Thanks for all the reviews and such, they made my day.
Anyway, here's chapter two.
Disclaimer: I'm still broke.
Dark, heavy, clouds blew over the horizon in dark strands of silk as Zero made his way back to the motel he rented a room at. His charcoal black boots thudding ominously over the dirt path.
It seemed like just yesterday, these same boots were worn so lightly. The feet in them having a bounce to their step as Zero finally experienced what it was like to be blissfully happy, to love without restraint. The dark eyes of his past lover shooting into the young man's heart. Ripping it apart at the seams. Did he still think of him..? Zero wondered absently before his own conscious stabbed him in the stomach. No, why was he bothering to ponder such nonsense? The youth already knew the answer to that question. It was already official, that bastard had never cared about him. Not now, not ever.
"A tool."
A damp wind, that promised rain, flirted mockingly with Zero's bangs.
Then the all too familiar shackles of agony took hold of the silverette's body as he stepped further along the trail to his current refuge. Each move causing his limbs to scream out in protest, pleading with everything they had for the hunter to just end it all. To burn all the pain away with a single bullet through the skull. It would be so easy.
Just a measly bullet.
A pale hand reached inside a trench coat pocket, inching toward the Bloody Rose that had just hours beforehand ended the life of a beast. The same type of beast he was.
Cool metal brushed over a slender digit. A drop of water splashing upon Zero's marble-like skin as the attractive male's features hardened with grief. Like a beautiful tragedy in the flesh. Stone eyes abruptly beginning to crack, revealing the young man's inner turmoil for the entire world to laugh at. And the sky seemed to share his pain, its body tearing open to release its cries. Both rain and thunder booming across blackened winds, whipping his jackets around during its onslaught. His hand recoiling away from the weapon as if it had been scolded by crimson flames.
It wasn't worth it. Not now, he still had one more person worth living for.
Closing a single tortured orb, Zero raised his palm to his face in order to shield it from the heavy pelts of rain water crashing down around him. His long legs dashing forward in an all-out sprint while the heavens put their efforts into soaking his attire. He really was the fool the world loved to pick on, wasn't he?
Grinding his teeth, he attempted to bite back the cold. Zero's silver locks draping past his eyes as more and more liquid weighed it down, obscuring his vision efficiently. At this rate, the weary level D vampire mine as well just take a detour and seek refuge under a tree. Screw the fact that he was the strongest vampire hunter alive. He was wet, cold, and virtually blind at the moment; both he and his pride thought a tree sounded wonderful right now.
So with a new mindset, Zero readjusted his body to move in the direction of the woods.
"You really are a handful sometimes. Ever hear of asking for help?"
Zero paused mid-step, his gaze flickering to the side as a recognizable voice floated into his ear. The same voice he deemed worthy of living for. Zero's attention immediately went to the welcomed intruder's prominent emerald orbs and as usual they were regarding him with warmth he didn't quite deserve. Worry lacing that strange man's face.
"Kaito." He stated his partner's name as a greeting, purposely ignoring the fellow hunter's question. Choosing instead to initiate his own question. "Why are you here?"
"I was looking for you, seeing as how you went out on your own. Again."
"You shouldn't have bothered. We both know I can handle myself." Was the instant response that fled cherry blossom colored lips.
"That's not the point!" Kaito retorted, his speech volume gradually rising.
Zero had to repress the urge to sigh. There was no need to get into a fruitless debate here…not when he was freezing his ass off. His bones trembling inside his skin as his blood frosted over. "Whatever."
But of course, Zero's childhood friend didn't seem to follow that train of thought, his hand flying out to grip the drenched boy's collar. Kaito's fierce grip yanking the boy around effortlessly. "Is that all you can say when I've spent the last three hours looking for you?!"
Zero didn't say a single word, his eyebrows furrowing in discomfort at the rough treatment, but that was it. Aside from the little twitch in his expression, Zero Kiryu managed to seem as indifferent as a wall. His eyes studying the distraught visage on Kaito's tanned features.
Why do you care so much?
All of a sudden, the younger of the two men was being tugged harshly forward. Kaito's chest colliding with Zero's stunned face; the grip on his collar never relenting.
. . . A minute passed before Zero glanced up at his friend that he was forcibly being held against. Annoyance jutting out in patent waves around the captive boy. "What the hell are you doing?"
Kaito didn't answer right away, instead he let his hand fall away from the silver haired hunter, granting him his space. ". . . I was getting your dumbass out the rain." To emphasize his point, Kaito jerked his head upwards, hinting towards the umbrella above them. "If I hadn't done that, you would've just stood there all day. I'd hate to be the one to go back to the association and tell them you died of hypothermia."
Zero narrowed a glare at Kaito before backing away, his skull performing a confirmative nod. He was a little ashamed of the fact he hadn't even noticed the umbrella had caused the rain to stop pissing all over him. "Right."
Brushing past his partner, whilst snatching the umbrella, Zero began heading back to his motel once again. "Let's go then."
"Actually…"
Zero glanced at Kaito from over his shoulder, an eyebrow raised.
"We have a meeting. That's why I was looking for you—Cross said it was an emergency and that you in particular had to be there."
.
.
.
Faster than Kaito could blink, Zero was beside him, smacking his hand hard across the back of his head. Causing Kaito to slump over like a kicked puppy. "You made it seem like you went looking for me on your own free will."
"So?"
SMACK.
"OW!"
After ten minutes of walking down countless streets, Zero and Kaito finally arrived at their desired location. Their exhausted forms making them seem more like zombies than highly trained vampire slayers.
"After you." Kaito stated humorlessly as he walked ahead of his companion, throwing open the door for him hazardously. The mistreated door bouncing off the building wall as it did a complete 180. Zero didn't pay it any mind though, only giving Kaito a halfhearted nod at the gesture before ushering his thin frame into the building. The brunette not even two steps behind him.
"This better be important." Zero growled out lowly after he was securely inside the heated building. His arms busying themselves with shedding his coat while his legs steered him towards the designated gathering room.
"I second that." Kaito chimed in, pulling a monkey see, monkey do, maneuver on the other as he also began stripping off his coat.
Zero didn't even pay attention to the act or even realize the male did so, his entire soul on guard as he neared the door. For some reason, every cell in Kiryu's body told him to flee, to run while he could. And that didn't make any sense. Granted, Zero held a very distinct dislike for meetings and such, but he had never felt the pure need to run away from one. The knight's gut twisting painfully with every step he took; his own footsteps echoing loudly in his ear drums.
Maybe he was just being over dramatic?
Arriving at the threatening looking door, Zero's shaky fingers reached out cradle the door knob. His palm clutching onto it like it was his life line; anxiety snaking its way into Zero's erratically beating heart. What was wrong…? Zero's lips pulled down into confused scowl.
The sound of a throat clearing behind him caused Zero to snap out of his strange sense of dread. "Zero?" Kaito called out to him impatiently, obviously waiting for him to open the damn entryway.
Dammit, he must've been acting like a complete dolt. Shoving back down his emotions, Zero ignored his gut feeling and shoved open the surprisingly light oak wood. His eyes blinking when light pooled out from the room…then a single thought drifted over his alert mind.
Why can't I sense anyone's aura inside?
Curiosity instantly canceled out his worries and Zero stalked fully into the area.
A little part of his mind tauntingly reminding him of something he had momentarily forgotten; curiosity killed the cat.
"Glad you could make it, Kiryu."
Zero felt his heart stop.
Yeah. I'm not happy with this chapter, but then again, I have no confidence in my writing skills whatsoever. A lot of other people, mostly chicks, write better than me. But either way…I hope this was decent. If you guys want, I'll redo this chapter, if not and I get positive feedback on this one, I'll get working on chapter three.
Also, a little side note, this is a Kaname/Zero fic, but in order to give Kaname a hard time, there will be a snippet of Kaito/Zero in here as well. Mostly Kaito just liking Zero, it's not requited. Which is very canon to me; based off how Kaito treats Zero in the manga. Anyway, enough rambling, follow/review!