shinya and Mito had already gone home for the night and Guren said he had a little more work to do before bed. The only guest left was Goshi, who said he wanted a last smoke out on the patio before going home. Yuichiro thought about offering him a glass of water or cup of tea to wash down his dinner (which was a lot) considering how much the blond man normally ate. Every time Goshi came over for dinner, she and Sayuri had to remember to cook extra food for him.

"Hey, Sayuri, Goshi's been out there for a while. Do you think he might be thirsty?" Yuichiro asked. "I'm pretty sure smoking can do that to you, right?"

"Hmm… I'm not sure, to be honest. Since I've never smoked a day in my life, I can't say. But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to offer him something since he is our guest. And he's done his part well in training you so it's probably the least we could do for him."

"Right. Do you know what he normally likes to drink?"

"Well for as long as I've known him, Goshi isn't really a tea person. I suppose water or a soda should suffice; he's not too terribly picky as long as something's appealing to his taste buds."

"Ok, I'll get him a soda then if you don't need me to do anything else."

"It's ok, Yuu. We're done cleaning up for the night. Go ahead and bring Goshi a soda."

"Right," Yuichiro said as she opened the refrigerator and took out a bottled coke before going to the patio outside, the same one where Shinya and Goshi made their bet about her and Guren two years ago.

"Hey, Goshi?" the girl called as soon as she opened the sliding door and stepped outside with the soda bottle in her hands.

At the sound of Yuichiro's voice, the blond man turned to face her. Instead of leaning against the wall like he normally did when smoking on the patio, Goshi was standing on the edge of it, looking out to the garden as he took a drag of his pipe. Since it was past ten, the grass, trees, and flowers were illuminated only by moonlight as well as the few outdoor lanterns in Guren's yard.

"Yes, Yuichiro? Is there something I can do for you?" he asked politely.

The younger girl smiled and shook her head. "No, I don't need anything. I was just curious to see if you were thirsty and wanted something to drink," she answered as she offered the coke bottle to the older man. Sayuri often told her that unless he was really full, Goshi never turned down anything to eat or drink as long as it was free.

"I'd like that. Thank you, Yuichiro," Goshi said and smiled as he lowered his pipe and took the soda she offered.

Now that she got a really good look at it, the vintage pipe Goshi almost always carried with him piqued her interest.

"Say, Goshi…"

"Yes? What is it?" he asked after taking a swig of his soda.

"That pipe… it kind of intrigues me…"

"Oh? How so, Yuu?"

"I've never seen anything like it before. Not up close, that is. Have you had it a long time?"

"I've had it since high school. It's my weapon in combat but also helps me to relax and think at times. Why?"

"I'm curious… would it be ok if I try it?"

The older man was slightly startled at the request. Normally, he wouldn't allow such a thing if anyone else asked him since he was rather protective of his possessions. But like Shinya, Goshi's always been one to indulge Yuichiro when she wanted something every now and then. Especially since Guren was always so strict with her. His demon, Kakuze, was already contracted with him and was not interested in having a young teenage girl as a host. And even though he was long over it, Goshi had been none-too-pleased when Kakuze chose to prank him by giving no warning of Yuichiro's approach before she attacked him with an iron poker after mistaking him for an intruder the time he came over to Guren's house to fix the kitchen sink for Sayuri.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt. But why now, Yuu? You've never asked me before."

Yuichiro shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know… I guess I'm just more curious about it now than I used to be."

"Well, you're still young so that comes as no surprise. Ok, then, Yuu. I normally wouldn't do this but I suppose I do owe you something as an apology for making that bet with Shinya over you and Guren."

And without another word, the blond man deftly spun the pipe in his fingers around so that the mouthpiece faced Yuichiro before handing it over to her. Contrary to how it appeared, Goshi's pipe was actually pretty light despite its metallic look.

"How do I use this?" Yuichiro asked curiously as she turned the pipe this way and that in her hands.

"Well, since I'm guessing this is the first time you've ever attempted to smoke anything, I don't recommend you take a long drag. Try taking a short puff into your mouth and exhale the smoke instead," Goshi advised.

"Yes, sir," the younger girl said as she finally brought the pipe to her lips and took a puff. The flavor was unusual, to say the least, but not unpleasant. Yuichiro had seen her father smoke cigarettes before as a young child and was sure the concept was the same with a pipe.

As soon as she exhaled a small cloud of smoke into the air, both Yuu and Goshi heard a stern voice behind them.

"What are you doing?"

Startled, the pair turned around to see Guren with a none-too-pleased look on his face when he saw his young ward with a pipe in her mouth.

"Umm… just taking a puff?" Yuichiro answered in an innocent tone that indicated she didn't think there was anything wrong with what she was doing.

"And why?"

"Because I was curious?" she answered after freeing her mouth from the pipe.

Guren gave a sigh of annoyance as he walked over and deftly took the pipe from Yuichiro and returned it to Goshi before turning back to her.

"There are things that you don't need to do, Yuichiro. Smoking is one of them since it doesn't do your health or battle performance any favors. And since you saw fit to do such a thing in my home without my permission, you can clean my office before bed tonight. Now get to it, brat."

Yuichiro frowned for a moment but obeyed nonetheless.

"Baka Guren, you're no fun," she pouted and stuck her tongue at him before finally going back inside the house.

After Yuichiro was gone and out of earshot, Guren turned back to his friend with a look of displeasure on his face that made him look much older than his twenty-two years.

Goshi shrugged his shoulders. "She's right, you know…" the blond man said with a touch of humor but Guren wasn't in the mood.

"Norito, just because I need you in my squad does not mean I want you teaching my girl any of your bad habits…"

Goshi blinked for a moment before his lips curved upward in a mischievous smile at the hidden implication. For as long they've known each other, it was rare for Guren to call Goshi by his given name unless he was serious about something. *2*

"Your girl, Guren? I didn't know you two had that kind of relationship," he teased.

Guren scowled. "We don't. As Yuichiro's guardian, it's my responsibility to look out for her well-being as well as groom her for the Demon Army so that she can serve humanity's cause. I know you and Shinya like to spoil her behind my back but teaching Yuichiro to smoke is something I will not tolerate."

"Being a bit of an overprotective daddy now, are we? A little puff never hurt no one. Have you ever taken the time to look at your ward lately, sir? She's not the same as she was when you took her in. Even I can see that, so why can't you?"

"Yuichiro is still a child. I may not be her father or elder brother but I'm the closest thing she has to either now that her parents are gone."

"You keep telling yourself that but she's no child, my lord. We both know it."

Guren said nothing and turned to go back inside the house when he heard Goshi calling out to him again. This time there was no hint of teasing in the other man's voice. If anything, it sounded like a plea.

"Open your eyes, Guren, I implore you. Don't blind yourself like you did before when you thought she was a boy. You may end up regretting it one day."

Guren paused for a moment as if he were considering Goshi's words.

"We have nothing more to discuss, Norito," he said quietly. "Please see yourself out tonight."

Goshi frowned as he watched his friend go back inside the house. He knew Guren always did have an unfortunate tendency to insist on learning things the hard way. But no matter how well intentioned he was, Goshi also knew that it was not his place to tell Guren how to raise Yuichiro.

Or how to see her.

"You always were a glutton for pain and punishment, old friend…" the blond man said sadly to himself as he tapped the ashes from his pipe and turned to look up at the starry night sky. "I hope you see the light someday, I really do."

SSSSSS

Yuichiro hummed softly to herself as she did her best to organize the stack of papers on Guren's desk before putting the books that he kept lying around his office back on the shelves. She knew her guardian had a habit of pulling books off the shelf when he needed to look something up but not always putting them back where he found them, especially when he was busy or deep in thought. Whenever that happened, Guren would just set whatever book he was skimming through anywhere after he was done with it.

Before Yuichiro moved in, it was Shigure who normally cleaned and maintained Guren's home office. Which wasn't such a difficult task since the man was normally tidy enough to begin with. After she had adjusted to living in the Ichinose household, Yuichiro took over the maintenance of Guren's office to give Shigure time to tend to more important matters, something the older woman greatly appreciated.

As he often did with his books, Guren also left his music records lying around his office. Whenever he was in the mood to listen to something, he would simply pop it on the vintage record player that was set on a small table in the corner of his office. Something Yuichiro thought was unusual due to the availability of modern electronic CD players. The girl knew several classmates who possessed them, including Shinoa and Mitsuba. But then again, Guren Ichinose always did have a fondness for antiques; almost everything in his home office, as well as the rest of his house, was vintage, including his western Victorian style wooden desk.

Taking great care not to damage the fragile vinyl disks, Yuichiro checked each case to make sure they had the correct record before putting them back on the shelf below the record player. By now, the girl was familiar with almost everything in her guardian's office and knew where they were supposed to be but even so, she still found a new surprise every now and then. And tonight was one of those times when Yuichiro spotted a case with a record she had never noticed before peeking out from a closed book set on the small window seat in the back of the office.

Curious, Yuichiro went over to pull the record out and gasped softly when she saw that it was totally black with a picture of a white mask and single red rose as well as the words The Phantom of the Opera in big bold letters.

Looking the case over, Yuichiro found that the record was an instrumental soundtrack of the world-famous musical that had been popular back in the 80s and 90s. She knew it was originally a French novel from the early 20th century that had been made into a hit musical by a British composer named Andrew Lloyd Webber. And though Yuichiro had never read the novel, she was very familiar with the songs and music because her late grandmother used to sing them to her and with her all the time when she was a young child. And Misao would teach Yuichiro how to sing when her parents weren't home, being a music teacher for most of her life before she retired.

Although it wasn't like her to play around on the job, Yuichiro thought it wouldn't hurt to listen to some music while cleaning out Guren's office, if only for old time's sake. So pulling the record out of the case, she carefully placed it on the record player to play. As Yuichiro expected, the first track was the opening song which was her favorite. And since it was an instrumental only soundtrack with no vocals, the girl did her best to fill in.

Though it had been many years since she last sang them, Yuichiro still remembered the lyrics as if she had recited them all her life. She even knew exactly where to come in.

"In sleep, he sang to me.

In dreams, he came.

That voice which calls to me,

And speaks my name"

So preoccupied was the girl with her singing that she failed to notice the footsteps of someone approaching and continued.

"And do I dream again?

For now I find,

The Phantom of the Opera is there,

Inside my mind."

Guren stopped in his tracks from where he stood just outside the door to his office that was slightly opened when he heard a very feminine voice singing inside and raised a brow. Though he couldn't see the singer, he knew it could be none other than Yuichiro since neither Sayuri nor Shigure could carry a tune.

She can sing? Wow, I never knew that… Guren thought in astonishment. Now that he was listening to her, the lieutenant colonel had to admit that his ward did have a rather pretty voice. When she wasn't using it to shout at him, that is.

Taking care to walk quietly, Guren stepped inside to find Yuichiro standing in the middle of his office with her back turned to him, her arms outstretched and moving as if she were actually performing on stage. As he expected, the younger girl did not notice his presence until he took a breath and filled in the next part of the song for her.

"Sing once again with me,

Our strange duet.

My power over you,

Grows stronger yet…"

Yuichiro gasped and turned around when she heard a masculine voice sing from behind her and spun around to see her guardian with a somewhat playful look on his face as he sang the Phantom's lines. Like herself, Guren was also familiar with her favorite musical and she almost had to clap a hand over her mouth to keep herself from squealing with delight.

The girl watched in amazement as he started to circle her slowly, his usually cold eyes now warm as they fixated on her and she could not hide the growing redness in her cheeks. Yuichiro watched as Guren's normal calculating eyes were replaced with gentle ones and a genuine smile rested on his lips.

Reaching out, the older man gently ran a finger down the chain of the gold heart-shaped locket around Yuichiro's neck to the ruby in the center as he sang the next verse.

"And though you turn from me

To glance behind,

The Phantom of the Opera is there

Inside your mind…"

For a moment, Yuichiro was confused and did not understand what Guren meant by such a gesture. But she loved the rich baritone of his voice and didn't want him to stop, so she continued.

"Those who have seen your face

Draw back in fear…

I am the mask you wear…"

And he obliged her.

"It's me they hear…"

They both took a deep breath before singing in unison. For once, Yuichiro found something she actually liked doing with Guren asides from sparring and bickering.

"My/Your spirit and My/Your voice

In one combined,

The Phantom of the Opera is there

Inside My/Your mind…"

Their voices blended well together and with the music which was quite a feat considering how Yuichiro and Guren were often at odds with each other. But the pair decided to ignore that for now since they didn't want to ruin the mood and Yuichiro accepted the hand Guren extended to her before he started up again.

"In all your fantasies, you always knew

That man and mystery…"

He halted to let Yuu sing Christine's line.

"Were both in you…"

Once again their voices melted together.

"And in this labyrinth,

Where night is blind,

The Phantom of the Opera is there…

Inside my/your mind… "

Letting go of Yuichiro's hand, Guren stepped back and called to her.

"Sing, my Angel of Music!"

She replied. "He's there, the Phantom of the Opera…"

Yuichiro began vocalizing, starting low. Again, he called to her. "Sing, my Angel of Music!"

Guren's voice sounded just as commanding in his singing as when he was giving orders on the battlefield. Again, he called to her.

"Sing, my Angel of Music!"

Yuichiro obeyed, going a note higher and higher, remembering to drop her jaw lower and push on her diaphragm to reach the high notes like Misao had taught her.

"Sing… sing for me!" Guren commanded.

And sing Yuichiro did until she reached the very last note and the music ended. Afterward, she watched as Guren turned off the record player before the next track could begin.

"As much as I enjoyed that, I think it's a little past your bedtime, Yuu," the older man said with a hint of playfulness in his voice. "Thank you for cleaning my office."

"You're welcome, sir," Yuichiro replied as she tried her best to match his coolness in hopes that he wouldn't notice her blushing. "I didn't know you could sing."

Guren smirked. "There's a lot you don't know about me."

"I'll say… we should do it again sometime…"

"Maybe…you do have a pretty voice, Yuichiro. I'd hate to see you ruin it by… smoking, for example…"

Yuichiro frowned. "Seriously, Guren? You're still upset over a little thing like me taking a puff?"

"I'm serious, Yuichiro. As long as you live in my home, you will obey my rules. And I do not allow smoking. You notice that I never allow even Goshi to smoke inside the house, haven't you?"

"Yet you allow him to do so in the yard on the patio whenever he comes over to visit."

"True. But Goshi isn't my ward. You are. He's also twenty-two and you're only fourteen. Understand?" *3*

Yuichiro sighed. As strict as he was, Guren had been at least somewhat tolerant of her occasional rebellious behavior but she could tell this was one thing he would not budge on. And she couldn't afford to displease him too much if she wanted to live in his home and later join the Demon Army.

"Yes, sir. I understand."

"I'm glad you do. I know you're still young and like to try out new things but there are some things you're better off not doing, take my word for it. I can tell you seem to like singing as well as fighting a great deal. Did you know that smoking will impair your ability to do both?"

"I didn't," she confessed.

"Well, now you do. Another incentive for you not to smoke."

"I see… Ok, I promise not to smoke again."

Guren smiled as he leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on the corner of Yuichiro's mouth.

"Good girl. It's getting late so you should head on to bed. You've still got a lot of training and studying to do before the JIDA entrance exams so make sure you rest well while you can."

"Yes, Guren," the younger girl obeyed and made her way for the door. Before stepping out into the hallway, she paused. Without turning around, Yuichiro said, "I really enjoyed singing with you, sir. I hope we'll get another chance to do it again sometime."

The older man's expression softened. Like Sayuri and Shigure, he was going to miss Yuichiro when she leaves for the Shibuya Guard in a few months. But he wasn't going to tell her that. For now, Guren just wanted to enjoy the time he had left with Yuu until then.

"I do too, Yuichiro…" he said gently. "Good night."

"You too, Guren. Sweet dreams."

And the ravenette left her guardian's office without another word.

SSSSSS

Later that night after Yuichiro changed for bed, she took a moment to gaze out her window while fiddling with the gold heart-shaped locket that she now wore around her neck every day, even to sleep. Although he never said so, Yuichiro could sense that Guren had no love for the piece she insisted on wearing all the time now and was puzzled as to what he meant when he touched it while singing the Phantom's lines. The girl was so enchanted by his voice and singing to really ponder the thought until now. *4*

Knowing that she wasn't going to receive an answer anytime soon, Yuichiro shook her head and closed the locket in her fist as she thought about what Guren told her in regards to her upcoming entry exams, which was more important at the moment. Although the exams won't be for at least a few more months, that didn't mean Yuichiro slack off; she would have to work harder than ever if she wanted to get into the Demon Army.

Just you wait, Mika… I'll get revenge for you, Akane, and everyone by wiping every vampire off the face of the earth! She vowed.

Little did Yuichiro Hyakuya know that in less than two years, she would encounter a vampire who would prevent her from keeping that promise, a vampire she could never kill…

Footnotes:

1. In regards to her training, Mito only taught Yuichiro everything she knew about physical martial arts, not controlling demons or using spellcraft. All that Yuichiro will learn when she joins the Demon Army.

2. In canon, Goshi is referred to by his given name in the LNs by Guren. In my AU, I only have Guren address him as such when he's serious about something.

3. The scene with fem!Yuu smoking is relevant to the plot of my story. In reality, I do not encourage anyone to smoke regardless of age, especially minors.

4. The idea for fem!Yuu's locket was inspired by DeviantArt member, Smartanimegirl, and her version of fem!Yuu.