Chapter 5: Kagune & Feathers
{Streets of Tokyo: November 20th, 2020, 11:34pm}
"So, you can heal people?" asked Hide as he walked along the street beside Yuuichiro.
"Yea, why? Is there something wrong with that?" the blonde shook his head.
"Nope, I think it's kinda cool. Being able to save lives like that," Hide stated as Yuu glanced away.
"I wouldn't exactly call that cool… it's a pretty big burden to be honest." Mika watched them as Nishiki sighed.
"Well, I thought it was pretty impressive how you managed to patch us all up with just touch. So, what else can you do?" he inquired as they continued to walk closer to the First Ward. Emerald-eyes glanced down at the question.
"I can heal people, and I do have an ability that allows me to copy off something and then use its power for myself… but it only works once, so when I copied: I got stuck with what it transferred to me." Kimi moved towards him, a smile upon her face.
"What's that?" she asked.
"I copied off a Noble vampire… the one who killed our family. So, I've had to get used to some of the vampiric tendencies and traits; however, I'm doing okay in that department… Mika is the same way." Touka rose an eyebrow.
"So, your vampires?" she inquired.
"No! We're normal… well… kind of…" Guren sighed.
"Nice to see that all of you have gotten so close in this life-threatening experience," he stated. Yuuichiro narrowed his eyes.
"You know, you don't have to be a complete jackass about everything." The man shrugged.
"Well, someone has to keep everyone warm with all that hot air I guess," stated Yoichi. Sayuri started to giggle as Guren frowned.
"What kind of hearing does this kid have again? Are you sure you're not a Psychometric user that's been masquerading as a Sentry?" the brunette smiled.
"Me? Nope, nu-uh…" Guren huffed and started to walk a bit ahead.
"Why is it that all of my kids have to be little imps? Well… there is one that's more impish than others…" the Lieutenant Colonel looked to Yuuichiro who was keeping a sharp eye out on their surrounding area. The boy's irises were electric-green and his pupils slitted into a feline-like manner.
Since he had started training with his gifts and abilities, the boy had become a very skilled fighter, a remarkable warrior, and even more so; the boy he'd found in the snow, weakly trying to keep them away from his wounded brother, had become a strong, incredible, wonderful, and loyal comrade to his team and had admittedly become part of his family. Guren smiled as he fell into pace with Mika who was also looking around on high alert. Both boys that he had found in the snow that day in January, four years ago, had grown into two people that Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose Guren could be proud of. He sighed, smiling a bit as he reached out and ruffled the two-boy's hair before he walked ahead of the group. The two paused, momentarily dumbfounded before looking towards each other before shrugging as they started to walk again.
"Say, Lieutenant Colonel? Where is our destination as of right now?" asked Goshi as he walked beside Ayato and Akane.
"Ward Four, in that location, is where we'll start to get to the center of Tokyo City….and the Tenth Progenitor Hans Weisberg." The group nodded at the man's statement.
"That's all fine and good Lieutenant Colonel, but do you know what resides in each of the four remaining wards?" inquired Cho. Guren glanced to her.
"Who are you?" she smiled.
"I go by Cho out on the battlefield; however, my actual name is Fueguchi Hinami. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Lieutenant Colonel," she stated as she held out her hand and he shook it.
"Same to you Cho. Now, I heard from Irimi that you had a bit of a close call earlier." She nodded.
"I did, but the boy with the bow…he saved me," she said as she looked back to Yoichi who flushed a bit.
"Awh, your blushing!" the boy glared at Shinoa.
"Young love… now… have you introduced yourself to the lovely maiden you saved?" asked Guren. Yoichi stared at him in shock as Cho walked towards him. The group watched as the girl smiled from under her mask and held out her hand as if to thank him.
"My name is Fueguchi Hinami…thank you for saving my life…" the boy flushed, and swallowed thickly before shakily taking her hand.
"I'm Saotome Yoichi….and it was my pleasure, Fueguchi-chan…." The girl flushed before shaking her head, the others watching in bemusement at the interaction between the two of them.
"No, don't call me that…Hinami is fine!" she said with a faint squeak to her voice as the older Ghouls watched the two of them alongside Yoichi's teammates. Yuu and Mika shared a look while Shinoa and Mitsuba did the same. It was fairly apparent to the older teenagers that the youngest two from both of the groups were slightly curious about one another.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"emerald eyes glanced to sapphire ones.
"Yup… looks like love to me…." Muttered Mika. Yoichi and Hinami looked to the older teenagers and then to one another as their faces turned red from the collarbones up.
"W-What?! No, it's not!" stated Yoichi.
"Awh! But, you're so cute together!" Shinoa's giggle had Yoichi looking down in defeat as Yuu glanced to him.
"Its fine Yoichi, we're just teasing you. A little humor to keep the morale up, okay?" he asked as the brunette frowned and then glanced to Hinami.
"Sorry, they get like this sometimes…" she shook her head.
"No, it's fine. Your friends are really sweet," she said with a smile. Mika walked to Yoichi and put an arm around him.
"Actually, this group is a family… like your group is." She looked to Guren who nodded alongside his Unit.
"That's good…we need families in this world," Hinami stated.
"But, you see… it's not just us anymore… all twenty persons standing here right now, are part of the same family. We'll stand together and bring down this Progenitor and we'll get everything back in Tokyo. Promise, Hinami."
The girl looked into emerald eyes and felt warmth flood her as she realized that Kaneki's words about the black-haired, green-eyed boy, was one-hundred-percent true. The girl moved towards Yuuichiro and wrapped her arms around his waist as Yoichi smiled while the girl hugged his friend and the others stared in moderate surprise. Mika smiled a bit as those from the Moon Demon Company recalled the calming ability that the black-haired sixteen-year-old had on people.
"Thank you… for making us part of your family, Hyakuya-sempai…" the girl used formal speech as she closed her eyes and held onto him.
"You can just call me Yuu…. don't really care about formal titles. But what I said and what everyone else here has said is true: your family now, so we'll always protect you and the others from Anteiku. So, come on…let's not waste any more time…the others are waiting on us to clear the Noble so that we can get the city back…we can't do it without all of you." Guren smiled as he watched the fifteen-year-old girl step back and rub her eyes before glancing to his youngest brat with a watery smile.
"Okay, I can do that… thank you… Yuu…" she said as he placed a hand upon her head in a kind manner before glancing to Yoichi.
"He's kind… and gentle… but strong and protective… like Kaneki is…"
"Guren, we need the details on the remaining four wards." Hinami looked at the black-haired boy and smiled as she came to stand by Yoichi. The man smirked and looked the group of nineteen before him over.
"Right, well, after that touching scene of affection and morale boost…let's get back to the task at hand, shall we?" he stated as Yuuichiro frowned and Yoichi flushed a bit alongside Hinami.
"So, what do we need to know?" Guren looked to Shigure.
"If you will…" she nodded and pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket.
"According to the map that Hebi and Kuro-Usagi…" Mika looked to her.
"Actually, its Nishiki Nishio and Kirishima Ayato," he clarified. She nodded.
"Fine, well… after what Nishiki and Ayato gave us the map, we did a quick survey and discovered what is nesting in the last three wards surrounding the First Ward." She held up a piece of paper and showed them the map that outlined the areas and were marked.
"The light gray-zone is the Fourth Ward, and is a nest full of werewolves, it's their territory, and is dangerous, but is just like the other three surrounding wards that circle the First Ward: they're a security system…" the others looked the map over.
"So, if the Fourth ward is full of werewolves, why not go through the Third Ward?" questioned Mitsuba as she looked to the others and then back at the map in Shigure's hand.
"The Third Ward is full of Tyrant Horsemen-of-John. It's also their nest; therefore, doing something like that would-be a near death sentence." The group nodded as Mika looked the map over, observing the colored zones.
"Then, the way we have to go is through the Fourth Ward and then through the Second Ward…but what's there?" Guren smirked.
"An army of wild Ghouls and Chimera of all types and sizes. That'll be what's awaiting us in the Second Ward… think you can handle it?" he asked. Yuuichiro smirked a bit.
"Challenge accepted…we can take those bastards on with our eyes closed." Mika nodded.
"Between ourselves and the Ghouls of Anteiku, I have no doubt that we can clear the two wards in our way," he stated. Guren nodded as Sayuri bit her lip in concern.
"Good, that's what I like to hear. Now, after the Second Ward is cleared, we have the final showdown: the First Ward, and the stronghold of the Tenth Progenitor." Yuuichiro looked towards Guren who watched them with a calm gaze.
"Then what's our move?" Guren cleared his throat.
"We storm the castle, take out the guards, and kill the Tenth Progenitor Hans Weisberg. He'll be the first in a long line of Noble casualties; however, we do have a strategy we have to stick by to the best of our abilities," he stated.
"Alright, let's hear it then." The man looked to see Kaneki awaiting the answers.
"Right, we're going to need a two-man team system. We're implementing the Six-Guard method; Yuu, Mika, do the two of you remember that from your training days?" Guren inquired. The two boys looked to one another momentarily.
"Well, to be honest, it's where it's a two-person team and they each watch one another's six… or their backs in a combat zone." Mika started and Yuu picked up the rest.
"Though, typically with a large enough group it's a double-tag-system in which there are four people in a single set up and the job is to stay within range in order to watch your other teammate's backs. For instance, if myself, Mika, Kaneki, and Ayato were in a group, I would watch Kaneki's six, while Mika watched Ayato's. That's the sum of it," Yuuichiro stated. Guren nodded his head while he looked towards two of his children.
"Correct. Nice to know that you were actually paying attention in the classes Sayuri taught." The two boys frowned as Akane thought of the situation ahead.
"Guren, my only concern with this plan is if they ambush us and we're split up. I know this team can work well together; however, if we're split from our partner, then…we could start losing people. Remember what you told the group? Six is a golden number, anymore and it gets confusing, any less and we start losing people," she explained. Guren hummed.
"That is true; however, the group standing before me is an exception from that. Akane, you were a seventh member in Osaka, and your unit survived with minimal damages… Kaneki, your group is eight people strong; however, seven of you moved about the most correct? Irimi can assist my unit in this endeavor. The fourteen of you are remarkably capable persons and we'll use the right formations to take down these enemies… now, no more waiting: let's move out!" the group nodded.
"Yes Sir!"
{Fourth Ward: 11:55pm}
The group of twenty headed steadily into the ward, preparing for an ambush as they passed broken down fences and crumbling buildings. The massive holes in the ground and cracked pavement making the terrain relatively hard to navigate. Guren started to keep an eye on the group and made a silent order to Yuu and Mika to keep their senses alert while the Ghouls did the same, making sure to prepare themselves for the attacks that would come. The further they got though, the worse the sense of foreboding became to the point that the group were beginning to think the worst.
Between Guren and Shinya alone the years of experience told them that spreading out their team would be the best move but only to do so when they were attacked. Shinoa stayed near Yuuichiro who had been pared up with her while Mika and Mitsuba had been done the same. The twenty of them had each been given a singular partner to watch their backs in this fight and while it worked, each of them knew there was a chance that they would end up being moved to far from their partner and in those cases: they had a secondary teammate. Shinoa knew this strategy, it worked very well for them; however, she wasn't overly comfortable with facing this mess without more time to be prepared for the fight.
"Where are they?" Yuu glanced around them.
"I just want to let all of you know: if you get bitten by a werewolf I can't heal you of the virus….it binds itself to your genetic structure and I can't relieve you of it," he stated and received a nod from the others.
"Thanks for that spot of sunlight in this situation…." A howl came from the left side of them.
"Their surrounding us," Ayato said.
"Right, be ready to attack!"
The group braced themselves, the first wave of werewolves coming as they began to tangle with them. Yuu and Shinoa jumped away from the fight and turned, slashing through a handful of them while the Ghouls took down another number of the monsters. Mika cartwheeled away, fending off one of the larger ones while Kaneki took down ones to the right of Guren alongside Touka. The first wave was nothing compared to the next ones as they came in larger numbers and were much faster. Nishiki and the others started to feel the strain of the attacks as those of the Moon Demon Company noticed the monsters coming at them were stronger than the previous ones. Guren looked to the group of teenagers and gritted his teeth before glowering.
"If this keeps up, I won't have any choice but to order them too…."
"AHH!" the group turned as one of the wolves pinned Sayuri to the ground as Mitsuba was knocked aside. Mika turned on his heels, crouching as he activated the curse of his weapon and leaped forward to attack. The wolf was sliced into in a matter of seconds as Mika picked up the blonde girl and checked her for any bites or scratches. Yuuichiro dodged a strike before glancing at the wolf as he noticed the claws that just barely missed his head.
"Their claws are metal… they're not the normal ones…." Mika heard the boy's statement as he checked Mitsuba's leg wound from the werewolf's claws.
"The bite is dangerous… not the claws…you're okay Mitsu," said the blonde as he helped her stand. A wolf turned towards him and lunged, causing him to act swiftly as he turned and blocked the attack with a growl.
"Thanks…." Mitsuba summoned her axe and prepared for the next assault.
Guren combated the werewolves headlong, assured that with twenty persons they would fare well against them; however, that had been at the beginning of the fight some twenty minutes ago when the attacks hadn't made them feel as if they were being forced to do battle with gravity itself. Violet-brown eyes looked around the battlefield as he took in the sight of his comrades and family struggling against the beasts as they tried force their way through the hoard. Going into Tokyo, Guren had devised several tactics that he had elected to keep to himself; nonetheless, he had been well aware that at some point he would have no choice but to divulge these plans via direct orders to both the Moon Demon Company and the Anteiku Ghouls.
Looking at their current situation with the werewolves within Ward Four; he was beginning to believe that using one of his first plans would become necessary and that meant asking both Yuuichiro and Mikaela to use their Seraphim forms. The Lieutenant Colonel glanced the two boys over, focusing on their eyes as he did so and noting that the red rim around Yuuichiro's pupils had vanished finally. Taking in a deep breath he looked at their numbers and then at the two boys as he tried to pinpoint how to go about this. If he ordered them to use the Seraph form, there was a chance that he could put the two boys in grave danger by doing so but at the same time, the werewolves could sense the greater predator and start to retreat. Guren gritted his teeth, not knowing what to do at this moment as he blocked the attacks and cut down several of the monsters.
"I've got to do something, or we'll never get to the First Ward… dammit all…" Guren drew in a breath as he was hit in the sternum by one of the wolves and was knocked back, coughing up blood as he did so. The man took in another breath, rattling this time and looked towards the others.
"Damn…." He began to call for Yuuichiro and Mikaela when something stopped him.
"Shinoa! Switch!" two figures started to run towards one another after having been split up on the field.
"Right!"
Most of the people fighting stilled as Shinoa tossed her weapon out in its concealed form and the blade of Asuramaru went sailing into the air. Guren felt his eyes widen as Shinoa caught the katana and slid across the ground, activating the curse as she cut down several of the werewolves while Yuuichiro went above her also activating Shikama-Doji and spinning mid-air to catch the monsters in it as he landed in a crouch and spun the scythe as if it was his own weapon. The others present stared in apparent shock as they tried to take in what was happening while the two teenagers combated the monsters attacking them with each other's weaponry. The Lieutenant Colonel stood, finding a smirk slowly crawling onto his face as he looked at the others who had fended off the werewolves momentarily.
Asuramaru, though in the hands of another activated her curse for Shinoa as if it was a natural thing to deal with as she swung low while Yuuichiro used Shikama-Doji with an instinctive ease and prowess. The group destroyed the next round as the black-haired boy twirled the scythe between his fingers and braced the weapon before him. Mika stared in momentary shock as a werewolf came up behind him and suddenly a large, curved blade sliced the monster in half as the weapon was spun once more and the blonde-haired teen looked into emerald eyes.
"That would be embarrassing for you to be attacked by a werewolf when we're supposed to be the bigger predator. Right?" Mika stood and eyed the weapon in his brother's grasp.
"Yea… but how are you… never mind, we'll talk about it later. Right now, let's put these bad dogs down," Mika said as Fenrir lit up bright blue.
"I feel I need to teach these pups a lesson…."
"I couldn't agree more…"
{….}
Turn away from all that I know…
{…..}
Author's Note: Before anyone rakes me over the coals for letting Shinoa and Yuuichiro swap weapons out let me explain: in chapter 2 of Seraphim Blood: Immortal Reign – Final Synthesis Shinoa states that the only way another person can wield someone else's Cursed Gear is if they have a deep-seated trust in one another. This is why now, Yuu and Shinoa can swap weapons at this point: it's because their lovers and trust one another.
Guren will explain that to those who aren't aware of it later on and as we get deeper into the story you'll probably see more people using this maneuver.
Here's to hoping that you're enjoying the story thus far.
Chapter 6: Moon Demon Company