Abstruse Realization
.
.
.
Midnight was nearing, and it was only the lone street light that illuminated Zero's features. The strong line of his jaw, the sharp nose, the furrow in between his brows. The glint of raw determination in his eyes.
He turned his head to the rest of his team. They were at the rendezvous point. With one last look at everyone, he nodded his head resolutely.
It was time.
There was no sound, their footsteps were light, their movements quick and soft. Save for the soft echoes of their slow, cautious breathing they could hear nothing. The air was tense with anticipation, their rivals were waiting. That much was obvious.
Upon exiting an alleyway they resumed single file formation, with their leader in the front position. The roads were desolate, no vehicles treaded this path so late at night. Only fools came this far in to Pureblood territory.
Zero faltered in step and shook his head.
What am I doing?
The Purebloods were the closest to divinity, they were seemingly immortal. They were ruthless, they emanated waves of undulated power solely on a glance.
They could kill me. He stared down at the midnight-blue sky.
They could kill us all.
Zero took a deep breath and looked behind him. He was met with the faces of his comrades, their expressions all the same. None were questioning, each had heaps of loyalty hidden beneath their steadfast gazes, their ready stances, the sure posture.
And of course they knew. Of course they knew there would be casualties. Wounds far too catastrophic too mend would be inflicted. And they all knew. But they were ready anyways.
He laughed once without humor, before offering his team a wolfish grin before turning back and starting towards their destination once again.
He knew what he was doing.
I am saving us all.
And just like that he was set back into the mind frame he so needed to hold on to, and once again they made their way further into the night.
Back at her home Yuuki was dining with her adopted father.
"Would you pass the rice Dear?"
"Sure headmaster." She mumbled back and reached for the plate to hand to Cross only to find him glaring at her heatedly.
"…I mean Father."
"Hehehe!" His face immediately melted back into one of childlike humor.
"So," Cross started up after a short while of silent eating, "How's school?"
"Fine."
"And that nice little boy I saw you with the other week? Hmm?" Yuuki's faster father asked with eyes full of mirth.
"…keep your homosexual comments to yourself." She answered back simply before shoving another forkful of food into her mouth.
"Yuuki! I must admit I am terribly affronted!" He gasped and clutched his chest dramatically.
She looked back at him with blank eyes, "That's nice." In the corner of her eye she dully noted him weeping into his rice dish and mumbling incoherent thoughts about cruel daughters against passionate love and such.
With a final sigh Yuuki got up and cleared her plates before making her way to her room.
I wonder where Zero is.
…
With each step Zero took his resolve heightened. He knew what he had to do, and damn it if he wasn't going to get the job done to the best of his abilities.
With his comrades behind him he turned another corner, and was met with the entirety of the Pureblood members.
He froze, and gestured for the rest of his pack to halt as well.
"I see you've finally joined us Kiryu." A soft voice spoke from somewhere in the dark night.
He looked around feverishly, trying to find the source of the voice before resting on Kaname's elegant form resting on top of a concrete wall, looking as relaxed as if they had merely barged in on his afternoon tea.
Zero said nothing, only twirling the wood handle of his knife around his fingers in anticipation.
"I don't suppose you'd care to settle this with words then?"
He only grinned in response, vicious and unrelenting.
The dark figure above him sighed, "So be it."
With his eyes still trained in on Kuran, Zero noted the rest of the Purebloods get into defensive positions, and he noted his own brothers-of-sorts doing the same.
And with a single word, the melee ensued.
"Begin."
…
Yuuki had barely gotten to her room before thoughts of Zero bombarded her mind once again. How was it that she couldn't go a single minute without thinking of him?
She sat down on the ledge beneath her window and sighed as she noticed the steady pour of rain coming down from outside.
She frowned, fervently hoping Zero wasn't out in such weather.
Three short knocks sounded on her door; reverting her out of her musings.
"Come in." She called.
"Yuuki?" Her foster-father asked tentatively as he stepped into the threshold of his daughter's room.
"Yes?"
"You have a visitor." Cross smiled and stepped aside to reveal the petite figure behind him.
"Yori!" Yuuki exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing here?"
Yori stepped into her room after saying a quick thank you to Cross as he quietly stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.
"I could leave if you'd like."
"No! No, that's not it at all. I'm just surprised. I'm always glad for you company." She spoke quickly, honesty softening her voice.
Her best friend smiled and sat down on Yuuki's bed across from her. She looked out at the same view the girl had been staring at before.
"Daydreaming are we?"
Yuuki answered with a quick roll of her eyes, "Not exactly."
"Then what are you thinking about?"
Knowing that Yori could see through any and all of her lies either way she chose to answer honestly instead of dancing around the truth.
"Zero."
Yori prompted her with a look that immediately told her to elaborate.
"Sometimes I'm just not very sure. About him—us. I mean, I hardly know anything about him. I don't know anything about his history or where he's come from or—anything! And he's gone an awful lot. What could he be doing? Does he even love me?"
Once the worries she had kept constantly bottled up starting pouring out she couldn't stop the flow of insecurities. She bit her bottom lip in anxiety, wondering if any of these conflicts would ever be resolved.
"He loves you." Her best friend answered simply.
Yuuki threw her hands up in frustration, "But how do you know?"
"Haven't you noticed? He's a prude to almost everyone else save for you, and he always looks at you, even when you're not aware of it. Albeit most of all it's in the way he looks at you. As if you're the answer to the question he forgot to ask. As if you're his salvation; like you've saved him."
After her speech Yori looked at her patiently, as if she was a child recently scolded.
"Why are you crying?"
Yuuki looked at her in confusion and then touched her face, to find she was, indeed, crying. Before she knew it, the tears rolled down relentlessly.
"I—I don't know. I just, I just love him." She hiccupped, and cupped her hands to her face.
Yori answered softly, "Then what are you still doing here?"
She looked up at her with a sort of awe. How was it that Yori always managed to make her feel better?
"You're the most brilliant friend I could ever ask for." Yuuki got up to give her a hug.
Yori smiled and reciprocated the embrace warmly.
"I know."
She giggled and let go of her fair-haired friend before picking up a discarded coat on the ground and pulling it over herself.
"Are you coming?"
She shook her head no, "This is something you have to do Yuuki."
The brunette nodded her understanding, "Well if you'd like to stay I'm sure the Headmaster would be more than glad to keep you company."
Yori grimaced, "That won't be necessary, I was only dropping by for a quick visit."
She shrugged, "If you insist."
And with that, she was off to find Zero.
She had some questions.
…
A drop of sweat slid down his brow and into his lashes, deterring his vision for a moment. Zero quickly rubbed his hand across his eye, barely dodging a blow before turning around and swiftly landing a punch in between someone's rib.
He no longer knew who he was attacking, only making sure they weren't his own.
Taking a quick look around him, he surveyed the damage.
Most everyone belonging to the Hunters were still fighting, save for a few that had been rendered unconscious. All in all they were fairing fairly well, seeing as how there were more Purebloods down than Hunters.
But none of this information gave him any satisfaction, not when they still hadn't been able to lay a finger on Kaname still. No, the Pureblood leader himself had remained atop his perch for the entirety of the chaotic ensemble, and was surveying the scene below him with a cool disinterest.
It infuriated him to say the least.
He ducked an oncoming kick and retaliated with one of his own.
One more down.
Doing a quick calculation Zero figured they had to take out 5 to 6 more Purebloods before they'd have a clear path to Kuran. And once that path had been made, Kaname was his.
The toll of all the physical exertion was beginning to take to dawn on him, but he ignored it as he started in on another opponent.
.
Taking another quick glance around Zero noticed with dismay that the tables had begun to turn. They were no longer in the lead, but instead were a few men short of Kuran's cronies.
He grumbled a quick profanity before knocking another opponent unconscious.
At this rate, they wouldn't make it.
Zero looked around desperately, trying to find some key component to work with and make a battle strategy, but there was nothing.
At this rate their plan would bear no fruition, and the entirety of the ambush would be worthless. It would make sense to surrender, something he was loathe to do.
Should they retreat?
At once, he heard a clamor of sound and cheers of jubilance.
Confused, but without time to turn around, Zero tried to do off with another unknown figure with haste.
"Kido!"
"Kido's here!"
"Leader!"
Hopeful, and afraid to admit it, he swiveled around to come face to face with the cause of all the commotion.
"Kido?" He panted, searching the familiar figure's face for a reason as to why he was here.
"In the end, I guess I just can't leave you alone kid." Kido grinned, and without turning around back fisted an attacker that had been trying to surprise the Hunters leader in the face.
A grin of his own, one full of relief and an animal-like connection, spread across Zero's own face.
Kido tilted his head toward a hooded figure creeping closer to them, "Shall we?"
Zero cracked his knuckles in answer.
…
After checking Zero's apartment and finding no one there Yuuki had taken to the streets.
She hurried around corners and ran down alleyways, trying to ignore the pelting rain that washed over her raincoat. The dim streetlights were doing little to illuminate the deserted streets and sidewalks.
So far there was no sign of Zero. She was starting to question her sanity—running around in the pouring rain all alone in the middle of the night looking for a boy who she had entirely no idea whatsoever where he could be was rather foolish.
But be it as it may, she had to do something. She wasn't one to sit around and wait for solutions to find her. She chose to find them herself.
And as the puddles of wet rain sloshed around her boots and the temperature began steadily dropping, she wondered if, maybe, he was looking for her too.
Maybe he was waiting for her at home.
…
Finally. It was time. With Kido on their side things quickly tipped in their favor once more, and the path was clear to take Kuran down.
Zero was bloodied, and his lip was split, but he could finally take him for his own.
He turned to Kido who was still locked in combat, but met his eyes with an imperceptible nod.
Do or die.
He looked up toward the ledge and found Kaname's eyes already locked on his form, with a placid smile on his face.
He stood up slowly, with the grace of a jungle cat.
"Well done Kiryu, you were far swifter than I originally anticipated. Efficient as always. Though I conjectured that girl would have softened you up a bit."
Zero grunted in response, hoping to dismiss the subject of Yuuki before it could arise.
"Docile as ever I see."
"Shut up and fight me." He growled in response.
Kaname smiled and leapt down from the ledge gracefully, and the two warriors began circling one another dangerously.
"Are you sure this is what you want? To fight like barbarians?"
Zero only glared, not giving in to his verbal attempts at distraction.
Slowly their circle was diminishing. The space between the two was waning.
"Why not make the first move Kiryu? Afraid?"
If possible, Zero's glare darkened, and in one blur Kaname had lunged.
He quickly side parried out of the way and aimed a right hook towards his temple, albeit missing his target when Kaname blocked his punch and tried for one of his own.
Zero jerked out of the way, surprised at his opponent's speed.
He was completely unaware of the clashing of enemies behind him; focused solely on the shadowed man before him.
"Impressive." Said man murmured, before lunging towards him again.
Zero crouched down and moved to kick his feet from under him, knocking him towards the ground. He jumped at the opportunity to get a blow in but as soon as he came towards him Kaname grabbed his outstretched arm and pulled him down so their roles were reversed.
Using all his strength left in him he pushed the towering figure off of him and backed away to put space between the two.
Panting, Zero wiped the sweat off his brow. All the fights he had participated in prior to this match were putting him at a disadvantage, while Kuran had merely been watching the entire fiasco without lifting a finger.
Looking at the amicable smile on the Pureblood's face, he realized the odds were not in his favor
…
The rain was coming down harder now, and her feet were starting to ache, Yuuki knew if she was going to keep her current pace up she had to take a small rest, otherwise her speed would continue to diminish.
She would have to put her stubbornness aside for now and take a quick breather, and the moment she caught her breath she could continue her trek once again.
With a disconsolate mind, and a heavy sigh, she took a seat on a wooden bench off the street. She breathed into her hands, trying to bring some sort of warmth to her heat-deprived body.
Her hands were ice-cold and wet to the touch, and once again, the street was entirely baron. She could hear nothing except the steady pelt of the rain as it hit rooftops and cement, and the flickering of the lamplights on either side of the roads.
The setting was eerie, and she briefly wondered what time it was, or what Yori was doing now. She very much hoped her father would recover soon, her best friend just wasn't as energetic as she used to be without him. Especially with her mother unemployed and such things, and with no way to help Yori's cause she felt incredibly useless as a friend.
No, it would do no good to mull over such obsolete things at the moment; she was on a mission. She had to find Zero.
A muffled cry, dampened by the rain sounded and she jerked her head towards the direction it came from.
Unsteadily she rose from her seat on the damp bench and looked around in paranoia.
Against her better judgment, she started slowly in the way the cry had come from.
Who was out there?
…
Zero could feel the metallic taste of blood in his mouth before it even began trickling down his chin. He wiped his mouth and spat it out, trying to stay focused and conjure up a battle plan of sorts.
Looking at Kaname, he was decidedly in worse shape than his opponent. They had taken roughly the same amount of damage from one another, but the problem was all the others Zero had taken damage from prior to his current opponent.
It had depleted much of his stamina and left him little room to make due of Kuran. But he had no time to mull over such matters, he had to come up with some way to reserve his energy source whilst making Kaname use up his so he could make it an even fight, because right now the outcome was looking rather bleak.
His eyes scanned the perimeter, making mental tallies of who was still left and who was down. So far only few clusters of men were left fighting, one of them being Kido. Zero couldn't call him for help, he wanted to this alone. He knew he was being foolish, but using help was not an option.
While surveying the scene, a figure, smaller than the rest, caught his eye, and he squinted in the darkness trying to decipher who it was. Kaname, seeming to notice his distraction, looked towards the direction as well.
The figure was completely frozen, but after taking a shaky step forward, and consequently under the beams of the streetlamp, their face was illuminated.
A face far too familiar for his liking.
His shocked intake of breath was so quick it was almost a hiss.
Yuuki said something, and he saw, rather than heard, her lips form his name, her eyes entirely frozen and wide.
As if seeming to sense an outsider, everyone in the clearing froze, and the night became quiet once again, save for the rain.
She whispered, with tears forming in her eyes, but he heard her voice as if she was standing right next to him.
"…What are you doing?"
.
.
.
A/N: Yes, I know I haven't updated in far too long. And for that I apologize, but I'm entirely displeased with this story. And i know if I was really that displeased with it i could go and edit all the chapters blah blah blah, but to be honest fanfiction isn't really a top priority of mine at the moment. And though my muse for this story has wholly left me, I won't put it on hiatus and will try my best to continue to update because I'm a reader too and I know how frustrating it is when author's stop updating. So hopefully I'll be able to wrap this story up in the next chapter or two,
and I'm not trying to be a review-whore or anything but reviews seriously are the only thing that keep me updating, and the more anyone tries to bug me to update the faster I will.
Thanks for all the support up until now, I hope this chapter will satisfy for now.