I should preface this chapter by saying I have very strange vamp headcanons. I mostly like to follow the traditional rules, but I'm one of those terrible people that adds in some weird ideas. Also, I have weird pairings, but that's just a given.

Hope everything's all good.

Centuries had passed since the last time I'd dealt with a newblood, and I'd forgotten some of the basics in that time. I knew there were specific animal bloods they preferred. I just couldn't recall which ones, so I had a small variety of livestock tied up behind the house. I'd gathered them while he was asleep in one of the windowless rooms.

He was exactly how I'd left him when I returned. Along with his waxy complexion, he didn't move in his sleep. All outward appearance said he was dead, and he would stay that way until he began feeding. In a sense, he had died. He'd died a human death, and when he woke, he would be a newborn vampire. He would act like a newborn too, though some said it was closer to compare them to animals. Newbloods took time to remember themselves as individuals, and in that time their instincts drove them.

Yama awoke while I was reading by candlelight. I didn't truly need the light, but I used it out of habit. That was when he reminded me of another thing about newbloods. He smashed his hands over his eyes, whimpering like a dog. "Oh, I'm sorry," I said before blowing the candle out. "I forgot your eyes were so sensitive. Don't worry. It will ease."

There was little point in talking to him. He didn't understand any of it, but newbloods did take note of their sire's tone. He relaxed as his hands slipped from his face. Then his eyes locked on me, bright with interest. They still held that childish innocence even now. Standing, I walked to his side and traced two fingers down the line of his jaw. He didn't respond, simply continued staring up at me.

I did remember an easy way to fix that. Bringing my hand up to my mouth, I flipped my palm up to bite through the soft patch of skin below my pinky. Yama's eyes widened, and he scrambled to sit up. "Now-now," I smiled as I began lowering my hand. "Behave."

Patience was not a virtue of newbloods. He reached up and yanked my hand down to his mouth, new fangs making their first mark. He drank differently from my last newblood. He didn't rush things. There was no pain. It seemed like he was savoring it, his eyes lidded as he drained me.

He only needed something to give him a little strength, so I pulled away before he could take too much. Newbloods never approved of having a meal taken before they finished, so it usually required a quick scolding to make them let go. But Yama released me with a gentle sigh. Even when I thought he was going to bite me again, he only leaned forward to lick the wound clean of escaping blood. "Good boy," I praised. In a way, I was treating him like a dog, but I knew he appreciated the sound of my voice. Given the way he acted, it was difficult not to imagine him as a sort of pet. I ran my hand through his hair, which awarded me with a contented hum as he leaned into my touch. "You must be starving," I said. "Let's get you a proper meal."

As soon as I turned to leave, he hopped out of bed and trailed after me like a duckling. On one hand, it was cute and smart. Sticking close to his sire meant he was less likely to wander into the sun or be attacked by another vampire. It also meant I couldn't go kill his brother. That was a problem.

While he terrorized the cows I'd stolen, I tried to remember if anyone nearby owed me a favor. Surely one of them did, but I'd lost track after so many years. All I needed to do was find one of my friends willing to watch over a well behaved newblood for a few hours.

As it turned out, that was harder than I'd thought.

"I dunno, Harlock," Tochiro said after hearing me out. "Shouldn't you be the one looking after him?"

Emeraldas held her hand up before I could finish. "I don't babysit."

"Sorry, Captain," Kei said with genuine empathy. "I don't feel comfortable taking care of a newbie."

I was down to my last resort, and though I didn't like owing him any favors, he was a sucker for children. Even if Yama wasn't a child, he had taken to acting like one as a newblood. Just like with my other friends, he hid behind me as we approached the oldest vampire in the city. Age meant power, and any vampires running amok were put on a trial run by him.

I met him in a bar that was only open to us at night. His long legs hung down from a barstool in the smoothest pair of slacks I'd ever seen. He was taller than me, built better too. He was also really, really good in bed on the rare occasions I could get him there.

His russet eyes were sharp and calculating as they flicked to me, but they softened when he noticed Yama peering out from behind my arm. "Been a long time since you had a newblood," he murmured behind the ridge of his glass.

I didn't appreciate the remark, so I stayed quiet until he turned to properly face me. "I need to call in a favor," I said, while Yama began pawing at my hand. I lowered my voice but kept my tone firm. "Not now. You just ate."

"Come on, Harlock," my old friend said with a gentle smile. "You know newbloods are always hungry. What's the little one's name?"

He was already ignoring my request, meaning it would take some coercion to get him back on topic. "Yama," I said. "He was Ezra's younger brother."

His smile vanished, and he stood. "Was," he echoed, though it wasn't a question. He stepped toward me, or rather, toward Yama, but Yama's instincts knew better than to let a powerful vampire close. He shrank back behind me, hands fisted in the back of my shirt. "Ah, he's a shy one. Well, there's no need to be frightened, little one. My name is Warrius Zero. I won't harm you."

Yama refused to budge, refused to even acknowledge the hand Zero offered him, but Zero wasn't put off. He retracted his hand only to tear his palm open with his teeth. Being the glutton that he was, Yama's eye reappeared from around my arm, wide with interest. "Like I said," I cut in, "I need a favor. I need for you to watch over him for me. Should only be for a few hours." Reaching back, I pried his hands from my shirt. It was all the prompting he needed to latch his greedy fangs into Zero's hand instead.

"Should?" Zero frowned. "What are you up to?" He watched Yama feed with adoration clear in his eyes. With his free hand, he ran his fingers through Yama's hair until the newblood was purring for him.

"I need to kill his brother. He's not safe as long as Ezra's alive."

A dark haze covered Zero's expression. It was clear I'd struck a nerve. "None of us are safe as long as that hunter breeding ground is up and running, but we can't just storm in and kill them. Ezra and I have a deal. The fact that you did this to his brother is reason enough for him to stop upholding his end. We're lucky those priests haven't started attacking. If you kill him, what little peace with them we have left will fall apart. We don't need to kill humans unless our lives or the lives of innocents are immediately in harm's way."

It looked like that was a "no" then. "He attacked me without cause, and you're taking his side," I said. "He locked his brother in a crate in a cellar without light or water. Hell, he tried to kill his brother, and you're taking his side." I grabbed Yama's arm and tugged him back. With a small cry of disappointment, he released his catch and returned to my side.

Zero's eyes were heavy with disapproval at the loss of the leech. He had a bad habit of wanting to steal my newbloods. "I'm not saying he's a good person, but killing him means war. You have your prize in return for him attacking you." He nodded to Yama. "If you're worried for your newblood's safety, then protect him, or let me protect him. But if you attempt to attack the priests, you need to understand that I will have to stand between you and them."

My lip was twitching its way toward a snarl. I didn't realize how far he'd sold himself out to those bastards. "Fine," I snapped. "I won't kill him, but I'm not going to stay in this city any longer."

"Traveling with a newblood is asking for trouble," he warned. "And what about your boy? He's not going to stand for being uprooted."

Now my eye was twitching too. Zero had made the city a supposed haven, so it was filled with vampires, including all my friends and most of my family. It would all fall apart eventually, of course. One side would crack under the pressure, and I didn't want to be around when it happened. I didn't want to see another war. I didn't want Zero to see one either, and he was doing everything in his power to prevent it, but it was only a matter of time before it fell apart.

I couldn't allow myself to be the final straw. I had to get out before I snapped, but leaving everyone wasn't an option either. "I'm going to drink," I grumbled. "Watch him for me." Yama gave another squeak as I shoved him straight into Zero's chest.

Zero raised a brow. "You know this is a bar."

"I don't want any drinks from your group. Probably watered down anyway." I felt Yama start after me as I headed for the door, but Zero must have grabbed a hold of him.

Confusion and fear filled Yama's voice as he cried out at my back. "I'll come to pick you up in a few hours," I called over my shoulder. It did nothing to ease his terror. Even when I was in the doorway, I could feel his heartbeat trilling.

Since Zero had a tight grip on one arm, Yama held the other out toward me, grabbing at air. "Ha-!" he begged in his usual babyish sounds. It was only when I exited that I heard anything different, and by then I was already out. The door was closing. I wasn't going to turn back.

"Har…lock!"

The air in the bar had tensed the moment Harlock arrived, with every patron keeping one ear on our conversation. Even after he left, they waited until I calmed with a sigh before the tension could dissipate. Yama was still frantic, understandably so. Rule one of being a sire was to never leave your newblood.

As Yama's breathing began to pick up, his eyes darted around the room like an animal in a trap. Newbloods hated strangers more than they hated being alone. "Come along," I said as soothingly as I could. Hooking an arm around his shoulders, I started dragging him toward the back meeting rooms.

"Sir," Marina said before I could make it out. "Shouldn't we send someone to tail Harlock?" As my second in command, she was always jumping on the details, a stickler for the rules to the end.

Yama cowered against me, since apparently Marina being five feet away was too close for him. "No," I said, shaking my head. "If Harlock says he's going to do something, he'll do it. He's just going to get a drink. You can send someone to shadow him if you'd like, but it'll be under your order. I don't need him more pissed at me than he already is."

"Alright." Her eyes narrowed in on Yama. "But don't go getting too attached to that newblood."

I couldn't help but flinch. It wasn't my fault they were so cute, adorable like little kids. Yama had buried his face in my side as he trembled. It seemed all it took to get him to like me was a little blood, though usually newbloods were pickier than that. Harlock had found himself a gentle little one. I wondered if that was because of his upbringing in the church.

The back room held about two dozen padded sitting chairs, along with a massive oak table for meetings. I led Yama to one chair and planned to seat myself in the one next to it, but he didn't like the idea. As soon as I sat down, he plopped down at my feet and pawed at my hand. "Oh, I should have sent someone to get you a proper meal," I sighed. Hooking my pinkies in my mouth, I gave a whistle.

"Need somethin'?" The bartender yelled. Yama flinched back from the voice.

"If you could get some blood for the little one, I'd be much obliged."

"Sure thing, boss."

I wasn't fond of them referring to me as "boss." Even if I technically was, I preferred my name. Reaching down, I ruffled Yama's hair. "You can call me Warrius, little one, once your voice comes back anyway. How long have you been a newblood? A few days? A week? You should be mostly back by the end of week two." He nudged his nose up toward my hand, but I pulled it away. "Don't worry. We've got something much better than vamp blood."

It was clear he couldn't understand me from the pout that settled on his face. It only left when the door opened, and he scrambled to hide behind my chair. "Hey, War," Monono greeted with his usual bright smile. "You wanted some blood?" There were two glasses in his hands, thick with the red liquid.

Tetsuro appeared behind him sipping another glass. "Having your blood brought to you? That's awful lazy, Mr. Zero."

To me, the two had always looked similar. Monono's hair was a shade lighter and actually brushed, but they were both brunets with cuts down to their chins. Monono looked around fourteen, and his face was round, soft in a way. Tetsuro appeared seventeen, with a childish but squarer jaw. He was also a few inches taller, though whether he would remain that way was to be seen.

Monono was a half-vampire, born from a human woman. He could age, and he was working on it, but it was a slow process. He had to abstain from blood, though not for too long at any given time since he still needed it to survive. He swore up and down that he'd eventually catch up to his boyfriend, even if he was technically the elder.

"The blood's not for me," I said. "It's for the newblood cowering behind my chair. When did you two get here?"

"Like a minute ago," Tetsuro shrugged.

Monono's attention was solely on trying to see our new addition. He stood on his tip-toes and craned his neck. "I didn't know you got a newblood, War."

"Not mine, unfortunately." I stood and took one of the glasses. This was going to be messy. "He's your father's. Surprised you didn't know about him."

Monono's face screwed up in what I could only place as curiosity. "Always said he'd never get another one… But I haven't really seen him for the past few weeks."

"He's been with me," Tetsuro cut in, resting his chin against Monono's shoulder. "I got us some wine."

"You know you can get that here without any trouble?" Why did everyone forget this was a bar?

Tetsuro shrugged. "Not as fun that way."

Monono had taken interest in Yama crawling out from behind the chair. Holding the cup out, I used it as bait to pull him into view. His pupils shrank to pinpricks, focused only on the heated scent of blood. "Have you had human blood before?" I asked as though he could answer. Harlock usually only drank from humans, but this looked like Yama's first contact.

"He looks like…" Monono trailed off, worrying his lip. "Why did Dad turn him?"

Yama put his hands around the glass and sank his teeth over the rim. Then he stood, dumbfounded until I tipped the glass back for him. "Harlock said he was Ezra's brother, and Ezra tried to kill him. I didn't ask for specifics, so I don't know much more than that. I would assume it's a similar case to last time."

I had to hold the glass so tightly that it might have broken from more force, as Yama attempted to pull it completely down. "You're going to spill it all over yourself," I sighed. In his irritation, he began blowing bubbles in the blood.

"Didn't realize newbloods were so weird," Tetsuro laughed. "Was I like that?"

"Yes," Monono said without missing a beat. "This is just the feral stage. Once you grow out of it, you don't remember it, but your emotions from it can carry over. So if you're mean to him, he'll remember that he doesn't like you."

"He's actually one of the better behaved newbloods I've been around." I eyed Tetsuro with a smile. "You bit me every chance you got, Harlock too. Drove him nuts."

"Not to mention all the times you used me for food," Monono grumbled. "Had to hit you to pry you off a couple times."

While my eyes were off him, Yama managed to get some of the blood up his nose. A violent sneeze echoed in the cup, and though I yanked it away immediately, he managed to cover his entire face with a spray of blood.

Tetsuro snorted, and Monono giggled while Yama reached up and smeared it into an even worse mess. "Newbloods are cute, but they are a handful," I sighed.

"Why are you looking after him anyway?" Tetsuro asked as I pulled out a handkerchief. "I thought it was against some law for sires to leave their newbloods."

"It is unless you leave them in the care of an equally ranked vamp, but it's still not advised." I licked the cloth and rubbed it against Yama's cheek, which he was none too happy about. "It appears Harlock can't handle the pressure of the city's system anymore. You know how he hates being stuck in one place, actually following the rules." It was a challenge not to roll my eyes. "He wants to leave."

Silence gripped like a strangling hold and we waited for Monono's response, but it seemed one wasn't coming. His eyes were heavy, his brows drawn.

"We can go with him if you want," Tetsuro whispered as he took hold of Monono's hand and entwined their fingers.

Monono swallowed before taking a slow breath. "I wanted to stay here. Everyone else is here. If we leave, we'll be on our own again, but if he disappears, I may not be able to find him again."

"Others will follow him," I said. "They always have, and they always will. You won't be alone. He'll take all the misfits with him. Where, I can't imagine. Maybe he'll go back to the sea. If you decide to stay, you'll always have a place here, but if you go, I can promise you won't be the only ones."

Monono nodded slowly. I knew that Harlock had promised they would settle down for a long time, but it had only been a few decades. Yama rubbed at his eyes and yawned, blissfully ignorant to everything. As though to join him in that state, Monono abandoned the conversation. "What did you say his name was?"

I couldn't fault him for that. "It's Yama."

"Yama," he repeated with a gentle smile. "Looks like you're part of our family now. I hope everything goes well for you when you wake up."

I ship Tetsuro and Monono to a startling degree. I apologize.