Blood Ties- Chapter 17
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Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight
The italics are flashbacks, in case that isn't obvious. ^^
Kaname's back was tense, perfectly straight in his seated position, his chin lay carelessly in the palm of his hand as he leaned his weight against it. A simple wine glass was held in his free hand and his eyes watched the pale red liquid dance around in the container, the only indication that his pale hand was very slightly shaking. The Pureblood looked up at the Chairman as his mind slowly digested the question that caught his attention.
"How long do you intend to lie to her, Kaname- Kun? How long are you going to play the loving and doting Onii- Sama? Kaname- Kun, over the years I've thought of yourself and Yuki as my family, and I don't want either of you to get hurt, but don't you think the girl deserves to now the truth?"
The Pureblood's calm and emotionless face showed nothing of his inner confusion as he willed his scattered brain to concentrate. He felt raw power being pumped throughout his body and his nerves were on edge as images of a brunette female flashed through his mind. Her soft face and caring eyes were a recurring theme in his thoughts as he answered in a low tone. "She shouldn't have to deal with such a dark truth hanging over her. She's too pure for it."
Kaname felt disgusted with himself as the other truth rang in his mind. Whilst his previous words were completely honest, that Yuki was too precious to be tainted by such a secret, it wasn't the only reason. Though he wouldn't admit it out loud, or even fully to himself, Kaname was scared of what her reaction would be. He knew she would hate him and the thought of her leaving him put an indescribable ache in his cold heart and he allowed himself to voice the thought that had nagged him ever since she had been born, each time he held her in his arms and every time he kissed her.
"I would have been happier if I was born as her real older brother."
The blonde's eyes shot up towards the door as he saw it swung open and his sharp vision took in the edge of a white dress and strands of brown hair as he heard low and muffled cries before they disappeared, leaving behind the sound of heels tapping recklessly quick against the stone floor of the school grounds, as if someone was desperately running away. Kaname's back was turned towards the Chairman as his unusually wide eyes stared at the open door with an expression of dread as the footsteps faded away and his while body seemed to wince as the sound of a heavy door being forcefully slammed echoed through the sudden silence moments later. The Purebloods previous distraction and confusion slipped away from him as he uttered the only word that made sense to him,
"Yuki..."
Lilac eyes, partially obscured by wild strands of wet silver hair, traced hidden patterns in the plain white ceiling of his Dorm room and unrestrained droplets of water fell in streaks down Zero's face before traveling along the bare skin of his throat and across the muscular planes of his chest and stomach, staining the dark sheets of the single bed he lay on as the drops fell off his torso. Cold air blew under his closed door, working alongside his wet body to make him shiver, but the Hunter made no movement to cover himself. After a while the back of his mind distantly picked up the sounds of footsteps and voices out in the hallway, giving away the presence of some Day Class boys returning from the ball, but his brain refused to make sense of the noises, making them seem like nothing but annoying bangs and distorted tones. Zero sighed as he failed to block them from his head and heaved himself up into a seating position, his strong hand grasped onto the white towel he held tightly, as if it was his lifeline.
The sound of his bones cracking back into his place echoed around his room as he stood up from his bed, dropping the towel lifelessly to the ground and replaced it with a slightly wrinkled white shirt, pulling it on his still damp body, the ends of the fabric brushing against his dark bottoms as he lazily buttoned it up, leaving the top two buttons undone and made his way to where his shoes lay near the door, suddenly desperate to escape his prison- like room.
Yuki ignored the crumpling of her dress as she slid down the wall, the silk fabric brushing against her legs as her slim arms wrapped around them, hugging her knees to her chest. Her wide eyes watched the moonlight that streamed in through the open curtains and dimly lighted the room as her head fell back against the hard wall behind her in an attempt to force her brain to shut down.
Her whole body seemed to shake as the sound of the double doors leading to the room opening filled the room, her eyes narrowed, but seemed to be glued to the floor. Yuki felt the pressure of arms being wrapped around her shoulders and the sensation of being pulled to the side before she landed on a vast chest. The female instinctively leaned into the familiar embrace of her lover, trying to grasp the warmth she knew would be there, momentarily oblivious to the the tense way he held his shoulders.
"Yuki...Please don't cry."
She blinked, her hand going up to press against her cheek, an un-humored laugh slipping through her lips as she felt the warm salt water of her tears that she never registered falling from her eyes. She pressed her now damp hand against Kaname's chest, pushing away from his safe hold and her still tearful eyes met his and the thoughts she tried so hard to suppress rushed forcefully through her mind, leaving the girl feeling emotionally tired and weak.
Her deep eyes were trained to the males face, watching the shadows play against his nose and cheekbones as she took a shaky breath. The oxygen seemed to clog up her throat as she tried to speak, stumbling over the simple words.
"Onii-Sa-....Kaname, who are you?"
She saw his jaw clench as she spoke, his eyes tightening as he continued to gaze at her. His lips opened, as if to talk, but all she heard was a quiet sigh from them as they closed again. His face was undeniably vulnerable as he stared at her, his perfect demeanor gone. Defenseless only around her.
"Yuki..." His tone was full of untold emotion, despite being a low whisper. His hand went out to towards her, aiming to stroke her cheek and his shoulders slightly slumped as she winced away from his touch, scooting further away from him. He couldn't look at her then, feeling that a single frown from her would crush him. "I'm sorry.."
The window, now above her, began to crack under her emotional outlet as her plea for the truth was rewarded with nothing but silence, her small hands turned into fists against the floor beneath her as the glass from the window shattered, narrowly avoiding cutting her as they fell to the ground, the moonlight glinting against the razor sharp edges.
"Tell me! Please, Kaname. Just tell me. I need to know the truth! I don't want to be one of these people that you don't trust to be able to deal with it. I can't be one of those people, Onii- Sama!"
"Yuki...I'm not.." The Pureblood male stopped, for once lost for words as is eyes continued to bore through the carpet under him. "I'm..."
"Kaname...please..just tell me." She repeated again, struggling against the desire to bury herself in his arms, knowing that, if she did, she would lose the will to fight against him.
He sighed loudly, finally looking up at her with a saddened expression, knowing that he could never deny her anything and he reached out again, ignoring her attempts to pull away and his hand cupped her warm cheek, his fingers stroking the skin there, gently caressing her face as if for the last time as he began speaking, his deep voice never ventured higher then a whisper and his eyes watched different expressions play on his loves face.
"Do you...Do you remember the first time that you left the basement? You saw portraits of the previous Kuran family members in the main hall. Do you remember the one that interested you the most? The oldest one?"
Kaname watched as the girl nodded, his hand holding her cheek just a little bit tighter. "That's the real me. That is who I am."
"O-Onii- Sama?..I don't understand."
The shallow water rippled as tear drops fell into the fountain, distorting the reflection of Kuran Yuki who stared down at the softly moving water. She sat on the stone wall that made the fountain, the long sleeve of her dress getting soaked as she dipped her hand in, feeling the coolness of the water coat her skin as she ran her fingers across the rough base of the elegant fountain, watching as the previously clear water got stained with red. Silent sobs shook her small frame as she recalled the incident that led her to this secluded place. She brought her hand up out from the water, ignoring the insistent drips falling from her fingertips, to wrap both of her arms securely around herself, as if to stop herself from falling apart. The thoughts in her brain seemed to bang against the confines of her skull, leaving behind an ache that settled itself in both her heart and mind.
"Stop lying to me! That man was cold hearted and selfish! He didn't care about anyone! You're not him! I grew up with you...You're my brother. You're my warm, caring loving Kaname. I know that is true, so why do you keep lying to me?! You...can't be him...You're not...Onii- Sama?" Yuki gasped as she pulled herself away from him, a shard of glass penetrating the skin at her hand as she used it to support herself to stand up, refusing to look at the male in front of her as her shaking body struggled, jerking away when his hand reached out to steady her.
"Kaname..." She sobbed, tightening the hold she had on herself in an almost painful grip. Her tears fell carelessly down her face that was flushed with exertion. She felt the cold water from her sleeve soak through the fabric it was pressed against and the females exhausted eyes slid close as she felt a sudden gust of heavy wind blow her long hair around her face, the locks harshly whipping at the skin as the scene replayed in her mind again and again, her sobs getting louder each time she saw his face in her mind.
Her bare leg grazed against the edge of the coffee table as she rushed passed it, a yelp of surprise escaping her as she desperately tried to cross the room and away from Kaname who watched the crying girl run away from him with a broken expression, his hands extending towards her yet again, wordlessly begging her to come back to his arms. His heart beat was impossibly fast as he took a step towards her when she stopped and stared at him, the moonlight illuminating her beautiful face and spot lighting the tears that ran down her cheeks in a never-ending stream.
"Yuki..." Was all he said as he stalked closer towards the girl, his eyes giving away his current weakness.
"Don't...touch me..Kaname. I..I don't even know who you are anymore. I said don't touch me!"
His hand hovered over her cheek, just an inch away from making contact and his whole body seemed to be frozed under his command. His stomach tightend as he heard a sob pass through her lips and his hand twitched, longing to comfort the girl in front of him.
He could do nothing but watch as Yuki walked away from him, his body refusing to fight against her order, despite the way his heart called out for her, he knew he would always do what she asked of him, no matter what it was.
Kaname buried his face into his hands as the door slammed shut after she walked through it, dropping to his knees as her quick footsteps faded away.
"Yuki..."
"What are you doing out here, Vampire?"
The brunette jumped a little when the un-expected voice reached her, looking up to see a silver haired Hunter leaning against a tree nearby and watched as his eyes widened slightly as he took in her appearance.
"Isn't it some sort of sin for a Pureblood to cry?" He asked, honest curiosity lacing his hard tone, though his eyes had un-intentionally softened when he noted her tears.
She laughed; a sarcastic, un-humored sound. "I don't care about being a Pureblood right now."
"Vampires don't care in general, right?"
She sighed as she met his gaze, using her dry sleeve to wipe at her damp cheeks. "Why do you hate us so much, Kiryuu- Kun? We're not all like 'that woman'."
"You're wrong. You're all the same. Especially you Purebloods." Zero snorted lightly, surprised to be having a some-what normal conversation with the female, but continued with harsh words. "You all play around with people lower then you, regardless of the consequences. One thing I don't understand, though, is why you're here. I don't believe a creature like you is really here just for co-existence. Ha."
Yuki looked back to the fountain as she replied, watching the way the wind played with the water. "My family was attacked when I was five years old, by my Uncle. He wanted to take me away from them and he almost killed my Father in the process. From then on I wanted to create a world where my loved ones could live in peace and not have to worry about that happening again. It's only the first step, but yes, I really am just here for co-existence, but for my own selfish reasons, too."
His lilac eyes stared at the girl as she looked lifelessly into the water, his voice going back to it's usual annoyed tone. "If you're not attending the ball any longer, which by the way you look, you're not, then go back to your Dorm. Blood suckers are not allowed to roam the grounds by themselves whilst the Day Class are around." He paused before continuing, his voice sarcastic. "Besides, shouldn't you be with your 'distant relative'? I'm sure he's worried."
Yuki sighed, wiping up the remaining tears as she stood up, trying to smooth her dress as best as she could and offering the Hunter a small smile. "Yes. You're right. I'll be going then but, I have one more question... what happend with Shizuka? I saw someone just like you in the room with her when she died..is that your brother perhaps?"
"That is none of your business!" Zero snapped, his hands clenching into fists at his side.
"Heh, as long as it doesn't affect the Academy, you're right." She said, her gentle smile still in place. "Well, goodnight, Kiryuu- Kun. Thank you for the chat."
A/N: I am soo sorry for this chapter taking so long! This is the longest time i've ever taken to update so sorry! I'm not sure about this chapter, so please, be honest and tell me what you think. Did it suck? x.x Please review and tell me what you think. Thank you!