The wind howled through the trees, almost like a wolf calling to its pack. The child lay in his bed, silver haired and innocent, listening to the sounds of the outside world. The door creaked open and light spilled into the room for a second, before it was closed out once again. Zero sat up sleepily and noticed that his brother had gone.
"Ichiru," he puzzled, rubbing his eyes.
A cold gust of wind swept through the room. It seemed like someone had opened the front door downstairs.
Suddenly, a flash of panic crossed Zero's mind, blinding him. He could see someone coming ever closer, feel their dark, ominous presence. He leapt from the bed and pelted from the room with one thought in his mind, to kill. His hunter instincts took over and guided him to the source of his visions. He ran down the stairs and across the hall, eventually bursting through the doors and out into the garden. Sure enough, there she stood. A tall, pale, pureblood vampire with long white hair. She was crying, but her face was full of anger.
Footsteps came hurtling towards them and Zero's parents soon crashed out of the house, brandishing their weapons.
"Don't come any closer!" Zero cried, turning to his parents. "She's a pureblood, I can sense it."
Zero had been able to feel her presence a long time before his parents had even the slightest clue she was there, and it was evident that he had amazing skill. However, he was just a child and he was his parents responsibility. They couldn't just stand by and watch him die.
"Ichiru, stop! Stay back!" his mother screamed, blocking her youngest son's path with her arm.
He had staggered towards them from the corner of the porch, and was staring, transfixed from Zero to the vampire and back again.
Zero's father grabbed his arm from behind and pulled him back over the threshold, slamming the door behind them.
"You boys go hide somewhere, we'll protect you," he said, resting a hand on Zero's shoulder.
"No! I want to fight too!" Zero protested.
"Son, you have to stay. You have to stay with Ichiru," his father explained, glancing worriedly out of the window. "He needs you Zero."
At that moment, the door was flung open and the vampire was framed in the doorway, tall and beautiful, but equally terrifying. The shocked cries of Zero's mother echoed around the room as the vampire lashed out, striking her down and leaving her crumpled like a broken marionette.
"Mother!" Zero shouted, stepping forward as if to catch her.
But his father held him back, a look of pure horror and hatred on his face. With an anguished cry, he charged forward, pointing his swords towards the pureblood. She raised a talon-like hand and, almost lazily, cast him aside. He fell alongside his wife, their blood mingling in a crimson pool.
Blood. There was so much of it. It captured Zero's senses and almost made him dizzy from the stench. It was then, that he felt two thin arms wrap around him from behind and hold him firmly. He struggled with all his might, but it was no use, it was all he could do to remain upright. He felt two fangs pierce his neck and knew it was over, all over. Ichiru had vanished, obviously killed in the struggle. He had failed the last mission his father would ever give him.
His own blood dripped down his neck as he watched more and more of it pouring from his parent's wounds. It was as if the essence of life was being sucked out him and he could fell his strength and willpower draining. His knees weakened and buckled under his weight. Feeling the fangs gently slip out of his neck, he hit the ground with a dull thud, a dark pool of scarlet forming around him.
The vampire turned her back on him, and walked away, leaving him to slip quietly into the cold, relentless arms of grief.
"No! Ichiru!"
Zero sat bolt upright, shouting. He had broken out in a cold sweat and his shirt clung to him like he had just fallen into deep water. His heart was pounding in his chest and he could barely breathe. He put a shaking hand over his eyes and panted erratically, gasping a great lungful of air in an effort to calm himself.
The memory of that night still haunted him, the memory of losing his family.
"Ichiru," he moaned, closing his eyes. "Why us? Why did it have to be us..."
And, with one final sob, he fell uneasily back to sleep again.
He sat in the corner of the room, barefoot on the wooden floor, resting his back against the wall. His neck felt contaminated, dirty and used. So he was scratching desperately at it, trying to rid himself of the two, deep puncture wounds the pureblood had inflicted upon him.
The door creaked open and a small girl entered. Upon seeing what he was doing, she ran towards him and knelt down on the floor beside him.
"Don't do that!" she said, prising his hand away. "Please, stop it. That must hurt!"
"It feels yucky," Zero said, gazing at her expressionlessly. "I can still feel that woman on me, and I hate it."
Her small, warm hand closed around his and she looked into his face, her eyes swimming with tears.
Why does she always cry, Zero thought. She seems so happy, and yet, I always have to make her sad.
The image faded and slowly came back into focus.
He was wrapped in a blanket, curled up in a comfy bed, but unable to sleep. He had just woken up from his nightmare and, as usual, he had shouted out.
Yuki peeked her small, innocent face around the doorframe, knocking softly.
"May I come in, Zero?" she asked.
"Why shouldn't you? It's your house, not mine," he said, rolling over and turning away from her.
"Can't you sleep?" she asked, concerned, moving to stand next to him.
"Why does it matter if I can't?" Zero said, stubbornly.
"Well, I want you to be happy," Yuki replied, a tear trickling out of the corner of her eye again. "You're part of the family now."
"I'm not," he said resolutely. "Now please leave so I can try and get some rest."
"If I can't sleep after I've had a nightmare," she said softly, leaning in towards him. "Then it helps me if someone stays close and strokes my hair. Like this."
Zero felt her hand gently caressing his head. The sensation was new to him, and he wasn't quite sure how to react.
"It's ok," she said quietly, still stroking him softly. "It's ok. I'm here, I'm with you. I'll always be with you Zero."
At the sound of his name, he felt his eyes droop closed and before long, he had been soothed to sleep, feeling Yuki touching him and hearing her talking to him.
When he awoke the next morning to the bright sunshine, he sat up, looked around him, and suddenly felt disappointed when he realized that she was gone.
Zero sat up, feeling distinctly odd. He had never had that dream before. He lay on the settee outside the headmaster's bathroom, unable to remember why he had decided to take a nap there of all places. He could hear someone moving around inside it and hoped that it wasn't the headmaster, otherwise he would surely hear him singing in the shower sometime soon. And the sound of Headmaster Cross singing is something nobody should ever have to endure.
Sure enough, a voice did emit from the closed door, but it wasn't the headmaster. It was Yuki. Zero didn't think he'd ever heard her sing before. It was sweet and melodic, although Zero didn't recognise the song. His body refused to move and his sense of hearing seemed to grow stronger, so he could hear her tuneful voice loud and clear, as if she were right next to him. He could faintly make out the words she sung, and he found himself transfixed by them.
"She gave it her best, she tried to fit in, she tried to be cool, but she never could win,"
Zero listened, and could hear her moving around the bathroom. He thought he heard her dragging a brush through her soft brown hair and maybe running a cloth under the tap to rinse her round, smiling face. He didn't intend to picture her doing these things, but he did, and strangely, it made him feel warm and happy inside.
"Anytime you feel alone put on your headphones, love, love's coming through your headphones,"
Yuki's voice occasionally wavered out of tune, but Zero thought it was the best music he had ever heard. Certainly topped the Headmaster's rendition of the Party Rock Anthem. Zero listened intently and he fell into a sort of dream. Scenes flew through his mind and he found his eyes drifting closed, picturing everything in realistic detail.
He was eating dinner around the kitchen table. The headmaster was prancing around the room like a deer, wearing a ridiculous frilly apron and brandishing a frying pan in one hand. Yuki sat beside him, grimacing as she ate his 'my style' stew.
Now he was patrolling the balconies in the dead of night. A cool breeze swirled around his hair as he half listened to Yuki, who had gone off on one of her frequent Kaname speeches.
He and Yuki were walking together in town, and she was pointing out all sorts of shirts and jeans that were on sale in the markets and exclaiming about how good they would look on him.
"This ain't the last time you'll feel like this. But it'll be fine, if you can just smile,"
Yuki's song finished with a ringing note and the last line jolted Zero out of his daydream. She had just summed herself up without realising it. And now images were flashing in his vision, all of them featuring Yuki's dazzling smile. She was always so cheerful, always there to greet him every morning, and always there to wish him a good night. If he was feeling down, she would be by his side, smiling and trying her best to cheer him up. It was natural, instinctive to her to want to help everybody, and she had helped him more than he would ever admit.
Suddenly, the doorknob rattled and Yuki came out of the bathroom, a towel draped over her arm, dressed in her usual short skirt and t-shirt.
"Oh, hello Zero!" she said, shooting him one of her grins. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"What were you doing in there?" he asked. "Why didn't you use the girls' bathroom?"
"This one was nearer and Yori's going to be a while in ours," Yuki explained, heading towards her bedroom. "Goodnight Zero!"
"Night, Yuki," Zero replied, trying to sound as normal as possible.
He watched her go, realising that he had slept through most of the evening and had completely missed dinner. Resigning himself, he got up and walked towards his own room. It was small and plain, but it was his own.
His clothes were still damp from the amount he had sweat, so he unbuttoned his shirt and threw it lazily down onto the floor before climbing onto his bed. It was a hot evening, so he didn't bother with blankets. But as he lay there was one word that wouldn't leave his brain. Family.
What was family to him? He had no living relatives after all and he still flatly refused to be considered Headmaster Cross's son. But, then again, who was Yuki to him? She was not his girlfriend, but they were more than just friends. It was almost like a sisterly love he had towards her. Sure, they fought and she got on his nerves sometimes, but the need to look out for her and protect her overpowered these. He cared for her like she was his own sister, and she practically was. They lived together, and had been together for most of their lives.
Zero drifted off to sleep, this time a dreamless one, thinking of nothing but Yuki, and how much he was looking forward to seeing her the next morning.
Dawn came bright and early, the birds waking Zero from his light rest. He sat up, stretched and opened the curtains. The world was only just waking up. Every tree was a black silhouette against the grey-blue sky, framed by the towering expanse of Cross Academy. No lights were on in the windows, everyone was still asleep. Zero wondered what Yuki was dreaming about right now and if, maybe, he could be looking at her window.
There was a soft tap on his door and he got up to answer it. Yuki stood in his doorway, wearing the same outfit as yesterday.
"Happy Saturday!" she said cheerily, inviting herself into his room as he closed the door behind her.
"What are you doing here so early?" Zero asked, sitting next to her on the bed.
"Well, it's the weekend, and everyone's asleep at the moment. So I thought we could spend some time together before we have to start our duties!" Yuki blurted, blushing slightly.
Zero felt bad at the look of trepidation on her face. Did she really expect him to say no?
"I think I'd like that," he said, opening his wardrobe and searching through it.
"This one's good," Yuki said, pulling a shirt out for him and laying it on the bed.
Zero put on the white cotton shirt and buttoned it up, leaving the polo neck slightly open, as it was promising to be a very warm day.
"Right then! Let's go into town and find a cafe!" Yuki said, grabbing Zero's arm and dragging him out of the room.
He groaned as he ran after her, she was always thinking about food.
They walked together out of the school and down the crowded streets until Yuki found somewhere to her liking. Yanking Zero inside, she quickly found them a table and practically threw him down into a chair before rushing off to order herself something sweet.
When she returned, clutching two large chocolate ice cream sundaes, piled high with whipped cream, chopped nuts, chocolate sprinkles and rich chocolate sauce.
"Mmmm, don't these look delicious?!" she said, winking as she set them down and took a seat opposite Zero.
He sat there looking confused.
"Why did you buy one for me?" he asked, frowning. "That must have cost you money."
"Don't worry about it!" she said with a smile, eating a large spoonful of her pudding. "You looked hungry anyway."
That wasn't true, as Zero wasn't often hungry. But the kind gesture that Yuki had made towards him made him feel warm inside, a sensation that was quenched immediately when he tucked into his freezing ice cream.
They ate in silence for a while, and Yuki finished a little before Zero.
"I'm just going to wait outside, it's way too hot in here," she said, closing the cafe door behind her and walking to stand around the corner of the street.
The breeze was perfect there, and it cooled her down perfectly. She sighed and leant against the wall, thinking about how long Zero took to eat.
Suddenly, a small child caught her eye. He was sitting on a bench on the other side of the road, and he seemed to be crying. Yuki crossed the street and crouched down in front of him.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "Where's your mum?"
"She's gone," sobbed the child, looking into her face with shimmering eyes. "I lost her in the shop."
"It's ok, don't cry," Yuki said consolingly. "I'll help you find your mum. Which shop was it?"
"This one," said the child, grabbing her wrist with a surprisingly strong grip and pulling her down a narrow street.
Yuki followed, centred on helping the child and unaware of how far she was straying from Zero. The young boy took her along a small alleyway and into a local clothes store. It was jam packed, and Yuki had to search with all her might to find the child's mother whilst not letting go of his hand. Suddenly, she heard a panicked voice sounding over the general buzz of chatter amongst the crowd of shoppers.
"Naku! Naku, where are you?!"
The child tugged on Yuki's sleeve, looking up into her face.
"That's her voice, that's my mum!" he said, smiling hopefully.
"Miss!" Yuki called, straining to see above the heads of the people pressing against her. "Miss, I found your son!"
She pushed her way through the crowd until she came across a young woman with dark red hair, crying and looking terrified as she wandered around the store, several shopping bags hanging haphazardly from her arms.
"Mum!" Naku cried, happily running towards her.
"Oh my darling!" his mother replied, hugging him tightly before looking up at Yuki.
She shot her a grateful smile, wiping tears from her face.
"Thank you so much!" she said, her voice cracking slightly from having shouted so much. "Whatever can I do to repay you?"
"Nah it was my pleasure!" Yuki said, grinning. "Stay together!"
And she started to make her way out of the store, the happy chatter of mother and son reunited fading into the distance. Suddenly, fear started to close in around her as she realised she was alone. The crowds of people surrounding her seemed faceless and her hearing seemed muffled, all she could hear was the quickened beating of her heart and her panicked breathing.
Yuki eventually managed to make her way out of the store, but once on the street she became even more anxious. In her head she was reliving that snowy night ten years ago, and it almost seemed as if she was back there once more. It was like she was a child again, terrified and alone on that snowy hilltop, with a hungry vampire closing in on her. Her normal vision cut out and panic seized hold of her, she could no longer hold back the creeping terror that encased her. Walking blindly through a faceless crowd, they seemed to melt away and morph into tall, black trees, the streets around her now swirling into a blizzard of white snow...
"Are you lost, little girl?" the man said. "I want your blood."
The child gasped, fear holding her routed to the spot. The vampire attacked, running at her before she could blink. She screamed and dove aside, just in time. The man skidded around to face her and she stumbled backwards, slipping over in the snow. She landed amongst the soft flakes of frozen water, her eyes wide with terror, struggling to get up. The vampire took his chance and jumped. The child closed her eyes, certain that this was it, this would be the last thing she ever felt. Fangs buried inside her neck.
But the pain never came, and she slowly opened her eyes to see another person, thrusting his hand deep into her attacker's heart. The vampire fell, cracked, and exploded as the anonymous figure walked towards her. He was a vampire too, but a young one, and he licked a finger slowly clean of the man's blood. His right arm was drenched with the thick, crimson liquid, and so he extended his left hand towards the girl.
"Are you alright?" he asked kindly.
She reached out and wordlessly took his hand, feeling a warmth envelop her as she did so.
But suddenly, the young vampire was shouting at her, and his face was stricken with fear.
"Yuki! Yuki! Are you alright?! Yuki, wake up!"
"Yuki!"
She awoke with a start, almost crashing into Zero, who was bent double over her.
"I heard you," she mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "I heard you in my dream."
"Are you alright?" Zero asked again, with an extreme urgency.
"I'm fine," Yuki said, a little confused as to where she was.
She remembered passing out just somewhere in the street, but now she seemed to be lying on soft pillows.
"Where are we, Zero?" she asked, looking around.
"We're in your room," he explained, standing up and looking out of the window. "Yori isn't here just now, and you needed somewhere to rest. So I brought you here."
"You brought me here?" Yuki asked, feeling her heart flutter slightly with gratitude. "Zero, thank you."
"That's alright," he replied, giving her one of his small, rare smiles. "I needed you to get better. Can't hold up the fort on my own, now can I?"
Yuki laughed, sitting up and getting out of bed. At that moment, the door opened noisily, and Headmaster Cross entered. He was half dressed, wearing beige pyjama trousers and a dark green woollen jumper, along with his bedroom slippers, his glasses and a pink floral apron. His hair was in its usual ponytail, but it was obvious it hadn't been brushed, and he had a handkerchief held tightly in one hand.
"Yuki!" he squealed upon entering the room. "Oh thank goodness! I was so scared, my darling girl!"
He ran up to her and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. Yuki made a complaining face over his shoulder at Zero, who smirked amusedly.
"Wait, headmaster!" Yuki complained, trying to push him away.
But at this, he only held on tighter.
"Call me father..." he wailed.
Zero watched over the scene with a sense of familiarity. This sort of thing usually happened between the Headmaster and his adopted daughter. Zero was somewhat glad that he had refused the offer to become an adopted son, as the immense hugging was something he could easily live without.
However, as he watched them, Yuki scolding him jokingly and the Headmaster tapping her on the head with a spatula; he felt his heart heat up and a smile spread across his face. Although not legally, he was a part of this family, and for the first time since his parents had been killed, he felt at home. Life may not be perfect, people may not be perfect. But Yuki was the closest to perfection that he had ever known, and he was happy to live alongside her. Happy to call her his friend, happy to spend their days together.
Zero sighed and looked on as Yuki ran out of the door, smelling the Headmaster's food burning on the stove. He followed after her, shouting an apology.
Honestly, thought Zero, following them slowly. This family of mine... What are they like?!