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There was just one thing he could remember upon waking up and that was the soft breeze dancing over his skin. Over the few months the cold harsh snow turned into sweltering heat so it was nice when he could enjoy the breeze like this. But now he no longer lay in that beautiful meadow with Mika; Now he stood in that cold marble room where his life was broken in front of him. Shaking his head, Yuu just scoffed for he truly believed Asuramaru was just screwing with him again as he did from time to time but that didn't stop his heart from picking up speed. He wanted to call out his demon on the bullshit, to tell that little purple haired gremlin to stop messing around and to go back to sleep, but something stopped him from doing so. He wasn't sure if it was that nagging voice of 'Something bad is going to happen' or just the general negative memories that came from these marble floors.
The bootprints he left behind as he moved forward burned with the harsh scarlet of blood as if he himself had been walking a path of carnage, never looking back and never remembering anything that had happened. I mean how was he to remember the names of the vampires or the...The humans he's plunged his blade into; It wasn't his fault. It was the sludge in his body, the sludge his heart pumped through his body, The wings that sprung from his back and made him into a servant of gods holy wrath. Each scream was the sound of a trumpet, blood upon the ground appearing as nothing more than salt grains to be buried in the ground. Collapsing upon the ground, Yuuichiro buried his face in his hands while his heart beat against his ribcage as his lungs expanded and fell with each sharp sobbing breath. When his mother called him a demon child, That's when his armor came up; He was a demon, One of holy proportions here to steal lives of the sinners.
"Why are you crying?"
His sobbing stopped for a moment as his wide eyes moved from the cool ground to the voice. Before him was his childhood, Well mainly just Mika, But it wasn't how he would remember him at least. Dark and dull sapphires stared at him as the bags under the round eyes of his grew ever darker as blood smacked and poured upon white marble, turning the floor red. A hole in his chest, hand shaped, looked him dead in the face as Mika squatted down. With his movement the floor rippled causing tiny waves to hit the knees and fingers of Yuu showing that blood would surround them in time, drowning them in pain. Mika didn't try touching his face like he always did, he didn't try consulting him, he just let the question hang in the air with a gentle smile.
Yuuichiro just lowered his head again, Watching the blood consume his hands, seeing the ever waves pouring from where Mika's arm should of been. Even when he felt a tiny hand on his head, he refused to look up; How could he ever face this Mika again now that he knew Mika was fine? This was the childhood he abandoned, The love his heart threw away the minute their blood was spread across the floor decorating the room like a painting. This family he grew to care for when he was only 12 years old grew to become a crescendo of torment and repentance, A song that had no notes and only lines that life knew how to read, Something that no matter how hard he dug the pen into the paper he could never fix.
"You can forget about us, Yuu-chan." Mika's soft gentle voice stuck him like someone had run their nails across the blackboard of that old school we went too. Forgetting about Him, Akane, and the others just seemed stupid as he beat his hands against the sea at his knees. Each time he closed his eyes he could remember the sounds their cold bodies made as they slammed against his very floor, How Ferid never cared if their bones shattered when he caught them, Their shrill screams echoing in his head the moment their performance hit it's very peak. Each crunch or sound of flesh was burned into his mind, How Mika's arm soared carelessly in the air and just hit the ground like a child dropping a toy dear to them; These sounds, images, their notes were burned in his head so he could sing along every night. But his vocal cords tightened, His eyes winded, and he just watched as the same blood splatter decorated his chest and tears dripped down his face. Forced to watch his family die over and over again with no curtain call in sight.
Being alone was his issue, That's what was keeping him from bowing in front of his own eyes and ending his own show. If he remembered this one act then there was no true alone. Even if he grew traumatized every night, This was the one part he knew the words too and would never forget. Even if now, His family held his hands and walked with him he was afraid he'd loose them all over again; he would have to see Mika perish in this sea again, Yoichi lying on the cold ground, Kimizuki's face turned in horror as salt consumed him, Shinoa murdered by Guren because he refused the truth, and Mitsuba would die preforming a protection plan. He wasn't scared, He was absolutely petrified that he couldn't protect them and this was what was keeping him chained here. The weight tied to his ankle drowning him in this sea of crimson sludge was his own fear and he wasn't sure where the key was hidden as he sunk deeper and deeper with burning lungs and a pounding heart.
An inhale caused that sludge to suck down his throat as he continued to sink deeper into the abyss and he just shut his eyes, letting himself be pulled down where the crimson was turned into a harsh thick ooze of doubt and fear. He was left with his thoughts again; Maybe his key to break his shackles was self forgiveness? No one told them they felt as if the blame was on him for it was his own demons that doused his hands with the pain of his family. His teeth, his lips, and his mouth were what told him he had to repent for this, That he had to die because his legs carried him away from that scene on that day. The only thing pulling him down was his own hands, his own fingers dug into his ankles sending pain into the bones and joints keeping them together. His hands were keeping him from running away while his whispers told him, "You got them killed."
Once his feet touched what he could only assume to be the bottom, The hands burying their fingers into his ankles, just vanished. Tears still fell from his eyes but vanished before they even were to touch the ground, everything around him just felt weightless and he too felt this way. He only blinked a few times before taking a breath finding himself able to breathe without a crushing pressure breaking his ribs and crushing his heart. Was this what forgetting was like? Living free to breath without a crushing fear chasing you down, waiting for it's chance to catch you off guard. Ahead of him was Mika again but the Mika he knew; That candy red watching him showing him it was ok to be scared. Yuu, covering his face, just laughed slightly for fear was part of human life and it was ok to be scared of loosing something. But stopping to remember the pain would only hold you down and crush your bones while forgetting the pain and embracing the love would fix you; Not completely but it was enough to smile. Uncovering his face, Yuu flashed Mika a gentle smile and Mika returned it.
Interlacing their hands together, like they did as children, was when Yuu found his key. Akane could be at peace knowing her big brother would remember her as the smiling child and not the perishing soul while his family could smile knowing that Yuu wasn't afraid of anything anymore. That feeling would still be in his head when he woke up though for it was just something time would eventually unlock and free him from; He needed to love himself and forgive himself without that though his nightmares would keep digging their fingers deeper into his eyes, burning themselves into his head as pain. He knew he would still wake up with tears on his pillow from time to time, it was unavoidable, but the least he could do to chase those bad feelings away was to love his family. Maybe he could wake up without thinking everything was his fault? That instead of being the second trumpet, He could believe he wasn't born into this destiny. That...this wasn't his fault.
"It's okay to be scared, Yuu-chan." Mika's calm voiced pulled him ever closer to the light, "You'll still feel those chains keeping you tied down, trapped in your fear and despair, but you have the key." Those gentle red eyes closed as he pulled him tight within a hug, making him feel safe and loved. His world shifted from that thick sickening black ooze to a beautiful warm white light allowing him to fully relax and embrace Mika's heart. Though he wasn't quite he could even see them, let alone actually know they were there, hands buried their fingers down to the final knuckle; He had his fears and concerns too and he was certain the others did as well. All of this despair and anger wasn't his to hold by himself but with each time something went awry he immediately decided it was his job to shoulder everything so others wouldn't suffer. It would be hard to split this weight up but it would have to be an action he would have to grow used to. Seeing the tears flow from the eyes of his family would pain him like a vampire had just rammed their blade clean through his chest, piercing his rib-cage and entering his heart so plainly ending his chance to keep them face; He found fight though, he would grab this blade and free himself.
Keeping this up he would most certainly die a faceless martyr with more faceless people grieving for an unknown boy wondering what he could of done. He didn't want to die like that. If anything he wanted to die as a savior: Someone who would be remembered for who they are or what they did not what they could of done. He wasn't going to die a martyr, though painful he was going to share his pain and open himself up to those around him; He was going to tell his family how hard he suffered but that would come in time. Healing isn't instant they wait until you are strong enough to accept the help and Yuu thought, this moment in Mika's arms, he was ready to begin his healing. "I know. I think I'm ready now, Mika."
Tears dotted his eyelashes forcing blurry vision as his eyes were met with a frightened pair of red eyes staring down at him. This told him, That guide, was nothing more than just a too vivid nightmare or dream for he couldn't quite tell. Smiling, expecting one in return, Yuu was slightly surprised when Mika's face torn and contorted into one of pain before a messy mop of blonde hair fell onto his face. "You were screaming in you sleep and I couldn't wake you up." His voice creaking and wavering like the young vampire breaking ready to burst into tears, "You scared me to death..." and that was when those rumored tears painted Mika's forever pale skin while bleeding onto the boy below.
Closing his eyes, mainly to avoid Mika's tears from falling into his own, Yuu just lie and listened to his friend sob over his nightmare. It was slow but eventually he just began to hold Mika's head against his own and just let him sob and vent his feelings. It wasn't long ago but Yuu remembered him mentioning that his emotions were dwindling a bit but this proved his care would never dissipate. Once Mika had stopped his tears, wiping them away on the pure fabric of his gloves, Yuu had let go allowing him to sit up and for the other to lean back. It was hard but he understood that these tears weren't of sadness or despair, he was just crying because he cared for his safety. The what if of 'what if he didn't wake up this time?' or 'Maybe his screaming wouldn't stop?' These were real fears and perhaps this is what made Mika stronger, not just physically but emotionally and mentally. Both of these boys were chained to the earth, to their darkness, and were forced with confrontation more than what children should be exposed to. But that's what they were; Children too exposed to their fears.
Unfortunately he wasn't the best with words or feelings, Neither of them were, so Yuuichiro just posed a small smile of comfort to Mika. Hands cupping his cheeks before speaking, "I know you were scared but You did wake me up." Hoping to comfort him was the intention behind his words but once he was the watering in those crimson eyes he just felt like he messed up. As if he said something that healed not but damaged instead and this caused him to panic just a bit, "I know I might of been crying or screaming but you really did help me wake up, Mika."
Beautiful and heavenly crimson eyes stared back at him as he spoke, Mika was so intent on not blinking as if Yuu would vanish right in front of his eyes if he did. It was quick, almost too quick for the human to understand, but the vampire pressed their bodies together in an embrace; For such a time he was resorted to nothing but a walking memoir of pain, they both were, but now the two boys sat closer than anyone could understand. Both survived, Both fought, both died, and Both killed to be in each others embrace to once again fall into loving arms like their stories told; Yuuichiro born into a world without love and Mika born into one that did not understand, Two books telling of cold lit their pages aflame when their eyes met.
Quietly, The boys lay together in that field of flowers no longer haunted by nightmares. With laced fingers, tightly gripping Mika's left hand, Yuu smiled. Neither said a word as they feigned slumber until Yuu curled his lips into a faint smile, "Thanks for being here, Mika."
Mika opened his eyes and he was greeted by the gentle smile and peaceful face of Yuuichiro; The gentle spring breeze threw his hair around and the sun continued to kiss that already tan skin of his. This was the first time he felt as if his smile was genuine, no forced grin around Ferid or the other vampires, This smile was only for Yuu; His heart, That cold heart that was to never beat again, pounded against his ribs. Deathly pale skin on his face was touched red by his hands and his stomach churned with emotion. Squeezing back, Mika spoke. "Thank you, Yuu-chan."
"What for?" He was actually confused.
The vampire just closed his eyes, letting the flowers and breeze embrace him. Even with his gloves he could feel how erratic Yuu's pulse was through his hands; He was just as nervous though Mika couldn't say what for, Perhaps it was the fact they were holding hands. Deep within his self, He knew his pulse was racing and he began to feel more light headed but he wasn't scared; As moments past he could feel his already warm face begin to heat more while his heart ever so happily chugged away.
"For teaching me what it feels to be human again."