The only man I'm living for.

Curling into himself, the vibrant memory was enough to make his heart feel like it would cave in on itself, a choking sob slipping out and shaking his already quivering frame more violently than before. I don’t want to think about it..! I don’t..! But if I look at that face, it hurts me so much inside! Arms raised over his eyes, having tried to wipe away the tears that could not stop, Yuu realized the futility of it, limbs falling to his sides as his head hung low. Well… this was it then. This was as far as he could make it. Was this Mika? Was this a trap? Would this person help him? Were they a danger? What about this city? All the careless and oblivious crowds passing by him..? He didn’t know anything anymore.

“What’s happening…? I don’t understand…”

“Yuu-chan...”

It was hard to take. Such vehemence, such hatred from the one person he was living for...

“I won’t kill you, Yuu-chan... We’re family.”

He removed his own cloak and draped it over Yuu’s shoulders, before gathering the tiny boy into his arms and standing. Yuu would not be able to derive warmth from Mika’s body, but perhaps he would find comfort in curling into his own with an extra layer on his shoulders.

Hyakuya Orphanage...

That was the only safe place Mikaela could think of. He didn’t know how long had passed, or whether the place was even still standing...but it was his only shot. Yuu couldn’t be the director now, but perhaps the staff members would recognize them.

“Hold on.”

And he took off in a sprint, nothing but a white blur to the people around him.

To his relief, the Orphanage was as warm as he had remembered.

There were children still running about, some that he didn’t recognize. The ones that did gathered around, chorusing in greeting.

“Mika-nii!” 

“It’s Mika-nii! You came back!”

“Where’d you go?”

He smiled down at the children. “I’ll tell you later, okay? Right now, I have to take care of this boy. Be patient.”

He headed up the stairs and into one of the vacant rooms, placing Yuu down onto the bed.

This… this man… he looked and sounded exactly like Mikaela..? Taking a step back, scraped palms and fingers grasped into the cold, wet fabric of his clothing, the stickiness of the settling blood clenching his stomach into knots all the while. Could it be possible that vampires could take on the appearance of others? Was this some sort of illusion they made to try and capture him back? To kill him..? 

“St-stop..!” Tears relentlessly refusing to cease as Yuu held his ground, even as the frigid cold threatened to frostbite tiny toes, he shook his head defiantly, speaking through quivering lips.

“N-no… Mika’s… dead… I saw Mika die! Give him back… give Mika back to me! You damn blood sucker!!”

It hurt.

A look of pain flitted across his blue eyes. It was all the more the reason he would rather die than become a full-fledged vampire. A monster.

“...It’s me, Yuu-chan.”

He was beginning to understand it now--what had happened. Perhaps Yuu was in Hive City too...but it was this younger version of Yuu. And this made their reuniting meaningless. There was nothing he could tell to the twelve-year old Yuu.

But if this Yuu died, then no doubt the one Mika knew would vanish too. So he had to get him to safety.

Mikaela knelt down so that he was at eye level with the trembling boy.

“I never died, Yuu-chan... I’ve been living in Sanguinem ever since.”

–In the span of what was just a few fleeting moments, Yuu had lost everything–dreams, aspirations, warmth… and more importantly everyone he had even cared for dead; the entirety of the Hyakuya Orphanage fallen to the likes of a wretched, noble blood sucker. He had been so powerless to stop any of it, too, having bore witness to the likes of all those small bodies hitting the floor in irregular ways, crimson splashing across white marble flooring as shrill screams still rebounded about his ear drums.  But most importantly, the one person he had cared for more than anyone else, the single and most significant presence in his life to have made such an impacting difference had been left for dead, because he was so weak.. Mikaela had been dying in his arms, his blood now stained across the front of his clothes that once bound him as cattle to those vampires. The regret of not having enough physical capabilities to carry Mikaela with him… to bring him to the outside world awaiting him down the long, winding exit was an agonizing one; one couldn’t help but wonder: Why? Why is the world so cruel? Hadn’t enough been taken from them? Hadn’t they lost enough..?

Mika…. Mika…! Uu… Mika… I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I’m–

“Ugh… uu….. why…. WHYYYYY—?!”

But as he tumbled out into the gateway that lead to the outside world, Yuu found himself colliding into the likes of more pavement, snow covered and icy at that, slipping and colliding into the likes of a large sloshing puddle as a result. His palms and feet now numbing with cold and a dull ache, the rest of him absolutely soaked to the bone, a reddened nose sniffled as Yuu looked towards the crowds of people surrounding him, absolutely baffled by it all. What was this? Why were there so many people suddenly walking around like nothing was wrong? What about the disease that had wiped them all out..? What about all the stories of how the surface was unhabitable..? Was…. that all a lie, after all..?

...

...

He was here again. In Hive City. Mikaela clenched his jaw in frustration. He had been so close to finding Yuu, to saving him from the Imperial Army, but now he was back to square one.

A wave of pain shot through his body, as if a dull reminder as to what was soon to happen. Sucking in a breath, Mikaela tried to truck forward through the crowd.

And then, he saw him.

The tiny body of a quivering child who had just tripped and fallen into a puddle... He was soaked to the bone and freezing to death no doubt. But the attire was painfully familiar--as was that mess of black hair, and those brighg green eyes.

He felt a mix of relief and dread.

“...Yuu-chan?”

There was no doubt about it. This small boy was Yuu. But what had happened? Why did he appear so young?

A demon...? Would a demon take on his form to deceive Mikaela?

...Even if that was the case, the facade was far too convincing. And if worse came to worst, Mikaela was every bit confident that he would be able to slaughter a demon.

deadfaceadmin:

Ah. Alright. If they were going to be talking about killing him, then this would be the best time to make his presence known.

Sitting up abruptly (he noted the blond one’s rather strong reaction with mild bemusement), Alcor finally spoke.

“You may try, but I cannot guarantee that you will be successful. But in a place like this, it would be better if we were to join hands and walk alongside one another rather than against, no?”

He looked around the dead silent room, its two inhabitants staring incredulously at him as if he had just risen from the dead (he just might’ve in their eyes). Unfamiliar surroundings… The walls had been newly painted recently, a sheen coating the pastel colours.

“Hm… Where have you taken me?”

“You’re alive!!” It was said with almost too much alleviation as Yuu perked up and faced their conscious guest excitedly. Whereas what should have been more of a precedent was how naturally this guy had managed to get out completely unscathed from a high speed vehicle collision (Mikaela’s assumptions had been completely on point per usual). But then again Yuu had seen and experienced far worse atrocities. He was mostly just glad he wouldn’t be sent off to prison for an underage hit and run..   “Ah… sorry, this is the Hyakuya Orphanage.Uh… my bad for hitting you back there.. Do you really not need anything? You look fine but… What the heck are you?” He was just trying to be polite now, seeing as he wasn’t completely out of the wringer. Suddenly, however, Yuu felt a daunting, eerie chill run down his spine. Why hadn’t he ever considered the fact that this guy might be a vampire? And an enemy one at that…. Could he be even? Mikaela should have been able to sense that sort of thing…. right?

Once optimistic, bright hues, were now narrowed in distrust a little, taking a little step back, closer towards Mika. Vampire or not, maybe it was best that he take the situation a little more seriously for whatever it was worth.

Mikaela was already on guard long before Yuu was--the moment the “man” stirred, his hand moved to the hilt of his wooden blade, watching the figure in the bed carefully.

“He’s not human, that’s for sure,” he said, with full awareness that the man in question was conscious and sentient. “He’s completely unscathed. ...But he’s not a vampire either. A demon...?”

He was hardly about to admit that he hadn’t the slightest clue as to why he was here in Hive City, after all. Not when his favorite toy had just turned up right in front of him again.

Instead, he gestured at the woman still sprawled unceremoniously against the wall, her neck now marked with bloody puncture wounds. “There’s still some left. You must be hungry, surely. Or are you perhaps still keeping to that ridiculous rule of yours about not drinking human blood?”

The sight of the blood, the overpowering scent nearly sent another wave of shudders through Mikaela. He was hungry... He was so, so hungry. The pain was becoming unbearable, and not even Krul’s blood was able to satiate him completely anymore.

But no... He wouldn’t drink, no matter how weak he became. No matter how strong the temptation. He was better than that. Better than the other vampires... 

He was desperate not to become the same kind of monster that Yuu so vehemently wanted to slaughter.

“Shut up...”

He masked the pain with a low growl, drawing his wooden sword--though he was fully aware that it would be ineffectual against a vampire noble.

michhyakuya

With a grunt, Ferid unceremoniously dumped the body he was carrying on his shoulder against the wall of the dark alley. A young woman, in her twenties perhaps, unlucky enough to have been walking alone in the dead of night through a secluded path.

The perfect abductee, in other words.

A swift jab had been all it took to knock her out and carry her here, and now Ferid bent eagerly over the woman, pushing her collar aside to reveal a smooth, unmarred neck which he quickly sank his fangs into. Blood gushed into his mouth as his canines punctured her skin and he drank deeply, enjoying the feeling of his strength returning after almost a week of starvation.

The taste of the woman’s blood was nowhere near the wonderful sweetness of blood harvested directly from younger humans, but it served to slake his thirst all the same. Sated, Ferid raised his head from the woman’s neck and stood, drawing his tongue quickly over his crimson-stained lips to lick away the clinging blood droplets. In front of him, the woman continued to breath shallowly, not yet drained to the point of death. The smell of blood wafted faintly off her, unnoticeable to most but an irresistible temptation for a vampire. Perfect.

They had been stuck in Hive City for more than three months now, and weren’t any closer to finding a way back home. But Mikaela didn’t mind that in the slightest--it was so liberating to be away from the constant threat of the Imperial Army as well as his own fellow vampires breathing down his neck. Even if he were condemned to live here for the rest of eternity, if it were with Yuu, he wouldn’t mind.

...At least, that’s what Mikaela had thought five minutes ago.

The familiar scent of human blood wafted down the deserted street, shaking the urges he had been suppressing loose from their chains. Trying to ignore the pain that threatened to wrack his body, Mikaela’s heart began pounding with sheer dread--

--because with this amount of blood, either someone had met their untimely end by one of the monsters that prowled the streets at night--

--or a vampire had appeared within Hive City.

Taking off at a sprint, Mikaela had to make affirm his suspicions before jumping to conclusions. If it wasn’t one of the Nobles, then it’d be fine, but--

“...!!”

--fate would not be so kind to Mikaela. It was absolutely the worst outcome.

And before he could vanish from sight, Ferid Bathory had turned to face him, blood dribbling from the corners of his mouth.

“You...”

A hand flew to the hilt of his wooden sword immediately as he leveled an icy glare to the other vampire.

“……………..”

That…hadn’t been quite what Alcor had expected, but he had forgotten, in such a critical moment, that he couldn’t simply fly away from danger. He had certainly felt the impact, but he was otherwise unscathed. Now if only he could get up–

–or not. His limp body had been seized (and rather roughly at that) and thrown unceremoniously onto some cushy seat. 

“......”

He had absolutely no comment to Yuu’s frantic pacing, both exasperated and suddenly exhausted at the same time. Was there even a working police force within the city? Even if there was, surely it would be easy for a vampire to break someone out of it...

Still, this unnecessary stress could’ve been so avoidable. But Yuu probably didn’t need to hear any chastising when he was tearing his hair out...

“If he’s still alive, I can kill him for you so he won’t tell anyone.”

It was a morbid suggestion uttered with absolute seriousness. Mikaela wasn’t joking--he really would silence the victim if it was what Yuu wanted. But Yuu quickly interjected, and Mikaela was all too happy to comply, stepping out of the car and loading the body into the back seat. It was still warm, yet...there was barely any movement. Was he really...?

Wait...

“...There aren’t any injuries on him, Yuu-chan.”

Getting thrown such a distance and not a single scratch...? That wasn’t normal...

–Yuu had totally lucked out. On his turn to pick up the needed groceries and supplies for the day, he had managed to stumble upon a perfectly fine automobile specimen simply rusting on the side of the road. Of course, there was still a “For Sale” sign posted onto the back window, but no one had even left a phone number for him to call or ask information about. It was just asking to be adopted–to be taken in by a pair of good hands that would utilize it for the ultimate good! Or, you know, at least conveniently drive back and forth between the orphanage and shopping district for faster travel time.  Having had to break the door just a bit to get into the driver’s seat–Small collateral damage! No big deal!–Yuu had quickly loaded his bags into the back and hopped into the sun bleached leather seat, eyes sparkling with utmost excitement. Turning the keys that had been left in the ignition, he brought the engine to life with a seat shaking roar, no sooner sliding his hands against the smooth steering wheel.

Mikaela wasn’t exactly proficient with automobiles either (you tended not to be when you could scale a building in a single leap) but it was just embarrassing watching Yuu fumble around with the controls. It had been a good idea to tail him, he kept trying to tell himself, because at the rate Yuu was going, he was going to get himself killed--

“Yuu-chan, watch o--”

As the car reeled out of control, Mikaela didn’t bat an eye, confident that the both of them would survive any accidents. At least Yuu had had the sense to put his seat belt on...

“Yuu-chan, you’re going to hit--”

Even without glancing at the rearview mirror he knew that a terrible fate awaited the poor soul in the direct line of fire. The car lurched suddenly as it collided with the unfortunate victim, probably sending him flying onto the curb.

......

Sigh.

And it was there–couldn’t Mikaela see it too? Feel it even..?–the sort of yearning that exceeded the boundaries of just platonic friendship, the love that exuded from every one of his efforts and attempts? Now, true, Yuu wasn’t a romantic person, and he couldn’t even put his feelings into the proper light, but… When Mikaela just outright rejected him like this, apart of him broke a little bit inside. Even if at times it didn’t readily show like right now.

“ ..You’re making it too hard for me to get closer to you..”

“...?”

There was some unintelligible mumbling from Yuu’s end, and though  Mikaela didn’t catch most of it, he noticed the change in demeanour almost immediately. Of course, it was hard not to; Yuu had been cheery and bubbly just moments ago and now he was suddenly despondent...?

“...Yuu-chan. What’s wrong?”

He turned on his heel to face the other teen now, white cloak billowing around him in the evening wind. Icy blue eyes looked Yuu up and down, but couldn’t find any physical cause for the sudden change. In fact, Yuu seemed as healthy as ever...

Pressing his cold can of juice against Mikaela’s cheek (in hopes of startling a reaction of some sort) and settling down next to him on the concrete porch, Yuu tried to keep the conversation upbeat and mellow.

“...”

It reminded him of their old home.

He heard Yuu’s approach long before the other even stepped onto the porch beside him, barely reacting at the cold can pressed to his cheek. 

“...Yuu-chan.”

He accepted it wordlessly, though didn’t pop it open. It’s not like such a thing would quench his thirst to begin with... He couldn’t remember what human food was like anymore.

Huffy and puffy... What exactly did Yuu take him for? He didn’t give him the benefit of an answer, though Yuu didn’t wait too long before speaking up again.

“I’m fine, Yuu-chan.”

Mikaela spoke up quickly, attempting to put any silly idea that Yuu may have been concocting out of his head. Being a vampire wasn’t exactly something he was proud of, especially when he knew Yuu had been so vehement about killing them.

While the newly established Hyakuya Orphanage was coming along rather nicely–especially with Tasuku and Chrono’s help day-after-day–they were still incredibly short staffed. Amongst around 30 children, the two “founders and their two regulars were slowly whittling themselves out. And even though Yuu had been meaning to put out some fliers for employment, it had always slipped his mind at the end of each exhausting day. Who knew that taking care of little kids was this much work..?! It was definitely on par with being a soldier considering how careful you had to be on your feet… Speaking of keeping your guard up, in that very moment before supper, a dramatic episode was escalating quickly, shrilled voices screaming and crying out as a triad of orphans swarmed around Mikaela’s legs, clinging and pulling desperately. One seemed to be actually crying while the other two were livid and upset. 

“Mikaaaa-Niiiiii….!!! She pushed me!” ”WAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! UWAAHHHHHHHHH!” “Yeah!! I saw!! And they all called me bad names and pulled my hair!!”

No sooner did they voice their complaints did the second storm intrude on the conversation, almost bulldozing Mikaela over from the front, pulling at his apron and trying to swipe and grab at the other sniveling children.

“No we did not!” “They’re lying, Mika-nii! They’re being crybabies!” “Tattle tails!”

And in the midst of the roaring, childish wailing, one of them had the courage to climb up atop the stair railing, smirking mischievously as he held up his colorful weapon. Aiming true with a voiced sound effect (”BANG!”) did he fire off a dart from the toy cross bow, smacking Mikaela right upside his head.

After that is when the room garnered a deadly silence, interrupted quickly by the loud laughter from the child that had fired the shot.

”Stuuupid! I gotcha gooodd!! Hahahaha!”

And in the meanwhile, Yuu could only watch from the side-lines, completely aghast as he awaited some sort of eruption from the other.

“...”

This...wouldn’t be too different from that time, right? He was still the oldest, so he still had to take charge when there was disorder all around like this...

“...Calm down and explain what happened, okay? One by one. No interrupting each other.”

It felt so odd to be speaking so gently. Mikaela didn’t usually mince words these days, but with children this young, he had to exercise patience. Lots of it.

“...!”

Something small and hard collided with the back of his head, sending him reeling forward. A styrofoam dart rolled into view near their feet, Mikaela slowly turning back to see a child with a toy crossbow aimed right at him. The culprit...

“...”

Sigh. Patience.

“You shouldn’t do things like that. You wouldn’t like it if I hit you back, right?”

He kept his voice stern, yet soft, his eyes the same way. Honestly, if he budged even a little, the kids would be all over that...

He looked around at the other children, all staring up at him with their large eyes. “We’re all family. And we’re the only ones we have. If you lose your family...you’ll never get it back again.”

He paused, letting the words sink in. They were probably fairly heavy for children, but it seemed to have sobered them up a little.

“So you need to treasure it, and treasure each other. No more fighting, do you understand?”

A small smile as he knelt down at eye level with the kids. “Why don’t you eat dinner now? The other two left something good in the kitchen.”

“Could I leave that to the both of you? We need to make sure the kids are okay here. You can leave the expenses to us too, since we’ve both stockpiled a lot of money from working here.”

“......”

And that was the ultimatum, it seemed. With the children all cheering happily at the prospect of a more comfortable home, Mikaela really couldn’t dissuade Yuu now. Not without feeling horrible about it.

But if Yuu-chan wants to...

So Yuuichirou was also… The both of them were…

“…”

The notion of assistance was very appealing, and though Tasuku wasn’t sure of what they knew of directing an orphanage, any help would go a long way right now. He nodded at Yuuichirou.

“I think I’ll take you up on that offer. We need all the help we can get right now.”

He then looked to Mikaela and offered him friendly, professional smile. If they were going to be working together, then it was best to make peace now.

“It’s nice to make your acquaintance, Hyakuya-san. Oh…”

“…. Do you even know how to run an orphanage…?” 

Touche, Mika. 

Yuu actually had no idea what he was getting himself into, or where to even begin–it was all great in theory, but making it work? A whole other obstacle to hurdle over. But… he knew things would eventually fall into place. They usually did. If Yuu could befriend a demon trapped inside of a sword and hone the skills to match that of a vampire, then, surely, building a new orphanage from the ground up would be entirely plausible.

“If you’re both Hyakuya-san, then this might get confusing…” 

Sigh...

The worst part was, he couldn’t really say anything either; if he was going to be working with these children, then he couldn’t let them see any bad blood between him and their current caretaker...

Just barely alive, he had wanted to add, but alas, there was no place for such dark humour in the presence of the children. Seeing Yuuichirou so upbeat, Tasuku relaxed as well, letting his hand drop from his sword.

“Oh no, it’s okay. I should be the one apologizing. I’ve been on edge since the other Hive appeared in the sky…”

“I didn’t know you knew about Hanakotoba… But it’s true. The orphanage was probably targeted by the drones that were flying all around… We managed to get them out before they attacked, but it didn’t stop them from laying waste to the place. It’s just a pile of rubble now… We’ve been trying to find another orphanage, or even a building with vacancies, but this is the best we could come up with.”

“It’s not much, but… It’s better than them living on the streets. There’s only so much me and Chrono can do, though… We don’t know what to do other than try and make this place more comfortable for them.”

He glanced upwards Yuuichirou’s blond companion, who, while he had stood down, was still glowering at Tasuku suspiciously.

“…Who’s your friend?”

Especially these poor kids. Having to cope through such a terrifying disaster while still so young.. Yuu could really relate. Having survived through a freak apocalypse himself, attacked by vampires and made their livestock..  only to wind up ultimately revenge driven and broken. Now more than ever, he wanted to make a difference–he didn’t want there to ever be a reason for any of these kids to follow down his taken path. But there’d be a lot of major decision making to be made if anything was to happen.

“…Who’s your friend?” 

Another human...

The place was just swarming with them, but the boy in question didn’t seem to possess a demon weapon, nor did he sport the uniform of the Imperial Army. He could’ve easily been someone in disguise, but Mikaela could have no chance to verify that with Yuu all over him.

He really is too nice and trusting...

He had backed down as Yuu requested, but still continued to stay back from the reunion, simply watching them carefully. The only indication he had heard the introduction was a slight up turn of the eyes, but he didn’t speak until Yuu turned back to him.

“Hyakuya Orphanage 2.0...?”

Housing every single one of these children seemed like a daunting task, and finding the appropriate necessities even more so. Could just the three of them do it...?

Oh...

That had been his answer, but... Alas, Yuu knew him too well. But knowing Yuu... He’d take far too much onto himself if he was allowed to do this alone.

“...If you’re really set on this, then I want to help you, Yuu-chan. Do you even know how to run an orphanage...?”