58Author Note: I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, favourited and followed this story. Please continue to review as I love to hear people's opinions even if there negative.
To answer a few questions, yes there will be some romance in this story and it is a Shizuka x Ichiru but I'm planning on several characters getting between them as well as Shizuka's normal teasing. There will be NO yaoi (hopefully that answers your question Kuroko22)
By the way if anyone would like to Beta this story please send me a PM
Right well I hope you enjoy the latest chapter and thankyou for reading this note
Sakura
Ichiru was desperate to wake up; in a semi-conscious state he had felt an overwhelming sense of fear as he was carried away by his mother. He had never heard his Fathers' voice so cold and resigned and it terrified him to think what would happen should Zero be left alone with him. All he had wanted was to be able to protect his older brother but once again his weak body had betrayed him and now Zero had to pay for his mistake.
As his mother carried him into his bedroom he started to regain some of his awareness, when he managed to force his eyes to open slightly his vision blurred and he was hit with a sudden bout of vertigo. He tried to fight it, tried to stay conscious as his mother gently laid him on his bed sweeping her hand through his hair "it's all right Ichiru" her voice was soft "just go to sleep, you'll feel better in the morning". He tried to speak, to ask about Zero "shush now Ichiru, you'll be ok, he won't be able to hurt you again" she reassured him as she continued to stroke his hair, which only increased Ichiru's fears.
His eye snapped open and there was the face of his mother trying to comfort him, her eyes tender and full of love, his feeling of sickness only increased. Why? It was the only question he could ask himself, why was she like this? How could she love him and only hate Zero? It scared him; her love seemed so twisted, but he was too weak to reject it and for that his brother had suffered.
His fever rose as his emotions overwhelmed him; he couldn't fight the darkness anymore as his eyes grew heavier. One final coherent thought passed through his mind as he drifted to sleep.
I hate them
Saika rested on the edge of Ichiru's bed as he finally gave into his exhaustion and fell asleep, continuing to stroke his hair she watched as a small frown creased his forehead; a smile tugged at her lips. She remembered when she had first found out she was pregnant; the feeling of the new life growing inside her and the thoughts of how she and Akihiro would cherish and protect it.
All these thoughts had turned to ash with one simple revelation.
It was twins
As a Hunter she had been raised on the histories of the Hunters Society and knew all too well the fate that befell twins born to a Hunter. Driven by the instincts of their cursed blood, while still in the womb, not even conscious, the two halves would fight to become whole; it had happened time and time again throughout the history of the Hunters Society and there was only two ways it could end. Unable to gain the upper hand the two innocent lives would destroy each other while still in their mothers' womb.
The alternative was a nightmare.
A Fangless
It had only happened once in recent Hunter history, more effective against vampires than any weapon or spell the Society had managed to create; a demon born from the purest form of blood from the Hunters progenitor. With the strength of two Hunters it was only rivalled by the powers of the Purebloods.
The thought of giving birth to such a being terrified her.
She was pulled from her thought when a howl reached her ears. Haunting heart retching screams that could fool the best of Hunters, but she knew, deep down she had always known what it truly was.
Ichiru tossed in his sleep and the frown that creased his forehead deepened; Saika quietly lifted herself from the edge of the bed and proceeded to close the door, the echoing screams became muffled and Saika returned to Ichiru's side checking to make sure he had not been disturbed.
His breathing was calmer but his sleep was not a peaceful one. Seeing him like this, so frail and vulnerable tore at her soul, laying down in the bed beside him she carefully, so as not to wake him, wrapped her arms around him and drew him into her embrace.
Over the years she had watched as Ichiru steadily grew worse while that thing only continued to grow stronger. Saika lay their cradling her son listening to his even breathing until the sounds from below quietened before eventually coming to an end. She remained where she was; knowing from past experiences that Akihiro would be…difficult to deal with at the moment.
Walking the perimeter of the Hunters barrier spell she traced her finger along the concealed ward; it was an impressive spell but by no means impervious, especially not to her. As she continued to walk amongst the shaded trees that lined the glade surrounding the house she watched as the fragile sakura petals that were brought into bloom by her mere presence danced in the cool night air. It was a beautiful sight, but it could not distract her.
The despair she felt at her loss haunted her like a vengeful ghost, its ever present force constantly threatened to consume the remaining shreds of her sanity. A small "hn" escaped her as she contemplated thoughts of her own sanity, it had always been such a foreign concept to her; but here she was trying to maintain the dwindling remnants of her psyche, all for the purpose of savouring her revenge.
As her mind filled with anticipation she allowed her feelings to slip past the calm mask of her features; her mouth twisted in a cruel smile as her eyes took on a blood coloured lustre. How satisfying it would be to sink her fangs into their throats and watch as the light drained from their eyes. If she were to break the barrier forcefully it would be over in a mere moment but she would be left with no time to savour it, being forced to flee from not only the Society but the Council as well.
She could not permit that. What she required…what she needed was time.
Time to relish her kill
As the Sakura continued to scatter her thoughts shifted; starting to dwell on the memories of her lover, the man who had broken her silence. Her eyes glistened in the pale moonlit night as a lone tear traced down her cheek.
Zero bolted upright in bed before the floor rose to meet him; he let out a pained gasp as he landed heavily on the floor his eyes screwed shut and his hands clasped his head where it hit against the rough stone. Struggling to release himself from the blankets tangled around his legs he winced as a fresh wave of pain washed over his small frame. Managing to finally extricate himself from the stubborn grip of the cloth, he lay on the cold stone floor and gasped for air trying to fill his lungs.
Visions from his nightmare refused to fade from his eyes; snow that fell gracefully through the air as it was carried by a strong wind, a small bell rang out in the darkness, sakura trees blooming out of season standing in a snow covered field, red eyes, white hair and fangs.
"Vampire"
It was close, he could sense it even with the Hunter spells that surrounded the house and adorned the walls of his room; he could sense it and he knew it was strong.
His breathing calmed slightly as the images faded but his heart still beat furiously in his chest. As the adrenaline brought on by his nightmares receded Zero became aware of the searing pain originating from the wound on his neck. Tentatively he traced his fingers across the scar, following the lines that formed the Hunters seal that marred his skin. He cringed slightly as the freshly formed scabs caught on the edge of his t-shirt as he stretched, trying to work out some of the aches that had seeped into his muscles.
He allowed his mind to go blank, to focus on nothing but the pain. After all; he deserved it.
Ichiru awoke in the early hours of the morning to find that his fever had subsided; he vaguely remembered being carried to his room by his mother but after that there was nothing. Turning to the darkened window Ichiru noted that the sun had yet to rise; but the light provided by the moon was more than enough to see by.
Rubbing at his tired eyes to try and remove the remnants of sleep Ichiru gingerly rose from his bed, his body shivering in protest at the sudden loss of warmth. He ignored it; his sleep addled mind refusing to come up with a single coherent thought, considering giving up he was about to squirm back under the covers, when he suddenly remembered.
Launching out of his bed he tore out of his room but paused at the top of the stairs where his common sense managed to catch up with him. As quietly as he could he quickly crept down the stairs, his heart sinking every time a floorboard creaked underfoot, making his way along the hall Ichiru couldn't help but notice that the door leading to the sitting room was slightly open, allowing light from the lit fire place to spill into the hall. Curious Ichiru peered into the room.
With the light provided by the fire he could easily make out the sleeping form of his father lying on the settee; one of his arms obscuring his face in order to hide his eyes from the flickering light of the fire. His other arm hung loosely off the side his fingers nearly touching the floor and inches away from an empty bottle of sake.
His young eyes filled with pity as he took in the scene. His father was meant to be strong, but as both Ichiru and Zero grew the confrontations with that woman were occurring more frequently; it was draining him, emotionally. Ichiru young as he was could still see it; his father was trained to hunt Vampires not humans, let alone his own son.
At that moment, looking down at his father all Ichiru could see was weakness.
Ichiru backed out of the room and quietly closed the door behind him; reassured that at least his father would be unable to hear him.
Making his way once again to the door beneath the stairs he unlocked it; luckily his fever had prevented his parents from finding out he had a key, this time being sure to lock it behind him. As he came down the stairs his heart stopped; Zero lay curled up on the floor, his breathing ragged and his hand clutching the left side of his neck.
Cold fear settled in the pit of his stomach as he rushed to his brothers' side "Zero, wake up! You need to wake up" he shook his brother by the shoulders continuing to call him; Zero's only reaction was a soft groan. Ichiru persisted eventually earning a half lidded gaze, "Ichiru".
"Can you stand?" Ichiru asked his voice almost broke with concern; he hated seeing his brother like this. A soft shake of the head was all Zero could manage before his eyes closed again; he was still conscious but barely. Ichiru wrapped Zero's left arm round his shoulder and all but dragged him back to his bed, reaching the edge he lowered Zero onto the bed as gently as possible nearly falling with him as he leaned down.
Even barely awake Zero still clasped his hand tightly over his neck, his knuckles white with the strength of his grasp. Ichiru placed his own hand over Zero's trying to calm his brother, when Zero finally looked at him Ichiru was able to shift his hand exposing the Hunter seal engraved into his brothers' neck. The wound looked days old; no doubt the work of their father, but it was still deep and Zero's skin seemed to burn with fever. Getting up Ichiru ran to the small bathroom that joined onto Zero's room, filling the wash basin with cold water he soaked a clean wash cloth, hurrying back to zero he placed the cool cloth against the blazing tattoo. At first Zero flinched away from the contact as if he'd been shocked but began to relax as the cool fabric drained some of the pain.
Ichiru hugged his brother as Zero drifted back to sleep, he never felt more comfortable than when he was in his other half's presence and he hoped Zero drew some of the same comfort from him.
When Zero finally fell asleep, Ichiru made his way back up stairs, fearing what his parents would do if they found him with Zero again. Stopping at the landing half way up the stairs Ichiru glared at the darkened halls sorrow and anger consuming his thoughts, he gripped the banister as he allowed the emotions to rip through him the wood screeching in protest at the strength of his grip.
A flicker of colour on the moonlit landing shook him from his dark thoughts. Looking over his shoulder he noticed the window behind him was open allowing the cool night air to flow into the house. Another flash of colour in the dark, but this time he caught it; unfurling his clasped hand revealed a perfect sakura petal.
Curiosity drove him forward; climbing out the window he alighted on the small stone balcony just below. His bare feet stung with cold and he shivered at the cold night air as his breath fogged out before him, but he didn't care. His eyes were drawn by the soft sound of a single bell to a lone Sakura tree in full bloom surrounded by snow; it was a beautiful sight only enhanced by the ethereal creature that sat high in its branches.
She was dressed in a pale white kimono, a purple obi tied around her waist, long white hair that cascaded down her back caught lightly by the breeze, deep pastel pink eyes that matched the blossoms that surrounded her perfectly, held Ichiru's gaze, a single tear traced down her cheek. When she at last she spoke her voice contained a soft chime much like the bell tied to her obi.
"This one has seen you before."
"Why are you crying? Did something sad happen to you?" he couldn't prevent himself from asking.
"What about you?" she returned "your heart is suffering too, is it not?"
He couldn't answer, he couldn't breathe; how could she know? He was once again drawn from his reverie by the sound of her voice and the deep sadness that dwelled in her eyes.
"Will you help this one? This Shizuka Hio"