Chapter Text
Mom?
That really threw Yuu for a loop. Why would he speak to a stranger with such an intimate name?
“Um...No, really, what’s your name?” Yuu didn’t move his hand from his sword, but his tone was more curious than accusatory.
The tiny woman fluffed up her cotton candy hair with another laugh, eyeing Yuu endearingly. “My name is Krul. I’m your mother, in the sense that I’m one who created you.”
Yuu gasped. He tightened his hand on his sword. He stopped himself from slicing Krul open in favour of trying to think rationally. She just might have information…
“How do you know Mika?” He inquired, face guarded.
Krul peered up at Yuu, and then sat down on the grass. “Let’s talk, but let’s do it rationally. I won’t hurt your human.” To prove it, she threw her own sword halfway across the grassy field. “I only came to see how my sons were doing, but sadly, Mika obviously isn’t here.”
“And why should I trust you?” Yuu demanded, not moving to sit down.
Krul paused, then smirked. “You don’t have any reason in the world to trust me. But you don’t really have any other options. It’d be nice to have somebody with power on your side to aid you against the vampires, yes?” She made a come hither gesture with her ringed index finger. “So please, sit with me.”
Hesitantly, Yuu sat. He heard Asura murmur in his head.
Trust her.
“Yoichi, get behind me.” Yuu commanded, and the brunette did so. It was no secret that he was utterly defenseless, and it embarrassed Yoichi to be so vulnerable. It was another reason he wasn’t fit to be a soldier, it seemed like. Just another reason to aid his choice.
“Alright, Mom, I’ll play by your rules.” Yuu grinned cockily, and threw his sword. It landed a fraction farther than Krul’s did. He sat down, crossing his legs. “So, what’s the gossip?”
Krul was mildly surprised. She honestly wasn’t counting on Yuu to be so trusting. It was comforting, because then she didn’t have to force him to sit with her and listen -unlike Mika-but she also knew how deadly it was to be that trusting. Deciding to not say anything about that, she began. “I’m sure you’re informed on how you became a vampire.”
“Yep. Thank you for, um, not killing my family.” Yuu nodded. “Though I’m not entirely sold on the why it was necessary.”
Krul sighed. “Right. In order to get to that part, I have to tell you what has happened so far.”
Yuu was quiet, ready to listen intently.
“There is another Progenitor in charge of Sanguinem right now. Ferid Bathory is his name.” She all but spat his name. “He’s the one who changed Mika all those years ago.”
“He’s got long, silver hair, yes?” Yuu’s eyes darkened dramatically. “Yeah, I remember that fucker.”
“Language, Yuu.” Krul scolded softly. “Though I do agree with you. He stole my throne, took it when I was most vulnerable. He had already gathered up an army, or rather, followers that stormed me out of Sanguinem. I’m lucky I’m even still alive, though that means, invariably, that I’m still a piece in his sadistic puzzle. Sadly, I still haven’t figured out what he plans to do with the world. With him in charge, ha.” She laughed bitterly. “Who knows what will happen? But then there’s you and Mika.” Her ruby eyes fell on Yuu’s. “Two vampires that are the unending interest of Bathory’s. I changed you to make you safe, so he couldn’t have claimed you. The fact of the matter is, you would have been changed either way, but Fate smiled upon you, and I was the one to give you your stolen power.”
“So...where do you come in?” Yuu asked. Asuramaru kept buzzing in and out of his mind excitedly.
“Me? Well, I’m here to join forces.” Krul smirked once more. “If you’ll take me up on my offer.”
Yuu’s eyes narrowed. “And what exactly can you do for us?”
Krul glanced at Yoichi. “I can offer protection. I’ve got my own followers as well. I can help reunite you with JIDA, despite our long feud. And then, combining those forces, we can defeat Bathory.”
“And what makes you think JIDA is going to join forces with you?” Yuu scoffed. “That’s crazy.” Not to mention nobody’s in their right mind over there as of now.
“What better way to fight vampires than with vampires?” Krul shrugged. “I’m sure you know this, but humans are delicate, so breakable. They need someone with power, with strength, if they even have a hope of winning this war. We’re willing to provide that.”
What she was selling sounded good, Yuu admitted, but there was something missing. “And what’s in it for you? I’m sure you aren’t doing this out of the goodness of your heart.” Even Yuu knew by now that there was always a catch to everything. There never was happiness without a glimmer of a shadow beside it. What ulterior motives did she have?
Krul took a breath, and let it out slowly. “I think it is possible for a peaceful coexistence,” She nodded to herself, “One in which vampires and humans could live in the same world without the fear on their side, without hate on our side, and without fighting on both sides.” Rubies stared intensely into Yuu’s. “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but this fighting has taken tolls on both sides. It has done no good, and has only increased the rift between vampire and human. I think it’s about time that we got over our prejudices and tried to help out the greater good.”
“And?” Yuu prompted, still not convinced.
Krul quirked an eyebrow, slightly unnerved at the boy’s intensity. This was clearly a different person than when she had last seen him as a child. She smiled in a way that was not at all a smile. “Since the vampires are giving up their easy access to blood, I think it’s only fair that the other side has to give a little, too. Don’t you agree, Yuuichiro?” Her eyes didn’t miss the flex in Yuu’s jaw. “If we have to give up the whole livestock ideation that we had set forth, then JIDA must give up on the human experimentation that they’ve been doing. It’s the only way both sides can agree on something.”
“But why does it matter if JIDA continues the human experimentation?” He asked, brow furrowed. It wasn’t as if he agreed with the experimentation in the first place; Yuu wondered why it even mattered to the vampires if it only directly affected humans.
Krul nodded, her eyes ancient with the heaviness of the past. “Human experimentation has long been a taboo for both vampire and human alike. Until recently, of course, when JIDA decided to meddle in things that are best left untouched.” She sighed, “However, the way JIDA’s done it proves to be deadly, and we can tell that just by looking at you.”
“Me?” Yuu asked in disbelief. Then he remembered; remembered the screams that erupted when he lost control, slipping into his demon form, remembered the way Mika had tried to restrain him--remembered the faint scar that will never heal on Mika’s chest from Yuu’s own sword.
“Yes,” Krul agreed. “And because of the unpredictable nature of the experimentation, we can never be sure if those powers could or would be used against us. If vampires and humans are going to live together in peace, then neither one of us should have to live in fear of a looming threat, or live in the uncertainty. Neither one of us should try to one-up the other. Our cards will all be laid out on the table for all to see-- no secrets, no lies, no ulterior motives. This is the only way we all can truly be freed from the exhausting fighting and come to a cease-fire.”
Yuu was quiet, taking it all in. He suddenly wished Mika was here; Mika would know what to do, which questions to ask. Yuu wasn’t stupid, but he certainly didn’t have the knack for logic like Mika did.
“I...see what you’re saying,” The ravenette started, grinning. “And I agree. I think there’s a way for us all to live together in peace. It’d be nice, y’know, not having people out to get you. But…” He glanced up at Krul. “Where do we come in? What’s the deal with us?”
“Your group shares the closest ties with JIDA, am I correct in that assumption?” Krul didn’t spare a second for Yuu to answer; the statement was painfully and quite obviously accurate. “We are counting on your group to break this matter in with them first, because they’re more likely to trust you than a bunch of vampires that stroll into headquarters like nobody’s business. The logistics for this are being worked out as we speak; all you have to do in the meantime is wait for our call.” She handed Yuu a battered, silver flip-phone. Yuu took it, examining it. It was just a regular cellphone, nothing special. “We will call you the first moment that we decide on how this encounter with JIDA will work, who will say what, the essentials.”
“Is that all?” Yuu finally asked. “We sit here, waiting for you to tell us what to do, then we run? How can we be sure you're not setting anything up?” Suspicion coloured his tone and bled into Krul’s ears.
She shrugged, to Yuu’s surprise; such an informal gesture coming from a former Queen. “As I’ve said to Mika before, you’re not really in a position to be questioning help, are you? When lives are at stake, and you are given a chance to make things right, are you really going to sit and wonder if you should trust it? No. You dive in and hope for the best. I’m suggesting you take me up on my offer, because you don’t stand a chance otherwise, my dear son.”
Yuu laughed, a short, crinkly-eyed smile came along with it. “Now you’re talking my language. Relying on impulse? Perfect. I’m your guy. I’ll do it. We really don’t have any other options, I mean, what have we got to lose?”
“Yuu, shouldn’t we wait for the others to decide on this?” Yoichi spoke up for the first time, though hesitantly. He laid his hand on Yuu’s back, speaking hurriedly, “I’m not so sure this is a good idea, and not one for you to decide alone. Please, let’s wait for the others to get back!”
“Yoichi.” The human all but cringed at the Queen’s voice. “The situation isn’t ideal, I know. I’m asking a lot of all of you, and so suddenly. But we can’t afford to wait any more. There’s no more time, there’s no better way to do this. I know it’s hard to trust me, especially me, but...I’m your only hope.” She scowled, but not at Yoichi. “I didn’t want it to come to this. I had thought that I’d have the throne long enough to talk to the council and turn their heads enough so I could present this to JIDA myself. But then I didn’t kill Bathory when I had the chance…” She shook her head, exhaling out the what-ifs. “The point is, we all have things to lose. But when you have a chance to gain everything back and more...you don’t turn away. Can I please have, if not your trust, your cooperation?”
Both males were silent, deep in thought. Yoichi wondered if Yuu really would go through with this, and he feared the outcome. How many people could be lost? How much more were they willing to sacrifice for the good of mankind?
“Yes,” Yuu spoke up first. “We’ll do it. The others will agree with us once they understand everything. No worries, Yoichi.” He flashed a grin and a thumbs-up to Krul. He really hoped that he wasn’t making a bad choice. This was one that could affect them all.
Krul admired Yuu, admired his ‘everything-will-probably-be-okay’ attitude. She could see why someone like Mika fell in love with him. Her hand skimmed down to her tattered coat pocket, and she pulled out four red vials. Asurmaru barked a warning in his head. Stay calm.
“What the hell is--” Yuu paused as the scent hit him. It was blood. His throat tightened, and he fought to stay focused.
“A vampire can drink two kinds of blood,” Krul explained, holding up one vial into the sun’s dying light; the scarlet liquid gleamed in the light. “Most drink human blood, as it gives them the most strength and completes the transformation from a human to a full vampire. However,” She handed the vials carefully to Yuu, “Others, including Mika, can survive on the blood of their Dame or Sire, but only for a short time. Mika surprised me; he survived for nearly four years.” Krul chuckled humorlessly, “Though he is most certainly the poster child of self-restraint. I wonder how long you will fair.” Curiosity burned her tone as she stood up.
“And you expect me to...drink this?” Yuu’s voice shook slightly, and he couldn’t exactly pinpoint why. Was his own self-restraint really so bad? “How long will this, er, last me? Or is Mika’s not enough?”
Krul gasped, her face tinged with the faintest blush. “You...drank from Mika?! I assumed you…” Her eyes flitted to Yoichi’s baby face, then back to Yuu. She pursed her lips to keep from smiling. Of course they would…”You DO realise that, ah, vampires don’t normally drink from each other.” She stared pointedly at Yuu, trying to say something without having to verbalise it.
“Um...so?” Yuu raised an eyebrow, not following at all.
Krul blinked, blushing a bit deeper. “Vampires drink from each other when...they...achieve a certain level of intimacy…” She prayed to whatever God there was that Yuu would finally get the point.
Yuu smiled brightly, “Yeah! Mika and I are best buddies! So of course we’d help each other out, you know.”
“That’s not what I…” She trailed off, then bluntly snapped, “Usually when vampires drink from each other, it’s because they want closeness, akin to the lust combined with human sex. It’s debauchery. Do you understand now, son? I never would have guessed that you and him...got that far.”
There is no word to even remotely describe the sound that came squawking out of Yuu’s mouth. His face heated up to the worst degree, and his eyes went wide.
“HIM AND I-- WE DON’T ---OH MY GOD!” Yuu stammered in between screams. While he could agree him and Mika were serious, there was no way that Krul could be right in this type of truth.
Krul laughed, waving her hand in half-assed sympathy. “Don’t fret, Yuu. I guess my boys are all grown up now…” Grinning, she turned to leave, “I’ll call you in a few weeks with news. And if you happen to gain any new information or if your group has any further questions for me, don’t hesitate to call.”
“Yeah, no problem. Leave it to us!” Yuu waved, but he realised Krul would have never seen it, since she was already running.
¨Oh god...what did we get ourselves into?” Yoichi moaned, pressing his head against Yuu´s back. ¨I don´t like this, Yuu-kun. I really don´t.¨
Yuu turned around, laughing as he hugged Yoichi, pulling the worried male to his chest. ¨Aw, c´mon! A little faith, please? I know it may not be the most reliable option, but it´s better than just lying around ripping up weeds, huh?¨
Yoichi sighed deeply. ¨At least we were safer that way, at least for a while.¨
Yuu kissed the crown of Yoichi´s head. ¨ There is no safety left. There is only the wait in between hurt and hurry. We´ve had a good run, but now it´s time to kick ass.¨
¨It´s like in that one book,¨ Yoichi repiled glumly, ¨´nothing gold can stay´.¨
¨What book was that? I´ve never heard of it.¨
Yoichi giggled, finally a bit more at ease. ¨We read that in our school, remember? It was called The Outsiders? Silly Yuu.¨ He teased, nostalgic. God, it seems like that was a lifetime ago...has it really been that long?
Yuu made a face, ¨I think I was too busy beating Kimizuki´s ass around the world to really remember a book.¨
¨I don´t think you even opened it, really.¨
¨Hey! That´s not true!¨
Yoichi and Yuu paused, and started laughing. When was the last time they were together? And laughing? Yoichi couldn´t remember. Couldn´t remember the last time he talked about stupid kid-ish stuff. The whole squad had had to grow up so quickly that there was no use for it, no need. It felt so good, that release of adult-hood things and focusing on friendships. Simply just being younger again, carefree. A child, like they were meant to be.
A tear escaped Yoichi´s right eye and ran down his face. Silently, Yuu wiped it away.
Without a warning, Yoichi started crying these huge, body-racking sobs. He clung to Yuu, who held him tightly without a word. Panic drew closed Yoichi´s throat, and Yuu murmured, ´breathe, just breathe’ slowly, again and again.
Yuu understood exactly what Yoichi couldn´t say.
There had been a loss of childhood, a loss of innocence. Constant fear had finally tipped the scale, and toppled down on the kindest heart of them all. Yoichi was tired of running. They all were. They were all tired of struggling, that constant frustration that went with them wherever they went. Yoichi wanted nothing more than a moment to breathe, take a step back, be cared for again.
Everyone wanted peace.
Yuu let Yoichi scream as loud as he wanted, because the mess they were in was as undeserved as it was unfair.
-------
About an hour later, Yuu was sitting on the fluffy mattress, waiting for the squad to get home so he could tell them the news. Yoichi had calmed down enough to continue working out in the garden, telling Yuu that working helped clear his mind better than just laying down and dwelling on his outburst.
Yuu cradled the vial of blood in his hand; the other vials were stored carefully in a worn out, cardboard box that he had found in Kimizuki’s bedroom. Said box was pushed under Yuu’s bed, out of sight, out of mind.
“Should I drink this now?...” He murmured. Krul hadn’t really given him specific instructions about the drinking procedures, so he assumed it was okay to drink. Here goes nothing.
He uncapped the vial with a loud pop! , and put it to his lips. He tipped the vial back, and his eyes went wide.
The blood splashed on his tongue, room-temperature and thick, clearly having given from the wrist, Yuu found he could determine. God, the thirst that had been so maddening, so demanding before had now died down almost completely. It was such an extreme and quick relief, Yuu was surprised. He expected a vial as small as that one to hardly make a dent in his hunger. He felt much better, less tired. Yuu sighed contentedly, fangs retreating back slightly.
Her blood is actually….kinda tasty.
Yuu scowled as he heard Asuramaru’s abrupt laughter in his head.
“Shut up…” Yuu couldn’t help but chuckle too.
“Talking to yourself again?”
Yuu whipped around, and saw Mikaela standing there in the room with him. How did it not even barely register that they were home? Surely Yuu would have heard them!
“How--”
“I ran a few miles ahead of the car. Narumi was driving me crazy.” Mika sighed, ruffling a hand through his wavy blonde hair. “They should be back any mo--” Mika stopped immediately as Yuu’s arms were around his chest, hugging him close.
“I missed you, Mika.” Yuu mumbled onto Mika’s chest.
Mika smiled, blushing slightly. His hands rose their way up along Yuu’s body, before finally settling on Yuu’s hips. He kissed Yuu’s ahoge. “I missed you as well. Of course. Worried the whole time, too.”
Yuu’s lips curved into a frown, “Why were you worrying about me? Don’t do that!”
Mika laughed at the pout. “I always worry about you. It can’t be helped. I’ll always worry if you’re okay, if you’re happy….or if you fell into the washer trying to do laundry. Or something of the like.”
Yuu rolled his eyes. “Y’know, I think I like you better when I’m kissing you.”
Mika’s eyes gleamed mischievously, “Your wish is my command.”
Yuu was about to ask what the fuck that meant when he felt Mika’s lips crash down on his. Yuu gasped, pressing against Mika. His tongue slid on the other’s lips, asking for enterance. Mika complied, quite content as Yuu’s teeth scratched his bottom lip. He took it as passion, and he felt deprived of touch, so he was willing to give in as necessary, for there were no longer any boundaries between him and Yuu. Finally, they could become something together. They could be together, and fit together like the puzzle pieces they were meant to be.
“Ahhh-hh…” Yuu groaned, tilting his head to the left and grabbing a fistful of Mika’s soft, soft hair.
For the moment, everything was as wanted to be. The sky settling into night, the death of another day. For a brief moment, it was as if the hardness of their world took a breath, and halted to let them have this stolen second.
“YUU! WHAT IS YOICHI TALKING ABOUT, A VAMPIRE QUEEN WANTS OUR HELP?”
Mika sighed regretfully as Yuu cringed away from him, hands still grasping his hair. He was about to suggest that he ignore Shinoa, but then he saw the worried look pass over in Yuu’s eyes.
“Yuu-chan?” Mika whispered.
He opened his mouth, but Shinoa screamed again,
“YOU BEST GET YOUR ASS UP HERE AND TELL US WHAT YOU SIGNED US UP FOR!”
“Okay, okay!” Yuu ripped away from Mika, yelling back. “I’m coming!” He stomped up the stairs, taking them by two’s, Mika a mere shadow beside him.
He walked into the front yard, and saw the members of his team standing around Yoichi.
Yuu put his hands up in surrender. “Okay, I’ll tell you everything. Don’t be worried, or mad, or whatever. This might be a good thing.”
As he talked, Mika scrutinized Yuu. There was something different about him, something...passionate. Alive. Mika softened. He had missed this part of Yuu.
“Any questions?” Yuu breathed out, dramatically sighing to show he was clearly out of breath from talking so much.
Everyone was silent for a while, taking it all in.
“I think you made the right decision, Yuu,” Shinoa began after a few beats of the heart. “I mean, what other choice do we have? We are no closer to helping Guren, Shinya, or otherwise contacting JIDA. Maybe this is our chance.”
“Yeah, but if this lady vampire could find us, it’s only a matter of time before the other guy gets to us.” Kimizuki pointed out. “Are we really going to risk the two groups of vampires fighting, or worse, one group fighting us, when we clearly wouldn’t make it? How much are we willing to give up for this, Shinoa?”
“I don’t know what will or won’t happen,” She admitted, but held his gaze intently. “But it’s better than waiting around for something to find us. This is the first glimmer of hope we have to rescuing the people that mean something to us. We’ve got to try and take this while we can!”
“She’s got a point.” Mitsuba chimed in, “We can’t keep waiting. We’ve finally got a direction to go in. Why are we even talking about this?” She huffed, clearly itching for a battle.
“Patience, Mitsu.” Shinoa mediated. She turned to Mika. “What do you think about this? You know Krul the best; is this something we can trust?”
All eyes fell expectantly on the vampire in question. He was quiet for a moment, and Yuu reached back, subtly lacing his fingers with Mika’s. He squeezed their hands.
“I think we can,” Mika spoke slowly, his voice careful. “It doesn’t sound like anything is amiss; Krul doesn’t do anything unless it will benefit her in the long run. So we’ve got to watch out for that, but it’s clear that we can, at the very least, see where this leads us. It can only bring us closer to our goals. I don’t want to lose anyone anymore than you all do,” With this, he tightened his fingers in Yuu’s hands. “But I think this is a chance we have to take. We have no other leads. This may be our chance.”
Shinoa, Kimizuki, Narumi, Mitsuba, and Yoichi nodded.
“Then it’s settled; we’ll try this out. At the first hint of danger or deception, we run. Got it?” Shinoa announced with finality. Kimizuki stormed back into the house, clearly not happy. Yoichi walked in after him, his voice trailing after him.
Shinoa sighed. “They’ll come around. It’s a big risk, but Kimizuki wants nothing more than to see his sister and have her safe and sound. I’m sure he hates all the obstacles that are in the way to get to her.”
Mika nodded. He understood that frustration well; when he was looking for Yuu when he was back at Sanguinem, he had to undergo so many conditions, so many hoops from Ferid and Krul just to see him. It seemed as if the universe had pitted everything against him to keep them apart. It was as if Yuu was constantly just a little ways out of Mika’s reach. It had been maddening.
“Well, let’s get things ready for tonight. Mitsu, wanna help me with dinner? Kimizuki’s probably going to take a early night. Narumi, can you help with the stuff we found? And Yuu?” Shinoa smirked. Yuu eyed that expression warily. “Can you and Mika wash the car? We drove it through mud and it got terribly nasty.”
“What?!” Yuu cried angrily, “We will do no such thing!”
But Shinoa and the others were already walking into the house. Shinoa giggled, “Have fun, boys!”
Yuu ground his teeth together.
Mika chuckled lightly. “Not to worry, Yuu-chan. I’ll go get warm water and soap. Start hosing it off, okay?”
Yuu pouted, fuming as he stalked over to the hose. He yanked it over towards the Jeep and gaped. The thing was practically dressed in muck and grossness. It would take hours to get all the dried up stuff off. He muttered incoherent swears under his breath as he sprayed the outside of the Jeep with water.
Somewhere while he was washing down the car, he suddenly got an idea. His eyes lit up, and he waited for Mika to come back.
Not long after, Mika’s hair could be seen bobbing after him as he skipped down the steps of the rickety house.
“Hey, Mika?” Yuu started, grinning widely.
Mika paused at the end of the stairs, finding himself smiling back at Yuu. “Yes? What is it?” He inquired.
Yuu put down the hose, and slowly made his way over to his lover. “So,” Emerald met sapphire, “I hear that true love’s kiss can break the spell of vampirism.”
Mika quirked a brow in amusement. “Hm. Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
Another step closer.
“I don’t believe you.”
Merely an inch away.
“I’ll prove it to you,” Yuu whispered.
Much like how the god-struck waves crash against the calm shore, Yuu kissed Mika, softly, with power and no trace of hesitancy. There was nothing about the kiss that could be damned. It simply was two people’s souls intertwining for the briefest of seconds. The way Yuu moved his lips on Mika’s made him believe in God. There was no force on heaven, hell, or anything in between that could describe Yuu when he was focused enough to put all his energy into something; right now, that was Mika. There was something so powerful about the way the sun died just as Yuu’s lips pressed onto Mika’s, and the faintest spark of sun that was to be found was the only thing that illuminated this space. It was a perfect moment, and as most moments are usually broken, this one stayed. This one expressed a second that could last a lifetime.
Yuu pulled back a fraction of an inch, his forehead still resting on Mika’s, bodies pressed against each other’s, eyes closed. Mika could hardly breathe, he was filled with love and happiness. In all that his life was, all the insanities, at least he had Yuu, the one person who could create the steadiness Mika so desired. At least, when all else failed and was left uncertain, Yuu was the only thing that ever made sense.
“It didn’t work.” Yuu mumbled. “You’re still a hot vampire.”
Mika laughed breathlessly. “As are you. Where on earth did you learn to kiss like that?”
Yuu blushed. He could never perfectly mirror Mika’s eloquen speech, but he did attempt to. “I...wanted to kiss you in a special way, because we never get much alone time, and I asked Yoichi how and...he described this.”
“Ah…” Mika could see it now; the softness and gentleness of the kiss made more sense now. He loved it even more.
"What was your reaction when you figured out you loved me?" Yuu breathed, pressing a kiss on Mika's ring finger. "Were you all happy, like, 'I'm in love with you, Yuu-chan!'?"
The blonde laughed softly. "More like, 'Oh no...not with this idiot...'" He teased. Yuu made a sound of indignation, then Mika continued. "No. That's not it. When I realised I loved you, I knew it was something that consumed me. You are something that I wanted to be next to for the rest of my existence; even as a child, I knew that. Wherever you go, I would follow. There was not a moment of hesitation. You were the perfect theif; stealing my heart with none of the punishment."
Yuu was quiet. It occurred to Mika that Yuu was touched.
"And what did you think when you realised that, you too, had fallen in love with me?" Mika asked quietly, curious now.
"I knew I had fallen in love with you from the moment I realised I could live without you, but that I didn't want to." Yuu answered, his voice thick and raw with emotion. "You have no idea how much I wanted you back, safe and sound with me at JIDA. Constantly, I'd dream about you, and I prayed to whoever was listening that you were okay. I refused to believe you were...gone. I couldn't. I wouldn't. Because If I had believed it...I'm not so sure I'd be the same dopey idiot I am now. I'm not sure what kind of person you would have found when I, er, kinda ran you through with a sword." He smiled crookedly. "I wouldn't ever give up on you. So I decided I'd never give up. Not on you, no matter what happens."
Mika's eyes watered. He gently crushed Yuu to his chest.
"Oh, Yuu-chan..." Was all he could manage to say.
"I love you, you idiot."