Boy it has been a while, hasn't it? I've started college now, and frankly it's tough as shit. It looks like I'll only be able to produce new chapters during the breaks I get. I want to apologize for that, but at the end of the day I have to keep ahead of my classes. Anyways, we're going to be seeing some time skips soon since I want to get to the interesting stuff soon enough. But of course, between now and the start of cannon, I will focus on building up relationships. Enjoy the chapter!
…
It was the first day (or night) of classes, and accordingly I was… not in class. You see, since I had already gone through highschool, I saw no reason to endure it again. It had taken some convincing on my part, but once I had proved I at least had the knowledge of a college graduate, I was able to finagle my way out of classes. Instead, I would be patrolling the school grounds every night.
It had been a dull night so far, nobody wanted to be caught breaking the rules on the first day of classes after all. I checked my watch, and saw that the night was about to wrap up. I decided to head to the Cross House proper to report no incidents before heading to the night dorms to catch some sleep.
Once I got to the house and started walking to Kaien's study, I started to hear coughing and wheezing from down the hall. Concerned, I went to investigate. The sound led me to the bathroom door. Specifically, the bathroom closest to Zero's room. And then the whimpers of pain started!
I quickly rushed in and what I saw deeply disturbed me. There Zero was, leaning on the wall, eyes flickering red and fangs elongated as he struggled to breath. I knew what this was, and it made me angry.
"Mind telling what the hell this is!?" I demanded.
His eyes flashed to me in surprise. "Y-You weren't supposed to be here!"
"I was about to give a morning report to Kaien." I explained sternly. "I'll ask again, what the hell is this?"
"Just some b-blood cravings." Zero responded. "It'll pass."
"That's what b tablets are for, you idiot!" I exclaimed. He immediately started to avoid my gaze. "You haven't been taking them have you?"
"I never started." he replied. "I don't want to give in to the thirst in any form! I won't be like them!"
I promptly punched him in the gut with probably a little too much force.
A brief struggle ensued as I forced him to the ground. But in the end, Zero was probably at his weakest, so all Zero got from his struggle was a bloody nose.
"Listen here, you little asshole!" I said, as he struggled against my hold. "A level D like yourself can go up to sixty years without giving in, if they take their tablets and have a bit of luck. If they don't take them, that time gets cut down to months, if not weeks! I mean- Christ Zero! How are you sane? It's been damn near two years now! How the hell have you been hiding this!?"
"By being careful you dick!" He yelled. "Besides, what do you care!? It's my life isn't it!?"
I'd had enough at this point. I dragged him to his feet, careful to keep him in a headlock. With my free hand I opened the bathroom cabinet and grabbed some b tablets. We always kept some around with how often Kaname visited. I drew one from the package before quickly shoving it in his mouth. He immediately tried to spit it out, but I kept my hand over his mouth keeping it in. The result was near instant as the tablet dissolved. His eyes stopped flickering and his pupils dilated, signifying the rush of euphoria that comes when a vampire feeds. I let him go to allow him to regain some lucidity, before staring him in the eyes and speaking again.
"Listen closely, Zero." I said sternly. "Yuki would be sad if you died, Kaien would be sad, I would be sad, even Kaname would be sad! Your life isn't yours to just throw away! Do you understand me?"
He gave a slight nod. Not good enough.
"I Asked If You Understood Me!?" I shouted.
"I do!" he stated.
"Good. I'll be back once a week to make sure you take them."
…
I made my way back to the night dorm in a huff before realizing that I'd left without giving my report to Kaien. Ah well, I'd give it to him in the evening when classes switched again. I was too tired and pissed off.
Once I got back to the dorm I saw that the Night class had made their way back to the dorm without me. Kaname approached, looking slightly miffed.
"I looked for you at the end of classes." he said. "But fortunately we were able to get everyone to the dorm in a timely fashion."
I stood straight. "I apologize for my lateness, Kaname. I had a family emergency which required immediate attention."
He thankfully looked less irritated. "Very well, but please don't make it a habit. It was difficult for just me and Takuma to make sure everyone was accounted for."
Honestly, I understood his concerns. A lot of weight was riding on this, and an incident on the first day could bring it all crashing down.
"Otherwise, how were your classes?" I asked.
"They were fine." He replied, "It will be a drag to attend classes I don't need, but I'll manage. You're lucky in that regard"
"You know you could probably get out of it if you wanted to." I said.
"I know." He responded. "But appearances must be maintained."
Heh, vampires. "Well, I should probably get to bed. It's been a taxing day."
"Tell me about it." He replied with a somehow dignified snort.
…
As I walked to my room, Ruka started walking beside me.
"Are you sure it was a family emergency?" She asked. "Not an impromptu hunt?"
"What do you mean Ruka?"
"Well, why else would you have vampire blood on your clothes?" Ah shit, now that I looked down at myself, I noticed some of Zero's nose bleed had gotten on my cuff.
"Oh, that. That's uh… That's Zero's." I stated.
"Kiryuu, but that must mean… he's a…"
"Yeah." I said. "And to make things worse, the stupid kid wasn't taking his tablets."
"Really? When did he stop?"
"He never started." I stated grimly.
"Dear lord… but that must mean- How is he alive?" Ruka asked in shock.
"Don't know." I said. "Probably because he's a Kiryuu. They apparently were known for having particularly strong hunter's blood. Anyways, I made him take some b tablets. Much to his displeasure"
"Well… I'm sure he'll thank you in the future." She said, looking uncomfortable. I could tell she didn't have much experience reassuring people, but is was appreciated nonetheless.
I smiled. "Thanks, Ruka!"
She smiled back. "Happy to help."
…
Oof that was a pain in the ass to write given my workload. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know I always enjoy writing them. Expect another chapter sometime around Thanksgiving.
