The Cure Chapter 8
Night had long fallen and Zero was exhausted. He’d come across a tavern in a neighboring city before deciding to rest for the night. He tied Lily up outside the Inn with a couple other horses before going inside and approaching the tenant.
“May I help you?” the old man in charge didn’t even look up as he wiped down the counter.
Zero passed the man a generous amount of money. “I’d like a room,” He glanced around cautiously, adjusting the bag on his shoulder. “For however long that’ll buy me.”
The owner stared at the huge amount of money, then up at Zero in shock. Finally he turned to the wall behind him, plucked a set of keys off a hook and tossed them at Zero. “Room 246, up the stairs and at the end of the hall to your left,” the old man gestured.
Zero muttered a quick “Thanks” and ascended the stairs, following the directions the man gave until he stood in front of the proper room number. He had to jiggle the key, but he managed to get the door open. Feeling blindly along the wall, he flipped on the light and took in his surroundings.
He immediately noticed a door to the right, leading to the bathroom and a closet to the left. Zero stepped inside, quietly shutting and locking the door behind him. Walking past the entryway, there were French doors straight ahead leading out to a balcony. A large king size bed was centered on the wall to the right, end tables with lamps on both sides. A small desk sat opposite of the bed and a recliner was tucked away in the far corner.
Zero set his bag down at the foot of the bed, closing all of the curtains and double-checking the locks. He didn’t bother to unpack; he had to be ready to make a quick get-away in case the Association caught up with him.
Exhausted, Zero sat down on the edge of the mattress. He pulled off his mask as he popped roughly six blood tablets in to his mouth and swallowed them without water as if they were ticktacks. His eyes and his whole body felt heavy, letting himself fall back onto the bed. Before he knew it, he’d dozed off.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Yuki wondered the empty streets, all shops had closed hours ago. It was neither hot nor cold outside and the night was still, eerily quiet. She was beginning to feel the familiar feelings of fear creeping up as it always did when she was alone in town, but she quickly shoved it away. She wasn’t human anymore. She could handle herself if needed. Despite telling herself this, her eyes glanced around out of paranoia. It felt like… Someone was following her; stalking her as if she were prey.
She picked up her pace, glancing behind but to find no one. Suddenly, her gasp was muffled as a hand covered her mouth and she was pulled into a narrow alleyway. She shoved her attacker with all her strength, sending him into the brick wall of the alley with a surprised grunt. She drew Artemis and faced her attacker as he recovered. She tried to make out his face, but it was too dark to see.
He flew at her and she swung her weapon. They collided into each other, stumbling back into the opposite wall. The stranger had somehow managed to knock her weapon away from her. She fought, struggling against an iron grasp. She managed to get her hand free long enough to punch them in the face and they shoved her roughly against the wall in response, knocking the air out of her.
The shadowed figure grasped her throat and she suddenly found it difficult to breathe. She shoved at their chest and clutched at their arm desperately, pleading. A few long seconds passed before she was released and she doubled over in a fit of coughing and gasping for air. Her hand massaged her bruised throat. She wondered why they decided to stop assaulting her, but she wasn’t one to question her blessings. Catching her breath, she peered up at her attacker, urging her eyes to adjust to the lack of light. He moved closer and silver hair glimmered in a small ray of moonlight and that’s when she realized… It was Zero.
Her eyes finally adjusted, and he didn’t look happy to see her at all. In fact, he was aiming Bloody Rose straight at her head execution style with a murderous glint in his eyes.
So he finally came to kill her… Her eyes widened and began to water at this realization.
“Z-Zero,” she breathed, her voice raspy from being choked.
Soon he was in her face, the proximity and the heat of his body invading hers making her uncomfortable. She closed her eyes, more tears escaping. She couldn’t bare to face him… She turned her head to the side to avoid his piercing hate-filled gaze but he grasped her jaw in a painful hold and forced her to look at him, Bloody Rose pressed hard to her temple.
“Please stop,” she begged. “I’ll do anything.”
“Anything?”
Her eyes snapped open at his response. He roughly crushed his lips to hers. She tried to escape his brutal assault, but his hand on her chin still kept her from turning away. She tried pushing him off and punching his chest, but he didn’t budge. She then bit his lip and he hissed in shock and pain. He pulled away, a stream of blood trailing his bottom lip. He touched his lip and then peered down at his fingers at his own blood, dumbfounded.
Yuki could taste his blood lingering in her mouth… And suddenly she wanted more. No, she needed more. She was pretty sure her eyes were glowing crimson now, staring at him with a predatory gaze. This time she shoved him against the stone wall and press her lips to his, tasting the blood from his bottom lip mixing in with their unkind kiss that was gradually turning into a passionate one. Her tongue slipped into his mouth to taste more of him, her hands on either side of his face.
A needy moan escaped him, one hand tangled in her long tresses and his other began to explore her body none too gently, trailing up her thigh and around to grasp the flesh of her buttocks from underneath her dress. Heat radiated from their bodies and she could feel herself begin to throb with desire. He pulled her body against his and she could feel his hardness poking at her thin panties through his jeans, sending tremors of pleasure through her. Her mind felt hazy, trying to process what was happening. But she couldn’t stop… It felt too good.
Yuki woke from her sleep, a deep blush staining her pale cheeks. Her panties were wet and she shifted uncomfortably. She slowly sat up, her long hair cascading around her shoulders as she did so. Yuki gently brought her fingertips to her lips.
Her dream… Zero’s touch… had felt so real. Her heart was still fluttering wildly in her chest and a tingle still lingered on her lips. Why… Why would she have a dream like that? Her cheeks were still burning. She should not have been having dreams like that, not about Zero.
Yuki shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. She wasn’t going to over-think it; People have strange, involuntary dreams all the time. Yuki flopped back down and turned over, pulling her blankets over her head in attempt to fall back to sleep.
But sleep never came. It was no use, there was no way she could sleep after a dream like that. Yuki flung the blankets off her body with a huff.
She wiggled her bare feet into a pair of boots that were sitting on the floor, towards the foot of her 4-post bed. Shrugging on a long coat over her night attire, Yuki crept nervously over to her window, peering out with uncertainty.
She breathed a heavy sigh, steeling her nerves. It was a long drop from her window to the bushes below… Had she still been a human, a fall from such a height would be fatal. She couldn’t be held back by such petty obstacles now, though. Still, she felt a little nervous and unconfident.
She unlocked her double windows, which opened like French doors. She climbed into the window sill, gazing down at the ground below. Clenching her eyes shut, she leapt from the window and braced herself for the impact. But she landed unharmed, aside from some minor cuts from the bushes. She breathed in relief and brushed herself off, heading away from the manor with determination.
_______________________________________________________________________________
The sound of light footsteps broke the night’s peaceful silence as Yuki ventured through an unknown town and unfamiliar streets. She had to shake off the sense of Déjà vu she felt from her dream; she half-expected Zero to pop out of nowhere and pull her into an alley any moment, but she knew that was silly. She tried to calm her nerves, as being alone in cities was still a phobia for her, dream or not. But the streets were virtually empty so there wasn’t anything to fear. Plus, she wasn’t a helpless human anymore, she reminded herself.
Yuki shivered, hugging herself in attempt to stay warm. She searched for signs of Zero, but she was beginning to feel a bit discouraged and foolish for searching him out in the first place. She wasn’t even sure where to begin to look, but… He’d said he was heading south for the forests and he would have had to of passed through this area. At this point she was merely following her instincts.
After walking for so long, she was beginning to feel a bit tired and cold, however. She was beginning to wish she had taken the time to change into something a bit warmer… But once she had made up her mind to search out Zero, she had been in such a haste that she acted impulsively, without completely thinking her decision through. She had a coat, but her night dress left her legs bare. She couldn’t feel her feet or hands. She didn’t even know what she would do if she did manage to find him. He probably would be angry; Even if she found him, she was likely to lose her nerve and not even approach him. Regardless, she felt that it would give her some sort of peace just to see him again, even if it was just from a distance and without him ever knowing she was there. She could live with that.
The sound of horses brought Yuki out of her thoughts. She turned, her hopes soaring when she saw White Lily tied up outside of an Inn. Zero had to be there. She couldn’t believe she actually found him… She silently praised herself.
Yuki slowly approached the horse in question, as if to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating or imagining things. Upon spotting the pureblood princess, Lily huffed threateningly as Yuki drew closer, shooting a piercing glare at her, as if daring her to step closer.
‘Oh yeah, that’s definitely White Lily.’ Yuki thought wryly to herself. Now to find Zero…
She strode into the establishment, though suddenly feeling cautious upon the musty smell and the shady looking people loitering around. She was light on her feet as she crossed the threshold of the doorway. Having not had much opportunity to hone her tracking skills and newly-acquired vampire senses, she could barely pinpoint Zero’s scent amongst all of the other unpleasant smells, but it was enough that she was sure he was there.
Yuki forced her feet to carry her past the counter unseen by the burly inn keeper who was busy drying a beer mug with a rag and conversing with a patron sitting at the bar. Taking advantage of his distraction, she stealthily slunk her way up the stairs without being noticed and attempted to focus on locating which room Zero was staying in, through his ghost of a faded scent.
Just when she figured out which was his, she heard movement on the other side of the door. A small “click” was heard, signaling that the lock had unlatched. By that time, Yuki had already positioned herself beside the door, her back pressed up against the wall as the knob twisted. Even though she had intentionally sought him out, she was still frozen with fear and anxiety about him discovering her, so she instinctively darted around the corner of the hallway corridor.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Zero had been tossing and turning, attempting to get some sleep for what seemed to be an eternity. Restless, he rose from bed and left his room, though not without hiding his identity first with Ichiru's mask.
He paused briefly upon entering the hallway when he thought he’d caught a hint of Yuki’s familiar scent but it seemed to have disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. He wondered if he’d imagined it, like he’d done plenty of other times. His cruel mind tended to play tricks on him when it came to Yuki. It seemed that no matter where he went, he couldn’t escape her memory. Her scent had always enticed him in ways he couldn’t understand, even now when it was altered into the scent of a pureblood.
Zero pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and proceeded to travel down the stairs to the tavern below, flipping the hood of his jacket up over his head. He didn’t want to risk being seen outside in the town so he opted for staying inside and sitting at the bar instead. He picked a seat, crossed his arms over the counter and leaned in, subtly glancing around.
Surprisingly, even while he was wearing a mask and with the hood of his jacket pulled over his head, he still didn’t stand out much. There were quite a few suspicious, shady-looking characters lurking in the shadows of the bar. A few of them had a paranoid demeanor as they continuously glance around every few minutes, sipping on alcoholic beverages. Some had tattoos, piercings, scars… He didn’t fail to take notice of which ones had weapons either.
After sitting at the bar for what felt like forever, the bartender broke him from his stupor, “So what’s your name, Kid?”
Zero peered up dully at the innkeeper. “What’s it to you?” he retorted suspiciously.
The keeper gave him a dirty look at his smart response. “Just making friendly conversation,” he remarked, annoyed at Zero’s blunt disrespect. “If you won’t tell me your name, you wanna tell me what brings you here?”
“Business,” he curtly replied.
“Business, huh?” the man behind the counter repeated sarcastically. “What are you, some sort of spy? ..or fugitive, perhaps? We get a lot of those.”
Something about this guy rubbed him the wrong way. “Trust me, you don’t want to know,” he answered vaguely.
The man pondered a bit at Zero’s secrecy, before brushing it off. He was curious as to how a youngster like him could come across so much money. He recalled how the strange masked silver-haired boy had laid about a months’ worth of money for a room there on the counter without even flinching. He had to be into something deep and/or illegal. “Well, in any case, here…” The man passed Zero a large mug that smelled strongly of alcohol. “You look like you could use a drink. On the house,” he clarified at Zero’s raised eyebrow and questioning look. How would this guy know if he was old enough to drink or not?
Zero hesitated, eyeing the contents of the glass.
“It’s not poisoned or drugged or anything,” the guy chuckled with amusement. He walked off, mumbling about uptight youths.
Zero contemplated whether or not to accept the beverage. It’d probably help with the pain, not just pain from his thirst… but the pain from what remained of his wounds as well. He was considerably better, but… sore still, nonetheless. Traveling so far in such a short amount of time had took its toll on him as well. He needed to be alert and prepared for an attack, not drunk and disoriented… He knew he shouldn’t. But there was a part of him that wanted to forget… forget about Yuki… forget his thirst… forget about what he was and what he was becoming… forget about his impending death… forget that he was running away from the Association… forget it all.
After much thought, Zero finally decided ‘to Hell with it.’ He picked up the cup and downed its contents. Empty, Zero set the mug back on the counter with a quick ‘thanks.’ He grimaced at the horrible taste, but it wasn’t any worse than choking down fake blood.
“Hey, there handsome,” a beautiful red-headed woman in a tight red dress joined him in the seat beside him, a teasing smile tugging at the corner of her full crimson lips. She was mature woman, probably years older than Zero, but had a notable poised manner about her. She ordered two drinks, one of them being a duplicate of whatever he’d just drank and passed it to him.
He eyed the drink and then looked back at her. “Thanks, but I-“
“Oh come on, humor a girl would ya?” she insisted, cutting him off as she tossed her luscious deep red locks over her exposed shoulder and crossed her long bare legs. She leaned in expectantly. “I mean, I did already pay for it, so...” Her glittering emerald green eyes glanced down at the drink and then at him as if silently gesturing for him to drink it.
He didn’t respond.
She purged her lips at him. “How about we play a game,” she suggested. “I’ve been a little bored with the rest of the folks in here, but you… you’re interesting. So, what do you say, my lil brooding Stud muffin?”
He sighed heavily, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the pet names she was giving him. Maybe it was the alcohol he’d already drank, but he was feeling a little more open-minded than usual. “What kind of game?”
Her smile widened. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with the bartender a second ago.” She admitted. “Since I’d like to get to know you better… how about, I will make educated guesses about you and… If I’m right, you have to take a drink. If I’m wrong, then I’ll drink.”
He looked hesitant to agree but she refused to take no for an answer. In fact, she hadn’t even given him a chance to decline.
“So to start off, I’m going to guess that you just recently broke up with your girlfriend. It would certainly explain the attitude you’ve got and why a good looking guy like you would be sitting here alone at a bar.”
Zero remained silent, but looked up at her in acknowledgement.
“Damn,” she cursed, realizing she was wrong. She took a drink. “Not off to a strong start.” She remarked, poking fun at herself. “Well, you aren’t wearing a wedding ring, so you must not be married,” she noted. “I’m going to guess next that you don’t have a girlfriend or a wife.”
Zero reluctantly took a swig of his drink.
A small smile lifted the corner of her luscious lips. “You’re a loner, and you prefer it that way. Probably don’t have much contact with friends or family, or you just don’t have any.”
He took another drink. “You’re only making easy deductions,” he remarked as if unimpressed.
Her eyes narrowed as if she were getting more serious. “You’re running away from something.” She challenged, stepping it up a notch, upon his provocation.
Zero was beginning to wonder if he had a flashing neon sign over his head that said ‘I’m a fugitive’ on it. He hesitated as he contemplated if he should reveal such information to her, but he was beginning to find it difficult to care about anything anymore… his mind felt numb now. He took another drink.
He wasn’t certain how long the two of them had been talking, but he knew a significant amount of time had passed. He’d finished three more drinks and he wasn’t quite feeling like himself.
“I’m not sure how a good-looking guy like you can be single but I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed your company, loverboy. Here’s my room number,” she whispered into his ear seductively, the heavy smell of alcohol wafting into his nose. She forced a napkin with her information written on it into his hand. “You’re more than welcome to come keep me company… and my bed warm. I’ll be here all week.” She informed, before roughly grasping his hair and kissing him very forcefully. He didn’t even have time to protest. When she released him, he stared after her stunned, but she only winked at him suggestively before turning to leave.
When she’d disappeared, he waited a few minutes longer to make sure she was truly gone and took the last swig of what remained of his drink. He soon stood, deciding to give sleep another chance. The room was spinning, but he somehow managed to walk normally.
Zero made his way to the staircase and back up to his room, beginning to realize the full effects of the alcohol half way up the stairs. He stumbled, struggling to make it to the top. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have drank so fast,’ Zero silently reprimanded himself. The fact that he hadn’t eaten anything for a while probably didn’t help with the alcohol absorption either. He apparently overestimated his tolerance.
He struggled up the remaining steps, his body not quite cooperating. He managed the make it to the correct room, the number 246 displayed on the door. He fumbled with the key, but eventually managed to get the door open. He stepped inside, staggering a bit and bracing himself on the wall.
He went into the bathroom, stumbling until he reached the sink, using it for support. He stared at himself in the vanity mirror for a few moments, grumbling. There was red lipstick smeared on his mouth which had no doubt rubbed off when the woman from the bar had kissed him. He clumsily swiped one of the washcloths from the towel holder and wet it, scrubbing the offending residue from his face. Feeling dehydrated and his throat raw, dropped the rag and cupped his hands, filling them with water from the running faucet to drink it. He proceeded to splash more water over his face before exiting the washroom to make for the bed. The thought of sleep sounded much more promising this time around. But he froze.
Even intoxicated as he was, he could feel a presence. His hunter instincts kicked in and he pulled Bloody Rose from his coat. In seconds his gun was cocked and ready to fire, peering up into the blinding darkness of the room where a dark figure stood. He felt a light breeze caress his skin and he knew the balcony doors were open and he'd likely caught the intruder trying to leave.
Yuki was standing a few feet from him, her back to him while she closed the balcony doors again. Her hand moved to the inside of her coat, presumably where she had a weapon concealed.
“Don’t move,” he warned. Zero struggled to focus on the figure in front of him, vision impaired more than usual due to being a bit inebriated. “Turn around slowly.”
She held her hands up in surrender and slowly turned to face him. She watched his jaw tighten when he discovered her identity. He realized he hadn’t just imagined her scent earlier.
“I’m sorry for breaking in, I just…” Yuki’s soft voice interrupted the silence as she attempted to explain herself but Yuki was startled when the smell of alcohol reached her nose. “Zero, have you been drinking?” she wondered in shock. That wasn’t like him. He never drank alcohol in his life… Though, as of late, she wouldn’t know. Maybe he’d taken up drinking in the time they’d been apart. He was old enough, now. But… Zero wasn’t that irresponsible, was he?
“Why the Hell are you here, Yuki?” he snapped, disregarding her question “Didn’t I make it clear enough last time that I don’t want anything to do with you?”
The tension was thick in the air. Yuki timidly began to step backward toward the balcony as if to leave, but Zero snagged her arm, swiftly backing her into the wall. She cried out, her head hitting the wall from the abrupt impact. She tenderly rubbed the back of her head.
He closed the space between them, lean in closer to her. He placing one hand beside of her head, the other pointing his gun at her. “I won’t show you mercy this time, Yuki,” he said, almost as if to convince himself more than her. “I won’t be so weak. I won’t…” his voice cracked and he’d lost his resolve and looked away, his voice trailing off and his entire body trembling. She could tell that he wasn’t quite himself.
Yuki’s eyes were beginning to fill with unshed tears as she silently laid her hand on his wrist holding Bloody Rose, lowering it. He looked back at her and she forced a smile despite her tears… like she always did… when she had been human.
‘I want those gentle hands, and this kind smile,’ Zero forced back the memory of fondness for her. Damn alcohol was making him nostalgic. That was long in the past now. The last time he’d thought about that… He’d almost kissed her.
“You’re so stubborn, Zero,” She said in amazement. She started to say something else, but he cut her off, his lips pressed hard to hers. She gasped against his mouth in shock, her heart racing. She could feel the emotion… the frustration and anger in his kiss… and also desire.
She couldn’t understand him. She wished she knew what was going on in his head. He was giving her so many mixed signals that it confused her. She was terrified of rejection.
Still, her hand grasped his shirt, and he leaned closer, pressing his body against hers and pinning her to the wall. Sparks ignited inside of her… Though she was uncertain, but her hands pulled him closer. She didn’t have time to second guess her actions, as her body seemed to react on its own accord. Her tongue entered his mouth and he eagerly welcomed it. She could taste the remains of alcohol, but she didn’t care.
Her hips instinctively pressed against his, causing him to moan against her mouth. The hand on the back of her neck trailed downward over her body and he shuttered, his lips moving down to her delicate neck. He brushed her oversized jacket out of the way and it slowly fell off her shoulders a little, as did the thin strap of her gown she’d worn beneath it. Yuki’s head fell back, biting back a cry as she felt his fangs enter her flesh. He drank hungrily at first, but then slowed as his thirst had been satisfied.
When he pulled away, his head was downcast and his body still shook. Yuki was confused at his sudden change in demeanor. She heard him mumble something but she couldn’t make out what he’d said. She could smell the blood and alcohol lingering on his breath. “What?”
“I hate you.”
Yuki was taken aback and she felt her heart painfully seize up. She fought the tears and she watched the emotion in his behavior.
“I hate you.” he repeated again, the intensity in his tone increasing as he spoke. “I hate everything about you; your long hair, your smooth voice, your vampire smell, the taste of your pure blood… I hate it all.”
Yuki just watched him for a moment. He was lashing out, but she could see the hurt he was trying to hide. Her heart ached so much… Why did he have to say such things? Despite being a powerful pureblood now, he made her feel so weak. He was emotional because of the alcohol, but… It was probably how he really felt, nonetheless.
“Honestly, I don’t know why this hurts so much,” he said lowly. He was trying to talk himself into pulling the trigger. His gun pressed painfully into her again, his hands were trembling before he froze, feeling something hard pressed into his abdomen in return. He looked down, seeing the pistol that he’d given her so long ago in her hand. He was stunned and he felt his chest tighten. She’d brought it for self defense, just in case he decided to attack her again. She must’ve had it in her coat this whole time. He knew he could eventually provoke her; it was about time she fought back.
Tears flowed down Yuki’s cheeks as she cocked the pistol, “Don’t make me use this. Please Zero,” she begged, clenching her eyes shut, “I never wanted this burden.” Though she hoped her words were convincing, she was bluffing; she could never shoot him. Just the thought of hurting Zero was unbearable.
Zero just stared at her with an unreadable expression. He lowered Bloody Rose, slowly laying it on the floor in surrender. She was stiff and didn't move as he did so. He slowly took her hands in his and adjusted it upward so that the gun she was holding was now positioned at his chest. “You’d better aim for the heart.” He told her softly, his eyes suddenly deep and vulnerable and staring straight into hers.
Yuki gasped, instantly pulling her hands away, letting go of the weapon and leaving the gun in his grasp. She turned away, unable to look into his pained gaze.
‘She surrendered that easily,’ he thought to himself before backing off a bit. He stared down at her and eyes followed her movements as she cautiously righted herself. His gaze was still on her as she straightened out her hair and clothes from their brief passionate moment. Her cheeks flushed as she recalled it and shifted a little at the uncomfortable moisture he’d caused. Her body yearned for more.
He gave her pistol back and she shamefully took it back. Intending to lay down, Zero turned from her, his previous anger forgotten, but he stumbled and fell against the wall. “I don’t feel well,” he groggily groaned.
Alarmed, Yuki rushed to his side to help him to the bed, the fact slipping her mind that they had been holding each other at gunpoint only a few moments ago. He nearly dragged her with him, almost falling on top of him as he collapsed on the mattress, disoriented. She helped him adjust and get comfortable, assisting him to pull his legs onto the bed. He appeared to have immediately fallen asleep, his eyes were closed as he laid on his side, his lips just barely parted as he breathed evenly. His face was void of his usual scowl. One of Yuki’s hands was still holding his, while the other brushed his disheveled hair from his face, staring at him longingly. She hated seeing him like this. She moved to let go of his hand but his grasp tightened around hers, not allowing her to leave.
“Stay,” he murmured with his eyes still closed, his voice sounding incredibly exhausted and heavy.
Yuki’s heart leaped into her throat at his words. He really wanted her to stay? Oh, how she wished she could stay with him… But the truth was, he was drunk. It was really just the alcohol talking. And when he woke in the morning sober, he probably wouldn’t remember asking her to stay, or perhaps forget that she was here altogether… if she was lucky. “I can’t,” she regretfully replied. “You’re drunk. You’ll wake up and try to kill me.”
Zero curtly laughed almost humorlessly, catching Yuki off guard before his lingering smile slowly ebbed away. “You’re probably right,” he replied sadly.
She sighed, contemplating for a moment. “I’ll stay,” Yuki replied softly, “But only for a little while.”
Zero nodded and Yuki hesitantly got in bed with him, laying down behind him. She kept a little distance between them, cautious in case he decided to have a mood swing and threaten her again. Instead, she felt him turn around to face her. Her heart quickened as he rested his head on her chest, wrapping his arm around her and nuzzling his face into her, pulling her close. The weight and warmth of his body on hers was pleasant. It felt good to have him so close, his personal scent filling her senses. She found herself savoring the feeling, wishing it could last.
Yuki absentmindedly stoked Zero’s silver hair, a single tear rolling down her cheek. Her fingers traced his bangs, down to the outline of his slumbering face… At least, she was fairly certain that he was asleep, judging by the heavy rise and fall of his body against hers every time he breathed. Her fingertips caressed his strong jaw and dared to brush the flesh of his neck, feeling the delightfully alluring beat of his pulse. Yuki stared lustfully at his blood rushing just beneath his skin and swallowed hard before averting her crimson eyes and struggling to refrain herself. She wanted his blood so badly… But she knew better than to try to take it. He couldn’t afford to give her any of his blood anyway, in his condition. She couldn’t help but wonder how much time he had left now.
There it was again… that sharp ache in her heart, at the thought of losing Zero. She pushed the thought aside, trying to focus on the present. At that moment, she could nearly forget that the man in her arms hated her. She could pretend, if only for the moment, that everything was fine between them again.
“One more thing,” Zero suddenly added and Yuki felt her body tense. His brows crinkled but he didn’t open his eyes, “Don’t sneak in again unless you want to get shot.”
She suppressed a small smile at his expense, but nodded. “Sure thing.”
“May I help you?” the old man in charge didn’t even look up as he wiped down the counter.
Zero passed the man a generous amount of money. “I’d like a room,” He glanced around cautiously, adjusting the bag on his shoulder. “For however long that’ll buy me.”
The owner stared at the huge amount of money, then up at Zero in shock. Finally he turned to the wall behind him, plucked a set of keys off a hook and tossed them at Zero. “Room 246, up the stairs and at the end of the hall to your left,” the old man gestured.
Zero muttered a quick “Thanks” and ascended the stairs, following the directions the man gave until he stood in front of the proper room number. He had to jiggle the key, but he managed to get the door open. Feeling blindly along the wall, he flipped on the light and took in his surroundings.
He immediately noticed a door to the right, leading to the bathroom and a closet to the left. Zero stepped inside, quietly shutting and locking the door behind him. Walking past the entryway, there were French doors straight ahead leading out to a balcony. A large king size bed was centered on the wall to the right, end tables with lamps on both sides. A small desk sat opposite of the bed and a recliner was tucked away in the far corner.
Zero set his bag down at the foot of the bed, closing all of the curtains and double-checking the locks. He didn’t bother to unpack; he had to be ready to make a quick get-away in case the Association caught up with him.
Exhausted, Zero sat down on the edge of the mattress. He pulled off his mask as he popped roughly six blood tablets in to his mouth and swallowed them without water as if they were ticktacks. His eyes and his whole body felt heavy, letting himself fall back onto the bed. Before he knew it, he’d dozed off.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Yuki wondered the empty streets, all shops had closed hours ago. It was neither hot nor cold outside and the night was still, eerily quiet. She was beginning to feel the familiar feelings of fear creeping up as it always did when she was alone in town, but she quickly shoved it away. She wasn’t human anymore. She could handle herself if needed. Despite telling herself this, her eyes glanced around out of paranoia. It felt like… Someone was following her; stalking her as if she were prey.
She picked up her pace, glancing behind but to find no one. Suddenly, her gasp was muffled as a hand covered her mouth and she was pulled into a narrow alleyway. She shoved her attacker with all her strength, sending him into the brick wall of the alley with a surprised grunt. She drew Artemis and faced her attacker as he recovered. She tried to make out his face, but it was too dark to see.
He flew at her and she swung her weapon. They collided into each other, stumbling back into the opposite wall. The stranger had somehow managed to knock her weapon away from her. She fought, struggling against an iron grasp. She managed to get her hand free long enough to punch them in the face and they shoved her roughly against the wall in response, knocking the air out of her.
The shadowed figure grasped her throat and she suddenly found it difficult to breathe. She shoved at their chest and clutched at their arm desperately, pleading. A few long seconds passed before she was released and she doubled over in a fit of coughing and gasping for air. Her hand massaged her bruised throat. She wondered why they decided to stop assaulting her, but she wasn’t one to question her blessings. Catching her breath, she peered up at her attacker, urging her eyes to adjust to the lack of light. He moved closer and silver hair glimmered in a small ray of moonlight and that’s when she realized… It was Zero.
Her eyes finally adjusted, and he didn’t look happy to see her at all. In fact, he was aiming Bloody Rose straight at her head execution style with a murderous glint in his eyes.
So he finally came to kill her… Her eyes widened and began to water at this realization.
“Z-Zero,” she breathed, her voice raspy from being choked.
Soon he was in her face, the proximity and the heat of his body invading hers making her uncomfortable. She closed her eyes, more tears escaping. She couldn’t bare to face him… She turned her head to the side to avoid his piercing hate-filled gaze but he grasped her jaw in a painful hold and forced her to look at him, Bloody Rose pressed hard to her temple.
“Please stop,” she begged. “I’ll do anything.”
“Anything?”
Her eyes snapped open at his response. He roughly crushed his lips to hers. She tried to escape his brutal assault, but his hand on her chin still kept her from turning away. She tried pushing him off and punching his chest, but he didn’t budge. She then bit his lip and he hissed in shock and pain. He pulled away, a stream of blood trailing his bottom lip. He touched his lip and then peered down at his fingers at his own blood, dumbfounded.
Yuki could taste his blood lingering in her mouth… And suddenly she wanted more. No, she needed more. She was pretty sure her eyes were glowing crimson now, staring at him with a predatory gaze. This time she shoved him against the stone wall and press her lips to his, tasting the blood from his bottom lip mixing in with their unkind kiss that was gradually turning into a passionate one. Her tongue slipped into his mouth to taste more of him, her hands on either side of his face.
A needy moan escaped him, one hand tangled in her long tresses and his other began to explore her body none too gently, trailing up her thigh and around to grasp the flesh of her buttocks from underneath her dress. Heat radiated from their bodies and she could feel herself begin to throb with desire. He pulled her body against his and she could feel his hardness poking at her thin panties through his jeans, sending tremors of pleasure through her. Her mind felt hazy, trying to process what was happening. But she couldn’t stop… It felt too good.
Yuki woke from her sleep, a deep blush staining her pale cheeks. Her panties were wet and she shifted uncomfortably. She slowly sat up, her long hair cascading around her shoulders as she did so. Yuki gently brought her fingertips to her lips.
Her dream… Zero’s touch… had felt so real. Her heart was still fluttering wildly in her chest and a tingle still lingered on her lips. Why… Why would she have a dream like that? Her cheeks were still burning. She should not have been having dreams like that, not about Zero.
Yuki shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. She wasn’t going to over-think it; People have strange, involuntary dreams all the time. Yuki flopped back down and turned over, pulling her blankets over her head in attempt to fall back to sleep.
But sleep never came. It was no use, there was no way she could sleep after a dream like that. Yuki flung the blankets off her body with a huff.
She wiggled her bare feet into a pair of boots that were sitting on the floor, towards the foot of her 4-post bed. Shrugging on a long coat over her night attire, Yuki crept nervously over to her window, peering out with uncertainty.
She breathed a heavy sigh, steeling her nerves. It was a long drop from her window to the bushes below… Had she still been a human, a fall from such a height would be fatal. She couldn’t be held back by such petty obstacles now, though. Still, she felt a little nervous and unconfident.
She unlocked her double windows, which opened like French doors. She climbed into the window sill, gazing down at the ground below. Clenching her eyes shut, she leapt from the window and braced herself for the impact. But she landed unharmed, aside from some minor cuts from the bushes. She breathed in relief and brushed herself off, heading away from the manor with determination.
_______________________________________________________________________________
The sound of light footsteps broke the night’s peaceful silence as Yuki ventured through an unknown town and unfamiliar streets. She had to shake off the sense of Déjà vu she felt from her dream; she half-expected Zero to pop out of nowhere and pull her into an alley any moment, but she knew that was silly. She tried to calm her nerves, as being alone in cities was still a phobia for her, dream or not. But the streets were virtually empty so there wasn’t anything to fear. Plus, she wasn’t a helpless human anymore, she reminded herself.
Yuki shivered, hugging herself in attempt to stay warm. She searched for signs of Zero, but she was beginning to feel a bit discouraged and foolish for searching him out in the first place. She wasn’t even sure where to begin to look, but… He’d said he was heading south for the forests and he would have had to of passed through this area. At this point she was merely following her instincts.
After walking for so long, she was beginning to feel a bit tired and cold, however. She was beginning to wish she had taken the time to change into something a bit warmer… But once she had made up her mind to search out Zero, she had been in such a haste that she acted impulsively, without completely thinking her decision through. She had a coat, but her night dress left her legs bare. She couldn’t feel her feet or hands. She didn’t even know what she would do if she did manage to find him. He probably would be angry; Even if she found him, she was likely to lose her nerve and not even approach him. Regardless, she felt that it would give her some sort of peace just to see him again, even if it was just from a distance and without him ever knowing she was there. She could live with that.
The sound of horses brought Yuki out of her thoughts. She turned, her hopes soaring when she saw White Lily tied up outside of an Inn. Zero had to be there. She couldn’t believe she actually found him… She silently praised herself.
Yuki slowly approached the horse in question, as if to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating or imagining things. Upon spotting the pureblood princess, Lily huffed threateningly as Yuki drew closer, shooting a piercing glare at her, as if daring her to step closer.
‘Oh yeah, that’s definitely White Lily.’ Yuki thought wryly to herself. Now to find Zero…
She strode into the establishment, though suddenly feeling cautious upon the musty smell and the shady looking people loitering around. She was light on her feet as she crossed the threshold of the doorway. Having not had much opportunity to hone her tracking skills and newly-acquired vampire senses, she could barely pinpoint Zero’s scent amongst all of the other unpleasant smells, but it was enough that she was sure he was there.
Yuki forced her feet to carry her past the counter unseen by the burly inn keeper who was busy drying a beer mug with a rag and conversing with a patron sitting at the bar. Taking advantage of his distraction, she stealthily slunk her way up the stairs without being noticed and attempted to focus on locating which room Zero was staying in, through his ghost of a faded scent.
Just when she figured out which was his, she heard movement on the other side of the door. A small “click” was heard, signaling that the lock had unlatched. By that time, Yuki had already positioned herself beside the door, her back pressed up against the wall as the knob twisted. Even though she had intentionally sought him out, she was still frozen with fear and anxiety about him discovering her, so she instinctively darted around the corner of the hallway corridor.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Zero had been tossing and turning, attempting to get some sleep for what seemed to be an eternity. Restless, he rose from bed and left his room, though not without hiding his identity first with Ichiru's mask.
He paused briefly upon entering the hallway when he thought he’d caught a hint of Yuki’s familiar scent but it seemed to have disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. He wondered if he’d imagined it, like he’d done plenty of other times. His cruel mind tended to play tricks on him when it came to Yuki. It seemed that no matter where he went, he couldn’t escape her memory. Her scent had always enticed him in ways he couldn’t understand, even now when it was altered into the scent of a pureblood.
Zero pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and proceeded to travel down the stairs to the tavern below, flipping the hood of his jacket up over his head. He didn’t want to risk being seen outside in the town so he opted for staying inside and sitting at the bar instead. He picked a seat, crossed his arms over the counter and leaned in, subtly glancing around.
Surprisingly, even while he was wearing a mask and with the hood of his jacket pulled over his head, he still didn’t stand out much. There were quite a few suspicious, shady-looking characters lurking in the shadows of the bar. A few of them had a paranoid demeanor as they continuously glance around every few minutes, sipping on alcoholic beverages. Some had tattoos, piercings, scars… He didn’t fail to take notice of which ones had weapons either.
After sitting at the bar for what felt like forever, the bartender broke him from his stupor, “So what’s your name, Kid?”
Zero peered up dully at the innkeeper. “What’s it to you?” he retorted suspiciously.
The keeper gave him a dirty look at his smart response. “Just making friendly conversation,” he remarked, annoyed at Zero’s blunt disrespect. “If you won’t tell me your name, you wanna tell me what brings you here?”
“Business,” he curtly replied.
“Business, huh?” the man behind the counter repeated sarcastically. “What are you, some sort of spy? ..or fugitive, perhaps? We get a lot of those.”
Something about this guy rubbed him the wrong way. “Trust me, you don’t want to know,” he answered vaguely.
The man pondered a bit at Zero’s secrecy, before brushing it off. He was curious as to how a youngster like him could come across so much money. He recalled how the strange masked silver-haired boy had laid about a months’ worth of money for a room there on the counter without even flinching. He had to be into something deep and/or illegal. “Well, in any case, here…” The man passed Zero a large mug that smelled strongly of alcohol. “You look like you could use a drink. On the house,” he clarified at Zero’s raised eyebrow and questioning look. How would this guy know if he was old enough to drink or not?
Zero hesitated, eyeing the contents of the glass.
“It’s not poisoned or drugged or anything,” the guy chuckled with amusement. He walked off, mumbling about uptight youths.
Zero contemplated whether or not to accept the beverage. It’d probably help with the pain, not just pain from his thirst… but the pain from what remained of his wounds as well. He was considerably better, but… sore still, nonetheless. Traveling so far in such a short amount of time had took its toll on him as well. He needed to be alert and prepared for an attack, not drunk and disoriented… He knew he shouldn’t. But there was a part of him that wanted to forget… forget about Yuki… forget his thirst… forget about what he was and what he was becoming… forget about his impending death… forget that he was running away from the Association… forget it all.
After much thought, Zero finally decided ‘to Hell with it.’ He picked up the cup and downed its contents. Empty, Zero set the mug back on the counter with a quick ‘thanks.’ He grimaced at the horrible taste, but it wasn’t any worse than choking down fake blood.
“Hey, there handsome,” a beautiful red-headed woman in a tight red dress joined him in the seat beside him, a teasing smile tugging at the corner of her full crimson lips. She was mature woman, probably years older than Zero, but had a notable poised manner about her. She ordered two drinks, one of them being a duplicate of whatever he’d just drank and passed it to him.
He eyed the drink and then looked back at her. “Thanks, but I-“
“Oh come on, humor a girl would ya?” she insisted, cutting him off as she tossed her luscious deep red locks over her exposed shoulder and crossed her long bare legs. She leaned in expectantly. “I mean, I did already pay for it, so...” Her glittering emerald green eyes glanced down at the drink and then at him as if silently gesturing for him to drink it.
He didn’t respond.
She purged her lips at him. “How about we play a game,” she suggested. “I’ve been a little bored with the rest of the folks in here, but you… you’re interesting. So, what do you say, my lil brooding Stud muffin?”
He sighed heavily, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the pet names she was giving him. Maybe it was the alcohol he’d already drank, but he was feeling a little more open-minded than usual. “What kind of game?”
Her smile widened. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with the bartender a second ago.” She admitted. “Since I’d like to get to know you better… how about, I will make educated guesses about you and… If I’m right, you have to take a drink. If I’m wrong, then I’ll drink.”
He looked hesitant to agree but she refused to take no for an answer. In fact, she hadn’t even given him a chance to decline.
“So to start off, I’m going to guess that you just recently broke up with your girlfriend. It would certainly explain the attitude you’ve got and why a good looking guy like you would be sitting here alone at a bar.”
Zero remained silent, but looked up at her in acknowledgement.
“Damn,” she cursed, realizing she was wrong. She took a drink. “Not off to a strong start.” She remarked, poking fun at herself. “Well, you aren’t wearing a wedding ring, so you must not be married,” she noted. “I’m going to guess next that you don’t have a girlfriend or a wife.”
Zero reluctantly took a swig of his drink.
A small smile lifted the corner of her luscious lips. “You’re a loner, and you prefer it that way. Probably don’t have much contact with friends or family, or you just don’t have any.”
He took another drink. “You’re only making easy deductions,” he remarked as if unimpressed.
Her eyes narrowed as if she were getting more serious. “You’re running away from something.” She challenged, stepping it up a notch, upon his provocation.
Zero was beginning to wonder if he had a flashing neon sign over his head that said ‘I’m a fugitive’ on it. He hesitated as he contemplated if he should reveal such information to her, but he was beginning to find it difficult to care about anything anymore… his mind felt numb now. He took another drink.
He wasn’t certain how long the two of them had been talking, but he knew a significant amount of time had passed. He’d finished three more drinks and he wasn’t quite feeling like himself.
“I’m not sure how a good-looking guy like you can be single but I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed your company, loverboy. Here’s my room number,” she whispered into his ear seductively, the heavy smell of alcohol wafting into his nose. She forced a napkin with her information written on it into his hand. “You’re more than welcome to come keep me company… and my bed warm. I’ll be here all week.” She informed, before roughly grasping his hair and kissing him very forcefully. He didn’t even have time to protest. When she released him, he stared after her stunned, but she only winked at him suggestively before turning to leave.
When she’d disappeared, he waited a few minutes longer to make sure she was truly gone and took the last swig of what remained of his drink. He soon stood, deciding to give sleep another chance. The room was spinning, but he somehow managed to walk normally.
Zero made his way to the staircase and back up to his room, beginning to realize the full effects of the alcohol half way up the stairs. He stumbled, struggling to make it to the top. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have drank so fast,’ Zero silently reprimanded himself. The fact that he hadn’t eaten anything for a while probably didn’t help with the alcohol absorption either. He apparently overestimated his tolerance.
He struggled up the remaining steps, his body not quite cooperating. He managed the make it to the correct room, the number 246 displayed on the door. He fumbled with the key, but eventually managed to get the door open. He stepped inside, staggering a bit and bracing himself on the wall.
He went into the bathroom, stumbling until he reached the sink, using it for support. He stared at himself in the vanity mirror for a few moments, grumbling. There was red lipstick smeared on his mouth which had no doubt rubbed off when the woman from the bar had kissed him. He clumsily swiped one of the washcloths from the towel holder and wet it, scrubbing the offending residue from his face. Feeling dehydrated and his throat raw, dropped the rag and cupped his hands, filling them with water from the running faucet to drink it. He proceeded to splash more water over his face before exiting the washroom to make for the bed. The thought of sleep sounded much more promising this time around. But he froze.
Even intoxicated as he was, he could feel a presence. His hunter instincts kicked in and he pulled Bloody Rose from his coat. In seconds his gun was cocked and ready to fire, peering up into the blinding darkness of the room where a dark figure stood. He felt a light breeze caress his skin and he knew the balcony doors were open and he'd likely caught the intruder trying to leave.
Yuki was standing a few feet from him, her back to him while she closed the balcony doors again. Her hand moved to the inside of her coat, presumably where she had a weapon concealed.
“Don’t move,” he warned. Zero struggled to focus on the figure in front of him, vision impaired more than usual due to being a bit inebriated. “Turn around slowly.”
She held her hands up in surrender and slowly turned to face him. She watched his jaw tighten when he discovered her identity. He realized he hadn’t just imagined her scent earlier.
“I’m sorry for breaking in, I just…” Yuki’s soft voice interrupted the silence as she attempted to explain herself but Yuki was startled when the smell of alcohol reached her nose. “Zero, have you been drinking?” she wondered in shock. That wasn’t like him. He never drank alcohol in his life… Though, as of late, she wouldn’t know. Maybe he’d taken up drinking in the time they’d been apart. He was old enough, now. But… Zero wasn’t that irresponsible, was he?
“Why the Hell are you here, Yuki?” he snapped, disregarding her question “Didn’t I make it clear enough last time that I don’t want anything to do with you?”
The tension was thick in the air. Yuki timidly began to step backward toward the balcony as if to leave, but Zero snagged her arm, swiftly backing her into the wall. She cried out, her head hitting the wall from the abrupt impact. She tenderly rubbed the back of her head.
He closed the space between them, lean in closer to her. He placing one hand beside of her head, the other pointing his gun at her. “I won’t show you mercy this time, Yuki,” he said, almost as if to convince himself more than her. “I won’t be so weak. I won’t…” his voice cracked and he’d lost his resolve and looked away, his voice trailing off and his entire body trembling. She could tell that he wasn’t quite himself.
Yuki’s eyes were beginning to fill with unshed tears as she silently laid her hand on his wrist holding Bloody Rose, lowering it. He looked back at her and she forced a smile despite her tears… like she always did… when she had been human.
‘I want those gentle hands, and this kind smile,’ Zero forced back the memory of fondness for her. Damn alcohol was making him nostalgic. That was long in the past now. The last time he’d thought about that… He’d almost kissed her.
“You’re so stubborn, Zero,” She said in amazement. She started to say something else, but he cut her off, his lips pressed hard to hers. She gasped against his mouth in shock, her heart racing. She could feel the emotion… the frustration and anger in his kiss… and also desire.
She couldn’t understand him. She wished she knew what was going on in his head. He was giving her so many mixed signals that it confused her. She was terrified of rejection.
Still, her hand grasped his shirt, and he leaned closer, pressing his body against hers and pinning her to the wall. Sparks ignited inside of her… Though she was uncertain, but her hands pulled him closer. She didn’t have time to second guess her actions, as her body seemed to react on its own accord. Her tongue entered his mouth and he eagerly welcomed it. She could taste the remains of alcohol, but she didn’t care.
Her hips instinctively pressed against his, causing him to moan against her mouth. The hand on the back of her neck trailed downward over her body and he shuttered, his lips moving down to her delicate neck. He brushed her oversized jacket out of the way and it slowly fell off her shoulders a little, as did the thin strap of her gown she’d worn beneath it. Yuki’s head fell back, biting back a cry as she felt his fangs enter her flesh. He drank hungrily at first, but then slowed as his thirst had been satisfied.
When he pulled away, his head was downcast and his body still shook. Yuki was confused at his sudden change in demeanor. She heard him mumble something but she couldn’t make out what he’d said. She could smell the blood and alcohol lingering on his breath. “What?”
“I hate you.”
Yuki was taken aback and she felt her heart painfully seize up. She fought the tears and she watched the emotion in his behavior.
“I hate you.” he repeated again, the intensity in his tone increasing as he spoke. “I hate everything about you; your long hair, your smooth voice, your vampire smell, the taste of your pure blood… I hate it all.”
Yuki just watched him for a moment. He was lashing out, but she could see the hurt he was trying to hide. Her heart ached so much… Why did he have to say such things? Despite being a powerful pureblood now, he made her feel so weak. He was emotional because of the alcohol, but… It was probably how he really felt, nonetheless.
“Honestly, I don’t know why this hurts so much,” he said lowly. He was trying to talk himself into pulling the trigger. His gun pressed painfully into her again, his hands were trembling before he froze, feeling something hard pressed into his abdomen in return. He looked down, seeing the pistol that he’d given her so long ago in her hand. He was stunned and he felt his chest tighten. She’d brought it for self defense, just in case he decided to attack her again. She must’ve had it in her coat this whole time. He knew he could eventually provoke her; it was about time she fought back.
Tears flowed down Yuki’s cheeks as she cocked the pistol, “Don’t make me use this. Please Zero,” she begged, clenching her eyes shut, “I never wanted this burden.” Though she hoped her words were convincing, she was bluffing; she could never shoot him. Just the thought of hurting Zero was unbearable.
Zero just stared at her with an unreadable expression. He lowered Bloody Rose, slowly laying it on the floor in surrender. She was stiff and didn't move as he did so. He slowly took her hands in his and adjusted it upward so that the gun she was holding was now positioned at his chest. “You’d better aim for the heart.” He told her softly, his eyes suddenly deep and vulnerable and staring straight into hers.
Yuki gasped, instantly pulling her hands away, letting go of the weapon and leaving the gun in his grasp. She turned away, unable to look into his pained gaze.
‘She surrendered that easily,’ he thought to himself before backing off a bit. He stared down at her and eyes followed her movements as she cautiously righted herself. His gaze was still on her as she straightened out her hair and clothes from their brief passionate moment. Her cheeks flushed as she recalled it and shifted a little at the uncomfortable moisture he’d caused. Her body yearned for more.
He gave her pistol back and she shamefully took it back. Intending to lay down, Zero turned from her, his previous anger forgotten, but he stumbled and fell against the wall. “I don’t feel well,” he groggily groaned.
Alarmed, Yuki rushed to his side to help him to the bed, the fact slipping her mind that they had been holding each other at gunpoint only a few moments ago. He nearly dragged her with him, almost falling on top of him as he collapsed on the mattress, disoriented. She helped him adjust and get comfortable, assisting him to pull his legs onto the bed. He appeared to have immediately fallen asleep, his eyes were closed as he laid on his side, his lips just barely parted as he breathed evenly. His face was void of his usual scowl. One of Yuki’s hands was still holding his, while the other brushed his disheveled hair from his face, staring at him longingly. She hated seeing him like this. She moved to let go of his hand but his grasp tightened around hers, not allowing her to leave.
“Stay,” he murmured with his eyes still closed, his voice sounding incredibly exhausted and heavy.
Yuki’s heart leaped into her throat at his words. He really wanted her to stay? Oh, how she wished she could stay with him… But the truth was, he was drunk. It was really just the alcohol talking. And when he woke in the morning sober, he probably wouldn’t remember asking her to stay, or perhaps forget that she was here altogether… if she was lucky. “I can’t,” she regretfully replied. “You’re drunk. You’ll wake up and try to kill me.”
Zero curtly laughed almost humorlessly, catching Yuki off guard before his lingering smile slowly ebbed away. “You’re probably right,” he replied sadly.
She sighed, contemplating for a moment. “I’ll stay,” Yuki replied softly, “But only for a little while.”
Zero nodded and Yuki hesitantly got in bed with him, laying down behind him. She kept a little distance between them, cautious in case he decided to have a mood swing and threaten her again. Instead, she felt him turn around to face her. Her heart quickened as he rested his head on her chest, wrapping his arm around her and nuzzling his face into her, pulling her close. The weight and warmth of his body on hers was pleasant. It felt good to have him so close, his personal scent filling her senses. She found herself savoring the feeling, wishing it could last.
Yuki absentmindedly stoked Zero’s silver hair, a single tear rolling down her cheek. Her fingers traced his bangs, down to the outline of his slumbering face… At least, she was fairly certain that he was asleep, judging by the heavy rise and fall of his body against hers every time he breathed. Her fingertips caressed his strong jaw and dared to brush the flesh of his neck, feeling the delightfully alluring beat of his pulse. Yuki stared lustfully at his blood rushing just beneath his skin and swallowed hard before averting her crimson eyes and struggling to refrain herself. She wanted his blood so badly… But she knew better than to try to take it. He couldn’t afford to give her any of his blood anyway, in his condition. She couldn’t help but wonder how much time he had left now.
There it was again… that sharp ache in her heart, at the thought of losing Zero. She pushed the thought aside, trying to focus on the present. At that moment, she could nearly forget that the man in her arms hated her. She could pretend, if only for the moment, that everything was fine between them again.
“One more thing,” Zero suddenly added and Yuki felt her body tense. His brows crinkled but he didn’t open his eyes, “Don’t sneak in again unless you want to get shot.”
She suppressed a small smile at his expense, but nodded. “Sure thing.”