Grey Flower

"When the eyes meet and hold strongly, they are bound to meet again."

Chapter Nineteen

I dismissed the man under the cloak. It could be anyone. It didn't even matter. I just watched as they took their places at the four corners of the table, and Kaname motioned for me to lay myself out. Feeling nothing but utter defeat, I complied. I had decided then that nothing I ever loved had existed, and therefore I wouldn't feel bad about leaving it.

"Are you ready, Shiki?" Kaname asked, coming to my side with a knife in hand. The blade itself was almost ten inches in length, shining liquid silver with elaborate designs carved into it that very closely resembled the embroidery on the cloaks. The hilt of the knife was another four inches, wrapped red. Kaname gripped it gently, nearly only with his fingertips — he was so skilled it made me feel even more under-classed than I normally did. He gave it a test twirl around those long fingers, expertly returning it to its original position. It was because he knew I was staring at it, the bastard.

"Just one more thing before you do it," I told him, and he hesitated slightly. "Tell Takuma I love him."

"As you wish." Kaname's voice was like black velvet, just as I'd always remembered. It was sincere, yet deceiving, and I wasn't sure whether to believe him or not; but the words in his response were settling.

He turned away slightly, gazing over the crowd and comanding instantaneous silence. As more of the strong, silent type, I knew there would be no epic speech, which would give someone the chance to knock him over the head and ultimately save my life. He was too smart for that. Kaname had always been too smart for that. I realized that Shirabuki Sara was not among the Pureblood congregation, and I guessed that Kaname must have known that she was plotting against him already and had done the worst. Maybe, she was dead, too...

What really did happen when you died, anyway? Was there a bright light that I wouldn't be able to see into, but that I could feel the warmth and welcome radiating so strongly that I must move foreward? Would I instantly forget everything and find myself in a new body? Or would I fade into darkness forever, just as if I were sleeping? There were alot of things to consider concerning death — does it hurt? How long do I have left? What's it like after? I prefered to try and put these things out of my head so that the only thing I could see was light blonde hair, glassy emerald eyes, and a radiantly glowing expression. My angel... Was he already waiting for me? I hoped he wasn't. I knew it would cause him so much pain and suffering, but I wanted Takuma to live and grow and continue his life... to be happy... Maybe it would take a long time for him to find this again, but I wanted him to be in love again eventually after me. I would understand completely.

But, I was more than half sure that Takuma wouldn't be able to live without me.

"Hey," A voice entered my mind then, and I looked around for the source. I was certain that I didn't have any sort of bond like this with anyone here... But, it persisted. "Shiki Senri, remain calm. I am here under orders of a pacifist society to save your life. Trust me."

Who... who is that? It's not like there was much point in responding. I told myself that the voice in my head was probably just my pre-sacrifice jitters going off. I'd probably be fine later, so for now I'd entertain myself and the voice with answers.

"Lay still. Don't make Kuran suspect anything. It's Shitsuren."

Shitsuren...? I obeyed his wishes and returned to my previous position, making it appear like I had a sudden burst of confidence in my escape... and then it had faded. I closed my eyes to concentrate on the voice. Why should I trust you? Takuma watched you burning down the village — you're in league with Kaname.

"Since when? I've been trying to protect you from the beginning. Takuma caught me at the wrong place at the wrong time; I was trying to keep the Level Es from doing this. Just trust me."

Kaname turned back toward me, brandishing the knife with expert care. Gently, he inspected it, saving some time before exactly midnight. I was getting a little frantic. If Shitsuren was going to help me, then why wasn't he?

Where are you, anyway?

"I'm here; just at your head on the left." The spot nearest Kaname. Now, I realized that the hair I saw under the cloak earlier must have belonged to Shitsuren; the shade of blonde, and the length matched perfectly. Why hadn't that thought crossed my mind? I had seen him sneaking around earlier... Perhaps it was just that he claimed he was sent by Kaname anyway, and I hadn't liked him from the beginning. Maybe... the voice wasn't all as fake as I had thought...

You know, if you're going to do something; then do it now!

Kaname raised the blade to show it off to the crowd, who watched in awe as he plunged downward. He was going to do it in one long, quick stroke, and I winced. To keep me from struggling, three of the four at the corners of the table braced my limbs; but the one at the top left corner dove in between Kaname and I, grabbing his forearm and forcing back. Kaname and I were both surprized when the hood slipped off and a torrent of diluted gold hair tumbled down out of it. Whatever Shitsuren had done to diguise himself had worked exponentially well, even against a Pureblood... But just because Kaname had a bit of a shock didn't mean he couldn't fight just as well as before. He forced back down on Shitsuren with a hardened glare, not caring about the blonde's life.

He would kill him if he had to.

The three Senate members and I watched in horror as the battle went on. Above us, the full moon was cresting in the sky, nearly at the peak of the night; and Kaname began to fight harder, desperate to revive my ancestor. Shitsuren was pushing back, his attempts becoming more and more futile as the blade drew closer to his body. He looked nervously over his shoulder at me, an apologetic look, accompanied by that voice in my head.

"Shiki Senri... I'm sorry. I would have liked to see Kuronue again... but I can't let you die... Tell him I said... hi..."

And all at once, I was pushed backwards off the table, and all I knew was that Kaname had won...

There was a sickening sound as the knife found it's way into flesh between Shitsuren's ribs. I surveyed the scene with wide eyes, gaping slightly... Kaname released the blade, seemingly calm as he looked up at the moon, then at his watch; but anyone who had spent as long as I had with Kaname whould feel the mounting anger... It was too late, and the only thing he had killed was some worthless Resistance fighter sent to protect me. His gaze fell on me, slowly he drew a breath, and I held mine.

"You win."

I was thoroughly shocked to hear this, and bit my lip as Shitsuren recoiled around the blade and sat up. "Y-yeah... thought so... you bastard. This is payback... for my Nanashiro."

He was so obviously in pain... I couldn't move to help him. I was still stunned by the entire event that had just unfolded in front of me... and the fact that I was still alive... And Shitsuren, who I hadn't even liked from the beginning, was dying for me on the table that was supposed to be my deathbed... No there was just something so wrong about this.

He drew the knife out of his chest and squeezed the wound hard. "This is for... Zero... and Ichiru... For Shizuka... For... for Senri..." He paused to gain his breath and wince in pain. He looked back at me again. When he continued, his voice was getting weaker. "I hope... I hope you burn... Kuran Kana... me... No... I hope you rot in..."

And then he just stopped; and with perfect timing, there was a click behind Kaname's head. A gun cocking. Kaname turned slightly to find Zero standing there, the barrel of the Bloody Rose pressed to the back of Kaname's head. One of those blonde flashes that I had been seeing for a while zipped around the table and scooped me into his arms, squeezing me with reckless abandon. I didn't even know what was going on when I realized that the three Senate members were unhooded and held at the mercy of their children. Aidou Hanabusa, Kain Akatsuki, and Touya Rima stood there, smiling down at me with deadly weapons pointed in the most vital parts of their father's anatomy's... the carteroid artery at close risk of being dashed open. Then, I was released from the grip of the strong blonde who sat with me now... Takuma.

He looked up at Shitsuren, dropping me completely to check for signs of life in my saviour. Apparently, there was some hope, because Takuma looked around for someone before he picked the one out he was apparently looking for. "Ruka! Get the medics!" It was only a matter of seconds before a medical team was at the table, doing quick patchwork on Shitsuren and radioing out for the helicoptor. Maybe he'd be okay?

"Senri, how do you feel?" Takuma had returned to me, helping me up to my feet. I was unable to respond, and understanding, he continued, holding me close. "I told you I'd save you. Fuyuki told me his true intentions and explained his plan to save you... I was a little hesitant; but I had to agree. And, when the Night Class discovered what was going on, they wanted to join in too."

I looked over his shoulder at Zero, who held Kaname in place. Sensing eyes on him, he glared over at me. Following my gaze, Takuma laughed lightly, waving at the Level D. "Zero just wanted a chance to shoot Kaname in the head if it came to it." I nodded — that made sense.

"Senri... Kuronue... Let him out." The raspy voice at my side belonged to a very pale, but reawakened Shitsuren who was currently hooked up to a unit of blood and an IV. I looked at him, puzzled.

"Release Shiki Kuronue," Kaname commanded, obviously to someone who knew what he was doing. There was a small commotion below, and things were going on that I couldn't see from my current position. Soon, the sound of approaching footsteps prompted Takuma to let go of me to see who was coming.

"Shitsuren Fuyuki... Where is he?" That was when I noticed the slight rush of the pace, and all at once, there was someone that I could guess was Shiki Kuronue at Fuyuki's side. "Fuyuki?"

"...Kuro-rin...?"

The man, Shiki Kuronue, laughed slightly. He sounded younger than I had expected, but his face was covered my thick, dark hair. Though, I did manage to catch a glimpse of a black leather eye patch covering his right eye. "Fuyuki... what were you thinking, you idiot?"

"Senri's your..." Fuyuki was silenced with Kuronue's lips on his own. I nearly jumped at the sight, and everything fell into deadly silence.

"Shiki Senri, huh?" Kuronue straightened up and looked around for something or someone. "You just rest, my love... Which one of you is Shiki Senri?"

He changed moods so quickly, I was stunned. But I managed to step forward slightly. "I am, my lord." I bowed my head to him, expecting some sort of reprimansion from him. I chanced looking up once, and took a quick glance at the young-looking face that matched the voice. Thick jet black hair fell around his face and hung to his shoulders, unkempt and still attractive. His eyes shared the same washed out denim colour that mine held, and the amused look on his face was actually frighten— amused?

"He did this for you. I owe you my life."

I let my jaw drop and stood upright. "Excuse me?"

"If Fuyuki dies, then I must protect you to make sure his death wasn't in vain."

I supposed this made sense, but I didn't say anything. What was there between these two, anyway...?

As if reading my mind, Kuronue explained. "Shitsuren Fuyuki was my lover when I was about your age. We stayed together until I went into sleep, hundreds of years later... He was always very jealous, especially when I got together with a woman so I would have an heir. He knew she meant nothing to me... though I did begin to care for her... and it didn't stop him from hating her every minute of her life. When she died, he ordered her burned before my son knew about it."

"That doesn't make sense; when I was researching, I found out that it was your son who—" Takuma broke in, but he was cut off.

"No, he never would have done something like that; he was a good, loving child. But because of this, Fuyuki had tagged the child with this stigma for the rest of his life. Soon, he stopped denying the rumours, and began to believe them. He was... easily manipulated." Then, the gears changed again, and he looked back down on the peacefully resting Fuyuki. "Who was it that did this, Senri?"

I looked behind him at Kaname, who glared venomously. "It was Kuran Kaname. He was going to sacrifice me to give my blood to you... And Fuyuki stopped him..."

Ignoring Kaname completely, Kuronue focused on Zero. "Shoot him."

"I've been waiting all my life for this," Zero hissed, almost as if he got some kind of sick pleasure from shooting Vampires. I would believe it. He pulled the trigger of the Bloody Rose, and seriously thought that it was strange that Kaname was still breathing. I turned to look in confusion where the shot had gone when I noticed the obvious struggle Kaname had put up, and then smelled the blood. Horrified, I turned to find Takuma standing there, eyes wide as blood poured from the entrance wound in his shoulder. The flesh on the exit was beginning to close over very slowly, and neither one of us moved as we tried to gather the situation...

Finally, Takuma let himself fall, and I was there to catch him before he hit the ground. I knew it'd be a long time before he'd die from a wound like this; but I held him close and cried for him. There was a rush around us that seemed to move in slow motion and we were trapped in the middle of it. Slowly, we told eachother that we loved the other, and kissed. I told him to rest, and he closed his eyes...

It was supposed to be fine at the end. We were going to go home together and laugh about it... I watched as Takuma was taken from me and airlifted into the helicoptor with Shitsuren. I stayed behind with Kuronue, left to wonder what was going to become of my lover... He would die there in the helicoptor and I wouldn't find out until I returned home...

There's no such thing as a happy ending. I realized this now...