I must say, I am getting slightly better at getting these chapters up. Wouldn't you say? Thank you to the ONE person who reviewed my last chapter. Enjoyyyyyy
The stand off between both Zero and Yuuki had been a long and tense one. Neither wanted to back down, being as stubborn as one another.
"Zero, I want to keep talking to you. I want you to open up and share your thoughts with me!" The brunette felt close to tears, knowing that she wasn't able to get through to him. "After all...we are both exactly the same-"
"No we are not!" The harsh coldness of Zero cut her off, his voice coming out as a forced and strangled cry. What would it take for her to leave him so he could stop his thirst quickly and without attention?
The silence grew thicker, and Yuuki took a step back, looking down sadly. "I guess you're right. I always thought we were going through the same pain." Her voice broke slightly as she swallowed down the lump in her throat. "I guess...I was only seeing myself." She turned away, eager to leave so he wouldn't see or hear or cry.
But what she said hit him like a ton of bricks, and he turned around and reached out to her. He caught her hand, the one that was bandaged from her assault earlier that day. The bandage broke loose and the scent of blood wafted through the air.
xx
"I just can't understand how he could have kept this hidden for so long, especially with Yuuki watching over him like a hawk." After having the situation explained to her, Koneko's mind was racing.
"I must say I greatly admire his strength of will, but even I know that not drinking a single drop of blood for four years will have drastic consequences." The Pureblood in the room remained stood by the headmaster's desk, his eyes on the blonde sitting on the chair, her legs cooped up underneath her.
She seemed to be taking it quite well, being a vampire hunter and all. Did she take pity on him that she wouldn't think of eliminating him once he was reduced to level E? To be honest, it wasn't that at all. To know he resisted for four years made her respect him even more than she did before.
Koneko had her head down in thought until she heard Kaname inhale, his body going stiff. "Kaname...?"
"What is it, Kaname?" Kaien asked, also noticing the sudden concern on the Pureblood's face.
Kaname turned himself to the door, a hateful glare contorting onto his face. "...I smell blood." The two humans present in the room glanced at each other before they heard the doors open, and Kaname was out of their line of vision. Koneko followed quickly behind, having an inkling of what was going on. 'Please let this not be who I think it is...' She thought, following the echo of footsteps from Kaname. She skidded as she turned a corner, attempting to keep up with the vampire seeking out the source of the scent.
"You have degraded to a bloodthirsty beast, Kiryuu." Kaname's voice bounced of the surrounding walls, causing the blonde to stop dead in her tracks before she turned for the stairs.
"No, Kaname!" She heard Yuuki's cry before she died down and fell right into Zero's arms. Koneko watched with a neutral gaze, keeping her eyes on Zero. She could tell he didn't mean for it to happen, but even Kaname said. Sooner or later, there would be consequences. Unfortunately, that consequence was Yuuki.
Knowing she'd better not involve herself just yet, she stood herself against the wall and waited for the headmaster.
"You really devoured her, didn't you? So much she can barely stand." The Pureblood shook his head, moving over to pick up the fainted girl. "How was her blood, Zero? Was it delicious?"
Koneko knew that Kaname was taunting him, even though Yuuki stepped between them to stop Kaname from doing anything drastic. But still, it didn't change the fact that Zero was worried for Yuuki's safety. Knowing he was the one who hurt her made him sick. He wanted to run away, to not look upon her. But he was glued in place by Kaname's disappointed gaze.
He hid his face in his hands, so close to crying that he felt that horrid lump clogged in this throat. He daren't look up anymore, ashamed of himself that he may attack again.
"Koneko..."
Her name being called made her turn to the owner of the voice; Cross Kaien. "I think you should escort Zero back to his room." The headmaster ordered smoothly, keeping his voice hushed while he looked sadly towards his adopted son. Koneko gave a nod before making her way up the stairs to meet the hunter/vampire.
"Zero...I'm taking you to your room. Let's get you out of those bloody clothes." She whispered, trying her best to keep him from breaking down.
Zero bravely looked up to look at the blond. And he wished he didn't. Through those blocked shades, he could still see the hate and upset in her face. How could she even look at him now?
"Come on, Zero..." She whispered, gently taking his hand and leading him upstairs to his room.
xx
The walk back to the dorm was eerily silent between the two, their footsteps the only noise they made. Once they made it to his room, she opened the door and walked through, Zero a few steps behind her.
"Let me have your shirt. I'll clean it for you." The blonde held out her hand towards him, to which he slowly responded without a word. With bloodied shirt in hand, she made her way to the sink in his room, running the hot water and scrubbing at the drying blood. She knew it would need more than water to take out the stain, but this would at least tone it down enough for her to take it out properly.
"Headmaster told me what happened." She mumbled, trying to get him to speak again. It wasn't healthy to remain silent for so long. "Four years? How could you resist for that long?" She turned her head to see him sat on his bed, eyes staring down at the floor. He had definitely calmed down, but this was ridiculous.
Koneko gave a small sigh, pulling off her glasses and placing them in her blazer pocket. She made her way to him, pulling him up by his hands. "Let me wash your hair. You have blood on the tips..." She let the tap keep running and pulled the stool over that sat beside it. Thankfully, Zero sat once it was in line with the sink. Gently leaning his head back, Koneko let the water run over his hair, her hands rubbing at the blood staining his silver locks.
Her eyes scanned over his face, so peaceful once his eyes lay closed. As if he was dreaming of a carefree place. She let a small smile grace her face as her attention went back to de-blooding his hair.
"I'm sorry..."
Zero's hushed whisper rang through her ears, and at first she though she heard incorrectly. "...There's no need, Zero." She replied, turning the tap off and wringing his hair of water. Zero sat up, grabbing the towel from Koneko's hands. He rubbed his hair down with it, keeping it hung around his shoulders, before sitting himself on the floor and leaning against his bed.
"I couldn't control myself. I tried so hard to get her to leave me alone but..." He bit his lip hard enough for it to bleed. "She wouldn't leave me. I never wanted to hurt her." His head rested against the top of the bed, allowing him to turn his head and look towards his current caretaker. "She'll never look at me the same again..." He choked out, his eyes following Koneko as she sat opposite him.
"Of course she will. I bet she will have forgiven you already." She forced a smile to him, to which he let out a scoff.
"She'll fear me now. I won't be able to control myself anymore." He swiftly sat up, leaning himself closer to Koneko until she found herself leaning back. "Your eyes...it's the first time I've seen them. They look so...fearful."
So he noticed. She had thought he was so fixated on Yuuki that he wouldn't realise how scared she really was. She was without a weapon to protect herself, and with a vampire just forced out of drinking. "You're afraid aren't you, Koneko?"
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't." She replied truthfully. It would have been easy to say no if she hadn't have been pinned from escaping by Zero. But even so, fear spread rapidly through a girl if a shirtless man decided on intimidating her. "But I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose, Zero. Just like you wouldn't hurt Yuuki intentionally."
That shocked Zero to say the least. It was surprising that she was so honest, and it only upset him more. "I'll have to leave...stay away from everyone I care for." He whispered, his bottom lip trembling as if he were about to cry.
"You'll do no such thing. The only thing you're going to do now is get up off the floor and get some sleep. You need it more than anyone right now." The blonde said, sliding out from Zero's grip. Helping him up, she pulled back his covers and tucked him in once he was settled. "I'll come see you in the morning, alright?" She smiled at him before she made her way to the door.
"Koneko.."
Zero's call stopped her dead in her tracks, making her turn back to the male in the bed. Only now did she walk back over and notice the tears rolling down his cheeks. "Oh, Zero..."
"Stay with me...until I fall asleep..." He whimpered. He knew nightmares would be frequent tonight, and he wanted company before he fell victim to them.
Koneko was quite shocked that Zero, the toughnut of Cross Academy, asked someone to stay with him while he tried to sleep. But she could see how it may give him the reassurance he deserves.
She sat herself on the floor next to him, resting her arms on the bed. She watched him for a while staring up at the ceiling. He was taking such a long time to get to sleep, but she couldn't blame him. Tonight's events took its toll on everyone present,
"Zero, hold out your arm." She whispered. His eyes glanced over in her direction curiously, but he complied willingly, his arm out and palm facing the ceiling. Koneko gently brushed her fingers up and down his arm, her touch only ghosting over his pale skin.
"It tickles..." He grunted, closing his eyes. It did tickle, but there was some relaxing moments hidden within that made it enjoyable. Koneko really knew how to calm him. How ironic that a stranger knew more about him than he knew himself.
"Good. That means it's working." The blonde forced a smile, a small chuckle escaping her lips. Seeing that Zero had finally closed his eyes properly, she slowed down considerately, stroking his arm much calmer than a few moments earlier.
This continued for a good five or ten minutes before the blonde was certain Zero was asleep. Her hand slowly withdrew, and she slipped her glasses back on her face. "Sleep well, Zero. See you in the morning." She whispered, leaning down to kiss his forehead.
She didn't know why, but she felt such a sisterly interaction with Zero. It might have been because he had suffered for so long on his own that Koneko wished to mention his experiences. She just felt the need to keep him calm and in control of himself.
With a small sigh, she headed for the door and slowly, softly, closed it behind her.
xx
The trek back to the dorms was a long one for Koneko. Having left Zero now he was sleeping, her mind raced with so many thoughts. Images that could happen now the truth was revealed. Would there be another time he attacked someone? What would happen if he did? Would the punishment be equal to those in the night class...or worse? The poor kitten's head was throbbing, and she couldn't stop the aching pain that began to pound at her temples, and her hand was quick to massage the pain down.
It was funny how, in all seriousness, she never once thought about Yuuki after taking care of Zero. And why would she need to? Yuuki had the headmaster, and Kaname, looking after her. Zero would have had no one had she not gone with him. It was only then that the blonde took pity on him.
A yawn cut her thoughts short, as she soon realised just how long the day had been. Not only had she been up at the crack of dawn for Cross Kaien's 'my style' breakfast, but there was the inspections, level E's in town, Zero biting Yuuki, and then maybe another half an hour in Zero's room getting him cleaned up and sleeping. And right now, Koneko was desperate for sleep of her own.
"How much sleep have I actually had since I got here...?" She asked herself, a small smile gracing her face, as if she found the whole thing amusing. If she had her way, she would have collapsed on the ground and slept then and there. But she was not at home, and there were plenty of vampires willing to break the rules if tempted by an ignorant human.
"I'm afraid I can't answer that for you. But it may be wise to get as much as you can before the sun rises." A voice answered her rhetorical, inward question. Her body turned in direction of the voice to see the only vampire (that wasn't a Pureblood) that she had befriended. "Takuma...you startled me." She breathed a small sigh of relief. She was secretly glad it was Takuma that found her, but things just seemed...too planned out. "What are you doing out of class?"
"The class smelled blood, but Kaname told us all to forget about it. But he seemed rather worried about you, so he asked me to come look for you. I'm certainly glad you aren't hurt." He explained, that beautiful and radiant smile beaming on his face. So Kaname asked him to find her. How interesting...
"Kaname...asked of me?" It was truly belittling for her to not know what that man was planning with her. She knew he was playing games with everyone within the acres of the school, whether they liked it or not. Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if she were a part of the fun also.
"Well anyway..." Takuma began, clearing his throat before side stepping out of her way. "You better hurry back to the dorm, while I retreat back to class." He gave her one last smile before he left the vicinity. It was pleasing to Koneko to know that he cared for her well being, even if he made it sound like Kaname's orders.
It didn't take her too long to reach the dorms, and little effort to hold open the doors long enough for her to get in. She knew everyone would be at class now, so she let herself collapse on the sofa within the entrance hall. Just as she did earlier that day. Only this time she let herself fall onto her back, arm flung over the edge and resting on the table nearby.
Her eyes remained fixated on the ceiling above her, the intricately designed chandelier dangling a few feet above her. It was becoming harder and harder to keep her eyes open, even with the knowledge of knowing if she stayed here, she would have been an easy target. But now she barely had enough strength to make it upstairs to her room.
Her lids became exceedingly heavy, and soon her body began to fade into a dreamless sleep.
xx
It was rare for Kaname to need to clean up his room, but the papers on his desk had been there for some time, since he had forgotten to lock them away again. They were Koneko's files after all. Everything he could get his hands on, any piece of valuable information that may prove useful to him. Currently, nothing had come up, but he knew he would just have to be patient. He hadn't gone through every page yet.
A small sigh left his lips as he rubbed his temple. After calming down the night class, he quickly excused himself straight to the dorms, knowing full well Koneko would be going back there after she dealt with Zero. He knew she would have gone to bed, but he wasn't able to fully trust her. Not yet at least. It all seemed to appear like a game of cat and mouse, but Kaname worried: who was who?
With a heavy sigh, he made his way out of his room and down the long corridor. It was only when he got to the stairs did he realise that the kitten was back, curled up on the chair. He gracefully descended the staircase before standing right in front of her, a small glare on his face.
"You always appear in the most unnecessary places..." He whispered, leaning down to take off her shades and sliding them into her pocket. He then proceeded to pick her up and selflessly carry her to her room. Once he approached her door, he repositioned her so as he could turn the handle. For a vampire hunter, she was an incredibly heavy sleeper. Or was it because she was so exhausted? Kaname had no clue.
Kaname placed her down on her bed before he glanced around the room. There were still some of her belongings that remained in a few bags, but her more important possessions were out and glimmering in the open window moonlight. What interested him the most was the small box resting in the centre of her desk. There was nothing else but that box. He did find it very strange, but also quite tempting. Curious as he was, he opened it up to hear the gentle music playing from it. So this was a music box.
The small groan from the bed jolted Kaname from his trance, and he watched as Koneko stirred, her body contorted into the most ridiculous position. However, Kaname was much more focused on her neck and how inviting it appeared to him. He hadn't noticed it, but his eyes glistened with a lustful red hue, as he sat himself beside her on the bed. He brushed a few strands of blonde hair from her face and neck, hearing her mewl at his touch.
Before he knew it, the Pureblood was leaning down and inhaling her scent. It was so sweet, so enticing, but he clearly remembered the first time they met. Something in her blood was impure for her age, but he couldn't place. It was the only reason he pulled away from her now. And yet, he remained sat there, watching her as she slept.
"Humans...can be so cruel..." He whispered to himself. First Yuuki, and now Koneko. Just when was his torment to end?
Wow, I just feel like I'm writing drivel... but let me know if you like it...or not.