By -Dot.
Summary: No…Zero Kiryu never forgot that woman, and he never forgot the betrayal. There was a thin line, between love and hate.
A/NHello there! OK, I seem to be getting into the habit of only submitting a story only once a year…that would make this fic this year's story…I need to try harder! At the moment I have loads of coursework and exams are approaching…how I hate exams…
Anyway, if you've got this far please enjoy the fic and reviews are always appreciated and replied!
Disclaimer: Vampire Knight belongs to Matsuri Hino, Hakusensha Inc., Shojo Beat/VIZ Media and all the other dollies who bring it to us.
Prologue: A Bond of Blood
Four years ago…Glowing globules of snow fell from a moody winter's sky, blanketing the ground with its frustration. It fell steady, mourning the losses of what lay beneath with large, pearly tears. It was serene and beautiful- and hideously cold, just like the woman who knelt in the snow cradling a young boy, her eyes alive with the soothing satisfaction of a long awaited revenge.
Only the crimson stain slowly seeping its way through her white kimono marred her pale figure. She gently brushed the boy's steely hair from his eyes almost comfortingly, his skin holding pallor despite the freezing temperature. Her own eyes gazed down into the child's without pity, as though he was deserving of his fate, and his eyes bore resiliently back. He held her gaze.
His breath came out in short rasps in an attempt to calm his frenzied heart. The left side of his throat bled from a deep wound, causing a scarlet flower to bloom prematurely in the snow. Her rouged lips lifted slightly in a sombre, humourless smile. She looked at him almost lovingly, as a mother would a child; but she held no love for him, and he likewise.
Slowly, she turned her perfect face behind her to gaze at a second boy, who stood nervously a few feet away, watching. He was the mirror image of the boy who lay bleeding before her in the snow.
His twin.
He stood flawless compared to the other boy. Ironic, it seemed; he had been waiting to be flawless his entire life. Flawless, like his twin who now lay bleeding in the snow.
She saw the emotions conflicting within the second boy's eyes. They were a pale lilac, so pretty, like lavender in the spring. Though they were lighter than the other boys'. They did not hold the same deep wash of sorrow and betrayal. The second boy looked as though he could not place the emotion he held, but she knew what it was…
Relief.
She felt it too. They were alike, her and the second boy. He was not like his brother in the snow. He had not even glanced at his parents who lay dead beside them. He only had eyes for his brother. He had a strength … and a selfishness. She found him intriguing, like a new toy.
The boy in her arms twitched. She turned back to face the child sprawled before her. His eyes looked so alive, compared to his limp body. She exhaled softly, her breath like a sweet summer breeze.
'Do you know what this means, boy?'
He did not reply.
'I have cursed your fate. You will walk down the rocky road I have paved for you.'
She brushed his cheek with the back of her hand.
'You can feel it, can't you? The unbreakable bond that we share…a bond of blood. You will never escape me, boy, but you will do well to remember my face. We will meet again, that is highly guaranteed. Maybe by then you will have discovered…the reasons behind your fate…'
She leant forward and touched her lips against his. His eyes were losing their glow now, as his consciousness drifted and he slipped slowly into slumber. But he fought back, as she stood gracefully, searing the scene into his mind, as his eyes met his brother's for an instant, asking a thousand questions and receiving no answers. He watched as she took his brother by the shoulder with a bloody hand, tuning the other away from his gaze and slowly retreating. His twin did not look back. The boy did as she told him. He did not forget her face. She also never escaped his thoughts. He vowed to find her, if she did not come for him first. He would exact his own revenge.
No… he never forgot that woman, and he never forgot the betrayal.
There was a thin line, between love and hate.
A/N: Thanks for making it this far! As usual, critique is appreciated, as are our general comments and thoughts :) I have tried to differentiate between Zero and Ichiru as clearly as possible, thought if some parts are slightly difficult to understand, don't hesitate to say. I'll try and upload a new chapter soon, as I don't want to give up on this. The same goes for my other stories!