I. Flower Crowns

"Mika? What are you doing?"

Yuuichiro's eyes trailed over the slight mess of flower petals which were strewn around the room. His eyes then stopped to focus on the blond whose hands were moving quickly and deftly, lacing flowers into a circlet of some sorts.

"Ah, Yuu-chan!" Mika exclaimed, his face breaking out into a cheerful grin as he looked up. His brilliant blue eyes were twinkling and were accompanied by a faint blush dusted over his pale cheeks. "Making something…" He replied in a sing-song manner.

"I know you're making something but WHAT is it?" Yuu stressed, propping his chin in the palm of his hand after setting his book aside. He scooted closer towards Mika, eyes widening when he saw the pretty assortment of flowers.

"Mika, how did you get these?"

"The great Mikaela has his ways," Mika answered, looking up once again to send the other a wink. He set the two complete circlets aside. "I was thinking about making more for our family but there were only a few flowers left…"

"I see…" Yuu mumbled unhelpfully. "So, you made one for yourself and the other for a girl?"

"No silly," he huffed, crossing his arms and shooting him a playful glare. "This is for Yuu-chan," he sighed, reaching out to place the blue and white crown on his head.

"For me?! Aren't flowers girly?" Yuu squeaked, gently reaching out in an attempt to pluck the thing from his head.

Three and a half months had passed since their flight from the Japanese Imperial Demon Army. The Shinoa squad with the inclusion of Mikaela and Narumi had run to a village somewhere away from both the vampires and humans.

For those months, Yuu had been confined to the shackles of an empty shed. Having lost most of his humanity which came with the price of saving his friends from getting injured on the battlefield, Yuu had sprouted horns and had drastically changed in personality.

It wasn't until a few days ago that all his shouts for homicide had subsided. His human friends were overjoyed to have him back while Mika had simply hugged him and thanked him for returning to his side. It had been the first smile he had managed to muster after many hard months of solitude (at keeping away) and awkwardness at being in the company of Yuu's 'family'.

Now leaning against the trunk of a large tree, Mika could faintly make out the silhouettes of those humans running after one another, laughing obnoxiously but seemingly trying their best to make light of their situation.

They were planning to return to the very place they had run away from, for the sake of saving more humans. Though Mika felt a slight form of pity towards the brainwashed puppets of the JIDA, he simply couldn't entertain the thought of returning to the battlefield.

He didn't want to see his Yuu-chan hurt again. They had been separated for so many years until fate had decided to bring them together again. Those years were of bitterness, remorse and regret from being unable to save the other or not knowing whether the other was even alive. He didn't even want to recall the terrible memories of Sanguinem after his turning.

"Mikaaa!"

At the sound of such a familiar voice, Mika's closed eyelids fluttered open and he looked towards the source of the sound. Yuuichirou was running towards him, a happy grin embedded on his slightly tanned face, lit up by the twinkle in irises of a vivid green.

"What is it Yuu-chan?"

His hands were held behind his back, obviously hiding something which Mikaela pretended not to notice.

"Nothing, I just wanted to see what you were up to!" He answered, sitting down on a soft patch of grass and beginning to hum slightly.

Mika's eyes drifted over his features, relishing his moment of privacy with Yuu-chan. Although he was extremely close to those humans, there was something that Shinoa had observed about them when together. Yuu's grin was often wider and he spoke animatedly, talking about things that made him happy. She had also observed that Mika was more relaxed and would smile lightly, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned as he gazed at Yuu.

"It's done!"

"What is?" He inquired, cocking his eyebrow as he tried to make out what Yuu was holding in his hands. No sooner had the question left his mouth did he feel a light pressure on his head and he looked up, questioning crimson eyes meeting those which were knowing and of a familiar shade of green.

Mikaela gazed at the foreign object in Yuu's other hand and froze for a moment before finally letting out a soft and barely audible sigh. His fingers reached upwards and he felt, with great delicacy, the ends and the pattern which had been done awfully well for someone of Yuu's caliber.

"I'm surprised you didn't butcher it…" He murmured, lowering his face in an attempt to let his bangs cover his eyes. "It's really nice, Yuu-chan."

Mika couldn't meet Yuu's eyes though. He knew that gazing into those warm orbs would simply bring back bittersweet memories of the past. He would be reminded of their separation and he hated that. But he also knew that Yuu was his 'family'. Yuu was his home and his shelter, someone he could run to when he was bruised and battered from everywhere. Someone who would still accept him for the person he truly was.

"Ne, ne Mika, look at me will you?"

Yuuichirou froze, eyes widening as he watched those crimson eyes fill with tears which freely began trickling down his cheeks. Mika's attempts at concealing his emotions and hiding behind his sleeve were futile. The blond buried his head in his hands, shoulders shaking as the wetness on his cheeks became more and more prominent.

It had taken nothing but a simple stride to bring Mika into Yuu's arms. His hold on the blond tightened and his fingers lightly patted at his back. Allowing Mika to nestle in the warmth of their embrace (As vampires were unable to feel temperature changes), Yuu quietly listened to Mika's strained pants and gasps.

"Shh… Mika, it's okay. It's not your fault," he whispered, his own mind recalling the events of a terrible time from many years ago. "You are NOT to blame for what happened."

Mika tried easing his unsteady breaths, "Yuu-chan, if it wasn't for me, we would've been together with everyone else…"

"But we're not," Yuu interrupted. "A lot of things happened and they're not there with us anymore but you can't beat yourself up. It wasn't your fault and I… I was the one who abandoned you and ran away like a coward,"

"No, that's not true!"

"It's going to be the truth until you stop blaming yourself."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Mika's face took on a slight smile at Yuu's words. "Yuu-chan, you never really change."

"Anyways, you look great in that crown, so smile. You used to be the stupidly smiling one who never cried about anything and I was the grumpy one, don't make me think that we've switched roles."

Mika laughed, a sound much more genuine and gruff as though he hadn't laughed in a long time. There had been no reason to laugh in Sanguinem or with the other vampires; Yuu had been the only person whom he had survived for.

Yuu smiled, reaching out to ruffle the blond's hair. "You're still the same old Mika deep down there and I'm really glad to have you back. Mitsuba, Kimizuki, Shinoa, Yoichi and Narumi make up one of the best families I've ever had but it wouldn't be complete without you by my side, Mika."

There they stayed for quite a long time, talking and enjoying being in the other's company. Hours flew by and nighttime had arrived, finding Yuuichirou's head leaning on Mika's shoulder and Mika's right-arm loosely hanging by his side. The former fast asleep and the latter simply listening to the peaceful breaths of the other.

Notes : It's past midnight and I'm sleepy so I'm letting my fantasies take over now. More MikaYuu later (fluff I mean) since this is more of a fluffy family-ish one-shot? I planned to include a kiss but then I just went along with the flow soon after~

I hope you enjoyed it and I hope that it's okay. I'm just an amateur writer, no one special :^)

R&R if you enjoyed ^w^