Hello Everyone. I do apologize for this wait but I'm sure you can understand my pain when it comes to school. They make you so busy that you don't have any time for yourself or friends. Not to mention my crazy work schedule doesn't help either. Well, either way, I finally got some vacation time since it was my birthday.
Also, this chapter is very special. This chapter is the first chapter that isn't Mei's viewpoint, but ICHIRU'S INSTEAD! So I do apologize but I have to leave you waiting for the rest of the chapter. That means a lot of writing for me lol.
Thank you to everyone who followed, favorite, and made a comment about this story. Without waiting, let's get started, shall we?
I do not own Vampire Knight. Enjoy!
Chapter 16
Ichiru's POV
"Ichiru, you have a fever again." "Ichiru, what are you doing out here?" "Ichiru, you can't practice with Zero." "Don't worry Ichiru. Things will get better." "Someday you will train with me, Ichiru."
Shut up... Shut up... Shut up!
...
For as long as I can remember, I have always been sick. The eyes of worry and fear only at me. I know that I am too weak to fight against the vampire. I know I'm too weak compared to my older brother. The number of lies I've been told by my parents. They think that a child can't understand what is happening, but I understand perfectly. As each day goes on, I can feel hatred for my parents, older brother, and my master every time.
They are not my family...
"Ichiru?"
The soft voice of my mother comes closer to my side of the bed. The sound of rustling on the other side alerts me. My brother must be up and watching my back along with mother. I can feel their worried stares. It is a gaze that I've always seen so I know it well.
"How are you feeling, sweetie?"
Mother's soft voice rings in my ears. My mother is very caring and sweet but even I know she struggles with me. Watching her I moved the blanket a bit to see Zero and mother hovering over me.
Stop staring at me like that... I hate that look... Stop it!
I felt my throat burning with mucus trailing up. The cough was harshed and rough causing my throat to burn like fire. Right now, all I wanted to be was for everyone to go away. My mother sighed in concern patting my head that isn't covered by the blanket.
"What are we going to do? Zero needs to do training with Toga and we were assigned for a mission."
"Mother, what about that man that was with Master yesterday?" My brother suggested.
With Master?
Her warm hand was gone from my head but was replaced with Zero's laughter. I took notice of my mother's soft voice praising him.
"That's a great idea. Good job Zero."
Go away...
"I'll be right back and ask him if he can babysit Ichiru for the time being."
Mother left the room leaving Zero and myself alone in this dark room. The only source of light we had to see each other was the hallway light that mother left the door open. I fully got out of the blanket staring at Zero watching our mother speaking on the phone. Zero must've felt my stare because he turned his attention towards me confused but his lips stretched in a small smile. He lay back down with me holding my hand. What I kept staring at was that smile that would make the hatred I feel go away.
"I'm sure you will like him Ichiru. He has a daughter that you can play with when you feel better. Mother and Father will be gone for quite a while with their mission. Mother and I will come to pick you up once they are done. Also, the man's name is Kaien Kurosu."
Zero seemed to be rambling so much that it was hard to concentrate what he was saying. He was never the type of person that would ramble like this but he seemed to be nervous leaving me with another person. He was squeezing my hand tightly too.
"Zero, are you nervous leaving me alone with another person that we don't know well?" I asked squeezing his hand back tightly.
Zero stopped his rambling staring at me with wide eyes. His eyes shifted downwards slowly to our connected his hand. His bangs were covering his expression and he loosens his hold on my hands. His mouth seems to be moving but I couldn't hear what he was saying.
"Zero?"
Zero let go of my hands and got up to leave the room without acknowledging me or answering me the entire time. My mind was racing with concern because if he acted like that when would it be wise for me to go with that man. Maybe I should stay here-
"Zero! Yagari is here!" Father shouts from downstairs.
On second thought, Kaien Kurosu and his daughter sound nice.
"Hello Ichi. My name is Mei."
Ichi? One?
"Ichiru, this is my daughter. She is a year younger than you."
Wait... she's 4 years old!
My eyes widen staring at her small frame. Her big shinning green eyes staring at my violet ones. Her long brown hair grown passed her shoulders, and her blue short dress with a pink apron covering her outfit. A four-year-old little girl like her seems so mature and responsible. I glanced at Kaien questioning if he has said something to make her act this mature and grown-up. I returned my stare at the little girl to see her waiting for my hand to shake and smiling bit like the Cheshire cat. Instead of shaking her hand, I coughed harshly and shivered in the cold.
"K_Kaien-senpai, can I please go to bed? I'm not feeling well."
I glanced at the little girl staring at me in shock. She slowly moved her hand back to her side and looked away in disappointment. My eyes narrowed at her sudden change of expression questioning if she knew. Suddenly, her bright green eyes connected to mine causing shivers down my spine. Her eyes would go bright then dark the next. In those eyes, I see something that no normal little girl would be comfortable with seeing.
...Death...
"of course, Ichiru. Please follow me."
Kaien snapped me out of the staring contest returning my attention to him. My only response was a nod. He smiled softly at me pushing my back to move forward. My gaze turned back to the little girl with her back facing me. She moved forward with us walking behind her. Her head moved slightly towards my direction startling me. My face flushed embarrassment thinking I was caught but she moved towards the door on our right.
"This will be your room Ichiru. Mei-chan's room will be on your left, and my room is down the hallway. Please call us if you need anything," Kaien suggested kindly.
I didn't answer his kind gesture. All I did was push the little girl out of the way, enter the room, and slammed it at their faces. Kaien's voice of question for his daughter's well-being was heard on the other side, along with her soft replies. My body felt more chills as I heard her voice and remembered the look in her eyes. She looked so small compared to me but something must have happened before.
"There's no way a 4-year-old child can show so much darkness?"
"Why wouldn't I show so much darkness?"
My eyes widen startled from the sudden soft voice. I stared at the door questioning if I heard right.
"I... I asked the question first."
She chuckled sweetly confirming my metal state was stable and I wasn't hearing things.
"Like you Ichi, there is a darkness that in my heart that I wish to keep secret."
Her answer made me beyond anger. What does she know about me? What gives her the right to think that I have such darkness in my heart? She doesn't know anything.
"Me? Darkness? What none sense are you talking about? You know nothing about me. We just met!"
My voice was getting louder. My eyes narrowed in hatred at the door and my hands were in a tight fist.
"Well, what other reason could it be for you to fake being sick?"
The anger immediately was replaced with pure shock. I felt my legs give way falling on the floor with a loud thud. The doorknob turned slowly and the door slowly opened with the hallway shinning my room. I looked at the little girl with wide eyes seeing her and Kaien smiling sadly behind her.
"H-How?"
"Ichiru, don't you know that lying is the first call for help. It is the first step that someone has when not wanting to admit it themselves or not wanting to disappoint someone they truly care about. Lying is the first step for the darkness in our hearts to grow."
...Lying... First step... Ah... I have been lying a lot recently, haven't I?
When I tell Zero that I am not sad about skipping our birthday because of how sick I was. How I made them go on a trip without me didn't affect me? There were so many lies that I spilled. I wondered when did my lies get so frequent and got to a point of only saying lies. My hatred intense towards my parents because of not knowing my lies. My hatred towards my brother increased because of him not knowing that I was lying. However, it was my fault because I pushed them away.
"Ichiru."
My eyes returned to the present staring at the two strangers.
"I.. I forgot your name. What was it?"
A smile stretched big and wide on her face as she leaned down to my height.
"My name is Mei. Mei Kurosu. Nice to meet you, Ichi."
"Mei... Nice to meet you too, Meimei."
For the first time, I think I've found someone who could truly understand me and not treat me the same way as my brother and parents.
Many years have gone by knowing Mei and Kaien. My world seemed to be brighter as the years continued and being with Mei was so much fun. I began to learn that Master Yagari was her godfather/Uncle, and she was not blood-related to Kaien. She told stories about a beautiful woman surrounded by cherry blossoms. There were times her stories would be filled with happiness like she knew the woman. Then, there were would be times the story turned dark sad. In return for her stories, I would share stories about my family. Each time I would mention my brother, her eyes would sparkle with excitement. In some way, that made me angry.
It's always Zero...
"Ichi... Ichi..."
It was the middle of the night with someone shaking my shoulder and whispering. I slowly opened my eyes looking in front of me seeing Mei in casual clothes, instead of pajamas.
"Meimei What are you-"
She covered my mouth making an 'shhh' sound. She looked at my door waiting for a few seconds. She released her beath letting me go. Her attention returned to me with a small smile.
"Come on Ichi, let's go meet the beautiful woman."
...That beautiful woman...
She took me to a place that was surrounded by cherry blossom trees, and in the middle was a woman in a white kimono. A vampire.
"How can you be friends with someone like her?! She is a vampire Mei. Someone who can kill you like it nothing!"
I screamed at her as we returned to Kaien's house. The mere image of her smiling warming at a vampire and the vampire staring back at her the same way. Everything Master, my brother, and my parents have taught me about vampires. They were nothing but monsters.
"Our kind of killed people like it was nothing."
My eyes widen from the sudden declaration. She was staring at me with those eyes turning dark.
"What makes vampires any different from humans? If you have read the history of vampires Ichiru, then you would understand that vampires first began as humans. They were cursed with immortality and the strong urge to drink blood. If anything, they are the ones that are more hurt than us. We have not changed but they want to change."
With those last statements, she went inside the house leaving me behind. I recalled the hurt in that vampire's eyes when I called her monster, and tears that fell on her face when I took Mei away. Is what Mei said true? Are vampires trying to change but we won't let it happen?
"Boy." I turned around slowly seeing that woman from before, "aren't you cold? Shouldn't you be inside with Mei?"
"We have not changed but they want to change."
"I'm sorry."
More years have passed with that woman, Shizuka Hiou, becoming someone who I started to form a bond with. I told Zero secretly about my interaction with Mei and Shizuka. All of the stories that we shared and her reasoning for becoming friends with a vampire.
"She let you out in the cold with a dangerous vampire without any weapons!" My brother shouted in anger. "Do you two have any idea much danger you could have been? She could have raised your fever or worst!"
"Zero... Please listen to me-"
"No! You are never going to see her again!"
At those words, my world shattered back into the darkness.
"But Zero-"
"No! You're my little brother. I can't have someone I don't even know bring you into trouble! You are staying here and that's final."
Zero ran out of our room going to our parents telling them everything I said. What happened next was terrifying. I have never heard mother and father yell at Master or destroy things around them. Master was defending Mei saying that she is special. She sees things that no one in this world can see, or understand the way vampires feel. Even though my parents trusted Master, they made the decision that I wouldn't go to Kaien Kurosu's house anymore. I would never see Mei again.
The last time I saw Mei was when I had to say goodbye to her at age 12. Most of her baby fat was gone, she had an older sibling, and another vampire was occupying the household. Her tear-stained cheek made this so much harder than I wanted to be. I gave her a big hug and hold onto her as tightly as I could before it was finally time for us to leave.
"Meimei, don't worry. We will see each other again. You'll see."
She shook her head crying, not replying, but hold onto tighter.
Mei... we will see each other again. I promise.
My hatred for my parents and Zero grew intensely after that experience. they were so simple-minded that none of them could see that vampires wanted to get along with us. There was no one I could talk to about my troubles except for Shizuka. She listened to every complaint I had. She was there for every tear I shed and came to my room secretly when I was truly sick. She was, also, there when I helped her kill my parents and turning Zero into a vampire. I didn't feel one single guilt for allowing this to happen. Everything was their fault. They didn't love me. They only loved Zero.
"I...Ich..iru..."
My brother lays there on the ground bleeding out from his neck. He was reaching towards me wanting to help.
"Zero, when you see Mei and understand where I was coming from. I will say I have told you so. The times are changing brother. It's time for you to change too."
Mei, there wasn't a day where I haven't missed you. The one person who has seen right through me. The one person who has open my mind to the possibility of vampires, pureblood and all, wanting to be like us.
"Need some help Meimei."
Watching you grow distant hurt me. The smiling Mei that would I've always remembered lost her smile. The single warmth of her hands disappeared to cold, and the walls surrounding you have gotten so high.
"Meimei, I hope one day your smile can return."
And cut! Welp that's it for this chapter. I hope you like this chapter because I worked hard on it. Also, I hope everyone is safe and doing well. Now that my college closed for another 20 days, and work has become increasingly slow. I'll have some time to write some of these chapters for you guys.
Until Next Time
