Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Shibuya/Shinjuku arc so there will be differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!

Chapter 10: An Old Friend and New Rival

October 31, 2020

"Yuu-chan, why did you leave me behind? I gave my life for you and now you've forgotten me…"

"No…I have never forgotten you, Mika. How could I? I love you!"

"But your heart is swaying towards another…"

"No…it's not like that…"

"Is it, Yuu-chan? Your guardian is a fine man… a grown man, something I will never be…"

Yuichiro could almost feel her eyes tearing up when she looked upon the face of her lost orphanage brother, the twelve-year old boy who would be forever frozen in time because he sacrificed himself to protect her.

"That may be, but Guren does not see me as anything but a child!"

"Are you sure? He protects you, guides you, and takes such good care of you…"

"Because that's what a parent is supposed to do!"

"You are deluding yourself, Yuu-chan. Not once have you ever thought of him as your father. And you are most certainly not his daughter."

Yuichiro found herself unable to argue because she knew everything Mika said was true. The age gap between Guren and herself was not great enough for them to be parent and child.

"I will not deny that, Mika. I care for Guren, but my feelings for you haven't changed. And they never will…"

"You cannot love a ghost, a shadow from the past forever, Yuu-chan…"

"Then what will you have me do, Mika?"

As if in answer, the blond boy smiled, stepped behind Yuichiro, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Just submit to me, my love…" he murmured as he hugged her from behind. "Do that and all will be forgiven…"

As soon as those words left "Mikaela's" mouth, Yuichiro immediately spun around and angrily pushed him away.

"Stop it, Asuramaru!" she snarled.

The demon chuckled as he finally reverted back to his true form.

"Very good, Yuichiro. What gave me away?"

"The real Mika wouldn't have any idea who Guren is. And he would never call me 'my love'!"

"He might have if he lived to be your age, Yuichiro… But he didn't because you left him to die…"

"There was nothing I could have done for him. I know that so don't you dare try and guilt-trip me because it won't work!"

"Haha… is that so? Well, you know what to do should you find your will breaking. If you give yourself to me, I will gladly avenge your precious Mikaela for you."

"That won't be necessary, Asuramaru."

The demon shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever you say, Miss Hyakuya. By the way, you should probably be getting up soon. It wouldn't look good for you to be late on the first day of your new job…" he teased.

Before the ravenette could answer, she heard the loud ringing of an alarm clock indicating that morning had come…

SSSSSS

Yuichiro gasped as her eyes flew open after her alarm clock had gone off. Reaching over to turn off the timer, she saw that it was about seven o' clock, the time she normally got up to get ready for school.

Closing her eyes again for a brief moment, Yuu reached for the gold heart-shaped locket that rested above her breasts and closed her fist around it. Since the day she and Guren had returned from their trip from the waterfall grounds, Yuu had worn Mika's gift every day and everywhere, even into the shower. Over the last two years, she could count the times she had taken it off on just one hand.

Though he made no mention of it, Yuichiro sensed that Guren had little love for the trinket she insisted on wearing all the time. And even if he did, Yuu could not bear to get rid of or put it away again because having it somehow made her feel closer to the boy who gave his life for her. Not a day had gone by that Yuichiro had not thought of her previous family and what might have been had things not taken the tragic turn they did.

Especially her favorite orphanage brother.

Even now, Yuichiro could not help wondering what Mikaela would be like if he had lived and grown as she had. How tall would he be? What size shoes would he be wearing? Would he still have that charming baby face that could make even a vampire swoon? Guren would probably think it pointless to ponder such things but Yuichiro was sure even he was curious to know what his special childhood friend would be like now if had she lived to be his age.

Even if he would never admit it.

Opening her eyes again, Yuichiro yawned and stretched her arms before finally getting up from her bed and making her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth and take her usual morning shower. Once she was cleaned and dried off, the girl went through her closet while wrapped in her towel and almost took her school uniform off the hanger when she remembered that today was Saturday and school was out for the weekend. Recalling Asuramaru's words before she woke up made Yuu realize that today Guren was finally sending her on her first mission as a full-fledged member of the Moon Demon Company and that she was supposed to meet up with Shinoa before they leave for the outer walls.

Feeling silly that she had actually forgotten her new mission for a moment considering that it was what she spent nearly four years training and studying so hard for, Yuichiro pushed the hanger with her school uniform aside and reached for her new MDC uniform instead. As soon as she was properly dressed, the girl brushed and tied her hair into a high ponytail before putting on a little makeup. She also made sure her new demon sword, Asuramaru, was secure at her belt along with Shinya's semi-automatic before finally putting on her cape and boots and leaving her dorm.

As Yuichiro predicted, her purple-haired watchdog was right outside the hallway waiting for her. And with a small paper bag in her hand that looked like it contained some kind of snack. From the looks of it, Yuichiro surmised that Shinoa must have stopped by the mess hall to pick it up before coming to her dorm.

"Good morning, Miss Hyakuya! Lovely day to go on a mission, don't you think?" Shinoa joked in a singsong tone as she offered her friend the bag she was holding.

"Is this for me? What is it?" Yuichiro asked curiously as she took the small bag and looked inside to find a freshly-baked brand muffin in it.

"Your breakfast, of course. Since Guren is expecting us to meet with him at the gates along with Yoichi and Kimizuki soon, we won't have time to eat at the mess hall like we usually do before school and training."

Yuichiro blinked. Although disappointed that she won't have time to sit down and enjoy a proper breakfast, the ravenette was grateful that Shinoa had gone out of her way to pick up something for her so that she wouldn't have to start her first mission on an empty stomach.

"Uh, thanks, Shinoa, that's very thoughtful of you."

The other girl laughed merrily. "Well since you're a part of my squad now, it's my responsibility to do everything I can to help you perform your best."

"I see… but what about you? Didn't you get anything for yourself before coming here?"

Shinoa waved off Yuichiro's concern with a swipe of her hand.

"Don't worry about me, I've already eaten. I'm sure Yoichi and Kimizuki did too. So shall we get going now?"

"Of course. Why don't you lead the way, Miss Hiragi?"

"With pleasure."

SSSSSS

"So tell me, Shinoa, where exactly will we be going?" Yuichiro asked her friend as she and Shinoa walked side by side while making their way for the gates that would take them outside the safety of the walls.

"Well, you heard your guardian mention that the vampires in Kansai are planning to reconquer Shinjuku, right?"

"Yes, I recall him saying something like that. So is that where we're going?" Yuu asked as she took another bite of her breakfast muffin, trying to eat a bit faster so that it would be gone by the time she met up with Guren and the boys.

"Correct. The plan is to strengthen Shinjuku's defenses before the vampires attack. I don't think I need to tell you that to get there, we must leave the safety of Shibuya's ramparts. Once we're out there, we'll be completely on our own until we get to Shinjuku."

"I know, Shinoa. Believe it or not, I've been to Shinjuku before though it's been a while."

"Oh, I believe it. That was the city where you decided to take on a rogue vampire by yourself while armed with only a bokken, a semi-automatic, and a few kunai. It's also where Guren discovered you were a girl after you were careless enough to get injured by said vampire even though you did help him and his squad to take it down."

Yuichiro scowled in annoyance at the other girl after she finished the last bite of her muffin and tossed the bag into a nearby trashcan.

"Let me guess, Shinya told you that, didn't he?"

"Yup. And as an apology for lying to me about your true gender for as long as he did. I wonder, Yuu, if Guren had not discovered that you were female then, would you still be posing as a boy today?"

Yuichiro sighed. "I'm not sure. It was already starting to get quite difficult to pass myself off as a boy by the time I was twelve with all the bodily changes I was going through as well as awkward situations I've been caught up in. Sayuri and Shigure discovered it the day Guren took me in because I had to take off my shirt for them to treat me after I got injured escaping Sanguinem. Shinya, Goshi, and Mito were able to figure it out shortly after meeting me but they were nice enough to keep my secret for as long as they did. If Guren hadn't walked in on me getting treated after I was injured by that vampire, I might have been able to fool him for a little longer but probably not until today."

"I probably would have given you a couple of months more at most. In any case, we're almost at the gates. As your squad leader, let me do all the talking, ok?"

"Fine by me."

Standing slightly behind Shinoa, Yuichiro watched in silence as the purple-haired girl politely asked the guards to open the gates leading to the outside.

"Good morning, sirs! My friend and I are of the Moon Demon Company's vampire extermination unit, so would you be so kind as to open the gate?"

The guards gave both girls a blank stare before one of them whispered to the other:

"The Moon Demon Company? But they're so young, just kids!"

"Shh!" the other guard hissed. "They'll hear you!"

Instead of being offended, Shinoa giggled and playfully elbowed Yuichiro.

"Hear that? They just called us a couple of kids!"

Yuichiro rolled her eyes. "I bet they're talking about you, Shinoa, since you're such a midget. I may be sixteen but I'm just as tall as any grown woman."

Shinoa grinned. "Nonsense! I'm still a growing girl, you know? You should have seen my elder sister; she was a busty girl who could turn the heads of young boys and grown men alike."

Yuichiro was startled. In all the time she knew Shinoa, the other girl only spoke of her brothers but never mentioned that she had a sister.

"You have a sister, Shinoa? You never told me that."

Shinoa smiled and shook her head.

"Correction, I had a sister. She passed away a long time ago."

Yuichiro frowned. "Oh, really? I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. In a world like this, there isn't a person alive who hasn't lost someone important to them as I'm sure you know."

Thinking of Mika, Akane, and the others, Yuichiro nodded in silent agreement and followed Shinoa outside when the gates were opened. As soon as they were just outside the exit, she heard a loud feminine voice in the distance.

"What?! You must be joking, Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose!"

"That voice…"

Though it had been years since she heard it, Yuichiro instantly recognized it as belonging to her old classmate whom she had not seen since eighth grade.

And from the sound of it, the girl was arguing with Guren over her new assignment. Which was quite audacious considering that he normally did not tolerate his subordinates questioning his orders and wasn't anywhere near as fond of her as he was of Yuu.

Looking in the direction of the argument, Yuichiro and Shinoa saw none other than Mitsuba Sangu throwing a temper tantrum in front of Guren with Yoichi and Kimizuki, who were also clad in their MDC uniforms with their new demon weapons at their sides, watching in perplexity.

"Why was I assigned to a team of rookies when I've been in the elite force since I was fourteen?!" *1*

"I don't believe it" Yuichiro breathed. "Is that Mitsuba? Why is she so upset?"

Shinoa shrugged. "Beats me. Just so you know, the MDC squads are organized into teams of five members each. And between you, me, Yoichi, and Kimizuki, there are only four of us. So we need one more member."

"I see…"

As soon as he caught sight of Yuu and Shinoa, Yoichi took the chance to wave at them.

"Yuu! Shinoa! You're finally here!"

Upon seeing his ward and Shinoa, Guren's lips curved into a small smile as if he were relieved to have a distraction from Mitsuba's whining.

"Well, you girls sure took your sweet time…"

Yuichiro smirked. "What do you mean, sir? We're exactly on time. It is you and the boys who are early. As I recall, you asked us to meet you here at eight thirty, didn't you? Well, here we are."

"Very perceptive, Yuichiro. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Anyway, I do believe you and Shinoa have met Miss Sangu here even though it's been a while…"

As soon as Guren mentioned Yuu and Shinoa, Mitsuba spun around and glared at both of them, especially Shinoa.

"You!" the blonde girl shouted angrily as she pointed at Shinoa before turning back to Guren.

"I might have tolerated this if you put me in charge of the new recruits but you're telling me you're actually putting that clown, Shinoa, in charge? Would you mind explaining why?!"

The lieutenant colonel sighed and placed a hand on his head as if trying to ease a headache.

"As a matter of fact, I do, Miss Sangu. In case you forgot, you're in the Moon Demon Company under my command and my decisions are not up for debate. From now on, you will be a part of Shinoa's squad and that's not a request, that's an order."

Upon hearing her superior's retort, Mitsuba clenched her fists and turned around to glare at Shinoa again. The blonde girl looked so angry, Yuichiro swore she could see the veins popping on her forehead.

Instead of being intimidated, Shinoa merely laughed as she flung a lock of purple hair over her shoulder like Yuichiro often did with her braid when bickering with Guren.

"That goes for you too, Miss Hiragi," the older man said sternly knowing Shinoa's mischievous nature. "Since Mitsuba is now a part of your team, try to get along and not make trouble for me, all right?"

"But of course sir!" the purple-haired girl said cheerfully. "You can count on me to make sure Mi-chan knows her place!"

Not that finally set the blonde girl off like a bomb.

"Why you little bitch!" Mitsuba shouted as she summoned her demon weapon, a large black battle axe. "I'll beat you to a bloody pulp!"

"Oooh, I'm soo scared!" Shinoa mocked as she summoned her own scythe and prepared to clash with the enraged blonde girl.

Yuichiro found herself at a loss for words as she watched the two girls, whom she remembered to be such close friends, go at it and right in front of Guren himself no less. The ravenette could not help wondering if the two had some kind of falling out that would make Mitsuba act so hostilely towards Shinoa.

After watching the two younger girls indulge their grudge for a moment, Guren sighed and finally took out his sword before easily disarming them both with a single swipe. As soon as the weapons were out of their hands and on the ground behind them, Guren swiftly grabbed both Shinoa and Mitsuba none-too-gently by their throats.

"That's enough, ladies. Don't try my patience any further unless you want to end up in solitary confinement," he warned.

Mitsuba gulped. As angry as she was, even she knew better than to test the limits of Guren's patience and from the look on Shinoa's face, she did too.

"Um, ok. I'll behave…" Shinoa said quietly.

"Yeah, I will too…" Mitsuba agreed.

After narrowing his eyes and tightening his hold on their throats slightly to make sure they knew he was serious, Guren finally released them before turning to Yuu and the boys.

"Anyway, this is your newest member, Mitsuba Sangu. For those of you who don't know, the squads in the MDC are all organized into five-person teams because a smaller team will not survive an encounter with an armed vampire. When outside, always remember to look out for each other and refrain from taking independent action."

As he said this, Guren turned to his young ward.

"That especially goes for you, Yuichiro. Try not to disappoint me this time."

Yuu sighed. "Fine, fine…" she said before offering a hand to the newest member of her squad. "It's nice to see you again, Mitsuba. I was wondering where you disappeared off to after eighth grade because I haven't heard from you since."

Instead of taking the hand Yuichiro offered, Mitsuba snorted and turned back to Guren.

"So I'm in charge of training these newbies?" the blonde girl asked as she made a gesture towards Yuu, Yoichi, and Kimizuki.

Guren raised a brow. "Training? What can they possibly learned from a trouble-maker like you?"

The blonde girl scowled. "Excuse me, but I am not a troublemaker!"

Guren rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, listen up, everyone! Since you are now a team, I expect you to work like one because your very lives will depend on it once you leave the safety of the walls. For your first mission, I want all of you to stop by Harajuku and free the humans the vampires are holding prisoner there before heading on to Shinjuku."

"And what about you, sir?" Yuichiro asked.

"My squad and I will be taking a different route so we'll meet you there after you free the humans in Harajuku. And please try not to take too long," Guren answered with a smirk at his ward.

"Hmph!" the younger girl scoffed as she flipped her long ebony ponytail over her shoulder. "I'll try not to considering the fact that I'll be taking on some vampires to free a whole community of people, sir!"

Both Yuichiro and Guren knew she normally did not have a problem being on time unless she was being held up by something beyond her control. But that didn't stop him from using those rare instances to tease her.

Kimizuki, who was usually so serious, had to stifle a laugh watching the humorous interaction between his friend and her guardian. The fact that Guren tolerated Yuichiro's snarky retorts told him that the man must have a great deal of affection for her.

"So you've noticed it too?" Yoichi asked quietly as if reading Kimizuki's mind as he smiled and gently nudged the pink-haired boy.

"What do you mean, Yoichi?" Kimizuki asked as he crossed his arms and feigned ignorance while continuing to watch Guren and Yuichiro exchange a few more words.

"How alike Yuu and the lieutenant colonel are. Even when they pretend otherwise and act like they can't stand each other."

"Well, I'm pretty sure Miss Hyakuya had to get that attitude from somewhere. Strange as it sounds, I actually like her this way."

"That makes two of us," Yoichi agreed with a small laugh.

SSSSSS

"How awful…" Yoichi murmured as he looked at the ruins of what was once a lively city bustling with life and activity.

The look on the brunet boy's face made it appear as if he were staring at the ruins of an ancient city that were hundreds or thousands of years old instead of a city that had fallen into ruin less than a decade ago.

"Yeah…" Yuichiro agreed as she and the rest of her companions followed Shinoa out of Shibuya to the world that been abandoned by humanity.

Looking at her surroundings, the girl was reminded of that horrible night where she saw people screaming and dying in the streets as cars crashed and piled on top of each other while she, Mikaela, and the rest of their little family desperately tried to find someplace safe to hide before their capture by the vampires.

Everywhere they looked, as far as the eye could see, were collapsed buildings, shattered glass, wrecked cars, fallen street lights and other debris. The roads themselves were also cracked and severely damaged with raised pieces of asphalt and potholes of all sizes. Even if the human population had not been so drastically reduced, it would take years, maybe even decades to restore the towns and cities outside Shibuya to their former condition.

Curious, Yuichiro gave the younger boy a questioning look.

"You act like you've never been outside Shibuya before."

"Actually, you're right, I haven't," Yoichi admitted. "Not since I was taken in by the Demon Army, that is. But what about you, Yuichiro? I was told that you and Kimizuki were part of the Shibuya Guard before joining the MDC . So you must have been outside the walls before, right?"

Yuichiro nodded. "Yes, I have. Though Guren would never allow me to go too far beyond them." Turning to Kimizuki, she asked: "Were you in the Shibuya Guard too? I don't recall ever running into you."

"Well, that's probably because we never had the same shifts," the pink-haired boy answered simply.

"Yes, you're right. That must be the reason otherwise I'm sure I would have remembered if we met before. So how did you like being in the Shibuya Guard?"

"Honestly, I thought it was as boring as hell even though the pay was decent," Kimizuki admitted.

Upon hearing his answer, Yuichiro had to laugh.

"That makes two of us."

Mitsuba snorted before turning around and facing them while wagging her finger like a teacher with no patience for her students.

"Hmph! You both think you're hot stuff just because you managed to fend off a couple of Horsemen of John near the walls? Any idiot can do that since they're weakened by the barriers set up there. But once you get to be a kilometer further out, they get way stronger. So don't slack off if you don't want to die and drag the rest of us down with you!"

Without waiting for Yuu or Kimizuki to answer, the blond girl turned around and stuck her nose in the air as she marched past Shinoa while muttering.

"Amateurs! They're going to be the death of me!"

Kimizuki scowled as he looked at Yuichiro and asked the question he knew were on both their minds.

"Seriously? What's up her ass? How can your guardian possibly think it's a good idea to put that hot-head in our squad?" he demanded.

"I have no idea, Kimizuki…" the ravenette confessed as she shrugged her shoulders before walking a bit faster until she was by Shinoa's side. "But I'm sure our squad leader here does. So tell me, Shinoa, did you and Mitsuba have some kind of falling out? She wasn't like this the last time I saw her." *2*

The purple-haired girl simply smiled and said: "It's a bit of a long story, Yuu, and I don't want to bore you with the details. I think Mi-chan's real issue is that she doesn't want you or the others dying on her watch. You can say she's feeling the pressure of responsibility for your lives."

Though Yuichiro was curious, she knew that now was not the time to press Shinoa for details and said nothing more until the squad finally reached the ruins of the Harajuku train station.

"Ok, we're finally here!" Mitsuba said and spun around to face Yuichiro and the others. For some odd reason, Shinoa did not act the slightest bit offended that the blonde girl acted as if she were in charge of the squad instead of her.

"Now listen up, everyone! Our mission is to free the humans being held hostage here. Make sure you stay in formation and don't lower your guard if you want to get out of this alive!"

Finally fed up with the blonde girl's ranting, Yuichiro finally spoke up.

"I don't need a babysitter, Mitsuba; I'm more than capable of fighting alone or with others if need be!" she snapped. *3*

While Guren had ordered Yuu and the rest of the squad to cooperate with Mitsuba as a member, he made no mention of them having to obey her since Shinoa was the official squad leader.

Before Mitsuba could make a scathing reply, they heard the shrill cry of a child in the distance.

"Help! Somebody, please help me!"

"What was that?!" Yoichi cried.

Turning in the direction of the voice, the squad was shocked to see a young girl who appeared to be no older than ten running for her life from a Horseman of John who was fully intent on making her a snack.

Looking at the child, Yuichiro recalled the time she rescued another little girl who was being pursued by a sadistic blood-thirsty vampire in Shinjuku.

The day she made the choice to protect someone over her personal vendetta against vampires and finally understood what it meant to be a soldier.

Without consulting Mitsuba or any of her other squad mates, Yuichiro instantly brought her hand to Asuramaru and drew the sword from its sheath as she prepared to take on the creature to protect the child.

But before the ravenette could make a break for it, she felt Mitsuba's hand close around her wrist.

"What the hell, Yuu?! Weren't you listening when I said stay in formation?!" the blond girl demanded.

"Shut up!" Yuichiro shot back while giving Mitsuba a glare intense enough to make her loosen her unwanted hold before turning to Shinoa since she was the squad leader with the authority to override the blonde girl's decision.

Her usual smile nowhere in sight, the purple-haired girl frowned and shook her head.

"No, Mi-chan is right, Yuu. This is a trap set up by the vampires. There's no way a child or even an adult could survive alone out here. Don't you see? They're just using her as bait to lure us out. The moment we break formation, the vampires will attack us and pick us off one by one."

"What? That doesn't make sense! Why would a Horseman of John obey the vampires since they have no mind or will of their own?" Kimizuki demanded.

"They don't," Shinoa answered sharply, her usual cheerful and light-hearted demeanor gone as she became serious. "They simply follow their natural instinct to attack and eat humans as punishment for our so-called sins. Don't you see? It's the oldest vampire trick in the book: they release a human in front of the monster to chase and capture those who try to help them."

"So what the hell are we supposed to do?" Yuichiro demanded impatiently.

"We wait until the enemy comes out before we engage!" Mitsuba snapped.

"Are you fucking nuts?!" Yuu screamed. "By then it might be too late and the kid could be monster chow!"

"You're the one who's fucking nuts!" Mitsuba screamed back as she tightened her hold on Yuichiro's wrist once more. "If you go rescue that girl, our whole team could be wiped out by the time the vampires arrive!"

"Is that what you're so scared of, Mitsu? Well, in that case, I'll just have to make sure I save her before the fangs arrive, don't I? The rest of you can retreat if you're scared but don't underestimate my fighting ability!"

And with that Yuichiro finally wrenched herself free of her squad mate's grip and charged towards the Horseman of John like a raging bull. Panicking, Mitsuba attempted to restrain her but quickly discovered that the other girl was a lot stronger than she looked.

After Yuichiro was gone, Mitsuba turned towards her squad leader. "Do something, Shinoa! What kind of squad leader are you if you can't even keep your subordinates in line?!"

Shinoa frowned and looked towards Yuichiro. For as long as she knew her, the ravenette normally did not have a problem following orders unless she felt very strongly about something.

"Like Yuu said, if she can save the girl and get back here before the vampires arrive, we'll still be ok."

Mitsuba glared at her. "'If'? You're willing to gamble our very lives on that chance? This is why I should have been squad leader and not you!"

Being used to the other girl's temper and outbursts, Shinoa did not take offense at Mitsuba's remark.

"Don't underestimate Yuichiro, Mi-chan," she answered with a smirk. "You may not have noticed but she is clearly not an ordinary soldier. Unlike you, I've been around her much longer and seen her in action many times. So far, Yuichiro has never failed to achieve her objective, orders or no. She may not look like it, but Yuu is not the kind of person who would take chances like that unless she's almost certain she could succeed."

Mitsuba gritted her teeth but deep down, she knew Shinoa was right. Since the day she saw Yuichiro knock Takeshi Saehara out cold with a single blow for pulling up her skirt, Mitsuba knew the ravenette was no ordinary girl. But she wasn't about to admit that and said:

"Fine! But if Yuu fails and we get killed because of it, it will be all your fault, Shinoa!"

Not like it will matter anymore if that happens… the purple-haired girl thought grimly but held her tongue since she didn't want to make the situation any more nerve-wracking than it already was. Kimizuki and Yoichi, on the other hand, knew better than to come between two bickering girls like Mitsuba and Yuichiro. So they wisely let their squad leader do all the talking.

Like Shinoa had surmised, Yuichiro moved fast, using her sword to sever one of the Horseman's limbs before it could grab the child and take her into its mouth. Thanks to Goshi's training and her own efforts at physical conditioning, Yuichiro easily lifted the younger girl into her arms, even managing a reassuring smile to ease the frightened child's fears.

"What the…?"

"Look, I'm going to have to throw you but don't worry! My friends will catch you while I take care of this monster, ok?"

Before the child could say another word, she found herself being flung through the air while accompanied by a shout.

"Kimizuki, catch!"

The pink-haired boy didn't need to be told twice and opened his arms to catch the terrified child flying towards him while Yuichiro took the chance to finish off the Horseman of John by driving her sword into a weak spot between its eyes like the one she killed over two weeks ago.

No sooner was she in Kimizuki's arms, the squad saw several vampires that seemed to come out from nowhere surround Yuichiro like a pack of hungry wolves.

"Shit!" Mitsuba cursed as she summoned her battle axe and prepared to rush to Yuichiro's aid before Shinoa stilled her hand.

"Wait, Mi-chan! I think Yuu has the situation under control. Stay here until she makes an opening for us, and then we'll all come in and help her while maintaining our formation!"

The blonde girl stared at her squad leader incredulously.

"Seriously, Shinoa? Don't you think you're overestimating Yuichiro just a bit?"

"I know what she's capable of; please trust me on this. If it looks like Yuu's being overwhelmed, we'll come in and help her no matter what, I promise you!"

Mitsuba looked about to argue further when she saw Yoichi pointing over her shoulder.

"Look, I think she's got it!"

Turning around, the blonde girl saw Yuichiro skillfully fend off the vampire soldiers who were attacking her with the help of Asuramaru. Although she had only obtained it the day before, Yuichiro fought like she had been wielding a black demon weapon for years.

Swinging the tip of Asuramaru in the air in a wide circle, the ravenette closed her eyes and called for her demon contractor.

"Asuramaru, lend me your power!" she whispered.

The demon's response was instant and Yuichiro felt her skin tighten where the curse marks appeared on her neck and jaw line up to her temples. As soon as she swung her sword around in a circle again, a strong gust of wind emanated from the enchanted blade and forced the advancing vampires back.

"Shit, who is this girl?!" one of the vampires cursed as he tried to cover his face with his arms.

As soon as she noticed the vampires were distracted and off balance, Shinoa turned to the rest of her squad.

"That's our cue!" she said as she made a gesture towards Yuichiro.

Without any further ado, Shinoa, Kimizuki, and Mitsuba made their move and rushed in to assist Yuichiro while Yoichi stayed behind with his bow to offer backup support and protect the little girl Yuichiro just rescued. Even though the squad outnumbered the vampires four to three, none of them were foolish enough to let their guard down for even a second.

"Rushing into battle alone is quite reckless, Yuu! Despite what you might think, we'd never just leave a child to her fate. At least I wouldn't!" Kimizuki said with a smirk as he took out his twin swords and took a swipe at a vampire who had recovered and attempted to attack Yuichiro.

If the situation didn't require everyone's full attention, Mitsuba would have shot the pink-haired boy a dirty look and made a scathing reply to his barb. She had insisted that the squad stay together only because she didn't want them to get killed and now two of her squad mates were making her look like the bad guy.

Ironically, it was Shinoa who understood the blonde girl's intentions more than anyone and showed her appreciation by covering her back when another vampire attempted to stab Mitsuba from behind. As the kind of person who hated being indebted to others, the blonde girl shot her squad leader a look of annoyance, but was grateful nonetheless.

"Shit, these kids have black demon weapons!" the leader, a vampire with light tan skin and long platinum blond hair, cursed as he glared at Yuichiro. Unknown to the ravenette, her unusual display of power and strength had piqued his interest.

"Kill the others but let's capture this one, there's something very unusual about her that could be of use to us!" he ordered.

"Oh, hell no! Like I'd ever let you take me alive, bastard!" Yuichiro shot back as she brandished Asuramaru at the vampire leader.

The vampire laughed as he brandished his own sword.

"You act as if you have a choice, human!"

Yuichiro gritted her teeth and held her ground as she tried to think about her next move but before she can charge again, Yuu heard her squad leader call out from behind her.

"That's enough for now, Yuu! Fall back!" Shinoa ordered.

The night before the squad left Shibuya, Guren had given Shinoa strict instructions to keep an eye on Yuichiro and not allow her to engage in any unnecessary confrontations that could endanger her life needlessly. And now was one of those times. Especially because she knew that it would be quite difficult for the squad to fight the vampires at their full strength if they also had to protect someone like the child Yuu had rescued.

Before the ravenette could reply, they heard a rude snicker coming from a red-haired female vampire.

"Fall back? As if we'd let you heads of livestock get away. Especially you, girl. You've got quite a mouth on you. Someone needs to teach you your place!"

Years ago, Yuichiro might have exploded at such provocation but she learned from Guren that it was essential to keep her cool on the battlefield if she wanted to survive. So instead of screaming at the female vampire, Yuichiro managed a sweet smile even though her green eyes glittered dangerously as she made a playful mocking expression and asked:

"Hmm? I didn't quite hear you, you bloodsucking whore. Could you please repeat that?"

The female vampire snarled and bared her fangs as she tightened the grip on her own weapon, a lance, in an attempt to intimidate the audacious human girl who dared to speak to her that way.

"Why you little bitch! I'll rip that insolent tongue out of your mouth and shove it down your throat until you choke on it and drown in your own blood!" she screamed as she prepared to charge at Yuichiro with the full intent to make good on her threat.

But before the red-haired vampire could move, she felt her leader's hand close around her wrist. Like Shinoa, he too, prefer his group not to engage in any unnecessary confrontation with wielders of the black demon weapons. Especially with that raven-haired, green-eyed girl who was not what she appeared to be.

"That's enough, Anya. We'll finish this another day," he said quietly as he tugged on her wrist before turning to his other followers and giving them the signal to retreat. Like all vampires, he was proud but still smart enough to know when to back off.

Forgetting her anger at Yuichiro, the vampire woman named Anya calmed down and obeyed. The way she looked at her leader made Yuu wonder if the two could be more than just commander and subordinate.

She didn't have time to ponder the thought for long before the vampires took off, moving so fast that they appeared to vanish into thin air.

After the vampires had gone, Yuichiro felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Kimizuki with a solemn look in his eyes.

"You heard Shinoa. We'd best get out of here before their reinforcements arrive. Don't forget that we're on enemy ground. And it's best we get that little girl somewhere she'll be safe."

Placing her hand over Kimizuki's, Yuichiro nodded. "I know. The safety of the child and our squad comes first" she said quietly.

Glad that Yuichiro wasn't going to argue with him like she did with Mitsuba, Kimizuki said nothing more as they turned around and made their retreat.

SSSSSS

Slap!

Yuichiro remained expressionless when she lifted her hand and easily blocked Mitsuba's attempt to strike her, their palms cracking hard against each other as soon as they made contact. If she could block an attack by Kimizuki, who was considerably stronger and a bit more reckless than Mitsuba, Yuichiro could without a doubt, block her attack as well without batting an eyelash.

Knowing that any additional attempts to strike the other girl with her bare hands would be futile since she was also an adept martial artist trained by Mito Jujo, Mitsuba clenched her fists and glared at Yuichiro while Shinoa and the boys watched in silence.

"What the hell were you thinking, Yuu?! Your reckless behavior endangered all our lives!"

"I'm not denying that Mitsu," the ravenette said coolly. "Would you feel better if I had stayed in formation and left the child to be eaten alive by that Horseman of John? I doubt you would. And if you were in her place, wouldn't you have wanted me to save you as well?"

Knowing that the other girl was absolutely right, Mitsuba sighed in frustration but did not argue.

"I hate people like you…" the blonde girl snarled before she felt a tug on her sleeve.

Looking down, Mitsuba saw, to her surprise, the child they had rescued earlier. After retreating, the squad had moved on to a Shibuya observation post as per Shinoa's orders.

Seeing the expression of relief and gratitude on the younger girl's face, Mitsuba's expression softened as she asked:

"Yes? What is it?"

The girl blushed and looked down for a moment before answering.

"I just wanted to say, thank you, all of you, for saving my life. Especially Miss Hyakuya. I would have died if you hadn't come to my rescue."

Yuichiro smiled at her. "There is no need to thank us. Protecting people from vampires is what we do."

As much as they had gotten off to a rocky start, Mitsuba had to agree with Yuichiro as she kneeled down and gently patted the child on the head.

"It's ok, you have nothing to worry about. Everything will be all right now. The Japanese Imperial Demon Army will protect you!"

Upon hearing Mitsuba's promise, the child's face broke out into a wide smile.

"Ok! Thank you!" she exclaimed before a female guard approached and gently led her away by the hand.

After the pair was gone and out of earshot, Mitsuba spun around and glared at Yuichiro again.

"Don't get me wrong, I still hate people like you!" she hissed while pointing an accusing finger at Yuu before storming off.

After Mitsuba was gone, Yuichiro turned to Shinoa. Now that they were out of danger, the ravenette saw no harm in finally asking the question that had been on her mind since they were reunited with the blonde girl.

"Shinoa, would you mind telling me exactly how and why Mitsuba turned out like this? I take it you know more than you were willing to tell me earlier. If I'm going to be working with her from now on, I'd appreciate knowing what I'm dealing with."

Instead of answering, the purple-haired girl skillfully side-stepped the question with her light-hearted demeanor having returned.

"Don't take it personally, Yuu. Despite what she says, Mi-chan doesn't hate you. Everyone in the Demon Army has had a troubled past and our dear Mi-chan is no exception. You can relate, right?"

Yuichiro sighed and nodded.

"I suppose so…" she agreed before moving on to more pressing matters. "So what next?"

"Simple; we try to figure out how to recapture Harajuku now that the enemy knows we're here."

"Well, for starters, we better think of a new strategy," Kimizuki said dryly.

"Honestly, I'd prefer to avoid fighting all together…" Yoichi said nervously, causing the pink-haired boy to raise a brow.

"I thought you wanted to get your revenge against the vampires? It's a bit hard to do that without fighting, Yoichi. Or are you just saying that because this is the first time you've ever engaged them in combat and you're scared shitless?"

"Well… you're right, maybe that's it. I'll get over it, Kimizuki so don't worry about me" the brunet boy insisted.

"I certainly hope so, Yoi… for all our sakes."

Shinoa smiled at the exchange but said nothing as she turned and followed Yuichiro's silent gaze towards the direction where Mitsuba had left. Although she said nothing, Shinoa could almost hear the other girl's thoughts.

What's happened to you, Mitsuba?

Footnotes:

1. In canon, Mitsuba has been a member of the MDC since age 13. In my fic, she's 14 when she joined.

2. Male!Yuu does not meet Mitsuba until his first mission outside the walls. Fem!Yuu met Mitsuba in seventh grade.

3. Unlike male!Yuu who has a rivalry with Kimizuki, fem!Yuu has a rivalry with Mitsuba.