Here it is Chapter 4, nearly four thousand words yay hope this makes up for the delayed update. Enjoy ^-^

Blood

As soon as she took the boys hand she could feel the resistance of the barrier dissipate, stepping forward his hand still tightly clasped within her own she experienced a feeling similar to passing through dense mist; looking back she could see the barrier writhe and coil as it reformed.

For the moment she was able to rein in the torrent of despair that sought to consume her as she turned to the small child that stood beside her in the snow. She was surprised to see that despite the fact that he was now exposed to the full potent energy of her Pureblood nature he had remained composed. She might have gone as far as to say that the boy was completely at ease within her presence, she couldn't help but be intrigued.

"What is your name little one?"

His amethyst eyes locked with hers and with a strong voice that belayed his years he answered, "Ichiru."

Placing her hand on his cheek she held his gaze.

"Arigato Ichiru" as she said this a single tear trailed down her angelic face.

With that said she stood and began to walk slowly towards the house.

Akihiro sat in the living room, for now Saika had retreated to kitchen in order to calm down and he was alone. For the past hour he had fought with Saika, trying to convince her to let Yagari take Zero but it had been to no avail, blinded by hatred she would not allow Zero to have any form of freedom.

She had given him a choice; either Zero would go to the Society where he would be trained and confined under the same order that applied to a tamed level E vampire or she would kill him herself.

He already knew that the Society would support her decision and if they were to become involved there would be no means left for him to protect Zero. He could only pray that he could stall Saika from action long enough for Yagari to arrive, from their earlier conversation over the phone he knew Yagari would at best arrive in two days, at worst it would be a week before he arrived and by then Zero would be in the grasp of the Hunter Association.

Exhausted and hopeless he turned to the small oak cabinet hidden in a corner of the room, taking out a glass he was about to reach for the bottle when the glass he held slipped from his grasp and shattered against the floor.

His eyes were wide as his senses were overwhelmed by the sheer power of the vampiric aura that infused the air; he found it hard to breath let alone move as the presence grew stronger. How? He found himself questioning, how had a vampire, even one this strong managed to make it past the barrier. He had no time to dwell on these though as Saika came barrelling into the room, in one hand she held her anti-vampire weapon of choice; a zankosen forged from the origin metal, her other hand clasped his own Katana.

Making his way over to his wife he claimed his weapon and levelling her with an even gaze he drew his blade allowing the saya to clatter noisily to the floor.

He ran to the door and quickly wrenched it open but paused as he stood in the threshold allowing the light from the hall to pool out into the darkness. He took a defensive stance as Saika took her place beside him, his katana drawn across his chest ready to guard against any attack; his eyes searched the darkness as the strength of the aura crashed down on him in waves.

The moonless night and sweeping shadows did little to calm his nerves as he continued to search the darkness, but there was nothing. The strength of the aura had all but deadened his instincts; the vampire could have been standing right next to him and still he wouldn't be able to sense it.

The sound of a bell was his only warning as a wave of energy ripped through the air towards him, as he dodged he heard the distinctive sound of wood and stone being ripped apart as the door way he had just been standing in was completely destroyed. Crouching in the snow his katana still grasped firmly in his hand he spared a quick glance to make sure Saika had managed to jump clear of the initial strike; she sat in a similar stance to him not two meters away, her zankosen drawn taut ready to reduce any vampire that approached to ash. Seeing that she was safe Akihiro focused his attention on his surroundings.

Wind caused by the coming snow storm meant that the snow and dust whipped up in the first attack was quickly cleared; what he saw made Akihiro truly wish it hadn't.

"Shizuka Hio" there was no way for Saika to hide the fear that tinged her voice, "what is a pureblood doing here?"

The darkness hid her features as she began to advance towards them but the sharp blade of killing intent she directed towards them made her intentions all too clear. "You killed him…so now I will punish you." Her soft spoken voice held a cold and controlled fury that froze the blood in Akihiro's veins.

Before he could even process her words she moved, in an instant she was next to them as if she had been standing between them all along, automatically he struck out aiming to behead her but his blade only cut through clean air. The next second he felt himself blown back, rolling through the snow, the wind knocked out of him; stabbing his katana straight into the ground he twisted in mid air using his blade as an anchor to regain his footing. The attack left him with a few superficial scratches but he was otherwise unharmed.

Saika hadn't been so lucky; the strike had hit her with such force that she had been thrown back into the wall of the house with a sickening crack. As Akihiro watched her stand he could see she now cradled her left arm close to her chest.

The feral gleam in Shizuka's eyes which now seemed to burn red in the darkness locked onto her wounded prey, she continued to advance slowly taking in every pained gasp that escaped Saika as she stood. With her back turned to him Akihiro took the chance to strike; he swung his katana with all his skill aiming for Shizuka's exposed back, the blade tore through her flesh dousing his blade in her blood.

The depth of his shock was unimaginable as both the blood on his blade and the body before him burst into a storm of sakura petals, all but drowning his vision in a sea of colour.

Jumping clear of the tempest he tried to make his way round it but all too quickly it dispersed and the pureblood was upon him once more. Claw like nails raked across his left arm leaving five shallow furrows in their wake; the damage would have been worse had it not been for the wire of the zankosen wrapped around the vampires wrist that had slowed the strike. Smoke rose from the wounds as the zankosen dug deeper into Shizuka's wrist, behind her Saika had managed to stand and held a firm grip on the now bloody wires.

To Akihiro's horror Shizuka's eyes which had begun to dim flared to life as she turned her attention to Saika; "so it was you" Shizuka asked as her gaze then turned to her wrist as she gently caressed the zankosen. Taking advantage of her brief distraction Akihiro struck; swinging his bade in a low arc he sought to at least wound the pureblood in her sudden lapse of concentration. Without even looking Shizuka swung her light shawl into the path of the deadly blade; the katana stopped dead in its path, the light shawl acting as if it were a shield made of solid steel.

The look of shock on Akihiro's face was only matched by the one on Saika's; on the other hand a look of wild joy had returned to Shizuka's grin. She sent a wave of power along the line of the zankosen and Saika was once again thrown back, her body convulsed as if she had been stunned and she was force to release her weapon; the line now slack Shizuka swiftly removed the wire from her wrist, a look of disgust barely concealed as she tossed it aside. Turning her attention back to Akihiro wielding her shawl like a liquid shied she deflected each slash of his blade as if it were child's play. He was forced to focus on defence alone; with each strike her speed increased forcing Akihiro to retreat; for every step he retreated she would advance two, with every blow he managed to repel she would manage to land three more, what could have been over in seconds seemed to drag on for hours and it could only mean one thing.

She was toying with him.

As the duel wore on his breath began to come in great gasps, his arms burned with the weight of his katana and his blood fell freely from the many wounds that ripped him apart with each strike. Still she came; each strike like the next step in an intricate dance, with one last step she effortlessly closed the distance between them. Within the breath of a second his katana was sent flying from his grasp; gripping his wrist she dragged him down so that there was barely an inch between them. He stood frozen as her hand seized the back of his neck forcing him to look at her, "you're not the one I want."

Five claws tore through his chest and he was almost blinded with pain as he fell forward, his vision blurred as the bitter taste of blood filed his mouth; blinking didn't help, his world became flooded with red as blood mingled with the snow.

Shizuka turned her back on Akihiro and in one graceful leap landed next to Saika; she brought her hand down and gently rested it against Saika's throat. With her captive completely at her mercy and Akihiro powerless to stop her Shizuka began to laugh. Not a mad laugh filled with bloodlust as he had expected but one that was calm and slightly amused.

Saika struggled determined to get free but it was useless, the convulsions that had raced through her body had reduced but all she could feel was the numb ache of her heavily paralysed limbs. Her eyes locked with Akihiro's her usual ferocity had faded and he could clearly see the fear that now clouded her vision.

Tightening her grasp on her captive Shizuka leaned forward just enough to be able to see the emotion flitting across Saika's features, "is this the power of the Kiryu clan?" her voice barely above a whisper could still be heard over the howling wind. "I must say I'm rather disappointed if this is all the skill you possess" her eyes narrowed in what Akihiro could only describe as mock dissatisfaction as she dragged her nails along Saika's exposed neck.

Desperation clawed at his chest as he watched the blood flow from Saika's neck, as he heard the choked screams that were torn from her by the Pureblood. He tried to stand but failed as the snow slick with his own blood gave way making him land heavily on the ground. The cold eased the pain in his chest but it also drained his strength faster; had he still held his weapon there would have been something he could do, but he didn't.

Fisting his hands in the snow he willed his eyes to stay open; loss of blood and the cold that surrounded him were making it harder and harder to remain conscious. Stretching out his right hand he dug into the snow as he attempted to rise but stilled when his fingers brushed against the cool sharp edge of metal. Looking up he could see the coiled edge of Saika's discarded zankosen grasped tightly in his hand.

A pained gasp dragged his attention back to Saika; she was pinned flat on her back the snow around her dyed red with her blood. Shizuka was slowly choking the life out of her as she watched the light drain from Saika's eyes.

The scene before him allowed Akihiro to drive all thoughts of exhaustion and pain to the back of his mind. Grabbing the zankosen he ran his blood drench hand along the wire, closing his eyes in concentration he focused as he channelled the power of the weapon in his hands. In seconds the wire began to glow reacting to the blood of both the hunter and the pureblood; along with the glow came the addition of thorn like protrusions down its length. The power of the weapon seemed to flow through Akihiro's own veins, allowing him to stand.

Allowing him to fight.

The metal writhed in his grasp as if it was a snake trying to struggle free but he contained it. Exerting his will over the living metal he forced it to obey; it stopped fighting his control and stilled in his grip and even though he could still feel the remnants of resistance for the moment he knew it would adhere to his command, all he needed was a moment.

Lashing out with the now serrated blade of wire he caught the wrist that was slowly choking the life out of Saika, as soon as it dug into the Purebloods flesh the zankosen's single wire split into five. Before the wire could further entangle her Shizuka brought up her shawl to act as a shield, the zankosen tore through it as though it was made of tissue paper. Almost imperceptibly the Purebloods eyes widened as her shield was rendered useless, but the fierce smile remained and the hand that clasped the throat of her pinned prey tightened even as the wires ensnared her.

Even with the anti-vampire weapon biting into her skin Shizuka refused to relinquish her hold on her prey, the wires continued to coil round her drawing blood and tearing flesh wherever they touched. It was only when Akihiro began to draw back and the zankosen constricted with a force that threatened to sever her hand that she finally let go.

She jerked away from Saika landing closer to him causing the wires to fall slack between them. He could see the anger that flashed in her eyes from being interrupted; he was in her way, she charged aiming for a swift kill. She had barely taken three steps when Akihiro drew the slackened wires taut restraining her movements. If she advanced she risked losing her head, should she retreat she would lose not only her hands but would be left with deep gashes across her chest that even she would have trouble healing due to the powers of the metal that inflicted them. She was trapped but Akihiro was in much the same position, as soon as he made a move to finish her she would be able to kill him and he knew it.

From the corner of his eye he could see Saika curled in the snow, her left hand clutched her neck trying to stem the flow of blood while her right fumbled with the hilt of the hidden kodachi strapped to her back. This was what he had been hoping for; one well placed strike from the blade clasped in Saika's hand would render the Pureblood's ability to heal useless, with them gone it wouldn't be long before Akihiro reduced her to a pile of ashes scattered in the wind.

As she rose to sit on her knees their eyes locked and he was shocked by what he saw.

Fear

Looking in her eyes he could clearly see her fear; see the weakness that now dominated her mind. Instinctively he knew that the tremors that wracked her body were born not from the blood loss or the pain she had suffered but from fear.

Fear of the Pureblood who stood bound before her practically defenceless, but Saika couldn't move.

Shizuka didn't even attempt to struggle free, she merely stood graceful and composed; a ghost of an almost triumphant smirk tugging at the edge of her mouth. Saika continued to stare her sight flitting between Akihiro and Shizuka, overcome with frustration Akihiro snapped; "Saika!" at this point she was focused on Shizuka, unable to breathe, unable to move. He called out to her again more forcefully this time "Saika!" she blinked and stumbled back nearly falling backwards in the snow.

She looked at him, her eyes were wide and her breath came in great gasps as the kodachi trembled in her grasp.

But then she stilled.

Her eyes seemed to focus on something behind Akihiro; her whole body took on a different stance as she shifted her feet and narrowed her eyes. It was clear to Akihiro that she was allowing her instincts to take over in order to drown out her fear.

But her target was not the Pureblood.

Taking one last look at Akihiro her features appeared to harden and then, she ran.

She ran towards the tree line just to the left and behind Akihiro, she ran from Akihiro abandoning him when he needed her most.

A hollow lump settled in his chest as he watched her run for the cover of the trees, he was about to call after her when the deafening sound of straining wire reached his ears. Unwillingly, against his better judgement and the voices in his head that screamed at him to run he turned back towards Shizuka.

The wires that had held her were slowly uncoiling as if they were being pulled away from her by invisible hands. As he continued to stare he noticed a thick coat of blood that covered each wire, it was so thick that the zankosen itself seemed to be bleeding and that's when he realised; she was using her own blood to manipulate the wires.

The movements of the Zankosen had become jerky and slow as the Pureblood blood sought to dominate the powerful weapon, already the wires around her chest and neck had become loose and she was now almost leisurely stretching as she waited for the rest of her restraints to fall away. All thoughts of Saika had fled from his mind as he began to recite a biding spell, he had managed to stumble through the third line and was about to cast the curse when the worst happened; the strained wires lost the battle against the power of the Pureblood and snapped as easily as spider threads.

With the zankosen destroyed the power that had kept Akihiro standing was gone; the agony that consumed him roared through his veins as the power slipped away. His knees gave way and a cold dread settled in his stomach as he realised he had failed.

Falling backwards he hit the ground hard as the darkness flooded his consciousness, struggling to stay awake he glared at Shizuka who now knelt in the snow gradually recovering from the wounds he had inflicted.

He turned away, he couldn't bear the thought of the last image he would see in his life being the blood covered form of the Kuruizaki Hime.

Gazing at the night sky he allowed his thoughts to wonder over happier memories; but instead of comfort he could only find sorrow and regret. As he fell into the darkness of unconsciousness his mind was dominated by one thought.

"Ichiru, Zero…Gomen na sai"

She ran for the cover of the trees as the sounds of screaming wire chased her; the white noise of her own screams trapped within her mind all but drowned them out.

She could still feel the nails that had mauled her with an agonising and methodical slowness, still feel the cold iron grip clamped down on her throat and worst of all she could still feel the overpowering aura that continued to press down on her.

It was unlike anything she had faced before and it terrified her.

Only one thought could be heard over the noise that now burned in her mind like wildfire; "it's his fault…it's his fault" the thought circled her brain on an endless loop fuelled by the screams that refused to leave her alone.

She had seen him, huddled next to a tree at the edge of the clearing silently watching; his silver hair and amethyst eyes almost glowing in the darkness. How he had escaped she didn't know and in this instance she didn't care; all she knew was that her chance had finally come, the beast in human form had revealed its true nature at last.

Making her way through the trees she circled back to where she had seen him. He was easy to find; the fresh scent of sakura blossoms led her straight to him. He stood leaning against the tree his back to her completely unaware of her presence.

Steadying her blade she carefully approached him, she stood directly behind him her blade raised; her anticipation reached its climax as she brought down her blade upon the unsuspecting boys back.

"ICHIRU!"

The cry tore through the night air as the blade descended and a blur of silver hurled itself in front of the defenceless boy.

Mercilessly the blade came down tearing a bloody path through the exposed back that shielded the boy.

Blinking and confused Saika gaped at the two boys that lay before her. Ichiru leaned against the tree with a look of pure anguish marring his young features; the broken and bloody body of his twin cradled in his arms.

She had been wrong…it was Ichiru…Ichiru had betrayed her, he had let the Pureblood in.

Why? Why? Why?

How could this have happened?

The thought came to her as a whisper cutting through the screams that crowded her mind.

He was the same…he wasn't her son…she had no son, only monsters.

Laughter tore through the night air as she looked at the fear in the eyes of the cornered vampires before her; yes they were vampires…not her sons', not her blood no matter what anyone said. Akihiro wouldn't understand, even the Association didn't fully understand. Only she knew.

One strike, one strike would finish them both and erase her mistake.

She raised her kodachi ready to finish everything as she laughed into the endless night.

Her laughter was cut short by a gurgled choke that escaped her lips as she coughed up blood, looking down she was met by the sight of a bloody hand protruding from her chest.

"I shall not grant you an honourable death" Shizuka whispered as she rested her cheek against the back of Saika's hair "you are not worthy of it." With that said the Pureblood sank her fangs into the exposed flesh on Saika's neck, her eyes burned crimson with bloodlust but she did not allow herself to swallow a single drop of the blood that flowed down Saika's neck. Stepping back she swiftly withdrew her hand leaving the body to scatter into ashes as it crumbled to the ground.

Author note: Please review this chapter, this was the first fight scene I've written and I would reallly appreciate any feedback you could give me on it. Thank you for reading.

By the way the reason for the lengthy delay was due to the curse of essays for my University course, please note that they will probably continue to interfere with the speed of my updates until June. If you enjoy the story know that I am sorry, I know how frustrating slow updates can be. Also THANK YOU for the 15 favourites and 10 reviews.