This is also my first work in canonverse. It's so hard to write in canonverse with everything happening .
Inspired by the tumblr prompt where you see black and white until you meet your soulmate. The both of you see colour until one of you dies.
"Today is Christmas and we have a new addition to our family. This is Yuuichirou-kun. Please try to get along with him."
He didn't understand the efforts the older woman was trying to put in. He was a demon child according to his own mother, why would anyone accept him?
"Sure!"
Yuu turned to see which child was so outspoken so he knew who to avoid. But he was greeted by the most striking pair of eyes he had ever seen. But it didn't stop there, the change started to spread to the corners of his vision until everything was painted in a lovely glow of colour.
He knew what was happening. His mother told him this as a bedtime story when she was still sane.
"When you meet your soulmate, you will start to see colours."
"What are colours?"
"You'll know when you see it dear. You'll see the world in another way."
The boy had beautiful eyes that also stared back at him in the same confused manner. The hand he had raised up high slowly lowered itself back to his side. His light curly hair framed his face and lips slightly parted in surprise.
Yuu could feel his heart race. And it wasn't like the time his father tried to kill him. It was a pleasant kind of feeling. Like he felt drawn to the other boy.
"Director!"
Both boys were pulled out of their trance at the shrill cries of the younger children. They turned to see the older woman, the director, laying on the ground unconscious, a pool of blood started to grow around her head.
Yuu unconsciously backed up from the scene in front of him while the other boy, his soulmate, rushed forward to check on her.
Loud crashing noises were heard outside the windows. Smoke was emitting from the different areas and some of the buildings started glowing from reflecting off the fire. But this was too much for Yuu as he no longer see black and white, but colours. Everything was so vivid and too much to take in.
He felt little hands wrap around his and they all looked at him with frightened expressions. He didn't know what to do. He was also confused.
The other boy was shouting orders to the others.
Akane, Chihiro, Kota were a few names he caught before they met gazes again. There was a small pause as the two were almost lost in their own world again.
"Please take care of the children, Yuu-chan."
~ Red ~
Yuu counted every moment they were stuck in the underground vampire city. He counted every moment of his life wasted under the vampire's rule. He counted every moment since he met Mikaela.
After taken to Sanguinem, they were all too frightened to do anything but obey the vampires. They acted proper and let their blood be drained out of their bodies. Most of the children were still in shock over seeing the director die so abruptly but luckily the older children took care of them and soothed them after a bad dream.
It took about a year for all of them to adjust to their new lives. It took about a year to accept that this was their new reality. It took about a year before Yuu and Mika to finally address the thing that happened before they were taken captive by vampires.
Yuu would never admit that he was happy that even someone like him had a soulmate.
All the while Mika had no problem talking about how his heart always raced when they look at each other, how he thinks Yuu has the most beautiful eyes he's seen, or how happy he was to finally meet his soulmate.
Yuu wanted to tell Mika how he really felt but he would become flustered and the words get caught in his throat before he swallows them down and called Mika a sap instead. He didn't know if Mika understood his thoughts or he was just really clingy because the he had no concept of personal space when it came to Yuu. He didn't mind it too much because it was Mika.
However, they decided it was best that they kept this a secret. To pretend they did not see colour like the rest of them.
They did, a bit later on, visit the library opened to 'livestock' and learned about the different colours they saw. Yuu immediately decided he liked blue because they resembled Mika's beautiful eyes. But the blond very vocally told Yuu that green is a beautiful colour because that's the colour Yuu's eyes were. He never told Mika about his favourite colour no matter how much the boy begged him.
But he told him that he hated red. He absolutely loathed the colour. It reminded him of their current lifestyle, how they had to give their blood to the vampires so they could live.
He could never forget the look on Mika's face when he said he rather die than live under the vampire's rule. Yuu quickly added that he would find a way for them to escape one day, so that they don't have to live in the underground city and be treated like livestock.
Yuu felt his heart skip a beat when Mika smiled at him.
"Let's work hard together then."
~ Red ~
He felt so betrayed when Mika told him he had been giving his blood to a noble. Instead, he lashed out at him and called him stupid for willingly giving up himself.
That night, Akane told him they were having curry from ingredients Mika brought home.
Yuu usually loved curry, he loved anything Akane made, but he lost his appetite worrying about Mika. The blond wasn't home in time for dinner. Just like many times before. He felt stupid for not noticing.
He was angry at Mika. That's why he was ignoring him when the boy finally came home. He wanted to yell at him for being stupid and giving his blood to a noble when Mika started to cry. He hated when anyone cried because he had no idea what to do. So he awkwardly pulled Mika into a hug like the others did when the kids were crying.
But the moment was broken with Yuu's growling stomach.
Mika laughed at him but they both ate the leftover curry in silence. That was when Yuu noticed the bite mark left by fangs on Mika's pale skin under the candlelight. He furrowed his brows in thinking about how it must hurt a lot since the needle from the blood drawing machines stung a lot as it was.
It wasn't until he suggested he take Mika's place next time he had to meet the noble that the blond pulled out a map and a gun.
He realized that Mika did all that for their freedom. He felt useless and apologized to Mika, only for the blond to tell him that he was the source of Mika's strength, the reason why he went through all of that for a map to freedom. Yuu had been the reason for so many things Mika had done.
But he also became the reason why Mika died. Mika had taken the gun to distract the noble while Yuu was supposed to escape. But he could not run away after seeing his soulmate being stabbed in the chest. He could only watch helplessly as the blond's right limb was severed from his body as an attempt to stop him from pulling the trigger.
Yuu didn't waste a moment to pick up what Mika started and shot the vampire right in the head. But once the moment passed, he was faced with the reality of his family, the orphans he refused to acknowledge as his family, were all dead on the white tiled ground, each pooling in their own blood. The same red that he witnessed the first day he saw colour, the red liquid that the vampires craved so much.
But what tore him the most was the warmth blood coming from the two fatal wounds Mika sustained. He ignored the pleas from Mika as he tried to pull the blond with him but only for it to end in failure.
He could hear other vampires approaching as he tried to reach for Mika again but was pushed away. He could see the desperation in Mika's eyes as he told Yuu to leave him behind. Yuu wanted to reject the idea that he was incapable to taking Mika with him but it was undeniable as the threat loomed closer and closer.
He barely made out the look of relief when he said his last goodbyes as his vision blurred with tears.
Yuu ran and ran, screamed as he ran. He ignored the physical pain of his bare feet trampling over small pebbles and rocks. It tore him apart to leave Mika behind, even if he knew the boy was going to die.
He wondered if Mika had finally left the painful reality they lived in as he blankly gazed out into the dark broken city. The ground was covered in white and gray-ish black silhouettes of trees were seen in the fore-ground and buildings in the background.
This was the tragic truth of the soulmate theory.
When you meet your soulmate, the world transforms into a beautiful canvas of colour and joy. But when they die, you return to the bleak black and white world you were born into.
Yuu didn't bother to wipe away the tears that welled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. He ignored the cold chilly air that started to bite at his skin. Perhaps this is how he will die, follow Mika into the afterlife with the rest of their family.
He didn't even bother to turn around when he hear footsteps behind him. Though the sound what seemed like the crunching of snow confused him. Maybe it was the vampires chased him out of Sanguinem and decided to end him. Paint the ground red with his blood, a colour he could no longer see.
He didn't care of he was going to die by the hands of a vampire or in the bitter cold of the outside. He was alone once again, alone after having a real family.
"Good, he's here. Just like the prophecy said."
That was one of the stupidest things he could imagine a vampire say. Just to humour himself, Yuu turned around to face death in the eye when his eyes widened.
He could see colours.
He looked down at his trembling hands to see red, the blood that once belonged to Mika now stained his hands and uniform.
"One of the test subjects from the Hyakuya Laboratories appeared. Little boy, we're going to use you in order to get rid of the vampires."
Yuu didn't hear much of what the man had to say after he pulled back his hood. Yuu saw that he didn't have fangs or pointed ears. They were human.
Tears started to surface once again as he thought about the event that happened prior to this meeting. He unconsciously walked forward and wrapped his arms around the man's waist. He didn't necessarily trust the man but he was the first human adult-like figure he seen in four years.
"I'll do… whatever it takes… to kill those bloodsuckers." To avenge Mika and be strong enough to save him from the vampires.
~ Red ~
Yuu was trying. He really was. But all he wanted to do was become stronger, slay vampires, and avenge Mika.
Eight years, it had been eight years since they met. The day they met was the same day most of humanity died due to the spread of a deadly virus. Four years later, he left his soulmate behind in favour of saving himself. A decision he regretted every waking moment of his life.
That's why he vowed to become stronger so that he fulfill the promise he made to the children and Mika.
But he was stuck in 'school' with an annoying short girl and a shy friendly boy. He honestly had no idea why they were always bothering him. He understood that Shinoa was supposed to 'keep an eye on him' but he found it useless.
Yuu could never forget how he met the pink haired telephone pole. First getting punched in the face by the other, then getting kicked into the door by Guren. It was the end of class when he woke up again by Yoichi's soft voice. And because of the brunet's kind nature, he woke up Kimizuki only for them to gawk at each other.
Both Yuu and Shinoa instantly knew what happened.
He strained a smile to congratulate the new couple before he exited out of the classroom and give the two some room.
In reality, he needed to leave before he was reminded of Mika again.
He had been lucky to find his soulmate in the mess the world has become. Many have given up hope in such a forsaken world they live in now. Believing in love and commitment has become common within the human establishment but soulmates were an unshakable force.
Shinoa tried to comfort him since she had also found her soulmate at a young age and was initially surprised at Yuu's knowledge of colours.
Little did the four know, her very soulmate was the fifth member of their squad.
Mitsuba Sanguu was extremely upset that Shinoa was placed into a squad that will most likely expose her to danger while Shinoa was thankful for being given more time to spend with her soulmate.
A squad full of members that could see colour was special. There was only one other squad like it, Guren's squad. Not only that, they had three members wielding black demon weapons. That was they were more known for in the Moon Demon Company.
The night after they confronted the vampires at Omotesando Station, Yuu could faintly hear Shinoa crying with Mitsuba at the idea of abandoning the blonde. After they reached the temporary camp of the JIDA, Shinoa had thanked him numerous times for saving Mitsuba. But he did it to ease his own guilt of leaving behind his soulmate. He could not subject Shinoa to that kind of pain when it was that same short teen that comforted him during those times.
"I wished you could see the stars of the night sky with me, Mika…"
~ Red ~
Time seemed to have slowed down when Yuu realized what he had done. His cursed gear, his katana, cut deep into the chest of his soulmate.
He almost didn't recognize Mika in the white uniform, thinking it was only another vampire when he met with piercing blue eyes. It was like the moment they first met, both so lost in each other that the outside world became a blur and unimportant.
But Guren's words pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Activate your curse and kill him!"
He looked at the man that had taken him in years ago when he escaped Sanguinem. A red blade stabbed into the left side of his chest, where his heart was.
He could only looked back at Mika with confusion written on both their faces.
Only when Mika jumped back to the enemy's line, he could breathe again. But the onslaught of questions didn't help him one bit.
"Mika… He… I…"
At the mention of Mika, realization hit his squad hard.
Things started to fall into place one after another when silence befell all of them.
Mika had been 'alive', no, he had been kept alive by being turned into a vampire. That was why his vision never returned to the black and white world he had been so familiar with.
But seeing Mika stare at him emotionlessly made Yuu feel like his Mika was no longer there. It was just an empty shell of a person walking around. Just as he had been before he found his purpose in reuniting with his best friend and soulmate.
"Are you… Mika? A-Are you really Mika?"
Tears rolled down his cheek as he choked out the words. He wanted to believe, he really wanted to believe that was him.
But the way his expression softened, his eyes glistening with emotion, it confirmed his thoughts wordlessly.
He finally found Mika again.
Things started to blur when the vampires started to attack them and Mika picked him up and carried him away.
The last thing he remembered was his squad struggling against the enemy because he was literally swiped off his feet. But whenever he tried to look back at his squad, Mika always said the same thing.
"Don't look back. You have me now!"
For the longest time, he was annoyed by his squad. But now he felt the need to protect them, just as he wanted to for Mika and his orphan family.
"I'm sorry, Mika."
Yuu didn't want to choose between his squad and Mika. He wasn't. Mika could come back with them and everything was going to be fine.
But Mika didn't like that idea.
"I can't, Yuu-chan."
He didn't like the fact that Mika was calling himself a monster because he was a vampire. Yuu didn't care about that. He cared that the blond was alive. He was here, with him.
"Please run away with me."
Yuu wanted to. He really did. He always thought about what would happen if just the two of them made it out. Maybe they would go to some faraway place together. A place no vampire could find that.
That had been is dream, but now, he had more people he wanted to protect. He couldn't leave them behind.
"I have to save them!"
He didn't know what Mika meant by the humans are just using him. Or why he kept stopping him. His squad, his family, was in danger. They had all been pinned down and became vampire food.
The last thing he remembered was the tear that escaped Shinoa's eyes before he woke up in his inner world.
Asuramaru was looking up at something. The sky was a yellowish orange hue, seven long trumpets and silhouettes of winged creatures were in the sky.
"I never thought I would be afraid of something inside my host." Everything went black again.
~ Red ~
Yuu woke up in a daze, the environment unfamiliar to him. He slowly sat up and observed the surroundings. It looked similar to a hospital room but he noticed Yoichi resting on his bedside.
He immediately woke the boy up to gather as much information as he could.
But as soon as the brunet was conscious, he gave Yuu a quick hug before rushing out the doorway.
Shinoa was the first to enter his room and explained to him what had happened in the battlefield. He really did not remember anything after what Asuramaru had said to him.
She was also being gentle and tip-toeing around the subject of Mika. But Yuu told her to be straight forward, he needed to know what happened to him. But all she knew was that Mika was taken by the vampires. To him, it was translatable to Mika was at Sanguinem once again.
But he promised Shinoa he would not be reckless and charge into the underground city to save Mika. He doubted he'd reach Mika before he meet his untimely death.
As soon as the rest of the squad entered the room, it quickly became rowdy. The room filled with life as they chatted and laugh. Yuu missed times like this, where they were able to enjoy and not have their very lives put on the line.
"Thank you everyone." Yuu was sincere as he finally realized how important everyone was to him.
~ Red ~
Kureto Hiragi is a cruel man. But Guren wasn't any better for keeping secrets from him.
He had trusted the man, but that trust didn't waver at this. He wanted to become something useful to Guren and know what he could do to save Mika.
The next morning, his squad came clean and told him about the truth behind the day of the battle in Shinjuku. He was surprised at what they told him, but he could only imagine what it must have felt like to go through it.
Mika had a hand in putting a stop to it. Of course the blond would risk his own safety once again for Yuu. That's always how it was. Always. He just wished he could do something for Mika for once.
But his training with Asuramaru reminded him of why he was training so hard to become stronger. He would kill all the vampires and save Mika from them. That had been his goal before but he also needed to start looking into a way to reverse vampirism, he will find a way to turn Mika human once again.
He wasn't going to lie that he had high hopes of seeing Mika again during the Nagoya mission. It was just a feeling he had. He was sure they would meet again.
"I'll come to save you Mika."
~ Red ~
Things memory became fuzzy after he took another two pills on top of the two he took before when they engaged in battle. Yuu was starting to get used to the fact that he'll just wake up somewhere and ask his squad mates to explain to him what had happened during the time he had been out.
However, waking up on the cold tiled floor was not what he was expecting. Sitting up, he was faced with a dusty shelf, items scattered among and around it.
He turned to head to see familiar blond hair and his heart skipped a beat.
"Mika?"
In a flurry, Mika was on top of him. In the next second, Mika was backing up as far away from him as possible.
He could see that Mika had sustained many injuries, coughing up blood even, but the vampire refused to drink any to sustain himself. He couldn't see why Mika was so adamant about it. It was clear that Mika didn't understand his reasons.
"I don't want to lose you again! I can't!"
Mika finally looked like he understood but he looked away from Yuu. Fed up with the blond's behaviour, he forced the other to look at him and that's when he noticed tears in the beautiful blue eyes he loved.
Yuu pulled Mika into a hug, relishing in being so close to him again. He could feel Mika hovering over the junction of his neck and shoulder, hesitating to bite down. The idea honestly scared Yuu, a lot actually. But because it was Mika, it was okay.
He gently guided Mika's head down to wordlessly give the blond permission. He felt a sharp sting when the two fangs sank into his flesh.
He petted the curly blond hair he missed so much in the four years while Mika got his fill. Never in a million years would he think about having his soulmate drinking his blood like this, but he could do it in a heartbeat if Mika needed that.
Yuu was so deep in thought that he almost missed the weight shifting off him. He looked again to see Mika sitting in front of him, his face buried into his hands.
He reached out for the vampire but the other shrunk away from his touch. It stung that Mika did that. After these four long years, Yuu just wanted to hold Mika close, just to make sure the blond was still there with him, to make sure it wasn't all just a trick Asuramaru was playing on him.
"My eyes… They are red now… You-You'd hate it…"
Yuu almost forgot about what he said, but Mika took it to heart. A little too much in Yuu's opinion.
He hated red because it reminded him about death. With his unfortunate luck, everyone he loved had died laying in their own blood. Even with the nightmares Asuramaru involving his parents, the scene remained in black and white but the blood around his mother's body was red, vividly reminding him why he hated the colour.
"I wouldn't hate you because you're a vampire or need to live off blood. Mika, you're my soulmate. I will not hate you over an eye colour."
But upon seeing Mika with his new blood red eyes, he changed his mind a little. They were different from the vampires he's encountered. Mika's eyes were full of emotions, mostly sorrow and guilt, while the vampires' usually have an empty or cool look to them.
Mika started to cry again after Yuu kissed him gently on the forehead. He pulled the vampire into a hug and promised he would never leave Mika behind again, vampire or human. No matter what happened, they would be together. He wasn't going to let anything separate anymore or he'll send whoever tries to hell.
Mika laughed at his attempt but was super appreciative.
"Mika, I just need one little favour from you."
~ Red ~
They had been doing well after they left the JIDA.
They were most likely going to be able to go off both the vampire's and JIDA's radar if they went far enough. But they didn't.
Yuu didn't want to believe that it was happening. The outside world just drowned out in the background as he could hear his own heartbeat beating loudly in his ear.
In his arms, Mika looked up at him with a smile.
"It'll be okay, Yuu-chan."
It wasn't. Nothing was going to be okay.
The squad could only watch the inevitable happen. All too shocked to be able to react.
They all watched as the hole in Mika's chest started to grew outwards, causing more of his body to turn to dust.
Tears were shed by both boys. Yuu could start to see the corners of his vision turn as more of Mika disappeared. He could care less if all the colour of the world was sucked away to save Mika. He rather never have seen colour in his life if that meant for Mika to stay with him forever, all the way until the end.
"I love you, Yuu-chan."
"I love you too. God, I love you so much, Mika. Please don't-"
"I'm sorry, Yuu-chan."
Mika closed his eyes as the rest of him fluttered away with the wind as the last bit of colour disappeared. He could no longer see the red that coated most of his uniform.
It wasn't his blood.
It was Mika's.
He blankly looked at Asuramaru who didn't share the sentiment as him. He could hear the demon call after him as he walked past the colourless demon, but none of the words registered in his mind.
He was focused on the trumpet that used to shine a proud golden colour, now reduced to a sad, pathetic gray that could not show off its magnificent shiny surface. Asuramaru was still calling for him as he picked up the instrument.
Yuu no longer cared for what will happen to him. He will paint the battlefield red for taking Mika away from him.