"y/n l/n will also be an addition to your squad, she's a strong soldier and has a fierce sense of justice." guren announced to the others before you. you nodded your head in a greeting.

"she looks a bit older than us." a boy with soft eyes observed, leaning towards another brunette boy, who was studying you intensely. you didn't mind.

"she is.." guren paused, tilting his head. "how old are you brats?"

"we're sixteen, guren! i'd expect you to know that." the green eyed boy spoke up, tearing his eyes away from you to glare daggers at the lieutenant colonel.

"ri-ight." guren responded, turned back to you, and gave you a strong clap on the back. "y/n is eighteen, barely a difference. get along well, and don't make her mad." with that one warning, guren spun on his heel and began to take his leave, ignoring the feisty boys' yells as he left.

"it's been a while, y/n." the squad leader, shinoa grinned, reaching out for your hands. instantaneously, you broke out into a smile similar to her own, grasping her hands in return.

"i've missed you." you beamed, squeezing shinoa's fingers gently.

"uh- shinoa, you know this girl?" the boy with glasses and hot pink hair finally speaks up, a quizzical expression taking over his sharp features. shinoa nods.

"of course! she's only one of my closest friends." shinoa stated matter of factly. she turned to face her comrades, and then you as she released your hands from her gentle grasp.

"so y/n, this is yoichi, kimizuki, and our resident sourpuss, yuuichiro. but we all call him yuu." shinoa introduced, pointing at each boy as she spoke.

"i'm excited to fight with all of you." you said, offering them all a smile, to which they each returned with their own.

"we're excited to fight with you, too."

you open your eyes, waking from your nostalgic dream as you realize you're still on the road with your friends. everyone was continuing to talk to each other as you napped peacefully.

"you're finally awake, y/n." shinoa giggles, turning to you with a bright grin, clearly still in a good mood after destroying both yuu and kimizuki for making fun of her height.

"you're still self satisfied." you comment, yawning and stretching out your arms. shinoa sighs, her ecstatic grin becoming a satisfied smirk.

"of course, i'm always happy to put little boys in their place." she responds, staring back out the car window at the passing scenery, observing the world as it slips by.

"guys-"

"no, don't slow down kimizuki! he's a noble. hit him!" yuu shouts over kimizuki, drawing everyone else's attention to the vampire standing at the end of the road.

"prepare to jump!" shinoa exclaims, reaching for the handle of the car door. you turn to jump out of the vehicle right behind her with the rest of the group following, where the car goes barreling into the nobles outstretched hand.

"fuck." you curse, quickly getting to your feet and pulling shinoa up with you.

the noble takes the force of the speeding car, raising it above his head. you gasp, jumping out of the way as he tossed the car back to where you stood, just nearly missing you as you dodged.

"are you okay?" you yell towards your other comrades, who all shout back affirmative. yuu offers a thumbs up in your direction. you breathe a sigh of relief, quickly pulling the coin from your pocket and toss it up. you watch it shift into your weapon, a powerful axe, which has helped you to victory in many battles.

as your friends prepare their weapons and get into formation, you hold your axe up threateningly, staring down your tough opponent.

"oh my, what an interesting bunch." the vampire comments, his long braid swinging behind him as he takes a few steps forward. "i think- oh," he pauses, stops dead in his tracks, and stares. you're sure he's looking at you.

"y/n," shinoa whispers to you, capturing a fraction of your attention, "no matter what, stay close to me."

"huh, why?" yuu questions, oblivious to the obvious staring the noble is doing, his eye contact with you both startling, and irritating.

"he's staring right at her." yoichi informs the boy, who's eyes widen in realization and he tightens his grip on his sword.

"hey! stop staring at her! you can deal with me!" yuu shouts, aggravation quickly taking hold of him. he glances back at you. "i won't let him hurt you."

you smile softly. his determination to protect you warms your heart, but you don't need to be protected. "i can handle myself, yuu. but thank you."

kimizuki smiles at you fondly, stepping up beside you. "we know that, but still, we want you to know it no matter what."

shinoa nods. "he's strong, we're gonna have to fight all together if we want to defeat him, but still, it might not be enough." you nod, adjusting your grip on the handle of your big axe.

your team advances, the vampire smirking at your group as you calculate your next move.

his movements are quick, and you quickly find yourself defending against the noble with shinoa, holding your axe against his sword to prevent him from hurting your purple haired friend.

"i thought you might come to me." he says, his smooth voice low enough for only your to hear.

you narrow your eyes, pushing against his weapon in an attempt to get him away from you. it doesn't work.

"only to kill you, you bastard." you seethe, jumping out of the way as yuu runs up behind the vampire, drawing his attention away from you.

yuu is knocked away in a matter of moments, leaving kimizuki to attack next. he swings his swords around, each seemingly wild movement calculated.

but it isn't long before kimizuki is also shoved aside, sent flying back down onto the pavement. you growl, running out from your spot behind shinoa, earning a shout from your squad leader.

you swing your axe down, barely missing the shoulder of the noble as he had almost no time to dodge your quick attack, shuffling to the side to manage to avoid the harsh swinging of your axe.

"y/n! retreat! let us handle this!" yoichi pleads with you, sending an arrow whizzing last you as you dodge another strike from the vampire, who's grinning widely at you, his eyes never leaving yours as he strikes.

"y/n, please." it was not a question, not a request, but a beg. you growl, reluctantly jumping back, away from the fight which yuu quickly takes over.

"this is stupid." you hissed under your breath, slamming the hilt of your axe onto the pavement, creating a crack.

"i know it is, but he's clearly after you, look." she says, directing your attention to the fighting in front of you. "everything he's doing is to get to you. i don't want to know what happens if he does."

you sigh, nodding in silent defeat at your new incapability to help out.

"she's right, y/n. i know you hate it, but it's for the best." yoichi agrees with shinoa, and he gives you a soft, sympathetic look, before turning his attention back to his bow, preparing another shot.

"incoming." you gasp, watching two more vampires drop down beside the noble, speaking to him in hushed tones.

the one that had been previously fighting makes a face, caught between irritation and reluctance.

"this is it, we're really in a bad spot now. we need to fight at full power, let your demons take over almost completely." shinoa commanded, and the squad obeys, getting ready to fight once again.

"lord crowley?" the blond vampire speaks. her voice is pretty, like the whisper of winder winds on the side of a wooden house, a sort of aesthetic to her demeanor that if she were not your enemy, you would have liked to have known her.

crowley meets your eyes once more, offering you a smirk. he is too fast, appearing behind yuu at once.

"i'll let you go this time, but the next time we meet, i'm going to enjoy killing you and your friends." you growl lowly, but no sooner than the growl had escaped you, did the vampire appear before your eyes as well.

he leans in close, inhaling slowly, before whispering in your ear, "you just smell so good, you know that? i cant wait to see you again, especially. i don't think i want to kill you."

a chill curls down your spine, reaching all the way down to your toes. you shudder at the tickle of his breath, getting ready to swing your axe down him.

he smiles strangely when he leans back, and no sooner had he appeared did he disappear, leaving with his comrades over the building behind him. your swing hit the pavement, cracking it only further.

shinoa fell to her knees once the threat had gone, the purple lines on her face disappearing as she did. "we're okay." she breathes, staring up at the sky above her head. you drop down beside her, offering a nod. "we don't have to fight."

"that stupid vampire. how dare he call us livestock." yuu seethes, kicking a rock beneath his foot.

"y/n, are you okay?" kimizuki asks you, placing a hand on your shoulder as he stands behind you. you nod again.

yoichi's eyes widen. "what did he say to you?" he asks, walking over to the rest of the group. everyone looked at you expectantly. you look away.

you repeat crowleys words, verbatim. no one says a thing. it is silent for a long time, until eventually yuu speaks up.

"as if we're gonna let him have you. you don't have to be afraid, y/n. we're gonna look after you." yuu is determined, anyone could see it. he has so much confidence in his words that it's hard not believe him. you smile softly, standing up and ruffling his hair.

"you bastard, don't go all soft on me, now." you tease, happy for the words yuu offered. it really does help you calm down from the rush of anxiety you just had.

"i'm not!" yuu whines, the familiar banter allowing the group to really calm down, letting the realization sink in that they really are alright.