6: Painfully Good

"Mika, are you awake?" Yuichiro Hyakuya asked in a low voice as he knocked gently on the door to his brother's room after looking around to make sure no one else was around.

It was past ten and the rest of the squad had retired to their rooms for the night once they had finished cleaning up after dinner. It was normal for them to be asleep by that hour and be up by around seven for breakfast before heading out into the village and surrounding areas to work, though Shinoa and Mitsuba would get up an hour earlier to cook for them.

Most of the girls' work was around the house and in the village while the guys' were hunting monsters and animals for food as well as any repair work the villagers asked of them. The only exception were Yuu and Mika. The 'Hyakuya Brothers', as the villagers called them, were almost never seen apart from each other. And though they performed none of the work the other members of Shiona's Squad did, no one complained so long as they, or specifically Mikaela, did not cause any trouble.

Now that he was a complete vampire, he could no longer hide the obvious traits of his kind, such as his pointed ears and ruby-red eyes, even though he tried his best to keep his mouth shut in public at all times to hide his fangs.

It was obvious the villagers feared and distrusted Mikaela; they were even suspicious of Yuichiro as well because he was almost always seen with the blond vampire. And even though Yuu appeared to be completely human, the villagers could sense that there was more to him than meets the eye due to the vibes he gave off.

Knowing this, the brothers thought it best that they do not venture into the village unless it was truly necessary to avoid frightening the people there, for unknown to them, Mika needed to be near Yuu as much as possible in case the demon within his brother took control of his mind and body. The rest of Shinoa's Squad could only stop Yuu if they were armed but Mika did not need to be. He was strong enough to restrain Yuu with his bare hands should he ever transform suddenly, which made him an invaluable member of the squad. Not to mention that they could use another skilled swordsman in addition to Yuichiro and Kimizuki.

After waiting for a moment in silence, Yuu breathed a quiet sigh of relief when he saw the door open and Mika standing before him on the other side. To avoid drawing the attention of the vampires or Demon Army as well as blending in with the villagers, everyone in the squad wore civilian clothes when venturing outside, the only exception being while they were hunting monsters.

Yuu and Mika were both dressed in casual dress shirts as well as slacks; the vampire did not change into his sleepwear because he was expecting a visit from his brother. It was normal for Yuu to visit his room at this hour of the night or vice versa because he felt that it was his obligation to provide Mika with sustenance since constantly watching over him was a tiring chore for the vampire even though he never uttered a word of complaint.

Mika said nothing but made a silent gesture for his brother to come in. As soon as he closed the door behind him, Yuu asked, "How are you feeling, Mika?"

Mika managed a tired smile before answering, "Same as always, Yuu. I'm hungry."

"You know, you don't have to come to dinner with the rest of us if you don't want to; it would be pointless for you since you can't eat. I know you really don't enjoy being there."

Although Mika tried his best to hide it, his brother could tell that he felt ill at ease sitting at the dinner table with the rest of their squad knowing that he could consume nothing but blood while everyone else around him was eating fruit, meat, bread, butter, desserts, and other things that he could no longer enjoy.

Looking at them made Mika remember how much he missed the taste of real food and how, during the first few months after Krul had changed him, he attempted to consume human food and drink, believing they would sate his thirst for blood, only to find out that he was dead wrong as he threw up anything he attempted to eat or drink asides from blood. Worst still, he couldn't even taste them.

"No, it's all right, Yuu-chan" he said. "I need to be there for our discussions and plans on what to do, especially with you. Even if I cannot eat or drink. My personal comfort is irrelevant."

Yuichiro sighed. He knew it would be pointless to argue with the blond further.

"If you say so, Mika. So shall we begin?"

Mika nodded and stepped aside for Yuu to approach his bed. Feeding him had become a daily, or rather, nightly duty for Yuu, and they found that the most comfortable positions for his feeding sessions were with Yuu either sitting on his bed and leaning against the wall or lying down on it. Which was much more comfortable than the first time Mika took his blood in that run down convenience store back in the city.

After Yuu had removed his shirt and assumed the position he found most comfortable tonight, which was leaning against the wall, he made a beckoning gesture for Mika to come. The vampire obeyed as he climbed on the bed, got on his knees next to Yuu, and gently took his brother by the shoulders after he had cocked his head to the side to give Mika access to his tender neck.

Since they were alone, Yuu preferred to be topless during their feeding sessions to prevent bloodstains from getting on his shirt because he just knew Shinoa would give him hell if she had any idea he was continuing to feed Mika every night like this in secret because the blood of their other squad members was not enough to sate his Mika's thirst. It was times like these that Yuu wished he had an endless supply of blood just so that Mika could feed to his heart's content and without worrying anyone else.

After having done this so many times already, Yuu no longer even flinched when he felt Mika's sharp fangs pierce his skin. The first time his brother bit him, he had expected the pain to be beyond his worst nightmares, but quickly discovered that it wasn't as painful as he had previously thought, quite the opposite.

When first bitten, Yuu had felt a sweet pain in his neck that also felt oddly pleasant as well. Once the fangs settled in, both of them became consumed by a purely blissful, indescribable feeling that touched every nerve of their bodies, a pleasure unlike any he had ever felt. If Yuu were to make a comparison, it would be like…

The pleasure of passion.

The raven-haired boy blushed as he thought about this, grateful that Mika was too distracted by feeding to see how red his face was. Yuu wondered why he thought about that just now. What did he know of passion since he was still a virgin as both Guren and Shinoa delighted in reminding him almost every day? Yuu swore that if he got a nickel for every time his former guardian called him a 'cherry boy', he'd be filthy rich by now.

Not that he actually thought being a virgin was something to be ashamed of; he hardly ever gave love and relationships much thought since he had been so obsessed with exterminating vampires in the four years he and Mika had been separated. But now that he knew his adopted brother was alive and well, he found his mind pondering such thoughts, especially whenever Mika was feeding off of him.

According to vampires (and humans who enter consensual relations with them), the act of drinking blood directly from the source was a very personal and intimate act between both parties. For a vampire to take blood from a human (or another vampire) without consent would be an act of violation akin to rape.

Though Mika could not see his brother's face, he felt Yuu's heart beat faster, his breathing heavier, and his body temperature rise slightly as his blood became hotter in Mika's mouth as well. Though he never said so, Mika knew it was a sign that Yuu was becoming aroused despite his best attempts to keep a groan of pleasure from escaping his lips. Another giveaway was the other boy wrapping his arms around Mika to pull him even closer and gently running his fingers through Mika's soft blond hair, even playing with the tip of his pointed ears, all while being totally unaware of what he was doing.

Strange how he willingly gives me his blood when he used to complain about the vampires taking ours when we were kids. Could it be different with me because we are family? Mika thought as he savored the taste of Yuu's blood on his tongue.

As a seraph (and a virgin), his blood was different from that of ordinary humans like the rest of Shinoa's Squad. Not only was it more filling and satisfying to Mika, Yuu's blood tasted absolutely divine. If he were to make a comparison between his brother's blood and that of the other humans, it would be like comparing water to fine wine.

Though he could technically last a few days without any blood. Mika would be able to protect Yuu and the others best if he was well-nourished for that was when he was at his strongest and they both knew it. But Mika could not help but wonder if Yuu offered his blood to him as often as he did because he enjoyed it as well since he never thought of giving his blood to a vampire as a pleasant experience considering how the vampires took their blood by inserting thick needles into their fragile necks when they were still livestock living in Sanguinem.

But Mika supposed it was different this time since Yuu was giving him his blood because he wanted to, not because he was forced to. They both knew that humans who willingly gave their blood to vampires or entered relationships with them were shunned and looked down upon by other humans. Especially if they did so for money and other favors like Mika did with Ferid Bathory, their former benefactor.

When thinking about the silver-haired vampire lord, Yuu could not help but feel a pang of jealously as he wondered if Mika felt the way Yuu himself did when Ferid was drinking his blood since he too, gave it to the noble of his own free will.

No, that was different. Yuu told himself. Mika only did it because he wanted to provide for me and the rest of our family. He would've never willingly given his blood away like that otherwise. I'm doing this because I want to help Mika, not because I'm getting anything out of it.

Or am I? I know this should be wrong but why does it feel so painfully good?

As he pondered the thought, the raven-haired boy found himself feeling light-headed as a wave of dizziness washed over him. Whenever this happened, Yuu knew that it was time and gave Mika the signal they had agreed upon that told the vampire his doner had given all he could for the night.

Releasing his fingers from Mika's hair, Yuu took his hand and gently patted his brother on the back three times, prompting Mika to release him immediately but not before licking the puncture wounds on his neck clean, causing goosebumps to rise on his skin. To avoid rousing the suspicion of the others, Mika tried biting Yuu someplace different every night, rotating from both sides of his neck and shoulders to the inside of both his wrists so that each part had enough time to heal before being punctured again. Yuu himself did his best to hide the bite marks on his body by wearing collared shirts with long sleeves. So far, their plan had worked since nobody else in the squad, including Shinoa herself, had taken notice or said anything.

"How do you feel?" Mika asked.

"I'm ok. Just a little tired but that's good and all since I'm going to bed soon anyway. I should be fine in the morning."

"Do you need me to help you to your room?"

Yuu laughed softly as he got up and put his shirt back on.

"No, it's ok. I may be a bit tired, but I'm not that weak. And besides, my room is right next to yours, remember?"

"Of course. Let me know if you need anything. Sorry I have to put you through this every night."

Yuu shook his head as he prepared to take his leave.

"It's no bother at all!" he insisted "In fact, it feels go—" Yuu cut himself off when he realized what he was saying. Mika could not help but smile mischievously.

"It feels what, Yuu-chan?" he teased.

Shit, did I just say that out loud? Yuu thought in embarrassment as he scrambled to find the words to cover up his blunder. When he finally found them, he laughed nervously.

"It feels good knowing I can help you in any way I can!"

Though Yuichiro tried to sound as confident as possible, Mikaela knew he wasn't being entirely truthful, but decided to humor his brother and not call him out on it.

"I see… so you'll be back tomorrow? Same time? Or shall I go to your room instead?"

"No, I'll come here! Good night, Mika, sweet dreams!" Yuu cried, hoping Mika could not see how much he was blushing as the room was only dimly-lit by moonlight.

But he knew vampires had sharper senses, including eyesight, than humans. So before Mika could say anything else, Yuu quickly opened the door and darted out of the room as fast as his legs could carry him, trying his best not the slam the door and wake their other friends.

After his brother was gone, Mika could not help but laugh quietly to himself. It felt good to be able to laugh and smile a bit more often than he did while serving in the vampire army. It was almost like he was that cheerful, optimistic, and light-hearted little boy that Yuu became drawn to eight years ago again.

"You'll be back, Yuu-chan. You always do."

A/N: Phew, finally a Yuu and Mika solo snippet! I hope you like this one, I'll try to make a few more in the future even though I like to have the other characters come into play as well. Please, please review and let me know what you think of this one!