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 10: Between Loyalty and Deception

November 12, 2020

Yuichiro slowly opened her eyes when she felt the gentle rays of the sun upon her face through a slightly parted curtain in her dorm room. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was about six-fifty in the morning, about ten minutes from the time her alarm was supposed to go off, and sighed in slight disappointment as she placed an arm over her forehead.

Yuichiro just hated it whenever she found herself waking up just minutes before her alarm sounded because it was a few more minutes of sleep she could have had. But she supposed it couldn't be helped. So after releasing a yawn and briefly stretching her arms above her head, the ravenette finally sat up and found her sheathed sword at the foot of her bed as always.

Unlike Shinoa, Mitsuba, and Yoichi, Yuichiro could not make her weapon appear and disappear on a whim due to its strength and nature, so she made it a habit to keep Asuramaru at her side as much as possible, even in the safety of her own dorm. Before going to sleep at night, Yuichiro always locked her dorm and kept her demon sword at the foot of her bed to ensure that nobody would sneak in and steal it while she slept. Even though Shinoa assured her that such a thing was unlikely since demons do not respond well to anyone but their contractors. *1*

Even so, the ravenette was still possessive of her prized weapon, the one she had risked her life to win so that she would have a fighting chance against the vampires.

And to find Mikaela.

But while Asuramaru may have been her demonic partner on her complex journey, Yuichiro had to admit that the little bastard was also the bane of her existence. While he had made good on his promise not to give Yuichiro any more dreams of Guren, Asuramaru continued to tease her with dreams of other men like Shinya and Mika and feigned innocence when she broke free of his illusions and railed at him; his latest prank being a more provocative dream version of her memory of Shinya teaching her how to swim when she was fourteen. *2*

Considering how embarrassed Yuichiro felt every time she woke up from her "wet dreams," she often wondered if having Asuramaru give her nightmares like the ones other demons tormented their human contractors with to break was preferable. But the girl knew that there were more important matters at hand so, shoving the thought to the back of her mind, Yuichiro finally got out of bed to shower and get dressed for the day.

As she stood in front of her mirror putting on make-up, Yuichiro remembered Shinoa mentioning the day before that she wanted the squad to meet up at her dorm along with Satoshi's squad instead of the mess hall to discuss a matter of great importance, something that should not be heard by others.

At the time, Yuichiro did not think much of her squad leader's request but now that the time to meet was drawing near, she could not help wondering what was so important that Shinoa would insist both squads meet at her dorm to discuss it in private. The fact that her squad leader offered to make breakfast for everyone as well made Yuichiro a bit leery since she knew Shinoa was used to having servants cater to her every need and whim as a daughter of the esteemed Hiragi family; she didn't even think the other girl was capable of cooking.

Well, I guess I'll soon find out… Yuichiro thought as she sweat-dropped slightly. *3*

Although the food in the JIDA mess hall was nothing spectacular, at least they were edible and acceptable. But Yuichiro had serious doubts about Shinoa's cooking since the most she's ever seen her squad leader do in regards to food preparation was heating up canned food in a microwave or next to a camp fire.

If possible, Yuichiro would have declined Shinoa's proposal. But the ravenette knew she couldn't avoid an important meeting such as this so trying not to think about the breakfast itself, she picked up the pace and finally left her dorm after grabbing Asuramaru and making sure her hair was securely tied back in her trade-mark pony-tail.

Here goes nothing! she thought.

SSSSSS

"Morning, Yuu. Did you sleep well?" Yoichi asked politely when he saw Yuichiro enter the hallway where Shinoa's dorm was located.

Trying not to think about Asuramaru's latest prank on her with an illusion of Shinya, Yuichiro smiled politely and answered:

"I slept well, thank you. How about yourself?"

"Not bad," the brunet boy confessed. "Could have been better, but oh well, we can't expect to sleep like babies with demons bound to our minds and bodies."

"You'd think?" a gruff voice spoke up.

Turning, Yuichiro and Yoichi saw Kimizuki approaching. Like themselves, the pink-haired boy was in full uniform with his sheathed twin demon swords at his belt.

Yuichiro found a smile tugging at her lips as she took in the sight of Kimizuki putting a hand over his mouth as he released a yawn. For some reason, she found her pink-haired squad mate's expression cute.

"Well, you should have known this when you signed up for the Demon Army, Kimizuki," she teased.

"I'm sure he did. We all did," another voice cut in smoothly as if he expected such a complaint from the pink-haired boy.

Looking over Kimizuki's shoulder, Yuichiro and Yoichi saw Satoshi approach while flanked by Daisuke and Takeshi. The Harada twins were nowhere to be seen.

"Good to see you, Sato," Yuichiro greeted. "I'm guessing you and your squad are here to join us for breakfast?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Great. But where's Risa and Riku? Aren't they supposed to be here as well?"

"Well, when we knocked on their dorms earlier, nobody answered, so we assume they already left for Shinoa's," Daisuke confessed.

"I'm pretty sure they did," Takeshi added as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Maybe they're helping her make breakfast?"

"Please don't remind me why we're going there," Kimizuki said as he turned around and shot the brunet boy a look of annoyance. Like Yuichiro, he was leery of Shinoa's cooking but knew he could not disobey a direct order from his squad leader.

Yoichi laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"Aw, come on, at least she was nice enough to cook for us. How bad can it be?"

"Do I really have to answer that?" Kimizuki shot back.

Not wanting the boys to waste more time, Yuichiro said:

"Never mind that. If her cooking really is that bad, you can just say you're not that hungry and drink milk or orange juice instead."

"That's a good idea, Yuu. Though it might look suspicious if all of us refused to eat, only drink," Satoshi said with a touch of dry humor.

To that, Yuichiro merely shrugged her shoulders and brushed off the blue-haired squad leader's comment.

"Never mind that. Let's get going before we're all late. We can always get some food from the mess hall if things don't work out."

With Yuu offering them a string of hope, the boys finally relented and followed her to Shinoa's dorm. When they were a few doors away, everyone heard some female screams coming from the inside.

"Damn, what's going on?!" Yuu demanded as her hands flew to the hilt of her sword.

Fearing the worst, she broke into a run and would have kicked down Shinoa's door if it wasn't already unlocked and slightly opened because the purple-haired girl was expecting her squad as well as Satoshi's to show up for breakfast.

"Shinoa, what's wrong?!" Yuichiro cried as she barged into the dorm with her sword drawn and noticed that nothing was out of the ordinary except for a cloud of smoke coming from the kitchen.

Fearing that her squad leader might have set the kitchen on fire, Yuichiro rushed in to find not only Shinoa, but also the Harada twins panicking over what appeared to be an omelet that was on fire in the pan Mitsuba was holding.

"Shit, Mitsu, I can't believe you could screw up something so simple as making an omelet!" Yuichiro scolded as she sheathed her sword.

If heat from the little fireball in the pan she was holding wasn't so nerve-wracking and hot to the touch, the blonde girl would have made a snarky retort to her squad mate's comment.

"Mitsuba, do something!" Risa shrieked as she used her arms to shield her eyes from the frightening sight.

"Hold on, I'll get a fire extinguisher!" Riku offered before turning to Shinoa. "You do have one, don't you?"

The purple-haired girl shook her head. "Actually, I don't!" she confessed in a panicked voice which surprised Yuichiro since her squad leader was normally very good at keeping her cool in battle and other stressful situations.

Sighing in slight frustration, Yuichiro snatched the frying pan out of Mitsuba's hand and turned on the kitchen sink before placing it under the running water to put out the burning omelet. Once the fire was completely extinguished, the other girls looked over her shoulder to find that the egg dish Mitsuba had intended to make was burnt to an inedible crisp.

"Wow, is that supposed to be for us?" Yoichi asked nervously as he entered the kitchen with Kimizuki and the other boys from Satoshi's squad.

"It was but not anymore," Yuichiro answered without turning around.

Looking at Shinoa, Mitsuba, and the Harada twins before shifting his eyes to Yuichiro holding the frying pan under the running sink faucet, it didn't take Kimizuki long to figure out what happened.

"Are you serious?" the pink-haired boy asked incredulously. "How can you girls fuck up something so simple as making an edible breakfast?"

Before Shinoa can answer, Yuichiro said:

"Nevermind that, Kimizuki. Can you please assist me by cutting some bread while I start over with the eggs?"

"Sure, Yuu," he answered. Turning to the others, Kimizuki said:

"The rest of you can help by setting up the table and pouring the drinks."

Less than ten minutes later, both squads were seated in Shinoa's living room with the food and drinks placed on the long wooden table in the middle because her dinner table was too small to accommodate everyone.

And this time, they actually had food they could eat, thanks to Yuichiro and Kimizuki's cooking. Their version of breakfast consisted of toast, bacon, and scrambled eggs with milk, cocoa, and orange juice for drinks; a typical western breakfast.

"Wow, this is pretty good!" Yoichi praised Yuichiro as he took a bite out of the toast on his plate after spreading some butter on it. "I had no idea you and Kimizuki could cook so well!"

Yuu snorted. "Anyone with half a brain can cook a decent meal," she said while ignoring the glare Mitsuba was giving her.

Satoshi, Daisuke, and Takeshi struggled to contain their laughter at her comment out of pity for the other girls but their expressions quickly gave them away.

"Now, now, Yuu, I'm sure the girls just had an off day, right? They can cook for us some other time," Yoichi chided.

"Maybe," Kimizuki said as he looked at Shinoa and Mitsuba. "Just make sure you girls keep a fire extinguisher handy, ok?"

"Why the nerve!" Risa scoffed. "Was that really necessary, Kimizuki?" she demanded.

"Yeah, there's no need to be a jerk about it," Riku added. "At least Mitsuba tried to make you something and Shinoa was nice enough to invite all of us to her own dorm for breakfast."

Yuichiro was silent as she took in her squad leader's spacious living room with her curious eyes while chewing on some bacon. Unlike that of other Demon Army soldiers, Shinoa's dorm was more like an apartment with its own kitchen and living room, a luxury by the standards of the military.

Probably a perk with being a squad leader as well as a Hiragi, the ravenette thought before she finally asked the question that had been on her mind since she woke up.

"Shinoa, why have you called us all here? You didn't invite us here just to eat since we could have gone to the mess hall for that. Plus it would have saved you the trouble of getting up earlier to cook."

Setting down her cup of cocoa, Shinoa smiled at her subordinate before answering.

"You're right, I didn't. There is something important I must discuss with everyone here, especially you, Miss Hyakuya," she confessed.

"And that is?"

"Well, before I begin, you might want to put down that bacon you're eating now; I don't want to see you choke," the purple-haired girl teased before becoming serious again.

Yuichiro blinked at her squad leader's suggestion but did as Shinoa asked.

"Ok, so what is it? Does it have something to do with what happened when I passed out in Shinjuku? Because try as I might, I cannot recall anything that happened from the time I fainted on the field until I woke up in the hospital. But I'm sure you do."

At Yuichiro's answer, everyone at the breakfast table fell silent. Although she had made no mention of it since she woke up, Yuu had indeed suspected that everyone had been keeping something from her. But nobody said a word and allowed the purple-haired girl to do all the talking, even Satoshi, since Yuichiro was Shinoa's subordinate and not his.

After taking a moment to clear her throat, Shinoa began.

"Yes. there are actually two things I wish to discuss, not just with Yuu, but with everyone present here."

"Oh, do tell, Miss Hiragi," Satoshi said as took a sip of his orange juice.

"One, I have reason to believe that Miss Hyakuya may have been the subject of some kind of experiment which caused her to lose control on the battlefield where she attacked Takeshi and nearly killed Yoichi."

If Yuichiro had not stopped chewing on her bacon, she might have indeed choked on it as soon as she heard Shinoa's confession.

"What? Are you serious, Shinoa?" the ravenette demanded and turned to the boys in question as if looking for confirmation to what her squad leader just said.

And instead of giving her a straight answer, both Takeshi and Yoichi turned their heads away nervously, refusing to look Yuichiro in the eye. That in itself was an answer.

"Yes, I'm serious," Shinoa continued. "But that's not the only issue we're dealing with here. The second one is whether or not we can trust your guardian, the lieutenant colonel."

Yuichiro frowned but did not jump in to defend Guren on the spot because she knew what her squad leader claimed had merit. *4*

Especially since the man himself admitted that he saved her to serve his purpose, whatever that may be.

"So what do you think is up with Guren?" Yuu asked slowly. "He never told me directly but what is he really after?"

Mitsuba sighed and folded her hands on the table before voicing her opinion.

"My guess is that the lieutenant colonel is involved in some kind of conflict with the higher-ups."

"Either that or he has an even bigger plan in the works," Satoshi opined.

"So what does any of that have to do with Miss Hyakuya?" Daisuke asked in confusion.

"Well isn't it obvious? It means that Yuu has something that her guardian needs to achieve his goals," Riku answered as she stuffed a piece of scrambled egg into her mouth.

"You mean like the power she displayed back in Shinjuku?" Risa asked with a shudder. "I get the feeling that the lieutenant colonel knows more about it than he's letting on."

Shinoa nodded. "Likely, yes. The question we should be concerned with now is that should we keep following Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose or go our own way? What do you think, Yuu?"

Yuichiro was startled. "Are you asking for my opinion, Shinoa. You're the squad leader; it's your job to make these decisions, and I must follow them regardless of my personal feelings."

"Normally yes, Yuu. But since this involves a power you have that could end up affecting hundreds, if not thousands of people, I need to know where you stand on it: do you think we can trust your guardian or not? Should we pledge our loyalty to him or continue to serve the interests of the Demon Army as we have until now?"

Yuichiro fell silent as she looked down at her breakfast plate and tried to avoid the gazes of both squads upon her. While everyone awaited her answer, Yuichiro's mind wandered back to the night she escaped Sanguinem and met Guren Ichinose for the first time after barely escaping the vampire city with her life.

Back then, it never crossed Yuichiro's mind to question Guren's reasons for saving her. She was just so grateful and relieved that someone, anyone, had been there for her in her time of need that she almost literally ran into his arms. And as the years went by, Yuichiro came to like and eventually trust Guren. The older man might have been a bit stern and strict with her at times, but was always there for her when she needed him.

And even now, Yuichiro still needed her guardian. Without Guren's influence, she would've never been accepted into the Moon Demon Company considering how sparse the information on her records were. Despite what he confessed after Yuichiro's "interview" with Kureto, she still felt a sense of loyalty to Guren for saving her life and raising her. And now that Yuichiro knew for certain that Mikaela still lived, she would also need her guardian's help to find him as well.

"I want to go with Guren," Yuichiro answered slowly, "Because, despite everything, I still owe him my life and need his help to find my brother. Don't get me wrong, you are all important to me like family as well, but I still can't forget Mika."

Shinoa smiled as if she were expecting such an answer from her subordinate.

"I'd thought you said that, Miss Hyakuya. Even though you know he hasn't always been honest with you, you're still willing to take your chances trust Guren? Even if he ends up betraying you?"

Before Yuichiro could answer, Kimizuki cut in.

"Trust is a bit of a strong word in regards to the lieutenant colonel," he said dryly before turning to the girl in question. "I think that what you actually mean is that you're willing to overlook his deception so long as you think following him can lead you to Mikaela, is that right?"

Yuichiro nodded. "That's one way of putting it, yes. And I suppose you're going to tell me I'm crazy and advise against it, Kimizuki?"

The pink-haired boy pushed his glasses up his nose before answering.

"Under normal circumstances, yes, I would. In fact, I'd say it's the most stupid thing you could do but honestly, if it were me and my sister, I'd do the same."

Shinoa clapped her hands to regain everyone's attention.

"Then it's settled; we'll trust Miss Hyakuya's judgment and stick with Guren."

"Hold it, Shinoa!" Yuu protested. "I said that I would follow Guren to find Mika but I never said I expected all of you to do so as well. If you don't trust him, it's better that you remain loyal to the Demon Army. I don't want anyone else here other than myself to be charged with treason should something go wrong and we get exposed along with Guren."

Yoichi shook his head in disagreement.

"Yuichiro… You just said that you think of us as family and shouldn't family always stick together no matter what?"

"Yes, but I don't want to drag you all into trouble with me, should worst comes to worst," Yuu answered with a sigh as she put her hand on her forehead.

"Hey, it's ok. We understand, Miss Hyakuya," Takeshi said kindly. "Family and friends don't abandon each other when things get rough. In fact, it's times like those that we should stick together the most, right?"

To that, everyone turned and stared at the brunet boy in surprise. It was no secret among them that Takeshi Saehara wasn't the brightest of people but even he can say something insightful and offer helpful suggestions every now and then.

And having Takeshi's support almost made Yuichiro forget how upset she was when he pulled up her skirt as a prank back in seventh grade.

"Thanks, Takeshi. That means a lot to me."

"So we're all in agreement then?" Satoshi asked. "If anyone wants to back out, now is the time."

"No way!" the Harada twins insisted.

"Then we all agree that we're in this together?" Shinoa asked as she stretched her arm and hand in front of her.

Everybody in the room nodded.

"Yes."

"Good! Family takes care of family. Let's make it the official policy of the Shinoa and Satoshi squads," the purple-haired girl said cheerfully as she turned to her fellow squad leader for approval.

Satoshi nodded as he placed his hand on top of Shinoa's and made a gesture for everyone else to follow.

"Agreed," they said in unison as each squad member placed their hands on top of their leaders'.

Yuichiro hesitated for a moment. The fact that her friends were willing to place their trust in her, even at possible risk to themselves boggled her mind. Until she remembered the smiling face of her blond orphanage brother every time she tried to deter him from putting himself at risk for her or the other Hyakuya kids.

We're family, right? It's what we do.

That's right… Yuu reminded herself before her face broke out into a smile and she finally joined her friends' pledge.

"Yes."

Footnotes:

1. In canon, demon weapons may curse or possess someone if they touch them though there are exceptions in Yuichiro's case, possibly due to her willpower. The series also never clarifies what happens when someone touches or tries to use a weapon contracted to someone else.

2. Refer to my fem!Yuu prequel "Who She is Within", Chapter 19.

3. In anime/manga, sweat-dropping symbolizes nervousness or uneasiness on a character's part.

4. Male!Yuu is very trusting of Guren and almost completely blind to his faults. Fem!Yuu, on the other hand, acknowledges them and does not trust Guren completely.