Zero Kiryu was stunned.
Was his hearing accurate?
As he watched the vicious Level E vampires drain what was left of Nia, he could hear no heartbeat.
Her clothes were in tatters, her skin was torn and her usually snow-white hair was dirtied. It was such a grisly sight that he moved into action. There was still time to save her if only he could get to her.
"Nia!" Yuki shouted from the distance. Quickly, he glanced at her to see only one creature detaining her. Oddly, the other beastly vampires ignored her as she futilely struggled to reach Nia. Not seeing any threat to the brunette, he shifted his attention to dodging and viciously pulling at the Level Es but even using his supernatural strength on them wasn't enough.
Soon, he found himself tiring out. He was being pushed back and forgotten by the Level Es. Yuki's voice dimmed to quiet sobs that he was left with no choice but to rid the beast that held her.
Dejection filling his gut, he turned away from the limp figure. His body felt like lead as he made his way to a weeping Yuki. The creature sensed his encroach and leveled an intense stare at him. Red glowing eyes with equally sharp teeth filled his vision. Yuki collapsed at the vampire's feet, completely overlooked. She didn't attempt to run to Nia and he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. At least she had some sense not to be reckless.
The vampire snarled at him again in warning. Zero was taken aback by the sharpness in the beast's eyes and he froze. Despite the lingering scent of blood in the atmosphere, the Level E didn't appear to be distracted. The creature moved toward him with an assuredness that briefly made him step backward.
Instantly, the world tilted around him. A sharp pain incurred in his mouth and he tasted a sweet metallic liquid on his lips. His incisors had pierced the tender skin on his lips and his tongue darted to the side of his mouth where the blood leaked down. The rich liquid was swirled by up his tongue and into his mouth. He closed his eyes, reveling in pleasure.
His throat began to itch. The little taste of blood did nothing to satisfy his hunger.
His eyelids drifted upward and he heard a soft gasp in the distance. A strong heartbeat, a human one filled his ears. His eyes zoomed on the hunching figure of a dark-haired female. His vampiric senses went into overdrive. Just by looking at the human girl he could tell her blood was going to be as sweet as honey.
Zero's muscles bunched up. The creature standing before him became a blur as he sprinted toward the girl. "No!" she screamed, her voice ringing in the night air. Her hands raised in front her face in defense but such a maneuver wouldn't stop him. Zero was finally giving into his bloodlust that he denied himself too long.
OoO
Kaien and the other vampire hunters sensed the moment Level E vampires attacked the mansion. His primary duty was to see to the President's safety. As he and the other vampire hunters moved the President into a safe room, his mind wandered to his daughters. Their blood, despite being human, was intoxicating. Kaien discovered that he had to lend more blood than usual to Zero to keep the kid from feeding on the girls. Nia's blood wasn't helpful either. She had bled many times in front of him that Kaien feared her blood opened his appetite. In hopes of protecting Nia, the vampire hunter had Zero train with Yuki. The little brunette was more careful in not getting injured.
Yet in such a circumstance, not all the vampire hunters were on the field. Some of them were called on missions to kill Level E vampires. Others had time off so they could spend time with their families.
Kaien clenched his hands into fists as the President was tucked securely in a back room of the mansion.
He didn't have time to stay with the other vampire hunters as they guarded the door.
"Where do you think you're going?" Toga, his long-time friend asked him.
"I have to see if my family is fine," although he was panicking on inside, outwardly he appeared calm.
"Then I'll go with you."
Kaien paused and assessed his old friend. "Are you sure? If anything happens to the President..." He didn't continue. The message was clear. By choosing to go with him, Toga was putting friendship before The Hunter Association. But then again, Toga wasn't one to blindly follow instructions from the group.
The man's answer was to pull the gun that he kept strapped to his back. "Let's quickly stop off at the supply room so you can borrow an anti-vampire weapon. You don't have your sword with you."
Kaien's lips raised into a small smile as gratitude.
"Besides, you finally have the family you dreamed about. We don't want anything to happen to them."
Both men raced out of the room to the supply room. A couple of beasts lashed out at them from the darkness of the mansion and Toga efficiently took care of them with his anti-vampire gun.
"What the heck happened to the lights?" Kaien questioned the dark-haired man. He tried to switch on the light switches but nothing was working. The sun had already disappeared behind the canopy of trees. "Did you see those creatures? They don't like the regular Level E vampires."
"Hmmm..." Toga murmured. He was lost in thought.
Kaien swiftly went through the weapons until he found one that looked promising. "They look more viciously insane."
"But they attacked as a group," Toga finally commented.
Kaien put the daggers in his coat pocket but stopped to glance at the raven head.
"Wait, are you saying that these vampires have thinking capabilities?" When the ash blond ex-vampire hunter asked the question out loud, it sounded prosperous to his ears. Once a vampire turned into a Level E vampire, the vampire lost all sense to think properly. Literally, the only thing on a Level E vampire's mind was to drink human blood.
"More like someone must have planned this attack." Kaien didn't have Toga explain his reasoning. Instead, he rushed out of the supply room to make his way outside. Toga kept in pursuit. The moment the main doors of the mansion opened, they heard the commotion from the distance. Several footsteps and growling were coming deeply into the forest.
Who would have planned such a vicious attack? And why now?
What was the motive behind such an attack?
The smack of flesh, crunching bones and rich blood from humans made his eyes widened behind his spectacles. The girls were hurt. He sprinted faster. Split blood meant disaster.
A couple of beastly forms appeared and expertly, Kaien withdrew the daggers from his pocket and began slashing through them. They dropped like hot potatoes on the ground. Blood rained down on him. His body moved like a blur as he continued to menacingly kill the Level Es. The quicker he was at eliminating his foes, the closer he got to his daughters.
At the thought of his daughters, he noticed the both of them. What he saw almost floored him. If it weren't for his long hours of training and discipline, he would have hesitated. On the ground surrounded by a few Level Es, there was a still figure of Nia. Not far away, Zero had finally given into his vampiric hunger and was about to attack Yuki.
"No!" she screamed.
Utilizing his vampire hunter skills, he blurred and moved the to intercept Zero and the brunette. Flipping both daggers so that the dull end struck the boy, he slashed at the boy's chest to push him back and then whirled around him to bring the dagger at his neck. Instantly, Zero crumbled at his feet.
Cleaning the daggers of the blood on his coat, he inserted the weapons into his pocket. He fully trusted Toga to take care of the other vampires.
On cue, shots rang through the air.
"Yuki, are you okay?"
The girl didn't hear him. Her eyes widened at the carnage before her. He couldn't blame her for being shocked. She was an innocent. Her first encounter with a Level E wasn't as devastating as what she endured just now.
Then, the girl blinked her eyes and stood up on wobbly legs. Kaien didn't know how she was able to move after everything. She made her way through the battlefield to the prone figure. Little hands reached out to her cousin.
"Nia?" The girl questioned. She slightly shook the frame.
Toga, finally, appeared beside Kaien, his weapon placed on his back. The bodies of dead vampires dispersed in the atmosphere. Toga didn't like to remain after a bloody battle due to impurities in the air. But he hesitated at the tragic sight before him.
"Go for Zero. I'll deal with Yuki," Kaien ordered. He tried his best to keep a level head despite the grief he felt in his heart. He lost one of his daughters.
"Hold up," the raven head put a heavy hand on his friend's shoulder. "She might not be gone for good."
"Then do what you must." Besides, Zero was going to be out like a light for awhile.
Toga made his way to the limp body on the ground and couldn't help but flinched inwardly at how badly battered she looked. Kaien carefully went to Yuki. In order for his friend to perform CPR on Nia, he needed to move the brunette out of the way.
"Yuki?" he gently called to her.
She didn't respond.
The vampire hunter knelt down to her. "Yuki?" he tried again.
Again, she was so listless.
He recalled Zero telling him about a pet name Nia called her when she needed the girl's attention. "Yuki, sweety." The moment he said "sweety" she blinked her eyes, the haziness clearing in brown pools.
"She's not waking up." How was he suppose to answer her? He glanced at Toga who was performing CPR on Nia. The other vampire hunter worked steadily as he breathed air into her mouth.
"We'll try all we can to save her," Kaien responded, eventually. When he turned his attention to Yuki, he began to splutter at her teary eyes. Then, he hugged her, glad that the distraught girl didn't fight him. Nia would have shoved his hands away. A shaky smile displayed on his dismayed face. Water prickled from his eyes and he raised a finger to wipe it away.
"Damn it! She's not responding," he could hear his friend growled. No matter how much pressure Toga put on the white-haired girl's chest, she wasn't moving. After a while, he stopped. "I think we're too late."
"No," Kaien said. He shifted Yuki toward's Nia's body. "Take her," he instructed, "and I'll try CPR on Nia."
The man nodded his head, and Kaien was grateful for the support. He stooped down and placed his head against her chest. There was a stillness in her body that disturbed him. A child shouldn't be the one to die before the parent, it was suppose to be the other way around.
"Kaien!" he heard the other vampire hunter snapped him back to reality. "We don't have much time left!"
"I know!" Instantly, the ash blond man began administering CPR on the girl. Blowing air into the girl's mouth and then pushing against her chest in hopes that the white-haired girl would revive. There was no twitch in her finger, or flickering behind her eyelids, or a flutter in her heart.
Nothing.
Kaien didn't know how long he did CPR but he felt his cheeks were wet and his body went numb. His clothes, probably, were disheveled and his long hair was a mess. How he looked outside was how he felt on the inside, jumbled.
For the first time, he didn't know what to do. He buried his grief-stricken face in his hands.
From the distance, he heard Yuki sobs and he heard footsteps on twigs and dirt. Removing his hands from his face, he saw his friend snapping large branches from the tree. Toga put them together, pulled long strings from his pocket and a hunting knife.
"What are you doing?" Kaien, in his anguish, didn't know what his friend was up to.
"We can't leave her here. Besides, she still alive," Toga pointed out.
Baffled, shocked and still saddened, he snapped his head to the injured and girl. What he saw almost made him cry out in relief. Her chest was moving. She was wheezing. Her fingers dug into the dirt, indicating she was alive.
"Nia!" Yuki exclaimed. The brunette was about to dash to her cousin when Kaien interfered. His arms closed around her while he whispered to her, "Now, Yuki she must rest. If you try to hug her, she can be more hurt than she already is." He tried to use a firm tone with her, despite the fluctuation of his emotions.
She nodded her head in understanding and he sighed in relief.
"I'm sorry to break your moment, but we don't have much time. If she doesn't get medical attention soon..." the dark-haired man didn't complete his sentence while working to prepare a bedding to take the girl back to the mansion. As it was, they had a strained situation put on them and any wrong decision could negatively affect Nia.
Toga worked with deftness as he tied the last of the strings around the branches. He tried his best to smoothen the large sticks with a hunting knife he always carried on his person. Finished with his work, he dragged the mid-shape bed toward the barely breathing girl. "Gently, we lift her at the same time and put her on top it. I can't guarantee she would be comfortable though."
Kaien just moved his head to show his agreement. He didn't trust any words to come out of his mouth.
"And you Yuki will travel right next to Nia at all times. She will need you to be there for her." His face softened when he looked at her. "Do you think you can do that?"
She bobbed her head.
"Good."
He indicated with his hands to lift her body. Both of them, gently as they could, hefted her body and put her onto the make-shift bed. They heard her pained whimpers and Kaien was stricken.
"She will feel pain but that's in a way a blessing," Toga replied as he walked toward Zero and effortlessly picked up the boy to throw over his shoulder. "The noise she makes means she's alive."
Getting the hint, Kaien moved to the front and Toga shifted to the back. Both men raised the temporary bedding, but it was amazing how the raven head was able to balance Zero on his shoulder and still hold the other side of the bedding.
Kaien could only hope that they made it back in time to the mansion to give his daughter immediate medical attention. And then after, he would have to find some way to break the news to Kaname. This had to be the worse day of his life.
OoO
It really was the worst day of Kaien's life.
It hurt to see his daughter suffering while she laid in a queen size bed. Her skin was too pale compared to the cream bedsheets and her body too small and fragile. Nia was in critical condition. She was barely holding on for her life. Besides, being in a dire need of a blood transfusion, he learned that she might have internal bleeding as well.
"I'm sorry, Kaien," a vampire hunter and licensed doctor told the ash blond man. "I did all I can for her. The best thing we can do is make her as comfortable as possible."
He nodded his head at the doctor. His throat was too constricted for him to speak. Yuki whimpered from next to him. He felt her small hand clutched the fabric of his shirt. He patted her head while lifting his face to the ceiling. He sniffled.
Wasn't there any hope for Nia?
The doctor quietly left the room to attend to any other vampire hunters that got injured during the attack.
His friend, Toga, landed a heavy arm on his shoulder. After a moment of silence, he asked the other man, "Can you please take care of them for me?" He meant Zero too.
His friend didn't have to answer. The hand that rested on his shoulder was removed to be placed gently on the child's back. "Go with him," Kaien urged his other daughter.
"I don't want to leave Nia," the brunette said sadly.
He shut his eyes before re-opening them. Bending down so he was at eye level with his daughter, he inhaled air. "Yuki, sweety, I'm sure when Nia wakes up from her sleep she will like to see you well rested."
She opened her mouth to argue with him. "But if she sees how you look now, she'll feel guilty because she wants to know you're okay."
The child swallowed before hanging down her head. From her reaction, he was relieved. Now, he was able to give all his attention to his other daughter.
Toga ushered a quiet Yuki out of the bedroom. Zero, he noted, was in another bedroom still resting.
The ex-vampire hunter stood up and made his way toward the phone, which was located on a luxurious mahogany dresser across from the four-poster bed. His hand raised halfway in the air, his eyes narrowing on the item. There was still one option left. He didn't want it to happen to any one of his daughters any time soon.
But he rather Nia alive.
He squeezed his eyes shut as a few tears trickled down his cheeks and he let a shuddering amount of air into his lungs.
The white-haired girl quietly wormed her way into his heart.
He could visualize how she would react in the room with him. She was always there, silently watching and patiently waiting in most situations. And her scarlet eyes softly spoke of understanding.
She was calm, cool, and collected.
Life wouldn't be the same without her.
He, Yuki and most definitely Zero...
He didn't finish his thought. His eyes snapped open as his fingers curled around the phone's handle. The pointer finger from his other hand was frantically pushing buttons and before he knew it, he heard a ringing on the other end of it.
"Hello, Ichijo residence," a feminine voice of a maid answered the phone.
"This is Cross Kaien. Put me to talk to Kuran-sama. It's urgent."
The maid didn't need to be told twice. He heard footsteps dashed away from the phone and muffled voices.
Finally, a smooth and masculine voice answered. "Kaien-san, this better be important."
"It is. I need you here at The Hunter Association right now."
OoO
Zero opened his eyes, his body felt like dead weights and his mouth felt like a desert. A white ceiling filled his vision. He groaned.
"It's about time, idiot, for you to wake up," a masculine and familiar voice shot out at him.
He struggled to look at the raven-haired male who was once his teacher. "Yagari-sensei?"
"Here," the older man threw a packet of blood on the bed next to him. "Drink up."
With energy he didn't know he possessed and with the promise of his hunger being fulfilled, Zero lunged into a sitting position. He roughly grabbed the bag and bit into it. He didn't feel when the incisors lengthened in his mouth, piercing into the plastic. Cold, stale blood filled his mouth. He gulped it down greedily. Some trickles of red liquid leaked down the sides of his chin to his throat.
He could feel the eyes of his ex-master watching him and he acknowledged that he was a gruesome sight; a monster. But blood could make a vampire forget the ability to be civilized. In fact, civility was just an act and appearance for blood sucking creatures. In truth, they were beasts by instincts. Blood made them show their true colors.
As he downed the bag, his hunger faded. He put the empty plastic bag on the nightstand next to him while his sharp teeth receded in his gums. He grunted in pain. His cheeks flushed when he lifted his head. He used the back of his fist to wipe away the excess crimson liquid on his chin.
"You don't have to feel ashamed," Toga said, causing Zero eyes to widened. "A hungry human would devour his food in the same manner."
"But vampires are different. We devour humans," he said in shock.
"You don't kill humans and suck their blood like Level E vampires. You take what you need and then you move on while keeping your source alive."
"But I was about to attack... Yuki." His eyes widened even more before he covered his face with his hands. "I could've killed her."
"You didn't and that's all that matters," the older man replied to him. "You're not a monster."
Zero revealed his guilt-stricken face to his former teacher. "But-."
"Believe me, if you're a monster, you won't be here right now."
Those words put enough consolation in Zero. His worst fear was becoming a Level E vampire and hurting the people he grew to care about like Kaien, Yuki and...
He bolted out of the bed. Before he could make it to the door, Toga's large frame blocked the doorframe.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked as he crossed his arms over his broad chest.
"Nia," Zero pointed out. "I need..." He couldn't continue his sentence. Of course, Nia was gone. But the thought of her dead made his heart freeze.
"She can't be, right?" He needed someone to tell him otherwise.
"Get back in bed," the larger man demanded. "You're not going anywhere."
Zero was about to do what he was ordered when he heard a crashing sound beyond the door. A powerful aura filled the atmosphere causing tension between the occupants in the room. Toga reached for the doorknob, his hand turning the knob before the door swung open. A powerful breeze entered the room, causing the bedsheets and the occupants' hair and clothes to flutter. The wind vanished, taking with it the cool air. The room suddenly began to heat up like a metal pot to fire. Something hard pressed down against him and his ex-master.
The raven head had better grip to remain on his feet, but Zero knees crashed onto floor. His elbows hit the hard surface, bracing the rest of his bodily weight while on all fours.
He could barely lift his face when he saw a tall brunette figure pass the doorframe. An elegant and beautiful face briefly turned his direction and eyes the color of blood met his. A rush of fear enveloped him and his muscles strained. Zero recognized who was the person.
Kaname Kuran.
OoO
I was in a world of darkness.
It was the place I knew better than anything else. I had been here before.
It had happened when my previous life had been snuffed out like a flame between a person's fingers.
And now, I was here again, which meant...
"I died," I whispered out loud. Ironically, laughter started bubbling out me. "I died again."
Then I stopped.
My knees felt weak and my feet wouldn't move. I couldn't seem to drag air into my lungs.
Why did the air feel heavier of all a sudden?
The next event happened so fast, my mind couldn't digest it. A bright light flashed before my eyes and I saw long dark hair of a person's back to me. Some emotion flickered in me. The person turned halfway for me to view a profile of long black lashes, a pert but curvy nose, small pink lips and milk creamy skin. The person's face turned to meet me head on and my breathing halted.
"Amy," I whispered after some time. The background became clearer. She was at the house where we grew up. It was a brown bricked house with a black gate. The front red steps had two young children -a little boy and girl- seated on it while playing a board game.
"Clue," she whispered in return as she smiled fondly at the scene. She moved in between all of us, except the laughing children never raised their heads to look at us.
"What's going on?" I asked, feeling perplexed to be seeing my sister again. Only she looked different. I glanced at her and blinked my eyes when I realized what made her appear different.
Her face was fuller, she was taller than me and her belly -it protruded from her small frame.
I pointed to her. "You're pregnant?"
She giggled at my stupid question. "Of course, silly."
"But... you're fifteen!"
"I was fifteen," she corrected. "Now, I'm thirty-one."
I double blinked my eyes at her and then I shifted closer to her face. It was then I saw slight wrinkles around her eyes and lips. She had gotten older.
I switched my attention to my hands and I wondered how I looked.
"You're still the same," she answered me. I glanced at her again. "You voiced your thoughts."
"What am I doing here?"
She shrugged her shoulders.
"Seriously, what am I doing here?" I was about to have a panic attack. Did I finally return home? "And why aren't you surprised that I'm here?"
My sister shook her head while amusement flickered on her face. "You still haven't changed."
"And you surely did."
"It's called motherhood." I would have never imagined my little sister being an actual mother. For me, she was always my baby sister, someone who needed to be taken care of.
"I," I paused, not sure what to say next.
There was a slight twist to her lips. "I might have an idea why you're here."
I gave her a dumbfounded expression. "You do?" It felt so weird not having answers when I was so used to knowing or having an idea about the events to come.
"You probably need some closure."
"Closure?"
"Don't take any offense sis, but you're always one to hold onto things, especially grudges."
My face scrunched up at her words. She just laughed before becoming serious again. "You had a hard time adapting to changes."
It was true what she said. That was why I lived my life doing the same thing over and over again.
"And as such, you were always the glue that held our family together." There was a wistfulness to her tone. I wanted to query her sudden change in feelings.
"Amy?"
I couldn't react in time. One second she was standing next to me and then she was hugging me. I felt wetness against my left cheek.
"I was so worried about you," I confessed to her while hugging her back. It was kind of awkward embracing a pregnant woman, with her rounded belly almost knocking me over. "But seeing you all grown up with children, it makes me proud."
"I wouldn't be here if you didn't teach me to read, to write, to do math and those life lessons." I heard her laugh a bit in between her sobs.
"That's why I'm proud of you, Amy. You're doing fine without me." I brushed my hand through her silky hair.
"It was hard."
"I know and you made it."
She was crying again and I recalled hearing how it wasn't good for pregnant women to cry. Their emotions put a lot of strain on their babies. Immediately, the older sister role returned in me. I pulled away from her and I gently wiped the tears away from her face. "I'm going to say this once and one last time."
She looked at me with watery eyes while I smiled at her.
"You are my pride and seeing how you are now, I feel gratitude to get this chance to be with you."
Tears started streaming down my face as well before she pulled me in for another embrace. "Sis, I hope you find happiness wherever you are," she whispered to me. "You were always taking care others, now take care of yourself. Follow your heart."
She let me go but her hands were still linked to mine. "And thank you for everything."
Those were the last words I heard as my sister and the scene behind her vanished.
"Amy!" I screamed, my arms dangled around me, my hands trying desperately to grab at anything within reach. I grasped nothing as I let out a moan of despair. I collapsed in on myself, trying to keep the darkness at bay.
OoO
Doors slammed open at his accost to a particular bedroom. Blood, her blood, was heady in the atmosphere. Kaname could smell it as the driver approached the mansion.
How many times did she irresponsibly get hurt?
How many times must her precious blood be recklessly spilt?
Fury vibrated through every pore of his body. The windows shattered into tiny pieces, cutting anything in its path. His eyes were glowing crimson as his dark hair and his long black coat flapped around him.
His vampiric senses soared throughout the vast building. The vampire hunters that tried to deter him from getting to his goal were dealt with and tossed aside. He sensed Zero's location and was grimly satisfied when the little vampire was far away from the white-haired girl.
Yuki, on the other hand, was fast asleep in her room. Before she could disrupt him, he had sent his pureblood power to seep into her bedroom and cajoled her into a deep slumber. She and the other child's quarter would be the only two places that he didn't devastate with his powers.
There was a reason humans and vampires feared purebloods. Their power, unpredictable and unattainable, continued to be a mystery. The true extent of a pureblood would never be known by those of lesser blood.
Another blast of a wind burst yet another door and standing before that closed door was the figure he was going to intensely interrogate once he assessed the damage done to the white-haired child. The ash blond man had taken off his glasses. His long hair ruffled in the wind as did his clothes while he lifted deadly daggers gripped tightly in his hands.
"Will you refrain me from seeing Nia?" he questioned, however, his light tone betrayed the vehemence stirring in him.
"I will let you see her if you calm down," Kaien admonished. "Right now, she's in a fragile state."
"And whose the one at fault?" He tilted his head, while inquiring the ex-vampire hunter.
Kaien didn't respond.
"Move," he commanded, his voice velvety and deadly at the same time. The ex-vampire hunter struggled to remain standing.
Finally, not able to take anymore brunt, Kaien fell to his knees in front of the pureblood.
"Good, remain in your position." With each word, an invisible wall pressed down on the ash blond man. Then everything stilled around him.
Kaname passed a hand through his hair while his other hand deftly fixed his shirt and coat.
Nonchalantly, he past the fallen man. The door opened on his command and Kaname entered Nia's bedroom.
A/N: I can't thank all of you enough for your encouragement in your reviews and for showing your support in choosing to follow and favorite this story. It means a lot to me!
What did you think about this chapter? Is it good, bad, frustrating, or perhaps hopeful?
