I don't own Vampire Knight. End of story.
May contain spoilers, may not. Your call.
Warning; Excessive violence and blood spill.
"I seemed to be the only one who was un-affected by his command and as my brother and I stood side-by-side, I knew what was going to happen and I knew why we could never win as we were."
Zero Kiryu
Chapter ten: The hunters
Part One -
The minute Siren hesitated Ichiru moved but I, being the faster of the two of us managed to pin her on the ground before my brother took a step. Siren finished her answer "I do have allegiances with Bato Hatake." She assured us all of our fears.
Ruka let out a snarl "Siren, how could you possibly do this to us? You were Kaname's bodyguard? Why would you wish to betray him?" She asked, almost yelling. "Tell me that you were forced to act on his will due to the compulsion" She begged the other girl.
"Of course not, I am working for him of my own free will, what kind of girl do you take me for?" Siren snapped as I kept her pinned down. "What did Kaname have to offer me?" She snapped at Ruka "He didn't even need my protection" She said, tears forming in her eyes. "Bato offered me something that Kaname could never give me." She said.
"What could that possibly be?" Aido asked, looking slightly disturbed. No one wanted Sirens comment to get graphic. I cringed at the very thought.
"Satisfaction" Siren stated, wriggling out of my grasp and knocking me to the ground. She made a mad dash for the door but was blocked by Kain and Aido who glared her down.
"You aren't getting out of here alive, if that is the case." Kain warned her. I grabbed the 'Bloody Rose' gun from Yuki and aimed it at Siren. It was mostly for show, if I shot it when she was in such close proximity with Aido and Kain the bullet would injure them as well, if I was going to take her down I would have to rely on my physical strength to do it.
"Oh I beg to differ" Siren said, glaring at Kain before turning and heading towards the staircase. She was quick but not quite quick enough; my brother and I fired at her with our hunter weapons and shot her simultaneously in the back, knocking her to the ground. Ruka made a move, as if to go check on Siren but Kain managed to hold her back.
"There is nothing you can do" He assured her, keeping his hand wrapped around her waist and restraining her.
Siren twitched a few times but her efforts were futile, and after a moment of struggling she gave up and laid still. "Did that kill her?" Ichiru asked, stepping up beside me.
"It looks that way" I said, watching her body. I got the strangest feeling that the battle wasn't quite over, and that we weren't out of danger yet.
"Do you feel that?" Ichiru asked. It looked like we were in sync once more, after just a short reunion. I smiled. It felt good to be beside my brother in a non-hostile manner for the first time in nearly ten years.
"You know it, brother." I said, trying to find the source of the strange feeling.
Siren stood up slowly, her movements strained and surreal. "She is being controlled" Aido said, loud enough for the others to hear. It would be the only warning we got, before the chaos broke loose.
Sirens body flung itself at Rima, who was the closest vampire to her and attacked her. Shiki ran to assist Rima as Bato revealed himself; he stepped coolly out of the shadows and glared at us with blood red eyes. The look on his face told me that he wasn't here for small talk. "How ironic this is, that I find the hunter brothers together" He said, regarding me and my brother for a brief second "It saved me the trouble of hunting you down" He said, before charging us.
I managed to dodge him and Ichiru caught the brunt of Batos head butt. I should have known that Ichiru was still the weaker of the two of us, and that I still needed to protect him. He rolled across the floor, landing in a heap in front of a completely terrified Maria. Yuki managed to pull Maria's trembling form out of the chair and drag her out of the room as quickly as she could while Bato was distracted with Kain and Ruka.
I ran to my brothers side "Ichiru? Are you alright?" I asked, shaking his shoulder. He came around after a second and stood up.
"I'm not as weak as I used to be" He assured me, holding onto what I imagined to be a broken rib.
Shiki and Siren were rolling around on the floor in a heap of snarls and flesh as Rima attempted to attack Siren while managing to miss Shiki in the process "Let him go Siren! He is your friend!" She begged, not realizing that the Siren she had known died when Ichiru and I shot her. Lightning shot from her fingers, managing to stun Siren long enough for Shiki to take advantage of her shock and fling her off of him.
Meanwhile Aido was attempting to assist Kane in attacking Bato, and Ruka lied on the floor already rendered un-conscious. If Kaname was planning on playing the hero, now would be a good time to appear and save the day. Who was I kidding? Unless someone were to spill Yuki's blood, Kaname wouldn't have any way of knowing we were fighting Bato, and I was stupid enough to keep his whereabouts a secret from Yuki, who was the one person able to act freely without being one of Batos targets.
Bato caught Kane by surprise and sent him flying across the room and crashing into the nearby staircase, I could hear his spine snap under the pressure. Aido, who was angered by the attack on his cousin, froze Bato with his ice, but it was useless. It took Bato less than a second to break free from the frozen prison and attack Aido, taking a large chunk out of Aido's shoulder with his abnormally large teeth.
"What are we going to do?" Ichiru asked. I held my Blood Rose gun up and emptied a round into Sirens lifeless body. The bullets were enough to melt her flesh from her bone, and turn her into a puddle on the floor.
Other unimportant night class students who seemed to be under Batos control were assisting in the battle now, seemingly appearing from nowhere. I dropped the Bloody Rose into my pocket and turned to my brother "What choice do we have?" I asked as the other vampires surrounded us "It looks like we fight." I said, baring my fangs at the vampire who advanced on us.
"Fine by me" Ichiru agreed, shooting the closest vampire to him and knocking it to the ground. These vampires were all puppets, acting solely under the command of Bato Hatake. They were soulless, and therefore I had no reservations about taking their lives.
Rima, who was thinking on her feet, shot Ruka and Kane with twin lightning bolts, serving to jump start their systems and awaken them from their unconscious states. Kane came back with a vengeance, flame broiling nearly seven vampires that attacked him, but the puppet vampires continued to arrive. I was fairly sure that Aido was dead, and Ruka seemed to be having trouble with the vampires attacking her as well.
I attacked one of the vampires closest to me and managed to separate one of his arms from the socket, causing him to cry out and stumble backwards. I seemed to be at a disadvantage, seeing as I was the only vampire without a specific power; even my brother had his guns to protect him.
I quickly pulled the Bloody Rose out of my pocket and attempted to reload it but before I could load more than one bullet Bato attacked me from behind, knocking both the gun in one direction and the clip in another and causing me to hit the ground. I recovered within seconds, turning on Bato and snarling a warning at him.
My face felt warm as Kane's flames lit up the room, destroying most of the puppet vampires. My light sensitive eyes unfocused for a moment, long enough for Bato, who was turned away from the flames and therefore not as affected as I was, to sucker punch me in the gut. I doubled over, but the pain was minimal. My eyes readjusted and I head butted Bato in the face, knocking him backwards.
One of the left over puppet vampires attacked my brother, causing him to drop his gun which fired when it hit the ground and ended up shooting Kane, who dropped to the floor. Ruka ran over in order to protect Kane's body as Shiki did the same for Aido but more puppet vampires began to arrive. The new crops of vampires were not wearing the night class uniform, which led me to believe that Bato was planning a full force barrage on Kaname's allies. I swung at Bato once more swiping him with my claws. I hoped that Yuki was far enough away the she wouldn't be caught in the crossfire, but then I heard Maria call my brother's name and my blood ran cold.
Yuki was here, unprotected in the midst of who knows how many vampires and the worst part is that she was injured and weaponless. Bato was too focused on me to noticed Maria or Yuki and had begun blindly swinging at me, laughing madly. "Isn't this delightful? I will destroy everything close to Kaname in one short battle, and then walk merely inches away from this place in order to enjoy the buffet!" He laughed. The buffet he was referring to was the day class, a group of humans who were for the most part completely ignorant to the existence of vampires.
Takuma, whom I had completely forgotten about up to this point, smashed a chair over Batos head in a very barbarian fashion for someone as noble as himself. "Good job" I praised.
"Don't get excited yet" He said, as Bato clamored back onto his feet, snarling at us both. I quickly surveyed the scene.
Maria was trying to force my brother awake (he had apparently been knocked unconscious) and Yuki was protecting the pair with what looked like the arm of one of the expensive chairs. Aido was lying in a bloody heap on the cold floor, and Rima and Shiki were desperately trying to protect themselves and him while Ruka was doing the same for Kane's body. This was getting out of hand.
"Distract him" I said to Takuma, and then I made a dive for the clip of the Bloody Rose. I only had one shot, and I was going to make it count. Now would be a great time for my vampric instinct to take over, but naturally I had no such luck. I scrambled for the Bloody Rose before Bato wised up to my plan and popped the clip in.
I would have turned back to aid Takuma had Yuki not let out a scream, distracting me from my main goal. Bato noticed the noise and grabbed Takuma, easily throwing him across the room and causing him to crash into Maria, sending both of them crashing into the ground. Takuma was strong, but Maria crumpled under the force and seemed to snap in half. Meanwhile Yuki was being attacked by a puppet vampire, who had struck her a few times with the chair arm that she had been using to attack with.
I didn't hesitate, and smoothly snapped the neck of the vampire attacking Yuki, throwing him roughly to the ground. "Get out of here already!" I yelled at her.
"I can't leave them" She responded.
"ZERO!" Ruka yelled, warning me of Batos advance. It was too late.
Bato slammed his fist into the side of my head with enough force to kill a human, and the last thing I was aware of was Yuki's screaming.
I was floating in darkness, a comfortable feeling consuming me. All of my doubts and fears seemed to fade away as I floated. There was something trying to tell me that this wasn't right, that I shouldn't just be lying around doing nothing but I wasn't quite consciously aware of why quite yet. I was comfortable and calm, unable to come to terms with the fact that I was more than likely dying.
Something cold and sharp brushed against my skin and I whirled around in the darkness, startled. I was suddenly aware of the pain in my head but it was the mirror that had caught the bulk of my attention. The vampire was staring at me again from just below the mirrors surface. A stream of Blood flowed from his forehead down to his mouth and he licked it off, running his tongue over his sharp fangs, sharper than normal vampires would have been.
'What do you want with me?' I wanted to ask him but I could not form the words needed to speak.
The word 'fool' echoed around in my head and the vampire opened his mouth in order to laugh at me. 'Who do you think you are?' He asked, his words hissing around in my mind, sinister and lined in malice. 'Are you a hunter or a vampire?' The voice demanded an answer from me, but I had no answer for him.
I floated along and the vampire that was me but at the same time wasn't me followed. He was mocking me for being so weak. 'I am both' I answered suddenly 'I am a vampire, and I am a hunter. I have been mocking nature since I cheated death at birth, why can I not be a fusion of two of the most unlikely creatures?' I thought, unaware that my thoughts were echoing in the darkness.
'Then set me free, and embrace what you are. Embrace the monster within and move forward' the vampire whispered, his blood red eyes returning to their normal color. I closed my eyes for a second and let a number of thoughts race through my mind before opening them again.
My reflection stared back at me and my answer was clear. I had always been a monster, even before I was a vampire. The hunters were brought up to murder the vampires, and the vampires were monsters because they fed on the blood of humans. My nature contradicted itself and yet the two opposing forces fused like yin and yang within me, creating something that was neither vampire nor hunter but something in-between. Something that was powerful and virtually unstoppable.
My reflection stared back at me, one of my silver eyes bleeding red and smiled at me, revealing a row of razor sharp incisors 'What are you waiting for?' I asked myself, as the mirror cracked and shattered.
My eyes shot open and I jumped to my feet, letting out a snarl. Bato, who had previously been drinking blood from Shiki's limp form turned to me my comrades all, laid in heaps, save my brother who was attempting to stand on a leg with multiple breaks in it. The puppet vampires had been lingering in case one of us decided to wake back up and dish out one last slew of pain, which was exactly what I was about to do.
Without hesitation I ran at the nearest vampire, my now accelerated speed making it almost impossible to follow my movements and cut down nearly twenty vampires in a matter of seconds, stopping only to lick the blood off my fingers.
Bato laughed at me as if I wasn't a threat "So it has finally happened! You have fallen to a level 'E' vampire! How poetic, how absolutely perfect!" He said, clasping his meaty hands together.
I wasn't a level 'E' vampire…was I?
"Now I can simply tell the council that you killed these young vampires and continue my plan uninterrupted, I can't thank you enough my boy! I knew I would like you since the moment I met you, and now I know why.
I wasn't a level 'E' vampire. I couldn't be…could I?
He continued his monologue, boasting about his now assured victory. I wanted to scream at him, to tell him that I would never become a level 'E' vampire as long as I had a reason to remain myself. I snarled at him once more, finally able to form words "I am no level 'E'" I snapped, charging at him before he had a chance to respond.
My brother had managed to stand up, and fired a shot at Bato. It didn't even faze him. Why did purebloods have to be so damn powerful? "Don't tell me that, you have to be a level 'E'" Bato said, mocking me. "Your eyes are red" He said, and then the smile faded from his face. Apparently he had just realized that it was only one of my eyes that were red, and the other one remained untainted. "How is that possible?" He asked no one in particular, but before he had a chance to further question my existence I slammed into him, knocking him to the ground.
I snarled and snapped at him separating his flesh from bone, though in my madness I had forgotten one thing, vampire aristocrats and purebloods all possessed specific powers, which were usually unique to a specific person and typically elementally focused. Bato pressed his hand into my stomach in my frenzy and something pulsated inside of me, causing blood to surface in my throat and pool out of my mouth, streaming down in a fountain. Bato knocked me off of him, and I landed at my brother's feet.
"You are a fool Zero Kiryu; we could have made such a good team." He said, holding out his hand and causing Ruka's body to rise off the floor. He was going to use her as a puppet, despite the fact that she seemed to still be alive. He used his strange power to control Kane, Shiki and Rima as well, turning them on me and my brother. "No go and kill your friends" He ordered the puppets. "And you" He added, lining his voice in thick compulsion. Maria was rising slightly, trying to grasp what was happening. "Stay where you are" He ordered. Marias body immediately froze up in response and I seemed to be the only one who was un-affected by his command and as my brother and I stood side-by-side, I knew what was going to happen and I knew why we could never win as we were.
I had to take my chances and abandon my friends in order to regroup, or else Bato would kill me and my brother at the same time. I looked at Ichiru praying that we were still in sync and that he was still able to feel what I was planning. He gave me a worried look and I nodded ever so slightly as the puppet bodies ambled towards us. "Were hunters" Ichiru whispered "But we are also brothers, and I will stand by you no matter what decision you make" He said, whispering so low that even Bato couldn't hear him.
"Then grab Maria and RUN" I yelled as I pulled the Blood Rose out and fired my only bullet at Bato. The bullet breezed past our friends, the force being enough to knock them to the ground. As the bullet hit Bato in the face Ichiru scooped Maria into his arms and I grabbed Yuki but before we could make our escape we were met with an even greater challenge.
Kaysha and Seki stood in the hallway, which seemed to be our only means of likely escape and glared us down, challenging us both. Were we doomed to die here in the night dorm, side by side as we should have so many years ago in our mother's womb? Was this to be the fate of the only pair of hunter twins in recorded history? Was there no hope for our friends? Were they destined to die as well? Could fate truly be that cruel? It seemed to be so as the two of them stood blocking our exit.
There was no chance for any of us, and we were all going to die.
The thought registered in my mind, but I rejected it and snarled at the pair. Bato had more-than-likely already recovered from the bullet and could have been heading towards us as we speak and I had never felt like more of a coward.
What right did I have to abandon my friends, who had helped me save Yuki when I needed them most? The adrenaline coursing through my veins sped up my pulse and I resolved to fight to the death, for my brother, for my friends, for myself but mostly for Yuki who was the main reason I had not killed myself in the first place.
I snarled at the pureblood and the traitor hunter who stood in my way and handed Yuki to my brother, placing her awkwardly on top of Maria. My brother managed not to cripple under the added weight and gave me a determined look. "What is the plan?" He asked me, waiting for my response.
"I will take these two while you run, go to the headmaster, he can help you" I ordered then took a step forward. I had accomplished everything that I had wanted, and I bore no regrets. My brother and I had somewhat reconciled and I had confessed my feelings for Yuki so if I were to die in this battle than at least I would die happy. I held my hands out to my sides, cracking my knuckles and striding forward.
I ran then with uncanny speed at the two and attempted to attack them. They dodged me, moving precisely at the same time in opposite directions. "Calm yourself Kiryu! We aren't here as your enemies, I am working for Kaname Kuran" Kaysha said, managing to block my next attack.
I slowed but continued attacking as Ichiru slipped away. Once he was gone I paused in order to listen to her "What do you mean you are working for Kaname?" I snapped. Seki made no move to attack me, and seemed to be closely watching Bato. "You tried to kill Yuki" I snarled, enraged.
"You have it all wrong! I was only doing as Kaname asked by following Batos orders and pretending to remain on his side until a time when I was able to betray him without being unnecessarily sacrificed." She said "Think about it, now he is injured and outnumbered, with no chance of escape." She said.
"Kaysha" Seki warned. I wheeled around as Bato ran towards me.
"I am going to murder you, Kiryu!" He said, not even bothering to use his puppets.
"Seki, take the left" Kaysha ordered, moving past me as Seki and her moved in perfect synchrony, slamming into Bato from both sides but he wasn't so easily defeated and knocked Seki off his feet and managed to avoid the full extent of their double attack, still heading like an angry freight train in my direction.
I held my hand out and braced myself for impact. He continued charging me, and just as he got close I stepped out of his way. Bato let out a sharp laugh and continued running down the darkened hallway. Realization dawned on me. Bato was never going to attack me; he was aiming for my brother.
I took one last glance at Seki, Kaysha and my friends before taking off after Bato at full speed. I had every intention of ending his reign of terror and protecting the people I cared about, and that thought alone caused me to move faster despite my multiple injuries.
Part Two – Eventual Sacrifice
There was a door at the end of the hallway that was opened, allowing the daylight to come pouring in. I exited out the door and glanced around, trying desperately to catch Bato or Ichiru's scent. Batos scent led towards the day class dorms, and I couldn't seem to pick up Ichiru's anywhere.
I quickly followed Batos scent, unaware that the campus seemed to be eerily deserted. The trail led to the girls dorm and I busted open the door, hesitating for a moment before continuing. This could have very well been a trap, for all I knew and I was the one stupidly following the bait.
I ran up three flights of stairs without stopping before the scent veered off down a hallway, I followed it and ended up in an unfamiliar room. It looked as if, at one point, it had been used as a meeting room. The room was large enough to comfortably accommodate fifty people and was filled in the middle with plush red chairs. A large elaborate coffee table seemed to be the center piece of the room and everything else flowed beyond it. There was a bar in the corner stocked with alcoholic beverages and a large painted glass window allowed the room to be warmed by sunlight.
Bato leaned against the bar casually, pouring himself a drink. There was a second filled glass sitting on the grey tiled bar for Batos guest, who was sitting comfortably in the nearest chair to the window. I snarled at the both of them. "I should have known" I chastised, watching Kaname graciously accept the drink from my enemy.
"It is so nice of you to join us, Zero Kiryu." Bato Hatake said a slight growl in his voice. I was tempted to charge him but I knew from previous experience that I couldn't take Kaname Kuran, especially without my weapon.
"Us" I repeated, snarling. Kaname remained impassive, as if I didn't exist.
"Of course, Kaname is here to witness this momentous occasion" Bato boasted. I noted the red ring around his eyes, and realized that he was stark raving mad.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, as I held my ground. Bato walked towards me slowly and with deliverance.
"You see, Zero this academy in and of itself is a mockery. Humans and vampires living in peace and harmony? Give me a break. The establishment of the hunter society and the vampire council is proof that we shall never be able to co-exist without staining our hands with years of blood. Today is the day that the vampires make themselves known as the dominate species by deliberately burning cross academy to the ground." Bato said. He seemed so conceded, so self assured. I wanted to rip his throat out. "I can see the madness in you, Zero but its ok. It plagues me as well. The hunger, the thirst, it is all natural for us, all something we should embrace rather than hide." He continued.
"I am nothing like you" I stated flatly. My statement needed no backing up, because it was one hundred percent true. I was nothing like Bato Hatake even if I was insane. "Are you in on this as well, Kuran?" I snapped, turning the bulk of my attention to Kaname. He merely shrugged as if nothing mattered.
"Remember what I told you, Kiryu. I was not lying when I told you that I would inevitably betray you." Kaname said "That time is now, so I have come to watch Cross academy burn to the ground at the hands of Batos followers.
"Burn to the ground?" I repeated, not understanding. I hadn't notice Bato steep up beside me until he grabbed me, throwing me with intense force at the painted glass window. I crashed through the third floor window but managed to recover from the sneak attack fast enough to grab the ledge and catapult myself back into the room. I cut my face on a renegade glass shard, and sliced open my palm as well.
A blood droplet splattered to the ground and any reserve Bato may have been holding onto shattered.
He attacked me with brute force, slamming me against a wall before I had time to counter attack. I sliced at him with my fingernails in order to distract him before kicking him in the stomach in order to knock him off of me. He slid across the room, crashing into one of the chairs and I tried to stay on my feet. Kaname merely watched the struggle as a potent smoke smell assaulted my nose. Batos plan had already come to fruition; I just hoped that Ichiru had gotten Yuki out before the mayhem started.
Bato recovered quickly, coming at me again and letting loose a fierce snarl. This time though, I was ready for him and I managed to dodge his initial attack only to be struck from behind by his elbow. I crashed to the ground and a sharp piercing sensation erupted in my stomach as I landed on a fairly large glass shard. I coughed a little, spitting out blood as Bato picked me up and slung me across the room with ease. I crashed into the opposing wall and crumpled to the ground.
The madness snapped within me, awakening the beast that has, for the most part laid dormant for all these years. I stood up on shaky legs and glared at Bato defiantly. I could feel my eyes bleeding red, my teeth elongating and my bones popping. Something in the back of my mind whispered that I was dying but, now that I had a purpose I would not stop. I was going to save Yuki, no matter the cost.
I never said fate wasn't cruel.
Bato attacked me again but I was faster this time, which he didn't seem to be expecting. I grabbed a ledge lingering above me and kicked him with all my might in his face, shattering his nose. Kaname had stood now, but was doing little more than observing the maybe.
Bato reached for me, but I avoided him wearily and managed to reach Kaname on the other side of the room. I picked him up and bit into his flesh, so I could momentarily save a shred of my humanity long enough to kill Bato. Kaname gripped my shoulders and broke them in one easy movement. I cried out in pain and dropped to the floor, rolling around in agony.
"Don't touch me, you filthy vampire" Kaname spat in my direction, and then he turned to Bato. "This is where my allegiance to you falters friend, I believe that you have served your purpose and I no longer wish to deal with you." He said, shooting an attack in Batos direction which he avoided.
Even together Kaname and I couldn't kill Bato; he was ridiculously strong and now driven by madness. You know what they say about wolves, cut their heads off and they can continue to bite. Bato was nothing more than an alpha male trying to get his way and even if I managed to sever his head, he will still kill me.
Bato attacked Kaname this time, catching him off guard and severing his arm from it's socket. A massive amount of blood pooled below Kaname as Bato tossed his arm aside and attacked a second time. I managed to grab a few strands of his hair and forced him backwards before he attacked and incapacitated Kaname completely.
"You can't fight him Zero, not now" Kaname yelled at me, as Bato fell of balance Kaname attacked him with his left arm, managing to do serious damage to Batos side.
"Leave me alone Kiryu, I can fight him and I will" I said, pausing to spit up more blood. 'You're going to die, fool.' The voice whispered, louder this time. 'Shut up' I growled in my mind, drowning out the chastising monster inside of me.
We fought two on one for what seemed like countless hours until we were all tired and out of breath. Kaname had sustained a number of injuries, not life threatening but he had used up all of his excess vampire powers and was now having to rely on his brute strength alone. Bato seemed determined to either kill us or die trying and continued to overpower us both, dodging and countering our attacks with an almost effortless casually.
I was running out of breath and the life was draining out of me through the wound in my stomach which continued to bleed. I managed to counter Bato one last time before he slammed me against the wall and broke the bulk of my ribs. I was sure from the ragged breath seeping through the crack in my teeth that one of my broken ribs had just punctured my left lung.
The room began to spin and the light faded from my eyes I slumped forward but somehow managed to stay on my feet. I was doing this for Yuki, and I had to persevere. Kaname and I were pinned against the wall closest to the open window and there seemed to be no escaping the inevitable.
The floors below us were burning, and I could feel the heat seeping through the carpet. The foundation was breaking, and the room was shifting slightly, momentarily throwing us all off balance. "We have to get out of here" I yelled to Kaname as the fire consumed the hallway and began eating at the door.
"If we all die here, then at least Yuki will have survived. This way is fair, because she never has to choose between us." Kaname said, as diplomatic as ever. I gasped, trying and failing to suck air into my crippled lungs.
Kaname was trying to be the tragic hero.
Bato readied himself to kill Kaname, aligning his fingernails into a deadly sword edge and thrusting forward at amazing speed. In a moment of clarity I realized what I was going to have to do, and stepped in front of Batos hand, allowing it to pierce through my stomach, cracking my spine in half and exiting out the other side.
If Kaname wanted to be the tragic hero, then I would be the eventual sacrifice.
I gasped once more, throwing up blood and slumping forward. I grabbed onto Batos arm and held on with what little strength remained. "K-ill him…hurry!" I gasped at Kaname; Bato was trapped and susceptible to attack.
The room spun faster as the flames consumed us. I heard a dull 'thud' as Kaname separated Batos head from his body and I dropped to the ground, no longer able to stand. "Why did you do it Zero? You could have lived?" Kaname asked kneeling down beside me.
"It was the least I could do…" I answered, throwing up more blood and what looked to be a blackened organ. "I am a level 'E' after all" I whispered as the darkness which has been chasing after me for so long reached out and dragged me under, plunging me into a never ending ocean of shadows.
"Zero" Kaname mumbled, as the flames consumed the room and the surrounding academy, eventually turning the moon dorm into a blazing inferno until nothing remained, save ash.
"You were nothing more than a useless fool"
A/n: Mitsuki here with the latest installment of I never said it would be easy. I hope you enjoyed this chapter; it took me forever to write because it was split into two parts! Well, two more chapters till the end and then I can focus on It takes a fool. Anyway read and review and stay tuned for the next installment: Chapter eleven: What remains?