Kaname crossed one leg over another as he sat in a luxurious chair. A cup of tea was in one hand. The fingers of his other hand were curled under his chin. He looked deep into the brownish-red content of his tea that Takuma Ichijo made for him. The color reminded him of Yuki; what color her eyes would be if she was like him.
His beloved Yuki.
Everything he did was for her. To protect her; to make her happy.
But there were other matters to deal with such as the one sleeping in the bedroom across from him.
"How is the tea?" Ichijo's voice meddled into his thoughts. "Is it to your liking?"
"Hmmm..." was the rare answer he gave.
"Oh, that's good. It's a new flavor, caramel truffle I believe. The tea is said to taste like chocolate."
"Hmmm...," he said again.
"Well, you can keep enjoying the tea while I check on our guest. Do you know how long she will be staying with us?"
"However long it takes," was his lazy reply.
The blond said nothing to that. Kaname didn't like to talk about the specifics when it came to things on his mind but regarding this particular guest, he could share some details.
"What do you think of her?" he asked the blond suddenly. The aristocrat, who was pushing a cart with snacks and items to make tea, paused.
"I think she's quite nice," Ichijo tried to end his sentence there but the pureblood was aware he wanted to add more.
"And?"
"Well, she's quite spirited."
"Spirited. Hmmm." The brunette heir didn't get enough time to observe her. But the little snippets he spent with her, he noticed the defiant and wary look in her eyes. She didn't like being alone with him. He could sense the nervousness in her small frame by the quick beating of her heart and the sudden rush of blood flowing through her veins.
He closed his eyes as he leaned the back of his head on the edge of the seat. He could take a simple taste of her blood and end all the questions he had about her. Her blood was the key.
But an unknown emotion was holding him back.
One drop of her blood... It could change everything.
And he couldn't deviate from the plan.
Rido was coming for his precious girl and he, unable to kill the monster, had to make sure that all the chess pieces fell into place.
The one who would play the major role was the one sleeping in the room.
Already, he figured that her loyalty was to Yuki. The child would do everything in her power to save Yuki. Her death proved that fact. But her loyalty ended there. The girl still had her own mind and she didn't trust him.
"Selective mutism."
"Did you say something Kaname?" The pureblood didn't comment on the lack of the aristocrat's honorific.
"She has selective mutism."
"But isn't that something common in younger children?"
"Normally it is. However, she is an exception."
"I'm not following."
"She's baffling, complicated." Frustrating was the right word he wanted to use. The white-haired girl, who was beginning to look like her mother these days, was difficult to figure out. He could read people, he made his livelihood out of it. Having knowledge about their strengths and weaknesses and using them to his advantage he did well.
With Nia, he found himself at a lost.
Yuki became her weakness, which he capitalized on.
But then his precious girl was also his weakness. And the moments he did use Yuki on Nia to make her do what he wanted, he felt something inside him crack.
For some frustrating reason, he wanted her to want to do something for him because she chose to do it.
But he took away her freedom of choice by putting life in her.
"She is rather unique. Very different from our kind," Ichijo finally commented.
"She's so different from Yuki."
"Oh, I see."
"No. She has knowledge like an adult. She takes care of others and does things for their sake." He remembered her last words to Zero. She promised that she would return to the boy and Yuki.
"And there are times I'm talking to her, I feel like I'm talking to an adult and then I blink my eyes and realize she's just a child."
Ichijo didn't reply right away but when he did, his words were always thoughtful. "Perhaps, you can take this time to learn about her."
"Apparently, time is something we don't have."
"Are you talking the incident from the Vampire Hunter Association."
"Whoever attacked that place, he was searching for something and he found it." Nia's blood was the answer they were looking for and soon they would demand for her.
It would be either the Council or the Vampire Hunter Association.
"We have to prove that nothing happened to Cross-san and when we do, they can't take her."
But there were too many witnesses who saw an injured body. No, they had to keep low key, stick to the story. However, no one would be informed that the child actually died. Instead, she would be recovering and he could use her incident as a way to establish a neutral location.
In the meantime, he was going to train the white-haired girl to properly defend herself.
He brought the steaming cup of tea to his lips. Taking a sip of the chocolatey tea, his eyes widened a fraction.
"I told you the tea is delicious."
It had to do more than the tea. A notion struck him.
"When you were introduced to Kaien-san's girls, who did the speaking?"
Ichijo blinked his eyes. "Uhh... Nia-san."
A slight smile displayed on his face. It was times like this that made Kaname question her level of intelligence. She was suspicious about the whole ordeal at the Vampire Hunter Association and she introduced herself to the aristocrats.
Their eyes were off Yuki.
"Kaname-sama?"
"And their eyes are on Nia."
Intentionally, she made herself the target.
Now, it was time to return the favor. The incident only made his plan move quicker along its path.
"Takuma, call in the Senate and some members from the Vampire Hunter Association. It's time we settle this whole situation." Kaname would train the child to fight.
He glanced at the door, a new found of respect formed for the girl.
"Okay," his friend responded and he pushed the cart out of the room, leaving the pureblood to mull.
OoO
Yuki's body felt like lead, even when she blinked the sleepiness away from her eyes. Her mouth was like a desert. Parched, her eyes drifted to the nightstand next to her, easily spotting the glass of water.
"Yuki," the voice of her father rang in her ears.
She didn't answer him. She kept her focus on the water, signifying to him that she needed it.
Reading her expression, he helped her sit up on the bed before putting the drink to her lips. At first, she sipped lightly. Then she greedily gulped down the rest of the liquid. A sigh left her when she finished. She rested the upper part of her body against the soft wall of pillows. Her eyes flickered across the room, noticing the dresser, a mirror, two doors, a cream-colored curtain, but there was something missing.
"Nia and Zero?" the question formed.
"They are fine," Kaien answered easily.
She frowned. "Especially, Nia?"
The last time the brunette saw Nia, she was laying on the ground, motionless and bloody. The sight had a profound effect on her.
"That should have been me."
Kaien's forehead creased. "What?"
"Nia shouldn't have been the one to get hurt. It was suppose to be me," she confessed.
"Yuki-."
"She threw herself at the monsters to save me," the child interrupted him. Then she shook her head. "Why? Why does she put herself through all those dangerous situations?"
She burst into tears. Her hands covered her face.
"Yuki?" the ash blond man said. "It's not your fault."
"That's the thing. It is my fault. I couldn't do anything to save her," Yuki said in between her sobs.
"And if you did, you'd be hurt," Kaien replied while putting his arms awkwardly around his adapted daughter. "Don't you see? She wanted to make sure you were safe."
The girl laughed if possible behind her sobs. Nia always made sure to look out for her. It seemed like Nia was her bodyguard or something.
"Then how about her being your shield?" Zero's question popped into her mind.
Yuki's eyes widened, her body stiffening. "I need to see her," she said. She pushed back the covers and threw her legs to the side of the mattress. The man blocked her with his body, his head shifting in a negative manner. "You can't, you need to rest."
Yuki wasn't listening to him. Instead, her small hands grabbed on to his shirt while she used what little strength she had left to hoist herself from the bed.
"She needs to rest," he tried again.
"I know she's probably sleeping but I need to see her with my own eyes. I need to see if she's okay," Yuki expressed. Her eyes looked up to him, pleading him to understand.
Again, he shook his head. "I can't." He put heavy hands on her shoulders. "You are in no condition to visit her."
She could feel him pushing her to sit down. She struggled briefly under his hold but her attempts were futile. "Please."
The moment she gave up, she let him guide her to lay back down on the soft covers. He propped the pillows under her head. "I don't mean to sound harsh but look at the way you look."
The brunette glanced down at her body. Her face scrunched at the wrinkled, torn clothes she worn. Although she no longer had on her coat, dried blood caked her dress. Her father was right. Nia wouldn't want her visiting in a messy state.
"I definitely need a shower and a change of clothes." Then her stomach rumbled. "And I'm hungry."
"That's all." Kaien smiled at her. "Take care of yourself and then we can go see Nia together."
The girl nodded. The faster she saw to her needs, the quicker she could take care of her cousin because that was the only thing she could do for her.
"Good, then."
"Yep." The ex-vampire hunter got up and moved to the dresser. He began pulling draws and showing her where to find certain article of clothing. Fortunately, he didn't refer to any private garments. Yuki would find those clothing on her own. He pointed to the bathroom and then left her to her privacy. The brunette shifted her body on the mattress and mentally counted to ten. This time, she was going to focus on the task of making herself presentable to Nia. Her lips stretched across her face at the thought of her cousin being okay. When Kaien was breathing air into her cousin's mouth to revive her, fear made itself evident in Yuki. Besides being frightened of Level E vampires and the dark, Yuki felt another dread, one that she didn't mull over. She refused to think of a time when Nia was no longer present in her life. For Yuki, it was natural for them to be together because they were always side-by-side.
Yuki shook her head. No negative thoughts. Instead, she wanted to celebrate the fact that her cousin was alive and well.
The child pulled out random clothing from the draws and made her way to the bathroom.
OoO
The former vampire hunter closed the door behind him. For once, he used his tall form to his advantage. Deliberately, he didn't open the door the whole way. He opened it wide enough so he could slip through the crease of the door and the doorframe. He didn't want his daughter to see the aftermath the Level E vampires and Kaname left behind in the mansion. Some things were better kept secrets.
He shut the door quietly behind him and leaned against wooden frame. Bowing his head and taking a deep breath, momentarily, he felt remorse and grief rearing in him. One was for his taken daughter and the other was refraining himself from telling his other daughter the truth.
As if someone read his mind, the person didn't beat around the bush to point it out. "So you're not going to tell her what really happened?"
After a slight pause, the ex-vampire hunter glanced to the silver-headed boy. "I can't find it in myself to tell her the truth."
"She deserves to know that the bastard of a vampire she admires took away her cousin and that he's a monster."
Kaien stayed silent.
"You think he's some good guy and even allowed him to walk away with Nia," the boy accused him.
Kaien's eyes lowered to the floor. Abashment filled him. He had to be the worse father in history.
"I wouldn't have let him near the girls in the first place. A pureblood vampire like him wants something."
"He's not like the one who..."
"Who what?" asked Zero. "He's not the one who killed my family. I know not all vampires are bad like not all humans are good but his facial features, he looks the one who murdered my parents. And seeing him affable with the girls, when he's clearly after something, it's vexes me. You're so gullible, thinking that vampires and humans can coexist. Vampires are predators by nature. When hunger strikes, it rules us. I know because I almost attacked Yuki."
Kaien saw how the boy's hands clenched into fists at his sides. His jaw tensed as his pale eyes narrowed on him.
"But you didn't hurt her."
"That's because you intervened."
"At least you are capable of feeling regret," Kaien replied. The ex-vampire hunter glanced up at the cracked ceiling. "Many vampires would attack and kill humans without caring."
"That's what I'm saying."
"And that makes you different. You know what it feels like to be human. You can feel regret over a human life. Don't lose that side of you now that you are a vampire."
Zero gritted his teeth but Kaien saw awareness flickered in his eyes. Yes, vampires and humans still had a long way to go before finding peace with one another. In fact, Kaien's dream was to establish a place where humans and vampires lived in harmony. He wasn't naïve to believe that such factors wouldn't harbor consequences. However, befriending Kaname, a pureblood, made him adhere that the first step to bringing humans and vampires together could be obtained.
Zero was also living proof. It was his humanity mixed with being a vampire that gave Kaien hope that someday vampires and humans could live together.
The boy grumbled inaudibly before turning his back on him. The ash blond man smiled while fixing his spectacles. Silently, he thanked the boy he would always see as a son for making him feel better.
OoO
Yuki took some time to get ready but once she was fully dressed, she opened the bedroom door with a big smile on her face. Her smile quickly vanished at the sight of short silver hair and lavender eyes of the boy who almost attacked her.
Her hand tightened on the doorknob.
"It's good to see you're not that stupid," he remarked as he casually leaned against the wall. His arms folded across his chest.
Her eyes darted nervously to either sides of the hallway when she noticed the cracked walls, peeling paint and the messy floor. "What happened?" she asked more to herself than the boy.
"While you were sleeping like a princess, your vampire boyfriend almost destroyed our headquarters and he abducted Nia," Zero simply answered.
"Kaname-sama is not..." She paused, her mind registering the rest of Zero's words. Pushing aside her fright, she closed the distance between them. As the boy's arms fell to his sides, her fingers curled into his shirt while she pushed her face to his. "What did you say about Nia?"
The boy smirked. "Your vampire boyfriend took her."
"You're lying!" she spat.
"If I am, go ahead and search throughout the mansion. You're not going to find Nia anywhere." He remained calm, causing her grip to loosen on his shirt.
"But dad said that we'll..."
"I take back my first reply. You really are stupid," he interrupted her.
Her fingers unclasped, her arms going limp. She retreated a couple of steps, disbelief evident in her form as she lowered her head.
"Your father," he stressed, "lied to you."
"Why?"
"Because he wants to see you happy."
She looked up at him, her breathing stalled. Zero was furious. She could tell by the tenseness in his jaw and the spark in his pale eyes.
"In fact, Nia wants to see you happy too."
He began to walk forward slowly, deliberately. She backed up, feeling fear overtake her. "What is so special about you?"
Yuki's back hit the wall. Her whole body started to tremble as Zero moved closer to her. "Why do they feel the need to protect you?"
Her head whipped to the side, her eyes shutting tight. His warm body pressed against hers, preventing her escape. She flinched when hands slammed hard on both sides of her head.
"Aren't you going to answer, idiot?"
She tried to keep still. She didn't want to accidently infuriate him to the point he attacked her again.
After a while with no comment, the boy shifted backward and sighed. "You really are pathetic. That's why they coddle you so much."
His words were harsh and yet true. Yuki had observed how Nia took care of her. She never attempted to seriously question her cousin. She just accepted Nia's wayward answers or smiles, thinking it was natural. Nia was the bigger sister and Yuki was the smaller one.
"Pity."
The word made her eyes open.
"That's the feeling you kindle."
"No."
"Yes. Nia's need to shield you, I get it."
"No."
"Pity." He didn't care when she denied his claim. He left her in the hallway feeling like the name he called her. Idiot.
She wasn't aware of how long she stood in front of the bedroom door. When Kaien came to check on her, she was lost in her thoughts. Nia disappeared. Kaname took her. Kaien lied to her and Zero hated her. What the heck was going on?
Tears burst from her eyes.
"Yuki?" her father asked her out of concern.
His voice faded. Instead, she huddled to the floor. Wrapping arms around her legs, she buried her face in her legs. The whole world was falling apart around her and she didn't know what to do make things right. All she could do was cry.
OoO
"Yuki," a feminine and familiar voice whispered to her.
She opened her eyes to see her cousin's beautiful smiling face. Yuki instantly sat up on the bed and threw her arms around the white-haired girl. "Nia!" she cried out.
"Yuki," the girl said her name.
"They said you're..."
"You don't have to tell me," the other girl crooned to her. "I'm here for now."
"For now..." Yuki moved back. She frowned at Nia, not liking the last part of her sentence.
"Yuki, you know there will come a time when I won't be around -."
"Stop, I don't want to hear anymore." The brunette child covered her ears with her hands. She saw Nia take a deep breath while glancing up at the ceiling.
Yuki lowered her head but was still smart to keep her fingers pressed tightly to her ears.
She felt light hands take a hold of her shoulders. The brunette raised her head, curious brown orbs looking at the one person who had been with her from the beginning -at least from what she recalled in her life. She saw her lips moved but couldn't make out the words. So many emotions flickered across her cousin's face. Sadness, determination and most importantly love. Those emotions were shown freely to her. Anyone else would have to pick those same feelings one by one.
Perhaps Yuki was selfish. Nia had given her love without asking for anything in return. She thought that being by her cousin's side was enough. But she had come to learn that though they were family, they had their differences. Nia, she noticed loved to read, to write, to listen to music. There were rare instances that Yuki caught her cousin dancing in the kitchen late at night while making tea.
Yuki, on the other hand, didn't like to read. She preferred to sit by the window and watch was going on outside. She loved music and would rather sing songs. She wasn't intelligent as Nia, but she knew enough to get by. She could cook and run fast as the only alethic ability thanks to her cousin who watched out for her. Dancing, however, was not her forte. But seeing Nia danced, she knew a secret of her cousin's.
Dragging air into her lungs, the brunette removed the hands from her ears.
"All right," she breathed. She would hear what the white-haired girl had to say. Yuki at least owed her that much.
"Yuki," Nia said before slightly shaking her head. A small smile displayed on her lips. "There's a reason for everything I do. Even my mistakes."
"Yeah, I know that," Yuki answered her.
"You don't get it."
"Then make me understand like how you do with everything else."
"I wish I can but this..." the white-haired girl motioned with her hands, "Is the type of thing you have to experience. You know the saying that seeing and doing are two different things?"
"Yeah," Yuki replied but not sure where her cousin was going with their conversation.
"I'm asking you to place your blind trust in me. I want you to know that everything I'm doing is for the sake of keeping you here."
"Nia, you're scaring me."
Tears glittered in her cousin's eyes. Yuki didn't like it one bit.
Nia shifted her hands to cup Yuki's face. Despite the sadness reflecting in her eyes, there was a hint of a smile tugging on her lips. "You're special, Yuki. There I said it."
Yuki just blinked at her. "You're special too."
Her cousin laughed. "Not like you."
"Nia."
"You see, everything in the future will revolve around you because of your specialness. The decisions that you make will impact deeply on the people that surround you."
Yuki put her hands on Nia's. "You're really scaring me now."
"They love you -Kaname-sama, Zero, and Kaien-sama. I love you too."
"I love you," the brunette said desperately. She pushed her cousin's hands away from her face and dragged the girl into a tight hug. "I love you so much."
"There will be a time I won't be around," her cousin said with a bitter tone. "That can't be helped."
"I don't want to hear anymore!"
Nia pulled away. She grabbed Yuki's cheeks and forced the brunette to look at her. "You need to hear this. I need you to be strong, Yuki. For me, for the both of us. If I'm not here anymore, grow stronger without me."
The child furiously shook her head. "You're not going anywhere!"
"You learned about the vampire society, you know the importance of bonds and blood."
"You're staying here!" Yuki shouted at the top of her lungs. Then she broke out of Nia's hold and embraced her harder than before, crying for all she was worth.
Nia didn't say anything else to her. Instead, she rocked them both back and forth. Their discussion was never brought up again in the future.
And yet for some reason Yuki woke up from sleep with that memory intact. That memory must have been a warning -things were going to change. Nia was trying to tell her the truth, but she had been blinded by happily ever after folktales -whatever changes happened, Nia was still going to be with her.
"What am I to do?" Yuki questioned to no one. "I'm not strong like you, Nia."
She could predict her cousin's reply. "Then get stronger."
But the question remained how could she improve at something if she didn't know where to begin.
OoO
Takuma Ichijo had left Kaname to do his pondering. The pureblood needed time to himself, especially after the meeting they had. Everything had finished with a success. The senate wouldn't go after the Vampire Hunter Association and vice versa. Kaname was off the hunting list and Nia's name wouldn't be mention by both sides. Her existence would remain a mystery. Kaien didn't have her in the new place the others were going to move into and Kaname would keep her in his care.
The situation should have come to a close but Takuma knew much better. Anything involving a pureblood's focus was going to spread a wildfire.
The guest -that was her title at the moment- slept most of the time. During her waking periods, she took care of herself without uttering a word. She simply pointed to items she needed or wrote them down in a notebook he gave her. Yet Takuma couldn't be a few inches within her personal space.
The point of having her with them was to build her trust. However, the girl wasn't letting her guard down.
It seemed worse when the pureblood entered the room. The girl watched him like a cornered animal. Her back would be against the wall and she would make herself appear small. And then a thought struck him. Kaname must have done an inexcusable action for her to be frightened, yet despite her look, there a flash determination in her eyes. She was waiting for Kaname to strike again.
And Takuma found it harder to leave the girl he came to know as Nia. Providing her with items and being the only visitor besides Kaname she received, he grew to care for her well-being. He wanted her to smile and to say one word. He started to look for random excuses to keep her company.
The aristocrat shook his head. He didn't fully understand his logic. He was only following his feelings. Perhaps it was the loneliness of another vampire that pierced his heart. Looking at her was like seeing Senri. His friend had been isolated from the rest of his family. First his father abandoned him and his family, then his mother used him as a food bag and she wasn't mentally stable, and lastly, his family members were under the corruption of power. Senri was forced to be on his own.
He viewed the same isolation with Nia. Circumstances had put in her in a place, she was alone.
With a book under one arm, he moved to where the child was seated on the bed. Her eyes never shifted to him as he sat down on the single sofa chair that Kaname insisted to be left in the room at all times.
The white-haired girl sat crossed-legged, her hands lifelessly on her lap.
"Hi Nia-san," Takuma greeted her. "I tried to come in as soon as I had a chance."
She didn't stir.
"I brought you a little gift." He grabbed the book from under his arm to show it to her. "A volume of William Shakespeare's plays." Maybe there was a flicker in her dark eyes.
"I enjoyed reading 'The Tempest.' I wouldn't consider it dark like his other works. But there are some who think quite contrary to me. 'Romeo and Juliet' has been considered to be one of his most popular plays, although I didn't like the outcome." The noble vampire smiled goofily while scratching the back of his blond head. "I guess I am a sucker for happy endings."
The girl looked up at him and for once he saw light dancing in her eyes. He had gotten a reaction from her. Quickly, she averted her attention.
"Reading is a nice way of passing time. Perhaps you can write your opinion about 'The Tempest.' I've been searching for someone to have a conversation with but they're not interested in this play like the others."
He placed the thick book beside the girl.
"I apologize for not bringing tea with me this time. It's just I'm expecting an important family member to return from his business trip today." His grandfather was going to return soon. He had to keep him busy until Kaname had arrange another business affair for them to leave. Under any circumstance, his grandfather must not detect Nia's presence.
"I'm going to be with him for a while so I'm not coming back for the rest of the day. Of course, Seina will bring your meals."
Seina was a maid that he entrusted to take care of the girl in his and Kaname's absence.
"Uh, after 'The Tempest', another nice play to read is 'A Midnight Summer's Dream.' If all goes well we can watch the movies on TV." He was chatting away to kill time. Nia never responded. Instead her gaze remained on her motionless hands. While he conversed, a part of him wondered how long would she stay silent? There would come a point she would break.
Was that what Kaname was trying to do? Break her?
He did mention that she was complicated. Her quietness left no clue how to react. Since the pureblood had no time to get to know her, Takuma decided to do it for him.
Only, again, she reminded him so much of Senri. And being a sucker for happy endings, he found himself wanting to help her. Befriend her too.
"And if everything is fine, you can meet my other friends at Cross Academy." That comment made her head shot up. Eerily, her red eyes bore into his pale eyes. He blinked a couple of times. Accidently, the private educational institution, the secret Kaname entrusted him slipped out.
How did he not censor himself?
He inhaled a long breath while slightly slumping in his seat. "Please don't tell Kaname," he confessed. "It's suppose to be a secret."
She shifted a little closer to him. Her hand absently reaching his sleeve. Takuma gathered that the girl's action didn't register in her mind.
"I have to go," he said, making a random excuse to leave the room. Funny, he wanted a reaction from her and now that he got one, it wasn't what he expected.
Lightly, he felt a tug on his sleeve. Nia's fingers then curled into the fabric and didn't let him go.
"Nia-san."
She shook her head.
"I can't stay, really." He also discovered that he couldn't easily lie to her.
Again, her head moved side-to-side.
He looked up to the ceiling. Kaname was going to severely punish him.
As if seeing his defeat, the weight on his sleeve dropped. He heard little movement on the bed. Papers rustled. A note popped in front of him.
"Tell me more," he read out the child's cursive. "I can't."
The paper was pulled back. Again, more noise. A new word popped into his sight.
"Please. When you put it that way, what can I say?" He closed his eyes and put a hand to his forehead.
He couldn't reduce to the girl to begging. Besides, if she didn't talk to anyone, Kaname wouldn't know, right?
Takuma straightened up in his seat. He was clearly aware that he was betraying his friend's confidence. But seeing that she was going to find out about the new place later, he thought it best to prepare her. "Cross Academy is a private high school. It's the place where your father is going to be the headmaster and you'll be moving there along with us when we attend the school."
Her eyes widened.
"Yes," he said clearly, reading the shock in her eyes. "This private school will be a dorm for humans and vampires. This is the beginning to what Kaname-sama hopes to be a peaceful method for vampires and humans to co-exist. And now I can't say anymore." Takuma didn't like the burning feeling inside his chest.
Swiftly, he got up from his seat and was at the door to her bedroom. Without glancing back at her he said, "Please read the book." And then he was gone. He would take his time to visit her next time.
OoO
My location remained unknown. With the limited chats with Ichijo I learned little -the well-being of my family and the events after the attack on the Vampire Hunter Association- but these were the facts I gathered: Kaien wasn't going to save me and who knew the next time I would see Yuki and Zero?
I lifted my hand to the small window of my room. Despite the luxuries, I was not blinded by what I had become. A prisoner.
Kaname took me for a purpose. I guessed that role long ago. I was Yuki's shield.
My eyes closed as I pressed my forehead to the cool surface of the glass. I tried to keep sane. However, it was becoming a challenge. The temptation of opening the window and dangling my small body out in the cold as a means to escape sounded great.
Besides my desire to escape, I lost count of the days being trapped in a bedroom. The bathroom was the only other room that was adjoined to my prison.
"Yuki," I whispered her name. Her existence kept me centered -I had to survive for her sake.
But being in the same room every day with having too much time on my hands, it was so hard for me not to lose myself.
And there was Kaname's special visits. Those times when I had to...
Think about something else.
The glass fogged up at the release of my breath. I hoped with all my heart my cousin was okay. Her time with Zero must be unpleasant. My lips cracked into a shaky smile.
What would she say if she saw the snow falling outside right now?
"Nia, don't you remember that night we were saved? This night is like that one with the snow and all," I imagined her comment.
And I would respond, "I think you're overthinking things."
Again, I closed my eyes. Her voice sounded so real in my ears. I pictured her in my head, laughing. Her brown eyes sparkling while she pulled me to go somewhere with her.
Freedom.
My fingers curled into a fist and I banged hard against the window. The pane cracked under the sudden pressure. I wasn't astonished by my strength. The moment Kaname came in for one of his regular visits, he was going to fix it. He always fixed whatever destruction I caused in the room.
He didn't want Ichijo or the maid to know what happened behind closed doors.
I felt a presence by the door. My body bristled.
Kaname. I instinctively acknowledged. His special visit.
Slowly, the door opened, the hinges remained quiet. Nails bit into my palms. Even with my back facing him, I could still see his reflection on the glass.
In my head, I began to chant. I'm saving Yuki. I'll do anything to protect her.
But I couldn't stop the shaking in my limbs or the tears that suddenly slipped from my eyes.
Hatred at myself surged in me for displaying a weakness. I needed to protect Yuki and yet I could feel the stirrings of fear. Where I was once wary of the pureblood, I realized I was dead wrong. This Kaname was not like the one in the anime. No, he was different. Or perhaps, this was a side of him that was never properly portrayed.
"Good night Nia," he began.
More tears slipped from my eyes. I shut them so I didn't have to see him.
The door shut causing my body to wince and the air to chill in my lungs.
He walked closer to me, the atmosphere intensifying with each closing step.
For a second, my lips parted, a brief sound escaping. Then I slammed my lips together.
Nails digging harshly into my skin, I turned to face the pureblood.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
Would I ever be ready?
No.
I opened my eyes to see blood spilling from his wrist.
Refusing to look up at him, I bent toward his bleeding arm. My vision blurred as revulsion coursed through me. But by doing this action, taking his blood, I was not only saving Yuki. I was saving all of them.
Yuki, Zero, Kaien-sama, and...
The price of becoming a weapon meant I had to give up my humanity.
A/N: I deeply apologize for updating this late. I was hit with a major writer's block. In fact, I'm still under the influence. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter. Please, if you may, a penny for your thoughts.