Chapter Text
Nothing but silence and the quiet cracking of the burning branches in a bonfire was surrounding Mika as he sat on the earthy ground, leaning against a tree and watching the slowly dying flames in front of him.
It has already been a week since they had set out to Kyoto in order to end what they began in Osaka and save Krul from the grip of Ky Luc who had escaped with her after their fight.
According to Ferid and Crowley there was only one place he could have run to and its location was in Kyoto, where also the capital of the vampires was. Wanting to scan the area beforehand and collect information on the exact whereabouts of the queen, both of them had set out a few days before them while in the meantime Guren and his squad had returned to Shibuya, running an errand. And because they also would have drawn too much attention to them by going there with such a large group, they said they would join them later at their destination.
Not having any sort of vehicle, Yuu and the others had to walk all the way there or at least they had to until the sun set. At night, they were resting and sleeping in whatever they came across. At most times they were near a city or a village where they could stay in an abandoned building and even found supplies.
But this time, they hadn’t such ‘luxury’.
There weren’t no nearby cities nor villages. Only a large forest they were walking through as the sun had begun to set. Since they didn’t want to get lost due to the soon approaching darkness, they all decided to set up their camp there and use the remaining time till night to collect firewood in order to make a little bonfire that could warm them up a little bit. Additionally, each of them had also a blanket to protect them from the chilly night air.
Due to them being pretty much worn out, all of them were able to fall asleep quickly except for Mika of course who didn’t need any sleep as a vampire. He was also the one agreeing to keep watch so there wouldn’t be the need for the others to take shifts and instead could sleep through until the next morning.
But everything remained pretty much quiet the whole time and Mika also couldn’t sense any other presences in the forest, so there was nothing for him to do except for waiting.
Silently, he kept watching the little fire for a little while longer until a quiet sigh escaped his lips and he closed his eyes, immersing himself in his thoughts.
So we’re really gonna continue this suicide mission, huh? Ridiculous. All of it. Especially since all we’re actually doing is basically dancing to Guren Ichinose’s tune, nothing more.
‘Resurrecting humanity’? ‘Bringing back Akane and the kid’s’? ‘Saving everyone’? Don’t make me laugh.
All he really wants is to make his mistake from eight years ago undone somehow…without caring that he’s about to make just another mistake with that. Just because he can’t live with the guilt of having killed so many people. Because he can’t accept the present like it is now…and probably destroying any possible future as a result.
He doesn’t seem to understand that it’s not how it works. That you can’t just repeat the same action from before and hope it’ll turn out differently. Actually it could even be worse than back then and this time…there won’t be any survivors…
And I also have this nagging feeling that he’s still keeping something a secret from us. That he still hasn’t told us everything, yet. For example where exactly he got these coded research data’s from no one but him understands…or how he intends to break the taboo a second time without having to pay a prize once again…
This whole story is just fishy.. But everyone else just seems to be blind to that and is following him without questioning anything. Without…being suspicious of him in any way.
Even though they saw with their very own eyes what he’s capable of at the airport back then in Nagoya. That he’ll betray his comrades in a blink of an eye…and sacrifice them just like that. And even Yuu-Chan…Especially after gotten so badly wounded by that bastard he shouldn’t be so trusting towards him. He shouldn’t let his guard down around him so much. Shouldn’t get so close to him and talk to him like nothing of it ever happened.
He may see some sort of father figure in him who cares about everyone equally and couldn’t harm anyone…but that doesn’t mean he’s really as kind as Yuu-Chan makes him out to be. It seems like he forgets that it was all planned by him and Ferid back then. That Ferid let him escape on purpose so Guren Ichinose could get his hands on him.
That bastard only took him in for his own purposes. To be able to experiment further on the ‘Seraph of the End’, to brainwash him over all those years so he’ll follow him with just one single finger snap and can use him as he likes afterwards…and throw him away in the end if he isn’t needed anymore.
If only I could finally convince him that he actually doesn’t care about him in the slightest. That he’s only interested in that power inside of him. That he’s not the generous and caring man he wants him to be. That he can’t be trusted in any way. That he-
Suddenly the quiet sound of something shifting interrupted Mika’s thoughts and shortly after…he heard how something slowly, trying to make as less noise as possible, drew nearer to him or rather…someone.
Mika didn’t even have to open his eyes to know who it was who tried to sneak up to him, the key word being ‘tried’.
“What is it, Yuu-Chan?”, he deadpanned still with his eyes closed, keeping his voice low in order to not wake the other’s up.
“Should have known that you would recognize me right away.”, Yuu replied with a small laugh and also in a quiet voice, taking the seat right next to Mika with his large blanket wrapped around him, “I was too loud, wasn’t I?”
“Even if you had been quiet, I still would had been able to tell it’s you.”, Mika sighed, opening his eyes and looking at his best friend beside him, “I mean, who else would be still awake at this hour? It’s the middle of the night and you must be pretty exhausted and tired from all the walking today and tomorrow will also be gonna a long day…so why aren’t you sleeping?”
“Well, I tried but for some reason, I’m not quite able to. Maybe there’s too much on my mind right now…or it’s just that I can’t sleep well unless it’s in a comfy bed.”
“…”
“So, since I can’t seem to fall asleep anyway we can now take shifts so you can rest for some time and I’ll keep watch for you.”
“Yuu-Chan, I’m a vampire. Unlike humans, I don’t need any sleep or rest. That’s why I’m keeping watch in the first place! Seriously, didn’t you listen at all to what I said to the others?!”
“Oh, guess I overheard that particular part.”, Yuu admitted, scratching his head with an apologizing smile on his face.
“…”
That’s so typical him. Never listening to what’s important. Sometimes I really wonder why I even…
Interrupting his own train of thought, Mika just sighed heavily.
“Anyway.”, he said, changing the topic back to the previous one, “There’s no need to take shifts so you rather should try to fall asleep.”
“But aren’t you also pretty much exhausted?”
“Yuu-Chan, I’m fine, really.”, Mika assured him with yet another sigh, “Vampires have a lot of stamina, a lot more than humans. I even doubt that they can get exhausted in the first place so no need to-”
“Vampire or not. Even you need a break from time to time. So don’t be like that and let me keep watch while you rest a little bit.”
“I don’t need a break.”
“You do.”
“I don’t!”
“Everyone does.”
“Well, I don’t! Now stop talking about that and go to sleep already!”
“Sure, as soon as you give yourself a break for a little while.”
“Did you listen at all?! I said that-”
“And I won’t accept a ‘no’ as an answer.”
“You do know that no matter how stubborn you are there’s no way I’ll-”
“Lalala, I can’t hear you~”, Yuu cut him off in a quiet sing-sang voice, looking into a different direction.
“Yuu-Chan, seriously I don’t-”
“So, and now enough with that discussion already.”, he declared, shifting his gaze back to him and reaching out one of his hands to Mika.
He placed it on the back of his head and before Mika could even react, Yuu pulled him down so that his head was now resting on his lap.
“Y-Yuu-Chan, let go!”, Mika protested, a faint blush visible on his cheeks due to that action while he tried to get up again but was held down by Yuu, “I really don’t need-”
“And no backtalk anymore, got it?”
“…”
“Rest.”, Yuu commanded.
“…”
Knowing how utterly stubborn he was and that he wouldn’t let up with that anymore anyway, Mika sighed once again.
“…Fine.”, he pouted, ultimately admitting defeat and obeyed without resist, or at least he did for the time being.
After that they stayed like this for a whole while without a single word being further exchanged between them.
Feeling how tense Mika actually was as he lied on his lap and that still didn’t seem to change after some time had already passed, Yuu gently began to run his fingers through his soft hair at a very slow pace, even playing with some of his strands from time to time.
Mika was already used to Yuu doing that whenever he drank his blood so it wasn’t anything new. It was just his way of telling him that everything was alright and that there was nothing he had to worry about but for Mika it was way more than just that.
Being close to someone, feeling loved and cared about and feeling someone’s warmth…He was deprived of all these things for so long that he almost forgot how it actually felt like and craved for that sort of intimacy more than anything else.
That act always managed to put him extremely at ease and made him feel comfortable and even at that moment…it was enough to calm down his nerves and washed away his nervousness, replacing it with a warm sensation that was slowly flowing through his whole body he knew too well.
And so it didn’t take long until Mika exhaled deeply, letting out a quiet sigh of content as he closed his eyes and slowly began to relax more and more due to his soothing touch.
With a comfortable silence surrounding them, they enjoyed that little moment of peace between them for a little while longer.
“By the way…is everything alright?”, Yuu eventually asked in slight concern, still running his fingers through his hair.
“H-huh?”, Mika replied, caught off guard by that unexpected question, opening his eyes again, “Oh, um, y-yeah, of course. Why do you ask?”
“You seemed tense when you were sitting here all on your own earlier.”
“…”
“…You were racking your brain about the plan again, weren’t you?”
Mika was at a loss for words for a brief moment after hearing that.
Usually he was able to perceive all of his surroundings perfectly well but it seemed like he had been so immersed in his thoughts that he didn’t noticed that Yuu apparently had been watching him earlier.
One thing Mika had to give his due for. No matter how much of a dumbass he could be sometimes or wasn’t listening to lectures or warnings…Yuu still could tell when something was bothering him. Terrifying well, even.
“…Yeah…”, Mika admitted, knowing there was no trying to hide it from him anyway.
“I know I…always keep saying that over and over again and…considering this whole situation and circumstances it’ll probably be to no avail but…don’t worry so much.”, Yuu tried to assure him in a soft voice, “Trust me, everything will be alright.”
“…You know, you’re right.”, Mika agreed sarcastically, “It’s really to no avail hearing that from you.”
“Oh, come on, Mika. You’ll see, this mission will be over in a blink of an eye. We’ll just walk in there, save the queen and get out there as quick as possible again with no one even noticing us. And even if, with my new power it’ll be a piece of cake.”
“You do realize that it’s way easier said than done, right?”, he objected with a sigh, turning around so he was lying on his back on looking at Yuu, “Getting in there in the first place will be difficult enough. Besides, I highly doubt that they’ll let the queen of all people unguarded like that and if we’re unlucky, it’s not only a fifth progenitor this time but more or even higher than that. But maybe…they already expecting us and all of it is just a trap to lure us in. Even with your ‘new power’ like you call it, that you can control only for how long again? One or two minutes? That won’t be enough to defeat them all. Not in the slightest.”
“Why do you always have to be so negative?”, Yuu pouted, “With that kind of attitude it has to result in a fail and it’ll also discourage the other’s! You really should be more positive and see the good sides of it, too.”
“For example?”
“Well, at least we’re all together in this, right?”, he stated with a carefree smile playing on his lips, causing another heavy sigh to escape Mika.
“I’m not negative, I’m just being realistic here, Yuu-Chan. One of us has to be after all and if you ask me, I would rather prefer it if we wouldn’t be involved in all of this at all!”
“…Pessimist…”, Yuu murmured.
“I heard that.”
“Good thing.”, he replied snappishly.
Yuu wasn’t stupid. He knew way too well that it wouldn’t be as easy as he said it would be. That it was just wishful thinking.
He was aware of that but still…he couldn’t stand to see how Mika was racking his brain about that over and over again. To see his eyes filled with so much worry…and sadness at the same time.
All Yuu wanted was to put him at ease, even if it was only a little bit, and to make him smile again…but apparently he failed at it. Miserably.
And so another short moment of silence fell between them none of them quite knew how to break again.
Silently and with an absentminded look on his face, Yuu watched the flames of the bonfire in front of him, only then noticing how quiet the forest actually was. Only the rustling of leaves and the sound of an owl from time to time could be heard.
“Man, didn’t expect it to be so quiet in here.”, he remarked in slight astonishment, “If I think back at our last hideouts…and how turbulent those nights were with vampires and four horsemen of john attacking us…it’s really peaceful here in comparison to that.”
“Yeah, nothing but quietness of which you can’t decide if it’s either calming or eerie. And it’s also strange how no one seems to cross this forest at all.”, Mika replied before a mischievous grin appeared on his face and he added, “Well, except for that couple we busted making out when we were collecting firewood earlier.”
“Their surprised expressions as they noticed us, though.”, Yuu remembered with a small laugh.
“Seriously, what did they expect? Even if it’s a pretty large forest, there still could be people who pass by sooner or later.”
“Sure thing they bet on ‘later’.", he remarked in an amused voice, “And after Shinoa’s teasing and lots of sarcastic comments, they’ll most probably consider doing that somewhere with more privacy the next time.”
Both of them burst out in quiet laughter at that memory with Mika being the first to calm down again after a short while and as he looked at Yuu’s happy face, who slowly came down from his laughing fit as well, a tiny smile was brought to his lips.
“Hey…Yuu-Chan?”
“Hm?”
“Since we’re at it, have you…actually kissed someone before?”
“Me?”, Yuu asked with a small laugh, slightly caught off guard by that sudden and unexpected question, “Come on, at least a thousand times.”, he bragged in an overly teasing voice.
“Of course.”, Mika replied sarcastically.
“Seriously, Mika. What did you expect? Okay, I may have gone to school for a little while but I really had better things to do than…that. And besides, I doubt that there’s anyone who would put up with me for long anyway. Well, except for you, of course.”
“My, my. Could it be that you’re flirting with me?”, he asked with an amused smile.
“What, you’re only noticing that now?”, Yuu joked, dodging Mika’s hand that was aimed at his face in a playful manner.
“Dumbass.”, Mika said with a small laugh, pulling his hand back to himself again, “So, back to the question: You actually haven’t kissed anyone before, have you?”
“Of course not.”
“Not even thought about doing that with someone one day?”
“No.”
“…Never had a girlfriend?”
“Nope.”
“A boyfriend?”
“Mika!”, Yuu exclaimed, looking at him while turning slight red out of embarrassment, causing Mika to laugh at his reaction, “What about you anyway?”
“Huh?”
“Have you ever…you know…”, he asked hesitantly, avoiding eye contact.
Understanding what he meant with that, Mika let out a small laugh before he replied:
“Well…you could say that Krul kinda kissed me as she gave me her blood through her mouth as she turned me into a vampire back then but…I don’t think that really counts since it wasn’t mutual after all and to be honest, it’s also something I don’t like to remember at all so…no, actually I haven’t.”
“Guess that pretty much makes us the same regarding the level of inexperience for once, huh?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”, Mika asked in amusement.
“You’re usually the one who’s way better at almost everything, who’s smarter and thinks things more through and is the more experienced one between the two of us. And as much as I hate to admit it, even in combat you’re better than me but…if it comes to something as simple as that, we’re both just a lost case.”
“Seems like it.”, he agreed, causing them both to laugh again with that.
Coming down from his laughing fit as first again shortly after, Mika watched Yuu in silence and with a tiny and affectionate smile playing on his lips for a fleeting moment…until it slowly disappeared again and he asked:
“…Wanna try?”
“What?”, Yuu wanted to know, after coming down from that small laughing fit as well.
“Kissing…”, Mika replied in an overly soft voice.
“…”