47Kaname's shadow was inches away from us, looming high and low around the remains of the Kuran Mansion. Although the building appeared to be burnt and struck to the ground, there were still pieces of plaster shooting up from the rubble. Diagonal pieces surrounded Zero and I like shards of glass, reflecting Kaname and his darkness.
It's funny; ever since I met Kaname I knew that there wasn't something right about him. His loyalty to me was just a drop of rain in this desert of mind games. I pictured Rido and his remains; how his bleeding body dropped after the first bullet...after the second...the third...
"The fight isn't over for you yet, Valeria," Rido had spoken. His last words echoed in my mind: "We all have our sacrifices to make...and you will make your sacrifice one way or another." His broken body had laid in many fragments that night, in many splinters of diamond and illuminate crystal. Yet, even in death, I was still haunted by those multi-coloured eyes.
"Do you know who the true villain is, Val?" Kaname asked, his voice seeming to be all around me, as if it were some dark shroud of mist setting in.
I didn't reply. Zero had his guard up, clutching his Bloody-Rose with steady fingertips.
"You. You were and are the true reason behind everything." His voice began to sink lower after every syllable. My eyes darted in every direction, hoping I would be able to catch a glimpe of his dark fascade.
My heart pinched as I clung to Zero, my oxygenated blood lacking by the hour. How long would I last, before my heart failed completely? Despite this pain, I had to force myself to keep going.
"Z-Zero..." I breathed, coughing against his heated chest.
"Shhh, Val...it's ok," he soothed, patting my head while visciously eyeing the shadow nearby. His weapon was ready.
"I protected Valeria in the beginning, so she would fully regain her vampire strength," Kaname explained, a hint of amusement coating his words.
"Shut up, Kuran!" Zero boomed, pointing his gun in every direction, eager to kill.
"You never intended on protecting her. You couldn't give a damn about her life, you selfish bastard!" His voice was so harsh and icy that it cut into me like a blade. I flinched. His desire to protect me was strong...I just pray that it won't get Zero killed...
How was I supposed to drink Kaname's blood? It seemed near to impossible, with his abilities. He was too strong.
"I desire her power, Kiryu. While she was human, her body was too frail to develop her strength. Now, as a vampire, her blood is thick. Her lineage is stronger, and her power has flourished. Such a beautiful rose, don't you agree..." Kaname laughed again.
Suddenly, his figure appeared before us. His form was almost unrecognisable. Kaname's hair was dishevelled, messy, and drenched with mud. His eyes were flashing crimson, sparking with a lust for pure blood. His shirt was torn, unbuttoned and damp from rain that began to pelt. Bare skin was smudged with dirt and glistening with sweat. Fangs were bared; a true killer was unleashed.
"Val," Zero pushed me back slightly, urging me to stay behind him, "You need to go. Now."
"I-I can't! I'm not leaving you...He'll..." My voice broke as tears felt like splinters in my tired eyes.
"Val," He gently grabbed my shoulders, his lips quickly trailing my neck and my cheeks, kissing away my tears. "You need to go. You're not capable of standing, much less drinking from his veins...we'll find another way out of this mess. I promise you."
Reluctantly, I took my steps back, my boots hitting the gravel with sudden speed. I ran. My breath constricted, but I forced myself to move forward. Looking both ways, there was nothing but trees. Trees, undergrowth, and endless dirt.
"I hope you know...what you're doing...Zero..." I panted.
"This is my fight," he said.
The ground seemed to crack beneath my small feet, breaking as if it were an earthquake. Vines began to twirl and grow swiftly out of the sentiment, rising higher and higher. Thorns grew on each vine, and they connected to eachother wildly.
Zero rose from the split earth, his eyes glowing so red I thought something dark had possessed him. Spikes stuck into his arms, sucking blood from his flesh in order to give life to his already-powerful weapon. Kaname stood motionless, dark bat-like shapes morphing and retreating from his flawless body. Zero had looked so rugged, while Kaname was barely scathed.
Raising a finger, a purple haze radiated from Kaname's body, turning into the familiar of a wolf. It growled almost without audio, lunging towards Zero and his bloody hands. I tried to cover my eyes, but ended up clutching my heart again.
"You underestimate me, Kiryu," Kaname tested, "You may be one of the strongest hunters alive, but I am the King." He snarled, his animal shadow moving even faster towards the silver-haired hunter.
Zero, being continiously wrapped in vines, sauntered over towards the Pureblood, almost without an ounce of fear. The vines shifted again, and Zero fired.
The crackling of the gunfire cut deep into my eardrums.
Kaname cackled with amusement as his hand touched his blood-splattered chest.
"You cannot kill me, you fool."
The bullets continued. Blow after blow, Kaname wavered, but appeared to stand with utter resistance. With a chuckle, Zero visciously grabbed the vampire by the neck.
"Watch me." Zero's nails dug into his throat, drawing spurts of crimson. The beast returned his gesture, violently shaking his head while Zero began to bare his fangs.
It all appeared like a scene from a film, from where I was watching. Less than twenty metres away. My toes were glued to the ground. What was I to do?
"You deserve nothing more than to rot with your broken family...to watch your life slowly slip away, as you drown in blood," both men scowled. "Right next to their pathetic corpes."
Suddenly, almost as if a switch was flipped, Zero furiously bit into Kaname's flesh, almost tearing out bone marrow in the process. Kaname clawed at Zero's bloody shirt, and as the two agressive beings kept tearing into eachother like wild dogs, they were on the ground.
"Zero..." I breathed, latching onto my chest in pain. The throbbing in my head didn't cease; knives stabbed my heart again and again.
The hunter was looming over the vampire, biting into his throat with immense force. Kaname's wrists were bound to the rubble by thorns.
"Heh, maybe I have underestimated you," he choked out, ripping at his hair.
I was screaming now, struck down by every weakened bone in my body. I clawed at my cheeks, at my wrists, biting my lips, my tongue, the inside of my cheek; the excruciating feeling began to burn. I felt...ravenous.
"No..Zero...you...can't...kill...Kaname..." I said among gasping breaths, "He...will...kill...you..."
Zero was drinking Kaname's blood, his fangs piercing his throat so deeply that I thought he was going to tear Kaname's head off. Oh God...Zero...
Again, pain struck me; but it was a different kind of pain. A slice. My right arm was cut by a familiar kind of metal.
Artemis.
A high voice filled my ears. A voice that I hoped I would never hear again.
With my head buried into the sandy floor, my cheeks were grazed by stones and twigs, and I turned myself to the left slightly. I began to see that childish shadow. So twisted, yet defined. Holding that dangerous piece of metal, she looked like the perfect movie-image of a psychopath.
Yuki...
Why didn't she just leave? I'm already dying; once I am gone she can become the Princess...what more could she desire?
"Val," she whispered, her voice surprisingly cracking. She sounded like she was about to cry.
"W-Why...did...you...come...back...?" I breathed, holding my stomach with both hands, biting back screams and moans.
"Rido is dead...and so is my will," she muttered.
"What are...you...talking about?"
"I have lived a life of bloodshed and ruin. I don't deserve to live. Rido is dead now, because of me. I couldn't protect him..."
Yuki and her vulnerability was beginning to confuse me. What happened to her coldness, her brutality...her hostility towards me? Is it possible for all of it to vanish so quickly?
"Rido gave me a reason to keep living. He loved me," she cried, "He loved me...and I couldn't protect him." Her pity made me slightly sympathetic, but not enough to want to comfort her. Not after what she's done to me.
Staring at the battle ahead, she sighed, almost with relief.
"I've met my fate. It's here, Val...at the remains of this Mansion...it reflects the last remnants of myself...I've caused too much hurt and suffering to go on living...there is more for me in death." she spoke with such self-hate and disgust for her actions. I didn't know how to react.
Finally, Zero stopped sucking Kaname's neck. Turning over to me, he began to run with a new profound strength.
Pureblood blood tends to do that. Kaname stood up again, just enough to walk. But he was still regaining his energy.
Zero was at my feet.
"Oh, Valeria," his voice cracked as he touched my shoulder slightly.
His vines tore at Yuki now, pinning her to the ground. She didn't resist.
"You psychopathic, manipulative whore," Zero snarled, "How dare you hurt Valeria and I..."
She stayed silent. He gave her a blow to the chest, and she still did not make a sound.
"Fine. I'll leave you to rot,"
The hunter point the gun to her head, cocking the pistol.
"Z-Zero," I panted, "Wait." I managed to get onto my knees, tugging his ripped shirt.
"What, why? I'm not letting her live, Valeria."
"Everyone deserves a second chance..." I was tearing up uncontrollably.
She was my sister...
"No, not her. Not ever," he retorted, "She has a vile heart, and a sick excuse of a brain. She's finished."
As Kuran was abruptly bolting towards Kiryu, Zero didn't hesitate. Shots fired.
And I jumped.
My screams clashed with the splitting silver.
Oh my God, I've missed writing this story so much! I've had a lot going on the past year or so, but I assure you I am back in business! I wrote a longer chapter to make up for my absence. I hope you all enjoy the update! Happy reading, and pray for Valeria. :P I love you all! - Saphizcool