smileyface209: Haha, I'm glad you are enjoying the fluff! :p I am trying my hardest to keep Mika in character as much as possible. :D I enjoy writing his character! I'm so glad that you enjoy reading how I portray him! As for her family, I think he is trying not to even think about the fact that he won't be able to save them all. I've thought about it as well. Haha, it's likely he's carefully avoiding thinking about it, because he doesn't want to about the possibility she might not even go with him cause she loves her family so much. It's like how he is convinced that Yuu doesn't need to care about his unit, though I'm sure that he knows Yuu won't just abandon them and killing them would only hurt Yuu.
This is a shorter chapter than I have been doing lately. I still hope that you all enjoy it! I got the idea from smileyface209 :D
His footsteps echo around him. All of their feet do as they run toward the battlefield. He tenses as his eyes catch sight of a retreating figure.
"A scout?" Yoichi asks. Shinoa's eyes are fixed on the figure.
"It could be. We should be prepared for an ambush. We aren't near the main body of the army yet. They'll try to pick us off. Be prepared for anything!"
The others nod as their hands fall to their weapons. The thrill of the fight fills Yuu up. It was always so exciting. A second figure joins the first. Both are wearing the white uniforms. His hand grips the hilt of Asuramaru tightly. The second figure lifts the first one up off the ground as the group slows to a halt. They fall into the natural formation. Yoichi at the back Mistuba and Shinoa directly before him. Kimizuki and himself at the very front. He could now see that the one being held was female. She was flailing wildly in the other vampire's grip kicking out at the other. His heart picks up pace as he inspects the male vampire. It was the same one that had killed his family. It was the same one that had kidnapped Mika. It meant he knew where to find Mika!
"Yuu," Shinoa says softly, her eyes don't leave the noble. She recognizes him from their last run in. He doesn't respond. It was taking everything he had not to run in. There were two vampires at this point, he didn't want to endanger the others. They knew and were willing to help him save Mika. They would all force the location from this noble if they had to. The other vampire didn't matter.
It bothers him that the noble hadn't even acknowledged their presence. The way he was holding the girl struck Yuu as strange as well.
He hears Yoichi draw his bow and release an arrow. The noble twists suddenly and throws the girl across the road. She lands with a thud and rolls before she can stop herself. She tries to stand but stumbles. He's never seen a vampire behave that way. The noble has a sadistic grin on his face.
What was going on?
Something didn't feel right here. He draws out Asuramaru. Yoichi had another arrow knocked and aimed at the female. She finally looks up at them. Terror is evident on her face. With a jolt, Yuu realizes something her eyes are crimson like the vampire now standing beside her. They had a red hit to them, but they were brown.
Just like Mika.
His grip on his tightens on the hilt as his anger rises. They were trying to trick him. Ferid's voice just makes him that much angrier. He hears a shift behind him. He knew Shinoa was trying to silently tell him that he needed to calm down. It was so hard though.
The noble reaches down pulling the female to her feet. Disgust and anger spreads over her face at the touch. The noble gives them a name, but Yuu doesn't honestly care. She may have eyes like Mika, but he was sure it was just a trick to get him to lower his guard. He'd kill her like he had killed others. He'd force the noble to tell him where Mika was, and he'd save him from the vampires.
His comment about her being a special friend throws him off a little, but he decides to ignore it. He didn't trust a single thing the vampire in front of him said.
The noble pulls up on the female vampire forcing her off balance. It becomes obvious that she isn't armed at all. She doesn't even have a basic sword.
What was she doing on a battlefield?
The noble shakes the female slightly. She looks like she's going to be sick as she tries to retain her balance. It seems to piss her off as she starts to struggle again. It was just making Yuu angrier. They were toying with his group. They didn't view mere humans as being a threat.
"That one is unarmed," Shinoa says.
"It doesn't matter!" Yuu says desperately. "He's... He's..."
They all knew what he was unable to say. Kimizuki sternly says, "Yuu, don't lose your head. This may be a game they are playing to make us let our guard down."
The mention of his name causes the female to freeze. Confusion fills him as he watches her stare at him with a mixture of horror and worry.
It seemed so genuine, but he didn't want to believe the look. The noble's mouth moves, though he is talking to low for the humans to hear. Whatever he was saying was meant for the female only. It increases the amount of worry in her expression. He can sense the tension in his group. He assumed she was going to target him specifically.
He decides to bring the fight to two before they could make the first move. They might get the advantage that way. Kimizuki snarls his name, but he reacts within seconds shifting to flank the noble while Yuu does a head on approach. The noble just grins like he got his way.
"Time to play." Those words worry Yuu. Simultaneously, he attacks with Kimizuki. The noble easily dances out of their reach like it was a game. He laughs as Yuu immediately prepares to attack. The female distracts him by calling out to him, "Move, Yuu!"
The noble makes a reprimanding noise and shakes her violently. She goes limp for a moment. He lectures her just as Yuu closes in on them. The noble carelessly flings the girls body forward. Yuu is so close that he doesn't have time to lift his sword or even move. Her body collides hard with his. Her shoulder digs into his sternum driving the air painfully from his lungs as he is thrown back. He lands on his back, and she lands on top of him. They slowly stop a few feet away. She is off him in seconds. He can't catch his breath as he tries to focus through the pain. He was sure it would have broken a bone if she'd hit one. He feels panic for just a moment as her face fills his vision. Her worried expression makes him sick. She was going to take his moment of weakness to bite him.
His whole body tenses making the pain worse. She rolls him to his side. He fights through the pain. Asuramaru was within reach. He just had to grab it. He halts at the feeling of a hand rubbing his back soothingly.
What the hell?
Was a vampire trying to comfort him?
He couldn't wrap his head around the thought. It made him halt all movements. He hears Shinoa's scythe cut the air. A body covers his pressing down.
What. The. Hell. Was. Going. On?!
It was almost like she was trying to protect his body with hers. This was some sort of sick joke. It was just a play to get him to relax his guard.
It was working. He was so baffled that he didn't know what to do other than reach for Asuramaru. He feels her scramble over him. It looks so pathetic to see a vampire crawling away. It was just an absurd idea to him. He glances at the others. Ferid was simply standing a short distance looking absolutely amused by the display. The rest of his group looked just as baffled, even Kimizuki. Yuu forces himself up trying to ignore the pain.
He steels his nerves. This was a vampire, why was he feeling pity for her? He approaches her. She spins around. Her look of fright almost derails his resolve again. She acted so...
Human.
"Please, I'm unarmed," she pleads.
He raises Asuramaru. He wouldn't let the thought go further than that. She wasn't human. She was a vampire. She had probably killed plenty of humans. He uses that thought to actually swing at her. Asurmaru cuts the air. He had hesitated last second. The noble now had her just out of reach.
He was dangling her off the edge. He hears a soft noise from Yoichi. The boy was always soft. He didn't want to hurt anyone, even vampires. It bothered Yuu too to see him holding her like that. Her body in what looks to be fear. The noble looks positively delighted and that rises Yuu's anger.
Vampires had no sense of loyalty. This was a perfect example. He just glares up at the noble. It was making him sick to see a vampire treating a comrade that way. Would he seriously drop her to the ground where they could get her? His question is answered when he moves so part of her body is within reach. The noble tells him once again that she was 'special'. The only special vampire was Mika.
No other vampire mattered. They all deserved to be wiped out.
In the same sickeningly sweet tone, the vampire informs them that the girl he was dangling carelessly above her death was once a human.
It feels like the world was grinding to a halt. That's why her eyes weren't red. She was like Mika. He fights the thoughts. It didn't matter.
"That doesn't matter to us. She's a vampire now," Kimizuki says. They were truly becoming an effective squad. They all seemed to share a similar opinion. It didn't matter what she was. She wasn't human anymore. She was just as bad as the others.
"Oh? Would it help to know Mika cares for her?" Ferid was staring straight at Yuu as he moves easily within reach. The girl flinches and starts to thrash. She knew that they could kill her. She knew how much danger she was in, but Yuu found he couldn't move for a moment. None of them did. It had to be a lie. Mika hated vampires. There is no way he'd care for one. This was a game the sick vampire was playing. It was made worse by the chocking noise the female was making. The noble was strangling her with her own clothing. "Still feel like killing her, Yuu?"
"He's lying, Yuu," Mistuba says. He can only nod. It was a lie that was all it was. It was still unsettling to see her reach up and grab the noble's wrist trying to find something solid to hold onto.
He says claims that he has nothing to gain. The female makes a sound of disbelief. The noble's whole expression changes in that instant. It becomes terrifying and annoyed. It disappears in seconds as he lifts her and turns her to face him. He starts to lecture her again despite her attacks. He then drops her.
Yuu couldn't believe it. The noble does catch her, however he carelessly rams her body into the edge of where he is standing. He watches as she scramble just out of reach. Ferid appears to completely disregard her after a mocking apology. Yuu just glares at him as he is address again. This vampire was worse than he ever thought possible. His anger rises as the vampire casually mentions Mika. It was like he was trying to strike a deal.
He even offered his comrade up to humans. Humans who would kill her after they tortured information out her. Vampires didn't have any loyalty at all. Yuu balks at the thought of betraying the army by informing the vampire of their numbers. Before Yuu even has a chance to say anything, she lashes out with a vicious snarl. She tries to punch her, but she misses terribly. He simply moves away. His hand enters her body through her stomach. She looks stunned for a moment before she winces in pain. It startled Yuu that it reminded him of when Ferid had impaled Mika. Perhaps it was because Ferid had put the idea in his head. She still tries to attack him, but the noble carelessly shifts their position. Her back was to the edge.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Kimizuki tense up a strained look on his face. He wasn't the only one that felt affected. It was painfully obvious that she couldn't fight. The noble rips his hand from her body and pushes her.
He doesn't catch her this time. Her body hits the ground with a sickening crunching noise. She gasps for breath. It sounded wet like fluid was filling her lungs. It made Yuu's throat tighten. He looks up to see Ferid look down at her body carelessly as he tries to flick her blood off his hand. Disgust and anger on his face. He looked ready to kill her.
Yuu isn't sure why, maybe it was the possibility she was important to Mika that makes him move. He hears Mistuba and Kimizuki call his name as he knees beside the vampire. She had rolled onto her side. Her breathing didn't sound normal. It startled him to see her laying there. She had attacked Ferid. She had warned to move. She had even looked worried over his being. It was still sickening to have a vampire worry about him, but something was driving him to check on her.
His hand touches her shoulder. She reacts instantly.
"Mika." The way she says Mika's name sends shivers down his spine. She said it with so much affection. Her hand seizes his wrist and pulls it around. She presses his hand to her face and rubs against it. He can only stare at her in shock. Did she think he was Mika? Did she care for Mika? She wasn't looking at him. Her eyes weren't even open. It rattled him to think that perhaps the noble was telling the truth. Her breathing was getting easier. Her back was against his knees. He could feel the bones shifting as her body tried to heal. It was a creepy feeling. Her stomach was still bleeding out. He realized that he was now kneeling in her blood as it had started to pool around her. His green eyes widen as he hears his name. It was Yoichi who had called out.
She was about to bite his wrist. His stomach turns as he realizes he had felt pity for her. Her eyes snap open with a look of horror. She shoves his arm away as she scrambles backward. He pulls himself further away. He returns to his group. He couldn't believe that he hadn't noticed that she had been about him?
She was a vampire, and he had gotten close. His pants stick to his shins making him angrier at himself. Her blood made that part a shade darker than the rest. He glares at Ferid who taunts him again about letting her drink his blood. The thought was revolting. He grips Asuramaru tighter.
The noble mutters under his breath and reaches out grabbing the female. She fights, but he doesn't seem to notice. Red eyes focus on someone behind them. He glances back and is surprised to see Guren approaching them. "Guren?"
He quickly explains himself and lectures the group. His serious purple eyes never leave the noble. When Yuu refocuses on the noble, he's gone. Guren punches him over the back of his head as he stumbles forward catching his balance last second.
He tunes out Guren, who was lecturing the group. It happened more than it probably should. Something else was on his mind though. Shinoa gives the report on what happened, and they return to the rest of the army. He finds Yoichi walking next to him casting a worried look at his face.
The drying blood on his pants was a reminder that he had let his guard down. He wouldn't let it happen again. It didn't matter who that female was.
He still had a small part of him that had a nagging worry for her. The noble did more damage than the rest of the group. If she was important to Mika, would she be alright with the noble?