"He's surveying the party, at least, until "They" show up." Amaya sighed and ran a hand through her long hair,
"This is going to be bothersome..." Not her hair, the fight. "I really don't feel like fighting again, but..." She sighed again, laziness taking over. Yuuki looked at her, as did Isaya, "I'm going to have too, won't I?" Yuuki glanced at her apologetically, giving her a small smile,
"I'm sorry..." Amaya let out a small, bitter laugh, eyes narrowing with that slight age again,
"It's fine...I'm just sick of everything that's going on." I want it all to end...
"This is a ball, afterall." Isaya spoke up, his blue eyes glinting slightly with mischief, "Why don't one of you lovely girls dance with him?"
Yuuki didn't know how to answer, so she was grateful when Amaya spoke up with a small, sad, grin.
"Nah...,he wouldn't like that. Besides," She chuckled. "he told me last time that he couldn't dance. So you know what I told him anyway? "And when you get asked to dance by a girl, don't say no! Or I'll kick your ass!" That was so long ago..." Amaya frowned slightly, eyes narrowing in sadness as he heart panged against her chest painfully.
"It was only a year," Yuuki replied, but knew how she felt-slightly. Isaya spoke up again,
"You both are probably wondering why I set up such a dangerous trap." He explained, "I can't remain a spectator while the children that my friends left behind are at the heart of these issues...That's all." And then, he extended a pale hand towards Yuuki with a soft, sad smile, "May I have this dance?" She looked so much like Juri...One of his closest friends, "My old friends' precious daughter."
Yuuki nodded and took his hand, Isaya leading her off to the dance floor. Amaya let out a sigh and she calmly placed on her black mask, that was embedded with green jewels. Amaya then stalked around the balcony, accepting a blue-haired man's dance.
"Welcome, thank you for attending, thank you for attending and welcome!" A woman said, wearing a white cloak and carrying a lamp, she caught sight of someone and smiled, saying, "Welcome, Tooya-Sama." The ginger was wearing a black cloak, the hood over her head. You could make out curled hair and eccentric blue eyes,
"Thank you." She said, "My guests' are here too." The woman, Isaya's servant, nodded and bowed her head, saying,
"I see, Tooya-Sama's guests, thank you for coming. Welcome.
X.X
"Why are we dancing with each other?" Amaya asked Yuuki confusedly, who laughed at Amaya's confused face. The two girls' were almost the same height, if Amaya was not a bit taller, "Aren't we supposed to be dancing with, y'know, guys?"
"Hey now, be nice! I just wanted to tell you that we are to hide our identities with a mask. No one will come and greet us, but everyone is nervous and waiting, preparing for "Them" to appear." Amaya frowned, taking a step back and causing Yuuki to follow her lead. (We know who the guy in the relationship is, apparently. XD)
"Can't we just call them by their names? Y'know, Kaname and Jack?"
Just as Amaya lifted her foot, she fell forward into Yuuki, who gasped and caught her by the shoulders, flashes flying through Amaya's mind like lightning.
Fire. Fire and Ice. Decisions, painful. A choice. Harsh words whisked into truth. A death so cold and sad. Blonde and jade blur together in a sad smile and caress her cheeks which were stained. Cries and screams. Pleasure. Defeat. Happiness.
"Y-Yuuki..." Amaya gasped, lifting her head up to look into her cousin's wine-red eyes, which were much darker than Kaname's bright pink-red wine eyes.
"Y-Yes?"
"I remember."
"Remember what?" She asked confused. Amaya's eyes widened and she quickly backed away from her cousin, saying,
"Nothing! Nothing of importance! Just...I need some air. Bye!" Yuuki needed to dance with Zero...No, that's what her mind made up. If so...
Amaya found herself on a balcony, a nice, cool breeze blowing past. She inhaled the fresh air deeply, smiling softly but sad, as she wondered, Then who does? She sighed and pulled her mask off, feeling ridiculous.
"I swear..., if they don't come, I'm telling Aliza and Mom." After she visits Araiya's grave, her mother's, that is. Then she'll be able to tell her mom. She didn't like graves, after her whole "Buried alive" fiasco in which Hanabusa saved her as little kids, but she still went every now and then. She gasped suddenly, tensing, and whirled her head around, the smell of mint teasing her senses. "What? Zer-" She was cut off abruptly by Zero placing a his fingers gently over her lips, tracing her jawline slightly as he said,
"Shh. When wearing a mask, isn't it etiquette to keep names to yourself?" His fingers lingered on her face for a moment before he pulled away, holding up her mask. Amaya stared at it for a moment before closing her eyes as she took the mask, putting it on and tying it around her head.
She pushed all thoughts of consequences to the back of her mind as she had herself smile at Zero. That smile, slowly turned into a goofy grin, and she said, channeling her old self, "Hey, nice ta' meet ya! Names Amaya Chouko-er, Chouko Amaya, here, actually." She laughed and scratched the side of her head, "What's yours? We never met before right? Strange, look familiar to me!"
The man in the black mask continued to stare down at her, his long, silver hair flowing in the wind slightly. The girl smiled and laughed with smirk, eyeing him mischeviously,
"Just kidding! Jeesh, silent treatment." She pouted, but took Zero's outstretched hand anyway.
The only way...I can even try to talk to him, is by being my old self. Back when I was a human. I...I don't know how to react around him. I'm frightened. I feel as though I'll do something...wrong, tonight. But yet... As the two dances, Amaya felt her heart flutter as the butterflies danced around them.
Courtesy of Yuuki, who was smiling softly as she leaned against a pillar, arms crossed.
Amaya let out a small laugh, surprised slightly, and commented as she looked up at him, who was a head taller than her-probably more, "So you can dance? Oh, that's nice. Why didn't you tell me before? I would've danced with you at the Cross Academy Ball."
Zero, the stranger, said nothing for a few moments, before stating as he looked into her eyes, "You...look a lot like the girl who was important to me, who died a year ago."
Amaya felt a sad smirk form on her face as she commented, "And you look like the grumpy, emo, who shouted and screamed at anyone, refusing to let anyone in, who I happened to care quite a bit about. I wanted to help him, protect him, and I hurt him. I didn't want to hurt him, it was unintentional, but it happened anyway. I never did get the chance to apologize to him for that," She allowed Zero twirl her and he stepped back, pulling her towards him gently and she pressed a hand against his chest as they stepped back, before forward again and to the side, "I would ask if he could ever forgive me, or would forgive me, but you and him are not the same person." Her eyes glazed over slightly as she observed every detail of his face, "He would not take so kindly to dancing with someone that was a Vampire."
Images of her moments with Zero flashed through her head.
I was cut off when Zero yanked me away from her. I screamed and struggled as Sarah fell to the ground, panting. After a few minutes Zero let me go. I stormed out of the Office and waited in the hall, pissed off and fuming.
FLASH
"Amaya..." He hesitated before placing a hand on my head. "Stop crying...okay? I promise, I won't run away anymore. And that...as long as you're alive, I won't die. You won't have to watch."
FLASH
"Just because your stronger then me doesn't mean I can't beat you up." I told him and then placed my hands on his shoulders, pushing away from him. I looked him in the eyes. "Now, are you alright?" I asked, placing a hand on his forehead, then cheek- trying to check for signs of fever.
"Y-Yeah..." He said and closed his eyes, placing his hand atop of mine.
Amaya unknowingly leaned closer to Zero, who leaned down slowly towards her face, his eyes trained solely on her lips. Her eyes, were trained on his.
Why...? Amaya wondered briefly, a feeling of foreboding forming inside her gut. Why can't I just stop loving him? I'm trying to be faithful for Hanabusa, yet everything I do...all of my efforts...
They both paused for a brief moment, their lips just ghosting over one another, unsure if they should complete what they started.
...are wasted, completely. She could remember the first time Zero bit her, the first time she offered him her blood, the first time they met and how he forced her away from her half-sister, Sarah. How he glared at them for making chocolates on Valentine's Day, how he snapped at Hanabusa for showing PDA in public with her, how he awkwardly comforted her after Yagari tried to kill him and she broke down in tears...every moment, no matter how small or how big and important it was, echoed in her head.
Her small hand, against her wishes, curled up around his neck, twitching slightly, wanting to pull him closer and kiss him. Why..why did it all end up like this? I love him...and I love him. I can't choose, but I need to choose, I already have chosen, so why can't I stop? Why did things turn out like this? I want to cherish him...I want to hold him close, but I can't. But I love him...
And Zero took the final straw, unable to hold back anymore. He pressed his lips against hers, slightly rough, but gentle. Amaya tensed slightly, but relaxed quickly, pressing back and working her lips against his, in a fury of emotions. It was slow, felt like forever, but ended rather quickly. They calmly pulled away and Amaya instantly wanted the feel of Zero's lips against hers again. But she can't.
...This masquerade...
...is over...
Yuuki, still leaning against the pillar, stood up straight at the sight of Kaname in a cloak and pulled off her mask. Amaya and Zero did the same, hearing the fluttering of bats and the flickering of flames. She slowly walked over to the "Disciplinary Committee" and stated with narrow, yet disguised hurt, eyes,
"Kaname."
"Father." Amaya spoke up in a cold tone, flames dancing at her finger tips. The blue-eyed man grinned at her before creating a small wall of flame up in the air and allowing him and Kaname to make a jump out of the window, off the balcony.
"Wait!" The cousins shouted, running over to the window. Zero walked over, just as Yuuki sighed and commented,
"He vanished..." Not long after they walked away from the balcony, towards where all the people were. Amaya then exclaimed, slapping her forehead for her stupidity,
"Isaya's place!" And like that, the Disciplinary were back together for a final battle, ripping their masks out and charging.
But as they ran, Amaya could only think one thing...
Hanabusa...I'm so sorry...I didn't mean too. She hoped, stupidly, that he could hear her thoughts and know that she didn't mean to kiss Zero. She loves Hanabusa, she really does, but part of her heart belongs to Zero as well.
X.X
Isaya had his legs crossed, his arms resting against the arms of the chair he was sitting in. Kaname and Jack removed their masks. Jack burst into flames while Kaname just threw his to the ground, breaking it in half.
"And you too," Isaya began. "I thought I can't continue to stay as a spectator, if I am going to end up a target anyway." He lifted his head up and his blue eyes locked onto Kaname's, as he said, "I had hoped to talk to the both of you alone, so I organized this masquerade ball. Welcome, Kaname-Kun, Jack-Kun, I'm glad to be able to meet you like this. Did you both come to take my life...," He tilted his head as he questioned, voice monotone, "or to request my assistance?" He then stood, walking towards them slightly as he asked curiously, "Or, don't tell me, you came to confirm those girls' safety? For the sake of the being who inherited your blood most strongly, one of the two, only remaining ancestors..." He stepped forward, onto Kaname's broken mask, and knelt. "The Majority of the weapons that are able to slay Purebloods have disappeared. To slay the remaining Pureblood with only Jack-Kun at your side, I believe the remaining number is beyond both of your capacities.
In this situation," Isaya continued, "you both, knowing full well that this was a trap, came to my place. Isn't there, only one errand I can accomplish?"
Kaname spoke after a moment, calmly and slow, "I had thought to, one day, use this life of mine to make Yuuki Human." Kaname knelt in front of Isaya, Jack standing quietly in the background. "However that is no longer accomplishable, as I wish to become the new "Parent."
Isaya's eyes widened in surprise. Jack spoke next, and said with narrowed eyes and crossed arms,
"And, Isaya, I want you to contact Warashibe-San. I'll need her to make my daughter Human again, as well."
X.X
The trio continued to run, to come across the doors to Isaya's room, only to stop in surprise as the three people who were guarding the doors.
"Excuse me a little-" Rima cut herself off, staring in surprise at the trio in front of her, "Eh?"
"Hi." Aiko stated boredly, waving her hand in a small wave, before clasping Senri's tightly and twining their fingers together. He looked down at her with the smallest, the smallest, of smiles.
Senri turned his head and looked at the three, saying, "They're in the middle of doing business so,"
"We are unable to let you pass." Rima finished. Aiko just stood in the middle of the doorway, acting like every main-side character would.
"Okay, listen here, guys," Amaya began, her eyebrow twitching. The trio blinked and watched the ginger, listening boredly, "I don't want to fight you, I most definitely don't want to hurt you, but you got my father, assistant to the man who kill Hanabusa's father, my Father-in-Law, and if you don't let us in right now, I'll kick all you Vampire-and Human," She added, seeing Aiko's look, "asses. Got it?"
X.X
Isaya bowed his head, nodding slowly. He spoke, "If I am able to bade farewell to this body that is cursed to never die...When the time is ripe, we will, with pleasure, serve as your substitutes." He placed down the phone, looking at the Vampires.
And just like that, the door burst open with Amaya knocking both Rima and Aiko to the floor. Yuuki and Zero took care of Senri. She froze at the sight of Kaname and Jack standing over Isaya, as though they were about to cut his head off like they did with Nagamichi's. Her breathing hitched and she felt her eyes water slightly as she locked eyes with Kaname.
The man who murder her father...in-law.
Yuuki barged in then, just as Amaya removed her gaze from Kaname onto her birth father, and locked gazes with Kaname. She didn't want to fight him, she didn't want to hurt him, but she would have too, no matter how much she loved him.
And like that, Zero, Senri, and Aiko all ran into the room. Kaname spoke,
"We're done. Come, Senri, Aiko, Rima." Senri quickly picked up Aiko bridal-style, as she doesn't have the epic Vampire powers that everyone else does in this story, and they all made a break out the window, vanishing quickly as they ran.
"NO!" Amaya screamed and charged towards the window, Yuuki following with an outstretched hand as she watched Kaname leave and looked out the window. She let out a string of curses, "No, no, no, damn it! Damn it!" She let out an agonized scream before letting out a chocked sob. She gripped the windowsill tightly, her shoulders shaking and her lips in a thin line as she resisted the urge to cry in anger, defeat, and sorrow.
She felt a hand on her head and looked up, finding Zero behind her and Yuuki, looking out the window.
"While they are serious on escaping, it's impossible to stop them," He explained the harsh truth, that hit Amaya smack dab in the face.
"I...I just..." She whispered softly, eyes glittering sadly and painfully, "I just want to know...why?"
"It really is so as you say," Yuuki spoke up next and cast a sad glance at her broken cousin. She wasn't sure how much more hardships Amaya could take. She already knew how she was bullied in the past, then there were her hallucinations she had since a young age, to the time she tried to suffocate herself, to Nagamichi's death and more. She's had it rough, she's been bottling her feelings, trying to stay strong for Yuuki's sake, to help her and stand by her side at all costs, but she felt as though she was already broken. She couldn't handle it.
Not the death, not the war, not all the pain she's had to go through in her life time, not even the god damn love triangle she put herself in! She was going to fix it...She'll-She'll make it easy...She'll make it easier for the both of them. All three of them. She already knows Yuuki's plan, but this way, instead of Yuuki erasing Zero's memories of just her...Amaya will make it to the point where he forgets about both, yes...Yes, yes, that's good, that's a very good idea, yes... Make it easy, make it easier...
Amaya realized the way her thoughts were processing and tried to calm herself, which worked and she was able to think normally after a few moments.
X.X
The ginger knocked on the door in the pattern, one, two, three, and four...Like, the rhythm in a song.
"Oi, Zero, you done yet?" She asked, her American accent kicking through slightly.
"Just give me a minute, I'm almost done." Amaya's eyes widened in surprise at his response,
"Dude, you're fast." She was quiet for a second before whispering softly, loud enough for Zero's vampire senses to catch it, "I'm glad that no one died or got hurt...It's a relief."
"...What Shoutou Isaya said to Kuran Kaname and Chouko Jack, aren't you curious?"
Amaya tensed as the subject and took a shaky breathe, before answering, "I am, but what we do about it, is entirely up to Yuuki." She then closed her eyes slightly, the green misting over as she remembered their dance, "But I am also curious about a few other things, like, when the hell did you learn to dance like that?"
She could almost hear the smirk in his voice as he asked, playing dumb, "What do you mean?" She felt a small grin grow on her face and her stomach get those annoying butterflies that she got whenever she was around him or Hanabusa, and said,
"Ah, yes, my bad, I forgot. That "Zero" was a fantasy. My bad, can't blame a girl for daydreaming, right? The "Real" Zero can't dance worth crap, right? Such a shame, sure he's be a fantastic dancer, unless he really is a rebel that would make girls go "Kyaa, kyaa, kyaa" at the sight of him." She said, referencing to the Cross Academy Ball. (Chapter: Night of Dance)
They were both quiet for a few seconds, before Amaya spoke again, "Hey, remember that Dance Festival at Cross Academy a year ago? When you walked in, soaked to the bone with blood? 'Bout gave me a heart attack, you did. And even after I told you to accept Kaede's dance, you still rejected her! Jeesh, how rude. I fixed your outfit and everything." She let out an over-exaggerated sigh and placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head, "Man...But...okay, since the Masquerade ball, Yuuki asked me a ridiculous question and it's been on my mind since, but...if we were both Humans, not Hunter or Vampire, what would we be? How would we meet? How would our Human selves react?"
There was a silence and she continued, knowing that Zero was listening, "If I didn't know the events that would happen and reacted naturally to them, no-nevermind, the events wouldn't even happen since we would both be human. Okay, let's try again, If I transferred, by coincidence of course, to Cross Academy, and-I don't know, Yuuki introduced me to you? How would I react? Would I think, "Oh, my god, his hair is silver" or "Did he bleach his hair" or, maybe, "I love the way he wears his uniform, he's so cool". Without Yuuki, you wouldn't have had to stay back a year, so I'd be calling "Sempai". You'd beat the shit out of Kaname and Hanabusa, and speaking of him, he'd probably have had never took an interest in me if I wasn't engaged to him since birth. He recognized me because of my hair and eyes and skintone, so he wouldn't even know who I was and would just flirt with me like every other human girl. But, on the day before the Dance Festival, while we were working on the decorations 'cause we got the lowest score, I'd see my "Sempai" wonder in with blood staining his uniform from one of his gang fights or something, and I'd be like, "Dude! The bathroom's that way" and then I'd forcefully push you out of the room, towards the bathrooms, set you by one of the sinks, and just be like "What the hell you do, fight a bear" and then you'd call me stupid and say that there were no bears in the area."
Amaya leaned her head against the door, a hand resting against the smooth wood. She could feel nostalgia forming and muttered softly, "What do you think would happen next? Huh, Zero?" She sighed, "Nah...Nothing would come out of that. You'd just find me as one of those annoying, sarcastic girls who don't know when to stop, huh? Us as Humans...What would seventeen-year-old Human me do?"
She let out a small shout of alarm and surprise when the door opened suddenly, sending her flying forward. Zero commented as she stumbled in, "You're really an idiot. Yuuki is too, for causing you to think about such a subject." Amaya blinked from her spot on the floor and lifted her, going into chibi-mode,
"Huh?" She stared at him confused and he said,
"In the first place, if we were both Humans, we would not have any link." He reached down and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet, "Stop indulging in delusions that will never happen. Let's go now." His eyes widened when she suddenly reached up and gripped his arm, slamming his back against a wall, her hands gripping his lowers arms tightly.
"Zero..." She spoke and lifted her hands up to his face, one resting behind his head and the other clutching the lapels of his coat, "Zero, Zero...Zero," For a split second, Zero thought she was going to kiss him as she pulled his head down towards hers as she stood up, only to have his eyes widened as she bit down on his neck.
"Amay-" He felt her fangs enter his neck. All his memories and feelings of Amaya flashed through his and Amaya's mind as his blood was drained. He was alarmed, however, as the memories seemed to fade.
Make it easier on all three of us...He'll stop loving me and his thirst will be quenched, he won't be pained by Yuuki's...death... and I can be with Hanabusa without conflict.
He realized what was happening and grabbed her head, pushing her away from his neck, demanding angrily as he felt slightly faint, "What are you doing!?"
Amaya felt tears prick her eyes as she reeled back and pushed up her jacket sleeve, revealing the charm bracelet the Headmaster gave her a year ago, and thrust her wrist towards his neck.
Zero quickly found himself pinned to the ground by daggers, Amaya on top of him, crying out, "It'll be easier on all of us!"
"Amaya-!" Zero gasped, as she turned his head forcefully.
"I-If I-If I erase myself from Zero's memories, your thirst will be quenched, I can be with Hanabusa without my conflicting feelings for you stopping me, and-and when Yuuki goes to do what she plans, you won't even care! You won't care a about at us, nope! Not at all!" Tears fell down her cheeks when she blinked, and she leaned down to Zero, biting his neck once again, a hand brushing back his bangs on his forehead while the other was pressed against the cold marble.
"Erase...?" Zero spoke aloud, his eyes widening. He felt his memories of Yuuki start to vanish from his mind along with his most precious memories of Amaya and he struggled as best as he could, saying, "Stop it...I won't forgive you if..." He resorted to shouting, "Stop it, Amaya!" He sounded desperate and horrified at what the girl was doing to him, the girl he loved was doing to him.
Amaya pulled away to look at him one more time, tears trailing down her blood stained face, and whispered softly, looking him deeply in the eyes with a sad, pained smile, "I'm sorry...I'm sorry, I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, I'm sorry...But, I-I...we can't...I can't...Yuuki can't do what she needs to without hurting you and I can't be with you because of Hanabusa, no matter how much I-I love you, but I...If I do this...If I do this you'll be able to take blood tablets easier and you won't be thirsting for my blood and-and...I'm so sorry!" Her shoulders shook violently as she tried not to sob, "The-The only for Yuuki to stop K-Kaname is to make him Human and the only way for me to stay by Hanabusa's side without conflict i-is...it's...You need to be out of the picture...I'm sorry, I love you, I'm sorry..."
She leaned back down and bit him, a bit more roughly this time.
"But this is not enough. Even if I have to give my life for you, I wouldn't say a single complaint." The memory ran through both their minds and Zero cried out,
"Stop it!"
"Do you not want me to worry?" Her worried face and the smell of her pomegranate scent went through both of their minds before it started to become erased, Zero screamed as loud as he could, tears pricking his eyes,
"DON'T STEAL HER FROM ME!" All the faces, scents and smells and sights and voices of Yuuki and Amaya were vanishing quickly and have vanished, just as the window in the corner shattered, cutting Amaya's cheek.
Yuuki choose that moment to walk in, standing beside Amaya, who wiped the blood of of her face with sad, guilty, and slightly regretful eyes. Those eyes...Zero's eyes...That look he had in them as he stared at her, would haunt her for the rest of her life. Which would be a very, very, very long time.
The eyes of one who did not know what he was seeing, looking at, but one who knew what just happened moment ago and was filled with pain, sadness, betrayal, but complete confusion at the same time. She felt her heart break at that look, and she was able to tell him one last thing before he went unconscious,
"I'm sorry..." His eyes slipped closed as his head turned to the side, the daggers vanishing.
She felt the tears slip down her cheeks, but didn't pay attention to them, rather saying, "You're thirst is going to reduce now...now that I'm not in your memories...I'm so sorry..."
She felt Yuuki wrap her arms around, but she ignored her, merely staring heartbroken at the boy who would no longer know her that lay beneath her.