A/N: Quick update, hoorah!
Quotes and chapter title from the song "End of Me" by Apocalyptica. Did you look that one up? It's real good, I tell ya.
"Take away your broken misery
I can't always erase your memory."
x
Chapter 6: NOTHING LEFT
Tuesday morning, Zero knew if he ever planned on leaving his bedroom, he had to get his ass out of there today.
The Chairman let him skip a day—he'd let him skip all week, if that's what Zero desired.
And Zero did desire to skip it—he just wanted to stay alone. It was all he wanted.
But Yuuki had stopped by Monday evening, right before patrol duty. She was painfully worried for Zero, and he was beginning to wonder if maybe telling her was such a horrible idea…
She doesn't have a problem with Kaname being a vampire…
Yeah, but Yuuki adored Kaname. No, Zero couldn't tell Yuuki. He just had to keep on lying.
But he hated lying to her. Hence, the reason he was sitting in the back of the classroom on Tuesday. He paid no attention to whatever the teacher was talking about—the only thing that made this pointless class worth it was Yuuki's occasional glances back at him, her relieved, happy smiles.
"I'm glad Zero is here to help me with the Day Class girls!" Yuuki chattered happily at the end of their last class. "They don't' listen to me as well as you."
"You show no assertiveness."
Yuuki made a face at him. "You're just scary to them."
Zero rolled his eyes, and hid a smile as he watched Yuuki zoom ahead of him to push back the screaming Day Class girls.
Honestly, would they ever grow up?
The gates opened and the girls all around went totally berserk. Zero stepped forward, his mere glowering presence making the girls near him quiet down and take several steps back.
The gates opened and the Night Class stepped out. Aidou waltz in front of the white clad group like usual, waving, winking, and sending the Day Class girls into an absolute frenzy.
Zero glared at him blackly, keeping his gaze trained on the blonde head and away from the dark head of wavy, silken strands that was close behind.
But he was suddenly taken aback by a creeping chill crawling up the back of his neck.
Shit! What the hell?
Zero whirled around, his hunter senses going haywire. He glanced back, catching Yuuki's eye. "Stay here," he ordered her.
"Zero—" she said, but he was already running, pushing past the Night Class students towards their dorms and the forest around it. His breath came easy, and he felt incredibly strong. He hated that.
But more importantly, why- or even how the hell was a thing like that in here? Cross would have told Yuuki and Zero beforehand if it was supposed to be there, that he was sure of.
He reached the trees three times faster than he normally would have and picked up his speed easily. When he burst into the clearing where it was, the Bloody Rose was out and ready.
The vampire turned very calmly to look at him. Zero's finger twitched on the trigger. It was female; she had dark hair that hung loose, nearly brushing her waist. The tight shirt she wore was ripped and bloody in some places, as were her black leggings.
Zero narrowed his eyes. She was a vampire—a vampire on the verge of turning into a Level E.
Just like him.
She was young, a year or two older than him, at most. She tilted her head back and cut her eyes to Zero's, a smile forming on her mouth.
"Kiryuu, are you?"
Zero took a step forward. "What do you want?"
She turned fluidly to face him head on. "I want to deliver something."
Zero's grip on the Bloody Rose stayed firm. "Don't play games with me, vampire."
She laughed. "You spit out the word vampire so venomously—as if you weren't one yourself."
She walked closer to him, ignoring the lethal weapon Zero kept directed at her head. She stopped right in front of the barrel and rested her hand on his wrist. "So hypocritical, especially when you've fed so recently—so well, too."
Zero nearly pulled the trigger back but a familiar voice spoke behind him, startling him out of his abrupt rage.
"So he managed to sneak you onto the campus," Kaname said distastefully. "What message is he sending?"
The girl's eyes widened momentarily before a grin split her face; her fangs were stained red. Zero now had enough reason to put a bullet in her head.
"Kaname Kuran," she purred, casually pulling a piece of her fraying shirt off, revealing her left hip. "My master told me you'd come to me." She flipped her jagged bangs out of her eyes; they glowed red. "He wanted to remind you time is running out."
Kaname's expression didn't flicker. "That's all?"
She absentmindedly ran a finger down her neck. "I think so." Her eyes slid over to Zero. She smirked. "He'd be glad to see you've finally tamed your special pet."
Zero clenched his teeth, about to fire when her eyes connected with his, cunning and devilish. "I'm Ayako, Zero. It was nice meeting you." She grinned coyly, again revealing her bloodstained fangs.
Zero pulled the trigger but the bullet only whizzed through a flurry of bats—all that was left in the clearing.
Zero cursed and rounded on Kaname. "Who the hell was that? How did she get in?"
Kaname said shortly, "Family visit."
Zero considered pressing the matter, then remembered he didn't care. He whirled around and left quickly.
x
What bothered Zero most about that random, solo invasion of Cross Academy wasn't how Ayako had gotten in, or how she'd left so quickly. I wasn't even the stupid message she'd left Kaname.
It was the fact that he had let her get away at all.
All vampire were rotten, no exceptions. For anyone.
x
Kaname drew the curtains around his bed and lay down against the merciful, yielding mattress. He breathed in deeply, thinking of Yuuki. Thinking of Zero.
Rido believed he had made the first move by sending Ayako with that pointless reminder.
He had not. Kaname was aware of everything—he was aware that that time would come—and he had prepared. He was ready for it.
But…Zero.
Putting him to such abrasive use—he'd never be forgiven.
Kaname closed his eyes, his fingers kneading into the covers. He had succumbed to passion four years ago, creating a weakness for himself. That weakness would try to be exploited, but as to when, Kaname couldn't be sure. He passed his hand through his air with an impatient sigh. He would pay in full for giving into emotion. His present actions were just more sins to add to the pile.
What he'd done…he couldn't explain. Just as he could never understand why Zero made him feel so…
He really hadn't wanted to see him die. Inexplicably. He barely knew him, then.
But he wanted him to live.
Now, Kaname felt that he knew what had overcome him that night. Something he didn't want to name.
His senses prickled and he felt the vague presence of something unwelcome. He debated sending someone to check the grounds, but thought better of it, knowing he'd better go himself.
x
Something about this vampire seemed different. More. She was more. He'd sensed this feeling with one other person.
Zero tugged on Ichiru's hand, eager to get his little brother out of her red gaze.
But she was different.
x
Blood assaulted all of Zero's senses in the worst way. God—God—everywhere. It was everywhere.
His stomach heaved as the smell of it assaulted his nostrils—the disgusting, metallic taste coated his tongue. The thick, dark liquid drenched his clothes, dripping down his fingers. His own blood rushed in his ears, dizzying him. He saw red.
x
Ichiru closed his textbook and rested his cheek against his hand. He looked back at Zero's bed, where his brother lay, his hand gripping his neck, his eyes in another world, pained and miserable.
"What are you thinking of, Zero?" Ichiru whispered quietly.
Sleep was beginning to drag down at Zero's eyelids, surely about to take him away to the memory that tormented him more than any other. But Zero's lips moved, unconsciously forming a name that made Ichiru's eyes flash.
"Kaname."
Ichiru stood up, his hands curling into fists. Usually, when Zero fell asleep looking like that, Ichiru would go to keep his brother awake long enough to ease his mind of the torment assaulting it, chasing away the nightmares for one night.
Ichiru glanced at the clock in their room, grabbed his coat, and quietly left their room, taking care to shut the door with as little noise as possible.
"Sweet dreams, Zero."
x
Her nails sliced through his mother's neck effortlessly. Zero held back the bile in his throat and shoved Ichiru into the hallway, running to the last room and pulling him in. He tried not to give away his terror—his fury—with his trembling.
"Zero," Ichiru whispered.
"It's okay, Ichiru," Zero said quickly. There was a thud from the living room. A cry of rage from his father. Zero pushed Ichiru toward the window. "Ichiru, you've—you—I know you're sick but you have to run—!"
Ichiru didn't move. Zero squeezed his arm. "Ichiru!"
Another dull thud. Zero's heart stopped.
Ichiru broke out of Zero's limp grasp and ran—towards the door.
"Ichiru!" Zero cried. "Stop!"
And then—Hio Shizuka was behind him, her nails lightly tickling his throat.
They were wet with fresh blood.
"Such a darling…little thing!"
She dragged her nails down the front of his neck as she snarled the last word, cutting deeper as she sliced open his small, heaving chest.
Zero clenched his teeth, his body jerking. Shizuka hissed, sounding delighted. "What endurance." She grabbed the back of his neck and threw him as easily as if he were a rag doll.
Zero slammed into the wall hard, a small cry involuntarily escaping his lips.
"There we are," Shizuka murmured.
Zero lay crumpled on the ground, unable to move. Ichiru—where was he? Where was he?
Shizuka's feet came into his line of vision. Zero bared his teeth, then lunged, focused on occupying her attention to give Ichiru—if he was, God forbid, alive—a chance to escape.
Shizuka easily avoided the lunge. She absentmindedly looked out the window, seeming to forget about everything present for a few seconds. Tears dripped down her face. She looked immensely pained, completely enraged.
Zero didn't give himself a chance to see this. The minute she'd snapped out of reality, Zero had made a mad dash for the door—he needed weapons, something to fight with.
He couldn't hold back what came up in his throat when he walked into carnage Shizuka had made of his parents.
How was it possible for two people to hold so much blood?
"What are you doing, Zero Kiryuu?"
She was back, and sounded amused.
She's crazy, Zero thought frantically. Dry heaving, Zero bent and pulled his father's sword from his dead, bloodied hands and turned to glare at Shizuka. He hoped desperately Ichiru hadn't come through this room. He hoped he was okay.
"If only your twin was as amusing," Shizuka lilted.
"What have you done to him?" Zero screamed, choking back his own blood.
A wicked smile flickered across Shizuka's lips.
Her breath was at his ear. Zero turned, swinging. His eyes widened in pain, but he refused to make any noise when she twisted the sword from his grip in a way that snapped his wrist and several fingers.
Then her nails were in his stomach, twisting, pulling, gripping.
"Ugh," Zero's groan came out thick with blood. "Ichi—ru…"
"Humans," Shizuka murmured. Her voice was melancholy.
Zero snarled suddenly, shoving against the woman's unyielding body. "Better than filthy murdering dirt like you! Where is Ichiru? If you hurt him…!"
Shizuka hissed, ripping her nails from his body and Zero's toes were barely brushing the ground before she threw him again. His body crashed through the glass window and he landed in the front yard with an unforgiving crunch in the biting snow.
Zero couldn't move, save for his body's trembling.
Someone knelt beside him in the snow. A hand touched his side. Something else in his body broke.
He was minutes from ending up like his parents.
Death. Death wasn't a fear of his. Not his own death. He deserved death. For causing Ichiru to…
At least he would die fighting a vampire, like his parents had.
He just needed to know that Ichiru was okay.
"Zero!"
Blood dripped out of Zero's mouth as he shifted his gaze to the broken window his body and crashed through.
"Ich—" Zero's voice broke. No.
"Run ….Ichiru!" Zero gasped.
He choked and spat out thick, red, metallic liquid. Oh, it was disgusting. What was left of his stomach heaved, sickened.
Ichiru gazed at Zero steadily, then a small smile flickered across his lips.
He was suddenly gone from the window. Zero's eyes widened, feeling horrified, lost, confused. A few moments later, small fingers sifted through his matted hair.
"Zero," he heard.
"Ichiru!" Zero suddenly couldn't feel all the broken parts of his body. He pushed himself into a standing position, blocking his brother from the monster.
"You're so predictable," Ichiru whispered, touching Zero's arm lightly.
Shizuka leaned forward. "Get away!" Zero snarled. He trembled. He was positive at least one of his legs was broken. Bone…you weren't supposed to see bone, were you? His vision swam. "Now!"
"Oh," Shizuka smiled. "I suppose I've had enough fun." She paused, looked around, then breathed minutely. There was suddenly a dark blur by her neck, and then a red stain blossomed on her chest.
"Kaname," she whispered, her eyes widening. She tilted her head back. A fresh bite mark was on her neck. "How surprising of you."
She burst apart beautifully, shimmering shards that blinded Zero's fading vision. Ichiru made a desperate, strangled noise from behind Zero, a noise Zero didn't think he had the strength to interpret.
Slowly revealed behind the fading remains of Hio Shizuka was a creature even more beautiful and dangerous looking than she.
It was a young boy who looked about the same age as Zero. He was dressed in a long brown coat and silky, dark hair framed a pale, lovely face.
A face Zero knew. He recoiled.
His eyes were red, a red that matched the blood on his lips. He wiped his mouth clean, dropping something dark and bloody from his other hand.
Beautiful! Zero snarled.
He was the same!
He was no different from her!
"Get back!" Zero's voice came out soft and weak.
He was suddenly aware that Ichiru was no longer immediately near. He turned and saw his brother shivering violently several yards back, crouched in the snow.
"Leave him alone," Zero whispered to the pureblood, Kuran Kaname.
Kaname slowly approached Zero. His eyes narrowed, his expression twisting as he took Zero's appearance in. Zero would have flinched had he the energy when he felt a hand on his cheek.
"Zero Kiryuu," Kaname murmured softly.
Zero's glare was fierce, unforgiving, full of hate. "Vampire," he hissed, more blood welling up from his insides and dripping from his mouth. His vision suddenly spun, going in and out of focus, and he was once more aware of how broken he was.
—lips.
Gentle lips caught his blood, and tasted. Soft lips pressed against his as more blood continued to gurgle up, and new blood entered Zero's mouth. It was thick and inhuman and strengthening—Zero choked at the intrusion, his body sinking against Kaname's as he whimpered.
In need. In horror. In grief. In pain.
In desperation.
Zero gasped shallowly when the pressure left his mouth, and a small burst of random strength pumped through him, keeping his heart weakly pumping. But Zero knew it couldn't last. No human could survive these injuries.
And then he felt a sharp, piercing pain on the right side of his neck.
Zero screamed, cutting himself off as the cry made the pain sharper. Hands were at his back and a warm body at his front, and Zero felt trapped and secure and enclosed.
He wanted out. As the pureblood's poison entered his bloodstream, Zero felt the raw power taking over his humanity. His bones began to mend, his internal body rearranged itself back to proper form.
"St-stop!" Zero's voice came out high pitched, cracking horribly.
This can't be happening.
But Zero could feel the change already. He began to struggle fiercely, grunting and he screamed again, the cry echoing loudly amidst the wreckage.
Kaname sunk his teeth into Zero's neck even harder before lifting his head. Zero felt lips on his neck for a brief moment. He roughly shoved at the Kuran. His vision spun, vertigo engulfing him. He was suddenly lying in the snow, without having recalled falling.
He was, however, acutely aware of the two sharp points inside his mouth, alien and strange and aching.
Vampire fangs. Desiring blood.
Zero didn't see the point in screaming. It was too late.
But he wanted to scream.
He wanted to scream.
x
"Your rescue.
My undo."