"How many level E is it now?"
"Around twenty five for today."
"Damn... there's so many."
"Eww... my hands smell like rotten vampire flesh.." Chou made a "about to puke" face, holding her hands away from her face as much as possible.
"No shit, Sherlock. You killed twenty five level E vampires today," Ryuu rolled his eyes and handed her his handkerchief.
"They smell like crap... except for you, Zero," she said, taking a glance at the silver haired vampire hunter standing near them as she took the handkerchief. Mounds of dust from the vampires were surrounding them, and blood was splattered on the building walls near them. Zero didn't say anything and just slipped his gun back into his jacket.
"You should just stop fighting close-combat and use a gun, so you stay clean. Look at Kiryuu. He's all spick and span, but you... look like crap," Ryuu cringed.
Chou smiled, looking down at herself for a moment and then using whatever space that wasn't covered with blood on her blade as a mirror to see her face. She tilted her head at the face of a black haired girl with green eyes that had drops of blood scattered on her forehead and cheeks.
"I do look like crap. Thanks for telling me. Zero, do I look like crap to you?" Chou looked up to see that the male vampire hunter was no longer there, "Zero?"
"He ditched... again," Ryuu sighed, walking over to the blood covered girl, draping a long coat over her head.
"Again..." the girl echoed.
"I guess all this blood is too much for him... Let's go back to Cross Academy," he suggested, and then headed off to the school first.
"Blood...?" Chou sighed softly, and then trailed after him, muttering quietly, "All of this will end soon, Zero. Just be patient... and wait for the blood to disappear."
Zero was hiding nearby, covering his mouth and nose so he had trouble breathing or smelling. He wasn't agitated or surprised because of the bloodshed of the level E. He was afraid... of becoming a level E himself, and killing Chou in the process.
"The sudden increase of level E..." Yuuki started.
"Are made by Chou's father, most likely," Hanabusa finished off.
"But, why...?"
"Remember Rito-sama's level E, and how they attacked Cross Academy before he did? It's the same as now. Probably, Suzuki's using the level E as sources of time... so he can plan carefully behind his army of vampires, and keep us busy at the same time," Aidou explained.
"Ding ding ding! And the blond's correct!" Chou stepped into the room with Ryuu, smiling as she took off the long coat that covered her blood stained clothes.
"Welcome back, Chou-chan!" Yuuki greeted her.
"And about my old man..." Chou started but was interrupted by Hanabusa.
"Go... take... a bath... you... STINK!"
Ryuu, who was covering his own nose added with a nasal voice, "Go take a shower, butterfly girl. And I thought girls like to smell nice in front of guys..."
Chou pouted for a moment, and then sped out the door, "Fine! I'll go take a shower! Even though it's my third one today..."
Chou raced to the dorm bathroom nearby and rushed inside, shutting the door quickly behind her, making sure no one was using it, first. She let out a sigh, and took a shower.
The black haired girl lied down comfortably in the tub full of hot water, letting her short, shoulder-lengthed hair relax and soak in the water. Chou gazed up at the ceiling then played around with the water, cupping some in her hands then letting it splash back down. She tiled her head back and stretched her toes, her right hand open to the ceiling, no scars on it whatsoever.
"My skin... why is it so pale? After all that happened..." Chou muttered to herself, and let it relax on the edge of the bathtub. What would happen if I turned into a vampire? Would Zero hate me? What would happen if...Chou thought to herself then looked down at the water to see hands of blood grabbing her and dragging her into the water.
Chou let out a loud scream as she woke up from her dream, her body still in the bathtub full of water and the water clear without any hands or blood. She panted heavily, her dream repeating in her head until she heard loud rapping on the door to the bathroom.
"Chou... Are you alright?" Zero's voice was slightly muffled by the blockage of the door.
"I..I'm fine..."
There was a long pause, and then Chou could hear his feet shuffling away from the door, leaving her alone. She absentmindedly placed a hand on her stomach, where there was still a scar from where her father had stabbed her. Her fingers traced the long scar as she thought. It seems as if Zero's been avoiding me since... since... then... that kiss... is it because of.. my father and my original plans?
She slapped herself on both cheeks, blinked rapidly a few times, and then climbed out of the bathtub, draping a towel from nearby over herself. Chou wiped at the fog on the mirror and peered at her reflection, her gaze especially focused on her hair that was now above shoulder-length, instead of waist-length like it used to be.
"He doesn't hate me... no way. There has to be a reason!" She told herself.
Ryuu leaned against the outside wall of one of the buildings, deep in the alleyways. He left right after Chou had gone to take a bath. He lit a cigarette and placed it in his mouth and inhaled, then exhaled, watching the smoke lift up to the sky. Ryuu balanced the cigarette between his index and middle finger, thinking deeply.
"Hmm... that Chou.. she really grew.. she used to be such a scaredy cat when it came to blood..." he muttered to himself and took another drag.
"I hope Zero will take care of her... Even though it's tiring," Ryuu chuckled, "I wonder when I'll get a girlfriend?"
He lifted himself from off the wall, and then headed to the center of the city, "Guess I'll go back, now..."
His breath and speech was interrupted by a long, sharp blade that stabbed into his back and protruded out of his stomach. Ryuu coughed the cigarette out of his mouth, blood escaping as well. He slowly turned his head enough to see the one who stabbed him, and his eyes widened then narrowed, in surprise, then in anger. The man who pierced him grinned, and his hand dove into Ryuu's back, and pulled out his heart. The blade sharply ripped out of Ryuu and the boy fell to the ground, coughing out blood.
"Su...Suzuki..." he sputtered, his eyes staying open until the suspect smiled and left Ryuu lying on the concrete, surrounded by a pool of blood.
Dundundundun! Ryuu is...! Please review!
Ah... the link isn't working... TT^TT
If you want to see a drawing of Chou to help with the visual, go to deviantart and search "grachiel"! And there, you will see all four or five drawings I uploaded! TT^TT yes, I'm sorry the link isn't working...