Archive of Our Own ^beta

It doesn’t register at first.

Yuu is standing there, in front of Mika, and he looks fine. Despite the battle raging around them, despite the trials and tribulations that have gotten them to this point, Yuu is the same as he has always been. He’s even smiling. He is absolutely fine.

When Mika’s eyes travel lower, he hardly notices the blade sticking out of his chest.

It doesn’t register.

Everything is still, quiet. Mika can’t hear the screams of the other squad members, or the roar of blades clashing in the distance, or the thunder of an approaching storm. Mika can’t see the world around him, the gore and death, the angry color of the sky. His entire world is minimized to the man standing in front of him, staring into him more intensely than anyone ever has before. Yuu is even smiling at him. Like everything is going to be ok.

When the assailant wretches his blade from Yuu’s chest, the world resumes.

Mika is moving before he knows it, and he doesn’t even think when he decapitates the man standing before him. He doesn’t hear the others telling him to stop, doesn’t hear his blade cutting through bone and sinew. He doesn’t feel the spray of blood on his face, or the thirst that should accompany it. What he does hear is Yuu’s body hitting the ground.

Mika is with him in a second, his own blade tossed aside, and the boy is cradled in his arms. Yuu isn’t smiling any more. He isn’t looking at Mika. He isn’t breathing. He isn’t doing anything.

And it finally registers.

The sound of the distant battle is only a hum when Mika looks up at the others. All five of them stand there, eyes blown wide and filled with tears. Some look at the boy in Mika’s arms. Some look over to the body laying next to them.

When Mika turns his head to look at it, it registers that he is the one who killed him.

Lieutenant Colonel Guren Ichinose is dead.

Mika can’t even make himself feel glad.

Mika looks back down at Yuu, finally with eyes that can see clearly. Yuu is cold and still and lifeless in his grasp. Lifeless. Dead.

Yuu is dead.

He’s dead, and Mika can’t make himself feel anything. He touches Yuu’s face gently, as if the boy can give him some clarity. But Yuu doesn’t respond. Because he’s gone.

“Mika,” someone behind him says. Probably Shinoa. She sounds broken .

“Mika,” she repeats, taking a step forward. “We...we have to go.”

Mika can hear the others, some stifling sobs, others not bothering to hold it in at all.

Shouldn’t Mika feel broken too? Shouldn’t Mika have tears streaming down his face and curses pouring from his mouth? Shouldn’t he be screaming and begging Yuu to wake up? Shouldn’t he feel something ?

“Come on,” Shinoa tries again, and Mika can tell that she’s crying. “Let’s go.”

Behind her, Yoichi crumples to the ground.

Mika doesn’t answer her. He just keeps looking at Yuu’s lifeless face, wondering why he feels so empty. If only Yuu would wake up and tell him the answer.

“We’ll be killed if we stay here.”

It doesn’t matter, Mika thinks. Nothing matters anymore. Being killed actually doesn’t sound too bad. Maybe Yuu would be waiting for him.

Shinoa places a tentative hand on his shoulder before beginning to pull on his arm. Mika can tell she isn’t using all of her strength, but it doesn’t matter. There is no force on earth that could get him to drop Yuu from his arms.

“Just leave him. Just fucking leave him.”

“Kimizuki-”

“You think Yuu would want this?” Kimizuki shouts at Mika’s back. “You think he would want you to just give up?! He would want you to keep going! You fucking coward!”

Mika says nothing. Kimizuki has a point; Yuu would want them to keep living. Perhaps they’ll leave as long as Mika stays quiet.

Shinoa stops her attempts to pull Mika away. Her hand falls limply back to her side. She walks and kneels down next to the body in Mika’s arm.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, looking into Yuu’s face. “I think you were the only one who could save him.”

Mika doesn’t ask who she’s talking about; he already knows.

And she’s right.

Eventually, Shinoa stands and leaves both of them behind. She instructs the squad to retreat. After initial protests and shouting, the rest listen. And Yuu and Mika are left behind.

Mika feels like he should be glad that they decided to leave; at least they’ll be safe. But the emptiness inside of him is all consuming, and he feels nothing when he wipes Shinoa’s tears from Yuu’s face.

“Absolutely tragic.”

Mika doesn’t flinch at the sudden voice behind him. He expected it in a way. Ferid Bathory always seemed to be present when his family was killed.

“It seems that nasty Colonel killed your princess,” Ferid continues. “But you seemed to have dealt with him rather quickly.”

Ferid circles Mika like a predator, and Mika doesn’t feel the disgust or anger he should.

“Your last tie to humanity has been severed,” Ferid says. “Can you feel it? The apathy? The ever increasing nothingness? Now you know why I get so bored all the time.”

Ferid stops his movements right in front of Mika, standing patiently. Mika doesn’t want to look away from Yuu, but he looks up at Ferid anyway. Ferid is smiling.

“There’s no use in waiting any longer,” Ferid says. “It’s time to let go, Mikaela.”

Those words stir something in Mika’s gut, and a voice whispers softly inside of him.

Let go.

Mika wants to ask why, what the point would be. If he’s doomed to a life of apathy, then the least he can do is rob Ferid of the fruition of his plans.

Let go and I’ll give him back to you.

That gets Mika’s attention.

Mika lets Yuu slip from his arms as he stands, eyes still locked on the vampire before him. Ferid’s eyes are practically glowing with satisfaction.

Let go and I’ll give it all back to you.

Mika’s back arches, bones shifting and breaking beneath the skin. The rain has finally begun to fall and Ferid is laughing.

And Mika finally lets go.

________________________________________________________

The squad is nearly a mile away when a pillar of light breaks through the sky.

They turn, eyes wide as the beam illuminates the downpour, cracking through the silence like a lightning strike. No one needs to tell them that it is emanating from where they had left their comrades behind.

Shinoa steps closer, something like hope turning in her chest.

When the light dissipates, something inhuman has emerged. It is like light itself, brilliant and blinding and impossible to look away from. Its wings are massive and golden, unfurling to their full length. Shinoa feels tears run down her cheeks at the awesome sight.

“What is that thing?” Mitsuba asks reverently.

Shinoa knows.

“Michaela.”

________________________________________________________

Michaela knows His purpose.

He has been sleeping for thousands of years, waiting for the moment when He would be called forward. He slept and watched and longed for when He could finally wake. And now He has. Now His purpose may be fulfilled. Michaela knows who He is.

The Defender of Humanity.

Golden eyes drift to the vampire before Him, and the pitiful creature is shaking in awe.

“Ah,” the vampire says, “Ah ha, after all of this time...I’ve finally done it...”

Michaela turns to him, and the vampire falls to his knees. A tear escapes down his cheek.

“I finally feel...”

He tapers off into quiet laughter, eyes filled with madness. Michaela advances.

“Vampire,” Michaela says. “Your crimes against humanity are great and shall not go unpunished.”

The vampire’s laughter only grows hysterical, even as he stares up into the face of the archangel looming over him. He his still laughing when the angel rips his heart from his chest and crushes it in His hand.

The vampire turns to ash. Justice has been delivered.

Michaela turns to survey the battle taking place before Him. Humans are perishing in a fight that can never be won. Michaela can be the one to end it. He shall. He takes a step forward.

Please.

Michaela pauses. He can hear the voice of His host calling out to Him.

Please, save him.

Michaela warns that the cost is great. That in order to restore life, life must be taken.

I don’t care. He’s the only one that matters.

Michaela asks if the boy will be willing to take on the burden, to accept responsibility for the lives given in exchange.

Yes, anything. Please. Save him now.

There is nothing else Michaela can say. He will grant the boy’s request. Because Michaela knows who He is.

The Defender of Human Love.

Michaela gathers the human’s corpse into His arms, clearing hair from his face with a gentle hand.

“It is time for you to wake,” Michaela says.

Then, the archangel puts His mouth to his and bestows upon him the Breath of Life.

________________________________________________________

Yuu wakes up.

He can feel something heavy and warm weighing on his chest, and as he cracks his eyes open he is greeted with the sight of blonde hair. Fuzzy memories rush back to him all at once.

“Mika!” Yuu cries out. He flips the boy off of him and onto the ground. Yuu brushes some blonde hair out of his face, but Mika’s eyes don’t open. He’s absolutely still.

Yuu struggles to keep himself from panicking as memories flood back into him. The battle they were meant to take part in. The confrontation with Guren. Pain exploding in his chest. Red, terrified eyes. And then nothing.

Remembering Guren, Yuu manages to look away from Mika, searching for sign of anyone else. To his right lies a body, only present from the neck down. The uniform already tells Yuu who the corpse belongs to, but the head located a few feet away is brutal confirmation.

Yuu screws his eyes shut and turns away, struggling to keep himself from vomiting. He feels his breath shorten as a nauseating amount of emotions toil in his stomach. After a few steadying breaths, Yuu opens his eyes. There are more important things at hand.

“Mika,” Yuu says again, thumb brushing along Mika’s cheek gently.

He may not remember everything that happened after being stabbed, but he knows that Mika has to be alright. He has to be. Because Yuu doesn't know how he'll go on if he's not.

Yuu dips his head closer to Mika’s parted lips, listening for any sign of life. A warm puff of air tickles the shell of his ear, and the relief Yuu feels is almost dizzying. He's breathing.

Yuu lowers his head entirely onto Mika's chest, the knowledge that's he's ok enough to make Yuu want to curl up and sleep for days. But another sound catches his attention. Something beating within the blonde’s chest. Yuu’s fingers curl into Mika’s uniform as he pushes his head closer, making sure his ears aren’t deceiving him.

Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

Steady. Strong. Real.

A heartbeat. Something a vampire doesn’t have.

Mika’s not just breathing. He is alive .

Yuu isn’t sure whether he wants to laugh or cry. He decides on both; Yuu’s mouth curves upwards, a low chuckle escaping his lips, as tears spill down his cheeks. His fingers go lax and he slips his eyes shut, the rhythmic beating of Mika’s heart drowning out every other thought in his head.

“Yuu?”

Yuu opens his eyes at the voice, and Shinoa is standing there with tears of her own staining her face. Behind her, the others are close behind, jogging to catch up. Yuu looks up at her and smiles, wide and brilliant.

“He’s alive,” Yuu whispers. “He’s alive .”

________________________________________________________

Mika always thought he would end up giving his life for Yuu.

There was no other way he wanted to go; no other way that was worth going. Yuu’s life was undeniably more important than his own, and Mika belonged to him wholeheartedly. So when the Seraph demanded his life in exchange for a miracle, Mika gave it up gladly.

The only thing Mika was not expecting to do was wake up.

Mika woke up in a hospital bed, almost three days later. He was confused, dazed, and only vaguely aware of everything that had happened. His body ached and he felt weak in a way he hadn’t in a very long time. But when he opened his eyes for the first time, Yuu was sitting next to him, alive and well, and Mika had never felt more elated.

Mika asked Yuu if they were both dead, to which the other boy laughed. No, they were not dead. They were both alive and well.

They were both alive and human.

It didn’t seem real at first. Even when Yuu handed him a glass of water and it was able to soothe the ache in his throat. Even when the doctor came in and showed him his own heartbeat on the monitor. Even when he saw his reflection in the mirror, blue eyes staring back at him. It all felt like some kind of dream. Too good to be true.

“When the Seraph was activated,” the doctor explained, “the vampiric genes were purified from your body. Not only did you resurrect Yuu, you resurrected yourself.”

Memories of what happened once the Seraph was activated were fuzzy in Mika’s mind. He couldn’t quite remember everything, but bits and pieces were coming to him slowly. He remembers the feeling of wings sprouting from his back. He remembers how small the world seemed in comparison to the angel’s magnificence. He remembers Ferid’s crazed laughter, and the moment that laughter ceased. And he remembers begging for the angel to bring Yuu back to him.

Mika isn’t sure whether or not Michaela can hear him, but he thanks the angel in his mind over and over and over again.

But that doesn’t mean Yuu’s resurrection had come without sacrifice.

In order for a life to be restored, life must also be given. Human resurrection is a taboo that has a heavy cost. When a human decides to break that taboo, all humans must pay.

And, apparently, when a vampire decides to break that taboo, all vampires must pay.

“You saved everyone,” Yuu had said when Mika asked. “You saved the world. ”

Yuu told him about what happened during the battle. The fight was brutal and bloody, and the humans were being slaughtered left and right. The vampires were simply too strong. But then something emerged in a pillar of light, far from the battle but close enough to be seen by all. Fighting halted as the sight was taken in. And suddenly, one by one, vampires began dropping dead.

It took the humans a moment to realize what was happening, but once they did, the fight was over quickly. Nearly ninety percent of all the vampires present were reduced to ash by some unseen force, and those that survived were able to be killed quickly in the confusion. Of course, some had escaped, but none had tried attacking again. The remaining vampires had scattered, and bloodshed had finally ceased. For now.

Mika hadn’t said much at this point, only blinking dumbly at the torrent of information. There was no way it could be true. There was no way he had done any of that, advertently or inadvertently. Mika wasn’t supposed to get a happy ending. He wasn’t meant to live through it all, to be the hero of the story. Yuu was supposed to live, and he was supposed to die, and all would be right. He couldn’t process things going another way. He felt almost as numb as when he had held Yuu’s corpse in his arms.

But soon enough Mika had more visitors. A swift knock on the door was followed by several familiar faces sticking their heads into the room. Shinoa came in first, followed by Yoichi and Mitsuba and Kimizuki and Narumi, all shuffling nervously by the doorway. Yoichi held a bouquet of flowers in his hand. They all were in civilian clothing, and they all looked at Mika with sympathy and relief in their eyes.

And the dam finally broke.

Mika wept with a torrent of emotions he didn’t think he would ever feel again. His chest tightened and tears spilled down his face as his brain tried to sort out everything he was feeling. Happiness. Grief. Gratitude. Remorse. Unexplainable and irrevocable love .

No one had expected Mika to react as violently as he did, not even Mika himself. Yuu jumped up from his side and began stuttering frantically, whipping his head from Mika to the others repeatedly. The rest of the squad stiffened, seemingly as unsure as Yuu about what to do. Shinoa was the only one to remain relatively calm.

“Wow, Mika,” she said with a smile. “Is it really so awful to see us that you have to cry about it?”

And Mika laughed when she said that. He laughed and he cried, his breath falling short and his body shaking with emotion. Four years of repressed emotion swelled into him, and it felt incredible and terrifying and exhilarating and everything else it possibly could all it once. But it was ok, because Mika felt it all. He felt , and that was reward enough.

Mika eventually calmed down enough to speak.

“Thank you,” he said in a wobbly voice. Then he smiled in a way that had everyone stunned once again. Previously, Yuu was the only one to know what a genuine smile from Mika actually looked like.

Mika may or may not have cried a little bit more while catching up with everyone, but they all permitted it. Afterall, Yoichi cried a little bit too. They had all felt like crying.

The flowers were placed in a vase next to the hospital bed, and the squad decided to clear out in order to allow Yuu and Mika sometime to themselves. There were a few suggestive winks from Shinoa and an eyeroll from Kimizuki, but soon enough they all left, closing the door behind them. For the first since he woke up, Mika and Yuu are alone.

Yuu releases a sigh and sits himself down on the bed, looking into Mika’s face with sparkling eyes. Yuu’s unabashed adoration makes Mika’s face heat up, but he can’t bear to look away from Yuu.

“I can’t believe this is real,” Yuu says with a chuckle.

“Me either,” Mika says, and he takes Yuu’s hand simply because he can. “We were never supposed to all make it.”

Yuu’s eyes lose some light. “Well, not all of us made it...”

Mika is confused for a moment before he remembers the final battle. What he did.

“Oh,” he says, and a familiar feeling of guilt curls inside him. “Yuu, I’m sorry-”

“It’s ok,” Yuu says. His gaze is steady on Mika’s face. “I know it had to be done. Everything happened the way it was supposed to.”

Mika nods, but the guilt is still present within him. He tries to look away, but Yuu shifts closer on the bed and grips Mika’s hand a fraction more tightly.

“I should really be thanking you,” he says, “for bringing me back to life and stuff.”

Mika huffs out a laugh. “That sort of just happened, I didn’t really...”

Mika trails off as he stares at Yuu. His eyes. His smile. The strong curve of his shoulders. The roughness of his hand in Mika’s. He’s almost too beautiful to look at.

“I’m so happy I did,” Mika whispers. “I don’t know how I could survive without you.”

Yuu blushes and looks away for a moment, but his smile is brilliant when he looks back into Mika’s face. Mika’s heart thuds in his chest, and the intensity of some unexplained emotion almost steals his breath.

“Do you remember?” Yuu asks. “Saving me? Or anything from when the Seraph activated?”

Mika shakes his head, trying to clear the muddy memories in his mind.

“It’s mostly a blur,” Mika admits.

“Really?” Yuu whines. “Shinoa says she saw what you did to save me, but she won’t say what! I really want to know how you did it! Are you sure you don’t remember anything?”

Yuu’s earnest expression prompts Mika to close his eyes, trying to focus on anything from that night. He remembers begging the angel to bring Yuu back. He remembers the angel holding Yuu’s body in his arms. He remembers how the angel touched Yuu’s face, right before he bent down and-

Mika’s eyes snap open as he remembers, and his cheeks burn with the realization.

Yuu’s head is cocked adorably to the side when Mika looks back at him, and Mika swallows his nerves.

“I remember,” he says after a moment.

Yuu’s face lights up like a Christmas tree, and he bounces up and down on the bed.

“Alright! Tell me, tell me!” he shouts, and Mika puts his hands on his shoulders to get him to stop jostling the bed frame.

“Ok, ok,” Mika says. But, honestly, what is he going to say?

Yuu is staring at Mika expectantly, green eyes wide, mouth slightly parted. He moves to puts his hands on top of Mika’s, and the warmth is almost searing on Mika’s skin. He is so, so beautiful .

“I’ll show you,” Mika says. “I can show you what I did.”

“Really?” Yuu asks with disbelief.

Mika nods his head. “But you have to close your eyes.”

Yuu’s expression falls and his hands drop back to his lap. “What? How am I supposed to see it?”

Yuu’s pouting expression sends a wave of nostalgia coursing through Mika, and he laughs lightly.

“Just trust me,” Mika says. “Close your eyes.”

Yuu sighs loudly, but finally acquiesces. He sits up straight, eyes slipping shut, and Mika almost laughs again at the determination on his face. His eyes fall to Yuu’s lips, and he swallows nervously.

Mika lets his hands slide down from Yuu’s shoulders in order to rest on his arms as he shifts closer to Yuu on the bed. Yuu’s expression softens, and Mika’s heart starts pounding when his mouth naturally parts. Mika leans in further until he can feel Yuu’s breath against his lips. He feels it when Yuu gasps as he senses the proximity. But Yuu still doesn’t open his eyes. That is as much motivation as Mika needs. Mika steels himself, letting his eyes shut, and he leans forward until his mouth is pressing gently against Yuu’s.

Mika keeps the contact for only a few seconds before he leans back. When he opens his eyes again, Yuu’s face is a mask of shock, his eyes wide and cheeks a brilliant shade of red. His body has gone rigid and he doesn’t even look like he’s breathing. Mika is stabbed with the the thought that he just made a horrible mistake.

“I’m sorry,” Mika says quickly. He looks down at his hands, eyes stinging. “I shouldn’t have-”

But he isn’t able to finish before Yuu is roughly grabbing his face and kissing him soundly. Mika doesn’t even close his eyes, and Yuu isn’t so much kissing him as he is violently smushing their mouths together. Yuu pulls back, keeping his hands on Mika’s cheeks, and his face is flushed from the neck up.

“I love you,” he says. Mika’s breath catches in his throat.

Then, as if just realizing what he’s said, Yuu turns away bashfully. But he never lets Mika go.

“S-so,” he stammers, “don’t be sorry.”

Mika blinks at him. His brain has seemingly shut down again.

“I don’t know what to say,” Mika admits.

Yuu looks back at him, a little more composed this time. “You could say that you love me too, idiot.”

Yuu’s words cause Mika’s brain to catch up to the situation. His stomach drops as the emotions pour into him. Of course he knows what to say.

“I love you, too,” Mika says, and he lunges forward, crushing Yuu to his chest. “I love you so much.”

“Oh,” Yuu says by his ear, and Mika can hear the smile in his voice. “Good.”

Mika laughs and buries his head into Yuu’s neck, breathing in the scent of him. Then he pulls back, staring into Yuu’s eyes for just a moment, before pulling him in and crashing their lips together again.

They kiss like it’s impossible to stop, like they might die if they do, and Mika can’t imagine ever going back to a time before this. Before Yuu’s hands tangled into his hair, or Yuu’s mouth swallowing each of his gasps, or Yuu’s murmured “I love you”s every time they momentarily part. How could Mika ever live without this again? And, oh god, is he crying again? Or maybe it’s Yuu who’s crying. It doesn’t matter to Mika. Because he is here in Yuu’s arms and he is finally, finally home .

As it turns out, it is possible for them to stop. They both startle apart from each other as they hear murmured snickering coming from the hospital room door. Both Mika and Yuu look over, still catching their breath, and see the door cracked open slightly. Five pairs of eyes are staring at them.

“Finally,” Shinoa says with a smirk. Her head is just slightly sticking into the room. “Who knew all it would take is one of you dying in order for you two to finally stop being so oblivious?”

No one says anything for a solid few seconds. Then Yuu’s face goes darker than any shade Mika has seen so far.

“SHINOA!” he screams.

“Uh oh,” Shinoa giggles, before turning and bolting down the hall. Yuu is right on her heels, launching himself from the bed and chasing after her through the open doorway. All that can be heard is Shinoa’s distant laughter and Yuu shouting “I’M GOING TO KILL YOU” as they run through the hospital corridors. The rest of the squad turns their eyes from the hall back to Mika, varying degrees of smugness and excitement on their faces. All of them are blushing. Mika is blushing the hardest.

Mika rolls over and groans into his pillow, but he can hear the rest of the squad chortling behind him. He won’t chastise them. He’s too busy smiling like an idiot into his bed sheets.

Truly, what did Mika do to deserve a happily ever after such as this?