58Acquisition
The first rays of sun found Cross where it usually did during the early hours of the morning; in his office, fast asleep. His head was resting atop his folded arms which lay heavily against his still broken and poorly patched up desk, every time he moved the table would give a lamentable moan as the cracks along its surface grew wider, but even these cries were not enough to disturb the Headmasters rest.
As always it had been a long night for Cross but this night had seemed to drag far longer than most. At the ungodly hour of three in the morning, just as he was about to grab a few hours of sleep Yuki had burst into his office dragging two unconscious students behind her. Both girls had seemed a little worse for wear but a quick spell to erase the nights' events along with the promise of detention for the next two weeks for being out after hours was enough to send both girls out of the room with their heads bowed low to await Yuki to escort them back to their dorm.
It was only after the two girls had left the room and the door had been closed firmly behind them that Cross turned to the problem that had truly disconcerted him when he saw Yuki walk into the room; the bite mark on her wrist peeking through a makeshift bandage that she had poorly been attempting to hide. His daughter tried to reassure him, saying that it was her own fault for being so careless, that Aido senpai hadn't really meant to scare her and that Kaname had come before anything serious had happened, but her assurances did little to allay his growing concern.
After he had properly tended to and bound her wrist Yuki had insisted on returning to her duty after delivering the two girls to their rooms; just as she was leaving his office she turned to Cross and with one of her brighter smiles informed him that Kaname would be there to see him in the morning to discuss the incident.
When the door had closed behind her Cross had sunk heavily into his chair and let out a great breath of exasperation; what was he supposed to do?
There was no way that Yuki could continue carrying out the duties of a school Guardian on her own but his other options were equally if not more impossible.
He could not give the position to members of the day class as none of them were even aware of the existence of vampires (plus the small fact that ninety nine percent of them were infatuated with members of the night class and would probably end up abusing the powers of the position).
He could not use members of the night class as tonight's dealings had already proven how easy it was for…'accidents' to occur.
The final option was not even worthy of consideration in Cross' mind. The purpose of the Night class was to provide young vampires with a place of safety in which they could interact with humans, with little interference from either the Vampire Council or the Hunters Association. Were Cross to allow Hunters access to the school he would soon find his relatively peaceful school grounds turned into a battlefield; most Hunters were too blinded by rage to ever see a vampire as anything more than a beast in human form. No, allowing the Association access to his school would go against everything he was striving to achieve.
At one point, he had considered inviting Yagari to take a position within the school, but he had soon dismissed the idea; his friend still suffered from the loss of their old comrade, from the loss of Akihiro…and his sons. There was no way Cross could bring himself to ask. Not when he still kept the truth of the twin's fate secret from his friend.
It was with these restless thoughts flitting across his mind that he fell into an uneasy sleep, only sheer exhaustion kept him from waking as these thoughts morphed into nightmares.
...
He was finally jolted awake when a clear knock resounded through the room; slowly sitting up he tried to work out the ache that had formed in his neck as he adjusted his glasses. Still slightly disoriented he mumbled a quick "come in" in the direction of the door while he tried to free his mind from the last tendrils of sleep that stubbornly clung to it as he gently rubbed his eyes. The door opened and Kaname quietly walked in closing the door softly behind him.
Kaname stood silent before the Headmasters desk, his dark brown hair; tinged with shades of crimson in the dawning light, effectively hid his expression, his composure completely faultless. Had Cross not known Kaname for as long as he had he would have been entirely drawn in by the image of the serene young man that stood before him. As it was Cross could easily sense the undercurrent of danger that flowed into the room in Kaname's wake.
"Ah Kaname-kun, Yuki said you would be coming" Cross greeted good naturedly trying to defuse some of the tension. He gestured for Kaname to take a seat while he went to prepare tea but stopped when the young Pureblood remained standing.
"Headmaster…there are some matters we need to discuss."
Sweat dripped down his back as he moved smoothly from one kata to the next. He moved slowly; in perfect control of each movement, his balanced honed to a fine art through hour upon hour of practise as he shifted his weight through the different stances. Crouching low; his blade held before him he whispered a spell as he rose, his weight coming forward as he lifted the katana above his head. A light morning breeze carried away his words but their power held upon the blade, in one swift stroke he brought the blade down before him, for a moment he held his pose before stepping back and sheathing his blade. When the light keen of the of the tsuba meeting the saya sounded across the glade in which he chose to practise a tree ten meters directly in front of where Ichiru had stood split and crashed to the ground; its trunk rent perfectly in two.
Wiping the sweat from his brow Ichiru turned suddenly when the sound of clapping broke the quiet of the peaceful glade.
"You know, there are easier ways to keep the forest from encroaching on our training field."
Ichiru couldn't help the smile that broke across his face when he saw his brother leaning casually against a tree; Zero returned the smile as he walked into their improvised training ground.
"You've improved."
"I don't know" Ichiru replied in a very serious voice "it's hard to improve upon perfection."
Looking slightly exasperated Zero ruffled his brothers' hair but quickly stepped back when Ichiru took a shot at him in annoyance.
"Shall we start with the usual?" Zero asked.
"Are you sure you're up to it?"
Zero ignored the question and his brothers' concern, drawing his dual kodachi.
Seeing his brother could not be reasoned with Ichiru drew his katana "no complaining when you lose."
"You can say that when you actually win."
Both settled into defensive stances standing opposite each other; they stood three meters apart studying each other's position, searching for anything that would give them an advantage. Ichiru adjusted his grip as Zero slid his left foot forward, Zero lifted his left arm higher and drew back his right as Ichiru leaned forward slightly moving his weight onto the balls of his feet. For each minute change in stance one made the other would adapt his own looking to exploit any opening that formed in the others defence.
All was still as the brothers' continued to stare each other down neither willing to make the first move. The unexpected cry of a hawk flying overhead that tore through the uneasy calm which permeated the clearing was the signal that started the match.
The brothers flew at each other, Ichiru bringing up his blade to parry a blow to his left side as he ducked the blade aimed at his neck. Getting inside Zero's guard Ichiru twisted his wrist forcing Zero to choose between taking a step back or releasing the blade in his right hand, he chose to step back but brought his left hand down to try and catch Ichiru along the arm. Rolling to the left but maintaining his feet Ichiru tried to knock Zero off balance by sending a kick toward his brothers exposed legs but before he could make contact Zero jumped back and the two of them disengaged returning to their defensive stances.
Twin smiles broke out across their features as they engaged each other once more, the ring of steal growing louder as they gradually increased their pace, exchanging blow for blow, neither one able to break the others guard.
At one point Zero stepped forward in order to take advantage of an opening Ichiru had left when he overreached and offset his centre of balance, he was within inches of landing a hit when he was suddenly thrown back, the blade in his right hand forced from his grip, the wind knocked out of him, Zero landed heavily on his knees with one hand braced against the dirt while the other maintained a firm hold on his blade as he tried to regain his breath. Ichiru pressed his advantage giving Zero no time to recover, he brought his blade down in a wide arc aiming for his twins exposed back; Ichiru only just managed to dodge and pull back as a bullet clipped his side tearing the fabric of his t-shirt.
They both stood there breathing heavily the smile's leaving neither of their faces.
Ichiru lowered his katana the same moment Zero lowered his gun.
"You're lucky vampire weapons don't work on humans" Zero muttered between coughs.
Ichiru laughed as he wiped some sweat from his brow and retorted "yeah and you're lucky I'm nice enough to place a ward along the edge of Fenrir." Zero joined in on his laughter before he walked to the edge of the clearing and took a seat under the shade of an ash tree.
"Lucky?" Zero asked in mock accusation. "You tore one of my favourite shirts with that last spell of yours" he gestured down to the light blue fabric of his long-sleeved t-shirt where a tear could be seen running diagonally across his chest.
"I don't see why you're complaining" Ichiru retorted exasperation clear in his voice "you returned the favour." he grabbed the left side of his t-shirt to show the tear that clearly ran through the lilac fabric.
A satisfied smirk graced Zero's features "I did, didn't I."
Ichiru came to sit by his brother grabbing the water bottle and towel he'd brought with him to the clearing that morning. They sat there for a moment regaining their breath, sharing the water and simply taking a moment to relax; listening to the early morning calls of the birds in the woods around them as they watched the clouds pass overhead.
About half an hour past in this manner before Ichiru chose to break the silence.
"How are you feeling?" his voice was slightly wary when he asked as he knew what a touchy subject this could be for his brother.
"I'm fine." It was more an automatic response than an actual answer but Ichiru didn't press his brother; Zero would talk to him when he was ready.
He didn't have to wait long; with a sigh of frustration Zero dragged a hand through his hair and closed his eyes. "I don't want to lose to it."
Ichiru didn't have to ask what 'it' was, they had been over this topic too many times in the last four years for him not to know. "Fighting your instincts won't help, Zero…at least…at least try taking the tablets again."
"They don't work…I can barely manage to swallow them." Zero's voice took on a hollow tone as he spoke.
"Then why do you refuse Shizuka sama's blood?" Ichiru knew he was pushing his brother but he had to, Zero couldn't keep doing this to himself.
Zero's voice sounded dead when he answered "if I give in…if I accept what I've become, then everything 'that woman' said was right".
"No!" the word came out more fiercely than he had meant it to but Ichiru couldn't stand the thought that Zero might think that anything 'that woman' had said was true.
Taking a breath to calm himself Ichiru grabbed his brother by the shoulders and rested his forehead against Zero's forcing his brother to look him in the eyes "we're not the monsters, we were never the monsters. She was."
He stared at his twin and his twin stared back.
"…I know." The words still sounded uncertain to Ichiru, as though his brother didn't quite believe them, but he felt he had pushed Zero far enough…for today at least. He let Zero go and sat down beside him once more.
Silence returned to the training grounds and the brothers would have been content to allow the rest of the day to pass in this manner; but they couldn't. Standing Zero flipped the blade in his right hand into the air and deftly caught it in a reverse grip before turning to face Ichiru who still sat beneath the tree "one more round before we head back?" The challenge in his voice, though light was unmistakable, in answer Ichiru stood and made his way to the centre of the field.
"This one's the tie breaker."
They faced off once more, already it was clear by their stances that this match would be far different from their first. Whereas before they had relied on their ability to read, interpret and react to their opponent's slightest movement this match would be determined by the strength and speed of their attacks alone.
There was no pause, no drawn out standoff, the brothers were still and then they were in motion. The world seemed to contract and slow the moment before their blades met, their focus completely held by the impending clash of blades; they didn't notice the third blade until it fell between their own trapping both their weapons.
As the ring of metal clashing died on the wind both brothers moved to retreat…all too late as the blade of their opponent slashed through the air once more.
Rock and earth shattered with the force of the attack as the very air was ripped apart by the blade. Both brother's found themselves thrown back; Ichiru using the momentum with which he was repelled twisted through the air to land almost gracefully on the ground, while Zero braced himself against the unseen attack digging his blades into the earth before him in order to slow his backwards trajectory; as he stood the small cuts he had suffered across the length of his arms healed instantly, the skin knitting cleanly back together leaving only the shredded remains of his sleeves.
Regaining their bearing Ichiru and Zero focused on the cloud of dust that was slowly dissipating before them. As the dirt began to settle a dark silhouette slowly came into view: a tall figure of athletic build, clad in a dark trench coat began to emerge. Ash blonde hair unbound falling past his shoulders slightly obscured his face, hazel eyes that bordered on crimson. All of these features added to an imposing image but none of them alone could hold the brother's attention like the blade clasped in the figures hand.
The katana almost appeared to radiate a malicious light; the jagged edge of the serrated blade caught the sun in such a way that even the bright light of early morning seemed to turn black as it reflected off the weapon only adding to the darkness that the metal gave off. The blade was unadorned and held little that would enable a person to refer to it as beautiful; but in a Hunter's eyes it was by far one of the more elegant and coveted blades held within the Associations arsenal. Well… previously held within the Associations arsenal.
Mugenjin was its name.
Finally, the last of the dust was swept away by a clear breeze that gently ran through the glade, still the two brothers refused to move, refused to relax their guard and give the man the chance they knew he was waiting for.
"How many times must I tell you boys to mind your surroundings?" the man's voice was quiet, calm and held an edge of humour; like a kind uncle who was playfully scolding his favourite nephews.
In one swift move he sheathed his blade and at the same time released his stance showing the twins that for the moment they were safe.
Still neither twin moved; the only change in their stances was the slight tightening of their grips on their blades.
The man straightened, a wide smirk spreading slowly across his face "so you have learned."
The attack was sudden and brutal however it was anything but unexpected. Ichiru adeptly deflected the blow and moved in for a counter only to have his own strike blocked, their blades were locked, neither fighter giving any ground as they put all their strength into the attack.
The sudden crack of a gunshot rang out across the field and Ichiru felt more than saw the bullet collide with the dark blade of his opponent; for a mere second shock crossed the man's face as his blade was wrenched from his grip.
Disarmed, the figure had no choice but to retreat as Ichiru and Zero simultaneously attacked; Ichiru bringing his katana down in an overhead arc while Zero slashed at his opponent vulnerable back.
Dodging Ichiru's swipe by a hairs breath the man leaned back to grab Zero's shoulder and flipped landing both his feet on Zero's back. It was with clear intent that he kicked off the young man's back, attempting to send Zero barrelling into his brother but at the last second Zero managed to twist; catching the man by the ankle and using his momentum to slow his own. The kodachi was swiftly brought round; aiming to tear flesh and sever tendons but a quick kick to his shoulder forced him to loosen his hold allowing the man to slip free.
All three stood still, the man levelling the brothers with an even glare as they both now stood between him and his blade.
All too soon the glare twisted into a mirthless smirk as the man raised his hand before him. Realising with dawning horror what the man was about to do Ichiru launched himself at the man while Zero drew his gun; seeking to stop or distract him…All in vain as the man formed a single hand seal and with great force brought his palm down against the ground.
Runes spread from beneath his splayed fingers, quickly covering the ground before him and beneath the twin's feet. Zero tried to jump back but the same runes began to spread from the katana lodged in the earth behind him. In an instant, the two lines of script intersected and the once dark characters began to emit a foreboding violet light.
A small gasp of pain was the only sound to escape past Zero's gritted teeth as his knees gave way beneath him; he barely managed to catch himself as the earth rose to meet him. His hands fisting in the dirt as the heavy chains of the Hunter spell attempted to drag him down, leave him paralysed and helpless before his enemy.
Even as he saw his brother fall Ichiru followed through with his attack; hoping to dispatch his opponent quickly, freeing him to help his twin, but in his haste, he made a mistake; placing too much power behind the strike so when his enemy barely managed to dodge by the slimmest of margins he left himself wide open for a counter. The strike hit the left side of his chest and all Ichiru could do was roll with the momentum of the hit in hopes of defusing some of its power. To a degree, the tactic worked; but the blow still had enough strength to leave the young man gasping for breath, and his opponent wasn't willing to give him time to regain it.
Getting to his feet Ichiru tried to take a breath but he couldn't force it past the burning pressure in his chest. Another blow came and Ichiru barely succeeded in bringing Fenrir up in time to block, his eyes widened when he saw the blade meet the exposed flesh of his attackers descending fist; a block which should have carved a bloody path along his opponents arm instead merely deflected the strike. Ichiru grit his teeth when he realised; the ward was still on Fenrir's edge.
Jumping back, he tried to get some distance so that he would have time to remove the ward, it would have only taken a second, but it was a second he did not have. The moment he drew breath to whisper the word that would dissolve the ward was a moment too long; his adversary was again before him in that one instant that Ichiru's eyes had left him. Ichiru could see the hit coming and was already moving to block, but his adversary was within his guard.
Neither one of them heard the gun shot…
…but Ichiru saw his enemy stumble.
Without hesitation or conscious thought, he acted on the brief opening. Having no time to remove the ward Ichiru aimed for the man's neck; knowing from experience that even blunt his blade would do more than enough damage. He still had to be careful of course, he didn't actually want the man dead.
"Enough!"
The blade halted just as it touched the man's neck. Looking over the man's shoulder Ichiru could see Zero, his kodachi hovered at the nape of their now captive opponents neck; the tip level with his spine ready to sever flesh, muscle and bone with the simplest application of pressure.
His hands raised in surrender the man met Ichiru's gaze and a genuine smile overtook his features. "Well done." He tried to turn his head slightly, in order to look at Zero but both twins refused to lower their weapons; the man's smile quickly faded as he felt the tip of the kodachi press against the back of his neck in warning.
"Release it." Ichiru growled, the glint in his eyes showing that he would be more than willing to remove the ward on Fenrir should the man not comply.
For a moment, the man didn't move and Ichiru would swear that he could see the man calculating his chances of being able to fight his way free.
Finally, with a begrudging sigh the man relented; forming a seal he let his left-hand fall in a dismissive action. Every tree surrounding the glade seemed to come alive with silver light, both Ichiru and Zero were forced to shield their eyes when the light intensified. As quickly as it began it ended, as the last traces of light faded the runes that had powered the Hunter spell scattered like black ash on the wind.
When the draining ethereal chains of the spell finally retracted Zero staggered and the only thing that stopped him from falling was his brothers' sudden presence at his side.
Resting a hand on Zero's shoulder to steady him Ichiru turned on the man who was now standing casually massaging the back of his neck. "I don't think you've shown me that spell yet."
The man shrugged finally turning to face the twins "you can thank Yagari for that one, though I may have tweaked it a little."
With a cough Zero cleared his throat and joined the conversation "If by tweaked you mean you've done what you usually do: made it exponentially more potent than it was ever supposed to be, I think you may be right." The man merely shrugged. "You initiated the perimeter spell the moment you set foot in the glade, didn't you?" Zero pressed.
The man looked slightly surprised "how could you tell?"
"Just before you intercepted our blades I felt a sudden pressure in the air and as the fight progressed the feeling only grew stronger. It felt as though I was slowly losing my strength." Zero explained "there's also the fact that the second spell you enacted with Mugenjin actually managed to stop me. A weak curse like that hasn't worked on me in years, even with this thing" he gestured to the faint scarring on his neck.
"I would hardly call a curse crafted by me and powered by Mugenjin weak. Had I used that on an aristocrat…" a fierce smirk worked its way onto his features.
Ichiru shivered at the images the man's smirk brought to mind "that is not an expression a man who claims to be a pacifist should be wearing when thinking about the effects of a curse."
"Was I smiling?" The innocence in his voice fooled neither twin. "I'm sorry, but yesterday was a rather trying night; that spar was just what I needed to unwind." He rolled his shoulders before resting his hand on the back of his neck and flexed it, to Ichiru he looked like a cat stretching; revelling in the freedom of his motion.
Ignoring the obvious rhetorical question Ichiru asked "why are you here Cross san? I doubt you came all this way for a mere spar."
"You're right, of course but before that I have a question for you Zero." The young man gave a slight nod to show that he was listening, "where did you get that gun?"
Zero shrugged, unfazed "it was a souvenir."
"A souvenir" Cross deadpanned "from where exactly?"
"Our last assignment, we ran across our former senpai."
"Kaito?" Cross folded his arms as his brow furrowed in question "What was he doing there?"
"Being tortured by our target." Ichiru answered sounding more bored than anything.
Cross' eyes narrowed "Is he still alive?" Their sensei knew who their target had been, he knew the reputation Koyama Sosuke had earned with the mutilated corpses he had left of both his victims and the Hunter's that had previously been sent to stop him. Sadistic didn't even begin to describe his methods.
"He was still breathing when we left him." Zero shrugged.
"Though the punch to the face you gave him probably didn't help." Ichiru helpfully added.
"You punched him?" Cross asked as he brought a hand to rest on his forehead; as though he was trying to fight off a sudden headache.
Zero gave Ichiru a look that asked whether it was really necessary for Cross to know that, to which his brother merely shrugged.
"Would either of you care to explain why you did that, or should I just start planning how to retrain you two now?" The hint of threat in Cross' voice had both brothers paying attention.
Zero was the first to step forward "We didn't expect there to be as many level E's as there were, it's not like the numbers made much of a difference but…"
Ichiru stepped in "…I was starting to run low on seals by the time we came across Koyama; oh by the way, that description Shizuka sama gave us…was disturbingly accurate." That comment actually made Cross smile but Ichiru continued. "Anyway, by the time we were done I barely had enough seals left to restrain Koyama and that's when we noticed that Kaito was still conscious."
"And that's when you punched him Zero?" Cross asked.
"No, I only punched him when I realised he was still coherent. Otherwise I would have left him."
"I'm still failing to see why you deciding to punch a Hunter; your former senpai no less, was a good idea." Cross was starting to sound exasperated.
"Seemed like the easiest option to ensure he didn't remember we were there. He was already injured and I didn't punch him hard enough to give him anything but a mild concussion." Zero defended.
For a moment, it looked as though Cross would be willing to leave the subject there, but then a shadow passed across his eyes and he asked "and using a Hunter spell to erase his memory didn't occur to you, why?"
Ichiru was the one to answer. "Like I said I was almost out of seals, after I had restrained Koyama it was a choice between using the last of them to stop Kaito's bleeding or erase his memory. Erasing his memory would have been kind of redundant if he had bled out so the choice was obvious."
Cross looked back and forth between Zero and Ichiru; his gaze was steady and revealed nothing of his thoughts. "I have one last question. Did he recognise you?"
They both answered Cross at the same time and with a sureness that no one could doubt. "No."
"Very well; now as for my reason for coming here…"
She was asleep, she knew this; there could be no other explanation as to why she was in this place.
This cold, dark, confining cage.
It had been a long time since she had dreamt of her old prison; the three walls constructed from thick oak beams with seals carved into the very wood itself that allowed her to watch the comings and goings of those that were charged with guarding her, or those that deigned to visit her. The final wall was natural stone; once again with seals and spells carved into and woven through it, but it is far more interesting than the others; for it contains her only window to the outside world. It was only a small window; barred of course, but through it she could sense and see so much more than the tiny room she had thus far existed within.
It is that world; the world with the open sky filled with scattered stars that seem to stretch on for eternity, where a solitary sakura tree constantly in bloom as though frozen in time stands vigil outside her cell; its branches reaching for those distant lights. The world she can only glimpse through that tiny window; that she longs for.
She knows that in reality she has already left this cage, the ones that watch her from the other side of the oak bars have long since left this world, by her own hand no less, but still the atmosphere is oppressing; even when she knows it is only a dream, a dream that shall soon end.
She already knows what has called this unwelcome memory from the reassesses of her subconscious mind, she can clearly see him; though he tries to hide in the shadows. The last remnants of Koyama Sosuke are fading from existence, slowly being dragged under by her unwavering power, soon nothing of him shall remain but the memories that she deems important…but they are so very few.
As Koyama continued to fade another figure emerges, still veiled in shadows but it did little to mask his presence.
Even though he is not truly there, even though she knows this is only a dream her anger flares at the merest sight of him. Her dreamscape reflected this: the oak bars that had been her cage morph as the once dead wood regains life, twisting and distorting as branches grow and roots spread. Before her eyes the once dark wood turned black as rivulets of blood begin to flow just beneath the surface of the bark. The world of her subconscious was crumbling as her power was unleashed; set free in order to tear apart the image of that man, the one who had sentenced her to a life of isolation and confinement under the guise of protection.
"Shi…a…."
She revels in her power as she watches the man being torn apart, but every time he regenerates; whether she reduces him to ash or merely a puddle of blood on the floor that is soon absorbed by the roots that now surround them. Always he is smiling.
" ….ama…"
In one last effort to banish him from her mind she strikes out at him herself; her hand plunging through his chest as the branches of the now fully grown oaks impale him, lifting him from the floor as though he were some form of grotesque marionette.
".hi..ka…ma…"
She watched his blood flow down her arm, soaking into the material of her sleeve dying the once pale fabric black in the moonlight.
"…Shizuka sama." Her name was spoken clearly but tentatively and so quietly. It wasn't his voice; her name had never left his lips with so much reverence. Suddenly she is looking up expecting to see that wild brown hair framing his mismatched eyes, but her stare is met with a vision that sends her reeling back. Instead of brown his hair is pure silver, instead of crimson and blue his eyes are a deep lilac, now clouded in pain.
"Ichir-"
…
"Shizuka-sama!"
His hand was mere inches from touching her face when she grabbed him; with a minimal application of her strength she effortlessly pulled him from his position standing over her onto the bed. For a moment, they were lost in the flurry of long hair, cloth and quilts before she pinned him beneath her.
Lying on top of him she tangled one hand in his silver hair while resting the other on his shoulder, her head lay upon his chest; rising and falling with each breath he took.
Still half asleep she couldn't bring herself to release him or even move, she merely laid there listening to his strong heartbeat.
Finally, the tension that had seized her body began to slowly ease. Her muscles relaxed with each steady beat she heard and at last she released the vice like grip she had on him. However, she was not yet willing to fully let him go.
As she continued to listen she noted how the rhythm of his heart, even with her this close, was calm, slow and controlled.
She would have to change that.
Lightly, making sure her touch never left him, she trailed her hand down from his shoulder until it rested just above his heart. In the same manner, she moved until her head rested in the crook of his neck, it was as her lips brushed lightly against his skin that his breath hitched.
"Wha-"the half formed word escaped him as a gasp, however she soon silenced it with the lightest touch of her fangs; not enough to draw blood or even leave a mark, but enough for him to feel it. To her delight, she noted how she could feel the slight quickening of his pulse as she applied a little more pressure, but still he did not move.
"You're not going to stop me?" She pulled back in order to see his face and immediately her gaze was drawn to his eyes. So many emotions lay hidden within the depths of his shadowed eyes, she could quite happily spend an entire day sifting through the emotions reflected in them; for if she knew one thing, it was that fear would never be reflected in those eyes so long as their gaze fell upon her.
He shifted beneath her and moved as though to stand, she let him.
He stood, his back turned to her and the silence between them stretched on…until.
"Cross is here to see you."
He left the room without uttering another word.
…
A few minutes later (after taking a moment to change from the sleep rumpled yukata into something more casual) Shizuka emerged into a shaded drawing room. Cross sat alone, perched lightly on one of the comfy single chairs, to all the world looking relaxed. His eyes were fixed upon an open book held gently within his grasp and his gaze didn't shift from its pages as she moved further into the room.
"Cross." She said by way of greeting as she took her seat opposite him.
"Shizuka." He acknowledged her presence with a slight nod, marking his place in the book before closing it and setting it down on the low coffee table before him.
Shizuka sat opposite the ex-hunter and took her time pouring herself and her guest a fresh cup of tea from the pot that had been left for them. (Most likely Zero's doing, the boy was surprisingly talented when it came to things like this.)
She studied Cross as he took a tentative sip, he chose to keep his eyes on his tea cup and reflect upon its depths rather than meet her gaze.
The atmosphere that began to pervade the space between them was not awkward but it was strained; burdened as it was by their respective pasts and different ideologies. Over the years, they had managed to forge a somewhat professional relationship out of sheer necessity (it would be rather inconvenient if every time Cross came to the manor he tried to slay her.)
Shifting her gaze her eyes landed upon the worn leather bound book that still rested on the table between them. It was an encyclopaedia of Ancient Greek mythology, not an uncommon find in a hunters' library, what better way to know ones' enemy than to research the results of previous encounters throughout history. She was curious which myth Cross had been perusing before she had walked in, her kind had several names in Greek Mythology; Empusa, Lamia, striges, different names with different stories but all denoted the same creature.
She was about to reach out for the book when Cross suddenly decided to find his voice.
"You are familiar with the Night class system at my academy, are you not Shizuka-san?"
"I am." She answered smoothly while taking a sip of her own tea. Why her knowledge of his sandbox was relevant she didn't know but she was willing to listen, it would after all become the board on which the end game was played; once all the pieces had been gathered.
Seeing that she was not going to elaborate further Cross continued "the balance maintained between the Night and Day class has always been a fragile thing, were it not for Kaname kun's influence I fear that balance would have crumble years ago." He took a breath, clearly straining to find the best way to broach this subject.
"This is why the academy has Guardians. They act as the barrier between the Night and Day class maintaining the peace of the school and ensuring that the true nature of the Night class is never unveiled." Cross almost sounded as though he was reading a script or a long since memorised lecture.
Shizuka tilted her head ever so slightly, she had an idea what Cross was trying to say but she wanted to be sure and so for the moment she remained silent.
"Currently my daughter Yuki acts as the schools only Guardian however recent events have convinced me that the task is too much for her to handle alone."
Shizuka smiled "convinced you? Or convinced Kaname kun?"
"It has convinced us both." His voice was tight, conveying clearly to Shizuka that none of this had been Cross' idea "there is only one logical solution to this problem."
He was trying to lead her, but she wouldn't let him…
"Oh? And what is that?"
Cross's grip tightened only slightly but it was enough to make the china cup shriek in protest.
"I would ask that you allow Zero and Ichiru to attend my school in order to take on the duties of the academy's Guardian's."
A tense silence permeated the air as Cross waited for Shizuka's answer, he had been forced to practically lower his head and ask her permission; a situation he was clearly uncomfortable with.
Finally, she gave her answer.
"Out of the question…"
Cross' eyes narrowed, he straightened; a protest already formed on his lips but Shizuka's next word silenced him.
"…unless."
"KREEEE!"
The sudden piercing cry ripped through the tranquil silence that had filled the moonlit room.
Bolting upright the small girl clung to her covers. Looking past the curtain of silver hair that had fallen in front of her eyes in sleep she searched her darkened bedroom to try and find what had woken her so abruptly.
Her room was empty, not a single object had been disturbed; all lay exactly where she had left them before going to sleep, but she still felt uneasy, as though something was watching her.
The lightest ghost of a breeze caressing her hair caused her eyes to flick to the open doors that led to her balcony, it was only then she noticed the shadow silhouetted by the moonlight that flooded through the open doors.
Another breath of wind parted the pale gossamer full length curtains that marked the divide between her bedroom and the balcony allowing her to see what had previously evaded her sight.
The shadow belonged to a beautiful snowy owl that sat perched atop the hand carved stone banister disinterestedly cleaning its feathers.
Slowly the girl released the cover that she still held tightly. She flinched slightly when she placed her bare foot on the cold wooden floor, immediately she wanted to retreat back under the still warm blankets of her bed but first she had to close the glass doors. If she did not she would pay a heavy price; only having recently recovered from her latest downturn in health she had no wish to relapse, simply because she forgot to close a door.
Rising from her bed she quickly tiptoed to the still lightly swaying curtain, brushing it aside she reached for the handle only to stop when the snowy owl let out another piercing cry. Reflexively her eyes flicked up to the ethereal creature that was now watching her with inquisitive silver eyes that held a beauty the girl could only describe as haunting.
Tentatively she stretched out her hand and slowly took a step forward towards the bird. The owl carefully watched her every movement, fluttering its wings in agitation whenever she moved too quickly for its taste.
When finally, she was close enough to reach out and gently stroke the pure white feathers that seemed to glow in the moonlight the owl suddenly retreated. Crouching, it swiftly turned and spread its wings, taking off into the night with barely a whisper of sound.
Running to the banister the girl leaned over the cold stone trying to snatch one last glance of the owl before it flew beyond her sight. She had expected to see the beautiful creature fading into the dark shadows of the night, she did not expect to see the bird land gracefully on the outstretched awaiting arm of a young man.
Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. Despite the distance between them she was still able to make out his features; he was tall, with darkly handsome features that defied his brilliant silver hair that beneath the moons radiance shone like starlight.
As the owl settled on his arm the man turned to face her, his piercing eyes meeting her gaze. Unconsciously the girl stepped backwards; only for her back to collide with something that should not have been there.
Slowly turning her head the girl came face to face with the man she had seen only seconds ago standing below.
"Who? How did you…" Shock at his sudden appearance had caused her to freeze, it shouldn't have been possible for him to be here, standing there before her. This was her family estate; secluded, remote and well-guarded, it was…should have been impossible for him to be there.
"Kurenai Maria?" His deep voice interrupted her fractured and by now inaudible questions. He smiled at her; it was a charming and very disarming smile that in many situations would have had Maria blushing…this was not one of those situations.
Drawing her clasped hands to her chest she backed away slowly, keeping the man within her sight.
This couldn't be happening, it had to be a dream; she was about to pinch herself to confirm her theory when the sound of feathers ruffling drew her eyes back to the balcony's ledge. There, balancing on the small stretch of ornate stone that acted as a barrier, stood a reflection of the man standing before her; the snowy owl that had first woken her was perched lightly on his shoulder.
"Ichiru, I think you're scaring her."
Maria's head whipped back and forth between the two figures that stood on either side of her. They were identical, the same eyes, the same hair, the same voice and the same aura of danger that seemed to steal the very breath from her lungs.
She had never had a dream like this before, even in her worst of nightmares brought about by fever she had always had a sense of control; a sense that when things became too scary she would wake up.
In this moment that sense had abandoned her.
"I'm not scaring you, am I?" 'Ichiru' asked. It was a simple question, asked gently and with no hint of demand, but for the life of her Maria couldn't think how she should answer.
"Enough."
With that one word quietly spoken into the night both young men straightened, their faces turning serious as they looked to the source of the voice. Maria followed their gaze trying to see the person who had spoken, but only the three of them stood there.
"You must forgive them, they seem to have forgotten their manners." The soft sound of shifting wings drew Maria's attention once more to the owl. The beautiful creature leapt from the young mans' shoulder; as if to take wing, but the moment it took to the air its snow-white feathers scattered into cherry blossom petals. For a few minutes the petals hung there as though suspended in time and then all at once they coalesced and from their midst emerged a woman.
Maria fell to her knees; not in fear or because of weakness, but out of reverence.
"Shizuka-sama."
She bowed her head; giving the Pureblood the respect her presence demanded.
"Come now Maria, there is no need for that." Maria felt delicate fingers take her chin in hand coxing her to lift her head. "We are family after all."
Maria's eyes widened as she saw Shizuka kneel down to her level, she knew it was a familiar that stood before her; that the real Shizuka Hio could be miles away but this was a manifestation of Shizuka-sama's will, for all intents and purposes this was Shizuka-sama.
"I am not worthy enou-" Maria's quiet statement was silenced when Shizuka placed a finger to her lips.
"Would this one be here if she did not find you worthy?" It was a rhetorical question and Shizuka continued before Maria could even begin to answer. "We share a bond Maria. Your blood is tied deeply to mine."
Maria knew that the words Shizuka-sama spoke were true; she could feel the inherent power projected by the Pureblood calling to her, the resonance it had with her own blood was so profound that Maria could feel the ever-present weakness that seemed to define her life fade.
Finding herself captivated by Shizuka's presence all Maria could do was nod.
The familiar in Shizuka's form smiled, obviously pleased with Maria's demure behaviour.
"You must be curious as to why this one is here, yes?"
'No' was the immediate thought that came to Maria in answer to this question. Why would she dare to question a Pureblood?
"No?" Shizuka asked, tilting her head to better catch Maria's eyes.
Maria froze, she knew she had not spoken out loud, she doubted she would be able to give voice to the words swirling within her mind even if she wanted to. Was Shizuka-sama reading her thoughts?
"No child I am not reading your thoughts." A small trill of laughter that sounded like the toll of a bell escaped Shizuka. "You merely have very expressive eyes."
Immediately Maria's eyes were on the floor, she could already feel her cheeks reddening.
"Shizuka-sama, I think it would be best to hurry, before someone notices our presence." One of the brothers intoned, Maria didn't look up to see which one had spoken.
"I'm sure you boys could take care of any unwanted guests that were to intrude upon my and Maria's conversation." Shizuka moved from her seated position in front of Maria to stand behind her.
Her hands gently rested on Maria's shoulders and gave a soft encouraging squeeze "neh Maria-chan?"
For a brief moment, Maria raised her head, meeting the gaze of both young men that stood solemnly before her, but her nerve soon wavered under the intensity of their stares and her own eyes were once more upon the floor.
A laugh that sounded like the chime of a bell resounded in her ear and she couldn't help but turn to look at its source.
"There is no need to fear these two Maria-chan, they have both been by my side for many years." Shizuka explained. "There is no one I trust more."
Surprisingly Shizuka's words were reassuring to Maria, which was strange.
Even with her sheltered upbringing Maria had heard tales of the mad Pureblood.
'Kuruizaki Hime' that was what they called her.
In the darkened corners of gatherings, aristocrats would whisper. Hushed tones trading stories of a broken cage and a wild beast that held the power to control them that now roamed free.
However…
the woman standing behind Maria was not the insane, wild creature she had heard described. She was elegantly lethal and powerful beyond Maria's comprehension, but not insane.
Standing and drawing herself away from the Purebloods gentle embrace Maria turned to face Shizuka-sama and for a moment studied her. Satisfied, Maria straightened and with more confidence than she had ever felt she asked.
"How may I be of service Shizuka-sama."
Yuki's head was rested on her clumsily folded arms, she was sprawled across her desk not even pretending to be aware as the rest of her class took their seats. Her light snores had become an ever-present soundtrack in the background of the morning period classes; her classmates and teachers had simply learned to ignore it.
Many teachers had tried to keep her after class, but when her absence caused an incident; involving a group of girls from the Day Class all but assaulting the Night Class as they exited the Moon Dorm, the Headmaster put a stop to that. Instead Yuki was forced to make up the time during her free period and lunch break but judging by her grades it wasn't a very effective method.
As the last student rushed to their seat the teacher entered, taking the room in at a single glance his eyes zeroed in on the hunched form of Yuki. Being a sight he was far too used to he would normally ignore her, or on the days when he was feeling particularly annoyed (usually the day after he had to mark the class tests; only to discover once again Yuki had succeeded in singlehandedly bringing down the class average) on those days he would slam the door shut with a vindictive joy that would generate a sound so sudden and profound it would have, the so called Prefect, either jumping or falling ungracefully out of her seat.
Today was not one of those days…unfortunately.
Yuki went on sleeping, completely oblivious as her teacher took his place at the front of the class. Completely oblivious to his announcement that they had a new student joining the class and completely oblivious to that new student entering to stand by the teacher.
It was Yori's gentle hand on her shoulder that brought Yuki back to semi-awareness.
Blearily she looked at her friend, Yori didn't say anything, in her usual calm manner she merely pointed to the front of the class and Yuki's eyes followed only to widen at what she saw.
A Night Class student was standing next to the teacher.
A Night Class student wearing a…Day Class uniform?
At least Yuki thought he had to be a member of the Night Class, his hair and eye colour alone both screamed otherworldly to her.
Her observations were brought up short by the sound of her teachers' voice. "Nice to see you decided to join us Cross."
Yuki couldn't help but shrink back into her chair, this was the fifth time this week she had been called out for sleeping in class and it was only Tuesday.
"Now that everyone is paying attention," her teacher went on "as you can see we have a new student." He turned to speak to the teen standing next to him directly. "Please introduce yourself to the class."
The young man stepped forward slightly and in a strong yet quiet and well-mannered voice he addressed the class. "My name is Setsuna Knight. I'm pleased to meet you."
Whispers broke out amongst the class, especially amongst the girls. Yori turned towards Yuki asking quietly "the Headmaster didn't tell you?"
All Yuki could do was shake her head and reply just as softly "…no."
Slamming down a heavy dictionary on his desk the teacher silenced the increasingly loud conversations taking over the class. "please look after Knight Class Rep."
The Class Rep. Kasumi Kageyama, stood when he was called. A small "of course" being spoken by him before he retook his seat.
With a nod the teacher once again turned to Knight. "Good, Knight please sit next to him."
Knight made his way to his newly appointed seat with all the eyes of the class on him. When he passed Yuki, his steps seemed to slow for a moment as his eyes met hers. He continued walking but just as he was about to pass out of Yuki's ear-shot he spoke.
"You're Cross' daughter? I expected…more."
"Huh?" Yuki froze. She had never met this guy, never even heard of him and he had just…just… insulted her?!
Yori was speaking again. "You already know him?"
"No!" Yuki said far louder than she had meant to. She was now glaring at the seated figure of Knight who was talking amicably to those around him.
Looking at him and the innocent smile he was presenting to all those around him Yuki was sure of one thing: she had just made an enemy for life.
AN: Hi, to new readers: thanks for reading Twin Fate. This is One of the first stories I posted on FF and one that I hope I can continue writing to the end...no matter how long that may take XP. Your support does mean a lot and I always appreciate reviews, so if you like this story please bear with me to the end. Thank you.
To my followers: I'm back! Please don't kill me! Hopefully this long chapter will go some way to making up for the long hiatus…if not then I do have an Omake in the works that will be posted in the next few days. Thanks for your continued support.
Special Thanks to: Crimson cat angel, Silhouette, Badass Female Fighter, 14brendale, Aethyria, AnimemangaLoverFE, Arlewena, EVIL IS AWESOME, King of Hearts 129, Kirihara Reii, Kohanita, Lady-Masochist101, ShadowEmperor2031, Shadowasexybeast, Storm of Golden Lightning, Supra-Nova, Yomi Shinozaki, claw06, maya90 and melamanalo2772.
To all of you who Favourited, Followed and Reviewed: Arigato Gosaimasen!
Now if you'll excuse me I have an Omake to write and a very irritated Kaito to outrun.
Kaito: There you are! I wasn't even mentioned in this chapter! I'm still in a freaking coma back at the Hunters Association!
Shinigami Merchant: As I said got to run! Until next time.
Kaito: You shall not escape!
Shinigami Merchant can be seen running into the night, Kaito not far behind.