Chapter 6 is finally done, I hope it doesn't disappoint.
Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight or its respective characters. I only own a few Ocs here and there for plot purposes.
Silence encased the room with ice. The temperature plummeting into an arctic whirlpool faster than either occupant could register. Yet whether the actual weather had taken a turn for the worse or the weight of their reunion had just crashed onto their shoulders with chilling force, neither could tell.
The Goosebumps blooming over tender flesh running deeper than the skin could ever allow.
Two pairs of eyes, hard as steel and as impenetrable as a fortress, met from across the short distance. The bittersweet droplets of recognition sprinkling over their tongues like sweet acid. Four years of hardships had morphed their once friendly dispositions towards each other into professional indifference. Calculating and cold. A concrete wall rearing between two figures that once were entwined so deeply.
Their fates connected time and time again as their worlds molded together; trapping them in an embrace of love so pure that they had become stronger, better, people because of it. The love of a brother to a sister making her fearless. The love of a sister to a brother making him compassionate.
No one had told her- no one had enlightened either of them-that something so pure could be a double edged sword. That past ties could become edged with barb wires, unable to be grasped by either of them unless they wanted blood to flow from their hands in streams of sorrow.
Yuuki's own hands bore the scars of countless recollection. Her nimble fingers scabbed with the effort to hold onto a memory that dug into her flesh, painting her skin with imperceptible marks that only her trained eyes could detect. It was a sight Zero would surely scoff at if he was aware of her dilemma; for she was almost positive that Zero's hands had remained unmarred after all this time. She was the foolish one, not him. He probably knew how to let the past go, something she was never skilled at.
She was a child.
Zero was a knight.
Pressing her glossed pink lips together firmly, Yuuki swallowed back her sudden hesitation, refusing to drop her gaze to the floor. She would not cower away from her childhood friend; she would not bring shame to the Kuran name.
She was not a child. She wasn't allowed to be. How many times must she repeat that to herself before it sunk in? What did she have to do to make herself stop hiding behind Kaname's back? To make herself stop being a burden to everyone? She didn't know—but this would be a step in the right direction.
Once more, for good measure, she repeated to herself, 'I am not a child.'
The chaos within instantly became silent, leaving her to battle the cold alone.
Then, she spoke. "It's been a long time, Zero."
Zero's jaw grew tight at the sound of his name, his stone orbs piercing straight through Yuuki's heart. His hues guarded and unreadable while his gaze searched hers, stripping her clean of any hidden intentions she may have had in mind.
He was staring at her as if she were his enemy.
Old wounds she had stitched shut inside her chest, split back open-Zero's strong hands holding the crimson drenched thread.
After a moment of prolonged silence, the man graced her with a simple nod. Not a single movement indicating that he planned on responding to her with any words of his own, his face still sculpted into a perfect visage of indifference.
Even more cold than she recalled.
'Zero…what're you thinking about right now?'
The pureblood waited for a few second longer, desperately hoping he'd at least attempt to flatter her with a one-word answer. Anything that involved his voice would've been good enough.
After another minute, all her heightened hearing could pinpoint was the sound of his steady heartbeat and the crickets singing outside in the lawn surrounding her prison. It was then she realized, Zero would not give in to her bait for small talk. She would have to cut straight the point.
Why had she hoped for anything else?
Letting a brief sigh sneak past her lips—which Zero's own mouth twitched at—Yuuki tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. The river of chocolate cascading over her pale shoulder while she regarded the hunter again, "what are you doing here?"
The instant she asked the question, she was greeted with a reaction. Although it was not one she was expecting. Zero's brows had instantly knotted together, his impenetrable gaze almost gaining a glint of confusion as he stared down at her.
"Is this an interrogation?" He questioned back, his voice unreadable and hard.
Her eyes widened at the sound of it, the same as she remembered, yet empty of emotion. More blood dripped from her heart. The voice of her best friend. The voice of her past.
Quickly, the young woman shook her head in objection to what he asked, "No, it's not like that. I just want to know why you're here."
The confusion in Zero's gaze didn't ebb away, instead it grew more prominent. Yuuki couldn't help but wonder why. Studying his expression with care, she decided to hold her tongue for a minute. He didn't say anything and when a minute ticked by, she opened her mouth to try again-
Zero's voice cut her off, "considering you're asking that, I take it you haven't been informed about what's going on."
Yuuki blinked. "Informed about what exactly?"
"I'm here under the authorization of the Hunter's Association."
Cold water splashed on Yuuki's face as her eyes grew wide; her pale skin losing a shade of color as fear shook her core. Did Zero finally have an excuse to kill her? Was he here to fulfill his promise? That was the only reason the association would send him here, wasn't it? Did her brother not know? Would she die alone…? Her legs became stone as her body formed into concrete. She couldn't move, but she wouldn't show how scared she was. Staring at him in silent acceptance, she parroted his words back to him, even while she felt as if she could choke on her own fear, "the Hunter Association?"
The next time we meet. . . I will kill you.
Zero's gaze held hers, "I'm here for a mission." Then, as if reading her thoughts, he continued. "I'm not here for you."
Zero had always been able to see right through her.
Realizing how patent her worries must have been, she nodded, her eyes downcast. She hadn't wanted him to see that she was scared, scared of him. She had never once feared him when she was human. She had only been scared of what would happen to him. Had that changed? Pearly white teeth began to nibble at the inside of her plump bottom lip and she set her face into a brand-new mask of composure. No… a part of her still trusted him.
Zero had always protected her, even from her own brother when he made her upset.
Wait, my brother.
"I see… Kaname must already be aware of this then." She muttered, mostly to herself as irritation welled up inside her. Her brother's lack of communication with her stung. "What's your mission?"
"That's none of your concern."
Jerking up her head, Yuuki shot him an aggravated look, her brows furrowed. "I have a right to know!" Her voice rose a bit, but she quickly shut her mouth the moment it did.
Zero didn't even bat an eyelash at her anger, his voice strictly professional when he responded, "The person who needed to be informed was the person who sent us here to begin with. I'm not mandated to tell you anything."
Taking a deep breath to calm down, Yuuki countered, "How come you can't tell me? I live in this place, this is my home too. I should be informed as well."
"It's not my place to."
Yuuki broke their stare down the minute those words left his lips. "I understand."
Another bundle of heavy silence bloomed between the two, Yuuki's gaze stormy with emotions while Zero's kept his own veiled behind indifference.
However that didn't stop him from regarding her once more. Leveling his gaze to stay trained on Yuuki's face, he spoke, "If you're serious about wanting to know," Yuuki peered up at him, "I'd suggest speaking to Kuran."
With that, Zero made to take his leave.
And Yuuki felt her voice fail her. Her mouth falling open as he drew closer to her. From his proximity, she could smell his scent, familiar and safe, lilacs and earth. The distance became smaller and she could spot the silver lined within his lavender globes; his sleeve brushed her arm-
Don't go.
I miss you.
Zero, please.
- When he walked past, as if she wasn't even there, she closed her mouth together tightly.
She didn't say anything. She couldn't even move her hallow gaze from the wall across from her.
How could she when she could feel her heart crumble?
The door slid shut behind her.
Zero's footsteps echoed in his ears with every step he took away from Yuuki, memories of the past haunting him. It had taken him so long to accept the fact that he had fallen in love with a Pureblood, taken him ages to accept what Kaname was, now he was forced to remember that Yuuki was the same beast. It was hard to admit that she wasn't the girl he had grown up with anymore. And that was Kaname's fault.
Yet, he didn't feel any rage the same way he did when he was in Kaname's presence. He felt calm… and realized how naïve he was being due to his actions.
It was like looking through a fogged mirror, watching himself push away everyone that had ever mattered to him because he was hurt.
What had he done that for? Yuuki couldn't control what she was born as; she was as oblivious as he was. The only one he could blame for that was the elder Kuran—he had known all along, he was the one who kept him the dark. He even kept her in the dark, for so many years. She was no different than him, except when she needed him the most, he had shut her out.
Slipping his hands into his pockets, Zero walked over to where the main entrance of the building was. His boots thudding down the grand staircase. The sound of the thud reminded him of how Yuuki always used to stomp her feet whenever he ticked her off.
Whatever, Zero! You're the one who's always so gloomy!
His chin dropped down a bit, his gaze seeing a place far away from his current location.
Your cooking sucks.
It does not! Not everyone can cook that way you do, idiot!
Zero's hands pushed open the doors, and he wasn't surprised to see the moon raised to its full glory in the sky. The bright orb always looked the same to him; its beauty remained unchanged since he was a child. The same way Yuuki's eyes had remained the same as he remembered, so much like her human form.
Zero sighed and leaned against the wall right beside the entryway, his mouth forming into its ever present scowl. It didn't matter, he knew his pride wouldn't let him be the first to cave.
Even if he could acknowledge he was wrong.
The wind rustled the foliage surrounding the Kuran manor, and Zero did what he had been doing for the past half an hour, and checked the forest for any signs of life. Once again, he saw nothing. Just a little brown squirrel dashing up the side of a tree. He highly doubted that could be considered a threat.
This was boring. Glancing back at the mansion he was resting against, he narrowed his eyes into a glare. But anything was better than going back into that place.
Tilting his head back, he felt his skull hit the brick. The sound of the crickets chirping becoming background noise as his mind drifted off. He could hear the sound of every little critter dashing through the army of grass blades, he could smell the hint of blood embedded in the air, and he could envision the souls of the lost. The way their white hands reached out to their sides as they spun toward the trees. A graceful twirl, fit for death.
The figure twirled, and he seen his own face…smiling back at him.
Something black… twisted over his neck.
"—Out like that."
Lavender optics blinked open in innocent surprise, he hadn't even noticed he had closed them. Turning his head to the side casually, Zero regarded his partner that had efficiently come out of nowhere. "Hm?"
Kaito immediately rolled his eyes. "I said you shouldn't space out like that."
A sense of normalcy brought Zero back from the dark place his mind had wandered. "What are you? My mother?"
"No, but we're still on a mission. You should be more alert." He was a sassy bastard.
Zero shot Kaito a sidelong glance, before responding evenly, "I'm aware of that."
"Sure you are." Kaito replied easily, before he leaned on the wall beside his friend. Both of their gazes pointed towards the black of the forest. Kaito had to ask, "You can feel it too, can't you?"
"Feel what?"
"The calm before the storm, so to speak. This whole area is thick with it… the stench of the intent to kill."
The same scent Kaito could feel dripping from Zero's pores on every hunt. Zero steeled his expression, remaining silent. Of course he could feel it. It was the same aura that had become so tangled with his soul. He couldn't help but wonder how long it had been there, truly.
"Or maybe I'm imagining things." Kaito searched, prying subtly for an answer.
He played along. With a small smirk playing over Zero's lips without the hunter's knowledge, he replied. "No, you aren't. It's an annoying scent."
Kaito furrowed his brows.
The hell did that mean?
"I wonder what it is that compelled you to reveal your secret, to that puppy of a noble of all people. Could it be that you're losing your touch?"
The consistent sound of a pen scraping over paper filled the dimly lit room, the black curtains draped over the large window pane pliant just as the only occupant of the room had set them up to be. Not a single speck of dust was out of place, the flickering light of a candle dancing over cream colored walls. The sway of light creating shadows that seemed to hover over the lone man sitting at his oak desk. The candle stick sitting toward the edge of the desk's dark surface.
"Or is that you told him on purpose?"
A bead of wax slid down the candle's slim frame.
"Ah, that must be it. I understand now. You're simply using him as pawn, aren't you? A disposable piece that you only need until it completes your whims. You've always been like that, a true pureblood to the core. As expected from the Kuran's clan almighty ancestor."
Pallid fingers twitched—just a flicker of movement beneath his skin that would have remained unseen to the common eye—but the scrawls of the pen stayed consistent in rhythm. Not halting nor accelerating.
The spurious tranquility reigning over the office didn't deter the voice from continuing. A chuckle, low and full of ridicule, dripped into the room. "Although I must admit, even though I could have foreseen you using the noble as a tool, I did not expect you to let the other boy go so easily. Not when you have such a deep attachment to him. In the end of it all, you allowed him to escape your hands. You did not cage him away; make it so that he could be for your eyes only. That makes me curious about your motives." The voice paused, something more tainted coating its next question, "granting him such freedom to roam to his content, are you certain he will return to you?"
The pen stilled and the flame of the candle that had been burning brightly went out in a blink of an eye, bathing the room in darkness. If the air could break with rage, it would have. Instead silence entrapped the atmosphere with its poisonous kiss. After a moment, a pair of garnet eyes peered over at a corner of the office, a shaded face piercing into the owner's soul from the inside. The face of a fraudulent man who loved nothing more than to discommode him.
"Is it any of your concern, Rido?" Kaname finally uttered out as the black figure swept closer to him from the shaded area where two walls connected, its mismatched eyes glistening with twisted amusement as it approached. "You are nothing more than a disgraced soul who has no chance of ever returning to life."
The revenant of the pureblood Zero had disposed of for him didn't falter at the monotone jibe. He continued to move toward Kaname, until his presence was leaning over the other's back. A hand with claws as sharp as talons scraping over a broad shoulder, while a whispering murmur came right from behind Kaname's ear. Coldness settling into the man's skin. "Now that is purely an opinion, my dear nephew."
"You have always been an ignoble man full of self-delusion." Kaname retorted, though the male's face remained acquiescent as he spoke. His dark lashes framing eyes that bore a much more sincere reaction; rage apparent beneath his irises.
The rage did not go unperceived. With a cruel curve of his lips upwards, Rido drawled out a subtle laugh. The unwonted reaction in his nephew leaving him heavily entertained. "That is an opinion as well. But I wonder if it is merely an opinion that your dear hunter has lost interest in you."
A porcelain face shifted to peer at the man uttering into his ear, the rage being brought to a boil. Yet still, his face remained etched in stone, even as his aura began to crackle with emotion.
A wave of chocolate bangs surrounded the apparition's glowing globes, a vindictive smirk taking form. "What a truly a delectable face you're making. Are you feeling empty and miserable, like you have so frequently in the past? Have I hit a nerve?" The words grew louder. "You've seen it yourself, the way your precious looks at you. There is no need for you in his life anymore. Why let him wander away from you? Take him. Break him. Show him that he belongs to you and only you. Not that fatuous hunter."
Kaito's face came to mind immediately.
"Slip on the leash while you still can."
Closing his eyes, Kaname decided he no longer desired to tolerate his relative. With a simple wave of his hand, the vampire dismissed the haunting presence from his mind. "You talk far too much."
As a parting gift, Rido stated one last thing. "Don't hide from your own thoughts."
Suddenly the room was barren of any life, the presence behind him gone. The only proof he was ever there being the chill that settled over the place his hand had rested on Kaname's shoulder. Standing up from his desk, Kaname moved over to the window hidden beneath a curtain. Pulling it aside, he focused his gaze out the window. Moonlight poured into the room, highlighting his features as he began to feel a profound sense of isolation seep into his bones. Once again... he was being forced away from someone he cherished due to necessity. Not unlike from Yuuki's case, yet an entirely different matter altogether. It made his chest ache with an insanity he was trying to repress. An insanity any vampire was susceptible to.
Before long, his eyes caught sight of movement outside. Drifting his gaze over to the cause of his distraction, he found himself watching a duo standing outside together. Zero and that fatuous hunter. He trained his eyes to rest on Zero's beautiful face, ignoring the person with Zero completely. He didn't want to acknowledge how comfortable Zero appeared with Takamiya.
He just wanted to stare at Zero's face forever.
Putting his hand on the glass, he felt his eyes burn red. Watching as Kaito suddenly slung his arm over Zero's shoulders, leaning far too close to him. Kaname wanted to possess Zero as a whole.
He wanted to have no one else touch him.
Ever.
Kaname took a step back, closing the curtain abruptly. His mind blurring the lines between Rido's words and his own thoughts. He wasn't quite sure where the two differentiated. Plopping down in his seat-though he didn't recall moving over to it-Kaname threaded his hand through his hair. Then proceeded to clear his thoughts with pure force.
He did not have time for this; he had a game to win.
He could not afford to breathe any louder than a descending feather. Digging his nails into the plaster of the ceiling, Korari silently shifted his weight while keeping his aura masked. His crystal blue irises darting around the expanse of the room, while his fangs scraped against his bottom lip; he needed to find a way out without alerting the pureblood in the room.
Easier said than done.
Looking around once more, his gaze zeroed in on the window. The red-head chose his escape route instantly. That was his best option.
Scaling the wall like a spider, Korari made his shape blend in with the shadows. Each movement graceful as he crept toward the window behind the Kuran. He made sure to add no additional weight to his steps while still maintaining a well-kept pace. His heartbeat steady—the beats almost nonexistent—when he made it to the window pane.
Holding his breath, he felt his fingers pause at the latches. When he opened it, he'd have to run like hell. No doubt, the sound would give him away.
Risking a glance over his shoulder, Korari was met with the back of the pureblood. Still sitting in the same position he was before his relocation. The man almost appeared harmless. He was no fool though, he knew that thing could end his life faster than he could scream.
Turning his head away sharply, his fingers flicked open the latches. One…two…three. Then, he ripped open the window and didn't hesitate to fling his body out. His feet touched the grass and he took off. Sprinting as fast as his vampire ability could handle, the world around him became a blur of charcoal shades. He could not fail. Not now.
Moving his legs faster as he shot past the trees in the forest, he tried to focus on reaching his destination. A weight pressed onto his back. Swallowing thickly, the noble peered behind him and his eyes locked with the target of his research. Glowing red eyes stared at him from the open window, even with the distance, they were bright red sparks of fire.
The world around Korari faded out and he ripped his gaze away, pumping his legs faster and faster.
No, no, no-
He lost the feeling in his legs, the sound of a bell ringing in his ears as something warm trickled out of the side of his mouth. Suddenly he was falling, the bottom half of his body right in front him as his torso hit the earth.
They weren't connected.
Chocking on his own blood, Korari stared at the night sky in horror. His fingers twitching before his world went black.
A spray of crimson painting the landscape as Kaname watched the spy's head explode. Dust forming where the corpse once lied.
Kaname drew the curtain to his office, moved back to his desk and took a pawn from the opposite side of the board with a flick of his wrist.
That bastard!
Staring in complete rage at the spot where that bastard Kiryu stood not too long ago, Aidou was ready to throw a complete hissy fit. That pickle-headed numbskull made Yuuki cry!
He had been going to tell Yuuki that they had another subject to study-courtesy of Kaname's orders—and had stumbled upon the petite pureblood sobbing into her arms in the corner of the room. He had been frozen in place at the sight and had instantly gone to check on the dork…only to hear his name leave her lips. She didn't even have to explain fully for him to know that hunter was at fault. Of course, she hadn't wanted to explain in the first place but after threatening to go get Kaname-sama, she caved. Now he wanted to hurt someone he just swore to keep an eye on.
Marching over to the door, the blonde went to go give the other a piece of his mind. A bat made of ice forming in his palms.
Yuuki stood up quickly, a stern tone taking over her voice, "Aidou, don't do anything reckless!"
He just kept on marching forward, an overdramatic edge to his step. "He deserves it!"
Sliding in front of him, the short girl thrusted her arms out to block the noble's path. "No! Besides, he didn't do anything wrong."
Staring at the girl incredulously, Aidou gave her a 'like I'm going to believe that' look. "Then tell me what he did or I'm doubling your work load."
Gaping at her tutor in disbelief, Yuuki sputtered, "But—"
Aidou crossed his arms, "The assignment is English."
"All he did was treat me formally," Yuuki quickly explained before the pain she had momentarily forgotten resurfaced, she dropped her arms to her side.
The noble shot her a look, his blond curls sweeping into his ice-blue eyes. "What did you expect?"
The simple, to the point, question, shot a bullet through her chest. "Nothing," She whispered, "nothing at all."
Softening his features, Aidou let out a loud, obnoxious sigh, his hands coming to rest on his hips. "Well, either way at least he acknowledge you right? I don't see why you're crying. He could've ignored you."
Yuuki slowly nodded, her lips turning up into a small smile. "Yeah."
Nodding, Aidou suddenly slammed a textbook down in front of her. "Now since that's settled, open to page 213."
"Wait—I haven't eaten yet!"
"Page 213!"
Yuuki groaned.
But she still was smiling, inside her heart. Just for a moment.
That's chapter 6, any feedback is welcome.