Sisters in Arms
"So how are you feeling, Mika?" Shinoa inquired gently, her eyes assessing the young blonde vampire's bare upper arms. Mika had complied with the human girl's request to remove her uniform, now clad only in her undergarments.
It came as no surprise that Mikaela possessed skin as pale as porcelain, a testament to the years spent underground in the vampire city during her human life, alongside her mixed heritage as the daughter of a Russian father and a Japanese mother. Like their hair, which remained perpetually at the length it was when they were turned, a vampire's skin tone also remained unchanged, impervious to the sun's rays or the absence thereof.
"I feel fine, Shinoa, really. There's no need to fuss over me," Mika replied softly, her fingers brushing over the areas where her arms had been brutally severed by Fuola Honte, a tenth-level vampire progenitor. The same arms that Mitsuba had expertly reattached shortly thereafter.
Ironically, it had been Crowley Eusford who had vanquished Fuola, allowing them access to the forbidden abode of the Ferid Bathory, where Mika now found herself being examined by Shinoa and Mitsuba in one of Ferid's opulent bedrooms, lounging on a queen-sized bed adorned with satin sheets and luxurious comforters.
"Yes, I know you can heal rapidly from wounds and reattach your severed limbs, Mika. But that doesn't mitigate the pain, does it?" Mitsuba pressed gently.
Mikaela sighed, a hint of frustration in her tone. "Yes, you're correct, Mitsuba. But for a vampire, no wound is as agonizing as the ceaseless thirst for blood. Surely you understand this."
"We do," Shinoa responded. "Speaking of which, how are you managing with that?"
Mikaela's expression soured. Although she had fed from Yuichiro just the day before and could easily go another two to three days without sustenance, the sight of blood still posed a significant temptation.
"I'll be fine; I just fed from Yuu-chan recently," she replied, her voice almost a whisper.
Shinoa frowned slightly. "Are you sure, Mika? You looked rather... hungry when Narumi cut himself in front of you. Not that I approve of his method to test your willpower, but I'm still concerned for you."
The blonde vampire narrowed her piercing eyes.
"Concerned, Shinoa? About my well-being or that I might lose control and attack one of you?"
"Mika, that's not what I meant," the purple-haired girl interjected. "I won't deny that your self-control is a valid concern, but I trust you won't intentionally harm Yuichiro or any of us. I'm just as worried about your well-being. We all are."
"Well, I appreciate your concern, but it isn't necessary," Mika retorted, her tone sharper than intended. "I'm fully capable of controlling myself. If I hadn't been, I would have killed Yuu-chan the first time I drank from him."
Mitsuba struggled to suppress her frustration. Despite the efforts of nearly everyone in Shinoa's Squad to befriend Mikaela, the blonde seemed perpetually defensive and misinterpreted their intentions. In this aspect, she was just as stubborn as her brother from the orphanage, Yuichiro, who was now her lover.
"Mika, you're not being fair. If you want us to have faith in you, you need to have a bit more faith in us as well. I understand that it might be difficult after everything you've endured, but would it kill you to at least try?"
Mikaela shot a glare at Mitsuba, incredulous at her audacity.
"How dare you ask me such a thing, human? You have never faced the torment I did after being turned, and you cannot fathom what it means to be a vampire. I didn't ask for this; it was forced upon me by the vampire queen herself. I had no say in the matter!"
Before Mitsuba could respond, Shinoa cut in, casting Mitsuba a warning look. Although she understood Mitsuba meant well, she was aware of her tendency to provoke others with poorly worded statements.
"No, Mika, you're right. We can't know what it's like to be a vampire, but we can imagine. And I can imagine that denying your thirst for blood feels akin to us denying our need for food and water, am I wrong?"
Mikaela fell silent for a moment. To her surprise, it was a somewhat fair comparison. Just as vampires could endure days without blood, humans could survive without food and water for a time, though it would be excruciating and debilitating. Still, the experiences weren't entirely analogous.
"It's not just the thirst for blood. We cannot eat or drink or bask in the sunlight because our senses are overwhelming. We cannot grow or change over time or bear children. It's as if we are forever frozen in time, trapped in an ageless, empty existence."
Feeling a surge of empathy for the blonde vampire, Shinoa rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Hush, Mika. Your existence isn't meaningless just because you're a vampire. If it were, you would have abandoned Yuichiro long ago and lived solely to satisfy your thirst."
"I fear I still might…" Mika murmured sadly, burying her face in her hands. To Shinoa and Mitsuba, she appeared to be battling back tears.
"What do you mean?" Mitsuba asked softly, her curiosity piqued.
Although Mikaela typically shied away from revealing the more intimate chapters of her life—a fortress of secrets she only shared with Yuichiro and her beloved siblings from the orphanage, all now lost to time except for Yuu himself—she felt an overwhelming urge to share the troubling revelations Crowley Eusford had disclosed to her just the night before.
"Crowley told me that with each passing year, a vampire's humanity dissipates, leaving nothing but an insatiable thirst for blood in its wake. I struggled to accept his words, yet I can't ignore the creeping numbness within me. Did you see how Yuu-chan reacted when Ferid taunted him with Akane's head? I was distressed, yes, but my anger was a mere shadow of his," Mika confessed, her voice tinged with despair as she lifted her gaze to meet Shinoa and Mitsuba's concerned eyes.
"That doesn't necessarily mean anything, Mika. Yuu could just be more emotional than yourself—this doesn't mean you're losing your humanity," Shinoa countered, infusing her words with a reassuring tone, though uncertainty flickered beneath her facade.
As much as Shinoa tried to offer comfort, she too wrestled with doubt, striving to remain optimistic, if only for Mikaela's benefit.
"I want to believe that, but I can't shake the sense of indifference creeping in. The things that once captivated me, that I found so beautiful—now they barely register," Mika admitted, her heart heavy.
"But you still care about Yuichiro, who clearly cares for you just as much. You talk of losing emotions, yet you felt anger when I suggested you have a little more faith in us. You're also concerned about becoming a monster driven solely by bloodlust. If you can still feel concern and love, then you're not losing yourself in the way Crowley suggests," Mitsuba reasoned, surprising both Shinoa and Mika with her insight.
Mika nodded slowly. "It's true, my love for Yuu-chan remains unwavering. I'll fight to the bitter end to protect that."
Shinoa smiled warmly, offering a comforting pat on Mika's shoulder. "That's the spirit, Mika! Let's put an end to this talk of losing your emotions. Yuu wouldn't want that. Despite his sometimes clumsy words, it's clear to all of us that he loves you. From the moment we witnessed you challenge the entire Moon Demon Company to rescue him without a second thought, Mii-chan and I knew we couldn't compete. The only question was whether Yuichiro could make room for you in his heart, even after you became a vampire. And he has. Never forget that, Mika."
At Shinoa's heartfelt affirmation, a smile finally blossomed on Mika's face. Even though she had transcended humanity, Shinoa and Mitsuba continued to accept her as one of their own, offering more kindness than the vampires she had served under Queen Krul Tepes throughout her years.
During her human life, Mikaela Hyakuya endured scorn for having forged a bond with Ferid Bathory, a pact that provided her small family with food and medicine amid the harsh conditions of the vampire city of Sanguinem. It was a moment of desperation when she had leveraged her beauty to gain attention from a man she had no true desire for. Yet, for the sake of Yuichiro and the other Hyakuya orphans, Mikaela had been willing to sacrifice everything.
Back then, even the older livestock boys, who often harassed the younger girls in Sanguinem, dared not approach Mikaela once the rumors spread that a vampire lord had already taken an interest in her. The girls themselves were equally cruel, frequently whispering behind her back, branding her a "vampire's whore" when they believed she couldn't hear.
Yet they never had the nerve to voice their disdain to Mika's face, fearing that her powerful benefactor would unleash his wrath upon them for insulting his cherished "concubine," a title she bore during that tumultuous time.
But none of that mattered anymore, especially now that Mikaela had Yuichiro back and the unwavering support of his friends. At this moment, she could not ask for anything more—except perhaps the chance to regain her humanity, if such a thing could be.
"Thank you, both of you. You genuinely made me feel better," Mika said gratefully.
"We're always here for you, Mika. We want to help you and Yuichiro," Mitsuba declared. "Just remember, we stand by you as much as he does—as sisters in arms."
Mikaela laughed, the sound genuine and heartfelt for the first time in years.
"Sisters in arms… I like that."
Shinoa beamed with joy. "So do we, Mika," she said, extending her hand palm down.
Mitsuba and even Mikaela followed suit, joining in the unbreakable bond they had forged.
"Sisters in arms."