Chapter 11: Between Lines
{Shibuya: July 5th, 2020, 12:01pm}
Shinoa stood outside of a small café down the street from the school and apartments waiting for her teammates to arrive. She had thought of the little idea earlier and had called Sayuri and asked her to let the other four know to meet her at the café for a small meeting and as a means to get to know each other better. She smiled as she looked up at the slightly gray clouds and the storm that seemed to be threatening to come in. It had been oddly cool today, and the clouds had been darkening almost constantly which nearly assured her that yes, it would rain at some point. She sighed, enjoying the scent of the rain as she heard a few footsteps come towards her. Tangerine-eyes looked up to the pink-haired, bispectical form that was Kimizuki and alongside him, was Yoichi who looked a little unsure about why he had been called to come to the café.
"Well, looks like you fine gentlemen have had a rather average day," she said.
"Yea, I was just getting home from the grocery store and I ran into Yoichi coming out of the apartments as well…" Kimizuki's answer seemed to satisfy the girl as she looked them over.
"And what were you up to today, Yoichi?" she inquired.
"I was just cleaning and doing laundry. I try and get it done on weekends so, I don't have much to do typically." She nodded.
"As for myself, I was at the bookstore browsing the different pages and ended up losing interest in trying to find something good to read so I just decided to give a call to Miss Hanayori and well…here we are," Shinoa stated. Yoichi looked around and frowned while Kimizuki sighed.
"Their late…" the girl hummed.
"Well, it's possible they just got the call. After all, I can't be certain that they were even home," she explained.
"Then should we just…."
"Sorry we're late," Mika's voice called to them as they approached the other three.
"Nice of you to join us. So, what took you so long?" the blonde frowned.
"Why are you always in a rush?" Kimizuki frowned.
"Look at our world: if you don't rush you get eaten," he stated. Yuu gave him a rather annoyed expression.
"Last I checked we didn't live within Raccoon City, so I think you can take a break from constant running….after all, excesses in adrenaline can decrease your life expectancy." Yoichi laughed a bit.
"You're talking about those old American Zombie films? I didn't expect you to be a fan of horror," he said as Shinoa watched the boy.
"We have them just to have something to watch from time to time. You'd be surprised how many videos and video players survived this catastrophe…" Shinoa nodded.
"And how many people fixed them. But, how about we finish this conversation inside? Now, is anyone hungry?" the group shrugged and she smiled.
"Good, because I'm paying for this one kids!" Yuu and Mika gave her a long look.
"We can do that ourselves. Don't waste your money on others," Yuu stated.
"Oh! Your being so nice…what happened to the bitter, sarcastic kid I know?" the boy rolled his eyes and walked over to hold the door for the girl as the others went into the building. Shinoa went to the door as Mika went through the other side and Yuuichiro moved a bit closer, pressing against her back as he whispered in her ear.
"Nothing much, you know….but I do have to be nice to my girlfriend, right?" the periwinkle-haired girl blushed before forcing it down for the sake of not giving away their current status to the others.
"R-Right!" she squeaked out before entering the café. The black-haired boy laughed a bit and entered the room before glancing towards the others who had already found a seat while Mika gave his brother an imploring look.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" asked Kimizuki. Shinoa frowned.
"This is just for us to get to know each other better. I figured that it would be a good exercise to spend a little down-time with one another. So, tell me about yourselves." Yuu sighed as he sat next to the girl while Mika sat at the front of the table with Kimizuki and Yoichi on the other side.
"Seriously? That's it?" he asked. She nudged him.
"I know your just itching to get out and about but enough with the bloodlust; right now I just want everyone to relax, learn more about one another, kind of get comfortable with being near each other in multiple circumstances." Mika laughed a bit as a waitress came by and started sitting things out on their table. Shinoa gave the group a bright smile as each thing was sat in front of them.
"What's this?" asked Yoichi as he stared at the cup in front of him.
"I did a little digging and found out what each of you like. Kimizuki, coffee, black, four sugars, and a chocolate-chip muffin right?" she was given a slightly surprised look.
"Yea…" the pink-haired teenager gave her a strange look while Yoichi looked at the drink and saucer before him.
"Yoichi, you prefer hot lemon water with two sugar cubes and a slice of apple pie. You've got some odd tastes there," she explained as the brunette laughed slightly.
"This is what my mom used to make me and my sister when we were little so…." She smiled.
"For myself I prefer hot-chocolate and a strawberry parfait. But the two of you were the ones who stumped me," she stated as Yoichi and Kimizuki looked to the blonde and black haired youths.
"How so?" Shinoa looked to Mika with a smile.
"You like Earl Grey Tea in a style known as London Fog: cream, vanilla, and honey. Your side dish is a lemon cake….and as for Yuuichiro, you really stumped me, seeing as you like rose tea with a single sugar, and a spiced citrus cake with a cream frosting like Mika's…did you get a taste for those kinds of things in the vampire city?" she asked them.
"I guess so…but I never really liked coffee…so…" Mika smiled a bit as he looked to his brother.
"You also aren't fond of some things," he stated as the other gave him a long look before taking a sip of the tea before him. He sat it back down and gave Kimizuki a long look.
"What?" the pink-haired youth laughed a bit.
"It's odd, seeing such a sophisticated taste for someone who was a servant of the vampires," he stated.
"We weren't servants, we were used…simple as that. One of the Nobles took a shine to Mika and he would get us a lot of different things." Shinoa hummed.
"That's pretty interesting," she said as Yuu shrugged.
"Not really."
Shinoa glanced the boy over, taking in the civilian clothes that the boy had on. Yuuichiro had been dressed in a simple black long-sleeve shirt with a deep gray hoodied-jacket, dark wash jeans, and black high-top converse sneakers. It was simple, but it suited him very well; the colors complimenting his complexion and the sharp green of his eyes. The girl looked him over once more before looking towards the boy's left ear where a slightly ornate earring was placed. It was black and gold in tone; the base having a gold tone to it with a black ornate design that almost favored a rose while the small link was a sharp red and the bottom drop a red tone with a small jade-emerald orb at the bottom. It was slight, and hardly anyone would notice it unless they were looking, but Shinoa knew exactly what it was: Asuramaru's concealed form.
Tangerine eyes glanced towards Mika who only took a bite out of the cake in silence while she looked him over. He was dressed in a bit of a lighter colored jeans, dark blue sneakers, a charcoal colored shirt and a navy-blue light weight sweater. On the opposite ear from his brother was a wolf paw in pewter tone with a silver link and a pale blue snowflake at the end of it. Fenrir, Mika's weapon had done what Asuramaru had and concealed itself in the best way possible for its wielder. Shinoa had known for quite some time now that every weapon took on a concealed form and some even remained in those forms if it was well suited for combat.
"Hey, I've been meaning to ask…why is it that the Cursed Gear goes into these forms when they're not in use?" Kimizuki questioned.
"Ah, that…well, the basis is so that you can carry your weapon on your person wherever you go. However, on the battlefield it's recommended for sword users to keep their weapons out and ready. Myself, and Yoichi will be able to keep our weapons in conceal because of their mass." Mika frowned as he felt the faint movement of the earring form of Fenrir.
"I guess that explains the rings on Kimizuki hands," he said.
"Precisely….now, what are the plans of my teammates this afternoon?" the group looked to Shinoa.
"Well, I have to fold laundry and finish up for the day before cooking dinner…plus I have archery practice tomorrow morning," Yoichi explained.
"Oh, getting in some training with Gekkoin? That's a pretty good idea." The brunette nodded with a slight smile as he took a bite of his pie.
"What about you Kimizuki?" asked Mika.
"Pretty much the same. I have training tomorrow as well….but how about the rest of you?" Shinoa smirked.
"I have some things to do in preparation for our assignment that's coming up, and then I have some normal exercises that I do with my Cursed Gear," she said before glancing towards the two brothers.
"We're kind of the same but I'm sure Guren will have specialized training for us or at least give us his two cents." Mika smiled a bit at the statement from his brother.
"Sometimes, I think Guren has it out for us…." He stated in half-thought.
"Not to mention, he always spends his time either annoying us or skirting around his duties." Mika sighed before nudging the boy.
"By the way, how much training do you think he and Sayuri are going to put you through personally?" the black-haired boy tensed, his left hand's fingers drumming a bit on the table.
"Enough to make my body feel like it was hit by a train I'm sure…." The blonde nodded with a grim expression.
"Not to mention Sayuri is a slave driver when it comes to violin lessons and she's given him four new pieces to learn. He was up half the night last time she did this trying to figure out one part… and that was Gigue… so what did she give him this time that has him so worried?"
"So, what are you boys going to do for the rest of the day?" Shinoa inquired.
"We have to go back to our apartment and prepare for the mission as well. There are chores to be done and then Sayuri is coming over for Yuu….he has a few specialized lessons in spell craft to go through." The boy made an annoyed expression.
"Mika…." the other warned.
"You'll be fine. I doubt Sayuri is going to give you that much trouble," Yoichi said.
"As a regular teacher, she's great…but….as a private tutor….she's the devil." Kimizuki smirked.
"If she's that bad then you should be a pro at spellcraft," he said.
"Shut up. It's the Japanese spellcraft that I have trouble with…" the pink haired teenager frowned.
"How come? You are Japanese aren't you?" he asked. The boy glanced to the side with a frown.
"Yes, I am! My problem is that I picked up the other languages that were spoken and available in Sanguneim!" Yoichi frowned.
"What kind of languages did you learn?" he queried. Mika glanced towards his brother who sighed and tried to pinpoint.
"English, Latin, and German. After we were in Guren's custody he raised us, helped us recover and then taught us more than we were able to learn on our own." Mika nodded.
"Yea, Guren decided to further teach us about languages…we learned about the spellcraft in them…" he said.
"Here's my question: if you were taught these languages, how come you failed the spellcraft assignments?" Yuuichiro narrowed his eyes.
"I failed the Japanese Spellcraft assignments," he stated.
"Your point?" Shinoa giggled, causing Kimizuki to glance towards her.
"My, Kimizuki… and here I thought you were intelligent. Perhaps you should have noticed that the paper you raked Yuu over the coals about was only his Japanese spellcraft," she told him. Kimizuki gave her a startled expression.
"Then what the hell were your grades on the other ones?" he asked in question. Mika sighed when Shinoa gave him a knowing smirk while Yuuichiro rolled his eyes, not particularly interested in the conversation.
"He may not act like it, but this boy here has quite a talent for learning…." Shinoa said as she patted the black-haired boy's head.
"Hey… that's annoying…." Mika laughed a bit.
"Yea, he's always reading and his grades on Latin, English, and Germanic spellcraft were just as high as yours, Kimizuki," he stated.
"Wait….WHAT?!" The other teenagers laughed a bit as Kimizuki had one of his rare spastic moments and Shinoa set to teasing him.
{Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose's Office: 4:45pm}
The twenty-six-year old man sighed as he leaned back in his chair while smooth jazz music played softly. The week long wait period for new recruits to join the Moon Demon Company had never been his particular favorite time; however, this year's new candidates put him on edge for different reasons. Dark purple-brown eyes looked towards the picture on his desk of him around two years ago with Mika and Yuu standing beside him smiling at the camera. The two boys had grown since he had found them curled in the snow together clinging to life.
In January of twenty-sixteen, his team had been on a mission to survey the surrounding borders of their safe-zones after Tokyo had fallen into the hands of the vampires subsequently the city had struggled to stay standing. It was a normal early morning assignment for them to watch the area where the entrance to the vampire capital Sanguneim was located so not to miss a possible assault upon the forces surrounding Tokyo City. Guren, Sayuri, Shigure, Goshi, Mito, and Shinya had gone out into the snow and ice and checked the area for hours on end before splitting up to keep an eye on two specific locations: a cavern in the south and a mineshaft in the north of the area.
It was when Guren, Sayuri, and Shigure had arrived and staked the place out for a decent three or so hours that they decided to head back and warm up in the back of their truck that had been issued to them. In that small moment of them standing, they had been greeted with the sound of a scream and two figures falling out of the mineshaft and into the snow. Those two figures had ended up being two twelve year old boys who they later learned were named Yuuichiro and Mikaela Hyakuya. Guren sighed as he looked at the ceiling as the memories started to play in his mind. It had taken a great deal to heal them both and the events that led up to now had been nothing short of troublesome and at times; terrifying.
Mikaela who had been the weaker of the two at the time had become a skilled fighter and was healthy and capable of holding his own against even some of Guren's own team. The blonde had recovered from his injuries in a steady pace and now, those who had been with him on that fateful winter day could barely tell that the boy who stood before them four years later and the adolescent they found dying in the snow was the same person.
The Lieutenant Colonel's gaze turned towards the image of a younger Yuuichiro and frowned. He remembered what the boy had been like the day they'd found them both and he often worried that something would push him back into the state he'd been in. Without question, Guren knew that between the two boys he'd taken in, Yuuichiro was the more dangerous one. On the day that they'd ran across the two boys, the younger one - who had been the only one conscious at the time – had been snarling, growling, hissing, and bearing his teeth like a wild animal. Shigure had pointed it out as had the others then and Guren knew they were right. The raven black-haired, emerald-eyed boy before them: was Feral.
A year-and-a-half of rehabilitation and therapy with exposure to other people had allowed Mikaela to recover proper usage of his arm, and rebuild his abdominal muscles. That nearly two years' worth of work and effort had also granted him skills alongside other humans and eventually, Yuuichiro had begun to show progress as well. At first, the boy hated other humans, he refused to trust them; however, with time, he had shown himself quite capable of adapting and became a rather remarkable and unique youth. Guren smiled a bit as he thought of the day that he had first seen the two boys in the Japanese Imperial Demon Army uniforms and how much he had to force himself not to burst with pride and joy. It swelled in his chest, caused tears to prick his eyes, and a lump to form in his throat. Not because he had trained them, and they were starting to become useful soldiers: but because the two boys in front of him had grown so much, and come so far. They weren't just children anymore, the two fragile, wild creatures that he'd found lost in the snow had become amazing young men that he was proud to call his sons. His musings were interrupted by a knock at the door which caused him to look at the door when Shinya entered the room.
"Ugh… what are you doing here? Come to pester me?" asked Guren as the blonde shut the door and sat down in a chair in front of his desk.
"No, just came to tell you that I saw Shinoa and the others at the café in town… they seemed like they were having a good time." The man smiled a bit.
"Good, they used the down time to their advantage," he said as he picked up a piece of paper.
"Guren, I meant to ask… are you aware about Shinoa and…." The dark-haired man nodded.
"That Yuu and Shinoa are in a relationship? Yea, I know about it. Why? Are you worried?" he inquired while Shinya sighed and leaned back in his chair.
"Not entirely. I know that Shinoa will be in good hands; however, we both know what your youngest is capable of and more importantly: what he is." Guren sat his paper down and looked at the blonde.
"Yuuichiro is perfectly stable. He might not be fully human, but I wouldn't worry about that too much," he said while Shinya frowned.
"I'm not really worried about the other side of him. I'm worried about his Gifts... you know what he is more than I do. If he's going to be in a relationship with my little sister, then I need to know what that boy of yours is capable of." The man looked to him and sighed while rubbing the temples of his head.
"Listen, you know that Yuuichiro isn't completely human… he's a member of Moon Demon Company, the same squad as your sister… he's a Black Demon Series Curser, and he's a Psychometric user. What else is there to know?" he probed. Shinya narrowed his eyes at the coy manner of his friend's speech.
"Dammit Guren! Don't tell me you haven't bothered to tell them," Shinya stated.
"Tell them what exactly?" Guren lifted the paper back up. Shinya stood, slamming his hands upon the man's desk.
"Why haven't you told Yuuichiro and Mikaela about the Seraph of the End?" he queried as the other glanced down.
"I haven't because it would be better for them to not know about the experimentations…for now, both those boys believe that their humans with special talents like some of the others within the Army; however, that's not the case…" Shinya sat down, looking at the floor as he listened.
"All of us who were there that day know the truth about Yuu and Mika… we know that their actually the Seraphs that Kureto had been searching for… we even know about when Yuu lost control that time… but you don't want to let them know that they've been experimented on? Or about who the Hyakuya-Kyou were? What having those last names could mean?" the blonde asked. Guren sighed as he looked at Shinya.
"Shinya, do you remember what we found out after getting their birthdates?" the blonde looked to the side.
"What did you find out?"
"Those boys… Hyakuya isn't their last names… well not originally…"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, that's a name they took on. Their real names are…."
"We decided to hide the fact that Shindo and Amane were their original last names….that way none of the Army could track them back to the sect…the same one their parents were probably part of," stated Shinya as he looked at the other.
"Right, for now though; both those boys cannot know the truth about who they really are or their pasts….otherwise….it could harm them….and the others that are part of their family now." The blonde-haired man took in a deep breath.
"Fine, I'll trust your judgement for now," he said.
{….}
From your halo….
{…}
Author's Note: More day-in-the-life stuff in this chapter, and yes, I know there is some rehashing of conversations here and details; however, there is a reason for that and I hope that you guys take that information into consideration, plus that conversation in the café had to happen for Kimizuki to have that spastic moment. In the next chapter, we'll be meeting a certain someone whose missing from our group as of current. Well, let me know what you think.
Sincerely,
ShadowDragon94
Chapter 12: Subsequent