"Do you love Yuu-chan?"

Those words rang into Shinoa's mind loud and clear. It wasn't the first time she was asked of this. Guren himself had already asked her the question a few times.

And yet none of the time, she can be sure.

"I..." she didn't know how to answer. She didn't have an answer.
'Me, in love with someone? No way.' - these were her exact thoughts from back then. But has her thoughts change?

"...don't know." she finally completes after so long. Mikaela didn't say anything, he just looked at her, waiting for more details.

Shinoa looked back at him. She knew he wasn't satisfied with the answer she has given, but what else could she say? At this point, she hadn't the motivation to think of a good comeback to her situation.

"I..." Shinoa sighed, "...really don't know. I could just say upfront that I don't have feelings for him, but those words won't form themselves. After all, he was the first person who ever made me feel needed." That was it, that was all her mouth was willing to give out. If he's not going to accept this answer, there was no helping to it.

"I'll take that as a yes, then." Mikaela returned to lying on the floor. Shinoa rolled her eyes. She didn't deny it, nor did she accept it, so why did he just go off and make assumptions?

"Aren't we supposed to be on guard or something? You're way too relaxed." Shinoa snickered as she stood up. She changed the topic - that's what she's always good at.

"No, no. You're supposed to be on guard. I'm just accompanying to make sure you don't slack off, which, by the way, is exactly what you've been doing." Mikaela stuck his tongue out playfully.

"Then aren't you terrible at your job, Mika-san?" Shinoa also stuck her tongue out in response.

"Well, you can't always expect voluntary work to be perfect, can you?" Mikaela sat up and crossed his arms. He furrowed his eyebrows and puffed his cheeks as well, just like a child.
And so their 'battle' continued on.

"My, aren't you replacing me already, Mika?" A familiar voice reached them: and yes, it was Yuichiro's.
"Good work, Shinoa, its my turn now." he patted her on the back with assurance, signalling for her to go and get some rest herself.

"Eh, but I was just warming up." she laughed, but she retired anyhow.

And that leaves our blond vampire and his dearest Yuu-chan.

"You too, Mika. It must have been tiring putting up that 'fight' against her." Yuichiro chuckled and playfully punched his friend's shoulder. Mikaela gracefully grabbed that hand of his.

"I'm fine, Yuu-chan. I need to talk to you anyways." Mikaela gently squeezed his hands before letting then go. Then he sat himself again, on the cold hard ground. He pats the spot beside him, "Here, Yuu-chan." he called.
Yuichiro, without hesitation, sat beside the friend he hadn't met for so long.

"So... Need some blood?" Yuichiro pulled his own collar invitingly. Mikaela gulped, looking away in resistance. "Its alright," he says, "I'm not hungry." but those words itself were filled with desire.

Yuichiro was blunt. He can't read atmospheres, nor can he read emotions as such. So he'd just respect the words he has been given and so as they seem fit. By that, it meant, he'd pulled back the invitation.

"So... What did you want to talk about?" Yuichiro asked. Mikaela snapped out of his own dilemma and looked at his friend, his family.

"A lot of things," he started. "Names. Everyone of them." Yuichiro stared at him blankly.

Shinoa. Mitsuba. Yoichi. Shiho.

And so he named them, as per request.

"And that Guren guy?"

It didn't seem strange how Mikaela was interested in Guren. After all, and apparently, he has been using Yuichiro this whole four years they were separated.

"Basically; he raised me," Yuichiro answered. "In a more complicated sense, he's one involved in this 'Seraph of the End' thing you've been going on about - I think."

"That damn human..." Mikaela showed his fangs. He was angry at the sound of the words 'Seraph of the End', and more importantly to hear that his Yuu-chan has been but lab experiment even after he'd gotten out of the vampire city.

"Mika," Yuichiro rested his palm on his friend's head. "Guren is also family. Just like Shinoa and the others." he rustled his hair, and even if that was annoying, it just reminded Mikaela of their earlier days - reversed, that's all.

"Family don't use each other like this. I know I won't, Yuu-chan." Mikaela stared at him with assurance.

"I don't mind. After all, if he hadn't saved me back then, I'd probably be dead by now. And I'll never have been able to meet you again, Mika." Yuichiro sighed as the clouds covering the stars cleared.
"So we owe it to him, sort of." he chuckled, looking up at the sky.

"Hmm." Mikaela sang. "And that Shinoa-" Mikaela tried to ask something, but Yuichiro had butt in before he finished his question.

"Wow, don't tell me you've fallen in love in such a short period, Mika." Yuichiro laughed almost historically, but he was quickly pushed onto the ground by Mikaela, who was thoroughly annoyed.

"Listen to me." he said while staring in Yuichiro's eyes. Yuichiro couldn't do anything but nod, which was enough to calm Mika down.

"Tell me all you know." Mikaela pulled his friend up.

"No, really, Mika, you haven't-"

"No, I haven't. Having more human trust on my side might be beneficial. Now get to it." Mikaela said, almost demanding.

"Yes..." Yuichiro's eyes were wide, because he'd never seen his friend like so. "She's... Someone who can't shut up. Like, she won't leave me alone even if I went to hell. She can be annoying," Yuichiro looks away, "but she can be on point with that. Sometimes."

"I'm quite familiar with that," Mikaela wrapped his arms around his legs, "Tell me what I don't know."

"Mika-"
"No."

"Her name's... Shinoa. Shinoa Hiragi. And if you haven't notice, the Hiragis basically control everything here." Yuichiro submitted.

"Oh, so she's got influence, am I right?" Mikaela inquired.

"I wonder about that," Yuichiro laughed gently, "All she ever does is occasionally tell me to worship her status, but I doubt she even care about it. She doesn't seem so. In fact, I'm willing to be she even forgets sometimes she's of that bloodline."

"Hmm," Mikaela's interest grew.
"Backstory?"

"All I know is that she's got a sister. Uh, she's kind of, uh-"

"Dead. You're looking for that word."

"Yeah." Yuichiro felt uneasiness in how his friend mentioned the word so casually. But having been by those vampires' sides for so many years there has to be some impact, or it'll seem unreal.

"That's all. Now I'm tired." With that, Mikaela rested his head on Yuichiro's lap. Yuichiro didn't seem to mind at all.

"Just out of curiosity... But why?" he asks.

Mikaela's eyes slowly narrowed. "I thought," he yawned, "Maybe I could... Trust... Her..." slowly, his words drowned, and there was asleep on Yuichiro's lap.

Yuichiro looked down as his friend's sleeping face. He hasn't looked at it for four years. Four years was a really long time. In that period of times he had many times thought of how he would never see it again.

But here he is, gazing down at it.

Just when he was lost in the sight, something had crept up to his ears and whispered;

"Yuu-san~."

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Author's Note: I think I'm consistent enough with the word count xD

A chapter that is in favour of MikaYuu fans, while not forgetting the other ship, I hope.
Also, news; I've got four planned endings for this fic. It was supposed to be a oneshot, which ended up a multi-chaptered, so I thought I'd give a few endings to please everyone.

But the last ending will be, uh, the 'true' ending, or something.

Its not quite the end yet, however. So... Stay tuned!

(To be honest, it's been 3 months since I ever updated the version on Wattpad; but I'll get to it. I think).