Blood…
The very word itself draws an imaginary knife and plunges it deep into my heart…which also pulsates with the same crimson tears.
Blood is spilled everywhere, blood is deep within our flesh sustaining existence, and yet it's all over the floor, indicating that existence was slowly slipping away within my grasp.
My existence
I hacked up more blood from my mouth as the bullet settled in my stomach; I was able to intercept it from piercing Zero.
Just in the nick of time.
"Yuuki…" Kaname whispered, stunned. He dropped the Bloody Rose with a heavy clank in the marbled floor, petrified and anguished written amongst his pale and blanched expression.
My left arm was cradling what little blood the shot had burned though my stomach. I looked pitiful, but I managed to look up to Kaname, my big brown eyes glistening in sorrow, tears fresh with disappointment.
Kaname… Why? My eyes conveyed these words, these words of hurt to Kaname.
"Zero's my friend… I-I don't want you…trying to kill my friends Kaname…" And I fell short of one more breath before collapsing to the floor…squarely on Zero's chest.
My blood was flooding through Zero's soiled polo, staining him with red liquid that merely a minute ago was being fed to him.
Blood…how he loathed the word now. It meant nothing but life, and his life exactly wasn't even worth saving; wasn't even worth Yuuki's blood...
Why?
"WHY YUUKI?" Zero cried in misery, clutching the brunette closer to his cold and stiff body.
She's still emanating body heat, and still breathing, if only faintly…
"Yuuki! Speak to me Yuuki!" Zero was frantically shaking Yuuki, in futile effort to reassure himself that she wasn't dead.
"She won't die. She's a pureblood. Judging by the injury, the bullet has missed a vital organ. Nothing too serious…except the loss of blood that is…" A warm hand was placed on Zero's forehead, a touch so fleeting yet so penetrating through his numbed senses that it brought tears to his eyes.
Yes… crying.
'I'm pathetic.'
"There's nothing to cry about Zero. Yuuki's fine." Headmaster Cross withdrew his hands from Zero's forehead, seeing it inflicts him anxiety; an opposite effect he didn't desire.
This boy…He's only here right now because of his will to save Yuuki. He-…Zero should have transformed to a monster by now.
"Headmaster Kaien Cross, a pleasure to see you." Kaname smoothly veered around Zero's body and bent down to pick up Yuuki. Zero flinched as he tried to sit up and bring Yuuki back to his arms, "Don't touch her Kuran! You're the one who had hurt her on the first place!" Coughing, Zero shut his eyes tight as currents of blinding white light began to pound within his vision.
"So I was in the middle of my sleep when I heard this commotion on the Night Class building hall. Care to explain dorm leader?" Kaien pushed his thin glasses up, reflecting a sliver of the moon's illumination.
"Yuuki accidentally passed by our halls, with her blood from menstruation… dangerously enticing our senses. I sought a way to stanch the blood and smell, but have failed in my part..." Kaname took out the other little details which he most certainly knows Kaien doesn't need any knowledge of.
He sincerely regretted giving in into his temptations…
Yuuki's blood, Yuuki's lips, Yuuki's skin…he wished he was stronger.
He wished he could have waited, just a little bit longer.
He closed his eyes shut, letting his mind wander to his darkest of pleasures wasn't something he'll usually bend to so amenably. But his sister…his sister ignites those feelings in him, which he fears he'll no longer be able to control.
He fears that his sister wouldn't be able to control it.
Kaname hugged Yuuki closer to his body, taking a deep breath; taking in her blood's potent smell. When he finally tasted her blood, it wasn't tinged with a honey-sweet flavor to it like he expected it to be, no, it had more like a dark and addicting bittersweet sensation to it…which he couldn't possibly get enough of, he contemplated.
"Her injuries would be nothing now, now that she is a pureblood. But it will still take some time to heal since she isn't fully accustomed to the transformations yet."
"And what are you supposedly going to do now, Kaname? Now, that you've finally awaken Yuuki?" Kaien wasn't expecting this of Kaname, he thought for sure he was going to do this at another, more appropriate time when Yuuki felt ready and so did he.
Never did he visualize it happening like this, and Zero… Kaien deduced the only reason why Zero was staying sane now was that he had taken blood from either Kaname or Yuuki…but the fact that he will become a Level E still stands, only delayed briefly. He calculates a total of 2 days before his complete transformation, but within those 2 days, side effects would already have kicked in…like the urge of animalistic need for blood, delusions, and longer fangs, inhumane bodily transformations, and finally the loss of self awareness and control…
"I'll take care of her for the time being…in our dormitories, and I'll tend to her feeding myself." Kaname slightly gave a curt nod and silently walked past Kaien, Yuuki still unconscious in his arms.
"Wait" Kaien tersely dropped a hand on Kaname's shoulders, stopping him on his tracks. "I hate for you to erase her memories about tonight's circumstances…"
"I won't…" Kaname whispered adamantly.
Kaien felt uneasy for a decision, whether or not he truly trusted Kaname with the responsibility of Yuuki was overbearing. But in reality he knew he no longer had the right to stake and claim her as his own…she has grown without him, no longer within his overprotective reach. Kaien knew he didn't deserve her comfort anymore…
"Headmaster, headmaster!" cried a 7 year old Yuuki, holding a plate of iced cookies that had just been freshly baked in her toy kitchen set. In the end, it occupied the young girl's time a great deal on whether or not to offer it to her Kaname or to the headmaster, but seeing that the headmaster had looked pretty down lately had provoked inner Yuuki's thoughts to best give the homemade goodness to her adoptive father instead. 'Don't worry', she reassures herself; she'll be baking another batch to her most favorite person later.
"Yes Yuuki!" Kaien smiled warmly upon the sight of the wholly naïve child, presenting to him proudly a plate of partially burnt crisps of dough, adorned with thick dollops of sprinkled, sugared cream from their pantry. He hesitantly plucked one out of the silver tray, and popping it in; his tongue purposefully avoided the paper-like burnt crisps, and swirled more around on the moist and sweet cream, placed not-so delicately atop. "Hmm, yummy!" Kaien gulped it all down as quickly as he could after pleasuring himself of the cream and gave a small, good-hearted pat on Yuuki's head as a sign of gratitude. Yuuki glowed warmly inside, seeing that her headmaster had enjoyed her cooking.
"Now, now…shouldn't you be waiting for Kaname to arrive at this time?" Kaien took a sip long and hard from his cup of lemongrass tea, motioning for Yuuki to sit down on one of his seats with a wave of his free hand.
"Well I will…" Yuuki placidly replied, placing the cookies down on a plush, burgundy seat besides Kaien's desk and plopping down on another. "I know you've been sad headmaster…I want to help…" Yuuki saddened on just the mere fact of somebody being sad, sadness to her was in complete contradiction of everything that she believed in…she doesn't want to be sad anymore, it hurts her and the people she cared about in more ways than one.
Kaien's amused expression immediately dropped; Yuuki trying to console him of his problems was the last thing he had dreamed of. He never wants anybody carrying his own burdens, especially his meek little Yuuki. It pains him to think of her suffering that way, thinking about an old, washed up fogey like him and his troubles, instead of dreaming up her own youthful and imaginative fantasies, such as a- a unicorn palace for example.
Sometimes the capacity of her modesty and kindness surprises even him; for a little girl to have a heart that is so true and golden, will surely touch and give the world reprieve from the darkness… That's what Kaien believes in, 'This girl is purely something else; she has about her a healing aura that just lets anybody open up to her will. If people from all over the world were just like her, the world will be a better place for sure.'
"So headmaster what had been your problems?" Yuuki sat obediently on her seat, barely taking any space from the cushions.
Kaien sighed and swerved his chair just a degree away from Yuuki, removing his glasses from the bridge of his nose and cleaning the lenses from miniscule dust. How was he to begin? Lately his grieving and musings were about Shizuka Hio, a pureblooded vampire, well-known for her tragically wronged past and for having a brain that's been completely tangled in terminal delusion. Recently she committed first degree massacre to the entire Kiryuu family with the exception of one Zero Kiryuu, but a twin however, Ichiru Kiryuu, has been caught missing, leaving him either dead or alive, with the latter taken in full investigation. Now, he was left to dealing with legal and court papers to take the young Kiryuu in, which to his disliking, had been very tedious and stressful, adding now to the fact the he had been deprived of the soothing and peaceful presence of his Yuuki.
"Well Yuuki, another person will be accompanying us now and will be joining our household from then on…the papers aren't legalized yet, but soon they will be and that's what been bothering me lately. The papers and the moving are all very chaotic. But I am also worried about Zero himself; it was my decision to take him in, not his, surely it is for the best I hope. His family had been killed you see; his parents and maybe even his brother, so try to understand Yuuki, even for just a little, about his feelings and how he may react a little coldly towards others at first…" Kaien knew about Zero's behavior first hand, he had "talked" to him once on the Police Station, giving his well-wishes and respects to the boy and about his deceased parents. Indeed the boy paid no mind on the headmaster's comments, nodding time and again to show as his ambiguous responds and maybe even whispering a single worded reply if the headmaster was lucky enough to have piqued the boy's interest to such level of conversing.
Yuuki's eyes meanwhile, glazed with concern and understanding, absorbing the headmaster's words with sympathy and determination.
"Don't worry headmaster! Zero would be lucky to have you! I'll take care of him don't worry, though I do feel sad about him and his family… Oh, I know! Cookies! My cookies will make him happy again!" Yuuki beamed brightly, soft, concave dimples appearing instantaneously on both sides of her mouth. As if to emphasize her point, Yuuki grabbed the tray of cookies from the other seat and smiled again as she displayed it on her arms in front of the headmaster, "This are for you headmaster!" Yuuki placed the tray on the table and left it there. "Now I have you, Kaname, and Zero to take care of! Goodness me! My kitchen would be so busy now; more cookies, and more cookies!" Yuuki leapt off her sit and blew a kiss to her father, "Thank you headmaster, now I must help Kaname and his smiling problems, oh and his cookies to!" And with that, Yuuki was up and about, leaving the headmaster to gloat about having such a beautiful daughter.
He felt relief over Yuuki's reactions, happy even then that Yuuki was actually looking forward to meeting Zero and helping him, though he seriously doubt about those cookie of hers…he'll teach her how to bake properly in the midst of his free time someday…
"Very well, Yuuki is in your temporary care then Kaname, and you will explain." Kaien let go of Kaname with these words, and looked down on the marbled floor. He never in the life of him, wanted his Yuuki to have become a vampire, but it looks like she won't be in his hands anymore, but of Kaname's, and all he could do is hope that he keep his word.
Kaname proceeded to exit the hallway without another word.
"Kaname!" Shiki immediately blocked Kaname with a blood whip, which dispersed and sizzled away upon touching Kaname's skin.
Shiki didn't touch this subject lightly, subjects that had been kept secret from him that is.
From the sidelines, he and Rima had watched with open mouths as Yuuki forcefully transfer her blood to Zero, up until the moment when Headmaster Cross came flying in just after Yuuki had been shot, advising them to stay out of their way for the time being…
"Well I'm tired of being kept in the dark Kaname! Just what exactly is going on?" Shiki didn't relent from attempting to hinder Kaname again with his blood whip, he needed answers; how was it possible that there was another pureblood?
'Kuso!' Shiki scowled.
"Your efforts are meaningless… I will explain soon after. Gather in the Moon dormitory along with the others for the meantime until I say so."
Kaname looked back at Zero for the last time, a glint of satisfaction crossing his relaxed, auburn orbs before finally disappearing into the shadows.
"Kaname!" Both Zero and Shiki called over, to nothing but the gathering mist…
Takuma had heard news of a new pureblooded scent going around the campus, all vampires as it seems were gathered in the Moon dormitory, and as his duties dictated him to, he was filling in for the absence of Kaname….
"Everyone! Everyone! Please maintain the voice level to a minimum! I am sure Lord Kaname will come in to update us of the rumors that had been circulating around the Night Class. We don't want to disturb the neighboring Day Class, so please keep it down!" Takuma had to resort in a bullhorn if any of his messages were to come across the crowd at all, now he also had a whistle for safety measures.
*TWEEET!*
"RACHEL, DEAN! QUIT THE PRANKS ALREADY! OI! AND HANABUSA STOP HOARDING OUR RATION OF BLOOD TABLETS!" Takuma yelled through the bullhorn.
Sigh, when will Lord Kaname come in here anyway? I honestly don't know if I can put up with these vice presidential responsibilities anymore, Takuma inwardly groaned. First off, his coach accessories isn't exactly making him look vampire (much to his dismay), and also he's giving the impression of one of those frantic Day Class committee members trying to stabilize the screaming fangirls, only this time it's the other way around, now it's the vampires that needs calming down of.
I love my job, Takuma sarcastically joked, fingering his silver whistle with slight contempt. Scanning the room for anymore signs of brewing trouble, Takuma saw Hanabusa grimace and frown deeply on his seat, a nasty aura pervading his way. Takuma knew he was just pissed, and he chuckled to himself over his classmate's unusual foreboding demeanor. Typically Hanabusa was the butt of all jokes, now he looks like he could kill with one of those nasty glares of his.
Sighing to himself, Takuma instantly saw one group of boys trying to get access inside the girl's hallway; Takuma whistled without hesitation and began yelling threats directed to the troublemakers.
I swear vampires are so much worse to deal with than those crazed Day Class fangirls... I almost think Zero and Yuuki have it easy with their jobs, Takuma bitterly thought, catching another group of girls trying to get inside the boy's hallway.
"Oi, girls!" Takuma shouted, embarrassment creeping over his pale complexion, now the girls? This day will never end! The girls just giggled over at Takuma, ignoring his whistles and shouts. "Sorry Takuma-kun!"
"Whatever" mumbled Hanabusa from the other side of the room, locking the chest containing the blood tablets with annoyance. Usually 6 tablets are officially prescribed to a vampire per day, taking in anymore can be considered hazardous due to the high intake of artificial vitamins and proteins usually found in authentic blood, but obviously that isn't the case for students like Hanabusa. He insisted on a reservoir of emergency blood tablets on the go, meaning his bag and pockets were filled with sneaked tablets.
It's freaking bad enough already that they switched the flavors to diet from the original; this shit tastes like water with little flavors to dilute it! Hanabusa commented mentally. He disliked having his nutrition lacking in taste and quantities, and lately he's been suffering with these new "diet" blood tablets and there almost flavorless taste, barely satisfying his illimitable hunger. "Look I even lost a pound or two this week because of this tasteless crap!" Hanabusa complained to no one in particular.
And then there's the thick, intoxicating smell of blood drifting heavily in the air since class had ended, enticing and riling up the whole vampire student body. Oh, how I'll kill for a taste of fresh blood! Hanabusa's killer instincts immediately kicked in at the thought of blood. Real blood… It has been quite a while since he's last meeting with Yuuki Cross, that night when he had gotten a sliver of her blood dancing wildly and happily on his tongue, for a price that he had to pay of course…but it didn't matter, it was worth it for a drop of her blood. And since then, Hanabusa had immediately realized, that nothing, I mean nothing, could ever compare to real human blood. It's like eating a bar of chocolate, but in lieu of that, blood tablets are like crappy and bitter cough drops; it eases the edge of your hunger for something much sweeter, sure, but it still pales in comparison from the real thing.
His fingers started to tremble a little, Hanabusa's palms were beginning to sweat profusely, and his heart beat was racing abnormally. Hanabusa impulsively clutched at his uniform; near where his heart was having a marathon, he was breathing in raggedly…his withdrawal was occurring.
Shit! I could've sworn I took my supplementary medicine this morning, shit not now! Hanabusa scowled, tightening his grip on the bronze key on hand. He shook his head to calm some of his nerves down; shakily he unlocked the chest again and immediately threw in 2 blood tablets simultaneously to his mouth.
That should make the withdrawal less painful… Limping, Hanabusa dragged himself to the double oak doors, thanking the gods that no one had noticed his odd disappearance besides the chest. He thought for sure that Takuma was going to whistle him in. Slipping out as quietly as he could, he let his eyes transform to its original red lust color, partially letting his withdrawal take over and mostly because he just needs real blood right now.
These attacks were occurring more frequently now, and Hanabusa made sure use of it now and then. His withdrawals actually stirred his powers to the abnormal rate, a side effect that he didn't knew about until he had researched further. The downside is that for most of the time, half of his mind is completely shut down, meaning his mouth could be running off a string of curses without him aware of it at all, or totally rendering his judgments in a heady haze of obscurity. He needed to be extra careful with the effects, but it was a risk worth taking if he could at least figure out where that damn blood scent is coming from.
No longer limping, and still in control of his sense of direction, Hanabusa let his heightened smell pinpoint the direction of the blood scent saturating within the air. Oh, he knew that it was Yuuki's blood in the air a long time ago, now he just had to know what had happened behind the scenes. Maybe if he was lucky enough, he could even surprise a few Day Class students sneaking in the forest during his investigations, catching them off guard and silently taking them in with his fangs… The thought made Hanabusa quiver in a mixture of pleasure and excitement.
He no longer could identify the difference between "good" and "bad" at this point, and he's sure as hell didn't mind the consequences that are sure to follow afterwards.
"Hey Hanabusa, what the heck are you doing outside?" Rima halted to a stop in front of Hanabusa, her figure appearing from the dim glow of the garden lamps.
She had just gotten ahead of Shiki, going to the Moon dormitories herself; she never had expected to see Hanabusa along the way. Truthfully she had fled from all the events earlier. It was behind her back now, and Rima liked to keep it that way, seeing Shiki so agitated wasn't like him at all… Yuuki was still a mystery to her to, and Lord Kaname…
"Why aren't you in the Moon Dormitories?" Hanabusa looked at her lazily, his aqua colored eyes flicking to her direction.
Rima walked forward to where Hanabusa stood idly, feeling at ease with the fellow aristocrat.
"I was about to go there right now, anyway what about your detention? How'd it go, Latin Boy?" Rima crossed her arms carelessly on her chest, albeit still a little irritated on her lack of Pocky.
"Oh, you know the same old, same ol' I guess. Professor Brentworth's still a stick in the mud…" Hanabusa gestured the cobblestone path behind him after a brief pause, "Guess you'll be on your way then. Nice talking to you Rima…"
Rima frowned, "Hmm, yeah I guess so." Her arms were still folded, unmoved from her same position.
Hanabusa was acting weird…you know, usually he wouldn't have commented anything good about her at all. He was also oddly calm, a first to the ever extrovert blonde idiot.
Hanabusa flashed a toothy smile at Rima, finishing off with a gleaming sparkle on the tip of his fangs.
"Well Rima?"
If Rima was any other ordinary fangirl of "Idol", she would have fainted right there and then, but instead, being exceptionally immune to vampire looks, and also being apathetic in general, she felt repulsed on the bottom of her gut more than anything else.
Umm, okay what was that for?
"Hey idiot, you're not supposed to bare your fangs at all on campus, and just where exactly are you planning to go in the middle of the night? Aren't you supposed to be in the Moon dormitory also?" Rima shifted her foot from side to side, a sign that she was feeling a little bit apprehensive.
"Yes, but I have other plans you see…" Hanabusa slowly closed the gap between them, his pale and thin fingers reaching out to Rima's equally ashen cheeks, caressing the sides with care. Tenderly his fingers brushed off a stray lock of hair, tucking it away behind her ear. "I don't want you to get in the way Rima…unless; you know something that I don't…" Hanabusa whispered, his warm breath tickling the tip of Rima's nose.
Rima was frozen; her eyes were locked to Hanabusa's with fear, she was literally frozen to the ground. Hanabusa had caged her feet in ice while he was leaning over, and she didn't know what to do, didn't even know why he was acting like this…
"Hanabusa, you're starting to freak me out." Rima shakily muttered, "Let go of me or else!"
"Or else what?" Hanabusa teased.
Rima's eyes glowered hard on Hanabusa; her show of courage never faltering. "Or else I'll tase you…" Rima threatened through clenched teeth, "Down. There."
Hanabusa didn't smile for once, he knew Rima was spunky when aggravated enough, and would probably do conjure her powers against him without hesitation.
"Can't have that now can we?" Clutching both of Rima's hands behind her back, Hanabusa intertwined a strengthened ice cuffs around her hand, securing it behind tightly.
"I feel safer now…" Hanabusa stated, taking Rima's chin with his fingers.
"Why are you doing this?" Rima asked huskily, her voice below a whisper.
Cerulean pierced aqua blue; searching for hidden answers within the depths of the eyes.
Hanabusa just smirked, "I hope Shiki won't mind..."
Lowering down his mouth, Rima's eyes widened in shock as Hanabusa's lips touched hers. His lips softly felt her strawberry-tinted ones; he didn't go further, merely tasting the sweet gloss of her lips. Hanabusa pulled back after a couple of seconds that had felt more like an eternity to Rima's drumming heart. Looking at Rima; his eyes were coated with lust, while hers were of absolute horror.
"It wasn't too bad, ne?" Hanabusa playfully whispered.
Rima was simply speechless.
Yuuki softly woke up in an unknown and almost pitch-black room. The territory was cold, the open window to be blamed, as velvet curtains framing the glass flapped freely about.
Where are Zero and Kaname? It was the first thought to emerge within Yuuki's cloudy subconsciousness.
She was laid down in a California King-sized bed, with deep mahogany vertical columns in each corner. The gossamer satin veil encasing the bed was drawn back and tied to the wooden posts to grant Yuuki a view of the room's expanse, most of which are shrouded in the night's shade; the only exception is being the open window.
The light filtered in from the small access barely touched neither any visible furniture nor any signs of the room's corners… 'It's a very large room,' Yuuki thought groggily, her heavy lids drifting up then closing down once again. A familiar scent of wooden musk was abundant in the room, seemingly teasing Yuuki's nose to wake up. Lethargically, Yuuki stirred underneath the crimson bed sheet and managed to sit up without falling back in into the depths of the fluffy pillows.
The scent was ringing in her mind in remembrance… she knew that scent too well. 'Oh my gosh it's Kaname's room! Why am I in Kaname's room? And in his bed no less!'
The revelations immediately injected Yuuki with a surge of alertness; her senses frazzled, and sleep no longer impeding her body from processing her thoughts clearly. Almost frantically, Yuuki threw herself off of the bed and made her way to the window's safe glow. Calming down a bit, she looked over the window ledge, and saw the full moon cheering the night enough with adequate light to see and wander about; the illumination shedding way to various paths…without it, Yuuki thought, would be like spilling a whole bottle of ink into a fresh sheet of white paper, the paper will absorb the black liquid slowly until the ink spreads completely over the blank surface...taking over without hesitation.
Sitting down by the window, Yuuki rested her chin on her raised knees, hugging it closer to her body to maintain what little body heat she was producing. She didn't bother closing the windows, the wind wasn't letting up, and she openly suffered the freezing gusts blowing in, directing the curtains to dance besides her in graceful and sporadic movements, Yuuki's long and lustrous brunette hair joining along with the wind.
In the midst of her ruminating Yuuki suddenly realized that no longer was she a regular human in the Day Class crowds, she was now a pureblooded vampire; her Kaname had been her brother all along…and all of which had been painstakingly brought back to her by a distant and heartbreaking memory that had been locked up in her mind. The truth about her family and parents were revealed to her only after years of being oblivious to the past. It was all too much for her to take in under 3 hours, and so she let her bitter tears fall, emptying what was left of her heart and soul every time a teardrop fell from her auburn eyes.
She felt out of place now wearing the Day Class uniform as she is; ashamed even.
Yuuki didn't like crying since it inflicts her the burden of bearing sadness and showing weakness to herself, which then will be followed up by self-pitying. She despises putting her own self down, but secretly does anyways to just fill in the satisfaction of knowing that she will always be fragile and pathetic and will always rely on somebody to stand up on. 'I've never been strong,' she murmured mentally.
Her tired and puffy eyes drooped, every time she cries it was always like this… Back then when she was younger crying was a joke to her, and now, when she had supposedly "grown-up," all those pushed back tears of bygone years had been released in just one night. A determined smile would have graced her lips instead of the rivulets of salt and water pouring out from the corners of her eyes. Yuuki couldn't bring herself to smile just yet… not now when everything she had ever known was falling apart.
Looking out of the unfastened window, she wondered on jumping out of it and go exploring on her own; to think and drain herself of practically everything that had occurred to her up to this night. The embrace of the darkness will serve to her as a barrier to everyone else at the moment, being in Kaname's room wasn't exactly helping her to say. But then the crack of dawn showed signs of approaching daybreak outside, which totally had caught Yuuki off guard for a minute, considering she didn't keep the time when she was thinking all over the crappy side of her life's story. She didn't realize how late she had stayed up, and how little she had accomplished during those hours of contemplating. "I didn't think I would have been crying all night…" muttered Yuuki for the first time; her voice a little bit raspy from the lack of moisture, or dare she say it- blood.
She had forgotten about the need to feed herself of blood; her thirst was dry and voracious, and never had she felt this urge to feed herself before this badly…
Now that she was a vampire, she had missed the one thing to think over, and that is her feeding habits. How did she miss that? Of the vast differences between a human and a vampire, there hunger and how they satisfy it is the most definite factor that distinguish both species from each other, and now Yuuki had to cross that gap alone; her first test of being a true, pureblooded vampire was to feel that difference first hand.
Choking on her own saliva and moistening her cracked lips did little to cease the arid bareness to her hunger.
'Is this what it means to be a vampire? If so…I'd rather die if I can help it.'
Yuuki let a tender hand clutch at her creamy throat; she wanted to scratch it till it bled. Ever so softly, one of her fingertips dug deep within her skin, just waiting to be pierced and a trickle of blood will surely follow…lick.
"NO!" Yuuki screamed, her fingertips slowly slithering away from her neck; appallingly and reprehensibly. She was going insane! This isn't what is right.
Her integrity and weakness was clashing together in a formidable conflict. Like two different swords colliding together; the other fought for her to stop and bring her back to her senses, while the other craved her to bow down to her instincts for survival. Both of which was determined to reach a conclusion, one way or the other…
Yuuki grasped the top of her hair in frustration and distress, her legs no longer feeling stable as they slid back down to the ground. Her mindset wasn't made up yet; vampire or not she was still a person in character and spirit.
She was sobbing uncontrollably, a fresh wave of tears surfacing from her eyes. Her hair was in distraught; woven in tangles as her fingers relentlessly scratch and pull on her russet tresses.
'This isn't right!'
'This isn't right!'
'This isn't right!'
Maybe a little bit of blood will ease your mind, deary…
Huh, wait? Yuuki's eyes widened in alarm as her blurred sight instantly focused on a lone trail of blood leading up to her thigh… She realized she wasn't wearing her panties beneath her skirt at all, and the smell of menstruation was plugging her sense of smell of anything but.
Blood!
Her instincts had finally sliced over the last piece of morality she had held in that one, single minute. Hungrily, Yuuki traced the trail up to her inner most thigh with her index finger, erratically, but surprisingly swiftly, bringing the stained digit up to her lips…
She was hungry and not even her decisions from the depths of her hearts will stand in the way…
Nothing else mattered.
She, she…she hasn't felt this kind of sensation before… A jolt of lascivious pleasure and bliss had enlightened her petite figure to shudder. The moment her finger had touched her tongue with the liquid she was on fire. She knew she was going to be wild if she doesn't get enough. Maddeningly, her fingers traced another dried trail of blood on her legs, coating her other free fingers as well. She trembled against her own wet touches to her thigh, the feeling of Kaname's tongue licking and stroking her skin made her even wetter down there.
'I, I shouldn't be thinking of Kaname like that. Now that I know we are blood related…it isn't right anymore.' With that thought she blushed; the color of rose pink dusting her cheeks. Licking her fingers again like cherry lollipops, she moaned in delight, the taste too exquisite and foreign.
"Yuuki"
Yuuki twirled around in fright, thumb finger still inside the mouth, as her heart pounded from the possibility of it being a vampire hunter. 'Why I'm I being so paranoid now?'
But upon seeing who the tall figure was standing in the doorway had almost made her heart wrench in tears again. "Kaname!" Yuuki popped her thumb out of her mouth, red hot embarrassment flooding her insides. At the same time her heart ached for being abandoned in his room…without even anything left behind to know he had gone; a sign to her that he had been thinking about her while he was away.
'Not a small hand-written note; nothing.' Yuuki miserably thought, feeling the symptoms of a whining 3 year old.
"Where were you?" Yuuki felt like she had been caught doing something wrong, which to her, still was, even though it was her own blood she had been "sampling". Wobbling like an idiot, she stood up with the help of the window ledge and stood there, avoiding Kaname's cold and penetrating gazes; too much to her discomfort. It was like he was getting a glimpse of her mind and soul through his all-knowing, glassy eyes, which Yuuki theories wasn't too impossible to accomplish with his unknown pureblood powers.
"My apologies Yuuki, I was attending a school council meeting with the headmaster and the vampire hunter associations. Dealing with another pureblood as it seems, is too much of a bother for them…"
Her eyes continued to avoid Kaname as they bore holes into the white washed walls instead, unnerved from Kaname's suspicious stares. Yuuki's fingertips began twiddling timidly, wishing for a more consoling situation.
The air was beginning to thicken with uneasy tension, mostly emanating from Yuuki's distress. She didn't know whether or not to be happy or scared for Kaname to have come at all.
It was very much alike-Yuuki's disposition, when she was caught in the decision of sealing her one, true choice about Kaname with a kiss. She blushed hotly again, at her own feistiness that had came from out of nowhere. This seemed to have made Yuuki even more self-conscious...the atmosphere was choking.
'When was I ever that bold?' Yuuki asked herself, now she was looking awkward and embarrassed at the same time; blushing and avoiding direct eye contact from Kaname.
She was beginning to lose hope on ever speaking up, when her ears pricked up towards Kaname, soft laughter tumbling out of his lips.
"Yuuki you don't have to be frightened to me like that. I don't bite." Kaname chuckled quietly; his laughter was gentle and held true amusement.
Yuuki immediately turned to look at Kaname in astonishment, she had forgotten about her small indecision completely as she saw him smiling at her with utmost sincerity. All walls barring between them had melted in that instant. She did not expect that at all from the senior pureblood, his aura was inviting and warm for a change… 'Like when I was kid.' Yuuki became thrilled at the thought.
"Pun intended." He added teasingly.
Yuuki couldn't take it anymore; she suddenly ran towards him in a very child-like manner, Kaname wrapped his arms around her waist endearingly.
"Kaname," Yuuki breathed in his scent from the dark brown trench coat that he was wearing, nuzzling her face into his chest even deeper. "Don't try to make jokes again. It isn't really like you, you know?" Her complexion was ghostly pale and her face had lost all signs of heat, numbing from last night's wet tears and unrelenting wind. She smiled being with him like this, feeling a surge of exuberance and contentment to flow throughout her body, knowing that the one person holding her tightly right now would never change.
"I'm sorry Yuuki…for everything." Kaname murmured on her hair, his jovial expression diminishing.
Kaname looked exhausted and weary; his eyes drained from its color's vividness and showing off strained anxiety in every glint of light it reflects, the pallor of his skin had gotten slightly faded.
Yuuki unclasped her arms from around Kaname and looked at him intently, "Kaname it's okay… Now, wh-what about Zero?" Yuuki was desperate and was wordlessly urging Kaname to reply to her question with pleading eyes. She needed to know if Zero was alright… If-if he could be dead, p-possibly even killed by Kaname himself…
'No, Kaname will never…'
BAM! The sharp boom of Bloody Rose's bullet cutting through the air had left a permanent resounding echo inside Yuuki's head…like a scratched broken record playing again and again. She had dodged forward to prevent the bullet from hitting a fatal wound to Zero, without fear of herself being hurt or any of that trivial interference…nothing at all had mattered to her.
"Kaname…did you kill Zero?" The last part was barely a mumble as Yuuki shook from the thought; she never had felt more betrayed when Kaname had pointed that gun to Zero…and yet she couldn't ever hate him, ever. When he was hugging her like this it felt she was being released from her burdens for awhile, and Yuuki wanted that to last.
She loved him more than anything else, but she was also disappointed.
"No, Kiryuu isn't dead yet." The words rolled off of Kaname's tongue in disdain, his tone low and icy at the mention of the vampire hunter.
He hadn't tried anything to Zero during last night's school board meeting, but he had been present during the time, as silent and lifeless as a rock on his seat at the table. When topic of Yuuki had been reached to a conclusion, he became instantly berserk at the decision of placing Yuuki on Kaname's care. Shouting out pointless obscenities and going as far as landing a blow to Kaname from way across the table, to which he dispatched off swiftly, sending Zero flying backwards and quickly slipping to unconsciousness upon hitting the back of the wall. Kaname wished it could have been the end for the vampire hunter, but he didn't tempt himself of this thought for long, he'd been thinking about his Yuuki's strong desire to save the pathetic brat, and had ultimately put aside his own belief in the back of his mind.
The meeting itself was already an inconvenience. Both Zero and he had collaborated on two very different opinions about last night's matters, producing superfluous disagreements and arguments between the two opposing parties and to the rest of the councils. In the end though, he had won them over to his side, not that they had much of a choice against him.
Now Zero was confined and forcefully restrained in the school's inner dungeons, keeping him neutralized with a steady stream of heavy sedatives injected directly to his body systems. If he by any chance tries to counter back, a shot of electricity would be activated on his chair and should put him under the comatose state again. Medics were there to diagnose him, analyzing him to their fullest extent in order to find some way of reversing the Level-E effects on his body. The diagnosis is continuing even now, and Kaname had just gotten back from the school dungeons; worn out and tired. Keeping the medical operation to undergo smoothly and precisely had been his job. Were it not for his direct commands the operation would have been in shambles. They couldn't afford mistakes and blunders on this one, it has to be perfect. Not only is this the first medical research to officially analyze Level-Es, but it was also a rare occurrence as well as they were also trying to develop a cure for it at the same time. Level-Es were treated without mercy for a reason, as they do not show any more hope of being reversed after transformation. Kaname just hope Zero will cling to his pathetic life more wretchedly from now on, to give the medics enough time… His doom clock was set to exactly 1 to 2 days before he finally transforms. Everything would have been for a lost cause if the fool doesn't survive for long enough!
Kaname sighed; he felt he had no other choice, but to help Zero. He was against everything he had done, but somehow just imagining how happy Yuuki would be after Zero recovers would be worth it, even if that means helping the vampire hunter himself.
"Zero is taken care of, rest assured Yuuki." Kaname softly susurrated.
Zero impassively looked down on the silver plate shown before him. He noted the grotesquely baked black cookies with sprinkled cream on top, and decided to avoid it and ignore the girl offering it to him.
Zero was not without manners, so he did what he should and thank her. "Hm, no thanks," He coldly stated; keeping his answers very frank and brief.
With this the girl slammed down the tray on his lap, and with a huff started yelling at him, "LISTEN YOU! You better treat the people that had taken you in with more compassion than that! You're-you're as cold as a block of ice and that needs to change! NOW EAT MY COOKIES!" Yuuki picked up a cookie and shoved it in vehemently inside Zero's mouth; feeling accomplished for standing up to the hardened boy. It had been two weeks now since his arrival, and two weeks of nothing but stony silences from him, and now young Yuuki was just pissed! She had tried to understand his feelings and comply with his emotions, just like what the headmaster had instructed her to do. But as the days dragged on, and he showed no improvements, nor even the means to change his attitude, Yuuki knew she had to bring her foot down on the matter and properly discipline the boy. Yuuki wasn't as patient and mild as she seemed to look like and she's sure as heck wasn't taking in any rejections from her cookies like that!
Zero was stunned for a minute, the cookie lopsidedly hanging off from his mouth after being literally forced into his throat.
'What the heck just happened?' The girl turned from meek little Ms. Sunshine to hostile dolly in a matter of seconds.
Keeping his cool and checking in his composure, Zero picked the tray up and laid it down in the coffee table, took off the cookie from his mouth, brushed off burnt crumbs from his pants, and stood up to leave like nothing had happened. He wasn't about to stay just to get reprimanded by a screaming infant about respect and manners.
He'd had enough of babysitting, "I'm going to my room." Zero called behind him tiredly.
"Wait you're not going away just like that! I won't let you!" Yuuki sprinted past Zero and skidded to a halt in front of the door, blocking the way.
Yuuki smirked, "What's the password?" She inquired deviously.
"No. We're not playing this game." Zero replied calmly, unfazed by the girl's little games. "Now step aside and let me pass."
"Do you even know my name?" Yuuki irritably cried out; suddenly suspicious that Zero hasn't called her by her name once since his arrival.
"Yuuki" Zero automatically responded, "That's the password right?"
"Huh? No, that's not the password, but that's my name alright." Yuuki smiled, "So what is the password that will let you pass through me?" She was going to continue her small, little "test" until Zero finally realized basic manners.
Zero was feeling a little bit annoyed at her persistence. 'What is it with this girl and stubbornness?'
"Fine, give me a hint."
"It's common courtesy, which you don't seem to have. There, that's the hint, only one."
He cringed at the implied insult, but he gets it now.
"Please. Please, Yuuki let me pass… Is that the password?" Zero indifferently asked, crossing his arms.
"Yes, that's it! You pass! Now was it too hard to be polite?" Yuuki slipped her tongue out, but inside she felt like cheering for achieving her goal. For the first time she had at least saw one other emotion coming out from the boy; annoyance.
"Now can you let me pass?"
"Oh, yeah sure," Yuuki blushed a little and sidestepped out of the way. "It's good to know that you can talk properly, Zero."
"Hm" Zero barely looked past Yuuki as he exited the door. "Night" He lazily yawned.
"Night" Yuuki mumbled back.
'I-I have hope for you Zero.' Yuuki thought contentedly as she switched off the parlor's light.
Zero was sliding in out of consciousness; his vision was blurry and hazy as a vague white object flickered in above him. Drops of water were stirring him awake.
'W-where am I?'
His body felt numb and he couldn't feel anything. He couldn't even taste his own mouth.
'What the-?' Zero tried to flex his hands, but failed when he felt himself bound to thick, leather straps wound tight against him. His head felt like it was about to explode, and yet he couldn't even lift a finger.
"Easy there Zero… I see you're finally awake." A pale hand came to touch Zero's forehead with icy fingers, feeling for a temperature. Zero flinched at the sudden sensation, but the fingers were beginning to radiate a soothing effect to his migraine. Slackening his tense muscles, Zero sighed in pleasure as the pain was slowly lifted out.
He could think clearer now, his vision refocusing. "Who are you?" Zero croaked, not realizing his voice to be raspy and cracked.
"Good, you can talk. Now how do you feel?" The person finished her healing and released the chest straps on Zero.
"Here, you can sit up. But your hand straps will remain." Zero obliged quietly as the woman helped him up to a sitting position.
"You didn't answer my question… Who are you and exactly where am I?" Zero grunted as he cracked his body's stiff joints, sitting up never was this difficult before.
"Hold on, your brain isn't functioning fully yet. Rest up and let your blood circulate in your head." With these words the woman walked off back to the shadows.
"Shit. What have I gotten myself into?" Zero groaned to himself, not even bothering that he was without a shirt. The only light was the one above him, creating an eerie halo to cast down on Zero's silver mop of hair.
He was in a bed, tied down. Check.
He was in a room with only one light. Check.
And the ceiling needed repairs. Check.
The salty water that tastes like metallic rust was dripping all over Zero, crawling down in drops from his hair, to his face, to his neck, and to his chest. He didn't mind the cold; actually everything felt more like an ice box to him than an actual room. Thin mists of water vapor were made visible by the only light bulb above him, enhancing his first impression. Zero's teeth involuntarily chattered, even though he himself didn't feel the cold.
'Where am I?' He asked for the third time. 'Who was that woman?'
Zero didn't like repeating things.
Neon red numbers subconsciously came into his line of peripheral vision. Not noticing it before, he turned to look, his body creaking slowly as it swiveled to the side.
7:33 AM
…
7:34 AM
Zero blinked.
'Time was an unnecessary thing. It ticks and ticks and never pauses. It's times up for you and it's over. You wished you could have paused for a moment, even if time didn't...'
He didn't care about time; he just wants to die now. When he asked for Kaname to pull the trigger on him he never expected for Yuuki to cover him up; for his sake; to protect his life.
'Am I even worth 1 cent? I'm equal to the dirt god damn it! So why does Yuuki make it seem like I'm worthy of living?'
He didn't get her…so why?
Drip
Tick
Drip
Tick
He deserves this, if he died now, Yuuki won't be burdened by him anymore.
Tick
Drip
Screech…
The woman closed the door shut as she walked forward to her patient. He looked like he had just died, his face was blanched starch white and his body was hyperventilating. The nurse doubted this though, vampires supposed to look like this right?
The woman checked for a pulse…
…
Her huge brown eyes widened in shock. They didn't tell her anything about this happening! She bent her head low to his chest to confirm her conclusion.
'He-he's…!' The nurse withdrew her fingers from Zero's neck convulsively. Fleeing the room without a second to waste, she left to report of the news.
'What should I do?' The frail and petite nurse frantically thought, looking for her superiors in the the twisting paths of the dark hallway.
…
8:02 AM
…
8:03 AM
The numbers flashed brightly on the digital clock; ticking on ahead without pausing...