Of Hunters and Hormones
AnimeCookie93
Disclaimer: Please. I don't own.
~o~
Never in his young life had Zero Kiryuu ever acted like the teenage boy he really was.
From the time he was but a mere child, he'd been trained to hunt and kill vampires. He was taught by none other than one of the highest-ranked Hunters up until the murder of his parents. All ties to the once shy, but big-hearted Zero had been broken that night, as well as the strong bond that he and his younger twin brother, Ichiru Kiryuu, had.
From that night on, when he'd gone to stay with Kaien Cross, he slowly – very slowly – began to realize that yes, he still had emotions and attachments to his old self, but no, he didn't want to piece himself back together; not yet. His innocent mind had been corrupted enough through harsh training and lessons on why vampires were horrible people – creatures. They were creatures, he reminded himself – and the blood-bath, and he had sworn never to let sweet, innocent, kind Zero surface.
That is, until he met one Yuuki Cross.
There wasn't anything particularly special about her, unless one counted the sweet tone she always used when tending to him – as if he were a child, when he was in fact her elder by one year – or spoke to him, whether he wanted her to or not, more often the latter. Her smile wasn't anything too exciting, with her thin pink lips and that single dimple on the side of her lips when she really smiled. (How peculiar, he thought, that he was one of very, very few who had ever seen it. It gave him a sort of pride-boost, even if he wouldn't ever say it.)
But… there wasn't anything about her that he would call 'beautiful', or 'girly', in the least. She was pure tomboy, a strong trait seen when she got older and downright refused to let the Headmaster – her adopted father – swaddle her in bows and lace. Especially when she got older; her face was heart-shaped, her eyes large and a rich ruby color. Her body was petite yet, when he often saw her with merely her night camisole and her boy-cut shorts, he could see the slightest bit of muscle in her upper arms and in her thighs and shins.
One thing that deterred him – or, at least that he said deterred him – from this girl was that she wasn't fully… developed yet. Because she was so petite, her chest wasn't very big, and she certainly hadn't noticed her hips fill out the way they should have around this time. He often joked that she was as straight as a board, and she'd merely smack him behind the head. Even if she had to grab a step-stool or stand on top of a table to do it.
Of course, Zero knew he was no God; he was tall for his age, entirely too pale – he really looked like the undead with his pasty-white skin tone – given the amount of sun he was exposed to on a weekly basis. However, underneath his dress shirt was an extremely toned chest, broad shoulders and a flat, hard stomach. His arms and legs were muscled and, while they weren't huge, if he flexed one could tell that he was a very active student; he often played sports and even more often sparred with Yuuki.
But, something that bothered him the most about Yuuki was that, upon even thinking about her, he immediately felt his stomach tie itself into knots.
Yuuki was the only girl who had ever brought out such a reaction in him, the usually stoic and grumpy Vampire Hunter. He couldn't place what it was how he felt, and it would be very foolish of him to suggest that she was anything but his best friend – although, if he were the kind of person to do so, he'd scream to the heavens an entirely different title - but, how else could he explain it?
It certainly wasn't that he'd developed feelings for her; the kind of feelings that he'd locked away in his heart and thrown the key into his hypothetical melting pot. Oh, no, that couldn't be. It just couldn't.
…But, then again, 'best friends' don't steal glances from afar and wish to feel their bodies crushed in a loving embrace. Nor, do they yearn to be loved by only their respective other 'best friend'. Their friendship was something he could not lose, could not jeopardize. It was far too precious, and was already on thin ice due to their midnight exchanges from time to time… her offering her own blood and him taking it as if it were the sweetest nectar he'd ever drank in his entire existence… he was disgusting. But, for some reason, she didn't think so.
She often even went so far as to cry for him. Maybe, just maybe, that's why he treasured her. To see that she could still smile, even laugh, and just be happy one moment, but, only cry for his sake. That was what drove him to confusion; why him?
Somewhere, deep inside, he knew the answer. But he refused to believe that voice that told it to him, because he knew he couldn't have her. And damn, did that feeling suck.
Even now, as she lay on his bed after a drink of her sweet blood, the tears still pouring down her face as she silently sobbed for him, and he insisted on pretending not to notice… it was the only way, and the – his – solution, even if she didn't understand or even want to, her happiness.
I'd give my entire existence to see her live out hers with… with that beautiful smile on her beautiful face. Then, and only then, would I not regret it…
~o~
This wasn't supposed to see the light of day; it was a little practice to get into Zero's character a bit more, so maybe I could try writing in first POV. Instead, it turned into a Zero-centric. The reason why it isn't appearing on TPAHK is because, while it is a form of the Zeki relationship (one-sided), it's still Zero's POV on the relationship and I figure it could have a shot all on its own. I'll add it there too, if people would like.
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Happy trails!
-Cookie-