Author Note: Another story straight from my ao3 account. Thought I should share this one-shot. Inspired heavily by the song 'Datsugoku/Jailbreak'.
One… two… three- counting the days that passed by after that fateful and horrific apocalypse that took the lives of millions and changed the lives of those who survived isn't easy. Not when you live in an underground city surrounded by creatures you never thought truly existed until the moment they appeared out of nowhere and took you and other children with them to serve as walking blood bags in a place which is more like a cage than home.
It was as cold as it was unbearable and scary. The place was illuminated by the many streetlamps placed almost everywhere in the city. Children were given white livestock uniforms but weren't given any shoes making them feel the cold even more. Food was rationed as well and if you try to complain, you might end up at the mercy of bloodsuckers who think nothing of killing a child or two.
Yuu hated it. Absolutely, without a doubt hated this place and what it stood for. The vampires claim they're keeping him and the other children alive from whatever threat there was at the world above but is it really living? Being stuck here until you rot away or be killed? He wanted out and he didn't mind dying out there from whatever sickness that world has created- if he would die, he dies free.
Mika shakes his head as he listened for the umpteenth time about his friend's childish plan to get stronger, beat the vampires and escape. It had been four years since the world had seemingly ended and Yuu's determination hasn't wavered- it seemed to even grow stronger with time. Knowing how strong the vampires are however, Mika knew full well that the freedom Yuu desires is nothing more than a pipe dream.
"How can you just give up like that?!" Yuu asked with his voice seemingly amplified as the 'home' they're living in is quiet as the other children played outside "We can't stay here forever, Mika. I'm sick and tired of living here thinking at the back of my mind that one day, those monsters might actually kill us. I can't believe you could just sit there and be fine with all this."
"Yuu-chan, I'm not 'fine with all this' but we don't have a choice." MIka explains "They're bigger, stronger, and more powerful than we are. We're just 12, Yuu-chan! What can we do? Besides, we'd be 13 next year- we'll just die because of the virus outside if we do manage to escape. At least were alive here."
"Just living our lives doing what they want us to do in this cage isn't living." Yuu's hand balls into a fist "I know there's a way out and we can find it if we just don't give up." He smiles and tells Mika hopefully "We'd live outside and see the trees, the rivers, and the sky again! We'd play outside and live find food together and… and even if it's short, even if it's just for a while, we'd be living free until we die."
"Yuu-chan…" foolish, childish, impossible. Mika knew Yuu's ideals are just that- simple wishes that might never be but seeing his friend like this, he couldn't help but feel himself filling with hope that maybe someday, the future Yuu had been craving for is possible. Inside him, he wanted that same thing, too.
The other children from the Hyakuya Orphanage seems to think so too as they believe in Yuu's every word and held in their hearts the same hopes and dreams Yuu has. Mika couldn't help but admire Yuu's ability to make them feel like not giving up, feel like there's hope. He knows that without Yuu, they would've given in a long time ago as Yuu's smile serves as the sunshine they had long been taken away from.
Everyday whenever they had a chance, the two boys would go up to the only library in the city to learn anything they could that might help them in their dream of escape with Mika having more luck since he could read better than Yuu could and was a fast learner.
"How about this?" Yuu held up a book in front of Mika, interrupting the latter's reading "Maybe we could make something like this and get out of here!"
"Shh! You should keep your voice down Yuu-chan. There are vampires around, you know. We might get in trouble." Mika warned him as he looked at the page of the book Yuu was showing him. In it was a blueprint of sorts for a plane and on the drawing were words saying what each part is and what is does and the materials used for them. He shakes his head "Yuu-chan, this is too complicated for us. You expect us to build a working plane?"
"Why not, right? We can scavenge for stuff while they aren't looking." Yuu put the book down on the table "We should first find a place where we could build it without being seen but with entrance big enough so we can get the plane out when it's done."
"You can't be serious. Besides, even if we did manage to miraculously create a plane that flies, where would we go? Yuu-chan, we're underground if you'd forgotten."
"Oh, yeah… darn." Yuu slumped on his seat disappointed for a second before he perks up again "Then we'll just have to find another way."
"Really, Yuu-chan. I'm amazed at how enthusiastic you are." Mika said truthfully as he watched his friend leaf through books with a smile. He always thought of highly of Yuu despite the latter's stubbornness and occasional stupidity. He might be the more responsible of the two but without Yuu's support, he would've broken down long ago. They were both eight when the apocalypse happened after all and they were suddenly thrust with the responsibility of taking care of children younger than them.
"If Yuu-chan could continue to smile," he thought "Then I could go on and do my best, too."
Unlike Yuu, Mika thought of things more clearly. He uses his head and not just his heart. Even though there was only a slim chance, he would make Yuu's- and by extension everyone else's- dream come true. Hearing that a certain vampire noble gives special favors to children who would give them blood directly (as it is against the law to drink directly from humans in the vampire city), Mika decided to meet him and make a deal as well. It had been easy to convincing the vampire Ferid Bathory in making a deal with him… a lot easier than keeping the whole thing a secret especially from Yuu.
They've known each other for so long that Yuu knew him well enough to see if there's something wrong or if he's keeping something. He felt happy that Yuu would care so much despite not saying it outright but he's also worried that his friend would end up doing something stupid for his sake. The last thing he wants is for Yuu to be in danger. He loved Yuu very much and would rather let himself die than let Yuu suffer.
Secrets however, don't stay hidden for long. Sooner or later, it would be revealed in many different ways and to say Yuu was pissed was an understatement. He finally found out what Mika had been doing all this time and where the blonde had been getting food and toys from and he wasn't happy. He doesn't care if it was necessary or if it was supposedly the only way- vampires can't be trusted and Mika should know better. More than hating vampires, Yuu is worried about Mika. Very worried and somehow very angry at even the thought of a filthy bloodsucker touching Mika.
He blushes at the thought- he wasn't jealous. Not at all. Just worried. He would've felt the same if it was Akane or any of the other kids that made a deal with any of those creatures.
That night, Yuu couldn't eat nor sleep at all knowing where Mika was at that moment and what he was doing. Knowing the face of the vampire noble drinking Mika's blood made it much worse. He felt much more anger than he usually does if it was possible. If only he was stronger, he thought as he laid on his side on the cold floor of their house next to the other kids, he would have been able to save Mika from this fate.
Mika quietly returned home to find Yuu unsurprisingly awake. Yuu joined him at the dinner table and after eating their meal, Mika smugly showed him something he claimed he took from the noble's mansion: a map of the city. On the piece of parchment, every place is shown and marked. Even the exit. With that, a more probable escape plan was born.
"Here!" Mika hands Yuu a black gun "You'd need this right? To defeat the vampires. I took it along with the map."
Yuu took the gun and examined it's shiny metal exterior. It was heavy on his hands. The vampires surely wouldn't die from a gunshot wound but wounding them might give them time if needed be.
"Come on, Yuu-chan." Mika grabbed on Yuu's hand and pulled him up "Let's run away!"
Gathering the children, they followed the map and sneaked past the guards roaming the city until they were finally close to the exit. As they stepped forward, they heard a shriek. To their horror, Ferid Bathory himself is sucking one of the children dry. The others ran towards the exit only to be blocked by the vampire guards Ferid had brought with him. He then one by one grabbed the other children and killed them in quick succession leaving Yuu and Mika as the only ones left standing.
Ferid applauds them both before he spoke "That was fun, wasn't it? It was the most entertaining thing that has happened in a while. You really think I wouldn't know about you stealing my things, Mika-kun?"
"You knew? Then why didn't you stop me?"
"Of course, it was my items you stole from my house after all. I would've stopped you earlier but then where's the fun in that?" Ferid then smiled wickedly as he readies himself "Ah, well unfortunately, fun's over."
Yuu grabbed Mika as fast as he could and shot at the guards blocking their path catching them of guard and giving the two space to pass them. Before they could take a step on the other side of the door, Ferid grabs them both by the collar suddenly that Yuu drops the gun on his hand. They tried to get out of the vampires grasps to no avail. Ferid just grinned as he watched their futile attempt.
From out of nowhere, something made Ferid fall onto the floor with a strong force and the two boys landed on the floor besides the fallen noble. Getting themselves out of Ferid's grasp, Mika grabs Yuu's hand as they stepped away from the vampire. Walking towards the silver haired man is a pink haired girl in a black gothic outfit. She looks like a child but with her pointed ears, fangs and red eyes, she was unmistakably a vampire and a noble at that.
"What do you think you're doing, Ferid Bathory? Killing my seraphs like this." the girl asks as she glared at the vampire she just took down with a single kick
Ferid slowly gets up and gives her an amused smile "I was just having a little fun, my queen."
The vampire queen clicks her tongue and calls Ferid out on his actions and the latter just listened without a care like he wasn't threatened by her at the very least. Mika and Yuu could do nothing but stand by each other as they look around and see the rest of their family's corpses on the floor, lifeless and bloody. With the vampire queens own companions now blocking the only way out, the two children had no choice but to give up. The queen gave them a warning and had them escorted back to the city while she gave Ferid a warning of his own. As he walked past them, Yuu saw the gun he was holding earlier and quickly grabbed it before anyone noticed.
For days they have felt like a wreck. Not only had their escape plan fail, they also lost their loved ones in the process. Mika blamed himself but Yuu assured him that it wasn't his fault. Truthfully, Yuu also blamed himself for inability to protect the others. However despite it all, Yuu still never gave up on his dream of escaping. Mika on the other hand, didn't share the same sentiments anymore. To him, as long as he and Yuu are alive, he wouldn't care if they're stuck in that hellhole for the rest of their lives. He didn't want to lose anyone anymore. He didn't want to lose Yuu.
"Yuu-chan, please just give it up." Mika said sadly "There's nothing we can do anymore. They're stronger than us and you saw it with your own eyes. They killed everyone and they might kill us if we do it again."
"Isn't that exactly why we should escape? They can kill us, Mika! Just like they did with our family." Yuu exclaimed angered at the memory of the children's death that kept playing like a broken record in his mind "You expect me to live the rest of my life here with those murderers?!"
"Yuu-chan…" Mika sighs as he opens the front door of the house they both now shared with just the two of them "We can't beat them. We're only humans after all. I'm going out to see if they're giving away any supplies. Please stay here and don't do anything stupid. I don't want to lose you, too."
"But Mika!"
"Please." Mika said with a tone of desperation hoping that Yuu would understand and for once listen to him. Yuu had rarely smiled after the incident. After losing everyone and his only source of strength, Mika feared that seeing Yuu suffer even a little would finally break him.
Yuu kept quiet as Mika left. Waiting for a few minutes, Yuu finally left the house to take a walk. Being inside made him feel worse- the other children are no longer there now. As he walked, he saw other children sitting on the side of the streets or laying down. The younger kids played and drew pictures on the pavement. Everyone had long given up. They wouldn't struggle and just accept living in their little caged world until their time ends.
He knows it might be impossible but he just couldn't accept that it was their fate to rot there as livestock. Their people with dreams and he hasn't given up his completely.
"Yuu-chan, you probably heard about it already." Mika told Yuu nervously as they sat opposite the table "The vampires are looking for volunteer soldiers and-"
"And what?" Yuu yells which made Mika flinch "You're joining them or something?"
"But they promised us they'd give us better treatment if we joined." Mika explained "We'd just be doing errands for them and doing patrols and stuff."
Yuu slams his fist on the table "I don't care! Mika, they're monsters. They murdered our family! We can't just join them and let them order us around much more than they already have. If you want something better then help me get out of here."
Mika looked away with a pained expression on his face "No, Yuu-chan. We can't anymore. I don't want us to die. I don't want what happened back then to happen again. I'm sorry."
Mika and Yuu rarely spoke from then on despite still living together. Mika joined the soldiers as one of the volunteer human guards for the city and Yuu continued in secret his plans for escape. He'd find a way out and convince Mika to escape with him. Even though their paths have somewhat changed, Yuu cared about Mika too much to leave without him and he knew that Mika felt the same way.
Four more years have passed. Mika had, as all the other early volunteers, been promoted with the vampires at least giving them a bit more trust and even a slight respect in comparison to those who are just mere livestock. They were given a better living space in the city and moving there was mandatory to make sure they are alos watched by the higher ups separating Mika with Yuu unwillingly. Mika continued to visit and give Yuu better provisions whenever he had a chance letting them see each other although only briefly.
Meanwhile, Yuu had found a way out- or he thinks he has. He never gave up hope all this time but he never told Mika about what he had found or what he had been doing as the blonde would definitely be against it.
The underground city of Sanguinem was huge. So big that it would take days or even a month to explore the whole place and see it's every nook and cranny. Luckily for Yuu, he held onto the map Mika had stolen from the vampire noble years ago. With it, he was able to find a weak spot in their underground lair- a place that if given enough strength would give them another way out.
Yuu had noticed it when he saw birds flying in and out of the city- there were pipes leading out of the underground for ventilation. They weren't big enough to let him or any of them pass and they won't be able to climb such a slippery thing even if it was big enough but with them, Yuu found out that there were parts of the walled city that aren't as thick and was connected to the outside world. That was good enough for him.
Everyday, Yuu would scavenge the city for anything he could use for the contraption he would use for his plan and on the way, climb up as high as he could to try and weaken the part of the wall that he thinks would crumble away sooner or later.
"Did you hear?" murmurs from the other children in the city could be heard as he did his daily routine. Yuu couldn't help but listen in at their gossiping.
"My brother works as a volunteer and he said it's true!" a girl told her friends
"Really? That's actually kind of scary." her friend responded
"But if it's true then there's a way to finally go out there safely, right?" another said
"Becoming a vampire, huh?" a boy asked his friends curiously "You think it's painful?"
Yuu freezes upon hearing those words. He turns and walked towards the group and ask "What do you mean by 'becoming a vampire'?"
They all look up at him nervously seeing the angry expression on his face. The girl from before spoke up "Um, my brother is part of the volunteers and he said that they were asked if they would like to be turned into vampires and be an actual part of the military. If they agree, not only would they be given compensation but they'd also be able to go outside to the surface."
"They're given a week to decide." another added "They hear that there are huge monsters outside and the vampires need more soldiers to fight them off."
Time is running out. Knowing Mika, the blonde was probably considering the offer. For his sake most probably. Yuu doesn't want that but he knew that Mika was as stubborn and stupid as he is when it comes to taking care of others. If Mika was told that Yuu would have a better life that way, he would most likely agree.
He still wasn't ready. The plan isn't perfect yet after all. How would he stop this from happening? Yuu felt his world crumbling away- he doesn't want Mika to end up a vampire not because he would hate his friend but because he knew Mika would probably start hating himself. Mika always carries the burden and Yuu is hurt that he could do nothing about it.
Without any other course of action, Yuu hurried his work along. There are now changes to the plan. He's going to make Mika and the rest of the survivors see reason. One way or another.
Yuu fired the gun as much as he could onto the area he'd been slaving away at breaking for years. It wasn't powerful enough to break the whole thing but through his long and hard effort, he had made a hole. A bit more and it would make a bigger crack. After using all the ammo the gun has, he climbs toward the area close to the crack and hits it as hard as he could with the gun in hand. He needs to break this- the bigger the hole, the better.
Footsteps could soon be heard coming closer and closer. Yuu knew it would only take a while until the vampires notice what he was doing and not wanting them to thwart his plan, he runs off and tried to lure them away from the crack that is now slowly breaking away.
"Yuu-chan! What the hell are you doing?" Yuu stops as he heard Mika calling him. The blonde was wearing his volunteer uniform which meant he was on patrol "You were making a commotion again, do you want to get killed? Hurry back home while I do something about this."
"No."
"What do you mean by 'No'?" Mika asked impatiently. In a few more moments, the other volunteers and even vampires would find out where the 'troublemaker' was. By then, even he might not be able to save Yuu.
"You're planning to accept their offer, aren't you?" Yuu asked, finally making eye contact with Mika
The blonde looks away "They're going to give us a chance to go back to the surface. If I could go there and maybe find a way to-"
"Mika, you can't be serious! You can't trust those vampires." Yuu walks up to him and grabbed his shoulders "You can't end up like them."
"What other choice do we have, Yuu-chan?" Mika asks "At least this way, we could live longer."
"Yeah… under their control." Yuu looked him in the eyes "Mika, I want us to be free."
"We tried that before, Yuu-chan. We only lost important things."
"I'll show you." Yuu said as he turned around "You'll see- there's a way out."
"Yuu-chan-"
Yuu turns and gave Mika the biggest smile he could muster up before saying "I won't let you or anyone else give up just like that." and ran off. Mika didn't know if he should follow Yuu or not but upon hearing the others coming close, he decided to help cover up for Yuu and give him time to get to whatever it was he was running towards.
But deep inside, Mika had a terrible feeling.
Yuu ran as quickly as he could while trying top avoid anyone dangerous from seeing him. He was close to the area where he had hidden it- the contraption he had been saving for his eventual escape. Now however, it would be used for something else. It was probably one of the stupidest decisions he ever made but the end result wasn't just for the most important person in his life- it was for everyone else.
At last, he got to a crevice hidden by rocks and pipes and smoke that not many would know anyone had been using the desolate area. The ground was cluttered with items he had secretly acquired for four years in trying to build the most impossible thing to make alone: a plane. An actual working plane. It had never been tested before but he knew there wasn't a chance he could even do that anyways with the vampires' sensitive hearing giving him away if he had even started the plane.
He got on it and grabbed and wore the goggles placed next to his seat- he had gotten it from a child whom he traded his food with back then. Strapping on the makeshift seat belt, Yuu readied himself for first - and probably his last- flight. He held on to the controls as he braced himself. It took a while before the engines actually started but once it did, he was able to finally move the plane. It ran forward and Yuu gulped as it neared the edge- he closed his eyes as he awaited his impending fall.
When it never came, he opened his eyes and found himself on a flying plane. He smiled triumphantly- it had miraculously worked. He hurriedly guided the plane to where the hole should be. The children and vampires below looked up as they heard the plane's engine and saw it mid-flight. The vampire soldiers followed the plane and tried to attack. Yuu was able to evade them but the plane had gotten some scratches.
As he neared his goal, he hears a strange sound coming from the plane. The engine seems to be failing already, with smoke already coming out and some of the controls are short circuiting. He doesn't have much time left. Even the wings are starting to fall apart. Mika watched in horror from the ground as he saw the slowly breaking plane flying above. He knew it was Yuu who was in it. His heart was beating faster and faster in worry, in panic, in confusion. He ran towards the direction where the plane was headed.
Yuu looked below and saw many of the vampires already getting close to where he was going to be. Many of them tried attacking and unlike before, Yuu couldn't dodge all of them properly, damaging the plane even more. He knew he should land or at least find a safe place to jump onto- it wasn't safe anymore. But then he saw it- some of the attacks had missed and instead hit the cracks making the hole bigger. It was his chance. He sped up and raised the plane even higher to avoid more attacks. He needs to get to the exit.
A little more and he's there. The plane however couldn't withstand it anymore and is starting to fall apart in mid-air. As Yuu turned to look back, he thought about the stupid back-up idea he had formed in his mind and grinned "Well, I guess this is it."
He sped towards the crack as fast as he could. He knew the plane still wouldn't fit- especially at this angle but he didn't care. The outside was just past that hole he had made. The wings finally broke piece by piece and the engine had already overheated enough for it to be set on fire.
As the rest made contact with the rocks, the engine finally blew up shattering the plane into pieces and even making the crack bigger than it used to be from the explosion. Debris was flying everywhere to the shock and disbelief of all who watched. Smoke covered the area making it hard to see but everyone knew no one could've survived that.
Mika's heart broke into pieces at the sight. He wanted to fall on his knees and cry right then and there- Yuu, the most important person to him and the only loved one he has left is dead. No matter how many doubts he had with a part of his heart telling him Yuu might be alive, every other part of him screams that Yuu is gone.
He ran towards the crashed plane as fast as his legs could take him. He wants to see it for himself and maybe at the very least, retrieve Yuu's corpse before anyone else could.
When the smoke finally cleared, the other children who witnessed the events saw something they haven't seen in a long time. The hole Yuu had created gave them a chance to see it- the clear clue sky beyond the confines of their underground home. Something they never knew they missed and took for granted all those years ago. A refreshing summer breeze blew inside through the huge crack hitting their skin and making them remember what it was like to be up there.
Where they were free.
It had been a year since the plane crash. Mika walked under the summer sun as he went past abandoned houses and dilapidated establishments until he got to an area where there are dense trees and the ground had more grass.
In the middle of a small clearing where flowers bloomed stood a wooden cross which served as a grave marker- it was where he had buried Yuu. The raven haired boy had wanted freedom above ground in the surface world they had craved for so long. Mika did not accept the offer to become a vampire and had long left the underground which was easy since Yuu's stunt had made the vampires busy and distracted.
The outside world isn't the paradise they had hoped for but it was better than the closed off world they were living in for eight years. He found out after a couple of days outside that there wasn't any virus that would kill him although the words of monsters wrecking havoc on the surface was true. Yuu was right- the vampires did lie to them and hid many information just to keep them in control. Mika soon finds other survivors- children AND adults. He even found out they have a military group dedicated to eradicating the vampires- something he's sure would've interested Yuu if he were still alive.
Mika recounted all of the things he found out the past year in front of Yuu's grave. In the end, he chuckled as he told Yuu about what he heard from some of the soldiers. Apparently, there have been more accounts of children trying to escape the vampire city and with their help, some had actually been able to succeed.
When Mika remembered the answer the children gave when they were questioned as to why they did something so dangerous, he couldn't help but smile. They said it was because someone crashed a plane underground before and it created a huge hole. Through it, they saw the outside again and wanted to be there, too.
Yuu probably planned it. He was always stupid yet admirably heartwarming. He knew what his actions might possibly do someday and he had succeeded in something for once - he was able to show others the sky and remind them of what they were missing. What they have long ago left behind.
In the end, Yuu had become what Mika had always known him to be. He had given everyone else what he had given Mika and the rest pf the orphans back then. He had made Mika feel regain what he had lost all those years ago.
He had given them 'hope'.