Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight or Inuyasha
Chapter Five
She loved Shizuka, but she was not kind. She was never kind. The wounds on her body were healing quickly, but she imagined she would move slower than she would like.
When the door opened, Kagome forced her stance upright. She pulled her injured arm behind her.
"We're leaving." Maria uttered, "Get the bags."
Ichiru was already beginning to pick up the items scattered inside the room.
"Where to?"
"A dorm away from here. Closer…"
She guessed it was closer to Zero; a fact that did not go unnoticed by Ichiru.
Nodding, Kagome began to follow the pair. It would be easier if they were closer to the Day Class dormitories anyway. Ichiru cast a wayward glance at her and she felt her heart warm. She shook her head, letting a smile form on her lips.
She never would have imagined that one day Ichiru would worry for her. Pushing her hand out, she let it fall onto the fabric of the younger twin and gave a reassuring squeeze. He could ask questions later.
"Kagome-chan." Maria sang, and she pulled her hand away; effectively breaking the small moment between them.
"Yes, Maria?"
"Investigate Yuki."
Her interest in the new-found figure in Zero's life was to be expected. They knew Yuki's heritage, but the extent to which she held Zero's heart was an unusual development. Kagome could almost say Shizuka was jealous.
Ignoring that, Kagome directed her attention to sneaking through the school grounds. It was vast, but it did little to frighten her. More than that, she could smell traces of the female prefect throughout the building.
It made… her hungry.
She hadn't been in school for long, but the long hallways made her nostalgic.
Against her better judgement, she found herself wandering into one that held the scent of Yuki. She could reason it was for the sake of investigation, but she hardly thought she would find anything useful in there.
In the room, there were desks leading down to the center. It was where she assumed the teacher would stand and lecture. A standard room – nothing that would have been of interest, but she longed for the simplicity.
"I wonder what Yagari is up to…" Kagome thought aloud, running her hand over a random desk. He wound his way into her thoughts every so often, especially in the early days of when she had first left him. It had been hard to let the memory of him go and accept who she was. She walked down the stairs, quickly finding Yuki's desk and began rummaging inside it.
She found the usual pens and pencils, flipping open a notebook. It was full of scribbles that she couldn't understand; Yuki had horrible handwriting she figured, but she could see the young girl wrote often about Kaname.
'Does she truly have no interest in Zero then?' Kagome wondered, finding nothing in the book. She searched the classroom quickly, and also found Zero's, but he held little belongings. Instead, she found pristine notes on various math and science subjects. A far cry from what Yuki's had been.
Not wanting to push her luck with the Kuran pureblood, she retreated from the classrooms.
She had only made it a couple of steps before she heard the cock of a gun.
"Zero…" Kagome murmured, looking at her side.
"I never got the chance to question you," he replied, not lowering his gun. "How do you know my name?"
"Do you really think that toy of yours is going to stop me?"
"If I pull it fast enough."
"I think my earlier demonstration contests that." She could tell that fact grated on his nerves from the way his unfriendly demeanor soured even more.
"You're not a level E."
Her smile grew, "I'm not. But… you almost are."
Zero narrowed his eyes, hand shifting closer to the trigger.
"For almost four years you've been resisting." She had learned of his past along with Ichiru's of course. "I'm sure the smell of blood is driving you crazy, is it not?" That was what probably had him running here.
Lifting her arm, Kagome didn't miss the way his eyes followed the movement. "I know you can't handle the blood tablets."
"What's your association with Maria?" He tactfully chose to ignore everything she had mentioned.
"What do you think?"
"I will hurt you."
"The headmaster will be angry." She walked closer to him, sure his reckless actions from before is what kept him from firing the weapon. Zero was bound to keep a cool head during this time around.
"Besides, if you hurt me, you'll never get answers. Getting closer to Maria is difficult as it stands."
Not that she wanted him even remotely near her.
"Why is she here?" He had a sinking suspicion of her presence, but now that he had already mucked things up, he was unsure of whether or not he could prove his theory.
"School."
"Bullshit."
Kagome grinned, "Why are we all here then?"
It was interesting to see how his facial expressions shifted. Ichiru was the calmer one.
"You and your brother look so alike."
When his eyes widened, she figured he hadn't thought ahead that far. The moment was gone as quick as it had come, and he was closing the distance between them.
"Where is he?" Even though his bloodlust was noticeable, it seemed his concern for his little brother won out. He gripped her arms so strongly it almost hurt.
"With Shizuka-sama."
Had Zero any less control, he would have bared his fangs in anger. "She's alive."
Somewhere within him, he had always known that. No reports had ever come in about the pureblood being hunted down. It infuriated him to admit that it was probably because of the bond she had inflicted upon him when she killed everyone, leaving just the three of them in that house from so long ago.
Shizuka had promised him that she was to die by his hand alone.
"She is."
"Take me to her."
Kagome looked up at him with something akin to amusement, "You think you can command me?"
Up close, she could see herself reflected in his grey eyes. He had just begun to lift the gun to her temple when they were interrupted by the newcomer.
"Kiryuu," came the calm voice.
"Kuran." Said person replied back, looking more put out than afraid as he should have been. It was odd to see the normally calm vampire lose it twice to the same girl.
Kagome offered him a mock bow to pureblood, leaning closer to Zero in the process. He stiffened. "Good evening, Kuran-sama."
The brown-haired pureblood emerged from the shadows. "You're with the transfer student." He idly commented, having come from the classrooms. "And just as mischievous."
That tidbit of information had Kagome quirking a brow. "I thought I'd see how safe these grounds were for my master." Best to play it off as innocence.
Zero scoffed at her lie, "You were roaming the halls. Vampires should stay put in their rooms."
Kagome looked at him with equal contempt, "I wanted to see if security was as rash as you are." The fact he was still holding onto her didn't seem to help. Begrudgingly, he let her go.
His hand came away with blood.
Her bandage had soaked through. From there, the honeyed scent of blood carried through to the two other vampires in question. Zero's eyes began to bleed red. Kaname had more reserve, instead only allowing his eyes to narrow in the slightest.
"Ahhh," Kagome sighed, looking indifferently at her arm, "It reopened." She looked up to see Zero stumbling away from her. Feeling somewhat sadistic, she flicked some blood on the floor. He lurched back.
"Kiryuu, go back to your room," Kaname spoke up, watching as he struggled to keep himself from attacking her. Even he could tell the blood she bled was different from most. Power radiated off the girl in waves. She felt almost pure, which was concerning since she was indeed a vampire.
The combination unsettled them both, but it was undeniable her blood would be delicious.
With his plan to interrogate the girl falling to pieces, Zero surprisingly followed Kaname's orders. It annoyed the pureblood to think the prefect would most certainly drink Yuki's blood tonight, but it was something he would have to endure.
When he was gone, Kaname turned his attention to the girl. "You're thirsty." If she had been in top condition, the wound would have healed ages ago. When was the last time she had drunk?
It was ironic, considering she had been baiting Zero with the exact same reasoning moments prior.
"I was careless." She replied smoothly.
Kaname knew who Maria was and what she was after. But he hadn't taken into consideration Kagome. She had never been a factor until now. He wondered just how much a thorn she would be in his plans.
Looking down at the petite female, he guessed she was around thirteen. He had also heard about the earlier events that transpired, and how she had deflected the Bloody Rose.
"What are you?"
Kagome smirked up at him. "I don't know what you mean." She had dropped the formalities and addressed him impolitely.
It was almost refreshing.
"Be careful," he warned as he turned around. Whether he was referring to her getting hurt, or for her to stay out of his way, was unclear.
When he had gone, Kagome let loose a breath of relief, "What a creep." She was a bit annoyed he had cut in on her time with Zero. Pressing a hand to her arm, she tsk'ed in annoyance.
She really needed to get some control on her healing powers. When she glanced out the window, she caught sight of the female prefect leaping down from a tree.
'Guess she isn't just a princess after all.'
When she returned to the room, she walked in on Maria and Ichiru. She wasn't surprised to see Ichiru being teased as usual. The duo was either unaware of her presence or didn't seem to care. It was more like Ichiru was captivated by the elite vampire, who was currently resting dainty hands on his shoulders.
He seemed frozen in place when Maria leaned forward, mouth opening to reveal delicate fangs. Kagome felt her stomach drop, thinking she was really going to go through with it. In all her time with the pair, Shizuka had never dared to drink Ichiru's blood. It was obvious she had feelings for the boy, but she seemed afraid to pursue anything more than that.
At the last moment, Maria smiled grimly and pulled away. She didn't miss the disappointed noise Ichiru let loose.
"What have you found out?" Maria asked from her place by the window.
"I ran into Zero and Kaname before I could discover anything more."
The mention of Zero's name seemed to lessen the blow of her failure, and Maria laughed. "How is he?"
"He is unafraid of vampires in general." She had been slightly shocked to see him defy Shizuka so easily. He had done the same with the Kuran progenitor.
"My boy," Maria sighed dreamily, "is quite energetic."
She glanced back at the other twin, "Are you sleepy?"
Kagome had become accustomed to seeing the younger twin stay up at odd hours of the night. He wanted to be with Shizuka as much as she permitted.
"No."
"You should rest," Kagome commented.
At the sight of the two females demanding he sleep, he sighed. "Alright."
Getting up, he walked past Kagome, ruffling her hair on the way out. She preened under the touch.
"I have another task for you," Maria said when he had gone.
"Is this about Zero?"
Silver eyes crinkled in delight. "Yes. Tomorrow I want to explore the day class. You will distract anyone who comes to bother me."
It read more as, 'Keep Zero away until I want to see him.'
Nodding, she listened to her demand. "As you wish."
"Here."
Kagome looked up from her spot on the bed. Ichiru looked down at her impassively.
"I thought you were sleeping." Funny considering she was the one in bed.
The younger twin quirked a brow, "I was going to."
When she looked down at his outstretched arm, she noted he was holding a fresh set of bandages. A small smile worked its way onto her face, "It's nothing serious."
"I know," He replied, but he still cast concerned eyes on her arm. "Shizuka-sama was harsh with you."
"I didn't listen to her."
"She took it too far."
She admired how perceptive he was before she changed the subject, "I saw Zero."
Ichiru seemed to stiffen at that. "…and?" He waited for her answer, almost anxious.
"I can see how related you two are," She began. When he went to open his mouth, she continued on. "You both seemed to hate me right off the bat."
"Brat." Ichiru laughed, "You have no sense of apprehension."
The tension melted from his frame. She knew he had a sort of complex about his older brother. Everyone seemed to favor Zero more, but all she cared about was him.
Kagome grabbed the bandage from him, "I just think it's fun to tease you both."
She saw his expression soften for a moment. She wondered if it was her comment or the fact that Zero was in good health.
"Goodnight," Ichiru said as he walked away, item handed to her like he wanted.
She imagined he was going to go back to Maria, despite her urgings for him to sleep.
Her throat unconsciously tightened when she saw a glimpse of his neck.
Kagome wanted his blood.
"Goodnight, Ichiru."
End of Chapter
