Hey guys! Now, I know that you all probably thought this was abandoned, but in all honesty school was just kicking my ass. But thankfully summer has begun and I can now pump out a few more chapters over the summer! Also, the ages for all the main characters at the beginning of the story are like this:
Marcus: 13(18)
Kaname: 13
Yuki: 9
Zero: 11
Hopefully you will be able to extrapolate the ages of the other characters.
…
I had been living with Yuki and Kaien for about a year now, and had spent most of it training. I still relaxed a bit of course, and hanging out with Kaname and Takuma had become a regular thing. That and spending time with Yuki were the two things that kept me sane through training. And it had been brutal.
At first, broken bones had been an almost weekly occurrence for me, but after a while I had begun to improve rapidly. I still struggled a lot, and Kaien certainly didn't pull his punches, but I had managed to score a few victories here and there. He certainly wasn't going all out against me, I would likely be dead if he did. But even the few successes I had made me feel like a million bucks.
And so life went for a good long while. It became a routine that I would follow day after day, week after week, month after month. And then Zero came.
In the weeks beforehand, people who were apparently vampire hunters began visiting Kaien in droves seeking advice. The lover of some big shot pureblood had been killed by a pair of hunters called the Kiryuus. And the ripples caused by this had been massive. People were nervous, with the idea of a war between the Vampires and Hunters of Japan being thrown out there a few times.
Until one day the rumors of war stopped. It was during one of the last few visits that I got something approaching answers. I had been told that I wouldn't be allowed to attend that meeting, as Kaien and a big burly man with an eyepatch had entered Kaien's office. This had made me suspicious to say the least. Until now, I had been encouraged if not forced to participate in every single discussion.
As I walked away from the office, I mulled over the topic of war. If it broke out, I would likely be made to fight. I was technically a registered hunter at this point, and as such I was at the beck and call of the association. As this realization struck me, I decided that I needed to be informed.
Sneaking up to the office door as quietly as I could, I put my ear against it.
"... I don't like this Kaien. Giving up an entire family of our own! It goes agains-"
"And I like it even less than you! I once counted the Kiryuus among my friends, but their zealotry has bit them in the ass and now threatens us all."
"So you're just going to let them die?! Are you that spineless? We could shelter them here!"
"And be marked as traitors by the association? Or maybe even spark war!? I will NOT let the blood of hundreds if not thousands marr my hands! No, the Kiryuus dug their grave, and the deal has been struck. There is no going back now!"
I heard a slamming sound, and the screech of a chair being moved on hardwood. Someone was getting up to leave, and I had to make myself scarce.
…
The next day, everything seemed quiet. Kaien seemed subdued, and the world outside felt still. As if the entire world had baited breath. Even the wind and snow felt especially cold.
That night, Kaien got a call during dinner and promptly left in a hurry. A few hours later, he returned with a child in an oversized trench coat. The kid was probably the most depressing thing I had ever seen. He had this dead look in his eyes. Upon seeing that look, I shooed Yuki away, telling her to go to bed. Kaien looked at me.
"This is Zero, can you please get him cleaned up Marcus?" I gave a confused look. Other than the look on Zero's face he appeared fine. Seeing my confusion, Kaien gave a pointed glance to the boy's coat. "I need to go speak with the police, I'll be back within the hour." He then left once more.
I walked up to Zero. "Hi, I'm Marcus Cross." No response. "Can I take your hand?" He just continued with that dead look. I decided to grab his hand and he displayed no reaction.
I began to lead him along, with him shuffling behind me. We eventually got to the bathroom. After I started running a bath, I started to remove Zero's coat.
BLOOD
There was… so much blood. As I removed more and more of the coat I just saw more and more of it. As if someone had painted the boy with it from the neck down. And on his neck, I saw too little fang marks already healing over. I looked up at his face and saw an expression of shame. I then realized what must have happened. I decided that acknowledging it now wouldn't help, and simply cleaned him up.
It didn't take too long, and before I knew it I was tucking him into a bed in one of the guest rooms. As I got up to leave I heard a small voice.
"Kiryuu… My name is Zero Kiryuu." He said.
I looked back at him from the doorway. "Nice to meet you, Zero."
It was only after I had left and shut the door that I realized what that last name meant.
…
I was in the forest again. Seemingly picking up where the last one ended. As I stood over that astral looking deer, I was suddenly filled with a feeling of fear.
"It has been a long time since one of your kind has ventured into my wood, little hunter." A feminine voice said.
I whipped around and saw an abomination. It looked like a giant wolf, with shaggy pitch black hair. But it had too many eyes. At least ten of them, with five on each side of the head. And the bottom jaw, oh the bottom jaw. It was split in two, giving the thing a triple hinged mouth.
I then woke up.
…
It feels good to be back. Please type down any suggestions in the comments.
