Vampire Knight Fan Fiction ❯ The Cure ❯ Chapter 2
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: LemonLimeMaid 
Anime/Manga: Vampire Knight Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 05.25.2016 | Pages: 5 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 361 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Vampire Knight Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 05.25.2016 | Pages: 5 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 361 | Status: Work In Progress
THE CURE CH. 2
Yuki sat quietly at the window seat and stared longingly out of the glass, fingering the crimson rose that had been left at her bedside when she had woke. The sun was just going down. It was strange, sleeping during the day and waking at dusk. Every night she would find a rose left for her by Kaname. It was such a sweet and romantic gesture. It warmed her heart and helped to keep the loneliness away. The beginning of every night was usually very quiet and still, much like this one, while she anticipated Kaname’s return from... wherever it was that he went during the day. She couldn't help but wonder if he ever slept at all.
After she and Kaname had left everything behind, they had returned to their family estate that they had lived in as children. She didn’t mind it there, but she felt small and out of place in such a big, extravagant home. It was definitely an adjustment from her tiny dorm room and living with the headmaster, attending Cross Academy.
Kaname really hadn't been around much and only for the later part of the night would he return to be with her before leaving again. He never told her about where he went and what he was doing, but that didn't really bother her as much as it should have. After all, she was used to being left in the dark about things, oblivious as ever. She knew that in Kaname’s mind she was still just a child, too fragile to get involved in things she may not be ready to handle. Besides, she just assumed he was busy with all of his pureblood responsibilities and such.
However, if she was completely honest, it wasn't just the house being too big or missing Cross Academy that was bothering her. The main cause for her distress was that for some reason, she still felt so… different, and distant from Kaname and the other vampire occupants of the house. She thought that she might get over that feeling eventually. After all, she and Kaname were both pureblood vampires now. Surely she had much more in common with him than before; they were the same now. Yet, after all this time, she still didn't quite feel like a vampire. She supposed it was because she had spent the majority of her life believing that she was human, but no matter the reason, she couldn't remember another time in her life when she had felt this alone and secluded...
The months’ passing since they had left Cross Academy seemed more like years to her. She missed the headmaster and her friends. She missed the way things used to be in general… Back then, she had been so carefree, just a normal human girl. Never would she have ever guessed that she would end up where she was now… She was a powerful and influential pureblood princess now. And not even she fully understood the extent of her new abilities.
Yuki peered down at the rose in her hands and then back outside, awaiting Kaname’s return. A few droplets of rain began to hit the cold glass of the window before rolling down. It looked as if it were about to storm.
~*~
The thunder rumbled menacingly and dark, treacherous clouds flashed, rain pouring violently from the livid heavens.It was dark when Zero reached his destination, a modest house located in a secluded area of town. A Level E vampire was somewhere inside and he was there to kill it. He wasn’twith many details, other than this particular Level E had a routine; it would move from house to house, hiding out and feeding on its inhabitants one by one before moving on to its next victims. If the vampirecare of, it wouldto kill, much like a serial killer. The vampire landed itself on the list and needed to be exterminated immediately. Apparently the last hunter assigned to the job had paid with his life, which was probably why it got handed over to Zero. The Association always left the most dangerous assignments for him to take care of. Zero pulled his gun and cautiously approached the house, taking the porch stairs two at a time and trying to make as little noise as possible. He opened the front door with one hand, Bloody Rose ready in the other. Zero could already smell the blood and the putrid stench of rotting corpses as he entered the dark house.There was no one in the foyer and none of the lights were on, but a flickering glow could be seen reflecting on the wall from the top of the staircase to his right. He made his way to the stairs and began to ascend them, careful not to alert his prey of his presence. With every step he took, the thick, metallic scent of blood and rotting grew stronger, he mentally prepared himself for the gruesome scene that might await him.When he made it to the doorway that was emitting the light, the hunter took cover in the dim, shadowy recess beside the entry, pressing his back to the wall and listening for any sound or movement coming from the room. But there was none; only dead silence met his ears.
After a moment, Zero decided to peer into the room and instantly regretted it. Three shriveled bodies were sprawled out on the floor; a mother, a father, and a small little girl’s body. Their faces were sunken and deathly white, their eyes vacant, glazed and bulging. Even their pet dog had been completely sucked dry, its head completely detached from its body. Thick, crimson liquid soaked the carpet in large puddles and splatters of it stained the walls and furniture. The dancing light of the fuzzy TV eerily illuminated the ghastly scene in a very disturbing way.Zero flinched away from the scene and back into the darkness. Nausea overwhelmed him, and he covered his mouth with his arm to muffle his gagging and in attempt to keep himself from vomiting.It was reasons such as this that he hated vampires so much. They were cruel, cold, and heartless. So many of them were willing to ruthlessly slaughter innocent people and families, even helpless children just to satisfy their sick, selfish thirsts. There were other ways for a vampire to survive without the need to kill humans, but most of themHuman life meant nothing to them. Of course, Level Es were the worst; they wereof caring about anything but their next meal.Regaining his composure to the best of his ability, Zero readied his gun once more. The Level Ein thewhich meant he had to be on guard. The crazed creature could be anywhere and could possibly be aware of his presence by now.Zero began to search the rest of the house.As he cautiously approached the next doorway, slight shuffling and rustling sounds could be heard from the darkness at the end of the hallway. Zero took one step toward the shadows and suddenly a figure burst from the darkness and knocked him to the ground. The creature snapped at him with its fangs and swiped at him with its claws, snarling and crazed. Struggling to hold it back, one of its clawed hands swiped the side of Zero’s face, leaving deep gashes across his cheek.Crying out in pain, Zero mustered what little energy he had and thrust the vampire off of him. He scrambled to reach his gun which he had lost some point between being knocked off his feet and the struggle.Recovering from Zero’s attack, the Level E jumped on him once more, its hair waving around wildly as it thrashed about and whaled on him. Struggling to hold the creature back, Zero pressed the cold metal of his gun into the monster’s stomach and before it could react, he pulled the trigger.
~*~
Yuki’s forehead rested against the cool glass of the window, her eyes closed and her breathing heavy and even.
Kaname smiled fondly at the sight of her. She had fallen asleep waiting for him… He silently approached her and ran his cold fingers along her neck, effectively waking her. Her eyes slowly drifted open.
“K-Kaname,” she blinked in surprise. She sat up and quickly flung herself into his awaiting embrace. “I missed you.” Her eyes and cheeks turned a bit red. She was… really thirsty. “Um,” she started, a bit flustered. She felt Kaname’s reassuring hand on her back.
“Go on, Yuki,” his smooth voice encouraged.
She felt her fangs lengthen, her mouth watering for the taste of blood. The feeling was still so strange to her…Regardless, her instincts took over and she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, embedding her fangs into his flesh. Blood flowed into her mouth and she lost track of time. Alarmed, she forced herself to pull away. “I-I’m sorry, Kaname,” she apologized frantically. She knew she took too much… And yet, she still felt thirsty. It never fully went away. She felt like she could drink every last drop of his blood and it still not be enough…
“There’s no need to apologize, Yuki. I could never be angry with you. You are… my reason for living,” he told her, cupping her chin and lightly running his thumb over her smiling lips. Her cheeks were cutely flushed a light pink. “You can take as much of my blood as you desire.” Kaname tenderly grasped her hand, leading her away from the window, “Come, I wish to spend time with my precious girl. I’m afraid that I don’t have long, but there is something that I wish to show you.”
Yuki allowed herself to be lead down the winding halls and soon found herself in front of two crimson towering double doors. Her heart sped up in anticipation. What could possibly be on the other side of those doors? As if the doors themselves weren’t intimidating enough, her breath immediately caught in her throat when Kaname thrust them open…
An impossibly colossal and vast room was revealed, with table clothed tables for seating along each side of the walls. One table in particular stood out as it was somewhat bigger and secluded from the others and decorated significantly fancier. In the corner sat a piano, a place for ballroom music to be performed. Elegant crystal, candle lit chandeliers hung from the soaring ceiling. Oversized windows with blood red drapery lined most of the off-white walls, which were detailed with white and gold, slightly gothic-styled crown moldings. And the polished, patterned floors sparkled and shined like none Yuki had ever seen.
Across the seemingly endless room were large French doors leading out to the lush gardens and on either side, were two slightly curved grand staircases with red carpet and golden railings, which created a second story balcony along the edge of the walls and French doors with access to multiple outdoor terraces overlooking the exquisite gardens below.
“Well,” Kaname prompted, “Do you like it?”
Yuki managed to pry her eyes from the many lovely things surrounding her and assaulting her senses to look upon Kaname. Speechless, she nodded, unable to hide the beaming smile on her face. “It’s amazing,” she breathed, “How have I never laid eyes upon this room before?” she wondered aloud, her eyes returning to her environment to explore further.
“It’s a ballroom,” he informed, his eyes never leaving her form as she dared venture a bit further into the room. “However, there are two others aside from this one. This one, is reserved for only the most important of occasions.”
“What kind of occasions?” she lightly pondered, still captivated with the many sights to behold around her.
“Well, your 21st birthday would count as one,” he answered nonchalantly, causing Yuki to gasp and spin around in shock. Until now, Kaname hadn’t given any indication that he remembered her birthday or had any plans for celebrating it.
“Really?!” She gushed, unable to contain her enthusiasm.
“Of course, your birthday is merely two weeks away. I wish to have this room decorated to your liking.”
Yuki’s heart swelled with gratitude. She had a sudden urge to throw her arms around him, but she restrained herself. She thought it wouldn’t be very mature or ladylike to do such a thing, so she merely blushed instead. “Thank you so much, Kaname. You really didn’t have to,” she said shyly, still smiling ever so sweetly.
“Of course I didn’t. I wanted to.” He stepped forward to cup her smiling face, “I want to see that perfect smile every day, for the rest of our lives.” Before Yuki could fully grasp his words, Kaname then seemed to change the subject. “You know what other occasions are held in this room, Yuki?”
“N-no,” she replied, nervously fidgeting a bit, “what?”
“Weddings.”
YukiR 17;s smile faltered as he knelt down in front of her. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do…” he started, taking her hand in his, “for my precious girl, and my future wife.” He slipped an engagement ring on the appropriate finger, “I love you very much, Yuki. You are a blinding light in such overwhelming darkness. I wish you by my side forever, so that I may never lose my way.”
Yuki’s heart pounded loudly in her ears. Everything seemed to stop. Silent, she slowly pulled her hand from his and brought it closer to her face, staring at the stunning piece of jewelry. She gazed wide-eyed in complete shock, tears slowing building in her eyes. ‘Is… Is this really happening?’ she thought, a bit dazed. ‘He’s… proposing?’
“I want you to marry me, Yuki… if you will have me.” He said, almost as if reading her mind.
Yuki couldn’t find words to say. She felt faint… and almost sick. It was so sudden, and… tears spilled over and ran down her face now. She franticly moved to wipe them, but he stood and stopped her.
Kaname’s expression remained the same as he wiped her tears away for her. He expected this kind of reaction. He knew his Yuki so well. “You may have some time to think about it. I understand it is a big step, and it must feel a bit overwhelming right now.” He inhaled deeply, as if with a heavy heart. “Unfortunately, I must go now.” He slowly pulled away for her. He kissed her forehead before turning to leave. He paused before exiting the room, “Take as much time as you need, Yuki.” And with that he was gone, leaving Yuki to stare after him in shock.
~*~
Zero had just made it home. Relieved to be back to his quiet apartment, he wiped the dried blood from his cheek, the scratch marks on his face from earlier already completely healed. With a heavy breath, Zero shrugged off his wet jacket and let it slid to the floor as he entered and carelessly nudged the door shut behind him with his foot before removing his shoes.He had taken care of the Level E quickly and with minimal complications, considering. He was lucky to have come back virtually unscathed. His strength and endurance had been suffering for hisnourishment. Lately, even theamount of strenuous activity took too much energy. Drained from his recent mission, he felt as if his legs could give out any moment.The rain continued to pour from the dark heavens and the soft pitter-patter of rain filled the dim, lonely room. Zero laid solemnly on his bed, the only sound breaking the night’s silence was the sound of the rain colliding with the glass of the windows.He turned over, sliding his arms under his pillow in order to support his head but he noticed his hand brush against something. Retrieving the object, he discovered that it was the crumpled picture of Yuki that he’d failed to properly discard. Hesitantly, unsure of what was motivating his actions, he slowly opened the wadded picture, straightening it out to the best of his ability. His eyes regarded her face carefully… guarded, as to not recall any fondness at the sight of her image.He dared to wonder what she was doing right now. He still thought about her, especially on cold lonely nights like this one… despite the inevitable pain in his chest in doing so. Even if he somehow managed to let the rain lull him to sleep, her memory never failed to invade his dreams. That seemed to be all she was now… just a dream.Memories flooded back to him… Zero shut his eyes trying to block them out. Visions of kind smiles, of pouts and blushes, and playful teasing overwhelmed him.
Zero walked the hall of Cross Academy alone, when he heard quick footsteps coming up behind him. “Zeeee-ro!” he heard Yuki say before he could turn. She smacked him hard against his back, knocking the air out of him and causing him to double over with a grunt. Recovering, she went on about how she worked hard to patrol all by herself for a week... And that it was his turn.
He had been locked away in the dungeons of the Academy, about to lose his sanity. That was when he would have originally fallen to Level E, if it had not been for Kaname’s blood that prolonged his life. And he had just returned to his school and duties.
He was about the insult her, but then she pulled her hair to the side, “Come on now… Aren’t you craving it?”
Jolting back to reality, Zero’s eyes had turned crimson and he doubled over in pain. He went into the kitchen and filled a glass of water to take a few blood tablets. He struggled to swallow them, leaning over the sink to be sure they would stay down.
He laid back down, his body feeling heavy. Zero never thought he’d miss the way Yuki always scolded him for ‘skipping duties.’ Soon he found himself daydreaming again of her short, shiny brown hair and soft skin, and the innocent giggles of a small, fragile girl that he would never see the same way ever again.The girl that he remembered had been pure and untainted, childishly naive, sweet and kind... and human. She would never be the same, and it killed him inside to see her as a vampire, turned into the one thing he loathed more than anything else in the world. She was never supposed to be like him; she was never supposed to be a vampire. She was… supposed to stay the same innocent mortal girl that he remembered… That’s how he would always remember her.
Hours passed and Zero had dozed off only briefly when he heard movement in front of his apartment door. He readied his gun but relaxed when a yellow envelope packet was thrust through the mail slot and onto the floor.
Sighing, he got up and retrieved it and tossed it down carelessly on the coffee table. He knew right away that it was a new hunter’s assignment; Orders from the Association always came in the same yellow envelope. He sat down on the sofa staring at it for a moment before snatching up the envelope and prying the package open. Removing the informational paperwork, he tossed the packaging to the side. He scanned over the papers and his jaw tightened as he read.
In two weeks, he was assigned to attend a ball… at the Kuran manor.
Yuki sat quietly at the window seat and stared longingly out of the glass, fingering the crimson rose that had been left at her bedside when she had woke. The sun was just going down. It was strange, sleeping during the day and waking at dusk. Every night she would find a rose left for her by Kaname. It was such a sweet and romantic gesture. It warmed her heart and helped to keep the loneliness away. The beginning of every night was usually very quiet and still, much like this one, while she anticipated Kaname’s return from... wherever it was that he went during the day. She couldn't help but wonder if he ever slept at all.
After she and Kaname had left everything behind, they had returned to their family estate that they had lived in as children. She didn’t mind it there, but she felt small and out of place in such a big, extravagant home. It was definitely an adjustment from her tiny dorm room and living with the headmaster, attending Cross Academy.
Kaname really hadn't been around much and only for the later part of the night would he return to be with her before leaving again. He never told her about where he went and what he was doing, but that didn't really bother her as much as it should have. After all, she was used to being left in the dark about things, oblivious as ever. She knew that in Kaname’s mind she was still just a child, too fragile to get involved in things she may not be ready to handle. Besides, she just assumed he was busy with all of his pureblood responsibilities and such.
However, if she was completely honest, it wasn't just the house being too big or missing Cross Academy that was bothering her. The main cause for her distress was that for some reason, she still felt so… different, and distant from Kaname and the other vampire occupants of the house. She thought that she might get over that feeling eventually. After all, she and Kaname were both pureblood vampires now. Surely she had much more in common with him than before; they were the same now. Yet, after all this time, she still didn't quite feel like a vampire. She supposed it was because she had spent the majority of her life believing that she was human, but no matter the reason, she couldn't remember another time in her life when she had felt this alone and secluded...
The months’ passing since they had left Cross Academy seemed more like years to her. She missed the headmaster and her friends. She missed the way things used to be in general… Back then, she had been so carefree, just a normal human girl. Never would she have ever guessed that she would end up where she was now… She was a powerful and influential pureblood princess now. And not even she fully understood the extent of her new abilities.
Yuki peered down at the rose in her hands and then back outside, awaiting Kaname’s return. A few droplets of rain began to hit the cold glass of the window before rolling down. It looked as if it were about to storm.
~*~
The thunder rumbled menacingly and dark, treacherous clouds flashed, rain pouring violently from the livid heavens.It was dark when Zero reached his destination, a modest house located in a secluded area of town. A Level E vampire was somewhere inside and he was there to kill it. He wasn’twith many details, other than this particular Level E had a routine; it would move from house to house, hiding out and feeding on its inhabitants one by one before moving on to its next victims. If the vampirecare of, it wouldto kill, much like a serial killer. The vampire landed itself on the list and needed to be exterminated immediately. Apparently the last hunter assigned to the job had paid with his life, which was probably why it got handed over to Zero. The Association always left the most dangerous assignments for him to take care of. Zero pulled his gun and cautiously approached the house, taking the porch stairs two at a time and trying to make as little noise as possible. He opened the front door with one hand, Bloody Rose ready in the other. Zero could already smell the blood and the putrid stench of rotting corpses as he entered the dark house.There was no one in the foyer and none of the lights were on, but a flickering glow could be seen reflecting on the wall from the top of the staircase to his right. He made his way to the stairs and began to ascend them, careful not to alert his prey of his presence. With every step he took, the thick, metallic scent of blood and rotting grew stronger, he mentally prepared himself for the gruesome scene that might await him.When he made it to the doorway that was emitting the light, the hunter took cover in the dim, shadowy recess beside the entry, pressing his back to the wall and listening for any sound or movement coming from the room. But there was none; only dead silence met his ears.
After a moment, Zero decided to peer into the room and instantly regretted it. Three shriveled bodies were sprawled out on the floor; a mother, a father, and a small little girl’s body. Their faces were sunken and deathly white, their eyes vacant, glazed and bulging. Even their pet dog had been completely sucked dry, its head completely detached from its body. Thick, crimson liquid soaked the carpet in large puddles and splatters of it stained the walls and furniture. The dancing light of the fuzzy TV eerily illuminated the ghastly scene in a very disturbing way.Zero flinched away from the scene and back into the darkness. Nausea overwhelmed him, and he covered his mouth with his arm to muffle his gagging and in attempt to keep himself from vomiting.It was reasons such as this that he hated vampires so much. They were cruel, cold, and heartless. So many of them were willing to ruthlessly slaughter innocent people and families, even helpless children just to satisfy their sick, selfish thirsts. There were other ways for a vampire to survive without the need to kill humans, but most of themHuman life meant nothing to them. Of course, Level Es were the worst; they wereof caring about anything but their next meal.Regaining his composure to the best of his ability, Zero readied his gun once more. The Level Ein thewhich meant he had to be on guard. The crazed creature could be anywhere and could possibly be aware of his presence by now.Zero began to search the rest of the house.As he cautiously approached the next doorway, slight shuffling and rustling sounds could be heard from the darkness at the end of the hallway. Zero took one step toward the shadows and suddenly a figure burst from the darkness and knocked him to the ground. The creature snapped at him with its fangs and swiped at him with its claws, snarling and crazed. Struggling to hold it back, one of its clawed hands swiped the side of Zero’s face, leaving deep gashes across his cheek.Crying out in pain, Zero mustered what little energy he had and thrust the vampire off of him. He scrambled to reach his gun which he had lost some point between being knocked off his feet and the struggle.Recovering from Zero’s attack, the Level E jumped on him once more, its hair waving around wildly as it thrashed about and whaled on him. Struggling to hold the creature back, Zero pressed the cold metal of his gun into the monster’s stomach and before it could react, he pulled the trigger.
~*~
Yuki’s forehead rested against the cool glass of the window, her eyes closed and her breathing heavy and even.
Kaname smiled fondly at the sight of her. She had fallen asleep waiting for him… He silently approached her and ran his cold fingers along her neck, effectively waking her. Her eyes slowly drifted open.
“K-Kaname,” she blinked in surprise. She sat up and quickly flung herself into his awaiting embrace. “I missed you.” Her eyes and cheeks turned a bit red. She was… really thirsty. “Um,” she started, a bit flustered. She felt Kaname’s reassuring hand on her back.
“Go on, Yuki,” his smooth voice encouraged.
She felt her fangs lengthen, her mouth watering for the taste of blood. The feeling was still so strange to her…Regardless, her instincts took over and she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, embedding her fangs into his flesh. Blood flowed into her mouth and she lost track of time. Alarmed, she forced herself to pull away. “I-I’m sorry, Kaname,” she apologized frantically. She knew she took too much… And yet, she still felt thirsty. It never fully went away. She felt like she could drink every last drop of his blood and it still not be enough…
“There’s no need to apologize, Yuki. I could never be angry with you. You are… my reason for living,” he told her, cupping her chin and lightly running his thumb over her smiling lips. Her cheeks were cutely flushed a light pink. “You can take as much of my blood as you desire.” Kaname tenderly grasped her hand, leading her away from the window, “Come, I wish to spend time with my precious girl. I’m afraid that I don’t have long, but there is something that I wish to show you.”
Yuki allowed herself to be lead down the winding halls and soon found herself in front of two crimson towering double doors. Her heart sped up in anticipation. What could possibly be on the other side of those doors? As if the doors themselves weren’t intimidating enough, her breath immediately caught in her throat when Kaname thrust them open…
An impossibly colossal and vast room was revealed, with table clothed tables for seating along each side of the walls. One table in particular stood out as it was somewhat bigger and secluded from the others and decorated significantly fancier. In the corner sat a piano, a place for ballroom music to be performed. Elegant crystal, candle lit chandeliers hung from the soaring ceiling. Oversized windows with blood red drapery lined most of the off-white walls, which were detailed with white and gold, slightly gothic-styled crown moldings. And the polished, patterned floors sparkled and shined like none Yuki had ever seen.
Across the seemingly endless room were large French doors leading out to the lush gardens and on either side, were two slightly curved grand staircases with red carpet and golden railings, which created a second story balcony along the edge of the walls and French doors with access to multiple outdoor terraces overlooking the exquisite gardens below.
“Well,” Kaname prompted, “Do you like it?”
Yuki managed to pry her eyes from the many lovely things surrounding her and assaulting her senses to look upon Kaname. Speechless, she nodded, unable to hide the beaming smile on her face. “It’s amazing,” she breathed, “How have I never laid eyes upon this room before?” she wondered aloud, her eyes returning to her environment to explore further.
“It’s a ballroom,” he informed, his eyes never leaving her form as she dared venture a bit further into the room. “However, there are two others aside from this one. This one, is reserved for only the most important of occasions.”
“What kind of occasions?” she lightly pondered, still captivated with the many sights to behold around her.
“Well, your 21st birthday would count as one,” he answered nonchalantly, causing Yuki to gasp and spin around in shock. Until now, Kaname hadn’t given any indication that he remembered her birthday or had any plans for celebrating it.
“Really?!” She gushed, unable to contain her enthusiasm.
“Of course, your birthday is merely two weeks away. I wish to have this room decorated to your liking.”
Yuki’s heart swelled with gratitude. She had a sudden urge to throw her arms around him, but she restrained herself. She thought it wouldn’t be very mature or ladylike to do such a thing, so she merely blushed instead. “Thank you so much, Kaname. You really didn’t have to,” she said shyly, still smiling ever so sweetly.
“Of course I didn’t. I wanted to.” He stepped forward to cup her smiling face, “I want to see that perfect smile every day, for the rest of our lives.” Before Yuki could fully grasp his words, Kaname then seemed to change the subject. “You know what other occasions are held in this room, Yuki?”
“N-no,” she replied, nervously fidgeting a bit, “what?”
“Weddings.”
YukiR 17;s smile faltered as he knelt down in front of her. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do…” he started, taking her hand in his, “for my precious girl, and my future wife.” He slipped an engagement ring on the appropriate finger, “I love you very much, Yuki. You are a blinding light in such overwhelming darkness. I wish you by my side forever, so that I may never lose my way.”
Yuki’s heart pounded loudly in her ears. Everything seemed to stop. Silent, she slowly pulled her hand from his and brought it closer to her face, staring at the stunning piece of jewelry. She gazed wide-eyed in complete shock, tears slowing building in her eyes. ‘Is… Is this really happening?’ she thought, a bit dazed. ‘He’s… proposing?’
“I want you to marry me, Yuki… if you will have me.” He said, almost as if reading her mind.
Yuki couldn’t find words to say. She felt faint… and almost sick. It was so sudden, and… tears spilled over and ran down her face now. She franticly moved to wipe them, but he stood and stopped her.
Kaname’s expression remained the same as he wiped her tears away for her. He expected this kind of reaction. He knew his Yuki so well. “You may have some time to think about it. I understand it is a big step, and it must feel a bit overwhelming right now.” He inhaled deeply, as if with a heavy heart. “Unfortunately, I must go now.” He slowly pulled away for her. He kissed her forehead before turning to leave. He paused before exiting the room, “Take as much time as you need, Yuki.” And with that he was gone, leaving Yuki to stare after him in shock.
~*~
Zero had just made it home. Relieved to be back to his quiet apartment, he wiped the dried blood from his cheek, the scratch marks on his face from earlier already completely healed. With a heavy breath, Zero shrugged off his wet jacket and let it slid to the floor as he entered and carelessly nudged the door shut behind him with his foot before removing his shoes.He had taken care of the Level E quickly and with minimal complications, considering. He was lucky to have come back virtually unscathed. His strength and endurance had been suffering for hisnourishment. Lately, even theamount of strenuous activity took too much energy. Drained from his recent mission, he felt as if his legs could give out any moment.The rain continued to pour from the dark heavens and the soft pitter-patter of rain filled the dim, lonely room. Zero laid solemnly on his bed, the only sound breaking the night’s silence was the sound of the rain colliding with the glass of the windows.He turned over, sliding his arms under his pillow in order to support his head but he noticed his hand brush against something. Retrieving the object, he discovered that it was the crumpled picture of Yuki that he’d failed to properly discard. Hesitantly, unsure of what was motivating his actions, he slowly opened the wadded picture, straightening it out to the best of his ability. His eyes regarded her face carefully… guarded, as to not recall any fondness at the sight of her image.He dared to wonder what she was doing right now. He still thought about her, especially on cold lonely nights like this one… despite the inevitable pain in his chest in doing so. Even if he somehow managed to let the rain lull him to sleep, her memory never failed to invade his dreams. That seemed to be all she was now… just a dream.Memories flooded back to him… Zero shut his eyes trying to block them out. Visions of kind smiles, of pouts and blushes, and playful teasing overwhelmed him.
Zero walked the hall of Cross Academy alone, when he heard quick footsteps coming up behind him. “Zeeee-ro!” he heard Yuki say before he could turn. She smacked him hard against his back, knocking the air out of him and causing him to double over with a grunt. Recovering, she went on about how she worked hard to patrol all by herself for a week... And that it was his turn.
He had been locked away in the dungeons of the Academy, about to lose his sanity. That was when he would have originally fallen to Level E, if it had not been for Kaname’s blood that prolonged his life. And he had just returned to his school and duties.
He was about the insult her, but then she pulled her hair to the side, “Come on now… Aren’t you craving it?”
Jolting back to reality, Zero’s eyes had turned crimson and he doubled over in pain. He went into the kitchen and filled a glass of water to take a few blood tablets. He struggled to swallow them, leaning over the sink to be sure they would stay down.
He laid back down, his body feeling heavy. Zero never thought he’d miss the way Yuki always scolded him for ‘skipping duties.’ Soon he found himself daydreaming again of her short, shiny brown hair and soft skin, and the innocent giggles of a small, fragile girl that he would never see the same way ever again.The girl that he remembered had been pure and untainted, childishly naive, sweet and kind... and human. She would never be the same, and it killed him inside to see her as a vampire, turned into the one thing he loathed more than anything else in the world. She was never supposed to be like him; she was never supposed to be a vampire. She was… supposed to stay the same innocent mortal girl that he remembered… That’s how he would always remember her.
Hours passed and Zero had dozed off only briefly when he heard movement in front of his apartment door. He readied his gun but relaxed when a yellow envelope packet was thrust through the mail slot and onto the floor.
Sighing, he got up and retrieved it and tossed it down carelessly on the coffee table. He knew right away that it was a new hunter’s assignment; Orders from the Association always came in the same yellow envelope. He sat down on the sofa staring at it for a moment before snatching up the envelope and prying the package open. Removing the informational paperwork, he tossed the packaging to the side. He scanned over the papers and his jaw tightened as he read.
In two weeks, he was assigned to attend a ball… at the Kuran manor.