Chapter Two: An Old Flame
The flame of anger, bright and brief, sharpens the barb of love. - Walter S. Landor
He was furious. Furious at his own stupidity.
Sloppy, he berated himself, Sloppy, Overconfident..
He inhaled sharply as the cool cloth dabbed at the wound deep in his chest, just below his collarbone. Glaring daggers at his former teacher who looked on unmoved.
"You'll live," Yagari intoned gruffly, "I cant get the damned thing out if you dont sit still dammit!"
Reapplying his emotional mask, Zero Kiryuu, former human vampire, looked out into the distance, to all appearances quite bored with the situation. The quickened rate at which vampires could heal themselves was derived from health, and he was rundown lately. The large splinter of a tree trunk embedded in the wound didnt help it heal any faster either, filled with the adreniline of a battle with 6 renegade noble grade vampires last night, he hadn't paid much attention to the wound, much less made an effort to tend to it, untill he got back to Yagari's (and currently his own,) residence the following evening.
He perferred Yagari's place, he told the chairman. Yagari made far less fuss (none in fact) at Zero coming in and out at all hours of the day and night, sometimes fine, sometimes half dead. If it had anything to do with escaping old memories, no one mentioned it. Likewise, it remained unsaid that Yagari's was a mere 10 miles from that building, seemingly delapidated and abandoned...above ground anyway. It was towards said building that he stared, although it was out of sight, to both human and vampiric senses... he knew exactly what direction it was in.
...rrrrip
"Yeouch!" He sat up with laboured breathing and another of his most fearsome glares for his teacher/doctor who was now holding a rather impressive hunk of blood soaked wood.
"Sorry," Yagari grunted "Bigger than I thought"
"Apology... not... accepted..." He gasped, lying back and closing his eyes to the dieing light.
...
"As long as your sure" said Kaname, searching for eye contact but being denyed it, he let go of Yuuki's chin and moved away, distant once again. "Aido is ready to begin your studies for the night, I'll leave you in good hands."
"Th..thank you.. Kaname-Sama" Aido bowed to him as Kaname left the room with a slight wave of his hand.
The two of them fell into chairs as though they were puppets with their strings cut. One bored, one angry. Aido busied himself setting out books and papers, he was glad to do something that made Kaname-sama thankful to him, but the girl wasnt exactly a pleasure to teach. I mean look at her, staring off blankly... theres not even anything to stare at in here. He mentally prepared for the challenge of making her pay attention with a deep sigh.
Yuuki sat there, arms limp in her lap, aggrevated beyond belief. Not with Kaname directly, more with herself because once again she had been unable to broach the subject of getting to leave the house. If she could just have a room with a window that would be at least something! Why was it that whenever she met with him she wouldnt remember, or couldnt, or something... it was as though he put a spell on her. It wasnt the first time he'd made her forget. Kaname was long gone by the time they spoke to one another.
"We will start with..."
"No."
"Im sorry, what?" Aido blinked, taken aback.
"I said...No." Yuuki stated quietly but firmly. Aido blinked a few more times then laughed.
"I know you hate maths, but im the best tutor you could ever hope to get," he bated running his fingers through his hair "You're lucky I put up with you, even though it is by Kaname-sama's request, no one could have the patience to talk you through all of this as slowly as you seem to need"
Her eyes flashed at him as he caught a rare glimpse of her still unfamiliar power, he suddenly felt as though he should back down, but he fought the urge and settled for glaring grumpily back at her. She stood up suddenly, rage mingling with despair as her emotions boiled over.
"You are not the best tutor I could get, you're not even the best tutor I've ever had!" she snapped, he had more patience...he even explained it better... "I hate maths," she told herself it wasnt because he was so good at it that she knew doing badly meant staying up studying with him... "I hate studying! I hate you! Get out of my room! out! OUT!" she said shoving his books into his hands as she pressed him towards the door.
He stood in the doorway shocked for a moment before looking withdrawn. He glanced at his watch and sighed.
"Its almost dawn, you must be tired. I suppose you need to have an early night, or morning so to speak. Ill come back the next night, behave and maybe I wont mention this to Kaname-sama." he said, eyes flashing, "Sleep well... Yuuki-sama" he stressed that last word making it an insult somehow as he swung the door into place.
Embarrased but vindicated by her outburst Yuuki fell onto her bed, burying her face in the mountain of pillows. Once luxourious her bed now felt suffocating.
A mere hour later, an extremely subtle change in the stale air told her it was daylight outside, her anger, fading to a warming fizz just under her cheekbones, lifted the gloomy feeling of the past few weeks enough for her senses to improve once more.
Daylight means no outside guards... No one expects danger from malicious vampires during the day...
Unthinking, she began to pull on a mismatched outfit.
Just... one...breath. Just one breath of fresh air and she'd come back and behave... she told herself. Ignoring the voice that said she was lieing to herself.
She pushed open the heavy double doors with no small effort, and cautiously crept up the dark hallway. As she reached the ground floor, she blinked against the natural light, so new and yet so familiar. She inhaled... deeply... The scent...that nostalgic scent... what was it... so... familiar... images from her nightmares pressed into her vision in quick succesion, it couldn't be! But she knew she was sure...
"Zero...!" she threw open the windows and was about to leap through when..
"Princess Kuran, what are you doing up here?" Demanded one of her guards as politely as possible, she was a pureblood after all. She spun to face him and captured his eyes with her own, drawing on her pureblood will to use it against someone for the first time.
"You will leave me now. You will leave this window open until I return. You will tell no one, NO ONE of this. Understand?" She intoned, shaking as the transferral of power rushed through her. The guard bowed, hand over his heart as she lept out the window into the dappled light.
"Yes... Yuuki-Sama"