Chapter 26: Seraphim
A sudden, disturbing chill swirled into the area that caused both human and Vampire to still in the face of what could have possibly come to this battlefield; however, all who were present were certain of one thing, and that, was the sense that this entity was anything but human. Sapphire eyes looked in the direction of where his brother had been thrown earlier, witnessing a sight that terrified him, and he knew, would haunt his dreams for the rest of his life. The black-haired boy had forced himself into a sitting position up, and then steadily struggled, almost mechanically into a standing position, body moving slowly almost like a marionette with half its strings cut. Yuuichiro's form shifted into a half-standing position, shoulders slightly slumped as he slowly took in a few almost silent breaths as those deep green eyes, lifeless as they were looked to Shinoa, tears slipping down her face as Crowley pulled away with blood covering his mouth as the Vampire looked to him in questioning as the boy's left eye's sclera went a shocking blood color, the thick, crimson liquid slipping down his cheek from the socket like a line of tears.
Guren and the others stilled where they stood as the Vampires watched in curiosity whilst the black-haired boy staggered forward, a small, wicked smile came to his features before he stilled, his head tilting backwards as a horrific scream ripped itself from his throat, hands clutching at his head in agony as he crouched over, only for black masses to tare through the back of his uniform, the torrent of shadows that surrounded him vanishing as a sickening crackle rent the air. Wings of bone and decayed black feathers matted in blood and lightly covered with shadows stretched abnormally, causing the stomachs of several of those who witnessed it to twist, bringing nausea to them.
Ferid watched, a smirk upon his face as Mika struggled under the Noble who had lessened his pressure and finally the blonde snatched Fenrir from the ground, swinging it and causing the silver-haired Noble to move away as the blonde shot to his feet, running to his brother who nearly collapsed into his arms while an unnaturally cold fear started to flood the area whilst Mika focused on trying to help his brother, the boy taking in ragged breaths, blood running down from a now blackened socket where his eye had once been.
"Yuu! Hey! Snap out of it!" Mika spoke, pleading with his brother to help him.
"Mikaela, move away from him! NOW!"
However, before Mika could respond to Fenrir's warning, a cold, vice-like grip wrapped around his throat and he was hoisted off the ground, sapphire eyes looking down into empty and cold eyes that only a moment later narrowed at him as he was thrown as though he was a rag doll, causing him to roll across the ground and slam into a chunk of upturned rubble, coughing violently as he took in a deep breath, and a horrible popping sensation and sound came from his rib cage, alerting him to the fact that several of them were broken as he gritted his teeth against the pain, Sayuri coming to his side as the boy coughed, blood coming up as he tried his best to get himself sorted out in order to help as the brunette woman looked to him.
"Mika, your ribs are broken, you need to retreat," she said as the blonde shook his head.
"N-No… I'm the only one who can probably… get him to snap out of it…" Sayuri looked to Guren, the man looking equally worried as the Vampires moved away, leaving the humans as Goshi, Shinya, Mito, and Shigure moved in, grabbing the teenagers and huddling them together as the group looked to Yuuichiro, his body swaying just a fraction as the group watched the Vampires and the teenager not far from them, unsure of what would happen next.
"Well, well… I was wondering if the information was accurate, so… here we are! Standing upon this fine field of battle, and look at whose graced us with their presence!" the others looked to him as Mika slowly got himself onto his knees, using Fenrir to help support himself.
"Ferid? Do you know what this thing is?" Crowley inquired, arms crossed as the silver-haired Vampire laughed.
"Naturally! This beautifully wicked creature, that has graced us with its presence, is none other than one of the Seraphs of the End, now awoken to display their true power! Is that not correct? Black Seraphim, Amane Yuuichiro?"
A sole dull, and crazed green eye locked onto Ferid, black hair hanging in the way of the empty socket. The boy stood upright, and dragged the blade of Asuramaru along the pavement, the sight alone something from hell as the group remained still, fearful of what could happen if they dared to move. Ferid, however, laughed as Shinoa felt the weight of the chain upon her throat bite into her skin with an icy chill as tears welled in her eyes while her tangerine eyes remained upon Yuuichiro who appeared as though he had walked out of hell itself.
"Ahh, so that's what a Seraphim looks like, hmm? Although, I must admit, that's pretty freaky looking," Crowley admitted as he watched the black-haired boy.
Yuuichiro turned his gaze to him, eyes cold as a slight chill of fear curled up Crowley's spine as he blinked, unsure of what to expect as the boy vanished, only for the boy to be in front of him, his sword raised as the red-haired Noble threw his sword up to attempt blocking the attack, but was instead met with a torrent of green fire, which sent him into the nearest building. Burgundy eyes widened in disbelief, Guren realizing all to late that he'd made a grave mistake in how different this was from the last time. Mika staggered to his feet, taking in deep breaths as he tried to move forward, but ended up on his knees again, struggling for air as he looked the area over, trying to find out what he could do to stop his brother, and find a way to end the situation before it got any worse.
However, before he could move, the boy turned his attention to Ferid, attacking as the silver-haired Noble dodged the onslaught of green flames and black winds, which swiftly dismantled the gas station that Yuu, Mika, and Akane had hidden in earlier. Ferid laughed, stepping upon a light post as he watched the chaos unfurling below, he internally admitting that he was fairly spooked by the sheer force and raw power that the black-haired boy expelled, and it would be wise to escape; however, he suspected that it would be more entertaining to watch what would happen next.
"What a horrific monster…" Yuuichiro's attention returned to Ferid, and then went to the others.
The boy's icy green eyes and empty black socket locked onto the others as he started towards them, the others blood going cold as his expression warped in a faintly wicked smile, his body language changing into something more prepared to attack as Mika forced himself to move, crouching down on one knee as he raised his sword, preparing to attack as he considered what was about to happen. While Yuuichiro wasn't fully aware of his actions, Mika knew that he was intending to kill them, and he was in no condition to do anything other than use his knack for being able to read his brother's body language in order to help protect his comrades. He saw the black-haired boy swing his sword back almost over his shoulder, and he turned to the bow user in their group.
"YOICHI! PUT UP A SHIELD NOW!" An attack was sent out and an explosion went off while Guren stared just as the Nobles did. He had made such a horrible mistake, he'd summoned a monster that couldn't be controlled, and the person he'd raised was all but consumed by the darkness within. Now he could only hope someone could wake him up before it was too late.
It was as Yoichi's shield went up that Crowley rejoined the fight, distracting Yuuichiro as the group took in what had just happened. None of them could truly move in the wake of the shock that had just left them as the crashes of the battle between Yuuichiro and Crowley raged around them while Guren eyed the teal-toned aura shield that Yoichi had managed to pull up around them at thankfully the right moment. It had honestly been a miracle that they had even survived the attack, but thankfully Yoichi had used four arrows from Gekkoin into a compass point to stabilize his shield; however, while the shield was up right then, and the Vampires were keeping Yuuichiro busy, they weren't winning against him, and atop that, Ferid had steered clear of the fight with Crowley and the black-haired boy, but how long any of this could last, none of them knew.
"W-What the hell… is that thing?!" Kimizuki asked in confusion as the others watched the scene before them.
"It's like some sort of… demon or something…" the others stared, disbelieving, Akane putting a hand to her mouth.
"It's like Ferid said… it's the Seraph of the End…" Mitsuba looked to the girl.
"That Noble told us that there were four of them, two were for humanity, and two weren't. Is… Yuuichiro…" Guren coughed a bit.
"No, he's not one of the bad ones. I'm certain of that," he stated as Shinoa shot him a glare.
"You knew? Lieutenant Colonel, you were aware of what Yuu was this whole time and didn't think it was right to tell us?!" Mika shook his head.
"Of course, he knew! Even I knew… Sayuri, Shinya, Goshi, Mito, Shigure… they all knew that we're different!" he growled out at the statement, somewhat startling the others as they looked him over.
"Mika, what do you mean?" the blonde looked to them.
"I'm the same… a Seraph of the End… but this, it isn't his fault, right Guren?" he stated as the Lieutenant Colonel took in a deep breath.
"I admit to giving Shinoa a set of pills that were designed to bring out the Seraph trait under certain high states of physical and or emotional duress; however, I didn't expect it to turn out like this." The blonde bared his teeth, visibly bristling.
"Then what the hell did you expect?! Huh? You knew what happened last time, you knew how painful and scarring it was for both of us, so how come you… sought to use it as a weapon?" he asked, voice seeming a bit fragile as he bit back the mixture of physical and emotional pain.
"Mika, we all knew what could happen here, I so… sought the only option available to us that could keep everyone from dying!" the blonde looked to him, glaring as he felt tears well up in his eyes.
"Only option?! You're supposed to be our ally! The one person the two of us can always rely on! But we're not your tools for war, Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose!" he snarled, showing Guren a side to the boy that he hadn't seen in years.
It had been in those days of him recovering from the escape of Sanguneim that he'd seen both Yuuichiro and Mikaela cry, both overwhelmed by all that had happened to them, their survival, their loss, and their own pains and what laid ahead of them. Guren remembered those two twelve-year-old children he and his team plucked out of the snow, both barely alive and broken by the last four years of existing on the edge of a sword, strung along by the whims of monsters, and forced to live in something that was nothing short of hell. For the first time in nearly four years, he saw one of those children, in the blonde-haired boy that had tears in his eyes because he felt betrayed, because he doubted what to believe at this point, and Guren knew, he'd let both of them down.
"I'm sorry… I know I made a grave mistake, and I own up to it… but its not the same as last time." The blonde reared back, nailing the man across the face.
"The fuck its not! Look at him! you should have known it would develop with age, just like our gifts did and not forced it out of him! He's my brother, and you… you've made him suffer for your own gain, this is your fault!" Guren looked to the boy.
"I know… I was counting on you being able to wake him up… but he just slung you away like you were nothing. It's the opposite of what he did the first time," he said as he glanced to Mika, the boy covered in wounds, dirt, and blood stains.
"Then what do we do? Does he not even recognize us?" Guren looked to the teenagers.
"He's under the influence of his own power; which is uncontrollable, because he's never practiced with it… hell, none of us are even sure how he could, seeing as prior to this, there's only been one time that this transformation happened. What we need to do now is find a way to wake him up," he explained.
"The thing is, Yuuichiro has a remarkable power, Mikaela is the same way, and we were aware of this, but I doubt anyone could have foreseen that – "Kimizuki looked to Shinya.
"He'd become a homicidal monster?" he questioned.
"Basically, but right now we've got bigger problems." Akane looked the others over, biting into her lip to the point that blood bubbled to the surface.
"This can be fixed, but we've got to figure out how to do so," Akane stated.
"Alright, but how?" Guren looked at the group before him, knowing that once this entire mess was over, he would have to tell the full details of what was happening.
"Affection and closeness to another is what they need. If we're going to get closer to him, we need to send someone whose got a close bond with him," he stated.
"So, someone who actually loves them has to stop them? Is that the only way to bring him to their senses?" Guren nodded.
Right, it's the only way to do it that we know of," he answered as Mitsuba looked at the man.
"But he tossed Mika away like he was a ragdoll, and even hurt him!" Yoichi looked to the others.
"Do you think it would work with Akane?" he probed as Akane shook her head.
"No, I doubt that would work with me, because I'm a Vampire. He may feel that I'm more of a threat."
"Then, what do we do?" asked Mitsuba.
Shinoa took in a deep breath as she pulled the silver chain and ring out of her uniform collar, taking in the sounds of the fight around her as her mind and heart conflicted with one another, as she tried to reason what she could do. Was she going to lose him? What was going to happen to him? What about the others? What would happen if she chose to go out there and stop him? Tangerine eyes closed, tears burning as she took a chance to gather herself up, anxiety being placed aside as Shinoa steadied herself as she prepared to make a choice.
"Mistress, if you truly love this creature, show him those affections with all your heart."
The voice of Shikama-Doji came through to her as her eyes snapped open, tears slipping down her cheeks as she quickly wiped them away, knowing that her Demon had been right. The periwinkle-haired girl deactivated her scythe, and tucked it away, the others watching stilled in confusion as she took in a few deep breaths, preparing herself for what she was about to do.
"Shinoa? What's the matter? "asked Mika as he looked to the girl.
"I made a promise to Yuu that I would come back from this mission alive, and he promised me that as well. We made a promise to one another, and I'm going to make sure we keep it. So, Yoichi, I need you to open the shield and I'm going to snap him out of this." The girl stood up, taking in another deep breath as she prepared to exit the shield.
"Are you sure? I mean, your – "the girl kept her eyes forward.
"Yes, I love him too much to let him continue to suffer like this… so open the shield!" Shinoa demanded.
"Do it, we'll have your back." The girl nodded, and Yoichi dropped the shield.
The second the shield disappeared, Shinoa took off running, faster than she ever had in her entire life. Her mind focused on what she had to do as she kept her gaze upon Yuu as he fought against Crowley, Ferid going down to attack Guren and the others who quickly retaliated as Shinoa kept running, drawing Shikama-Doji, her heart pounding painfully against her ribs as the silver ring thumped against the front of her uniform. Shinoa dodged an attack from a Vampire and swung, slicing through them with her scythe before she jumped, doing a cartwheel before she landed in a crouch and kept running, Akane watching the girl as she fought against the other Vampires, knowing that they had to keep them off the girl until this was over, she only hoped that Shinoa had the strength to make her brother realize what was happening and control himself.
"I'm scared, but I trust myself, and my friends. We're going to succeed, and we're all going home, I don't care what these Vampires think!" Shinoa thought as she turned on her heels, cutting through one of the white-clad enemies before she jumped, landing in a crouch as she prepared to keep running.
Shinoa wondered momentarily why she had chosen to become so bold and brave, when she honestly wasn't as courageous as some may have thought she was. When it came to things between her and Yuu, she had felt emblazoned by the memories of the person she knew him to be, and that alone gave her enough strength to try and save him. Yet in reality, she wondered if it was possible she did this because she knew someone had to step forward? Because she knew there was no need to hide what she felt for him?
No, the reality of the situation was that simply put, anyone who was given a single chance - no matter how slim it was - to save someone they loved, they wouldn't hesitate. They would put everything on the line if it meant one more day with their loved ones, even if the risk of their own death was great, those who truly cared for those closest to them would do it, because in the end, when the opportunity to bring someone back from the brink of self-destruction was placed before them, just by showing them how much they truly loved them, how unbearable the world would be without them, just by calling out to them, no one would dare to hesitate.
Right now, this was Shinoa's one chance, and she wouldn't dare to squander it. She was going to bring him back, no matter how painful or daunting it could be, it would all be worth it just to hear his voice and see his smile after today. Shinoa felt her heart pounding wildly in her chest, breath quickening as the black-haired boy tangled with not one but two Vampire Nobles who were easily being outdone by him. It showcased how unnaturally superior a Seraphim was to a mere Vampire, and she didn't doubt to even humans, with the unbridled, feral, and oppressive strength and aura that came from the black-haired boy, his icy gaze locked onto the blue-haired female Noble as he grabbed her by her hair, throwing her aside as if she was nothing whilst a wild hiss came from him when Crowley tried to combat him, but failed as an attack was sent out that threw the Noble away as if he was mere paper being blown in the winds. The boy stumbled a bit, bangs shadowing his eyes as Shinoa stood in place, her weapon vanishing into its concealed form as she pocketed it, having crouched to avoid the attack that had blown the ribbon from her hair, leaving it to fall around her face as she stared at the boy who had now turned his attention to her.
The sound of his sword being dragged over the rubble-ridden ground beneath him captured her attention, fear lacing through Shinoa as she stared into those dead, soulless eyes. Those eyes had always been full of fire, passionate about the choices made, alight with courage, strength, a flicker of intelligence that laid beneath the surface of a sarcastic, short-tempered person who also possessed a spark of mischief, and was full of adoration for those Yuuichiro counted as family and comrades. It had been his eyes that had started to capture Shinoa's heart, everything she saw in them, and what she knew this remarkable person could do if given the chance. Now, instead of giving her strength, they made her feel weak, having been drained of everything that she loved about those sharp emerald eyes, leaving only a cold, bleak, darkness in their wake.
Shinoa took in a deep breath, she wanted him back, she wanted to tell him that it was okay to stop fighting, and that she was here for him. however, whatever strength and ambition she had possessed arriving to Yuuichiro, quickly fled her in the face of seeing those haunting eyes. The boy raised his sword at her, tears welling in her eyes as she tried to speak, but her tongue was languid in her mouth, refusing to move so she could call out to him. tangerine eyes stared as she prepared for the strike of Asuramaru's blade, but it never came as a pained hiss left the person who had suddenly jumped in front of her; their white and black attire revealing to Shinoa that it had been Akane who had taken the brunt of the blade, which had pierced her abdomen.
"Akane!" the girl shook her head.
"Don't do it Yuu! Please! Think about what your doing!" the brunette girl pleaded as he leaned in closer to her, the black socket remaining locked on Shinoa as a flush of ash came from Akane's wound and she coughed up blood, her hands gripping the blade to keep it from piercing her further and to keep Yuuichiro from removing it to get at Shinoa.
"God! Akane! That's a Cursed Gear! You have to run or he'll – "the girl gritted her teeth against the pain.
"Stay focused Shinoa, you have to bring him to his senses, no matter what it takes," she stated as more ash flushed from the wound.
"Get out of the way… vampire bitch." The two girls felt fear coil through them as the guttural, and sinister sound of the black-haired boy's voice reached their ears, this being the first thing he'd uttered since the start of the transformation.
"No…" brown eyes looked to the periwinkle-haired girl.
"Die… sinners, usurpers of the world… must die!"
"Yuu! Don't do it!"
Shinoa didn't think twice when she ran around Akane and gripped the boy around the waist, causing a horrific screamed to rip itself from his throat the second she touched him as the others stared onward while Shinoa struggled against the boy as he tried to pull her off him. with every attempt to make her let go, her grip on him tightened, causing the two of them to tumble painfully to the ground as Asuramaru was discarded, and Shinoa was pinned by the boy's arms, fanged teeth being bared at her in a demonic sound growl as his eyes narrowed while she struggled against his grasp which was now tightly clasped around her throat, choking the air from her lungs as tears welled in her eyes and her heart hammered against her chest, mind becoming frantic as she struggled for a breath against his vice-like grip.
"You… promised me… you would come… back whole…" Akane looked to them, holding a hand to her wound as Shinoa reached up for him, pulling him down by the front of his uniform as best she could against his strength.
"Shinoa!" Mika kept the others from coming closer, not knowing what would happen. The girl was risking her life to save someone she loved, and despite the threat of her death looming overhead, she smiled, small and brittle as tears slipped down her cheeks as Shinoa pushed against the grip around her throat, pulling herself closer to him as he tightened his grip to the point that bruises she knew were forming and blackness was creeping into her vision.
"So, I intend to keep our promise! No matter… what…" the girl's lips trembled as she struggled for air.
"Mika!" called Mitsuba.
"Please, let us by!"
"He's going to kill her! You idiot!" Kimizuki snapped as Shinoa locked eyes with the black-haired boy.
"WAKE UP YUU! PLEASE!" Shinoa screamed with all the breath left in her body, stunning the boy momentarily, which gave her a split second to act.
Without hesitation, she leaned up, and kissed him, instantly feeling the sharp sting of his teeth ripping into the flesh of her lip as she flinched in pain and the others stared, shocked by her action as tears slipped down her cheeks, the first kiss the two of them shared tasting like blood and salt. Despite that though, it caused a warmth unlike anything she'd felt before to spread throughout her body, anxiety easing as the grip upon her throat laxed significantly, until his hands were left to fall to her shoulders as Shinoa pulled him closer, kissing him as she prepared for what could happen once she stopped. Slowly, she pulled away, opening tearful eyes as she stared into dazed emerald eyes while the boy swayed as he coughed up a large amount of black tar-like liquid before collapsing against her, causing Shinoa to wrap her arms around him, feeling the tremors of his body as he took in unsteady breaths.
"Yuu… it's okay, you don't have to fight anymore, I'm here," she said as the others felt their bodies relax just a fraction.
"Oh, how sweet! You two can die together."
"SHINOA RUN!"
However, just as Shinoa's gaze met Crowley's she was given an unnatural sense of an icy chill overpowering her as Mika stood between her, Yuu and the Vampire, eyes glowing an icy blue as he bared fanged teeth at the Vampire. With the flicker of his blade, he turned the Noble away from them, sending him sliding back and into a crouch as he took in struggling breaths, his broken ribs making the motions difficult.
"I don't think so! You're not laying a hand on my family ever again you blood sucking scum!" Mika snarled as Crowley stared at the boy and only a moment later he sent out another powerful attack while Shinoa remained where she was, the others coming to her aid while Guren and his team handled a few of the others.
Ferid hummed as he watched the situation before them, seeing that Crowley was prepared to still fight; however, their forces were all but decimated, the Moon Demon Company was still more than capable of fighting as they were currently, and to top it off, he wasn't sure what would happen. He watched as not a moment later though, Chess, the blue-haired Noble female attacked Mika directly, and Crowley came around, breaking through the other's defenses as he went after Shinoa and Yuuichiro, but was given quite a surprise as a torrent of emerald fire greeted him, and the black-haired boy curled protectively over Shinoa, moving to put her behind him as Crowley lunged forward, and Yuuichiro roared, swiping at him with elongated nails, leaving a horrible, bubbling gash across the bridge of the red-haired Noble's nose and cheeks, causing him to fall back as the boy tumbled forward, the periwinkle-haired girl holding him upright as he coughed up more of the black liquid.
"Lord Crowley! Are you alright?" asked Chess as Yoichi prepared to fire.
"You fucking monster! I'll rip your heart out for scaring his face!" Crowley raised his hand up at Hornd's outrage.
"No, he's still got some fight in him… he's not even in full transformation anymore, and he's still capable of inflicting some pretty nasty damage. Ferid? What do you suggest?" he asked, the wound on his face pouring blood as Yuu kept his blurring vision on the Nobles.
"Hmm, I guess we have no choice but to retreat. Its only us and a handful of others left, and the Moon Demon Company will probably have reinforcements coming any moment now." The red-haired Noble nodded.
"Agreed, we should depart," he stated.
"What?! But he just scarred your face!" Chess looked to her blonde friend.
"We don't even know the extent of his powers as one of these Seraphs, and what did he just burn or cut you with? Acid?" Crowley hummed.
"Come now Chess, Hornd, we all know when to admit defeat. Besides, I don't want that scary monster lurking inside dear Yuuichiro to surface after that pretty little girl of his subdued it. We must take our leave from Shinjuku," Ferid said as he vanished, the others going on alert as Chess and Hornd followed while Crowley looked to Yuu, Shinoa, Mika, and Akane who had all clustered together.
"Perhaps we're not entirely aware of what you are, but I will admit this, you've done a very good job of masking yourselves amongst humans… for being monsters with their faces and all. Until next time, little Seraphs." With that the red-haired Noble was gone and Shinoa turned her attention to the black-haired boy.
"Yuu?" she asked as he shakily tried to move.
"Bastards… we're…" the boy fell forward, being caught by Mika who let out a sigh of relief as he managed to keep his brother from hitting the ground with his injuries. Guren moved towards the others as everyone clustered together, crouching down as Akane took in a deep breath, holding her wounds.
"Thank God, it's over," she muttered.
"Yea… that was one hell of a fight all of you put up. I'm proud of your progress as members of the Moon Demon Company," Guren stated as Mika gave a half-hearted chuckle, the bruising and breaks in his ribs making it difficult to keep his breathing regular.
"Let me take the homicidal pipsqueak, okay Hyakuya? You've got enough to deal with on your own." The blonde looked to Kimizuki and slowly nodded, allowing him to position Yuu on his back.
"Can we go home now?" Yoichi asked, tears of exhaustion building in his eyes. He, like the others were so utterly spent they could barely handle standing at this point, let alone anything else, besides, all of them had concerns when it came to the three siblings with them.
"What about Akane?" Guren smiled.
"She'll be coming with us. Goshi? Can you hand her your jacket to keep her uniform covered until we can get her wounds dressed and get her a change of clothes?" he inquired as the blonde man nodded and gave the girl his jacket, allowing her to keep it tugged around herself as she took in a few deep breaths.
"Thank you, for helping me." Sayuri smiled.
"Don't worry about it, the twelve of us will keep you safe, Akane. You're home now," she stated.
"Exactly, now, let's round up a couple cars and get our asses home." Akane closed her eyes momentarily.
"Home… I'm going home."
{….}
From your halo, I won't let go…
{….}
Author's Note: Thank God! Shinjuku's arc is now officially complete! We begin our reprieve and recovery arc, people getting to learn some fun facts and new experiences alongside much more! Let me know what you think!
Sincerely,
ShadowDragon94.