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 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 19: By Whatever Means Necessary

November 6, 2020

Japanese Imperial Demon Army Shinjuku Headquarters

A thousand questions raced through the mind of Shinoa Hiragi as she made her way downstairs to the underground laboratory of the Shinjuku branch of JIDA Headquarters.

It had been five days since Yuichiro fell into her coma and had to be taken to the nearest medical center for treatment as well as confinement in case she were to transform again. But so far, there have been no signs of that happening. And try as she might, Shinoa could not get the images of her subordinate's violent rampage as well as animalistic screams out of her mind. As a child, the purple-haired girl had always been fascinated by mythical creatures of ancient legends around the world but never believed they existed.

Until someone she knew decided to create one.

"I'm worried about Yuu; she doesn't look well…" Risa said in concern as she gently stroked Yuichiro's unbound and messy hair alongside her twin sister, Riku.

"I know…" Yoichi replied. "But like Kimizuki says, she doesn't appear to have any serious injuries but I still think we should take her to the nearest medical center for treatment just to be safe."

Kimizuki nodded as he tightened his hold on the comatose girl in his arms.

"I'm way ahead of you, Yoi. The sooner we get Yuichiro to a doctor, the better. Let's go."

The rest of Shinoa and Satoshi's squads said nothing more but agreed to follow Kimizuki's lead. So concerned were the two squads for Yuichiro that no one noticed that Shinoa did not join them right away. Instead, the purple-haired girl chose to stay behind alone with her thoughts for a few moments longer before she heard the guardian of her raven-haired subordinate quietly walk up from behind her.

Turning around, Shinoa saw Guren look quietly over her shoulder and watch Yuichiro being carried away by Kimizuki while accompanied by the other members of her's and Satoshi's squads. There were no sign of surprise on the older man's face at what happened to his ward or what she had just done. It was as if he knew, even expected all this to happen.

Narrowing her mahogany eyes suspiciously at Guren, Shinoa asked:

"What just happened with Yuichiro, sir? And don't bother saying you don't know because your expression says otherwise. When this is over, I've got some questions for you."

Instead of trying to deny or confirm his subordinate's claim, the lieutenant colonel gave her a cold and uncaring look.

"You won't get any answers from me so don't bother coming, Shinoa…" he said coldly before turning around and leaving before she could say another word.

Shinoa gritted her teeth at the less-than pleasant memory. For the life of her, she could not understand how someone who had once been so protective of Yuichiro could regard her so carelessly now after what had just happened.

He's hiding something; I just know it… the purple-haired girl thought as she approached the lobby downstairs.

As she expected, the area was dimly lit with two large desks on each side of the path leading to a large metallic door. Not surprisingly, the door was closed and there were two young guards sitting on each of the desks: one was filling out paperwork while the other was casually reading a paperback novel to pass the time.

Upon hearing Shinoa's light footsteps, the guards looked up and regarded her curiously before the one who had been filling out paperwork finally stood up and approached her.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but unauthorized access to this area is strictly prohibited," the young guard said politely, but sternly as he barred her way to the doors ahead.

"I understand, but I'm a member of the MDC's vampire extermination unit," Shinoa answered coolly.

After taking a quick glance at her uniform, the guard shook his head.

"Even so, we cannot permit entry to anyone below the rank of company officer."

Instead of answering right away, Shinoa looked over his shoulder to the door behind him.

"Tell me, kind sir, just what do they do at this facility?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that either. Like I said before, this place is off-"

"It's where they run tests on the lab rats," the other guard answered casually before his co-worker could finish his sentence.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" the first guard demanded as he shot him a glare.

"Aw, come on, every soldier in Shinjuku knows this so what's the harm in telling her since she's not from around here? Anyway, this is where they probe the captured vampires for any weaknesses we can use against them on the battlefield."

"I see…" Shinoa said quietly as she began fumbling in her pockets for something. "So they do experimentation on people here, is that right?"

The first guard snorted. "I don't think those monsters exactly qualify as 'people', Miss."

"I can understand your sentiment even if I may not agree with it completely," Shinoa replied as her thoughts briefly wandered back to Mika and his reactions towards Yuu back on the battlefield. "In any case, please let me through; I want some answers."

The second guard frowned. Despite being a bit more open and friendly than his co-worker, he still had to abide by the orders of their superiors not to permit unauthorized entry.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but like my friend says, we cannot allow anyone below the rank of company officer through here."

"Even if I have this?" Shinoa asked sweetly as she took out what appeared to be a gold-tone pocket watch with the crest of her family, the Hiragis, engraved upon it.

After taking a moment to look at the pocket watch, the guards' eyes widened in shock.

"That crest! You're a member of the Hiragi family?" the first guard exclaimed.

"Yes, that's right. Now that you know, please let me though," Shinoa answered patiently.

"O-of course!" he babbled before stepping aside to let her pass.

As soon as the doors were opened, Shinoa slowly made her way though, stopping only for a moment when she heard the second guard call out to her.

"Excuse me, Miss, I hope you'll forgive me for saying so, but since the Hiragis run the Japanese Imperial Demon Army as well as the entire country as a whole, you should have a much higher rank than you do. Why remain at the rank of sergeant?"

Shinoa turned around briefly and gave him her usual cheerful smile.

"Maybe because I like the way it sounds? That aside, I have no interest in the power struggles in the army, especially among my own relatives. After all, that's what got my sister killed. Good day, gentlemen…"

Leaving the two guards to ponder her words, Shinoa continued pass the door and out of propriety, closed it behind her as soon as she was on the other side.

As she quietly made her way down the dank hallway, the purple-haired girl noticed some imprisoned vampires who were still clad in their uniforms as if they had only recently been captured. The ones who were still strong enough to lift their heads and look at Shinoa, eyed her hungrily as if she were a piece of meat ripe for the taking. But knowing that they were too weak from starvation to attack her as well as being confined, Shinoa paid the vampires no heed and continued walking until she passed a second door at the end of the hallway.

Like she did when she passed the first door leading to the underground facility, Shinoa closed the second door behind her as well before letting her eyes take in the sight of an expansive laboratory with many scientists at work examining vials of blood and making observations.

Looking around, Shinoa spotted the man she was looking for sitting in an office on the second level of the laboratory through a glass window. The scientists on the first level were so absorbed with their work that they took no notice of Shinoa as she went up the stairs to Guren's office where she found him going over some paperwork on his desk.

Without knocking, Shinoa opened the door and went in. Not surprisingly, she found Guren with his back to her; the man had not even bothered turning around when he heard her come in.

"So this is where you've been hiding…" Shinoa began. "I've been looking for you for five days."

Annoyed that his subordinate deliberately sought him out after he had told her not to, Guren set down the papers he had been looking over and gave a slightly frustrated sign before turning to face her.

"What do you want, Shinoa? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"This won't take long. Like I said back on the field, I've got some questions for you."

"And like I said then, you won't get any answers from me so please see yourself out," Guren shot back coldly.

Shinoa grinned. "You think I'll just give up? I'm disappointed in you, sir. After all these years, I think you ought to know me a little better than that. It's been five days and Yuichiro still hasn't woken up; what the hell did you do to her? Or more importantly, what are you trying to do?"

Without waiting for her superior to answer, Shinoa pulled out a small plastic case with some small green tablets from her pocket and walked over to Guren's desk before tossing them in front of him.

"You ordered me to give Yuichiro a special combination of these stimulant pills because her cursed gear was so strong, but that wasn't the case at all, was it? The pills alone could not have turned her into that thing we saw on the battlefield five days ago. No, it has to be more than that! You've been doing something to Yuichiro all this time, haven't you? The drugs were merely the catalyst that triggered her transformation!"

After looking at his subordinate for a moment, the lieutenant colonel finally burst into laughter.

"Is that anger I sense in your words, Shinoa? It's so rare for you to get that riled over anything or wear your emotions on your sleeve; no wonder people think you and Shinya are real siblings! Very well, Miss Hiragi, what answer can I give that will satisfy you? What would you say if I told you that I had nothing to do with Yuichiro's transformation?"

The purple-haired girl scowled, another rarity for her.

"I'd call you a liar, sir. From the look on your face, I know there's no way you aren't involved somehow."

Guren smiled coldly. "I knew you'd say that. Would it anger you further if I said you were just being delusional?"

For the first time in her short life, Shinoa found herself losing patience with the man her sister once called lover.

"Just tell me truth, dammit!"

"Can you handle the truth, Miss Hiragi?" Guren challenged. "Since you are being so persistent, don't be surprised if I mention human experimentation. Think about it, Shinoa, how do you expect what's left of humanity to survive in this cold, barren world while being caught between the Four Horseman of John AND the vampires, our modern day Scylla and Charybdis?" *1*

"I…"

Not giving her a chance to finish, Guren continued. "As a soldier, you should know that sacrifices must be made in order to ensure the survival of humanity. And by any means necessary. Do you have any idea how many people were sacrificed so that your sister, Mahiru, could complete the development of the cursed gear?"

Shinoa clenched her fists. "So is that all Yuichiro is to you, sir?" she demanded. "A pig up for slaughter? I thought you were supposed to be her protector! Or did you simply raise Yuichiro all these years so that you can sacrifice her to 'preserve humanity' as you so colorfully put it?!"

Guren frowned and for a moment, Shinoa thought she saw a hint of pain in his violet eyes at her brazen accusation. One that she hoped with all her heart wasn't true, if only for Yuichiro's sake. *2*

"My plans for Yuichiro are none of your concern, Shinoa," he said softly. "Now go…"

"You still haven't answered my question!"

"I said go, Shinoa. It would not be wise for you to press me further on this…" Guren warned, his tone sending a shiver down the purple-haired girl's spine. As persistent as she could be when she wanted something, even Shinoa knew when to back off.

Turning around, Shinoa prepared to leave. As she opened the door to the office, the purple-haired girl paused briefly in the doorway. Without turning around, she said:

"I don't know what your plans are, sir. But know that from now on, you'll have to go about them alone because I will not continue to help you hurt Yuichiro behind her back. Even if you order it."

Without expecting her superior to answer, Shinoa was about to leave for good when she finally heard Guren's voice behind her.

"I know… if it makes you feel any better, the drug will wear off in two more days. If you really care about Yuichiro, then be there for her when she awakens, Shinoa."

Shinoa wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but the older man's voice sounded sad, almost regretful.

However, instead of calling him out on it, she simply said:

"Thank you, I will. Have a good day, sir…"

SSSSSS

November 8, 2020

Shinoa sighed as she looked up from the paperback she was reading to pass the time from her seat next to Yuichiro's bedside. It had been two days from the time she had last spoken to Guren about Yuichiro and expected the other girl to be up any time now.

Reaching into the pocket of her shirt, Shinoa took out Yuichiro's locket and let the gold chain sift through her fingers for a moment before taking a closer look at the piece her friend treasured so much and insisted on wearing all the time, even into the shower.

As she admired the excellent craftsmanship of the locket, Shinoa realized the irony of how the piece that was Yuichiro's most cherished possession was also made by the hands of the vampire lord who slaughtered her family. And the one who was likely responsible for her orphanage brother becoming a vampire as well.

Yet Yuichiro guarded it with her life because it was Mikaela who gave it to her. Ever since Yuu was admitted to the hospital, Shinoa had taken it upon herself to safeguard the locket for her friend until she woke up. Even now, it was hard for the purple-haired girl to believe that a vampire with the blackest of hearts could create something so beautiful.

Hoping that Guren was telling the truth when he said Yuichiro would wake up today, Shinoa gently placed her hands on her comatose friend's.

Please wake up soon, Yuu. I'm worried about you, we all are…

As she expected, Yuichiro gave no answer but continue to slumber on, her breathing slow and even. Out of her JIDA uniform and in a hospital gown with her long hair unbound, no one could guess that she was the same creature who had literally wiped the streets with the vampires who were foolish enough to take her on a week ago.

Looking upon Yuichiro's peacefully sleeping face, Shinoa could not help but wonder what the other girl was dreaming of…

SSSSSS

"Hey, Guren, where are we going?" Yuichiro asked nervously as she slowly followed her guardian down what appeared to be a dark stairway. *3*

Upon sensing his ward's hesitation to continue further, Guren turned around and gave her a reassuring, even if wolfish smile, as he offered the younger girl his hand. From what he knew of her past, Yuichiro strongly disliked dark, narrow, and small or closed spaces, having often been locked up in closets by her parents whenever she displeased them as a child. Even though she had managed to overcome most of her claustrophobia, Yuu still maintained a small discomfort of such places.

"We're just going to get you checked up, make sure you're healthy and everything before you can continue training."

"In the middle of the night? Why can't it wait until morning?" Yuichiro asked curiously as she took Guren's hand.

Not long ago, her mentor showed up at her dorm after the other girls in the building had turned in for the night and requested that she come with him to this strange place that was closed off from the rest of JIDA Headquarters. Yuichiro was confused as to what could be so urgent that Guren would not even give her a chance to change out of her nightgown before bringing her here; she barely even had time to put on her shoes.

Guren chuckled at his ward's childish pouting. Even though she should have outgrown it by now, he still found Yuichiro's habit of questioning his decisions endearing so long as it wasn't on the battlefield.

"You sure ask a lot of questions, Yuichiro. Why, don't you trust me?" he asked almost playfully.

The girl was startled. "Of..of course, I do!" She answered while blushing furiously. "It's just that it's a bit unusual for you to take me somewhere in the middle of the night without even letting me change first."

"I understand, Yuu. But if there's one thing you should know about me by now is that I would never ask you to do anything without a reason. Besides, there's no need for you to change; you'll be going back to sleep again real soon…"

Yuichiro was about to ask Guren what he meant by that but her mentor didn't give her a chance, tugging on her hand a bit more insistently to get her to move a little faster.

Not wanting to annoy her guardian with any more trivial questions, the girl said nothing more and allowed him to lead her all the way down the stairs until they found themselves before an old metallic door. When Guren opened it, Yuichiro found to her surprise, that it led to some sort of secret lab that brought back vague memories of her brief time at the Hyakuya Sect's medical facilities before she was released to her "uncle's" care.

Before Yuichiro could ask where they were and why he brought her here, Guren gently tugged on her hand again and led her to a bed just slightly bigger than the one she had at her dorm. The white pillows and sheets appeared very soft, warm, and inviting, reminding the girl of how sleepy she still was considering that Guren had woken her up in the middle of the night. Even though there were no clocks in the lab, Yuichiro was pretty sure it had to be about three or four o'clock in the morning.

"Lay down, Yuu…"

The sudden request from her guardian caught Yuichiro off guard.

"Here?"

"Yes," he answered patiently. "Someone will be coming to examine you soon; just relax until then. Here, let me help you get comfortable…"

Although there were many questions on her mind, Yuichiro said nothing and obeyed, allowing Guren to help her into bed and tuck her in just like he did back home when she was a child.

As soon as she was settled comfortably, Yuichiro was startled again when she saw her guardian taking out a case from his pocket and opening it, revealing a needle and syringe with a strange greenish-blue liquid.

"Guren, what's that?" the girl asked curiously with a hint of nervousness. In addition to her dislike of dark, small, narrow, and closed spaces, Yuichiro also disliked getting shots. She never got used to them as a child and still wasn't used to them.

Sensing his ward's unease, Guren gently ruffled Yuichiro's unbound hair as if letting her know that everything was going to be all right.

"Shh…don't be afraid. This is just something to help you relax so please trust me…"

"Mmm… ok, if you say so, Guren."

The older men smiled, leaned over, and gave Yuichiro a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Good girl…" he whispered before bringing the needle and syringe to the side of her neck.

Yuichiro winced slightly when she felt the needle pierce her skin but her eyes never left Guren's face. She couldn't help thinking how beautiful his smile looked when he wasn't being snide or cynical but also thought her guardian looked a little sad as well, as if his smile didn't reach his eyes.

The girl didn't have much time to ponder the thought before she felt her eyes grow heavy as sleep overtook her for the second time that night. Before she entered the world of dreams again, Yuichiro thought she heard Guren whisper:

"I'm sorry, Yuu…"

Footnotes:

1. Scylla and Charybdis were mythical sea monsters; Greek mythology sited them on opposite sides of the Strait of Messina between Sicily and the Italian mainland. Scylla was rationalized as a rock shoal (described as a six-headed sea monster) on the Italian side of the strait and Charybdis was a whirlpool off the coast of Sicily. They were regarded as a sea hazard located close enough to each other that they posed an inescapable threat to passing sailors; avoiding Charybdis meant passing too close to Scylla and vice versa. According to Homer, Odysseus was forced to choose which monster to confront while passing through the strait; he opted to pass by Scylla and lose only a few sailors, rather than risk the loss of his entire ship in the whirlpool.

2. In canon, Shinoa and to an extent, Mitsuba, are implied to have romantic feelings for male!Yuu but in my AU, they share sisterly and friendship affection for fem!Yuu.

3. To avoid confusion, the dream sequence fem!Yuu has of Guren while Shinoa is watching her sleep in the hospital room is actually a flashback from before her transformation at the Battle of Shinjuku. I envision it to take place about a year or so before the beginning of the Shibuya arc but fem!Yuu has no memories of it. As Shinoa suspects, Guren has been experimenting on male!Yuu for some time in canon so I've decided to take some liberties with his experimentation on fem!Yuu for my fic as well.