CHAPTER-25: BLACK, BLUE AND BROKEN(PART 2)
Kaname paced the study frantically, his normal chocolate colour eyes where died red with anger. Haruka sat at the desk impatiently tapping his fingers against the wood in a rhythm of four. Kain and Shiki where stood by the window, looking out into the snow covered garden.
"Why is this taking so long?" Kain groaned, placing a hand irritably to his temple.
"Seiren's coming as quickly as she can." Haruka replied, watching his son continue to pace.
Suddenly a knock was heard from downstairs and a few seconds later Seiren came running into the room, panting heavily.
"Lord Kaname." Seiren said politely as she bowed.
"Seiren, do you have the information I requested?" The pureblood prince asked.
"Of cause, my lord. The reports from Rido's castle have confirmed that Zero is being contained." Seiren replied and Kaname turned to the others.
"We leave at dusk." Kaname stated before turning to leave.
"Kaname, are you sure you want to do this?" Haruka asked with concern. "I just want to make sure this is what you really want. That Zero's what you really want." The elder pureblood added seeing the look in his son's eyes.
"Zero is what I want, Father. He's all I've ever wanted and all I'll ever need. I have to get him back or die trying, because without him my life just isn't worth living." Kaname said honestly and Haruka nodded his approval and respect to the younger.
"Then I suggest we get a move on." Haruka smiled.
Another serge of pain hit Zero's battered body as Victor continued to whip his back brutally.
"23-24-25-26" The vampire guard counted each lass of the bullwhip. This was Zero's third whipping today and pale skin was all but hanging off his back. He'd also been beaten twice earlier that day, once for scratching a guards face when the man had tried to bit him, and once for when he spat blood at the guard who called his mother a whore.
Now Zero was chained to his cell wall with his face scrapping roughly against the cold, stone wall every time the whip made contact with his back and pain rocked his body. His left eye was badly bruised, but thankfully it hadn't swollen shut. His whole abdomen was black and blue and several of his ribs where broken or cracked, leaving slight hollows in his ribcage. There was a large gash on his head where he had been slammed into the wall and now much of his silver hair was died red with dry blood. His wrists where red-raw and bleeding from the friction the shackles and chains where making against them and is body was covered in bite and claw marks where the guards had fed from him. Not only that but his face was plastered in sweat from the fever he had developed and he shook violently from the ice cold air in the cell that sent each of his pained breaths into the air in a cloud of steam.
"37-38-39-40-41- Are you having as much fun as I am Zero?" Victor asked with a sadistic smile. The boy just continued to ignore him and grinned his teeth to stop from crying out from the pain.
"46-47-48-49-50" Victor announced and the whipping finally stopped, by now Zero was on the verge of passing out, but Victor grabbed his matted hair and yanked his head back, forcing Zero to look up at him and bringing him back from his dazed state.
"Oh no, my little Zero. Your not getting off that easily." Victor cooed into Zero's ear sinisterly, before biting down and taking his fill of the young boy's life blood from his neck. And as Victor drank, Zero went limp.
Rido looked out of his thrown room window onto the castle grounds with a pleased sneer on his face. Silently he beckoned Shizuka over to his side.
"Well, would you look at that. The mice have just walked into the trap." Rido smiled again and Shizuka repeated the action. "Go and tell Misaki what his new pets are needed. If Kaname wants to come to my home, then I must be sure to give him one hell of a welcome." The dark lord stated.
"Very well, my lord." Shizuka replied with a bow and left to do as she was told.
Kaname and his group trudged through the snow as they entered the grounds around Rido's castle. The Pureblood prince had brought Haruka along as well as Shiki and Kain, they where being accompanied by Cross and a few of the other Vampire hunters. Juri and Yuki had been left at home, it was safer for them there.
As they walked trough the old graveyard before the castle a dark presence consumed the atmosphere. Making the air thick with darkness and decay. The smell of a feral beast met their noses and the sound of claws crushing snow came from in front of them, as the Hybrid walked towards them in his Transformed state.
"So nice of you to come Kaname. I'm part of the welcome party. Well, my and my pack." The Hybrid greeted.
"I do not have time to waste on the likes of you." Kaname replied and attempted to walk past the Hybrid, only to be stopped when he caught a glimpse of the many yellow glowing eyes in the darkness behind the hybrid.
"Your not going anywhere runt. Me and you have a dance to finish." The Hybrid sneered.
"Then I guess I will have to finish this quickly. I wouldn't want to keep my uncle waiting any longer that I have to." Kaname replied while unsheathing his twin daggers. The Hybrid smirked in reply and silently signalled the owners of the glowing eyes behind him, to come closer.
Suddenly a symphony of growling and howls echoed around the graveyard and all the creatures came into the light. Behind the Hybrid stood a small army of smaller Hybrids, claws drawn and ready to pounce. Kain looked the creatures over and realized what was about to happen. This was all a distraction to keep the group from getting to Zero too soon. Knowing Rido, Zero would be being held in the dungeon. Sneaking away, Kain disappeared into the shadows and went to find a way into the castle, while Kaname and the others dealt with the Hybrids.
The next time Zero awoke was when Marcus had thrown a huge pail of freezing cold water over him. His breath hitched and he struggled to find the air. The cold water made him shiver even more than before and the movement jarred his injured ribs.
"Wakey wakey, Sleeping beauty." Marcus cooed. "Now be a good boy and make this easy on yourself and stay still." The guard continued as he leaned in close to Zero's neck and licked the dried blood up from his neck up his chin and along his cheek. Zero shivered at the contact, being touched by these vampires repulsed him, they weren't like Kaname at all. "I wish Kaname was here now. I wish he was the one touching me, not this Bastard. But he doesn't care. Why would he? Nobody cares about me. Nobody. I'm alone and that's never going to change." Zero cried silently to himself as he felt Marcus's fangs pierce into his shoulder.
"Oh don't cry, my little Zero. I'm sure your pureblood prince is coming for you. And when he does Rido's going to rip his heart out and make you watch." Marcus laughed as he wiped his blood covered face with the back of his hand. As Zero began to cry.
Finding an old wooden door that led into the wine-cellar, Kain began his search for Zero. Making his way threw the hallways, the strawberry-blond hacked down the few guards he found on the way to the dungeon. Turning a corner, Kain was met with a deep sense of sorrow as he walked past the cell where he had first met Saeko, but his determination to save Zero only grew. Continuing down the hall, a familiar sent hit Kain nose and he looked up to see Shinobu leaning against the stone wall.
"Oh! I was expecting Kaname to come and play the hero. Not the traitor who abandoned his cause and cried over a pathetic human." Shinobu sneered.
"I don't have time for you, Shinobu. So remove yourself from my path or I will be forced to use your blood to pave it." Kain stated as he unsheathed his katana.
"I don't think its in you, old friend." Shinobu retorted as he pulled out his own katana. They both stood there at opposite sides of the hallway, assessing each other and readying themselves for the fight that would mean the end of one of them. "To the death, then?" Shinobu quizzed with a sadistic grin.
"Too the death." Kain confirmed.
Ok, ladies and gentlemen. Now its all up to you: I want you to vote on who you want to win- Kain or Shinobu. Whoever gets the most votes wins and gets to live. The other will die. Simple really =)
Looking forward to seeing what you decide and please Review.
-Princess Loveless