Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya Arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I'd like to thank my beta readers, ResidentialPsycho, Falchion1984, and xLightningToki, for their help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!

Chapter 27: Sweet Love, Survive: Part II

Takeshi Saehara blinked in disbelief and gulped audibly when he saw what appeared to be a swarm of vampire soldiers jumping out of the choppers and gliding onto the field below. Takeshi could guess at the confident smirks on their faces that their intent was to destroy the remainder of the MDC, whose survivors numbered less than three dozen.

"Saehara, snap out of it!" Shinya ordered. "This is no time to gawk! I need both you and Yoichi to help me take down as many of those vamps as possible before they hit the ground!"

Neither of the young archers needed to be told twice. On Shinya's orders, both Takeshi and Yoichi readied their bows and aimed their enchanted arrows at the sky, determined to shoot as many vampire soldiers out of the air as possible. Even so, it was highly unlikely that Shinya, Takeshi, and Yoichi alone could destroy them all before they landed; such a feat would require a whole team of skilled snipers and unfortunately, the two brunet boys along with their commander, were the only surviving sharpshooters in the entire regiment. This meant that the rest of their allies had to fend off the vampires that manage to make it to the ground.

"I'll help, too!" Daisuke exclaimed before channeling power into his whip to extend its length and lashed up into the sky. He might not have been a sniper, but the red-haired boy's weapon could still prove potent as a long-range weapon, even if it required his vampire targets to be quite a bit closer to the ground to land a hit.

Not that anyone was complaining. As far as the MDC survivors were concerned, the fewer of their enemies that made it to the ground, the better. How that was achieved was irrelevant.

Even so, it was no easy battle, considering that more than a few soldiers were nearly spent after trying to stop Mikaela earlier. And this left the few survivors sorely lacking in the face of such opposition.

Daisuke, who was concentrating on using his whip's power to prevent as many vampires as possible from landing, failed to notice a vampire who had managed to land just a few yards behind him. Before the creature could rush in and stab Daisuke from behind, Yayoi quickly rushed in to deflect his attack, but not before he managed to land a fatal wound to her chest.

When he heard Yayoi scream, Daisuke wanted to rush to her side but heard Satoshi shout at him to keep concentrating on the still-airborne vampires.

"No, don't stop, Dai!" his squad leader ordered. "If we let too many of these bloodsuckers land, we're all dead anyway!"

The red-haired boy gritted his teeth. It was against his nature to leave someone in peril, especially if that person just saved his life. But Daisuke knew that his squad leader was right. Hoping that someone else would be able to come to Yayoi's aid instead, he continued to attack the airborne vampires as ordered.

"Don't worry, Dai, we've got her!" Riku assured as she and Risa made their way to the older woman's side with the intent to protect Yayoi until she was healed by her demon's power.

Unfortunately, it was a futile effort. By the time the twins had finally managed to reach Yayoi, they realized that she was already dead, having been stabbed clean through the heart. Even with her demon's healing powers, the older woman could not survive such an attack.

"Oh, no!" Risa cried. "We're too late!"

"Worry about yourselves, little girls!" a female vampire sneered as she landed before Risa and Riku with her lance raised above her head and the intention to skewer them both.

"Monsters!" An enraged Taro Kagiyama roared as he quickly moved to avenge his fallen auburn-haired squad mate as well as protect the Harada twins. "Keep your filthy hands off them!"

Before the vampire could react, Taro quickly decapitated her. But in the midst of his attack, the older man had failed to watch his own back, for another vampire, this one less impulsive, approached him from behind, sword angled for the kill.

Desperate to warn him, Riku pointed over Taro's shoulder and shouted.

"Look out!"

Thinking quickly, Risa tried to use her war fans to sweep the vampire away with an energy wave, but the creature had gotten too close to Taro by then. With a sadistic grin, the male vampire viciously stabbed the burly man from behind, piercing his vitals and killing him before Risa's attack finally swept him away to be sliced in half by Mitsuba's demon battle axe as soon as he landed.

Narumi gaped in horror at seeing two of his subordinates slain in less than two minutes. Being elite soldiers, neither Yayoi nor Taro would have fallen easily. But because Satoshi and Shinoa had caused the entire MDC to waste precious time with their choice to protect Mikaela, coupled with the standoff over whether to let Yuichiro go with him, had not only allowed the vampires to catch up to them, but also left the MDC exhausted, confused, and their formation in chaos. The vampires capitalized on this weakness with characteristic ruthlessness. Now, everyone had no choice but to fight their way out, since evading the enemy was no longer possible.

"Dammit!" Narumi cursed as he gripped his trident harder. As a squad leader, he knew better than to let his emotions get the better of him. But seeing his loyal subordinates and friends fall simply because the MDC were caught off guard due to the drama that had occurred just moments before was too much for him. Like Taro before him, Narumi was about to move with the intention of avenging his fallen subordinates when he suddenly felt Shinya grab him firmly by the shoulder.

Turning, the brunet sergeant saw his commander shake his head.

"No, Narumi. They're dead; there's nothing you can do for them! We have to get out of here before everyone is killed!" Shinya said sternly before raising his voice to make sure the rest of the MDC survivors heard his next order:

"Everyone, retreat! Do whatever it takes to get to the airport alive!"

As soon as they heard their commander's order, the MDC survivors obeyed, even as they had to fight off any vampire who tried to prevent their escape on the way.

Narumi and Shinya were the last to leave. Were he a lower-ranking soldier, Shinya would have left Narumi to his fate for refusing to move as soon as he was ordered. However, there were so few squad leaders remaining that Shinya could not afford to risk losing another one. He unhesitatingly backhanded Narumi across the face to snap him out of his stupor.

"I said you can't help them, Narumi! Now, move! That's an order!" Shinya snapped harshly.

Knowing his superior was right, Makoto Narumi finally obeyed, even if reluctantly. Taking one last, pained look at his fallen subordinates whose bodies he was being forced to abandon, Narumi turned and left the battlefield with his commander.

From here on out, there would be no turning back, and both men knew it.

SSSSSS

Mikaela felt Yuichiro's arms tighten around his neck as he jumped from building to building with no specific goal in mind, only to take his sister as far away from both the humans and vampires as possible.

"Mika, where are we going?" the ravenette asked curiously when she felt her brother finally come to a stop on the streets below when he was certain they were too far away for any of the MDC members to follow- if they intended to do so.

"I'm taking you someplace safe, Yuu-chan. That's all you need to know," the blond answered flatly, refusing to reveal anything else.

Yuu frowned and couldn't help thinking how much Mika sounded like Guren when he said that. She didn't like being kept in the dark and told that it was for her own good by Mika any more than she did by Guren. With her curiosity getting the better of her, Yuichiro decided to press her brother for answers when her fingers accidentally brushed the wound on the back of his left shoulder where he had been stabbed earlier.

As soon as Yuu's fingers made contact with his still-fresh wound, the blond winced in pain and nearly dropped her. It was then she realized that something was terribly wrong with him; it had been more than ten minutes since they had escaped from Shinya and the rest of the MDC, and Mika's shoulder injury should have been completely healed by now.

"Mika, what's wrong? Why aren't you healing?" Yuu demanded, her features tight with concern.

"I…I don't know," Mika lied while trying to avoid making eye contact with his sister.

That got him a glare from Yuichiro. And for some reason, it made Mikaela uneasy since it was the same look she used to give him every time he came home from Ferid's mansion looking terribly pale and anemic from "donating" blood to the silver-haired vampire lord in exchange for favors.

And even after years of not seeing that sharp green-eyed glare, it still managed to send shivers down Mika's spine.

"Yes, you do, Mika, so don't lie to me!" she scolded before her expression softened and changed into one filled with worry.

Although Yuu was upset about her brother withholding things from her, she still knew better than to waste time arguing. Mika needed help urgently, so it was wiser to find a temporary safe haven to better assess his condition.

"Listen, Mika, I'm not blind or stupid. I know enough about vampire physiology to know that your injuries should have healed almost instantly, but the fact that you're still bleeding tells me something is not right."

The blond sighed and considered trying to assure his sister that he would be just fine when he suddenly lost his footing and stumbled. Not only that, his arms were getting tired and he almost dropped Yuichiro again. And as stubborn as Mika could be, even he was wise enough to know when his body was at its physical limit.

"Alright, Yuu-chan, you win. What do you want me to do?" he asked tiredly.

"First, put me down," she insisted. "We need to get you someplace where I can take a look at your wounds."

"Put you down? Are you sure you can even walk? It didn't look like it when your pink-haired friend let you off his back not long ago."

Were Mikaela not injured and exhausted, Yuichiro would have snapped at him for such a remark, but she knew now was not the time.

"Yes, I'm fine now; it's you that needs help." Looking around, the ravenette noticed a building that looked like it used to be a hospital. "Over there!" she pointed out. "I think that's a hospital. Or used to be. In any case, it's probably the best place for me to treat you, so let's go."

Mika obeyed and finally put his sister down. As soon as she was sure she would have no problems walking herself, Yuu took one of Mika's arms and draped it over her shoulders before leading him to the abandoned building. As soon as they started to walk, the ravenette noticed that her brother leaned quite heavily on her for support and stumbled more than once before they made it inside the building.

This was of course, to be expected since Mikaela had been running with Yuichiro in his arms for miles and jumping from building to building while continuously losing blood from injuries that refused to heal.

As soon as they were inside, Yuichiro took a quick glance at the hospital directory to search for the patient rooms. From what she had heard, such rooms were rarely on the first floor of a hospital. *1*

Turning to Mika, Yuu said, "It looks like we'll have to go to the second floor to find you a room with a bed to lay on. And I don't think the elevators are working, so we might have to take the stairs. Do you think you're up to it? If not, we can try the emergency room; that should be on the first floor, I think."

Mika took a deep breath and managed a weak smile.

"It's better for us to go upstairs and look for a room. I'd feel more secure there than down here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Ecstatic that her stubborn foster brother was going to be cooperative not once, but twice in one day, Yuichiro smiled. Mikaela was not terribly heavy so she should be able to help him up the stairs without too much difficulty thanks to the enhanced strength her demon contractor granted her.

"Alright then. This way, Mika," Yuu said as she led her brother to the stairs and started helping him up the steps one by one, stopping briefly whenever he needed a moment to rest, until they finally managed to reach the second floor.

"So where are the patient rooms?" Mika asked once they made it up the stairs.

"Well, the directory said they should be down the hall in the west wing," Yuichiro answered. "It's not far. Just follow me."

Mika nodded and allowed Yuu to lead the way. By now, it was taking all of his effort just to keep his footing and not collapse before his sister got him to the nearest patient room. As soon as they were inside, Yuichiro helped Mikaela into a sitting position on the bed after taking his sword and placing it in a corner of the room.

Hoping that Mika wouldn't notice the blush that was creeping up her cheeks, Yuu took a deep breath and asked.

"Um, Mika? I hope you don't mind, but can you please take off your uniform so I can see your wound? Just the top, mind you."

Mika blinked for a moment but did as his sister requested.

"Alright. How's this?" he asked before undoing his collar as well as the black clasps near his neck and shoulder and pulled down the zipper in front.

As Yuu expected, he was wearing an undershirt beneath his white uniform jacket. Which, had to be removed as well. But before asking Mika to take off the garment, Yuu made sure to sit on the bed behind him while secretly grateful that his wound, at least his most serious one, was on his back and not his front. Still, Mika noticed her increased breathing and heart rate but said nothing to avoid embarrassing her.

"Good," she answered. "I'm going to need you to remove your undershirt too. If that's too difficult, I'll help you."

The blond hesitated for a moment before giving in. While his uniform jacket could be easily opened from the front, removing the undershirt would require pulling it over his head. And such a thing was somewhat more difficult and painful with his shoulder injury so Mika allowed Yuu to assist him in removing it before she placed the garment on a table besides the bed.

Once both Mika's jacket and undershirt were removed, Yuichiro examined the tender wound that made him nearly drop her when she accidentally touched it. As Yuichiro had suspected, he was still bleeding, which worried her because it meant that his vampiric regenerative abilities had become inactive. Even the less serious puncture wounds on Mika's torso from Shigure's kunai still bled with no signs of clotting.

As a black demon user and not a field medic, Yuichiro only knew basic first aid. She was never required to learn more advanced techniques of treating injuries since her demon was quick to heal any she happened to sustain in battle as long as they were not direct hits to her vital organs. Even if the hospital could provide her with everything she needed to treat Mika's injuries, Yuu herself did not have enough knowledge to sew his wounds shut with stitches; all she knew how to do was stop the bleeding with gauze and direct pressure. But that wouldn't be enough to keep Mika's stab wounds from re-opening if he tried to move again. At this point, there was only one thing Yuichiro could think of to do—she consulted her demon contractor.

Asuramaru, I need your help…

Yes, what is it, Yuu?

I need to heal Mika's injuries. But I don't know how to sew a wound together even if I had the stitches. Can you transfer some of your healing magic to Mika through me?

The demon boy considered his mistress's request before answering.

I'm not sure if that's possible, Yuu, he answered. I have never tried such a thing before. After all, my contract is with you, not your brother.

I know, but Mika needs help, and I can think of nothing else. Can you at the very least try?

It was very rare for a demon to be moved to pity, but if anyone can make that happen, it was Yuichiro Hyakuya. Were she anyone else, Asuramaru would have told her not to bother, but he actually liked Yuu enough to grant her favors. Even if such favors may not yield any rewards for him. *2*

Very well, I'll try. It will require you to make some physical contact with his injuries, so I suggest you take your gloves off first.

Of course.

Now that she had secured Asuramaru's cooperation, Yuichiro removed her blood-stained gloves and tossed them aside. She had never liked wearing them and only did so because they were required as part of her uniform. But now that her white gloves were stained with wet blood that could also hamper her ability to keep a tight grip on her sword, it gave Yuichiro the perfect excuse to discard them permanently before tending to Mikaela's injuries.

"Mika, listen to me," Yuichiro began. "I'm going to try calling on my demon's healing powers to treat your wounds, but that will require me to touch them. It may hurt a bit, but I need you to bear with me, okay?"

Mika nodded without turning around.

"All right, Yuu-chan. I trust you."

Now that she had secured her brother's cooperation, Yuichiro placed one hand over Mikaela's shoulder wound and snaked her free arm around his waist to place her other hand over the three kunai wounds beneath his rib cage. Ignoring the less-than-comfortable feeling of Mika's blood staining her own skin, Yuu closed her eyes and concentrated. Since this was the first time she had ever tried to heal someone else's injuries with Asuramaru's power, Yuu did her best to imagine the demon's healing magic flowing from her body to Mika's.

For a few moments, Yuichiro remained in a state of silent concentration until she could feel Mikaela's wounds slowly starting to mend and close beneath her fingers, indicating that the transfer was successful.

Sighing in relief, Yuichiro removed her hands and asked:

"How do you feel, Mika?"

As if in answer, the blond ran his hands behind his left shoulder and lower torso and was relieved to find that his sister's efforts to heal his injuries were indeed successful. Even the pain was gone.

Turning to face Yuu, Mika said, "I feel much better. Thank you, Yuu-chan."

Yuichiro was about to say, "You're welcome," when she noticed that something still wasn't right with her brother. It was not lost on her that Mikaela looked even paler than a vampire should and a cold perspiration still bespangled his brow.

"Mika, you're still not okay. What is it?"

The blond hesitated for a moment as if he was unsure what to say. Knowing that his sister would not leave him alone until he gave her an answer, and an honest one, he confessed.

"I'm a bit… thirsty, Yuu-chan…"

Although Mika said nothing else, Yuu understood what he meant. Despite her success in healing her brother's injuries with Asuramaru's power, it did nothing to sate his blood thirst.

"I understand…" she said quietly before reaching for her own uniform collar.

Alarmed, Mikaela grabbed her hands before she could even touch it.

"W-what do you think you're doing, Yuu-chan?!" he demanded.

Yuichiro gave him a look as if he had just asked the dumbest question in the world.

"What does it look like? You're obviously in need of blood, or have you forgotten that you're a vampire?"

Mikaela shook his head fiercely in protest.

"No, I have not. But I don't want it to be you! Please, there has to be some other way!" he insisted.

Yuichiro was about the say there wasn't when she suddenly remembered that they were in a hospital of all places.

"I think there might be," Yuu said quietly. "Since this place used to be a hospital, there might be some blood stored here somewhere. I just have to find out where, but that might take a little time. Can you wait? If you need blood now, then it's better to just take mine."

Mika sighed in relief. Though he would prefer to have blood right away, he was willing to wait as long as it meant he didn't have to take his sister's.

"It's all right, Yuu-chan. I'll wait."

Yuichiro got up. "Okay, then. I'll try finding some. Just wait right here, Mika," she said before leaving the room and closing the door behind her, even though she knew it wasn't necessary since she and Mikaela were likely the only ones in the hospital. It was due more to force of habit, and she made sure she memorized her brother's room number.

Although the ravenette had never been in an actual hospital (only the small private clinics her parents took her to as a child whenever she needed her routine check-ups), Yuichiro still had a pretty good idea where to find the blood Mikaela needed. *3* She recalled hearing Sayuri mention that hospitals normally do not stock blood but order it from blood banks for patients as needed. Yuu also recalled Sayuri mentioning that blood was kept in a transfusion laboratory under specific conditions until ready for use.

And though Yuichiro was wise enough to know that stored blood could only last for so long, especially if the hospital wasn't getting any power from the electric grid, she still had to see if she can find some, if only to satisfy Mikaela. *4*

Using the hospital directory, Yuichiro was able to find the blood transfusion laboratory where she opened the ice box to see if there were any packets or tubes with the precious liquid needed to save her brother's life. As Yuu had suspected, there was no refrigeration since the hospital had been abandoned for nearly a decade, and the ice boxes were ominously warm inside. However, she did manage to find a few blood packets. Picking one up, Yuichiro felt her stomach turn when she saw that the liquid inside was a dull brown color. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the blood was no longer fresh, but Yuu could not help wondering if Mika could still use it.

Against her better judgment, Yuichiro unsheathed her katana slightly and used the blade to slice open the blood packet. As soon as she did, she wished she hadn't. Knowing the blood wasn't fresh did nothing to prepare Yuichiro for the horrible stench that hit her like a ton of bricks and nearly made her gag.

This is awful! There's no way I can give this horrible blood to Mika! the girl thought in disgust. If anything, the foul liquid would make her brother worse, possibly even kill him faster. The stench of the spoiled blood was so bad, it even made Asuramaru cringe.

Yuu, get rid of that blood packet. The smell is gross, and it's making me sick… the demon boy complained.

Wait, you can actually smell it? I had no idea you could! Yuichiro thought incredulously.

And why wouldn't I be able to, Miss Hyakuya? If I can see the world through your eyes, it's not farfetched to think I can also smell it through your nose. Especially if it's something this awful… Asuramaru answered wryly. *5*

For once, Yuichiro didn't argue with her demon and flung the blood packet as far away from herself as she could. Now that she knew just how bad spoiled blood can be, opening any of the other packets was out of the question.

Ok, I get the point. Now that I know we can't use any of this blood, the only thing left is to offer Mika mine again. But how am I going to get him to take it? Yuichiro thought in exasperation.

Sorry, Yuu, but I'm afraid you're on your own with that. I've already done all I could to help your brother.

Yes, I know. And I appreciate it. I guess the only thing I can do is be direct and tell Mika there's no other way. As stubborn as he is, he'll just have to accept my blood if he wants to live…

Good luck with that…

Thanks, Asuramaru. I'll probably be needing it…

SSSSSS

Mikaela placed an arm over his forehead as he gazed up at the ceiling of his hospital room. After Yuichiro had left, the blond decided to lie down on his bed after removing his boots. He also decided to put his undershirt and uniform jacket in front of a window in order to let the sun burn the bloodstains away. *6* As unappealing as his white uniform looked now, Mika knew he would have to make do with it since that was pretty much all he had to wear at the moment.

And as strange as it sounds, Mika actually wished the vampire army allowed their soldiers to wear black uniforms so that dirt and blood stains wouldn't look so obvious. But since the appearance of his uniform was the last thing he should be worried about, Mikaela pushed the thought to the back of his mind as he waited for Yuichiro's return.

I feel so tired… the blond thought wearily. Am I dying? I haven't fed in days…

Trying to ignore the ache in his throat, Mika slowly closed his eyes. If he could not feed, then he would try to sleep to stave off his thirst a little longer…

A few minutes later, Yuichiro returned and, not wanting to startle her brother, slowly opened the door to his room before slipping in. As soon she noticed Mika lying still and motionless on the bed, Yuu gasped and rushed over to him.

Am I too late? she thought in despair. No, no, no, this cannot be!

Fearing the worst, Yuichiro gently tried to shake her brother awake, but he remained unresponsive, making her wish she had never left his side in a futile attempt to find usable blood.

Yuichiro was about to shake Mikaela harder when he suddenly opened his eyes and gave her a feral look. Before Yuu could even utter a word, Mika suddenly grabbed her by the throat and flipped her onto the bed, his fangs bared like a hungry wolf.

Before Mika could cut off her airways and render her unable to speak, Yuu cried out in a desperate attempt to bring him to his senses.

"Mika, stop! You're hurting me!"

The blond tightened his grip on Yuichiro's throat for a brief moment and just when she felt like she was about to pass out from lack of oxygen, Mikaela finally forced himself to release her. After she was freed, Yuu found herself coughing to get air back into her lungs and it didn't take long for Mika to realize what he had just done. Disgusted with himself, the blond quickly backed off.

"I…I'm sorry, Yuu-chan!" he apologized. "I don't know what came over me!"

Technically, this was a lie. They both knew exactly what came over him, but Mikaela could not bring himself to admit it. However, it did not matter to Yuichiro; her only concern was for his well-being, and she tried to reach for him.

"Mika…" she began. But her brother would not let her any closer.

"Yuu-chan, please, you must stay away from me. I don't want to hurt you…"

"But you're hurt…" she said sadly. "You need blood and fast. I tried to find you some but all the blood here has gone bad so that means you must have a live donor: me."

"No, Yuu-chan, that's out of the question!" Mika protested fiercely.

Yuichiro glared at him. "What choice do we have? Do you want to die?"

Mikaela sighed in frustration and returned her glare.

"Yuu-chan, you don't understand. I've never drank the blood of a human before."

Yuichiro stared at Mikaela as if unsure whether or not to believe him.

"What? That's ridiculous! What have you been drinking up until now?"

"I've sustained myself on the blood of the vampire queen who turned me: Krul Tepes." *7*

"I get it, but she's not here now, is she?"

Now it was Mika's turn to glare at his sister.

"You're missing the point, Yuu-chan! If I drink your blood now, I'll become a complete vampire and be stuck like this forever!"

"And if you don't, you'll die right here and now, so which would you prefer?" she shot back.

Mikaela groaned. "Yuu-chan, please don't make this harder on me than it already is…" he begged.

Once she realized that their argument wasn't going anywhere, Yuichiro tried a different approach.

"Mika, please, even if you became a complete vampire, would it be so bad? At least, you will live…"

The blond regarded his sister with a look of bleak terror that deeply shook her before replying.

"A life as a vampire is no life at all…"

Yuichiro frowned and moved closer to Mikaela. This time, he did not try to back away from her. Placing her hands on both sides of his face, Yuichiro forced him to look into her eyes.

"If that's how you truly felt, then why didn't you go out into the sun unprotected and end your life a long time ago? You must have had a reason to keep living until now," she said.

Mika was silent for a moment. With the way his sister was looking at him, there was no way he could bring himself to lie to her.

"Yes, I did. You…"

"And now I'm here with you. Please, Mika, I don't know what happened to you when we were separated all those years ago, but I do know that I want you to live for me, not die for me."

"I…"

Before Mikaela could say anything else, Yuichiro reached for the collar of her uniform jacket and undid the buttons before pulling it down, exposing her neck completely.

The blond felt his cheeks growing hot when he noticed that Yuichiro's neck wasn't the only thing bared to his gaze: the same bosom she used to entice Shinya with was as well.

"Um, Yuu-chan?" he began nervously.

Yuichiro looked at him curiously. "Yes?"

"You don't have to pull it down that much…"

At first, Yuu didn't know what Mika meant until she saw the pink hue on his cheeks. Even in this dire situation, she could not help but find it rather cute.

"Oh… I'm sorry. If you want me to pull it back up…"

Although Yuichiro left her sentence unfinished, Mikaela knew exactly what she meant and scowled.

"This is blackmail, Yuu-chan…"

Knowing that she had her brother exactly where she wanted him, Yuu could not help smiling in satisfaction.

"Whatever it takes to break that stubborn streak of yours, Mika…" she teased.

The blond narrowed his eyes. "I never thought I'd say this but your guardian should have taken the switch to you as soon as he discovered your knack for manipulation, Yuu-chan…"

Yuichiro gave him a mischievous look.

"Would you be surprised if I said I can bend even Guren to my will sometimes?"

Looking at his foster sister now, Mikaela couldn't say that he would. By this point, he was willing to do anything just to get Yuichiro to cover up her cleavage in addition to quenching his terrible thirst.

"Alright, you win. But we'll do this on my terms, ok?"

"Ok."

After a moment's hesitation, the blond made a gesture for Yuichiro to sit on his lap. With the exception of Krul, he had never taken blood from a live donor before. And while Yuichiro was no delicate flower, Mikaela still wanted her to be as comfortable as possible for this, so he placed his arms around her shoulders and lower back in a gentle embrace.

"Relax, Yuu-chan. I'll hold you up."

Yuichiro said nothing but complied and titled her head back before cocking her neck to the side to give her brother access to it.

"Please close your eyes."

"Um, ok. But why?" she asked curiously.

"Because I don't want you to see this part of me, the part that isn't human anymore…"

At first Yuichiro didn't understand what Mikaela meant before it dawned on her that he didn't want her to see his fangs. Not that it would have bothered Yuu herself in the slightest. But if it made Mika more comfortable, then she was willing to grant him that small favor and did as he asked.

Once he felt Yuichiro relax completely in his gentle embrace, Mikaela dropped his head down towards the curve of her neck as he opened his mouth, his hot breath making goosebumps rise on her skin. As an incomplete vampire, Mikaela still retained some body heat and a near-human metabolism, both of which had allowed him to continue aging up until this point.

Knowing that this would hurt less if she were relaxed, Yuichiro did her best not to tense up and tried to think of it as being no different than getting a shot at the doctor's.

Except getting a shot has never made me feel so fluttery … she thought before feeling a sharp pair of fangs finally pierce her skin and into her veins.

Not wanting Mika to lose his nerve and stop before he had the blood he needed, Yuu bit her lip to keep from crying out loud. Truth to be told, being bitten by a vampire did not hurt as much as she thought it would. But Yuichiro supposed that that was because her brother was making great effort to be gentle, unlike other vampires who may not care if they end up tearing their victims' throats or sucking them dry. She was simply startled because the sensation was foreign to her but after a moment, the pain faded and she was able to relax again.

Trying to think pleasant thoughts to pass the time, Yuichiro felt a wave a dizziness and light-headedness wash over her after a few moments in her brother's embrace: did Mikaela really drink that much? Not like it was an unpleasant feeling, quite the opposite. Without realizing it, Yuichiro's lips parted and a soft moan escaped them as she became wrapped in a sensation of euphoric bliss and felt she didn't want Mikaela to stop. But with their bodies in such close contact, Mikaela easily picked up the sound and feeling of her heartbeat slowing down against his chest and forced himself to stop drinking lest he ended up killing Yuichiro.

Now that he had his fill of the blood he needed, Mika gently laid his weakened sister down on the bed where he had been lying before she returned and checked her pulse. The blond was relieved to find that other than being a bit anemic from blood-loss, Yuichiro's life was not in any immediate danger; she should be perfectly fine as long as she got enough rest.

"M..Mika?" Yuu called weakly as she raised a hand and tried reaching out to him.

"Yes, I'm here, Yuu-chan. How do you feel?"

"A little drowsy, but I'll be okay. How about you?"

"I'm much better, thank you."

As soon as her feeling of haziness passed, thanks to Asuramaru's power of rapid regeneration to his mistress, Yuichiro's vision finally cleared, and she immediately noticed something different about her brother.

"Mika, your eyes…"

Mika took Yuu's hand and closed his eyes before pressing it to his cheek.

"I know. Please don't look at them, Yuu-chan," he said sadly. "They're not human eyes anymore; they're the eyes of a monster."

"No, they're not, Mika. Please look at me."

The blond hesitated for a moment but gave in and did as Yuichiro asked. Since they were children, it was always hard for Mika to refuse Yuu anything unless he thought it was bad for her. And he certainly couldn't refuse her something as harmless as seeing his eyes so Mika slowly opened them and gazed into his sister's green orbs.

"Mika, your eyes are…"

"I know… They're red. Just like the color of blood…"

Yuichiro shook her head. "I was about to say they were beautiful, Mika."

Now that was unexpected.

"W..why would you think that, Yuu-chan?

"Because they're your eyes, Mika. They may be red now but there are also many beautiful things that are red. Like roses, rubies, and the sky at dawn and dusk…" she answered with touch of humor which finally brought a smile to her gloomy brother's lips.

God, how long has it been since he actually smiled? Mika couldn't remember anymore.

"I didn't know you could be so poetic, Yuu-chan", he teased. "You certainly never showed any interest in such things when we were kids."

"Heh, it's hard to be creative when you and your little family were struggling to survive in an underground vampire city, wouldn't you think, Mika?"

The blond laughed, another thing he hadn't done in ages, at least not genuinely and not without being bitter or sarcastic.

"You're right, Yuu-chan. You must have had a good life when you left Sanguinem."

Yuichiro frowned. While it was true Guren had taken her in and raised her after she escaped the vampire city, Yuichiro's life after she was separated from Mikaela wasn't always easy. In fact, it was often far from it considering her mentor's demanding nature and high expectations of her.

"My life was not always fun and games, Mika," she corrected. "What about you? I've been wanting to ask what you've been up to since we parted at the gates of Sanguinem."

"That… is a long story."

"Then give me the short version."

Mika took a deep breath before answering.

"After you left Sanguinem, I had expected to die from my injuries. But I accepted it because I believe that as long as you were able to get away, it was still worth giving my life for."

"But you didn't die…"

"Correct. The vampire queen who ruled over Sanguinem came and found me barely clinging to life. She told me the others were dead and could not be saved. But I still had a chance. And so, she gave me a choice: to die as a human or become one of them."

Although he refrained from saying so, Mika knew his vampire mother never really intended to give him a choice and would have turned him no matter what he said. But his sister didn't really need to know that sordid detail.

"She actually gave you a choice? Wow, I never would have expected that."

"Neither did I. But I knew I had to choose fast. If all our brothers and sisters had perished, including you, I would have chosen to die. But since you were able to escape, I felt that if I survived, even as a vampire, I would be able to see you again."

Yuichiro frowned. "You chose to become a vampire, Mika? Because of me?"

"Yes… because my body had been ravaged far beyond a human's ability to recover. I could not survive for long otherwise."

"I see… what did you do after you were…changed?"

"Well, the first few months were the toughest. Even though I was changed and knew it, I still couldn't accept it. The idea of drinking anyone's blood was absolutely abhorrent to me, so I tried to eat and drink like a human but quickly discover that I could not; I threw up anything and everything I ate and drank, even water." *8*

"Oh my…"

"Yes… after a while, I gave up and had to drink blood regularly to survive. Thankfully, Queen Krul was generous enough to give me hers to sustain me, so I wouldn't be forced to drink from humans. I suppose you can say she felt a sense of responsibility for me as my maker."

"And you've never had blood from anyone else?"

"No… not until now."

"I understand… but what have you been doing after you finally accepted being a vampire, Mika?"

"That's the thing, Yuu-chan. Even now, I still have difficulty accepting it. That aside, I was drafted into the vampire army as soon as I was old and capable enough to fight. And unfortunately, I had to serve under Ferid of all people."

Yuichiro grimaced. "Are you serious?"

"Yes… as a soldier yourself, I'm sure you know you don't exactly get to choose your commander."

"No…you're right," she agreed. "Still, I couldn't imagine having to serve under someone who's responsible for the death of my loved ones and has no remorse for it."

"Oh, I can. And its been a total nightmare for me at times. Ferid has never stopped taunting and toying with me even after he killed Akane and the others. He gave me hope by telling me someone found and took you in after you escaped the vampire city but refused to tell me anything else."

"What? How could Ferid possibly know that? And why would he tell you?"

"I'm not sure, exactly. As for why he told me, it was because Ferid knew it was my worst nightmare to think of you struggling to survive alone in this cold, God-forsaken world. And I would've been no use to him if I died of grief and despair. Or more accurately, I wouldn't have stayed an interesting source of entertainment for him."

"Knowing Ferid, the latter is more likely."

"Yes. I knew I had no reason to believe anything that came out of his mouth, but I also knew that even Ferid can be truthful whenever it suited him. And though Ferid gave me hope by letting me know you still lived, he withheld the knowledge of where you were and who you were staying with from me. Even so, I refused to be discouraged."

"So, what did you do?"

Mika smiled. And this time, it was a triumphant one.

"I did my own investigation."

"Really? How?"

"Being the adopted son of the vampire queen is not without its advantages, Yuu-chan. I had access to information other vampire soldiers did not. I also had my own desktop computer in my quarters at Krul's palace where I was able to conduct my search for you in secret."

"What exactly did you do?" Yuichiro asked curiously.

"I accessed your records about two years ago, right about the time you joined the Shibuya Guard."

"What? That's impossible! How could you do that when there's no internet anymore? And even if there was, that information is classified!"

"You're wrong about one thing, Yuu-chan. We do still have internet, but it's much more limited than it was before the apocalypse and few people know of it. Anyway, the internet still had enough range for me to hack into the Demon Army's database and find your information." *9*

"Wow, that's amazing! I had no idea you knew how to hack into a system!"

"Well, it was a skill I learned from watching my father when he was still alive. Hacking is technically illegal and was often used in criminal activities before the fall. But in my case, it was helpful because it confirmed what Ferid said about your survival."

"And when you were certain I was alive…"

"I've searched for you ever since" Mika finished and smiled again as he gently stroked Yuu's cheek and placed a strand of her hair behind her ear. That was when Yuu noticed that Mika had also removed his gloves while she was gone and that his hands were surprisingly warm for a vampire. Not that she had any basis for comparison but Yuichiro had always assumed that a vampire's touch would be as cold as ice.

"Mika…I don't know what to say…" Yuu began. She knew she should have been overjoyed that her brother had put so much effort into finding her and succeeding on top of that. But instead, Yuu found herself feeling guilty that she had been obsessing over saving Guren up until the minute Mika took her away from Shinya and the rest of the MDC. She also felt terrible that she had spent nearly four years thinking Mika was dead and obsessed over exterminating all the vampires while Mika himself knew that she was alive and had been searching for her all this time.

"Say you'll come with me, Yuu-chan."

"To where?"

"Someplace far away from this war where we can live our lives in peace."

Yuichiro frowned. Mikaela's offer did sound tempting, but she couldn't just shirk her duties to her guardian or her friends. Or, at least not any more than she did when she chose to "elope" with Mika, just recently.

"Mika… I wish I can do that, I really do. But I cannot just abandon my mentor and allies. I have a duty to protect humanity. It was the oath I took when I was accepted into the Japanese Imperial Demon Army and Moon Demon Company."

Frustrated, Mika grabbed his sister by the shoulders while taking care not to be too rough with her.

"Yuu-chan, you owe them nothing! Don't you realize what your mentor has been doing to you all this time? And not just him, but also the people who've had you in their custody before we were taken underground as well! They've been experimenting on you for their own purposes; how can you pledge your loyalty to people like that!?"

Out of instinct, Yuichiro placed a palm on Mikaela's chest and pushed him away.

"It's not that simple, Mika! I know that Guren had his own reasons for taking me in, but that doesn't change the fact that I wouldn't even be alive now if it wasn't for him. And not just that, my friends in both Shinoa and Satoshi's squads have been there for me as well, always watching my back."

"Yes, and from what I've seen, they're all capable fighters who won't die easily just because you're not there fighting this pointless war with them."

Yuichiro glared at her brother for his rather insensitive words.

"I am sorry, Mikaela. I love you very much, but like I've said before, I can't just forsake my duties and loyalty to my squad mates in the MDC, if not the Demon Army. Shinoa, Satoshi, and the others are not just my fellow soldiers, they are also my friends, my family just as much as you are! And if it weren't for them, we wouldn't even be here having this conversation!"

Mikaela groaned and placed a hand on his head as if trying to sooth a pounding headache. As hard as he thought about it, he couldn't find a hole in his sister's argument and had to agree that he would have never been able to simply take Yuichiro from the battlefield if her comrades in both the Shinoa and Satoshi's squads had chosen to fight against him rather than cover their escape.

"Alright, Yuu-chan. What do you want to do?"

"I want you to come with me to meet up with the others at Nagoya Airport like Satoshi suggested. I need to know if my friends will be alright before I can do anything else."

Mika was silent as he looked into Yuu's eyes. Her request was not unreasonable and he supposed that he did owe Shinoa and Satoshi for risking their lives to hold off the rest of the MDC long enough for him to escape with Yuichiro. Even if there's no guarantee they may be able to do so a second time if worse came to worse.

"Very well. I'll help them. But only those two squads and no one else. Understand, Yuu-chan!"

Yuichiro could not help squealing with delight at making her stubborn brother see things her way for the third time today and suddenly threw her arms around him, holding him tight.

"Thank you so much, Mika! You don't know how much this means to me!"

"Actually, Yuu-chan, I do. And by the way…"

"Yes?"

"Can you not press those things against me so hard? It's kind of…awkward."

At first, Yuichiro was confused and didn't know what her brother meant until she noticed that she was holding Mikaela so tightly that her half-exposed breasts were crushed against his chest.

Which was also completely bare.

Blushing furiously, Yuu finally released Mika and put some distance between him and herself on the bed. By God, this was even more embarrassing than the time she saw Guren shirtless after he jumped into a lake to save her from drowning and the time Shinya caught her staring at his chest when he was teaching her how to swim.

"S…sorry, Mika! Anyway, I'll leave you to get dressed while I use the restroom, okay?" Yuichiro said before she stood up and prepared to leave.

"Sure thing, Yuu-chan. And before we go to the airport, please make sure you close your uniform jacket; we wouldn't want people to have the wrong idea about us."

If Yuichiro's face grew any hotter, she could have cooked an egg on it.

Footnotes

1. Depending on the hospital layout, patient rooms are usually on the second floor and above while emergency rooms are on the lowest floor for easier access in the case a patient has a life-threatening emergency.

2. Demons normally don't do favors for their contractors without expecting something in return but Asuramaru makes exceptions for Yuichiro because he likes her.

3. As a child, fem!Yuu has never been taken to a hospital or normal clinic because her parents wanted to keep her true gender a secret, namely the fact that she was female.

4. Yuichiro knows that stored blood cannot last for several years without refrigeration but she searches for some anyway so she can tell Mikaela that she did everything she could before he would accept her blood.

5. Demons can see anything their human contractors see through their eyes so I've assumed they can also smell and sense other things through them as well.

6. Vampire corpses turn to ash after they die so I've assumed this would also include their blood if their clothes were stained.

7. The Demon Army study vampire physiology extensively based on their observation of the ones they capture alive but they do not know that a vampire can live off the blood of their sire/dame for a time before they must drink from humans.

8. Since vampires can only ingest blood, its logical to assume they'd throw up anything else they tried to eat and drink.

9. After the apocalypse, all phone lines have been destroyed by the vampires to cut Japan off from the outside world. In my AU, some phone lines still remain to allow the local use of phones and internet within the country.