CHAPTER 12
I do not own Vampire Knight.
It was him…
It was him…
He killed my family.
"Here, sit down. I'll bring you some more bandages." I said as I led a wounded hunter so sit back on a flat stone. Tentatively, I asked, "Have you...uh…"
The hunter shook his head.
Sighing, I retreated back to the crumbled building, the Association's headquarters. I stepped over some debris and opened up a crate with medical supplies. After rummaging through the items, I stopped and took a breath, holding back tears.
'Where is he?'
That thought had been in my head since the moment I arrived with Aido and the Chairman. Even more so now considering that some time has passed. The fire had been mostly put out and only a few remaining hunters survived the attack. The vampires taking refuge here took a hit as well, although because there isn't exactly a "body" to count after they die, it will take some time to find out exactly how many were lost.
Loosely playing with a tin box of bandages in my hands, I recalled the words of Mr. Yagari from earlier.
'Last time I saw him, he was fighting Kaname Kuran. I'm not sure where they went, but I think Kaito went after them.'
Of course I thought of the worst. Did Kaname kill him? Was he injured and alone somewhere? And then my mind was also trying to comprehend how Kaname could do this. Innocent people... Why? Why? Why, Kaname? What are you trying to do?
I couldn't take all of my pent up anxiety inside the confinement of this room anymore, so I grabbed what I came for and stepped back outside.
'The sun will be coming up soon.'
"Yuki."
My adopted father approached me with Aido by his side, sighing deeply and rubbing his forehead. The bags under his eyes indicated that he hasn't had a chance to rest in a while.
"Aido and I just went over to the housing area to speak with the vampires. They've lost many of their friends and family during the fight and are feeling very vulnerable right now. So recently I've gotten word that Isaya Shoto will be arriving soon."
"Isaya Shoto? The pureblood who just awoke from a fifty year slumber?" I asked.
"Yes, him. He also happens to be a friend of mine." The Chairman said.
"Why is he coming?"
"Our people need someone who can organize and lead them right now, Yuki. Lord Shoto intends to just implement order and isn't interested in joining any fight." Aido replied.
"But…how will the hunters feel about this? They were already very against me being here…" My mind was brought back to the scene earlier when the Chairman had to calm down a group of wounded hunters because of my presence, understandably.
"I think they'll be happy for them to be taken out of our hands." My father said.
"I suppose you're right. Oh, and father…Um…" I was hesitant once again to ask this question, but he understood and placed both hands on my shoulders, reassuring me.
"No, I haven't, but we will."
His signature smile hid the exhaustion behind his eyes as he passed me. Aido took his place by my side, releasing a deep breath.
"Are you alright?" I asked.
The aristocrat took a few moments to look around him before he spoke.
"To be honest, no. Have you seen…um… inside?" A hint of weariness in his voice.
"Seen what?"
"Follow me." He said quietly.
Aido took me by the wrist and led me into the building. After going through many partially destroyed rooms, stairs, and hallways, we stopped at a large opening where I had guessed a door previously stood. I was then pulled inside as Aido balanced a candle with his other hand.
"Take a look."
Scattered around the floor were several massive concave pieces of some type of stone. It seemed as though it would resemble a circular structure if reassembled.
"What is this?"
The candle light danced in the blue of Aido's eyes as he turned to me and said,
"It's the furnace, Yuki."
"Oh…"
Looking back at the chunks of rock, I tried to imagine how it might have previously burned, flickering in the darkness.
"Kaname has effectively removed the hunters from this fight. He may never be stopped now…" Aido said.
'Kaname…I still don't understand…What happened to you?'
"The air is suffocating. I'm going back outside." I murmured before turning on my heel and walking my way back out. I heard no opposition from Aido as his footsteps silently followed my lead. Loud voices cut through the quiet as I got closer to the exit.
"What's going on?" I said to myself as I stepped outside.
Under the cloudy brightening sky was a man with silver hair walking towards the Association. My heart leapt into my throat.
"Zer-" I stopped abruptly. Glancing down, a brown-haired man was laying limp in his arms. When realization hit me, I gasped.
'…Kaito…'
Suddenly, I felt his pain. I felt it in the way he was walking towards us, in the way he had his head down, hair covering his eyes. I felt it in the way he held on to his friend and partner, with purpose.
The hunters around me had lost their voice as Zero walked past them all. My heart fell into my stomach when he passed his master, Kaito's master as well. The dark haired hunter dropped his cigarette and slowly went to his knees, eyes wide and muttering something incoherent as he saw his students go by. Zero never stopped. As my childhood friend got closer, I began to notice his tattered clothing and dried blood. I wanted to reach out to him, to feel him, to see if he was alright, but I knew now wasn't the time. This moment… was sensitive. The Chairman had at some point come beside me and watched Zero arrive. His expression became much more solemn.
Eventually, Zero ended his journey in one of the empty rooms, where he laid the body on a wooden table. I watched discretely from the doorway as he stood over him, saying nothing.
'What can I say?' With his back towards me, I contemplated hard. I wanted to comfort him, talk to him, something! But I didn't know how to approach this.
"I faced my first Level E with Kaito."
I flinched. My cover was blown. I removed myself from behind the wall and slowly entered the room. Zero still had his back to me.
"He had come from a difficult family. His parents didn't care for him and his brother, a vampire hunter, went missing on a hunt. He lived with his previous master for most of his young life."
I stayed silent and continued to listen.
"Eventually, his master got injured and my master took over his training. That's when I first met him… He picked on Ichiru and I a lot. Every time Ichiru had to stop or slow down, Kaito would get angry… and frustrated at me for helping my brother. He said I was too 'soft.'"
'Zero being soft?' I shook away my thoughts. Now wasn't the time to stray.
His broad shoulders rose and fell from his deep respiration.
"…For so long, I didn't understand why he was that way, so rigid and cold, especially towards the entire vampire race. It wasn't until we had our first hunt that I started to understand."
He dragged his fingers across the creases of the wood and went on.
"Our master had left us alone momentarily in the forest. We had gotten word of a Level E taking refuge there. It was just Kaito and I when all of a sudden, I felt a certain chill. A sensation I had never felt before. It was my vampire senses kicking in. Thhen I realized something had scratched my neck, and when I turned around, it was the Level E. I had never seen one before. He was relatively young with sharp nails, black, bottomless eyes, pale skin, and defined bones. I wasn't ready for it…and I was terrified…but we fought it together."
Hearing a slight crack in his voice, I stepped a little closer.
"We fought and weakened it. Before Kaito could finish him, he recognized the vampire. It was his older brother that had went missing… He had been bitten by a pureblood."
I lowered my head, feeling sort of guilty for something I didn't do.
"Kaito hesitated. The next moment, he was on the floor and I was grabbed by by the Level E…I thought that was the end… but thankfully our master came just in time and freed me. The creature was now cornered, awaiting his death. Master got ready to shoot, but Kaito stopped him…and asked to kill him himself."
Zero shook his head slowly.
"After that, I strived to become braver and stronger, like Kaito…to protect the people I cared about like my brother, from purebloods...from turning into that monster."
Gripping the edges of the table, he ground out,
"And now? Now I've carried both of their bodies away…"
I stood beside Zero now and lightly touched his stiff hand and was surprised when he didn't resist.
"How many more bodies will I have to carry until Kaname Kuran is dead?" He spat.
I was speechless again. My lips were moving, but nothing came out.
"You've been lying to us!" Zero roared.
I jumped at his outburst and furrowed my brows.
"What?"
He pulled away from my grip and turned back towards the doorway where I was hiding previously.
"You."
Following his gaze, I saw my adopted father at the entrance with a white sheet in his arms. Calmly and slowly, he approached the wooden table and covered Kaito's body with the sheet.
"Kaito was a good hunter." He said as he stared down at the table.
"How long did you know?" Zero questioned.
"Know what?" I butt in.
The long-haired hunter didn't reply. Slamming his fist down, Zero asked again.
"How long have you known that furnace was a fake!?"
The Chairman only bowed his head lower.
"A fake? But…how!? Father?"
Flanked on both sides by his adopted children, the older man responded.
"I've always known…"
My head began to spin.
"Wait…so the furnace I saw in that room downstairs, it's not real?"
The Chairman sighed deeply and removed his glasses.
"No. It was just a decoy."
I pressed further, "Then where is the real one?"
Before he could answer, Zero interjected.
"It's at the academy, isn't it?"
The Chairman only stared blankly at Zero.
"A legendary hunter suddenly decides to retire and starts a school? A school conveniently located on the same ground as the previous Hunters' Association headquarters? It all makes sense now. You didn't choose to retire because of your co-existence views. You were tasked with guarding the furnace."
"No. You are partially right, but co-existence was one of my main reasons. I wanted to retire from vampire hunting, however, the elders didn't want me to. I was in my prime, too good to leave. But my conscious was eating away at me. I couldn't hunt without guilt and I was ready just to run away. So in order to keep me within the organization, the elders proposed I watch over the furnace. The Association just constructed the new and improved building and the old one was going to be abandoned. They were unsure of how to move the furnace without causing damage to it, so they decided to leave it and place it under my care."
"How did the school come about then?"
"They said I could do anything I like to the building, make it anything I want, just keep the furnace safe. That was their instructions. I still wanted to promote co-existence, so I established a school. One with a day class…and night class. The elder board was very much against it at first, but after some strategic convincing, they reluctantly gave in."
This was all too much for me. The whole time Zero and I had been guardians, walking around the grounds of the academy, we were unaware of something greater we were protecting.
"Where exactly is it? I feel like I know the academy so well, I should have seen it." I wondered.
"It's safe underground beneath the main building. It's reached by a secret entrance. No one should be able to find it unless they knew where to look."
"Why didn't you tell us?" I continued. He turned around and put his hands on my shoulders as like each time he wanted to reassure me.
"Yuki. I wanted to tell you, both of you, but it would have been too dangerous. Not many people know about the true location of the furnace. And we try to keep it that way for reasons like this. Kaname wanted to destroy it, but now we've bought some time before he finds the real one."
"Chairman." Zero hesitated. "I have a feeling Kuran's intention wasn't to destroy it."
"What do you mean?"
"When Kaito and I first encountered him, he kept asking 'where is she?' He also said he came to fulfill a promise to someone."
"A promise?" The Chairman questioned while rubbing his chin.
"Yeah. By the way he spoke, it didn't seem like his objective was to cripple the hunters."
'She?' I pondered. 'Who could he be talking about? Could Kaname be looking for me? No…That doesn't make sense. He would have checked the house first. Who is he looking for?" A slight pang of jealousy struck me, but I quickly brushed it away.
"Let's discuss this later, Zero. I think Isaya is here."
The Chairman bolted from the room, leaving Zero and I with puzzling looks. When we stepped back outside, we realized a large commotion going on. A small group of hunters were arguing with the Chairman and a man with long, golden hair stood behind him with his own entourage.
"I've had it with you, Kaien! How many purebloods are going to be invited!?" A limping hunter exclaimed.
"He's just here to take care of the vampires."
"Bullshit! This is a disgrace to all the hunters who died here today!"
"Yeah! Stop defending these bloodsuckers!" Another one said.
"They've killed enough of us!" "Who's side are you really on!?" "I knew having you as our President was a bad idea!"
I couldn't take hearing this anymore. I strided over to the group and pulled my father away.
"Mr. Shoto, please come with us."
Zero followed and watched in amazement as I guided us to a private room and closed the door.
I took a breath. "I'm sorry if I acted a bit aggressively. It's just…"
"No need to apologize, Yuki. I appreciate what you did." My father gave me a warm smile. "I should be the one apologizing, Isaya. The hunters are on edge at the moment."
"Don't worry. No need. So this is Yuki?"
I turned my eyes to the other pureblood in the room. His hair was at shoulder length and his skin seemed smooth and flawless. Judging by his reaction outside, he appeared to be a calm, collected, and elegant man. Zero still seemed to be on guard as always.
"Um, yes, I am."
He smiled. "I have no doubt that you are the daughter of Haruka and Juri Kuran."
"You knew my parents?"
"Of course. They were my friends. I'm sorry. I heard about the tragedy after I had woke up. Recently, I have been wishing I never went to sleep in the first place. I miss them dearly."
I bowed slightly as a thanks.
"Now, Kaien. We have some matters to discuss."
"Yes, the vampires. I think it would be wise if you looked after them from here. They have expressed that they don't feel safe anymore."
"Mhm. I went over there earlier and they have told me they lost over half of their population when Kaname Kuran attacked.
"Isaya, I promised I would protect them when I offered them sanctuary here, and I've failed them. Please don't fail them too."
"I have property up in the mountains that is unused. I will take them there and let them stay until everything has calmed down."
"Thank you. You've always been a good friend, Isaya."
"The same is true for you, Kaien. I, like you, hope to see humans and vampires co-exist one day." Suddenly, the newly awakened pureblood turned to Zero and asked,
"You, what is your name?"
Zero shifted his eyes between Isaya, the Chairman, me, and back to Isaya before answering.
"Zero."
"Zero, can I ask for a bit of your time? There's some people over at the housing area that you need to be introduced to properly. Kaien and Yuki, you're both also welcomed to come."
Zero shrugged and muttered an 'okay.' Curiosity got the best of my father and I as we followed Isaya out of the room.
"Uhh…let's take the side door out."
When we arrived, I was shocked to see that their homes were also mostly desecrated. Some vampires were trying to repair their roofs and space while others swept up the dust and sand from the ground. I could hear the cries of women and children. As they saw us come into view, many bowed their heads at me and Isaya. Many looked away as well.
After walking through the area for some time, he stopped at the door of a particular house.
"Wait here." He said to us before he walked in.
I took a quick glance at Zero. His sharp gaze glanced at his surroundings. He seemed a little uncomfortable of where we were at. A few moments later, Isaya emerged from the house. Behind him were two small boys, identical to each other, with a mixture of blond and golden hair, just like Isaya's. I caught Zero's eyes widen slightly.
"Is this him?" Isaya asked the children while pointing at Zero.
The two little ones grinned and nodded simultaneously when they looked up to my tall friend. Isaya smiled and said to them,
"Then what do you want to say?"
The boys slowly approached Zero together. The young hunter crouched to their level and was effectively stunned when two pairs of arms wrapped around his neck.
"Thank you for saving us." One said.
"Yes, thank you, mister."
Zero hadn't moved an inch, still paralyzed. When they both decided to end the embrace, Zero gave a small nod towards them and straightened up on his feet. My heart had melted instantaneously and the Chairman was covertly wiping his eyes. The pureblood put his hands on the heads of the children and said,
"Zero, this one's name is Akio and the other is Katsu. They are part of the Shoto family. My family. When I arrived, I was told they were almost killed by Kaname Kuran, but a silver – haired man had saved them. It wasn't that difficult to find you. So, even though they have already, I would also like to personally thank you. Thank you for risking yourself to save two children you didn't know. Whatever you want, Zero, whatever you need, it's your's."
"Thanks, but I don't need anything. The only thing I want is to stop Kuran, and that's something I need to do myself." He responded.
"Of course. You have my full support."
With that, Zero nodded and started to walk back to the main camp. As I watched his retreating back, I couldn't help but feel proud. Acting selflessly and taking no reward. It was very Zero-like...
"He's going to make a good President some day." My sniffling father said.
"He is."
Please review :)
