Rei tried to force a smile as she went to meet Zero for their first one on one interaction since the night that they had conceived Roihichi. It was difficult. There was so much to say- more than even Zero knew- and she had no idea how he would take this.
Zero stood in the walkway waiting for her as she exited the room she'd been in with Kaname.
"Roihichi is in the room with Yuki, but he's looking for Kaname. I guess he wants to tell him about his 'dad'…" Zero managed to both blush and scowl at the same time.
"Okay," Rei said. "I think Kaname is working a few things out, but I'm sure he'll return there shortly. Maybe we should find an empty space to talk?" Without waiting for his answer, Rei began walking the rocky corridor to a small open space within the hideaway. As she entered the room, she mentally prepared herself and then turned to face Zero.
"So, you're alive" Zero stated, staring intently at her face and starting the conversation before she could utter a word.
"Uh, yeah, guess so" Rei responded with a small smirk, "I suppose you can call this living…"
Zero didn't smile. "Before we start, I have something for you." In his hands he held a small bundle tied with a strange black twine. He pulled off the twine and began unwrapping it. Curious, Rei stepped closer, interested to know what it could possibly be, since Zero and Yuki apparently traveled just as lightly as she and Roi, and kept very few possessions on them.
Rei let out an audible gasp and took a small step back as Zero finally unwrapped the item. He carefully pocketed the twine and with an outstretched arm presented the 'Maiden's Revenge' to her. Rei stared at it. She couldn't move her arms to take it from him. It looked like a vestige from the past. An item that belonged to someone else, but definitely not to her. Her brow furrowed as she looked upon it, studying it as it rested safely in Zero's hands.
"You look confused." He said coolly, the first hint of a smile finally teasing the corner of his mouth. "Have you truly forgotten what she is?" Startled, Rei briefly looked up at him, trying to put her thoughts together but struggling to connect this remnant of her past with her current self. Surprised by the look on her face, Zero's half-grin was immediately replaced with concern "wait a minute – you haven't really, have you? Rei! You're kidding? The Maiden, you forgot her?"
Rei took a breath and broke away from the weapon in his hand. With shallow breaths, she stared at the rocky floor as she spoke. "No. No, I remember it. It's just been awhile, that's all. Why- why do you have that?"
"That?" said Zero, raising an eyebrow and looking intently into Rei's face. "She used to literally be a part of you, or have you forgotten that as well?"
With another deep breath Rei looked up at him, making eye contact and giving him a fierce look. "Used to be, are the operative words. Or have you forgotten? IT abandoned me at the end. Maybe because I wasn't a 'maiden' anymore, maybe because I let you bite me, I don't know, but for whatever reason, when I needed it, it decided I was no longer worthy". Rei looked at the weapon and turned her nose up in disgust. "I don't want it. I thought I told you and Yaguri to pass it on to the next hunter?"
"I couldn't" Zero said quietly. "Maiden's Revenge is yours and only yours. There's no way anyone else could ever wield it. Even if they could, I couldn't stand to see it."
Rei raised her eyes to his. "So how long have you had this?"
"Her. Call her 'her'" Zero said, meeting Rei's gaze. "And I've had her since that day."
Rei's eye's widened in astonishment. "What do you mean?"
Zero stared back unflinchingly. "You heard me. Since that day, I've carried her with me day and night, pretty much every single day."
"That's absurd. You said you thought I was dead, why on earth would you do that?"
Zero shrugged. "I don't know, something made me. Having her gave me comfort, she was like a part of you and I was happy to have her with me"
He took a step forward, again holding the weapon out to Rei. "Or maybe I was supposed to hold on to her specifically for this day. Either way, she's yours and you need to take her. Now."
Rei looked into his face. He was serious. Sucking in her breath, she looked at the gun that had left her alone and unguarded so many years ago. The gun that she had held partially responsible for her "death". She wanted nothing to do with it, yet here it lay 8 years later, clean and obviously well taken care of, waiting for her. Steeling herself, she reached out and took the gun from Zero's hand. Remembering the cold listless grip of it so many years ago, Rei found herself shocked when the gun instead began to immediately heat up upon fitting into her palm. She could feel the weapon begin fusing to her energy and blood, and the rush of power that she'd felt as a hunter oh so many years ago. Surprised, she found herself gaping in awe at Zero, who could also sense the change and seemed to be perplexed by what he was witnessing. He looked up into her shocked face with a similar expression of his own.
"How? You said she couldn't…. We saw it… Yaguri and I… She wouldn't- Back then…". He trailed off lost in his own thoughts. Baffled, Rei could say nothing either. She watched in awe-struck silence as the Maiden continued it's fusion with her body. Finally with a sudden pulse of energy it completed it's transformation, except- this transformation wasn't like it was before… The maiden's final form was now something new….? Rei stared at the tiny snub-nose that she held in her hand in puzzlement. It was small and jet-black, but as she looked at it the color kept changing. No… shifting..? Almost as if it were alive, it moved and swayed throughout the weapon. Tearing her gaze away, Rei looked to Zero to see if he was seeing the same thing she was. Zeroes eyes were fixed firmly on her.
"Rei, what is happening? This isn't the same Maiden's Revenge. Your gun, it's… changed….Only… I know that it's the same because I've been carrying it with me for the last 8 years…"
Sighing, Rei dropped to the floor, cradling the new weapon in her hands. 'Hmm. Changed, huh?' She thought silently to herself, thinking back to the last time she'd held the anti-vampire weapon in her hands.
"Zero, I'm not entirely sure, but I think I may have an idea. I guess it's time that we talk about everything that's happened since I last saw you."
"I know you thought I was dead. And honestly when it all happened, I thought I was too." Rei's stomach fluttered. She'd imagined this conversation, but she still felt unprepared, and this level of nervousness was uncomfortably out of character for her. Still, she continued on.
"I pierced the vampire weapon through my heart and Rido's heart, and I was sure it killed us both, but something happened. As you know technically a vampire weapon is made to not harm humans, but in this case we were talking about a blade. Once it pierced Rido, I also released all of my remaining energy into the blade to spread through his body with the intent to destroy every last piece of him. That was how I was going to ensure that he really was dead this time, and I didn't care if it meant that I killed myself in the process. I think this is were something went wrong. When the Souma energy went through him it mixed with the vampire weapon's energy and the blast that it created pushed that mixed energy along with Rido's pure-blood into my body. I don't know or understand the specifics of it all, so really I 'm just speculating, but I do know that I awoke at the bottom of that valley, under all of the crumbled debris and for a short time I was much stronger, and healing much faster than a normal human ever could. It wasn't just vampire level either, it was pure-blood, almost indestructible vampire level." Rei frowned and absentmindedly dragged her fingers across her heart, " I still have a mark where the blade entered, but the wound in my heart was closed and all of my other injuries had healed by the time I awoke. The only scar that didn't heal was this one on my face… I think that this was the price I paid for the power I used to kill Rido…" Rei's voice trailed off, with a pained expression she slowly ran both of her hands along the jagged scar that framed the left side of her once flawless face. Zero got the distinct impression that this particular gesture had become a habit of hers. "…Well, a small price to pay, I suppose… anyways, I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it turns out it had been roughly about a month. As a human I should have died after so long without nourishment, but my body seemed to be operating as a vampire instead, and so I lived on. When I awoke, everything around me was in an uproar, I heard about the mass genocide of the remaining vampires and about the sterilization toxin bombs that were released…". At the mention of this Rei had to stop and breathe, her face twisted in disgust as she recalled learning about the tactics used by the Association to forcibly sterilize the male vampires that they hadn't been able to hunt down and execute. Zero himself remembered this vividly. The Associations own brand of biological warfare against the vampires. They had hunted them down and ensured that no more would rise by destroying the ability to procreate of any that remained. He swallowed a lump in his throat as his own anger rose at having his ability to have children stolen from him. As it began rising, he quickly remembered the sleeping boy in the room nearby and felt his heart warm. He hadn't known it then, but at least he had been given a chance…
Rei took a breath and continued her story.
"I was nervous – I thought for sure that something had happened, maybe Rido had bitten me after all and that I had turned without realizing it. I was sure that I must have been a vampire, but I had no cravings or anything else that made me feel that way. Only the healing and strength. The Association seemed to have imploded. I was able to discreetly access some of the system information before they cut all of the access, but I was hesitant to get in touch with anyone and have the wrong person find me. I began to wonder if being dead in their eyes might just work to my advantage" Rei paused again and timidly looked up at Zero from beneath lowered eyelashes.
"If I'm going to tell it and be completely honest – I did think of calling you. You were one of only a tiny number of Association member that I absolutely knew I could trust and maybe the only one that I knew no matter what I would be able to find even without Association resources, but… I just couldn't bear to see you again." A sing tear rolled down Rei's face and dropped onto the dirt floor. "I'm sorry Zero. Maybe things would have been different if I had been stronger. Instead I decided to reach out to Yagari. I'd quickly realized that as soon as the Association had lost its shit, the sane ones had jumped ship and that included Yagari and Kaien. Unfortunately before I could even get started on tracking him down, I became deathly ill. I was so sick I could barely get out of bed, and that's when the cravings started. Blood. I finally began craving blood, and at that point I was certain that I had turned. The only strange thing was that I wasn't transforming and for some reason, I couldn't smell or sense blood, I just knew that I wanted it. It was a struggle and the thought of becoming a vampire was depressing for me. I was so distraught that for a moment I was even considering just ending my life rather than waiting for the Association to find me, or worse yet, living it as a vampire. The illness was so debilitating that at some point I lost consciousness. Luckily a neighbor heard me fall and found me." Rei stopped for a moment. So much of this part of her story felt like a lifetime ago now. Just hearing herself relive it felt more like she was talking about someone else. So much had happened since then. It was part of her 'old' life, before everything had really spiraled and changed for her.
Shaking the thought from her head she continued her story. "I woke up in the hospital and it was lucky for me that I wasn't actually a vampire or I guess I would never have woken up. They'd have just killed me on-site as soon as they'd discovered it. Instead, it was during that hospital stay that I found out I was pregnant. To say that I was shocked would be a huge understatement, especially with everything that my body had endured since that night. It took me a moment but then I started to put it together and the cravings began to make more sense being that the baby I was carrying was obviously a vampire.
I don't know how, but it went undetected and was treated like a normal pregnancy. I was treated for my 'illness' at the hospital but otherwise left alone. Even at that point, I'd already heard stories that in the past weeks the Association had been taking drastic steps, and women in my position had been having their babies killed in utero as soon as they were identified." At this Rei again stopped, choking down the bile rising in her throat, her disgust at the Hunter's Associaiton's tactics once again forming on her face. Zero waited patiently for her to settle and for this to pass. He had witnessed the atrocities of the Association's "Vampire Purge" up close, and as much as possible didn't want to re-live those memories again.
"Anyways, as I'd learned all of this information, I realized how dangerous the world had become for vampires. I knew that my child was a vampire and that it wasn't safe. I vowed that I would do whatever was needed to keep this child protected. I also realized that it wasn't just the pregnancy that was causing my strange reactions, and that the exchange with Rido did somehow alter my blood chemistry. I don't know exactly how, but I've come to believe that it's effected Roihichi as well, it's hard to explain, but sometimes he exhibits abilities similar to those of a purblood… Anyways, at that point I wanted to reach out to you, I really did. I thought you had a right to know and I believed you could give the baby extra protection. I had no doubt that I could do it on my own, but I knew for certain that with two hunters like us there was no way our kid wouldn't be well-protected. By the time I finally tracked you down- and believe me, without the Association's resources it was incredibly hard- I was pretty much full-term. I had located you and found that you were now together with Yuki and finally had the life that you had desperately wanted."
Rei looked at Zero, her eyes filled with sadness and love. "I found you, and I saw you, and you looked so…. So happy with her. I was torn. I didn't want to ruin that for you. At that point I knew about Kaname, and that Yuki was the last pure-blood and that they were relentlessly hunting her more than any of the other vampires. I knew that protecting her was your only focus."
Rei needed a break; this was the point where she had made life-changing decisions for everyone, and she now had to face the consequences for those choices. She always knew one day she would have to, but right now she needed just a moment before she did. Slowly she slid away from the wall that she and Zero had huddled against for their conversation. She wanted to give him some distance and she wanted to be able to clearly see his face as she moved into her next explanations. If hiding herself and Roihichi wasn't bad enough, this was the part that she wasn't sure Zero would ever forgive her for.
Zero's face was grim. He hadn't said much at all as Rei had recounted her time starting at her fall from the cliff. He had already known this would be heavy. Rei was nothing if not reasonable and intelligent. When he first saw her face 3 days ago in the town square, scarred but alive, he was shocked to be sure, but he immediately knew that if she had hidden herself for 8 years there must have been a good reason for it. She wouldn't have done this without some purpose, he trusted that about her. So he pushed down his rising demand for answers, as well as his frustrations and impatience, and he forced himself to sit quietly, and give her the time that she needed to share her story with him in the way that she needed to tell it. Even as she spoke though, even as he hoped her words would bring him understanding and some sense of relief, he found himself feeling more uneasy and a greater sense of impending dread growing as she continued her story. This was not getting better, but instead seemed to be leading to something that he wasn't entirely certain he really wanted to hear…
Situating herself in front of Zero, Rei tucked one knee under her chin and curled the other leg in front of her. She took a deep breath and prepared to tell the hardest part of her story.
"So many things ran through my mind at that point. And I promise you Zero, I tried to think through them all, I really did. The one thing I knew that I couldn't do was give up the baby, so I immediately abandoned any plans that involved leaving it and going a different way. From there, I considered what it might look like to go on the run with you, Yuki, me, and the baby. Running from the Association that would want to capture or kill all four of us for various reasons. I had to remind myself that with the death of Rido, the Association also knew that I was the last remaining Souma. A secret that was withheld not just for my safety from the vampires but also for safety from the Association itself. The Kiryu and the Souma are important to them, and neither of those are bloodlines that the Association wants to see end. Knowing that I exist makes me a target for capture and for the Association to try to 'forcibly' expand the Souma bloodline…". Rei didn't care to elaborate further. She knew that Zero was smart and that he knew the Association well enough to know exactly what she meant. "Maybe they'd want to kill you as a vampire, but maybe they'd want the Kiryu bloodline first, however, if they found out about the baby, then all bets are off and they would never let it go. Roihichi is everything that they could ever want and have never had, the Kiryu and Souma bloodline together at last. I initially worried that they would kill the child for being a vampire, but I'd stupidly forgotten who I was dealing with. Of course they wouldn't kill him- they would dissect him and manipulate him, brain wash him, use him, and when they had torn him down until they could use him no more they would sell him for parts and destroy him. I began to wonder if he wouldn't be just as big of a prize to them as Yuki…"
Rei shifted her position again, recalling the flurry of fears that had set upon her years ago as she'd began to seriously weigh her options. "If we all travelled together, the four of us wouldn't just be the biggest target, we would become the Associations only target. Until we were caught, nothing else would matter for them. I hated it, but I made the decision to pull that option off of the table. Even if I had approached you and you wanted it, as mother to that baby, I would never have allowed it, even if it meant I had to run from you, then I would have run instead." Rei stopped to meet Zero's eyes. It was a firm declaration, even stronger than the words of love she had once uttered to him, and she needed him to understand the severity of her feelings in that moment. His gray eyes met hers and she was relieved to find no animosity in them. They reflected only mild acceptance of the words given to him.
Satisfied, Rei resumed. "I continued to reflect on other options – if we couldn't all go together and I wasn't going to leave the child, what was left? It seemed simple, only 2 valid choices really remained. You weren't going to go your separate way and leave Yuki with the baby and me. I knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt, so I didn't entertain it for a moment. So it meant that either you left Yuki, to run with me and the baby or the baby and I left and you continued on with Yuki."
Zero snorted. Why wasn't he surprised? Leave it to Rei to have made her decision this way. Ticking off risks and calculations rather than evaluating feelings and emotions. Rei looked into Zero's darkly shadowed face. She could sense the anger emanating from him. That was okay. No matter what, she knew that once it got to this point of the story he would likely feel this way. Obviously, they both already knew the decision that she had come to, but once she actually said it out loud, she expected his true feelings to surface.
She assumed that talk time was over for her. At least for the time being. She still had more to say, but that would have to wait for a beat. Oddly enough, she found herself grateful for the brief reprieve.
"So obviously you decided that I wouldn't want to leave Yuki, so you made the call to run with the baby instead?" Zero spat.
Rei waited. She wanted to make sure that this wasn't rhetorical before she began to reply. When Zero said nothing else, she cautiously began to answer. "No, it wasn't so simple. I had a feeling that you wouldn't know what you wanted to do. That it would be an impossibly difficult decision for you-" Zero sucked his teeth and drew in a breath "-so…" Rei continued, wanting to finish this before he could interrupt again, "I decided not to make a decision just yet…"
Zero puffed out his breath, raising an eyebrow at Rei and casting a suspicious look her way. "What exactly does that mean?"
She sighed, "It means that that's not the point when I decided to leave…"
Rei scooted forward, leaning on both of her knees and moving her face closer to Zero's to look him squarely in the face, her eyes searching his, pleading for understanding. "Zero. I never intended to leave without telling you. Never. It's just..". She bit her lip and turned away, grasping for words that could explain this properly.
"Hey." Zero leaned to the side trying to catch her eyes, he rested his hand on the side of her face and gently turned her back towards him. "Just say it already Rei. We've come this far. Tell me."
Rei sat forward "Yes. Let's get this over." She crossed her legs and swallowing thickly forced herself to resume
"I went back to the place that I was hiding out, I knew I had to reach out before you and Yuki took off and I missed my chance. I thought it over and over, and felt I had finally come up with a plan that might work. I figured maybe we could all work together to pre-plan set locations and safe methods of communication. You and Yuki could continue on, and the baby and I would go our way, but we would be able to meet at pre-designated locations and times. The way I saw it, it was safest not to travel together but there was no reason that meant we'd have to stay separate forever. I felt I'd come with a plan that you might really be willing to go along with. As I'd thought about it, I realized that with the Association giving chase, I also hated the idea of not knowing how you were doing and if you were safe. I though you might also really want to know how our child was and appreciate knowing that he or she was safe…". At this, Zero huffed and Rei raised a slight eyebrow toward him. "Was I wrong?"
Zero narrowed his eyes at her. "You weren't wrong, I just wonder, did it ever cross your mind at all, that it might matter to me to know that you were also safe?" Rei stared blankly at him. "No." she stated matter-of-factly. "I guess it really didn't." Zero clenched his jaw and sat back, but said nothing else, so Rei continued on, ignoring the interruption.
"I wanted to hurry and meet with you, and so I packed up, and as soon as night fell I headed to the spot where I knew you were hiding. On my way there I was stopped by a woman. I knew right away that something was off with her. She had an aura of a vampire, but something different. She felt dangerous and I was immediately on guard. She smiled at me and told me that she knew where I was going, but if I was smart I wouldn't go." Rei ground her teeth together and frowned angrily. "She told me I was 'cursed' and that 'if I didn't separate them one would surely die', I didn't get the riddle, and I told her as much. She just laughed and said it wasn't a riddle but a hard truth and I could choose to believe it or not but it would be my loss. She said as a Hunter, that one was free advice but the next she would charge me for, and then she disappeared into the shadows." Rei looked up wanting Zero to understand the severity of her next words- making sure he caught her eyes. Once she had his attention she finished; "Almost as soon as she disappeared, my labor pains began. They started immediately and they came hard and fast. I was supposed to have at least a couple weeks left, but the pain was immense and excruciating and I knew in my heart that I was going to have the child right then and there. It was late and I wasn't sure where to go. I was trying not to scream and call attention to myself, but I was at a loss. I was still too far from you, and I knew that I couldn't make it to you before I either passed out or had to deliver. As I laid against a wall trying to catch my breath and figure it out I saw an open door and a woman asked if I needed help". A hoarse chuckle escaped Rei's lips "I knew better. A part of me could feel it even through the haze of the pain, but I think I was just so desperate and worried about the baby that I went anyways…"
Zero leaned in listening intently, worried about the unexpected shift in direction that this story had taken.
"In the house the woman laid me down and asked how far along I was. I tried to tell her it was too early, and I remember her saying it was okay and she would help me. The baby was coming, and I was pushing, and I think she was delivering it, but I was in and out of consciousness. I remember pushing hard and then hearing a baby cry. Then I heard her mumble something to someone else. Something about 'they can't go together keep her here and separate them…' I tried to clear my head. I remember sitting up and there was the woman from before, smiling down at me, holding my baby in her arms, she leaned forward and said, "the curse is real and you may not understand it but they must stay apart from each other'".
At this Rei threw herself forward and gasped. "I panicked Zero. She had my baby and I didn't know what do or what to think! I saw the scissors that she used to cut the cord and I grabbed them and just lunged. I grabbed the baby and I took the scissors and I – I-I-I-I….I just….just…" Rei's arms were shaking heavily and she couldn't hold her weight, she collapsed, but Zero's arms deftly grabbed her before she could hit the ground. He pulled her convulsing body to his and held her tightly, burying his head in her hair and rubbing her back.
"It's fine." he whispered "It's fine". Rei's tears had already run out earlier, but the shaking was uncontrollable. The memory was one that had terrified her for nights on end. The blood and the aftermath. As a Hunter she was no stranger to killing or death, but this- this had been something different. She tried to slow her breathing. There was still more. She had to get through this. If she stalled here she'd never finish. Swallowing in large breaths of air, she steadied her breathing and slowly regulated herself.
When she had caught her breath and calmed herself enough to form words again, she lightly patted Zero on the chest and backed off of his lap. "Thank you, and sorry about that." she mumbled. Zero said nothing, but his eyes were full of worry and fear as he watched her carefully move back to her position.
"So… I killed her. I did. I didn't know if it was right or wrong, I just know I felt threatened and I wanted to protect my child. My son. I was still in pain, but I wanted to run. I was bleeding and aching but I thought that maybe I could still possibly get to you. I dragged myself up and ran to the door and as I got there…" Rei paused and looked up at Zero again. "I ran into the woman once more."
Zero gaped at her, his mouth an O of confusion, his eyes searching for understanding. Rei took in his expression. "I know. I thought the same. I thought I must have been losing my mind or something. It wasn't until she looked behind me and began screaming 'sister!' That I understood". Rei paused and sat solemnly for a moment, lost in thoughts of the past. "I turned around and saw her cradling the body of what I finally understood to be her twin sister and I began to feel sick to my stomach. Especially as the woman stood up and came at me. 'You!' She called to me, 'I told you earlier that you would pay a price!' The pains in my abdomen started again and I doubled over to the floor, holding the child close to me. The woman crouched down and laughed in my face. 'Painful isn't it?' She said, 'that's the price of the curse you know? I told you you would have to keep them separate and now that you have taken something so precious of mine, not only will you have to keep them separate, but I will also take that which is precious to you!' I had no idea what she meant, but as I laid on the floor in pain, I felt a sudden need to push again, and as I bore down and pushed through the pain, I suddenly heard the sound of another crying baby…"
Rei stopped, giving time for the words to sink in and for Zero to digest what she was saying. The tears she thought had dried up were once again coursing down her face. Zero was numb. His mind was trying to process but didn't seem to be able to keep up. He thought maybe he was misunderstanding or the facts were getting mixed up because Rei's words didn't seem to be adding up. Did she say another baby cried? That wouldn't make sense…
Taking a deep breath, in a shaky voice Rei continued, "She raised the other baby from between my legs and it took me a moment to register what was happening. 'Cursed twins' she laughed. A gift inherited from the Kiryu I'd take it? So rare for both to be born without one consuming the other. My sister and I were another of those rarities… before you killed her that is…' I tried to say something, I struggled to sit up and holding the first baby, I demanded that she give me the other. I tried to stand but was too weak. I couldn't even see his face, let alone touch him… She pulled him back and away from me. She told me that the two would have needed to be separated no matter what, but because I had done the unspeakable, the separation would be unspeakably painful for me. She said that she would take on the task of raising the second child for me, and as a kindness for her not repaying the favor and killing him, I would suffer the loss of either my other son or my love. She said I could take the first child, but if I so much as dared to even try to reach out to you, she would kill the second, or instead she'd allow me to go to you, but if so,she would take forcibly take both of the children and disappear forever."
With those words finally out of her mouth and off of her heart, Rei allowed herself to fall to her back on the ground. She covered her face with her arms and sobbed quietly, reliving that night. The pain of it all, and the anger at herself for the mistakes that she had made. Muffled by her arms she told Zero, "The truth is I don't know if she really would have killed him if I'd reached out to you or not, but I couldn't take the chance. In truth, I was barely conscious and so weak at that moment that I couldn't have put up much of a fight if she'd really tried to take Roihichi as well. I can't say it was the right one, but I made the decision that I thought would best protect our children. She disappeared that night and when I did regain consciousness there was no trace of her. I took Roi with me but made a vow that I would track her down and find my other son if it was the last thing that I ever did on this earth. Yes, Roi and I have also been on the run from the Association, but in truth I've spent every day for the last 8 years in pursuit of some trace of that woman and his brother."
Rei rolled over to face Zero again. He sat completely pale, with his head in his hands, elbows pressed against his uplifted knees. "I'm sorry Zero, truly I am. Even now, I worry. Scared that this accidental meeting with you might be enough to endanger him." Zero raised his head and lifted empty eyes. "That's if he's even still alive" he said flatly.
"He is." Rei sat up and wiped her face "It's the one thing that I feel sure of, I feel him and his presence on this earth, he's still here, I've just got to find him… and pray that he's okay and won't absolutely hate me…"
Tentatively, Rei moved closer to Zero's stiff body. "Do you- do you hate me Zero?" She hadn't wanted to ask but the question had plagued her since that day, as she lay on the dirty cottage floor, crying and furious with herself. Unable to forgive herself, and unsure how her sons or Zero could ever forgive her either. The answer shouldn't be surprising, but still she knew that to hear it come from Zero's mouth would devastate her.
Instead, Zero said nothing. He just looked, head down, at the dirt floor in front of him. Rei decided not to press it. It was a lot, and she had just succeeded in upturning his life for the second time in less than a week. She didn't particularly like herself right now. Standing on wobbly legs she dusted herself off. "Look Zero, I know this is a lot to take in, and I have to guess that I'm the last person you want to look at right now. I'm going to give you some space…"
Rei headed towards the opening of the cavern. "Do you want me to ask Yuki to come in and sit with you?" Zero slowly nodded.
"Yeah."
"Okay." Blinking, Rei turned to go find Yuki.
"No. Wait. Rei-"
Rei stopped and turned back to find Zero suddenly standing directly behind her. She gasped as he swiftly grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into his arms.
"No. No Yuki" He murmured. "…Not right now. Let it be… just this for a moment." Letting out a long exhale, Rei hesitated for a few seconds, then slowly allowed herself to raise her arms and grab the back of Zero's shirt, squeezing it and holding it close to him. Without saying a word, she rested her cheek on his shoulder and closed her eyes as tears silently rolled down her face.
Yes, even if just for a moment, maybe it would be okay for them to just be two parents grieving together.