Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters. All rights belong solely to Matsuri Hino.
A/N:
Where I live, it's, like, 9 PM as I'm editing and writing this note. I'm just hoping I get it up in time. LOL. I'm sorry that it's so late! I didn't expect school and volunteering and all to last so long, and when I got back it was just ASDFGGJKL.
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, GUYS! Or, for those of you who are single like I am...
HAPPY SINGLES' AWARENESS DAY! -beams- -throws confetti around-
I hope that whether you guys are single or in a relationship, you guys had an awesome day! And if it wasn't awesome, I hope it wasn't that bad. HAHA. My day went on like any other, so it was neutral! (:
Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENTA! -throws some more confetti and streamers- -beams- Yes, Kenta's a Valentine's baby! YAYYY. (:
There's really not much else to say except for; ASDFNAOWEBNAWPEB, I hope I update this on time! HAHA.
OKAY, I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY! (x
OH, WAIT. FIRST.
WARNING: ONSLAUGHT OF OCS. I HOPE YOUR BRAIN WILL BE OKAY.
Heterochromia
CHAPTER TWENTY;
"When Blood Runs Shallow"
TRAINING CAMP—DAY ONE
Nervousness and excitement shot through me when I came back into the cabin after checking the perimeters one last time and found myself staring at thirty teenagers who had arrived, sitting in the living room chattering amongst themselves. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach and brushed at my sides, making me want to shudder or flinch, but in a good way. Sort of.
The five instructors were seated at the front of the room, talking quietly between them as well. I made sure to hang my coat up and take my shoes off before entering the cabin further, and as I moved toward the living room, Gin turned his head and caught my eye.
He smiled at me brightly and waved me over quickly with a hand, causing my lips to pull upwards. I passed the sea of kids ranging from ten to fourteen, bits and pieces of their conversations sliding into my ears. Conversation seemed to get more hushed or stop completely as I passed, stopped when they realized who I was. It only lasted briefly before the whispers started up again, but this time, they surrounded me.
I tried to ignore their wary looks or hostile murmurs.
"Sorry I'm late," I said as I approached the group, my eyes flitting between everyone. Zero glanced at me, as did Trance, but they both looked away quickly as if I would burn them. Nao merely gave me an irritated look, as did Nakaoka Emi. I tried not to feel upset, endeavouring to push away the hurt that bloomed in my chest at Trance's distance and the tightening of my throat when I saw Zero again—I felt like I had been a tyrant to him the last time we had spoken.
Gin, however, tugged on a stand of my hair and grinned. "I was just about to go look for you, slow-poke. How can we start the show without you?"
Eyeing his attire and how he was so relaxed, I raised my eyebrows at him and teased, "You don't look like you're about to rush out and search for me in concern."
"Oops." He stuck his tongue out and winked at me, causing me to laugh. The tall, obsidian-haired hunter then stood up swiftly from where he sat, stretching his arms high above his head and twisting his torso around. "We should get started. It's practically ten right now, and they've got to wake up early tomorrow, too."
Looking just as beautiful and regal as she always did, Emi ran a hand through her light brown, shoulder-length hair and stood up from her seat, back straight and chin held high. Her dark, stormy eyes looked at me pointedly as she said, "Well, if someone had been here half an hour ago, they would already be settled in their rooms."
I had to bite down a sigh. It had been wishful thinking on my part that, after not having seen the beauty for over half a year, her resentment against me would have disappeared or lessened. Clearly, she still didn't like me. "Sorry. I thought I saw something, so I ended up losing track of time."
"How like you," she remarked evenly. Her tone made it evident that she didn't see it as a good thing.
"I'd like to get this over with any time within the next five years if possible," Nao's sarcastic, clipped voice sounded as he stood up. Even though Zero was pretty tall, Nao still towered over him by over nearly half a foot. He was like a thin, stiff giant.
Gin, being the eldest out of all of us, waited for Zero and Trance's silent approvals before nodding his head and clapping his hands loudly. "Okay, guys! We're going to start, so pipe down!" It only took, at most, five seconds before the teenagers became deathly silent. I knew that Gin was an extremely respected hunter, so it was no wonder that they all listened to him so well, but I also knew that his reputation wasn't the absolute best.
After all, he was associated with an EX5 member's immediate family. It was horrible how much my status—and, consequently, Lydia's, Satoshi's, Trance's, and Arashi's—influenced the people who stuck by us. Who were all still beside us.
My hands clenched into fists, and I blinked my eyes, struggling to break myself out of my own thoughts. I didn't want to think about such things. If Gin wasn't so hung up over it, why was I? Yet the answer was so simple, it almost made me smile in triumph.
It was because, even though it affected those around me, I was the cause, the fault.
And that changed everything.
A sharp nudge to my side had me crashing down to earth, and I stared in confusion at Gin, who was urging me with his eyes. When I glanced back to the mob of children, who once again began to whisper, I immediately caught on.
"Oh!" It left as a surprised noise, and I hastily bowed. "I'm Tashiro Kaori, it's nice to meet you all! Please call me Ivy. I hope that you'll take care of me." When I straightened up, I offered an apologetic smile and a sheepish wave.
Unlike me, Nao didn't even bother to try and ease their nerves. His voice was just as curt as always, although there was a harsh edge this time as he spoke. It made me want to jab him in the stomach, an urge that I fought hard against. "Jojima Nao."
Quiet, but firm and unwavering, Trance's tenor voice rang out next. He sounded like he wasn't even the least bit nervous. It wasn't a particularly friendly or welcoming tone, but he didn't sound angry or aggravated, either. He kept his voice controlled and neutral as he introduced, "Tashiro Trance."
I watched him carefully, my eyes taking in the way his emerald and topaz eyes, so similar to my own, fluttered over the crowd quickly once, twice, three times, like he wanted to reconfirm he could recall their names. Albeit there were some males and females that were fourteen like Trance was, I wasn't sure if he knew them. After all, he had always been ahead of everyone else.
He looked so calm, so composed, so unfazed. A part of me felt so proud of him as he held his head high, his posture straight yet not rigid. He seemed to fit in well with us, although he was much younger. Then again, I'd always known that Trance was meant to be a leader.
"Kiriyuu Zero." Neutral, toneless, nonchalant. It held no hints of aggression or the sound of a scowl. I could practically hear the silver-haired hunter trying to keep it out of his voice. It probably had nothing to do with the kids—I was sure that he, too, was reminded of all the things I had thrown at him a few days ago. Needless to say, I understood if he was angry.
A part of me doubted that he was truly mad, though. It was Zero.
"I'm Nakaoka Emi," came the last name. What embroidered her tone wasn't exactly arrogance, but it was manifest that she viewed herself as someone in a more superior position than the teens—she had a firm way of saying it, yet it still didn't come off as unfriendly, antagonistic, or haughty.
"I see a lot of familiar faces," Gin started lightly, his smile wide and teasing as his eyes scanned the faces. "Why the hell did you guys decide to come back?" He paused as laughter and giggles touched their faces before continuing, "I'll have you guys know that this year is going to be tougher than last year."
A collective groan could be heard, which made me want to smile. The corners of my lips twitched as I forced myself to keep a casual expression. From the back of the room, I swore that I could hear someone let out a surprised, horrified squeak.
"For some of you guys, it's going to be your first time at training camp," Gin sympathized. "There are a few rules that you'll have to abide by, but they're your standard, commonsense rules. So the first rule is an obvious one—anyone want to guess?"
Before anyone else could even blink, a hand was raised up lazily into the air. It was connected to a boy with short, light brown hair and dark eyes. My mind immediately put a face with a name, as we had all received profiles of the young hunters-in-training beforehand.
Inamura Daiki. Going on what I had heard from Gin, who had been an instructor last year and Daiki had also attended, the young boy was apparently a mischievous one. Reckless, bold, impulsive and hotheaded—but he was genuine and honest with everyone. Looking at him now, I didn't quite see any of the prankster behaviour in him. In fact, he looked kind of tense, his features setting themselves into cement and waiting to dry. It confused me for a moment, but as my eyes swept over the crowd, I realized that almost everyone was like that, too.
"Always be respectful to one another." Even though it was supposed to be a question, it came out as a statement.
Gin snapped his fingers, the sound reverberating loudly through the full room. He pointed at Daiki and grinned, "Correct, young lad! The first and one of the most important rules—I mean, all rules are important, but you guys get my drift—is to always, always respect one another. This means no degrading comments and insults. There will be no invasions of personal space—if someone tells you you're too close, then you're too close. No shoving or pushing unless you're sparring. You're all going to treat each other as equals regardless of age, gender, competence, ethnicity, nationality, whatever. I don't care what the situation is. If I catch anyone treating another person with disrespect, I will draw the line."
"Question," Daiki said.
"We'll answer questions at the end," Gin told him before the trainee could say anything. There seemed to be something odd about Gin's voice, something strange about the way his eyes darkened. It made me feel uneasy and baffled. It was like he knew something and was keeping it from the rest of us—or was it just me?
"But—"
"The second rule," Gin started, giving Daiki a look that made the younger boy bristle for a moment before calming, "is to always listen to the instructors. If they're telling you to duck, then you duck. If they're telling you to run five miles, you're going to run five miles. If they say there's no break, well, too bad. You guys won't be getting a break. And I know that some of you guys will say that's going to collide with the first rule—they should respect your desire to have a break or whatever, but this is a training camp. Trust me. They know what they're doing. The third rule is to not leave the boundaries of the camp unless you have an instructor with you or unless you have an okay from one of them. You can tell where the boundary line is because we've tied enormous, bright yellow and orange clothes to tree trunks at fifteen meter intervals. They're also glow-in-the-dark, so you guys can't possible ever miss them. It's important that you follow this rule, because outside of the camp, we don't know what's out there. True, we've done checks, but who really knows when something else enters the area? Keep in mind that the radius of the camp is, from this cabin, two and a half kilometers.
"Fourth rule: unless you're doing skill training, your weapons should not be out." Gin raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes at the surprised look from some of the students. "Oh, don't be so surprised. It's standard if you're this age that, even if you're not a vampire hunter yet, you have a small dagger or something that your parents want you to keep just in case some vampire pounces on you unexpectedly. I'm sure that at least five of you thought you were so secretive and so special that your mom or dad gave you a weapon, but sorry to burst your bubble, you're not. And we're not going to confiscate those weapons from you—but unless your life is in danger, keep those things tucked away. This isn't limited to anti-vampire weapons, though. You're going to be working with a variety of normal weapons here at the camp, and you shouldn't be swinging something around wildly unless you're asked to.
"Curfew will be the fifth rule. You guys aren't supposed to be out of the cabin any later than ten-thirty. It doesn't matter to us when you sleep, but you need to have your asses inside by that time. I don't suggest not sleeping or sleeping late, though." Gin grinned brightly and said, "We're going to work you guys so hard, unless you get some rest, you can be sure you won't make it through the next two weeks. The first floor of the cabin is the common floor except for the rooms along the hallway to your immediate right once you walk in—that's where the leaders and instructors will be resting, so no entering. The second floor will be for girls, and third for guys. To be honest, I don't really care if you like hanging out in each other's rooms, but no funny business, okay? Please. For my sake, don't make me go through seeing inappropriate sights because I will have to use bleach to try and get rid of the images.
"Those are the basics, I think," Gin mused aloud, tapping his temple for a moment. "The rest are written in the pamphlets you guys have in front of you. But aside from that, there's a sixth rule not written in there."
Perplexed murmurs flooded the room softly, and all of us instructors exchanged glances. We had all been to camp before, and a lot of the time, it was pretty similar. Yet at the same time, with different leaders and different perspectives, many things also changed from year to year. The one thing that had absolutely stayed the same throughout the decades, however, was the sixth and unwritten rule.
"Well, what is it?" A girl finally burst out. Her gold, curly hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. Her bright lime eyes were wide and curious, though a hint of impatience was in them. I blinked as her name clicked in my mind; Sawyer Lettie, twelve years old.
Laughing, Gin said, "We'll tell you guys at the end what the sixth rule is. Ivy needs to tell you guys how the camp works." He looked down at me then, encouraging me to speak. It wasn't as if I was nervous or anything since I had no problems with public speaking, but I felt like it would be more appropriate to let someone else talk. After all, I had only been to camp thrice, while others usually went four or five times.
But then I thought back to why they decided I'd speak in the first place, and I realized that maybe it was a better idea. Nao, Trance, and Zero didn't exactly make camp sound exciting, and Emi hated kids. She loathed people under the age of fifteen, so why she decided to take on this camp thing, I had no idea.
"So there are thirty of you guys here this year, and there are six leaders. You'll all be divided into groups of five, and each group will have a leader. It sucks, but the groups have already been decided at random. We honestly just put all your names in a hat and we each drew out five slips. The reason we did this is because being with your best friend all the time can be distracting, or you end up relying on them too much. This randomization will help you build communication with strangers—there will be times when you're a hunter that you need to be able to work instantaneously with someone you've never met at all in your lifetime. We'll be announcing the groups later.
"There are six different areas that we're going to be working on during these two weeks," I notified them, eyes scanning the crowd. Once again, that rigid countenance seemed to dwell on their features. It bothered me. The air seemed heavier than it did before, just a few minutes ago. Refusing to frown and get sidetracked, I held up a corresponding finger to each field of training I said. "The first kind of preparation we're going to make you go through is endurance. This will include all different kinds of exercising—like running long distances, weight-lifting, sit-ups, all that fun stuff.
"The second area we'll be helping you with is your skills with the weapon you'll most likely receive once you become a hunter. Once you're thirteen or fourteen, you generally already know what kind of weapon is your affinity, but sometimes you don't. We can help you with that. During this station, you'll be working with that weapon you want. All leaders this year use something different, so the chances are that at least one of us are pro at it. The third area is something completely opposite—rather than working with the weapon you want or are most likely to receive after becoming a hunter, you're going to train with weapons that you don't like, or don't think you're good at. The reason for this is because even though you'll have your own weapon, you never know what might happen. Maybe, if you're a gunner, you'll run out of bullets and what will happen then? You'll need to use something else if you want to survive. You won't always be able to use the weapon you're used to—once you're a hunter, you'll be forced to pick a secondary weapon to master, or maybe even two.
"The fourth is a sparring station, where you'll be putting your skills and reflexes to the test. Of course, you're not going to actually try and harm one another. In previous years, you had to pin the person down, or fake a strike when the person's open and unable to block it. How the sparring works will depend on the leader.
"Lastly, the fifth and sixth aspects aren't physical things. One area that we're going to be helping you guys with is your analysis, strategy, and communication. It's pretty straightforward, and it'll basically be an engaging discussion. The last station is an educational thing—you'll be in the dining hall or living room, and you'll have the history of hunters and vampires nailed into you. You'll be preparing for the written portion of the exam, which will cover history, etiquette, current events, survival necessities, and things like that." I took a deep breath after I finished, and smiled.
Zero spoke next, picking up from where I left off without a hitch. I automatically turned my head to look at him, to pay attention to him when he spoke. "Every morning after breakfast, each group will report to their leader and whatever field of study they're in charge of is what you'll be starting the day doing. You'll be rotating to a different station after two hours—your leader doesn't follow you. You'll be able to work with all of us every day, though what we do each day will be different."
"Breakfast is from six to six-thirty AM," Trance informed them. My eyes lingered on the silver-haired hunter for a little longer before they fell to my younger brother, who stared out at the group of teens just like him. "Lunch is from twelve to twelve forty-five, and dinner is from seven 'til eight. You won't be finished all six stations until ten PM. For thirty minutes after, you're free to stay out, but then you'll all have to get back inside."
Upon hearing the loud, horrified and dreading groans from the kids, Gin grinned widely and said enthusiastically, "I told you that we'd work you guys super hard this year!"
"We'll announce who's in whose group now," Nao started stiffly. "However, don't move from your seats. We're informing you to merely sate your curiosity." He paused for a moment, his ruby eyes meeting the eyes of those who dared to look at him head-on. Pushing his spectacles up further along the bridge of his nose, he began to list out five names. Even if I didn't know each and every single of them through memorization of written profiles, the looks on their faces gave them away in a heartbeat.
Emi called out her names afterward, then Zero. Trance went after, and then Gin. We didn't really have a set order on who was supposed to go—it was just if nobody else said anything, then you went. Surprisingly, it didn't get messy, but maybe that was because none of us really seemed to care too much.
When it got to me, my lips pulled upwards. "Shizuki Sora. Sawyer Lettie. Inamura Daiki. Hagino Hisako. Jakushi Mitsuru." I saw the way Lettie blinked her wide eyes, surprised. She didn't look upset, though. Daiki, on the other hand, looked completely incredulous. When my eyes met his, he immediately slanted his eyes in a glower. It was such a fierce look that I almost took a step back in surprise.
I had forgotten, I realized, my eyes widening. It all made sense. The reason why most of them looked so tense, the way they all looked so alert and sharp. The odd way that Gin was acting, the way Nao or Zero or anyone else didn't seem to be as confused.
I had been the only who had forgotten.
For the majority of the last few days, I had been surrounded by people who didn't really care. At Cross Academy, Kaito, Yagari, Kaien, Zero—they knew, and maybe they cared, but it didn't change anything. Not really. Kenta didn't know what I was. I had Shiki, Rima, and Ichijou when I went to classes—I was able to talk with Aidou. I didn't really fit in, but I was able to get through my days without people distinctly changing their attitudes towards me because of who I was, of what I am.
I had completely forgotten that it wasn't like that with everyone. That some of these kids would have parents that loathed me, hated me for what I was. I didn't remember that I wasn't completely welcomed by all hunters, that even if their parents didn't oppose me, they were brought up to believe that all vampires were evil. They were able to form their own opinions, but their thoughts would generally revolve around the laws and rules of hunters.
Cold washed over me for a moment, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. I stuffed them into the pocket of my jeans, trying to ignore the feelings that bubbled up inside my chest. I pushed away the feeling of my blood being icy, the ache. I struggled to maintain the smile on my face.
"Okay, now that we're done—"
"Does anyone have any questions?" I interrupted Gin. He tensed from beside me, but I didn't look at him. He had been hoping to skip over the questions, to stop them from voicing out anything that would potentially hurt my feelings. He had been trying to protect me, because he thought that I wouldn't be able to handle it. He knew that Nao and Zero wouldn't take it too personally, because Nao was like impenetrable stone and Zero had his walls sky-high. He knew that I was a bit easier to get to, a bit easier to break.
But even if he tried his best to prevent it from happening, I was sure that everyone knew that it was inevitable. It would be better to get it over with sooner rather than later.
Daiki didn't even wait a second before asking, his voice laced with anger, "Why you? Why are you my leader? Why are you here?"
I didn't bat an eyelash, even though his words hit deep somewhere. I muffled that feeling. "Well, I picked your name randomly out of the hat." I rocked back on my heels and said brightly, "And I'm here because I was asked to be!"
His hands clenched into fists so tight that his knuckles were white. His next words were spat out, the bite in them sharp and glacial. "You shouldn't have been! This is ridiculous. You, and you, and you—" he pointed to me, then Nao, then Zero as he said his words, "—are all goddamn vampires! The fact that you're here trying to teach us doesn't make sense. The fact that you're hunters doesn't make sense. How are we supposed to feel safe here when you're here? How are we sure that you aren't just going to suck us dry at night, when we're sleeping?"
"We're weird," I told him lightly. "It doesn't happen often, but the reason we're still hunters is because our allegiance is with the Hunters Association. We might be vampires now, but we weren't born this way." I shrugged, and then pulled out my white tablet box out from the pocket of my jeans, holding it up for him to see. "And we have tablets. We won't do anything to you. There's a reason that we're still alive."
And then the fourteen-year-old boy said something that created dead silence in the room.
"But you shouldn't be. You should've been killed by hunters the moment you were bitten—it would've been so much better than this."
I froze, staring at him with my mind slated clean. It wasn't the fact that I was surprised he thought this way, or that I was so hurt and damaged by his comments that I was paralyzed. My heart definitely gave an agonized squeeze in my chest upon hearing his words, but that wasn't what knocked me speechless.
It was the fact that he was right.
It was all the memories that came with it.
Screams. Tears. Arguments. The bonds between so many hunters severed, the damages done to families that were the closest of friends. The pain, the ache, the sorrow. Bloodshed. So much blood.
In the back of my mind, I vaguely heard Gin and Emi. I heard loud voices, but I wasn't able to recognize the words. It was like a buzz in the back of my mind, like trying to understand what they were saying while I was underwater.
My heart pounded in my chest, roaring loudly in my ears. Fast, hard, frantic.
"Why are you alive?" he whispered, looking at me with wide eyes. Crazy eyes. Unfamiliar ones. "Why are you still alive? Why did you have to live? Why wouldn't you have just died that day? It would've been better. Things would be so different."
Slamming my hands down on my ears and squeezing so tight that it hurt, I tried to block out the voice that I heard inside my mind. I shut my eyes tightly, but I saw his face painted on the back of my eyelids. My legs gave out underneath me, and I found myself sinking to the ground. "No," I whispered, horrified. "No, no, no. Stop."
But it couldn't stop, wouldn't stop. It haunted me like a guardian angel.
"We'd be happier if you died." Then there was screaming. Tears. Bloodshed. So much blood.
And then I felt cold walls, searing pain in my wrists and ankles. I saw darkness, not seeing anything at all. There was pain, there was ache, there was sorrow. Bloodshed. So much blood. I remembered them, remembered what they said.
"You're a monster. A fiend that shouldn't be allowed to be left alive. How do you go through your life, knowing all that you've done? How do you wake up in the mornings when you've ruined our lives?"
Agonized screams. So many of them. Over and over again. It would never end. I remembered the hopelessness, the feeling of fighting so desperately for something but knowing that we couldn't triumph. I remembered how sometimes I wanted to give up, how sometimes I wanted to let it all end. Sometimes, I believed them. That they were right. That maybe—maybe I shouldn't be allowed to—
Something cold touched my cheek lightly, making me jump. My immediate instinct was to flinch away, to throw my arms up to cover my head, but cool fingers wrapped around my wrist and a familiar voice said, "Ivy." He pulled on my arms, forcing them down. "Get a hold of yourself."
My eyes met his red ones, so calm and so composed. Just seeing him there, long white hair tied up into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, his spectacles, his pale skin and closed off expression made me want to cry.
Fast, shallow breathing. I was still shaking when I reached for him. "N-Nao, I-I—"
Without a word, he pulled me to him and gathered me up in his arms, tight and secure. I could feel his strong, steady heartbeat, his familiar scent surrounding me. My throat closed up at his gesture, my body still shaking though starting to calm. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his chest, trying hard not to let any tears fall. I would never understand how Nao was able to be so strong, to be so unfazed by things. I would never be able to understand how he was able to stop himself from breaking down when he heard something like that.
"You're stupidity at its best," Nao muttered, venom coating his voice although it was contradicted with the way he tightened his hold on me and lightly tapped his fingers against my back, a small gesture of comfort.
I laughed, but the sound wavered and cracked, and I blinked rapidly, staring at the fabric of his shirt. With my senses so heightened, I was so acutely aware of how Zero, Trance, Gin, and Emi were all still in the room. They were practically all across the space, but they were still there. I wondered if it was because Nao was worried I needed more comfort, or if he had demanded they get out but they refused to. I didn't know, but I didn't really care.
Nao didn't say anything for a long time. He merely continued his tapping, letting me stay in his arms and listen to his heartbeat and his steady breathing. Even after I had stopped trembling and had regulated my breathing, he still remained silent for a few more minutes.
Breaking the silence before he could, I whispered, "I'm sorry."
"You're troublesome," came his brief response. "What else?"
"Thank you."
And Nao didn't say anything, because he knew the five million different things that it meant.
TRAINING CAMP—DAY TWO
During breakfast in the morning, the kids kept shooting me odd looks. None of them came to speak with me, but that wasn't surprising. None of them spoke with any leader except for Gin, which didn't surprise me. Zero and Nao were vampires as well, and Emi let her expression morph into something grumpy whenever someone came near her, whether it be a camper or a leader. Trance eluded a black aura, intimidating everyone else.
I saw all the members of my group, though they all seemed to sit with their own cliques at different tables. Daiki glowered at me the entire time, his gaze burning holes into my skin. The overall atmosphere at the dining room was thick with tension and hostility.
It made me want to sigh. After I recovered from my breakdown, we ended up having a discussion about what happened. Well, I didn't tell them anything, but they didn't ask me for reasons. Gin had thought it would be better to switch Daiki with another person, but I had refused. There had been a small dispute about it, but I won in the end.
He was only fourteen. He didn't know how it was like out there on real missions, because after that incident five years ago, they didn't take any trainees out onto raids anymore, even for firsthand experience. Daiki didn't understand, growing up in a rather narrow-minded society of hunters. It was a very black and white environment, and it wasn't his fault.
I wanted to have him understand. I wanted to try and change how he perceived the world, to change how he felt about vampires. I was going to try my best and show him that it wasn't like everything the Hunters Association said was always going to be a hundred percent correct. I didn't want him to grow up and believe that every single vampire out there was going to murder him.
Zero. Nao. Al. Cheryl. Junko. Shiki. Rima. Ichijou. Aidou. Yuuki.
Sighing, Gin muttered under his breath, "It's time." Blinking in mild confusion at first until I saw the time, I watched as Gin stood up and announced, "Okay, clean up. Today's going to be a bit different. Before we start training, we're going to have a short, special sparring session. Due to this, your sessions will be cut down to an hour and a half. You don't need to get into our groups yet—once you're done eating and cleaning up, get your coats and we'll meet you outside."
Finishing the last bit of my apple, I picked up my tray. I reached for Nao's, but he stood up and left with it before I could help him take it. Rolling my eyes and smiling, I followed his lead, throwing away the trash and placing everything in the dishwasher before heading outside.
When everyone was gathered out in the cold, we all trekked for a while before entering the sparring area. It was a vast, wide expanse of vacant land in the middle of the forest. The tall trees created a boundary, but the ground had been cleared of any sharp rocks or fallen branches. We stopped around the edge of the wide, circular ring.
"Okay," Gin said, "This is the sparring area. You have one of these stations throughout the day with a leader, but there will be three times where it's a bit different. Today, the seventh day, and the last day, we'll have a special sparring event. Instead of being in groups of five and sparring amongst yourselves, we're going to have tag-team sparring. The catch is, though, it's two of you guys—" Gin pointed at the trainees—"against two of us." He gestured to us instructors.
Gasps were heard through the crowd.
"But that's not fair!" Someone in the back exclaimed. "There's no way that we'll be able to beat you guys!"
"That sounds exciting," I heard Lettie's voice say. I smiled upon hearing the genuine enthusiasm in her voice.
"We don't expect you to knock us out," Gin responded wryly. "Remember that unless you're a full-fledged hunter, your kind of sparring doesn't allow directly causing harm on the other person. You're supposed to stop within at least a centimeter of contact, remember? But anyways—today there will be no weapons. It's going to be a pure hand-to-hand combat kind of sparring, if you can even call it that. Feel free to tackle each other and punch and stuff—you're allowed to make contact for that. Try not to throw a punch so hard you break someone's nose, 'kay? You guys know which places are inappropriate to hit. We're going to do one battle at a time—if you're not in the middle, then you're watching and patiently waiting for your turn.
"The leaders will have a large cloth tied to their arm, and you guys will get a piece of string attached to yours. The leaders' cloths are much wider and large, and we'll leave the ends long while your string is five hundred times thinner and tied so that there are no trailing ends. The point of this is to try and take off the cloth or string of the other team—for the leaders, they need to take off both of your strings, but you guys only need to take off one of theirs to win. Another thing is that the leaders will be tied together by another cloth. You can pick who you want on your team for today, and you get to choose which leader you want to challenge. Sounds fun, right?" Gin didn't wait for a response. "Who wants to—"
"I'll go." Daiki separated himself from the crowd, stepping up with his chin raised high. His hands were once again fisted, and his topaz eyes were so dark with negative emotions. "I'll take you on." He looked straight at me as he spoke. I wondered if he thought I would break again like I did before, wondered if he was challenging me because he thought I was incompetent.
I merely smiled at him slightly. "Okay."
Gin glanced between Daiki and I, concern plastering itself over his features. My eyes slanted over to meet his, and I smiled in reassurance. The twenty-eight-year-old hunter relaxed imperceptibly and handed me the cloth, giving Daiki his.
The white cloth was made of chiffon, making it easier for the trainees. We had debated between lighter clothes or heavier ones—lighter ones because they floated in the air longer, so they had a higher chance of grabbing the ends and pulling the tie loose, or heavier ones because they dragged and caused extra weight. We went with the chiffon because we didn't want to waste any cloths by dragging them along the floor. It was around ten centimeters wide and three-fourths of a meter long. I tied it around my right arm.
"I want to do this, too!" Lettie yelled, pushing her way through the crowd. Her eyes were sparkling as she pointed at Trance. "Can I challenge Trance-san?"
I glanced over at my younger brother, who didn't even bother looking at me. He stared at her for another moment before stepping to where the cloths were, grabbing one at random and beginning to tie it on. Lettie let out a delighted squeal and went to get hers, bouncing along the soles of her feet.
Nervousness tickled me. My heart hurt, too. How long had it been since I had been on the same team as Trance—truly had to fight alongside him? It had been years upon years upon years. It felt like forever. From then until now, he had grown so much taller, towering over me. He grew colder, more reserved, more mature. He was more skilled and more experienced now.
So much more distant.
Silently, he came over with a longer length of cloth, this one much sturdier. It was nine meters long—after we tied it to our wrists, it would only be eight meters long. Eight meters was the maximum distance we could be away from one another.
I wondered how we would be able to do this—one of the reasons we did this was to force the campers to work together, but I felt like this was a challenge for me, too. How was I supposed to be able to communicate properly with Trance if he hated me? When our relationship was so broken?
"You have fifteen minutes to win," Gin informed everyone as Trance, Daiki, Lettie, and I faced one another, them against us, a few meters separating the two teams. "If nobody does, then it's considered a draw. Ready?"
Trance was so close that I could reach out and pull him into my arms. I had to resist so hard not to. Instead, I focused my gaze on the dark-haired boy in front of me and reminded myself that I had to concentrate.
"Set..." I could see Daiki and Lettie tensing, preparing to charge. I prepared myself, but I didn't stiffen up too much. From beside me, I could tell that Trance was the same.
"Go!"
And then Daiki came charging. I watched him carefully, taking in the way his body moved and his speed. I saw the tautness in his body as he prepared to swing, analyzed his momentum, thought of all the different places he could aim for. And just as his fist was about to collide with my stomach, I did a small side-step that put me just out of his way.
Surprised he had missed, he took a few seconds to gather himself. I could've easily pinned him down and taken his string off, but that would've been too easy. The point was to analyze, to allow them time to understand and predict. It was for us to analyze them as well—this was a sort of evaluation for us to get to know their skills and weaknesses firsthand.
Pivoting on his feet, he lunged for me again. His left fist swung for my face, but I merely ducked, stepping back when he attempted to knock my feet out from under me. The look on his face was a mixture of irritation and loathing, and I merely blinked at him as he continued his onslaught of punches and kicks.
As I continued dodging Daiki's blows, I glanced over at Trance. He was just like me, being on the defensive rather than offensive. I wanted to smile, because we were so similar. We had barely moved from our original spots, our bodies separated by five meters.
"Why are you just dodging?" Daiki provoked as he attempted to tackle me to the floor. "Are you too scared to attack?"
"I'm not attacking because I don't need to attack yet," I replied simply. The chances of him understanding the hint I gave him was slim.
"What?" Furious—I knew it—he only swung harder. I continued to dodge. It was a few minutes later when I realized, with a smile, that someone was coming at me from behind. I side-stepped out the way just as Lettie's hands were just about make contact with my back, and as she stumbled past me, I pushed her lightly so she crashed into Daiki.
She understood the concept of this.
Looking over my shoulder at Trance, he met my gaze for only a second before his expression froze over and he looked away, staying where he was.
"Get off of me! What the hell were you doing?" Daiki's voice was decorated with irritation and incredulity as he tried to sit upright with Lettie sprawled out, slightly dazed, on top of him.
"I thought she was open!" Lettie defended herself when she gathered her composure. She scrambled off of Daiki and scowled deeply. "It's not like you were doing that well, anyways!"
"Mind your own business!" Daiki growled. "You have your own dude to take care of!"
"Why don't you stop and use your brain for a moment?" Lettie shot back fiercely, not backing down even though she was two years younger than the boy and much smaller. Her eyes were fiery as she said, "We obviously have to work as a team, idiot!"
"Shut up," Daiki growled through gritted teeth. "Don't interfere with my fight, damnit!" And as he rushed at me, he unintentionally—I hoped—knocked his shoulder roughly into Lettie's. She let out a surprised grunt at the impact, stumbling over her own two feet.
In a heartbeat, I had rushed over and caught her before she fell, my forearms hooking under her armpits. She tilted her head back to look up at me upside down, startled.
I smiled down at her. "You okay?"
It took the blonde girl a moment to nod her head, the shocked expression melting away. She straightened herself up, and I helped her do so.
"It probably hurts a ton, but the chances are that you'll only have a small bruise tomorrow," I told her, grinning. "I used to do that a lot with Kait—a friend. I always ended up getting hurt worse," I admitted, thinking back to all those times when I tried shouldering Kaito when I was younger, only to let out howls of pain. He hardly ever wailed out—he mostly just swore under his breath and then chased me around, trying to give me a noogie.
Surprising me, she let out a laugh and smiled at me, her upward tilt of the lips just was bright and lovely as her eyes. "Me too!"
I opened my mouth to say something, but then the cloth that was tied to Trance tightened, and abruptly I was stumbling from the force of the pull, tumbling to the side. I looked over and saw Daiki skidding to a stop just a few feet from where I had been, whipping his head over to look over at me before his eyes slid over to Trance.
My eyes followed Daiki's gaze, resting on where the red-haired boy stood impassively. The thick cloth was wrapped a few times around his arm, and he had pulled hard. As if he sensing my gaze on him, he turned and glowered at me fiercely. The look on his face was enough to make me feel as if I had been thrown into the South Pole's water, left to fend for myself alongside penguins.
He let the cloth's extra wraps around his wrist loose, so now the distance we could travel was once again back to eight meters. As Gin declared there was only a minute left, he began heading for Lettie, preparing to pull her string. She seemed to realize that he was going to go on the offensive this time, and she prepared herself, her expression setting into one of concentration.
I thinned my lips, wrinkling my nose slightly before letting my gaze rest on Daiki, who stared at me with blazing eyes, expectant. I sighed, and mimicked Trance, heading over to the light-haired boy. We were five feet apart, but he stood defiantly, muscles tensed and refusing to retreat.
When I was within reach, I clenched my hands into a fist and pulled it back, aiming for his stomach. He expected me to hit him, to try and cause him bodily harm. His first instinct would be to either block or dodge, and he did the former. The force I had been exerting in the beginning as it flew at him was gone at the end as he caught my fist easily, clearly surprised at how it was hardly a tap against his palm, much less a punch.
"Just kidding," I told him with a smile, my other hand shooting out to wrap around his arm. His eyes widened as I pulled him toward me firmly, letting go just as his body passed mine so that I could pull the string on his arm loose. He stumbled past me due to the unexpectedness of it all.
I whirled around to face him, and as his grip on my fist loosened, I stretched my fingers out and gripped onto his wrist, providing an anchor so that he didn't topple over. When he regained himself, he stared down at my hand still clutching at his wrist and the small piece of string that I held up in front of me, smiling.
He yanked his arm free and glared at me, but I stared back with the light smile on my face.
"Lettie was right, you know," I told him, head tilting slightly. "This was supposed to be an exercise testing teamwork. Nice try, though." I grinned and clasped my hands together behind my back. "I'm not as horrible as you think I am. It's best not to underestimate people." I met his eyes for another moment before pivoting on my heels and heading over to where Trance and Lettie were.
Trance immediately began to untie the cloth that tied us together, not even sparing me a glance as he walked away. My eyes trailed after him, and I resisted the urge to exhale noisily as I unwrapped the fabric from my own wrist and tossed it back to Gin before heading back to the edge of the clearing.
Over the course of the next while, I was able to watch the matches and analyze all the students. Sometimes I was challenged and I accepted, but the other times, I observed meticulously, spotting their weaknesses and their strengths.
I paid extra attention when Trance and Zero were paired up together, because as the battles continued on, the trainees got to learn a bit from the previous pair. They started to work together—or attempt to, at least—and that meant that the leaders had to do the same in order to counter properly. Trance and Zero worked together so well, it was almost scary. It was obvious that they were familiar with one another's fighting style. It was deeper than what Zero had told me back at the Association during the rebellion.
They were friends.
Envy flooded me when I realized it. I wasn't sure who I was jealous of, though. Both, most likely. I was jealous that Zero was able to have a close relationship with my younger brother when I couldn't. He was able to talk with him and work with him and not have the fourteen-year-old Tashiro hate him and loathe being within his presence. He didn't give Zero death glares. He and Zero were close enough to treat each other like crap, but still have their relationship remain strong. On the other hand, I was envious of Trance for the same reason. He was able to have such friendship and comradeship with Zero, something that I wanted to have, yet probably never would.
It was depressing to think about, and I found myself sighing and brooding over it for a while.
When we were done with the sparring—it took a handful of hours—we headed back for lunch, some of them breathing heavily from the energy they used. When that was done, we ended up splitting up into our groups and following the station schedule. For today, I was supposed to be in charge of the strategy aspect, so I ended up bringing my group to the dining hall.
Lettie was enthusiastic as always, and I had the feeling we'd get along really, really well. Sora was silent and detached, making me worry about him. I decided that I would try hard to break him from his shell, too. I planned to speak with him whenever I could. The other two, Hisako and Mitsuru, were wary, but they weren't mischievous or anything.
Daiki wasn't there. However, he appeared when the groups rotated, and I frowned upon realizing that. I let it slide, though—after all, I wasn't going to drag him back and force him to be within my presence if he truly hated me that much.
Not yet, at least.
A/N:
So yes, that concludes the twentieth chapter! It's basically setting up the next few chapters and the duration of the training camp! I'm actually super excited, but I don't think I'm as excited as writing about winter break. HAHA.
I'm a bit sorry for the amount of OCs I have in my stories. But VK doesn't really expand on the hunters, and it just centers around the main cast, so I had to make up all my own since Ivy IS a hunter, y'know? Y'KNOW? AND I HAVE TO GIVE HER A FAMILY, TOO. SO... SO... AND EX5 IS NECESSARILY, AND I... I... -SOBS-
I hope that, despite all the OCs I've created, you guys are still okay! I hope that you're able to remember them and that it doesn't totally hurt your brain to remember everyone. OTL.
As always, I apologize for any grammar mistakes, spelling errors, and OOCness that may have occurred within this chapter! ( Hardly any canon characters were even in this chapter, though. I mean, Zero got five seconds. -SHOT- )
LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;
Guest, Juliedoo, thecoldforest, Astin, Tokine8696, XxZuiliu, Ficchii, XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX, Sasame103, Sweety1607, luvJesusInHeavn, Demonic Angel 7, Fangirling Duck, xXMizukiXx, Anemos, and Simplicity-Shitsuboku
Thank you guys for your amazing and lovely and ASDFGHJKL reviews! I love you guys! (:
Also, thanks to every who alerted and favourited! It means a lot, too~
OKAY, RESPONSES. FAST, QUICK, GO!
To Juliedoo;
I adore Aidou and Ivy together, but then again, I really love Aidou with anyone because he's just so fun. LOL.
And oh yes. Definitely. Ivy was getting so frustrated, if she held it in any longer than that, she probably wouldn't slapped him. HAHA.
ASDNVOAWENBOWEB. YES. I love Kenta. He's just. He's so cute, it should be impossible. But then again, I'm totally biased. OTL.
I KNOW, I KNOWWWWWWW. ARGH. I want to throw her under a bus or something. I'm so angry, I can't even. And you KNOW that they're gonna interact at the Kuran mansion and it's going to get all tense or awkward between the three of them. Or hostile. And it's just. STOP. JUST STOP. SHE'S NOT WORTH IT. -SOBS-
Aw man, Lydia's not going to be introduced until, like mid-twenties or late-twenties chapter-wise. HAHA. I feel like a lot of people are anticipating her appearance, and I'm so worried that she's going to disappoint or be different from what everyone expects. ASDNOAWEBNOWEV. But I hope you look forward to her! (:
Thank you so much for sending me in a lovely review, and I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! Happy Valentine's Day / Singles' Awareness Day! (:
To Astin;
LOL, WHAT? You need to go and catch up, but I'm warning you right now that you will be flipping tables and yelling and getting angry and having an urge to just slap Yuuki and shave her bald before feeding her to sharks. I JUST CAN'T EVEN. ARGH. So frustrated.
And aww, thank you! I would send you some of my so-called "talent" ( HAH! ) if I could, but I can't. -SOBS-
Zero IS frustrating. To be honest, I find a lot of VK characters frustrating. LOL. But I still love them! It doesn't make up for the fact that half the time, they need to get slapped, though. ):
Kenta is happily celebrating his birthday with his family. LOL.
I HAVE TOO MANY OCS. I HOPE YOU HAVE ENOUGH LOVE FOR ALL OF THEM. -SOBS-
And nope! All chapters are going to have a purpose; this one is to set up the upcoming chapters. And the upcoming chapters will focus on Ivy and what happened five years ago, as well as the relationships between EX5! (:
I WOULD give her a chance to go, but that's too... I can't. LOL. She can't go because then she'd have to ditch training camp and she would never do that. BUT... Okay, I can't spoil. (;
I TRIED WRITING FOR ALL MY STORIES AND I COULDN'T. THERE'S NO TIME. SCHOOL, WHYYY? OTL. I'm sorry, but at least I can update Heterochromia! ASDFGHJKL.
Thank you for always supporting me, Astin! I hope that you liked the latest chapter, and happy Valentine's Day / Singles' Awareness Day! ;D
To Tokine8696;
I'm hoping that by the time I finish all my responses, it's still before midnight! -DIES- And thank you!
Trust me, I know what you mean. Whenever I see Zero and Yuuki together in the manga, I want to flip tables and then wail. It's horrible. I'm not sure if I want him to have his memories erased, but... ARGH. VK, WHYY?
Aww, I'm sorry I disappointed you a bit with that! But the fluffy Zero and Ivy moments will come on in later chapters, I promise! I'm not sure how long it'll take, but there will be lots. LOTS. Eventually. HAHA. I'd say that it DOES speak a lot about their relationship; everything Ivy said, how she said it, how she felt, what ZERO did. I think that there's a lot of meaning behind it, but then again... I'm the author. Totally biased here. XD
Shiki, huh? xD I can't really see the two of them as a couple, but I can definitely see why you'd think he'd make a pretty good rival. Kenta... Ohmy. Zero's got to look out, eh? (;
I didn't include an IvyxZero moment, but like I said, there will be lots in the future! Please be patient, and I hope you retain your sanity until then! HAHA.
Thank you so much for your continuous support! I appreciate it so much. I hope that you liked the latest update! Happy Valentine's Day / Singles' Awareness Day! (x
To XxZuiliu;
Why thank you! I'm so touched, you have no idea. HAHA. And I love complex stories... As long as they don't totally mess with my mind. -grins-
I try not to just throw in random OCs everywhere. LOL. I can't really say that now, though, after this arc. I mean, I'm- "HERE, OC! OH, LOOK, ANOTHER ONE! HEY, THERE'S THIRTY OF THEM!" But in all honestly, you only meet, like, seven. NOT THAT IT'S ANY BETTER, BECAUSE SEVEN NEW OCS IS LIKE... "WHAT?" but y'know. -SHOT- I'M SORRY.
;OO! Really? I'm so happy to know that you don't just skip over a few words within my large paragraphs! I tend to do that often, and I hate it, but I don't like editing them out because I end up feeling uneasy if I do. HAHA.
ASDFGHKL. THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME! It happens a lot, and I'm not sure why. A lot of the italicized words end up gluing together with the word after it, and sometimes I miss out on some, so thank you for telling me! And for the compliment as well! -blushes-
Nono, it's fine! I absolutely adore long reviews; I'm beyond happy that you'd even take the time to write me a long one!
HAHA. It's true! It's weird to think about Zero fighting for Ivy's affections or anything, and he's clearly not going to do that anytime soon, but there will be a day where he has to, you know what I mean? Because Ivy's dense and she believes he's madly in love with Yuuki, so unless something clear happens, she's just going to continue with her assumption. xD It's also true that Ivy doesn't really have any romantic feelings for anyone, but Zero is of course her main person of affection. Kaito and her are strictly on a sibling basis, and the relationship between Al and Ivy... Well... xD Kenta. Yes, Kenta. She's totally clueless when it comes to how he feels.
I think that, while it's a good thing that Kenta's not included in her world of vampires and stuff, it's also a bad thing, y'know what I mean? I'm not spoiling anything, so I can tell you that Ivy wouldn't be able to have a romantic relationship with anyone who isn't fully aware of who she is, what she is, and everything that it means. She'd feel really guilty about it, and she's feel so suppressed. xD
I'm hoping that by the time I'm done responses, it's still before midnight! ASDNBOAWENBWEOPB. And thank you! Belated Lunar New Years to you! And happy Valentine's Day / Singles' Awareness Day! -beams-
Thank you so much for your insightful, lovely review! I loved reading it! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! (:
To XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX;
LMAO. Yes! Kenta's birthday is on Valentine's, so in addition to chocolate from all his admirers, people send him gifts, too! He gets totally swamped on that day, and he usually blushes like crazy. His face is practically red the entire day. ;D
Kenta and Ivy together in the end? To be totally honest, I can see it. I can honestly see the two of them in a house, sitting together on a couch snuggling as they watch movies and falling asleep together. And I feel like I'm betraying Zero for saying it, but I think they'd look adorable together. BUT AS MUCH AS I LOVE THEM TOGETHER... I'm a ZeroxIvy shipper. -SHOT-
I definitely know what you mean! Something about him draws you in. It's this dark charisma. But I agree; despite the fact that he's interesting and poor, tragic soul, it doesn't excuse any of his ridiculous behaviour. I'm always so torn about how I feel when it comes to Kaname. I don't know why he loves Yuuki so much. ;_;
HAHA! I love Aidou! He's so fun to write and everything about him is just... -DIES- I remember him bossing Zero around, too! It was hilarious. xD
Ivy DOES like being around Aidou even though all he does is insult and make fun of her! She takes it lightly and it never hits too hard, and she loves how he's able to be "mean" to her without making her feel like crap. xD
Sorry about the poor transitions! ASNDBOAEWNOB. I would've done them better, but in all honesty, I had no idea how. LOL. And I didn't want to split them into different chapters, so... -SHOT-
Definitely! Ivy was reaching a boiling point. She probably would've hit him if she had held it in any longer. I think that most fangirls are still too blind about Zero to realize that he's an idiot. As much as I love him, he's an idiot for thinking that Yuuki is the center of his world. He can do better, he really can. ;_;
Weird is a hundred percent okay! HAHA. I have love-hate relationships with conflicting emotions. -sigh-
Kaname! I honestly thought that more people would say Kaname, but I guess not. LOL. I think he'd make a scary love rival, too. In general. He's manipulative and all, so I feel like he'd be able to deceive the girl half the time. I don't know. xD
YESSSSS. AIDOU. I FEEL LIKE HIM AS A RIVAL WOULD BE AMAZING. Because he's so... I can't even find the right word for him, but YES. I agree.
HAHA, oh Kenta. Kenta, Kenta, Kenta... How he'll fare against Zero, well... We'll have to see. (;
Thank you so much for your faithful support! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia, and happy Valentine's Day / Singles' Awareness Day! (:
To Sasame103;
Aww, THANK YOU! I'd say that calling it one of the BEST OC fanfics is a bit too flattering, but THANK YOUUUUU! I'm so glad that you mustered up enough emotions within you to write me a review and share your thoughts with me! You have absolutely no idea how absolutely delighted I am to hear from you! (:
Feel free to call me whatever you see fit! (: I love it when my fellow FFnet buddies drop the formalities! (:
HAHA, I think Ivy is one of the most complex OCs I have ever created, and I love her for it. I think that it's BECAUSE she's so complicated that I love her so much. And I think that most people think OCs that aren't cold or harsh are Mary-Sues. A large part of me hopes that Ivy can be an OC that totally just smashes that stupid thought, y'know what I mean? But I have no idea how well that's happening. LOL. I'm so glad that you don't think of her as a Mary-Sue! I try hard not to make her one, but as an author, I'm totally biased. HAHA.
It's fine if your review got cut off! I just hope that your phone is okay. xD And there weren't mistakes, so no worriesssss!
... People... pair Zero up... with nekoimi OCs? What are those? LOL. From the sound of it, it's not good. THEY'RE not good, I mean.
AL. I don't think that he'll be showing up much until a lot later; this arc has a lot more Nao in it, though! I hope that makes up for it a bit! HAHA. I'm glad you love Al so much! I think he's wonderful and he's always so fun to write about. -DIES- Violet probably won't be showing up for a long time, either. I hope that you'll stay with me until then, though! (:
Kenta has black hair. LOL. BEDHEADDDD... In the form of a faux-hawk. -SHOT- He just wakes up that way. And mmnargh, yes, Kenta is so cute. I adore him to bits. He practically radiates sunshine and bunnies. He DOES deserve a wonderful girlfriend and someone who can make him happy. How he and Ivy progress along in their relationship... WELL... (;
Trance is probably the second most complicated OC in the story, right after Ivy! Or that's just how I see him. And I love him to bits. I think that you will, too, as you learn more about him. And ARASHI. DEAR LORD. I think that Arashi beats Kenta out for cuteness. By a large margin. I DIDN'T EVEN THINK IT WAS POSSIBLE.
There will definitely be more appearances with Kaito, but I'm not sure how many or how long they'll be! But I love Kaito as a character; he's one of the ones in VK that haven't ever pissed me off. I'm so happy he's there, so he'll appear later on in Heterochromia without a doubt!
Kaname creates all these conflicting emotions. It's ASGNOWNPEWB. And oh, no, please don't worry. I totally agree with you about Yuuki. I loathe her with a passion. You have no idea how many times I've wanted to strangle her. -SHOT- I hope that she dies, and that Zero and Kaname move on. I hope they find happiness with people who actually deserve them, you know what I mean?
Al's definitely the type to go after what he wants full-force. HAHA. His relationship with Ivy is... -DIES-
As for the artwork, I've already PMed you, so YAAAAAY! Did I mention to you THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU? (;
Also, thank you for your support and for sharing your lovely thoughts with me! I'm delighted! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia, and happy Valentine's Day / Singles' Awareness Day! -beams-
To Fangirling Duck;
THE LATEST CHAPTER WAS RIDICULOUS. I also just sat there, stunned. And then I started to wail and cry and break pencils because I CAN'T EVEN. -breathes-
LOL. The scene where Yuuki drinks Zero's blood is in the actual manga! I could hardly believe it when that happened, and I hated having to include it in Heterochromia, BUT I HAD TO. -SOBS-
And ;OOO! You think they had a "sort of good" relationship that just started to go downhill? REALLY? I'd say that their relationship actually just got better and better and better and Ivy's outburst just set them back a step or two. Is that just me? O_O
And HAHA, WHY THANK YOU. Ivy would've probably died a bit on the inside if you applauded, and then gave you the "please shut up and get out of here, this is a private moment" look. XD I'd say that it's a speech that every Zero fangirl who ISN'T BLINDED BY HIS BISHOUNEN GORGEOUSNESS would say. I mean, some fangirls out there still can't admit that Zero's an idiot. Or maybe I'm just too hard on him. OTL. I know what you mean, though. As much as I love him... I can't just turn a blind eye to all his flaws. ASDFGHNKL.
I swear there are no guys like Kenta anymore. Or, at least, I haven't met any. It makes me sad, because Kenta practically vomits rainbows and sunshine. I want to know someone like that. ):
LOL. IVY'S TOTALLY CLUELESS. ANBONEWOBNOWEA. There's SORT OF a reason for that, though. Sort of. Kind of.
GIN IS AMAZING. I LOVE GIN SO MUCH AND HE'S SO FUN TO WRITE ABOUT. AWNEBONAWEOAWVP.
I don't think that picking Kaname is bad! ;O I think that it's pretty awesome, actually. Kaname's pretty manipulative, so he knows how to make a girl fall for him, y'know? And he's got that dark, mysterious charisma to him that pulls people in. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he presented himself as a strong love rival. (;
HAHA, THANK YOU FOR THE NICKNAME! You can honestly just call me whatever you see fit, though! I'm not sure whether I'm older than you or not, but I'm still in high-school! (:
Thank you so much for your hilarious reviews, and for always supporting me! I am so grateful. (: I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia! Also, happy Valentine's Day / Singles' Awareness Day! -grins-
To xXMizukiXx;
ASDFGJKL. I SHALL. Thank you! Your compliments always make me feel a bit fuzzy on the inside. -grins-
MMNARGH, I KNOW. Kenta's beyond cute. I can't even. He's adorable. Like... bunnies frolicking through a meadow sort of cute. I CAN'T. xD
Zero's always wallowing in self-remorse, though. OTL. Or, at the very least, that's how I see him. He's so in love with Yuuki, it hurts to watch. He ends up neglecting people, and I can't. AWNBOAEWNBWO. I want to slap some sense into him. -SIGH- I've always hated Yuuki. I'm sorry if I'm converting you into a hater of her, too. ;_;
And to be honest, if Ivy hadn't burst now and held it in longer, when she finally DID explode, she would've slapped him. LOL.
Aidou is hilarious and lovely. I adore him to bits. ;D He and Ivy are really fun to write about, but I think that either one of them are fun to write about with practically anyone else. I'd say that Ivy's just witty and used to snappy retorts because of Lydia and Cheryl, and Aidou... LOL. YOU'RE KILLING ME WITH YOUR IMAGE. -DIES-
Ohmyyyyyy. GINNNNN. I love writing about him. I really do. And him with Ivy. ASNOVNEOGBEWAb. THEIR RELATIONSHIP. And he and Lydia are so... ARGH. LOL. I WANT TO WRITE SO MUCH AND UPDATE SUPER FAST TO SHOW YOU GUYS, BUT WHY IS THERE SO LITTLE TIME?! T_T
SHIKI. I can see him as a love rival, but I can't see him and Ivy together. I can only see them as sibling-like friends, like that sort of closeness. But if we're not specifically talking about Ivy and someone, then yeah. Shiki. I'd say that most people would disregard him as a threat, but then BAM. He strikes and it just blows everyone else away. xD
Aww, thank you! You have no idea how much I appreciate hearing from you all the time!
Thank you so much for your faithful, continuous encouragement and support! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia, and happy Valentine's Day / Singles' Awareness Day! (:
To Anemos;
GINN. I'm glad that you like him already! I honestly love writing about him. HAHA. Actually, Gin and Al are pretty good friends! (:
There's a lot to be learned in this arc about EX5, but I feel like it still wouldn't answer all the questions you have! And yes, Nao will definitely be popping up a lot in the future chapters! Emi doesn't play a MAJOR role or anything, she probably won't be shown nearly as much as you'd think. xD I'm trying to fit fourteen days work of training camp in, like, five chapters. I hope it ends up working up well. -SOBS- And Trance... I feel like everything will make so much sense later on, y'know what I mean?
ASDFGHJKL. Yes. Kaname is black raspberry. Definitely, ESPECIALLY after that awesome explanation. HAHA. I can't even. I want Zero to be a vanilla and blueberry swirl! Can we settle for that? -sparkly eyed-
Physically... WELL. I probably shouldn't say that much, but I agree with Ivy's emotional stability isn't very steady. She tries hard to suppress everything, and at times, she just ends up exploding because it's too much. She'd end up breaking herself unless she let it all out, and when she does, it comes out as outbursts of emotion. And sometimes, certain words or certain actions just trigger things in her memory that she can't handle, so she ends up breaking down, as shown in this chapter. xD She definitely can't beat Kaname in terms of keeping on a mask, though. Kaname's just... My heart breaks for him because he always needs to put on a facade. I agree that it's not something to be proud of. D;
And yeah, probably. HAHA. Kaname's just... when it comes to Yuuki, he goes to such crazy measures. Who really knows what he's got planned if you mess with her, y'know? Intentionally or not.
About that! Actually, Ivy's a stable Level D, and she will remain that way! The reason for that is because Purebloods' blood can prolong the fall to a Level E, right? And with Ivy, like 70 - 75% of her blood count is a Pureblood's, from the very moment she Changed. So she has always had the support of that. Her life span hasn't ever had the chance to deteriorate fast like Zero's, who didn't have a Pureblood's blood for years. She's had it ever since she became a vampire, therefore she's never even come close to sinking to a Level E, and neither are any of the EX5 members. Despite this stability of being a Level D, though, there's skepticism about it. xP But yeah! I think that this answers the question about whether she's ever taken blood from the Pureblood who bit her, too. But no, she hasn't. Not directly. But she always has his blood within her, so she's always consuming it, whether she wants to or not.
Definitely! Ivy's never had anyone feel anything romantic for her and ACTED like it, or told her or anything. She doesn't believe that love is possible for her, but that's something for another chapter. (; Kenta's relationship with Ivy... I wouldn't compare it at all to the triangle between Zero, Kaname, and Yuuki, but I think that it's because I don't consider Ivy or Kenta anything like Yuuki and Kaname, you know what I mean?
Yup! Ivy's pretty hypocritical if you look at it, and Zero knows this. Actually, most people know this. LOL. Ivy's aware of it sometimes, but it's usually in hindsight. She tries not to be, but it's really just how she is. She has the best of intentions in mind, though. xD
AIDOUU! Yes! He had actually been walking back to the Moon Dorms when Ivy and Zero were speaking, and he eavesdropped. He's good at concealing his aura, and both hunters were so riled up with emotions they couldn't sense him. He ran back to the Moon Dorms and changed, pretending to play it cool. xD
Training camp will do Ivy some good! HAHA. And she'll try not to let Emi or Trance get her down. She has to make up with Zero eventually, though, I'd say. I just have no idea when. -DIES-
HAHA. Gin's the type that would think about playing matchmaker, but he would never do it unless he absolutely believed they were destined for one another and were going in completely opposite directions. He usually wants to let them work it out themselves, and even when he DOES play matchmaker, he does it really subtly and pretends he's not. ;D
And nono, it's fine! I love long reviews! (:
Thank you so much for always supporting me and sharing your wonderful thoughts with me! It means a ton! I hope that you liked the latest chapter of Heterochromia! Happy Valentine's Day / Singles' Awareness Day! ;D
END OF RESPONSES.
GUYS, GUYS, IT'S ALMOST 11 PM. DEAR LORD. ASBNWEOAWOEV.
All those walls of text! Oh my goodness. ASDFGHJKL.
BUT OKAY, I SHOULD WRAP THIS UP QUICKLY EVEN THOUGH I'LL PROBABLY TAKE FOREVER.
First off, thanks to everyone who answered my question! I loved hearing your thoughts on it! (: This time...
QUESTION: What do you want to happen the most during this training camp? ( And it can't include Ivy and Zero professing their love to one another. Or doing unspeakably, naughty things at night. -SHOT- )
I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please share them with me in a review or a PM! (:
SO GUYS, I'M GOING TO UPDATE IN, LIKE, TEN MINUTES AND IT'S STILL TECHNICALLY VALENTINE'S DAY WHERE I LIVE. I'M SO SORRY IT'S SO LATE, THOUGH. -SOBS- PLEASE DON'T KILL ME. AWNBOENWOBNWAOEV. For a lot of you, Valentine's Day has probably already passed; I'M SORRY. OTL.
I don't really have that much more to say except that I hope I can update soon!
XOXO,
-EverlastingxSong-