Chapter 3: Deafening Silence

Zero

The days droned on; each day I sat in this bland office filing reports for the hunters, the only job they would give me until a suitable mission came to me. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair; it had been two weeks since we left the Academy and Yuuki and I had fallen into a routine. The kiss we shared the day we arrived had sealed our relationship; each night she would curl up against my chest to sleep and though I wished for more than sleep, I would never force anything upon her that she wasn't ready for. It is enough to have her in my arms. It was so selfish to want her when I knew I didn't deserve the warmth she gave me but I just couldn't bring myself to push her away when I was so undeniably drawn to her.

I wished the day would be over with already; these twelve hour shifts of nothing but paper work was driving me absolutely insane, as it was only eight hours have gone by today. I was ready to be back in her arms.

As soon as I opened the door to our apartment I knew something was wrong. The only sounds that filled the small studio was the faint rustles of bed sheets and low whimpers that came from Yuuki as she tossed and turned in the bed; her hands held to her head and her face contorted in pain.

I knelt to the bed, searching for any sign that she was awake; upon finding none, I shook her, gently at first. "Yuuki! Yuuki!" Panic and dread boiled in my chest as I shook her again, harder this time, and still getting no response.

"Yuuki!" I shouted again, fear clouding every inch of my being. Her eyes shot open but only stared straight in front of her, as if she was still sleeping but with her eyes open. Her eyes widened in fear and a piercing scream escaped her throat; she never looked at me, or even acknowledged I was there. Some thing was tormenting her, and as much as I wanted, I could do nothing but be useless... again...

I took her hand into my own as her voice continued to shatter the air around us; her thrashing increased but I refused to let go of her hand. Even if she felt alone in her torment in the world of her dreams, I would never let her be alone in this world.

The night drifted on in this fashion, her screams soon faded into sobs and her eyes drifted closed but still she did not waken. Outside the sky was greying as the sun began rising to signal the start of yet another day. As the sun peeked over the horizon a thought struck me, something is wrong with Yuuki and even though I am here for her, there is nothing I can do for her.

"Yuuki, I'm sorry. I'll be right back." I kissed her forehead and bolted for the door and down the stairs to the first floor where I had noticed the buildings phone on my way to work in the days prior. I sighed, dialed a familiar number and waited for the other line to pick up.

"Hello? Cross Academy Headmast here." A sleepy voice announced and it was clear that he was stifling a yawn.

"Kaien."

"Oh! Zero!" The speaker crackled at the sudden impact of his excitment. "You left without any-"

"Kaien, please save the lecture. I... I need your help. Something... is wrong with Yuuki." My voice cracked and tears threatened to fall as silence filled the line wit his pause.

The headmaster sighed and groaned slightly. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"But how-" I started.

"Yagari. He learned that you were in town." His tone was easy but not without a hint of disappointment.

"Thank you..." He hummed his goodbye and the line disconnected. Placing the phone back on its reciever I ran my hands through my hair, I didn't want to call him but there was nothing else I could do. As for now, I just needed to sit by her side until Kaien got here, surely he will know what to do.

I ran back to the room and rushed to Yuuki's side. Upon finding her sobing hard again I attempted to grab her hand but she had tangled it into her hair and locked her knuckles tight. The expression held such pain that I could feel my heart break and my resolve grow stronger. One by one I pried her fingers from her hair and slipped my hands into hers; although she was no longer pulling on her hair, she held my hands firm to her head. It felt as if her hand were as cold as ice, even though the room was warm. Please Kaien, hurry.

Time slowly trickled by until finally a soft knock sounded on our door but before I could call them in, Kaien opened the door. I felt the presence before I saw him and instantly my fangs grew and my eyes faded to crimson. I dislodged my hands from Yuuki's grip and instantly reached to the shoulder holster under my jacket where I kept my Bloody Rose.

I felt my body spin and slam into the wall next to the bed as I drew my gun, pointed it directly at the monsters' head. "You really are quite the anomaly. Vampires should respect and fear purebloods by instinct yet you bare your fangs without reserve and then on top of everything you ran off with my girl. It's your fault that she's in this state. I would have awoken her without pain. All you do is cause her to suffer, you ungrateful... level E." Kaname accented his venomous words by digging his talon like fingernails into my throat, puncturing the flesh.

"How dare you blame me. You're the vile creature, the monster her mother asked Kaien to protect her from! You're just an arrogant pureblood that does nothing but toy with others for you own entertainment!" I yelled back the best I could though I could feel him starting to crush my windpipe.

A devious smile crept on his face. "You can't sense it yet." Amusement filled his features, "Foolish boy. Yuuki is the pureblooded daughter of Haruka and Juri Kuran but she is also my younger sister." He laughed deeply, clearly enjoying the horror and disbelief that played out across my features. "She was the child that was born to become my wife." He sneered and released his hold on me but no matter what I did, I could only watch in disbelief as Kuran knelt down next to the bed where Yuuki lay sobbing and pulling at the roots of her hair.

He examined her briefly and kissed her forehead. "Please Yuuki, no more struggling. You need to wake up...before you go mad." He whispered softly to her but in the silent room he may as well of yelled it. Wait... silent... Kaname moved back from where he kissed her head and sure enough she had stopped sobbing; now sleeping peacefully.

Kaname turned to me, the earlier malice barely visible in his wine colored eyes. " The monster the Juri had been refering to is Yuuki's Uncle. Rido Kuran. He has already made his move; he is coming for her and he won't stop until he devour's her entirely. If you're really serious about protecting her, you'll need my help."

"Why would I do anything that would benefit you?" I scoffed, letting the anger flow off me in waves.

"Because you will never betray her. Surely you would't care to watch as the life in Yuuki's eyes drains as Rido devours her." He knew he had won; I could put up as much of a front as I wanted but it would't matter. The self-satisfied look Kuran wore told me as much. "Cross, I would appreciate it if you could take Yuuki to the Association Headquarters and place her under quarentine. Should she awaken fully, she may be dangerous; I don't know what her mental state will be."

"Of course Kaname."

"Zero come. We need to take care of the pest soon."

Thank you to those who have read and have decided to follow this story. You are my motivation to keep writing. Reviews are welcome. I hope I don't disappoint.

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