Chapter 28: The Human Bares Her Fangs
Tears flowed endlessly from her eyes as Hitori hugged the lifeless body of Hitomi tightly. Hitomi felt cold and stiff in her arms which was no surprise. Tears still didn't their constant flow from Hitori's violet eyes. Her face was flushed and her eyes were puffy from the constant tears. To her, the world now felt oddly empty and dark. Her eyes strayed to Hitomi's pale face. Her eyes were closed showed a tinge of blue in them. But they were pulled into a blissful smile. It was as if death had finally ended her suffering. But it didn't end Hitori's.
Suddenly, Hitori felt hot and stuffy. Her arms weakened and soon, she could no longer support Hitomi's body in her arms. Her view became blurry and hazy. She became dizzy and her body started to collapse forward. Hitori heard a faint call of her name before she blacked out.
~*.*~*.*~*.*~*.*~*.*~*.*~
It's too bright…Hitori thought in annoyance.
Her eyelids twitched in annoyance due to the bright light exposure. Soon, her stiff fingers twitched as well. This was followed by a silent groan.
"She's coming round!" A familiar voice cried out.
Hitori's eyelids felt heavy but she forced them open anyway. They fluttered weakly before slowly opening to reveal her violet orbs. She was greeted by Yuuki's relieved face. Her cheeks were flushed and fat droplets of tears rested at the corner of her wine-coloured eyes. Had she been crying? Hitori thought so.
" Yuuki-san?" she called out hoarsely. Her voice sounded oddly scratchy and her throat was bone dry. When was the last time she drank? Ignoring her thirst, she began to sit up when a pain shot through her whole torso. She winced and gasped as she collapsed back onto the bed. Wait, bed? She looked around her. The wallpaper looked familiar. The scent of medicine was absent so this couldn't be the infirmary. When she spotted her familiar blue hairbrush sitting on her dressing table, she realized that she must be in her room.
"Don't get up! You're injured!" Yuuki pulled back the covers up to hitori's shoulders. A glass of water was held in front of her. Hitori stared at it questioningly.
"Drink this. You must be thirsty," a low voice replied. Hitori slowly turned her head to see Zero standing by her bedside, holding the glass. Hitori nodded and quickly grabbed the glass, quietly thanking him. When she finished drinking its content, she soon realized that she wasn't wearing her school uniform but her green nightgown. She stared at the pair inquiringly.
"I changed your clothes. Your uniform was covered in…um…blod," Yuuki said the last word hesitantly.
" Blood?" Hitori echoed quietly. Then, it came back to her.
The Level Es…
The attack….
Blood…
Hitomi's cold hands…
Hitomi! Her eyes widened at the memory.
"Where's Hitomi? She-she," Hitori couldn't continue. A sob began to form in her throat. Where's her younger sister? Her younger sister who sacrificed herself to save her.
"Where is she?" repeated Hitori.
Yuuki and Zero glanced at each other. Yuuki took a deep breath and replied. "Five days ago, we found you injured with Hitomi-chan's… body in your arms," Yuuki slightly teared up at the word 'body'. She couldn't accept her death either.
"I was unconscious for five days?" Hitori asked.
"Yes," Zero nodded. "You were injured from your shoulder blades all the way to your right elbow. Your torso was filled with deep gashes, and it caused you to be infected with a light fever," he explained.
" Hitomi-chan's…body was covered in blood so we took the liberty to clean her up after we treated you. Her wounds…were healed… by Kaname-sempai," Yuuki added. Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. She looked at Hitori sadly. " Hitori-chan, I… just couldn't believe that Hitomi-chan is gone," she sobbed. Hitori looked down. The pain and loss returned, filling her mind. Tears, however, didn't return with them. She had cried enough. I know, me neither," she agreed quietly. She didn't cry, but her voice shook as she spoke. Zero put a comforting hand on both of the girls' shoulders. Hitori grabbed his hand and looked up at him.
"Thank you, Zero," she smiled. "Where is she now?"
"She's in the infirmary," Zero replied.
Hitori bit her lip and gripped the blanket tightly. Quick as lightning, she pushed away the covers and ran out of the room, not caring about her attire nor her injuries. She slipped on a pair of slippers and soon, she was running through the hallways.
"Wait! Your injuries!" came Yuuki's shocked reply.
"I don't care! I have to see her!" Hitori called back. Her legs felt stiff but she didn't care.
Hitomi!
Hitomi!
HITOMI!
In the matter of time, she reached the infirmary and burst through the doors. Panting, she was surprised to see that she was not the only one there. Surrounding the bed Hitomi's body was in were Kaname, Kaien, Ichijou, Sayori and Kotoko. Ichijou's green eyes widened at the sight of Hitori.
"Hitori-chan…" he greeted. He was dressed in casual way. So did the others.
"Hitori-san, you shouldn't be running around with your injuries," Kaname scolded gently.
"Ai-sempai," was all Kotoko said. She seemed okay except for the bandage wrapped around her neck. Hitori sighed internally, relieved that she's fine.
"Ai-san…are you alright?" Sayori inquired. Hitori nodded. Kaien didn't say anything but he seemed to acknowledge her as well. She soon realized that Yagari and Haruhi were standing against the wall beside her. But she wasn't focused on any of her companions. Her eyes were only focused in her sister's body on the bed. She was dressed in a simple blue nightgown and her silver hair was sprawled messily on the pillow. Her arms were placed neatly on her torso. From a normal point of view, it seemed that she was sleeping. But Hitori knew better.
Slowly, she approached the bed and sat on the stool next to it. Her shaky hand touched Hitomi's cheeks. They were cold, as expected. She brushed away a strand of silver hair from her closed eyes. The others watched her silently. After a while, it was Ichijou who broke the silence.
"So… she's really gone, huh?" he said. His tone was sad and hollow. Hitori took a glance a her sister's ex-chaperone. Her green eyes lacked their usual gleam, now replaced by a dull look. His smile was small and sad. There were rings under his eyes, indicating his lack of sleep. Hitori unconsciously stroked his cheek, as if reassuring him. She flashed him a sad smile of her own. "Yes… she is…"
"She didn't deserve to go!"
Everyone turned to see Yuuki and zero standing by the doorway. Tears streamed endlessly from her eyes. "Hitomi-chan didn't deserve to die!" she screamed in aguish. "She didn't!" she started to pound the wall. Zero placed a hand on her shoulders, restraining her.
"Yuuki…" he started to say. But her outburst started something. Soon, tears flowed from Sayori and Kotoko's eyes as well. This surprised Hitori as she hardly seen Sayori cry before.
"I-I don't know your sister well, but I-I k-know she's a g-good girl. I don't know why she must die like this, being killed by a mad person," Kotoko sobbed. Hitori glanced at Kaname. He must have replaced her memory to avoid suspicion.
"I agree with Hinamori-san," Sayori added quietly.
"She was a good girl," Kaien smiled sadly.
"Things had been interesting with her around…" Yagari muttered.
"Troublesome sister, but she's a great person," Haruhi added wistfully.
Kaname and Zero stayed quiet but Hitori could detect remorse in both of their eyes. Hitomi's loss affected them all. Hitori looked at her sister's peaceful face. She looked radiant even in death. It was asif death was the end of all her suffering. Maybe… it was.
"Um… if I could interrupt," Kaname cleared his throat. All head turned to him. It was then Hitori realized that Kaname was holding a thin stack of papers in his hands. She looked at it inquiringly.
"Kuran-sempai, what are those?" she asked.
"These," he held the papers up in emphasis, "are regarding the Level Es' attacks. The Night Class did a research and found similarities among the Level Es,"
"Similarities?" Yuuki echoed.
"We've found out that they came from the same source and for the same reason," Kaname continued. He glanced at Ichijou meaningfully. Ichijou nodded in understanding. He faced the others grimly.
"The Level Es are actually those under confinement of the Vampire's Council. They are all under my grandfather, Ichiou's command,"
Eyes widened. Haruhi, Zero and Yagari 'tsk'ed while Kaien shook his head. A stifled gasp made Hitori realized something. She turned and sure enough, Kotoko and Sayori were still there. Their eyes widened at the word 'vampire'.
"V-vampire?" Kotoko sputtered.
"What are you talking about? Level Es?" Sayori asked.
Panic rose in Hitori's chest. She had completely forgotten that they were there. She turned to Kaname only to find him no longer there. She turned back to see him covering the eyes of those two girls. A strange glow emitted from his palm and soon enough, those two crumpled to the ground. Their memories had been erased.
"I'm sorry. I've been careless," he apologized. He lifted those two girls easily in his arms and handed them over to Zero. "If you would kindly assist me in sending them back to their rooms, it would be appreciated," he said.
Zero grunted but said nothing. He took the girls and soon, he was out of the room. Kaname turned back to the others. "Now, Ichijou, you may continue,"
Nodding, he spoke. "Anyway, the Level Es came to the academy under my grandfather's commands for one reason, " he faced Hitori with a serious expression, " to hunt down and kill your sister,"
That statement hit Hitori like a stinging slap. She looked at her sister's body and back to Ichiou. Moisture gathered in her eyes; but it was not because of sadness, those were tears of anger.
"What?" she snarled venomously. "Whatever for?"
"Hitomi is considered dangerous despite her Level D status," a steely voice replied.
Hitori immediately shifted her attention towards the owner of the voice; Haruhi. He leaned against the wall, completely calm. But underneath that calm demeanor, Hitori could sense an underlying anger as well as…regret. "Oni-san?" she questioned.
"The old man sensed a hidden potential in Hitomi. He feared that one day Hitomi might come out as a powerful vampire, even more powerful than him," he continued. His tone held disgust.
"How do you know all this?" asked Hitori.
"Because…" Haruhi hesitated. "I've been ordered to kill her as well,"
Shock flashed through Hitori's face. Yuuki stifled a gasp while Zero, who returned, narrowed his eyes. Kaname stayed silent and Kaien as well as Yagari signed sadly. Ichijou could do nothing more than to look away.
"Oni-san… you…" Then, it hit her. All this while, Haruhi had been avoiding her and acted cold to her just to protect her from the upcoming pain that he knew she'll face when she finds out the truth. Realization dawned upon her like a splash of cold water. And I've been so ignorant…she thought. Oni-san faced so much pain…
"When I hesitated, he sent his men to spy on her, hoping to ambush her," Haruhi explained.
That explains the vampire sightings… thought the rest except for Hitori.
That explains the Level Es' attacks a month ago… she thought.
"Ichiou heard about Hitomi's disappearance and made a plan to create a false story about her attacking the townspeople. He figured that this might be a way to force me or other vampire hunters to eliminate her," he spat at the word 'eliminate'.
Hitori gritted her teeth.
"When that failed, his last resort was to send Level Es to attack the academy hoping to lure her out. And well…apparently…his plan worked.
But Hitomi died protecting me!" Hitori screamed in outrage.
"You think he cares? All that mattered was the outcome," Haruhi took a glance at Hitomi's body for emphasis.
Angry tears flowed freely from Hitori's eyes. How could he? How could he do this to Hitomi? To her, this Ichiou seemed worse than the pureblood vampire that took away Hitomi's humanity. Hitori turned and roughly grabbed Yagari's shoulder.
"Yagari-sama! Take me to this Ichiou! I want to have a word with him!" she howled in anger. Yagari looked at her calmly and patted Hitori's head.
"Sorry, kid. The Vampire's Council is not a place where you should be," he said.
"Hitori-chan, it's a dangerous place for a human like you to go," Kaien chimed in gently.
"Only hunters and vampires are allowed there. Even then, we need proper permission," Ichijou explained. But Hitori didn't falter. Her anger was too much. She turned to glare at Ichijou.
"Then get me this permission! You're his grandson right? I need to see him!" she barked.
"Hitori-chan," Yuuki started to say.
"DON'T TRY TO STOP ME! HE'S BEHIND MY SISTER'S DEATH !HE MUST NOT GET AWAY WITHOUT AN EXPLAINATION !" Hitori's outburst startled everyone.
It was Kaname who finally replied. "Alright, Ichijou, Haruhi-kun and I will accompany you," he resigned. "But- "
"But?" insisted Hitori.
Kaname flashed her a small smile. "Do change to something proper and calm yourself down,"
~*.*~*.*~*.*~*.*~*.*~
"You're here,"
The quartet were currently in the familiar office. Ichiou stood by his desk, his face grim. Arms folded neatly behind his back, he focused his attention on the four. The four had changed into their school uniforms for the meeting. Hitori was glaring at him through cold slits.
"Long time no see, grandfather," Ichijou greeted with respect.
"Ichiou," "Old man", Kaname and Haruhi addressed him respectively. Hitori said nothing. This attracted Ichiou's attention. His beady eyes focused on Hitori's face.
"You are?" he asked calmly.
"Ai-Hitori," she spat through her teeth. "She's one of my sisters," Haruhi added.
"Ah," Realization dawned upon the council leader. His previously bored eyes held interest. His lips were pulled into a smirk. "You must be Hitomi's older sister," he said coolly. "I'm sorry for her death," his tone held mock.
A tinge of red covered Hitori's field of vision. Her fist started shaking. The trio looked at her warily. Hitori barely noticed as she gritted her teeth. How dare he? Ha had the nerve to mock about Hitomi's death even though he was the one behind it!
"Why?" she said quietly. She was facing down, bangs covering her eyes.
"Pardon?" Ichiou feigned innocence. This angered Hitori more.
"WHY?" she screamed. "Why did you kill Hitomi?"
Ichiou blinked. His lips pulled into a mocking sneer. "I did no such thing,human," he hissed at the last word.
Hitori grabbed Ichiou by the collar of his coat in a flash of lightning. Her actions surprised her three companions. For a girl, she's strong. She snarled in Ichiou's face.
"You were behind her death, you vampire. Don't try to feign innocence in front of me," she hissed venomously. Ichiou smirked and with a flick of his wrist, Hitori was throw across the room. Her head hit the wall with a loud 'thud'. She groaned in pain.
"Hitori!
"Hitori-chan!"
"Hitori-san, are you okay?"
The guys swarmed around Hitori who crumpled on the floor. Ichijou shot his grandfather an angry look. "Grandfather!"
"The human girl needs to learn manners," Ichiou said simply. He strode over to the group, stopping directly in front of Hitori. She glared up at him angrily.
"I have no interest in your siblings any longer, human. Your sister deserved to be killed. She'll eventually reach the point where she'll become a monster anyway. I ended her suffering earlier. So be grateful," he purred mockingly. Hitori got up and raised her hand to slap him, only to be stopped by Kaname. He shook his head at her. "It's not worth it, Hitori-san," he whispered.
He turned to Ichiou. "I hope this would be your last time meddling with the academy's affairs, Ichiou. You were behind a student's death and no one is happy about that. Stop your actions before I lose my patience," he looked at him dangerously. Even humans like the Ai siblings could detect the threat in his voice. Ichiou stared at him calmly before bowing.
" I apologize if I angered you, Kaname-sama. However, I will not make promises I'll not keep," he replied.
Kaname narrowed his eyes. "Well then, you better hope you don't cross my path the next time you cause trouble," he ended his sentence with the air of finality. With that, he turned and motioned everyone to exit the room. Hitori took one last glance at Ichiou before leaving. Ichjou bowed at the doorway. "See you another time, grandfather,"
And the door closed with a click.
~*.*~*.*~*.*~*.*~*.*~
The four walked silently through the hallways of the Vampire's Council building. Hitori felt oddly fatigued and soon, her legs felt like jelly as she trudged along beside her brother. Also, she felt sad and somehow relieved that everything's over. Her heart was drained out of so many kinds of different emotions.
And to think that it all started since she enrolled in the Cross Academy.
Haruhi paused when he heard someone falling. He turned just in time to cath Hitori in his arms.
"H-hey! Hitori, are you alright?" he shook her still form.
His answer? Drops of tears landed on his uniform jacket, instantly soaking it. Hitori looked up at him. Tears trailed down her cheeks as she smiled shakily. So many emotions were seen swimming in the pool of her violet orbs.
"Hitori?" Haruhi raised his eyebrow.
"Oni-san," Hitori said with a shaky voice.
"Let's go back home,"
Author: Yo! So long since I wrote a long chapter! Sorry for the late update, so many festivities going on here at my place ;). At any rate, I hope you all read the previous author's note, concerning about my apology about my characters. Remember that time when I got mad about someone insulting my characters? Yeah… I still don't encourage someone doing so but… if you could kindly advise me as you point out my mistakes, I don't mind. I read about Mary Sues and I know writers and readers hate them. (Yeah, I only heard the term recently. Hey! I only began indulging myself in the world of fan fiction last year and I never heard of the term so how would I know?) If you think my characters needed some thinking over, tell me NICELY. Anyway, enough with my babbling. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I re-welcomed unsigned reviewers but those who flamed me… BEWARE! This story is gonna end pretty soon but I'm not gonna tell you when. I have to take a month's leave AGAIN because of the end year's exam. ( Life of a teenager is so unfair…) I'll end my 'speech' with a …..
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