THE CURE CH. 6
With lightning speed, Zero had grabbed the small girl from behind and she gasped as he threw her up against the wall, one forceful hand tightly holding her in place and the other hand shaking uncontrollably as he pressed his gun hard into her, the metal cold against her chest. His finger was tense and twitched as it rested heavily on the trigger. He was hesitating… realizing the sad, frightened expression on her face. His mind screamed at him to shoot her, but his finger wouldn't pull the trigger.
He had imagined this moment and replayed it over and over in his head a million times and yet, why couldn’t he pull the trigger? He couldn’t afford to lose his resolve. His rapid breathing was full of frustration and hate for the woman he had trapped, tearful and motionless before him. He had to put his feelings aside and do what needed to be done. He needed her to attack him first… to provoke him… But she seemed to have no intention of fighting back.
“Why won’t you defend yourself?” he growled at her angrily, “Don't think that I won't kill you.” She winced at the harsh quality in his voice but she couldn’t find any words to say. “Why won’t you defend yourself?!” he shouted again, “Answer me, damn it!” He pulled her forward and shoved her into the wall once more, raising his gun to her face.
Yuki’s heart beat wildly in her chest. Watching him while he was seemingly at war with himself, Yuki couldn’t help but to stare wide-eyed at him. She couldn’t believe that after all this time, Zero was standing right in front of her. His hair was a little longer than she was used to seeing him with. That, and the fact that he was wearing Ichiru’s mask as well as carrying his sword at his side, made her second-guess whether it was really Zero she was looking at or his deceased twin. She noticed his slight 5 o’clock shadow and that he looked a tad disheveled. His features were no longer ones of a boy, but of a man… When exactly had Zero become so masculine and grown up, she wondered.
Staring down the unforgiving barrel of Bloody Rose, she finally managed to speak, “I guess…” she breathed, tears threatening to fall, “I refuse to believe you’ll shoot me, Zero. The Zero I knew wouldn’t pull the trigger.” She pause and then added, “But I guess if I were to die, I’d want you to be the one… to kill me.”
His eyes widened. She had recited words similar to the ones he had told her a long time ago; that if he lost control of himself, he would want her to be the one to kill him. Something tightened in his chest, and he couldn’t help but feel ashamed of how cruelly he had treated her just now. He lowered his gun in defeat and lowered his head, but he didn't let her go. He knew she was right; He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t pull the trigger.
Yuki relaxed a little that he lowered his gun. The boy in front of her was the perfect picture of anguish and helplessness. He was strikingly handsome, even as fatigued and grave and severely wounded as he appeared. She wondered how badly he was injured and what happened and why he was here… So many questions, but she didn’t dare ask. The smell of his blood was becoming very difficult to ignore. Yuki lowered her eyes to keep him from seeing the redness seeping into her gaze.
Zero didn’t notice, as he was feeling really light headed.
Yuki gasped in alarm, interrupting her train of thought as Zero fell limp against her without warning. It was then that she could see the arrow protruding from his back. Unable to support his weight for too long, Yuki managed to lower him to the floor, careful to keep him on his side and not to snag the arrow or push it in any further. Her heart pounded, trying hard to keep her vampire instincts under control. There was so much blood and she was now covered in it.
It was that moment that Kaien Cross returned. “Yuki?!” he called in alarm at the sight of the blood trail staining the floor.
“Over here,” she cried from the floor.
Headmaster rushed over, Yuki cradling Zero’s bloodied body in her arms. “What on earth happened?” he questioned, removing Ichiru’s mask from Zero’s face.
“I don’t know,” she sobbed, “He appeared out of nowhere and then just collapsed.” She decided to leave out the part about him almost killing her.
Zero wasn’t completely unconscious, his red eyes rolling back. Cross knelt down, trying to determine Zero’s injuries with deep concern and worry in his usually cheerful features. Assessing the damage of the arrow, it had entered through his back and the very tip was protruding from his chest. It had just barely missed his heart. “Yuki, grab his feet for me please. We need to move him into bed so that he can be properly cared for.”
Yuki nodded and they took him to the bedroom that he had as a child. Zero groaned in pain as they gently laid him on the bed.
“Yuki, I need the medical kit, water, rags, and some scissors.”
Yuki nodded and rushed to fetch the supplies, returning only seconds later. Cross immediately set to work, cutting Zero’s blood-soaked shirt off of his tattered body.
“Yuki,” Cross glanced up at her, his amber eyes meeting her red ones. “You might want to step out for a while.”
Yuki’s chest constricted. She hesitated a moment, reluctant to leave Zero. But she knew that he knew that Zero’s blood was becoming too much for her so she obeyed.
Yuki went to the kitchen, her whole body trembling. Her fangs were fully extended; she had to get rid of the blood before it drove her crazy. She looked down at her crimson-stained clothes, she removed her jacket, discarding it carelessly on the floor. His blood was still on her hands. She moved to the sink, about to wash it off but she stopped before turning the knob. She swallowed hard, the urge to lick the blood off was extremely appealing to her at that moment.
She slowly brought a finger to her mouth, savoring the taste of his blood… Her eyes drifted closed as if in bliss. Snapping back to reality, Yuki mentally scolded herself. She quickly turned on the faucet and washed away what remained of Zero’s blood before her instincts could take over again. Proceeding to fill a glass with water and dropping in blood tablets, she chugged it desperately.
Yuki startled as Zero’s agonized screams abruptly broke the silence, causing Yuki to drop the glass. Shards littered the kitchen floor along with artificial blood. Yuki disregarded the mess, rushing back to Zero’s bedroom to stand in the doorway, gasping in horror.
Kaien had broken the fletched end of the arrow off and had pulled it out of Zero’s chest. Zero was screaming and writhing in agony as he began to apply pressure, fighting to hold him down. Blood was pouring out fast from the wound. Cross was struggling to stop it. The nightstand was covered in bloodied rags and a bowl of bloodstained water, medical supplied cluttered the small surface.
A tear slid down Yuki’s face. He would never make it. There was no way he could survive this…
“Yuki please, I need privacy. You shouldn’t see this,” Kaien ordered sternly.
Yuki forced herself to turn away, tears falling full force now. She felt so helpless…
Hours later, Yuki sat solemnly on the sofa, her eyes red rimmed from crying. She had never imagined Zero dying before and she couldn’t bear the thought. He always came off as invincible to her and now… She was faced with his mortality. She watched the flames dance in the fireplace, anxiously waiting for Kaien to emerge from the bedroom. Zero’s cries had died down, but she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.
She immediately stood up, awaiting the news as Cross appeared in the doorway, his expression grim.
“He’s resting,” he informed rubbing his temple as if he had a headache. “I managed to stop the bleeding.”
“Can I see him?” She asked urgently. The Headmaster nodded and Yuki was almost instantly at his door. She timidly entered the bedroom, kneeling at Zero’s bedside. Zero’s breathing was ragged, a layer of sweat on his brow. His chest and his upper arm was wrapped in bandages.
Cross appeared behind her, resting his hand on her shoulder. “I’ll go make some tea.”
With lightning speed, Zero had grabbed the small girl from behind and she gasped as he threw her up against the wall, one forceful hand tightly holding her in place and the other hand shaking uncontrollably as he pressed his gun hard into her, the metal cold against her chest. His finger was tense and twitched as it rested heavily on the trigger. He was hesitating… realizing the sad, frightened expression on her face. His mind screamed at him to shoot her, but his finger wouldn't pull the trigger.
He had imagined this moment and replayed it over and over in his head a million times and yet, why couldn’t he pull the trigger? He couldn’t afford to lose his resolve. His rapid breathing was full of frustration and hate for the woman he had trapped, tearful and motionless before him. He had to put his feelings aside and do what needed to be done. He needed her to attack him first… to provoke him… But she seemed to have no intention of fighting back.
“Why won’t you defend yourself?” he growled at her angrily, “Don't think that I won't kill you.” She winced at the harsh quality in his voice but she couldn’t find any words to say. “Why won’t you defend yourself?!” he shouted again, “Answer me, damn it!” He pulled her forward and shoved her into the wall once more, raising his gun to her face.
Yuki’s heart beat wildly in her chest. Watching him while he was seemingly at war with himself, Yuki couldn’t help but to stare wide-eyed at him. She couldn’t believe that after all this time, Zero was standing right in front of her. His hair was a little longer than she was used to seeing him with. That, and the fact that he was wearing Ichiru’s mask as well as carrying his sword at his side, made her second-guess whether it was really Zero she was looking at or his deceased twin. She noticed his slight 5 o’clock shadow and that he looked a tad disheveled. His features were no longer ones of a boy, but of a man… When exactly had Zero become so masculine and grown up, she wondered.
Staring down the unforgiving barrel of Bloody Rose, she finally managed to speak, “I guess…” she breathed, tears threatening to fall, “I refuse to believe you’ll shoot me, Zero. The Zero I knew wouldn’t pull the trigger.” She pause and then added, “But I guess if I were to die, I’d want you to be the one… to kill me.”
His eyes widened. She had recited words similar to the ones he had told her a long time ago; that if he lost control of himself, he would want her to be the one to kill him. Something tightened in his chest, and he couldn’t help but feel ashamed of how cruelly he had treated her just now. He lowered his gun in defeat and lowered his head, but he didn't let her go. He knew she was right; He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t pull the trigger.
Yuki relaxed a little that he lowered his gun. The boy in front of her was the perfect picture of anguish and helplessness. He was strikingly handsome, even as fatigued and grave and severely wounded as he appeared. She wondered how badly he was injured and what happened and why he was here… So many questions, but she didn’t dare ask. The smell of his blood was becoming very difficult to ignore. Yuki lowered her eyes to keep him from seeing the redness seeping into her gaze.
Zero didn’t notice, as he was feeling really light headed.
Yuki gasped in alarm, interrupting her train of thought as Zero fell limp against her without warning. It was then that she could see the arrow protruding from his back. Unable to support his weight for too long, Yuki managed to lower him to the floor, careful to keep him on his side and not to snag the arrow or push it in any further. Her heart pounded, trying hard to keep her vampire instincts under control. There was so much blood and she was now covered in it.
It was that moment that Kaien Cross returned. “Yuki?!” he called in alarm at the sight of the blood trail staining the floor.
“Over here,” she cried from the floor.
Headmaster rushed over, Yuki cradling Zero’s bloodied body in her arms. “What on earth happened?” he questioned, removing Ichiru’s mask from Zero’s face.
“I don’t know,” she sobbed, “He appeared out of nowhere and then just collapsed.” She decided to leave out the part about him almost killing her.
Zero wasn’t completely unconscious, his red eyes rolling back. Cross knelt down, trying to determine Zero’s injuries with deep concern and worry in his usually cheerful features. Assessing the damage of the arrow, it had entered through his back and the very tip was protruding from his chest. It had just barely missed his heart. “Yuki, grab his feet for me please. We need to move him into bed so that he can be properly cared for.”
Yuki nodded and they took him to the bedroom that he had as a child. Zero groaned in pain as they gently laid him on the bed.
“Yuki, I need the medical kit, water, rags, and some scissors.”
Yuki nodded and rushed to fetch the supplies, returning only seconds later. Cross immediately set to work, cutting Zero’s blood-soaked shirt off of his tattered body.
“Yuki,” Cross glanced up at her, his amber eyes meeting her red ones. “You might want to step out for a while.”
Yuki’s chest constricted. She hesitated a moment, reluctant to leave Zero. But she knew that he knew that Zero’s blood was becoming too much for her so she obeyed.
Yuki went to the kitchen, her whole body trembling. Her fangs were fully extended; she had to get rid of the blood before it drove her crazy. She looked down at her crimson-stained clothes, she removed her jacket, discarding it carelessly on the floor. His blood was still on her hands. She moved to the sink, about to wash it off but she stopped before turning the knob. She swallowed hard, the urge to lick the blood off was extremely appealing to her at that moment.
She slowly brought a finger to her mouth, savoring the taste of his blood… Her eyes drifted closed as if in bliss. Snapping back to reality, Yuki mentally scolded herself. She quickly turned on the faucet and washed away what remained of Zero’s blood before her instincts could take over again. Proceeding to fill a glass with water and dropping in blood tablets, she chugged it desperately.
Yuki startled as Zero’s agonized screams abruptly broke the silence, causing Yuki to drop the glass. Shards littered the kitchen floor along with artificial blood. Yuki disregarded the mess, rushing back to Zero’s bedroom to stand in the doorway, gasping in horror.
Kaien had broken the fletched end of the arrow off and had pulled it out of Zero’s chest. Zero was screaming and writhing in agony as he began to apply pressure, fighting to hold him down. Blood was pouring out fast from the wound. Cross was struggling to stop it. The nightstand was covered in bloodied rags and a bowl of bloodstained water, medical supplied cluttered the small surface.
A tear slid down Yuki’s face. He would never make it. There was no way he could survive this…
“Yuki please, I need privacy. You shouldn’t see this,” Kaien ordered sternly.
Yuki forced herself to turn away, tears falling full force now. She felt so helpless…
Hours later, Yuki sat solemnly on the sofa, her eyes red rimmed from crying. She had never imagined Zero dying before and she couldn’t bear the thought. He always came off as invincible to her and now… She was faced with his mortality. She watched the flames dance in the fireplace, anxiously waiting for Kaien to emerge from the bedroom. Zero’s cries had died down, but she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.
She immediately stood up, awaiting the news as Cross appeared in the doorway, his expression grim.
“He’s resting,” he informed rubbing his temple as if he had a headache. “I managed to stop the bleeding.”
“Can I see him?” She asked urgently. The Headmaster nodded and Yuki was almost instantly at his door. She timidly entered the bedroom, kneeling at Zero’s bedside. Zero’s breathing was ragged, a layer of sweat on his brow. His chest and his upper arm was wrapped in bandages.
Cross appeared behind her, resting his hand on her shoulder. “I’ll go make some tea.”