-Yuichiro's P.O.V- -Flashback- (Reader-chan/kun: WHOOO!)
"Who's the boy over there?" asked the recently, new orphan.
"That's Yuichiro. He doesn't like to speak much. Try not to anger him. Every time he came here, he would somehow run away," explained one orphan.
"Only to be put back here in the orphanage again," said the other orphan.
"How many times has it been now, Akane?" asked another orphan.
"About nine times now, I think," she spoke.
"Poor kid, I pity him. He must've been through a lot," said another orphan.
"So in other words, he's basically been visiting for a short time this month and ran away when no one was looking?"
"Yep. He hasn't spoken to anyone and Mika tried to make the attempt to talk to him, but he brushed him off. It's a week before Christmas! No kid can be quiet on Christamas!" said the orphan that explained the situation.
Ignoring all of their gossip, I kept staring at the falling snow outside the window and sat on the wide windowsill, secretly plotting to run away after everyone fell asleep, but that seemed impossible because of...
Those golden eyes that stared at me whenever they could.
Seeing her reflection in the window, I scoffed and glared at her reflection.
I would've expected her to flinch, run to the other orphans, or even become scared of me easily, but she...
She only smiled and waved her tiny, soft-looking right hand at me.
Seeing that familiar blond, known as Mikaela, come near her and place his left hand on her head, he smiled at her before looking to me.
"Don't worry, Sayo. He'll come around," he told her and she nodded, rubbing her head into his hand.
Gritting my teeth, my glare moved to Mikaela, 'How dare he touch her like that? As if she's his pet! Wait...why should I be concerned about her?! She isn't my friend nor my responsibility!'
Crossing my arms, I huffed and focused back on the falling snow.
-Flashback Ends-
"Yu..?" I heard Kimizuki's voice call out to me.
Perking up, I looked down from the almost lit sky and to Kimizuki.
"Huh? Did you say something to me?" I asked him.
"You were in a daze there for a bit and I was getting a little worried that you might go psycho on me or something," he explained.
I gave a toothy grin, "Aww, really?!"
He chuckled for a few seconds, then stopped, "No. What's more important is checking to see if this guy is okay."
A straight line replaced the frown on my lips, "You have a point."
I looked down at the unconscious guy's wings, '...They kinda remind me of Sayomi's, but...hers is more pretty and appealing. It's as if she's really an angel, my...my guardian angel.'
I grunted and held my left hand over my heart, "What the hell...was she thinking.."
"Yu?" Shinoa questioned me from behind.
I glanced at her, "Hm?"
"Sayomi will be okay. I know she will. She isn't one to give up and die easily. I'm sure she has her reason for leaving," she spoke..with a sympathetic smile?
Kimizuki scoffed, "Is that who you're so worried about? I don't know Sayomi that well, but I know she can handle herself. She freaking ripped blood suckers's throats out!"
From what I could see, Mika flinched, "Gradually...becoming...inhuman..." he mumbled.
I frowned, 'Mika, don't start with those thoughts now. That's the last thing I need on my mind.'
-Sayomi's P.O.V- -Flashback-
Running...
Running away...
Abandoning him...
No, that's not what I was doing.
He told me to run away and leave him.
As I ran down the uneven, rocky cave, I let as silent tears drop from my eyes.
Then, a bright light surrounded me when I stepped into these geometric shapes that formed some type of spell.
Before me appeared an angel...at least, that's what I thought it was.
Its light creamy brown hair with two silver strands floated in a strange breeze as its eyes opened, revealing gold ones.
"Child, I understand that you..just lost someone dear to you, yes?"
My tears stopped as I shadowed my face, not abling myself to speak due to fear of being seen as weak and being told by my dying friend that 'I'm strong'.
"Do you wish...to earn power? You seem to be that type of person who works for things."
I contemplated the offer. Coming to the conclusion that this 'angel' seemed suspicious, I tilted my head, giving off the question 'who are you and what are you trying to gain?'
It smiled, "A bright child you are. My name is Dante. I know that may be a strange name, but it's because I could control the fires of Hell, but I choose not to, and I am enduring to whatever that has and will happen to me. My purpose is to make you stronger, take what's rightfully yours, and see if you have the heart to handle tight situations. I have no alterior motives...not until you show me if you can do this."
I thought about the situation...
I nodded my head, meaning I accepted.
"Very well, my katana form is Himezuru-sa and it's my home, similar to how a lamp is the home of a genie."
Another bright light blinded my vision. When it cleared up, I found myself outside of the cave, staring at what children call a 'Winter Wonderland'.
This was no wonderland to me because I could see the reality of this world.
In my hands is a white, sheathed katana, decorated with silver leaves and vines, like that angel's kimono.
Looking up, I saw white flurries called 'snow' and my puffs of air could be seen, too. It's not that I never seen this before, it's just that I haven't seen this in four years.
Carefully walking down the slope of snow, I noticed four figures, but the smaller intrigued me first.
A relieved smile spread on my lips, "Yu-"
"Hey, kid. How would you like to defeat the vampires?" the older man asked him.
My eyes widened in terror as I quickly hid behind a tree and some bushes.
'Yu...Please, I know you hate the vampires, but don't hate me, too. I can't go anymore years without animal blood. If he accepts, Yu's loathing gaze...would haunt me forever..if he ever found out that I am a half vampire.'
Hearing a thud, I glanced from behind the tree, seeing a crying Yu hug the man, who fell on the ground.
"I do, every single last one of them," he tried not to sob.
My body began to involuntarily shake and my inhalation of air became uneven.
'Every single..last one of them? I don't think Yu...No, he meant it. Yu absolutely hates vampires, that includes me, too. I have to learn to accept that fact,' I thought as tears slid down my cheeks.
"But hold on..." I heard shuffling, "I have a friend who's still alive. She may be running through that cave right now! I have to go and-"
"Wait, kid. That's the vampire's territory. There's no way we can go look in there and see if your friend's alive. It's possible they took her back into their custody," the older man spoke.
"Then-! Then, search for her or something! I know she's still alive out there somewhere, I didn't see her get killed! She must be scared and doesn't know what to do! She'll die within a year, too! I can't live with that on my conscious!" Yu tried to reason with the older man.
*Silence*
"Lt. Col. Guren..." the woman with wheat colored hair say in concern.
"...*Sigh* Shigure, send out a search team as soon as we get back to Second Shibuya. Kid, the only place that will be searched is within this range and that city," this Lt. Col. Guren spoke.
I grit my teeth and began to run away, accidentally making a twig snap under my feet as I ran down the hill.
I noticed Yu looked in my direction, only catching a small glimpse of my hair, "Sayo?! I think that's her!"
The older man looked puzzled, "Sayo?...Shigure, Sayuri, retrieve that girl!"
"Yes, sir," they both saluted.
Using my vampiric speed to get away from the two women that are now chasing me, I unsheathed the katana.
'Dante! Help me!'
In a mere second, Dante appeared in a distorted way as she held the katana, Himezuru-sa.
"As you wish," her voice came out distorted, too.
"What?! A cursed gear?!" I heard the kind looking woman say in surprise.
As I kept running down the hill, I tripped up nearly at the end, resulting in me falling upon the entrance to the broken city in front of me.
I bit my bottom lip, 'Why? Why are you so mean...Yu? I wanted to he left alone and here you go, wanting me to be found and saved.'
Looking up from the snow, I saw some unknown figure in the mist of the city as the morning sun rose.
Squinting my eyes to see what it is, my body and lips quivered in fear of whatever it was that was killing someone.
Then, the unknown creature noticed me.
My body remained still as it came towards me.
I closed my eyes, 'Wh-why can't I move? Is this what fear...of dying feels like? Should I go back? No, it's best..if I die. Yu hates me, but he doesn't know it.'
The creature stopped in front of me and was about to strike me, but I heard metal being struck instead.
Slowly opening my eyes, I looked up to see Dante holding it back with Himezuru-sa.
She glanced behind her, "What are you doing?! Your acception of me means you want to live! Isn't that why you want to become stronger?! Don't answer my question now, just run!"
I already began to run at my inhuman speed, so those women soldiers couldn't see me or pinpoint my location.
'He can't see me like this...No, he can't.'
~Tiny Time Skip~
By the time I stepped in front of a broken down building, I hadn't realize it was the orphanage until I walked inside and closed the door behind me.
Looking around the room, the room was scattered with broken glass from the windows.
Going to a closet, I opened it and pulled out my black suitcase I brought when I went out to go get the things that were remaining in my room.
As I moved about in the room, gathering anything useful to me, a memory came back to me.
-Flashback..within a flashback v-
"Hey, where ya goin'?" Mika asked me.
I peaked my left eye from behind the door to the orphanage, "Nowhere important..."
Mika placed his hands on his hips, smiling somewhat knowingly, "If it weren't, you wouldn't be going alone."
I creaked the door open to reveal me in black and white flannel shirt, denim pants, and black, knee length boots.
"Do you wish to accompany me, Mikaela?" I asked.
"Geez, you speak so adult-like, I sometimes wonder if you were reincarnated and your soul was placed in a child's body," he spoke, approaching me, "But my answer to you is yes because I don't want you getting hurt."
Pink lightly dusted my cheeks, matching the cool, mid-November sky, and I nodded.
"Hey! Where are you both going?" Akane asked us.
"Just for a stroll, nothing too important. We'll be back before sundown!" he explained to her before closing the door.
I gently grabbed his left hand with my right, carefully pulling him in the direction of where I needed to go.
Mika smiled at me, "It's to be expected. You're half vampire and half human; I'd expect you to act differently than normal, humans l children."
Glancing behind me, I shook my head 'no', "I was not always this mature and responsible, it happened after my father died. My mother was so distraught that I had to take care of her sometimes when she didn't have the strength."
"How nice, you had to be strong for her and vice versa. I wish..I had a mother like that," he said...He may have had a small smile on his face, but he sounded so sad.
"Let us not think about it and have a nice, quiet walk to our destination," I said, rubbing my right cheek against his left hand that I brought up to my face.
He giggled, "You may be adulterated, but you sure do give needed affection."
Nodding, I enjoyed the nice, autumn breeze, hearing a few cicadas cry since it was about to end soon.
~20 MIN Time Skip~
Treading up a forested mound, I almost slipped and fell on the dewey grass until the hand I held gripped mines tightly, holding me in place.
"Be careful, Miss Vampire," Mika teased, then pulled me up to carry me in his arms.
Red spread across my cheeks, "M-Mika, put me down. I can walk myself. I don't want you to have a chance of falling because of me."
"You're actually a lightweight, Sayo. And even if you weren't a lightweight, I would still carry you," he spoke with a soft smile.
"...Being too nice could get you killed," I said, and he took it as my approval of letting him carry me up the mound.
With me in his arms, Mika had to tread more carefully due to sharp twigs and rocos, and unknown animals that lay in dark areas.
'Mika forgets he's human, yet he takes these risks...No, all humans take extreme risks to determine their future. An example is..my father, who...'
My eyes closed on instinct. I couldn't finish my thought since the memory of him sacrificing himself for my mother and I brought too much pain.
Feeling a light breeze and hearing the trees swish soundly, I fluttered my eyes open to see my house not far ahead.
It had some black burns tainting the once pristine white and ash around it.
"Wait here."
Jumping out of Mika's arms, I ran towards my house at a inhuman pace. I entered it, not wanting to look at anything that made me remember my parents and the good times we had.
Entering my room, I saw that nothing was damaged and went straight to my closet, getting a large suit case and putting some of my wearable clothes and shoes inside since I had some at the orphanage.
Passing my balcony's double doors, I noticed Mika staring a the withered cherry blossom tree near it.
I opened the doors and stood on the tips of my toes to look over the rail, and at him.
"..Mika?"
He came out of his daze and looked up at me with a small smile, "Yeah?"
I shook my head slowly, "I don't need your sympathy. Everyone dies sometime in their life."
His eyes lowered out of worry, "You're so emotionless, Sayomi. How could the site of your home..not make you sad?"
Sensing his discontent, I dropped my suit case on the green-brown grass, which made thump and made Mika flinch.
I jumped on the rails and off the rails to land in front of him. I startled him a bit since I suddenly appeared in his field of vision.
My eyes slightly widened at the liquid that silently fell from his eyes as he kept on smiling, trying to stay positive.
"Mika..why are you crying?"
He leaned his forehead against mine as he gently pulled me into his embrace, which felt comfortable and warm.
"If you won't cry...then I'll cry for you," he whispered.
Relaxing in his embrace, I rubbed his back in soothing circles with my left palm and raked my fingers through his sandy blond locks of hair.
"...All the time we spent up to now, what we shared was surely...warm enough to know you care for me," I said, closing my eyes.
-Flashback Ends..within a Flashback dx-
I opened my eyes again to only be confronted-not by blue, cat-like eyes-but bright, inhumane gold eyes.
Looking around me, I saw that I was in a snowfield and...my house..that still looked the same the day I visited with Mika wasn't far away.
"This will be our refuge. It's not much, but I'll be sure to fix the house as soonas I can," Dante spoke to me. "If you're wondering why my voice sounds distorted, it's because Ihaven'tmanifested this longhere
I nodded in understanding, staring up ahead blandly as we walked towards the house, her left hand intertwined with my small right one.
She picked me up once we got near the patio door, glass piano, and a once whitish black picnic table with three blackish brown chairs.
She entered the white, brown, and black living room. A whole in the white ceiling of the living room could be seen. There is one long couch section that curves, a flat screen TV, and a broken glass table between the two. Parallel to it is the kitchen, but the black door blocked the view of what was inside. Next to it is the white and black marble staircase. Behind the couch is a burnt brown dining set and next to it is a supply closet.
Dante let go of my hand and smiled down at me, "I will be back. I have to go get you something edible to eat."
Nodding again, a small frown crossed her lips, but it was quickly replaced with a small smile, and she turned around to walk out.
Her wings spread and she took off, leaving me alone in the broken home.
Taking my bag off my shoulders, I sat on the torn and burnt couch, I took out a picture I grabbed in the orphanage.
It was a picture of all the kids and the Instructor at Hyakuya Orphanage, smiling happily, welcoming the newcomer.
A very tiny smile ghosted upon my lips as I stared at the frowning, emerald green eyed boy.
Placing it on a steady part of the glass table, I grabbed for the knife and one of three canned rare beef.
Carefully carving the top off, I ate a piece, hoping it would satisfy my hunger for now; unfortunately, I didn't know it was expired...I threw the can out of a cracked window in disgust, which made the glass fall.
Quietly sighing, I jumped off the couch and head upstairs...refusing to look at the family pictures as I walked up each step.
The white hallway with two crystal chandeliers above remained the same. Passing by two rooms, I slowly entered the one at the end of the hallway.
Entering my room, I glanced around to see that everything remained the same from four years ago.
I walked to my bed, and fell down on it...
"...I'm...here...I-I'm..h-here..." I sobbed.
Screaming, crying, sobbing, and cracking in voice filled the empty house...
The empty house where I had no one to come home to.
-Flashback Ends-
*Knock Knock*
"My lady, are you ready to go?" I heard Carmen's voice on the other side of my bedroom door.
Perking up, I stared at myself in the wardrobe mirror, placing my left hand on my left side.
Scrutinizing the short, black and dark lilac kimono, black finger-less gloves, and long, black boots with silver blades on the back of the ankles, I sighed, rubbed my right hand through my vanilla brown hair to make sure there was no more black dye.
'To think this was a girl in a livestock uniform drenched in blood who was lost and felt like dying is an understatement when you look at her today. In this very mirror, she looks like a true Queen.'
"Um...my Queen?"
I smiled, "Yeah..I'm ready!"
(This whole chapter was mostly a flashback, but reader-chan/kun did get the slip on Yu's P.O.V and what happened after Sayomi escaped Sanguinem! By the way, the title 'I Am Your Queen' means what Sayomi had and has to go through to become a strong Queen.)