Life...What is it really? Some seem to think that people are life. I on the other hand think that we are just pawns, existing in the gravitationless flow of possiblities and time. No one person can affect the onset of the universe, so we simply exist. There is no life...where I am. There is no love or comfort or lust or happiness. There is just pain, sorrow, and the onset movement of going foward everyday, because I have to. I have no purpose. I have no reality. I just move from one place to another, seeking what I can never have. That is my reality, I suppose...Realizing I have nothing to look forward to or to look back on.
I've wandered pretty much all of my life. Well, since my vampire hunting parents died in a freak incident with a pureblood vampire named Shizuka Hio. I was seven. I barely remember... It didn't occur to me until later that I should seek revenge on this pureblood...but I cannot bring myself to hate anybody but my own being. It's sad, to say the very least, that I cannot hate the beast that tore my life to shreds and left me to burn in it's wake. I wish I could...so that I can have some passion about life. But it seems as if it'll never be. It has been at least nine years, since then...And I have never befriended another soul. I am so numb on the inside that it would probably be impossible to do befriend anyone...
So I walk endlessly in the rain, with no umbrella. My pack of small things on my back doesn't weigh me down a bit, I am so used to it. The road in front of me is one that the public hasn't used in a while, from what I can tell with the way the weeds bend over it and such. My footsteps make squishing sounds as they meld with the mud, before I pick them up and make another crater in the ground in front of it. A house comes into my view seemingly out of nowhere. It's a tiny shack, brown, two windows, ivy growing over it, and a barn to the side. But I begin to sense somthing abnormal about it. Something out of the ordinary...I walk up to it slowly and suddenly I sense it in the shadows with the sixth sense a vampire hunter is born with.
"You're a vampire hunter, aren't you...?" I asked the shadow slowly. A man with blonde hair pulled into two pig tails stepped out of the dark shadows. He was taller than me, of medium heighth, and wore glasses that framed bright blue, playful eyes. His coat was of a multicolored fur, and his hat was of the same.
"It seems so...as you are one as well?" he asked me being completely serious.
"Maybe..." I stepped back a little and tensed myself prepared for a strike in case it would come.
"Be calm, girl...I mean you no harm..." he told me, walking closer slowly. I said nothing as I took another step back. He halted with a concerned expression on his face.
"We are the same. I will not hurt you." he promised me softly keeping eye contact as he began to near me again. His lips parted in a friendly smile that oddly enough put my entire body at ease.
"Good..." his smile broadened when I let him touch my shoulder.
"What's your name, little one?" he asked me tilting his head a little in curiosity.
"U-Um..." I studdered for a moment, not used to people paying any attention to me, a homeless little girl, "R-Raehime Kaguya..." I finally sputtered it out and his eyes darkened in sympathy.
"The last of the Kaguya clan..." he sighed for a moment, patting my shoulder and keeping eye contact with me. "I am Kaien Cross. I am an ex-legal vampire hunter." he told me, "Please Miss Kaguya, come inside." I let him take my hand and lead me inside.
Inside the house was beautiful. Olden-timish with wooden ceilings and floors, and furniture of the same color decorated the room. He sat me down on the couch and handed me a cup of brown liquid that I vaguely remembered to be known as tea. He positioned himself on the couch across from me and drank from his own glass.
"How long have you been alone, Miss Kaguya?" he asked me curiously.
"Um...since I was seven...after the incident." I told him honestly sipping some of my tea. He smiled, obviously curious with my past.
"Why didn't someone take you in before now? I mean, your clan was up there amongst the best, racing head to head with the Kiryu's. I don't see why you weren't snatched up immediately..." he scratched his chin and his eyes became distant. I shrugged, knowledgelessly. "How about your training?" he offered.
"Um...well, I never got to finish it or my schooling..." I told him embarasedly as my attention flickered out the window to the darkening sky.
"Ah..." he nodded, "I see..." I stood up promptly and grabbed my pack.
"Sorry, Mister Cross...But if I don't get going soon, I won't find a place to camp tonight..." I informed him, "Thankyou for the tea, though." I began to make my way to the door when he called out to me again.
"Raehime-san! Wait! I wasn't finished!" he grabbed my arm gently to stop me. I turned around to face him.
"What is it then...?" I asked him as my nerves frayed a little more and I began to fidget.
"See, I'm the headmaster of a school called Cross Academy and I need a vampire hunter to help me with the diciplinary comittee. And it's so odd that I found you when I did. It can't be a coincidence, Raehime-san!" he said in a hurried ramble, his face purple as he tried to wheeze it out without breathing.
"So you want me to help you...?" I asked.
"Yes, please!" he nodded furiously, "In exchange, I'll provide you with rooming, boarding, clothes, food, and anything else you want."
"But what about my schooling? I never finished the third grade..." I reminded him rationally.
"I have a year to train you. The school was attacked by a bunch of vampires and is still under repair, I'm afraid..." he sighed, his voice taking on a distressed pitch for merely a moment before switching back to his cheerful one.
"So you'll train me and everything, just if I help out?" I asked making sure that I heard what he had told me correctly.
"Yes!" he nodded again.
"Okay..." I told him slowly.
"You will?" He grinned widely.
"Yes..." I nodded, "It's not everyday that someone you walk by offers you somewhere to live..."
"OH THANKYOU!" Before I knew it, he had thrown his arms around me hugging me tightly, "You are such an ANGEL!" I tensed up, unknowing of what to do. It had been a long time since someone had hugged me. He jumped off and smiled triumphantly.
"This is so perfect!" he sighed happily, "Okay! First things first! Let's get you cleaned up and get you some clothes!" He ran into a room and came out with a black box. He handed it to me with a grin. "That looks to be about your size," he told me as I took it. I opened it up and there was a black pleated skirt inside, with a white longsleeved top, a black jacket with intricate handywork on it, shoes, stockings that were long enough to stretch up my legs to my mid-thigh and a red necktie.
"Um...thankyou, Cross-sama..." I bowed respectfully and traditionally.
"You're welcome! It's the least I can do!" he beamed, his entire aura changed and his countenance overjoyed. I went into the bathroom and luckily it was oldish-styled so I knew how to work it. I scrubbed my entire body until I smelled like the musk of the shampoo. Seeing a towel, I grabbed it and pulled it around my body as I stepped out. For the first time in nine years, I looked in the mirror at my appearance. Wide violet eyes that were framed with thick lashes greeted me, and light silverish-white shaggy hair ran down to my waist. I had pale, smooth skin and I was filled out completely. I was acutally sort of pretty...well... prettier that I thought I was...It had been so many years...and I had changed so much that I found it hard to keep from staring at myself. I reached into the black box and pulled out the shirt, the skirt, and the stockings. The skirt and shirt fit me perfectly, as did the stockings and the shoes, but that's all I tried on at the time. I walked without the shoes on through the house after I got them on.
"Thankyou, Cross-sama..." I bowed again. He grinned as he looked at me, then his gaze shifted to my long wet hair. He pulled a chair up and patted it.
"Come sit here, Raehime-chan, I'll fix your hair for you." he grinned. I did as I was told, sitting down on the small wooden chair. Cross wrapped a long towel around my shoulders and began rubbing white conditioning liquid into my long wet strands. He combed it gently, removing all the tangles. My bangs were nearly unsaveable, though. Then he brought out the scissors and began to cut my hair. About five inches of hair, was taken from the bottom, and he cut bangs from the mess. Then he layered my hair, sculpting it like a professional to be perfect. When he was finished, he blowdryed it and then stepped back with a smile. A mirror came in front of my face, and I looked. Soft, silky, shiny, perfect, white, waist length, beautiful hair rolled gently down from my head.
"It's so pretty, Cross-sama...thankyou..." I smiled at him as I stood up.
"Ooh! One more thing!" he said as he reached behind himself and handed me a black headband. He put it on and fixed my hair around it then let me look again. It was really cute and adorable and I felt better than I had in years.
"Alrighty! Tonight, you get settled, tomorrow, you start school! Ehee!" he was so happy and attentive, that I couldn't stop the soft smile that spread across my face.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Ooh! I wonder who that is..." he walked into the next room. I heard the door squeak open then, "OH! KIRYU-KUN! Why didn't you tell me you were stopping by? Are you hurt? There's blood all over your shirt...Come in and Daddy will fix yooou!", followed by a loud thunk sound. "Geez, Kiryu, you can be a little nicer to your foster father!" I sensed something abnormal in the next room and I walked slowly to see what it was. There by the open door, standing over Cross-sama, was a boy, a little older then me, tall, had pale skin, had light purple eyes, silverish-white hair and the depth of his eyes told me that he had had a horrible past as well. He was very handsome, indeed, but it was then that the aura hit me.
"Vampire..." I drawled in a monotonus hiss. I grabbed the nearest object and took off running up to him about to hit him with it when I suddenly found myself pinned against the wall. The was the boy glaring down at me intensely.
"Raehime! No!" Cross-sama pushed the boy off of me and pulled me to my feet.
"But he attacked you, Cross-sama..." I told him angrily, "I thought I was helping..." He shook his head sharply.
"No, Raehime-san, Kiryu's a friend." he scolded me.
"Sorry, Cross-sama. Sorry,...um..."
"Zero..." the boy offered grudgingly.
"Zero..." I repeated, "Sorry, Zero..." He heaved a big sigh.
"Whatever...I'm used to it..." he pushed past me. Cross-sama ran into the other room and came out with peroxide, a rag, and bandages.
"Um...Raehime-chan? Do you know how to dress a wound?" he asked me.
"Yes...how do you think I've kept from getting an infection for so many years?" I shrugged.
"Good!" he smiled, "Kiryu hates it when I try to dress his wounds. Maybe he'll let you..." He skipped off as he handed me the supplies. I sighed. I was going to have to bandage a vampire. I walked slowly into the next room and sat on the table facing Zero.
"What is it?" he growled.
"Cross-sama sent me to dress your wounds..." I told him monotonously. "Well then go tell him that I don't need it..." he told me flippantly.
"No." I glared back, "He gave me a job and I intend to do it...though if I were on my own, I would choose not to do so..." He narrowed his eyes.
"Then why are you doing it?" he raised his voice.
"Because, Cross-sama has taken me in when I've had no home. I've had no home for nine years since the incident." I told him, "So are we gonna reminice about the past or are you gonna let me clean your wounds? Or do I have to make it a forced issue?"
"Go away..." he sighed. I glared intensely at him. "Alright, you made your choice..." I stood up and sat on his lap, locking my legs around his knees. I used the arm area between my wrist and elbow to keep his shoulders at bay, and the other arm to begin ripping at his shirt. I was trying to be gentle, but soon he started struggling and I had to be a bit rougher.
"What the hell?" He pushed at me with what he could use of his arms. Remembering the pressure points from my self-defense class I graduated before the incident. I jabbed them one at a time until he was limp beneath me. He growled and tried to struggle while I pulled his shirt off of him.
"Stop it!" Zero glared at me so hard that I might've been incinerated if looks could kill.
"I warned you..." I told him monotonous tone. With a sigh I looked over the wound on his chest. It was definately a day or two old, with dried blood covering it and infection was starting to set up. The wound stretched diagonal from his chest to his hip.
"Cross-sama..." I called into the other room.
"Yes?" he appeared by the door. When he saw how Zero was just laying there limply with an angry expression on his face he snickered softly at the vampires expense.
"Giving in so easily, eh Kiryu? Daddy's surprised at you." Cross-sama smiled, amusement evident in his sapphire eyes.
"I didn't "give in"..." Zero growled unable to turn his head in the other direction to avoid Cross-sama's amused stare.
"So, Raehime...How were you able to incapacitate him?" Cross-sama asked curiously. "It was simple...apply pressure to the pressure points so he is unable to move. Then dress his wounds." I told him and he looked like he was going to crack up at any moment.
"Now what was it you needed, Raehime-chan?" he asked. "A bowl with water and another rag." I nodded at him.
"Of course!" he brought it out right away and stood over me as I dipped the rag in hot water. I pressed the warm rag to his wound and his limp body arched and a hiss excaped his thin, pale lips.
"Sorry...I'm trying to be gentle..." I told him in the same toneless way.
"Whatever..." his voice sounded strained. I finally got all the puss off and the dried blood off, and I poured the peroxide on it earning another hiss from my patient. Then I dotted his wound with the towel to dry it a little. Then I had Cross-sama to hold him up while I wrapped the bandage around his torso. I took ahold of Zero and laid him gently back on the -sama ran into the other room and came back with a white shirt.
"See, now? It wasn't that bad, was it?" I asked with a raised eyebrow as I jabbed another pressure point in his stomach, releasing his muscles to move again. I got off and he sat up slowly, rotating his arm. Then he grabbed his shirt and slung it on and buttoned it.
"Sorry I had to be harsh with you, but I did warn you, therefore you deserved the concequeces that followed thereafter." I nodded as I walked off. I could feel his icy glare at my back.
"Whatever..." he sighed as he turned follow Cross-sama.
"Oh Dear! Hee! Hee! I don't think that I've ever seen anybody pin you down, Kiryu! I think she's got you beat! Hee! Hee!" Cross-sama giggled. I heard Zero growl as he followed Cross-sama, and myself into the kitchen where Cross-sama was fixing food. He finished it, put it on plates, brought drinks, and napkins.
"Come sit down, you two! It's ready!" Cross-sama called to us. We walked in and he refused to look my way. I figured that he was still angry with me. "Eat up! Daddy's worked so hard to make it for you!" Cross-sama smiled. Zero glared at him, I smiled and took my first bite of a homecooked meal in years. It was so delicious and delightful! I must have had an elated look on my face because Zero's lavender eyes snapped over to mine and raised an eyebrow.
"Hey Headmaster, how long's it been since Skinny here, ate?" he asked him and I sent the boy the hardest glare I could muster.
"Don't be rude, Kiryu! She's new here! Be nice!" Cross-sama crossed his long arms against his apron.
"It's been about nine years since I ate a homecooked meal..." I spoke unexpectedly, "Thankyou, Cross-sama..." He grinned and swirled around.
"Awwwww! My little Raehime love my cooking! Yay! Someone greatful for my service!" I could swear that I saw sparkles around him.
"You brought in a homeless bum. She's gonna love it." He said matter of factly. I glared at him and stood up smacking my hands on the table.
"It's not like I wanted to be homeless, you Jerk!" I growled at him.
"Then who's decision was it?" he smirked at me. I felt fury rise in my veins.
"Your kind's" I clenched my fist at my sides as he stood up too. He walked around the table to stare down at me, smirking.
"What? Did we repo your house or something?" He added. I grabbed his collar and pulled him down to my level.
"Zero...Raehime...I think you should-"
"You wanna take this outside, vampire?" I ignored Cross-sama and cocked my head at Zero.
"If you think you can handle it, you little bum..." his lavender eyes were so filled with hate that it was unbelievable that it was directed at me.
"Now guys, this doesn't seem like a good idea..." Cross-sama tried to stop it as I grabbed Zero's shirt-tail and drug him outside. "KIRYU! KAGUYA! I DEMAND YOU STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" Cross-sama finally got angry and jumped between us.
"Wait. Did you just say her name was Kaguya?" was the last that I heard before I felt a sharp pain in my neck and the world went black.
I've always told myself, that complaining never helps. So complaining about the horrible headache that I was experiencing at the moment would not make it go away. Opening my eyes, I saw the room I was in resembled closely the outside of the shack that I had seen the day that I passed from consiousness. Brown and made of wood. I tried to sit up and stretch but found that my movement was restricted to that of my head. I was tied to a chair sitting up. A new wave of pain passed through the thick membrane, sending an automatic grunt from my lips.
"So you're finally awake..." the male voice from before called out to me.
"Yeah...What happened?" I asked him. "Headmaster locked us in here after knocking us out after our fight last night.
"..." I said nothing as I tried to get the pain to stop. "...Since when are you talking to me?" I asked after a while.
"You're a Kaguya right?" he said.
"Yes, but that has nothing to do with my question..." I rolled my eyes.
"Then...I'm sorry I said what I said..." My wide violet eyes snapped up to meet his lavender ones.
"Huh?" I grunted dumbly.
"I know what happened to you...the same happened to me...by the same person..." He told me grudgingly, "So what I said was wrong...I don't say this to many people...but you deserve it...What happened to your family, happened because of mine..." I couldn't believe my ears. My shocked expression soon turned into a smile.
"And here I was thinking you were just some vampire punk." I smirked at him, "It seems like you may have a soul after all..." He rolled his eyes at me. "So you're the only remaining twin, Zero Kiryu?" I asked him after I decided that he wasn't about to give me an intelligent response.
"Yeah..." he sighed, "I'm a halfie. Vampire "slash" Vampire hunter..." He told me and I nodded before grinning.
"You freak..." I said as his eyes met my own.
"Excuse me?" he answered albeit a little defensively.
"You're a freak of nature..." His eyes narrowed perceptively at me. He must have realized that I was teasing him, because he just shook his head and sighed.
"You're not very talkative, are you?" I inquired, as a strange joy swept over me at his reactions. It would only be later that I would realized that it was because I was interacting positively with another person, even though that person was a vampire. Though he couldn't have been all that bad, because it seemed so easy to forget that he had a monster's blood inside of him. He also seemed to sense my change in attitude about him, because suddenly his countenance lightened as well. Not enough to say he was anything similar to happy, but more towards being amused.
"No...I only talked to you because I felt that I owed you an apology." he told me as he turned his head to look out of the nearby window.
"Oh..." I shrugged the best I could, though the ropes restrained my movement. After a long moment, I spoke again. "Hey...Zero...?"
"What is it?" he asked not turning to even speak slightly in my direction.
"I would rather not be your enemy. Completely that is...I mean...after all, we will be working together...So could we call a temporary truce?" I asked curious to his response. To my ultimate surprise, he turned to me and nodded.
"I suppose that would make things easier..." he said before turning to his window once more.
"Good," I agreed before leaning my head back on the chair, my raging headache from earlier now suddenly gone.
Author's note:
Hello all of you! I hope you all enjoyed this chappy of Innocence^^. If you liked it, please review^^. I'm open to constructive critisism so feel free to say whatever you like^^. Please keep in mind, that I wrote this my sophmore year. It's now like three years later btw and I'm just getting to post it v.v...lolz^^.If I get enough reviews then I'll do a chapter 2. Until then, I'll hopefully see you later!
~Crimson-Stained Cherry Blossom~