Disclaimer: I do not own Seraph of the End and everything belongs to its respective owners.

Box

Looking back on it now, Yu figured that the situation had been highly unethical. Sure, everyone else at the orphanage (especially Mika) had great fun with the idea while it lasted, which he really couldn't blame them for. It had been a misunderstanding, after all.

After the house had gone up in flames, Yu had passed out from lack of oxygen. When he had woken up again, he found that he was in a very cramped, cold space. It was dark, so it took a few moments for him to realize where he was.

Am I in… a box? The thought sounded absurd, but it did seem true: he was in a giant, wooden box. The bottom felt a bit damp and he could hear the noises of traffic from outside the box's borders. A few holes were in the top of the box, probably to make sure that he could breathe.

"How does this even happen?" he mumbled, feeling slightly cramped. His knees were pulled up to his chest and the way his back was aching made him realize he must have been in the box for longer than he thought. Who would have put him in here though?

Footsteps from outside the box startled him and he clamped his hand over his mouth out of habit, only to realize that he was gagged. Maybe whoever put him in here was coming back, but for what reason? Did they want to get rid of him, just like his parents had?

The box lurched a bit, forcing him onto his side as it turned. A few more moments of turning happened before warmth started to come from outside the box. The air was warm, he realized, and the darkness he had seen was filled with light from the holes at the top.

Where are they taking me? The black-haired boy wondered as the box stopped moving. Something was draped over it, making the space inside darker again.

Yu's hands fumbled to get rid of the cloth covering his mouth. The immense cold from being outside, as well as many hours without anything to drink, left him unable to speak any further. Despite the air being warmer, he was still shivering. He hadn't necessarily been dressed to withstand the winter weather to begin with.

How did I get in here anyway? The house was on fire, and then… his thoughts became blank as his near-dry tongue tried to get feeling back into his mouth. So far, it wasn't a very effective method, so he was forced to silence again.

What felt like a long time passed, but Yu was pretty sure it could have only been a few minutes. His back still ached and his neck was starting to as well. The bottom of the box was still damp, and he couldn't see anything from peeking out of the holes in the top.

Several loud pairs of footsteps came out of nowhere. Excited chatter and shouting startled him; the place he was in didn't necessarily sound dangerous…

"Go on ahead," he heard a woman's voice, one that was much older, say. Who was she talking to? He had to guess that there were other people in the room besides her.

Paper crumpled and small rays of light beamed at him through the holes again. The cover that had been over the box had been removed and the top of the box soon came after.

Yu found that the first thing he saw was a blue-eyed boy. Surrounding the boy were several younger children and an older woman. Their faces had been excited, but then turned to confusion upon seeing the black-haired boy in the box. The blonde – the same boy that he first saw – quickly became concerned.

"Oh my." The older woman uttered a small exclamation as the younger children moved away from the box. The woman moved closer to the edge of the box, and to Yu they almost looked like giants.

"Director…?" the blonde-haired boy looked at the older lady with a confused expression. As Yu continued to stare at the boy, he noticed that they must have been close in age.

"This isn't…" she seemed to mumble to herself for a moment before her hands reached out towards him. "How did you get in there? Are you alright?"

Yu opened his mouth to speak, but the dryness of it left him coughing. The lady quickly helped him out of the box, but the black-haired boy found that his legs were weak. As soon as he stood up on the floor, he felt himself falling. Hands just barely steadied him. His gaze turned to look at a brown-haired girl and the blonde, both of whom had caught him.

"Director, I don't think he's feeling very well," the younger girl stated, concern knitted in her eyes. Yu hadn't seen her at the edge of the box when it had been opened, so she must have come from somewhere else.

Yu was finally able to look around at where he had been taken. The room was fairly large and the walls were decorated with crayon drawings. Two doorways led out of the room. It didn't seem like there were any other adults other than the 'director,' as the other children had called her.

The blonde's hand reached for the bare skin on his arms. "He's cold," the boy's eyes widened as he suddenly let go of Yu and ran towards one of the walls. Yu inwardly cursed as he felt himself falling again with the lack of support; the brown-haired girl was clearly struggling to keep him upright.

"Mika!" the girl's voice had a scolding tone to it as she frowned. She helped him to a sitting position, allowing him to lean against the box. "Don't just run off like that! What if he could have hit his head?"

"Oops, sorry!" the boy ran back towards him, something in his hands. Yu briefly registered that the 'director' had come through one of the other doorways. She must have gone to get something too.

Mika. The name registered in his mind a moment later as the blonde reached towards him, putting whatever he had been holding around the black-haired boy. It was warm too, instinct making him lean into the object.

"I figured this might make you feel a bit better," Mika smiled at him, wrapping the blanket a bit tighter so that it covered Yu's feet as well. The girl seemed content with the idea – she didn't yell at the boy anymore – and instead turned her attention to Yu.

"What's your name? I'm Akane," she gave him a friendly smile too, causing him to become uncomfortable. They were all so… nice. It was a contrast to the last few memories he had of home.

He wanted to say 'Yuichiro' but knew it probably wasn't possible right now, not with how his throat and mouth felt. The older lady came over to them, something cupped in her hands.

"Here, this should help." She handed him an old mug filled with warm water. The black-haired boy stared down at it for a moment before taking a sip, hiding his embarrassment behind the rim of the cup. The younger children were staring at him again, this time in fascination.

The liquid ran down his throat in small amounts, dissipating any other remnants of the cold that he had felt. When he was done with the cup, his throat felt a bit more normal. The other occupants of the room had all been silent, probably waiting for his answer.

"Yuichiro… that's my name," he still had to clear his throat before answering, but at least he felt a bit better. He still felt self-conscious with the other children all staring at him, but he figured it was better than being in that box.

Mika's smile grew at his words. "Welcome to our home, Yu-chan!" The blonde's comment made Yu silent. He had just appeared here and now he had a nickname? Was that how things worked here?

The black-haired boy was silent, hiding somewhat in the blanket Mika had given him. The other children soon spread out across the room, leaving him alone with the blonde and the older lady. Mika whispered something to her, which then caused her to leave as well. She kept a respectful distance from them as she watched over the other children.

Mika helped him over to a fireplace, where a small fire was burning. The boy brought the blanket, still wrapped firmly around him. His legs didn't feel as wobbly as before and his mind was clearer.

"So… how did you get in that box?" Mika's words were carefully chosen, but that didn't make the other boy feel better. He shook his head, not wanting to talk much about something he didn't know. "You don't remember?"

"No," his answer was short as he stared at the small flames. All I remember is…

The blonde was silent for a moment, his blue gaze on Yu before he smiled – this time a comforting one. "It's alright. Maybe you'll remember later."

"Where am I?" Yu asked after another uncomfortable silence. He couldn't quite figure out what everything meant. Mika's gaze turned surprised for a moment.

"You're at the Hyakuya orphanage, our home. Although I guess you probably didn't see the sign since you were in a box, huh?" the blonde gave a small laugh at his latter comment. "The Director said that she had a surprise for us, but I don't think this is what she meant. She seemed pretty surprised too."

"Yeah," the darker-haired boy whispered, wondering what they had been expecting. He had probably ruined something for them, and a small part of him felt sorry for that. The other part of him, however, was wondering what he was going to do now. The house went up in flames… and his parents…

"Do you know where we can take you home from here? Your parents must be really worried by now," Mika's upbeat attitude completely put him off. The boy had just asked the very thing that he didn't know.

"No, I don't think so," he shook his head, green eyes closing. "The last thing I remember is the house going up in flames…"

"Oh," the orphan uttered, seemingly completely at a loss. It was almost as if the blonde had regretted what he had asked. "I'm sorry. You could stay here until we figure out more."

My parents… are dead. "What more is there-?"

"It'll be OK. Either way, even if you do go back to your home, you'll still remain our brother." Mika interrupted him, pulling him into a hug. Yu was glad that the blanket hid his embarrassed blush.

They later figured out that the 'surprise' was supposed to be a donation of toys from an organization. Whether the shipment got lost or went to the wrong address, they were never sure. The box of toys never arrived, but Mika had long since told him that what they had received from the box they had gotten was far better.

Alright, so I was trying to figure out how to write this without it being unethical, but then realized there was no way to do it. So moral of the story is "don't put children (or anyone for that matter) in boxes."~

Either way, I expect some of the characters (*cough* Yu *cough*) to be a bit OOC since they were put in different circumstances. I hope you enjoyed and please let me know your thoughts in a review!

-AnimeWolfGirl9