Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Vampire Knight. I am only using the characters to fuel my amusement.
A/N: This is the next chapter in the Rescue Me story, but I suppose you all knew that. Please let me know what you think! Enjoy!
Gone
A sharp crack sounded in the room followed by several gasps. Takuma stood in the middle of the classroom with his head tilted to the side. Crimson red swelled on his cheek and jaw but he dared not raise his hand to the mark. Everyone from the Night Class just stared at the scene unfolding before their eyes; not even the teacher dared interfere.
"What exactly did you think you were doing Ichijo?" Kaname demanded.
"Nothing Kaname-sama," Takuma mumbled slightly as his jaw knitted back together.
Kaname's aura darkened as he glared at his friend, "I will ask you once again, what were you doing with Kiryu? And I expect the truth this time."
"I was speaking to him about the… occurrence the other morning," he admitted guiltily.
"And you took this upon yourself to involve yourself in my personal affairs without my given consent?" Kaname questioned darkly.
"Yes Kaname-sama."
"That is two faults in one day Ichijo. You dared act out of turn TWICE. You interrupted Kiryu and I at the gate and you spoke to him of matters that you had no business speaking about. Since we have been friends for years, I will give you leave to explain yourself."
"I-In front of everyone Kaname-sama?"
"I don't see why not."
"I… must refuse."
The atmosphere in the room became even tenser as the pureblood's aura darkened even more, "State your reason."
Takuma bowed his head more to the pureblood, "I have invaded your private business twice today already Kaname-sama… I… am endeavoring to keep what I… witnessed between those involved."
Kaname's aura lightened considerably at Takuma's confession, "I thank you Takuma… However, I expect to speak to you in my chambers once the lessons are over. Do not think I will forget this or expect the occurrences today to go unpunished."
"Of course Kaname-sama."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the confrontation resolved itself… for the time being. They didn't know what had happened to their beloved Kaname… But they knew he wasn't the same.
Meanwhile, on the other side of campus, Zero sat in the Chairman's office as the other looked at his damaged hand. The fingers were slightly curled and the hand looked like one huge bruise. Yagari stood in the background with Yuuki as both waited for answers on how Zero's hand ended up in the state it was. Thankfully the pain has receded but now the hunter could not even feel the hand at all.
"My my Zero-kun, this isn't good at all," Cross complained, completely serious for once.
Zero huffed, "You're telling me."
"What's wrong Chairman?" Yuuki asked.
Cross's eyes saddened a bit, "It seems that all the bones in his hand were crushed. What happened Zero-kun?"
Zero's eyes darted to Yuuki before returning to stare into the Cross's eyes. Cross nodded in understanding; Zero didn't want Yuuki to hear. Well, that was easily remedied.
"Yuuki, could you go to the infirmary and get Zero-kun some bandages, splints, and tape from the nurse?"
"Of course!"
Once Yuuki was gone, Yagari growled, "Now spill it."
Zero sighed softly, "It was Kuran."
Cross's eyes widened at the simple statement. Sure, Kaname and Zero never got along but their relationship hadn't escalated to violence since the night Zero attacked Kaname with a butter knife. The news was very unsettling indeed.
"That bastard, I'll kill him!" Yagari shouted as he grabbed his gun from beside him and headed to the door.
"Yagari, wait! Let Zero tell us the rest of what happened before you go jumping to conclusions!" Cross pleaded.
"Jumping to conclusions! He broke all the damn bones in Zero's hand and you're telling me not to jump to conclusions! How many different conclusions can you come to!" Yagari demanded.
"It's ok Yagari-sensei… I don't need you defending my honor," Zero huffed.
"Stupid idiot," Yagari snorted but put his gun and resumed his position against the wall.
"Alright Zero-kun, tell us what happened… You might want to hurry before Yuuki gets back."
Zero sighed; he knew he could have to tell them everything, including waking up in the pureblood's bed the previous morning. But in all honesty, he was so confused about this that he could use a second opinion.
"It started yesterday morning… I have no idea how it happened but I woke up in Kuran's bed."
"You what!" Yagari shouted. "What the hell is wrong with you!"
Zero snarled softly before he could stop it, "If you had listened I told you I have no idea!"
Cross glared at Yagari as he spoke to Zero, "Go ahead Zero, we won't interrupt you again."
"Like I said… I woke up Kuran's bed… But it was odd. I don't remember doing my rounds the night before or what happened that caused me to end up in Kuran's bed. I wasn't evening wearing my uniform when I woke up; I was wearing some of Kuran's clothes… When I woke up I was disoriented but Kuran… He seemed genuinely concerned about me. He kept asking how I was and if I was ok, but I completely flipped before I could control it. I ended up shouting at Kuran, pointing my gun at Ichijo, and leaving before I could get any answers. Kuran seemed especially pissed at how I was acting. Then, when I went to guard the gate when the classes were changing over, Kuran and I got into it again. I had a horrible headache, it felt like my head was splitting, and I ended up shouting at Kuran." Zero's left hand clenched into a fist as he remember the little spat he and Kaname had gotten into, "I called the vampires a bunch of monsters and Kuran all but told the rest of the Night class about my… condition. I… I just snapped. I went to draw my gun but Ichijo stopped us. I walked off to cool my head and ended up by the clearing at the lake. Before long, Ichijo found me and told me some… confusing information. But then, Kuran showed up… And he all but ordered Ichijo to return to class, but I wasn't done talking to him so I told Kuran as much. Everything just… deteriorated from there. He… threw me without even touching me. Then he stepped on my hand, making me release Bloody Rose, and almost ripped my hair clean off my head. He then told me that… I wasn't as great as I thought I was; that even with my gun he could still kill me without much effort. I told him to get off of me and then he… he just stepped on my hand and then there was so much pain. Before things could escalate further, Yuuki showed up. I've never seen her scared of him before but she was in that moment. She told him to leave, he did, and then we came here."
Yagari and Cross just blinked. It was a lot of information to take in, especially all at once. A lot of it made sense, the whole Zero and Kaname arguing, for it happened almost daily. But for the pureblood to actually take it upon himself to injure and threaten Zero with death was a whole new level.
"Wait… You said that Ichijo-san told you something that confused you, what was that?" Cross asked curiously.
"Um… Well… After I left Kuran's room I went to my room and went to sleep. Ever since I left Kuran's room I've been having these weird… dreams. None of them make sense, it's all so confusing and it leaves me with a terrible head ache after I see them. Ichijo came to find me after the confrontation with Kuran and told me that… They're not dreams… That they're memories."
"So you're saying that you remember nothing of the previous night and are having these weird flashbacks?" Cross asked.
"That's what I just said you idiot!" Zero yelled.
"My my, no need to get angry. I just wanted extra confirmation. Can you tell me what you see in these dreams?"
"Well, in the first one, I saw a bunch of people in white uniforms standing around a tree and… Um… I was stuck to it and I was bleeding heavily. In the second one I don't really remember seeing anything… I just felt that I needed to protect someone," Zero blushed slightly at the confession.
"Ah, well… I'm no expert in psychology but there are findings that suggest that when someone suffers a traumatic experience, they unknowingly close off the memories associated with the trauma. Aside from what you've told us, have you noticed anything else that was different about Kaname-kun?"
"I don't analyze his damn behavior!" Zero growled.
"Humor me Zero," Cross pleaded.
Zero growled softly, "Fine! It's no secret that we don't get along," he ignored the scoff he heard from Yagari, "but today it seemed… different. We normally just trade words and then go our separate ways… But today his… eyes were different. They seemed colder… More harsh. Also, Kuran addressed Ichijo by his last name… They have always been on a first name basis and suddenly Kuran is calling him Ichijo and Ichijo is referring to him as Kaname-sama."
"Hm… Well it seems that something happened between you and Kaname-kun the other night. I'm guessing you don't remember but he does. I suggest you talk to him, civilly, about what happened," Cross suggested.
"Are you insane Cross! That pureblood broke his damn hand and you want him to sit down and have tea!" Yagari was incredulous.
The sound of falling objects caught everyone's attention. There standing in the door was none other than Yuuki. Her eyes were wide and trained on Zero's own wide eyes.
"I-Is it true Zero-kun?" Yuuki's voice pleaded for him to say no.
Instead, he said nothing and just looked at the floor. However, him not answering was enough of an answer for Yuuki. Before anyone could speak, she took off running.
"Yuuki!" Zero and Cross yelled but she didn't stop.
"Damn it, what the hell is she thinking?" Zero snapped.
Cross's eyes were sad, "Kaname-kun has always been good to Yuuki. He saved her life and has endeavored to treat her with nothing but kindness. This must have come as a shock to her, to hear that he has hurt someone also special to her. Give her some time, and then go find her. First though… Let's fix your hand."
Unknown them however, was that Yuuki was not headed off to contemplate the information alone. Throwing the door in front of her open, she stared into a room full of vampires. However, her eyes only saw one.
"Yuuki?" Kaname asked softly as he stood from his seat in the classroom with soft eyes. He walked up to her and went to touch her shoulder but she jerked back from him. "Yuuki?" Kaname asked again, confused.
"Is it true?" she asked with her head tilted down.
"Is what true?" Kaname was truly confused.
Yuuki's head flew back as she stared at Kaname with tears in her eyes and shouted, "Did you hurt Zero!"
Kaname's eyes hardened slightly at the mention of the hunter's name, "We should discuss this elsewhere Yuuki."
She stepped back from him once more, "No! I want to know Kaname! Are you the one who broke Zero's hand!"
Kaname's aura darkened as she spoke of what happened in the clearing. Of course Zero would run to her and tell her what happened. Of course he would get all the blame when Zero instigated the confrontation. However, before he could speak, a hand grabbed Yuuki's arm and pulled her back.
Kaname snarled, "What are you doing here?"
Zero stood there glaring at the pureblood. His hand was still useless and was still not bandaged but he had to get to Yuuki. Cross tried to tell him that Yuuki had gone to think but he knew better. He knew that she would go confront the pureblood. And honestly, Zero didn't trust the pureblood on the same campus as Yuuki at the moment, let alone the same room.
Everyone could feel the tension in the air. From the bits and pieces they had gained that night, all of them figured something had happened to change Kaname and Zero's relationship from one of rivalry to one of hatred. They just didn't know what caused their relationship to change so much.
Zero ignored Kaname and instead addressed Yuuki, "What have I told you about eavesdropping Yuuki?"
Yuuki had the decency to look chastised, "I'm sorry… I just wanted to know what happened since you wouldn't tell me… So I listened at the door."
Sighing softly, Zero addressed the classroom, "Forget what you heard and resume your class."
Zero then drug Yuuki from the room and left the Night Class in a state of confusion. Kaname trembled slightly in anger and the others felt the slight drop in temperature. Not only had Zero betrayed his trust, he was also trying to take his precious Yuuki from him. He would never allow such a travesty to occur.
Turning to the class, he stated, "I will be returning to the dorm. After class, I expect all of you to return to the dorm as well."
With that, Kaname left the other vampires to their class. Fifteen sets of eyes watched him depart but only one set of green eyes truly saw him go. The last bit of warmth had gone from Kaname's eyes and that only spelled trouble for everyone involved.
END!
I am so proud of myself for getting this out already! I've felt really bad about letting you all hanging; not knowing when I was going to update. I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Please let me know what you think!
LunaRina- I love those sides of Kaname and Zero as well. However, it still pained me slightly to have it be because of each other. I am also not very fond of Yuuki, she annoys me tremendously. I hope you enjoy the chapter :D
WolftheForsaken- I'm glad you enjoyed Kaname's snapping and thanks for thinking I did it well lol. Sorry that there was no true punishment of Takuma in this chapter. I promise, there will be a punishment.
mpiedz- Yes, I will admit, Zero got what he deserved for disrespecting a pureblood. But I also tried to make it seem a bit extreme as Kaname has never actually treated Zero as a vampire and usually lets his insults go. Also, sorry for the language. I'll try to keep it toned down.
ben4kevin- Here is the update, hope you enjoy! Also, thank you for adding me to your alerts
mssekishi- Yes, Zero has hurt Kaname quite deeply (I hope that is portrayed in here). Here is more for ya! Hope you enjoy!
Elliz59- Yes, I am quite alive. YAY! I'm so sorry that you have up hope on this story. But yes, summer break does mean more updates and hopefully longer chapters. I liked making Kaname a bit (LOT) darker, that side of him is never truly expressed in the anime and that made me sad. Kaname does put up with a lot from Zero as both a hunter and vampire. Honestly, I think Zero should be happy he's gotten away with it as long as he has lol! Takuma… Takuma is still quite undecided for me on the topic of his punishment because I also feel sorry for him. I hope you enjoy the chapter and I hope you keep reading!
PeachyQ73- I feel sorry for them too and I'm the one doing it to them lol. I can't give away my secrets on the topic of their future relationship but I assure you, I will make it better… eventually lol. I'm glad you are enjoying the story so far and I hope you continue to do so.
Evangelion-Wings- Lol, yes, it is a Kaname x Zero story, but of course there must be some drama first! I am glad you are so excited about it :D Also, thank you for the favorite story add and author alert add :D
LiLaLo1504- Thank you for the favorite story and author alert adds! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!
Nekiare- Thank you for the favorite story add!
chinesemidget- Thank you for the favorite story add!
Thank you all for taking time to give me feedback on how the story is progressing. Your feedback is very important to me because it lets me know how well/bad I am doing. I hope you all continue to let me know what you think and I will endeavor to take all of your comments into consideration!