A/N:
I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, however, it's important that it isn't overstretched as well, since it is rather important to the progress of the plot. :) Anyway, thank you to those wonderful readers who left reviews. I appreciate it. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.
Saturday. A day Akira had been looking forward to ever since arriving at Cross Academy. A free day at last. As much as she loved the academy and her classes, she needed to go into town, big time. But first, she had to get the Chairman's approval.
Akira had thought up every possible excuse to keep her from going into the town and thought up a way to counter every single one. She was confident that no logical argument in existence could stop her now. Here comes the moment of truth, Akira thought, looking up to meet the Chairman's eyes.
"Of course Aki-" She cut him off by hugging him suddenly and rushing for the door, before he could change his mind.
"Not so fast! I wasn't done!" He continued, causing a disappointed frown to cover Akira's face. "Take Zero with you. That's my only condition. Now come give daddy another hug!" He smiled broadly.
Akira shot him a funny look. "Why do I have to take Zero?" She all but whined, disappointed that he didn't trust her on her own in town.
He must have seen the look on her face because he quickly amended the situation, saying, "It's not that I don't trust you, Akira-chan. I just want to keep you safe!"
"I was top of my class in the Hunter's Academy. I know how to use an anti-vampire weapon!" Akira pointed out, trying to keep her cool, right as the door opened behind her, a yawning Zero making his lazy entrance. His eyes grew wide as he registered Akira's words.
"Of course, Akira-chan! I don't doubt your abilities, not in the least-"
"Then why do I have to take him!?" She pouted, shoving a finger into Zero's chest, who stood silent with his arms crossed in silence beside her. Akira swore his eyebrow twitched in irritation.
The Chairman rubbed the back of his head nervously, a response to the death glare Akira could feel Zero sending his way.
"Zero has some business there anyway...It's a matter of convenience, really!" he said, handing Zero an envelope. Zero took out the paper and examined it, becoming furious by the time he finished.
"You expect me to take her-to do this? Are you insane?" He growled through clenched teeth, as furious as Akira had been about going into town with him. It still stung a little to hear him say it though. Am I really that much a nuisance?
"You heard her, she's a hunter as well, Zero-kun. She may be of assistance. Ah-," He continued,
"A Hunter mission, huh?" Akira grinned wickedly. She had been itching to use her hunter skills for a long time. Since her enrollment, she hadn't had any less than friendly contact with vampires. Akira smiled and nodded at the Chairman, her nonverbal acceptance of his condition to take Zero along. He got the message. Zero, on the other hand was still fuming.
"Ah, lighten up, Zero-kun!" Chairman said, with a smile that told Akira she was clearly missing something.
"Fine," Zero grit out. He rather roughly grabbed Akira's wrist and began pulling her along. Before she knew it, he had dragged her all the way to the town gate.
"Ouch...couldn't you have been a little more gentle?" She asked, rubbing her wrists gingerly. Zero didn't answer. Always Mr. Silent.
"So, uh, where should we look for the Level E's?" Akira tried a new question, still no answer. A soft sigh escaped from her lips.
"Zero?" Akira stood in front of him now, her arms crossed against her chest in mild irritation. Standing there, Akira realized for the first time that he was a good deal taller than she was. She barely reached his shoulder. Giant.
Lavender eyes, full of irritation, glanced down to stare into Akira's blue ones. Gulp.
"Follow me. There's a bell tower at the edge of town. There have been sightings near there,"
Akira gaped, mouth dropping open. She probably looked like an idiot, but she was in shock from hearing so many words from Mr. Silent all at once.
"You look like an idiot," Zero started, confirming her earlier thought. "Now come on, keep up," He said, picking up his pace.
When the duo reached the bell tower, Zero stopped abruptly.
"Have your arrows handy," He said, drawing his own Bloody Rose, "We're going to split up. If you see the vampire, scream. I'll come running,"
Although Akira knew he wasn't trying to be romantic in the least, she felt the telltale signs of heart fluttering in her chest. Oh boy, so not the time for this. She scolded herself for getting distracted.
"Okay. I will," She returned, drawing an arrow from her quiver.
Zero nodded and took the staircase to the right, leaving her to take the left. Here goes nothing. Akira held her bow slightly in front of her, arrow drawn and ready to fly at a moment's notice.
At the top of the left staircase, Akira was shocked to discover how run down and trashed this place really was. Sure, it obviously wasn't new from the outside, but the inside was terrible. Akira placed her feet very carefully. Not only were there holes in the floor leading to the lower level, but she had also begun to doubt the strength of the floor beneath her.
There were windows down the length of the hallway and another stairway at the end that most likely led to the bell itself. Making her way down the hall slowly, Akira searched closely for any signs of a Level E. Just as she was about to turn and ascend the next staircase, a hand tapped her on the shoulder.
"Zero?" I asked stupidly, turning around to find-nothing. No one was there. She shuddered. Must be my imagination. Still, she griped her bow tighter.
A hand quickly came from behind to cover her mouth, another knocking the arrow from the drawstring of her weapon. That sent multiple alarms ringing in her head. Akira bit down on the hand as hard as she could and screamed, hoping Zero would hear.
"Ow! Curse you!" The Level E yelled in the deep, almost unintelligible voice that all Level E's seem to share. Akira felt a strong slap to the face that sent her flying toward the wall of windows. Her back hit hard, breaking the window and causing it to shatter into fragments above her head.
Akira groaned, clutching her head in her hands, looking about five yards away to where her bow lay, ripped from her hands upon impact. Oh Crap. Blood was on her hand as she brought it back from her head. This may be shit worthy. The Level E was looking at Akira, enraged, with blood red eyes that portrayed his cravings for blood. Just my rotten luck.
The crazed vampire rushed at Akira with inhuman speed and she was sure that she was about to be on the receiving end of a world full of hurt via fangs.
-Click-Boom!-
Akira tentatively cracked open her eyes, which she found she had involuntarily squeezed shut in terror, to find the Level E turning to dust before her eyes, an anti-vampire bullet having hit it in the back.
"Com—rade...," It muttered.
Zero stood behind it, Bloody Rose still smoking. He walked forward and offered his hand, looking down at Akira with something akin to pity in his eyes. Akira took it and was quickly lifted to her feet, only to become dizzy and sway dangerously. Strong arms picked her up and began to carry her out of the cursed bell tower. Zero's carrying me…?
"I told you I'd come," She could have sworn she heard, before drifting out of consciousness. Nah, blood-loss was makes people hear things, she thought, before everything became dark and muddled.
A/N:
So, Akira finally got a chance to be in on the action, only to find that things in the field aren't quite as easy as the Hunter's Association made it seem. Thankfully, she had Zero there to save her. No worries, though, Akira won't always be the damsel in distress. However, there's clearly some sort of camaraderie building between the two hunters, though it's only in it's beginning stages. Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. :) More to be released within a few days. Thanks as always for your patience.
