A/N: I'm so sorry for the much delayed update. This chapter took a lot of editing until I was happy enough to post it. So please read and tell me what you think.
Omega
Chapter Ten
Manic Manchester
Zero stretched, feeling the tension slowly ease from his shoulders and neck. A quick glance at his watch told him it'd been nearly nine hours since Yagari locked him in his cell. It had seemed a lot longer, with only the moans and hisses from the cells that surrounded him, Zero felt as though he'd locked in this pitiful excuse for a cell for years. Rikiya had been by twice more since Zero told him to piss off; both times he'd looked at him with a mixture of pity and superiority. Zero wanted to hit him.
The third time the Hunter passed, Zero had had enough waiting. "Hey, Rikiya." He called, forcing his voice to remain calm and even. Rikiya stopped and blinked owlishly at the silver-haired teen. "D'you know when the President wants to...interview me?" Again Zero made sure he didn't sound too insulting or sarcastic as Rikiya was sadly one of the Hunters that followed the President like a lovesick puppy.
"Uh..." A look of intense concentration showed briefly on Rikiya's childishly handsome face. "Yeah, it was ten this morning." Rikiya looked at his watch, "It's only five now." He added helpfully.
"Yeah thanks Rikiya." Zero muttered and the Hunter ambled off to finish his patrols.
Another five hours. He could make that without going insane from boredom...couldn't he? Zero groaned and thumped his head lightly down, wincing slightly when it made contact with the hard wooden bed. He thought back to his memories, he remembered so much now, all of it felt almost like he'd never forgotten. Except what he told Juri and Haruka about a previous Kuran- he didn't remember anything about meeting a Kuran before Kaname's parents.
Zero folded his arms behind his head and stared up at the dingy concrete grey ceiling of his cell, feeling for some reason as if he'd lost something very precious to him.
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"The Hell I'm staying here." She hadn't raise her voice- she knew that if she had it would only cement the idea they had of her being a pathetically weak little human. "I am not going sit here like a meek mouse and let you all go save Zero. I'm going with you."
"No, you're not." Peyton remained unmoving, her arms crossed over her chest. Her angular face was set like stone. Liddy hovered uneasily to Peyton's left, on her right, completely unruffled, Elina was rolling her whip and attaching it to a tie on her hip. Although the vampires knew that the sisters could draw their weapons to their hands with thoughts alone, Elina had explained- with more than a little condescension in her tone- that it was easier to have their weapons already in reach if they had to fight. Only Liddy hadn't strapped her weapon to her body- but then her battleaxe wasn't exactly subtle.
The conversation was clearly just between Peyton and Sayori, but it didn't stop the assortment of vampires and Headmaster Cross from listening in shamelessly as they prepared to leave. "You're going to stay right where I put you." Peyton's tone radiated the power of her gift and Sayori froze, seeming unable to move although her eyes were able to narrow at Peyton.
"Pey, stop." Liddy finally broke in, her voice soft and her accent thicker than before. "She doesn't have to stay behind. She can help."
"Lydia..." Peyton hissed between clenched teeth. "This is dangerous enough- I'm not putting her in harm's way when she can stay here- safe!" Peyton, Liddy and Elina had all come to care for Sayori like a younger sister- after all she cared for Zero when they couldn't- and now, at the mere thought of her being in danger had kicked their over protectiveness into full gear, especially Peyton's as she considered herself the oldest despite Elina being older than her physically.
"She can come with us." Cross suggested. "She's a guardian of this school and Zero's partner here, the Association would be surprised if she didn't come."
Peyton's full lips- painted a dark purple-red- thinned as she considered this. All her sisterly instincts screamed at her that Yori was the youngest; that she needed to be kept safe and protected but her common sense told her that she wouldn't have wanted to stay behind either, if their roles had been reversed. She briefly glanced at Elina and Liddy before falling on Yori. "You'll stay with the headmaster the whole time- you don't ever leave his sight the whole time we're there." She fought to keep her power from her voice as she wanted to trust Yori and not command her.
Elina shifted and turned to Cross. "Anything happens to her I hold you responsible." Her voice was a low hiss. Cross nodded solemnly, he understood enough to guess exactly what she'd do if he failed that responsibility.
They trooped out, Kaname leading the vampires with Cross next to him. Peyton led Elina, Liddy and Yori. The limousine Kaname had chosen- mostly for its size as it was the only car big enough to hold all of them- was long sleek and shiny, like a black panther ready to strike. Although the limousine had a cream leather seat that wrapped around the interior, it was still a squash to fit everyone in.
Aidou was squished between his cousin and Liddy, the latter seemed unusually quiet and serious- Aidou thought it was strange and eerie to see the blonde German without a smile on her face. Peyton was on Kain's over side, her whole form as still as a statue. Aidou swept his hair back, a nervous habit he rarely displayed anymore. He swore he'd need a chainsaw to hack through the tension in the limo.
Elina was nibbling her bottom lip while picking at a loose piece of skin around her thumbnail. It was as if she was having trouble staying still. The ride however was spent in complete silence. When they neared the Association Headquarters, with snow-topped trees lining either side of the road, Peyton reached behind Kain's head and rapped on the glass between them and the driver. "Stop here." She commanded. The limo slowed to a stop.
Peyton, Liddy and Elina scrabbled out and Liddy waved Rima and Ruka to follow. Aidou and Kain quickly realised this was also their stop and jumped out. Peyton leaned in and spoke directly to Kaname-sama, "We need to stay invisible to the cameras. When you meet the president-"
Kaname cut her off sharply. "I know how to negotiate."
"But you're not negotiating, you're the diversion." Elina corrected him.
"I know what to do." Kaname answered shortly, his face emotionless. He understood that in this situation it wasn't a matter of being a good negotiator but a good talker. Peyton searched his face and seemed placated by whatever she saw there as she eased back and slammed the car door; they heard her knock on the roof twice to signal the driver could start moving again. Once they'd disappeared from sight, the vampires and humans eyed each other.
"This way." Liddy finally broke the silence and led them through the trees.
"How do you know where we are going?" Aidou asked, the snow had tapered off to tiny flakes, but the heavy storm from before had left the cold white powder up to their ankles.
"I studied the blueprints. Once you clear the tree line, you're on candid camera; however there is a small section of the fence that is hidden from the cameras by the trees. This is the best place for us to get in and get out." Liddy stopped when she came to the wall. It towered over their heads, ugly grey concrete, as smooth as a lake; there were no purchases in which they could pull themselves up.
"So...you have a plan on how to get over it?" Ruka asked, twiddling a lock of ash blonde hair nervously. It went against her nature to be here- a vampire coming on to Hunter grounds voluntary was suicidal.
Elina didn't answer; instead she unravelled her whip and flung it upwards, towards a tree branch. The black whip lashed tightly around the thick branch, with the handle still firmly clutched in Elina's hand. Elina gave a few tugs on it to make sure it would hold and then she hurled herself up on to the branch. The branch stopped several meters short of the wall. Elina carefully got on her feet and made her way down the branch. When she got to the end, she leaped for the top of the wall and just managed to cling to it by her fingers. She pushed herself up so she sat safely on the top of the wall.
Getting the idea, Ruka grabbed the whip and followed Elina up. She had a much easier time in balancing on the branch with her vampire reflexes. She ran gracefully along the length and when she leapt, she landed just as gracefully on the top of the wall next to Elina. Aidou followed next, finding it as easy as Ruka did. Then Rima. Kain however gestured to Liddy to go ahead. Liddy had taken one look at the whip and then at Kain. Although she didn't say anything, Kain got the idea and laced his fingers to make a stirrup.
With his help, Liddy managed to clamber onto the tree branch and skittered towards the wall. When she jumped, two pairs of hands shot out and pulled her to safety. Elina and Ruka helped Liddy sit between them before their hands dropped away.
Kain re-linked his hands and allowed Peyton to get safely on to the branch. Instead of making her way directly to the wall, she leant down and helped Kain pull himself up next to her. She then untied Elina's whip from the tree before she jumped for the wall. She caught the top with her fingertips, and then Ruka and Liddy were pulling her up. Kain's own jump was far more successful. The top of the wall slammed into his waist and he was able to pull himself up next to his cousin.
"Now what?" Hanabusa asked glancing down on the other side of the wall. In was also obscured by trees, although not as tall or as thick as the forest they'd just come through. Peyton simply jumped down, catching a branch of an oak to slow her decent before she landed, unharmed, the thick snow muffling any sound.
Once more they all followed the lead. Liddy needed no help as she leapt gracefully, from one branch to the once below that until she was on the ground next to her sister, safe. The vampires didn't need the branch to get down and they all leapt together after Elina had also made it down. Liddy once more led them through the trees until they reached the edge of a building, at the base was what looked like an old fashioned storm cellar.
Elina crouched to study the heavy padlock and the six- digit-combination bolt-lock the Hunters had used to secure the cellar. Liddy crouched next to her. "Combination's the President's birthday."
"Seriously?" Aidou blurted out in shock.
"It's actually very smart if you think about it." Elina muttered as she pulled a small metal case out of one of her trouser pockets. "It's so predictable that no one would believe it's the actual combination. Now all of you shut up and let me concentrate." She pulled several little metal hooks and pins out the case and got to work on the padlock- it only took a few seconds for them to hear a soft click that revealed she had picked the padlock. Liddy had already unlocked the other lock; the two girls pulled the heavy wooden doors open.
The stairs down were filmed with dust; it was very clear that despite the heavy locks on the doors no one had come down here for a good decade. The vampires led the way down, not needing any light to see clearly and with Peyton right next to him, Kain wasn't about to summon fire. The basement was a round room with no other door leading in or out, it was completely empty but for cobwebs, dust and a dingy bare bulb hanging from the ceiling.
"This is a dead end." Ruka sniffed as she glanced around the cellar in disdain, "Do you really know how to get into the Association without being seen?" She asked Liddy, her tone biting.
Elina's scowl was so intense, by law it should have obliterated Ruka to a smoking pile of ashes. However the blonde vampire merely shrugged and looked away from those dark eyes. Liddy however ignored them and pointed to the ceiling. Attached into the wall was a small grid panel, through the metal crosshatches, they could see part of a wide tunnel...no, not a tunnel, an air vent.
"Give me a leg up." Liddy gestured to Kain, easily the tallest one in the room. As he had outside, Kain linked his hands and formed a stirrup for the tiny blonde girl, as graceful as a cat she clambered around so she perched on his shoulders. With vampire strength and Liddy's petite frame, Kain could barely feel her on his shoulders as he held her to the grid so she could study it. When she tapped the top of the vampire's head, he set her carefully on the floor again. "Elina, you're up." She told her sister.
Elina gave one short nod and Kain, offered to hold her as he had Liddy. The look Elina had shot him told everyone that she was only accepting his help because it would have been impossible for her to get to the grid otherwise, however, rather than sit on his shoulders as her sister had done, Elina seemed content to balance one-legged on his hand-stirrup. Again, she produced the small tin case this time it was a miniature screwdriver she pulled out and she quickly set to work loosening the screws holding the vent.
When it was done, she passed the grid down and Peyton and Ruka quickly set it quietly aside. Elina was first to hoist herself up into the vent, Liddy was next, graciously accepting Kain's help again. The vent was so small they had to crawl on their hands and knees and go single file. Liddy led the way, then it was Elina, Rima, Ruka Aidou, Peyton and bringing up the rear was Kain.
Liddy moved fast, she scuttled through the maze of tubes, forcing the others into as gruelling pace to keep up with her. When she got to a second grid she stopped. After some shuffling she was able to give the grate a firm kick that knocked it loose. After a bit more manoeuvring, she was able to drop almost silently to land nimbly on the hard concrete below. She was followed almost as silently by the rest.
Ruka glanced around uneasily. Cells lined either side of the walls; behind each cell were the feral red eyes of Level Es. "What is this place?" she fought and failed to keep the trembling from her voice, her eyes were locked on to the face of Level E in the form a girl no older than twelve.
Peyton followed her gaze and when she saw the young vampire she grimaced. "These are the Catacombs."
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Zero had taken to pacing his tiny cell- it took three steps from the wall to the electrified gate and another three steps from the bed to the opposite wall. He couldn't say he was bored- in truth he was too nervous to be bored but he wished the President would hurry up instead of letting him rot down here and psyching himself out. Which is probably what the President wanted.
Rikiya had dropped off several blood tablets- which was a joke, as he couldn't ingest them properly when he was a vampire and now his body rejected any kind of foreign blood while he was awaking. But as Rikiya had watched him- the same way a curious child would watch the lions being fed in a zoo- he'd no choice but to add the pills to the glass of water and raise it to him lips.
He'd been careful not to swallow any of the foul liquid and the moment Rikiya had turned his head away, Zero had tossed the stuff under his bed and handed the empty glass to Rikiya as if nothing was wrong. The disappointment that was clearly displayed on the boy's face when he took the glass made Zero fight back the urge to slam his fist into Rikiya's face.
Finally Rikiya had moved along and Zero had gone back to his pacing. Three steps, turn, three steps. And repeat. As he turned to walk back up to the gate, he froze. Crowded outside his cell were some very familiar faces. Peyton, Elina and Liddy stood side by side, eyeing him for any injury while Kain, Aidou, Rima and Ruka crowded behind them, looking ill at ease. "What the Hell are you doing here?" Zero demanded.
"What's it look like? We're springing you." Elina snorted as she studied the electrified bars. A small frown furrowed her brow. "Obviously its code activated. Each Hunter has their own code don't they?" At Zero's confirming nod, Elina ran a thumb around the outside of the keypad. "Old school it is." She announced and produced her mini screwdriver.
"Elina..." Zero started but the dark haired girl only held up a finger to silence him, her face focussed on slowly unscrewing the panel. When she got to the wires, her lips pulled into a small smug smile. Her fingers were quick and nimble as she cut and crossed the appropriate wires. The gate gave a soft beep and cracked open. Peyton wrenched it fully open and Zero stepped into the hallway.
"Right, let's get back to the meeting spot and hope the Pureblood has done his job properly." Elina tucked her toolkit into her pocket.
Zero turned to her. "What? Kuran's here?" He demanded.
"Of course. Someone had to be the distraction." Elina gave a very Gallic shrug. She turned to lead the way back out of the Catacombs when she froze, turning to see what had stopped her sister still, Peyton cursed imaginatively in Latin. Standing with his gun in one hand, Rikiya stared open mouthed at them.
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Kaname had never been to the Association's Headquarters before. All dealings with the Hunter's had been done on neutral ground as neither the vampires nor Hunters would allow the enemy any advantage of meeting on their home turf. For some reason, when he thought about the Association, Kaname always pictured it as a secret underground cavern. Instead an old elegant manor house with expansive grounds. It looked like it had emerged straight from a historical romance drama.
Or a horror movie.
Two Hunters waited for him at the door, both carrying guns and had short Anti-Vampire swords strapped to their hips. Their faces were set into hard, unforgiving lines as they stared at the vampires but they opened the front doors with a grand flourish, Kaname fought to stop his lips from twitching. One thing the Hunters had always insulted the Vampires over was the latter's need for ceremony. And yet here were the Hunters acting very...ceremonial.
They were led into a grand foyer, the white marble polish to a gleam and gold filigree was professionally laid into the tall pillars on either side of the door. "Ah, Kuran-sama! How wonderful you could join us... and your little pets too."
Kaname's eyes snapped to the top of the grand staircase. Dressed as ostentatiously as usual, the Hunter Association's President looked at them with a cold smile and his arms spread in a welcoming gesture a blind man could see was false. Kaname had little patience for the man, but he knew he had to stall to allow the others time to get Zero out.
He knew how this game was played. It wasn't about him getting the President to agree to his terms- it was about distracting the President by trying to get him to agree to his terms. "President." Kaname's voice was stiff and could barely be called polite. "Where is Kiriyuu?" He continued when the President acknowledged the greeting with a raised over-plucked eyebrow.
"Safe enough." The President smirked coldly, and gracefully made his way down the staircase, until he was only a few steps away from the bottom, still able to look down at Kaname and his entourage.
Kaname felt Sayori stiffen next to him, her whole frame was vibrating with barely concealed rage. A single flicker of his eyes to Cross's had the Headmaster placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "Kiriyuu is not a Level E and therefore no threat to humans. You have no reason to keep him here." Kaname spoke loftily, as if he was the one on the stairs, looking down at the President.
"Kiriyuu's unfortunate fall to a Level E is inevitable." The regret in the President's voice was as false as the welcoming he'd given them.
"Kiriyuu is not yet a Level E. No Hunter is allowed to harm any Vampire unless they have been proven a danger to Humans, Hunters and Vampires alike." Kaname quoted softly, he remained eye contact as he asked "Do you intend to disregard your own rules, President?"
The tightening of the President's mouth was the only outward sign of his anger. Then the mouth softened into a tiny smug smile. "You seem to care a great deal for Kiriyuu, Kuran-sama." The President took another step down, towards Kaname. "One must wonder why a Level A- and a prominent Pureblood- would want with a single pathetic Level E Hunter whose death warrant was signed the day he was bitten." The President made the rest of the way down, until he stood face to face with Kaname, Hunters immediately moved into a protective formation around him.
"Kiriyuu has many uses." Kaname shrugged, appearing unconcerned even as his hands itched to reach forward and snap every bone in the President's body. Unable to resist a small dig, Kaname smiled affably "If you cannot see what is clearly there...well, a pity for you. Now I want you to return my property and then I get out of this dismal hovel."
"Kiriyuu is still a Hunter and therefore falls under Hunter jurisdictions." The President stated cordially, but Kaname could see he'd sparked a fire of curiosity in the President. Whether this was good or not, Kaname couldn't tell.
"As you stated before, President Kiriyuu's fall to Level E is inevitable...unless one with was to give Kiriyuu a taste of blood potent enough to stop the fall... for the time being anyway." Kaname shrugged again.
"You mean you gave him your blood?" The President's voice wasn't polite or smug now but blank with shock. A Pureblood giving his blood to a Level E- one that he did not create- was unheard of.
"And gained a loyal servant in return. Kiriyuu is more vampire now than he was ever Hunter." Kaname gave another careless shrug. "Now return my property."
Even as the President opened his mouth to argue his case they heard hurried footsteps and an old Hunter with grizzled grey hair and broad unremarkable features burst through the side doors. His clothes were dusty and torn but he seemed unharmed. "President-sama! President-sama! Kiriyuu has disappeared."
"WHAT!" all the vampires and even a few humans winced at the octave the President hit with his scream.
Almost at once he swung back to Kaname. "You..You did this! This was all a diversion! You've stolen Kiriyuu!" The President ranted madly, advancing on the vampires. Kaname remained unruffled even as he rejoiced the President's lack of composure.
"President-sama, see reason!" Cross snapped, sounded very far removed from how he usually acted that he got more than a few curious glances. "Kaname-sama came here as soon as he heard that Kiriyuu had been arrested to reclaim the boy. How could he have freed Kiriyuu from the Catacombs when he's been standing right in front of you the whole time he's been here?"
The President faltered; clearly logic hadn't entered his thoughts. "He has other slaves! Any one of them could have broken in!" He claimed angrily but it was clear he was grasping at straws.
"The only two that came with him are the two in this room!" Sayori snapped back, her young face defiant. "We took one car here; Headmaster Cross and I were with them the whole drive. There weren't any others."
The President stared at her for a moment, he face contorted with fury and embarrassment. Then he turned to Hunters surrounding him, "What are you waiting for? Search the grounds! Find him and put him back in his blasted cell!"
"We will help." Kaname nodded at Takuma and Shiki who both vanished out of the front doors in a blur. "And if we find him first, we'll be taking him back with us."
The President opened his mouth to protest but the Pureblood was already gone, following the two Level B vampires. Cross sighed, "You can't complain about that, President-sama. You had no right to take Zero in the first place." And then the ex-Hunter was heading to the doors with Sayori next to him.
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A/N: Okay I know it's short and it's late but the next one should be up sometime next week.