Chapter 11
The gun trembled violently in Yuki Cross' hand as she held it up to her own chest and stared daringly into the eyes of her childhood friend's, Zero Kiryu's, eyes. The medal practically stung her bare skin it was so cold. "You're not being reasonable," Zero stuttered as he stepped forward in preparation to snatch the gun from her grip. To his surprise, the girl handed it to him willingly before he could even grab it and instead laid her hand onto his. She was caressing it tightly and forcing his finger to sit lightly on the trigger. Zero opened his mouth to speak again, unsure of what he could say to change her mind but still more than willing to try, but was quickly interrupted. Yuki gazed up at him with glazed over pupils and even with tears streaming down her swollen face, she managed to smile. "It's okay. You promised me and I want you to keep that promise." Her voice quivered uneasily as she spoke but the haunting smile remained. "Go on," she whispered urgently.
The warmth of Yuki's hand was enough to somehow comfort Zero through this tragic moment, even with the coolness of the gun's metal chilling his frozen palm. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried and the sensation of feeling gathering in his chest, as well as the tears building in his pale eyes, was totally foreign to him. He could barely believe he was crying before a few tears rolled from the corner of his eyes and down the bridge of his nose, eventually falling and kissing the top of Yuki's shaking hand on top of his. The two stood together in the darkness, surrounded by the morbid thickness brought on by the gun between them, and the silence was practically deadly. It only vanished when a choking sound spat from Zero's throat and he sputtered out a desperate cry, followed by a gentle, "You can be such a moron sometimes."
Though she was reluctant to let go, Zero finally pried his hand away and carelessly threw the gun across the room to slide and be hidden away somewhere underneath the large wardrobe. The grip he had on the handle was replaced by his arms being thrown around the pathetic pureblood, pulling her in close and hugging her so there wasn't an inch of space between them. His face buried into her dark hair and he clutched the ends of it as he hugged her, feeling the softness of her locks and whispering with eyes shut, "I believe that perhaps you have hurt just as much as I have. It would be stupid to punish you for such a thing." His words flowed throughout Yuki's veins and she let out a final cry, this time it was soft and a sweet release, before nuzzling her head into the crook of his strong neck.
"You're a mess and reak of cold sweats," Zero said sternly, signaling that the sympathetic hug had come to an end. He stepped back to look at the girl who was surely drenched in nervous sweat and without waiting for a reply, grabbed onto her hand and guided her out of his room and to his private bathroom. Yuki was used to being ordered around by Kaname but there was a certain sincerness that Zero harbored that she had ever seen in her brother in the past year, or even anytime before that. It was something that had always bothered her but tonight, she didn't want to think of Kaname Kuran. She focused on the vampire who was now caringly undressing her and preparing her to bathe.
The bath was at the perfect temperature by the time that Zero had lowered Yuki into the warmth of the tub. The water caressed her flesh closely and she watched in disgust as the water began to turn murky from the caked on dirt from her feet and the sweat that had washed over her pale skin. Before she could dwell on it, Zero already had a cloth in hand and was washing her. "Do you remember when you did this for me all those years ago?" He said softly as the white cloth touched her flesh. He rubbed at a gentle pace but enough to sufficiently clean her. Yuki would normally be throwing things at him for seeing her in such a manner but he purposely focused on her face rather than her naked body, studying her expressions with his every touch. Her eyes weren't focused on him but when he spoke, they softened so he continued. "I wouldn't speak a word to you, even when every ounce of my being was screaming 'say something, you idiot.' Your touch was so soft..." His voice trailed off in thought and Zero was left stupidly smiling to himself, as well as Yuki who was starting a sly smile of her own.
The water had turned grey and murky by the time that Zero had finished washing his dear lover, yet he only drained the tub to fill it up again. Yuki's limbs cringed slightly at the new sensation of the hot water pouring down onto her legs but Zero was quick to adjust the temperature to comfort for her, still watching her every move and adjusting accordingly. "Come now," He said in a husky tone. By the time that Yuki had looked at him, he was already pulling back the line of his shirt to expose the clear flesh of his neck. It was completely untouched besides the two puncture marks that had been deep enough days before to penetrate him and scar. Yuki opened her mouth to protest but when his icy eyes met hers, he said in a softer voice, "It's okay. You need it."
Zero's words were enough to have Yuki leap from the bath and cling onto him to begin feasting from his flesh. It was so unlike her to practically pounce on him in such a way, especially naked, but the feelings overriding her body could only be silenced by feeding her never ending, quenching thirst for Zero Kiryu's blood. She instinctively licked along the skin of his neck with the very tip of her tongue before shoving her small fangs deeply inside of him, deep enough to leave another scar, and began drinking his sweet fluids. One of his strong arms had wrapped around her lower waist as the other reached for the knob to the bath to drain it. "We are going to figure this all out, okay?" He said in a low voice, "I'm not losing you again."