Yuu and Mika were on the way to Shibuya High. Today would be Mika's first day of school in a long time. The blond could not remember how it was to go to school with kids his age. After all, he passed the last eight years stuck in the vampire capital, where he didn't get any education. All the things he knew, he learned them by himself. There was also the fact that he was a vampire. Everyone only saw him as a monster. Everyone except Yuu and his friends. And to be honest, he was a little afraid of rejection. He wanted to be able to have friends, to have fun with people his age. But, what that still possible for him? Could he still be like a normal teenager? Well, the only way to find out, was probably to try to fit with the other kids.
It was actually the reason why Mika was going to school.
It all started a few days ago. Guren has summoned Yuu and Mika in his office. The man was sitting at his desk, looking at the boys who sat on chairs in front of it. "So, we're here to talk about an important matter." had started Guren. "What important matter?" Yuu questioned, a bit confused. "Your friend Mika." The man told him. "Mika? Why?"
"That's easy. We think that he should get out more. And so we took the initiative and enrolled him in your school. Starting next week, he will go to school with you and your squad." The boys remained speechless. Mika... Mika was going to school. Had Guren gotten crazy? A vampire, in a human school? Did he realize what could happen? No, Yuu wasn't afraid of Mika hurting the other kids. He trusted him. He knew that the other could control himself. But what about the other kids hurting Mika? The blond already lived through enough like that. He did not need to have mean kids bullying him and treating him like a monster, like something that he was not. But, on the other hand, he agreed that Mika needed to get out more, that he needed to have friends. And he could hang out with Yuu and his friends while at school. "Mika will go to my school? To a human school?"
"Yes," Guren replied to Yuu's question. "If he wants to live with the humans, he has to learn to fit with them. Hence the enrollment in your school. If he can adjust to being with humans, then he should be able to live along with them." Yuu and Mika looked at each other. It did make sense. If Mika could not fit in a human school, then how could he fit in the human society?
They nodded in agreement. They had nothing to say against it.
"But don't think that we're going to send a vampire to a school full of humans that easily." shifting his eyes toward Mika, he added: "There will be two simple conditions that you will have to respect if you want to stay with Yuu." Mika nodded slightly. "And what are these conditions?" he asked. Guren lifted a finger "First: You will be put on close supervision. Yuu will keep watch on you. That's why I gave you the same schedule as him. We can't allow a vampire to be with hundreds of humans without keeping him on watch, no matter his self-control." Mika could not get mad at Guren's words. After all, he could understand that the army could not fully trust him. Despite his strong self-control, he was still a vampire. There was still a chance that he lost control of his thirst and hurt a student. "Second: It's totally forbidden to bite one of the students. I recognize that, as a vampire, you need blood. But you can't drink from one of your classmates. Understood?" Mika nodded again.
The school was not too far away from Yuu and Mika's apartment complex. And soon, they were finally here. He then felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to looked at Yuu. The boy looked at him with a smile on his face. "So, you're ready?" Mika looked at him with a tiny smile. "I guess so. I'm just a bit nervous." It was not the full truth. He was not a bit nervous. He was panicking in the inside. He remembered the children in Sanguinem looking at him like he was a monster. And he feared that it would be the same with the kids at school. "You don't need to worry about that. It will be fine. Besides, if one of these kids at school dare to insult you, I will kick their ass." Mika chuckled at Yuu's words. The boy really did not change. He was still the reckless kid that he was when they got separated. Maybe he could do it. As long as he had Yuu by his side, everything would be alright. "Well, shall we go, Yuu-chan?" Mika asked Yuu, feeling a little bit more at ease.
They passed the school portal and walked into the school yard. Mika was tightly holding Yuu's hand, trying to keep his calm. He could see the students in the yard looking at him with hateful eyes. They could see that he was a vampire, and it was the only thing they saw. They only saw a monster. But the worst was actually their words. He could hear them perfectly well despite their murmurs: "A vampire? What it is doing here?", "Filthy monster. It's probably there to find its next meal.", "We have to kill it before it kills us." It saddened him. He really hated being a vampire. He never asked to be one.
Mika felt Yuu squeeze his hand. "Mika, are you alright?" He then looked around and saw the looks on everyone's faces. And he realized why Mika was acting like this. He was tempted to go to them and let them know his way of thinking. But he chose to instead stay with Mika to reassure him. He wanted to let the blond know that he was on his side, that he cared for him. Screw up what the others thought about his friend. He was not a monster. He would never be one.
"Yuu-kun! Mika-kun! Over here!" The boys looked toward the voice to see Yoichi waving at them. Shinoa, Mitsuba, and Kimizuki stood next to him. They all had smiles on their faces, even Kimizuki. They walked toward them, still hand in hand. Mika was still really nervous, especially since the comments that he overheard, and so he still had not let go of Yuu's hand. "Well, Yuu-san, you're really touchy-feely with Mika-san today," Shinoa said in a teasing voice. Hearing her words, Yuu realized that he was holding Mika's hand. But as he tried to remove it, he felt Mika strengthen his grip on his hand, not wanting to let go. "Mika? What's wrong?" He looked around and saw that everyone was looking at them. Their glares were full of hate. Now they were not only looking at Mika with hatred, but they also looked at the whole group with the very same glare. "It's my fault if they're looking at you like that. It's only because you are with a monster." With his free hand, Yuu slapped Mika with full force. He then placed a hand under Mika's chin, forcing him to look into his eyes. "How many times do I have to repeat it to you before you understand? Mika. You Are Not. A. Monster. And I won't allow anyone to speak of you like you are one. And that also includes you." Mika smiled a little and nodded, telling him that he understood. He could do that. After all, he had friends by his side. Friends that truly cared.
Together, they walked toward the school, ready to face any obstacles standing in their way.
