Mika was sitting on the couch of Yuu's living room reading a book when the latter came home from work. Suddenly, Yuu appeared in front of him. Very close to him. How did he not noticed that Yuu had come home? Was he that focus on his book?

Putting his book down, he looked up at Yuu. "Oh! Yuu-chan! Welcome home!"

"I'm home!" he told the young vampire. And then added:"I wanted to ask you something."

"You don't waste time, don't you? So, what is it?" he asked with a smile.

"Shinoa and the others invited us to dinner? Wanna come with me?"

Mika's smile immediately vanished. Dinner? It's not like he didn't want to come, but, he knew he couldn't.

"Yuu-chan, I... I can't. I can't come and just sit here and not be eating." he said in a sad voice. It was better that he just stayed here, alone, since he could no longer eat and drink the same things as humans. Surely, Yuu-chan and his friends would understand, right?

"It will be alright." He said. "Besides," he added in a small voice. "You have your bottles, right?" Oh yeah, the bottles that Yuu had filled with his blood for Mika in case he got thirsty and he was not there to feed him.

"I... I do," he said slowly. "But... In front of them? I can't. I just can't. That will only show them that I'm a monster."

Hands on his hips, Yuu sighed:"They don't see you as a monster, neither do I. And I don't want to see you in pain. Besides, between drinking from a bottle and bitting me in front of them, what do you choose?"

"Can I say neither?"

"Nope!"

"I thought so. Well, I guess I can bring a bottle."

And he secretly thought of ways to drink the bottle when no one was watching. He didn't want to do it in front of Yuu, or Yuu's friends.

In the late afternoon, Yuu and Mika left for Shinoa's apartment, the bottle sitting in Yuu's backpack. Behind Yuu, Mika was walking slowly. He couldn't think about anything but what Yuu's friends would think of him, a vampire, someone who was their enemy by nature, even if he was now with the humans. And that was making him nervous. And if it was still possible, his heart would probably be beating at tremendous speed right now.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached Shinoa's and apartment block. When they reached the door, Yuu turned toward Mika and said:"Wait here for a moment." Mika looked at the other with confusion clearly shown in his crimson eyes. But he complied anyway.

Yuu walked into the small apartment, where everyone was getting ready. When the door opened, they all looked at Yuu. "Mika is right outside the door," he told them. "Get ready. We will give him the surprise of his life."

Meanwhile, outside the door, Mika was still patiently waiting, unaware of the party that was about to begin. But Yuu told him to wait here, and so he will.

After a few more minutes of waiting, the door opened again. Mika was now sitting on the floor, obviously bored. Yuu held out his hand for him. Mika took it and stood up. "Ready?" Yuu asked as he was about to open the door. Mika nodded slightly, still not understanding what was going on.

With a smile, Yuu opened the door, and...

"Surprise!" everyone cried happily. And, hanging on the kitchen wall, there was a banner with "Welcome home, Mika" written on it. And even though it did not really show on Mika's face, Yuu could tell that he liked it. That he felt happy, accepted. And so he considered it a success. Now, if only he could make Mika smile, get him to admit his feeling, that would be a bigger success. Because the blond rarely even smile these days, never speak about his feelings. All that matter to him is Yuu. And Yuu needed to get him to realize that he mattered too.

They all sat at the table, with plates full of food. And in front of Mika, there was a glass with some red liquid, obviously blood. Yuu's blood. He looked away and blushed. Yuu managed to make a little bit normal, even though it still felt weird to him. To think that he was drinking Yuu's blood, even indirectly. But Yuu didn't seem bothered by that. He didn't seem to care.

As they ate, the humans were talking. Shinoa then tell Mika about how Kimizuki kicked Yuu's ass in training the day before (and Mika had to admit: He wished he had seen that). And of course, Yuu tried to deny, saying that it was sheer luck and that he was cheating... And everyone laughed at that. And Yuu would have felt offended if it was not for Mika's laughing. Something he had not heard in ages. Well, maybe he could let it pass. But then, Shinoa asked Mika to tell them about his childhood with Yuu. And the blonde took advantage of this to tell them embarrassing facts about Yuu, which caused everyone at the table to laugh.

Meanwhile, the glass in front of Mika was still left untouched. Yuu simply thought of it as Mika not feeling thirsty, until he saw Mika discreetly look at the glass. And he could tell that he wanted it. But, as he thought, Mika refused to do it in front of the squad. "That idiot," he thought. He then bent down toward Mika and said in a low voice so that the others would not hear:"Mika, you can drink it you know. No one is going to judge you for that. And I can tell that you want it. Don't put yourself in unnecessary pain." Mika shook his head. No. He couldn't do that. No matter what Yuu said. Yuu sighed, defeated. He would just let him have his way, for now. Because he knew that he would do it, eventually.

And by now, everyone was looking at them, which only made things harder for Mika. He wanted the blood, he needed it, badly. But, despite the painful ache in his throat, he still couldn't do it. Yes, he did drink human blood, more than once, but that didn't make it easier. He still couldn't do it in front of people. Because he didn't want anyone to see him do it. It was also the reason he always drank Yuu's blood from his neck, whenever he bit him. That way, the other wouldn't see him.

It was only when he saw that everyone was busy chatting in the living room that he finally surrendered to his thirst. He took the glass and started to drink, finishing it in a matter of seconds. And immediately felt much better.

And when Yuu looked back and saw the now empty glass, he smiled, glass that Mika wasn't making himself suffer from a need that he had no control on.

When it was time for the cake, everyone went back to the table, sitting at their previous places, while Kimizuki went to get the cake. Said cake also had the "Welcome home, Mika" written on it in icing. "I suggest that our special guest cut the cake," Shinoa said as she gave the knife to Mika, who cut it into five equal parts. The lavender-haired girl looked at him with curiosity. "The cake is only for you. I can't have it," was Mika's answer. They all looked at him with pity, as they realized that it must have been hard for him to sit there with them, without being unable to eat and drink the same as them. But Mika was used to it.

After that, Shinoa stood up on her chair and cleared her throat to get their attention. "Everyone's listening to me? Good. I have an announcement to make." She pulled a paper from her pocket, a letter. "It was a letter from Lieutenant Colonel Guren. It says "I, Guren Ichinose, announces that, from now on, Mikaela Hyakuya will be joining the Hiiragi Shinoa Squad." That's all." Everyone was silent at this announcement. And then, Yuu took Mika in his arms, a smile on his face. "You heard that, Mika? You're part of the team now!" And Mika couldn't stop the smile that appeared on his face.

"Another thing!" Shinoa said again. "Wait here!" She walked out of the room and came back a few minutes later, holding a package in her hands. "Here," she said, giving the package to Mika. The vampire took it with a questioning look in his eyes. And then opened it.

Inside the package, there were a uniform, one that was identical to Yuu's. So, he truly was part of their team now. Maybe he did belong there, with his Yuu-chan and the humans that were his new family.