9 Years ago…
It was warm, very warm. The sky was clean and open, and multiple animals had come out of their homes.
The traces of the previous season, like the melting snow, were almost nonexistent.
A little girl, no older than five, with short but beautiful, silk like silver colored hair and lilac eyes to mach, ran freely through a long path, avoiding stepping on growing flowers, while giggling all the way.
Suddenly, she stopped. Her head was hurting, it felt like a brain was being poked with needles and she couldn't breathe.
"Zero! There you are. Didn't I tell you already how dangerous it was to leave the house by yourself?"- An angry but worried voice called.
The five year old, named Zero turned. The angry look that once covered the owner of the voice's face vanished and was replaced with agitation.
A boy, 4 years older than Zero, grabbed one of her shoulders and with his free hand, pulled out of his pocket a box of what appeared to be pills.
"Ichi-ni."- Zero whispered with a lot of effort.
Raising his hand, Ichiru took it to her mouth. Already knowing what to do the youngest child swallowed the red pill her brother had taken from the box.
"Please don´t do this again, ZeZe-hearing her nickname that only her beloved brother could use calmed the girl- I can't stand to watch you suffer. It pains me to know that you hurt constantly and I am absolutely helpless."
With a soft touch, Ichiru pushed the other's silver strands of hair to watch those beautiful lilac orbs, so much like his own.
He was her world. No one had a place in her heart like he did. Even her parents couldn't compete when it came to Ichiru.
Both her father and mother loved her. She knew that. There was no away that two people, who would go to the end of the world to find her the best doctors, didn't love her.
They just had many things to do; both were extraordinary hunters, which left Zero with little time to spend with them, making her even more attached to her brother.
Ichiru had been born with a stronger body than most hunters, because of that his training with Yagari Toga started when he was only five years old, giving him the title of prodigy.
Zero knew she would never train to become a hunter. Her fragile condition made sure of that.
She didn't mind. She couldn't stand to take life's even vampires. That was something her family always complemented her in. she was not born to kill, she was more of a protector.
Despite her age, the small girl knew of the dangers of her condition, honestly she was fine with it, she believed everyone was born the way they did for a reason, but there were times she deeply wished she wasn't born that way.
Those times were especially when someone visited their home. Most people would give her pitying looks which made her mad and uncomfortable.
What did confuse her were the stares that the older and well known hunters gave her. They looked like they were expecting something. Something big, from her. Worthy of respect and, in a very weird and disturbing way (in the silverette´s opinion), needed.
In all her childhood, Zero had only thought to be scared of one person. The Hunter Association's Chairman.
He didn't scare her because of his funny looks. She did wonder what his gender was. When she had asked her brother he just laughed and gave her a list of reasons why he couldn't be a man or woman, most likely an out of space creature.
The chairmen frightened the small child because of the giddy face he would make every time he saw her, especially when she would have trouble breathing and would have to take one of those small red pills. He was waiting for something, like those old hunters, but unlike them he seemed to have plans of his own and she seemed to be included.
Zero was not the only one to notice the he/she/it creature´s behavior. Ichiru had seen it too, but unlike his sister, he seem to know what those plans were, and from the deadly glare the silver haired boy gave the chairman every time he saw him, he knew and did not like said plans.
It was late night. The door to the room creaked open and the sound of footsteps was muffled by the carpet.
Zero opened her eyes groggily when she felt extra weight in her bed. Her eyes closed not long after a strong pair of arms hugged her.
"Remember this Zero, I will always protect you, any means necessary. Even if I have to sell my soul to the devil, I will save you from the darkness the surrounds both of us so that one day both of us will be able to live in peace and together for the rest of our days. Forgive for hurting you in order to became you shield. One day you will find out my reasons and perhaps find a way to forgive me. I love you, do not, ever, forget that"- the girl that was already asleep gave a soft nod and the boy hugging her smiled, gave her a like kiss in the nose, other in her forehead and one last in her neck, where the girl´s birth mark rested.
A sad look formed in his features. He would not see her for a long time, and god only knows if after leaving from her life once, he would be able to enter it again.
He got up and with one last look, closed the door. It was time to visit a certain, caged, mad princess.