His Only Princess: Chapter 3
The night had not been kind to him.
After he'd spent a fair amount of time out in the cold, give or take a few hours, he made it to bed. The image of Yori crying was on repeat in his head, and it cloaked him in a sense of guilt. He had been so wrapped up in his own despair that he'd failed to notice the toll everything had taken on the others. He was also a little concerned for Yori, seeing as how he had never seen her express an emotion other than her usual caring self.
Yes, he had been with her longer, and he was rather certain he held an immeasurable amount of feelings for her, but she had also had attachments with others than him; Yori being the prime example.
He had made sure the grief-stricken girl made it back to her room safely, cradling her bridal style so as not to wake her-he really didn't even know when she had finally relaxed and fell asleep-and trying to keep some sort of warmth near her.
Zero's muscles ached, and he stretched his long arms above him, trying to relieve some of the knots, but it did no good. He took his next best option, and went to the washroom. Turning on the shower water as hot as it could get, the room quickly filled with humid steam. He stripped himself of his wrinkled, cold uniform-he hadn't even bothered changing out of it when he got in last night-and stepped in, sliding the glass door behind him. The water scalded his skin, leaving angry red marks down his arms and back, but the pain that came with that distracted him from the ache in his body and chest. Good things couldn't last forever though, and soon the water ran cold, forcing the temperamental teen out of the shower. Dressed in only his black dress pants with a towel hanging around his neck, he went rummaging about for another uniform shirt. Water dripped from his hair, falling against his neck and trailing down his bare skin. Finding the item of his pursuit, he merely threw the article of clothing on his bed and sank down in a chair, his lean form hunched over, hands covering his face. A ragged sigh passed through his lips, and he shut his eyes, willing reality to blend together with his dreams. The doorbell rang and reality came crashing back down around him. Not caring about his lack of being fully dressed, he threw the door open, just as the person on the other side was about to ring the bell again.
"Oh, my." Chairman Cross pushed Zero back into his apartment, trying to keep roaming eyes off of his scantly clad body. "Why are you so under dressed?" Zero only scowled, as though it should have been the most obvious thing. The man took notice of the towel still hanging around his shoulders, and nodded, patting at it affectionately. Zero resisted backing away from the man who had been his legal guardian for the largest part of his life and crossed his arms over his chest.
"What do you want?"
"I have something for you, Zero-kun. Here," he thrust a small metal container towards him, the contents inside rattling against the sides. Zero took it from him and flipped the lid open with his index finger, scooting the little white pills around and, grimacing, shut it once more and placed it back in the Chairman's hand.
"I don't need them."
"But, you told me you were out of them...," Chairman Cross was confused. He knew for a fact that Zero had mentioned being out of blood tablets the other day, and surely he wasn't...feeding.
"I am. But, I don't need them."
"Why not? Surely you're not-," another scowl was given as an answer before he could even finish his sentence. "Zero, you can't starve yourself like this. They might not be as great as the...real thing," he cleared his throat, placing the tablet box down on the dresser, "but they're better than nothing."
"They certainly weren't better than nothing when I was on my way to Level E."
Chairman Cross shivered at Zero's words. The young vampire had been so close to losing all sense of his humanity to his bloodlust, finally being saved by the one man that took his daughter from him. Kaname Kuran. He supposed though that he should be thankful for him saving his life, because he didn't know what he would've done if he'd lost both of his children. Placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, he finally coaxed Zero around to face him.
"That's the past now, Zero. You're not the same person you were then. Please, just use the tablets. I hate seeing you let yourself suffer so much." He left with those words.
Zero ran a hand through his almost dry hair, taking deep breaths as thoughts of his past threatened to overcome him. He knew that Chairman Cross was right. What good would it do anybody for him to starve? It didn't help the burn in his throat, and it certainly didn't help the safety of the humans he encountered on a daily basis.
"I know you're up to something though...You wouldn't hang around Wakaba so much if you weren't. What is it? Does she remind you of your little princess?"
"No." He stopped that train of thought before it even began. It was only natural that he and Yori would've ended up bonding a little more. They had been a friend of a friend, and with the middleman gone, the two opposite sides would attract towards each other. But, they weren't even that close. Not even a year of it just being them had proved in anything close to resembling a friendship. They were more like acquaintances. And besides, it seemed now as though Yori had that Naomi girl to hang around with.
"Hi! I'm Matsuki Naomi!"
Naomi Matsuki. A part of him didn't like her, and he didn't even know her. But, he just brushed it off as being wary to any new person coming into the Academy after all that had taken place. Forgetting all prior thoughts of them, he began dressing for the day, ensuring he made himself choke down one of the vile tablets before leaving for school.
Yori wasn't entirely too sure what had happened, but she did know she looked a mess. As she examined herself in the mirror, she saw her usually slightly waved hair now hung limp, save for the few odd pieces sticking up at random angles. She fought hard with her brush and hands to tame them, but to no avail. The rebellious pieces only teased her. The formings of dark shadows was just visible under her wide eyes, and they weren't the same bright color they always were. Now, they were red and puffy, making her look as though she had cried all night.
Well, she did, basically. But, she didn't want everyone else to know that.
Her memories were fuzzy after a certain point from last night. She remembered crouching on the ground, and Zero finding her there, but after that, it was all a blur. And she certainly could not figure out how she got back to her room, unless...
She gasped, face flushing red from embarrassment. Surely he didn't! But, that was the only explanation as to how things happened.
"I'm so stupid," she groaned, shame rising at the thought of making him go out of his way like that.
"You're not stupid, Sayori-san."
She looked in the mirror again and saw Naomi standing behind her, smiling and already dressed. Compared to Yori, she looked perfect.
She took a few steps towards her until she was right behind the shorter girl.
"You're very smart, actually. Without you, I never would have finished my homework last night!"
Yori waved her hand in denial.
"You don't give yourself enough credit, Naomi-san. You're very smart, too."
Naomi practically shined at the compliment.
"Thank you, Sayori-san!" she turned around, ready to grab her bag, when she straightened up as though she had forgotten something. "Oh, do you want some help with your hair?" Yori raised her eyebrows in question. "I noticed your battle with it earlier, and it seemed to be winning. I could show you some different hairstyles that will make it stay down for the entire day, if you'd like."
Nodding her head, she sat on her bed while Naomi went after her astray hair with a comb and careful fingers.
"Naomi-san, you're a lifesaver!"
"Well, I don't know about that. But, definitely a hair saver."
The two girls giggled as they walked to their history class together. Yori would occasionally reach up to touch the two little braids Naomi had somehow managed to get her hair to go into, pinning them both together neatly at the back of her head. The rest of her hair still hung loose, the edges flirting with her cheeks and chin.
"Quit messing with them! You'll mess them up," Naomi berated her teasingly and pulled her hand away from her hair.
"Okay, I'll stop bothering them," Yori laughed.
"Hey, look. It's that mean guy from yesterday." Naomi pointed in front of them, and Yori followed her finger, eyes landing on a disgruntled looking Zero leaning up against the wall. Immediately, a warm blush took over her face, and she bowed her head to avoid him seeing. "Sayori-san, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I, uh, think I might be coming down with something," she tried to sound reassuring, but Naomi didn't buy it. The taller girl stopped her and placed the back of her hand against her forehead, measuring for any slight change in temperature degree.
"You do feel a little warm. Would you like to go to the nurse?"
"No, no!" Yori shouted, jerking backwards. Her outburst caught Zero's attention and left Naomi standing there, watching her like she was a wounded animal. "I mean, don't worry about me. Really. I'll be fine." She continued walking towards her class, silently asking for Naomi to follow, which she did. However, it seemed as though someone had different plans for her once she reached the doorway.
"Wakaba."
Yori froze, her hand just barely an inch from the doorknob. She refused to let herself look at him, inwardly yelling at herself for not paying attention to how close he was to the classroom.
Zero pushed himself away from the wall, arms crossed. He had abandoned his uniform blazer, replacing it with a dark gray jacket that had buckles going down it. His pale lavender eyes traveled over to the girl next to her, and they narrowed a bit, before locking with Yori's again.
"Can I talk to you for a moment?"
Naomi, sensing his hostility towards her presence, stepped away from Yori and closer to the door.
"Go ahead, Sayori-san. If you happen to be late, I'll tell the teacher you're not feeling well, okay?"
"Oh, thank you, Naomi-san," Yori offered her a grateful smile, which she returned before walking into the classroom. She turned back towards Zero, only to find that he wasn't standing there anymore, but already halfway down the hall. Figuring he wanted her to follow him, she sneaked past the open door and hurried after him.
He stopped walking once he reached the horse stables. White Lily neighed in delight when she saw him, pounding her hooves against the ground.
"It's good to see you, too, girl," he reached over and ran his hand down her mane, causing her to huff with pleasure. He finally heard Yori panting behind him, and turned to see her with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.
"Don't...walk so...fast," she complained between pants. Her braids had come loose while she ran, the pins long gone, leaving the little hairs free to do as they pleased. Zero had to bite back a laugh at how ruffled she looked.
"Maybe you're just out of shape."
She raised her head to glare at him, eyes narrowed.
"What did you want, anyways?" She didn't mean to sound rude, but he had made her chase after him all the way to the horse stables, and he was going to make her late for class. So, maybe she did mean to.
He took a deep breath. It was now or never.
"Is everything alright?" He was never the one to concern himself with other people's well-being. They were what they were, and he accepted it as is. But since he couldn't seem to shake the scene from last night out of his head, he decided maybe asking her would help alleviate some of the guilt he was feeling.
His question threw Yori for a loop. She may not have known him that well, but she did know he never bothered with others feelings, unless it was Yuuki's. She mindlessly began playing with her fingers and averted her eyes from him.
"Of course everything's alright. Last night was a mistake." That's what it was. She had never intended for anyone to see her in that state.
"A mistake?" His condescending tone proved he didn't believe her. "Crying isn't a mistake a person can make."
"Well, there's a first for everything." Heat crept up her neck, and she wished she could curl up in a ball and disappear. Really, this whole situation was humiliating.
Zero could hear her heartbeat pick up in speed, causing blood to rush to her neck and cheeks, flushing her face red. The wind blowing around them captured her scent, forcing it in his face. She smelled like amber and roses. The burn in his throat doubled in pain, the tablet he had taken this morning seeming to have done nothing for his hunger. Not whenever this wonderful smelling person was right in front of him...
He bit down on his tongue, drawing his own blood, repulsed by his thoughts. He still loathed what he was, and the fact that he was having such thoughts about the girl before him made him sick. Yori still refused to look at him, which was incredible luck. Maybe there was some God helping him out. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he barely heard the end of her sentence.
"...won't happen again. I'm sorry." She bowed quickly and sped off in the direction of the Academy, never once glancing behind her.
Zero felt frozen, as though all of his muscles had locked in place, but his mind was reeling. The words that Takamiya and Cross had said to him, all those blood tablets in his dresser. And the way she smelled. He fell to ground and slammed his head against White Lily's stable door, causing a ruckus amongst the horses. He knew he'd regret doing that later, already feeling the pounding at the back of his head. Curling one of his legs up towards his chest, he propped his elbow up on his knee and pressed his forehead against his palm, fingers gripping tightly in his hair. White Lily lowered her head, nuzzling the top of his softly, before...
"You weirdo," Zero deadpanned, trying to shake her off while she chewed on his hair. "I'll be bald if you keep this up."
White Lily neighed, almost as though she was laughing at his expense.
He thought for a moment, after he got the horse to relinquish his hair, and came up with two options: he could continue coming to class, encountering everybody, and ultimately putting their lives' in danger, or, he could lock himself up in his apartment and feed off of tablets for the next few hundred years.
Personally, he liked the second option, but he knew Chairman Cross would not stand for him dropping out of high school. But, that man had no clue the extent Zero's hunger went to. It revolted him, made him want to put an end himself on multiple occasions, but he'd tried that before, only to have a hysterical Yuuki finally stop him. Not that he planned on trying it again; he had a job to do, now. Takamiya, Cross, Yagari and he himself had to keep their eyes on the vampires at all times when they were in the company of humans. It was almost as though they'd become security at the Nobles' and Purebloods' little get togethers, watching for any slip up that would give them permission to attack. It was what they waited for, every time.
The teacher wasn't angry at her when she burst into the room. Naomi must have told her she wasn't feeling well, and the fact that her face was probably beet red backed up the claim nicely. Yori took her seat, which was right in front of Naomi, feeling a bit lightheaded.
"Good to see you made it back, Sayori-san," Naomi whispered. Yori nodded and went to pull out her notebook, hand trembling.
"Class, who can tell me what events led to the first World War?"
Yori's vision began to blur, and suddenly she felt like she was suffocating from the heat. She desperately waved her hands in front of her face, trying to relieve herself, but it did no good.
"Sayori-san?"
The teacher looked up at the students, focusing on Yori. "Yes, Wakaba?"
Yori shook her head, or at least she thought she did, wanting to get rid of the wave of nausea that had swept over her.
"Wakaba, are you alright?"
Her breaths became labored, and she began to panic, the heat on her body escalating.
"Yori-chan!"
Everything went black.
Ahhh! *headslam* I don't really like this. But, sick Yori=caring Zero? (hmm, I guess we'll have to see.) I'm eventually going to go insane from writing such long chapters; re-reading them afterwards to make sure I made no mistakes becomes so difficult.
I'll be honest, I blushed the entire way through writing Zero's beginning part =*_*= He's just way too attractive (darn you, Matsuri Hino.)
Zero's struggling with his bloodlust, it seems, even though he's not on his way to becoming a Level E. So, what do you all think could be his problem?
Also, since my little poll friend isn't working, I have another question for you all, relating to this story:
What would you prefer to see Zero call Yori?
a) Yori
b) Sayori
c) His own shortening of her name (if this, what could it be?)
A thanks is in order for my three little lovelies again; my reviewers'!
Lakemet: You'll be getting a ton of thanks from me :D So, you're welcome! But, I didn't know I'd make you cry! D: I'm so glad you love my story, and I'll work extra hard on all the future chapters to make sure you and everyone else loves them, too. じゃあね (ja ne...;))
HYPERASSGIRL: I'm glad you love! I hope you love this one just as much! ^_^
Anon: Thank you :D I'm trying to keep things slow between them, but not so slow that it'll drag out for 45068378259 chapters xD
And to all the rest of you readers', thank you, too! You just make my day by actually reading my story :)
Until Chapter 4!
-IdleScribe