#i hate hate HATE being looked at like a piece of meat it’s so disgusting

[secondtrumphet]

He did hate being called livestock, still did. But even so, he knew how humans were viewed to most vampires and it didn't help that the human race had fallen into step with their demands and being treated like the cattle they were called. Bred, herded, and harvested from like they were nothing but sacks of meat housing blood for them to siphon and eat. In returned they were housed - if one could call it that - and given some kind of nasty fluid in a packet they had to drink. He still remembered that nasty taste to this day, something nutrient rich he was sure to help them produce more blood for them to take.

It was bad enough to live it once, but to know that their family was still living it.. To know that Mika had to go to that disgusting leech that killed their family and willingly offer his neck.. It made him shudder in both disgust and renewed anger at vampire kind. All except one of course, the blond he was speaking with, but that went without saying. The blond who was thankfully now on board with him and discussing plans with him.

"I'm not sure about that exit.. Back then, Guren was waiting for me. Not a good idea if we want to avoid JIDA."

He hadn't thought much of it at the time, too traumatized to think of anything but getting out of there and getting his revenge. Now though, looking back, he frowned. They'd been set up hadn't they? Not just by Ferid.. By Guren too.. How else would he just happen to know to be there for Yuu? Add to it that it was revealed that it turned out, Ferid and Guren knew one another and Yuu felt a stab of betrayal in his heart all over again. It went deeper than he first thought and the more he thought on it now, the more he was sure about his decision and keeping their family away from the army.

Guren let Yuu's family be killed, let Mika nearly die, let him be turned, and just let Yuu live with the guilt. And he had to know that Mika survived and was turned.. Right? Back then, not only was it the guilt that Yuu ran away that haunted him. He remembered his parents telling him he was demon spawn and would ruin everything he touched, that he needed to be killed. Losing Mika and everyone else then.. He'd been so sure that his parents had been right. Even so he stayed alive for Mika, for their family, for the sake of revenge against the vampires. He spent every night of four years grieving their loss, thinking he was the one at fault. Only for these pieces to finally click together and make a clear picture.

Dammit! I should have listened to Mika about Guren a lot sooner!

Thankfully though, those past mistakes would soon be wiped away and he brought a smile back to his lips as he pushed off the wall to follow behind. He was right, they should really give the kids a heads up before they leave the house from now on. Last thing he wanted was for them to think they suddenly vanished and a bunch of kids were on their own, their own doom hanging over their heads like a dark cloud.

"I'll be sure to tell you. If I don't get all choked up first," he answered with a snicker. He wouldn't put it past himself to actually get teary eyed though just from experiencing it again and sharing a meal with their family for the first time in years. All of them together and alive.

It seemed that older Yuu wasn't the only one contemplating things while they'd been gone. No sooner did they walk in did his smaller self bypass Yuu and went right to Mika. He frowned as he reached for his hand and tugged to indicate for him to go to a quiet area where they could talk without smaller ears hearing. The older Yuu shrugged and went to sit and regale the kids with some stories of his own while the smaller practically glared up into red eyes.

"Tell me everything," he demanded. He had indeed been thinking a lot, including about how his older self had said that he wanted them to avoid the army as well. Plus about some kind of monster that wasn't vampires that were apparently on the surface. But more so, had his parents been right to try to kill him? Was he the one to actually blame for all of this..? If this Mika knew, he'd be honest right? The Mika he knew may try to spare his feelings if he knew. This one though, he'd be honest with him, right? He seemed to be more blunt with his future self. So surely he would be with him as well.

Mika hummed, his gaze dropping briefly to the red stain on his gloved hand before he let it fall to his side. "It didn't look like it to us at the time, but there's a systematic approach to how they handle the humans they've captured." His time as part of the city guard taught him as much. "Adults aren't usually taken into the city, unless it's someone they could interrogate or... anyway, they're kept above ground and always under watch. The children brought down here are either separated from their families or they were alone to begin with, so they quickly lose hope and fall in with the herd, so to speak."

Belatedly, he wondered if it was okay to speak of the vampires' methods in such detail. Yuu had loathed being called livestock, so it may not have been easy to hear. But he also felt the need to keep Yuu informed to decrease the likelihood of him doing something reckless. Never mind that he was trying to focus on other things while Yuu still smelled like fresh blood to his never-satiated craving. He frowned minutely at the hand covering his mark, knowing well enough that it could scar over in an instant if Yuu needed it to.

"I took enough to survive. You need to conserve your strength too," he chided, taking a couple steps away in case Yuu wanted to grab him again. "My kid self can only carry so much to sustain our family and restore what you just lost." Speaking of, his younger self would have to return to Ferid eventually to maintain appearances until they were ready to move out. While he could assume that it wasn't the first time, he'd have to ask himself just how many times he had seen the progenitor until now to get a good timeframe.

Closing his eyes briefly, he sighed. "We could just sneak out the way we tried before. From what I remember, the patrol patterns were weak there—and that was after what Ferid had done to us." Because it was a wide open space, regal and frigid compared to the slums humans lived in. It may have had a purpose, but to most vampires, it was simply a passing point to slip outside, themselves.

He turned on his heel, aware of the weight of the satchel swinging at his side. At any rate, if it seemed like they were on another path to ruin, they still had the option to save themselves by jumping forward just before they tried the spell in the first place. If it even worked that way after they've altered so much just by being there. Just in case, he'd study the spell on his own, and try not to think about how their own timeline was being affected even now.

"Let's go back," he prompted, glancing back to watch Yuu's expression, noting with curiosity that he looked like he wanted to say something. "The kids are probably worried by now and they should know when we're leaving." He didn't have to say aloud that he wanted to see their family as much as he possibly could while they had the opportunity to. If only to cement the idea in his head that he could save them.

When he turned away, it was with a small, rueful smile. "You can tell me if Akane's cooking is as good as we remember it to be."