AN: Welcome to my story, I apologize if this AU isnt your cup of tea. I don't own Seraph of the End all rights belong to Takaya Kagami.

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Part 1: Providence

[The protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual power]

There was nothing more ironic than building a pedestal for yourself to get above others. We humans spent so long on the surface, bathing in the sunlight and likening ourselves to the gods.

Looking back in time we even treated Vampires as sentient trash that dwelled in the darkness. We failed to see that we were just different parts of the same tree.

That is why the Apocalypse Virus was seen as something to laugh at by the Vampires. It was our divine punishment in some ways.

Nearly everyone over thirteen years of age got the retched virus. It consumed the entire globe within just a few days' time. We were ill prepared to fight back and lost before we knew it. Then the Vampires emerged from down below with luminescent eyes ablaze.

Those who didn't get the disease and die... those who remained in this world grew numb. The horror of our new reality didn't set in at first at all. Not even as we were herded together and taken from our homes.

Not even on the first night of getting blood taken did it truly register. The repetition eventually brought most of us back down to earth. Children and the remaining healthy adults of Japan had become livestock.

Our fates had been decided for us, this was the end of the line. The underground Capital city of Sanguinem had officially become our new home... and the place we would eventually die in.

Four long years had turned my hopelessness and despair into an unshakable purpose. I no longer saw the Vampires as a race that needed to be annihilated. I just wasn't going to die livestock in their cushy pen.

As a family of fifteen total donators the Hyakuya name quickly became wealthy in sense. The majority of the orphans were under ten and still had to bear witness to newfound horrors. Our greatest advantage would always be how close we were.

We got a larger dwelling to call our home, closer to the center of the Capital. We received better food, service and accommodations from our Vampire masters.

We were allowed to change the dates of our donations and we took full advantage of the leeway. We quickly adopted a cycling formation where the main donators would receive a week of relaxation.

The Hyakuya name and way of doing things became the very standard for all livestock. It was true that we provided the most stable source of blood but was it fair to treat us better?

In the end I decided that we would do what we must now to eventually escape. Even if there really was nothing but a ruined world to return to. It had to be better than dying like this and never seeing the sun again.

Being the premium suppliers of blood meant we had the opportunity to meet the nobility of this Capital city. Apparently this was the largest and most prominent of the Vampire cities. That implied there were many more scattered across Japan.

These privileges also included exemption from the curfew and permission to explore the outskirts of the city unmolested. It opened new doors and brought forth even more possibilities to our plight.

In reality though... it was a battle we could really only hope to win.

"What is the time now, Mika?"

Mikaela ignores me for several moments before opening his eyes slowly. He yawns into his right hand before looking at his watch.

"It is 6:28 P.M... have some patience... I'm sure they are moving as fast as possible."

I knew this to be true already but patience had never been my strong point. Mikaela ever the devil's advocate would say that the cart that holds the siphoned blood was heavy to begin with. It only grew heavier the more it absorbed.

The Vampires were blessed with vitality and enhanced strength though. Their innate power was undeniable and hardly even on a comparable level. Why exactly would a cart slow them down?

"I have a better question... what's for dinner tonight? I'm hungry."

Mikaela opens his mouth to answer but pauses as the technician team stops in front of us. The two Vampires on duty glide away from the cart and stand next to us with two familiar cords.

I voluntarily relax myself as the Vampire grips my shoulder firmly. The chokers around our neck were made to keep us from losing to much blood in the event that a technician made a mistake.

"Please hold still."

I wince in pain as the surgical needle enters the side of my neck. It stings for only for a moment but I was busy watching my blood pump into a glass vat.

"The Vampire and nobility of Sanguinem would like to thank you for your continued cooperation. Make sure to pick up your Vital Nourishment Pack [VNP] before you check out."

One of the hooded Vampire stares at me with dull eyes and a vacant expression. The glow that lit up their eyes was dim in his, and his voice didn't hold much character.

If you looked hard enough at them you could see different flittering emotions on their faces. Disdain, hatred, sadness, pity, melancholy and sometimes even joy. We were forced to live so close and yet we knew so little about each other.

The Vampire gently removes the needle from my neck as I reach the limit for given blood. Not a drop of blood escapes the small wound as our chokers immediately spring into action.

"Alright, Mika let's get going, we need to make sure everyone is where they need to be."

The chokers each of us had had very simple purposes but were both a necessity and a blight. Each one was unique and held our individual identification numbers. They could electronically scanned to find out the last time we were drank from.

Ingenious technology that protected and imprisoned their sentient livestock. Keeping it on meant that you could be tracked by a technician at any given time. Taking it off meant dying by the first vampire to find you.

"Did you hear that, Mika? If I'm not mistaken that Fang's stomach rumbled. He was thirty on the job, now why would he purposefully torture himself like that?"

"I can only speculate, Yuu. Perhaps not every Vampire is equal."

I avert my eyes and nearly wince as I recall the darker times from just three years ago. The livestock of Sanguinem had hit milestones over the years and changed a great deal for the better.

It just wasn't the same playing field with the Fangs, I had memorized faces by now. They didn't age or change physically, but emotionally was another thing altogether.

They were hiding something behind their blank expressions, of that I was certain. I would keep my speculations to myself, especially when we were so deep within the Capital.

"It would be so... human of them if that were true."

His blood hair sways up and down as he nods without further response. We both stop already at the back of the line leading away from the Blood Bank.

The blockades were also dual purposed procedure put into place. They were waypoints used to keep track of personal datum on each individual livestock. The system here decided what items would be necessary for clear health and continued life.

Those who can't feed the Fangs won't get fed themselves.

"State your name."

"Yuichiro Hyakuya."

The Vampire nods in head in approval as my personal data moves across the screen in his hands. He turns away for a moment and pick up a familiar white cube-like box.

I take the box without question only giving the Fang a single nod.

"You may pass."

I slowly saunter pass the checkpoint, giving Mikaela ample time to catch up. I fish my hand into the simple white box for the nutrient rich mixture they always gave everyone.

By the time we reached the end of the walkway a Vampire clad in all white was approaching us with two normal Vampires in tow. I finish chugging the salty drink down with grimace, sighing with displeasure.

"Is that your noble, Mika? Ferid Bathory?"

He nods almost reluctantly and strolls forward clearly to greet the noble.

"Greetings Lord Ferid!"

"Oh hello dear Mika, how are things?"

He asks with a sickeningly pleasant smile on his face. Almost like he was actually coming to care for Mikaela.

"I'm just fine, everything is going well."

"I can't tell you how happy that makes me to hear that. Why not come by my mansion tonight for dinner? I am having a guest over who you may wish to meet."

He reaches out and caresses the left side of his face with affection.

I wonder how much of that affection is real and how much is artificial.

"I would like that, thank you for having me."

"Of course you and any of the rest of your family are always welcome at my home. I'm sure their blood is just as good as yours young Mika."

He pauses and turns his attention away from Mikaela as if just now noticing my presence. He smiles again just as wide while gesturing towards me.

"Is your brother there coming along to visit this evening as well, Mika?"

"Unfortunately not, but one of my other brothers is planning on attending if you don't mind. He is just as anxious to meet you!"

Ferid chuckles and brushes his cape out of the way in an outlandish flurry. He was officially making me sick, he had none of the mannerisms of normal Vampires.

"That is perfectly acceptable, I'll have dinner preparations for two this evening then. Kamishiro darling, please return to my estate and alert the head chef immediately."

The female Vampire who accompanied him bows low and without a word turns to leave. There was something distinctly different about the Vampires who served as his guards as well.

How strange, I just can't put my finger on it.

"Perhaps we can dine together another time, Yuichiro Hyakuya."

He turns to walk in the opposite direction, his remaining guard following closely behind. He offers a wave towards us as he goes.

"A pleasure meeting you and I'm sure we will get a chance to. Perhaps another time though, Lord Ferid."

I sigh in relief and turn to leave myself, slinking through a darkened corridor with Mika tagging along.

"You have way more guts than I ever thought possible, Mika. I've seen other nobles but that guy is on another level. I think he's a Progenitor as well."

"I did mention he was from a distinguished family didn't I? I've also seen him with other nobles over the years. It would certainly make the most sense."

I stop walking and sigh dramatically before running my hand through my hair. I offer him the box and he quickly obliges by carrying them both.

"Get these home and make sure Akane is staying put like we agreed. You have your big dinner and I have my meeting to attend."

I continue walking with my hands in my pocket, the path becoming less stonework and looser cobblestone. I raise my right hand to say goodbye without turning around.

"Be careful, Mika I realize Makoto is strange but it means I always know what she's after. Ferid on the other hand strikes me as an enigma, he is probably smarter than he looks."

Part 2: Kismet

[Destiny; fate]

Chihiro Hyakuya digs into the satchel slung across her shoulder for her pocket watch. She flips the trinket open with a soft click and stares at the reflected surface. Curfew would go into effect in just under five minutes.

Yuu had encouraged her to take a closer look at those on the lowest rungs of the social ladder. Whatever that meant. She had to admit that she was curious about the possibility of not all Vampires being evil.

She was also forced to agree that they knew too little about them. If there was to ever be any hope of escaping it would mean going head to head with them. Whether it was with fists or brains would make all the difference.

Their impressive vitality was enough of a deterrent by itself, but their erratic sleeping habits were even more of a concern. It would be the only way to put a chink in their proverbial armor.

She pauses as a single Vampire enters the alleyway on shaky legs. She closes the pocket watch as he passes her. Their close proximity seems to weaken him immensely.

He stumbles once and quickly uses the wall to support himself. He covers his mouth and violently coughs into his open hand while clutching the stone wall.

I take several steps towards the Vampire who instantly recoils. His hand destroying the masonry of the building he gripped. He nearly loses his footing in the display of power completely shattering his illusion of superiority.

"Stay the hell away from me livestock... I mean it... stay... away..."

She adjusts her glasses as he slowly slides down to the ground with his back to the wall. His breathing was ragged and irregular, it almost sounded like panting.

He looks as though he hasn't slept for days.

He didn't say anything else until she was literally within arm's reach. His hair was untamed and messy, his hood just barely concealing it.

She could see his frame shaking now that she was closer, his hands leaving imprints in the hard stone ground. She could tell he was in a great deal of pain.

"Go on then... laugh... at least I'm not livestock... at least I won't..."

He bites into his lip after realizing his words had become less than impactful. Tears slowly slid down his face as he realized he was going to die having achieved nothing at all.

Chihiro doesn't respond to him with any words, instead opting to remain silent. She then reaches into her satchel and retrieves a vial of her own previously drawn blood.

He looks up at her through blurred eyes as she holds it out to him without fear. He just couldn't fathom why she would do something like this.

"I need your help, and it sounds like you need my blood."

Part 3: Famine

[Extreme scarcity of food]

The further away from the center of Sanguinem you traveled the uglier the city became. Vampire patrols thinned and became lax as silence permeated the air.

The more important building and politics went on much deeper within the city. I was after something much more profound that items of any monetary value.

Mikaela gave up his blood for things of value, and I gave up mine for information of value. Knowledge that we would eventually use to escape Sanguinem... or die trying.

The estate before me was old and in terrible state of disrepair. Vampires made it quite clear what they thought of things not related to blood or blood harvesting.

The name of the building was already fading into oblivion, but if one stared long enough they could make it out. Written in a pleasant font and in English no less.

Sanguinem Administrative Archives was a building that was never really considered all that important. If it had been important, it wouldn't be on the edge of the Capital.

I climb the steps to the decrepit building with a calm demeanor. It would be a lie to say that these visits were completely professional.

I ring the buzzer for the office inside the library and wait patiently. The Vampire in question who owned the building now was actually a friend.

"Who waits one hundred nights?"

"Hyakuya."

The electronic lock on the door disables, giving me clearance to enter the building at my answer. I push the heavy wooden door and enter as quietly as possible.

The library had two floors and a loft to its name. It wasn't much though, and the building was being used as more of a living area these days.

The wooden floorboards beneath my feet creak as I step further into the room. I toss the journal I had previously borrowed onto the only table in the room and move closer to the shelves.

The only reason I could read or write now was because of her. Amazingly enough it wasn't just Japanese but English as well.

"I know that wasn't something you're use to reading but I do hope you got something out of it. Thank you for visiting by the way."

I turn my head slightly as Shimura makes her presence known, her movements as quiet as ever. She was just a normal Vampire, unfit for the army and opting out of patrolling duties.

She had broken through the meaningless transgressions of eternal life by surrounding herself with books. Sadly maintaining the library was not a position that paid well at all.

Blood was quickly becoming a scarce and expensive commodity amongst the Vampires. Famine had set in less than a year after the Apocalypse Virus appeared. There wasn't enough blood to go around anymore and they had no way to get more.

I met Makoto Shimura on the verge of death. It was the first time I had ever seen a Vampire look so weak. It was also the first time I had ever let a Vampire drink from me directly.

"Do you have time to talk or do you need to sleep?"

"I would like a drink, it would definitely help rejuvenate me. Have a seat and I'll make us some tea."

It was true that the mutual need for one another was still there. Yet now I felt like she was a trusted friend who was really in the same boat as the rest of us.

I continue looking along the bookshelves while I wait for her to return. I wouldn't pretend that every book and discarded manuscript in this collection was inherently useful but it didn't hurt to read.

She reappears from the second floor with a tray and two cups of tea. She places a cup on the table and I pull out the wooden chair to sit.

Once I'm seated I pick up the cup nearest me and hold it under my nose. The smell of the tea leaves was enough to bring reality crashing back down on my shoulders.

"Shimura, I've given everything a lot of thought recently. It really hit me earlier this evening though, when I met Ferid Bathory. I am left with no doubt now."

She doesn't respond to my voice at all, sipping her tea silently. Her technique for holding the glass was flawless. She was as pragmatic as always, waiting for me to clarify what I meant.

"I've been looking back all weekend, and even further back in years... trying to see what we've accomplished. But there isn't anything... Everything plan we come up with is doomed to fail from the very beginning. I wish I could say it wasn't hopeless, but there is no other path to tread."

She takes another sip of her tea before sitting the cup down quietly. She then props her elbows up onto the table and threads her fingers together.

"So you are ready to concede defeat? Will you abandon all hope of ever seeing the outside world again? Has it all been for nothing, and was it always destined to amount to nothing?"

I clench my fists in anger at how pathetic I sounded. Nothing had changed in all these years, and morale was lower than it had ever been. Every plan concocted was quickly dissolved and we were forced to start over.

"No. I refuse to admit defeat. I won't allow it to end this way. But I feel as though everything around me is fading."

"Yuichiro, years ago when we first met and made our first deal, I was certain that you were caught in an optimistic delusion. My impression of you has evolved, your determination is what gives me hope for a better reality."

She lowers her hands from her face and reaches down beside her for something. I balk in surprise as she sits an object wrapped in paper on the table between us.

"Was this why you scheduled our meeting so late? You actually went to the outside world to get this?"

She nods and I tear into the wrapping with a fervor of excitement.

The book was as dark the nights that were without the moon and in good condition. The design along the cover was gold leaflet and depicted a figure holding scythe.

"Memoirs of Those Who Roam the Darkness?"

"Literature written by that man is illegal in Japan. Bruno Ludwig thought that Vampires underestimated the ingenuity of humans. The reason it's illegal is because it mentioned that Vampires fear of humans prior to the Apocalypse Virus. The fear that their food might one day rise up against them. We have always displayed our greatest weakness on our chests."

I look up from the book and into her eyes in amazement. Suddenly my hope to one day see the sun again was possible again.

Part 4: Sublime

[Of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire as to inspire great admiration or awe]

Mikaela walks alongside Kota on his way to Ferid's mansion. While Mikaela was originally against his family dipping into the blood politics of Sanguinem he was forced to admit that Kota wasn't that much younger than him.

This worked out in their favor though despite his resistance. Ferid always served dinner for his guests and it was good chance to steal something of value from his mansion.

"Listen up, Kota I need you to act as naturally as possible. Address Ferid with the respect he deserves as part of Vampire nobility."

Kota nods solemnly but his somber attitude only lasts a moment before he grins. Mikaela sometimes forgot to smile himself, seeing it on his face was infectious.

"Let's bring home the good stuff tonight, Mikaela."

He nods unable to suppress his own grin. They both turn back to face the great doors of the mansion of Ferid Bathory. Mikaela reaches out and bangs on the immaculate doors with a closed fist.

The door is opened almost immediately by a normal Vampire minus the hood. She confirms their identities before opening the door wide to allow them inside.

"Lord Ferid has been expecting you master Mikaela. He is also entertaining a guest this evening, please be on your best behavior. Dinner will be served in half an hour."

Mikaela nods obediently and strides into the mansion without a hint of nervousness. Kota follows close behind already feeling his stomach cramp up with unease.

The foyer was as gorgeous as it always was and how Mikaela had come to expect. The Vampire who allowed them inside swiftly closes the door behind them.

Ferid appeared at the top of the grand stairs just ahead of us with a smile on his face. His expression was smooth and smug as if everything was going as planned.

"Young Mika, and Kota as well, I'm so glad you both could make it tonight. Please come join us in the dining hall!"

He turns back around without another word to them, heading back to the dining hall. We follow him without any hesitation, the smell of gourmet food drifting to their nostrils.

At least the food is guaranteed to be filling.

"I've been in this mansion dozens of times, the living quarters are upstairs. I also know that there is an entire complex below the mansion, which is where the things we want are."

They both remain silent as they entered the grand dining hall. Everything was going well until he caught sight of the only person already seated at the table.

Mikaela suddenly stops walking and clutches his chest as he felt his heart seize up. The lights in the room suddenly seemed to grow brighter and blocked out his vision.

His breath came out fast and ragged and the sounds around him seemed to be getting further away. He shut his eyes tight and covered his ears as the sound around him became deafening.

He opens his mouth to scream in agony but the sensation ended abruptly before. Sweat soaked his brow and his heart was barely staying in his chest. He quickly followed Ferid to the table.

Ferid pulls a seat out for himself several seats away from the other Vampire at the table.

"Mika now that I get a good look at you, you really don't look well at all. Kamishiro, please bring refreshments for our guests."

Mikaela tries to force his fear back down his throat with several swallows. Kota reaches over touches him slowly, trying to see what was wrong.

"Ah I see, it makes sense now. Could it be that your instincts have finally kicked in? She inspires true fear in your heart."

"Jasper Petrov, second progenitor and the esteemed ruler of China. While I admit she is an opposing Vampire, she's asleep now because she flew here and the in change time zones wore her out."

Kamishiro reappears setting a wine glass full of blood down in front of Ferid. Mikaela shrinks back into his seat unable to slow his heartbeat. He drinks from the glass slowly.

"Not even the queen of Japan, Krul Tepes is as frightening as Jasper so I can relate. Fear is good though, it's a reminder of where you belong in this world and who your master is."

His personal aid Kamishiro sits two glasses down in front of him and Kota as well. A dark black liquid with bubbles all throughout its consistency.

"Apparently that was a popular drink amongst humans before the virus killed most of them. I believe they called it soda!"

Mikaela ignores Ferid completely, watching Jasper intently. She shifts in her sleep ever so slightly, her gleaming white fangs appearing.

It's hopeless... we can't fight them... I can't fight them...

Part 5: One Hundred Nights

[Hyakuya]

Fives hour later...

I didn't need to check my pocket watch to know that the moon had long been high in the sky. I was already expecting a violent response to the thought of bringing Vampires into our escape plan.

Years of mistreatment meant that they would be unable to trust any Vampire. The fact remained that if there was to be any hope of escaping Sanguinem it would be with the help of a Vampire.

It would by up to me to make them face reality tonight. If we couldn't combine our strengths and come together then it would all be meaningless.

"You mentioned before that half of the Hyakuya family are active at night and sleep during the day. Any particular reason for that?"

"It was mostly because we were in the dark about Vampires in the beginning. Even in the dead of night some Vampires are still active, while some were in a dead sleep."

I purposefully kept my voice down as we passed a Vampire sleeping up against a building. She was a Vampire herself and was still unable to explain it to me.

"I mean you seem relatively unaffected by fatigue, even though you've been up all day."

"Keep in mind that I just had a little snack. I am tired, but I'm not going to collapse."

We stop just a couple feet from the flight of stairs leading to my home at the sound of shouting. Makoto pauses as I sprint up the cobblestone steps.

"This is unacceptable, Chihiro! Everything we have worked so hard for is now at risk. We could all die by morning! Do you understand what you have done?"

Mikaela was unable to keep his emotions and anger in check, the light from the candle casting eerie shadows across his face. The rest of family awakened by his shouting averted their eyes to add to their downcast expressions.

"Will you calm down, Mikaela! It was just like I imagined it would be, he would have died without my help. He's a Vampire true but he isn't a blood obsessed sociopath! Can you look him in the eye and still call him our enemy!"

Despite the huge difference in size between them, Chihiro stood protectively in front of the Vampire she had led home. Mikaela simply points at the table of the things he and Kota had stolen from Ferid.

"I don't think you understand, he's seen all we've done. They will kill us for this and that will be the end of it all."

Everyone in the room turns towards the door in silence as I step into our home. I was about to throw oil onto the kindling.

"What the hell are you guys shouting about? What happened to keeping a..."

I stop speaking as I catch sight of the tallest individual in the room. His hood was down and he quickly averted his eyes in shame. Another Vampire and he looked... bashful?

What was even more amazing was the loot strewn across the table. The spoils of Mika's dinner party was apparently more bountiful than I could have ever imagined.

"You idiot! Both of you have really done it this time! You can't trust Vampires, they get a sadistic pleasure from..."

"Listen Mikaela, it's time to sit aside your personal feelings and focus on the big picture. Your misgivings towards Vampires doesn't change the fact that we need them just as much as they need us. Chihiro has the right idea because we won't be leaving unscathed by our own merit."

He blinks in confusion as I forcefully cut him off as Shimura appears in the doorway behind me. She quickly pulls back her hood to straighten her hair.

"How could you expect any of us to trust these two? Look around so that you can see, it's clear who is good and who is bad here."

My eyes narrow in anger and I take a step further into the room. My anger quickly dissipates into surprise as Shimura places a hand on my shoulder. She shakes her head and closes the door behind her before standing in front of me.

"My name is Makoto Shimura, I have been friends with Yuichiro for three years. While your skepticism is healthy in nature, it is unfounded in this instance. I have no reason to betray any of you, and neither does he. It is through Yuichiro that I learned that humans and Vampires are perhaps not so different. Therefore I will help you all escape, even at the cost of my place in Vampire society. I don't want your friendship and I think the feeling is mutual, but you are important to Yuu so you are also important to me."

She extends her arm towards Mikaela and keeps her usual stoic expression in place. He stares at her gloved hand for several moments before taking the hand. I breathe a sigh of relief as the tension in the room drops considerably.

"Now that we are on the same page, we need to pool resources. Shimura and I took quite a bit of time devising an evolving plan."

I spread the large sheet of paper across the table and everyone in the room crowds around curiously. 'Hyakuya' was clearly written across the top.

"Why did you two decide to name it after the orphanage?"

"It's really quite simple, after factoring in our current situation and future endeavors we came up with an estimation. One of the procedures involves helping everyone here learn to read and write in Japanese. This plan ensures that we escape from Sanguinem is 100 nights or less."

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