Chapter 14

His hands grew clammy and his forehead hot when he watched from the window as she walked away and back towards the vampire den. The thought of Yuki returning back to Kaname's arms made his blood boil and Zero desperately wished that he had the guts to run out after her, but he couldn't. Not to watch her leave again like he had last summer. Before she disappeared from view, Zero watched as she passed in front of a pair of students who then began to snicker to each other behind her back, then one pointed to the window where Zero stood.

Despite the cool water pouring down onto the back of his neck, Zero's blood continued to boil as he stood naked in the shower. He didn't wash his hair, nor did he want to wash his body but the water had slowly yet surely drained away the smell that was left of her from his skin. Even the taste that had stung to his throat had turned bitter and he desperately wanted to rid himself of it. Her blood, which had been so sweet slivering through his veins, now only caused him to burn in even brighter rage. He thought of how her walk of shame with end. Surely Kaname would greet her at the door, the condescending grin vanishing from his face and he would shake his head with an entitled disappointment. He would say something passive aggressively such as "Oh, Yuki. You always want to hurt me." In the same tone that drove Zero mad. But, sure enough, Yuki would bow her head and shyly follow him inside; swallowed whole by his deafening guilt. Even when he should have, Zero never guilted her. Never treated her as a child. He had proved the night before that he could treat her like the woman she was, with respect but also love and passion. But as the water slithered down his rippling flesh, Zero knew in his heart that he was not enough and perhaps may never be enough to be the one that she loved with her whole heart. The way that he loved her, or even a fraction or that.

Zero didn't want to leave his bedroom but figured hiding would solve nothing. He was dressed now in his casual clothing, a sight that the student body rarely was exposed to, and even made it a point to put on his specialized riding shoes. He could feel other staring at him on his way towards the stable but it was a feeling he had grown accustomed to. Uniform or not, they were either intimidated or flat out afraid of him for reasons he sometimes didn't always understand. He was strict, but also quiet. Didn't pick trouble with others (usually, Yuki was the one to call out the misbehaving teens and he simply picked up the pieces) but somehow, he was one that they feared the most. It was a lonely campus but suddenly didn't feel as lonely anymore when he thought of his horse, who surely was waiting for him.

"I-I figured you would come here. I thought, maybe we could take that walk but..." Instead of his old campanion, Zero was greeted by a wide and teary eyed Yuki. She was also dressed in her casual clothes; a mid length dress with a jacket to match as well as a scarf that swung around her neck in two loops. She was also wearing her riding boots. The surprise he felt by seeing her was overridden the moment they locked eyes and he immediately pushed in front of her. Yuki tried to fight it with a small "wait!" and a hard tug on his arm but to no avail, Zero had already seen and collapsed to his knees. In front of him lay the face of his kind friend, white fur stained red. His dark eye stared back at him blankly, as if it were saying "why didn't you help me, Zero?" but the worst of it was the long, open slit across his throat. Zero reached out and instinctively pulled down the horse's eyelid, closing it and shielding him from the further horrors though it was obvious, he was dead for hours now. When he felt Yuki's hand on his shoulder, he quickly pushed it away. "Z-Zero," she sputtered before he turned around. His eyes were no longer filled with sadness, but rather untamable rage. Then, he ran. "Zero!" Yuki huffed from a distance, the sound of her boots tracking through the leaves quickening on his heels. Zero's mind was in a blind rage and all he could think about was gauging open Kaname Kuran's neck, the same as he had done to his beloved friend. It wasn't until Yuki had grabbed him first by both shoulders and then fully brought him to a stop that he let out a pitiful scream and threw his head into the air. Her arms wrapped around his torso and she trembled as his body twitched in her arms with each cry he bellowed.

Yuki's arms remained around him, even as Zero allowed himself to fall to the ground and onto all fours. His chest was heaving, both from the run and the breath that had been stolen from him when he walked into the stable. But Yuki didn't say anything, and they both knew why. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry, but that would only admit the guilt of her brother's doing when she didn't want to believe it herself. But it was obvious. It was a punishment, for them both. The silence was finally broken. "I have to bury him," Zero said. His voice was cold, as well as his gaze when he stood and they stood face to face. Yuki watched him with blood shot eyes, still on her knees, and shook her head slowly. "Zero, he's too big-" but he wouldn't allow that. "I have to bury him!" Zero cried. His voice broke mid way through and he cleared his throat, breaking their gaze and starting back towards the stable. It wasn't until Yuki grabbed him by the hand with a desperate grip that he finally decided to listen. "Zero, please," she whispered, "I can help. I promise, I can."

When Yuki had said she would be back as soon as she can, Zero began to doubt her words and instead prepared to bury the horse on his own. The Earth was incredibly tough and lined with rock, and not even a few wacks of the shovel could ground up the surface dirt. The vampire cursed under his breath and turned back to the stable, where his friend was still laying. He could see the white hair of his mane spread out across the floor and tears began to fill his eyes all over again. It wasn't until Yuki came back into view that Zero quickly wiped them away with his sleeve and returned back to his shoveling (or lack of). He could hear that she wasn't alone when she approached and said his name, and he hoped for her sake it wasn't Kaname Kuran with her. He would hate to kill him in front of her. "Zero," she said softly, "we are here to help."

When he finally gained the strength to look, Zero was both surprised and confused to see the red headed vampire standing beside Yuki. Naturally, Zero had hated him because he was a follower of Kaname. But besides that, all he had witnessed was calm energy and occasionally a small smile from the vampire. "I'm not here to join a feud," he said. His voice was tough yet somehow empathetic. "This is a matter of giving a proper ending to an innocent animal." It took all three of them to drag the horse out of the barn, leaving a small blood streak across the grass, and an enormous amount of effort to reach the site of the burial Zero had attempted. He had slowly let go, yet the two others continued pulling. "I started here," Zero said coldly. But they ignored him. He simply followed behind and eventually lifted up his beloved friend again to properly carry him.

It felt like they were carrying the animal forever before the redhead finally said, "This is a good place." They had reached a small clearing in the woods where the grass was burnt away and there was no foliage overhead. It was a place Zero had never seen before on the property. "Why is this place any better than the past five hundred feet," he grunted as he slowly dropped him to the ground. Yuki looked at Zero with narrowed brows and then turned to the other vampire, and her expression softened. "Wait, Akatsuki." She gently took Zero's hand and said, "Any final words?" He shook his head.

Visions of fire blinded the vampire at first and he shielded his eyes with one arm, instinctively grabbing Yuki with the other and dragging her behind him in a protective stance. All of his instincts were telling him to fight but before he could, the chaos came to an end. Yuki softly patted Zero on the back and whispered, "It's okay. Just don't look, alright?" But against her wishes, Zero immediately opened his eyes and audibly gasped. The white majestic mane had vanished and now, what was a magnificent creature was a roasting pile of meat. The smell of him brought tears to the boy's eyes. He didn't bother wiping them away this time, for Akatsuki had already vanished without another word and he was left alone with Yuki and what was left of his old friend. He hadn't even realized that Yuki had slipped her hand into his until she squeezed it. All Zero could say is, "I'm going to kill him." Him, of course, being Yuki's beloved.

{ I sincerely apologize for my long absence. I am now, again, with a computer and plan to be continuing this story for as long as you all enjoy it! }