The green eyed, eight year old boy nervously followed the The Director through the Hyakuya Orphanage. No matter what the woman in front of him said, Yuichiro refused to accept the other children here as his family. As far as he was concerned, he was alone in the world. He did not want, nor did he need a family. A family wasn't worth the pain he was feeling right now. When Child Protective Services took him from his home, he promised himself that no matter what happened he would never get attached to anyone again. That way he would never have to go through this pain again.
The strange woman opened a door to a large and colourful room. There was kids drawings and graded papers all over the walls. One wall had a large rainbow painted on it, with card clouds with names on them tacked to the rainbow. It's probably a way to trick the kids into behaving well. Yuichiro thought to himself. There was no way he was going to trust anyone here. He had no reason to.
The woman lead him to the front of the room, right in front of the rainbow wall. She began to speak, "I would like to welcome our new family member. This is Yuichiro. I know you all will become great friends with him." Yuu rolled his eyes at her announcement. "Mikaela, Yuichiro will be sharing a room with you."
"That's awesome!" A blonde boy exclaimed. Mikaela approached Yuu with a smile on his face, "Hi, I'm Mikaela, but you can call me Mika." Mika held out his hand to the new boy.
"Whatever." Yuu grunted, running his fingers through his black hair.
"Come'on! I'll show you to our room." The blonde smiled. He grabbed Yuu's hand and dragged him down the hall.
This kid is way too happy for being an orphan. The black haired boy thought to himself, while staring at Mika in utter amazement. He couldn't understand how the boy before him could be so happy.
Within moments they reached what would be Yuichiro's new room. For now anyway. "Welcome to your new home, Yuu." Mika said, while sitting himself down on his bed. "I'm really glad I finally have a room mate my own age. The younger kids are great and all, but all they want to do is play 24/7." He laughed. Yuu could have sworn Mika's bright blue eyes twinkled when he smiled.
A smile crept onto Yuu's lips, but he caught it and instantly shook it off. "Well don't get used to it." He retorted. Mika's smile dropped the moment he did. "I won't be here that long." He added, beginning to unpack his bag.
"I know why, because a really nice family will adopt you." The blonde replied, his smile had returned to his face.
"Are you really that dense!" Yuichiro snapped, now standing to face the other boy. "Nobody wants me! My own father tried to murder me. And my mother was so convinced that I was demon child that she committed suicide." His green eyes were fighting back tears, but he refused to cry. Especially in front of someone he had just met.
Before his brain could register what was happening a pair of arms had wrapped themselves around him. "That must have been very hard." Mika spoke softly, into Yuu's ear. "Both of my parents abused me." Yuu's eyes widened at the boy confession. "One day they decided they'd had enough of me and they threw me out of a moving car."
Suddenly he shoved the boy off him. "Then how the hell can you be so happy?"
"Because I have a new family now. All of us kids at the Hyakuya Orphanage are one big family. That means you have new family too, Yuu!"
"Yeah, whatever you say, Mika." The dark haired boy groaned, while going back to unpacking.
A few minutes later a bunch of the other kids came shouting and running into the room. "Mika! Mika! Do you wanna play with us?"
"Sure!" Mika grinned in agreement. "I bet our new big brother Yuu, would like to play too."
Yuichiro's head snapped round to Mika's words, "Wait! What? I don't want to-"
"PILE ON!" The kids all shouted, as they tackled Yuu to the ground.
Mikaela burst out laughing at the scene in front of him. "MIKA! Tell them to get off me!" It was no use. Mika had no intention of calling the kids off. "Hey! That tickles." Yuu squirmed. He was almost smiling. Something Mika silently vowed to make him do more often.
The next few weeks were pretty much the same at the Hyakuya Orphanage. Almost every day the younger kids would run into the two boy's room, shouting for big brother Mika and big brother Yuu to play with them. And every time they did it would end with all the kids piled on top of Yuu. Sometimes Mikaela would join in the pile on, just to get more of a reaction out of the other boy.
Regardless of how well he tried to hide it, Mika could tell that Yuichiro's smile was becoming more real. Yuu was definitely becoming more and more happy at the orphanage with each passing day.
A few more days passed and Yuichiro's birthday had arrived. He had tried to keep it a secret, because he didn't want any fuss or attention. However, Mika somehow found out. Yuu, figured the director lady told him.
"Yuu. Yuu, wake up." Mika said, gently shaking the younger boy's shoulder.
"Mika, what is it?" The black haired boy moaned sleepily, while trying to bat the other's hand away.
"You need to wake up. It's a very important day."
"What time is it?" Yuichiro yawned.
"A little after six O'clock." He replied.
"In the morning!" Yuu's eyes widened. "Why would you wake me up so early?"
"Because I have something very important to tell you."
"What could possibly be so important that you have wake me up at the crack of dawn? Wait... is someone hurt? Is it Akane? Is she and the other kids okay?" Yuu was a little flustered now.
Mika shook his head, placing his hands on Yuu's shoulders to calm him down. "Calm down, crazy head. Everyone is fine."
Yuichiro narrowed his green eyes at the blonde for calling him a crazy head. "Then what is it?" He grumbled.
"I wanted to wish you a happy 8th birthday!" Mika exclaimed, smiling brightly.
"I thought... how did you find out?"
"I just asked The Director."
Yuu crossed his arms. "Hmph... well don't go telling everyone, okay." He pouted.
"On one condition."
"What's that?"
Mika held out what looked like a little paper ball. "You have to accept this birthday present from me."
"Fine." The black haired boy huffed, opening the paper ball. He stared down, slightly confused at the item in his hand. It was a silver pendant, a pair of angel wings that formed a heart. The pendant was on a black string.
"Now no matter what happens, the angels will always be watching over you. And no matter how much you try to deny it, you will look at that and remember that you're never alone."
"Thanks... Mika." Yuu smiled, tying the pendant around his neck.
The following night Yuichiro slept like a baby, one hand clutching the pendant as he did. It was the first time he had slept peacefully and undisturbed in a long time. That was until he was snapped out of dreamland by a very loud banging noise. He shot up in his bed and looked over at Mika, who was still fast asleep. The banging continued, followed by a loud crack. Someone had broken into the orphanage. Yuu leapt out of bed and began trying to shake his room mate awake, "Mika... Mika, you've gotta wake up." He whispered.
"But I don't want to go to school. The other kids pick on me." The blonde mumbled, still asleep.
Yuu couldn't help but frown at the other boy's mumbling, but now wasn't the time. He grabbed a pillow off his own bed and began hitting Mika with it. "Stop it, Yuu. I'm up, I'm up. What's wrong?"
"Someone's busted into the orphanage."
"What-" Mika was cut off by the sound of a gun shot, followed by loud screams. Several more shots were fired and then... silence.
"Hurry up." The younger boy urged, grabbing a baseball bat and leading the way down the corridor. They stopped at the door to the main room of the building. They silently nodded between each other and Yuu suddenly kicked in the door, ready to beat the crap out of the intruder. Once inside the only thing the two boys saw was a floor covered in lifeless bodies... and a lot of blood.
Mika dropped to the floor tears pouring down his face. "No... No... NO!" He cried. Yuu dropped beside him placing a hand on his back in an attempt to comfort him, but he didn't cry. His green eyes grazed over each innocent face. He stared at Akane's beautiful face. He had no doubt she would have been an incredible mother one day. She was always so kind and gentle, but she kept everyone in line at the same time.
The bastards had even shot The Director dead.
There was a sound of footsteps behind them. Yuu jumped around in front of Mika holding the bat in his hand ready to protect the blonde, if necessary. In walked a tall man wearing a white suit with a black shirt, and a long silver pony tail. "My, my, my, what happened here?" The stranger sang.
"Stay back!" Yuichiro warned.
"You have no reason to fear me, my dear boy." The man said, gesturing for the green eyed boy to calm down.
"Why should I trust you? Who are you and what are you doing here?" He was still standing defensively in front of Mikaela.
"My name is Ferid Bathory and I was merely walking by when I noticed the front door had been kicked down. I grew concerned and wanted to make sure everyone was okay. I never thought I would find this." The stranger explained.
"Lord Ferid Bathory, right?" Mika asked. He had finally stopped crying. Ferid nodded, confirming the boy's question. Yuu looked back the blonde with questioning eyes. "He's a nobleman and a very well known scientist." His blue eyes turned back to the man in front of them. "Thank you for your concern, Lord Ferid."
"I only wish I had gotten here sooner." He gravely added. He then held out his hand to help Mika to his feet. Yuu cautiously watched the exchange. At some point he had let the baseball bat fall from his hand. However, noble or not he still didn't trust the strange man. "Now I can't possibly leave you two here, so you are coming home with me." Yuichiro went to protest, but a glare from Mika stopped him.
The nobleman lead the two boys out of the building and into a town car. "I will call someone to collect the bodies and make funeral arrangements."
"That's very kind of you, Sir." Mika thanked, politely.
"If you two are going to be staying with me for a while, I need to know your names."
"I'm Mikaela, and grumpy guts here is Yuichiro." The blonde answered.
"Although I wish it were under better circumstances, it is a pleasure to meet you both."
A little while later and they pulled up to a very large, white mansion. The place that would be they're home until further notice.
4 years later...
Mika quietly opened the door to the room he shared with Yuu. "You missed dinner again. That's the third time this week."
"I wasn't hungry." He answered, not looking up from his book.
"I brought you some food anyway... just in case."
"Really? What did you bring?" Yuu asked, excitedly, dropping his book and staring at the plate in Mika's hands.
"Just a sandwich. Besides I though you weren't hungry." The blonde grinned, raising and eyebrow.
"I'm not. I was just curious." Yuichiro retorted, returning to his I-don't-give-a-crap attitude. His composure collapsed the moment his stomach roared as loud as a lion though.
"If you're not hungry, then I guess I'll just have to toss this." Mika teased.
"Don't do that- I mean... that would be a waste of food. So I may as well eat it." He handed Yuu the plate and within minutes the contents was gone.
"I knew you were hungry." The older boy laughed.
"Thanks, Mika. I don't know where I'd be with out you." Yuu thanked, running a hand through his hair.
"You'd probably starve to death." Mikaela frowned, staring at his only family with sad eyes.
Yuu caught his stare, "Mika, what's wrong?"
"Why do you avoid eating dinner with us?"
"It's nothing to do with you." Yuichiro sighed, "I just don't trust Ferid."
"Why?"
"There's just something about him... I can't explain it. Anyway it's getting late. We should turn in, before the storm hits."
"A thunderstorm?" Mika asked, almost trembling. It didn't take very long for Yuu to figure out that his ever happy room mate is terribly afraid of thunderstorms.
"Yeah, the weather report on the radio said there would a small storm tonight. It'll blow over by around 3am tonight." Yuu said, climbing into bed. Moments later, Mika climbed in beside him. Every time there was a thunderstorm he would let the blonde sleep next to him, so that he didn't feel as afraid. That was fair, because Mika would do the same for him every time he had a nightmare. Which was almost every night. Neither one minded though.
It was a little after three in the morning, and just as the report had said, the storm had passed. At some point the trembling blonde had curled into Yuu's chest. He wrapped his arms around him and he instantly relaxed. "Mika." Yuichiro began, not really expecting him to respond. "If I ran away from here, would you go with me? I mean, I would leave on my own but- I don't want to leave you alone. And you're the only family I have, so I don't want to leave that. I would be crazy if I did."
"Yes." Mika clearly spoke. "If you want to leave that badly, then yes... I'll run away with you."
"Really?"
The blonde nodded, getting out of the bed. He began to get dressed and was packing a bag. Yuu just stared at him in surprise. He hadn't yet processed what was happening. "Well come'on. We better get moving before everyone wakes up." His brain finally clicked, and Yuu jumped to action.
The two successfully made it through the the mansion. All they had to do was walk across the foyer and head out the front door. They stepped out towards the door, but suddenly froze upon realising... they had been caught.
"Oh no... my poor little lambs are trying to run away." Ferid sang, stepping in front of the door. "Did you really think I would just let you leave?" He then unlocked the door. "I know let's make it a game. If you can get past me and out this door, then you win. But..." He paused aiming a gun at us. "If I shoot you, then I win."
Before the pair could react, Lord Ferid had advanced on them. He was now a couple meters away from them, and he had his gun pointed at Mikaela. Without a second thought he pulled the trigger. The moment he did, Yuichiro grabbed the gun out of his hand and fired it at the nobleman's head. "Die, you bastard!" He cried, as he did. He then dropped to the ground and held Mika in his arms. "Mika, you've gotta stay with me." Yuu could hear people coming. So he tried to lift Mika up in his arms, but he just wasn't strong enough. Instead he dragged him across the floor leaving a blood trail. "Just go, Yuu. Leave me here." The blonde ordered.
"No! I won't leave you, Mika! I can't lose you, I won't." Yuichiro cried.
"Go you idiot! Run! Get out of here, before they kill you too!" Mika screamed.
Hesitantly, Yuu did as he was ordered and ran. His pain filled screams filling the room. He didn't stop until he figured he was far enough away. He found himself in a park. He was so tired from the nights events that he lay down on a park bench to sleep, completely ignoring the pain of the cold. It was winter and there was snow everywhere, but none of that mattered to Yuu now. He had broken the promise he had made to himself over four years ago. He got attached, he had allowed himself to find a new family- only to have it ripped away from him.
Never again. He vowed to himself. Never again.