Mahiru Hīragi

Mahiru Hīragi「柊 真昼, Hīragi Mahiru」is the love interest and demon weapon of Guren Ichinose, and a secondary-minor character in the Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign manga series and the female protagonist in the Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Sixteen light novel series.

Mahiru was from the prestigious Hīiragi Clan, and next in line to become head of the family; however, as a namanari, she eventually turned into a demon, and ended up being sealed within Guren's sword, becoming a cursed gear called Mahiru-no-yo.

Appearance
In the light novels, Mahiru is described by Guren and many others as a beautiful young girl. She has long light ashen (cool colors that are blue, green, or purple) hair with fringe, and amber eyes. Shinoa Hīragi has commented that her half-sister was taller and way more voluptuous than herself. When she was a namanari, Mahiru displayed no distinct physical features that showed the demon was in control except for a red glint in her pupils that rarely showed. After becoming a vampire, her eyes became red and grew fangs.

Anime: Mahiru is portrayed to have a more saturated hair color, and the size of her breasts are toned down more.

She is usually seen with the First Shibuya High School uniform, a sailor fuku, which consists of a blouse with red trim around the collar with a grayish blue sailor-style collar which also has red trim and a similarly colored skirt with a belt. The red uniform ribbon which is thinner than normal sailor fuku, is attached to the bottom right end of the collar. The school's emblem is located on the right breast. She wears thigh length grayish blue stockings and dark blue dress shoes along with it.

Human
Mahiru was a very popular member of the prestigious Hīragi Family, and was famous for treating the other clans with kindness and equality. She is shown to be gentle, sweet, and charming in Guren's flashbacks, such as sharing a cake with the latter, and showing concern over the bruises he received from his brutal training; however, Mahiru is also shown to bow down to the pressure of her family, such as hiding and refusing to meet Guren when her family sent two people to interrogate him.

Her great intelligence and skill made her father favor her, but she hated the Hīragi Family. Mahiru appeared to be less cold-blooded and ruthless than her half-brothers, saving Sayuri when Seishirō beats her and attempted to strip her as she did not like picking on others. Mahiru has many expectations on her and does battle with the demon born inside her. She appears to value human life more than her family, shown in her desperation to save Shinoa, who also had a demon inside her, and Mahiru ultimately took Shinoa's demon and sacrificed the rest of her humanity for her half-sister.

What's left of Mahiru's human side is often seen wrestling for control with her demonic side in the Light Novels. Whenever Guren is injured, such as when he sliced off his own arm to stop the spread of the demon's curse, Mahiru's human side is able to resurface briefly, crying as she desperately tries to reattach Guren's arm.

Namanari
Mahiru is in this state for most of the Catastrophe light novels. The demonic side of her gradually takes more and more time in control of her body, and twists her love for Guren by starting his transgression into demonhood as well. Her need for power to protect and be with Guren warps into a desire to either rule or destroy the world.

Mahiru-no-Yo laughs often and loves to mock Kureto and the other characters. She has no sympathy or compassion for anyone including Guren, unless her original human personality breaks through, and is willing to kill anyone who stands in her path. She is absolutely delighted when Guren shows his strength or touches her.

Since the human and demonic personalities are in flux, they can be seen arguing and fighting for control when Mahiru-no-Yo puts Guren in danger.

Vampire
Mahiru's personalities no longer fluctuate, and she expresses both the haughty playfulness of her demon side and the hopeless love of her human one. She is now consumed by lust for blood, especially Guren's. She enjoys feasting on people's blood and drinking them dry.

Demon
The human personality of Mahiru has completely been consumed by Mahiru-no-yo. The fact that she became a possession-type demon suggests she is particularly violent. The demon helps Guren grow into a namanari and possesses him as needed to make Guren's demonic side take control; however, she doesn't appear to be as twisted as when she used to be a Namanari, and is shown able to make calm and rational decisions.

History
Mahiru was conceived through artificial insemination using the seed of Tenri Hīragi in demon-possessed women, which lead to her being born in 1996 with a demon inside of her. Eventually, when Mahiru was six years old, the Hīragis had her mother killed, so Mahiru attempted to anger them by becoming close to the Ichinose Clan, where she encountered Guren Ichinose. Shortly afterward, the two fell in love until they were violently separated for the next ten years.

Three years since Mahiru's separation from Guren, her half-sister, Shinoa Hīragi, was conceived through the same demon experimentation, and was born with her own demon inside her. At some point (or even earlier), Mahiru began having nightmares where the demon spoke to her from the shadows, and its voice would get louder as she continued to grow. When she learned that Shinoa was also having the same dreams as her, Mahiru tells her to not tell anyone or they would be used as experiments again.

The following year, the Hīragis selected and adopted Shinya to be Mahiru's potential mate to keep their bloodline strong, despite both of them being ten years old. Upon meeting Shinya for the first time, Mahiru tells him she wouldn't fall in love with him as she already had someone; however, if she openly stated to her family she didn't want him, they would have disposed of him, and Mahiru still wanted to be with Guren. Hence, she and Shinya agreed that he would be her cover-up fiance until she could be with the person she loved.

When Mahiru hit puberty, the demon's influence became stronger in that she continually blacked out and lose herself to desire. Not wanting Shinoa to end up with the same fate, Mahiru revived the demon curse experiments and joined the Brotherhood of a Thousand Nights to aid her in exchange for giving them info on the Hīragis. Thus, Mahiru began her research and development on Cursed Gear, and would use herself as a guinea pig to test the power of the demon weapons. At some point, she somehow extracted the demon from Shinoa and took it into herself, which sped up her transformation into a demon.

On top of turning into a demon, Mahiru saw visions of the future and even prophesied the end of the world on Christmas Day 2012 as God's punishment against human ambition for meddling with the taboo. The trumpets of the Apocalypse would sound, and the Seraph would descend.

Ultimately, Mahiru turned into a demon and had to be killed by Guren. She became the demon within his Cursed Gear and part of the Black Demon Series.

Book 1
In the prologue, Mahiru asks Guren if they can get married when they are older. Guren says they cannot because she is from the head clan while he is from a minor clan. Their stations are too different. People come looking for Mahiru and beat up Guren before dragging her away. This leads to both of them yearning for power as a decade goes by.

Mahiru and Guren would cross paths again at First Shibuya High with the latter finally seeing the former give the freshmen address. At the school, Mahiru and her brothers are the most popular and respected by the student body due to their power and family status. After Shinya puts Guren in the nurse's office, Mahiru comes to visit him and reconnect after many years, but he treats her coldly.

During the qualification exams, she saves Sayuri when Seishirō severely beats her and begins to strip her. Sometime later, the Brotherhood of a Thousand Nights attacks and kills many students and teachers. While fighting Saitō, Guren and Shinya learn that Mahiru betrayed the Hīragi Family by joining with the Thousand Nights. Mahiru then turns up and attacks Guren with a black katana. The two fight with both proving able in holding against each other.

She then reveals that her sword is a cursed gear, a demon possessed weapon that she and the Thousand Nights were able to successfully create and, with the combination of the Thousand Nights and Hīragi magic, were even able to make contracts with bind high-ranking demons. She tries to convince Guren to join her when she suddenly stops mid-sentence and becomes pained. She is able to get out to Guren that the demon has possessed her and that the cursed gear experiment is actually a failure before denying that that there's anything wrong.

The sword then begins affecting her right arm which prompts Saitō to tell her that they need to go. Angered by the dressed man, Guren lunges at Saitō only for Mahiru to intercept his blade which cuts his sword, Kujakumaru, in half. Mahiru gives Guren one last chance to come with her which he refuses as his quest for power is different from hers. She then tells him about the apocalypse happening on Christmas and will meet again when the world comes to an end. Before making her leave, Mahiru tells Guren she loves him and promising that she will be waiting for him when he needs her again.

Book 2
During their investigation of Ueno Zoo, Guren Squad battle a tiger like creature that was made with genes from the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. When the squad was about to retreat after due to Guren's wound, Mahiru turns up and knocks Mito, Norito, Sayuri, and Shigure unconscious in moments. Shinya was able avoid her strike before Mahiru was able to grab him by the neck and choke him to unconsciousness. She tells Guren that she plans on betraying the Thousand Nights as her loyalties lie wherever there is power. When Guren asks where that power is, Mahiru says that its in depravity and madness which lives deep in the heart, and that Guren should follow that path as well.

She then thrusts the black katana into the ground with its curse affecting Guren. Mahiru encourages him to take the sword to slay the chimera before stepping back to watch. When Guren reaches for the sword, Mahiru suddenly cries out to him to stop and not lose his humanity before telling herself to be silent and hitting herself in the chest. This stops Guren momentarily when he asks Mahiru which one is the real her, which leads her to ask if it had anything to do with his choice.

After that, Guren takes the cursed gear which causes a demon to sprout inside him. Mahiru becomes ecstatic when Guren makes quick work of the chimera, and goads him into killing his friends and joining her. Guren was about to do just that when his other hand used his sword, Hoarfrost, to severe the lower part of this arm that was holding the demon blade. Mahiru quickly gets that limb and holds it tightly to Guren's arm so the demon's regenerative ability can reattach the arm. Mahiru then becomes desperate and becomes tearful when the regeneration process isn't working fast enough. Guren tries to convince Mahiru that there could be another way and for her to stop this cursed gear research, only for her to reject him and getting her offer rejected in return. During their talk, Guren's arm fully reattached itself, which Mahiru confirms that the demon has tainted a part of Guren's soul and promises that he will fall just like her.

She then rushes over to claim one half of the chimera's corpse, but notices that a well dressed vampire is also there. She immediately attacks him, but even with the demon's power, the vampire is able to withstand her Cursed Gear. Mahiru identifies him as a vampire noble, which he confirms and introduces himself as Seventh Progenitor Ferid Bathory. He resumes their fight, in which Mahiru is defeated along with Guren, and Ferid proceeds to take the other half of the chimera with him. Mahiru demands to know what he is doing here, and Ferid answers that he is investigating what he has heard about humans researching the forbidden. Knowing that she stands no chance against the vampire, Mahiru sheathes her sword and reveals to Guren that the Cursed Gear can become even more powerful, but doesn't have enough time to explain. Reminding Guren that he will fall like her, Mahiru picks up the other half of the chimera just as a Thousand Nights helicopter arrives.

Just when she was warning Guren to leave, Mahiru notices dozens of fuda were placed on the ground to form a barrier and realized that Shinya was awake the whole time when she was revealing her intentions to Guren. Determined to capture her, Guren lunges at Mahiru while Shinya uses the fuda to retrain ensnare her legs, which Mahiru breaks through with ease; however, Guren surprises her by slicing off a piece of the chimera. She tells Guren that she can't allow the Hīragis have the chimera, but allows Guren to take it once he promises it won't be going to them and because she is betraying both sides. Hearing Guren promise that he will be catching up to her, Mahiru tells him that she will be waiting before leaving.

Book 3
In the prologue, Mahiru meets her victorious fiancé candidate, Shinya Hīragi, for the first time. She informs him that she will never love him because she already loves Guren, but he will have a fake relationship with her in order to protect Guren. Shinya says he does not plan to lose to Guren, and they fight briefly where Mahiru tricks him with an illusion before putting an exploding tag onto his back.

In the present day, Kureto pretends to torture Shinoa while interrogating Guren. Mahiru sends Kureto a message telling him to do as he pleases, and tears briefly form in Shinoa’s eyes. Kureto sends the IP address to Guren, and Guren sends a message to Mahiru. Mahiru calls Guren, and he puts the phone on speaker. Guren, Shinoa, and Kureto all speak to her. Shinoa says everything went as Mahiru predicted. Mahiru twists the conversation and repeatedly states that all of the events occurring since the first Catastrophe volume are his doing. She reveals the special ops he sent after her just now are already dead. A student rushes in and reveals that this entire conversation was just broadcast over the whole school.

After Kureto releases Guren and Shinoa, Mahiru calls him again. She says she only wants to hear his voice and says the demon was in control before. They establish a rendezvous at 5:30 p.m. in apartment 501 located fifteen minutes from Ikejiri-Ohashi Station.

Guren reads about the demon experiments going on in Mahiru and Shinoa. The research notes reveal Mahiru and Shinoa’s origin and how the demon’s will drastically increase when Mahiru hits puberty. To prevent Shinoa from suffering the same fate, Mahiru joined the Thousand Nights and used herself as a test subject.

Mahiru does not arrive until 7 p.m. Although she tells Guren he cannot save her, he insists he can, and they have sex that evening. She tells Guren that he wants to protect his own comrades rather than her. Mahiru reveals she now has both her demon and Shinoa’s inside her body, which has sped up the rate of her degeneration. She shared part of the demon with Guren in order to remove all of the demon from Shinoa, so he will eventually become a demon as well. When he asks to fight by her side, she tells him there is not enough time and reveals the Apocalypse occurring that Christmas.

The vampire who chased Guren and Shinya the previous night enters through the balcony and greets Mahiru, but Mahiru calls upon Asuramaru and quickly kills her.

Mahiru reveals she fabricated information to set the Hīragi House and Thousand Nights against each other. Guren says he refuses to let her give up her humanity before Mahiru jumps out the window. When Guren learns that the Thousand Nights is attacking the school and leaves shortly afterward, he comes across a running motorcycle and a demonic sword waiting for him in an alley that were presumably left behind for him by Mahiru.

Book 4
Mahiru has an illusion over the whole school and is responsible for instigating the conflict between the Hiragi and the Thousand Nights.

Mito, Shinya, and Goshi play video games at Guren’s apartment until Mahiru shows up. Guren attacks her causing them to fall from the twenty-fifth floor. Mahiru stops her fall by using her sword while Guren is badly injured but recovers.

Book 5
Mahiru visits Yuichiro Hyakuya, who is being experimented on and abused by the Hyakuya Sect. She asks him about his reason to live and if he has no right to live if he is a demon which Yu does not know how to answer. Since his mind has not broken from his experiences, she tells him he will find an answer one day. A researcher says he will erase all memory of this conversation from Yu’s mind. She asks about receiving one of the Hyakuya orphans to experiment on with cursed gear.

Kureto calls Mahiru and tells her in explicit detail about how he will torture Guren, but she only laughs and says she is going to Kyoto. Mahiru visits one of the Hyakuya Orphanages with the pseudonym Miyuki Yamada. She chats with Akane Hyakuya and realizes she has a crush on Mikaela Hyakuya, one of the subjects with a body well-suited to experimentation. She “adopts” a child named Junji Haiyama before taking him to a van on the opposite side of the street, killing the driver, and knocking Juni unconscious. She enters the freeway but is attacked by vampires. She fights them, but they cause a large car pile-up. The vampires capture Mahiru and take her to Kyoto.

Mahiru is tied to a cross deep within Sanguinem and is being tortured. Krul Tepes asks her if she is ready to talk and reveals the date is already December 20th. Mahiru summons Shikama Doji and breaks free. Krul asks Mahiru about Asura Tepes, but Mahiru only laughs.

Book 6
The prologue shows Guren and Mahiru’s first meeting when they were five years old. Guren is training late and night and jumps into a river to cool off. Mahiru appears and claims to be a forest fairy, but Guren points out that they are in the mountains. She reveals that the Ichinose are the reason her mother died.

On December 2nd, Mahiru leaves Sanguinem as a vampire sired by Krul. Saito gives her a ring to protect her from sunlight, but she attacks him with Shikama Dōji. Mahiru knocks out a human woman and drinks her blood, noting that it tastes different depending on the age and sex of the human and that the blood turns bad once the human dies. Mahiru then returns to Tokyo.

On December 10th, Kureto sends in Guren and his gang to take care of students that have become possessed by demons at the school. Guren arrives first and knocks out one demon-possessed boy when Mahiru appears and applauds Guren’s strength. She admits this was her doing and asks about the experimentation on Asuramaru. She says a human must be modified in order to use a Black Demon, but the current success rate is less than 20%. Guren says he wants to protect both her and his friends and asks that she surrender, so he can extract the demon from her. She throws down Shikama Dōji and instructs him to give it to Shinoa in order to protect her. The rest of the group arrive and attack Mahiru, but she escapes.

Guren calls Mahiru and says he will betray the Hīragi and join her. She laughs.

Post-Shinjuku Arc
Although she is present as Lieutenant Colonel Guren Ichinose's weapon from the moment Guren appears in the manga, readers first see a distant figure of her in a brief flashback when brought up by Guren to Shinoa in chapter 14, and makes her human appearance at the beginning of chapter 17 within his mind. She wants him to seek more power. When he addresses her, she says she's glad that he came as she wanted to meet with him.

In the following chapter, Guren reveals her form during a fight with Yu. After hearing Guren summon his demon by calling out her name, Shinoa holds her scythe at Guren's neck. She reveals that her weapon specializes in long-range combat and consequently stands no chance against a melee fighter like Guren at that range. Guren calmly says he would let Shinoa kill him. Shinoa asks him if that is his way to atone for killing her sister, Mahiru. She asks if she is in his sword since she heard him call her name. Guren says that Mahiru is already gone since she turned into a demon and saved the world by completing Cursed Gear. Shinoa laughs, stating that Mahiru was never one to care about the world because she loved him. She longed to be with him since they could never be together and became obsessed with demons.

After discussing the events of 8 years ago, Shinoa says that if Mahiru hadn't completed the development of Cursed Gear, humanity would have perished. Her half-sister, who was just a girl in love became something like a Messiah. But then she was killed when she became obsessed with her research and became a demon. She continues saying, the one who killed Mahiru was the person who used to be her lover, him, Guren.

Shinoa asks him if Mahiru is together with him inside his sword, stating that he is being possessed by her. Guren asks her if they ever got along. She explains that she was not close with her sister because Hīragis are raised without knowing familial love.

Shinoa asks if making use of Yu was one of Mahiru's orders and asks if her half-sister or the demon for lack of a better word inside his sword is ordering him. She then asks him to stop what he is doing if his goal does not benefit Yu.

Guren tells her that Mahiru is dead and isn't coming back. He says that the demon inside his sword is under control so he isn't being possessed by her. But Shinoa doesn't believe him.

Nagoya Arc
In chapter 23, she appears and whispers to Guren in order to make sure he follows her rather than Lieutenant General Kureto Hīragi.

She appears again in chapter 38. She possesses Guren and kills the noble beating him. She uses Guren's body to point a sword at Krul Tepes and states that Krul will help her conduct an experiment on the Seraph of the End at Nagoya Airport.

Osaka Arc
Mahiru comes back in chapter 54 where she manifests in front of Guren while he's driving with his squad to Osaka Bay. She tells him that his friends will turn to dust if they find out that they are dead. Being told by Guren to disappear, Mahiru goes to the roof of the car where she gets confronted by Byakkomaru. He demands for Mahiru to identify herself as she is not a demon, and when she asks him what he is going to do about it, Byakkomaru says he will do nothing unless she harms Shinya. Mahiru claims that she will kill Shinya if he knows about her and that Byakkomaru should just shut up.

Guren tells her to leave, and Mahiru goes ahead of the squad to Osaka. She smells the scents of Shinoa and burning vampires which leads her to go investigate the latter scent. She appears right in front of an unsuspecting Ky Luc before turning her attention to the burning crosses holding Ferid and Krul. She taunts Ferid's suffering which causes him to notice her. In the next chapter, Mahiru sticks around for a bit observe Ky Luc trying to identify the source of the "bad feeling" as he is unable to see her. She then appears on the road that Guren and co are heading down. Upon seeing Mahiru waving to him, Guren tries unsuccessfully run her over. She appears again in chapter 56 when Guren summons her to knock out his teammates. Shinya was the only one to dodge her attack and pulls out Byakkomaru, who manifests himself. Mahiru comments to Guren that the tiger demon will try to kill him which Guren says is because she provoked him earlier.

Seeing Guren and Shinya getting ready to battle, Mahiru says that this is the first time the two are fighting over her since high school. Guren denies this, and Mahiru continues by telling Guren she will sleep with whoever wins and claims it's his favorite scenario. Mahiru reappears after Guren's victory, watching over an unconscious Shinya before asking Guren why he brought his squad here; reminding him that they could be destroyed if they find out the truth. Though Guren doesn't answer her, Mahiru realizes that Guren is close to becoming a demon, thus he purposefully made his friends aware that he was hiding something to maintain his grip on his humanity.

She appears again in front of Shinoa, glad that her half-sister survived and then wonders why Shinoa is unable to see her. Mahiru says that Shinoa should exceed her as an experiment before realizing that her demon has not awaken. She goes on to say that love, more specifically sexual desire and lust, will corrupt Shinoa until she no longer cares about the world. Mahiru then looks at the squad gathered around Guren to figure out which person Shinoa would deeply care about, and her sight rests on Yu. From him, Mahiru glances down to Shinoa, and sees that her younger half-sister is gazing at him. With that, Mahiru leaves telling Shinoa how much she is enjoying this. In the following chapter, she appears beside Shinoa when Guren is explaining the being that has been controlling the Hīragis, and frowns when she sees Shinoa feel a pain in her chest.

Natural Abilities
As a human, Mahiru was shown to be a very good fighter, her movements quick and graceful. Guren noted that in terms of fighting, she might be even more skilled than Shinya, who's considered one of the best fighters in the school. Not even Seishirō would dare challenge her to a fight, despite his bellicose and arrogant behaviour. This shows just how much Mahiru outshines the rest of her class in terms of fighting.

Noted by Kureto and Shinoa, Mahiru was also intelligent and a genius. She's one of the early pioneers of the Cursed Gear, which is essential for mankind's survival ever since the Apocalypse. At a young age, Mahiru is able to extract the growing demon inside Shinoa, but at cost of her own humanity. She is credited for completing the Cursed Gear and hailed as a hero.

In Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Sixteen, upon losing her humanity right after transforming into a vampire, Mahiru noted to herself that she has finally managed to obtain strength, which is equal to a third progenitor like Krul Tepes. Whereas a vampire's power is dependent upon both age and lineage, it's unknown if Mahiru was really as powerful as she believed to be. This was because of Mahiru's was still young being in her late teen, in comparison to Krul, who has lived for a really long time.

Unlike Mikaela, who also became a true noble vampire by Krul, Mahiru doesn't seemed to have a first-class vampire weapon in possession, but still used the demon weapon, Shikama Dōji with its forms and abilities instead.

Upon discarding it, Mahiru can truly unleash her potential power as a true noble vampire, which is greater than that of a demon she originally became before the events of Seraph of the End occurred. Even so, despite the tremendous power she has greatly attained from Krul, it was still not far from enough to even scratch the second progenitor Saitō and defeat him.

Demon

 * Demon's Thrall: Mahiru-no-Yo may enter her host's mind and consume him with illusions in an attempt to break his will. If she wins, she gains control over his body.


 * Basic Form: Mahiru-no-Yo appears as a black katana with a red streak down the middle. Merely drawing her increases her bearer's physical abilities significantly and calling upon her name increases them tremendously.
 * Namanari: A human one step from becoming a demon. Mahiru-no-Yo has managed to turn Guren into one of these. In this form, Guren and Mahiru cooperate and have tremendous power. However, Guren's personality changes to a more demonic, heartless, and demanding one. It is unclear whether this is the demonic side of Guren that Mahiru began to create the summer before the Apocalypse when they were both human or if Mahiru is the one in control of Guren's body.

Cursed Gear
Asuramaru「阿修羅丸, Ashūramaru, lit. "Perfect Asura"」: Asuramaru is a possession-type demon weapon of the Black Demon Series. It resides inside a black sword that Mahiru once used. Whilst in use, the blade developed a thick green aura. She could call upon Asuramaru to fully use its power to attack opponents.

Shikama Dōji「四鎌童子, lit. Four-Scythe Child」: A manifestation-type demon weapon from an unknown series. It is strongest at mid-range. Her primary ability is to detect anything that comes within the attack radius of her scythe.

Trivia

 * Mahiru 「真昼」 means "midday."
 * Hīragi 「柊」 means "Holly."
 * Her demon name Mahiru-no-Yo 「真昼ノ夜」 means "midday's night."
 * Mahiru is the only character known so far to be a demon who is possessed by another demon. It is almost as if the demon itself replaced Mahiru completely, besides her appearance.
 * Both Mahiru's demons; Asuramaru and Shikama Dōji are currently in possession by the male and female lead of the manga series.
 * According to the light novel, she and her half-sister Shinoa were born with demons inside of them.
 * In the popularity poll, Mahiru earned 8th place at 957 points.
 * If she were alive, she would 24 years old.
 * According to the official 8.5 fan book:
 * Interests/Likes: Guren's future, ambition, lust, the "Seraph of the End" experiment
 * Favorite food: Human hearts/minds, demons
 * Crush: Guren

Book 1

 * "When we get older… do you think the two of us could get married? We could be together, forever, just like we are now."—Prologue, Page 13
 * "You shouldn’t have pulled your bandages off like that."—Chapter 4, Page 74
 * "I’ve changed too, Guren. I decide who I see now, and what I do.  It’s a Hiragi’s duty to look after the clans under our command."—Chapter 4, Page 75
 * "You were more rough-and-tumble as a child. When did you learn to say such flattering things?  I don’t care if it’s flattery.  I’m just happy to hear you call me beautiful."—To Guren, Chapter 4, Page 76
 * "…do whatever I want? I don’t have any interest in making father happy and I never have."—Chapter 6, Page 125
 * "I don’t want you to apologize to me. Especially not this weak you, who can’t protect the girls in his life."—To Guren, Chapter 6, Page 125
 * "Impressive! You really have become strong, haven’t you, Guren?  Was it all for my sake?"—Chapter 7, Page 153
 * "I see… All I ever wanted was to be with you again, Guren.  That’s why I grew stronger."—Chapter 7, Page 153
 * "Ahaha. Once I began acquiring power, I enjoyed the feeling.  You understand, don’t you, Guren?  You’ve grown so strong, but you’re still flesh and blood.  You must feel the seductive pull of power…  There’s a limit to flesh and blood, though, isn’t there?  To become truly powerful, you have to be willing to transcend to the next level."—Chapter 7, Page 154
 * "You look surprised. Amazing, isn’t it?  A cursed weapon.  It’s a combination of Hiragi and Thousand Nights magic.  We learned how to make contracts with high-ranking demons that were formerly out of reach, and to bind them into weaponry…"—Chapter 7, Page 154
 * "It’s not quite perfected…but I think we’re close. Just think of it, Guren.  With a weapon like this, what is there left to fear?  The Hiragis are powerless ants in comparison.  Even vampires would be no threat.  They think of humans as no more than mere cattle, but with a weapon like this we could kill them.  It just needs to be perfected.  Look at it.  It’s so beautiful—"—Chapter 7, Page 155-157
 * "Since when did you become so high-minded? You act as if you’ve never sacrificed anything.  But I have a feeling you’ve given up more than your share to gain the strength you have now.  It’s a lesson we learned together, Guren.  That day, on the grass, when the sky was so blue.  Without strength, you can’t protect anyone.  Not the ones you love, and not the things that are most precious.  All that matters is power.  I know that, now.  And so do you, Guren…  Come with me.  I can give you power, Guren.  We can perfect this strength together.  We…we can—S-Stay away, Guren!  It’s too late.  Too late…  The demon, it’s already possessed me.  The cursed gear…our experiment…  W-We failed…  This isn’t me.  I…I…  Shut up!  Shut up!  No one is possessed!  I just need power…more power…"—Chapter 7, Page 157
 * "You spared me earlier, so I guess that makes this a draw. Not that getting stabbed in the heart would actually kill me…"—To Guren, Chapter 7, Page 158
 * "…I want to tell you something important, Guren. The truth is, this year at Christmas, the world will come to an end.  The trumpets of the apocalypse will sound, and a virus will spread.  When that time comes, a new world will arise.  One that, more so than ever, requires power.  When that time comes, I know you’ll need me once more…  We’ll meet again, Guren, when the world comes to an end."—Chapter 7, pages 159-160
 * "I love you, Guren. That much is true.  A day will come when you need me again…  Until then, I’ll be waiting."—Chapter 7, Page 160

Book 2

 * "Don’t try to resist, Shinya. You wouldn’t want me to slip and accidentally kill you."—Chapter 7, Page 303
 * "My loyalties lie in the same place as yours do, Guren. Wherever there is power.  Enough power that no one can ever interfere again.  Enough power so that no one can keep us from the people we love, so that no one can take our freedoms away from us again."—Chapter 7, Page 305
 * "My loyalties lie deep in the heart, where madness and depravity live. As do yours.  Don’t they, Guren?  But it’s not enough.  You need to sink to the same depths as I have.  Why didn’t you kill that girl from the Jujo Clan a moment ago?  Or that fool from the Goshi Clan?  It’s what you should have done.  You need more hate, more madness.  Let it rush through your body, Guren, let it consume.  Demons thrive on the hopes of man.  In order for a demon to choose you—"—Chapter 7, Page 305
 * "Everyone’s path is the same. In the end, we all die.  Humans are weak.  'What is the point of living?'  'Are we here for a reason?'  Time passes before we know it.  Too fast for us to waste it asking such foolish questions.  So, how do we live during that brief span?  What path do we choose?  We’re going to die either way.  Do you really think taking the long way there changes anything?  Ha."—Chapter 7, Page 305
 * "You’ve got it wrong. I’m not trying to pull your strings, Guren.  The decision is yours to make.  But you won’t resist it.  You thirst for power.  You need it.  You’re just like me.  You’ve already fallen.  You’ve fallen deep, and there’s no climbing back out."—Chapter 7, Page 306
 * "Ahaha! In the end, it looks like you really don’t have a choice.  That creature is a chimera.  It’s been altered using the genetic material of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.  If you don’t draw the black sword from the ground, you’ll never be able to defeat it.  You’ll die.  And all your little friends, lying unconscious on the ground here, will die along with you."—Chapter 7, Page 307
 * "That’s it. Take the power that’s offered to you.  Give up your humani…  S-Stop, Guren, don’t!  If you do it, you’ll never be able to return…  Shut up!  SHUT UP!  He almost did it.  You…  I…  Shut up!"—Chapter 7, Page 307
 * "Ha! Amazing, just as I expected!  Ah…hahaha…  I bet you want to kill me too.  You can’t control it, can you, the impulse to destroy?  You want to kill your friends here too, don’t you?  You want to string the boys up by their innards, don’t you?  Rape the girls and then twist their heads off their shoulders?  That’s the one problem with that sword…  The demon ends up possessing the wielder, turning his soul murderous and dark.  Don’t worry, Guren.  Killing these five should temporarily quench the sword’s thirst for blood.  Afterward, we can search for a way to control the cursed gear together.  If we work together, I’m sure the two of us will be able to perfect this power.   No one will be able to stand against us.  No one will ever get in our way again.  For now, all you have to worry about is killing them.  Take the next step forward, Guren.  Claim your power."—Chapter 7, Page 310
 * "W-We have to be quick… If the demon’s regenerative ability is still inside you, the arm might reattach…  No, no, why isn’t it attaching yet?   At least the nerves…please…  What were you thinking?!"—To Guren, Chapter 7, Page 313
 * "You’re lying! You’re lying!  It’s all lies, don’t try to make me feel better…"—To Guren, Chapter 7, Page 314
 * "If you want to protect me… If you really want to protect me…then come with me, Guren.  Kill your followers, kill your friends, and come with—"—Chapter 7, Page 314
 * "Heh… You always were dashing, Guren.  I wish I was the kind of girl who could be swept off her feet like that.  I wish I really could just go with you.  I know I’d be so happy if I did."—Chapter 7, Page 314
 * "Ha! Pretty words.  But are words all you’ve got to persuade me?  What about strength?  Why don’t you just knock the sword out of my hands, grab me in your arms, and make me listen to you?  That’s right.  Because you can’t yet, can you?  I’m so much stronger than you that it’s almost heartbreaking.  I guess that’s what makes me the hare.  Hurtling headlong toward destruction.  I’m still waiting for my tortoise prince, Guren.  Try and save me if you like, before it’s too late."—Chapter 7, Page 315
 * "In the end, you’ll fall. Your heart will grow black and twisted, just like mine.  Do you see, Guren?  We just can’t stay apart.  We’ll keep each other company on the road to hell."—Chapter 7, Page 316

Book 3

 * "So you’re the one who survived, to plant a seed in me?"—To Shinya, Prologue
 * "I have no interest in you. Please just be yourself."—To Shinya, Prologue
 * "My heart already belongs to somebody else," she said. "There’s no room left for you.  That’s what I came here to tell you today."—To Shinya, Prologue
 * "Ahaha. All I ever wanted was to have a normal life…  To be a normal girl who can fall in love with anyone she likes."—To Shinya, Prologue
 * "Hmm… I’m not sure.  But whether Guren is strong or weak, my feelings for him won’t change."—To Shinya when he asks if Guren is as strong as she is, Prologue
 * "I’m pretty sure Guren is strong, though… He’s probably much stronger than me."—To Shinya, Prologue
 * --Do as you like.—An email from Mahiru to Kureto after he announces Shinoa’s death sentence, Chapter 4
 * "Hmm? I never knew Kureto had such a Lolita complex."—To Shinoa after Shinoa reports that Kureto threatened to have her raped, Chapter 4
 * "They won’t? I’m pretty sure that Father places much greater trust in me than he does in you, Kureto.  It isn’t hard to believe that a weak person would be jealous of a strong one.  Remind me, Kureto, which one of us is stronger?  I hate to break it to you, dear sweet brother, but I’ve never once felt jealous of you.  Do you see what I’m getting at here?"—To Kureto, Chapter 4
 * "I…just wanted to hear your voice…" she said. She sounded weak and exhausted, entirely unlike the Mahiru who’d been threatening Kureto moments ago.—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "W-Wait!" Mahiru cried in a panic.  "Don’t hang up, Guren.  If you hang up now, we might never be able to speak again."—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "No. It’s not like that.  I wanted…  I…  N-No…  Not yet!" Mahiru’s voice suddenly grew strained.  Her breathing became ragged. Guren had witnessed this before.  Several times, when they had met, it had seemed as if Mahiru were suffering from a split personality. When it had happened before, Mahiru had told Guren to run.  Away from the demon.  That she was already lost. It could all just be an act.  But if it wasn’t… —To Guren, Chapter 4


 * She sounded like she was in pain as she answered, "Yes…I had to call now…while the demon part of me was still asleep…"—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "I want…" Her voice sounded heavy.  "I want you to kill me…  I’m in control of myself less and less every day.  I’m barely here at all anymore.  It has to be now, before it’s too late…  While I can still resist—"—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "GUREN!!" screamed Mahiru. She sounded on the verge of tears. In fact, Guren had a feeling she might already be crying.  He could hear a faint, wet sniffling as she spoke. "It’s already too late…"—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "I’m sorry, Guren. I’m so sorry." —To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "G-Guren." "…" "I love you, Guren." "…" "Please, let me die while I’m still capable of feeling this…"—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * While the researchers may have given up, the project didn’t truly end there.. Because one day, Mahiru began having dreams. Those dreams were dark.  Very dark.  In her dreams, a demon spoke to her and queried her from the shadows. —Reading about Mahiru’s childhood, Chapter 4


 * As the years passed, and Mahiru’s body matured… As her heart and her emotions, her vanity, her sexuality, and her need for recognition grew, the demon’s voice, too, grew louder.—Reading about Mahiru’s childhood, Chapter 4
 * Working with the Hiragis had never been an option. Going to them would reveal the presence of the demon in her sister, who would be subject to experiments without delay. Instead, Mahiru used herself as a guinea pig, engaging in a long and lonely fight.—Reading about Mahiru’s adolescence, Chapter 4
 * "I’m not human anymore, Guren… You can’t hold me.  I’ve lost that right.  I can’t be with you any—"—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "You…don’t love me, do you? Of course, you don’t.  It’s been ten years, after all…  I’m not even human anymore…  How could…how could anyone love a vile monster like me?"—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "Please, Guren…" she said, murmuring into his chest. "I want you to take me…  Will you sleep with me?  Even if I am a monster?"—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "I don’t know… I don’t know anything, anymore.  I’m just so… so tired—"—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "Heh..heheh," she laughed shyly. "I didn’t expect you to kiss me like that…  My heart’s beating so fast I think it might explode."—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "Yes, I have. I ate Shinoa’s demon.  I was so desperate to save her that I swallowed it up whole.  But that turned out to be my downfall.  Once I had two demons inside me, I couldn’t hold myself together any longer.  Still…"  Mahiru stared at Guren.  "I might be broken, but I don’t think I’ll forget what we did today.  I love you, Guren.  And I thank you.  You finally gave me what I wanted. She spread both her arms out wide. "Thanks to this…the last bit of weakness left in my heart has finally died.  Mahiru, the pathetic little six-year-old girl who called you on the phone to cry about how much she loved you, has let go of her attachment to this world and passed away."—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "I’m sorry for getting you wrapped up in all of this, though, Guren… I managed to get the demon out of Shinoa, but in the end I wound up splitting it with you.  Now, you’re going to become a demon, too.  I guess I still wanted to depend on you a little…"—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "I already told you, the world is going to come to an end. It’s exactly what it sounds like.  The adults will be destroyed first, because they’re the most tainted and filled with desire.  When it happens, everyone in the world over the age of thirteen will die… "God is angry.  At us, for our greed.  At mankind’s vile nature and insatiable desire.  At the unspeakable research we’ve been pursuing. "The land will rot. "Monsters will roam the Earth. "Poison will rain from the sky. "The Seraph of the End will blow its trumpet, and this world will fall. "Mankind won’t be able to survive in the new world.  Not the weak, at least."—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "Come, Asuramaru…" she said.—To Asuramaru, Chapter 4
 * "Behind killing everyone from the Thousand Nights? I concocted a rumor that the Hiragis did that.  Today, the Thousand Nights are going to get their revenge.  And then the Hiragis will get revenge against the Thousand Nights.  And then the Thousand Nights will—" Mahiru’s words were cut off by the sound of an explosion in the distance.—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "It looks like it’s started. Until yesterday, I was the only hare in the race… but things are going to change today.  Everyone will need to become a hare.  Everyone in the world.  Make haste, make haste."—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "I’m trying to be with you, Guren," Mahiru assured him with a smile. "To live with you, even if it’s in the next world.  Even if it’s in a world where mankind can no longer survive.  But for that to happen, we’re going to have to be demons."—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "Haha. Look at how vile humans are.  Give them the slightest reason to doubt, and they tear each other’s throats out.  Is that the side you want me to join?"—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "There’s one thing I know, though, Guren. You’re strong.  Very strong.  That’s why I love you.  Kureto can’t hold a candle to you.  If you ever get serious, the whole world will tremble at your feet.  Because human strength lies in naïveté, weakness, and vileness.  A demon’s favorite things."—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * All that she left behind was the darkness and her scent.—Chapter 4

Book 4

 * "You don’t have much time, Guren… If you don’t hurry, you’re going to be too late.  Mito Jujo is waiting for you in the audiovisual room.  She’s on the brink of death, and she’s hungry for you.  She needs it so much.  You should take her, Guren.  Just like earlier, when you took me."—To Guren, Chapter 2
 * "It’s okay," Mahiru whispered into Sayuri’s ear. "It’s only natural for humans to feel lust.  But you’ll never be able to get what you want.  Not in this world.  You just aren’t strong enough.  I’m the one that Guren loves.  Not you.  He’ll never love you."—To Sayuri, Chapter 2
 * "Ahaha. I love how you try to protect these humans, Guren.  I love how greedy you are.  How you try to have it all, and in the end wind up with nothing.  I love you so much, I want you to have even more of the demonic poison!"—To Guren, Chapter 2
 * "That doesn’t matter," she skirted Guren’s question. "What’s important now is that my brother, Kureto, is about to bring the cursed gear project to nearly 90 percent completion.  He’s going to create an antidote to save you.  People will be able to use it to wield cursed gear while still holding onto their sanity…  But greatness requires more.  Any plan put together by a rational person like my brother will always include a large margin of safety.  An approach like that will never aim high enough."—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "Hang up on me now and I’ll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life," she said.—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "Oh, Guren. You can’t just screw a girl and run."—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "Kill me, so I can live on inside of you forever."—To Guren, Epilogue
 * "This makes me love you even more…but I’m afraid a lovers’ suicide is out of the question. I’m entrusting the future to you.  When everything is in hopeless ruins, I want you to be the last ray of light shining on the world."—To Guren, Epilogue

Book 5

 * "You look human to me."—To Yuichiro Amane when he says his parents called him a demon, Prologue
 * "But if you are a demon, or a monster, or whatever," Mahiru continued unfazed, "does that really mean you shouldn’t get to live?"—To Yuichiro, Prologue
 * "I am…" she answered. "I have my own battle to fight, so you’ll have to stay strong on your own.  You do that, and someday I’ll come back to let you out of there."—To Yuichiro, Prologue
 * "I don’t think any human living is worth anything," she said. Yu seemed startled. "No one is really important," she said. "Everyone is just a cog in the end.  Get rid of this or that cog, and the next one will be born soon enough to take its place.  But tell me, Yu, if there’s no real meaning or value to life, what will you live for?"—To Yuichiro, Prologue
 * "Ahh, you’re so adorable, Guren. Even in the situation you’re in, you still don’t know what to do.  You want to be kind to everyone.  You’re exactly the type of person who’s bound to turn to your demon for help.  And you’ll fall so much deeper, so much darker than I did.  You pretend that you’re good and just, but someday, when hope is gone and the future is lost…  Ahh, I can’t wait, Guren.  I can’t wait to see that happen.  But I think we’ve talked enough for now."—To Guren, Chapter 1
 * "Kureto, how about you let your adorable half-sister give you a little advice. If you plan to keep using that demon sword, you should know that always doing things the correct way will only make you weak…  As long as you stick to taking baby steps, you’ll never be able to stop me in time.  Justice?  Reason?  Cast off those chains, Kureto.  If you don’t, you’ll never catch up to me."—To Kureto, Chapter 1
 * I don’t know what it’s like to be loved by your parents, so I don’t understand that feeling, Mahiru thought.—Reflecting to what a child said about thanking her parents back when she was little, Chapter 2
 * "Junji," she said. "You don’t need to be scared.  We’re actually just an ordinary, happy family.  You’ll like it with us."—To Junji at the Hyakuya Orphanage, Chapter 2
 * Mahiru had thought the same way when she was little. That she had the right to be happy. But no such right existed. If you wanted happiness, you had to scratch it out yourself, tearing and screaming, from the jaws of death.—Chapter 2
 * "You think so? Maybe I’m just patient.  My dream, actually, is to be a nice, traditional housewife.  Long-suffering, you know?"—To Krul Tepes, Chapter 5
 * "Ahaha. The turtle has begun to run.  I’m going to have to make sure he doesn’t catch up to me," Mahiru muttered to herself.  But deep down, what she really wanted, really desired, was for that turtle to overtake her and put his arms around her.—To herself after Guren moves outside her predictions, Chapter 5
 * "Ahh, I can hear it again, that noise," Mahiru said in a singsong voice, as Krul stared on. "Tock. Tock. "The sound of desire. "The footsteps of destruction. "Someone cries out.  Man’s sins are too great. "Someone cries out.  Man’s pride has grown too large. "Like Icarus. "Like Babel. "The second hand continues to race. "Avarice marches onward. "Toward the end of the world. "Toward a world of blood. "This is the story of how man goes extinct once more."—To Krul, Chapter 5

Book 6

 * "Because they killed my mother… The Hiragi Clan hunted her down and killed her.  My father barely ever even looks at me.  So I decided to do the one thing I knew would bother the Hiragis the most."—To Guren about why she first approached him, Prologue
 * "I wonder how these bands are created… I’ll have to look into it and make my own."—To herself after tearing her UV-suppressing armband to pieces, Chapter 4
 * "Ahh, I must be thirsty for blood."—To herself while thinking of Guren, Chapter 4
 * "Not that I really qualified as human even before becoming a vampire," she remembered.—To herself, Chapter 4
 * "Are you that scared of me?"—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "I came to protect what’s dear to me," she answered with a serious expression on her face. "…You… and my sister."—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "Did you just peek up my skirt, Guren?" Mahiru asked, laughing. "You had that kick coming, you naughty perv!"—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "I’m still in the lead, Guren. But you’ve gotten very close.  Hurry now, catch up to me and take me in your arms."—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "Before we go any further, I need to tell you why I’m here. I’ve placed the cursed gear I dropped earlier, Shikama Doji, in your pocket.  Give it to Shinoa.  As long as she has it, she should be able to survive after the world ends…"—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "Ahh… I love the way you smell, Guren. I wish we could stay like this forever."—To Guren while wrestling with him, Chapter 4
 * "Ahhh, I can’t hold back any longer," Mahiru moaned. "Just a little, Guren, just a little taste."—To Guren before biting him, Chapter 4
 * "You see? You haven’t caught up yet, after all."—To Guren, Chapter 4
 * "Are you calling to invite me on a Christmas date?"—To Guren, Chapter 4

Quotes: Vampire Reign

 * "Demand it! Ask for it! Seek out more power!!"--The demon Mahiru Hīragi to Guren, Chapter 17, "Cursed Guinea Pig"
 * "Oh, Guren! You came. I was just thinking I'd like to see you."--The demon Mahiru to Guren, Chapter 17, "Cursed Guinea Pig"
 * "No, Guren. You won't. You'll follow me, right?"--The demon Mahiru to Guren when Kureto tries to lure Guren to his side, Chapter 23, "Ambition in the Demon Army"
 * "You always did have good friends, Guren. That's why it's imperative they don't find out.  If the dead find out they've come back to life, they will turn back into the dust from whence they came."--To Guren, Chapter 54, "Sinner's Christmas"
 * "If you tell him you saw me, Shinya will die. So shut up and stay silent, beast."--To Byakkomaru, Chapter 54, "Sinner's Christmas"
 * "Aah... I can smell Shinoa's scent.  She must be close.  That... and I smell burning vampire...  Aha ha!  Someone is getting roasted like a side of beef."--To Krul and Ferid, Chapter 54, "Sinner's Christmas"
 * "Aah, this brings back memories of high school. Once again, my lover and my fiance are fighting each other over my hand..."--To Guren, Chapter 56, "Loose-Lipped Vampire"
 * "What a peaceful sleeping face. Guren?  Why did you bring Shinya and the others here?  You had multiple other options.  In fact, there was no need to act like you had secrets to hide in the first place.  If they discover what happened, they'll vanish.  That isn't a risk worth taking.  So why did you do this?  ...You've hit your limit, haven't you?  Your heart can't take much more of this.  If you didn't let your friends know that you were keeping secrets, that you were weak... then you'd become a full demon.  That's why you told them.  The drugs aren't enough anymore, are they?  You must do things that go against your ideals... or you'll become a true demon--"--To Guren, Chapter 56, "Loose-Lipped Vampire"
 * "You look well. I'm glad.  But why can't you see me?  You would make a far, far greater subject for this experiment than I ever was, after all.  Your demon hasn't awoken yet, has it?  Your greed must not be intense enough yet.  You need to fall in love.  A need for love.  A need for physical intimacy.  Let those desires grow and run wild, until you don't care the east bit about the rest of the world.  So which one do you want?  One of the boys, perhaps?  Which one do you want to warm you at night?  ....Aah...  I love you so much, Shinoa."--To Shinoa while Shinoa cannot hear or see her, Chapter 56, "Loose-Lipped Vampire"