The room Mikaela entered was huge, dimly lit cushioned seats curved around the stage like structure that he found himself being presented on. The platform was positioned in the center of the room with the live audience to three sides, and a huge screen that took up the entire wall that was left.
Being in a room with this many vampires at once was suffocating and Mikaela felt like it was hard to breath. Which was curious because breathing wasn't quite a necessity for him anymore. They had a scent, he'd come to realize after moving through the manner and interacting with Krul the past two days. Something faint but musky, like an old book or an antique store.
Krul stood before him, addressing the gathered progenitors and nobles that sat before them. She flung her arms out wide as she spoke, perhaps to make her small figure more dominating. Her personality and power was enough to fill a room this large so Mikaela didn't know why she bothered. He did admit that it was hard to keep his eyes off of her, even when the other young appearing vampire on the screen spoke.
Even when Ferid had been escorted in.
It wasn't like the accused was in chains. If he really wanted Ferid would be able to move around freely. He could even flee this… trial if he so desired. Though where would he go if he did that? Running would be a confirmation of guilt and an avoidance of punishment. No progenitor with any interest of keeping order of their domain would give Ferid Bathory refuge. If vampires were interested in anything other than blood then it was power, and a lone vampire quickly fell victim to the humans. Even a seventh progenitor such as Ferid.
No, Ferid had to play along with Krul's plans now that he was stuck. Even if it meant loosing a limb.
Krul had expounded all about the bastard's scheming and meddling, though never going into detail as to what he had been meddling in. Mikaela was hardly surprised that the slimy, perverted vampire had been causing the queen of vampire's problems. Or that her problems were ones that she preferred kept from her subjects and contemporaries.
"I have summoned two witnesses against the accused!" This last, ringing proclamation boomed throughout the room. Carrying, no doubt, all the power of the third progenitor. Even with her small back to him, Mikaela shivered at the pull of her voice within him.
She'd explained a bit more about their relationship as sire and offspring during breaks between their prepping, well her prepping of him, for this trial. While he could easily refuse her, unless she exerted physical force, Mikaela would also be swayed by her words. At least until he grew into his power in the millennium to come.
Gesturing with her left arm, the movement a swirl of pink garments and pale flesh, she presented the female servant that had been in Ferid's employ. The woman who had rushed to the queen to save what was left of Mikaela's life. She had also been a spy sent by Krul to inform her of Ferid's movements, though he wasn't stupid enough to let slip his plans in words around her.
The first witness' familiar voice filled the space around him, not as loud as Krul's voice had been, but still at a volume that a human would struggle to reach without screeching.
Despite the loudness of her voice, Mikaela found himself distracted as she retold the painful tale of what he considered to be his death to these… monsters that he was joining the ranks of.
Eyes as cold as ice searched the vampires seated before him, noting the vaguely interested eyes and the quiet murmuring. Of course, they hadn't dared to talk while Krul had been speaking. Now they had a small chance to gossip it seemed. Even with the witness's loud voice, Mika could still catch bits and pieces of their conversations. It seemed that they were as gossipy and excited as vampires could be to watch Ferid finally enrage the queen enough to receive a punishment. This was a long time coming to him apparently, and Mikaela regretted with a sharp pain to his chest that he hadn't gotten what was coming to him sooner.
His family was safe for now, and that's what really mattered. Mikaela pushed his emotions away and tried to straightened his already stiff posture when Krul finally spread her out to him.
Mikaela wasn't to say anything; he was a child to these vampires so long as his eyes remained blue. In this court his word meant nothing, his mere body was to be evidence. Naturally the wounds caused by Ferid were healed, but his continued existence, the mere fact that the Third Progenitor Krul Tepes had deigned to give him her blood was to be proof of Ferid's acts against the law.
He was the loss of a precious source of blood and that the vampires understood vividly.
"I present Mikaela Hyakuya, born of my blood! Ferid's actions have caused the loss of this child's human existence. A blessing for him now, but what of us? This boy's once ripe blood! Robbed from us through Ferid's rash actions and queer obsessions." Righteous anger filled Krul's attention demanding voice, and she stepped toward Mikaela. With a sharp nail she pressed against the flesh of his neck, digging in just enough to cause a small rivet of blood to trail down Mika's exposed collarbone.
The vampires surrounding them suddenly buzzed with excitement, jostling in their seats though none of them stood or made to come toward them. Even Mikaela could smell it. The human left in his blood that even made his own hunger twinge just a bit in need. It was tainted though, with the pale musky scent of vampirism that would soon consume all of his natural scent.
Krul had made her point, in a flourish of pink clothe the ruling progenitor made her way back to her place on her stage before turning to regard her subjects. Though she didn't really care what her subjects thought, as the Third she could do with Ferid as she pleased since he'd broken her laws. The sneaky bastard was sly, however, and this sham of a trial was a political maneuver to save her ass should Ferid try something stupid in the future.
"Do you see now? That Ferid cannot go unpunished, lest he steal more of our already limited livestock out from under our noses?" She swept both arms out wide here, anticipating the unanimous answer from her vampires as they called it out. If there was anything that vampires understood, anything that could be used to control them, it was blood.
Everyone had more or less known, or at least heard the gossip, about Ferid's strange hobbies. No one had really cared before, let the strange Seventh do as he liked. However, when staged like this, even the ever apathetic vampires were eager to see blood spilt on stage.
Mikaela himself could feel some sense of excitement at the impending violence. Even if most of what he felt was because of the revenge he was getting. Because his family would be that much safer.
A gesture to the vampire standing just off the stage, and she approached. A voluptuous woman with long, pink hair strode toward them, a short sword held up in her hands. The vampire knelt before Krul who took the weapon from her, tossing the sheath on the ground as she strode toward where Ferid stood.
The two guards who had stood at Ferid's sides moved, one holding out Ferid's right arm by the wrist. The other stood directly behind Ferid, securing his dominate left hand behind his back.
The silver haired vampire had not moved throughout the entire proceedings, but now as Krul stalked toward him in her swaying stride Mikaela could see the uneasiness on his face. Not outright fear, no an arm wasn't much to loose for a vampire, but anyone would balk at seeing the Third approach you with a sword in one hand and that grin on her face.
Faster than even Mika's new vampire eyes could follow Krul swung the down, a thick cloud of smoke filling the air and obscuring the view of the small group.
Only the sound of Ferid's quiet, involuntary noises of pain and the grinding sound of metal on another hard surface.
Slowly the smoke cleared and Mikaela's eyes widened. In the floor was now a huge split where Ferid had been standing. All of the vampires had moved away from the damage, and Ferid was unfortunately still alive, though Krul now held his severed arm in her free hand.
Blood gushed from his wound still, filling the air with a heady aroma. Mikaela's throat felt painfully dry but he shoved the thought to the back of his mind. The effort had him panting, however.
Humming softly, Krul stabbed the bloodied sword into the stage and joined Mika's side, motioning for him to follow her as she left the large room. Ferid's arm still in her possession. She would be holding onto for awhile, figuratively. It could be reattached at anytime if Ferid got a hold of it, and if it were to be destroyed the vampire would just regenerate another arm. So long as it remained in this state and out of Ferid's grasp then his punishment would be affective.
Dimly Mikaela was aware that the chance that Ferid could rearm himself should worry him. Krul seemed the type to be able to hide something from anyone who desperately wants to find it. Whether that was a logical thought, or faith in his sire and queen Mika didn't know.
"Yu-chan, you can't keep doing this."
Yuuichirou hissed as Akane rubbed a small amount of anti-septic liquid on a scrape above his right eye. "Ow, Akane, be gentle!"
"Sorry, sorry…" She set the small fluff of cotton down and peeled the back off of a small band aid, pressing it over the cut carefully and soothing out the wings. Leaning back, she looked down at her family and sighed, he already had a nasty black eye.
"I know you heard what I said, stop ignoring me Yu-chan."
Rubbing the back of his head, careful around the bump that was growing there, Yu sighed. Man, Akane had a way of making him feel guilty.
"I'm sorry, Akane. It's just… they say things…" He trailed off, eyes flicking away from her.
"About Mikaela?"
Yu's head popped up and he locked eyes with her. "You know?" He asked, bewildered. He hadn't wanted her to find out, hadn't wanted any of the younger ones to know about it either.
"Of course I have, Yu-chan. They say it to me too. They say it to all of us, even to Fumie and Taichi. You're the only one who fights them Yu."
"I'm the only one who can, Akane." Yu muttered, resting his hands on the table. Fists clenched tight, his knuckles going white.
A soft sigh blew against his hair as Akane wrapped her arms around him from behind. He hadn't noticed her move behind him, but he didn't try to fight her affection. They both needed it, now more than ever.
"You don't have to defend his honor, Yu. Nor ours. Nothing they say about him will change the way any of us think about him, you know. I don't want you to fight anymore, neither do the children. Mika-chan wouldn't have wanted it either. You know this…" Her words were soft, muffled into his shoulder as she spoke. A soft sob shook her body, and Yu's eyes widened. He hadn't noticed that she had been crying.
"Akane…"
Yu trailed off as she pulled away, twisting around to look at her. Tears trailed down her face, but her brown eyes locked with his. Her lips thinned into a tight line, jaw set.
"It scares us, Yuuichirou. We can't afford to loose another member of our family."
A cold sensation sank like a stone in Yu's stomach and he tore his eyes away from hers in shame. He hadn't… hadn't thought about how they would feel. How scared Chihiro looked whenever he came home with a busted lip or a black eye. How Akane would shake ever so slightly as she tended to his wounds, while the children sat quietly in the other room, pretending to be practicing to read.
"I'm sorry Akane… I didn't think…"
A finger against his lips startled Yu into silence, and he looked up at Akane in confusion. Her face was lit with a smile, though her checks were still wet from her tears.
"I know, you rarely think Yu-chan." Akane stepped back from him, clasping her hands behind her back. "Go help them practice, I need to get started on dinner."
With a nod, Yuuichirou climbed to his feet. All of the children looked up at him as he stepped into the room, so he plastered a smile to his face.
"Hi guys, what ya working on?"
"Math…" Kouta and Ako stated together in a low drone.
Chihiro looked smiled, her finger keeping her place on the book that she was reading to Fumie and Taichi, one on each side of her.
"Ako and Kouta are solving problems while I read to these two. If you want, you can have them take turns reading sentences to you while I check over Ako and Kouta's work." She pushed the glasses up on her nose and Yu noted how tired her eyes look, dark from the lack of sleep, but also puffy and red like she had been crying recently.
"Yeah, I'll help." Yu took his place on the floor and the youngest two scampered to his side, eager to show off their skills to big brother Yuuichirou.
In the kitchen Akane hummed quietly, listening to her family over the bubbling of boiling water. She moved to the counter, taking a knife to cut the three potatoes she had left there. They had less food now that Mikaela wasn't… selling his blood in exchange for favors.
Still, the vampires provided them with just enough to survive. The nutrient pills helped a lot, though it was no replacement for real food. She worried about Taichi, he was so small and hadn't been growing much since they had been forced to come here.
A hiss escaped her lips as the knife slipped in her hand, slicing a small cut of the side of her finger. Akane put down the knife and held her hand away from food, pausing to watch the blood trail down her hand to her wrist.
Two months.
It had been two months since Mikaela had died, and they were just trying to make life seem normal. To act as though they weren't sad. It wasn't like they had forgotten Mika, they still talked about him and laughed at stories of the past. There was still a part of her that hated that they had to continue, that she couldn't just throw herself down and cry and sleep until she was sick of it.
She cried in front of Yu, but she couldn't allow herself to do so before the other children. They knew that she was sad, but crying would make them worry. It would make them sadder than they already were. Taichi was already over it, his smile never faltered unless someone unintentionally reminded him that he was supposed to still be sad. The rest of them had cried their fill and were healing, trying their hardest to learn what little Chihiro and Akane could teach them and to help when it was asked of them.
Even Yu had his fights.
Akane sighed yet again, finally stepping over to the sink to wash away the blood that had made its way to her elbow already. Glancing out the door toward her family, she smiled a little as Taichi jumped on Yu, completely disrupting their studying. She couldn't bring herself to show them just how hollow she felt when they weren't looking.