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 Nagoya 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 2: Where Loyalties Lie, Part I

Yuichiro paused and took a breath as soon as she entered the building where the first office was supposed to be. When she first heard her name being called over the intercom in the library, Yuu had been in a rush to see why she was being summoned by the most powerful family in Japan.

But her sudden and unexpected encounter and conversation with Guren had made Yuichiro a bit more hesitant to answer her summons and she slowed down her steps a bit even though she knew the meeting was something that could not be ignored or avoided.

And from what Shinoa and Guren said of them, Yuichiro surmised that it would not be wise to keep the Hiragis waiting for long.

Forcing herself to keep moving, Yuichiro took the elevator up to the tenth floor after taking a brief look at the directory to make sure she was going the right way. As soon as the sliding doors opened once she reached her destination, Yuichiro stepped out of the elevator and found herself walking down a rather dimly-lit hallway. To her surprise, Yuu ran into her blonde squad mate who had just stepped outside of executive room one.

"Mitsuba? Were you called in too?" Yuichiro asked curiously.

Turning, the blonde finally noticed her squad mate and released a soft gasp before placing a hand on her chest.

"Yuu! You startled me!" Mitsuba exclaimed before answering: "Yes, I did get an interview."

"Oh? How did it go?"

"Well, I was actually promoted. The higher-ups said my performance back in Shinjuku warranted it."

Yuichiro raised a brow. "Oh really? Well I don't remember much about what happened in Shinjuku but I'm sure you earned it. Congratulations, Miss Sangu, I'm very happy for you. But as much as I'd love to share in the moment, I've got my own call to answer."

Yuichiro proceeded to walk past the other girl but no sooner did she take a few steps past Mitsuba, she heard the blonde calling to her again.

"Wait, Yuu, is that all you have to say? You aren't going to call me out on my bullshit?"

Startled Yuichiro turned around to face her friend. "What? I don't understand what you mean, Mitsu."

The blonde sighed and threw her arms up in exasperation, looking as though she was on the verge of tears.

"I mean that I don't really deserve a promotion because I was totally clueless and useless on the battlefield; that's exactly how I got my last squad leader killed! The only reason I was promoted at all is because I'm a member of the Sangu family!"

Understanding dawned upon Yuichiro when she realized that Mitsuba actually felt guilty and undeserving of her promotion and the ravenette took pity on her friend. In a surprising gesture of comfort, Yuichiro took Mitsuba in a sisterly hug and said:

"Shh… you're not useless, Mitsu. We all have an important role to play in this messed-up world. The way I see it, nobody who puts forth a sincere effort to help humanity survive is useless whether they're the head of the army or a simple guard."

Mitsuba managed a small laugh as Yuichiro released her. For some reason, the other girl's words did make her feel a little better.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right, Yuu. I'll just keep doing my best though I'm sure I'll never be able to compare to my big sister, Aoi."

Yuichiro was puzzled. "You have a sister, Mitsu too? You never told me that. Come to think of it, neither you nor Shinoa ever spoke much of your relatives in all the time I've known you both."

"Yeah, well, the reason is Shinoa's sister died when she was pretty young. And while my big sister is alive, Aoi and I have never been close" Mitsuba confessed.

Thinking of her parents who also didn't care for her just because she was born female, Yuichiro felt she could relate.

"I understand, Mitsu. They say blood is thicker than water, but that's obviously not true for people like us." *1*

"I'll say…" the other girl agreed.

"Right… we'll have to talk again later; it would be rude of me to keep the Hiragis waiting long. I hope you understand, Mitsu."

Yuichiro was about to leave when Mitsuba spoke up again.

"Wait, Yuu, about that, a lot of people saw Mika try to carry you off during the Battle of Shinjuku and the Hiragis think you might have some sort of connection to him and the vampires in general, especially since he took a great deal of trouble not to hurt you. They're probably going to ask you about that so be careful; the Hiragi family is terrifying. Don't think all of them are like Shinya and Shinoa."

Without turning around, Yuichiro replied: "Oh? Did they ask you something like that in your interview too? What did you say, Mitsu?"

"I told them the truth: that I don't know anything about your history before you were taken in by Guren but I have not seen you show any characteristics of a traitor or vampire sympathizer."

"I see…well, I suppose that's all I can ask for. I don't want you to get in trouble by lying for me even though calling me a 'vampire sympathizer' isn't far from the truth if it's regarding my orphanage brother. Good day, Mitsu. And thank you."

"You're welcome, Yuu. Good luck."

Yuichiro nodded and headed towards the door at the end of the hallway without another word.

SSSSSS

"Hey, Mi-chan, how did your interview go?"

Mitsuba almost jumped in surprise to hear her squad leader's usual cheery voice calling out to her as soon as she exited the building to the first office.

"Shinoa! What are you doing here?" the blonde demanded when she saw Shinoa approach with her hands folded behind her back.

"Oh, I was just taking a walk and thought I'd take a minute to check up on you and Yuichiro. I take it your interview went well?"

"Yeah, I guess you can say that; I've been promoted to second lieutenant." Mitsuba answered, the half-hearted expression on her face a clear sign that she was less-than enthusiastic about her recent promotion.

Shinoa couldn't help rubbing it in and smiled before saying: Well, I'm not surprised to see someone from the Sangu family get promoted for doing virtually nothing. Looks like you've really got it made, Mi-chan!"

Knowing that her friend and squad leader was absolutely right, Mitsuba frowned but could not bring herself to argue.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you, Shinoa?" she accused.

Shinoa laughed as she flung her arms into the air.

"Oh, come on! It's no big secret that those at the top are always rewarded without even trying while those unfortunate enough to be born to a lower station are not regardless of their talents and best efforts. I'm sure the lieutenant colonel can tell you that."

"Oh, and what about you?" Mitsuba shot back. "As a Hiragi, you'd also be promoted without lifting a finger!"

Shinoa shook her head. "Not at all! I'd reject any promotion offered to me since I don't obsess over power the way my brothers do. I'm also content to be a lesser target for assassination if you know what I mean."

"Really?"

"Yup. My sister, Mahiru, was a prodigy, you see. She was such a genius that my father chose her even over our eldest brother, Kureto, to be the next family head. Unfortunately, Mahiru died under mysterious circumstances. So nii-san will probably get the spot after our father passes away, after all. As for me, I cannot compare to my big sister so our family has no need for a useless waif like me."

"Kureto, huh? Yeah, I met your brother this morning and he sure gave me bad vibes. I feel sorry for Yuu since it's her turn to see him now," Mitsuba said grimly.

"I see… nii-san and the other top dogs probably want to see if she has any connection with the vampires, especially since her orphanage brother is one of them," Shinoa replied as her expression became one of concern.

"Are you sure that's all they're going to ask her? When I spoke with him, Kureto asked if I knew anything about what happened to Yuu back on the battlefield."

"And what did you tell them?"

"That I didn't know anything about it; I was just as shocked as everybody else. That is the truth, after all."

Shinoa folded her arms and rested her chin in her hand as if in deep thought.

"So if nii-san asked you such a question, it could only mean one thing."

"And what's that?"

"Isn't it obvious? It means that whatever experimentation done on Yuu wasn't officially sanctioned by the Demon Army."

Mitsuba was startled at her squad leader's revelation.

"Then who…?"

Shinoa frowned and her cheerful mood vanished as she recalled her unpleasant conversation with Guren regarding Yuichiro's transformation. If Kureto was questioning Mitsuba and possibly Yuu herself about it, the only possible explanation could be that Guren was experimenting on his ward himself in secret with the help of those working under him.

But for Mitsuba's own safety, Shinoa thought it best she didn't know that. So the purple-haired girl was forced to do something she strongly disliked: lie to her friend.

"I'm not sure myself. In a world like this, it's hard to tell who your friends and enemies really are. Anyway, are you hungry, Mi-chan? The Harada twins asked if we would join them for lunch along with Yuichiro after she's done with her interview."

"Yeah, lunch sure sounds good. I hope Yuu will be ok…" Mitsuba said as she turned and took a brief glance at the building where Yuichiro was being interviewed at moment.

Shinoa grinned, unable to resist the urge to tease her subordinate over her rivalry with Yuu.

"Aww, are you actually worried about Miss Hyakuya? It looks like Riku was right! You do care!"

Mitsuba blushed furiously as she spun around and glared at Shinoa.

"Stop trying to be funny!"

"Aww, come on, no need to be embarrassed!" the purple-haired girl teased before becoming serious again. "I'm concerned about her too. But don't worry, Yuu is a big girl; she can take care of herself."

Mitsuba frowned as she sighed and took in her squad leader's words.

"I hope so, Shinoa. I really do. For her own sake..."

SSSSSS

After parting with Mitsuba in the hallway, Yuichiro opened the door to the first office and found to her surprise that the room she entered was completely dark, making her wonder if she had come to the wrong place.

"Hello?" Yuu called. "Is anyone there?"

Instead of an answer, the ravenette suddenly heard the sound of the door being slammed behind her, trapping her in complete darkness for a moment before the room suddenly lit up in the center, revealing a male blue-haired vampire clad in a white prison uniform. From the feral look he gave Yuichiro, she quickly realized that he must have been starved of blood for some time during his imprisonment.

Without thinking, Yuichiro quickly drew her sword as soon as she saw the vampire break free of the chains restraining him and charge towards her like a raging bull with his fangs bared. Before he could grab her and sink his fangs into her throat, Yuichiro cleanly sliced him in half at the waist and watched as his body turned into ash around her feet.

"What's going on here?" Yuu demanded as soon as she looked around to make sure there weren't any more vampires in the room thirsty for her blood.

After another moment of silence, Yuichiro finally got her answer when the rest of the room lit up and she saw four people, three men and a woman, all in their mid-twenties, at the other end of the room. Yuichiro quickly recognize one of them as Shinya but instead of regarding her warmly and fondly as he usually did, the white-haired man gave her a cold look of indifference.

Although several questions arose in her mind at seeing her guardian's best friend look at her as if she were a total stranger to him, Yuichiro decided that now was not the best time to ask and waited for an answer to her original demand after destroying the vampire that was just sicked on her.

"That was a test for traitors to see if you can kill a vampire without hesitation. Now you've passed that test, we can talk."

Yuichiro found herself staring at the young man who had just answered her question. Judging from the decorations on his uniform, she figured that he must be of very high-rank in the army, possibly second only to the general himself. The man was also tall and well-built with short brown hair, hazel eyes, a strong jaw, and jagged brows- an appearance befitting of his rank and status.

"And who are you?" Yuichiro demanded.

"I am Kureto Hiragi, lieutenant general of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army. And you are special private Yuichiro Hyakuya, am I correct?"

"Yes, that's right. What of it?"

"Well for one thing, I was expecting to see a young man answer my summons. Is there a reason your parents gave you a boy's name instead of a girl's?", he asked in perplexity.

"Yes, and it's a very long story, one I would rather not get into if you don't mind, sir." Yuichiro sneered.

The lieutenant general raised a brow at Yuu's defiant attitude which he actually found amusing. Although she sounded polite enough, Kureto still caught the slightly mocking lilt in the younger girl's voice at her refusal to go into detail about why she had a boy's name.

Not that it mattered. At the moment, there was a more important issue with her that he wanted to pursue. Withdrawing his own sword from its sheath, Kureto said:

"Very well, then. Let's start the interview exam of whether or not you are trustworthy. First, show me your raw sword fighting skills without activating your demon curse and I'll do the same, Miss Hyakuya."

Yuichiro grinned as she unsheathed her own sword and took a fighting stance, not looking the slightest bit intimidated by the lieutenant general's order or his imposing appearance.

"All right. But don't expect me to hold anything back, sir."

Kureto chuckled while pulling back his weapon, a katana like her own with a reddish-gold tone blade instead of green.

"Likewise, my dear."

Shinya, who had witnessed the entire exchange in amused silence, finally smiled at Yuichiro and gave her a friendly warning.

"Don't trust what my dear brother says so easily, Miss Hyakuya…"

The ravenette had no time to ponder the thought before she heard Kureto call out for his demon contractor.

"Come, Raimeiki!"

By the time Yuichiro realized that Kureto had gone back on his word, it was too late and she barely had time to lift her blade in a horizontal position to deflect his lighting attack. Which was powerful enough to knock her across the room and slam her against the wall. Hard.

Trying her best to ignore the pain, Yuichiro quickly got up, ran back to the center of the room, and attempted to reposition her sword to attack Kureto. But the older man was faster and she soon found his blade at her throat before she could even get close enough to strike.

"So this is the extent of your sword-fighting skills, young lady? I can't say I'm surprised. But have no fear, you are still young and have plenty of time to learn. That's assuming you don't get killed on the battlefield before then."

Yuichiro glared at Kureto. "And that's supposed to make me feel better? It's rather dirty of you to go back on your word about not activating your demon curse, isn't it, sir?"

Kureto chuckled as he re-sheathed his sword, turned around, and slowly started to walk away from her.

"Is that what you're going to tell your enemies on the battlefield? I thought you would have learned by now that in war, anything goes to win. However, you do take orders well, I'll give you that, makes it hard for me to believe you're Guren's ward considering his defiant attitude towards his own betters."

The ravenette grinned as she raised her sword and charged towards Kureto with the intention of giving him a nasty cut on his back if not running him through. But as soon as Yuichiro brought her sword down, she found her attack deflected by a young blonde woman who bore a striking resemblance to Mitsuba. It didn't take long for Yuu to realize that this woman must be Aoi, her squad mate's elder sister whom she did not speak too fondly of.

"Shit, this girl is strong!" the older woman gasped as she struggled to push Yuichiro's blade away with her own.

Not wanting to make Aoi look bad in front of Kureto, Yuichiro actually took pity on the older woman and backed off. As soon as the lieutenant general turned around, she gave him a sweet smile and said:

"If your colleague had not protected you just now, you'd be dead. Or are you going to say I was being dirty for trying to attack you from behind?"

Instead of being angry that Yuichiro called him out, Kureto returned her smile.

"I take back what I said; you are indeed Guren's protégé. Let's continue the interview, shall we?"

Turning to Shinya, Kureto nodded his head in Yuu's direction. Though he said nothing, Shinya knew exactly what his elder brother wanted him to do.

The white-haired man sighed and shook his head.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline, nii-san. Unlike you, I don't enjoy picking on little girls."

Seishiro snorted and shot Shinya a dirty look. "You'll do as you're told, adopted rat." *2*

Yuichiro shot a glance in the direction of the young man who had just spoken. Unlike the others, Seishiro Hiragi's uniform jacket was slightly open in a more casual manner and his dark brown hair was styled in a Mohawk. If he wasn't a high-ranking officer, the man probably would have been relieved or suspended from duty for wearing his hair in such a way. His narrow-brown eyes also added to his menacing demeanor that made Satoshi Yamanaka look like a sheep in comparison.

"Tsk, fine!" Shinya finally replied before stepping forward, summoning his demon rifle, and pointed it at Yuichiro, making her heart skip a beat. Smiling sadly at her, the older man said:

"Don't hold back if you want to live, Miss Hyakuya. That's all I have to say. Bang!"

Yuichiro had no time to answer before Shinya pulled the trigger and what appeared to be the apparition of a white tiger manifested from the rifle's muzzle and flew towards her.

Acting on her soldier's reflex, the ravenette quickly swung her sword to dissipate the demonic projectile before it could hit her. No sooner did the white tiger loose its shape, Yuichiro suddenly felt Shinya grab her by the wrist of her free hand and pull her close to his chest. She was about to demand that he tell her what he was doing before the older man shot her a look from his intense icy-blue eyes that said:

Play along.

Taking the hint, Yuichiro stopped resisting and allowed Shinya to throw her to the floor before pointing the bayonet of his demon rifle at her as she sat on her rump with her palms flat on the tiles while staring up at him.

"Well, that was quick. And I'm not even a melee fighter like Guren and Kureto. My Byakkomaru is more suited for long-distance fighting. You do know what this means about your skill level, right?"

Yuichiro said nothing but continued to give Shinya a blank stare before he made his weapon vanish and offered a hand to help her up. Upon seeing her hesitate, the older man smiled and said:

"It's ok, Miss Hyakuya. I'm not in the habit of hurting an unarmed person, especially a lady."

Yuichiro sighed and finally took Shinya's hand, allowing him to help her to her feet.

"Now, now, no need for the long face, my dear," he said kindly upon seeing the disappointed as well as embarrassed expression on Yuichiro's face at being taken down so easily as the result of not being allowed to activate the curse on Asuramaru. "You may have lost, but that's likely because you've received your cursed gear only recently and haven't been trained to use it to its full potential yet. So don't feel too bad about it."

"Thanks, that makes me feel so much better," Yuichiro replied sarcastically as she re-sheathed her sword. "And you are?"

Shinya smiled and made a gentlemanly bow before taking Yuichiro's hand, placed a kiss on it, and answered.

"Oh, goodness me! Where are my manners? I am Major General Shinya Hiragi of the Japanese Imperial Army, at your service." *3*

Unimpressed with his adopted brother's display of chivalry, Seishiro sneered.

"Why do you waste your time with such formalities, rat? In case you've forgotten, this is supposed to be an interrogation of a possible vampire spy."

Ignoring the other man, Shinya turned to Kureto and said:

"So does this finally clear me of any suspicions, nii-san? The young lady clearly does not recognize me or my fighting style."

"What are you talking about?" Yuu asked in confusion.

Turning back to the younger girl, Shinya patiently explained.

"Right now, I am also under investigation, just as you are, Miss Hyakuya. After what happened in Shinjuku, we suspect there are spies among the Demon Army which could pose a huge problem for the Hiragi family. And since I happen to be close to your mentor, I am also suspect."

"Spies?" As realization dawned upon her, Yuichiro turned to Kureto and narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that what this is about? You think I'm a spy for the vampires?"

Kureto folded his arms before sighing and turned to exit the room

"That remains to be seen, Miss Hyakuya." Without turning around, he gave his next order:"Bring her, Aoi."

"Yes, sir," the blonde woman obeyed and roughly grabbed Yuichiro by the arm, yanking her away from Shinya and proceeded to half lead, half-drag her to a room upstairs with Shinya and Seishiro following suit.

Not appreciating Aoi's lack of manners but also not wanting to make herself look even more suspicious, Yuichiro did not resist when she was roughly shoved into a room that was divided in two by a glass wall.

When the lights were turned on, Yuichiro gasped when she saw Yoichi and Kimizuki on the other side. Both boys were strapped to what she recognized to be electric chairs, devices used for capital punishment in the United States from the late 19th century up until the late 20th century before their use was finally outlawed.

"What's going on here?" Yuu demanded as she glared at Kureto while ignoring Shinya, Seishiro, and Aoi.

The lieutenant general gave her a cold, almost sadistic smile before answering.

"Now the real test of your loyalty begins, Miss Hyakuya."

Footnotes:

1. The saying "blood is thicker than water" means relationships and loyalties within a family are the strongest and most important ones. In the Seraph series, this is often not the case. Most of the time, it is the direct opposite.

2. Seishiro Hiragi is not present during male!Yuu's interrogation. In my AU, I chose to add him to raise some points about fem!Yuu's relationship with Guren.

3. Before his interrogation by the Hiragis, male!Yuu has never met Shinya Hiragi but in my AU series, fem!Yuu met him shortly after she was taken in by Guren and has developed a relationship with him akin to that of a little sister or favorite niece.