CHAPTER NINE- Guides and the Descent

Zero woke up. His head hurt and he noticed his gun on the floor. He sat up. He noticed that the veins on his wrists stood out. He stood up and he fell back on the bed. He sat up again. He was too weak.

Miko, are you there?

Zero. You're awake?

Yes, I am, he thought.

He covered his eyes with his free hand. The sun hurt his eyes. He stood up and he walked carefully. He heard the door open. A girl ran up to him. She looked about thirteen. She had fair hair that was waist length. She jumped and she hugged him. Her arms were around his neck. His eyes widened. He fell back on the bed. The girl smiled at him. Her skin was pale. Zero stared at the girl with wide eyes.

"Zero," she smiled. It was a sweet smile. "You're awake. Thank goodness."

Zero stared at her with wide eyes. Who was she? She seemed vaguely familiar.

She tilted her head to the side and she got off him. "What is it Zero?"

He sat up and he stared at her. He reached to touch her cheek. He knew her. But from where? She smiled when he touched her cheek. Her cheeks were slightly pink.

"Zero?"

She smiled and she kissed him on the forehead. "Are you still asleep?"

Zero stared at her. Who was she? She smiled and she covered Zero's eyes. "Go to sleep, Zero. I think you're not awake yet."

Zero closed his eyes. He opened them again and she was gone. He stood up. What was that? He opened his door and he got out. She saw Satomi walk by. She looked at him and she smiled.

"Zero, you're awake. By the way, were you walking around the house last night?"

"No, why?" Zero asked her.

Satomi closed her mouth and she shook her head. "Nothing, I guess it was nothing. I swear I saw someone with your face walking around."

"What?"

Satomi shrugged. "I don't know. He looked like you, but he wasn't you."

"What's going on?" Aido asked. He was wearing silk pajamas. His hair was messed up and he yawned. He looked tired.

"Nothing," Zero said. He was going to have to ask Satomi about it later.

Zero went downstairs. There were a lot of people around the dining room. There were laughing and talking. They stopped talking when Zero entered. Zero felt slightly uncomfortable.

"Zewo!" A little girl ran toward him. She hugged him.

He smiled and he knelt down. He hugged her. She smiled and she kissed him on the cheek. He felt something drain out of him. What the-? She ran away with her friends. She's a vampire? Her blood smelled like a humans.

Satomi noticed his confused look. "She's a vampire. She smells like a human because she has a spell put on her."

"Oh," was all Zero said. He stood up and he took out his blood tablets. He swallowed almost all of them.

Satomi frowned and so did Aido who was behind her. Aido had changed into a dress shirt and pants. A girl walked up to Zero and she quietly handed him a plate of food. Zero frowned at the bloody steak. He sighed.

"What, you don't like your steak bloody?" Satomi asked.

Zero shook his head. "It's not that. I don't feel like drinking blood from an animal. Here Aido, this is perfect for you."

Aido frowned. "Even if I wanted to eat that, I'll dirty this shirt."

Satomi sighed in frustration. She took the plate and she sat down. "I'm surrounded by a bunch of babies," she muttered.

Aido must've heard because he was fighting for the steak. Zero gave a slight smile. He walked outside. The sun hit him. He sat down in the shade underneath a tree. He closed his eyes.

"Zero, Zero, wake up."

He opened his eyes and he saw the girl from earlier. She was smiling. She was wearing a light blue dress with a white sash. She had white slippers on. She had a headband with two white ribbons at the side of it. She smiled at him with that same sweet smile.

"Zero? What is it? Why are you looking at me as if you don't know me?" She blushed and then she said, "I'm wearing the dress you gave me. Do you like it?"

She gave a twirl while holding a plate of oranges. She stopped and she sat down next to him. She handed him the plate. "Do you think we should go visit them? I mean that's if you want to. I won't force you."

His mouth moved without his permission. "No, it's okay. I have you now so . . ."

She blushed and she kissed Zero on the cheek. "You're really sweet. You don't have to force yourself you know."

Zero wondered who she was. He felt unbelievable tired. She looked at him and she sighed. "Go to sleep Zero. You're still tired, aren't you?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but I want to ask you something."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Who" are you? His eyes closed without even finishing the question. He opened his eyes again and she wasn't there anymore. What is going on?

Miko, are you there? Why is it that whenever I want to talk to you, you aren't there?

Miko answered two minutes later.

Sorry, Zero. What is it?

I keep seeing a girl.

A girl?

Yes, a girl.

Sorry, even I don't know everything.

Zero felt slightly disappointed. He wondered if that girl would keep appearing again. She looked familiar to him. Somehow. He shook his head from thoughts.

By the way, were you walking around the house last night? I saw someone with your face walking around. He looked like you, but he wasn't you. He remembered Satomi's words.

Someone like me? His eyes widened. Ichiru? It couldn't be. He was dead. He had seen him die. Powers. He remembered Miko saying that he had the power to bring out the dead from the veil and be able to communicate with them.

"Ichiru?" He said out loud.

"What is it?" He heard the overly familiar voice.

He looked up and he saw his twin looking at him with a smile on his face.

"Why are you looking at him like that, Zero?" It was a woman who said this. Shizuka.

Zero turned his attention to Shizuka who was standing next to his brother.

"I didn't call for you," he said.

Shizuka smiled. "Ichiru invited me. You should be glad that I came. Your brother is too softhearted. You probably want to ask questions to your guides."

"Guides?"

Shizuka smiled. She clicked her fan open. "Yes, we are your guides. We talk to you about the rules of the spirit world. We help you communicate and focus when you call forth the dead. One of the many things we help you do. Ah, but, it will certainly tire you out."

Ichiru looked at Zero; he had a smile on his face.

Zero stared at his twin. Ichiru knelt down and he hugged Zero. Zero could feel his body, but it was cold.

"I missed you so much," Ichiru said. "I was afraid you would give up when I died."

Zero shook his head. "No, I wouldn't have. You don't give me too much credit Ichiru."

Ichiru gave a slight rattled laugh. It was clear to Zero that he was crying and he was trying to hide it. Zero had tears in his eyes too.

"Are you sad that I'm not dead?" Zero asked him.

Ichiru pulled away and he shook his head. "No, I'm not!"

Zero smiled. "You're crying."

Ichiru tried to wipe them away and he gave up. "I'm happy. I didn't think I could see you again. You don't look happy at seeing me!"

Zero laughed. "I'm almost crying from happiness and you think I'm not happy at seeing you?"

Ichiru smiled. "You're still the same Zero. You pretend to be tough even when you just want to show emotions. You shouldn't freeze yourself like that. It isn't good for you. Have you made any progress with Yuki?"

Zero sighed. He stood up and said, "We should be talking about your roles in my so called powers. Not my nonexistent love life."

Ichiru stood up and he frowned. "I thought by now, you would've done something. Whatever, I did tell her your taste in women had gone down. She looked really mad when I sad that. Uh, what Shizuka said is true. We are your guides. Well, we fought to be your guides."

Zero leaned against the tree.

Ichiru noticed and he gave an apogoletic smile. "You must be tired from bringing two souls from across the veil. We'll go now. Take a good nights rest okay."

Ichiru disappeared into fog and so did Shizuka. She smiled as she disappeared.

"See you later Zero," she said.

Zero slid down to the ground. He gasped. He had tried hard to not show Ichiru that talking to them had worn him out. His chest rose and fell rapidly. He was sweating and he was sure he looked pale. He heard his name be called by Satomi. He stood up after regaining some strength and he came back inside.


Morio crawled to a pool of water. He saw his reflection in the water. His black hair looked dull. His amber eyes were full of pain. He had lost a lot of weight. He drank some of the water. He heard footsteps behind him.

"You found the pool," the woman said.

Morio didn't pay attention to her. He drank more of the water.

"The Hunters have not come for you. How do you feel?"

Morio looked at her. The pool had turned red. His face had splotches of pink. The woman looked to her side.

"You ate him," she said with a smile. She looked amused. "You would eat your own kind. You truly are like a vampire."

Morio stared at her with blank eyes. "You gave me no other choice. I had to survive."

She smiled and she walked to him. She was barefoot. She touched his cheek. She licked the blood from his chin.

"Who do you blame for your demise?"

Morio stared at her and said, "The Hunters."

She smiled, she was pleased. "You blame the Hunters? Why? Shouldn't you blame me?"

He looked into her eyes. "I do not blame you because you gave me food and you kept me alive. I blame them for not searching for me. I blame them for making me this way now."

She smiled again. "Morio, my child, do you want to take revenge?"

Morio nodded. "Please grant me powers to take revenge on the Association."

She smiled and she knelt down. She licked his neck. "This might hurt. But first, do you have any doubts?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Yes, I am sure."

"You're a good boy. I am sorry for the hunger that will hit you later." She bit his neck.

He winced. It hurt him. He could feel his old self cracking away to give birth to his new self.

No! Don't do it, his old self cried out. It's perfectly understandable that they proclaimed you dead. You went missing in the line of action. Don't blame the Hunters! They took you in when you were an orphan. They took care of you! Morio, don't do it!

Morio closed his eyes. It's too late and I'm not going back. I will kill everyone from the Association. Everyone.

The woman separated herself from him. Her lips were bloody. She bit her wrist. She offered it to him.

"You must be hungry. Drink."

He bit into her wrist. He felt a rush of blood go into him. It tasted sweet. Of course, it was because the one that turned him was a Pureblood.

"What are you going to do after I let you go?" The Pureblood woman asked.

"I'm going to kill the President of the Hunter Society." He said looking at her. His fangs were stained with blood.

"You do know that the future President is Zero Kiryu."

"Yes, I know and I know that he is the one I must kill first."

The woman smiled and she hugged Morio. "You're a good boy. You make your master proud. I will enjoy seeing you bring his bloody body back to me. You know that I am all that you have left, right?"

Morio nodded. "You are the only thing that I have left. I will bring his body back as a show of appreciation for giving me the power to fulfill my revenge."

She smiled as he drank more of her blood. "I know the exact location in which you can find him. Are you willing to go tomorrow?"

He nodded. She smiled and she stroked his black hair. "You shall make me proud Morio. Do not stray from the path you have taken. I know that you will make me proud in the end."

Morio drank her blood in silence. His old self vanished into a tiny speck. It had fought valiantly. His new self was filled with the act of fulfilling his revenge.

Yes, I shall kill everyone from the Association. But first, I will kill Zero Kiryu.

Hello! So I guess that the chapter title pretty much speaks for its self. The Guides are Shizuka and Ichiru and the Descent describes Morio's descent into the darkness. I really felt bad about doing that to him , but it was necessary. Also I introduce the mysterious girl that appears and disappears. You'll find out who she is (maybe?). I would really appreciate some feedback and comments. Thank you in advance!