Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. Keep in mind that my story is an alternate version of the Shibuya/Shinjuku arc with 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 12: Old Scars and New Allies, Part II
November 1, 2020
Tokyo, Omotesando Subway Station Entrance
"So this is where the fangs are keeping the humans prisoner?" Yuichiro asked as she looked at the entrance to what appeared to be the ruins of an abandoned subway station like the one in Harajuku.
Shinoa fished a note out of her uniform pocket and looked it over before answering.
"Well, according to Aya, there are vampires hiding here, most likely they were assigned by their superiors to guard the human hostages."
"Did she say how many?" Kimizuki asked as he drew his twin swords slightly from the sheaths at his flanks.
"About seven."
"Seven? That means we're outnumbered," Mitsuba pointed out.
"I know. That's why we have to attack early during the day while most are still inactive, Mi-chan," Shinoa explained patiently.
"Wait, what about the humans?" Yoichi asked. "Won't the vamps try to hold them hostage if we attack?"
Mitsuba shot the brunet boy a look of annoyance.
"We can't afford to worry about them, Yoichi. Not when the vamps already outnumber us. If we have to protect the humans while fighting the vampires, it will make our victory, not to mention survival, that much more difficult."
Yuichiro found herself appalled at the blonde seemingly cold words.
"As I recall, you also took an oath to protect humanity when you joined the Demon Army and MDC just like the rest of us, didn't you, Mitsu? There's more to being a member of an elite squad than just killing vampires."
Mitsuba spun around and glared at Yuu, finally relishing an opportunity to call her raven-haired squad mate out on her hypocrisy.
"Oh, really? That sure sounds funny coming from someone who can't even follow orders!"
Before Yuichiro could make an equally angry retort and start a fight, Shinoa cleared her throat and made a gesture for them to be silent. Although she was good at hiding her true thoughts and feelings behind a light-hearted demeanor, deep down, the purple-haired girl had the nagging feeling Guren intentionally put Mitsuba Sangu in her squad knowing her (and Yuu's) hot-headed and competitive natures to get back at Shinoa for all the times she was a nuisance to him.
But Shinoa wasn't ever going to give her superior the satisfaction of knowing she may have difficulty controlling her squad with Yuu and Mitsuba in it. Not if she can help it. If anything, she saw it as a challenge to improve her ability to command an unruly squad and make them work as a team.
"Ahem! Would you two mind keeping it down before you wake the vampires and ruin any chance we have of success AND survival? We're already outnumbered and if the vamps are awake and armed, we'll have no choice but to retreat."
"What? Are you serious, Shinoa?" Yuichiro demanded. The ravenette might not like losing battles but she hated running away even more.
Shinoa gave her an innocent smile.
"Well, Miss Hyakuya, if you have the strength and knowledge to wield that new demon sword of yours properly, we would have a much better chance. But I'd rather complete the mission and destroy the enemy without someone getting injured. Or killed. Understand?"
"Oh, you mean like a flawless victory? Sounds good to me!" Yuichiro said excitedly while palming the hilt of her sword, her good mood having returned with her squad leader's cleverly chosen words. Just as Shinoa knew just what to say to annoy or aggravate Yuu, she also knew what to say to excite or pacify her as well.
Glad that she had prevented a fight between Yuichiro and Mitsuba that could have ruined their chances of successfully completing their mission and getting out of it alive, Shinoa continued with her instructions.
"Well, then, let's get going now, shall we? Remember, stay in formation, protect one another, and try not to get separated from the rest of the team. Your very life and ours may depend on it."
"Fine, fine, I get it," Yuichiro said, this time choosing to ignore Mitsuba's muttering of:
"I hope so."
Kimizuki and Yoichi said nothing but nodded in silent agreement before the squad, with Shinoa in the lead, finally walked down the stairway leading to the underground subway.
Before coming to the station, the squad wondered where they would find the humans the vampires were holding prisoner if they were hidden but soon found that there was no need. For as soon as Shinoa and the others went downstairs to the underground subway, they found people ranging from children to young adults slumped against every column and wall.
Upon seeing the strangers dressed in dark uniforms, the prisoners stared at them in wide-eyed wonder as well as a bit of suspicion while whispering amongst themselves.
"Who are those people?"
"Those uniforms… could they be from the Japanese Imperial Demon Army?"
"There's so many of them…" Yoichi breathed.
"I don't get it…" Kimizuki said as he looked at the dirty and sickly-looking people around him. "Why don't they try to escape while the vampires are absent?"
"It's because they can't," Yuichiro answered sharply after having figured it out quickly. "Unlike us, they aren't armed and probably don't know how to fight. So they'd have no way of defending themselves against the Horsemen of John should they attempt to leave this place. Isn't that right, Shinoa?"
"It is, Yuichiro. I'm impressed you figured it out so quickly considering that this is only the second time you've gone that far beyond the walls since Guren took you in. Not counting the first time you went to Shinjuku with him, that is."
Yuichiro snorted. "It's not that hard to put two and two together, Shinoa. Back in Sanguinem, the kids didn't put too much thought into escaping because they knew they had little, if any, chance of surviving on the surface without the vampires' protection. Only Mika ever thought otherwise…"
Yoichi blinked in confusion at the mention of the unfamiliar name.
"Who's Mika?"
Yuichiro frowned slightly at the younger boy's question even though it was an innocent one. Hearing someone else speak her lost orphanage brother's name while looking at the white livestock uniforms the prisoners were wearing reminded her that not too long ago, she was just like them. Until she finally escaped Sanguinem and met Guren.
Something that wouldn't have even been possible if not for Mikaela's optimism and careful planning.
"Mika… Mikeala was one of the kids I lived with when I myself was a prisoner of the vampires just like these people are now," Yuichiro answered quietly. Before her curious young friend could ask the question they both knew was on his mind, she answered:
"He's dead. Along with the rest of my brothers and sisters. He died trying to protect me from the vampire lord who massacred the others right in front of us. If not for him, I wouldn't even be alive now."
"Oh… I'm so sorry, Yuu."
"Yeah, me too…" Kimizuki added with sympathy apparent in his eyes.
Now that he knew a little more of Yuichiro's history, her insistence of him spending whatever time he could with his own little sister made more sense. Because he never knew when or if he would lose her.
Even Mitsuba refrained from making any snarky remarks, having already heard the other girl's tragic story the night before, something Shinoa was secretly grateful for.
"Anyway, let's head for floor B3 where the vampires are stationed at once," Shinoa ordered calmly while making a gesture to a stairway lead further beneath the station.
"Right," Yuichiro agreed as she tried to return her thoughts to the task at hand.
Without another word, the squad followed Shinoa downstairs to B3 in single file. As soon as they were downstairs, Yuichiro quickly started to scan the area with her sharp eyes for the enemy. At a first glance, the place appeared to be empty but the ravenette knew better than to let her guard down while in enemy territory.
And surely enough, Yuichiro quickly caught sight of a cloaked vampire soldier stepping out from behind one of the columns. With his superhuman senses, it wasn't long before the creature noticed her and the rest of the squad as well.
Like Yuu, Mitsuba was also quick to notice when the vampire made eye contact with them and cursed.
"Shit! We've been spotted! Draw your weapons and attack; we have to kill him before he calls for back-up!"
Yuichiro smirked. "Way ahead of you, Mitsu!" she said with a touch of confidence, not unlike Guren's, before quickly withdrawing Asuramaru from its sheath and charged towards the vampire as fast as her enhanced demonic powers would allow.
Before the blonde girl could protest, Yuichiro had already driven her sword through the creature's chest, right through his heart.
"You little livestock bitch!" he snarled.
Instead of getting angry, Yuichiro gave him a smug grin.
"Don't forget this little 'livestock bitch' is sending you straight to hell, loser!"
And with a quick swipe of her sword, Yuu sent her victim to the other side in a flurry of embers, just as Guren did when he saved her from the pink-haired rogue vampire after her three story fall weeks ago.
While Kimizuki, Yoichi, and even Shinoa looked at Yuichiro in admiration, Mitsuba was not impressed. Whether it was out of frustration for the other girl's constant recklessness or envy towards her stealth and fighting skills, Mitsuba felt the uncontrollable urge to strike Yuichiro again.
"Dammit, Yuu, what the hell is wrong with you?! Didn't I tell you not to take independent action?!" the enraged blonde girl shouted as she marched towards Yuichiro before drawing back a fist and aiming it at her jaw.
Like Mito had done during their first training session years ago, Yuichiro quickly and easily caught Mitsuba's fist in her open palm with a splat. Though they had been working together for less than two days, the ravenette found her new squad mate's temper tantrums as well as actions to be quite predictable.
"Holy shit, Mitsu, what's your problem? In case you haven't noticed, I did exactly as you said which was to draw my weapon and kill the vampire before he could call for back-up," Yuichiro said coolly.
The blonde girl's face burned with embarrassment when she realized her rebellious squad mate was absolutely right. It looked like Yuichiro could understand and follow orders to the last letter if she so chose.
Even so, Mitsuba could not bring herself to apologize. Her stubborn pride would not allow her to.
Not like there was any chance to do so. Only a split second later, Mitsuba saw Yuichiro's green eyes widen before she felt herself being grabbed by the wrist and roughly flung behind the other girl.
Thinking that Yuichiro had thrown her to get even for what she tried to do, Mitsuba's temper flared again and she was about to shout curses at the other girl. But as soon as she stood up and turned around, she saw to her surprise, Yuichiro engaging in combat with another vampire. From the look of things, it appeared that Yuu had thrown Mitsuba to safety before the creature could stab her in the back.
"Haha, just the kind of fun I needed after all these months of boring guard duty!" the ravenette laughed gleefully as she swung her sword and destroyed that vampire as well by slicing him in half before his corpse became a pile of ash.
Mitsuba found herself staring at the other girl incredulously.
"Seriously? Is this some kind of game to her? Where does she get that attitude from? And how could she be THAT good after just receiving her cursed gear?"
Shinoa merely chuckled and clapped her hands as if she found the whole scenario amusing instead of alarming.
"Well, Miss Hyakuya is the protégé of Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose. It's only natural for her to be that strong and that good."
Mitsuba blinked and turned her stare to Shinoa.
"Is it also natural for her to be just as much of an ass as him as well?" she demanded.
Yoichi found himself laughing in amusement at Mitsuba's question.
"Well, they do say that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, Miss Sangu."
"And besides, confidence is a good thing. So long as you have the strength and skills to back it up. At least that's what my own parents used to say," Kimizuki added with an amused smile.
Mitsuba crossed her arms and shot her nose up into the air.
"Hmph! Having skills is useful. Being a smartass about it isn't. And besides, I'm much stronger and better than her. Especially since I've been in the MDC since I was fourteen!"
Yuichiro, who had returned to join the squad after eliminating the second vampire, gave a bit of a rude snicker at her blonde squad mate's suggestion.
"Is that so, Mitsu? In case you haven't noticed, I've made good use of my cursed gear real quick by destroying two vampires in less than five minutes. And I've only recently been accepted into the MDC. How long did it take you to be as good as you are now? A few years? Why don't we have a little duel right now to see who's the stronger one after all?"
Mitsuba gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on her battle axe at Yuichiro's taunt and was about to accept the other girl's challenge when she suddenly heard the sound of glass shattering behind her.
The blonde girl barely had time to turn around and face her attacker before she found herself being grabbed by the throat and lifted several feet off the ground, making her gag. Moving her eyes around, Mitsuba saw the rest of the squad being surrounded by vampires, ten in all, including the ones they fought yesterday.
"Mi-chan!" Shinoa cried as she tried to find a way to bypass the vampire in front of her to aid Mitsuba but could not find an opening, especially since the entire squad was surrounded.
"They're the vampires from yesterday!" Kimizuki cried as he instantly recognized the leader who ordered Yuichiro to be captured.
In addition to the same vampires they fought before, there were a few new ones they did not recognize.
After quickly scanning the room with his eyes, Yoichi was finally able to figure out the enemy's numbers.
"There are ten in all! But that's not right! Aya said there was only supposed to be seven or so!" *1*
In response to the brunet boy's comment, the leader of the vampire squad laughed.
"Is that what she told you? Well, I didn't expect otherwise…"
"You bastards, using an innocent child like that! How low can you monsters get?!" Yuichiro snarled.
Before her leader could answer, Anya stepped in front of him with her lance drawn to confront Yuichiro.
"This one's mine, Damien," *2* she said before giving Yuu a sadistic smile. Knowing his subordinate wanted to pay Yuichiro back for her insolent comment from yesterday, the vampire commander stepped back and allowed her to say her piece.
"Don't talk as if you have the right to judge us, human. You speak of vampires as if we were vile monsters with no honor. But the truth is your kind is really no better; you won't hesitate to betray other humans if someone dear to you is threatened or taken hostage."
Yuichiro gritted her teeth as she tightened her hold on Asuramaru.
"So it is as I suspected. You are wrong about one thing, however: at least most of us don't commit vile acts without a reason. You bastards kill just to kill. Because that's all you monsters know how to do."
"And what if it is?" the red-haired vampire taunted. "Not like any of that will concern you anymore since you're all going to die here and now."
"Heh, don't be so sure, you monster. How about we make a deal? Tell your friend over there to release Mitsuba. Do as I say and I'll let you live!" Yuichiro sneered.
Frustrated with the other girl's display of arrogant confidence, Mitsuba shouted to Yuichiro as loud as the vampire's grip on her throat will allow.
"Forget about me, Yuu, I'm done for! You and the others get out of here while you still can!"
Yuichiro snorted. Were it not for the enemy in front of her and the fact that it would be unwise to take her eyes off of Anya for even a second, the ravenette would have given Mitsuba a condescending look.
"You give up way too easily, Mitsu! How did you even manage to get into the MDC? No matter, if there's one thing you should've learned about me by now is that I'll never abandon my friends or go down without a fight!"
And without another word, Yuichiro raised Asuramaru and charged at Anya in a head-on frontal assault while disregarding the fact that she and her squad were completely outnumbered.
Shinoa nodded and gave the signal for Kimizuki and Yoichi to follow suit. Even if they had no chance of victory, she didn't want her squad to go down without a fight.
This is the end for us… the purple-haired girl thought grimly. But if we're going to die anyway, I'd rather we die fighting!
Seeing Shinoa's squad make the first move, the ten vampires surrounding them prepared to close in and make the kill like a pack of wolves surrounding a handful of sheep. The vampire holding Mitsuba was about to tighten his grip on her throat to break her neck when he suddenly heard the sound of something flying through the air before it sliced cleanly through his wrist, severing his hand from his arm.
"What the…?!" he began when he saw Mitsuba drop to the floor on her bottom with a loud thud, his severed hand with its fingers still wrapped around her throat.
Looking over the creature's shoulder, Mitsuba gasped when she saw what looked like a dark metallic fan with sharp blade-like edges flying through the air, likely the object that just sliced off her assailant's hand. Seeing the shocked expression on Mitsuba's face, the vampire spun around just in time to see the fan flying towards his direction again at breakneck speed before severing his head from his body as well.
"What's going on here?" Damien demanded as soon as he saw his follower's corpse quickly turn to ash.
From the shocked looks on the humans' faces, he could tell that their guess was as good as his but before he could say anything else, another vampire pointed towards the shadows of the columns near the entrance to B3.
"Sir, someone else is here! More humans!"
Everyone in the area fell silent when they heard a soft chuckle from the shadows.
"Haha… it looks like we're just in time for the fun!" a male voice exclaimed before the owner stepped forward into the light.
Shinoa and Mitsuba gasped when they recognized their blue-haired classmate from school. The same one who masterminded the idiotic skirt-pulling prank on Yuichiro three years prior.
"Satoshi Hiwatari?" Shinoa gasped. "What are you doing here? You weren't supposed to test for your demon weapon until tomorrow!" she exclaimed when she saw a shining katana with a gold-tone blade in the blue-haired boy's hand, no doubt his cursed gear.
Instead of answering her question right away, Satoshi merely gave her a good-natured smile.
"Happy to see you too, Miss Hiragi. Unfortunately, we've got more pressing issues at hand," he said before snapping his fingers to summon the rest of his own squad.
With the exception of Yuichiro, everyone watched in surprise as four more humans stepped out of the darkness until they were completely visible to the vampires as well as Shinoa's squad.
"I don't believe it…" Shinoa breathed. "Daisuke, Takeshi, Risa, and Riku!"
"That's right!" Risa said cheerfully as she raised one of her arms into the air and easily caught the fan that sliced off the hand and head of the vampire who tried to kill Mitsuba.
Upon closer inspection, Mitsuba noticed that Risa had a second fan in her other hand, making her realize that the brunette girl possessed a pair of them. Like Satoshi, who looked to be the squad leader, Risa, Riku, Daisuke, and Takeshi were all clad in the uniforms of the MDC and armed with their own unique demon weapons. While Satoshi had a katana like Yuichiro, Risa flashed a pair of war fans, Daisuke was armed with a whip, Takeshi had a crossbow, and Riku sported a pair of sai.
Instead of sharing her squad mates' shocked expressions, including Shinoa's, Yuichiro merely grinned at Satoshi and his squad as if she had been expecting them all along.
"Took you long enough, Sato!" she scolded playfully. "I was wondering if you were ever going to get here!"
Satoshi grinned. "Heh! Well, excuse me, Miss Hyakuya! Major General Hiragi sent me and my squad after you right after we passed our own demon aptitude test this morning. We didn't even get a break! But enough of that, we've got some vamps to exterminate!"
"Right on!" Yuu agreed as she turned to Shinoa and nodded.
Now that Shinoa's squad had the support of Satoshi Hiwatari and his squad, the tables have turned and it was them who outnumbered the vampires ten to nine, thus greatly increasing their chances of survival and victory as well as boosting their morale.
Damien, however, was still not impressed. Even if they were outnumbered by the two squads, their opponents were still only human and inexperienced demon wielders from what Satoshi had just confessed.
"This changes nothing! Kill the humans!" he ordered his subordinates before pointing to Yuichiro. "Except for that one. Capture her!"
"I refuse, Damien! She's mine!" Anya insisted with a snarl without turning her back to Yuichiro. "No insolent human ever insults me and gets away with it!"
Instead of being angry at his subordinate's defiance, the vampire commander merely smirked. "You misheard me, Anya. I said capture her. We need that human alive. Not necessarily whole. Simply alive."
"With pleasure…" the female vampire sneered before moving in to attack Yuichiro with her lance.
As soon as they saw her move, everyone in the room chose an opponent before attacking, turning the entire B3 into a battlefield.
Were it not for Anya's insistence on fighting Yuichiro to exert revenge on the girl for insulting her the other day, Yuichiro might have chosen to take on the leader of the vampire squad himself since it had always been a habit of hers to seek out the strongest opponents to hone her own fighting skills.
As if reading her mind, Risa rushed towards Yuichiro's direction.
"Leave her to me, Yuu!" she insisted as she threw one of her war fans at Anya where the blades embedded itself into her back. "You take care of the leader; if we can at least take him along with his strongest fighters out, the rest should retreat!"
Yuichiro grinned. "Thanks, Risa but you shouldn't have!"
The brunette girl winked and Yuichiro found it amazing how the other girl could still keep her cheerful demeanor even during the heat of battle.
"It's ok, Yuu, I owe you one for saving me from that other vampire at school. Since then, I've been training my hardest to get into the MDC so that I can protect others, not the other way around!"
Anya sneered as she reached behind and attempted to pull Risa's war fan out of her back. "Another insolent human bitch!" she snarled as she turned her attention to Risa. "How about I tear your tongue out and shove it down your throat as well?"
"Heh, not gonna happen!" Risa laughed. "Go now, Yuu! I'll take care of her!"
"Right!"
After Yuichiro left to go after Damien, Anya abandoned her effort to remove the war fan from her back and charged towards Risa, intending to impale the brunette girl with her lance. Risa easily read her move and quickly summoned her fans back into both her hands before crisscrossing her arms and throwing them at Anya again. The enchanted war fans moved quickly and before the red-haired vampire could even reach Risa, she was sliced in half and her body turned to ash before disappearing into thin air.
"Two down and eight to go!" she exclaimed before rushing to aid Riku who was fighting another vampire alone.
As soon as she saw her twin sister join the fray, Riku shot her a bit of a condescending look before saying:
"Took you long enough, Risa!"
Ignoring Riku's verbal jab, which was quite normal in their sisterly relationship, Risa merely smiled and asked.
"And how is my big sister liking her new cursed gear?"
"Oh, I love them!" the other girl joked as she skillfully managed to impale the vampire she was fighting through the wrist of his sword hand with one of her sai before stabbing him clean through the head with the other, immobilizing the creature. Before the vampire could shake Riku's weapons off, Risa took the opportunity to decapitate him with her fans.
"Good, another one down!" Risa exclaimed. "But this isn't over yet, we still gotta help the others until all the vampires are dead or retreat!"
"Right!" Riku agreed before the Harada twins finally parted to assist their other squad mates.
Like Yoichi, Takeshi was a long-ranged fighter with his crossbow and had chosen to fight alongside the other brunet boy to provide back-up support for both of their squads.
After taking a clean shot at one of the vampires Kimizuki was fighting alongside Daisuke, Takeshi asked:
"So how are you liking that bow of yours, Saotome? For someone who's only had it a few days, you're a pretty good shot!"
Yoichi gave a light-hearted laugh at the other boy's comment before firing an arrow towards a vampire engaged in a duel with Shinoa as well as a second arrow towards another fighting Mitsuba. Always so modest and humble, he wasn't comfortable with or used to being praised.
"I'm not that great, Saehara. But I'm pretty impressed at your sniping skills! Were you tutored by Major General Hiragi? I heard he's the best sniper in the Demon Army!"
"I wish!" Takeshi laughed. "Unlike you, I just passed the aptitude test and got my cursed gear this morning. And as soon as I got it, the major general sent our squad after yours right away, so there was no time for me to ask for a shooting lesson from him!"
"I see. Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask him one day should we ever find the time!"
"Great idea. I'm sure he can give us a few pointers!"
Meanwhile, Yuichiro and Satoshi were attempting to take down Damien, the commander of the vampires they were fighting. Naturally, he was stronger than the rest of his subordinates and would require a bit more effort to destroy.
Unlike Yuichiro, Satoshi did not like taking lives unnecessarily, even if they were vampires.
"Tell your followers to retreat," the blue-haired boy said calmly as he pointed his sword in Damien's direction. "Do that and no one else has to die."
The ravenette found herself staring at her fighting partner incredulously.
"Have you got a few screws loose, Sato? These are vampires, you can't reason with them!"
Damien chuckled and gave both his attackers a sly grin, flashing his razor sharp fangs.
"Your friend is right, boy. Does a wolf run away from its prey? Never!"
"Ha, prey?" Yuichiro sneered. "Look around you, bloodsucker. Who's really the prey? Normally, I don't like to let mine get away but I'm feeling a bit generous today so I'll agree with my friend here and let you go if you order the other vamps to back off. If not, you can all die here."
"An empty threat, my dear," Damien said coolly as he brandished his sword at both her and Satoshi, not looking the slightest bit bothered at being outnumbered. "Anya was right; you do have quite a mouth on you and it's about time someone taught you your place."
Now that the vampire leader had made it clear he had no intention of ordering his subordinates to retreat, Yuichiro gave Satoshi a look signaling that they must go all-out to take down the monster before them. Taking the hint, Satoshi nodded as he closed his eyes to call for his demon's assistance while Yuichiro followed suit.
"Krad, lend me your power!" *3*
"Asuramaru, lend me your power!"
Once they felt the power of their demons flow through their bodies, Yuichiro and Satoshi attacked together, almost in sync, striking at the vampire commander charging towards them in an "X" pattern with their blades, one glowing gold, the other green. Together, they managed to slice Damien in half at the waist and he died without another word.
Once their leader was gone, the remaining four vampires panicked and finally started to retreat. Both squads considered going after them but Satoshi and Shinoa ordered them to halt.
"No, let them go! Right now, our priority is helping the civilians!" Shinoa ordered.
"She's right," Satoshi agreed. "We've already fulfilled our mission and without losing any of our numbers so there is no need for any more bloodshed."
As soon as they heard their leaders' order, both squads lowered their weapons in obedience, even Yuichiro.
"Fine, Shinoa. For once, I agree with you. Just one question: how are we going to protect an entire community of civilians all the way back to Shibuya with just the ten of us?"
Before Shinoa could say she wasn't sure, she felt Satoshi's hand on her shoulder. The blue-haired boy gave her a reassuring smile before answering Yuu's question.
"It's all right, help is on the way. The major general saw this coming and has sent troops to escort the civilians back to Shibuya."
Shinoa blinked and looked at the blue-haired boy for a moment before her face broke out into a smile.
"My favorite brother does think of everything, doesn't he?"
SSSSSS
"So how did you and your squad know we were going to be outnumbered?" Shinoa asked Satoshi while they and both of their squads were assisting the troops Shinya sent in gathering the civilians outside.
"We didn't. But apparently, Yuichiro did. All I know was that Major General Hiragi suddenly showed up in my homeroom class and ordered me, Daisuke, and Takeshi to take the aptitude test early because we were needed. He chose me to be squad leader but since we still needed two more people to be a complete squad, the major general picked Risa and Riku. He said that you recommended them and I'm glad you did."
Shinoa smiled as she looked in Yuichiro's direction. It wasn't hard for her to put two and two together. Somehow, the other girl had been able to predict the vampires' trap and asked Shinya for help which came in the form of sending Satoshi and his squad as back-up.
"I see…" she said. "That was very clever of Yuu. I only wished she told me about it since I am her squad leader."
"Well, I can understand why she didn't," Satoshi explained as he removed his glasses and wiped them with a cloth he pulled from a pocket of his uniform. "It was necessary for you and your squad to remain ignorant of the plan. If the vampires had any idea we were coming, they would have called for even more back-up and both of our squads would have been outnumbered."
Shinoa nodded. "Hmm…you're right. Since you put it that way, Yuichiro's action made sense. Thank you, Satoshi. Please excuse me for a minute, I'd like to talk to Yuichiro."
"Of course, Miss Hiragi."
After leaving Satoshi, Shinoa made her way to Yuichiro who was tending to a young married couple. Unlike most of the other civilians, they did not appear very happy or grateful for their liberation.
"Why did you kill those vampires?! Now that they're gone, what'll happen to us? Do you expect the Demon Army to take us in? Their own demographic regulations will not allow us to live in Shibuya or Shinjuku so how will we survive outside the walls with all those monsters around?" the husband demanded.
"Dear…" his wife began as she attempted to pacify him but the man was not to be deterred.
"You kids are just pampered, high-class brats who grew up behind the comfort and safety of the city walls. And you come out here thinking to play the heroes without considering what will become of us!" he continued as he pointed an accusing finger at Yuichiro.
Before Yuichiro could respond, they both heard a familiar voice as well as the sound of someone running in their direction.
"Dad!"
Turning, the couple, Yuu, and Shinoa saw Aya, who had arrived with the troops, running towards her father before throwing her arms around his waist.
"Please don't be mad at them, they saved me yesterday and just wanted to help!" the child pleaded as she buried her face in the shirt of his livestock uniform.
"Aya…" Yuichiro said softly and was about to apologize before she felt Shinoa's hand on her arm.
"Let me handle this, Yuu," her squad leader said before turning to the couple and their young daughter.
"You are wrong about one thing, sir," she began. "Shibuya is actually expanding so it should be no trouble for a small community such as yours to find shelter. I'm sure the Demon Army would not have sent us to rescue you if this was not so."
"W…what? Really?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes…" Risa answered as she and Riku walked up from behind them and offered to take the couple and their daughter to join the rest of the civilians who were being loaded onto the trucks heading back to Shibuya.
"Come with us, the Demon Army will protect you, I promise," Riku said gently.
The Harada twins spoke reassuringly, putting the little family at ease and they allowed themselves to be led away but not before Aya's father apologized to Yuichiro.
"I'm sorry… for what I said earlier. Thank you for saving my daughter…"
Yuichiro smiled in understanding. "It's all right, sir. It's not like I don't understand how you feel. I was once a prisoner of the vampires too. But I don't want to bore you with all the details. I'm sure life will get better for you from this day on."
Aya briefly left her father's side and gave Yuichiro a hug which she gladly returned.
"Thank you, Miss Hyakuya…for everything."
"No need to thank me, Aya. Everything worked out, didn't it? Go on, your new home awaits you. Perhaps someday, we'll meet again."
"I hope so too!" the child giggled before releasing Yuu and running back to her parents. As they were being led away, Aya waved goodbye to her raven-haired rescuer one last time.
As soon as the little family was out of sight, Shinoa grinned and playfully punched Yuichiro in the arm.
"Looks like you've got a way with kids, Yuu. I think you'll make a great mother one day!"
Yuichiro snorted. "No way, Shinoa. I've got no time for motherhood since all of it is going to be spent exterminating vampires."
Shinoa laughed. "Oh come now, that's bull, Yuu. Believe it or not, there are plenty of women in the Demon Army who are mothers."
"Well, those ranks won't be including me anytime soon," Yuichiro shot back as she palmed the hilt of her sword.
Somehow, she wasn't totally convinced of Shinoa's words. How could a female soldier possible perform her duties while burdened with something like children? The thought of her as a swordmaiden nearly bursting out of her uniform by lingering pregnancy weight was ludicrous, to say the least.
Shinoa shrugged her shoulders.
"Whatever you say, Miss Hyakuya…" she replied in a sing-song tone as she looked towards one of the trucks where Kimizuki and Daisuke were helping another group of civilians board.
"So is that all of them?" Daisuke asked as he wiped his brow after closing the door of one of the trucks.
"Yeah…" Kimizuki answered. "By the way, thank you for coming to save our asses back there."
"No problem!" Daisuke said cheerfully. "We are members of the same army, after all. It's our duty to look out for all our fellow soldiers, not just our immediate squad. So I take it you'll be heading to Shinjuku next?"
"Yeah…" Kimizuki answered. "You coming?"
"Of course. It looks like we'll be working together for a bit longer."
"I'm glad. With all the shit going on, we'll be needing all help we can get. Do you think they'll be a draft of civilians from the walls too?"
Daisuke shook his head. "I'm not sure. That would depend on how big this war gets and how long it drags on. For now, the Demon Army is composed of volunteers only so I take that as a good sign."
"I suppose you're right," Kimizuki agreed. "Well, it looks like we're going to have to part ways for now. It's best for squads to travel separately to avoid attracting the attention of the vamps."
"Right…I guess this is good-bye for now," Daisuke said before offering Kimizuki his hand.
"Yes. Good luck to you and your squad, Daisuke. It looks like your leader has a good head on his shoulders," Kimizuki said as he shook the red-haired boy's hand.
Daisuke chuckled. "He does. For as long as I've known him, Sato has always been a serious, no-nonsense kind of guy. That combined with his intellect makes him a natural for squad leader."
"I can't argue with that. I wish I can say the same of my own squad leader. I honestly have no idea why Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose chose her. She acts like a goof ball most of the time. Which kind of worries me."
"Haha, is that so? Well, I'm sure your superior has his reasons and I think you should trust his decision."
"You're right, Daisuke. Anyway, good luck and have a safe trip."
"You too, Kimizuki."
Footnotes:
1. In canon, Shinoa's squad were confronted by eight additional vampires after male!Yuu destroyed the first two they confronted upon entering B3. In my AU, I've increased the vampire numbers slightly to ten.
2. The vampire squad who confronted Shinoa's squad in Harajuku and Omotesando were unnamed but for my AU, I've taken the liberty to name at least two of them to make their encounters with fem!Yuu a little more personal.
3. In the anime/manga, DN Angel, Kuraddo Hikari (Krad), was an entity similar to Daaku Maushī (Phantom Dark), who lived inside Satoshi Hiwatari as his tamer. He is Dark's opposite in many ways, including his name ('Dark' spelled backward), having blond hair, wearing white attire, and always speaking very politely using an extremely formal speech pattern. He is an entity of unknown origin who has appeared in the Hikari family for the last 400 years (300 in anime). For my AU, Krad is Satoshi's demon contractor/cursed gear.
