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Zero may have not been aware of it but he tried to stand the moment he felt something was wrong with him , only to feel his head pounding . He couldn't fathom why .
His grip on the mug loosened , causing it to slip and crash to million pieces that he promptly fell on top of before he started coughing up blood .
He didn't even register the pain of splinters digging in his flesh , for he was far too numb to process anything past the heavy fog taking over his senses .
The only thing he felt , vividly , was how his heartbeat accelerated so much he could do nothing but panic under a thick veil that obscured his consciousness .
Something was burning his throat and entire being . Before he had a chance to wonder what , his eyes rolled to the back of his head and soon enough , a world of black engulfed him whole , promising never to leave him alone .
An echo of silence ensued , hailing on the room like a traumatized lover having difficulty believing their eyes .
The same could not be said about Takuma who stood and watched , as if he were in the theater , too engaged and focused on the scene that should have satisfied his hunger . It did . A voice , so faint it could have been a figment of his imagination , whispered , determined to convince him not to regret any of it .. Much to his horror , he needn't much help to reach such depths of cruelty .
It didn't take much persuasion .. He'd expected himself to feel a twinge of remorse , concern , or at least fear of getting caught red handed . But all he felt was nothing , just an empty sense of .. something that sat right on the border between satisfaction and lack thereof .
Instead of guilt , he regarded the pool of crimson enveloping Kiryuu with not an ounce of consideration , rather an abundant reserve of apathy .
Such was the sight greeting Kuran Kaname , rendering him speechless , robbing him of words .
It was some time during the evening that he decided to visit a certain silverette . The feeling began as what he would call an explicable urge . He just knew he wanted to talk with the hunter , why and about what , he had no idea ..To confess his crime , perhaps .. or to confront him about Yuki , to wish him luck and say something along the lines of ' May the better man win over ' . But he found himself harshly disapproving such idea . Yuki was not a game , never was and never will . That minute detail had been significant and beside the point at the same time .
In the end , he decided it mattered not why he wanted to meet the hunter . The issue was the fact he wanted at all .
He'd tried to curb the urge but in vain , and soon enough he found himself making peace with the notion of paying Kiryuu a visit , put delicately .
Gaining access to the address had not been difficult , far from it actually , for Kaname had already instructed Seiren to keep him updated with every single development involving the people he knew , just in case .
When he'd parked his car in front of Kiryuu's apartment building , however , Kaname noticed something .
Kiryuu was not alone ..
The pureblood wasn't exactly surprised to sense Takuma's presence up there , seeing as how he already knew of the odd familiarity blooming between those two as of late . What he found astonishing was the fact he felt something akin to disappointment once he realised he wouldn't be able to talk to Kiryuu privately .
But he prefered not to think much of it and instead , made to leave , when he sensed it . Blood , Kiryuu's to be exact . .. Maybe it's a minor papercut or something , he told himself .. When the scent of blood did nothing but grow heavier , showing no signs of stopping , he started to feel alarmed .
Acting up on the desire to find what was going on , he rushed out of the car and inside the building , all the while formulating different scenarios . Could they have gotten attacked ?
But if that was the case then why was it only Kiryuu's blood being shed ?
Besides , he couldn't sense any threat around , not a level E or even A , nothing in between either .
Though of course a pureblood might have been masking their aura .
Well , there was only one way to find out.
He just hoped it wasn't time for that .
The answer he got himself was far from his earlier predictions , the farthest possible actually . In fact , nonexistent , because he'd never expected that .
As soon as he pushed the front door open , employing a sliver of his pureblood power in the process , he found his gaze darting from left to right , trying to get used to the arrangement of the place .
When he took a step forward then turned left , he was in for a total shock . It would be an understatement to describe it as such , however.
Takuma was safe and sound , which Kaname found to be a relief until his eyes landed on a familiar figure lying on the floor , still and possibly lifeless .
He waited , feeling somewhat paralysed and disconnected , expecting Takuma - who had yet to notice his appearance - to do something other than standing there and watching .
Takuma.. Why wasn't he moving a muscle to check up on Kiryuu ? Why was he left unscathed and Kiryuu as good as dead ?
The notion of Takuma being the one responsible for Kiryuu's condition did not cross Kaname's mind , not even for a fleeting moment . At least that was the case until he decided to take a step closer , his shoes clacking against the marble tiles and snapping a certain noble out of his daze .
Kaname's eyebrows twitched and knitted while his eyes narrowed at first before going wide once realisation dawned on him .
Confusion was what he'd first felt , then it got mixed with disbelief , which soon morphed into full blown disappointment .
" What-What have you done ? Why ? " the words left his mouth the same way a strand of silk would tickle exposed skin - A placid , for now , reflection of the chaos erupting in his mind - .
" Kaname .. "
Takuma spun around , startled and panic-stricken , calling the name with a great deal of difficulty , feeling uncertain and flustered .
What was Kaname doing here , not to mention at such timing ?
How the hell was he supposed to explain this ?
What was Kaname thinking now ? Certainly nothing bad..right ? He must be feeling grateful , right ?
If only Takuma knew how wrong he was to assume that .
" Your odd connection with Kiryuu had been a mystery to me from the start and I have always thought it was Kiryuu trying to get closer to you so he could find dirt on me to influence Yuki's perceptions .. But you just proved me wrong .." Kaname spoke up with a fair amount of disbelief dominating his tone and expression altogether . He couldn't begin to comprehend everything taking place .. The fact that Takuma was one to attempt getting closer to Kiryuu with ulterior motives involved ..
And the hilarity of the century goes to the fact he was defending Kiryuu against Takuma , not Aido or Ruka .
How ?
" How could you ? "
Kaname questioned with a blank face as he walked past the noble and sank to the floor besides Kiryuu , about to check his pulse , when Takuma dropped the bomb .
" I cannot believe you are blaming me for hurting someone whose life you have intentionally ruined a long time ago . "
Kaname's eyebrows shot up , for the first time ever . ( The farthest they'd ever gone was a little imperceptible rise . )
He couldn't believe Takuma had the audacity to talk back to a pureblood , to him , of all people , and in such circumstances , no less ! Takuma should be feeling ashamed of himself , wanting to make his existence as faint as possible , not boldly retort back .
Besides , Kaname hadn't confessed to have freed Shizuka just so Takuma could take it all and shove it in his face in the first opportunity .
The hell happened to him ?
Kaname had gone to visit him a few days ago , before Yuki's party , hoping to finally relieve himself of the guilt , the gaping wound he'd brought upon himself the moment he thought of helping Shizuka out of prison . He was so broken and tired of carrying that burden ..He wanted to share it with someone and he foolishly thought Takuma deserved to be that person !
He wanted someone to reprimand him for what he'd done .. And he did get what he wanted , like he always had , but only for a moment .. Takuma had grabbed his shoulders and shaken him , stating the truth of what a cruel gamble it had been .. But his admonition , disbelief , and condemnation didn't get to last , because of the pain he saw in those incredibly honest russet eyes .
That night , Kaname had felt something off with Takuma but he never knew just how critical the situation was and how right his instincts had been . And now he wished he'd listened to his distant irrational fears .
Provoked and livid , Kaname shifted his head to the side and remained like that for a while , clearly finding it difficult to believe the whole situation . Takuma had to have been manipulated .. Kaname refused to believe that someone like Takuma could have the darkness to do such thing .
Clinging to that theory , Kaname rose to his feet and proceeded returning the favour tenfold " Do not come close to thinking whatever you just did has anything in common with my deeds . That's not to say I regard my actions highly . I know what I had done , but at least , I didn't betray Kiryuu's trust in me . "
It may have been just him but Kaname caught a flinch in the noble's form when he said that .Good ..
" Can you say the same , Takuma ? "
Kaname challenged rhetorically , knowing very well that whatever nonsense Takuma would say in response to that would have no meaning . He still hadn't a clue why the blonde would do such thing . Would a reason matter or make any difference ? Kaname doubted .
His mood darkened and poured in the look he gave Takuma . Kaname knew he had lots of excuses to justify the sin he'd committed , the way he offered Yuki a shield at the expense of other people's lives .. Shattered was an innocent family , all because of his desperate want to protect the one person he treasured after spending so much time in solitude and despair . What he had done , no matter how much some people romanticise it , would always be shameful and no amount of justification could change that . He may have been frustrated , helpless , desperate , and running out of time , but another solution might have existed . He should have looked for it ..
If only he could turn back the time .. If only ..
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2056 words
updated 7 march , 2018 .
Best regards
Zerovk
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