02:40
Special chappie, finally! I know I said I was going to update quickly, but I guess I talked too rapidly. I got caught up in projects and that slowed me down. Blessed be God for winter vacations. Phew. Actually, it's almost a normal chapter since it's very long and everything, but it lacks the usual seriousness. Like a normal chapter, the next chapter will be the direct sequel, the stuff in this special chapter actually happened in the fanfic, excepted the small crack part at the end. So nope, nothing that will make the plot advance further, just a showdown between demon and vampire.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: God, please give me another small favor. I wish I owned the character of Vampire Knight...Ah, really. Not possible? *sighes*
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High heels clacked against the hard wooden floor, tapping in a continuous rhythm as the owner of gorgeous red shoes strode purposely toward the left wing of the Association buildings. Her white smock swaying at her ankles, she left a trail of wary people behind her as she advanced, head held high and eyes dismissing the curious gazes of the bystanders. '' The Devilish Ice Queen '', as some called her between themselves, was often seen dragging some poor wounded hunter to her den. Sure, the prey would not show any fear to his empathizing comrades, but they would hear frightening tales when he would come back later, healed but knowing better than falling ill ever again. Rumors circulated among the hunters that it was her way of gaining respect since she wasn't a born hunter, but they were proven false. A particularly frightened newbie had stated that she was just sadistic, to a point where treating and torturing made no difference whatsoever to her.
Today was different because the patient was as scary as the doctor.
Following the woman at a five-feet distance, the young president of the HA was walking grudgingly in her wake, careful not to let it show that he absolutely abhorred the idea of being stuck in her infirmary for the next 20 minutes or so. It clearly didn't work because he could see the hunters recoiling at the dark energy he emitted, like a black thundercloud crackling and sparking in anger. He was seething, thinking back at his master's reaction when Eliza had come to fetch him. The older man had given some pretext like an urgent business to settle with fellow hunters and left him to deal with her.
Zero growled under his breath. He had avoided encounters with the infamous chief doctor of the Association since he healed naturally (or unnaturally if you think of it) without the help of medical skills. The incident from two days ago had weakened sufficiently so that Eliza actually noticed it, and like a bloodhound well attuned to the scent of a big prey, jumped on the occasion and got her hand on this unique specimen. This excuse was as good as others; it was only a matter of time before she called the yearly examination. That one time back in his debut was not something he wanted to reiterate.
Pulled out of his reverie by the sound of a door opening, he stepped in after her and closed the door behind him. The infirmary was the same as last time: white and clean, two black chairs facing a desk with various work furniture and papers littering it, a library filled with medical books, a metal storage desk for the personal health dossiers for each of the Association's members, and rows empty bed with the medical equipment. They were alone, as always. People tended to heal fast in the infirmary, either because of the skills of the doctors or because they wanted to get as rapidly away from the Ice Demon as possible.
Paper rustled as she foraged through the numerous files in her cabinet, looking for his dossier. It seemed she was having difficulties to find it, seeing that she opened it only once a year. Zero was growing impatient, standing by the door, ready to leave at a moment's notice. ''God, if you exist, make it so that she never finds it and tell me to leave. I hate her but she seems to enjoy it and finds delight whe-''
His internal prayer was cut off when she motioned him to sit in a chair. ''Stop looking dumb and take a seat already.''
He glared at her but she had her back to him and was completely obvious to the pair of steely amethyst glowing with animosity. ''If I recall it well, the last time we met you nagged at me for 5 minutes because I didn't wait for you to say it.''
'' Oh, here it is. It's so slim I almost missed it. It's funny, when you think of it. It's not like you're someone easy to miss, I'm sure your personal record at the Association library is quite heavy.'' She said as she slammed the cabinet shut and dumped the file on her desk.
'' So,'' She eyed him as she sat down in her comfy seat, taking a pen and the dossier, '' it's been a while since we last saw, mister Kiryuu. You've been busy with vampires this whole year but I never got the chance to treat your wounds. Well, I'm glad I finally get to meet you again.''
'' The feeling isn't reciprocated. '' He calmly stated. Crossing his arms over his chest and leaning in his chair, he made a point of sending the message of hostility across.
Not looking at him, she shrugged once and started flipping through the file before settling on a particular page.
'' The report says you, Kaito-kun and a certain aristocrat vampire got ambushed by a bunch of level D. Kaito-kun was diagnosed with only few superficial cuts and a deep slash to the forearm. It was easily taken care of with a few stitches and anti-bacterial spray. ''
Zero nodded, remembering the way Kaito had awkwardly used his left arm to write something on the black board in class. Surely, that was due to the stitches.
''…And in your case, the cleaning team sent on the scene to wash away all trace of the mess you made noted that there was an unusually high amount of blood. Yours, it seemed. They are amazed that you actually survived at all and without a doubt, they contributed a lot to the fortification of your image of an undying vampire. They were all chatting away and ruining a perfectly fine lunch with their talks and gory details. Personally, I just found it more intriguing. Care to tell me what happened to bring you back from the land of the dead?''
The teen stayed succinct, shooting her a look that said that he wasn't in the mood. But then, when was he ever in a good mood?
'' I healed, that's all.''
Eliza shook her head in disbelief, small strands of brown hair swaying on her forehead. She tapped her pen against the file and talked to him like she was scolding a small petulant child. '' Come on, Kiryuu-kun. We all know that vampire-healing ability can do miracles, but vampires can die from smaller wounds than the one you received last day. It was fatal but you're almost completely fine two days after, that's unheard of. Did you perhaps develop a new ability unique to your vampire and hunter disposition? Or maybe did you find some powerful blood donor? ''
'' …''
The doctor observed him as he scowled - staring unseeingly at the ground,- not wanting to reply to her inquisitions. Her mouth crooked into a grin. He had just provided her the answer she needed.
'' You don't want to tell me? Well, it's in your rights not to talk about things you'd rather keep secret. After all, you're the boss here. Though I find you terribly young for such a duty. If I were you, I'd enjoy the most of my youth before getting stuck with responsibilities up to my neck.''
Zero lifted his head and met her eyes. The choices he made weren't her business. Anyway, what was she doing talking about past youth? She was only, what, 25? 28 at the most?
'' Enough with the chitchat. Let's cut to the chase and get on with it.'' His voice cut short to her one-way discussion. She was treading on dangerous ground and testing his limits, hoping to get the most reactions out of him.
''Oooh, an impatient one. I like it. Unlike most hunters, you don't even play the tough card and pull out excuses so you can be exempted of the checkup. Fine, get your ass on this.'' She stood up and pointed at a high bed-table thing (no kidding, I don't know how you call them) on the side of the room and proceeded on slipping on plastic gloves.
Zero obeyed, determined to make it quick and then walk out of the place. He sat on the mattress thing and waited for further instructions.
Her next order came soon afterward, like a supreme order. Or a dead sentence, depending how you saw it.
''Strip. I need to see that wound.''
Tugging at his collar, he let loose his red tie, which fell on the mattress, then discarded the uniform's black coat. He methodically unbuttoned the other pieces of clothing, cursing in his head against the Chairman's taste for buttons. His hands finally gripped the white shirt and he managed to get rid of it, throwing it in a pile beside him. Clad only in his black pants, he shot a look at the doctor was waiting patiently in front of him, stethoscope in one hand and blood pressure pump in the other.
She checked his heartbeat, the cool metal of the stethoscope stopping on the emplacement of his heart. Nodding, she then took his blood pressure, noting things in the dossier as she worked. She looked for any other visible health problem, found none and noted it.
'' It's not really professional of me to say that but…'' She checked him out from head to toes as he uncomfortably shifted on the mattress, '' I wonder why you still don't have a girlfriend. I mean, you're pretty nice to look at.''
He glared at her, sending knives through his look.
She chuckled. '' Ah, right. You're as ill temperate as me, maybe even more. Don't worry, cutie, you'll find someone one day who will endure your moodiness. It's only a wonder I found a sweet husband when so many of the men are perverted pigs and anti-feminists. ''
''And it's really a wonder that there exists a man who can stand a demon like you and agreed to marry.'' He thought.
''Hey, don't shoot me a mean look like that. I was pretty kind to you since the beginning of the checkup. You see, I'm making efforts to be friendly, unlike you. That's no way to get a girl's heart. Anyway, let me get a closer look on that…whatever you did to heal, it worked really well. You only have a small round scar.''
She approached her face to the emplacement of the wound, now completely healed, and probed it with her finger.
''It doesn't hurt?'' A ''no'' with his head. '' And this?'' She poked him with force in his side. Gritting his teeth, he muttered :'' Well, if you weren't stabbing me with your nail, it wouldn't.'' She smirked. '' Oh, look, it can talk!''
'' You b-ch…'' His thoughts trailed off, a string of cuss words building up in his throat.
'' Did you have any problem with your respiration lately?''
''No.''
She thrust her finger in his side again. He yelped and started rubbing the sore spot. His purple eyes were burning aflame and were met with equally furious eyes.
''Don't you dare lie to me about health matters. I'm a doctor, it's true that I shouldn't meddle in hunter affairs, but when it comes to health I won't let you keep little secrets away from me. Your condition could worsen and I would mean more work for me to get you back up on your feet. Now do me a favor and answer me honestly, or I swear next time I'm gonna stab you with a syringe in your cute little behind. ''
He measured the seriousness in her look, the way she was staring fearlessly at him and was determined to put her menace to execution. She proved to be quite an adversary in this staring contest and he decided to let it go, not without a last warning:
'' You do that and I fire you, though.''
She smiled: ''Sure, sure, you're the boss here. That way me and my husband could go back in Nice, make a good load of money and spend the rest of our life in a little villa by the Mediterranean sea. Good luck finding a replacement.''
True. She was an irreplaceable element for the Association. Finding someone related to the hunters with world-famed medical skills would be completely impossible. Too bad, he would have liked to. Tch.
He sighed. '' Training is more exhausting than usual. I get winded up after really long jogs and when I lift heavy weights. ''
''And you still want to lead the mission tonight? ''
'' Yeah, I personally want to see the end of this problem.'' A thin smile spread on his lips, anticipating the night ahead. He couldn't wait to blast the blond witch's haughty face to bits with his Bloody Rose.
'' Personal matters, uh? Then I won't try to stop you.'' Zero was glad to hear that. He had feared she was going to issue some medical interdiction and force him to skip the mission. She continued: ''But if you come back in bad condition, don't count on me to be sympathizing.''
The teen merely huffed. If he indeed hurt again, he would avoid going at the infirmary.
''What about bloodlust? You must be craving for some substance to get your system back on the tracks.'' She waited for a reply, syringe in hand, and ready to admonish him if he lied again or evaded her inquisition.
'' I don't do auscultation on vampires often since very few tamed vampires work for the HA, and even then they never work for us really long…'' She paused. '' But I know that you must want some real blood, not those chemical substitutes. We have some blood pouches in the back, I'll allow you to take one.''
He shook his head, denying this easy solution for the burning turmoil in his guts and the parchment dryness in his throat.
'' No, I'm okay with blood tablets.'' He rasped. Damn. Even thinking about it made the cravings stronger.
''That's very admirable of you but your stubbornness will get you or someone else killed, one day.'' She walked to the sink, turned the tap on and replenished a tall glass with cold water. She handed it to him. ''There, at least take a glass with the blood tablets.''
He would have preferred to munch a bunch of them dry, but he wouldn't let people know of how much he had to use each time. Searching through a pocket in his discarded coat, he drew out his blood tablets box and shook out 3 out of it. He dropped them in the glass and waited for them to dissolve in a reddish-pink mist.
'' The world really is small. The vampire - Aido I think was his name- who got caught up in all this was the same one who designed the blood tablets along with some friends. He has a reputation, even out of the night world. A genius, they say. Well, tablets are quite revolutionary.'' She watched him gulp down the glass and handing it back to her, his face distorted in an expression of distaste. ''I guess he should have done something about the taste though. It would be the best way to popularize them.''
'' I'll give you a shot of a drug; alike a substance like testosterone, only hunter-specialized. It will give you the energy and strength you lack because of that wound. It should last only for the night though. You might feel some aftereffects once the medication is dissolved in your blood vessels and washed away by your system. Some slight nausea, headaches and extreme tiredness. Maybe others, I never tested it on a vampire hunter, vampire himself.''
He agreed to it all. He needed everything he could if he went against a pureblood.
She filled the syringe with a transparent substance and started tapping his left arm with a wet cloth. '' Is the mission only a vendetta against Shirabuki Sara, or it's something to do with your former crush? I personally think it's the later.''
'' What makes you say that I do it for her sake? And don't call her that.'' Eyes sparked with electricity behind his silver bangs.
A cold smile etched across her lips, she was the personification of the most glacial of the demons.
'' Lover boy, you ain't clever when it comes to these things. The more you deny it, the more people think it's true. I'm sure a lot of people teased you with it, and each time you said no. Your bad mood must have discouraged her, somehow, to the point where she chooses her own brother over you. I guess menacing her with a gun didn't help. If my own husband did that too me, he'd get a whack over the head with a cooking pan.''
''You're going to far, don't talk like you know- '' She punched the needle in his arm while he was distracted by anger and injected the drug in his body. He let out a yell when the pain fired in his arm, coursing in his system and making him see stars. '' You motherfu- argh''
She pulled out the needle and made a motion, like she was blowing the smoke over the muzzle of a imaginary gun in the form of a syringe. She put the finishing touch to her professional work, slapping a plaster with a yellow smiley on it, making sure it hurt the sensible spot on his arm and his ego while she was at it.
Eliza grinned an evil smirk. ''There, all set. You easily get distracted when emotions take over. The substance is actually really hard on the body at first, so you must feel dizzy and have a foggy mind. Don't thank me for riling you up so you weren't focused on the pain, it was a pleasure. I would recommend you to rest for about 15 minutes, but I want to get outta here and buy myself a cup of mocha. I want to have time to chat with the Scientific Division chief; Marco is really good at cracking up jokes about dead bodies. Now out, before I decide you need more than just one shoot of that thing and aim for your ass.''
Facing the threat of a second injection from the woman, a slightly confused Zero made a grab for his holster and clothes and hurried out of her grasp.
The door was slammed with force behind him as he left the infirmary.
Half nude in the corridor, feeling completely humiliated and rather irritated, he proceeded to dress up while some disturbed onlookers gave small comprehensive smiles and sympathetic looks. They all knew what it was like to go through the white hell in and out. Seeing that the president himself wasn't able to defend himself against the white-clad beast was making him more human and approachable. One hunter about his age actually patted his shoulder and gave him an understanding look before leaving with his companions. The hallway was soon emptied.
''Hey! I heard her Majesty the Ice Devil herself summoned you. Does it hurt?''
Buttoning his shirt, he recognized the voice of his fellow hunter next to him. Seems like his sense were more dulled than he presumed, Kaito was standing only two feet away, a black coffee in one hand and a Pepsi in the other.
Zero snorted derisively. '' Humor me. Of course it does, she punched me with a needle like a boxer would do on a sand bag.'' He bent down to retrieve his coat and put it on. He didn't bother with his tie, only pulling it around his neck and letting it hang loose.
The ash-haired hunter gave a pained smile when he heard that. '' Yeah, she's brutal once she get's her hand on a patient. Eliza-san makes you avoid getting any new wound with her painful method of treatment. And it works. You're more afraid of healing than getting wounded by vamps. Almost makes me jealous of you; if I were a vampire I wouldn't have to see her each time I'm hurt. Here, take it.''
He gave him the cup of coffee. The silver-haired teen was thankful for that.
''I made sure it was extra-black, sugar-less and boosted with pure caffeine delight. Maybe it will help you feeling better over the fact that you got your ass handed back by the White Demon.''
Zero took a gulp of his coffee, savoring, before responding to the teasing.
''I didn't.''
''Oh yes, you did. You should have seen your face, flushed with embarrassment.'' Zero was sure that Kaito was exaggerating. He hadn't blushed, had he?
''Stop it, you asshole.'' He snapped.
The older hunter searched through his pant's pocket.
''Look, I took a picture with my cell phone.'' Zero snatched the phone from Kaito's hand.
''….''
''Cute, eh? I was lying about taking a picture of you when you got kicked out of the infirmary- though I would have liked to take one- but you sure do look innocent when you sleep.''
''Kaito, you friggin stalker-ish teacher, you actually snapped a picture the other day while I was asleep.'' Zero managed, through gritted teeth.
His teacher merely shrugged. '' Well, doing crosswords was kinda boring; I took the liberty to explore a bit and ended up playing with my cell phone. See, I even have closer-ups. Female students paid a lot for them.''
In a burst of pure rage, telekinesis power blasted the cell phone in tiny bits of scrap metal and black plastic with a loud bang. It all fell slowly from his hand and formed a tiny pile on the floor, the dead corpse of Kaito's cell phone littering the ground pitifully. The angered vampire hunter achieved it by crushing the remains with his foot. Slowly, veryyy slowly, he raised his head and stared at his treacherous friend through a curtain of very abnormally sharp-looking metallic hair strands.
His voice resonated, laced with dark energy: ''Go. Before I decide to do the same to your head.''
Trying not to show anything, his teacher only nodded once. ''Ha ha, sure.'' After a nervous look in his boss's direction, he fled the danger zone hurriedly.
His outburst passed, Zero went back on sipping his black coffee like nothing happened and decided to go take a look at the artillery division.
Kaito's conclusion: In the near future, it would be best not to forget that Kiryuu Zero was also worthy of being labeled ''Extremely dangerous''.
-CRACK conclusions-
Kaito's second conclusion: It had been also a good idea not to mention the pictures he had taken while Zero was showering. He didn't dare to think of what other body part the sliver-haired hunter could have crushed with his telekinesis. Especially since he sold some of the pictures to male students.
Kaito's third conclusion: Mmh, I should email some to Kuran, I'm sure it would be an appreciated gesture and earn me a lot of money.
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Author's note: Oh well, I guess I'll see you next time guys. I'll try to do my best but I'm not really trustworthy when it comes to time limits,eh? Funnily enough, Eliza looked quite friendly in the first part of this chapter. Then, I noticed it and thought it wasn't sadistic enough and it worsened throughout the rest of the chapter xD. And the ''special'' part of the chapter increased as the story went on. Probably gave birth to some ooc- moments. Oh, and I was vaccinated two days ago but it didn't hurt much. I probably would have burst in tears if someone had punched a syringe in my arm. And hey, ''Blue cloud'' (you know who you are ^^), if you're reading this, don't worry, I just used the surname and added lots and lots of fictional sadistic traits around the bossy character. xD I hope you don't mind me going a bit crazy with ''Eliza'', it was a really fun character. Maybe she'll appear again later on.
Ooh, Kaito, you had to go and ruin the good mood of the chapter. I planned to make it look friendly, with Zero and you teasing each others back in forth as you left for the Artillery Division, but nooo, I had to have a twisted idea and make you push the teasing a little too far.
I think I made Kaito into some stingy character. As if he liked money. Whatever. So no, Kaito isn't really perverted, just trying to make money out of the situation. As for the crack part, it's not actually part of the real story line. Just some kind of side-dish for mischievous people like me. But maybe it really happened in my fanfic, who knows. Choose to believe it or not. As for which Kuran he mailed the pictures to...that's for you to decide. Yuuki or Kaname? xD
I should ask Kaito to send the pics to me too.
Don't forget to leave a review, it's always refreshing to have a talk with fellow fangirls (or boys!)