Everytime Mika closed his eyes, he can still see them.

"Hey Yuu-chan, we're part of the same family right?" Small Mika said.

As if watching a movie, he would often feel like a bystander as he looked at himself talking to Yuu. This was the time when Yuu first came to the orphanage and they greeted her. He often saw himself like this, saying these things to her as he put his arms around her shoulder to tell her that she was welcome, that he and the others were truly glad that Yuu came into their family, whenever he drifted off to sleep.

"Cut the crap. I don't have a family..."

Yuu had always been bad mouthed, a person who doesn't listen to reason. Mika knew this as he had always been very good at reading people, even at such a young age. He could understand where Yuu was coming from, thinking of the same thing before he came to the orphanage.

Yuu truly believed that like how her family had abandoned her, her new family would sooner or later abandon her too and treat her as a demon or something of that sort. But all those children in the orphanage were all abandoned by their parents. Mika pointed this out to Yuu. He said that he was abused, and got thrown away like garbage in a moving car. He told her that he was unwanted too, just like her; just like everyone else.

"Of course you do!"

The current Mika was standing at the far end of the room. He saw his own self smiling brightly at little Yuu, as if he wasn't hurting at all; as if the word, unwanted, didn't hurt him. But it still did, but he had already accepted this fate and decided to move on a long time ago.

"The kids from the Hyakuya orphanage all belong to the same, big family! That's the way it is."

The current Mika frowned. He truly believed in his heart that this was true. He still believed it now, but it hurt.

"Yuu." Mika muttered as he clenched his lapel. He knew that like always, this dream would always turn sour: darkness slowly engulfed the sweet memories. The happy faces of his precious friends, companions and siblings, replaced by their lifeless bodies scattered around, slaughtered by vampires-by the vampire Ferid.

He saw his dear Yuu-chan bathe in her blood looking at him in despair, tears in her eyes. It still made him ache.

"Don't leave me Mika," her ghost pleaded. Mika reached out to her, but no matter how much Mika tried to reach for her, he could never take hold of her trembling hand.

An ethereal light suffused Mika with warmth. As he was dragged into the ray of light, Mika opened his eyes. He woke up reaching out with tears in his eyes.

"Yuu-chan!"

-000-

Mika's eyelids twitched. Frowning, he opened his eyes and sat up in bed. The ethereal sun spilled across his bedroom floor. It was warm and soothing. But he didn't feel any different than the other times he woke up on a morning like this. He had a nightmare again. Dead bodies lying on the ground. Darkness. Darkness all over. And Yuu.

Mika grabbed his lapel and leaned forwards. He clenched on his clothes and bit his lower lip. His eyes stung. Mornings were like this for him. He didn't remember mornings where he woke up without feeling as though he was going to lose his mind.

And then the tears came. Before he realized it, he was bawling his eyes out. His shoulder shook as he sobbed quietly as he could. The sun glistened as it struck a glass hurting Mika's eyes when he shifted his gaze upon it. He clenched his eyes shut and the tears ran down much faster. His eyes were stinging. He felt the soreness surrounding his eyes. This was not a problem though, because by now he had perfected the craft of looking as if he wasn't crying earlier that day. This was only possible because he had been crying like this almost everyday since he left Yuu at Sanguinem. One could say he was used to it.

Mika wiped his eyes using the back of his hand and got out of bed. He fixed his pillows and his blanket and went into the bathroom to take a warm bath. It always made him clear his head and his heart. It was a new day. And not just any day, it would be his first day to train for the Demon Army. Finally, this day that he had been waiting for had come. He can avenge his family now.

Mika closed his eyes and drifted for awhile.

When he finished bathing, he ate his breakfast and went to school. While he was walking towards the assigned classroom for those who would take lessons for the demon army, he heard loud footsteps coming towards him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Yoichi Saotome, the one he had saved from the bullies run towards him.

"Mika-kun!"

Mika was surprised. He was a bit flustered. This was the first time he gained a friend after a long while so he was sort of nervous.

"Hello." Mika averted his eyes. He felt weird.

"You're early." Yoichi flashed him an innocent smile as he heaved from running too much.

"I want to ask you a favour."

"What is it?"

"I want to be admitted to the Demon army too. Since you've been accepted, can you please, help me get in?"

Mika looked at Yoichi quizzically. Yoichi in the demon army as a cadet? Well that was an awkward picture. The boy looked weak and unfit to be part of the special force.

"I took the admission test.." Yoichi trailed. There was sadness in his face; In his eyes, there was a glimmer of desperation. He was serious about joining the Japanese Imperial Demon Army.

"..but I failed. Can you please help me?"

"Why? Why do you want to join?"

"I want to avenge my sister! She was killed by the vampires because she protected me."

"For vengeance huh?" Mika stared at Yoichi. It was his motivation too. Mika continued, shaking his head,

"Sorry, I can't help you with that."

"But! You're close with Lt. Col. Ichinose Guren right? Can you please help me retake the test?"

"It is true that I am under the custody of Lt. Col. Ichinose, but our relationship is only limited to that. I don't have any influence over him. I am just someone that he was forced to take in."

"Oh.. is that so?" Yoichi raised his head and smiled a pained smile at Mika, trying to hide his disappointment.

"Thank you Mika-kun. I'll find another way then."

They walked together in the school grounds, silently. Mika was curious about Yoichi. So he had a sister. He had a family taken away from him too. They were alike. Mika couldn't help but think that maybe this was the reason they got close.

"Yoichi-kun," Mika broke the ice.

"I don't know the extent of your hatred towards vampires, but I admire your courage in wanting to face them."

"It's the only way I could repay my sister. She protected me! I wish.. I wish I could have protected her instead."

I wish I could have protected her too.

Yoichi gazed at Mika, he saw that there was something in Mika's expression that made him think that Mika carried a darkness darker than his own. He wondered what those beautiful blue eyes saw.

"What's wrong Mika?"

"Nothing. I just remembered something I shouldn't have." Mika smiled weakly.

Yoichi noticed that there was a ghost of what have been a beautiful smile when he stared at Mika. He had never saw him smile ever. Often, Mika walked this grounds looking stern, his beautiful face frigid and expressionless. It was no denying that Mika was beautiful. That's why he often grabbed the attention of both boys and girls at school.

Boys envied him because his looks were out of this world. His beauty was almost preternatural. He had this air of tragedy about him too, as though he was a hero out of tragedy, which always won the girls over. Not only that, Shino couldn't emphasise more the fact that he was also a top student in the ordinary classes that he took.

Mika looked over at Yoichi, noticing his stare. His blue eyes deep and unsettlingly beautiful as though Yoichi was gazing at an angel.

Angel. Yoichi almost said out loud. He wished he could be strong like Mika too.

"Hey!"

Both of them turned to where the voice came from; they saw the leader of the bullies run towards them.

"Please, help me!"

Mika stared at the boy, his cold penetrating gaze terrified him.

"I heard you were accepted to train with the Demon Army. Please, one of our friends.." The boy trailed.

Mika's face was stone cold. Yoichi just stared at him in terror. He didn't know Mika could be like scary like that. The boy looked at Yoichi instead, thinking that asking Mika to help him was useless.

"Please.. there is a vampire, and.."

When Mika heard the word vampire, his eyes grew wide. He grabbed the boy by the lapel and asked him to expound.

"A vampire just got out!"

It was true that there seemed to be terror hovering in the air.

"I don't know why they still haven't rang the alarm yet, but please help me! Our friend is in the classroom about to be killed. Please!"

Mika grimaced, he asked what classroom and immediately he rushed leaving Yoichi and the boy aghast.

Mika ran as fast as he could. He didn't want more people to die just because of those damned vampires. He bit his lower lip and ran on the flight of steps of the building. It was a good thing he always had his knives with him, even if he didn't have his sword he could fight with it.

The alarm rang. Students were running out of the building guided by their teachers. Mika thought how stupid this school was for not sensing danger immediately.

How weak. Mika thought.

This is why Vampires look down upon us. We can do nothing but run away like mice. So very helpless.

Mika hated seeing weakness because it reminded him how weak he was.

Foolish. Stupid. Pathetic.

His heart was beating frantically against his ribcage. He was afraid, but he didn't want to sit around doing nothing when somebody's about to die. This was his weakness: every since he got separated with Yuu, in every mission it appeared like his suicide mission to the others. His heart ached. His head was starting to feel light, but he was trying to fight it. He was trying to fight the coldness that was taking a hold of his being. He remembered Shino telling him he was this and that, he contorted his face, if only Shino knew how weak he truly was.

Mika reached the room. He pulled the sliding door harshly. He saw that the Vampire was looming over the boy who was unconscious. The vampire growled at him. This vampire was petite, with long hair, limbs short. He wore a patient's dress. His eyes glowed red as he looked at Mika. Mika was face to face with a monster. Even though he looked just like the ordinary humans, his beast-like eyes betrayed him.

"Who are you?" The vampire snarled.

"Leave him alone!" Mika shouted and took out his knife that he hid in his boot. Mika was fast, but he was still slow compared to the vampire. The vampire smirked.

"Head of cattle, I'm going to destroy you!" He lunged at Mika. He grabbed Mika by the wrist. Mika was surprised. He winced at the pressure of the Vampire's grip.

"You smell nice." The vampire licked his lips and was tightening his grip now. Mika was panicking but he didn't let it get the better of him.

The vampire gripped on Mika's hand with a force so strong breaking Mika's wrist. Mika howled in pain. His knife fell and clattered on the floor. The vampire kicked it using his right foot making it skitter away from Mika.

Mika elbowed the Vampire on the face. Its skin was hard like stone. It hurt him, but at least he was able to draw back from the monster.

"Such fine blood I can smell in you livestock." The vampire said smiling beast like at Mika. He added,

"I wonder how the humans got their hands on someone like you."

At this, the vampire lunged at him again. Mika was ready, he was sliding his hand down his leg to take the other knife that he hid there. The vampire smirked again.

"It's useless."

The vampire, with his eyes wide, clawed at Mika, but before he could reach him, before Mika could register what happened, the vampire was already on the ground grappling with a boy.

"What the?!" The Vampire growled.

"Pathetic human!"

It was very angry.

"Mika-kun!" The boy who flung himself at the vampire was no other than Yoichi.

"Stupid! What are you doing?"

Yoichi smiled a stupid smile.

"I couldn't just leave you alone."

The vampire was writhing under Yoichi's weight. Surprise stopping him more than his lack of strength. He pushed Yoichi away from him, flinging Yoichi across the other end of the room.

"Yoichi!" Mika screamed. He looked gravely at the Vampire and stabbed the vampire's eyes.

"Die Vampire!"

After that, he pulled the Vampire by the neck to slit it's throat but the vampire dodged and instead jumped out of the window. Mika raised his eyes and ran after the creature.

"Stop!"

He jumped out of the window. Mika didn't care whether it would result to broken bones and being hospitalized for a week. He didn't care. He just wanted to kill the vampire with his own two hands.

"Mika-kun!" Yoichi screamed as Mika fell down the building.

Mika couldn't think of anything else apart from killing the vampire. His blood was boiling and the images of his family's dead bodies scattered on cold ground flashed inside his mind. He was angry, very angry. He wanted to rip the vampire into pieces.

Desperately, he reached out to grab the vampire, so that it wouldn't escape. He was straining to do so. When he reached the ground, he realized it was not that high, having broken bones would not be that much of a problem, moreover, the intensity of his fall was mitigated by the bushes and the grass. But his back hurt terribly. His vision was getting blurry and all he could see was the face of the vampire on top of him, about to claw at him.

Mika just stared. He was unable to move his limbs because of the hurt. His heart was beating frantically against his chest. So this was the end eh? He thinks. In the end, he wouldn't be able to avenge Yuu, in the end, his dreams of meeting her again, if ever, would never come true. He closed his eyes, and sighed. Maybe it was better for him to die just like this, so that he wouldn't be able to feel pain anymore; so that he wouldn't be able to have those nightmares; to wake up feeling worthless and pathetic most of the time. At least he would be finally be free. At least he would finally see his family again.

It hurts Yuu-chan.

Mika didn't hear Yoichi's screams; he didn't hear the sirens and the loud footsteps rushing towards where he was. He closed his eyes waiting for the final blow from the vampire.

But it never came.

When he opened his eyes, he saw its eyes widen in pain. He looked up and saw Guren and his squad.

"Guren?"

"What are you doing lying there idiot Mika. Stand up. We have the situation under control."

Mika wanted to say he couldn't move. He wanted to say, he was hurting too much to move. But he didn't. He just stared at the sky above his head. Maybe there was more to the pain he feels.