Good day to my dear readers! He is the penultimate chapter of TWOFT's first plot arc. I needed to clear up some details and work through my plans for the next sequence, so please accept my apologies for the lateness. I feel much more confident now that I've had a chance to revise a few things.
XXXIII. Flashpoint Burn
The wait is excruciating. Yuuki desperately wants a word alone with Aido - an explanation, an excuse, a confession, anything. But Shirabuki is clever. The two prisoners are never alone - never left with fewer than three people, in fact, and often many more, including Shirabuki herself. Yuuki can only furtively try and meet Aido's eyes, which rarely leave the ground, and wish she could pry open his mouth in privacy.
Aido seems well enough physically - at least as far as Yuuki can gauge his health through sight. Yuuk pities him, bundled in his chair in the corner of the room. He cringes like a beaten dog whenever someone comes close, and has the pallor of an unloved houseplant. Even his golden hair seems dull and brittle, the blue of his eyes washed out.
The hours tick by. Yuuki refuses to sleep, and spends her time watching her enemies and contemplating her mistakes. More than anything else, she is frustrated with herself. She is burdening the people she loves, just like always. She wanted to be stronger. Is this the best she can do? Is this the limit of her abilities? Like curdled milk, dissatisfaction sits heavily on her tongue. She hides her fisted hands in her skirts, and accepts the agony of impotence as a fitting punishment.
Tiredness tugs at the corners of her eyes. Yuuki pushes the desire to rest violently down. Kaname can go days without sleep and stay as sharp as always. Yuuki can endure one night awake; as a pureblood, Yuuki can do at least that much. Perhaps, Yuuki reflects, that's her problem. Her humanity is her strength, but also her weakness. If she wants to play Shirabuki Sara's games, Yuuki the human will keep losing. Perhaps she needs to let the pureblood rise.
Yuuki considers this carefully, turning it over in her hands. She counts the costs, weighs the wisdom. Whittle away more of her humanity? This place already makes her feel inhuman. It will take little to rouse her native limitless darkness and hunger.
But first, she needs a plan.
Yuuki strikes when the guard thins to three.
Drawing her pureblood nature over her mind like a shroud, she never entertains a single doubt she can handle the difficult feat. Hiding her power from Shirabuki is her only concern; a pureblood fears nothing from these Level D underlings scuttling round her feet.
Instinct serves her well. She has merely to will, and her power obliges. A needlepoint of power, driven deep and fast, and the guards' eyes go cloudy, their consciousness stilled until Yuuki decides they will wake missing memories of this lost time.
Opposition now disposed of, Yuuki's gaze whips to the only other conscious person in the room, but Aido shrinks away from whatever he sees in her eyes. "Explain. Quickly," the pureblood snaps, making no accommodations. Aido witnessed Yuuki condemn Zero's attackers. He should be no stranger to her fury.
Her once-tutor recovers after a beat, habitual obedience opening his mouth to smoothly answer. "Shirabuki can bind born vampires to her commands the same way she can bind her ex-human thralls. Her method doesn't fix the weaknesses of forcing obedience, so she combines it with memory suppression commands to create sleeper agents. They act normally, and carry out her commands without any knowledge they're being used."
Yuuki curls her hands until her nails cut white half-moons in her palms. "How," she rasps. Even within this towering rage, her mind stays clear as glass.
"That factory," Aido stumbles over his words in his haste. "The drug she's making there is the catalyst. She's hiding it inside tainted blood tablets. I ate several while I was her prisoner. But the drug doesn't do anything by itself. She needs to give you an order or it's meaningless."
"When did she -" Yuuki snaps, sitting straighter. How far back does Shirabuki's advantage go?
Aido's chagrin is clear. "Shirabuki caught me the day I left Rosehill without permission - in the car as I left the lab. She ordered me to lie about what I'd discovered, to act only if Kaname found something that threatened her, and to forget until I needed to know. But then Kaname used his power of command to keep me from leaving Rosehill. Shirabuki couldn't reach me, and her commands didn't allow me to ignore Kaname's order, so I wasn't as useful as she wanted."
Aido's complexion is chalk white, and his desperation shines through his eyes - desperation born not of a desire to save his life, but to be believed. "I killed the Level D. The only other thing I did was make contact with her the night of Takuma's soiree and report. I swear, Kuran-hime."
Yuuki can feel precious seconds slipping through her fingers as she rushes to consider the implications. A raised voice outside the room reminds her she cannot afford to be caught, and she can digest the information later at her leisure. She relaxes her hold on the three Level Ds, and they blink and continue without pause, picking up right where they left off.
The pureblood can feel Aido's eyes on her, but she resolutely pretends not to notice.
Zero insists they drive. "If you're too injured for your weird pureblood bat-travel, we're going to need an escape route I can use," he maintains, his jaw stubbornly set as he tests the fit of his holsters.
Taking his hands out of the pockets of his dark trench coat, Kaname shrugs his shoulders, and acquiesces to Zero's proposal. It's a reasonable precaution, and they are running ahead of schedule. The longer Kaname can delay this meeting, the more time his backup plan will have to prepare. And the way Kaname's alpha radiates pleasure at fulfilling even the smallest of Zero's requests doesn't hurt either.
While Zero completes his own preparations, Kaname has been keeping watch. They're stopped at a small country inn, and Kaname's protective instincts are on overdrive. Earlier, the innkeeper gave their driver trouble while renting a room - suspicious of foreigners who showed up long after dark - and If not for the utterly unacceptable idea of Zero changing in public, Kaname would have left.
Even with Zero fully clothed, the current view is practically indecent, Kaname laments, eyes lingering on the snug fit of Zero's Hunting outfit. His Consort tightens the strap holding Artemis Rod to one taut thigh while Kaname watches with wistful admiration.
Catching Kaname's line of sight, Zero glares without any real heat. "I can't believe you," his husband mutters, rubbing his hands to warm them.
The familiar scene plays out half from habit, half for the sake of distraction. They're so close to seeing Yuuki; at all times, their focus pulls toward that promised future like a compass needle pointing north. Chatter is meaningless when the present is nothing more than intervening time, like chaff.
"We're going to get her back," Zero reminds him, guessing where Kaname's thoughts have wandered. "I'm not suffering through being in season with just you for company."
"What a greedy boy, demanding two pure-blooded alphas to satisfy you," Kaname teases, unable to resist the barb even when neither of their hearts are in it.
Zero's glare this time is withering. The snow under his feet crunches as he stalks past Kaname and yanks open the car door. "Who's driving?"
Kaname raises an eyebrow. "Your proposal, thus your responsibility."
A beat. Zero narrows his eyes, then a corner of his mouth turns up. "You don't know how to drive, do you?"
Kaname maintains a dignified silence, and pointedly avoids looking at Zero by fixing his gaze on the snow drifting down.
"I knew it! How can you not know how to drive? You're older than dirt, it's not like you haven't had time."
"With my powers, it's hardly a required skill," Kaname returns with a lofty air. "And if I need a driver, I have you for that, don't I?"
That startles a laugh out of Zero, and once he's started, the Hunter can't seem to stop until he's doubled over and breathless.
Kaname's chest throbs pleasantly. Even in such freezing temperatures, he feels warm.
"Come on, grandpa," Zero says, recovering his breath. "Get in. We're going on a road trip."
Yuuki crosses her legs at the knee, and frowns. Aido is on the verge of doing something well-intentioned and brave, and she needs to stop him because he's not doing a very good job hiding it. He's gone all twitchy and jumpy, plus he's not-so-subtly eyeing their watchers in a speculative manner. Yuuki considers her options, exhales, and decides earthquake is best.
"I'm not going anywhere," she tells him bluntly.
Aido jerks his head up and stares. "Yuuki-hime -"
"Shirabuki-san will use her poison to kill Zero if I leave or break her rules," she continues, bulling her way obstinately through any objections. "So don't make me do something I'd regret."
"Poison." Aido squeaks faintly. He's milk pale again.
Yuuki nods.
The noble's expression sharpens. With the air of a man who's just realized something, Aido laces his fingers together, and pierces Yuuki with a meaningful gaze. Then his eyes flick to one of their chaperones, and Yuuki gets the message.
With a moment's concentration, their watchers are frozen. "It's safe to talk," Yuuki confirms, and Aido straightens.
"Is the poison created from Shirabuki blood?" he bursts out. His fists are balled, and he's half-rising from his seat.
Yuuki glares. Satisfying Aido's scientific curiosity isn't worth risking Shirabuki finding out about her power. "Yes," she grits out. "She told me so."
A thought occurs to her. If Shirabuki can order nobles like Aido around as though they were Level Ds, she can't tell Aido anything she wouldn't want the spider woman to know. Drat. But Aido's next words blow that caution away.
"Then I know what the antidote is."
Yuuki surges to her feet, hope rising in her. "How do you know?" she says, cautioning herself. Aido is compromised - this may be Shirabuki's cruel trick.
"I've studied two of her family's special poisons - the one in Zero's blood that blocked his healing, and the one in my blood that makes me vulnerable to her orders. They have the same weakness," Aido insists, not a shred of dishonesty in his manner.
Yuuki bites her lip. She can't keep their conversation hidden from Shirabuki for long, but she needs to know. "Tell me, please," she urges, stumbling over the words in her haste.
Aido hesitates. "It's probably impossible to get," he cautions
"Tell me anyway," she insists. If it's for Zero, Yuuki will move heaven and earth, and freeing Zero means Shirabuki won't have any control over Yuuki, and which means their enemy will lose her leverage over Kaname, keeping him out of danger too.
So Aido does.
The longer Aido speaks, the more certain Yuuki feels that his information is real. It fits, and Shirabuki hinted at it herself, didn't she?
Doubt is gone. Left in its place is determination and hardened will. Resolutely, Yuuki begins to consider what she needs to do.
The grey towers jutting up from the smooth, featureless dark green of the forest remind Zero of grim childhood folktales, lending weight to the veneer of dread overlaying his professional focus and unrelenting guilt.
The closer they come, the harder Zero tries reaching out to find Yuuki, hidden away behind the castle's stone walls. But the distance is still too far, and while he's driving he can't resort to his special perception. But what he does find confirms his intuitive alarm.
"Kaname?"
"Yes."
"Do you remember how the number of Level Ds Touma claimed to have Turned didn't match the number of abducted humans?"
"I do," Kuran returns with misgiving, surveying their surroundings.
"I think I just found the missing Es." The castle is a crawling mass of vampires to his Hunter senses - so many Zero can't make out more than a blur - but the overwhelming impression is of many, many rank Ds and Es, a smattering of born vampires, and the heavy power belonging to an A Rank.
"Shirabuki was making herself an army after all," Kuran muses. "Good. I can use that as justification to the Hunters and the Senate. Can you sense Yuuki's location ?"
Zero shakes his head, eyes watching the road. "I'd need to get closer."
"You haven't asked me what's going to happen when we arrive," the pureblood observes.
Zero shrugs. He hasn't trusted himself to ask. "I know you've had Seiren staking out the place, and you must have something up your sleeve. As for me, I'm going to find Yuuki and leave Shirabuki to you. I'm not confident in my ability to handle her on my own. When I've fought purebloods before, I've been lucky or gotten help. I'm not pushing it unless I have no other choice."
Chuckling, Kuran leans back in his seat and folds his arms. "Very sensible. Though I'm surprised you're not keeping a closer watch right now. Aren't you concerned she will attack us now?"
"Not in the least," Zero snorts. "Purebloods are dramatic bastards, and she's put way to much effort into arranging this. My gut says she'll wait until we come to her."
"Perfect." Zero can see Kuran's toothy smile from the corner of his eye.
Bowing his head beneath the weight of his failure, Zero promises himself that this time will be different.
"Yuuki-chan!" Shirabuki sings. Her whole being radiates bright energy, and she beams with confidence. She's regally dressed, and the circlet around her brow keeps every hair on her golden head in place. "It's time."
Yuuki raises her head, letting her loose hair fall away from her eyes. In the corner where Shirabuki can't see, Aido goes still, warned by whatever he sees in Yuuki's face.
Shirabuki doesn't seem to notice; Yuuki wipes her expression clean, hides the fire in her eyes behind empty politeness. Rising, she smooths her wrinkled skirts, taking the chance to finish concealing her feelings. In comparison to her enemy, Yuuki is bedraggled, lacking rest and dressed in borrowed clothes. It makes no difference.
"Thank you, Shirabuki-san," Yuuki says, raising her gaze to meet those blue eyes. "I'm ready."
Stepping out of the car, Zero barely needs his Hunter senses - the sensation of malice and danger is as sharp as needles driven into his skin. He shivers, hoping the motion will be dismissed as the shock of winter's touch, but that hope is futile.
With a predator's keenness for vulnerability, Kuran comes to investigate, drawing close and touching Zero's arm with a considerate air. Mindful of watchers, Kuran's face is impassive and the line of his mouth unyielding, but Zero is close enough to see how his eyes are soft.
Zero doesn't deserve that look. Guilt swirls in the Hunter's belly. Disguising the motion as an affectionate nuzzle to Kuran's throat, Zero leans in and whispers, "She is watching us, isn't she?"
The pureblood hums, his mahogany eyes like dried blood beneath the moonlight. "We have been watched since we arrived. Within her home, her familiars scuttle beneath every leaf."
Zero's arms pebble with gooseflesh, remembering the phantom feeling of all those spider legs crawling over him.
Kuran hushes him, winding an arm around his waist and pressing Zero's head into the pureblood's shoulder.
Zero cannot refuse the comfort, even if it's meant for Yuuki. He feels like a wretched thief for stealing affection meant for her - affection he's receiving only because his mistakes took Yuuki away.
The past few days have been nothing less than surreal. Kuran has been so gentle, unguarded and affectionate in a way Zero has never seen before. There is no doubt in his mind that Kuran truly loves Yuuki, but experiencing for himself the extent of Kuran's devotion has made Zero respect the pureblood a little more.
If Kuran needs to use Zero as the target of his displaced affection, Zero won't protest. But every allowance leaves him wretched with self-loathing. Accepting Kuran's consideration is a punishment by itself, one Zero inflicts to remind himself of his culpability. In Yuuki's place, he can only atone by caring for Kuran as she would.
To escape his thoughts, Zero surrenders himself to his extra sense, stretching out as hard as he can beneath the bombardment of stimuli. "Yuuki is on the ground floor with Shirabuki, close to the front entrance."
He strains further, consciousness flickering under the strain, seeking more widely for threats. His control is still shaky; when his breathing stutters, Kuran rests a hand on his back to steady him.
The new information is worth the risk. Zero swallows, seeking purchase in the snow. "The level E swarm feels like it's beneath our feet. And they're moving in our direction."
"There must be underground rooms where she's hidden them," Kuran replies quietly. "If I was really as young as she thinks I am, commanding the swarm to overrun us wouldn't be a bad plan."
No individual Level E could overpower a pureblood. The mere idea was impossible. But with their creator Shirabuki nearby as the swarm attacked, they didn't need too. In this battle between purebloods, the swarm was a distraction, an obstacle manufactured to give Shirabuki an advantage. In great enough numbers, the swarm might force Kuran to leave openings Shirabuki could exploit. It was a familiar Hunter strategy - in the face of an overwhelming opponent, create your own trap - moments of vulnerability when the difference in ability could be overcome. All you needed was to get lucky once, and even the strongest vampire would die.
Zero does not believe Kuran would fall to such a tactic. But Yuuki will be there too, and if there is anything that the two of them can unanimously agree on, it's that Yuuki's safety is primary. Therefore, allowing the Level E swarm to interfere is a risk neither of them can accept.
Even so, Zero hesitates, Kuran's warning ringing in his mind. Is he making the same mistake again? He is here to bring Yuuki home. If Zero goes looking for the Level Es, is he letting his Hunter nature distract him from his true priority?
As though he can hear Zero's thoughts, Kuran continues, "You'll need to be the one who deals with the ex-humans. Frankly, this is probably for the best. Splitting my attention between two people's protection is not ideal. This way Yuuki can be my sole focus."
The self-doubt lies heavy yet in Zero's breast. "Are you sure?" Zero says. Right now, he trusts Kuran's judgement more than his own.
"This is not like last time," Kuran assures him. "You're not going out of your way to look for trouble, you're cutting off the enemies already moving against us. But I'm not satisfied sending you by yourself. Seiren will accompany you - she can do little against a pureblood - and Nightshade as well."
"Very well," Zero says, taking one last breath, inhaling the smell of Kuran's cologne and their shared warmth. There's a choke point he spotted while he was surveying the building. If he stations himself there, Zero can hold the swarm at bay while ensuring he only faces a few Level Es at once. Zero has armed himself to the teeth for exactly such a scenario.
Kuran's arm around his waist tightens. "You are buying time, not trying to stop them. If you are being overwhelmed, retreat. Nothing is more important than your life. Do you understand?"
"Yes." Yuuki is Zero's most important person. If her protection means Zero leaves this place without exterminating the swarm, he can always have the Hunters return to sweep up the rest. "You'll find her, won't you?"
"I will." Kuran still hasn't released Zero from his hold.
Pressed up against Kuran's chest, Zero pulls against the pureblood's arm. Kuran frees him with what seems like reluctance. By the time Zero turns his head to peer into Kuran's face, Kuran looks as unperturbed as always. Zero shakes away the impression. He's just mistaken - they're both on edge and anticipating their confrontation with Shirabuki.
"I'm off," Zero says, turning his back and striking off toward one of the castle's side doors.
(Zero doesn't look back. If he had, he would have seen Kaname's hand outstretched toward him as he walked farther and farther out of the pureblood's grasp.)
Shirabuki taps her fingers on the arm of her carved chair while she speaks with the servant who's come to report Kaname and Zero's arrival, ignoring Yuuki who stands at her right hand.
"Let the Hunter do as he wants. He is unimportant, as long as Kaname-kun is coming to meet us as I've planned. Show him here when he enters."
The servant bows and withdraws, leaving Yuuki alone with her enemy. The two of them are waiting in the castle receiving room that's been prepared for her husbands' arrival. Matching velvet upholstered chairs are scattered in a semicircle around Shirabuki's larger, more ornate seat. The rest of the room is empty, save for a few tables placed against the wall where drinks and food have been prepared, and the thick carpets laid over the castle's wood floors. Instead of lamps or candles, the room is lit with natural moonlight through the wide glass windows lining the outer wall.
"Now, one last thing," Shirabuki croons, resting her chin in her palm and leaning toward Yuuki, who has not been offered a chair.
"Yes, Shirabuki-san?" Yuuki offers neutrally, sensing the ill intent and instantly on guard.
"Give me your blood," Shirabuki brazenly requests, smiling sweetly as an angel, "and I won't kill Zero-kun."
Yuuki gapes - to so brazenly demand something she has no right to! Yuuki was not raised with the normal pureblood reverence toward her own blood, but even she is shocked by such a blatant shattering of the most sacred vampire taboo.
Checking to see if Shirabuki is serious, Yuuki realizes by the hard glint of her eyes that Shirabuki meant every word. Her brain kicks into high gear. Shirabuki would gain more power if she drank Yuuki's blood - that absolutely cannot happen.
Casting around for a solution, Yuuki thinks quickly. She considers everything she's learned about her enemy - Shirabuki's assumptions about Yuuki, the other woman's upbringing and worldview - and feels her expression harden as she decides to call Shirabuki's bluff.
Anger lends her focus. Yuuki lifts her chin, and meets Shirabuki head on. "Shirabuki-san, do you imagine that I would offer my blood for the life of one ex-human, omega or not?"
Shirabuki laughs regretfully, and waves her hand as though clearing the air. "No, I would never. Still, you cannot fault me for seeing if you would be so foolish."
Yuuki smiles tightly past the tension in the air as the two women eye each other. For a moment, their masks have fallen away, and both openly study the other. Yuuki knows they are both considering the same possibility, and coming to identical conclusions. Shirabuki could try and take Yuuki's blood by force, but it would be a titanic battle, and Shirabuki might not necessarily succeed. Even if she did, breaking that taboo would damn her in the eyes of their peers.
"Of course not," Yuuki lies, dipping her head and reminding herself to stay meek and soft.
After all, it's not time yet.
Kaname lingers in the snow, instead of seeking out Shirabuki immediately. The delay has purpose; this way he can loosen his guard and follow Zero wearing Nightshade's pelt, sprinting beside the Hunter through the castle halls.
Kaname trusts Zero's experience to find the most advantageous place to fight, so Kaname needs to delay until Zero can get into position. Every advantage must be in place. A battle between purebloods is no ordinary fight, and nothing to be entered into lightly. Even for Kaname, it carries a level of risk, through Shirabuki's threat is nothing compared to those carefully orchestrated matches against Rido and Shizuka.
Through their link, he can feel Nightshade skid to a halt, standing guard beside Zero. The Hunter's found some kind of high-ceilinged, square open gallery, with no windows and one lone door on the opposite wall.
Recognizing his signal, Kaname begins to walk toward the castle doors, quickening his steps once Seiren slides effortlessly into the room alongside Zero as though she's always been there.
Observing Seiren's ability can give one a headache, if one pays attention too closely. Watching her warp the space between points, to be somewhere one moment and elsewhere the next, is not something even a pureblood's brain can accept with ease. Not quite teleportation but a type of movement ability, it makes Seiren an outstanding Shadow when combined with her multitude of other talents, and Kaname could ask for no better fighter at Zero's side.
Nightshade's ears swivel, and he growls low in his throat. That's all the forewarning Seiren needs; she takes a ready stance, while Zero has already drawn Bloody Rose
Footsteps echo behind the closed door, and maddened shrieks rise between the panting groans of hunger. Nightshade catches the scent of blood, and the awakened Bloody Rose twines silver vines up Zero's arm, enfolding him like armor.
The door begins to shake in its frame, pounded on by unnatural strength.
Zero raises his gun, sighting down the muzzle. "Drop back," he calls out, "I don't want to hit you by accident. I'll take out as many as I can while I have a clear line of sight. Can you handle the leftovers?""
"I can," Seiren replies, taking position on the opposite side of Nightshade. This corridor is an excellent battlefield to maximize Zero's talents; it resembles nothing so much as a shooting gallery. Conceivably, the three of them could halt the Level E advance here until their stamina runs out.
There's a screech as the door hinges give. The wooden door splinters and falls inward, and the mad rush of starving Level Es streams into the room. Within the same split second, Bloody Rose thunders, and ash bursts where flesh once stood. As fast as Zero can pull the trigger, another ex-human leaps to take its place.
"Welcome, Kuran-sama. Please come this way," the butler attending Shirabuki's entry says, and Kaname lets his connection to his familiar fade, Zero's focused fury the last image he holds in his mind.
His Consort has things well in hand. Kaname need only concern himself playing Shirabuki's game. What a curious feeling, to have a heart torn in two directions, between two beloveds, to wish to be beside both and yet incapable.
Kaname hates it.
Yuuki, he thinks, and his longing overcomes him. Nearness makes her absence more apparent. But Kaname will see to it that Yuuki goes free, he promises himself. No matter what.
As the butler leads him through the doorway, Kaname staggers when he catches sight of his dear wife. She is the first thing in the room he lays eyes on, and the only thing that matters. Seeing her alive and whole, relief pours through the pureblood like cool water in a desert. The unforgiving pain in his chest eases and love takes its place.
But more than that, it's the shock of his wife's appearance that makes him stumble.
She is placed like a servant at Shirabuki's shoulder, but no one with eyes would mistake her for servile, not even wearing plain, mussed clothes and with unbound hair. There is a predator watching through his wife's eyes, and waiting patiently beneath her skin.
No, a pureblood - there, in the cool reserve, the watchfulness, the slight arrogance and hard won maturity beneath her diffident mask. She is resplendent in her hidden wrath, commanding and sublime. How can Shirabuki Sara not look in Yuuki's eyes and know her downfall stands before her?
Belatedly, Kaname notes the presence of Shirabuki and an unexpected guest - Aido, shuffled off to the corner like a naughty schoolboy. So this is where he's run off too. Kaname indulges himself, narrowing his eyes in irritated warning when the traitor dares lift his gaze off the floor.
Aido makes a noise like a small animal being stepped on and flinches away.
"Kaname-kun," Shirabuki gloats - Kaname can barely contain his disgust, nor his rage when he spies the anti-vampire dagger with its hilt wrapped in cloth that she's using to threaten Yuuki - "so nice of you to -"
"Where's Zero?" Yuuki speaks up as though Shirabuki had said nothing; her words are calm on the surface but carry an undercurrent of urgency. "Is he here?"
Both elder purebloods stare, Kaname curious, and Shirabuki enraged at how Yuuki's ruined her introduction.
"He is," Kaname replies. Aido's expression seems relieved, for some reason. Curious - and suspicious.
Yuuki's hands relax. "Good." She looks tired, like she hasn't slept properly in days. "Bring Zero here. Now." Trust me, her eyes say.
Kaname's body stiffens, all his expectations dashed - and Shirabuki's too, by the look of it. His first reaction is refusal. Leave Yuuki? Kaname wants to reject the very idea. It feels wrong to leave now, just when they're finally, finally reunited. Kaname yearns to go towards her, not farther away. He wants more than anything to embrace her, sweep her up and leave this place.
Something is clearly wrong - Yuuki would not demand Zero without reason. But still, how can he leave her behind? Kaname has always protected Yuuki. Always. How can be abandon her now to danger? And yet - and yet. How can he betray her trust? She is resolute. There is no chink in her flawless conviction. She would not ask unnecessary things. Bringing Zero must be both dire and vital.
Shirabuki twists in her seat, angling the Hunter dagger toward Yuuki, and Kaname quickly replies, "As you wish." He will have faith that Yuuki's path is correct. And there's always his failsafe...
Yuuki's expression relaxes minutely from its calm mask, and a smile's ghost passes over her face. "Go, don't stop, and come back with him as fast as you can. I love you."
"Yuuki-chan," Shirabuki grits through her smile, fingering the wrapped dagger, control cracked by her vexation. "I am the one giving orders here. Have you forgotten why?"
Yuuki's poised confidence never wavers. She surveys Shirabuki, completely indifferent. "I have not, Shirabuki-san. But we should have all the stakes in once place, shouldn't we?"
Kaname hears no more, hurrying to obey Yuuki's will. As he turns on his heel, Kaname makes a subtle hand gesture toward the windows once his body shields the motion from Shirabuki's sight. Then he dissolves, and takes flight.
"Alright, Yuuki-chan. Perhaps I'll allow this. After all, it's better if you have the chance to see what you might lose. But it will cost you."
Yuuki is still watching Kaname's bats stream away, longing to follow. Only when the last wing is out of sight does she turn her head.
Shirabuki's anger is poorly hidden, and her malice overshadows her beauty. "Nothing in life is free. Aido Hanabusa is your friend, isn't he?"
After a beat, Yuuki nods. After Ruka, Aido is the one she is closest to within Kaname's inner circle. He has been her tutor and her confidente, once he made peace with her natural place closest to Kaname's side.
Aido is eying the two women from his corner, body loose and balanced on the balls of his feet. He's already caught on to whatever Shirabuki is hinting at.
"Indulge me," Shirabuki simpers, steepling her hands. "Between your friend and your Consort, which would you rather allow to die?"
Yuuki feels her face settle in a blank mask; silence blankets the room. She doesn't dare look at Aido in his corner. Feeling her way forward, she tries to detour around the dangerous topic. "That isn't necessary, Shirabuki-san. Kaname will be back soon, and we can continue on as before."
The blonde tsks, and shakes her head, sending her golden waves tumbling. "Take responsibility, Yuuki-chan. It was you who sent him away. It falls to you to entertain me during this unscheduled lull." A threat leaks into her voice. "So go ahead."
Yuuki stares straight ahead, wishing she could make time go faster. How far has Kaname gotten by now? She hopes Zero is close.
"I'm waiting, Yuuki-chan." The threat is less well hidden this time.
Should she lie? No, there isn't a right answer. Shirabuki has already decided what she's going to do, and she'll interpret Yuuki's answer however she wants. Yuuki can't change her mind; all she can do is stall until Kaname returns. Drawing herself up Yuuki takes a deep breath, and admits, "I would let Aido die."
Flinching, Yuuki can't take back the words hanging bluntly in the air. She dares a peek sideways at Aido. The noble doesn't look surprised, or hurt - simply resigned. A flush of anger begins to burn in Yuuki's chest.
Shirabuki claps, giggling under her breath. "There, was that so hard? Now," he voice hardens to steel, "if you want the chance to see Zero-kun alive, kill Aido Hanabusa."
The words throw Yuuki back on her heels. She lowers her eyes, scrambling for a solution. Kill Aido - clever, silly, loyal Aido?
Yuuki wants to be sick. She squeezes her eyes shut, clutching handfuls of her skirt.
"Yuuki-hime," Aido begins, but his voice trails away uselessly.
"Well, Yuuki-chan?" Shirabuki's voice pries. She's enjoying this, the bitch.
Yuuki recognizes her own truth. Yuuki would do it for Zero's sake. For Kaname's sake too. It would be a thousand times harder than it was with Shirabuki's boy, but for the sake of their happiness, Yuuki would sacrifice Aido's life. Anyone's life, so long as she received her happiness.
I really am a selfish person, Yuuki thinks, and opens hard eyes.
"Aido is a valuable servant, and not one easily replaced," she says, turning faint disapproval on Shirabuki's indifferent mien. "While I understand your boredom, isn't this a bit much for such a trivial game, Shirabuki-san?"
Shrugging, Shirabuki remains unmoved. "Perhaps you should have thought of that before inconveniencing me. I have to return the insult somehow, and losing a useful servant should suffice. Nothing personal, Yuuki-chan."
Yuuki smiles as if she understands, counting the minutes since Kaname's left. "Sorry, Aido-san," she says without looking at him. "It looks like things turned out this way."
"I have always been honored to serve Kaname-sama, and now you." Aido's voice is fearless, and completely earnest. "I don't regret it. Please don't hold it against yourself, Yuuki-hime."
"How arrogant," Shirabuki scoffs, her brows coming together. "Enough, kill him already."
Yuuki drags her feet, taking one slow step at a time toward Aido. The noble watches her come closer with nervous trepidation, but he doesn't try to run. "It's been good to know -"
"Hold on," Shirabuki's voice slices straight through, as menacing as Yuuki has ever heard her. She's risen from her chair, and her eyes are blue ice.
A chill runs over Yuuki's skin. Time's up.
"Why did you really want Kaname-kun to fetch Zero?" Suspicion laces her tone. "All that effort, just because you wanted to see him?" The woman steps closer, within striking range. "A little unusual, don't you think?"
"I do want to see Zero," Yuuki says truthfully.
"But that's not the only reason you called for him, is it?" Shirabuki counters shrewdly, seeing past her miscalculation. "I didn't think you were so clever. What's your little plan, Yuuki?"
"Don't be so familiar without invitation," Yuuki grits out, her irritation as being treated like an inferior grating on her patience.
"I'll do as I like," Shirabuki declares, striding toward them with rage clear in her features and murder in her eyes, knuckles whitened around the dagger handle.
Yuuki braces herself, but never has to follow through.
BAM!
The window shatters inward, and Shirabuki screeches, crumpling forward to clutch her right shoulder, wailing in agony. The anti-vampire weapon skitters away with a clatter.
The scent of pure blood fills Yuuki's nose; Aido claps his hands over his mouth as a crimson rose blossoms on Shirabuki's dress, growing larger and darker.
Shirabuki isn't healing, Yuuki realizes in shock. Hunter. Darting a hopeful glance over her shoulder, she's disappointed by empty treeline, the shooter already fled.
Drawn out by blood, a mad wildness rises up in Yuuki like a storm. She bares her fangs, sensing her enemy's weakness, her pureblood nature goading her on. Shirabuki is stronger, but her enemy is wounded, and will bleed out if that wound isn't treated.
A second, larger boom rocks the castle with a roar like an avalanche, knocking dust and mortar loose from the ancient stones. Yuuki cracks open their blood bond, and is met with Kaname's satisfaction, tinged with relief, shifting now to haste and focus.
He's found Zero. Good.
Yuuki seizes her advantage. She doesn't care about things like honor or looking good. Even if Shirabuki's already wounded, Yuuki will strike her without a qualm. People who intend to harm Kaname and Zero deserve nothing less. Shirabuki Sara nearly killed Zero, and brought Kaname here tonight to exchange Yuuki's life for his. By any means, whatever the opportunity, fairness be damned, Yuuki won't have any mercy.
Shock, and stunned pain still fill Shirabuki's uncomprehending face as Yuuki steps forward. The pureblood has probably never faced a Hunter before - never suffered a wound she couldn't heal instantly. Never faced anyone who could kill her.
Yuuki smiles. "You're wrong, by the way," Yuuki informs the crumpled blond.
Shirabuki just stares with wide, pained eyes, like she hasn't understood the sudden reversal.
"Killing Kaname won't make you queen," Yuuki tells her gently.
A spark of understanding lights in Shirabuki's eyes, and she sluggishly tries to straighten. "Of course it will," she slurs, using her chair and her good arm to lever herself to her feet.
Yuuki smiles wider, spreading her hands, gathering her power. "Kaname is the uncrowned king, like our father before him. But I am the vampire queen. To take my place, you'll have to kill me."
Shirabuki stares for a moment, so incandescently enraged she cannot move. Then she throws herself forward, screaming in fury.
"Thank you, Kaname-sama," Seiren says, crouching elegantly next to her master's side as the three of them survey the rubble past a thick cloud of ash.
That's Zero's signal to tear into Kuran, now that the swarm's vanguard is buried beneath several tons of rock that Kaname pulled down. "What are you doing here? Where's Yuuki?"
"The Level Es will find a way around this," Kaname says in lieu of an answer. "We need to go. Yuuki needs you."
Zero gestures wildly. "For what? You saw her and you left without her?" Each word is successively more enraged.
"No time," Kaname demurs, every passing second a century, and grabs Zero's waist. "Seiren, follow."
"Yes, Kaname-sama." Both master and Shadow ignore Zero's struggles. Seiren blurs into motion just as the edges of Kaname's vision break apart, and all he can see is wings.
There's pain leaking through the bloodbond. Kaname is no believer, but even an atheist can pray.
Normally, Yuuki would have lost within the first few blows. Shirabuki is older by over fifty years, and that is an insurmountable gap for a pureblood of Yuuki's tender age, even one possessing the strongest bloodline.
Thanks to Kaname's stratagem, that gap has been temporarily bridged. To a vampire, blood is power. Each second Shirabuki bleeds, more of her strength leaves her. She won't die - only a blow to the head or heart could do that - but she weakens, and that's keeping her from using the full breadth of her power.
That's also kept the damage contained to only one wing of the castle. The windows and doors were destroyed long ago, and the stone walls are more hole now than barrier. The servants have fled, or been used by Shirabuki as shields. Aido is huddled behind a slab of the roof, wisely keeping out of their way.
Yuuki and Shirabuki's clothes are in ribbons, the trappings of civility abandoned as the two vie against one another with all the rage and loathing they posses. The anti-vampire dagger has been thrown away in favor of their natural weapons - claws and teeth and raw power. Locked in combat, eyes blazing red, the two purebloods tumble over one another, claws tearing and ripping, sinking deep.
Shirabuki shrieks when Yuuki claws her face; the marks stay, her healing slowed by the bullet fragments lodged in her shoulder.
Her satisfaction short-lived, Yuuki screams in return when acid bubbles up beneath Shirabuki's touch, burning through skin, meat and muscle, all the way down to the bone. Leaping back, trying to recover from the agony, Yuuki reaches out with her power, grasps whatever debris is lying nearby, and hurls it at Shirabuki with the force of a cannon.
Chunks the size of boulders fly at the blonde, but Shirabuki is on guard, and dodges the larger ones, dissolving the smaller rocks into a spray of foul mist that froths and hisses when it meets the floor.
The wood underneath Yuuki's feet becomes a pool of burning, toxic sludge. Her eyes sting from the noxious fumes, but she pushes against the ground with her power, keeping herself suspended in the air until her back comes to rest against safe footing; she twists, using the wall for leverage, and launches herself back at her enemy, snarling.
Yuuki can feel her own blood mingled with her enemy's slicking her hands. She's high on adrenaline and hate, always on the attack, her combat training with Cross and Zero serving her well. Each narrow escape drives her single-minded frenzy wilder. The knot in her heart born of compressed hate, fear, resentment and anger has been cleaved open, and in her savagery she is relentless.
She can push herself to the edge without reserve, because Yuuki doesn't care whether she dies. The only thought left is the drive - no, obsession - the obsession to keep Shirabuki here and not allow a single free moment to activate her poison.
Strike harder. More force. Use your weight.
Dodge. Faster, always faster.
Shake the hair out of your eyes. Strike again.
Again. Savor the feeling of claws parting flesh.
Spit out the blood. Breathe, then attackattackattack.
Yuuki is vaguely aware of the gruesome wounds littering her body: the poisoned, blackened flesh sloughed off her bones, the heavy acid burns, the charred smell of burnt auburn hair. Locked in a sustained madness, all her pain is dampened by her loosed rage and the chemicals her body is pumping out to keep her on her feet.
But whatever sad shape Yuuki is in, Shirabuki is no worse. Besides the steady blood loss of the elder's shoulder, Yuuki has spared no mercy. Her enemy's body is covered in deep gauges reaching all the way down to the viscera, and her shattered bones are slow to heal. Great chucks of her golden hair have been lost to Yuuki's claws, and a lucky blow has temporarily left her without one ear and one eye.
There, an opening! Beneath Yuuki's next attack, Shirabuki falters, twisting to evade and retreat instead of meeting her strike.
Yuuki howls in joy, her predatory darkness triumphant. Beneath the blonde's fury and spite, Yuuki can sense the sweet fragrance of her enemy's doubt and fear.
In the back of Shirabuki Sara's mind, Yuuki knows, there's a new thought taking shape, and it goes something like, 'I really might die.' Yuuki has been human, and humans risk death with every breath. In every battle Yuuki has ever fought, she was the weaker, and it never stopped her before. But Shirabuki has never fought a true threat, her careful plans keeping her distant and untouchable, like a god before her followers' awe.
That's why Yuuki intensifies her efforts even further, using every trick, taking every risk, holding Shirabuki's attention with every bit of her strength so the elder cannot safely leave, cannot escape, knowing that every second counts.
Yuuki tears as the ground beneath the woman's feet, throws Shirabuki's body around like a doll, crushes waves of spiders with her power, blocks every new wall of poison or accepts the damage without giving an inch, driving Shirabuki back, further back, blinding her one good eye with clouds of her butterflies.
Yuuki's vision narrows. Pain means nothing, exhaustion means nothing; this vengeance is an insanity that will drive Yuuki to victory or death, until her body gives out or the flesh beneath her claws falls.
Distantly, her body screams warnings at her. She pants, unable to distinguish if her skin drips with sweat or with blood. Her throat burns with thirst; her fangs ache; her tendons feel like snapped strings.
She's reached the precipice of her abilities, Yuuki realizes. How disappointing.
Yuuki steps forward anyway, determined to battle Shirabuki until the last dregs of her strength burn.
Now the two of them are grappling at one another, snapping with gleaming fangs. Even boiling with all their mutual hate, neither of them can make any move to advance or retreat. The fight has devolved into messy contests of endurance and tenacity, when the first one to break loses.
Grimly, Yuuki swings with every ounce of her faltering strength -
- and Shirabuki is ripped away from her hold.
Yuuki smiles. Closing her eyes in relief, she sinks to the ground, the chirping and wingbeats of bats in her ears.
Kaname strides up behind her, one arm upraised as he crushes Shirabuki to the ground with the force of his will.
Yuuki lets her affection and relief wash through the bloodbond; Kaname answers with a wave of concern. He must have sensed her exhaustion. She tries to project confidence, and draw a veil over her body's painful sensations.
"Yuuki!" Zero's voice is full of fear.
Yuuki turns her head to reassure him, pasting on a lopsided smile, realizing she must look frightful.
Zero doesn't appear convinced, but it doesn't matter. He's here, and Kaname made it in time. Their enemy is trapped beneath Kaname's overwhelming power. This conflict is decided
Yuuki sighs, and heaves her weight on her shredded palms. She's not finishing this on her knees. Zero's hands hook under her arms, helping her to her feet. Yuuki staggers a few steps, until her healing flesh can bear her weight again, then advances toward Shirabuki.
The blonde glares with her single visible eye, her cheek forced against the ground, struggling futility against Kaname's hold. At Yuuki's approach, she stills and bares her teeth.
Yuuki doesn't crouch, just looks down on her defeated tormentor. "I think it's time we talked, Shirabuki Sara."
A particular blend of pride and shame suffuses Kaname as he watches a battered yet narrowly victorious Yuuki take the lead and engage Shirabuki on her own ground.
It was remarkable, and a testament to Yuuki's will that she survived this episode, which is a colossal failure on Kaname's part. Even weakened and horribly wounded, Shirabuki likely outmatched her. There's blood crusted on Yuuki's skin, and her dress is so stained he can only see traces of the original color - proof he didn't imagine her pain earlier.
His beloved wife exudes a different air than the woman who stood before his eyes only a few days ago. Now Yuuki carries her mantle of authority and assurance without flinching. Last year, Kaname would never have imagined it could look so natural on her shoulders. She flies beautifully, he thinks with equal parts joy and grief.
"I think you're overestimating your position, Yuuki-san," Shirabuki coaxes. "I still hold Kiryuu Zero's life in my hands."
Kaname's alarm spikes, and he darts a quick glance at Zero, who looks back with equal surprise. The Hunter is worn from his earlier fight, but seems whole.
Shirabuki's visible blue eye flicks from one Kuran to the other, satisfied cunning plain in her gaze. Kaname's alpha raises its hackles and screams about maiming until the pureblood tamps it down.
Yuuki chuckles and crosses her arms. "No, I don't think so." Kaname wishes he could see her face, but the stubborn line of her shoulders is all he can make out. "Every poison has an antidote, even the one in Zero's blood."
Kaname's brow creases deeper, truly shocked for the first time tonight. How on earth had he missed that - and how did Yuuki find out?
Spider woman wants to hurt mate, the alpha hisses, trailing off into a desire for carnage. Kaname doesn't disagree.
Shirabuki laughs long and hard. "That's your hope? I've never made any antidote for that poison, Yuuki-chan. It doesn't exist. Release me, and I'll allow Zero-kun to live a little longer."
"Your original intent was to kill Kaname, wasn't it?" Yuuki asks out of nowhere. "To trade Zero's life for mine, and my life for Kaname's."
Unsure where the question leads, Shirabuki stays silent. That would be a dangerous answer to confirm, through undoubtedly true.
"I thought so," Yuuki murmurs, and her spine stiffens with anger. "I know the antidote to the Shirabuki family's poisons. And you're going to give it to me."
"Impossible," Shirabuki says, a trace of alarm in her voice, "I told you, it doesn't - "
"It does exist," Yuuki cuts in. His wife glances over her shoulder, making Aido, who's just come out of hiding, freeze. "Aido Hanabusa confirmed it for me, and he is one of vampire society's most prominent biochemists. He's studied several examples of your work, and I trust his expertise."
Shirabuki's mouth tightens. She's probably regretting that she allowed Aido to live right now. Kaname increases the pressure crushing her to the ground purely to salt the wound, and revises Aido's planned punishment to something less horrifying.
Yuuki begins to circle Shirabuki at a deceptively lazy pace. "You hinted at it yourself," she begins, tucking her arms behind her back. "'In every living thing lies its own destruction.' That's what you told me, wasn't it?"
Shirabuki has gone quiet and tense, discomforted by Yuuki's presence in her blind spots. Kaname's taught her well.
Yuuki halts, turning to face Kaname, Zero and Aido while hemming Shirabuki's prone body between them - likely so she can watch Shirabuki's reaction at the same time. She's confident, Kaname infers, but not certain of her conclusion. With these theatrics, she intends to goad Shirabuki into confirming her answer.
Yuuki's lips part in a smile. "You had good reason to be confident. After all, the antidote to the your special poisons is one of the rarest, most valuable substances in the world - the pure blood of the Shirabuki family."
Shirabuki cries out and jerks against Kaname's hold. Going stock still one moment while the whites of her eyes show, the next she claws and writhes in paroxysms of rage.
"Yes," Yuuki says implacably above the din, "you're going to give your blood to Zero."
Shirabuki howls - and behind Kaname's back, Zero gives a soft, choking sound.
Kaname can't turn to look, but Yuuki's horrible wail, Zero's pained noises, and the sound of his Consort's knees hitting the floor tell him enough.
Kaname struggles to master himself and his spike of innate raw terror, to keep from losing himself in his darkest thoughts. His alpha claws against the restraint of his will, roaring incoherently.
The next instant, Shirabuki flows out of his hold, severing herself into hundreds and hundreds of tiny spiders to escape.
Kaname's upper lip curls, and he bares his fangs. That uncapped, deep well of hate fuels him as he methodically snares every tiny spider in his mental grasp, and sutures them back together, one piece of Shirabuki's body at a time. He makes it as painful as possible - having one's form forcibly reconstructed is both invasive and frightening, as he knows from experience.
Yuuki rushes past him intent on Zero, trusting Kaname to hold their prize. He can hear Zero holding in screams behind his teeth, and adds extra savagery to the next piece of Shirabuki he sews into place.
Appearing at his shoulder with Zero's spasming body in her arms, Yuuki storms toward the half-reformed Shirabuki with an implacable look in her eyes.
Obligingly, Kaname forces Shirabuki back into human form with one last burst of effort, leaving their enemy dazed and gasping on the floor.
Yuuki doesn't give the pureblood a moment to rest, laying Zero gently on the ground and then seizing the blonde by her ragged hair.
Sensing the imminent threat, Shirabuki struggles in a last ditch effort to escape, and it takes Yuuki all her remaining strength to wrestle their enemy's arms behind her back, using her weight to pin Shirabuki beneath her lower body. "Kaname, hurry, get Zero!" she orders.
Kaname is already falling to his knees beside Zero, whose nails are scrabbling against the floor as he tosses and turns. The Hunter's chest heaves as he coughs and chokes, eyes misty with pain and tears. "Burns," he breathes out as Kaname lifts him into his lap, supporting his head and neck.
"Hush, precious," Kaname soothes, pushing sweat-soaked hair of of his boy's eyes. "I need you to stay with me." His eyes meet Yuuki's, equal terror and resolve reflected there. A simple taboo means nothing in comparison to Zero's life they silently agree, and Yuuki half-drags, half pushes Shirabuki's body, thrashing and shouting the whole way, over within Zero's reach.
"Stop moving or I will rip your limbs off," Yuuki promises coldly, and Shirabuki goes limp, except for the resentful, disbelieving look in her eyes.
"The power in my blood might tear him apart," she coaxes reasonably. "Let me go and I'll stop the poison instead."
"No," Yuuki rejects, positioning Shirabuki's throat above Zero's mouth like a sacrificial goat awaiting the knife. "Zero has survived more than your pathetic blood, Shirabuki Sara. You're a liar, and I'm not letting you hold his life over our heads anymore."
"Are you serious?" Shirabuki says at the touch of Zero's fangs, as though she can't understand what's about to happen, her voice rising in mixed panic and disbelief. "I'm a pureblood! You'd offer me up - for a Level D? For a Hunter? You'd shed my blood for that?"
"Always," Yuuki says, and slaps Shirabuki to shut her up. "Zero, can you drink for me, please?"
An outburst of pain escapes from Zero's lips - he may not even understand Yuuki is speaking to him. He breathes with difficulty, in shallow, uneven bursts, and his skin holds a grey cast.
Kaname tilts their Consort's head to study his glazed lavender eyes, peppered with burst veins, and a trail of blood leaks from Zero's nose.
The movement startles a pained cough from the Hunter, and a bloody mist spatters Shirabuki's cheek. The pureblood's nose wrinkles in disgust.
"That's fine, Zero," Yuuki continues in a voice like iron, "I'll do it for you." Then she takes one sharp claw, and slits Shirabuki Sara's throat down to the bone. Shirabuki thrashes, and a red waterfall gushes down onto Zero's open lips.
Kaname strokes his Consort's soft throat and jaw, encouraging him to swallow. After the first taste of hot blood, Zero strains upwards with an opened mouth and swallows as fast as his throat can bob, licking the mess off his cheek and lips.
Through the agony of waiting to see if the poison is flushed clean, Kaname reaches out and touches Yuuki's shoulder, reassured by her solid strength. He keeps up his gentle stroking, and studies Zero for any tiny sign of improvement.
"Is he okay?" Yuuki asks, watching Zero as though she's afraid he'll disappear.
Slowly, the lines creasing Zero's face ease, and he gains more pink in his cheeks beneath the coating of blood. His heartbeat steadies and evens out, and the pain fades from his scent.
"It seems so." They exchange smiles brimming with affection and relief.
Mate is so alluring covered in blood, Kaname's alpha chirps. Kaname would like to clean Zero with his tongue, but tasting Shirabuki's ghastly ichor is too disgusting a thought to imagine.
Zero relaxes with a little sigh, sinking back into Kaname's hold and ignoring the blood still dripping sluggishly over his face from Shirabuki's healing throat. His hunting clothes are ruined - yet another wardrobe casualty this evening - and Kaname vows he will buy Yuuki and Zero a dozen more apiece, awash in the relief of knowing both of them have survived, blissfully whole. Zero will need to see a doctor immediately, and Yuuki needs to feed as soon as can be arranged. But first...
Kaname's eyes light on Shirabuki, and flick to Yuuki, who returns the scrutiny. He nods, giving her the choice of what happens next.
"We need to kill her," Yuuki says bluntly. Shirabuki shrieks and jackknifes underneath her - evidently her throat has healed enough to make noise again.
Kaname raises an eyebrow, not disagreeing. "When a pureblood dies, there are always difficult questions. How will we explain this to the Senate?"
Yuuki scoffs. "Easy. She was planning to feed a mind control drug to the entire vampire population through the blood tablet supply and enslave them. Pureblood or not, the Senate won't take that well. And she's got a level E army in her basement. Does that cover it?"
"That would do it," Kaname agrees, pressing a hand to his temple. Mother night, what a mess. What has his information network been doing? Skip-rope and marbles?
"And Aido?" Kaname says, a dawning realization overcoming him.
"It's just what you're thinking," Yuuki confirms, digging her knee into Shirabuki's back. "He's been under her orders for a while."
Damn. He probably owes Aido an apology, doesn't he? Kaname sighs, looking down at the cause of all their trouble.
"We could give Aido her blood too, to neutralize the compulsion drug…?"
Kaname is already shaking his head sharply. "Saving Zero's life is one thing, but Aido would never be forgiven for forcibly taking pure blood. But you have a point about the vampires she's controlled."
"Kuran-sama?" Aido squeaks, emphasizing the formal mode of address.
Kaname tilts his head to the side and raises an eyebrow.
"With Kiryuu-sama's help, I might be able to synthesize an artificial antidote. Barring that, he now possesses the antidote in his blood, and drinking a D's blood isn't forbidden - ack!" Aido scrunches up his shoulders and tries to look small beneath the acidic glares both Kurans are sending him. "Or not that second part...I'll definitely create an antidote for Kaname-sama!"
"See that you do," Kaname sighs. The pureblood digs into the pocket of his overcoat, and tosses Aido his phone with Seiren's number already dialing. "Go outside and stand watch. And please tell Seiren to send a cleaning crew. I want anything dangerous destroyed before the Senate's dogs get here."
Aido clutches the phone, eyes shining brightly at being given an important responsibility. "Yes, Kaname-sama!"
The three purebloods maintain silence as Aido's footsteps fade away.
"I appreciate your attempt at privacy," Shirabuki says. Kaname can detect no hint of dishonesty in her tone. On the contrary, the only thing he can read from her face is self-deprecation.
Yuuki tightens her grip in warning, but Shirabuki makes no move to escape.
Kaname checks Zero's pulse, then lifts the Hunter up, moving him away from Shirabuki's reach. Zero seems to have entered some kind of reverie as his body heals from the poison and tames the power gained from Shirabuki's pure blood into equilibrium within himself. The Hunter's eyes flutter open, but his gaze is vacant; Kaname smiles and soothes him anyway.
Laying Zero down at a safe distance, Kaname wipes any trace of affection from his face, and turns back to their execution.
"I suppose there are worse deaths," Shirabuki says. Yuuki has cautiously kept up her vigilance, but even as Kaname approaches, the blonde gives no sign she intends to fight. "Better to be killed in defeat than kill yourself in despair. Yes," she reflects, a shadow passing over her face, "I strove for the heights. I knew when I brought you here it might not end as I hoped."
"It was a good plan," Kaname acknowledges. "You were simply overmatched. You never would have succeeded, but if you had managed to box me in, I probably would have traded my life for Yuuki's as you wished."
Shirabuki shrugs as best she can. "At least I won't have to see Takuma grow with that man's child. I should have killed him first." Bitterness and the glint of frustrated obsession lie in her face.
"I would never have allowed it," Kaname says. "Yuuki, can you pull her torso up? I need to reach her heart."
Yuuki challenges him instead, her grip tightening on Shirabuki's wrists. "No. I'm going to kill her."
Kaname blinks, and takes a second look at his wife. "You're not usually willing to kill anyone. You dislike it."
"I hate it," she says. "But this is an exception. She tried to kill you and Zero. This is my desire, and something I've resolved to do."
Weighing her words, Kaname delays judgement. If doing this will harm her spirit, he needs to prevent it. But looking in her stern face, he bows to the will he sees written there. "Switch with me. I'll restrain her."
Shirabuki makes one last, serious attempt to flee as Kaname approaches her, knowing that she won't escape his hold. Yuuki grimly hangs on, refusing to be thrown off no matter how hard Shirabuki kicks and screams.
Kaname plucks the defeated pureblood out of his wife's hold, one hand holding her wrists behind her back, the other holding her aloft by the neck. Shirabuki yields, deprived of the chance to bite and scratch, her power still held in check by Kaname's greater strength.
That doesn't mean she goes quietly. "Killing me won't end your troubles," she taunts. Kaname can hear the smirk in her voice. "This was only the first step in my plans. Alive or not, I've set too much in motion already. Not even my death can stop what's coming."
"Whatever you've done, we'll face it together," Yuuki promises.
Shirabuki tilts her head in supplication as Yuuki steps close. "You don't even want my blood, Yuuki-chan? You could add my power to your own."
Yuuki looks Shirabuki right in the eye. "I don't need it."
Kaname wishes he could see the rage in Shirabuki's face, though he can feel it in the way her body goes taut.
"Goodbye, Shirabuki Sara." Yuuki draws her hand back, and drives her claws through their enemy's heart.
Shirabuki makes a noise like all the breath's been punched from her body. The overpowering aroma of blood settles heavily in his nostrils, and Kaname releases his grip on her throat, letting Shirabuki's body drop to the floor. Shirabuki collapses, making no effort to save herself from the fall.
The two of them stand and witness as bit by bit, Shirabuki Sara disappears from this world. One single blue eye watches them to the end, still full of malice. The death of a pureblood is strangely beautiful, a transformation of flesh to diamond glass, scattering into the ether. Left in her place is a cloud of glittering dust, and a pool of dark blood.
"It's done," Yuuki pronounces.
She seems subdued, and Kaname willingly indulges his desire to hold her. They stand together like that for a long time.
Yuuki has taken Zero to recover somewhere more comfortable, draped in Kaname's overcoat to cover her ruined clothes. Seiren has taken it upon herself to corral the remaining castle staff, and Aido is waiting in the foyer to meet Kaname's cleaning crew when they arrive.
So Kaname is alone among the ruins when he hears the crunch of glass under heavy boots. He shakes off his contemplation, turning to meet his visitor. Their eyes meet across the battlefield, and Kaname has an inkling the two are recalling the same forbidden deal.
"Interfering this way is beyond illegal. Why would I take that risk for you, pureblood brat?" Slouched against the wall, Yagari puffs on his cigarette and rolls his one remaining eye.
Kaname, wearing his human-form familiar, stands straight in his immaculate overcoat and turns his palm up in a beseeching gesture. "Zero's presence will explain any traces of Hunter activity. And you are experienced enough to conceal your trail."
"Don't sidetrack me. We don't ever, ever get involved when purebloods start trying to kill each other. You think I'd break thousands of years of Hunter safeguards for a squabble between you and Shirabuki? You're not stupid."
"I am not asking you to kill her - in fact, I am specifically asking you to keep her alive," Kaname counters. "You are insurance. If I have my way, no one will ever know you were there."
Yagari snorts. "Details, Kuran."
Lifting his chin, Kaname regards Yagari evenly. Hunters required different tactics than vampires; Zero has taught him that, and Yagari is much like Zero. "As for why I believe you will help me, it's because I know the difference between you and Cross," he finally says, settling on the particular form of truth he will use.
Yagari's brows come together, and he takes the cigarette out of his mouth. "What?"
"Zero has impeccable instincts. While he trusts you completely, he's never quite extended Cross the same unquestioning trust. You both love Zero as a son. But Cross Kaien loved Juuri and Haruka too, and he carries their shared dream. Cross believes in our mutual coexistence and has dedicated his life to that goal. Given a choice that pits Zero and that dream in conflict, I am not convinced Cross would chose Zero's personal good over the good of many."
The Hunter's mouth tightens. Grinding his cigarette under his shoe, Yagari squares his stance, spoiling for a fight.
"You, on the other hand...It wouldn't even be a question with you, would it?" Kaname allows a smile to play along his mouth. "You've had many students, but only two apprentices. You would do anything for them, wouldn't you?" Seemingly by accident, Kaname's fingers brush his temple, invoking the spectre of Yagari's missing eye and lost fiance.
Yagari has gone dead still. Kaname allows the moment to tick past, content to wait. Then the corner of Yagari's mouth turns up. "Hmmm. We're not so different, are we ex-student?"
Kaname blinks. "I'm sorry?"
That's enough to set Yagari laughing uproariously. The Hunter waves his hand in Kaname's direction. "I hope I'm there when you finally realize what I mean. You have a deal. Send me the gear and the data, and I'll be in position at the right time."
Feeling as though he's missed something crucial, Kaname nods a quick farewell and allows his familiar to dissolve, withdrawing to his own body.
"I'm returning this," Yagari says, hefting the sniper rifle case off his shoulder and placing it gently on the ground.
"Thank you," Kaname says. "I will make sure it's repatriated to the Hunters as part of the investigation into Shirabuki's death. Your involvement will not be known."
"Zero and Cross' girl?" the Hunter grunts, his directness betraying his care.
"Both fine. Things become considerably more complicated than we initially thought. Zero can tell you later. For now, you need to be far away when our supporters arrive. Zero will be angry with me if he knows I involved you."
Yagari laughs, for some reason, and looks considerably more at ease afterwards. "Take care of them, Kuran."
"I will," Kaname replies to Yagari's retreating back. The truth feels odd as it passes his lips.
Zero claws his way back to consciousness, fighting every step of the way, and surfaces in a haze of dim memory and certainty that he needs to help with - something?
He takes inventory of his body while his mind sorts through scattered impressions. All his limbs are accounted for, and someone has removed his chestplate and coat, but left his weapons and holsters. Beside the expected dull pain, there's a strange sensation that Zero recognizes but cannot place, an over-full, an electric buzzing feeling coursing through his veins.
Then memory clicks in place, and a moment of sheer panic hits him - the last thing he remembers is confronting Shirabuki with Kuran.
"Ssshhh," a woman's voice soothes, and a hand strokes his hair.
"Yuuki," he croaks. His throat feels raw, and he coughs. Where is Shirabuki? Where's Kuran?
"You were poisoned, but everything is fine now. I killed Shirabuki."
What? Zero cracks his eyes open. It takes a moment for his blurry vision to focus, and he blinks to clear the gunk out of his eyes.
"You cut your hair," Yuuki says fondly. She's seated beside him, beautiful as ever, dirty but unharmed.
"Yeah. Seemed like a good time," Zero mutters, wishing he currently had the motor skills to touch her. He squints. "What happened to your hair?"
Yuuki touches the hacked-off ends of her auburn hair self-consciously. "Um. Quite a lot of it got burned off, and I decided to just even it out. Kaname says there's a trick to growing out your hair but my control isn't good enough yet." She puffs her cheeks out childishly and fluffs her hair. "I kind of like it. I haven't had my hair this short since Cross Academy."
Zero huffs, his eyes falling closed again. "...I feel weird. Different."
"We can talk about that later," says a new, deeper voice. Kuran. Another, larger hand touches Zero's cheek. "Rest now. We'll be going home soon."
"Fine," he says mulishly. "But I'm getting pretty tired of this damsel in distress routine."
A low, rich chuckle and a high pealing laugh interweave.
"Noted," Kuran says. "Though I think our sweet boy makes a lovely rescued princess, don't you agree my dear?"
Yuuki makes an enthusiastic noise. Probably dreaming of the outfits she'd make Zero wear. If Zero had any energy, Kuran would be getting the stink eye right now.
"Enough pouting. Go to sleep. Yuuki will stay with you." Then Kuran must do something, because Zero suddenly feels very heavy, and easily slips down into dreamless sleep.
And there we have it. I hope this was a satisfying conclusion to everyone's most detested villainess, and I'd love to hear your impressions and feedback, especially if you think I could have improved anywhere. This is still my first story, and I'm still learning.
To be honest, when I first outlined this story, the original plan was for Shirabuki to survive, but as I was writing the chapters I realized that didn't fit anymore. So I decided to take a chance and follow what my characters were telling me. Fear not! Shirabuki's influence on this story is far from over, and our trio will be feeling the shadow she's cast far in their future.
For the record, I do not believe that Sara is a natural psychopath. To me, she is what happens when absolute power is taught that it is above the rules, and that other people aren't really worth considering - that they don't even count as people at all. A poisonous kind of self-centeredness taken to its logical extreme.
The pureblood power of command is very similar to a fairytale geass. Once given, the order is absolute unless cancelled out by a new command. The only exception is that an ex-human will always obey a command from their master before obeying a command from another pureblood. Kaname tells Yuuki that it's better to rule through loyalty than the power of command, and he's right. A pureblood's power of command has a significant loophole - its effects depend on the exact wording used when issuing the command. The receiving vampire must carry out the order, but they interpret on their own how to do so. Very abstract commands can have unpredictable results. The more precise the command, the less wiggle room, and the more likely it is the issuer will gain the result they desire. Plus, a command doesn't necessarily change the target's feelings - unless ordered not to, they may be able to deliberately turn the results more or less favorable.
Take for example a seemingly simple command: bring me a sandwich. The receiver could make your favorite sandwich with their own hands. They could steal one, or buy one. If they hated you, they could bring you a sandwich made of toenail clippings and mouldy bread. This is why Kaname tends to use precise short-term orders, and also why Shirabuki used commands to forget on her agents. The power of command is also very poor when used to alter emotions because a command is all or nothing, and the new emotional state is obviously imposed.
Next chapter: the porn you all deserve. Yuuki recovers from her captivity. Kaname cleans up the mess from Shirabuki's death and reconsiders his conversation with Ouri. Zeo stares down the barrel of his upcoming time in season.