Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only.
Insufferable
Mikaela Hyakuya wiped the perspiration from his brow as he stepped into the house he shared with his comrades in Shinoa's Squad. He had just left Yuu to recover from the effects of his latest demon transformation, tucked away in the shed. However, his brief moment of peace shattered when a piercing scream echoed from the kitchen, sending a jolt of alarm through him. With a resigned sigh, the young vampire surged into a sprint, instinctively knowing he was about to walk into yet another culinary catastrophe.
As he burst through the doorway into the kitchen, the scene was nothing short of chaotic. Shinoa and Mitsuba were frantically attempting to extinguish a small fire that had erupted on the stove during their latest culinary experiment—a misguided attempt at Korean barbecue. Though both girls had shown remarkable improvement in their cooking skills over the past few months, their adventurous spirits often led them into trouble, especially when trying to concoct new and exciting recipes to impress their squad mates. Or more specifically, two squad mates in particular.
"Damn it, what did you girls do this time!?" Mika exclaimed, frustration lacing his voice as he took in the sight of the flames flickering wildly. Shinoa and Mitsuba were dousing the fire with water, their faces a mixture of panic and determination as they wrestled with the culinary disaster unfolding before them.
Fortunately, they had managed to subdue most of the flames by the time Mika arrived, but the aftermath was a mess of ash and soot, a messy reminder of their failed cooking endeavor. They would need to clean up, and worse yet, start the meal from scratch. Thankfully, they still had a couple of hours until the rest of the squad returned home for dinner, giving them just enough time to regroup. By that point, Yuu would also be awake and able to join them.
In moments like these, Mika felt a twinge of gratitude that his brother was resting peacefully, recovering from the strain of his transformations. The thought of having to juggle both keeping the kitchen intact and ensuring Yuu's well-being would have drained his already limited energy.
Once the fire was finally put out, Mika turned to Shinoa and Mitsuba, his expression a mix of exasperation and disbelief.
"You two really have a talent for making a mess, don't you? Is it too much to ask that you refrain from burning down the kitchen and ruining our meals while the rest of us are away?"
Mitsuba shot him an indignant glare. "Well, excuse me, Mr. Hyakuya!" she huffed, her hands planted firmly on her hips. "Some of us actually need food to function, and that requires time and effort! If we don't eat well, you're not going to fare any better!"
Mika met her glare with one of his own, irritation simmering just below the surface.
"You know what would be fantastic, Miss Sangu? If I could leave you two alone for just five minutes without worrying about the house going up in flames! That would be wonderful!"
Despite knowing that Mitsuba was the one who had caused the chaos, Shinoa chose to remain silent throughout Mika's tirade. She understood he needed to conserve his strength to look after Yuu, so she quietly accepted a share of the blame. Mitsuba, however, had no intention of backing down.
"Well, if you think you can do better, why don't you give it a shot, Mr. Hyakuya? And I don't appreciate the way you said 'Miss Sangu'!" Mitsuba retorted, her voice rising in defiance.
Mika scoffed, his irritation mounting. "Tough luck, Miss Sangu! I'll call you whatever I want! Why don't you use that pea brain of yours for something other than reckless cooking that might leave us homeless?"
Mitsuba's frustration boiled over. "Argh!" she screamed, grabbing a small bag of flour in a fit of rage and hurling it in Mika's direction.
The blond vampire had barely a moment to react before the bag burst upon impact, enveloping him in a cloud of white powder. As the flour settled, he stood there, stunned and covered in the fine dust, while Mitsuba's cheeks flushed a deep shade of crimson as she bolted from the kitchen, mortified by her own outburst. The absurdity of the situation struck Shinoa as utterly hilarious, and she couldn't suppress her laughter any longer.
After finally wiping the flour from his eyes, Mika shot a scowling look at Shinoa. "Well, I'm glad at least one of us finds this amusing," he growled, the irritation still evident in his tone.
Still chuckling, Shinoa approached him with a clean cloth. "Don't take it too hard, Mika. Please excuse Mi-chan; she can be a handful, but she genuinely has our best interests at heart. Even yours. She just wanted to keep things interesting, so we don't end up eating the same boring meals every night."
Mika sighed, shaking his head in resignation. "I get that, but is there any way Mitsuba could cook without turning it into a complete disaster?"
Shinoa's smile faded slightly, replaced by a more serious expression. "Mikaela, we're soldiers, not professional chefs. We're still learning. But if it'll ease your mind, I promise I won't leave Mitsuba to her own devices in the kitchen again, okay?"
Although that assurance did little to soothe Mika's nerves, he decided it was best not to prolong the argument.
"Fine," he conceded, turning to leave. "I'll let you two handle this. I need to go change and check on Yuu-chan now. If you'll excuse me, Miss Hiragi."
Shinoa nodded, her expression shifting back to focus. She knew they had at least two more hours before dinnertime, which meant she would need Mitsuba's help to tidy up the kitchen and resume cooking. With that in mind, she made her way toward Mitsuba's room, fully aware that this wasn't the first time the blonde girl had been riled up by Mika.
It was a rare sight to see Mitsuba so flustered; the last time Shinoa witnessed such a reaction was when Yuu had disobeyed her direct orders to save a little girl from a Horseman of John. While Yoichi and Kimizuki occasionally got under Mitsuba's skin, no one could irritate her quite like Yuu and Mika could.
As Shinoa thought about their dynamic, a smile crept onto her face. Both she and Mitsuba had found themselves vying for Yuichiro's affections, yet Shinoa had noticed a shift in Mitsuba's focus ever since Mikaela arrived on the scene. The blonde girl seemed to be paying more attention to Mika while still treating Yuu with the same affection as before. It was amusing to watch, and Shinoa relished the opportunity to tease Mitsuba about her growing feelings for the new recruit. However, she decided to take a gentler approach this time, knowing that they needed to work together to clean the kitchen and prepare dinner before their squad mates returned.
SSSSSS
Mitsuba Sangu lay sprawled across her bed, her arms resting behind her head as she stared blankly at the ceiling, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. What was wrong with her? Every time that infuriating blond vampire was near, the moment he uttered even the slightest provocation, she found herself unable to resist taking the bait. Why couldn't she just ignore him? Why couldn't she let that arrogant jerk choke on his own frustration when he got riled up? What was it about Mikaela Hyakuya that always seemed to push her buttons and throw her into a defensive stance, ready to argue? In many ways, he was even more exasperating than his brother, Yuichiro.
Ugh! That insufferable jerk is driving me up the wall! How could anyone be this irritating? Mitsuba thought, her frustration boiling over.
Insufferable? Who are you fooling, Mitsu? her inner voice chimed in. You find him incredibly handsome, and deep down, you would do just about anything to catch his attention!
Mitsuba shook her head vigorously, as if trying to dislodge the thoughts. "No! That's not it at all…" she murmured to herself, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's just that no one has ever called me stupid before. Absent-minded, sure. But stupid?"
He didn't exactly call you stupid, you know…
"No, he called me a 'pea-brain'—that's close enough!"
You can deny it all you want, but we both know the truth: you're totally smitten with him!
Mitsuba scoffed. "Crazy? About him? About what's-his-name? Absolutely not!" She shook her head vehemently. "He's obnoxious, stubborn, insensitive, and downright rude! And let's not even get started on how overly physical he is! I barely know him!"
Barely know him? You've been living in this village and sharing the same house with him for nearly four months! And let's be honest: those so-called 'faults' are actually the very things that draw you to him… and the 'physical' stuff? That's exactly what you crave!
"That's not true!" Mitsuba protested aloud, feeling her cheeks flush with anger. "All he has are flaws! He yelled at me when I tried to keep him from dragging Yuu into a battle. That was the first time he actually spoke to me!"
Have you even talked to him before that?
Mitsuba fell silent, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. "No…"
Then what exactly are you complaining about?
"I don't know… I don't know anything…"
With a heavy sigh, Mitsuba felt the internal debate come to an end. If Mikaela ever caught wind of her lengthy, self-reflective conversations, he would undoubtedly make her life miserable, teasing her about being crazy or calling her a pea-brain again.
She shook her head again, trying to dismiss the thoughts. She wasn't a pea-brain… although she certainly felt like one earlier. The memory of what had just transpired between her and Mikaela made her face burn with embarrassment. She had actually bombarded him with a bag of flour. She let him get to her that much! But it was impossible to ignore—he just… he just drove her absolutely nuts!
Suddenly, a knock at her door broke her spiral of thoughts.
"Mi-chan? Are you in there?" came a familiar voice—Shinoa.
"Yes, come in!" she called back, eager for a distraction.
As soon as Shinoa stepped inside, she flashed her brightest smile, determined to lift Mitsuba's spirits. As a member of the Hiragi family, Shinoa was not only Mitsuba's friend but also her cousin, and Shinoa felt a strong urge to defend her whenever the others grew frustrated with Mitsuba's quick temper. As the squad leader, she often found herself playing peacemaker, trying to keep tensions between her team members to a minimum.
"Hey, Mi-chan, I know you're feeling a bit upset with Mika, but please try to be patient with him. He didn't mean what he said; he's a good guy, really."
Mitsuba sighed deeply, her frustration bubbling to the surface again. "I know he's a good guy, Shinoa. It's just that he can be so infuriating!"
Shinoa chuckled, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Now, who does he remind you of?" she teased, raising an eyebrow in challenge.
Mitsuba shot her a glare. "Don't even start, Shinoa… I'm not in the mood for your games."
In an attempt to steer the conversation away from her complicated feelings, Shinoa said, "Look, I need your help. The others will be back soon, and we need to get dinner ready for them. We can always tackle the kitchen cleanup tomorrow if you're not up for it tonight."
"Fine, fine. I'll be right down. But where's Mika?" Mitsuba asked reluctantly.
"He's probably with Yuu," Shinoa replied, a knowing smile crossing her face. "I couldn't help but notice you haven't been paying as much attention to him lately."
"Is that so?" Mitsuba huffed, crossing her arms. "Well, it's probably because Mika irritates me more than usual!"
"But you have to admit, he is quite handsome, isn't he?" Shinoa pressed playfully, a glint of mischief in her eyes.
Mitsuba felt her cheeks heat up again. "Well, yes, he is…" she conceded, her voice faltering. "But so is Yuu! There are countless attractive guys in this world, so what's your point?"
Shinoa rolled her eyes, exasperated but amused. Mitsuba was completely missing the point, but the conversation could wait; there were more pressing matters at hand.
"Never mind," the purple-haired girl said with a playful sigh. "Just help me with the cooking for now, okay?"
"Tsk, fine," Mitsuba muttered, finally getting up and walking out of her room, her earlier frustration slowly dissipating.
Shinoa felt a wave of relief wash over her. She was grateful that Mitsuba didn't require much coaxing to help finish the task in the kitchen. She just hoped that this time, the blonde wouldn't do anything rash that would set off another argument with Mikaela. They didn't need more chaos today.
Before Shinoa left the room to join Mitsuba, she paused at the doorway, her thoughts drifting back to the conversation about the Hyakuya brothers. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks. Yuichiro… Mikaela… they were both undeniably handsome.
"What a tangled web we've woven, Mi-chan," she mused to herself. "We're in for quite the adventure…"
A/N: Sorry for the wait! Though I love Yuu and Mika, I thought it would be interesting to see how well they may pair off with the girls as well ;)