Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate re-telling 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 29: Trust and Betrayal
Final Rendezvous Point: Nagoya Airport
"Hurry, everyone! We're almost there!" Shinoa panted as she urged her squad to keep moving so as not to fall behind Shinya and the rest of the MDC. Satoshi, who had exerted a bit more of his energy and strength trying to keep Mikaela away from Yuichiro, as well as fend off the vampire ambush after letting the pair escape, allowed Shinoa to give the orders to both of their squads for the moment.
Once he finally caught his breath, the blue-haired squad leader looked around at the ruins of the abandoned airport. Like everyone else in the MDC, he noticed that it was completely deserted with no signs of life or activity within miles. All that could be seen were a few broken airplanes and other non-functioning vehicles that have been out of use for nearly a decade; many simply crashed the day of the apocalypse when their operators perished at the controls after being struck by the virus. Over time, the planes and vehicles have been salvaged for useful parts by humans who had managed to survive on the surface and now they rusted away, waiting forlornly for passengers that would never come. *1*
Daisuke was the first to voice his concerns.
"Hey, Sato, something doesn't feel right. Did the lieutenant colonel mention any kind of escape plan to you or Miss Hiragi once we reached the airport? I mean, the attacks may have stopped for now, but that doesn't mean the vamps aren't still after us."
"I agree," said Mitsuba as she wiped the sweat off her brow. "The bloodsuckers could be biding their time, waiting for the right moment to attack us."
"I hate to say it, but I have a bad feeling about this…" Takeshi muttered. "Could it be that the higher ups have deserted us?"
"That can't be!" Yoichi protested fiercely. "According to our orders, this is the rendezvous point. Shouldn't the rest of the Demon Army be here to back us up?"
"I'm not sure…" Kimizuki began grimly before turning to Shinoa and Satoshi. "Well?"
Both junior squad leaders looked at each other as if unsure of what to tell their subordinates. Before either of them could say a word, an enraged Rika Inoae approached, drew her weapon, and was about to turn on Shinoa and Satoshi.
"You little brats! This is all your fault! Because you and your squads chose to protect that blond vamp and waste time, we were ambushed, and Yayoi, Kagiyama, and God knows how many others were killed! You should pay for their deaths with your lives, traitors!"
Before Rika could unleash her demon's power on Shinoa and Satoshi, the Harada twins quickly grabbed and held her back by firmly hooking their arms around hers.
"Please stop, Miss Rika!" Risa pleaded. "Kagiyama-san fell protecting me and Riku when we tried to help Miss Yayoi!"
"Risa's right!" Riku added. "Killing our squad leaders isn't going to bring your friends back and we can't afford to lose any more comrades as it is!"
"Let go of me!" Rika screamed as she struggled against the Harada twins' firm hold, too enraged to listen to reason.
That was, until she heard the calm, but firm voice of her own squad leader.
"Calm down, Rika. The girls are right. What's done is done, and nothing can bring back Yayoi or Kagiyama."
Rika stopped struggling and glared at Narumi.
"How can you say that so calmly, Makoto?!" she demanded. "If it weren't for those rookie squad leaders' screw up, both Yayoi and Kagiyama would be alive!"
"I'm not denying that," Narumi replied while trying to keep his own emotions in check. "And I'm not telling you to forgive them. Since I am their superior, I will take care of them."
At Narumi's dubious statement, both Shinoa and Satoshi tensed up as if they expected the elder squad leader to cut them down in his subordinate's place. That was, until they heard the stern voice of their commander cut in.
"No, Narumi. It's not your place discipline them either," he said quietly.
Turning, Narumi saw Shinya approach with the rest of Guren's squad. Like everyone else, the major general looked tired and felt as though the events of the last twenty-four hours had aged him for a lifetime.
"So, what are you saying, sir? Will you discipline Miss Hiragi and Mr. Hiwatari for shielding a vampire and letting him make off with Yuichiro, one of our most skilled and valuable sword-fighters next to Guren himself?" Narumi demanded.
Shinya shook his head. "At the moment, we have far more important things to worry about. Disciplining them will have to come later. If we survive."
Narumi glared at him. "What do you mean if we survive!? Is there something you're not telling us, Major General? We came all the way to this godforsaken place on the orders of your father and elder brother! Even after we lost Guren, we still pushed on because we thought what we did had a purpose! But there's nothing and no one here that I can see! So, what was the point of us coming here? After everything we've been through and all the allies we have lost to get this far, you owe us an answer at least!"
"I agree," Shusaku added as he walked up to Narumi and placed a hand on his shoulder. "No matter where I look, I can't see anyone waiting for us nor any sign of a trap for the vamps either. And they are not far behind us. Be honest with us, Major General, was this decoy mission meant to be suicide from the start? Were we expected to sacrifice ourselves for some higher purpose? If so, we deserve to know what it is."
Shinya gave both of his subordinates a blank stare as if he wasn't sure what to tell them before Goshi spoke up.
"Umm, Shinya. They've got a point. According to what I've heard from Guren, there was supposed to be a transport chopper here we could use to escape. But I don't see anything or anyone here for miles. Is there something you're not telling us?"
"No, you are right, Goshi," Shinya confirmed quietly. "The plan was for us to depart from here to Shinjuku where we're supposed to lure the vamps into a trap and destroy them."
"And whose plan was that?" Mito demanded sharply.
"The whole mission was devised by Lieutenant General Kureto Hiragi."
"But since there's nothing here, that means he's abandoned us, hasn't he?" Goshi pressed. "Even you, Shinya, his own adopted brother, is no exception."
"I can't say I'm surprised," Shigure said quietly. "After all, the lieutenant general is a Hiragi. It means nothing to him to throw the lives of his allies away if he deems it 'for the greater good.'"
"You took the words right out of my mouth" Sayuri agreed. "Come, Shigure. Since this mission was not Guren's plan, there's no reason for us to stay here any longer."
"Right."
Turning, the two women were about to leave when Mito called out, stopping them in their tracks.
"Wait! Sayuri! Shigure! You can't just leave! Even if you do, there's no way you're going to be able to rescue Guren by yourselves! Think logically!"
After watching the heated exchange between Guren's retainers in silence, Narumi turned to Shinya again.
"Well, Major General?" he pressed. "Please explain exactly what's going on here. Even if this mission was meant to be suicide from the start, I'm ok with it as long as there's a meaning to our deaths and only if Lieutenant Colonel Guren Ichinose gave the order. Though we have accepted you as our new commander in his place, the loyalty of the Moon Demon Company is to him and him alone. We will not sacrifice ourselves for the ambitions of the Hiragi family who see us merely as disposable pawns."
"That's enough, Narumi," Shinya warned as he gave the younger man a look that told him not to try his patience. Even though he knew that Narumi did have a point. "In case you've forgotten, weren't you the one reprimanding Shinoa and Satoshi for disobeying orders earlier?"
"No, I haven't forgotten, sir. But like I've said before, the loyalty of the MDC, including myself, is to Guren. Not to you or your family who casually ordered us to march to our deaths for nothing," the younger man answered boldly with a smirk.
Mitsuba gasped at Narumi's audacity to talk back to their commander in such a manner. Ironically, it reminded her of Yuichiro.
"Is this what I think it is?" she whispered to Shinoa.
"I hope not. The last thing we need now is a full-blown mutiny," her squad leader answered quietly.
Everyone held their breaths as though fearful of Shinya's reaction to Narumi's defiant attitude. But to their surprise, their commander did not get angry or explode on the younger man. Instead, Shinya sighed and looked to the sky.
What would you do, Guren? He thought. What did you entrust me with when you left them to me? Should I prioritize the mission or their lives first? If this mission is indeed suicide and meaningless, should I have them abandon it?
After pondering the thought for a moment, the Major General was snapped out of his thoughts by an impatient Makoto Narumi.
"Answer us, sir! What the hell was the point of this mission and what are…"
Before the younger man could utter another word, Shinya spun around and made a gesture with an outstretched arm accompanied by a glare to silence him.
"Ok, ok, I get it! Do you mind keeping your mouth shut long enough for me to actually answer your question, Narumi!?" Shinya snapped irritably, making sure he was loud enough to be heard by the entire MDC.
Embarrassed, Narumi finally did shut his mouth to hear his superior officer's answer before Shinya continued.
"Our orders were to hold position here, but we will abandon the mission and devise a strategy to rescue Guren Ichinose instead. If he's alive!"
Despite Shinya's warning of the possibility that their commander might already be dead, everyone's faces lit up, both in relief and joy, that they would not have to go through with this suicide mission after all.
That, as well as saving the man they had truly pledged their true loyalty to.
SSSSSS
Nagoya City Hall, City Intersection
Crowley hummed a tune under his breath as he carelessly glanced at two human corpses on the ground the way humans would look at dead insects. One corpse was of a rather plain-looking short woman with bobbed auburn hair and glasses while the other was of a large burly man wearing a bandana around his head. Neither particularly stood out to the vampire lord as someone who was used to seeing corpses on battlefields no matter what the era.
"Hmm… it looks like they got away," Crowley said casually. "Now where could they have gone?"
One of the nobles who accompanied Crowley did not share his cool-headedness in referring to the rag-tag group of insolent humans who had managed to take down nearly half a dozen nobles.
"Those damn humans! It looks like they've fled north; we'll hunt them down and exterminate them all like the rats they are!"
Crowley said nothing but turned to look at Guren, who was sitting on his knees nearby while tightly bound and surrounded by three vampire guards.
Five nobles dead and all of them had their whereabouts known by the humans. That's actually pretty impressive to be honest… the maroon-haired vampire lord admitted to himself.
Guren, who returned Crowley's stare, seemed to have read his mind. Kureto's plan to ambush the nobles to distract them from the rest of the Demon Army was more effective than expected, even given the number of MDC casualties.
As he watched, a certain petite, pink-haired vampire queen stepped out of a chopper while accompanied by Ferid of all people. His mind wandered back to Yuichiro and the last time he saw her.
Shut up! You were always such a fucking hypocrite! How dare you tell me to run, to live, while giving up on yourself so easily!? You've got no right!
As Yuichiro's words echoed in his head, Guren found himself smiling even though he knew this was no situation to be doing such.
"Stupid loud-mouthed brat…" he muttered to no one in particular. "You always did enjoy trying to make me look the fool, did you, Yuichiro?"
Although he had not intended for his words to be heard, the lesser noble, the one who'd had been ranting about hunting down and killing the rest of the MDC earlier, picked them up with his sharp vampiric hearing. Turning towards Guren, he glared at the human he deemed worth no more than an insignificant insect.
"What are you mumbling about, human? You got something to say?"
Instead of answering, Guren shot the noble a dirty look. While he knew vampires were not easily riled, the lieutenant colonel also knew he had a natural tendency to tick off both humans and vampires alike with little effort.
When he realized that he wasn't going to get an answer from the raven-haired human who showed no fear in the face of death, the noble grabbed his throat in a painful, crushing grip.
"Don't feel like talking, human?" he taunted. "Let's see how long you can hold onto your pride. Especially when you dared to lay your filthy hands on the nobility."
"Fuck… off…" Guren snarled, forcing the words past his lips before the vampire could cut off his airways and render him unable to speak.
Enraged that a mere human would dare to talk to him that way instead of begging for his life, the noble kicked him several yards away for good measure.
"How dare you, you lowly human rat!" he roared. "You got a death wish!?"
Guren gritted his teeth against the pain in his ribs to keep from crying out, determined not to give his enemy the satisfaction of seeing just how miserable and vulnerable he was. Surprisingly, the beating itself did not bother Guren as much as being separated from Yuichiro, whose safety and well-being he constantly worried about.
Shit…that hurt. When did getting beat up become so exhausting? I must be getting soft. Still, I should probably let him hit me a bit more to make what I tell him seem more convincing… he thought.
Crowley, who had been watching the lesser noble vent his anger out on the helpless Guren in amusement up until now, finally had to intervene to prevent his hot-headed subordinate from actually killing him. After all, Ferid's orders had been quite explicit that Guren was to be kept alive. At least, for now.
And, when one disobeyed Ferid's orders, even unwittingly, the consequences were…not pleasant.
"That's enough, friend," he said coolly. "The human's not going to be able to talk if you knock him into a coma. Or kill him for that matter."
Before the other noble could reply, they both heard Ferid's annoying sing-song voice cut in.
"Why, hello there, Lord Crowley! Long time no see!"
Turning, Crowley smiled at the silver-haired vampire lord.
"It hasn't been that long, Ferid."
"Oh? Is that all you have to say to me after I've provided you with such entertainment?"
"Ah…I see. So, it was you leaking intel to the humans, right, my lord?" Crowley asked sweetly.
"Oh, and what makes you think that? You know I hate those who betray their allies more than anything," Ferid answered innocently, even though he knew the other vampire lord wasn't buying it.
"Really? Then why, pray tell, did you sell out my location to the humans who knew exactly where to find me? Care to explain? And I thought I was part of your faction."
Instead of denying it, Ferid merely gave his usual innocent smile and shrugged his shoulders.
"But you had fun, didn't you? Weren't you always the one complaining about how boring life as a vampire can be?"
At Ferid's counter-question, Crowley found his thoughts wandering back to his duel with Yuichiro, which he did find enjoyable, despite her meddling squad mates preventing him from taking her as his prize.
"I suppose you're right. While the other humans were dull, I haven't had an opponent as intriguing as Miss Hyakuya in a while. The girl was one-of-a-kind, even if she did get away."
"Oh, she challenged you to a duel? I'm surprised you actually obliged her. But since you did enjoy yourself, how about giving me some thanks instead? Tangentially, a member of my own faction—you—being attacked also makes it less likely I'll be suspected, right?"
"So, it was you behind it all, wasn't it?"
"Ahh, but you are only half-correct, Crowley. This particular plot has someone even more twisted than me pulling the strings."
"Oh? Who?"
Instead of answering, Ferid nodded his head in Guren's direction, the gesture startling Crowley. And for the first time in ages, he was actually astonished.
"Are you serious? Or is this another one of your jokes, Ferid?"
"Not this time," Ferid answered as he and Crowley watched the noble who had been interrogating Guren go at it again.
"But how can that be? You mind explaining how that human can be behind all this?" Crowley demanded.
"Oh, but he's no ordinary human; he's a namanari."
"And what's that?"
"A human's who's just one step shy of becoming a full-blown demon. And that particular one is actually two beings in one body, which share their time as one or the other."
"I think you've lost me."
"Well, to make it simple, a part of that human is an idealist who wants nothing more than to protect his friends and followers. The other, possessed by the vengeful spirit of his dead lover, is the perfectionist who reduced herself to a demon to get what she desires. Now watch as the real monster comes out," Ferid said coolly.
Still not understanding this namanari business, and still baffled that a human could infiltrate the vampires' security and leak information leading to the deaths of five nobles, Crowley looked again in the direction of Guren and the lessor noble who seemed to be losing patience with him.
"Talk, you lowly human mongrel! Where did the other humans go?" he demanded as he kicked Guren in the side. "Or I'll kill you right here and now!"
Looks like now's a good time as any. If I can convince them to head up to Shinjuku, the mission will succeed… he thought.
"They went to Shinjuku…" he said through gritted teeth as though the simple act of speaking alone caused him pain. Which it likely did from what Ferid and Crowley could see.
"I can't hear you; try speaking up, human," the arrogant noble demanded as he grabbed a fistful of Guren's hair and jerked his head back.
Finally fed up with his tormentor's abuse, Guren stared him straight in the eye and snarled.
"Get your disgusting hands off me, or I will tear them off your body along with your arms, you freak!" he threatened.
The noble's face scrunched up with rage. How dare a human talk to him like that?! He moved to rip Guren's hair from his scalp when the sheathed sword at the man's belt released an eerie red glow, unsheathed itself and lunged at him.
He had barely released Guren's hair when both of his arms were severed and dropped to the ground. For a stretching second, the lesser noble's customary arrogance was replaced with horrified disbelief as he glanced, dumbstruck, at his dismembered limbs and then to the stumps which leaked black blood onto his boots.
Before the noble could cry out for help, the blade cut through his slender neck, tearing through skin, muscle, and bone as easily as a hot knife through butter. His severed head bounced when it hit the ground, a look of terror still frozen on his face.
Once his head was severed, the noble's body toppled lifelessly to the ground with the katana's curse slowly eating away at his immortal flesh as well as smoldering his elegant garments, turning him into naught but a pile of ash and clothing
The sudden and gruesome murder did not escape the notice of the other vampires, including their queen. Krul Tepes turned and gazed at Guren. He glared back at her with inhuman eyes glinting with madness.
Unimpressed, the pink-haired vampire queen smirked at him.
"Oh? What's with that triumphant look? Do you really think that display of power is enough to frighten me?"
In response, Guren finally stood up, the irises of his own eyes glowing with an eerie red light. With almost no effort, the human man easily broke free of his restraints before the faint apparition of a young, purple-haired woman appeared besides him.
"Give me my sword, demon," Guren growled while refraining from speaking the creature's name as if it were poison.
Leveling his glowing katana at the pink-haired vampire queen in a bold gesture of defiance, Guren, or the creature currently controlling his body, said:
"At Nagoya Airport, I will summon the Seraph of the End. And you're going to help me."
Instead of being offended at what most vampires, let alone a progenitor, would consider an insolent demand, Krul merely smiled as if in calm understanding.
"Ah, I see. You are a messenger from Mahiru Hiragi, correct?"
As if in answer, Guren swiftly brought the blade of his katana to Krul's neck, near her carotid artery.
Instead of being intimidated, she casually tapped the bold human with her hand and sent him flying several yards away.
He spun through the air before bouncing painfully against the cement road and eventually rolling to a stop. The vampire queen then calmly walked over to him and repeated her earlier question.
"I'll ask you one more time: are you Mahiru's messenger? Or her puppet vessel? It makes no difference to me as long as I get my answer."
Tilting his head to the side, Guren took a moment to spit out the blood built-up in his mouth before answering.
"Mahiru is dead; I couldn't save her," he said simply before laughing bitterly.
"If that is so, then who exactly are you?" Krul pressed. "Before the apocalypse began, I made a deal with Mahiru Hiragi. But if you are not her, then we have nothing more to discuss. I should slice your head off right here and now for daring to raise your sword against me."
Unfazed by the threat, Guren grinned at the pink-haired vampire queen, knowing very well that he was playing with fire.
"Then why don't you kill me instead of just standing there and talking about it?" he dared. "Oh, I know why: you can't. You've betrayed your kind too far to turn back now, and we both know it. You need to summon the Seraph of the End just as much as I do. Don't try to deny it."
The vampire queen's ruby eyes glittered dangerously. Had she not known that Guren was right, Krul would have made good on her threat and beheaded him right then and there.
Giving him one last look of disgust, she said, "You aren't worth the effort" just loud enough for Guren to hear, before turning back to face her other vampire subjects. "The human commander just confessed that the ones who killed our noble brethren are gathered at Nagoya Airport. We will go there and annihilate them all!"
In response to their queen's declaration, all vampires present, noble and common alike, cheered.
"You heard our lovely queen, Lord Crowley. We should be on our way," Ferid said in a happy sing-song tune, causing the other vampire lord to roll his eyes.
"Mind telling me exactly what to expect, my lord?"
"Haha… now, now, be patient. Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise."
"Am I going to like this particular one?" Crowley pressed.
"You'll see."
Something made Crowley wish he hadn't asked.
SSSSSS
Nagoya Airport
For the umpteenth time in his life, Major General Shinya Hiragi chose to go against the direct orders of the family who took him, an outsider, into their ranks, and abandon the mission his elder brother had set out for the Moon Demon Company. Instead, he will lead the survivors back into the city to find and rescue the man they consider to be their true leader, Guren Ichinose. If he was alive.
Just as the survivors of the MDC were about to leave the airport together, they suddenly heard the sounds of approaching aircrafts and looked up at the sky. Alarmed, both Takeshi and Yoichi readied their bows while Daisuke reached for his whip in case it was another aerial attack by the vampires like before.
"Shit, have the vamps found us!?" Kimizuki exclaimed.
Looking into the sky, Shinya narrowed his eyes and as the nearest aircraft came closer, his sharp sniper's vision made out the insignia of the Demon Army and made a gesture for Yoichi and Takeshi to hold their fire.
"Wait, don't shoot! It's not the enemy!" he ordered.
Both of the younger snipers obeyed and lowered their weapons, though they did not put them away.
"What's going on?" Takeshi asked in confusion as he turned to Yoichi. "Could the rest of the Demon Army have come for us after all?" His sniping partner merely shrugged as if he didn't know how to answer the inquiry.
"Good question," Risa added. "If those are the reinforcements, then that means we're saved, right?"
"I don't know, Risa. I've got a bad feeling about this," Riku muttered, making sure to keep her voice low enough that only her twin would hear.
"Hey, Sato? Shinoa? What do you think?" Daisuke pressed.
Both of the junior squad leaders turned to look at each other. Although they believed Shinya's claim that the aircraft belonged to the Demon Army and not their vampire pursuers, neither Shinoa nor Satoshi suggested a trusting approach. Instead, they decided it best to wait until the first aircraft landed as well as for Shinya's decision.
"We'll wait, but keep your weapons out just in case," Satoshi ordered. "Agreed, Shinoa?"
"Yes, you took the words right out of my mouth, Mr. Hiwatari," she answered.
Nobody in the junior squads argued, indicating that they shared Shinoa and Satoshi's intuition. Mitsuba only lowered her demon battle axe slightly when she saw the first aircraft land. As soon as the hatched opened, a tall and slender blonde woman, whom she recognized as her older sister, stepped down.
"Aoi…" she murmured.
Although Mitsuba had not expected to be noticed, Aoi Sangu briefly turned in her direction and gave her younger sister a cold look of indifference before standing aside to reveal the man responsible for setting up the very mission the entire MDC was about to abandon.
"Oh, my god!" Yoichi gasped. "Is that who I think it is?"
"No shit!" Kimizuki exclaimed as he clenched his fists. "It's him, the bastard who tortured us! I could never forget a face like his!"
Narumi glared at Kimizuki and Yoichi for their words.
"Hey, keep your voices down or he'll hear you!"
Normally, Shinya would have reprimanded the boys but he himself as well as the rest of Guren's squad were dumbstruck at seeing Kureto Hiragi make an appearance here of all places.
Puzzled, Rika tapped her squad leader on the shoulder and asked:
"Hey, Makoto, who is that guy?"
Before Narumi could answer, the man in question saved him the trouble and introduced himself to the entire Moon Demon Company, many of whom had never even seen his face before.
"Everyone! I am Lieutenant General Kureto Hiragi, second-in-command of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army! I would like to congratulate and thank you all on successfully completing your mission and emerging victorious against the vampires!" he announced in a voice loud enough to be heard by everyone present, the voice of a man who was used to commanding an entire army.
The lower ranking soldiers gasped at Kureto's announcement for none of them ever thought they would see such an esteemed member of the Hiragi family in person. To them, someone like that was as far out of their reach as the moon.
Narumi turned to his commander to ask him what was going on when he noticed that Shinya as well as the rest of Guren's squad looked just as shocked to see Kureto Hiragi as everyone else. It was as if the major general himself had no idea that his elder brother would even bother to make a personal appearance before the ragtag survivors of the MDC. Such a thing would normally be beneath him.
While everyone stared at the lieutenant general in stunned silence, he continued his announcement.
"Your work here is finished; I will take care of the rest so you may all disarm yourselves and take a break."
As they watched the other lower-ranking soldiers move to obey Kureto, Shinoa and Satoshi made a gesture to their squad members to stay on guard.
"Don't let your guard down yet," Shinoa warned quietly. "I don't trust my brother; he isn't normally this generous."
"I feel the same way," Satoshi agreed. "Though I don't know him personally, the lieutenant general gives me bad vibes. He doesn't come off as trustworthy to me either."
Both junior squad leaders looked to their commander and while Shinya said nothing, they could tell that he was of the same mind as themselves since he also refused to lower his weapon.
"'Emerging victorious?' What are you talking about, Kureto?" he asked. "The vampires are approaching the airport as we speak; they'll be here any minute now. What are you planning to do?"
Instead of answering his question, Kureto gave Shinya a sly smile.
"By the way, Shinya, where is Guren?"
Shinya was startled by the sudden question but answered it all the same.
"Guren was captured by the vampires," he said simply. "As of yet, we are not certain if he still lives."
Instead of being concerned, Kureto merely chuckled under his breath even though Guren's situation was no laughing matter.
"What? Guren captured? You're joking, right? He wouldn't be so stupid as to let himself get captured that easily. So, who's in command then? Is he planning on opposing me too?"
"And what's that supposed to mean, nii-san?" Shinya demanded impatiently, frustrated that his elder brother was being evasive.
"What, you still don't know, Shinya? I find that strange since you are supposed to be Guren's best friend. To make it simple, his soft side wants to protect his friends and allies while his 'other' side is willing to make whatever sacrifices it takes to get the results he seeks."
Shinya glared at Kureto. "And what the hell's that supposed to mean?"
"Quiet," the older man snapped. "It's not your turn yet."
Before Shinya could tell him to stop talking in riddles, the lieutenant general turned to his most trusted confident.
"Do it, Aoi. The sacrifices are ready."
Feeling a sense of dread that his elder brother was planning something dangerous, Shinya was about to raise his demon rifle and point the muzzle at him. But Kureto was faster and made an upward swipe with his katana, knocking Shinya's rifle out of the way, even though he had been strong enough to maintain a tight grip on it when confronting Mikaela.
Before Shinya could say a word, Kureto leveled his gold-tone katana at him, much to the shock of the rest of the MDC- except for Shinoa who expected just as much from her eldest brother.
"Not good," she said in a low voice that only Satoshi could hear. "Something bad is going to happen, I just know it."
"I'm afraid I have to agree," the Satoshi replied. "No offense, Shinoa, but the more I know about your family, the worse they appear."
"None taken, Satoshi. I know all too well how my father and eldest brothers are. In fact, Shinya is the only one I trust in our family."
While the junior squad leaders were wise enough to keep their opinions to themselves, Narumi wasn't as cautious. Like Shinya, he had just about lost patience with Kureto and his evasiveness, not that Shinoa nor Satoshi could blame him. After all, Narumi had just lost two members of his own squad.
"What do you mean, sacrifices?" Narumi demanded. "What the hell is going on here? I believe you owe us an explanation after everything we've been through!"
Kureto turned his head in Narumi's direction.
"Didn't you hear what I just said? I gave you permission to be at ease; that's all you need to know."
Narumi glared at him. Although he knew the Hiragis were infamous for being callous, he thought the lieutenant general went too far. How could Kureto not offer the MDC an explanation or even his condolences for the great number of casualties they had suffered?
"That's all you have to say? Do you know how many among our ranks have lost their lives? How can you just brush us off like that?"
Startled, both Shusaku and Rika grabbed their squad leader by each of his arms and tried to calm him down. Although they felt the same way as Narumi regarding Kureto's refusal to answer the question that was on everyone's minds, both Shusaku and Rika knew it was unwise for Narumi to raise his voice to the lieutenant general or make any demands of him.
"Hey, calm down, Narumi!" Shusaku urged. "You don't want to get in trouble for defying a superior officer, do you?"
"He's right!" Rika agreed, trying to keep her voice low but just loud enough for her squad leader to hear. "I know you want answers, but they're not worth your life!"
Unfortunately, now that Narumi had caught Kureto's attention, he wasn't going to let the younger man's insolent behavior slide.
"You sure are fired up, soldier. Might I know your name?" he asked.
Narumi was about to answer when he heard Shinya cut in.
"Quiet! Let me do the talking!"
Kureto gave his younger brother a look of amusement, knowing very well that Shinya was trying to protect the brazen and outspoken brunet sergeant who dared to question his orders.
"Do you feel the need to cover for him, Shinya? It's not like I can't find out who he is sooner or later anyway."
"Nii-san, who he is isn't important. What is important is that if we have been successful as you said, then it would not hurt for you simply let them go."
"Oh, are you saying that I should overlook your subordinate's rebellious attitude? Well, not like it matters. Besides, he'll die sooner or later anyway."
Before Shinya could ask his elder brother what he meant, Kureto snapped his fingers and as if on cue, a truck carrying a huge wooden shipping crate covered with defensive spell tags approached.
"What the hell..?" Shinya gaped at the ominous sight. Following his instinct as a soldier, he quickly rearmed himself with his rifle.
Kureto smirked as if he expected such a reaction from his adopted brother.
"What's with that look, Shinya? You did say you wanted to know what I had in mind, didn't you? So how about I just show you instead of simply talking about it?"
Shinya had no time to tell the rest of the MDC to raise their guards before the doors on the huge crate suddenly opened. Countless spears linked with chains that glowed with an eerie light as if they were alive, abruptly shot out in every direction.
In fact, he barely had time to protect himself and narrowly avoided being skewered. Shinya had thought that by this point, nothing his elder brother did could surprise him, but it looked like Kureto had managed to shock him again after all.
"Sir!" Narumi cried as he quickly ran to his commander and used the power of his trident to raise a shield in an attempt to protect Shinya as well as his subordinates behind him.
Unfortunately, to his horror, the rods easily shattered Narumi's turtle shell-like shield and proceeded to skewer the lower-ranking soldiers who had obeyed Kureto's orders to disarm themselves. Even those who chose to stay on guard, such as the members of Guren, Shinoa, and Satoshi's squads, had difficulty defending themselves.
Thinking quickly, Risa whipped out her war fans, deftly generating airwaves to repel dozens of the spears away from herself and Riku. Unfortunately, she could only repel dozens of the spears when hundreds had been released. Before long, one pierced her right shoulder. A scream split her mouth, and her grip on the fan in her right hand faltered. *2*
"Risa!" Satoshi cried as he batted several rods away from himself by using Krad's power to enhance his speed and reaction time. Knowing that Risa may be left almost completely wide open now that one of her arms was nearly incapacitated, the blue-haired squad leader was about to rush to his subordinate's aid, but Shusaku beat him to it and shielded the Harada twins with his own body.
"Risa! Riku! Get away from here!" the older man cried before he was impaled by at least half a dozen flying spears, killing him almost instantly. With his dying breath, he reached towards his squad leader, begging him to get away.
"Run, Makoto…"
Narumi, who had witnessed the grisly scene, gritted his teeth and cursed himself for being unable to protect his subordinates; his shield was too weak to defend them from this abominable weapon.
Resigning himself to avenging the fallen members of the MDC he had strived so hard to protect as well as saving whomever he could, Narumi turned toward Kureto in a murderous rage and readied his trident.
Alarmed, Rika tried to grab her squad leader in an attempt to deter him from making a suicidal attack.
"Makoto, no! Don't do—"
Before the blonde woman could say anything else, A spear suddenly ruptured her throat, interrupting her final words with a spray of gurgled blood, the result of letting her guard falter for trying to stop Narumi from making a suicidal attack.
Narumi stared in horror as his last remaining squad member's lifeless body hit the ground before turning back to the lieutenant general and finally charged at him like a raging bull.
"Damn you to hell!" he roared.
Not the slightest bit intimidated by Narumi's intention to cut him down, Kureto merely smirked and palmed the hilt of his sword.
"Why so angry, soldier?" he asked. "You should feel honored that your sacrifice will preserve the rest of humanity."
Narumi had no idea what Kureto meant, but he was too enraged to care. In fact, the brunet sergeant had been so focused on his intent to kill his superior officer that he no longer thought to defend himself against the spears that were flying his way.
"Sir, look out!" Yoichi cried as he and Takeshi fired as many arrows as they could to deflect the incoming spears and defend Narumi. Unfortunately, their meager efforts barely blunted the barrage coming at them.
Kimizuki and Mitsuba then stepped in to fend off the spears the archers couldn't deflect. If Daisuke wasn't already so busy protecting the Harada twins, including the injured Risa, he would have joined them.
"Shit!" Satoshi cursed before turning to Shinoa. "We have no choice, Shinoa; this is a battle we can't win. The only thing we can do now is run away!"
"I agree, Satoshi" she replied before giving the order to retreat to both of their squads. "Everyone! Take your curse stimulant pills! We're retreating!"
While both of the junior squads moved to obey her orders, Shinoa had unwittingly caught the attention of her eldest brother, whom had barely even acknowledged her existence until now.
"Don't resist, Shinoa" he called. "If you obey me, I will spare your life since you are a member of the Hiragi family."
Shinoa shook her head. "I'm sorry, nii-san, but I'll have to refuse. This time you've gone too far, and I can't trust you or forgive what you've done!"
In response to his sister's defiance, Kureto's expression hardened.
"Then so be it, Shinoa. You can die along with the rest of your so-called comrades. I'll give father your regards."
Instead of waiting for the spears to do their work, Kureto finally drew his sword with the intent of cutting his sister down himself. The way he saw it, he would be granting her a more honorable and glorious death by such an act.
"Come, Raimeki. Make it as quick and painless as possible. I'll grant Shinoa that much, at least."
Normally, the demon bound to his sword obeyed Kureto's orders without question. But this time, she seemed to hesitate.
Are you sure, Kureto? Your own little sister? Even as a demon, I find this appalling…
"Your opinion has been duly noted, Raimeki. Now heed my order."
Very well…
Now that he was certain he had his demon's cooperation, Kureto raised his sword and released a wave of gold lightning towards Shinoa.
Realizing that the lieutenant general truly intended to kill his younger sister, Satoshi prepared to run to her side. But before he could even raise his sword, a feminine voice called out from behind him.
"Fan out, Asuramaru."
Before Shinoa or Satoshi could even respond, a barrage of glowing katanas flew past them and collided with the lightning which dissipated with an aggravated crackle before it could so much as touch a strand of Shinoa's hair.
When it was finally safe to do so, both junior squad leaders finally looked over their shoulders to see Yuichiro and her adopted brother, Mikaela, quietly approach. *3*
"Looks like we made it just in time, Mika," the ravenette said before turning her attention back to her squad leader.
"Are you all right, Shinoa?", Yuichiro asked as she extended a hand to help Shinoa up.
The purple-haired squad leader gaped at Yuichiro, too shocked at her sudden appearance to even utter a word of thanks to the other girl for saving her life just now. Even Satoshi and their subordinates in both squads were just as surprised at seeing Yuichiro and Mikaela Hyakuya suddenly show up out of nowhere. Or perhaps it just seemed that way since everyone had been too distracted by the attack Kureto Hiragi had launched on his own soldiers to notice the young pair's arrival.
When she finally found her voice, Shinoa sputtered.
"Y..Yuu! What are you doing here?"
Yuichiro gave her an incredulous look.
"What a strange thing to ask! Didn't you and Satoshi tell me and Mika to meet you here the last time we saw each other?"
Realizing that Yuichiro was right, Shinoa felt stupid for asking.
"You're right. I can't believe I totally forgot!"
"Never mind that, Shinoa. More importantly, what's going on here?"
"I don't think you want to know, Miss Hyakuya…" Satoshi said grimly.
Seeing that no one volunteered any information, both Yuichiro and Mikaela glanced around them and saw the numerous slaughtered bodies of the MDC soldiers. With the exception of Shinoa's squad, Satoshi's squad, Guren's squad, and Makoto Narumi, everyone was dead or dying with their corpses pierced through by mystical spears connected by chains to a strange box under the military's control.
"You're right," Mika agreed as he took in the grisly sight. "And it's not even by the vampires. It's humans doing this to other humans. It was a mistake to come here, Yuu-chan."
Yuichiro shook her head in disagreement.
"No, I'm glad we did, Mika. This is not something I can simply ignore…" Turning to Shinoa and Satoshi, she said, "Shinoa, Satoshi, I don't know what's going on but whatever it is, I want to help you put a stop to it; just tell me what to do."
"I believe I speak for Shinoa and the rest of our squads when I say that I don't think there's anything we can do but run," Satoshi answered, taking the words out of Shinoa's mouth. "That is, if we want to live."
"All right, if that's what you think is best, Mika and I will cover for you and the others," Yuichiro replied.
"No, Yuu-chan" the blond interrupted. "I want you to go with them; it should be no problem for me to stop these chains by myself."
"No way, Mika. I am not leaving you to do this alone," Yuu insisted stubbornly.
"No more than we can leave you and Mika to handle this alone while we run away," Shinoa cut in. "We'll all work together and fight our way out. Deal, Miss Hyakuya?"
Yuichiro grinned, glad that she and her squad leader were in agreement.
"Deal."
"Good! Get ready, everyone!" Satoshi ordered both his squad as well as Shinoa's.
No one needed to be told twice, and all ten members of both junior squads as well as Mikaela raised their weapons to prepare for anything else Kureto Hiragi planned to send their way. Narumi, who had finally come to his senses, also followed suit.
Kureto, who had been witnessing the entire spectacle in amusement, found his gaze falling on Yuichiro, whom he assumed had been captured or killed when he noticed her absence from Shinoa's squad.
"Ahh… Guren's protégé. So, you are alive, Miss Hyakuya. Your deflection of my demon's lightning attack earlier was quite impressive since you were prepared this time. But let's see how well you do against these…"
Turning to Aoi, Kureto nodded and his subordinate turned back to the huge crate.
"Do it!" she ordered.
Yuichiro had no time to ask the blonde who she was talking to when more chains tipped with spears busted out of the huge crate and flew towards her as well as her allies.
"Shit! What the hell is in that crate?!" Yuu demanded as she quickly raised her sword and tapped into Asuramaru's power to enhance her speed and reaction time to fend off as many as possible.
"It doesn't matter, we have to stop them!" Mika answered as he used his own sword and vampiric reflexes to defend himself as well as his sister's squad mates.
Kureto whistled as he watched Yuichiro and Mikaela with interest.
"You've gotten a lot better since the last time I saw you, Miss Hyakuya," he praised while ignoring the efforts of the rest of Shinoa and Satoshi's squads to fend off the chains flying at them. "I may still be able to make some use of you, after all."
"Shall we capture her then, sir?" Aoi asked from behind him.
"No need," Kureto answered in a low voice. "Her mentor will do that for us. Just let the girl be for now."
To the surprise of everyone, the lieutenant general finally raised his hand and the spears and chains whipping onslaught abruptly ceased and clattered to the ground, making Yuichiro assume that he had chosen to cease or could not continue the attack. But whatever the reason was, she was going to take full advantage of it and looked over her shoulder to Shinoa and Satoshi.
"They stopped their attacks! Now's our chance to run!" Yuichiro cried as if she were the leader of both squads instead of them.
Not like it mattered since everyone knew she was right and was about to make a break for it only to find, to their horror, that the vampires have finally caught up to them; the elegant attire worn by their front line suggested they were being led by nobles, including a petite, pink-haired female vampire in a short black dress with white ruffles and detached sleeves.
"Oh, shit! Now, what are we gonna do?!" Kimizuki cursed.
"Why now of all times?!" Narumi added, forgetting his rage towards Kureto now that he realized he and his allies had a bigger problem at hand.
At first, everyone assumed that the lieutenant general had something to do with the vampire advance but quickly found that Kureto was just as surprised by the enemy arrival as they were.
"Do not be afraid!" he ordered the soldiers behind him and possibly the junior squads he intended to eliminate as well. "Today, it will be us who will subjugate the vampires! Make way for the future of humanity!"
The soldiers who were still loyal to Kureto cheered and rushed forward to carry out their commander's order to do battle with the advancing vampire army.
"Shit, he's gotta be fucking kidding!" Yuichiro cursed. "He knows we're still outnumbered and I'm betting that bastard is trying to buy time for whatever he has up his sleeve!"
"So, do we fight or run?" Mikaela asked as he turned to Shinoa and Satoshi.
Before either squad leader could answer, they heard gun fire and saw several white tiger wraith bullets fly past them to vaporize the vampires that were starting to close the distance between them. Turning, they saw Shinya as well as the rest of Guren's squad finally make their move.
"We'll cover you!" Shinya cried as he took aim to fire again. "Shinoa! Satoshi! Take your squads and run away from here as fast as you can! And Narumi, I want you to go with them too!"
"Understood, sir!" he shot back. As the elder squad leader, Narumi knew that it was now his responsibility to guide Shinoa and Satoshi's squads to safety. "This way, kids!" he called to them while making a gesture in the opposite direction.
Although she loathed to leave Shinya as well as the rest of Guren's squad, Yuichiro knew that they were more than capable of taking care of themselves and obeyed. Following Narumi's lead, she was determined to protect her other squad mates by running ahead of them to strike down any vampire that started to get too close. In fact, Yuichiro had been so focused on keeping the enemy away from her friends that she failed to notice she was starting to run a little too far ahead of them, even passing Narumi, and exposing herself to more danger.
Alarmed, Kimizuki called out to Yuichiro in a desperate attempt to get her to slow down.
"Hey, Yuu! Slow down, you're pressing too far ahead of us!" he yelled.
Unable to hear the pink-haired boy over the din, Yuichiro continued forward without stopping or slowing down.
I'm definitely not going to let any of my friends die if I can help it! The ravenette thought before she finally noticed a lone figure in the distance. *4*
"What? Who the hell…?" Yuichiro began before the mysterious person stepped closer, enabling her to finally recognize him.
"Hey, Yuu. How've you been?" he asked in a calm and casual manner.
Yuichiro gasped as she finally stopped in her tracks and lowered her weapon.
No…it can't be…
"Guren?"
Footnotes:
1. After the apocalypse, there have been a small minority of humans who managed to evade the vampires and survive on the surface world while others were taken underground like Fem!Yuu and Mikaela. It is safe to assume that those who survived above ground were forced to salvage anything remotely useful or editable in any way to survive, including car and airplane parts.
2. Like Kitana of the Mortal Kombat game series, one of Risa Harada's special abilities are generating air waves with her war fans to repel weapons as well as using their sharp blades in melee combat. The fans can also be thrown to attack enemies and fly back to her like boomerangs.
3. Unlike male!Yuu's dramatic entrance in the canon version, I had fem!Yuu and Mika enter the battle more quietly to give them the advantage of surprise.
4. Unlike male!Yuu, fem!Yuu is normally more cautious in battle and is likely to get reckless if anyone doubts her ability to fight because of her gender or when she has the desire to protect someone. In this scenario, it is her allies in both Shinoa and Satoshi's squads.
