-Chapter Two: Internal Strife-
Zero rushed out of his room leaving a stunned Yuuki to hide out there. He took silent steps towards the front of the house, rounding every corner with caution. He cursed under his breath. If he hadn't been distracted by kissing Yuuki, he'd have sensed them coming and been ready for it. Now he was caught off guard in more than way. Yuuki didn't push him away when he kissed her, nor did she when he caressed her breast. Did she want it to happen? He saw something in her eyes he didn't quite understand, it was a mix of curiosity and Lust?
Zero shook his head to clear it. Now was not the time to be thinking about this with an intruder in their house. Kaien was gone so he knew he was on his own and here he was thinking about Yuuki. Trying to concentrate he focused his hunter instincts to survey his surroundings. They were near Kaien's room and now headed his way. There were two. One had heavier foots steps, the other was lighter. Possibly a Man and Woman. Zero crept up on them, They hadn't noticed yet and he took the opportunity shooting the female straight through the heart, crumbling her to dust. The Male hearing the crack of gunfire rounded and flashed crimson colored eyes and with a hiss lunged at Zero, fangs barred. The intruder swiped at zero with claws, slicing his cheek, blood welling up and streaming down his jawline.
"Shit" Zero cursed, jumping back further from the Vampire. "What do you want?" He spit out snarling. All the vampire did was jumped at him again barring fangs and pinning him to the floor knocking Bloody Rose just out of reach. 'A Level E that has lost his mind, Great.' The Vampire swiped at him again, this time at his chest leaving a nasty gash. Zero screamed out in pain, punching the vampire in the jaw, knocking the assailant off of him. Taking the opportunity to grab his pistol and shoot the vampire without a second thought in the middle of his forehead. This one too turning to dust.
Zero dragged himself into a sitting position to rest against the wall, dropping Bloody Rose at his side. His breath was coming in shallow pants, and chest feeling tight. Zero could feel something build up inside of him, like his entire body was on fire. His throat felt dry and raw. He closed his eyes, just trying to focus on his breathing. Taking one breath at a time, in and out. He could hear foot steps heading towards the hall towards him. He couldn't think anymore, he acted on instinct and when the foot steps entered the room he aimed his gun straight at it, cocking it back and ready to fire until he heard Yuuki scream. Zero let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and dropped the pistol as she ran to him.
"Oh god! Zero!" Yuuki dropped to the floor next to him. She slipped off his Haori and pressed it to his chest to staunch the bleeding. "You can't die!"
Zero could barely hear her or feel what was happening other than the fire building up in his body, it was light he was detached from his body. He reached for her with great effort, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her closer to him. Yuuki didn't resist him in the least, she wrapped her arms around his chest, tears streaming her cheeks as she cried. He rested his hands on her shoulders, staring at her white throat. He could see her quicken pulse beating through her jugular with each heart beat. At first he kissed the curve of her neck, Yuuki tensed and started to push away from him. Zero tightened his grip and held her close not letting her go.
"Z-Zero...? This is hardly the time..." Yuuki said worriedly.
Zero didn't hear her, his thoughts were consumed by the rapid pulse in her throat as he watched it pumping away just under the skin. His tongue darted out licking out the place where he just kissed, tasting her skin. He gritted his teeth feeling his canines extend to sharp points. Feeling Yuuki struggling against him seemed to snap him back to reality as he loosened his hold on her shoulders, but just barely. "Y-Yuuki... R-run... Get away..." He said through his shallow breaths, trying to back himself up against the wall as close as he could to put distance between them.
Yuuki leaned back, replacing her hand against his chest with his Haori to staunch the bleeding on his chest wound. "Run? What are you talking about? If I leave you..." She stopped short, noticing the color of his eyes. They weren't their normal Amethyst, instead they were displaced by a smoldering ruby. "Zero, y-y... you're a vampire?"
"Yes... Now get away. Before I hurt you." Zero's control was starting to slip, his words said one thing and yet his body pulled Yuuki closer to him again. He used his nose to brush her hair away from her neck, licking the curve once more
"It's... It's okay if it's you, Zero. Go ahead, you need it." Yuuki, placed one hand on his head sliding her fingers through his hair guiding him, reassuring him. The other resting on his back. Gently stroking up and down to further encourage him.
'I'm a monster. I am sorry Yuuki...' Zero blanched. He couldn't control himself anymore, Zero's rapacious hunger built as his fangs began their descent, the need superseding reason. Yuuki let out a small gasp as she felt the two sharp stings, her body tensing at first before relaxing into the mixture of painful pleasure. Her quickened pulse made her blood explode in his mouth, washing away the scorched feeling in his throat. Yet another taste of her.
Her blood tasted sweet as it cascaded down filling him with a euphoric haze. He was overwhelmed by the possessiveness of the awful act. Yuuki's blood was the missing puzzle piece that he yearned for over the last four years. It awakened something deep within him and yet it also condemned him, condemned her. He was a beast within human form. A parasite living off of another there was no turning back. Zero felt avaricious, He had to have her blood and he didn't want anyone else to have it.
Zero could feel the wound on his chest and cheek start to heal itself and his strength was returning to him. He wrapped his arms around Yuuki pulling her as close as he could to him, positioning her on to rest in his lap and tilting her head off to the side to give him a bit more access to her throat.
"Z-Zero..." Yuuki breathed out at barely a whisper. The sounds of Yuuki's shallow breathing and Zero greedily sucking at her blood filled the room, it wasn't until Yuuki's hand fell away from the back of his head that he registered that he had enough. Zero pulled back and She gave him a very small smile before closing her eyes, passing out. A panic went through him. It was the first time he had ever drank blood, had he killed her? 'Oh god...' Shifting her a bit he pressed his ear to her chest.
Thump... Thump... Thump...
It was faint, but it there. A sigh of relief escaped Zero's lips as he sat back cradling Yuuki in his arms. She was alive. He wasn't sure he could live with himself if he had caused her death. Shifting Yuuki in his arms again he stood, he made his way to her bedroom down the hall. Opening the sliding screen door, he walked in and placed her down on the futon covering her with the blanket.
"Yuuki, I am so sorry..." Zero Whispered as he brushed some chocolate hair away from her face, lightly brushing his lips against hers for a soft kiss.
A faint light filtered in through her window. 'It must be close to dawn.' Yuuki thought trying her best not to open her eyes and pulled the blanket over her head to keep the light out and rolled over to her stomach. She didn't want to get up just yet, she wanted to sleep in just a big longer.
After some time trying but failing she rolled over on to her back again. She flipped the blanket off her face and opened her eyes. "Hn... going back to sleep is not happening." Yuuki said under her breath as she turned toward her door. Zero was sleeping next to her in his own futon, Yuuki froze and held her breath. 'AH! What is he doing in here!' She blinked several times to regain her composure. She looked under under her blanket to make sure she had a kimono on, now not knowing exactly what happened last night apparently. "Whew" her body softened.
She wasn't exactly dressed properly for bed since she was still wearing that lightweight kimono from yesterday that got soaked in rain and was now covered in dry blood from last night but something was better than nothing. Tightening the blanket around her she made a move to get up, but Zero's arms reached out pulling her closer to him. Her back now against his chest. "Z-Zero?" Yuuki whispered out, the color blooming across her face.
"Nnn." Zero nestled into her, breathing in the scent of her hair "Don't... go..." His breathing steadied, clearly going back to sleep again. Yuuki's thoughts now whirling around. 'What if Father walked in, my reputation would be ruined, not to mention what would he do to Zero?' Nope, better to get up and usher him back into his own room, not that she wanted him to go. She found a strange comfort laying next to him in his arms, like it was meant to be like this.
"Zero... Get up. Father will probably kill us both, most certainly you if he catches us like this." Yuuki tried to untangle herself from his arms to no avail. He was much stronger than she was and he was wrapping his arms much tighter around as she tried to escape, keeping her locked up tight against his chest. "Zero... What about Father?"
"Cross-san is coming back tomorrow night." Zero awake now, sniffed at Yuuki again this time with purpose paying attention to her scent. There was something slightly off about Yuuki's scent but couldn't quite place it first, it was faint but there. It had changed, She smelled like him. Like their scents were mixed together. This made Zero feel a bit smug at the thought of Kuran smelling him on Yuuki.
Snapping back to reality he loosened his hold on her and sat up, studying Yuuki carefully as if she might break any moment now remembering why he discovered the scent change to begin with. He had bit her, and drained her almost dry. "He wanted to talk with Yagari-sensei about the recent attacks and get extra security around the village."
"Extra Security?" Yuuki tilted her head in confusion. "Why?"
Zero lifted his brow as he searched her chocolate brown orbs. "Vampires." He said the word slowly and with purpose gauging her reaction to it. Understanding and recognition finally crossed Yuuki's face. Her eyes widened and stared back at his amethyst eyes as her hand slapped her neck where he bit down last night, she scooted back to the edge of her futon. Staring at him as she pulled the blanket further up her chest covering herself.
'Ah, there is it is...' Zero sighed as he thought it finally hit her. She saw him as a monster, as she should, he was a beast in human form. Zero didn't make an attempt to persuade her otherwise.
Memories of last night flooded back to her, she tensed at the recollection of him biting her. 'Zero... Oh Zero... He's been suffering this whole time.' Her mind shifted to how it felt to have his fangs in her throat, She hadn't minded it. 'It didn't hurt, surprising for sure, but it wasn't frightening in fact it was a bit of a thrill, he was so gentle with his bite.' Then a heat crept up to her cheeks as she remembered the scene in Zero's bedroom. She stayed silent and averted her gaze to his hands that just last night caressed and touched her.
Zero watched a sadness passed over her features, and then something else he couldn't read as she avoided his gaze. He closed his eyes and shook his head, resigned that she wasn't going to trust him again. 'Why would she?' He took something from her. Zero stood and gathered his futon to retreat back to his room, trying to give her space and time to process everything that happened last night.
Yuuki just watched him wrapped up in her own thoughts but once he made a move for the door she got up and ran to him. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his back nestling into it. She couldn't find the words to express how she felt or how to comfort him, she knew he hated vampires. He wasn't shy about it, now she understood why he was always brooding and hated himself. She had figured he hated himself because he felt responsible for his family deaths. 'Oh Zero...' She willed him to understand her thoughts. She didn't hate him. She wasn't afraid of him.
Zero dropped his futon from the impact of Yuuki latching on to him and he froze. Utter confusion about the affection she was showing him. "Yuuki, I'm a monster. I drank your blood like a parasite. I can't survive without hurting and taking something precious from you. I could have killed you last night, I didn't know when to stop. What if the next time I can't stop myself?" He Spat out.
Yuuki stayed silent and tightened her grip around him not trusting her voice. She shook her head against him in an attempt to communicate reassurance to him.
"Yuuki... please stay away from me. I don't want to hurt you..." Zero choked out, blinking back tears hiding in his lavender eyes through silvery trussels.
"Zero, You would never hurt me." Yuuki made sure her voice was calm, even neutral as to reassure him. Untangling herself from him, she tugged his hand back so he would face her. Reluctantly he shifted but kept his eyes to the floor avoiding hers. She placed a hand under his chin and lifted, forcing his plum colored eyes to look into her mahogany ones. "I trust you, Zero. I always have and always will." She smiled at him and squeezed his hand.
"You need to get cleaned up and get dressed. I'll make us something to eat." Zero half smiled fully looking at her and what she was wearing still and turned from her, sliding the door open.
Yuuki's eyes widened and cheeks flushed as she realized how exposed she was. Her arms darting over to cover her modesty even if Zero already had his back to her. "Th-Thanks..."
Once Zero closed the door she sank down to the tatami mats with a heavy sigh and heard her stomach rumble. It was a wild twenty four hours and she realized the last thing she ate was yesterday at breakfast, and then with Zero taking her blood in the evening she was ravenously hungry. Stripping off the blood stained Kimono she went through wardrobe picking out a beautiful black silk Kimono with red Chrysanthemums and golden cranes flying along the bottom of it and the sleeves. She choose a golden Autumn leaf theme Obi, red obiage and cord to complete the look. She did a simple up-do with her hair pinning it in place with a dangling flower hair pin.
Looking at the floor length mirror she inspected her neck. There were two small puncture wounds where Zero had bitten her. Running her fingertips along the marred flesh hoping it wouldn't leave a scare, Vampires weren't exactly rare but it would trouble her Father if he found marks on her. Once she was satisfied with the adjustment of Kimono layers over Zero's bite marks, she walked down the hall following the smell of miso soup into the kitchen.
"Mmm! That smells delicious!" Yuuki sniffed at the pot. "Anything I can help with?" She went to the cupboard to pull down the bowls and plates for breakfast.
"Yes please, could you check the rice? I think it might be done." He gave the Miso soup one last stir before flipping the Mackerel, making sure it was cooked. Plating the food, he sat the plates on the table followed by the soup as Yuuki finished up with the rice and grabbing the chopsticks.
"It looks amazing, itadakimasu!" Yuuki bowed.
They ate their breakfast with idle chit-chat back and forth. Light hearted conversation, neither bringing up last night. Zero had changed his kimono as well, so there wasn't proof other than his bite mark on Yuuki's neck which she covered up with layers of Kimono. Once breakfast was over, Zero cleared the table and started on the dishes.
"Ne, Zero?" Yuuki stared at the table, her hand absent mindlessly stroking the bite mark. She felt different somehow, nothing crazy, just different. 'Was it just from everything that happened yesterday? What did happen yesterday? Zero is a vampire, he bit me, but before that we were kissing and...' Yuuki's thoughts trailed off as her cheeks flushed at the events replayed again.
"What is it?" Zero started to turn toward her and Yuuki dropped her hand, shaking her head.
"Eh never mind." Yuuki smiled pushing the thoughts from her mind, getting up and grabbing a towel to dry the dishes. "Thank you for breakfast"
Zero's gaze fell to his bite mark on her neck, then up to her lips before finally traveling to her chocolate orbs. "Don't worry about it. It's the least I could do."