I.
The first promise that Mikuni makes is one as a child. His father tells him that he'll have a younger brother, although his brother's mother is different from Mikuni's own mother. It all seems a bit complicated to him at first, but the boy is incredibly clever and smart, and so he soon understands what it means for his father's infidelity to result in a child like this.
Of all people for Mikage Alicein to fall in love with, it had to be Mikuni's teacher. Even if the man has already been wed and already has a son of his own, he must love that woman so much to have another son in her stead. So, if his father really loves her, then Mikuni will, too.
And his first promise he ever makes in his life is really quite simple. "I promise I'll love her, and my new brother, too," he tells everyone in the household. "I can't wait to meet him!"
It's the first promise that Mikuni Alicein makes, but it's certainly not the last.
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II.
The second promise that Mikuni makes follows the first one shortly thereafter. His younger brother—given the name Misono—is born, and an arrangement is made where Misono's mother will stay in the Alicein household, where she will raise and care for the child without further interfering with the others' lives. Because even though theirs is a place where lust and envy grow together hand-in-hand, nothing can stop them from growing up happily and healthily together, as a family.
Mikuni meets Misono for the first time, and promptly falls in love with the idea of being an older brother. When the dark-haired infant is nothing more than a sapling of a few weeks of age, Mikuni gently holds him against his chest, and sways him back and forth in loving motions. The servants are beside themselves as they warn Mikuni not to drop Misono, but the boy could never think to do such an awful thing.
He stares into Misono's violet eyes with awe, and carefully presses his nose against the baby's. Misono laughs unknowingly, but Mikuni finds the noise to be cute and comforting all the same. He nuzzles his younger brother affectionately, and whispers his second promise to him in tandem.
"I promise that I'll protect you," he mutters against delicate skin. "I love you so much, Misono."
Mikuni holds true to his second promise. Whenever Misono crawls too close to the stairs, Mikuni does his best to carry him back to the crib. Whenever Misono looks unhappy, Mikuni makes funny faces and plays toys with him in an attempt to cheer him up. Whenever Misono starts crying and his mother seems too tired to do anything, Mikuni offers to warm up some formula milk and sway the sobbing child back to sleep.
Then one day, Mikuni's mother succumbs to the envy inside of her (and the Servamp of Envy beside her), and she kills Misono's mother without so much as a second thought. To this, Mikuni becomes sick, but ultimately continues to keep his promise as he safeguards his younger brother—even if it means stomaching the ungodly act of crime his mother has committed. But as long as Misono is still alive and well, then he won't need to act any further than protecting him.
Of course, Mikuni has to do much more than say he will protect Misono. He has to actually do it, so when his own mother loses the last of her wits—and when she holds the young Misono close to her body—Mikuni does the unthinkable.
He kills his own mother.
He acts out of impulse, but also out of love and awareness. After all, if he hadn't killed his mother, then she would have definitely killed Misono, instead.
And Mikuni had promised to protect him. So he never fails to fulfill that promise, even as he disappears from the Alicein household with the Servamp of Envy trailing behind him. Even as he accepts the same monster that drove his own mother to madness, he maintains distance from his own family, and plays the part of a silly but estranged older brother, because Misono is too innocent and pure to know the truth.
Mikuni's second promise is the longest standing one, and it is—perhaps—the only promise he still holds true to, even today.
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III.
"I promise that I won't become like my mother," Mikuni says to Jeje. He is young and impressionable, still, but the weight of murder and lies has matured him in such a short time. His earthen eyes are alight with the possibilities of the future to come, but they also reveal the dark glints of hesitation that fester inside like an uncertain wound.
After all, it was Jeje's influence as a Servamp of Envy that lead Mikuni's mother to madness. She had been weak from the start, yes, but the vampire standing next to him is also to blame for that gruesome event. Although Jeje is quiet and reserved himself, he seems to understand their situation just as well as Mikuni does, for he does nothing except bow his head solemnly before his master.
"I won't let you consume me, Jeje. I'm your Eve, now, aren't I? So as long as I live, I'll live by my own means, and you'll be by my side but you won't destroy me like you destroyed Mom."
The words are heavy coming out of his mouth, and they weigh down on both their shoulders with shared regret. He wants to say something, anything—but he's cut off by the youthful vigor that rides the waves of Mikuni's frantic voice.
"I won't become like her, and I won't let you turn me into her, either," Mikuni reiterates himself. "And that's a promise."
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IV.
"Mikuni," Jeje mutters. His wounds aren't healing as well as they should, and if he is in that bad of a condition, he can only wonder how Mikuni is faring. "You can't keep doing this. Stop pushing yourself. Just let me drink your blood, and—"
"Never," Mikuni insists. He speaks with such ease, even though the throbbing injuries beneath his tattered clothes tell otherwise. "I only let you drink my blood the first time to form the contract. But I swear that as long as I live, you'll never drink from me again."
"This is hard on the both of us, running around from country to country. Not to mention the fights you seem incapable of avoiding." Jeje ignores the other's choice words of protest, and tries to stem some logic into the irrational conversation. "I'm stronger when I have your blood coursing through me. We can fight better when I'm not so damn thirsty. I can make things easier on you and me, both."
"Well, who said I ever wanted the easy way out?" Mikuni's face twists into some crooked smile that is devoid of genuine emotion. Jeje wonders which one of them is actually the vampire in this relationship. "No, I'm fine living like this. And I promise that as long as I'm still your Eve, you won't get a single drop of blood out of me. Not if I can help it."
"One of these days, I'll lose my patience with you," Jeje warns. "One of these days, I might just bite you without permission. What will you do then, Mikuni? How will you stop me when I lose myself to the inevitable bloodlust inside of me?"
"Don't be so stupid, Jeje," Mikuni scolds. "You're so irresponsible. You're gonna blame everything on the fact that you're a vampire, right? Well, vampire or not, you're going to be taking responsibility for your actions from here on out. And if you try to bite me or anyone else, that's just proof that you let yourself become the monster you fear you are."
"That's…"
"Anyway, don't be so stubborn right now. Who knows, I might actually let you drink from me in the future!"
"Really?"
"Sure," Mikuni says, with a thin smile spreading through his lips. "I promise that one day, when the situation is really really dire, then I'll let you take a big gulp of my blood. Straight from my neck, too!"
He says that, and for the first time in his life, Mikuni Alicein makes a promise that he can't keep.
It's not the last time, though.
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V.
Mikuni doesn't think that life at C3 will be that great. But he's down on his luck, with no home (anymore) to call his own, so he has no choice but to assist the supposedly "neutral" vampire-human organization. Even though there aren't any vampires there (except for captured subclasses that either die or escape the facility, somehow) and even though most everyone working for C3 is a grudge-toting human, Mikuni thinks that there isn't any other alternative with the way things are now.
Mikuni is only sixteen years old at this time, so he figures he can live there at C3 before he gains all the information necessary to move on in life. It's just like Hattori told him that one time they were playing chess—one needs power and information to survive in the world, and both power and information walk hand-in-hand. To have knowledge is power, and to have power is knowledge. So sixteen-year-old Mikuni has lots of power with the Servamp of Envy by his side, but he lacks the knowledge and the wherewithal to put that power to use. He doesn't have the plan for the future that he has to create himself, since he's been estranged from his family with no conceivable way of reconciliation.
(Even now, he wonders if Misono is thinking of him. He wishes he could see him, but he knows he cannot do such a thing. Although he accepts this cruel fact, it kills him inside all the same.)
Eventually, the people at C3 assign him to be roommates with another boy named Tsurugi Kamiya. Tsurugi is older than Mikuni, but he acts like a child as he laughs loudly and makes grotesquely self-deprecating jokes on a daily basis. Their lives are totally different from one another, but it isn't Mikuni's spoiled nature that has him at odds with Tsurugi. Rather, it's the stark difference in their personalities—those that don't mix at all, as if they're oil and water, instead.
"If there's one thing I can promise you," Mikuni says venomously, "it's that we'll never get along."
"Funny you should say that, 'cause I was thinking the exact same thing!" Tsurugi smiles widely at the other, with hints of madness appearing in the corners of his golden eyes. "Let's never get along, Mikuni! It'll be so much fun!"
Mikuni says that they'll never get along, but he secretly hopes that one day, things turn around and he can proudly call Tsurugi his friend.
Sadly, it's one of his promises that he actually manages to keep, even after years pass and even after the life of C3 is far behind him.
But, whenever he sees Tsurugi's manic smile again, it just reminds him of all the days and nights they spent together. It reminds him of all the words left unsaid—of all the promises that he's made and all those things he never did accomplish.
Even if he really, really wanted to.
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VI.
"I'll train with you, Shirota." Mikuni smiles at Mahiru as he says this, and gives a noncommittal wave with his hand. "If you really wanna get stronger, then there's nothing like a good sparring session between Eves and their Servamps. After all, if you can't even beat me, then Sloth will devour you and you'll become nothing but dead weight."
"Kuro is not going to devour me," Mahiru insists. "I want our bond to get stronger, too! I won't just stand aside and let him do what he wants. At least, not in a serious situation! So, sparring should be just fine with me."
"You sound so sure of yourself," Mikuni notes. "It's kinda cute."
He doesn't say it, but he thinks that Mahiru sounds just like how his mother used to be. She had promised everyone that as an Eve of Envy, she would never give into the monster's demands. She said she would never let its inner demons take over her, and she would never let it push her to the brink of madness and jealousy. She would fight all expectations, and remain a happy and content woman.
She said all of that, only to turn around and kill Misono's mother, anyway. It's a terrible thing, for a Servamp to overwhelm their Eve. It causes pain and suffering for everyone involved, and then some more people after that. Mahiru is just a kid, Mikuni thinks. He has so much more to live for after this. He doesn't deserve to get swallowed up by Sloth's madness, or to get killed or kill someone as a result. He doesn't deserve to make enemies out of friends and family. He doesn't deserve for any of that to happen.
But unlike Mikuni's mother, Mahiru is actually self-assured. He's actually willing to go through hardships if it means embracing his Servamp, and he actually wants to understand the dark feelings that lurk beneath his surface. Yes, there is something bright and hopeful in Mahiru's eyes, and it makes Mikuni hurt to think that if his mother had been more like the boy in front of him, then Misono's mother would still be alive and Mikuni would be at home instead of traveling the world because he has no home.
These thoughts are stirring bitterly in his head, and he ignores them all as he gives another baseless promise in Mahiru's direction. "Then, why don't we practice as often as we can? I promise that I'll teach you the basics of fighting, and I'm curious to see how the eldest Servamp acts in battle, anyway!"
Unfortunately, Mahiru and Kuro are a rather dynamic duo, and even though they stutter and trip over themselves, they easily have the potential to topple Mikuni and Jeje. The only thing holding them back is their own purity, because Mahiru refuses to kill anyone, even murderous vampires like Tsubaki and his subclass. Even murderous vampires like Jeje.
(Even murderous humans like Mikuni.)
And even more unfortunate is the fact that Mikuni breaks his own promise, yet again. Because once he burns through a few sparring sessions with Mahiru, he never returns to their little training practices ever again. He keeps his distance from the Eve of Sloth, and pretends that he never made the promise to take him on as his training partner in the first place.
He doesn't need it, Mikuni rationalizes to himself. He's not as well-versed in battle as he should be, but he's got potential. And he's strong. He doesn't need me around.
Mikuni isn't sure if his answer is because of his sound logic, or if it's because of the biting insecurity inside of him—one that laughs at him and says that Mikuni is the coward in this situation, and he's the one that needs to reevaluate what it means to be an Eve.
Mikuni doesn't know at all. But he's not sure if he wants to know, either.
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VII.
"Brother!" Misono yells at him. "Promise that once this is all over, you'll come back home! I know the truth now, there's no use in running away from me anymore." His violet eyes are livid with bright, energetic, and righteous emotion. His frail body shakes with uncertainty, but remains upright without the assistance of his chair, for once.
He continues yelling, even though he strains his voice so much by doing so. "You've been watching over me all this time, right? Well, I don't need to be protected like that anymore. So you can stop running, now! Stop running and promise me that you'll return, Mikuni!"
"I can't promise you anything right now," Mikuni concedes. "But one day, I will return. I might not stay, but I will come back. That much is for sure. Just wait for me, Misono."
Misono does as he's told and he waits for Mikuni. He holds up his end of the deal, and each day that passes by, he anticipates his older brother walking through the doors of their home—freely striding in the mansion that was once his. For a while, Misono is disappointed, because the only people he sees in the mansion are his servants, his father, and Lily's subclass.
Finally, after the longest time, Mikuni returns.
He keeps his promise.
And he thinks that it's worth the wait, because Misono runs into his arms and wraps his arms around his body. His small frame beneath Mikuni's shaky hands feels familiar and feels like home.
He thinks it's worth breaking all the promises he's ever made, if it means keeping this particular one intact.
It's worth it.
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VIII.
"Jeje," an old man wheezes out a familiar name. He lies on the hospital bed, hair long-since turned gray and skin garnered the wrinkles of years gone by. But there's something youthful in him now, something sparkling and nostalgic that tells tales of the earlier half of this man's life. "Jeje."
"Yes?" a tall vampire wearing a ridiculous ensemble of bags over his head responds. He's as youthful as ever, and his deep voice resonates with the hums of eternal life and power. "What is it?"
"It's almost time," he announces. "I can feel it."
"I'll get Misono and the others, then. They'll surely want to see you before you go."
"No," he denies. "No, I don't want to make them sad."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Just stay for now. Get them when I pass. It shouldn't be much longer, now."
"If that's what you wish of me, then I'll comply."
"Jeje," the old man says once again. His words are so few but economical, and yet it sounds laborious to even utter the dual syllables that make up the vampire's name. Like a voice that has been used one too many times, his voice is on the edge of breaking. All in all, the man sounds tired, exhausted, and rugged.
He's going to die soon, surely enough.
"Jeje."
"Yes, I'm still here."
"Promise me that we'll see each other again."
"That's impossible, and you know it." The vampire doesn't mean to sound harsh, but his logical sense bleeds into what may become the last words his master hears from him. "I won't die, no matter what. No death means no reincarnation, either. There will be no way to see you after this."
"Don't say that," he mutters. "I know one day that you'll be free and when that happens, we'll meet again—you and I. Promise me that. One last time, Jeje. Promise me."
The heart monitor slows down. The vampire can sense the human's final breath approaching. He's nervous, because he doesn't want to really face this reality that is about to happen. But the beeping on the heart monitor is stagnating, and tears are forming in his eyes. In a final show of respect, the vampire removes the coverings on his face, and lets his true visage be seen before his dying master.
Jeje reaches for one of the old man's withered hands, and squeezes it tightly.
"I promise, Mikuni." He finally says the other's name, with such sweet sorrow and sadness that his chest resonates dimly. "I promise that this isn't the end. I'm not sure how or when, but one day I'll see you again. I promise."
"Perfect," Mikuni sputters, sighing out dreamily as he closes his eyes one last time. "I promise that, too. I promise that one day, you and I will reunite, and it'll be like old times again. I'll see you then, my friend."
A moment or so later, and the line goes flat as a hollow sound echoes throughout the hospital room. Doubt Doubt tenses up as he feels his old contract disintegrate before his very eyes, and the name Jeje becomes lost from his memory and lost from his awareness forever.
Mikuni Alicein's last promise is the only one that he will never know the outcome of. It is the last wish made on his lips, one that utters a hopeful idea that Doubt Doubt and the rest of his siblings will be freed from their immortality one day. And when that happens, Mikuni will somehow be there to greet his former Servamp once again.
It's his last promise, and for some reason Doubt Doubt feels compelled to believe that it will be kept for time immemorial. He has some foolish hope forming inside of him, one that says that freedom from his curse will be obtainable after all, and somewhere in the distant future, Mikuni will be there waiting for him—laughing at his sure-to-be stupefied face. A small smile threatens to break through Envy's streaming tears, and he stands to his feet as he walks quietly to the door, ready to inform the doctors and nurses about the passing of life that has just happened not a minute ago.
For the first time in years, Doubt Doubt remains unmasked in the presence of strangers, and lets his face be seen by all the onlookers around him. He thinks that it'll be okay, just this once, because there is no need to hold onto the contract items of a dead master. It'll be okay, because Mikuni would want him to show his face after all this time.
At some point, Doubt Doubt is sure that he hears Mikuni laughing at him. He brushes it off, though, and continues walking.
He continues living.
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"Excuse me, sir! Hold up, just a moment!"
Jay turns around to see a rambunctious blond running up to him, short hair bobbing cutely as he does so. There is a look of concern etched in the stranger's deep, brown eyes, but mostly he seems shocked about something that Jay can't hope to know.
He sighs deeply, and stops walking to address this sudden interruption. "What do you want from me?"
"This is gonna sound really weird, but I feel like I know you from somewhere." The blond doesn't seem out of breath as he talks, and rather he's energetic and frantic from this introduction, somehow. He even goes as far as to stick his hand out for a handshake. "My name is Miki. And I'm not trying to hit on you or anything, I swear. But you look so familiar, like, really you do!"
Jay stares at this stranger's—Miki's—hand before answering. He gingerly takes it in his own, and gives it a halfhearted shake. "I'll be honest, this is really weird for me. But I'm pretty sure this is our first time meeting. I think I would've remembered knowing someone as noticeably loud as you."
While the comment should have offended most people, Miki looks completely unbothered by it as he only laughs in response. The sound is airy and light, but it sends a shock wave of anxiety through Jay's body all the same. What the hell? He wonders to himself. His laugh does sound familiar…
"Maybe, maybe not! I swear I'm telling the truth, though! So no need to glare at me so scarily like that!"
"I'm not glaring…" Jay protests the idea, but knows that his face isn't the friendliest looking thing in the world. His siblings have told him as much, at least. With another deep sigh, he shoves his hands into his pockets, and looks away as he mutters something beneath his breath.
"...Jay. My name is Jay."
"That's a nice name! Can I call you Jay Jay?" Miki asks. It's a cute nickname, nonetheless, but something about the way it's said makes it sound strange yet comfortable. Both of them pause in this moment, and turn red with some sort of stutter taking place of their usual confidence.
Miki corrects himself with little hesitance. "U-Um, nevermind that! But I'm really serious about this, Jay. I mean, maybe we can talk for a little bit? Talk over some good food or coffee? I know a nearby restaurant that's pretty awesome. I'd pay for it, of course, since I brought all this up in the first place."
"That's—"
"—I promise not to make it weird as long as you promise the same thing," Miki points out, sounding entirely hopeful that he could restrain himself in a situation like theirs. "So come on, Jay! What's the worst that could happen?"
"Well, I've got some time to kill, anyway. But I won't promise you anything," Jay insists. "So, I don't mind talking for a bit, Miki. And you said you're paying, so don't forget that. It's just I could use some good food right about now."
"Don't worry, I'm definitely paying," Miki agrees, the happiness of his smile bleeding into the roundness of his eyes. "I'll pay for it, but I really don't mind doing stuff like that! I feel like this is destiny, or something."
"It's definitely something," Jay mumbles underneath an annoyed breath. He walks at a new pace now, and waits for Miki to catch up to him before speaking. "But, remember your promise. The second you start acting weird, then I'm entitled to the exact same thing!"
"Hey, you don't know this about me since we've just met, but I'm pretty good at keeping promises!" Miki says, defending himself with fluid confidence and self-assuredness. "Cross my heart, scout's honor, and all that! I always keep my promises~"
He stops talking, for once, as they come to a halt in front of some flashy restaurant. Jay can already hear the emptiness of his wallet screaming out in protest, but he decides to ignore it since he knows that Miki's going to cover both of their expenses. And even though he shouldn't trust a stranger's words so easily, he can't help but feel like he can rely on Miki at this time. The thought of reliance and the sense of trust between them seems nostalgic, somehow, and Jay wonders if it's actually possible that they've met before.
Maybe not in this life, but in some other past life. He wouldn't put it past himself to get caught up with troublesome characters like Miki, but the possibility still stands. And as the man of the hour himself turns around—and as his smile matches the sun in the sky for brightness—he gives this reassuring stare that makes Jay feel helpless. It makes him want to punch Miki in the face, but trust him all the same.
It makes him feel nice.
"So, let's get seated, then. I promise I'll make this all worth your time, Jay. I really do."
"That's fine. And I probably shouldn't be saying this, but for some odd reason…I think I believe you. I mean, I still want an explanation and such, but I have a feeling that maybe we did meet before…"
"Right, right? So it's not just me, you see! I wasn't messing around about that! It's like, I don't know, like we've done this before, y'know? And maybe we have. Maybe we just don't remember."
Miki keeps smiling and talking in tandem, even as a waitress comes by and gets the two of them seated in some spaced-out booth. They hold identical menus in their hands, although they spend more time glancing at each other than they glance at the food and prices. Jay has to stifle the exasperation he feels when Miki laughs at him loudly from across the booth. He doesn't think he's heard someone laugh so much before (except maybe for younger siblings), and yet Miki's laughter isn't like anything he's heard before, either.
It's full, but empty. It's bright, but dim. It's everything, yet nothing.
And Jay, for some odd reason, thinks that he might have heard that same laughter before. He smiles unknowingly, and dares to break eye contact with Miki as he scans over the prices, and whistles underneath his breath.
"This place is beyond expensive. I hope you don't break your promise and force me to pay for this, after all."
"Jay, c'mon! I told you this already, didn't I? I'm good at keeping my promises," Miki reaches forward, and boldly places his hand over Jay's.
He doesn't pull away, though, and only stares at the warm fingers that bristle over his own. A similar heat flushes to his face, and he almost misses Miki's smooth words in between intervals.
"I might make some promises that I can't keep, but the ones that I hold true to are always the ones that matter to me most."
"I think this is a bad idea, but I might believe you, after all."
"Really? Do you really mean that, Jay? Because there's so much I want to say but I don't want to scare you off. I swear that I'm not a creep or anything, I just...I had this feeling. You know what I mean?"
"Yeah, I think I know what you mean."
"Do you promise?"
"Yes," Jay finally gives in, with a tiny smile that will definitely fade after he gets to know Miki for a while. But as it stands right now, the guy in front of him is charismatic and outgoing, loud and self-assured—he's everything that Jay isn't, so he'll tolerate him to the point where their differences can melt into similarities, and vice versa.
He will listen to his lies and promises all at once, and accept both for what they are. With this resolve in mind, Jay looks straight ahead, and decides to show his face (and face reality) as confidently as he can.
"Yes, Miki. I promise."