Walking Via Dolorosa
Pre Desert Rose
Kaname was never the type to enjoy crowds. It was usually too rowdy, even though people were mostly walking past each other wordlessly. One advantage about being a vampire was a night stroll through the streets and hardly bumping into anyone. Of course, having a walk in the early mornings had its disadvantages. On numerous occasions he bumped into human drunkards, and once so every often, a person who would attempt to rob him of his belongings. None of these scared him, naturally. Usually he's take a simple way out by relieving the people their memories of him.
Tonight was no different. It had been a pleasant stroll from the outskirts of the city and he had yet to meet anyone, or anything that got him remotely annoyed. It was about midnight and the crescent moon shone dimly in the clear sky, partially hidden by dark clouds. Ever so occasionally, he would look up at the skies, wondeirng when the large clouds would pass.
The park was one of the places he would walk through to get to the other end of town. The pureblood didn't like change much, so his route was quite standard. As he casually passed through the park, his hearing picked up several sounds. It was the sound of rapid shuffling and gasps, and it didn't require more than a second to know what was happening.
Abruptly, Kaname turned away from where the sound originated from, choosing to walk by the pond instead of the usual path that lead through a small thicket. Both ways led him to the same place, but he usually preferred the thickets as the air was cool and fresh. However, seeing as there were people who required a little privacy, he decided to be considerate for once and leave them alone. Although, if he did tapped into his vampire speed, he would be where he wanted to in the matter of a heartbeat. However, it wouldn't have been much of a stroll if he covered part of his walk that quickly.
This was the second time Kaname had walked by the pond. It wasn't very deep, but he stayed at a safe distance from the pond's edge. He had been staring at the reflection of the sky in the waters, when suddenly, something maroon was being disfigured by the ripples. Intrigued by the odd sight, Kaname had decided to come to a halt. The pureblood glanced up at the skies, half expecting something, but definately not the moon.
Why is the moon red this time? Kaname thought to himself.
This particular red could only by picked up by those who had perfect night vision. To a normal human, they will never be able to catch the hint of redness. However, to a vampire, it was as crimson as blood itself.
The only times when the moon turned red was when there was a disruption in the balance between the gates of the human realm and the underworld.
Just as Kaname was about to think of the possible reasons for that disruption, the sound of shuffling feet caught his attempting. They were quick, fluid steps heading towards his direction. Where, he couldn't tell just yet because the wind chose to whip by, defeaning him for a brief moment.
When the wind died, he could hear the footsteps clearer. There were more than one running, along with several heavy pants. Kaname finally picked out the direction the individuals were coming from and he turned to face the thickets flanking one side of the pond, namely behind him.
A figure stood out in the dark after a while, and Kaname's gaze narrowed at the arrival of a stranger. This person was rather short, about Yuuki's height. His hair was pale yellow, like a fading sunlight and it fell to his elbows. He was decked in a white gear, something not quite seen in this world. Kaname identified the individual as a 'he' from afar, namely because the front of his chest was not covered by his clothings. In fact, the person was running towards him in a coat which had had long, thin threadings at the edges. Along with white pants and shoes, and multiple ribbons of cloth flowed behind him. What really caught Kaname's attention most was the presence of a pair of white, feathered wings on this person's back.
The fact that there were wings was odd enough, but Kaname was more than surprised because the two wings were situated on the same side of the body, on the left. They were closed at the moment as the individual ran between trees. The pureblood froze a little when a set of lilac eyes met his brown ones.
For a very brief second, Kaname felt that he was looking at Zero. It was as if the image of the hunter simply replaced the stranger's, and those pale purple orbs bore right into him. It made him hold his breath, seeing the eyes that he never once came across for the past year. When he blinked, the face of the one he knew was gone, reverted back to the stranger's.
Upon seeing Kaname, the individual stopped, coming to a halt. In fact, he tossed the vampire a cold glance, before back over his shoulder. He ducked all of a suddenly, rolling to the side and Kaname could see who this person's assaliants were.
They were Level E's, probably out for a midnight snack. The pureblood had no affinity for this particular class, and honestly hated them more than any other groups. As part of the treaty with the human society, elimination of Level Es was a welcoming task.
The winged person recovered on his feet, before sprinting to a direction away from both Kaname and the group of about three vampires after him. Kaname knew that the person was aware that he was the same race as those following him. However, he felt insulted to know that the person probably thought they were in the same category. No, he was far from these ruthless, instinctual low-lifes.
In a split second, Kaname seemed to have reappeared at a location between the predators and prey. Turning the tables on the hunters, the pureblood let loose his destructive powers. Even before the Es could react to the interruption, they found themselves being impaled right in the chest on stakes made out of stone. Blood immediately spilled from the wounds, and more flowed when the stakes seemed to have retreated back into the ground, leaving it as smooth as it was before.
The three Es fell to the ground, unmoving. No more than a few seconds later their bodies turned to dust, swept away by the small breeze which passed by.
The stranger ahead of Kaname had witnessed what his 'savior' had done. Slight confusion adorned his expression as he turned to face the vampire.
"Why did you kill your own kind?" The person questioned. His voice was cold, but not deep. What got Kaname staring at the stranger was the glowing lilac eyes which resembled the one person he knew. They were exactly the same shade, and if possible, bore the same intensity that belonged to a particular hunter.
"They're not one of my kind," Kaname replied coolly. The statement left the blond confused. "They were made vampires. They're not born as one of us."
The stranger raised an eyebrow, before nodding slowly in understanding.
"What are you doing here?" It was the pureblood's turn to ask. "You do know your kind is not meant to be here."
By kind, he meant angel. Yes, the person standing a few yards away was an angel, albeit a slightly different one because of his wings anatomy.
The person gave a pained smile. "Just looking for a good location before the feathers' fall."
Kaname blinked before finding himself staring at the angel's wings that were now expanded to their full length. Angel wings in their best conditioned would probably have resembled a dove's – pure white, clean and beautiful. They were the kind of wings every angel were meant to have. It was their pride and more importantly, their life.
However, the ones presented before him were far from the vibrant kind that Kaname had witnessed in his past. Instead of a full, feathered wing as most would see, the sight of these two were like that of a mutilated bird. They still retained their snowey white color, but it was clear that there were missing feathers from the different layers. This made the wings look scruffy, and if Kaname had to admit, dead. In which, that was what this particular angel would be very soon.
"You came to the human realm to die?" Kaname said, coming out more as a statement than a question.
The angel before him didn't look ashamed of the state his wings were in. In fact, he looked proud, as if he had accomplished a life mission successfully. One of his wings folded against his back, while the other came to curl around his body in front. All he did was let his fingers run through one of the long feathers gently, but the feather came off as if it wasn't even attached. There weren't many feathers left. This particular angel was reaching his limit soon.
For some reason, it pained Kaname a little to see such a sight. Angels were always proud of their wings. In fact, they were the race with the most pride. It was rather depressing to see a member of such origin look so defeated.
"I did." By then, both wings were closed and the angel suddenly thanked the vampire who had saved him. "I'm afraid I can't return your debt, though. I'm looking for a good place before feathers' fall."
Silently, the term 'feathers' fall' repeated in Kaname's head. Unlike other races, angel refer their coming, 'natural' death by this. Namely because the powers of an angel were infused in their feathers. Logically, an angel loses its powers once all his feathers are gone. Their wings were their strength and weakness. The only way angels truly died was when all their feathers were shed. Wings that were ripped from their bodies resulted immediate death.
The feather that the angel had pulled out from his own win fell to the floor, abandoned. Kaname hadn't realised that he was staring until it hit the carpet of leaves.
"Where will you go?" The pureblood suddenly found himself asking without meaning to. He had never been the type to meddle with other people's business, whether they lived or died as long as it didn't concern him. However, he was drawn to the angel without knowing why.
Maybe because it was the first time he was witnessing a feather's fall. He was interested to know what would happen to the angel the moment his very last lifeline detaches from his body. Or maybe because he was drawn to the reason why the angel had chosen such a realm to lay rest, since most angels moved on in the location that they were born. Or perhaps... the lilac eyes which reminded him of someone dear to his heart made him feel uncomfortable, like he was seeing that very person about to perish.
"Frankly, I don't know," the angel shrugged. "This is a different location from where I've been in the human realm. I was hoping for mountains or hills. Instead, I got ported to a town with lights and all, finding myself getting chased by them." He was referring to the Level Es. The wings opened again. "I could never fly with these anyway. I was hoping I could be somewhere up high,."
Kaname thought about such a location for a second. In this small town, the tallest infrastructure was the clock tower. That would probably be somewhere this angel was looking for.
"I'll bring you there," the vampire offered. The other blinked, surprised by it. "The highest point of this town is the clock tower," Kaname explained, pointing into the distance.
The stranger glanced over in the direction Kaname had pointed. Sure enough, a particular tower stood out like a sore thumb from the traditional two-three storey buildings. Suddenly, the angel smiled, and Kaname was slightly baffled by the smile the angel wore.
"That looks good enough. Thanks!" The angel exclaimed with newfound excitement. It was funny, because Kaname knew this person was dying. Yet, he adorned a smile nevertheless. One can't possibly be that enthusiastic about dying... can they?
"I'm Kaname. And you are?" The pureblood decided to question. He didn't want to keep referring this individual as 'the angel' in his head.
"Zivkovic," the blond replied, a gentle smile never leaving his face, despite looking straight at a person whose race that was once his enemy.
The walk towards the clock tower was midly, and oddly amusing for the pureblood. Zivkovic resembled a kid who was being let loose in a chocolate factory. The angel would be amazed by every little detail of the town, from lamps to display ornaments inside closed shops. Kaname had felt that he was bringing a child around... In fact, this felt exactly how it was like when he brought Yuuki around when she was much younger.
She would be curious about anything and everything, but no matter how inquisitive she was, she never left the saftey of his side. This was exactly a repeat of the past. And by exactly, the angel had also been in a danger he didn't realise he was in.
Fortunately, they hadn't bumped into anyone as of yet. No one saw the two odd wings that were obvious on the other's back. Then again, if they did see it, they'd probably thing it was a costume or something. Or he could just resolve to removing their memories.
Kaname had decided to drop in at a nearby cafe buying a coffee. Not that he needed it, but he felt thirsty and could use a drink. Being a cold, winter night, it wouldn't have made sense to purchase the iced coffee he'd usually get, hence settled with the hot version of it.
When he was about to find Zivkovic, he found the angel some ten shops down, admiring a shop's contents through the window. At first, he thought little of it, but came to noticed another vampire approaching Zivkovic. The latter hadn't been aware that he was being targetted at all, mostly because this vampire, unlike the few before, was sneaking up on him.
To Kaname, it was a shock that this particular angel wasn't trained to face enemies. He didn't know when he was in danger. That probably explained how he got himself in trouble with the Es. Usually, a trained angel would have taken no longer than he did to rid the vampires. Holding onto this fact, Kaname came to ponder on how old and what this angel does.
The vampire who had snuck up on Zivkovic did so very discreetly, almost resembling a passer by. He could tell the other was engrossed at admiring, not even batting an eyelid as he approached. He was drawn to this individual by the sight of the unnatural wings. He knew, without a doubt that this was from an aerial race, and the inclination to spill the enemy's blood drew him closer to his victim.
If Zivkovic had been paying attention, he would've noticed that the passer by had not continued walking past him. In fact, the vampire was right behind him, reaching for his wing to inflict immediate death.
However, even before the vampire could touch the blond, he froze in his spot. A cold chill ran down his spine, causing his entire form to freeze. It felt like the surrounding darkness just got darker, and the vampire could no doubt feel a killer aura radiating from the distance. Slowly, he looked over to the side, eyes widening in fear.
A set of reddish-brown eyes promised death if he were to continue what he was doing. As like any who would like to keep their necks, the vampire immediately retreated, stuffing his hands in his coat pocket and turning to cross the road. He attempted to put a safe distance between the pureblood and him, but of course he knew if the pureblood wanted to, would be right before him within a heartbeat.
Kaname eyed the lower class vampire carefully, satisfied with his triumph. He walked over to Zivkovic with a take-away coffee mug in hand.
"You shouldn't walk off like that," Kaname said, but it came out sounding like a reprimand. However, Zivkovic took no noticed of the harsh tone used, instead pointing into the shop. He didn't even look like he has sensed Kaname's dangerous aura from before.
"That," the blond said with a smile on his face. Kaname glanced at the object the other had been pointing at. It was a white teapot with an intricate navy blue painting of a kind of flower. "That reminds me of Eden, the place I was born."
The pureblood knew little of its significance, instead averting his gaze. His eyes came to take note of the ground where the angel was standing. There were more feathers littering the ground. He felt his heart tug a little. He came to remind himself that the angel was dying.
Zivkovic turned to look at Kaname. His initial smile disappeared when he realised that the vampire was looking down at the feathers he had shed. Abruptly, he bent down and picked up the feathers of varying sizes. He held them by their tips, avoiding the smooth, feathery areas to prevent the delicate streaks from crumpling.
"Guess we'd better go," the angel said with a smile.
Kaname couldn't understand what the other was smiling for. It unnerved him. He wished he could ask why Zivkovic could still look so happy when he knew he was... dying. The temptation was great. It will probably be a matter of time before the urge to ask slipped.
"Whoah... This is high!" Zivkovic exclaimed as he looked out at the view. They were about twenty-five storeys up from the ground level. From where he was, the blond could see the glittering lights of the town below. To the angel, they looks like little stars of many different colors, and he loved the view.
They were on the highest accessible point of the clock tower, which consisted of an elevator and a semicircle opening in all four directions. The ledge was pretty high, for obvious safety reasons. For Kaname, it was high enough for him to lean against, elbows propped without having a need to bend his back. The ledge was semi bricked and semi railing, probably for those who weren't that tall. Zivkovic, despite being vertically challenged as he is, decided to look over the ledge by having himself lean on his elbows, feet dangling a few inches above the floor.
Kaname kept silent as he sipped on his coffee absent mindedly, staring at the elevator which was situated in the middle of the square platform. From the corner of his eyes, he could tell Zivkovic was engrossed in the view, just as he was with the teapot before. He still couldn't figure out why he was so drawn to this stranger. Zivkovic acted like he was no older and a young teenager, looking at everything in awe. Though, he couldn't blame him. After all, Eden was probably very, very different from the human realm.
A sound of shuffling caught Kaname's attention and the pureblood glanced over at the other. For a moment there, he felt his heart stopped, becuase Zivkovic had climbed onto the brick ledge which wasn't exactly short. He was standing on it, using the wall as a support. When Kaname knew that the other was in a stable position did he calm down. The last thing he needed was this person slipping off and plunging down twenty-five storeys, especially since his wings were useless in flight.
"I wish I could fly..." The angel commented out loud. The vampire beside him remained quiet, not quite interested in replying to that. However, Kaname did feel the other's distress to a certain extent. To be different from the rest, or be unaccepted because of it. He most certaintly knew someone of that position...
"It would take a miracle..." Kaname said softly. He paused, realising what he had said came out pretty crude. He didn't mean it of course, but he accidentally let slip.
However, instead of taking offense, Zivkovic laughed. "Yeah, it would take a miracle for another wing to sprout, just for the few minutes." He looked over at Kaname, his head tilted a little. "Don't you believe in miracles?"
The brunette snorted a little. He was a practical person. Only what he could see or touch was real. He believed little of destiny, fate and such.
"You should," the angel smiled. There, it was the smile again that made Kaname unable to look away. Zivkovic straightened up, opening his wings behind him. When he did, a few more feathers slipped from them. At the rate that they were falling, it would definately not be long before...
Kaname shook his head. He didn't want to think about what would happen the moment the last feather fell. Even as they did, the angel looked nothing near what a dying person would.
"Kaname..."
Said person tilted his chin, glancing up at the one who called his name for the first time. The lilac eyes which bore into him caused his back to stiffen. If it weren't for the other features which presented totally different from the hunter, Kaname would've thought that he was looking straight at Zero. They had the same fiery spirit in their eyes. They didn't show fear, despite situations they were in.
Zivkovic came to kneel on the brick ledge he had been standing on, facing Kaname. His fingers started to fiddle with each other, and the brunette noticed the other's face was in a slight shade of pink. Curiously, he raised an eyebrow.
"Erm... This is going to be weird but... can I hug you?"
That is weird... Kaname thought to himself, slight amused. He wasn't the type to welcome bodily contact, unless of course it was someone he knew well. Well, I suppose I could fulfil his last request...
The pureblood nodded, and with a child-like glee, Zivkovic leaned over and wrapped his arms around Kaname's neck. The grasp was fairly weak. Kaname inhaled slightly. He knew the other bore no scent, but he picked up something else. It was the very, very faint smell of something else. It wasn't the presence of it that had Kaname alerted. It was the familiarity of it. It almost resembled...
"Kaname, if you see Sacred, can you take care of him for me?" Zivkovic whispered. At the moment, the brunette could feel the arms slipping from around his neck.
As quickly as a candle light snuffed out, the angel had suddenly collapsed onto his right side, looking feverish all of a sudden. Kaname didn't know whether to be concerned about the state the other was in, or with regards to what he had just said.
How did he know Sacred? And more importantly, how did he know that he knew the crossbreed?
Gently, Kaname brushed away the strands of hair shielding the pale face. There were several questions running through his head but he wasn't sure if he should ask them just yet.
"You know... I've always been a black sheep. My wings aren't right, I couldn't fight and I wasn't smart. I thought I could prove that I was as good as any other angel by trying to steal Cat o'Nine tails... I fled to the human realm. Sacred was meant to be the one to get the sword back.
"After the news of my stealing the sword, many Angels came to take it, saying things like they would keep it safe and such. When I found out that they were going to use it... I couldn't give it to Heaven or return it to the underworld. Even though it had been Sacred's job to retrieve it... he never once forced me to give it up.
"We ended up running away together, between realms. We found that we could understand each other, because we're both black sheeps. You're probably going to laugh... but I think I loved him. But eventually, I realised we couldn't run forever. That's why, I made the final sacrifice. I used all, and any of my power to seal the sword.
"Sacred should be here anytime. You saw the rift, didn't you?"
Kaname nodded. The crimson hue to the moon was it.
"I don't want him to see me like this..." Zivkovic reached out and weakly grabbed Kaname's hand. "That's why... Kaname, kill me."
"You're not even going to let him see you off?"
The angel shook his head. "It's better this way, that he doesn't see this."
"That's pretty selfish of you, not even granting him a last glance."
Zivkovic only smiled, closing his eyes. "I know... but is it really that selfish of one to protect another?"
Kaname took a sip from the teacup which had a blue flower. Without realising it himself, he had bought the very same tea set the angel had been pointing at. It was out of place in such a room like his, but he didn't care. It was one of the two momento he had from the angel.
A knock on his door, and a man in a suit stepped in.
"Sir, we've found Kiryuu and Sacred in the park near town."
The same one I stroll through.
"Let's go," the pureblood ordered, placing his cup down, and his book beside it which held a white feather as a bookmark.
So yes. Random story up XD For those who were actually interested in the mysterious ex-love of Sacred's.
Via Dolorosa, according to wiki, was the route Jesus took before he was being crucifixed. In a way, this is similar because Zivkovic was walking towards his own death. I'm sorry I didn't flesh it out much aha... It's not meant to be long anyway. Anywho thank you very much for reading!
Note: Desert Rose and Via Dolorosa are song titles. They're done by a japanese band called Abingdon Boys School. Loves them XD