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.

Chapter 5: Secrets Among Comrades

November 10, 2020

"Hey, how's everything up there, you two?" Yuichiro asked curiously as she eyed Yoichi and Takeshi, who were both perched on a tall streetlight with their bows drawn.

As she had promised Yuichiro and later Kimizuki, Shinoa had taken them outside of the city walls to teach them manifestation or possession of their demons, cursed gear skills that Mitsuba and herself had learned long ago, but was still new to her subordinates. Both skills were also new to the members of Satoshi's squad as well.

In order to assure that Yuu and Kimizuki do not damage Shinjuku further, it was necessary for their squad leader to take them outside the city. Though doing so posed some risk since leaving the walls made them vulnerable to the monsters outside.

Hence their dependence on the two archers from each squad to watch their backs and warn them of impending danger.

"I see five Horsemen of John in the distance approaching but don't worry, I'll take care of them," Yoichi assured as he took aim with his bow, his left eye covered by a pentagram formed of green light that served as a telescope similar to Shinya's rifle.

"You sound pretty confident, Saotome" Takeshi said with a grin as he activated his own pentagram of light that was red and covered his right eye. "Want to see who can take down the most Horsemen of John first?"

The other boy laughed light-heartedly.

"This isn't a contest, Saehara; I'm just trying to keep the others safe."

"I know, I know, I'm just kidding. Still, it doesn't hurt to have fun while we're out here, right?"

"I suppose so. Let's do it then!"

"Right!"

Taking aim at their respective targets, Yoichi and Takeshi prepared to fire, both boys intent on outdoing the other to see who can take down the most Horsemen of John. It wasn't the first time the young archers had a shared target, their first being Mikaela Hyakuya when he tried to abduct Yuichiro and take her from the battlefield.

Fortunately, unlike the blond vampire, their current targets were much slower and easier to hit, but would still require assistance from their demon contractors, especially from this distance.

"Strike the enemy, Gekkouin!" Yoichi murmured.

"Oh, you can materialize your demon? That's awesome!" Takeshi exclaimed as he took a moment to admire the black shadow that was shaped like a giant crow behind Yoichi. "I think I'll trying calling for mine too. Get 'em, Kurashina Menou!" *1*

In response to his sudden order, Takeshi heard a soft feminine voice in his mind.

"Now is that any way to ask a lady for a favor, Mr. Saehara?" his demon scolded.

Blushing, Takeshi apologized.

"Sorry… what I mean is: Please lend me your power, Miss Menou!"

The brunet boy heard a soft laughter.

"That's better!" Menou said before she materialized behind Takeshi in the form of a fiery phoenix.

With the assistance of their demons, both archers quickly took down all five Horsemen of John before they could reach the two squads on the ground below. Yoichi had managed to destroy three while Takeshi destroyed two, having taken a moment longer to get his demon to grant him her assistance.

Acknowledging defeat, Takeshi playfully punched Yoichi in the arm, almost hard enough to make him lose his balance on the streetlight they were standing on.

"Good job, Saotome! Looks like you win! But next time, victory shall be mine!" the other brunet boy joked with a wink.

Yoichi laughed nervously while scratching his head at his rival's praise.

"It was nothing, really!" he insisted.

Before the other boy could reply, both of them heard Satoshi call out to them from the streets below.

"Hey, is everything ok up there? How did it go with the Horsemen of John?"

"We need to be sure it's safe before we can start the ritual for Yuu and Kimizuki!" Shinoa added.

"It's all good now!" Takeshi answered before jumping off the streetlight to join the rest of Shinoa and Satoshi's squads.

"Yeah, the coast is clear!" Yoichi confirmed before joining Takeshi on the ground.

"Good," Satoshi said as he watched the two archers dust themselves off after putting their weapons away. "By the way, you two, I'm pretty impressed you can materialize your demons already. Where did you learn how to do that?"

Yoichi hesitated for a moment as if he wasn't sure how to answer so his squad leader answered for him.

"Yoichi has a natural talent for controlling demons, Mr. Hiwatari. I didn't have to show him a thing; he did it himself," Shinoa said proudly.

"Really? That's no small feat; I'm impressed, Yoichi."

"It's nothing to be impressed about," the brunet boy said as he poked his cheek shyly. "The most important thing is to get to know your demon. I speak to mine every night in bed until I fall asleep and even more when I'm dreaming."

"Seriously?" Takeshi asked. "Looks like you have the same idea I did, Saotome. For me, it's something I really enjoyed since my demon can take the form of a pretty girl as well as a phoenix. But I'm sure your Gekkouin isn't like that."

"Well, I've yet to see his true human or humanoid form, but when he's guiding my aim, Gekkouin looks a lot like a black crow or raven," Yoichi confessed.

"Oh, so you haven't seen your demon's true form yet? I guess they reveal themselves to their human masters on their own time," Takeshi said thoughtfully.

"I think so too," Satoshi agreed.

"So what about you, Mr. Hiwatari?" Shinoa asked. "How're things with you and your demon? Daisuke tells me he can be a bit difficult to handle at times."

"Don't worry about that, Miss Hiragi. Yes, Krad is a pain in the ass but I can handle him. I'm more worried about Daisuke and Dark," the blue-haired boy said as he made a gesture towards Daisuke, who was chatting with Riku, Risa, and Mitsuba as well as Yuu near the campfire they set up.

"Daisuke and Dark? But why?" Shinoa asked curiously as she allowed her gaze to wonder in the direction of the red-haired boy who appeared to be flirting with their other female squad mates.

"Hey, how're you fine ladies doing tonight? It's not often we get to go outside the walls away from the higher-ups so why don't we take advantage of it and have some fun while we're here?" Daisuke asked playfully as he tried to take Yuu's hand and ask for a dance.

Annoyed that Daisuke would even suggest playing around at a time like this, Yuichiro swatted his hand away.

"What do you think you're doing, Niwa? This isn't a picnic; I came here to master the use of my cursed gear and shouldn't you be doing the same with yours, too?"

Realizing that the phantom thief was up to his old tricks again, Satoshi sighed before turning to Shinoa, Yoichi, and Takeshi.

"Please excuse me for a moment, everyone," the blue-haired boy said before marching over to Daisuke and yanking him away from Yuichiro none-too-gently by his ear.

"Oww!" the red-haired boy whined. "Hey, Sato, what's the big idea?" he demanded.

"Cut the crap, Dark. Release your hold on Daisuke right now," Satoshi ordered before letting go of the other boy's ear.

"Aww, what gave me away?" Dark pouted. *2*

Satoshi glared at him. "Did you think you could fool me so easily just because you can conceal the curse marks on Daisuke's body? I know he isn't quite as daring with women as you. So knock it off, Dark."

"Tsk, fine, fine! You're such a kill-joy, Sato!" the phantom thief pouted before returning his host's body to its rightful owner. It was difficult enough for Satoshi to keep Krad from taking over his own body and now he had to keep Dark from possessing Daisuke without his consent as well.

After Dark was suppressed, Daisuke closed his eyes and placed a hand on his forehead. When he opened them and found his squad leader standing before him, he was puzzled.

"What? What happened? Weren't you talking to Takeshi and Yoichi a moment ago?" the red-haired boy asked in confusion.

"Yes but I had to step in when your demon decided to use you to play around with the girls!" Satoshi answered in dismay.

Daisuke felt his cheeks grow hot at his squad leader's revelation.

"Are you serious, Sato? I didn't even know Dark was possessing me!"

"Of course you didn't! That's why I told you not to let your guard down with that demon no matter how nice or cool he might seem!" Satoshi scolded. "Next time watch your back if you don't want the bastard to make you look like a total idiot in front of everyone!"

Upon realizing the true reason for Daisuke's strange behavior, the Harada twins and even Mitsuba and Yuu found themselves trying to stifle their laughter.

"I thought Niwa was being a bit too daring when he asked Yuu to dance!" Risa giggled.

"I don't know, Risa, I kind of like him like that!" Riku teased.

"Well, that explains everything," Yuichiro said with a touch of humor. Unfortunately, I didn't come out here to flirt or dance. I came here to train." Turning to her squad leader who had come to join the rest of the two squads with Yoichi and Takeshi, she continued. "Isn't that right, Shinoa?"

"Right. Now is as good a time as any."

"And we're far enough away from the city not to cause any damage if your demons go berserk," Mitsuba added before turning to Yuu and Kimizuki. "Though I have enough faith that you're both strong enough not to let that happen."

Yuichiro snorted. "Of course it won't! You give me far too little credit, Mitsu!"

Shinoa rolled her eyes. The last thing they needed right now was for Yuu and Mitsuba to get into another argument.

"That's enough, you two! We can't afford to waste precious time on petty squabbles. Especially if we want to survive and win this war against the vampires."

Yuichiro sighed. "You're right, Shinoa. Please, continue."

"Ok. Normally, it's best to take your time and gradually let yourself get used to your demon weapon in order to avoid losing your consciousness to the demon."

"Oh? Like how long?" Yuu asked.

"For me, it took about half a year," Mitsuba answered. "That is the best approach if you don't want to run into any issues. Not that I'm saying it can't be done faster, but there are risks."

"I'm well aware of that, Mitsu," Yuu said impatiently. "But unfortunately, that's a risk I'm going to have to take since I don't have the luxury of time. I have to hurry up and get enough power so I can save Mika as soon as possible."

"I understand that you're eager to save your brother, Yuichiro," Shinoa said patiently, "But like I've told you before: if you can't control or use your demon weapon to its full power, you won't last that long. And since you and Kimizuki are the only ones who haven't found out your contracted demon's nature for certain, you must meet with them again in your subconscious. So who would like to go first?"

Yuichiro was confused. "What? Is there a reason we both can't go at the same time?"

"I wouldn't recommend that," Satoshi warned. "If both of you go berserk, it would be much more difficult for the rest of us to subdue you."

Though the blue-haired boy neglected to mention that he was far more worried about Yuichiro than Kimizuki, everyone know exactly what Satoshi meant and did not argue.

Everyone except Yuu herself, that was.

"Huh? But there are eight of you! Surely it shouldn't be too hard to restrain me and Kimizuki if that were to happen, right?"

Knowing that Yuichiro would realize everyone was hiding something from her if this discussion persisted further, the pink-haired boy cleared his throat and said:

"It's all right, Yuu. I'm in no hurry. I agree with Satoshi that its better to be safe than sorry and I really don't mind waiting, so you go first."

Yuichiro blinked. "Are you sure, Kimizuki?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Very well, then…" Yuichiro began before turning to her squad leader as if waiting for further instructions.

Knowing exactly what the other girl wanted to ask, Shinoa pointed to Yuichiro's sword and answered:

"It's really simple, Yuu: to start the ritual, all you have to do is cut yourself with your sword and offer your blood to the demon inside. In short, let Asuramaru suck your blood through the blade."

The ravenette could not help shuddering at the suggestion.

"That sounds almost like a vampire…" she said grimly.

"Well, demons and vampires are related in many ways. Would you like an explanation?"

Yuichiro shook her head. "Um, no thanks. I want to get this show on the road as soon as possible; the sooner I can master Asuramaru, the better."

Before Shinoa could reply, Yuichiro quickly unsheathed her sword and closed her gloved fist tightly around the blade, closing her eyes as she did her best to ignore the biting pain of cold steal cutting into her flesh.

For a moment, nothing happened before the ravenette suddenly gasped; her eyes flew open and once again became the glowing red pits they were when she transformed into an angelic monstrosity during the Battle of Shinjuku.

"Everybody, have your weapons ready in case she loses it!" Satoshi ordered.

"Satoshi's right; we must be prepared!" Shinoa agreed.

Both squads wasted no time in summoning their demon weapons and assuming a fighting stance should Yuichiro lose control of herself. But to everyone's surprise, she did not make any attempts to attack or even move from her spot. Instead, Yuichiro tilted her head back and groaned as if she were in pain before finally fainting.

Ever so concerned for his squad mate, Kimizuki quickly flung his twin swords away and caught Yuichiro before she fell to the ground on her face.

"Is she all right?" Risa asked in concern as she followed Kimizuki's lead and put her own war fans away to come to Yuichiro's aid.

Not like the pink-haired boy needed anyone's assistance to catch Yuichiro and hoist her into his arms like he did when she reverted back to her human form in Shinjuku after Yoichi covered her scantily clad body with his cape.

"I'm sure she'll be fine" Kimizuki assured.

"I think we should lay her down somewhere", Riku suggested.

"Put her over there, near the fire where it's warm," Shinoa ordered. "I brought some blankets since I knew it's likely we may have to stay out here overnight."

"Good idea," Kimizuku agreed. "I'm glad you thought of that, Shinoa."

Shinoa brushed off the praise with a wave of her hand. "Think nothing of it; as your squad leader, it's my job to make sure we have everything we need on away missions such as these."

Turning to Mitsuba, Shinoa continued. "The blankets are in that pack over there. Since Yuu is going to be asleep for a while, we should make ourselves comfortable until she wakes up."

"Sure," the blonde girl said. "Just don't get too comfortable since she can still go berserk at any time."

"I'm sure your squad leader knows that," Satoshi pointed out. "If we need to stay here overnight, we can take turns watching her."

"Right," Takeshi agreed. "For now, I can use something to eat. What about you, Saotome?" he asked the other archer as he watched Yoichi approach the campfire.

The brunet boy nodded as he poked his cheek with his forefinger again, a habit he developed when in deep thought or trying to make a decision.

"Come to think if it, I am a bit hungry; I haven't eaten since we left the city earlier today. Do we have any food?"

"Yes," Satoshi answered. "That is, if you're ok with the canned food I've brought; we won't have the luxury of cooking out here since we also have to watch out for vampires and other monsters while guarding Miss Hyakuya."

"It's ok, I don't mind," Yoichi insisted.

"I've got no problem with it either," Kimizuki added as he gently set the sleeping Yuichiro down on the blanket Risa and Riku had spread near the camp fire.

The Harada twins also took it upon themselves to remove Yuichiro's bloody glove from the hand she choose to cut herself with and put Asuramaru beyond her reach in case she woke up in a frenzied state.

After making sure Yuichiro was lying down in a comfortable position, Kimizuki removed his outer jacket and draped over the sleeping girl. Shinoa, who witnessed the scene, could not help smiling at the pink-haired boy's subtle display of affection for their squad mate.

"You know, you don't have to do that, Kimizuki; I brought more than enough blankets for everyone."

Trying his best not to let his squad leader see him blushing, the pink-haired boy brushed off Shinoa's comment.

"It's all right, it's not like I need my jacket when I'm already this close to the fire."

Shinoa shrugged but refrained from calling him out on his lie.

"Ok, if you insist, Kimizuki."

Wanting to end this awkward conversation as soon as possible, the pink-haired boy decided to change the subject.

"Anyway, let's get started on dinner, I'm starved."

"Sure," Satoshi said as he took out a can opener from one of his packs and handed it to Daisuke. Wanting to keep the red-haired boy occupied so that his demon won't take over again, Satoshi had him do the honors. "Here, use this to open the cans. There are nine of us not counting Miss Hyakuya since she won't need any food while she's meeting with her demon."

Daisuke sighed. As a soldier, he disliked doing menial labor and tasks but did not argue since his squad leader had saved him from further embarrassment when his demon possessed him without his knowledge by ordering Dark to release his hold on him.

"Sure, Sato, whatever you say."

After painstakingly opening the cans one by one with Takeshi's help, Daisuke did his best to pour the contents into the bowls without spilling since food was far too precious to waste, especially outside the walls. They didn't even have variety. All the cans Satoshi brought contained the same thing: vegetable soup with chunks of dried chicken.

Even so, both squads were grateful they at least had the fire to heat up their soup so that they wouldn't have to eat their dinner cold. As they sat around the campfire attempting to enjoy what little dinner they had, Kimizuki decided to bring up the topic he knew everyone was trying to avoid talking about, especially Shinoa.

"So how long do you think it'll be before Yuichiro wakes up?" he asked.

Shinoa sighed. "I'm not sure. It could be minutes or hours depending on how well she's able to deal with her demon. As her friends and comrades, it's our duty to look out for her and protect her."

Seeing a chance to finally make his point without beating around the bush, Kimizuki took it.

"Are we really friends and comrades, Shinoa? If so, then why are we keeping secrets from Yuichiro? That's not what 'friends and comrades' are supposed to do."

Satoshi frowned as he looked up from his dinner and gave Kimzuki a disapproving look.

"Kimizuki, you should know that it's not your place to question your squad leader. I'm sure she has her reasons…"

Shinoa raised a hand and made a gesture to silence the other squad leader.

"It's all right, Mr. Hiwatari, Kimizuki is just concerned for Yuichiro. We all are."

Turning to her pink-haired subordinate, she said: "You want to know what happened to Yuichiro that day on the field, correct?"

Kimizuki nodded. "Yes. And apparently, I'm not the only one. When the Hiragi top dogs interrogated me and Yoichi, they were demanding to know the same thing."

"And what did you tell them?"

"The truth. What else could we say?"

"That you had no idea?"

"Yes."

"I see…good. The less they know, the better."

"Um, but what about Yuu herself?" Yoichi cut in. "Should we really be keeping secrets from her like this?"

"What do you think, Yoi?" his squad leader asked patiently. "How do you think Yuichiro would react if she discovers that she violently assaulted Takeshi and tried to kill you as well?"

Yoichi was startled. "Well, I…"

"It's ok," Takeshi joked. "You know that wasn't the first time I've been assaulted by Miss Hyakuya."

"I do. Except you didn't deserve it the second time she struck you," Shinoa said humorously.

"We can't worry about that now," Mitsuba cut in impatiently. "We can't change what happened in the past; it's the future we should be concerned with."

"I agree…" Risa said. "That's why I think it's best we tell Yuichiro ourselves when she wakes up. After all, it's better that she hears about it from her friends than anyone else."

"Or worse, find out on her own," Riku added grimly. "Should that happen, Yuichiro will realize that we've been keeping secrets from her and she'll be even more devastated."

"Yes, you're both right…" Shinoa agreed. "But you don't have to trouble yourselves. As her squad leader, it's my duty to take care of Yuichiro and look out for her well-being."

Satoshi gave the other squad leader a curious look.

"Is that the only reason, Miss Hiragi? From the way you talk, I suspect you know more about what happened to Yuichiro than any of us."

Shinoa shook her head. "I don't know everything…" she confessed. "But I did speak to Yuu's guardian during the week she was hospitalized."

"You mean Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose?" Satoshi asked. "Do you think he knows something?"

"I do…but he refuses to talk when I confronted him. And unfortunately, I don't have the authority to force an answer out of him either. Honestly, it worries me that Guren is Yuu's guardian and mentor. After what happened, I feel it's like asking a wolf to guard a sheep."

"Guren? I didn't know you and the lieutenant colonel was on a first-name basis, Miss Hiragi" Daisuke said in astonishment.

"We go back a long way, Mr. Niwa; I've known the lieutenant colonel since I was eight. He and my sister were very good friends."

Before anyone could press Shinoa for further details on her's and her sister's relationship with Guren, they all heard Yuichiro stirring from her spot near the fire as she hummed a tune under her breath.

"Hey, is it my imagination or is Miss Hyakuya actually singing in her sleep?" Risa asked in amazement as she set down her soup bowl and moved closer to the sleeping Yuichiro.

Shinoa laughed. "It's not surprising; Yuichiro always been a fan of music. I bet you didn't know that asides from fighting, she also loves to sing."

"So Miss Hyakuya can actually carry a tune? Wow, I didn't know that!" Riku said in amazement as she also moved closer to Yuichiro and attempted to make out what her raven-haired comrade was humming.

"The tune sounds familiar…" Risa said with wonder. "I just can't put a finger on where I've heard it before…"

"I think I know…" Yoichi said humbly. "It's a song from one of my sister's favorite musicals."

"And what's that?" Kimizuki asked curiously.

"'Angel of Music.' From The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber."

Footnotes:

1. In the anime, DN Angel, Kurashina Menou was a young girl whose spirit became bound to the Agate Links necklace after she died of illness during Daisuke's grandfather's youth. Forty years later, Takeshi met her by chance when she finally manifested in the human world and fell in love with her. In my AU, Menou is Takeshi's demon contractor who can take the form of a fiery phoenix and a young girl in a red Victorian-style dress.

2. Like his canon DN Angel counterpart, Phantom Dark is also a huge flirt in my AU. Unlike Satoshi and Krad, Daisuke and Dark get along well but Dark will still try to possess Daisuke just so he can flirt with girls :D Both Dark and Krad are possession-type demons while Kurashina Menou is a manifestation type.