The falter in Zero's step was so masterfully covered up that only the most astute of hawks would have recognised it as such. The girl he had to forcefully remove his eyes from certainly didn't notice the effect she had had on him.
He had almost mistaken her for his lost love, Yuuki Cross… no, she was Yuuki Kuran now. This girl had long, soft auburn hair and innocent brown eyes; but her face was a little too round, her eyes were missing the level of warmth he was used to, her lips a little too plump. Long story short, she wasn't Yuuki.
How long had it been since he had seen her? Six months? A year, perhaps? He had lost track of time, too caught up in hunting rogue vampires in order to quell his overbearing thirst. A thirst that always came to the surface when he remembered her. Though he would never admit to such, he remembered her a lot.
He'd think back to the taste of her lips on that fateful day; a blissful mix of summer fruits and warmth, a taste akin to home. He would never regret his decision to kiss her, to show her his desperate feelings for her. And to tell her goodbye. He remembered her accepting his feelings, not exactly kissing him back (he had been too quick and her too shocked for that) but closing her eyes to drink in his feelings before she left. He'd allow her to take everything he had if she had wanted.
But she was surely happy now with her prince. His heart twisted, the familiar pain settling into place once more. He had always watched her fawn over him, had always listened to her expressing her love for this mysterious vampire who had always watched over her. He could imagine her joy at finding out that she could now live the life that she had always thought was out of her reach.
The thought of her joyous smile filled him simultaneously with deep pain and a powerful love. Oh god, he had loved her smile and how it would light up the whole room. He loved her so, so much. He loved how she cared so deeply for those around her. He loved how she would pout at his every sarcastic remark. He loved her in her vulnerable moments, and he loved her in her powerful ones. His heart overflowed with his love for her.
He could feel his thirst bubbling to the surface again; one hand reaching up to lightly grip his throat while the other searched his pocket for blood tablets. She had still been thinking of him before she had left. He wasn't so dense as to not realise that she still cared for him. The vow they had made…
As he emptied the box of tablets straight into his mouth, he wondered to himself if he would ever have the strength to go through with his end. Somehow, he didn't think he would be able to. Even if Yuuki was a pureblood once again, she was still the girl who had saved his life. Who had given him a reason to continue on when he had lost all hope. Who was still giving him a reason, even now that they were eternally apart.
He knew that they were enemies now, but how could he stop wishing for her happiness? She, who has selflessly sacrificed so much for him?
And how could she not be happy? She was finally with the man she had loved and longed for for ten long years.
Zero violently pushed Yuuki from his thoughts as he arrived back at his apartment. He would be going out hunting tonight, and no one was going to stop him.