Chapter 10: Firelight End

{Tokyo City: Ward One: Battle Arena, November 21st, 2020, 6:56am}

"What do you mean your Gift?! That's impossible!" snapped Guren as he stood, just ahead of Yuuichiro, Mika, and Kaneki who were also out of the cage with him.

"Oh, on the contrary, it is quite possible for Vampires and other creatures to possess Gifts, take Kaneki there… he may not have known it, but he carries the Gift known as Pensive… the ability to read emotions, and to some extent the thoughts of those around him… his is quite powerful, actually, for someone who is untrained with it." All eyes went to the Ghoul who glared at the monster before him.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" he growled.

"Well, it doesn't matter I suppose… the four of you and your friends are about to die…" the four tensed.

"Like hell we are!" snapped Mika as he locked eyes with the Noble.

"Ah, seems that you still have some spirit in you, so… let me see it…" the Vampire drew his sword and dashed forward, causing Mika to activate Fenrir to block it as he was tossed back, skidding to a halt just a bit past his brother who had tightened his grip upon his sword.

To most, four people facing off against one, would have seemed like an unfair fight; however, when dealing with a Noble Vampire, who was impossibly strong, four people would be enough to only potentially allow their survival. Kaneki's Rinkaku Kagune flexed a bit before the Ghoul took off after the Vampire, jumping between his strikes towards the humans behind him as the white-haired Ghoul fought the Noble with all the ferocity he could muster. Guren eyed him and then his two boys who were bracing for an attack, awaiting a moment to jump in to help Kaneki who dodged an attack and then rolled out of the way, the Kagune flaring out behind him to keep him balanced as he landed in a crouch.

The Lieutenant Colonel eyed the Ghoul as he took in ragged breaths, showing his exhaustion as he tightened his grip on his sword before looking at the other two who nodded, their eyes lighting up in shock, glowing tones as Yuuichiro took in a deep breath and darted forward, moving at a quick pace as he locked blades with the Vampire who smirked as he tried to throw him off, but kept being matched by the boy who kept the speed up as Guren nodded to Mika who came in and started to make strikes between his brothers while the Lieutenant Colonel and the Ghoul came from behind, attempting to surround the Noble. Weisburg smiled in a cruel manner, turning on his heel as he jumped and knocked the man in the head, shoving the Ghoul off as Guren went tumbling across the way while Kaneki rolled backwards, landing on his front as he felt the sharp pain in his side that told him several of his ribs were broken as he looked at the black-haired man just across from him.

"Show me…" Weisburg said as he nailed Yuuichiro in the abdomen and grabbed Mika mid swing, before tossing him away before he grabbed the emerald-eyed boy by his hair before flinging him across the way, the sixteen-year-old making contact with the wall for the second time that night.

"Yuu!" Shinoa called to him as he struggled to get out of the dent he'd made, blood running down the corner of his mouth as he took in a ragged breath.

"Show me true power!" the Noble stated as Kaneki came back to him only for him to be knocked in the head as he was sent tumbling, the Kagune managing to block him from being thrown to far as he hissed, feeling more of his bones break from the force of the throw.

"Shit…" Guren got to his feet.

"Guren! Use me, please… don't just try and fight it alone!" the man took in a deep breath.

"Ensnare the weak… Spider's Web!" a whirlwind of black-hair-like tendrils swept the way as Guren released the secondary possession of his Demon while a sharp curl of the black hair strung itself around the place, putting the Vampire at the center as the other three took in a deep breath.

"Call forth the hunters of the wild! Wolf Song!" Mika called forth Fenrir as a gust of silver ash and blue ice coated the web, forming the sound of a wolf's howl echoing off them and causing the Vampire Noble to hiss as the noise of a bow being drawn came to the other's attention from within the cage as an arrow was loosed, knocking the blade out of the Noble's hand.

"Yuu! Kaneki! Now!" Guren looked to them as the white-haired Ghoul nodded, fanning out his Kagune as he rushed forward to catch the Noble from the ground while Yuuichiro got to his feet and held his sword out.

"Fan out! Asura Canon!" the red-glowing swords spread outwards.

"Saikō!" the raw blades shot through the area, aiming to pierce the Vampire through the top half of its body as the boy rushed forward, using his Psychometry Gift to keep up with the Ghoul at his side as Guren kept the blade of his weapon posed just thus to make sure the Vampire couldn't move as Yoichi remained in focus, preparing to loose another arrow. Mika kept his sword risen, the resonating noise vibrating through the strings in hopes of keeping the Vampire not only immobile, but stunning him with the soundwaves coming off of Fenrir from its secondary attack.

"It's over!" the two boys just about made contact with the Noble when he looked up.

"Pathetic!" in a sweep of power, the others were thrown backwards, being tossed as though they were rag-dolls and strewn about as the Vampire Noble dispersed their attacks, and then, picked his sword up.

"That's impossible! Those attacks are some of the strongest they have!" Mitsuba spoke her thought aloud as the Noble laughed.

"I'm not a fool, little girl… I know for a fact that the Lieutenant Colonel has stronger attacks than that, as does that Ghoul… and as for those two boys… maybe a little initiative is all they lack…"

The Noble disappeared, his speed sending him in a blur towards Yuuichiro who took in a deep breath as he held his sword up, Asuramaru hissing at him within his mind as the Noble swatted the blade away and grabbed the boy by his throat. The others began to panic as the Noble picked the boy up, causing him to grab the monster's arm to keep him from strangling him. Guren struggled to his feet, spitting out blood as he grabbed his sword and Kaneki started to get up as well while the Tenth Progenitor looked into the boy's emerald eyes.

"Show me what you and your brother can really do… Seraph of the End," he stated as the boy felt his eyes widen.

"You…" the Noble smirked.

"Yes, I am well aware of what you are, Amane Yuuichiro… and I am well aware of what power lies… "the Vampire caressed his cheek, causing him to snap his eyes shut as the beast in human skin brushed his bangs from his face.

"Within your body… so show me… what it really looks like… or, do I need to force it out of you?" he questioned, leaning in just a fraction as the boy began to quiver in his grip.
"LEAVE HIM THE FUCK ALONE!"

The Vampire turned in time to catch a sharp kick coming from Mika who had used his Psychometric Gift to give his attack better momentum as the Vampire grabbed his ankle and looked to him while Yuuichiro opened his panicked eyes to look at his brother while the Noble rose an eyebrow.

"That's the best you've got? White Seraphim?" the vampire twisted his hand and a sickening snap came from the blonde's leg, causing him to scream in pain as he was thrown back, hitting the ground with a sharp thud as Guren came to his aid and Kaneki bared his teeth at the Noble, preparing to strike.

"I'm a little disappointed, the only ones who have been catching my interest all this time were the two seraphim and Kaneki here… but none of you can put up much of a fight… so, I suspect I'll have to force that side of you out, won't I? Amane?" Weisburg inquired as he tightened his grip just a fraction around the boy's throat.

"Fuck… you!" the Vampire rose an eyebrow.

"Now, is that anyway for an angel to speak? I know you're fallen, but that doesn't change the fact that you are technically still of angelic heritage," he stated as he reached forward, caressing the boy's cheek again as he smiled, playing with the ends of his hair just a fraction as Mika glared at him, the pain in his leg starting to numb as his aggression began to take the better of his mind and judgment.

"Leave him alone Weisburg! I'm warning you!" Guren snapped as the Noble rose an eyebrow.

"And what can you do exactly? If I chose to, I could just snap his neck and be done with it, but I want some enjoyment out of this evening… while watching all of you struggle, and putting up a front for my servants was entertaining for a while, it has become tiresome and dull… but the look in this boy's eyes… it's intoxicating. I see all those emotions in those stunning eyes of yours… and I want to see what other things I can see in them… if I persuade that other half of you to come out to play…" Mika ground his teeth together, memories from eight years ago ringing within his mind as he heard the words of the Vampire.

He had no question about what the monster was planning, and he knew that there was nothing he could do but fight if he was to prevent another nightmare from returning to the waking world as he hissed, his body protesting as he stood, his leg sending sharp pains through his entire form as he grabbed Fenrir who encased his leg in a chain of ice to block the pain. The tendril-like chain wrapped from his ankle up to his hip, dulling the unbearable ache there as the blonde took in a deep breath while Weisburg smiled in a sick fashion at the black-haired boy as he grabbed the boy by his hair, tilting his head back to make a move to bite his throat. In that instance, an icy pain shot through his abdomen and he looked down before turning around to see a shard of ice had pierced him and the blonde-haired boy stood there, his hand out stretched as he kept his gaze hidden by his bangs, a blank expression upon his face.

"Well… I wasn't inspecting this," stated Weisburg as the others stared at the scene of Mika having just casted some kind of attack without his weapon.

"Let… him… go!" the boy's voice had a feral sound to it, somewhat startling the others as Guren looked at the boy and Yuuichiro opened his once closed eyes.

"M-Mika?" white wings spread out behind the boy, ice-blue ends shining in a metallic sheen as a faint gold tone appeared upon the tips of the blue-toned feathers, seeming to be a fade of sapphire to golden hues like the sun and the sky as the boy ground his teeth together, revealing sharpened canines as he tightened his grip upon Fenrir.

"Oh… so the White Seraph makes the first move… fine then… catch!"

Yuuichiro let out a startled yelp as he was thrown towards his brother who rushed forward, catching him mid-air before sliding across the ground, the two of them huddled together as the black-haired boy coughed a few times, feeling bruises forming along his throat as Mika looked to him as Weisburg looked between the two of them and the two others not far from them.

"Are you alright?" Mika asked as Yuu coughed a few more times, getting his lungs to relax now that he could breathe properly.

"I'll be fine… what about you?" the blonde looked to his leg, it was painful, but he had endured far worse pains than this, just as his brother had. He kept his arms around the other who looked into his eyes, seeing the same darkening of the sclera that Mika had seen in his own eyes earlier that night.

"Don't worry about me, okay? Right now, we've got to stop this bastard," Mika stated as he let the other down and the black-haired boy eyed him before nodding.

"Right… any ideas?" Yuuichiro crouched by his brother's side, trying to form a plan as Kaneki spread out his Kagune and Guren fixed his grip upon his sword.

"A few… the main one being fighting him as a Seraph instead of a human," Mika said in a low tone as the emerald-eyed boy looked to him.

"That's probably the only thing that'll help… but as long as he has the others… he has control… who knows what he'll do to them if he starts losing…" the blonde nodded.

"True… our best bet is probably going to be getting them out first," he told him as the other glanced to the group.

"Mika? Can you buy me and Kaneki a few moments?" he questioned.

"I can, but… what are you planning?" the black-haired boy took in a deep breath.

"We're dividing our forces…" the blonde met his brother's gaze, seeing an emotion he rarely saw in those sharp emerald orbs: fear. The boy was undoubtedly scared of what this fight could result in, and the older boy was certain that the boy was spooked still by his close encounter with the Tenth Progenitor's sadistic intentions, but he knew that Yuuichiro wouldn't let his fear get the better of him, and thus, he took in a deep breath and nodded.

"Alright… let's go!"

The two of them broke off, rushing towards the other two as Mika crouched near Guren, giving him a swift answer as Kaneki nodded, looking to Yuuichiro who only glanced his way and then the four-people darted away from one another, causing the Noble to raise an eyebrow as Mika and Guren came to him from his left while Kaneki and Yuuichiro came from his right. The man laughed, preparing to block the attacks, and then, he was given quite a surprise.

Kaneki swept his legs out from under him as the black-haired boy's eyes changed to a dark red sclera, and dead-toned emerald irises before he was hit in the head, pain rippling through him as Guren and Mika went over the other two and towards the cage, lashing outwards with their weapons as the contraption the others were held in shattered, allowing the quick thinking of Yoichi and Sayuri to help them get through it unscathed as the sixteen of them burst forth from the debris and positioned their weapons, preparing to attack.

"KILL THEM!" Weisburg ordered as the group looked to see several white-cloaked figures rushing out of the holding areas that the Ghouls and Chimera came from.

"This day just keeps getting better and better…" Kimizuki focused his energy into his blades, a crackle of electricity echoing around him as he rushed forward, striking one of the Vampires with his weapon as it turned it to ash and the others followed, Shinya nodding to Guren as the man returned it and looked to Mika.

"They'll handle it, let's go help Yuu and Kaneki," he stated.

"Right!"

Weisburg smacked the black-haired boy away, causing him to form his wings as he used them to brace himself while Kaneki managed to land a hit on the Noble as around them the others clashed with the servant Vampires and Guren and Mika jumped into the fray with him as Yuuichiro closed his wings away, and lashed out an attack with his weapon, a sharp blast of fire, ice, black-hair-like tendrils and a Rinkaku Kagune began to bite into the Noble who hissed wildly as the group of four attacked simultaneously, striking him down as they kept going, struggling against the onslaught, but unwilling to surrender. There was no questioning about it, the group of twenty were being pushed well past their limits, and Guren knew that once this battle was over, many more still awaited them beyond Tokyo's borders. They had to fight, and win, because dying here, would cost them everything. A sharp scream rent the air as he turned to see Yuuichiro gripping his side, blood seeping through his fingers as his Gift went to trying to repair his injury as quickly as it could. They were almost out of time, the sky had started to grow lighter, the stars beginning to fade, and as it did, he looked at his two boys, hoping that they would forgive him.

"Yuu! Mika! Do it!" the two boys tensed as Weisburg looked to them.

"I'll destroy you both! The Seraphs of the End who would guide these pathetic livestock… I will kill you!" Weisburg lunged at them and in a sweep of ice and fire, the two boys had released their Seraphic forms, preparing to attack.

The Tenth Progenitor had anticipated a strike from the Demon blades they used, but to be struck with their powers as Seraphim, had stunned him, pain ripping through his body as the blonde-haired boy clawed him across the face, acid burning his flesh as he screamed in shock and horror at the situation while the black-haired boy attacked alongside his brother and he received a raking pain of the Kagune across his right leg as he screamed, the three of them beginning to overpower him.

"YUU! DO IT NOW!"

Weisburg almost didn't have time to think as the blonde-haired boy cut a back flip out of the way, knocking his sword from his grasp as the Vampire lunged for the black-haired boy only to feel the piercing pain of a Kagune ripping through his body as sharp teeth sunk into his neck, a painful spill of what he knew was the Seraphic boy's venom seeping into his bloodstream as he felt the pain begin to eat away at him as the boy released him, slipping back as the Noble shoved him away and he landed in a crouch next to Mika while Kaneki cartwheeled away, curling his Kagune just so as the Vampire screamed and an arrow was loosed, taking down the last of his servants.

Everyone paused in their fighting, seeing the Noble as he clawed at himself, acid eating away at his body as Yuuichiro spat out his blood, not quite liking the way the acidic venom made his mouth feel numb as he looked at the monster who pulled at his hair, screaming in agony as he turned, blood pouring from his mouth as he glared at the two teenagers. A devious smile coming to his half-destroyed features while he looked at them, never once taking his eyes away.

"Children of Light and Darkness… Angels of the Dawn and Midnight… it would have been wiser… to take me prisoner… for this is only the beginning of your true battle… foolish mortals…" with that the Vampire Noble turned into ashes, causing the others to stare as their ragged breaths came to their ears, the walls around them retracting into the ground as the dull sunlight began to rise into the sky, turning it a bloody red and pink.

"Did… we… just… win?" asked Nishiki, his body trembling in pain as his legs caved out from under him and the others looked around, carnage taken care of as the crashes of others destroying the monsters within the other Wards came to their attention while sunlight began to fill the area once more.

"I think we… did…" Kaneki allowed his Kagune to dissipate, his changes going away as Yuu and Mika retracted their wings, legs falling out from under everyone as they began to look around, seeing that nothing sent to attack them any longer, the war within Tokyo had finally end, and the city was theirs once more.

"We… WE DID IT!" came the jovial cheer of one Hideyoshi Nagachika as he threw his arms in the air.

"FUCK YEA!"

"WE DID IT! WE WON!" everyone cheered, tears of joy coming to their eyes as the group clustered together, hugging one another and sharing in their elation as Guren looked to them while Kaneki took in a deep breath, removing his mask as he smiled, looking towards the sun.

"Finally… after all these years, Tokyo's free," he said as Touka came to him, wrapping her arms around him, tears in her eyes as she kissed him and he returned it.

"We beat a Noble! Holy shit! We just defeated the Tenth fucking Progenitor!" Kimizuki stated while Mika smiled to his brother as Mitsuba ran to him, knocking him over as she kissed him, and he wrapped his arms around her as the others smiled while Shinoa kissed her boyfriend's cheek as he smiled, laughter bubbling up in him as everyone started to get to their feet, eyes turning towards the sun.

"What a beautiful sunrise," Hinami said as Yoichi stood beside her, smiling.

"Yea… we finally got to see it... after this long night…" the twenty survivors stood beside one another, some holding hands while others leaned against another to keep themselves upright.

"It's beautiful, because it's the dawn of a new day... of a new life for all of us," Touka said as she looked at her brother who nodded as did the other members of the Anteiku Ghouls while Guren smiled.

"And many more to come… thank you, all of you… for helping make this possible…" Kaneki looked to him.

"Don't mention it, from now on, you've got us as members of the Moon Demon Company, we're gonna be sticking by your sides until the end of this war and past it," he told the Lieutenant Colonel.

"That sounds good to me…" Yuu laughed, taking Shinoa's hand as he smiled.

"We can go home now, all of us… what do you say guys?" he questioned.

"Yea, let's go home…"

Though it had been a trial by fire and ash, an event none of the twenty-people standing here in the center of Tokyo, with the Tenth Progenitor finally defeated, would be sure to ever forget the way the sun looked that morning as it peaked over the clouds and cast its warmth upon the ground. Because it was here, without questioning, that the first major step in changing the way their world had become, was made. The first battle was won, and as they stood there, they knew that they had seen the end of the night, and the dawning of a new journey ahead of them all, but they would face it together, and overcome it all.

{…}

Now that I'm down here again…

{…..}

Author's Note: And the Tokyo Raid has finally come to a close, and it seems there is some amazing trust that's been built here today. It'll take some getting used to with everyone, but I think these guys can do it, right? Well, we're officially done with the First Core, now, we're moving onto the next arc of the story: the Mask Maker Arc. This is going to be a lot more intense as more goes on, so, be prepared for a thrill ride and a hell of a lot of ups and downs. Tell me what you guys think, and I'll be looking for your reviews.

Sincerely,

ShadowDragon94.

Chapter 11: Protection