Chapter Text
He was free. He could leave it behind, the darkness, the white tiles and the cold; he could live. He could still hear Mika's voice urging him to. There were people living peacefully in that city on the horizon, there had to be. He could stay there among them and forget everything about the last four years of his life. He wanted that life desperately and yet-
We’re family.
And yet he couldn’t leave.
Before he’d even caught sight of the sun he was stumbling back through that god forsaken tunnel, an adrenaline filled cry clawing its way up his throat. The fear that had drenched his every thought and movement was only intensifying, but despite it (or perhaps because of it) he continued rushing forward, straight back into hell.
He would escape, and he would do it with Mikaela.
(even if the voice in the back of his mind screamed that it was too late)
He was holding Mika to his chest, biting back sobs and whispering happy memories into his ear when a young girl, with eyes that looked just a little too old and a smile that seemed just a little too sweet, waltzed in. The pinkette made a beeline for ferid, mouth splitting into a venomous grin at the sight of his injured form. Those too-old eyes raked over the two boys. Her grin grew impossibly wider.
‘My my, now this is a surprise.’
Yuu could only stare as she approached and dipped a finger into the steadily growing pool of Mikaela’s blood.
‘What is the meaning of this, Ferid Bathory?’
It was then that the fallen noble sat up, appearing much too giddy for a man that had been shot dead just a few moments prior. Yuu’s eyes widened in horror. The one positive outcome of the evening, the death of a monster, keeping the children's rebellion from being a complete failure disappeared in an instant.
Yuuichirou's family was dead because he hadn’t been strong enough to protect them, and now it would seem their killer was still alive because he hadn’t even been capable of killing him properly!
‘If it isn’t her majesty Krul Tepes, the Vampire Queen herself!’
Vampire Queen.
Thats what ferid called her, isn’t it? Queen: the one in charge of everything. He knew it was impossible, but if he could kill this girl, it would all be over. Everyone could be free. If he could kill this girl, all of this might even be worth it. He had to try.
A million different plans raced through his mind at once. None of them would work, not against someone so strong as the queen surely was. Mika was usually the one who came up with these sorts of things. But Mika was busy bleeding out and Yuu’s own head was busy buzzing with impossibilities.
He would have to go with blind recklessness, then.
Yuuichirou stared across to where the two adults were. The idea of getting anywhere near them terrified him. Aside from their inhumanly fast movements (were they fighting?) and razor sharp teeth, they emanated a certain aura that had every muscle in Yuuichirou's body screaming to run, far and fast as his legs would carry him.
It wasn’t until the dust had settled and Ferid was saying his farewells, waving his newly dismembered arm (an action so absurd it would have been funny if not for the situation), that the black-haired boy finally dredged up enough courage to stand, and hopefully maybe say something. Tepes’ attention snapped immediately back to him.
‘Ah, I’d almost forgotten. Boy, are you unharmed?’
Despite his best efforts, when the Queen spoke Yuu could only stare, frozen just halfway to his full height. Those sanguine eyes were pining him down and he couldn't have made a sound if he'd tried from the sheer terror of it. Having received no response, The queen gave a quick tut before returning her gaze to the beaming figure behind her.
‘Ferid, take it back to the rest of the humans.’ she commanded, gesturing vaguely to Yuu. ‘And,’ she grimaced. ‘Do try not to harm it irreparably on the way.’
He choked out a laugh before he could stop himself. Suddenly, his courage and anger was rushing back in full force. ‘Try not to kill me, you mean?’ Now she wanted him alive? Was this meant as some kind of paltry mercy?
A scathing glare was shot at him. ‘Boy, your friend lays dying behind you. Do you truly wish to nag at such a time?’
That statement drew Yuu up short. What did that mean? It probably meant nothing, yet something about the way she'd phrased it made it sound as though she could – no – she was willing to save Mikaela. However even if she was, to leave him alone with her… That was a risk he wouldn’t take.
But the little voice was back, whispering that she was right, and he mightn’t have a choice.
He didn’t want to leave his last remaining family, not again. But Mika was losing blood far too fast and losing consciousness even quicker. Yuu knew nothing about medical care. On his own, he didn’t stand a chance. But this woman, bloodsucker or not, seemed to think she did.
When he locked eyes with the blond, who was currently sporting a poor attempt at a reassuring expression, he knew that was enough.
The last he heard of Mikaela was a horrific wail of agony, the sound echoing down the halls as he was escorted from the room.
He couldn’t find it in himself to do anything besides trace the beams of the ceiling with his eyes. Any other day he might have been sat at the table about now (the nicest piece of furniture in their home), eagerly gobbling down Akane’s dish of the day (whatever she’d managed to scrape together). Maybe they would’ve shared some of the kids’ latest adventures or discussed the newest awful flavour of the food pouches. Either way, there would have been laughter. They would have been happy. Instead, he was left behind in a house brimming with silence, a deafening reminder that they were dead, and he was alive, and he would never know that laughter again.
Yuu briefly thought about giving up. It would be easy, really. So terrifyingly easy. It would only take a well-timed remark about a noble’s incompetency or a stroll just a little too close to one of the many off-limits areas of the city. He would be gone before he could even blink.
No matter how tempting, those thoughts were snuffed as soon as they had crossed his mind. Mikaela could still be alive. And if he wasn’t, he still had a gun with a certain silver-haired bastard’s name on it. In one way or another, his family still needed him. He couldn’t afford to die.
None of that made it any easier to sleep.
Somewhere in a grand old building crawling with fanged beasts with ruby red eyes, a little boy lay eerily still before a towering throne.