Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an AU 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 readers, ResidentialPsycho and Falchion1984, for their help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!

Chapter 26: Sweet Love Survive, Part I

Shinya tightened his grip on his rifle and found himself tapping his foot impatiently and a bit nervously while he waited at the entrance of the main Nagoya City Hall building alone for Shinoa and Satoshi's squads to return. His plan was for them to join the remaining MDC survivors and head to Nagoya Airport to rendezvous with the rest of the Demon Army per Kureto Hiragi's orders. The major general had faith in the junior squads' abilities to retrieve Yuichiro successfully and report back to him alive so long as they cooperated with one another and worked as a team.

Or in this case, two teams. Shinya knew he was toeing a fine line, risking the lives of nine young, but elite soldiers, as well as jeopardizing the entire mission for the sake of one, namely Yuichiro Hyakuya. He also knew that there would be hell to pay if Kureto ever found out but decided that he would accept responsibility and face the consequences when and if the time came. After all, Yuichiro wouldn't have slipped away and made a rescue attempt for Guren if Shinya himself had not given in to her advances.

Dammit, what's taking those kids so long!? He thought impatiently, even though a quick glance at his pocket watch told him that the junior squads had been gone only a little over three minutes. Although Shinya Hiragi was not one prone to impatience and nervousness, he found that his affections for Yuichiro tested his composure as often as Guren's. Whether it was the affection of a doting uncle or something else, Shinya wasn't sure anymore. But after what he and Yuichiro had done on the rooftop away from the eyes of the others not too long ago, he tried not to think about it since there were more important things that required his attention at the moment. *1*

Deciding that he could wait no longer, Shinya was about to head into the building himself to see if Shinoa and Satoshi's squads were safe and successful, when he heard the approaching sounds of heavy booted footsteps and released a breath of relief upon seeing all ten members of the junior squads, including Yuichiro, alive and accounted for.

"Took you kids long enough!" Shinya scolded when Shinoa and Satoshi came into view. "You all had me worried sick! I hope you didn't waste time trying to fight those nobles since your orders were to retreat as soon as you retrieved Yuichiro!"

Shinoa was about to apologize on behalf of both her squad and Satoshi's but the other squad leader beat her to it.

"I apologize, sir," Satoshi began. "Yuichiro was in a bind with Crowley Eusford when Daisuke and I finally managed to find her, but we did not engage him in combat any longer than necessary to take her back."

Shinya sighed, relieved that at least some of his subordinates were willing to follow orders, unlike a certain little green-eyed spitfire.

"Good. Speaking of Yuichiro, how is she?"

As if on cue, Kimizuki stepped closer to give Shinya a better look at the slumbering Yuichiro, who was sprawled on his back with her arms draped over his neck and shoulders and his own arms hooked under her legs for a secure hold.

"She's alright. A few scrapes and bruises here and there but nothing life-threatening. I'm just not sure when she'll wake up this time, though," Kimizuki confessed.

"We can worry about that later," Shinya said, brushing off the pink-haired boy's concern. "Right now, we need to get the hell out of here before the vampires' reinforcements arrive!"

"Yes, sir!" both squads answered in unison.

SSSSSS

"Shit, what the hell took you rookies so long!?" Narumi demanded when he saw the junior squads behind Shinya as they exited the main Nagoya City Hall building. "Not that I wasn't expecting all of you to succeed, but if it were me and my squad, we would've retrieved Miss Hyakuya and been out of there in less than two minutes!"

Like her elder brother, Shinoa was also not one to be easily riled but for some reason, Narumi's words irked her, especially since both her squad and Satoshi's had risked their lives to get Yuichiro back and succeeded without losing a single member from either of their teams.

"Well, that's very easy for you to say after the fact, isn't it, Narumi-san?" she shot back.

Narumi looked like he wanted to say something but Shinya did not give him a chance knowing that they had no time to waste.

"Don't start!" the major general warned. "In case you forgot, we've got a mission to carry out. Now move!"

With the sounds of several aircraft approaching in the distance, no one was about to argue now that it was certain the vampires were catching up to them. Not only did the surviving members of the MDC have a deadline to meet, namely catching up with the rest of the Demon Army at Nagoya Airport, they also had to shake off the enemy nipping at their heels so to speak.

"Everyone, follow me!" Shinya ordered.

No one said another word and obeyed their new commander. Now that Guren had been captured and presumed dead, the entire Moon Demon Company was now under Shinya's command and he was determined to have them carry out their mission without fail.

After meeting up with the rest of the MDC who had been waiting for them out in the streets, including the former hostages that Guren and Narumi's squads had successfully rescued earlier, Shinya led them down an abandoned highway he knew to be the fastest route to the airport where Kureto and the Demon Army awaited them. What they would do once they got there, even Shinya didn't know, but guessed he had no choice but to trust his elder brother and superior officer.

Just like the remainder of the MDC had no choice but to trust him.

Shinya tried not to think about what Kureto had in mind but whatever it was, he had the feeling it was unlikely to be anything good, and he actually found himself grateful to hear Rika Inoue call out to him to catch his attention.

"Major General Hiragi! Enemy spotted up ahead!" the young blonde woman warned as she glanced over her shoulder and made eye contact with Shinya to ensure that she had his attention.

"How many?" he demanded.

"One, sir! He's dressed in white, so he must be one of the vamps!"

Shinya looked ahead in the direction Rika was pointing and was actually surprised to see a lone figure in the distance who stood right in the middle of the highway as if barring the MDC's path to Nagoya Airport. With his sharp sniper's vision, the major general was able to make out the form of a lean, but well-built, young man with wavy blond hair dressed in the white uniform of the vampire army.

"Just one?" Shinya began curiously as he quickly scanned the surrounding area for any signs of additional vampires and found none. This struck him as odd since common vampire soldiers normally did not engage in battle solo with larger groups of humans.

"Is he a noble?" Satoshi asked as he placed a hand right above his eyes to get a better view of what had caught Rika and Shinya's attention.

Unfortunately, it was difficult for the blue-haired squad leader to make out any details of the vampire in the distance since his vision was not nearly as sharp as Shinya's.

"It doesn't matter!" the major general answered. "If he tries to stop us, we'll simply destroy him and move on!"

"Is that even possible?" Daisuke asked as he picked up on his sprinting to catch up to Satoshi.

Satoshi was about to say he wasn't sure since his own experience with fighting vampire nobles was limited only to Crowley Eusford. But thankfully, Shinoa was able to give Daisuke a reassuring answer.

"Don't worry, Mr. Niwa! Even if that vampire is a noble, we should be able to take him down without too much trouble now that we have the rest of the MDC behind us!"

Kimizuki, ever the pessimist, or the realist, as he preferred to call himself, was about to ask his squad leader if she was sure of that when he started to feel Yuichiro stir slightly on his back.

"Mmmm…" Yuu groaned as her eyes slowly fluttered opened. "Where... Where am I?" she asked weakly. The last thing Yuichiro remembered was Kimizuki grabbing and throwing her somewhere before losing consciousness. *2*

"Yuu! You're awake now?" the pink haired boy asked in bewilderment as he glanced over his shoulder to see his raven-haired squad mate wide awake and blushing furiously once she realized that he had been giving her a piggyback ride without her knowledge (or consent).

"Kimizuki! What are you doing? Put me down, now!" Yuichiro demanded as she raised a fist and pounded it on his back.

Unfortunately for Yuu, it was a weak attempt since her intense duel with Crowley combined with the sleep-inducing magic of Kiseki-O's containment had left her too exhausted to force Kimizuki's compliance.

Not that the pink-haired boy would release Yuichiro knowing her penchant for disobeying orders to remain with her squad when the life of someone she cared about was at stake.

"Sorry, but I can't do that. I can't risk you running off on your own again this time when we've got a mission to fulfill!"

Yuichiro glared at him since that was pretty much all she had strength to do at the moment.

"What!? What happened back there with Crowley? And where are you taking me?" she demanded.

Kimizuki was about to say it was a long story and that Yuichiro was better off not knowing the details when they heard Narumi call out, possibly to ask Shinya what to do regarding the lone vampire that was getting closer into view even though he had not made a single move to attack, at least not yet.

"Sir, what are we going to do about that vamp over there?"

"If he doesn't try to stop us, nothing, since we need to conserve our numbers!" the major general answered even though they both knew that was wishful thinking.

What both men as well as their other comrades in the MDC didn't know, was just how wishful their thoughts on avoiding the mysterious blond vampire would be.

SSSSSS

"Your Majesty, we shall arrive at Lord Crowley's location soon, so please prepare for landing," a male voice called over the intercom of Krul Tepes's private jet.

Though the pink-haired vampire queen was in no mood to speak due to how much was currently on her mind, Krul knew that a response was in order to let the pilot know she heard him.

"Carry on," she replied while trying to ignore the mischievous, and somewhat flirtatious, look that Ferid was giving her.

"My queen, you aren't looking well. Perhaps you should've stayed home and left all of this mess for me to manage?" the silver-haired vampire lord offered in a tone of false concern. They both knew it was a ridiculous suggestion since vampires do not fall ill as humans do, especially not nobles.

"I am just fine, thank you!" Krul snapped irritably.

Ferid grinned as he pulled up a knee from where he sat not too far from her and placed his arms around it. Since it was just the two of them, Ferid knew he had a bit of freedom to push his queen's buttons a bit without rousing the suspicions of the other vampires.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that since this entire area has been under attack by the humans for the last hour or so."

Krul glared at him. "You'd know all about that, wouldn't you, bastard?"

"Now whatever do you mean, Krul? I'm just as shocked as anyone else!" Ferid said innocently though he knew the vampire queen wasn't buying any of his bullshit.

And he supposed that was one of the things he found so intriguing about her; in all the centuries that they had known each other, Krul Tepes was one of the many vampire nobles who couldn't be charmed by Ferid's silk tongue.

"Hmph!" she snorted but said nothing else since she knew she wouldn't be getting any answers out of her subordinate.

At least not yet.

SSSSSS

Mikaela narrowed his eyes as he took in the small regiment heading his way, his vampiric vision easily making out the distinct black uniforms worn by the human soldiers of the Demon Army, thus disproving his previous notion that the two vampire guards he flung out of the aircraft earlier had somehow survived their fall to the city below and reported his deception to their superiors. Mika knew that nobles didn't take kindly to traitors no matter who they were and expected his vampire brethren to turn on him if his betrayal was exposed.

Not that it mattered to Mikaela. The whole world could turn on him for all he cared. All that mattered was that he save Yuichiro from all those who would seek to exploit her.

So, it's not Lacus and the others as I thought… the blond mused. Could it be that the humans were victorious in their attempt to take Nagoya after all? Not that it matters. All I care about is getting my sister back.

Mikaela closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. Yuichiro was near, he could feel it. If the MDC was coming this way, then Yuichiro had to be with them somehow.

I know you're here, Yuu-chan. I promise I won't fail you this time!

As if on que, the blond withdrew his sword from its sheath, sweeping it out to mid-guard.

"My sword, drink of me…" he murmured. "Drink as much as it takes to give me the strength, I need to save my sister!"

The cursed weapon obeyed and this time, two red thorny vines instead of one, emerged from the hilt of his estoc-like sword, and wrapped themselves around his right wrist to drink his blood the way vampires themselves drank from humans.

Ignoring the stinging pain that was now shooting up his forearm, Mika took a deep breath before finally making a mad dash for the approaching survivors of the Moon Demon Company. He knew there could be no more than thirty or forty of them but even if there were a thousand, it would still make no difference: Mikaela Hyakuya was determined to save the only remaining member of his family that Ferid had so cruelly taken from him.

Or die trying.

"He's moving!" Narumi shouted, making sure he was loud enough to be heard by his superior as well as his subordinates.

"Everyone, stay on guard and get ready to attack!" Shinya ordered while slowing his pace slightly to ensure that the distance would be to his advantage as he lifted his demon rifle and prepared to take aim at the lone vampire who was brazen enough to take on the entire Moon Demon Company alone.

"Hey, what's going on?" Yuichiro demanded as she tried to lift her head a bit higher to see the vampire that Shinya has ordered the MDC to destroy.

"Don't worry about it, Yuu," Shinoa answered. "As weird as it looks, he's just one vampire, probably a common one too; as long as we stay in formation and let Shinya and the vanguard forces handle him, we'll be able to protect you since you're in no shape to fight."

Curious, Yuichiro was about to ask why there was only one vampire heading their way since the lower ones usually attacked in small groups similar to the human squads. But she did not get a chance when she heard Shinya give his next order once he saw that their attacker was not deterred by the fact that he was outnumbered thirty to one.

"Defend the front row!" the major general shouted. Though he had no idea what the blond vampire intended or what he was after, Shinya knew he could not allow him to penetrate the MDC's defenses no matter what.

Despite Shinoa's efforts to assure her that their vampiric attacker would be no problem, at least not a serious one, Yuichiro's curiosity got the better of her and she mustered enough strength to look over Kimizuki's shoulder. When she finally made eye contact with the one person she had chosen to overlook Guren's deception to find, Yuichiro gaped.

"It…it's him!"

"Who?" Kimizuki asked in confusion, picking up the pace until he and Shinya were running side by side.

"It doesn't matter; he must be destroyed!" Shinya answered irritably as he aimed his weapon at the advancing vampire and prepared to fire.

Yuichiro gasped and quickly shot out a hand in an attempt to throw off Shinya's aim by pushing down the top of his rifle.

"No, Shinya, please!" she begged.

Were Yuichiro not so weakened from her duel with Crowley as well as being forced into slumber by Kiseki-O earlier, she might have been successful in disrupting the older man's shot at their perceived enemy.

Unfortunately, once Shinya Hiragi was in sniper mode, there was very little that could deter him from taking down his intended target; he did not even notice Yuichiro's attempt to physically stop him from shooting Mikaela, let alone hear her pleas for him to halt his attack.

"Byakkomaru, destroy the bastard!" Shinya commanded as he pulled the trigger. The resulting blast from his cursed weapon sounded eerily like the roar of a tiger as an apparition of the white great beast that shared his weapon's name went flying towards the advancing blond vampire.

Mikaela's eyes narrowed at the glowing white tiger phantom that was heading his way along with its sender's intent to vaporize him before he could get anywhere near Yuichiro.

"Nice try, human. But its going to take more than that to stop me!" Mika snarled even though he knew very well Shinya could not hear him over the blast, not to mention the distance.

Focusing his strength into his counterattack, Mikaela swung his sword in a wide arc to emanate a gust of wind that was strong enough to steer the apparition of Byakkomaru off course, missing him completely and baffling Shinya as well as the rest of the MDC. Mika knew he could destroy the phantom projectile if he struck it directly with his weapon but doing so would require more exertion and slow him down which would not serve his purpose. After all, Mika wasn't here to showcase his strength, he was here to save Yuichiro.

"Shit, I don't believe it!" Shinya exclaimed with an expression of bewilderment since that was the last thing he had expected the blond vampire to do.

"Don't worry, sir, leave him to us!" Narumi shouted as he used his cursed trident to manifest a giant shield resembling a turtle shell to bar Mika's path. "Now let's see you try and get past this one, bat brain," he said with a smirk.

Mikaela scowled and gave Narumi a look as if he just done the dumbest thing in the world and swung his sword again, this time releasing a wave of red energy that the brunet sergeant mistook for an attempt to knock down his demonic shield; he expected such an move from Mika since vampires were known for the physical and direct attacks their superior strength afforded them. But no sooner did Narumi braced himself for the impact of Mika's attack, which was deliberately made weak to conserve his energy and strength, the blond surprised everyone again by using the distraction to simply jump over the shield and run past him.

"Wh…what the hell!?" Narumi exclaimed, his dumbstruck expression now mirroring Shinya's as he looked over his shoulder to see Mika now making his way further into the rag tag group of MDC survivors as if he were looking for something.

Or rather, someone.

"We'll stop him here!" Rika shouted as she, Taro, Shusaku, and Yayoi quickly moved in to attack Mikaela.

"Forget it, humans. I don't have time to play with you!" the blond growled as he skillfully evaded the rest of Narumi's squad as well as their attempts to stop him, leveling his sword slightly to deflect Taro's weapon. Which was the only one that came remotely close to even grazing his clothing before vaulting himself right into the heart of his enemy's regiment.

Now that Mika had made it past Narumi's squad, the next line of defense was the squad formerly commanded by Guren Ichinose. And the blond knew they were an even bigger threat to him and his goal. Even so, Mikaela had no intention of backing down now that the person he had spent the last half decade searching for was finally within his reach.

"What the fuck? Does that kid have a death wish or something?" Mito asked in astonishment as she smacked a gloved fist to her open palm in a gesture intended to intimidate the young blond vampire in question.

"Wait, everyone!" Sayuri protested. "That vampire has been deliberately avoiding physical confrontation so far! It's not like those bloodsuckers to do that! What if he has different intentions other than trying to stop us from reaching the airport?"

Shigure reached into the pocket of her uniform jacket to pull out three kunai, her poker-faced expression unchanging as she answered her friend's inquiry.

"It doesn't matter what his intentions are—we still have to destroy him."

Goshi agreed but even he had to admit that their adversary had guts to take on the entire Moon Demon Company alone when he wasn't even a noble.

"He's a brave little bastard, I'll give him that," the blond man confessed in admiration. "Unfortunately, this is as far as he goes."

Taking a long drag of his cursed pipe, Goshi blew out a puff of purple smoke that started out as a small cloud before slowly expanding to obstruct Mika's vision of his surroundings. Similar to what it had done to Crowley, Chess, and Horn back at city hall, the haunted mist started to distort Mika's perception of reality while wresting away control of his own senses and he gasped when he saw, or thought he saw, hordes of poisonous spiders crawling up his arms and legs. The blond might not flinch when confronting enemy soldiers, even when he was outnumbered, but if there was one thing that Mikaela Hyakuya could not stand were creepy crawly insects and arachnids.

Like Crowley, Mikaela knew that human soldiers, specifically soldiers of the MDC, relied on magic and other underhanded tricks to compensate for having far less strength, speed, and stamina than vampires. And while he may not have nearly as much experience as the maroon-haired vampire lord when it came to dealing with black demon users, Mika still knew enough of their tactics to suspect that the swarm of insects all over his uniform must be some kind of illusion designed to trick him into a panic attack. *3*

"Did you get him, Goshi?" Mito asked eagerly as she narrowed her eyes in an attempt to make out the blond vampire's form through the thick purple smoke.

Goshi lowered his pipe, his lazy expression unchanging.

"Have I ever failed you or the others, Mito?" he asked while feigning an expression of hurt that his scarlet-haired squad mate ever doubted him. "You know my illusions can mess even with the minds of nobles so a kid like this should be breaking down any minute now."

Mikaela gritted his teeth when his sharp vampiric hearing picked up Goshi's careless words, confirming what he had suspected from the start. Knowing that the spiders were only an illusion steeled his resolve as he carried on with his assault.

"You can't fool me that easily, human!" Mika growled as he made a swipe at the purple cloud obstructing his vision with his sword, the resulting air wave clearing the path ahead for him.

Goshi snapped out of his smug and confident posture quickly when he saw that the young blond did not break down screaming in fear from the illusion of spiders on his body. Instead, he was charging straight at him and the rest of Guren's squad like a raging bull.

"Holy shit! I can't believe the kid actually saw though my illusion that fast!" Goshi exclaimed, nearly dropping his pipe in astonishment.

"Careful, this is clearly no ordinary vamp!" Mito warned before rushing ahead to defend her squad's illusionist since she knew that Goshi's pipe would be of even less use than Shinya's rifle against an enemy at close range.

"I'll assist you!" Sayuri cried before quickly pulling some magical talismans from her uniform pocket and throwing them at Mika to give Mito an opening to attack.

Mikaela narrowed his eyes at the small pieces of paper flying his way, making him recall his first confrontation with Guren Ichinose in Shinjuku when the older man tried to blow him to pieces with a similar attack.

"It's going to take more than a cheap parlor trick like that to take me down!" the blond sneered, making an upward swipe with his blade to slice the talismans in half before they could touch him and explode. Mika's previous experience with the enchanted parchments had taught him that their magical effects could be rendered ineffective if destroyed before making contact with their targets.

"That 'cheap parlor trick' was just a distraction, kid! Your real opponent is me!" Mito shouted before making a spin to deliver a backhand strike at Mika's face.

Mikaela said nothing but raised and circled his left forearm to block the older woman's fist as if he knew Sayuri's talismans were a decoy all along and expected her attack before lifting his right leg and kicked Mito in the side, forcing her back. *4*

Being the proud and confident woman she was, Mito Jujo was shocked that the young blond was able to read her moves and deliver a counter strike so quickly and easily, something she had not expected since vampires were not known for their hand to hand combat skills.

"Stay out of my way!" Mikaela roared. "I've come for my sister, and you're not going to keep me from her!"

"Sister?" Mito repeated in confusion as she slowly stood up, gritted her teeth, and clenched the side where Mika had kicked her. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Before the blond could tell Mito to stop playing dumb and hand over Yuichiro, he gasped when he felt three sharp objects pierce his torso right below his ribcage. Looking over Mito's shoulder, Mika recognized the raven-haired woman who had nearly caught him in a spider-web-like trap with her glowing cords back in Shinjuku. While he had been pre-occupied with his scarlet-haired opponent, Shigure took the opportunity to attack with her kunai and the irony of being caught in a surprise attack by her twice was not lost on Mika.

"Well played, human. You managed to catch me off guard again but I assure you it will be the last time!" Mikaela growled before pulling out the three kunai from his body, one between each finger of his left hand, and quickly flung them back at Shigure to her shock and amazement.

Before the raven-haired woman could summon her glowing cords to block her own weapons flying back at her, Sayuri quickly rushed forward and used her blade to deflect them before moving to do the same with the attack she was expecting from Mika.

Taking advantage of the distraction his counter-attack on Shigure provided, Mika deftly side-stepped Sayuri's attempt to strike at him before shattering her blade with his own and running right past her with nary a glance. It was as if the blond couldn't even be bothered with finishing off Sayuri once she was unarmed and vulnerable.

Such a move left her absolutely stunned and speechless as she turned around and saw he had given Mito and Goshi the same treatment of indifference. Thinking quickly, Goshi tried to conjure another illusion to deter Mikaela but wasn't fast enough; the blond swiftly knocked the cursed pipe out of his hand before briefly turning to box Mito in the ear when she tried grabbing his cape to stop him.

Shinya, who had witnessed the odd spectacle from a distance and was just as confused as everyone else at Mika's actions, decided that more drastic measures would be required to stop the blond vampire from advancing any further and gave his next order.

"Everyone, surround him and cut off his escape! We'll trap and kill the bastard right now!"

Yuichiro gasped as she realized that her brother's peril had become vastly greater. While Mikaela was capable of taking on even the elite of the Moon Demon Company one on one, he wouldn't be able to fend off everyone in the regiment at once if they attacked him simultaneously.

"Kimizuki, please put me down! I must get Shinya to call off the attack! Mika isn't here to fight; he just wants me!" Yuu insisted. As exhausted as she was, she could at least manage to raise her voice just loud enough to be heard by the boy carrying her.

"What? Are you out of your mind!?" the pink-haired boy demanded as he turned his head back slightly to look at Yuu.

Before Yuichiro could reply, they heard Risa call out.

"Hey, I remember that guy! Isn't he the blond vamp from Shinjuku? The one who says he's Yuu's brother?" she asked as she pointed one of her war fans at the vampire in question, who was now finally forced into physical confrontation with the other MDC soldiers that he had been avoiding up into now.

Riku gasped, putting her hands over her mouth. Although she had seen him only for a few brief moments during the Battle of Shinjuku, Riku couldn't forget the fiery blond youth who was fiercely protective of Yuichiro, even when they were on opposite sides of the battlefield.

"My god, you're right, Risa! It IS him!"

As soon as the Harada twins mentioned Yuichiro's adopted brother, Shinoa silently consulted her demon to ask if Risa and Riku were correct.

What do you think, Shi-chan? Is there any chance that blond boy could be anyone else?

None, whatsoever, Shinoa. Can't you tell? Only someone who is truly close to Yuichiro would attempt such an idiotic rescue. And from what I've seen so far, he's done very well holding his own. But with the way things are going, that boy won't be able to keep this up for much longer...

Shinoa bit her lip as she watched Mikaela start to struggle against the lower-ranking MDC soldiers coming at him one after another. In order to compensate for his greater strength, their tactic was to have one soldier engage Mika briefly before breaking off while another came in to take his or her place from a different angle and in rapid succession to wear the blond down before closing in for the kill. During the fray, one soldier had managed to get close enough to stab Mika in the back of his left shoulder with a dagger while he was pre-occupied with fending off at least three others soldiers at once.

Ignoring the pain, Mika quickly reached behind himself and grabbed the offending soldier by the wrist before flinging him over his shoulder- right at the other three he had been fighting and knocked them all down like bowling pins.

Seeing Mika's bold and unpredictable moves as well as lack of fear, even when he was clearly outnumbered, started to make the other MDC soldiers a bit more hesitant to continue their attacks on him.

And that brief moment of hesitance on their part was all Mikaela needed. Summoning every ounce of strength that he had, the blond dashed forward again with twice the speed he had before, lifting his sword only to deflect the weapons of the few soldiers who managed to get close enough to attack him while evading the slower ones.

"Shit, there's no stopping that guy!" Satoshi cursed as he raised his katana and took a fighting stance in preparation for what he expected to be an unavoidable confrontation with Mikaela Hyakuya. "Why does he want Yuichiro so bad? Did that noble back in City Hall send him to capture her?"

"Wait!" Shinoa said sharply as she reached out to still the other squad leader's hand. "I've seen him before and so have you! His name is Mikaela, and he's Yuichiro's brother! I don't think he means her any harm!"

"Yes, I heard Risa and Riku, but what if you're wrong, Shinoa? They may be foster siblings, but that still doesn't change the fact that he's one of the vamps now! We can't risk letting him take her back to Crowley, especially not after all the trouble we went though to get her away from that bastard!"

Shinoa wanted to protest further but realized that there was no time before Mikaela finally closed the distance between himself and their two squads. With his arms locked behind Yuichiro's legs, Kimizuki had no way to fend off the raging vampire and was about to release her to reach for his twin swords when Satoshi saved him the trouble by rushing in to block Mika's access to Yuichiro.

Locking swords with the blue-haired youth, Mikaela glared at Satoshi, who had dared to come between him and his sister.

"Get out of my way, human!" he shouted angrily. "I'm taking Yuu-chan back!"

Taking the blond's words to mean that he intended to return Yuichiro to Crowley, Satoshi refused to budge and stood his ground.

"Forget it, vampire!" he hissed, returning Mika's glare. "She's not going anywhere with you!"

"Fine, then! Have it your way!"

Pulling his sword back, Mikaela raised it above his head, intending to cleave Satoshi in two if he did not stand aside, when he suddenly himself being grabbed from behind by the waist. Turning around slightly, Mika recognized the young brunet archer he had saved from being cut down by Yuichiro when she went berserk back in Shinjuku.

"Stop!" Yoichi cried. "We don't want to fight you! We're Yuu's family, too!"

Takeshi found his jaw dropping at his sniping partner's rash move.

"Saotome, are you crazy!? You're not even a swordsman! You don't stand a chance against that bloodsucker, so get away from him now before he kills you!"

"I won't!" Yoichi insisted stubbornly while tightening his hold on Mika. "Not until he sees that we're not his enemy!"

Losing patience, Mikaela turned to lash out at Yoichi when he suddenly noticed what felt like the point of a knife-like object pressing at a soft spot behind his neck. Not hard enough to draw blood but more than enough to serve as a warning.

"That's as far as you go, bloodsucker," said the emotionless voice of Shinya Hiragi, who had quietly made his way to Kimizuki's side while Satoshi and Yoichi had Mika's attention. Turning to the young archer who had unwittingly distracted Mikaela long enough for him to approach and catch the blond's attention with the tip of his bayonet, he said, "Good work, Yoichi. I'll take it from here."

"But…"

"Get away from that vampire, Private Saotome. That's an order," Shinya said firmly while giving the younger sniper a look that said he would only tell him once.

Unsure of what else to do but knowing better than to disobey his commander, Yoichi reluctantly complied and released Mikaela before backing away to let Shinya deal with the blond as he saw fit.

Fearing that Shinya might shoot Mikaela, Yuichiro was about to plead for his life when she felt Kimizuki tighten his grip on her legs as if telling her it was better for her to remain silent.

Without turning around, Mikaela lowered his sword slightly.

"What do you think you're doing, human?" he asked in a low voice.

"My job as commander of the Moon Demon Company and Yuichiro's new guardian," the major general answered coldly. "She's under my protection now. The only reason I haven't blown your head off is because I just realized that you're her foster brother. Even so, I won't let you take Yuichiro anywhere."

Unable to stay quiet any longer, Yuichiro protested.

"Wait, don't I get a say in this!?" she demanded.

Shinya shook his head. He knew he could not afford to indulge Yuichiro anymore. Especially since the last time he did so nearly got her captured when she slipped away from him to engage Crowley Eusford in a duel.

"No, Yuichiro. I'm afraid you don't. I know better than to let my guard down around Mikaela. And you."

The ravenette blushed and was about to ask Shinya he meant, but he did not give her a chance and turned his attention back to Mika.

"However, I am not an unreasonable man, Mikaela Hyakuya. I applaud your bravery in coming here alone to retrieve your sister and so, for her sake, I'm willing to let you to walk away from here with your life and limbs intact. But in return, you must never come near Yuichiro again."

Yuichiro gasped. "Shinya, no!" she protested, knowing that there was no way Mikaela would ever accept such a cold offer.

And she was right. For Mika's eyes glittered dangerously and without warning, he suddenly spun around and would have knocked Shinya's rifle out of his hand with a powerful sword blow had the major general not learned early in his career to keep a tight grip on his weapon. Especially when he was this close to an enemy soldier.

As Yuu had predicted, her orphanage brother found Shinya's attempt at generosity insulting and ample provocation for further violence.

If leaving Yuichiro behind was the price he had to pay for walking away from the battlefield alive and in one piece, Mikaela would rather die fighting than give her up.

"Sorry, but no deal!" Mika snarled. "I'm not leaving here without Yuu-chan and if I have to take on every soldier in your army to get her back, then so be it!"

I'm sorry, then. You leave me no choice, Hyakuya, Shinya thought sadly as he reached for his back-up weapon with his other hand, an enchanted semi-automatic pistol identical to the one he gave Yuichiro, and aimed it at Mikaela's face, right between his eyes.*5* Silently convincing himself that this was for Yuichiro's own good, Shinya prayed that she would forgive him later and prepared to pull the trigger when he suddenly found himself knocked off his feet by a powerful force without warning.

"Shi-chan, stop him!" Shinoa's voice called out, shocking Mika as well as everyone else in the MDC.

Shinya groaned in pain when he hit the pavement hard on his side several yards away. This was the first time his favorite sibling had ever turned her weapon, let alone her demon, on him, and he could not help staring at Shinoa in disbelief.

"Shinoa…what are you doing?!" he demanded.

Good question… Yuichiro thought. And from the look on everyone else's faces, she was certain they were all thinking the same thing as herself.

Instead of answering her older brother, Shinoa merely stepped in front of Mikaela, as if shielding him from the other MDC members who looked ready to pounce on the blond after seeing him attempt to knock Shinya's weapon away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, rookie!?" Taro demanded. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Treason is a serious crime! Step away from that monster if you don't want to die with him!" Rika added.

Shinoa could not help but smile sadly at her allies in Narumi's squad. Had they been aware that she was General Hiragi's daughter, even if not the favorite one, they might have thought twice about speaking to her in such a manner, let alone threatening her. And though she had never been one to use her family name and influence to her advantage, the purple-haired girl was about to make an exception and order the other MDC soldiers to back down in the name of her father, when she noticed Satoshi quietly walk up next to her until they were standing side by side.

"Satoshi…" Shinoa began, unsure of what to say to the other squad leader. Considering how much Satoshi Hiwatari respected and followed the chain of command within the Demon Army, Shinoa had expected him to turn on her for trying to protect Mikaela instead of what he was doing now.

Without looking back, Satoshi stepped slightly ahead of Shinoa and leveled his gold-toned katana in the direction of their allies in Narumi's squad as well as the rest of the MDC.

"Shinoa…" he began calmly. "You know my squad and I are always with you no matter what. But this time, I sure hope you know what the hell you're doing!"

The purple-haired girl found herself relieved knowing that she had Satoshi's support. And not just his. One by one, every member of both their respective squads followed his lead as well as hers and surrounded Mikaela in a protective circle. Even Kimizuki finally released Yuichiro and allowed her to what she wished. And her first instinct was to run to Mikaela but when the ravenette tried to do just that, she found herself wobbling on her feet for a moment before collapsing to the ground again. It was then Yuu realized that she was still too weak from her magic-induced slumber to even stand, let alone walk or run.

"Yuu-chan!" Mika exclaimed before rushing over to take her in his arms and picked her up.

"Have you secured Yuichiro?" Shinoa asked, her back still turned to them. "If so, now is your chance to take her someplace safe since she's in no shape to fight, Mikaela."

Both Yuu and Mika blinked at the purple-haired squad leader in confusion.

"What do you mean? Are you sure about this, Shinoa?" Yuichiro asked.

To the ravenette's surprise, her squad leader finally turned around briefly and nodded.

"Yes…" Shinoa answered with a reassuring smile. "Go with Mika. He knows what's best for you…"

"But what about you?" Yuichiro asked worriedly even as she tightened her arms around Mikaela's neck slightly.

"We'll be fine," Satoshi assured. "Just get the hell out of here while you still can. And after you recover, we can meet at the Nagoya Airport as your guardian had originally planned. Just don't take too long, understand?"

As happy as she was to finally be reunited with her adopted brother, Yuichiro was still hesitant to abandon her allies in both Shinoa and Satoshi's squads, to the rest of the MDC should they be attacked for treason and was about to protest but Mika quickly cut her off.

"You heard them, Yuu-chan. You're not safe here so we should go now. I'm sure your friends are more than capable of taking care of themselves. Even without you."

"Yes, that's right," Shinoa agreed. "Now go, both of you. Please."

"Very well," Mikaela said as he turned and was about to make off with Yuichiro when he heard Satoshi calling out to him.

"Make sure you take care of Yuichiro, understand? If anything happens to her, you'll have me to deal with."

Without turning around, Mika answered.

"Rest assured, human, Yuu-chan will not come to harm while I draw breath. Good-bye… and thank you."

Yuichiro said nothing but her eyes showed her gratitude when she made eye-contact with Shinoa and Satoshi for the last time before Mikaela finally took her away. To ensure that the other members of the MDC could not follow them, the blond made a jump for a nearby elevated structure before vanishing with his prize in tow.

Once Mikaela and Yuichiro were out of sight, Shinoa was about to wish them luck when she suddenly heard Satoshi call out to her.

"Shinoa, look out!" he cried, moving quickly to deflect an attack by a lower-ranking MDC soldier who tried to attack her while her thoughts were pre-occupied with the young pair she had just allowed to escape.

"Traitors!" the young soldier shouted. "For the crime of protecting that vampire, you must be executed here and now!"

Upon seeing the lone soldier raise his weapon against Satoshi and Shinoa, the others in the regiment were about to follow suit before Shinya finally managed to recover from Shinoa's attack and stood up.

"No, cease your attack! Do not harm Shinoa or Satoshi!" he ordered.

Too flustered by the junior squad leaders' seeming betrayal to even to heed the command of his superior officer, the first soldier was about to lash out at the more vulnerable Shinoa again when Narumi swiftly intercepted his attack by catching the blade of his sword between the prongs of his demon trident and jerked it away.

"You got a hearing problem, soldier?" Narumi demanded harshly. "The major general said not to touch them! Defy his orders, and YOU will be the one executed for treason!"

Now that he was unarmed as well as shaken by Narumi's words, the rebellious soldier finally backed off without another word. Seeing the rest of the MDC soldiers that were also about to turn on them back off as well, Shinoa and Satoshi sighed in relief before the elder squad leader killed the moment by turning around and leveling his trident at them.

"Don't look so relieved, you two. When this is over, you've both got a lot of explaining to do. Am I clear?"

Satoshi, ever one to take responsibility for Shinoa's actions and decisions as well as his own, answered for both of them.

"Yes, I understand sir."

Satisfied with the junior squad leader's answer, Narumi smirked and lowered his trident. While he may not have agreed with what Shinoa and Satoshi had done, he understood why they did it. For he was just as concerned about Yuichiro's safety and well-being as they were and can only hope their commander will be as understanding and forgiving.

Under normal circumstances, Shinya would have demanded an explanation from Shinoa and Satoshi for their rebellious act on the spot but the major general knew there was no time.

"Forget about the Hyakuya siblings! We've wasted too much time already and must get out of here before the enemy reinforcements arrive!" he ordered.

Takeshi gulped. While everyone else was preoccupied watching the spectacle that had just occurred moments before, the young archer's sharp hearing picked up the sound of choppers in the distance.

"Umm, too late!" he cried, pointing at the sky when the whirring sounds of multiple aircraft engines grew louder.

Looking up, everyone in the company saw that Takeshi was right, including Shinya.

Oh, shit… the major general thought as his eyes caught sight of death from above.

Footnotes:

1. Because Shinya has a closer and more personal relationship with fem!Yuu than male!Yuu, he gets more worked up whenever he feels she may be in danger.

2. For my AU, I've chosen to have fem!Yuu awake and conscious while Mika attempts to save her so she can plea for his life. It will also be pivotal for their interactions in the next chapter.

3. In my AU, Mika has had a strong dislike of insects and arachnids since childhood.

4. One of the techniques I learned in my kempo karate class to block someone attempting to punch me with their right fist is to quickly raise my left forearm in a circular motion. It is one move in the eight-point blocking system.

5. Like fem!Yuu, everyone in the Demon Army, especially the Moon Demon Company, has some kind of back-up weapon to fight with in case they ever lose their main weapon. Back-up weapons used by Demon Army soldiers often consists of bombs, kunai, pistols, daggers, and magic talismans.