(A/N I used a short cut in order to skip the formatting so the document came out weird. It's legible though, it just doesn't have indenting. Regrettable, I know. x.x I'll only do this for the first three installments. *grimace*)

Prologue: Deal With the Devil

It was strange that the school was so empty. Despite it being after class on a Friday afternoon, there was usually the occasional student wandering around or heading off to some private tutorial with a teacher. No, the place was completely deserted, not even a single teacher working late.
Ichiru shifted the strap of his book bag higher up on his shoulder, his footsteps echoing eerily off of the linoleum floors. He was very tall for a sixth grader but he was skinny, his frail body unable to handle the exercise that would make it strong. His silver hair fell messily around his face, his amethyst eyes partly obscured by the pale locks. The bag slung across his shoulder carried sheet music.
He had been playing the piano for five years, taking on music at his parents' insistence. Since he could not participate in regular PE and especially not the extra physical courses his twin, Zero, took, they had dumped the uninteresting hobby in his lap and said 'learn it'. Ichiru did not mind playing the piano, but it wasn't exactly what one would call rapturous.
Even so, he practiced diligently and found he was actually good at it. It was a small blessing, being skilled at some unimportant thing; even though his teacher praised him to no end, it never so much as turned his parents' heads. Experimenting, half-wondering if he could do something to impress them, he spent time writing music, composing pieces that became gradually more intricate as he aged. His piano teacher, Yamane Shouko, was delighted and set up concerts for him. He performed without err; his parents never attended.
Zero always did, of course.
As the sons of hunters, both twins had learned to use weapons at an early age. Their hunter mentor, Yagari Touga, instructed them twice a week on the most effective ways to exterminate vampires. Zero's chosen weapons were guns and occasionally, katanas. Ichiru preferred to fight with a blade but he spent more time with throwing knives- they required less physical strength and more precision. His weak body could handle them. He practiced fighting diligently as well but his body could only take so much.
Yagari, or Shishou as they called him, never paid him much attention anyway. Shishou was well aware of which twin had a chance of becoming a powerful hunter and which would not even cross the line of completed apprenticeship.
Walking passed classrooms, Ichiru glanced inside, met with nothing but empty rows of desks. This wasn't only strange, he decided. It was suspicious also. There was a foreboding feeling in the air, perhaps something his inherited hunter senses picked up. It made his skin prickle, but he did not tense or glance warily over his shoulder. His distant expression did not waver.
Ichiru was heading to his piano lesson now, but he already was half-certain his teacher would be absent. Something was undeniably wrong. There was a good chance he was being watched as well. Perhaps he would make it out of the Middle School building undeterred, but what awaited him was…
"Nani, Ichiru? You got scared and ran right back home to Zero? Now I'll have to call Shouko-sensei to apologize. You know, Zero can't be there to hold your hand all your life."
Yes, his parents would probably say something exactly like that.
Oh, what did it matter if he died now? Ichiru shook his head to himself, a bitter sigh escaping his lips. If he didn't exist, Zero would be free to become a hunter without his ball-and-chain of a little brother. What a sickening thought.
The elder twin was a prodigy and no one could deny it.
Giving up was just something that rubbed Ichiru the wrong way, so he calmly continued his walk to the piano room, murmuring hunter spells under his breath.
He first surrounded himself with a subtle shield, the incantation more complex in order to keep vampires from sensing it's presence. Within five feet of him, vampires would feel slightly dizzy and then wholly unbalanced if they touched him. It was weak as it surrounded him but it would grow stronger the more time it had to improve itself. The next spell he cast opened his senses further, enhancing his awareness of the vampiric auras around him. His heart skipped a beat- he had been right. There were five commoner vampires in the vicinity and he knew where each of them was- cutting off the exits.
He was already planning his attack, suicidal as it was- and he would worry about the reason for the vampire's being here when his life was no longer at risk. He had no weapon; knives of any sort were not allowed in the school building. The spells he knew were of limited use. He would have to rely every little bit on his hunter training. This was no longer a choice regardless- his spell-heightened senses told him fully well that escape without conflict was impossible. The vampires were slowly closing in on him. They were here for him. They were watching him.
Ichiru drew a low breath, ducking into the nurse's office as he passed by. First aid kits were piled along the gray shelves, neat and orderly in the sterilized-smelling room. He scanned the rows of medical supplies, eyes lighting on a kit labeled for treating snake bites. He dug around inside it until he found a little glass bottle full of pinkish-red liquid. He tucked it into his book bag and left, continuing down the hallway. The vampire nearest to him stalked closer, tailing him on silent feet. Ichiru breathed steadily, doing everything he could to keep his heart from pounding. Vampiric hearing was exquisite- no doubt they were aware of every little sound he made.
His next stop was the janitor's closet.
The organized air of the nurse's office had not infected the poorly lit closet. When Ichiru flicked on the light, a dim glow filled the room, shining down from a single bulb that hung from the ceiling on a wire. Shelves of chaotically stored tools and cleaning supplies lined the walls, a metal box in the back of the closet thrumming softly in the silence.
Ichiru grabbed a glass jar from the shelf, unscrewing the metal cap and dumping its contents of screws and bolts onto the floor. Next, he moved to the generator in the back of the room. His amethyst eyes briefly searched for the cap of its fuel tank but after a moment's search he found it. He pulled off the plastic lid, dipping the jar inside to take in a few drops of gasoline. He put the lid of the jar back on, turning the glass so that the fuel coated the insides.
His heartbeat sped up as he carefully poured out the excess. Would he have enough time? The gasoline began to dry but his senses warned of an approaching vampire. He looked to the door- the knob was turning!
Ichiru sucked in a sharp breath, lunging towards the door and barreling it open. The wood slammed into a hard body but still gave forward. He heard a ragged cry of surprise from a male throat as he slipped through the opening out into the hallway. He did not have time to look back; he started running, hurling himself away from the vampiric presence behind him. It would have him in a second if he waited, he told himself frantically.
He dug the bottle out of his bag, popping open the lid to pour a few droplets into his glass jar. He let the bottle fall to the floor as he screwed on the jar's lid. He felt the vampire approaching leisurely- it was playing with him. Ichiru was hardly inclined to lament its mistake; he smiled grimly and spun around, hurling the jar ten feet at the vampire with all his strength. Then he pivoted and ran.
He heard the explosion, felt it shake the floor as it tore holes in the wall and ceiling. He heard the scream of pain, the heat on his skin as splinters of debris flung against his back. He fell to the floor, his music bag falling away from him. Breathing hard, he dared a glance over his shoulder. Flames were receding, leaving the blackened carpet torn and smoking. Little bits of flesh clung to the ceiling, falling down to the floor now and then. Moments later, the bloody pieces of the once-vampire all dissolved into ash. Ichiru expelled a shaky breath, then set off again. There was no way the commoner's friends had not heard that.
Acting casual was no longer a priority; he ran with all the speed he possessed towards the cafeteria. He knew he could not keep it up for long but he still tried not to notice the complaints his body was voicing in little cramps and aches. He felt slightly dizzy, the walls blurring as he passed by. It was true that his physical senses were weakening; his mind could never have been sharper however. He had just killed a level C vampire and there were four more to deal with; he was not going to lose to his own frailty.
The cafeteria's tile floors dimly reflected the light from the large room's windows. Rows and rows of tables were stacked against the walls, cleaned up after school hours. Ichiru raced through the room, cutting diagonally across it towards the kitchen area. He felt another presence creeping toward him, shadowed slightly- but not accompanied by- three others. His feet hammered frantically on the floor as he pushed himself farther, breaths tearing raggedly from his throat.
Quickly as he could, he ducked behind the buffet counter and let his back fall against the shiny metal. He tried to calm his breathing, his eyes darting about the closed off area. At the door of the cafeteria, a commoner vampire slowly emerged.
Ichiru closed his eyes briefly, then began to move. Beneath the sink he found a collection of cleaning chemicals, his shaking hands knocking over bottles as he fumbled for what he needed. Gathering the right materials, he turned and snatched up a rectangular, metal pan from the serving counter as well as a cylindrical container holding plastic utensils. He knelt down on the floor, dumping out the plastic knifes and unscrewing the cap of one of his cleaners. He shook its contents of white powder into the container, then carefully set it aside. From the other bottle he had taken from beneath the sink, he poured sharp-smelling liquid into the pan.
Deliberate footsteps echoed on the cafeteria floor- the vampire was approaching. Ichiru placed the pan on the floor below the serving counter; on the bar directly above it, he set the cup, almost spilling its contents in his haste.
"Hey, kid."
Ichiru froze at the sound of the vampire's voice. It was close, too close- on the other side of the counter. He slowly looked up, his gaze locking on a red pair of eyes. A lean-bodied man with dark hair and a beautiful face looked down at him, his arms folded over the serving counter's edge. The vampire's slender frame was garbed all in black and a cold smile adorned his lips.
"You blew up my friend, didn't you, hunterling?" the dark-haired commoner continued, crimson eyes glinting. "How did you do that? A hunter spell?" He looked slightly nauseas as he spoke, a mild effect of Ichiru's spell shield.
"He's dead- that's all that matters," Ichiru replied, responding to the vampire's cold tone with ice of his own. Despite his agitated state, his voice was steady. "Why don't you tell me the reason for this coordinated attack? Or do commoners get their kicks now from stalking hunter trainees?" He had good luck- the vampires apparently still did not consider him a threat. This one was in the mood to talk. Ichiru picked up one of the scattered plastic knives and tucked it into his sleeve.
"No, no," the vampire denied, shaking his head mildly. "This isn't for kicks." As he spoke, he straightened, leisurely moving to walk around the counter. "We're here for a very specific reason- to eliminate one Kiryuu Ichiru-kun." Then he added with a grin, "not two."
"Alright, I get it," Ichiru replied lowly, standing and retreating back around the counter as the commoner came toward him. "You're here to kill me and not my twin- all five of you- at the behest of…?"
"Well, we were hired," the dark-haired man hinted, their positions now reversed. The vampire paid no mind to the cup, content to regard Ichiru. "You know our employers too."
"Who are they?" Ichiru demanded, eyes narrowing.
"I've already given you enough hints." Abruptly the vampire leaned forward across the counter, showing his teeth in a vicious, fanged smile. "It's time for you to guess, kid."
"I have better things to do then play your games," the hunter trainee refused harshly, taking a few steps back. He was backing away from the counter into the cafeteria but he doubted the vampire would let him get far.
"Do you really?" The commoner raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? If you guess right, I promise to kill you quickly- in my opinion that's quite a productive use of time. You get something out of it."
"Hah, yeah," Ichiru said dryly. "Ne, would you mind staying right there for a moment?"
He did not give the vampire an opportunity to respond; with a quick word, he cast a flimsy spell to briefly hold the vampire paralyzed. Warily moving backward, Ichiru drew the plastic knife from his sleeve and focused on the cup. He drew a low breath, then hurled the plastic utensil at his target.
The weight was slightly different from that of his throwing knives but by fate's good will, he managed to knock the cup from the counter. White powder spilled down the vampire's black shirt and into the pan of chemicals below it. Ichiru did not waste time waiting for the reaction- he turned and ran.
He felt his spell dissipate, broken by the vampire's struggles. He heard a splash as his foe upset the pan and the near-instantaneous explosion that resulted from the powder's contact with the chemical. A ragged shriek shook the walls of the room as fire and poisonous fumes erupted to engulf the commoner.
Ichiru exited the cafeteria, its metal doors slamming shut behind him. He allowed himself a moment to catch his breath. If the chemicals had spilled across the vampire's clothes, he might have died from the flames alone. If not, the toxic fumes would poison him into near-uselessness; commoner vampires could only perish if their head or heart was destroyed but even they were not immune to such deadly gases.
Ichiru looked down, letting the situation register in his mind. He had just killed two level C vampires- the third strongest class of vampire. He briefly had the vain urge for his parents to see him now- he wasn't useless. Could Zero have done that? Maybe, but Zero was more the type to attempt physical combat. Against commoner vampires, it was a more risky approach. Ichiru had twice emerged victorious from a situation that guaranteed his death. Perhaps this feat could even qualify him as strong.
Ichiru smiled bitterly, distantly reminiscing over his many lessons in which Shishou had taught the twins which chemicals combined made quick explosives. "You may not have been talking to me, Shishou," he murmured, "but I sure as hell was listening."
Reminding himself that toxic fumes could spread, he set off down the hallway and let his mind search for the remaining three vampires. Casting a paralysis spell had taken a lot out of him but he was able to move onward in a brisk walk. The emptiness of the school building once again asserted itself in the form of silence, each second of quiet adding tension to the silver-haired boy's frame. Nowhere- he could not find them. Had they left? It seemed unlikely. He was still painfully outnumbered and two explosions were unlikely to scare them off. He had only succeeded so far due to their underestimation of his abilities. That would not have changed so drastically in such a small amount of time- fleeing him now would be overestimating his abilities.
It seemed far more likely that, realizing it was poor health to play around with him, they would group together and attack him all at once- a scenario in which he would be, of course, at quite a disadvantage and probably killed with little delay.
Unfortunately for Ichiru, that was exactly what took place- more or less.
The auras that had disappeared from his senses abruptly reappeared, concentrated into three presences directly behind him. Ichiru froze, feeling the gaze of three commoners on him. The hairs on the back of his neck rose, his heart losing what little calm it had gained in his brief respite from battle.
"That hunter woman most definitely said 'helpless', did she not?" The voice was a woman's, slightly rough around the harder syllables. She sounded only meters away. "Did I hear her wrong? 'The boy is helpless and useless at fighting. You'll have no trouble with him'. Is that not what she said?"
"It is indeed," a deeper, masculine voice agreed. "Her husband too made it quite clear that we should not take this assignment seriously."
"It seems we were mislead," the third concluded, an irritated tone in his nasally voice.
Ichiru turned to face them, glaring openly at the two men and one woman. They all bore crimson eyes, speaking of thirst, and dark clothing. Their features were beautiful but did not particularly draw his gaze; their dangerous expressions, if nothing else, very much caught his attention.
"Perhaps we've got the wrong boy?" the woman drawled, regarding Ichiru critically. "Perhaps faulty information lead us to attack the hunter trainee prodigy rather than the useless musician? They could hardly blame us for that."
"Kiryuu had better pay us more for the two casualties we've suffered," the nasally-voiced vampire hissed.
Ichiru's breath caught in his throat. "What…did you say?" he breathed.
"Ah, he speaks!" exclaimed the woman mildly. "Tell us, hunterling, are you indeed Kiryuu Ichiru-kun?"
"You said 'Kiryuu had better pay you,'" Ichiru told her, his voice raising in volume. "What the hell do you mean by that?!"'
"We mean your mommy and daddy want you dead, you little brat," the nasally-voiced man snapped.
"Yes, we were hired to kill their son, Kiryuu Ichiru," the woman reaffirmed blandly. "The point is, are you actually Ichiru-kun or are you the other kid- Zoro…Zero or whatever."
"Wouldn't want to kill the wrong one, now would we?" the deep-voiced vampire snorted.
"Your parents want a fighter, not a pianist," the woman agreed, nodding her head. Her eyes narrowed. "Speak, brat!"
"My parents would never do that," Ichiru said, his voice shaking slightly. He already didn't believe the words but he wanted the vampires to think he did. With any luck, he knew his parents better then they did and knowing them, he realized he should have seen this coming. The vampires realized only that he was caught off-guard by the truth. "They would never want Ichiru dead!" he continued. "You're lying!"
"Yes, we're actually here because we each have personal vendettas against little white-haired pyromaniacs," the nasally voiced said sarcastically.
"I don't like pianists," the woman smiled thinly.
"So he really is the wrong twin?" her deep-voiced companion guessed, running a hand through his dark-blond hair. "We're dead if we kill the prodigy."
"You're dead if you kill me or my brother," Ichiru whispered, trying to sound furious. "I don't know what kind of deluded nutcases you are but my parents love us both! If they wouldn't track you down and kill you, I would. Don't you dare touch Ichiru!"
"So, Zero-kun, is it?" the woman asked, raising an eyebrow. "How do we know you're not lying to save your own skin? We can't actually trust you when you say you aren't the younger Kiryuu twin."
"You want to know how?" he raised an eyebrow. "Go look in the cafeteria or the hallway where I blew up your pals. If the blood stains on the ceiling don't clue you in, your failure is due more to incompetence then misinformation."
"Brat," the nasally-voiced commoner growled.
"Ne, Shouhei," the woman said to him, "wasn't the kid carrying a bag when he came in?"
"Yeah, he was," he answered, shooting her a questioning look.
"Go find it," she suggested. "It probably has some sort of identification in it."
"Right," he muttered, turning and with inhuman speed disappearing down the hall.
"He won't find it," Ichiru said, forced bravado in his tone. "It exploded along with the first vampire lowlife I killed. Even if he picks it pieces by piece off the ceiling, it won't due him much good."
"Running your big mouth won't due you much good," the female vampire informed him warningly, "so shut up before we decide we don't care which twin you are."
He glared at her but stopped talking.
He considered attacking them now while they were lesser in number but soon threw away the notion. They were faster, stronger than he was and he had no weapon other than his own two fists. His only hope was to convince them he was Zero and if they found his bag, even that chance was more or less worthless.
His heart sank when the third vampire reappeared holding his slightly worse for wear music bag.
"This what you were talking about, Asano-san?" the nasally-voiced vampire asked the woman. He held it up before her eyes with two fingers.
She took it from him, wrenching it open with a rough tug. Her eyes surveyed the contents for a moment before she withdrew several music books. "Sheet music, huh?" she queried flatly. "Now why would Zero-kun be carrying this? Target practice? Something to blow up?"
Ichiru stared at her silently, his expression impassive. Finally, he said, "make sure to give my parents hell for misleading you. Maybe if they know I killed two of you, they will regret my death just a little."
"Ah," the woman said in revelation, rolling her eyes upward. "So Ichiru-kun is a pyromaniac, a convincing liar and oh, so helpless. Ha. Remind me to require a complete portfolio of the next miserable fool we go after."
"Tch," her deep-voiced friend shrugged. "Let's get this done with." He advanced on Ichiru.
Ichiru wracked his mind for spells, plans, anything that could save his life but he came up just as blank as before. There was nothing that could kill all three of them at once, nothing that could save his life. He was really going to die, sentenced to death by his own parents who did not want the useless twin dragging his brother down into obscurity.
Several feet away from him, the deep-voiced vampire lurched, staggering as a wave of imbalance washed over him. The shield Ichiru had initially cast upon realizing his danger was taking effect. The hunter trainee drew a low breath and took a lunging step forward, using his momentum to power an openhanded strike to the vampire's nose. The commoner let out a gurgling roar of pain as the heel of Ichiru's palm bashed his nose inward, causing blood to spurt from his nostrils. The powerful strike had sent the vampire's bone smashing up into his brain, his face crushed in a bloody, disfigured mass. It would have killed a human.
"Oi!" the nasally-voiced vampire exclaimed. "Can't you take out an unarmed kid?"
Vampires, however, were basically impossible to kill barehanded.
Slowly, the commoner's face reformed, his eyes focusing as he spit blood out onto the floor. He looked around wildly, his expression murderous as he prepared to repay the pain he had been given. Ichiru was already gone however, sprinting down the hallway away from the vampires in a frantic attempt to flee.
With inhuman speed, the female commoner darted forward, catching his wrist in her grip. The effect of his shield took a hold of her however and she lost her balance, toppling down to the floor and dragging him with her.
"Careful!" Ichiru heard the nasally-voiced vampire call. "He's got some sort of shield on him!"
The hunter trainee struggling to free himself of the woman, exploiting her nauseas state to the utmost. He elbowed her in the face, kicking at her torso as she woozily clawed at him. Her long nails tore through his sleeve, just barely breaking the skin of his arm. A lucky kick to her stomach released her hold on him and Ichiru scrambled to his feet.
"If you walk slowly, it's not as bad," the blond was telling his nasally-voiced friend as they carefully approached Ichiru.
The silver-haired boy sent another kick to the woman's temple as she tried to rise and she fell back down in a sprawl, cursing him and grasping for his ankles. He backed away from them all, then whirled around, taking off once more. They shot after him but kept their distance, knowing they would fall down if they got too close. They just had to catch him at the right moment to win the battle- and he could not keep running forever.
Exhaustion was beginning to overtake him. Hand-to-hand fighting was what Ichiru was worst at, requiring the most power behind every blow. He had gotten in a few lucky hits due to his shield but now he was dizzy with fatigue, his muscles screaming their overuse as he ran through the school.
Gasping in another ragged breath, he darted into a classroom to one side and slammed the door shut after him. Desperately relying on his dizzying shield, he spent a few precious seconds whispering incantations. Exhaustion assaulted him further as he completed each anti-vampire ward, casting the charms upon the door between him and his attackers. They were not very good wards. He could not be sure if or how long they would hold.
He collapsed to the floor, barely able to muster enough strength to stay away. His entire body felt heavy, his vision tunnel-like and nausea making the walls spin. Something banged loudly against the door and he felt the wood vibrate beneath his fingers, unable to make sense of the shouts on the other side. He thought he heard a gunshot but it could only be the vampires destroying their surroundings. Would they come through the wall? The idea frightened him.
Weakly, Ichiru dragged himself to his hands and knees, forcing his eyes open to blearily regard the room. He was in an empty classroom, the dirty carpet flooring slightly sticky to the touch. Rows of desks were lined throughout the room, colorful posters covering the walls with cheery and academically inspirational sayings. There was a teacher's desk in the back of the room and no way out.
He lurched to his feet, placing a hand on a desk to push himself up. The hand and even the arm he used shook with the effort. It took him awhile but he managed to reach the far wall, moving to hunch beneath the teacher's desk. Would it buy him any time? The pounding had stopped for now- he sincerely hoped they were not calmly reciting counter spells instead.
He let out a weary breath, closing his eyes. Was he going to die?
Then the door opened and he started in alarm. The wards had not broken- he would have noticed otherwise. How could they just effortlessly open the door without first breaking the wards?! He tried to slow his still heavy breathing, tried to will the vampires away with his mind, chanting in his mind 'I'm not here, I'm not here, I'm not here…' His senses were a mess; he could not tell how many of them had entered the room.
The sound of the door shutting reached his ears along with the soft murmur of someone speaking an incantation. Then he heard an unbelievably, heartbreakingly familiar voice.
"Ichiru?"
The single word was shaky, horrified, furious, protective and concerned. Ichiru felt his breath hitch in his throat. Somehow, he found the strength to reply.
"I'm here, Zero," he told his twin softly. The wards not breaking made sense now; they did not apply to hunters.
A moment later, Zero appeared beside him, kneeling down to better see his twin. Ichiru stared almost dazedly at his double's pale face, the messy silver hair, the stricken and angry amethyst eyes. Then he drew a sharp breath because Zero was hurt.
Ragged gashes slashed down the elder twin's torso, extending diagonally from his shoulder to his stomach. His plain, uniform shirt was soaked with blood; the white fabric hung in tatters from his lean frame. One of his hands was pressed to his side.
"Zero…" Ichiru breathed in horror. "You're hurt…"
"I managed to kill one of the bastards," Zero told him darkly, "but I was only able to shoot the second in the shoulder before he grabbed the gun out of my hand. The woman came up behind me and I didn't turn in time. It's not that bad."
"Are they out there?" his brother questioned, leaning closer to see how deep Zero's injuries were. The three slashes scoring his brother's skin ran parallel to each other, the middle one deeper than the other two. It was the only cut that was serious, worst at the shoulder; the other two were just scratches in comparison. The only thing Zero was in danger of was losing too much blood.
"No," the elder shook his head. "The woman dragged her ugly friend off to get the bullet out. I think they were pretty shaken by me showing up- they thought I was you."
"Well, that's one advantage," Ichiru murmured with little energy. "Will you tell me what you're doing here then?"
Zero was full-out scowling but not at his twin. "I was going to Shishou's but I ran into Shouko-sensei. Weird, right? She was parked on our street waiting for me. She asked me why our parents had cancelled your piano lesson since they had hung up abruptly without elaborating. Said she didn't like their tone- it worried her." His voice grew quiet and Ichiru was surprised to hear loathing in his tone. "That was even stranger- that they had cancelled it, you know? I thought they would at least have mentioned such a thing to you before merrily wishing you on your way. According to Shouko-sensei, they called her hours before we stopped home after school."
"Hah, well, they wouldn't want to accidentally kill Shouko-sensei, I guess," Ichiru sighed. He reached out, catching his brother's arm and laying his head on Zero's unwounded shoulder. "Look what you've done now, idiot. We'll both die."
"You're saying it's true?" Zero whispered, wrapping his arm around his twin. "Kaa-san and Tou-san…actually caused this? Those three vampires came here to kill you?"
"Five vampires," Ichiru corrected wearily. "I already killed two of them."
"I…I can't believe it…" The elder twin's jaw was clenched.
"Neither could I," the younger joked with a wan smile. "Who ever thought I'd be able to handle two level C's?"
"Not that!" Zero snapped. "Of course you could- you're brilliant. Our own parents…our own parents dealt with vampires to kill…to kill the person I treasure the most."
Ichiru scoffed at that, closing his eyes. Zero should not have shown up at all, the idiot. Ichiru could not deny his relief however; just being near his twin calmed him down.
"Do you remember when we were little kids, Zero?" he asked softly, "and I asked Kaa-san why I was always so sick?" He felt Zero tense against him but continued. "In the womb, we fought," he breathed, "and you won. You took half my strength- so you'll definitely become an incredible hunter. Every other set of hunter twins throughout time has had one of the two born dead and the other with the strength of two hunters." He laughed. "Does that make you one and a half hunters?"
"Ichiru…" Zero said, at a loss for how to respond.
"It would have been better if we were just born as one person," the younger twin told him. His voice lowered. "You should have just killed me, Zero."
"Don't say that," his brother whispered harshly. "Please."
"But that's why Kaa-san and Tou-san want me dead," Ichiru said, smiling at his brother's agonized expression. "I'm just a hindrance to you. I'm just dragging you down. Perhaps this is for the best, after all. You shouldn't have come. It might be too late for you now."
Zero bowed his head, trembling slightly.
Ichiru grinned. "Just imagine their faces when they find out both of us are dead."
The elder twin's head snapped up. "Shut up!" he cried, the words almost a snarl. His eyes were wild and to Ichiru's shock, tears were streaming down his cheeks. "You're not going to die! Damn it!" He drew a low breath, seizing a fistful of the younger twin's hair and dragging their faces close together. "Don't you dare say that even one more time!" he ordered harshly. "'I should have killed you?' 'This is for the best?!' You deserve everything I have! I'm the one…" He faltered, his voice losing its ferocity. "I'm the one who stole your strength. This is all my fault."
Ichiru stared at him impassively. It was always when they were both in pain that they really felt like one person, he reflected. Finally, he said, "I'm not going to die? Such sentiments are valuable to be sure, Zero, but I think you're being slightly unrealistic. We have no weapons, you're practically bleeding to death and I'm so exhausted I can't stand up. Even if you've strengthened my wards, they'll get in."
"I meant it," Zero said coldly. "You're not going to die. That's because…I'm going to try to atone for what I did."
Ichiru's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"
"I'll leave Kaa-san and Tou-san to you," he said intensely. "Tell them you're me until you get a chance and then kill the bastards. As for that filthy scum outside, they don't know both of us are here, do they?" He pushed Ichiru away, eyes locked on his twin's face. "That means when they kill a Kiryuu twin, they'll leave."
Ichiru sucked in a sharp breath, a shout of protest on his lips. It, like everything else, faded away into darkness when Zero knocked him out with a powerful punch to the chin.
"I'm sorry…Ichiru."
Ichiru was finally able to push back the fog of his unnaturally-induced sleep when a slender hand gently patted him on the head. He jolted awake, Zero's name on his lips as he sat up. Wildly, he looked around, dizziness and a splitting headache making him wince.
It was not Zero however, who had woken him.
His wide eyes met the gaze of an unearthly beautiful woman. She knelt beside him, a silken kimono wrapped around her slim frame and her long, silver hair falling down to her waist. Her eyes were the color of cherry blossoms, half-veiled by dark lashes and glinting with hidden intentions. Her smile was ambiguous. Her aura was distorted- cloaked by some sort of concealment charm- but undoubtedly that of a very powerful vampire.
He flinched back, pressing himself to the underside of the desk as he watched her warily. She continued to smile, waiting for him to speak. At least she was not attacking him.
"Are you…one of them?" he asked, trying to make his eyes focus on her slightly blurring image. The words hurt to speak; his jaw ached. "You're stronger…a noble at least."
"I am not one of your attackers, Ichiru," she assured him in a velvety voice, amusement written on her face.
"How do you know my name?" he asked, tensing. "Where is Zero?"
"I know your name because I have been watching you," she replied easily. "Your brother is currently cornered, severely injured and about to die." She said all that pleasantly like she was conversing with him over the weather.
The color drained from Ichiru's face, the second of her answers brushing the first from his mind. "The idiot," he breathed, slipping passed her and peering up over the edge of the desk. The room was empty; he stood, wobbling slightly as he made his way around the desk.
"And what are you going to do?" the silver-haired vampire questioned with interest, also rising to her feet- though with considerably more grace than he had. A bell strung around her waist rang with the movement. "You do not even know where he is…and if you did, what could you do about it?"
He made his way down the rows of desks towards the door, his stomach churning unpleasantly and his head pounding. "Ah…" he muttered, her question taxing his exhausted mind. "My parents hired those vampires to kill me but they don't want Zero dead. If I reveal myself, it's likely Zero won't be harmed. Maybe they won't kill either of us if we confuse them enough." He was aware of her following him as he staggered out of the room.
"A fair plan," she commended him, walking along beside him as he hastily lurched down the hallway. "You did not address my first point however."
Ichiru stopped. He did not really have the time to contemplate her peculiarity in both arrival and manner and so long as she was not a threat, he wasn't eager to do so. She had, however informed him of Zero's situation and that meant one, very important thing.
"You know where Zero is," he said. It was not a question.
"Coincidently," she confirmed with a sly smile.
He did not like that smile actually. If only he had time to properly think over what her presence meant. Zero came first, however. "Well? Tell me where he is!" he demanded, a bit of desperation in his voice. "If you don't care enough to answer me that much, you can stop following me around!"
"That's rather rude of you," she commented, affecting an offended expression. "No one will listen to anything you say if you don't ask nicely, ill-mannered child."
He stared at her flatly for a moment. "My apologies," he said finally. "Could you please tell me where my brother is, Miss Vampire?"
"Even if I did," she speculated, "you would never get there in time. It's across the school from here."
"I'll run," he promised dryly, using sarcasm to hide his increasing panic. "Please, as you say, there is not much time."
"I'm saying it's impossible," she told him, leaning closer to him as though studying his expressions. "You could be in perfect health and run with your highest level of speed and you would not make it in time. Zero will be dead within five minutes and in your state, you could not make it to his side within ten."
"It doesn't matter!" Ichiru exclaimed frantically. "Just tell me where he is!"
"Are you sure?" she queried, with such casualness as to make her cruel. "I was just about to offer to make a deal…"
"A deal?" he asked guardedly.
"Sou," she affirmed with one of her sly smiles. "If you accept, I'll save Zero for you."
He inhaled sharply. Forget that he might be acquiring the future occupation of permanent snack food or agreeing to sabotage the Association somehow. "I accept! It doesn't matter what you want in exchange- I'll do anything. I can't let that idiot die!"
"Oh, really?" She raised an eyebrow. "Love between brothers is really so adorable…Alright then. We have a deal. Shall we?" She took a hold of his elbow.
Then the world shifted. He was in a completely different room, halfway across the school in the gym. He was clueless as to how he had gotten there but it probably had something to do with the vampire at his side. Had she carried him here? In less than an instant? Her speed numbed his mind.
Zero was standing backed against the far wall, his amethyst eyes burning with hatred as he stared at the two vampires cornering him. His injuries were worse; added to the gashes across his chest, there were cuts along his cheek and he was favoring his left leg. His attackers seemed mostly unharmed but the nasally-voiced one Ichiru remembered had been called 'Shouhei' had a bullet wound in one shoulder. The woman, Asano, was wearing an angry, vicious smile.
Zero's eyes flickered to Ichiru in shock and then to the bizarre stranger who accompanied him. Asano glanced over her shoulder to see what he was looking at and froze, her posture becoming tense.
"Two twins?" she breathed. She turned her eyes to the silver-haired vampire. "Who the hell are you?"
"Hiou Shizuka," Ichiru's benefactor answered simply, idly even. Then whatever spell had been concealing her aura fell away.
Ichiru flinched back in shock, his senses reeling at the staggeringly powerful presence that emanated from her. Asano and Shouhei faced her now, the color gone from their faces. The reason was simple; she was a pureblood.
"M-my lady…" Asano choked out, her eyes wide with fear. "I meant no offense."
"No?" Shizuka said softly, her smile predatory now. "But you have offended me greatly." She raised one slender hand, pointing at Zero with her forefinger. "That boy is under my protection. I am inclined to kill one who has hurt him."
Shouhei blanched, retreating a step as though wondering if he could run before she caught him. "We…truly…had no idea," he managed. "It just seemed like normal Association treachery- Shizuka-sama, for a pureblood to be involved-"
"Do not be so familiar, commoner rat," Shizuka said lowly, her smile vanishing.
In an instant, Shouhei exploded into bloody pulp, his body seeming to rip itself to shreds from the inside. He had not even a chance to scream. His dripping remains splattered across the wall and a fine, red mist descended on the shiny gym floor. A whimper escaped Asano's lips.
Zero watched Shizuka tensely, his back pressed against the gym wall. Every so often, he glanced at his brother as though aching to run forward and snatch Ichiru from Shizuka's grip.
Ichiru could not take his eyes off of what had once been Shouhei. With whatever power resided in her mind, Shizuka had killed the commoner so fast that his remains did not even revert to ash. What god-like strength was this? No wonder both level C's had been petrified with fear. Ichiru allowed himself a moment of relief that the freakishly scary person was on his side- so to speak.
Shaking with terror, Asano sank to her knees. "Spare me, Lady Pureblood," she begged shamelessly. "I implore you."
Shizuka moved forward, unhurriedly crossing the gym and through her grip on his elbow, pulling Ichiru along with her. Asano cringed back as she neared, placing her forehead to the floor in a groveling position. The commoner's entire body trembled.
"You will actually be lucky today," Shizuka said, a gentle smile appearing on her lips. "I need you to complete a task for me."
Asano looked up, her eyes wide. "Anything, my lady!"
"Oh? What a relief," the pureblood murmured. "I can't imagine what I would do if you had refused. The little errand you will fulfill is similar to what you would already be doing anyway. All I need is for you to report to Kiryuu Saika and Kiryuu Akihiro that your job is done and Ichiru is dead. Tell them you shredded his body into little pieces after he killed two of your accomplices. Easy enough?"
"Yes, yes, I will do as you ask," Asano nodded fervently.
Shizuka met her gaze directly, her eyes suddenly very intense. "One more thing. Once you have successfully reported to your employers, make it so that no one will notice your absence and then kill yourself. Throughout your last hours of life, do not mention what has truly occurred here to anyone. Do you understand?"
Asano's eyes glazed over and she nodded again. "Is shall be done, my lady." Her voice was no longer frightened and eager however; it was a lifeless monotone, the manner of one in thrall. Slowly she stood, turned and expressionlessly left the room.
Silence reigned for a few moments between the pureblood and the twins. Ichiru stared blankly at the gore-spattered floor. "That won't be fun for the maintenance crew to clean up," he observed numbly.
"Ichiru…" Zero said lowly, watching Shizuka with wary eyes. "That woman is a pureblood vampire. Why did she help us?"
"Actually…" Ichiru faltered, his brow furrowing. "I'm not so clear on the details." He donned a nervous smile, glancing questioningly at Shizuka.
She did not reply, slowly strolling across the blood-drenched wood as she surveyed the large room. Ichiru noticed she was not wearing shoes. "Quite an ideal scene, isn't it?" she asked softly. "Your parents and the authorities will assume your corpse was shredded, Ichiru- the commoner will only confirm that theory. They will not consider this to truly be the remains of a vampire since only with a pureblood's telekinesis can a lesser vampire be destroyed in a way that it does not dissolve into ash."
"Answer the question!" Zero demanded. "Why did you help us, vampire?"
"Hah, Zero," Ichiru muttered, "let's not make the kind pureblood angry with us, ne? There's more than enough bloody pulp on the floor."
She ignored Zero, turning to regard the younger twin. "Do you wish to know the terms of the deal we made or is it still irrelevant to you?" She smiled mockingly. "I ask because I know there are many individuals within this world who prefer to be surprised by everything that comes to pass. Perhaps you are one of these?"
"No," Ichiru shook his head. "Please tell me, Miss Pureblood."
"Very well," she agreed easily. "What you have bargained for is Zero's safety- that does not stop with this day. From now on, I will protect your brother from anything that might cause his harm. So long as both you and I are alive, that is, Ichiru."
"Wow- really?" Ichiru blinked, his eyes wide.
"Very nice of you," Zero seconded, edging around the pureblood as he headed for his brother; he limped slightly. Blood splashed on the soles of his shoes, the mist having now condensed into liquid puddles of red. "As fun as this has been and all, we should get going about now. If Kaa-san and Tou-san are after Ichiru, we'll have to run away."
"There, now," Shizuka consoled him, "it's alright. Why would they be after him if they think he is dead?" Smoothly, she intercepted Zero and caught him by the shoulders. He stiffened, returning her gaze guardedly. Then he gasped because his wounds were gradually healing, a pale light glowing from her palms. When every scratch upon his body had disappeared, she released him.
She turned back to Ichiru, closing the distance between them and taking a hold of his wrist. "The other part of our deal is the price I require for this service. I am quite certain it fits within your stated limits, rest assured."
Ichiru grimaced, well aware that she was mocking him. "I said I would do anything, hah…"
"Sou, ne?" she murmured, closing the metaphorical cage around him- or perhaps she was just reaffirming it. "Then from now on, you are my slave. I will do whatever I wish to you, you will do whatever I say and in the unlikely event you are given the chance, you will not try to escape me. This is for the rest of your life- or," she smiled sarcastically, "for the rest of mine, depending on who outlives the other. Considering who I am, I doubt either of us will die for a very, very long time."
"What?" Zero whispered, a stricken look on his face.
Ichiru's head reeled. He forced a smile onto his face. "Well…it's better than one of us dying, right, Zero?"
"Maybe, it is," Shizuka said with a sly smile.
"No!" the elder twin snarled, his eyes wild. His eyes darted around the room, about her as though searching and unable to find a way to attack her. She radiated power, the amused look in her cherry blossom eyes enunciating the hopelessness of his situation. "I won't let you take him!"
Ichiru could see the agony in his brother's face. Zero had tried to atone for stealing his brother's strength by sacrificing his own life. In response, Ichiru had sold his soul in exchange for Zero's perpetual safety. Irony always hurt the most.
"You don't have any choice, Zero," Shizuka informed the elder twin without sympathy. "I did not make this deal with you- you are just an element in it."
"No…no!" His voice was swiftly becoming panicked, the frantic word spilling from his lips shakily. Ichiru understood- neither he nor Zero could possibly fight this woman. They had witnessed her strength with their own eyes and heard of it countless times in stories and legends. It was useless.
The elder twin took a step forward and nearly slipped on the blood-drenched floor. "You can't take him! This was for my safety- then kill me!" His eyes were burning, desperation on his face as stumbled forward and seized her sleeve. "Kill me, or take me instead- just don't take Ichiru!"
Ichiru watched calmly, impassively as his brother screamed broken entreaties.
"How adorable," Shizuka laughed lowly. "Two twins who would die for each other. Were I you, Zero, I would stop complaining. You have been given a chance- one you would not have had if I hadn't concerned myself with you. You are alive. Ichiru is alive and your despicable parents will think he is dead. Not to mention, if I let him go- which I won't- you would just be hunted down by people who specialize in hunting, Ichiru would be killed and your memories would probably be erased. Am I not a saint to save you thus?"
Zero stared at her, at a loss for words. She was something he could not fight. Something he could not fight was taking Ichiru away forever.
"Shall I give you some small consolation?" she questioned lightly. "You heard me say that the deal would end if Ichiru or I died. All you have to do to save your precious twin is become powerful enough to kill a pureblood vampire. Surely it won't be so hard for one with the power of one and a half hunters." She smiled and this time, the cruelty in the expression was unveiled. "Thrive on your hatred, Zero. Otherwise, you will never get him back."