A/N: Hi, I'm back! I'd like to thank all my readers and reviewers so far for your comments and suggestions which really inspire me to keep going. On a note, I'd like to remind everyone that my fic is AU so there will be differences from the canon story. This is deliberate on my part because I think it would be interesting to write alternate versions of events and other differences asides from Yuu's gender. One of the biggest differences in this chapter is the food Akane and fem!Yuu makes for the Hyakuya orphans on their last night in Sanguinem. While the signature food of the OnS series is curry, I've decided to make it pizza in my AU. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader and editor, DeviantArt member ResidentialPsycho for her help in making this fic possible.
Chapter 4: A Last Meal in Sanguinem
Sanguinem, sometime in 2016
"Are you sure you want to keep doing this, Yuichiro?" Akane asked as she gently placed her hands on Yuu's temples to turn her head into the right position before taking a pair of scissors from the kitchen counter to trim the older girl's raven locks.
"Yes, Akane. Please."
The brunette girl frowned as if in disappointment but complied with her sister's wish. Yuichiro was sitting on a chair right in the middle of the kitchen with Akane standing behind her, holding a comb in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other. Ever since the Hyakuya orphans have been taken underground by the vampires, the brunette girl had taken it upon herself to care for the other children's basic needs such as cooking and maintaining order within the household while Yuu and Mika went out to get food and other basic necessities. Akane also made it routine to cut the hair of her orphanage brothers and sisters while giving herself an occasional trim to keep her own hair from getting too long. But because she wasn't a professional hairdresser (there was no such luxury for livestock children in Sanguinem), the hair of the Hyakuya orphans often looked a bit uneven though Akane did try her best to make her little family look decent.
Yuichiro herself, however, never complained. Nobody in their household did. They considered themselves lucky compared to many of the other kids in the city who often had to cut their own hair using knives or poor quality scissors with less than impeccable results, especially for the boys. For girls, it was a bit easier since most of them preferred their hair longer and did not need haircuts as frequently.
Yuichiro, however, was an exception. Even after Mikaela and Akane had unwittingly exposed her secret a year ago, she continued to do what she was used to: dressing, looking, and acting like a boy. And that included keeping her hair short which kind of disappointed her brunette sister. Sometimes, Akane wondered if Yuu would have changed her mind and made the switch if the apocalypse had never happened and they were all still living normal lives on the surface world for she thought her sister would have looked lovely with longer hair and female garb. Not that Yuu wasn't beautiful the way she was now; even in her male disguise, she still turned the heads of other boys as well as girls in town.
"You know, you have very pretty hair, Yuichiro. I think it would look very nice if you grew it out like mine instead of continuing to cut it" the brunette girl said quietly as she trimmed Yuu's raven locks. Akane knew Yuichiro liked her hair a little longer on top and around her temples but shorter at the nape of her neck. Like always, she wanted to keep her hair boyishly short.
Yuichiro sighed and rolled her eyes. "Akane, we've already been through this."
"Yes, I know. You think it's better this way so you can help Mika run errands for us in the city without being harassed by the other boys if you looked like a girl."
"Right. And lucky for me, the vampire doctor didn't care enough to tell anyone I'm really a girl. They don't care much about anything but blood."
"True. And Mika and I won't tell anyone just like we promised you. Still, how long do you think you can keep it a secret? You're still going to grow up, you know."
"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it" Yuichiro stubbornly insisted before trying to change this unfavorable subject for her. "By the way, where is Mika? The vampire guards will be here to take us to the blood farm soon and he'll be in trouble if he's not ready by then."
"I think Mika is still in bed. He came home rather late last night and he's probably still tired" Akane answered as she combed Yuu's newly cut hair.
Yuichiro frowned. "Again? Mika's been doing this for at least two years now; where do you think he goes so late at night?"
Akane shook her head. "I have no idea. He would never tell me. But whatever Mika's doing has been helping us a lot with food and other things. I wouldn't even have this quality scissor to cut your hair with if it wasn't for him. I try not to worry because I know Mika's smart and can take care of himself."
"I know Mika's smart but you'd think he'd trust us enough to tell us where he goes and what he does by now" Yuu snorted. When she heard the ravenette's words, Akane laughed and Yuichiro wondered what her sister found so funny until she realized the hypocrisy of her own words.
"Sorry" she apologized.
"It's ok, Yuu. I'm sure you had a good reason for pretending to be a boy for so long. Just like Mika must have a good reason for not telling us where he goes two to three nights a week."
"Yeah but at least me pretending to be a boy isn't nearly as dangerous as what Mika's doing. What if the guards catch him past curfew? They'll probably beat him up or suck him dry."
Akane frowned, her worried expression told Yuu that she was thinking the same thing but tried to be positive. "I don't think the guards will do that, they're not allowed to drink directly from us, remember?"
Although Akane tried to sound reassuring, both she and Yuichiro knew that vampires break laws just as much as humans when they want something and think they can get away with it. After all, one can't be punished for a crime unless caught in the act.
Not knowing what else to say, Akane quickly finished up Yuichiro's haircut so that they could wake Mika up if the blond was still in bed and asleep. They also had to make sure the younger kids were ready as well since their vampire "escorts" will be arriving at their home in less than an hour.
Fortunately, the girls didn't have to trouble themselves with Mika for as soon as Akane was done cutting Yuichiro's hair, they heard footsteps coming down the stairs and saw the blond boy himself entering the kitchen, looking for some breakfast. Or more accurately, lunch since it was already past noon.
"Morning, Mika!" Akane greeted cheerfully, hoping Mikaela didn't hear what she and Yuichiro had been talking about before his arrival.
The blond boy stretched and yawned before managing a smile. "Morning, Akane. Morning, Yuu-chan."
"Did you sleep well, Mika?" Yuu asked.
"Yeah. I'm a bit hungry, though. Is there anything to eat?"
"Yes! Just give me a minute, I'll make you some toast" Akane answered as she put down the scissor before heading to the sink to clean her hands. She knew Yuichiro would have no problem cleaning up the little piles of hair on the kitchen floor since everyone in their household shared cleaning duties. The other kids already had breakfast so Akane didn't take long in having Mika's toast ready. As the blond boy ate quietly at the dinner table, Yuu took a broom and dustpan from the corner of the kitchen and swept the hair from the floor before throwing them in the trash.
After she was done, Yuu turned to Akane. "Thanks for the haircut; I'll go get the other kids ready." the brunette nodded in acknowledgment before placing the plate with Mika's simple lunch in front of him. After watching Yuu leave, she sat down across the table from Mika, her brow furrowing in concern when she noticed that he was a bit paler than usual as he ate.
"Mika, are you alright? I know we never get any sun down here but you still look pale compared to the rest of us."
"It's ok, Akane, I'm fine" the blond insisted as he munched on his toast.
"Are you sure? If you are not well, we should try to talk the workers at the blood farm out of making you "donate" blood today."
Mika managed a weak laugh. "You know they wouldn't do that just because we ask. But I know someone who can excuse me for the day. He'll be there when we arrive, trust me."
Akane was silent for a moment as she took in her brother's words. Despite what she told Yuu about trusting Mika's ability to take care of himself, she could not help but worry and found herself asking: "Mika… where have you been going at night for the last two years? I don't mean to intrude, but I'm worried about you and so is Yuichiro."
Touched by her concern, Mikaela smiled as he squeezed Akane's hand. "I know but you have nothing to worry about, really. I just run some errands for someone I met in town who can provide us with better food and necessities. I can see the scissors he gave me did a good job with cutting Yuu-chan's hair. With your skill, of course."
Akane laughed softly. "You know I'm not that great. I just happen to cut better than the other kids because my mom used to own a salon and I've watched her cut hair for other people sometimes. I've gotten better because I've been practicing more. Don't you remember how awful I used to cut? I used to make Kouta cry after just trimming his hair." *1*
Mika grinned. "I don't think he holds it against you, especially since you've been cooking for us all this time. We'd probably all starve if it wasn't for you. I'm sure even Kouta would rather go with a bad haircut than no food and so would I. But seriously, don't worry about me, Akane; I can take care of myself."
Though disappointed that she could not get her orphanage brother to tell her the truth, Akane tried not to let it show on her face. The blond boy had done such a good job providing for them all so she should at least try to have faith in him. Perhaps Mika would tell her someday when he's ready if she did not push the matter further.
"Okay, Mika. If you say so. Anyway, we gotta get ourselves ready for the vampire escorts. Yuu should have the other kids ready by now. They'll be here soon."
"I know. Let's just get this over with and we can all go on with our day. By the way, what do you think the kids want for dinner tonight?"
The brunette girl placed her hand on her cheek as if in deep thought. "Well, they said they wanted to try something new so I was thinking about making this thing that Yuu's been talking about lately. She said it was a treat her uncle used to get for her before she came to the orphanage. It's a western food called 'pizza'. Have you ever heard of it?" *2*
"Yes, I've had it before, it's really good! But you need flour and lots of cheese as well as pepperonis, mushrooms, and bell peppers to make it. There are lots of things you can put on a pizza, actually, but I think those are the best" Mika answered excitedly.
"Really? It sounds delicious; I'm sure the kids would love it! Especially Yuu since she's been talking about how much she misses it lately. But where can we get the things to make pizza?" Akane asked curiously.
"Just leave it to me! After we "donate" blood for the day, I'll go out and get some. I know just where to find everything we need to make a great pizza!" Mika said proudly while pointing his thumb to his chest.
"There's just one more thing, Mika: do you even know how to make a pizza?"
Akane's question caught Mika off guard but it was a sensible one that he didn't quite think of before. Thinking quickly, the blond said "I never tried it before but I can look it up in the public library. I'll get the ingredients and the instructions later, ok?" *3*
The brunette girl stared at her orphanage brother in astonishment before bursting into laughter. That's just what she and the rest of the kids loved about Mikaela Hyakuya: when he put his mind to it, he can do just about anything.
SSSSSS
Mikaela took a deep breath and bent over at the waist slightly, placing both hands on his lap. He, Yuichiro, Akane, and the rest of the Hyakuya orphans were standing in line just outside the blood donating facility where it was routine for them to go two to three times a week to have their blood harvested. At least, it was called a blood donating facility by the vampires anyway. The livestock kids called it a "blood farm" which was a more fitting term since the vampires treated them like the animals humans on the surface world farmed for food. The only difference was that the kids were to be kept alive to have their blood harvested over and over again instead of being slaughtered for meat. The process was often anything but pleasant and more than a few kids often wondered if it would have been better to die like animals for at least it meant they wouldn't be subject to a lifetime of slavery by their vampire overlords.
Although she never said so to anyone, not even Mikaela, Yuichiro sometimes wondered the same thing. But she knew he would never agree even if she voiced her thoughts. Mika was the kind of person who believed that as long as one was alive, there was always hope that things would get better. But looking at the blond now made Yuu worry if he would be well enough to "donate" blood today. What has Mika been doing last night that had him looking so exhausted and drained like he already donated a considerable amount of blood? Worried, Yuu approached her brother and took him by the shoulders as if trying to steady him.
"Mika, you don't look well. I really don't think you should "donate" blood today. When we get to the front of the line, I'll try to talk the facility workers to let you off for at least today."
Mika shook his head. "That won't work. You know they won't listen to you, Yuu-chan. But someone I know will come and excuse me, I promise."
Yuichiro bit her lip but tried not to argue. Did Mikaela really know someone with the authority to do that? And if so, who can he or she be? As much as Yuu hated standing in line for anything, Mika's condition made her wish it wouldn't move. And even though the line moved slowly with Yuu and Mika constantly moving to the back to buy more time, it still moved nonetheless and soon the Hyakuya orphans found themselves strapped to the uncomfortable chairs inside the farm as usual, being prepared to have their blood harvested by the vampire workers who routinely stuck needles into their fragile necks without making any effort to be gentle. Akane and the younger kids already had their blood drawn earlier and went home right away at Mika's request. Now it was only him and Yuichiro.
When it was finally Mika's turn to be restrained and have his blood drawn, Yuu, who was supposed to be next, boldly grabbed the wrist of the vampire who was about to stick the needle into Mika's neck without paying the slightest heed to his condition. No matter what her brother said, the ravenette couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
"No, wait! Mika isn't feeling well today so take more of my blood instead!" she pleaded.
The worker stared at Yuu for a second. Even though what she said sounded sensible, he was ordered by his superiors to draw a certain amount of blood from every child with no exceptions and tried to wretch his hand free of the child's grip but she would not let go. Normally, a vampire would have no problems freeing themselves from a human's hold, especially a mere child's, but the worker was actually startled when he found that Yuichiro's grip was stronger than he had anticipated. When he started to struggle to free himself, Yuichiro resisted, forcing him into a confrontation with the child. After realizing that the disguised girl had no intention of letting go, he finally grabbed Yuu by the throat and lifted her off the ground, making her gag. *4*
The scene made the other vampires as well as other children in the farm look their way as well and fearing that Yuu will be hurt, Mika weakly grabbed the worker's garment and begged him to let go of his sister.
"Please let him go! He's just a harmless moron!"
Unfortunately, the annoyed vampire ignored Mikaela and was about to crush Yuichiro's windpipe when they heard a soft, but commanding voice ring out.
"What's going on here?"
At the sound of the voice, the worker's grip on Yuu's throat loosened and she gasped with relief to finally get some air into her lungs. When she recovered, the ravenette turned to look at her savior along with Mika and was surprised to see an incredibly well-dressed vampire with long, flowing silver hair bound by a silk ribbon enter the farm. Everything about him screamed aristocratic from the clearly expensive clothes to the refined manner of his speech and movements, the air of someone obviously well-educated and well-mannered. Not to mention quite wealthy as well. Appearance-wise, the silver-haired vampire appeared no older than a human of thirty but everyone, even livestock children, knew that it was impossible to determine a vampire's age by their looks alone.
As soon as Mika saw him, he smiled. "Lord Ferid!" he called out happily as he waved from his seat to catch the vampire lord's attention. The blond sounded weaker than his usual cheery self but Ferid's vampire hearing was sharp and he heard Mika loud and clear.
"Ah, Mika, it seems I've arrived just in time!" he said as if he had casually strolled in on a pleasant conversation instead of a would-be murder. Turning to the vampire worker who still had Yuichiro in his grip, Ferid said: "I want Mikaela Hyakuya excused for the day; he'll donate again when he's well enough. As for the other child, he is not to be harmed, understood?"
"Yes, my lord. As you command" the worker said as he finally released Yuichiro without another word and got back to work, harvesting blood from a different child as if nothing had happened. As soon as she was released, Yuu fell to the ground hard on her rump, making the other kids nearby actually snicker until she gave them a death glare to silence them. Ferid watched the exchange in amusement before turning to Mika.
"So what was that all about?" he asked casually.
"Oh, nothing! Just one of my family members causing trouble again" the blond answered happily. That comment got him a glare from his sister who had just literally risked her neck trying to save him from being sucked dry by the blood harvesting machine.
Ignoring the exchange between the siblings, Ferid simply smiled. "I see. Good thing I got here just in time. There was no need to start a fight, you know; I did promise I would be here in time to excuse Mika, little one."
Yuichiro was startled when she realized that the silver-haired vampire, who was no doubt a noble, was actually talking to her. So this was the person Mikaela was talking about, the one who had the authority to excuse him from having his blood drawn in his condition.
"Yeah, well I just didn't feel like doing nothing" she said grimly.
Ferid smirked. "Of course not, that's understandable. I like you; you've got guts. Why don't you and Mika come to my mansion later?"
Yuichiro found herself staring at Ferid, not knowing what to say. After her rough treatment by the vampire worker who almost killed her, the ravenette wasn't eager to trust another vampire just yet. To be honest, Yuu found the noble downright creepy despite his fine looks but still, Ferid did save her life so she should at least make some attempt to be polite even though she'd rather go back to her run down house in the city then his mansion, no matter how opulent.
"Well…" Yuu began but before she could say another word, Mika cut her off.
"I don't know about that, Lord Ferid, he's very shy!"
At Mikaela's words, Ferid raised a brow. For someone who was "very shy", Yuichiro sure didn't hesitate to challenge a vampire to protect her brother but instead of calling Mika out on his lie, Ferid chose to humor him instead. Stroking the blond's hair like one would stroke a pet, he said:
"I see. Maybe next time then. What about you at least, Mika?"
"I would love to!"
"I'm glad to hear that; you have such sweet blood. I'll see you at the usual time, then." the noble said pleasantly as he turned around and walked out of the farm, his bodyguards following suit.
After Ferid had left, business resumed as usual and Yuichiro found herself picked up by another vampire worker, placed in her designated chair, and had her blood drawn. She flinched as soon as the needed pierced her neck, silently cursing under her breath. Yuu swore that no matter how many times she went through this, she would never get used to it.
And she would certainly never like it.
SSSSSS
"How are you feeling, Mika?" Yuu asked as she helped her orphanage brother walk out of the blood donating facility by draping one of his arms over her shoulder and supporting some of his weight. Although Mika had been excused from "donating" blood for the day, he was still a bit tired and looked like he needed some rest.
"I'm fine, Yuu-chan. You know, what you did back there wasn't very smart…"
Yuichiro glared at Mikaela before removing his arm from her shoulders and letting him drop. Ironically, he also landed hard on his rump the way she did when the vampire worker dropped her.
"Well excuse me for trying to save your life!" she snapped.
"Oww…" the blond groaned in pain. Rubbing his sore bottom with his hand, Mika looked up at his sister's angry face and realized his poor choice of words. "Look, I'm sorry, Yuu-chan. I know you meant well but I did say someone would come to excuse me for the day. Why don't you trust me?"
Yuu sighed in frustration. "It's not that I don't trust you. What if that pretty noble didn't keep his promise or simply forgot to come? We'd probably both be dead by now. And just who was he anyway? He seems to know you quite well."
Mika smiled. "Of course he does, we have a deal: I give him blood and he gives me whatever I want."
At that revelation, Yuu stared at her brother in shock. "So that's where you've been going for the last two years!" she exclaimed. "And you tell me I'm not being smart! Well, since you can take such good care of yourself and don't need me, why don't you get home on your own then?!" And with that, the angry ravenette stormed off.
After Yuichiro had left, Mikaela stood up and dusted himself off. He knew Akane probably wouldn't be happy when she sees the stains on his livestock uniform from his fall but it couldn't be helped. And though Yuichiro could be overbearing and difficult sometimes, the blond knew he asked for it. Now that he was alone with this thoughts, Mika finally noticed the sounds of crickets chirping from the shadows, indicating that night had finally fallen. *5*
But unfortunately, the blond found no comfort in their song.
SSSSSS
When Yuichiro finally made it back home, she looked around and found that Mikaela was nowhere to be seen which should come as no surprise since she ran all the way back while he probably had to limp in his weakened condition. Although Yuu did feel a twinge of guilt for just leaving him alone in front of the blood farm, she felt that he deserved it for his dishonesty towards her. And last time Yuu checked, Mika had nothing of value on him that might make him vulnerable to robbers and he was not so weak that he could not make it home on his own. After assuring herself that her orphanage brother would be alright, Yuichiro knocked on the door.
After a few moments, Akane answered and did not seem surprised to see Yuichiro alone. "Yuu, you're finally back! I was about to start making dinner soon so can you give me a hand?"
The ravenette smiled, and for the first time that day. "Yeah, sure. What are we having tonight?"
Akane laughed as she grabbed her sister's hand. "Your favorite! Pizza!"
At the sound of "pizza", Yuu's eyes lit up. "Really? Where did you get the stuff to make it? And do you even know how to?"
"Come inside and you'll see!" Akane answered with a wink.
Curious, Yuu said nothing more and allowed her brunette sister to drag her inside the house to the kitchen where she saw, to her astonishment, a bag of flour as well as well as a block of mozzarella cheese, raw mushrooms, bell peppers, red unions, tomato sauce, and an uncut pepperoni sausage roll spread out on the kitchen counter.
"Wow, where did you get all this?" she asked.
Akane grinned. "Mika came by earlier and gave them to me before he left again. He said the person he worked for gave them to him as payment for a hard day's work yesterday."
Yuu was surprised at her sister's revelation. Mika was already here? How could that be since she ran all the way back home while he couldn't? Could it be that the blond knew of a shortcut back to the house that she didn't?
"That's great but do you even know how to make a pizza?" Yuu asked curiously.
"Honestly, I don't" Akane answered sheepishly. But Mika did leave me some instructions on a note; if we follow them, we should be ok, right?"
That's assuming he got the instructions right, Yuu thought but refrained from saying so to avoid worrying Akane. Instead, she said "Well, lets get to it, then!"
"Right!"
Without further ado, the two girls immediately went to work, going over Mika's instructions as they attempted to make their first home-made pizza from scratch. Since they had a household of eight, they probably had to make an extra large pizza or two smaller ones. The latter was probably a better idea since their oven was modest in size.
"Let's see now…" Akane began as she looked the small note over, "First, it says we must mix some flour with warm water, sugar, salt, and yeast in a bowl before spreading it on a flat, clean surface. I already cleaned the counter really well before you came home, Yuu. I also pre-heated the oven too."
"Got it!" Yuu said as she took out a medium-sized bowl and placed it on the counter but away from the spot where they intended to spread out the dough. Although she had never baked a pizza before, Yuichiro did have some experience helping her late grandmother bake cookies and she remembered Misao telling her to open the bag of flour slowly and carefully to avoid a small explosion of white powder in the kitchen.
When the flour was ready, Akane continued "Next, heap some flour on the clean surface, about three cups for the size pizza we're aiming for."
"Right" Yuu complied as she took a measuring cup from the drawer and scooped the amount Akane instructed her to before placing it on the counter.
"Next, make a high-walled well in the middle of the flour. While you're getting this done, I'll mix the sugar, salt, and yeast in some warm water."
"Okay…"
As soon as the mixed water was prepared, Akane slowly started to add a third of it to Yuichiro's flour wall while the older girl used her hands to retain the well shape. The brunette gradually added more water until a sticky dough was formed.
"So what next, Akane?" Yuu asked.
"Next we knead the dough for at least ten minutes to release the proteins in the flour and give us a stronger, more stretchy-end product."
The ravenette raised a brow. "You sure?" she asked curiously.
Akane nodded. "Well, that's what Mika's instructions say. I'm pretty sure he's right."
"Okay" Yuu said as she continued kneading the dough with her sister's help. While fairly easy, kneading dough proved a bit strenuous on their fingers, making them ache, especially after doing so for ten minutes as per Mika's instructions. Both girls actually felt beads of sweat forming on their brows but didn't mind since doing this together made it much more fun.
"Whew…" Yuu wheezed after wiping the sweat off her brow with her arm. "Next?"
"Next, it says to transfer the flour to an oiled bowl. Let me take care of that."
After wiping her hands on her apron, which the brunette had cleaned with care along with the rest of the laundry, Akane took another bowl out of the cabinet and placed some olive oil in it, making sure to spread it completely inside before instructing Yuu to put the sticky flour in.
"Now what?"
"Now we fold the dough into itself a few times before dividing it into two balls since we're making two pizzas."
"Right." Yuu said before getting to work again. The oil in the bowl made the flour less and less sticky as the girls started the next step of the flour preparation. When they finally divided the dough like Mika's note instructed, Yuu asked "Next?"
"Next, we place the balls on a lightly floured tray and use our fingers to stretch the rounds into a flat circle and keep pushing the edges out until we reach the desired size. Here, I'll go first." Akane insisted.
Yuu did not argue and watched her brunette sister do just that. Though she knew Akane had never done this before, Yuichiro had to admit that she was impressed at how clean the younger girl was able to make the spread out dough look; hers was almost a perfect, flat circle.
"Now you try it, Yuu!" Akane said cheerfully.
Yuichiro was about to follow suit when she suddenly had an idea. It was something she recalled seeing on TV years ago with her grandmother. She remembered seeing a western chef shape the pizza dough by tossing it into the air and using the weight of the dough to stretch it even thinner with his fist.
"Hey, Akane, watch this!" Yuu said with a grin. Curious, her brunette sister watched as Yuu attempted to imitate the pizza dough trick she saw on TV.
And she failed. Miserably.
"Whoa!" Yuu cried as the flour ball bounced right off her fist and onto the kitchen counter, rolling along the surface. The ravenette cursed under her breath as she made a dive towards the other end of the counter to catch the flour ball.
And barely made it before landing on the kitchen floor with a thud.
Akane, who had witnessed the hilarious scene, tried not to laugh but couldn't help it when she got to the other end of the counter and saw Yuichiro sprawled across the floor on her back as she held the ball of flour in her hands, panting for breath.
"You know, you shouldn't try to flatten the pizza dough that way if you don't know what you're doing, Yuu" the brunette giggled.
Yuu rolled her eyes, her cheeks red with embarrassment. She was only trying to entertain her sister and was now being laughed at for her trouble, even after catching the flour ball so that it wouldn't pick up anything dirty from the floor. "Very funny, Akane…" she muttered. "Anyway, we better start moving faster if we want to get this pizza done before the kids want dinner."
"Right."
The rest of the pizza preparation went by fairly smoothly and easily. It turned out that preparing the dough was the hardest part. Without any more distractions, the girls went to work grinding the cheese, cleaning and cutting the vegetables as well as pepperoni sausage into thin slices before spreading them on the pizza dough which was placed on a large tray. Akane had managed to persuade Yuu to spread out her flour ball the safer way this time so they had the bases for two pizzas instead of one. And since their oven had two sections, the girls were able to cook both pizzas simultaneously to ensure that they would be ready in time for dinner.
While waiting for the pizza to bake, Yuu and Akane started cleaning the kitchen to pass the time. Since they were careful when preparing the dough, they did not have too much of a mess to clean. And while Akane usually appreciated having the younger kids help her out with dinner preparations, this time she was glad they didn't for it would have spelled disaster for the kitchen if they indeed took part, especially if they got it into their heads to try what Yuichiro herself did earlier with the pizza dough.
As the pizzas slowly baked over the next forty-five minutes, their mouth-watering aroma spread throughout the entire Hyakuya household. Chihiro was the first to notice and poked her head into the kitchen while Akane and Yuichiro were cleaning up.
"Hey, that smells great!" the younger girl exclaimed. "Is that dinner?"
Yuu grinned. "Sure is!" she answered happily. "It's almost done; why don't you help us by setting up the table and plates!"
"Yes, right away! What about the forks and spoons?"
Yuu shook her head. "We don't need any! You're supposed to eat pizza with your bare hands!"
Akane looked at the older girl curiously. "Really, Yuu?"
"Yes, really!" she insisted. "We'll need a knife to cut the pizza into slices but other than that, we eat it with our bare hands! Just remember to tell everyone to wash their hands first, ok?"
"Right!" Chihiro exclaimed. "I'll start setting up right away and then we can get everybody together!"
SSSSSS
As soon as the table was set up and the two pizzas set on them, the kids stared with awe. Asides from Yuichiro, none of them had ever tried the popular western dish before but the irresistible aroma promised a taste just as great as it smelled. They could all agree that this "pizza" may as well have descended from the heavens on a fluffy white cloud accompanied by a choir of angels.
"Whoaaa!"Taichi exclaimed. "This smells so good! What is it?"
"It's a western food called 'pizza'" Akane answered as she took a knife to cut the freshly baked pizzas into eight even slices each. "Yuu helped me to make it."
The kids turned to their older "brother" in curiosity. "Really, Yuu?" Fumie asked. "How did you know how to make pizza?"
"To be honest, I don't. I just had it a few times before I came to the orphanage but someone else always bought it for me; this is the first time I've ever tried to make one. I wouldn't have been able to if Mika hadn't left me some instructions" Yuu answered with a shrug as she took a bite.
"Speaking of Mika, where is he? I haven't seen him much all day. Isn't he hungry?" Kouta asked as he took a slice onto his plate.
"I don't know; maybe he just doesn't like pizza?" Chihiro suggested.
"Nah, can't be", Taichi said as he stuffed a slice into his mouth. "Oh, my gosh, its so good! How can anybody not like pizza?"
"Hey, Yuu, do you know where Mika is?" Aiko asked curiously.
The ravenette sighed sadly as she shook her head. "No, I don't…"
"I think Mika is just working late tonight" Akane answered as she tried her best to end the younger children's inquires about their blond brother. "We'll just save him some and he can eat whenever he gets home. Remember to thank Mika later, ok everyone?"
"Okay, Akane!" they said in unison as they continued to eat.
Dinnertime passed by quickly with much lively conversation between the younger Hyakuya orphans and Akane was the only one who noticed that Yuichiro remained silent almost the entire time. Although she did not say so, the brunette could tell that her sister was worried about Mikaela and had the feeling Yuichiro knew something she didn't. However, Akane also knew that now was not a good time to ask lest she ruin the good mood for the rest of their little family and so remained silent on the matter for the duration of the meal.
SSSSSS
Later that night after the rest of the Hyakuya orphans had fallen asleep, Yuichiro heard the front door to their house being unlocked and opened. She knew very well that it could be only one person and got up from her futon before going downstairs to greet him.
"So how was your night, Mika?" Yuu asked in a flat tone with her arms crossed as soon as she saw her brother walk through the door.
The blond stared at his sister for a moment before smiling. Even though she tried to look like she was angry, he knew that she was really worried about him.
"Did you stay up all this time waiting for me, Yuu-chan? I'm touched."
Yuichiro was startled at Mikaela's words and turned away, hoping that he wouldn't catch the blush that stained her cheeks. "Whatever", she said.
"Oh come on, don't tell me you're still angry with me about earlier today."
"Of course not" Yuu insisted before a mischievous thought entered her head. "I ate your dinner so we're even."
Mika stared at her in shock "You didn't!"
Seeing the almost heart-broken look on her brother's face, Yuichiro laughed softly as she finally snapped out of her sour mood.
"I'm just kidding. The pizzas were delicious; the kids were so happy. Akane and I made sure to save you some in the kitchen. Now go eat before I change my mind."
"Sure thing, Yuu-chan."
The two smiled at each other as if their argument from only hours earlier had never happened before heading to the kitchen for Mikaela's promised dinner. No matter what, Yuichiro knew that she could never stay angry at her blond brother for long and he knew it too.
Footnotes:
1. In canon, Akane probably never knew her real mother but in my fic, she does and her mother was a hairdresser which should explain her ability to cut hair.
2. The signature food of the OnS series is curry but in my AU, I've decided to make it pizza.
3. There is actually a public library in Sanguinem in canon OnS and that is where Mika got the recipe for making home-made pizza.
4. In the anime/manga, male!Yuu gets into a fight with a vampire who stepped on another child's hand after the Hyakuya orphans left the blood farm for the day. In my AU, she gets into a fight with a vampire who tries to draw Mika's blood when he was weakened by donating to Ferid the night before.
5. Watching the first episode of the OnS anime, I noticed a rat in the sewer where Mika led the other Hyakuya orphans through so I assume its possible that insects could live underground in Sanguinem too. What they eat, I have no idea.