Yuki sighed, once again questioning if she really wanted to do this. She shook her head. This wasn't a question of want. It was a need. She needed to tell Zero how she felt, and apologize for hurting him. It didn't matter if he rejected her or not. He at least deserved to know. And Balthasar had been right. She deserved to live whatever life she could in the years remaining.
The breeze carried his scent to her, along with Rica's, though the latter had since left him. Kiba trailed along at her heels as she approached him, finding him sitting under a tree. For a second, she watched him, standing off a ways, a hand held up to her chest. When she spoke, it was almost hesitant.
"Zero?" She almost flinched, her voice sounded terribly small. Why was she so afraid?
Alarica had left about half an hour ago, leaving Zero by himself underneath the cherry blossom tree they had both occupied. He had kept his eyes closed, his mind working overtime as he tried to sort everything out. There had to be a way to save her, to undo the mess that Kisuke did, however; if she couldn't find something...he banished that thought from his mind. He couldn't think like that. He just couldn't. Even if it took them the rest of the fifty years to find a cure for her, he would find it. He was startled out of his thoughts by the whisper of his name, and he tilted his head to spot Yuki standing a few feet away from him, clutching at her chest.
"Yuki," he greeted, sitting up and allowing the cherry blossom petals to fall from his person. He dusted the remaining petals off as he stood from his spot. For a second, he contemplated leaving her, however; the look in her eyes compelled him to stay. So, instead of walking away, he walked so that he was standing a few feet away from her, hands kept to his side. "I'm sorry...about the other day," he began, trying to apologize for his actions, his words. Part of him felt as if he'd just made things worse by telling her that he loved her, and part of him didn't care. He wanted to know if she loved him or if she didn't. And that if she didn't love him, it wasn't because of the reason of her dying. He would take any reason other than that for her not loving him.
Suddenly, everything that her mother ever did when she was around her father made sense. For once, Yuki understood. The gestures, the glances, the words, the touches. It made sense because, she wanted that. What her mother had with Jasper, Yuki wanted with Zero. And she had been a fool to think otherwise. So when he apologized, she shook her head.
"No...I'm the one who's sorry, Zero. I shouldn't have said that, about forgetting me. I...I know that hurt you, and a part of me wanted to, because if maybe...if maybe you didn't love me, if you hated me, then I could pretend like I didn't love you. But..."
She met his eyes then, yellow meeting seafoam. "It was wrong and I'm sorry and I do love you. I've loved you for so long, even though I never really understood it...I still don't, really..."
She loved him. She loved him. He was tempted to believe that he was dreaming, that she had not said those words, and that his feelings were not being reciprocated by her. But they were, and he wasn't dreaming. She spoke to him, the words a little hesitant, but understandable. She loved him, and that was all he needed to hear. He closed the distance between them with a speed only possessed by his kind, his right arm hooking behind her neck and his left hand pressing against the small of her back. His lips descended upon hers, tipping her slightly back in the process.
"I could never hate you, Yuki. To hate you would be like hating the life that was granted to me, to hate the air I breathe. It is a necessity that I need, because I wouldn't be alive without it," he spoke when he pulled away from her. "Nothing you do or say could ever cause me to hate you, or forget about you. I would rather cease to exist than to ever hate the woman I love," he continued, the smirk returning to his features as a hint of playfulness flashed behind his eyes.
Yuki was not hesitant in returning the kiss, and when he pulled away and looked at her like that, it sent shivers down her spine. She loved him, this ridiculous, insufferable man, God help her, she loved him. She wondered how she couldn't have seen it before.
"I'm sorry it took so long for me to realize it." She said softly, her arms looping around his neck. A part of her just wanted to stay like this forever. "Believe it or not, it took Balthasar to talk sense into me."
Zero blinked owlishly a few times. "The dope? He talked sense into you?"" he stated, almost tempted to believe he truly was dreaming. "The world is coming to an end if that is true," he added with a light chuckle. How was it that the dope could talk to someone...he paused in that train of thought. This was Balthasar he was thinking about. The man, granted had a gift for listening and offering advice, but was just as dense and stupid about his own feelings. Though Zero really couldn't say where the von Nacht heir stood with those feelings. But those thoughts were for another time. Placing one last kiss upon her, Zero let her up and released her, however; his fingers were still laced with hers.
"Well, I suppose Bal's always had a way with words," he added.
His years as a ghost had given him a certain flair for recognizing just where to enter and what to say to cause maximal pain. And the entire point of this particular exercise was pain. He’d caused quite a lot to his dear sister already, but that was merely the beginning, a little reminder. This was designed to shatter them a little more. Slowly, exquisitely. And he’d start by crushing the fledgling blooms of happiness here. That was always especially interesting, in the end.
For just a moment, Freyr wondered when he’d begun to derive pleasure from the pain of others. But of course, like everything else, it had begun with Theodor, and would survive well past the man’s demise. This was just a part of his conditioning, as Hel’s subservience was part of hers. He was actually standing no more than three feet from the happy couple, having just arrived, but he was utterly undetectable even at that distance, unless he chose to make himself otherwise.
In this case, it was a capacity he exercised only on the girl, speaking directly into her mind, as he knew she would hear. Yuki Alistair-von Nacht, he said, his mental voice laced with something equal parts malice and amusement. You cannot see me, hear me, smell me or even touch me, but I am closer than you think. I think it goes without saying that I could wipe the smile from that boy’s face right now if I chose, perhaps by slitting his throat. You will leave him, and you will head west for seventeen miles. You will allow neither he nor anyone else to follow you. Am I understood?
If Yuki truly did hear the voice inside her head, there was no outward sign. She didn't recognize the voice, but she did recognize the malice -and truth- behind it. Whoever this was, whatever they wanted, they would kill for it, and then were threatening Zero.
And there was nothing she could do to stop it. You could not engage an enemy you could not sense, to attempt so would be suicide, and both she and Zero would be dead. She would not allow Zero to die. Getting off campus undetected would be easy. Getting Zero not to follow her would be the harder part. She quickly ran through her options. None of them were very good, most of them were dangerous, but she had little choice. She went for the least risky plan.
She centered herself with a breath, sending a telekinetic wave through Zero's mind, pressing down on his frontal and orbital lobes. It would hurt, but the pressure would cause him to black out; he wouldn't be able to follow her. She saw the confusion flash through his eyes, and there was a sadness in hers. Before he blacked out completely, she did say one last thing.
She did the same thing to Kiba, the wolf whimpering slightly before collapsing onto his side. After that, Yuki shielded herself with her telekinetic energy, and just began walking. Whether or not she would get out of this alive, she still didn't know. She also did not try to contact whoever had touched her mind. There were very few people who could break through her barriers so easily, and she was not looking forward to meeting this person.
The breeze carried his scent to her, along with Rica's, though the latter had since left him. Kiba trailed along at her heels as she approached him, finding him sitting under a tree. For a second, she watched him, standing off a ways, a hand held up to her chest. When she spoke, it was almost hesitant.
"Zero?" She almost flinched, her voice sounded terribly small. Why was she so afraid?
Alarica had left about half an hour ago, leaving Zero by himself underneath the cherry blossom tree they had both occupied. He had kept his eyes closed, his mind working overtime as he tried to sort everything out. There had to be a way to save her, to undo the mess that Kisuke did, however; if she couldn't find something...he banished that thought from his mind. He couldn't think like that. He just couldn't. Even if it took them the rest of the fifty years to find a cure for her, he would find it. He was startled out of his thoughts by the whisper of his name, and he tilted his head to spot Yuki standing a few feet away from him, clutching at her chest.
"Yuki," he greeted, sitting up and allowing the cherry blossom petals to fall from his person. He dusted the remaining petals off as he stood from his spot. For a second, he contemplated leaving her, however; the look in her eyes compelled him to stay. So, instead of walking away, he walked so that he was standing a few feet away from her, hands kept to his side. "I'm sorry...about the other day," he began, trying to apologize for his actions, his words. Part of him felt as if he'd just made things worse by telling her that he loved her, and part of him didn't care. He wanted to know if she loved him or if she didn't. And that if she didn't love him, it wasn't because of the reason of her dying. He would take any reason other than that for her not loving him.
Suddenly, everything that her mother ever did when she was around her father made sense. For once, Yuki understood. The gestures, the glances, the words, the touches. It made sense because, she wanted that. What her mother had with Jasper, Yuki wanted with Zero. And she had been a fool to think otherwise. So when he apologized, she shook her head.
"No...I'm the one who's sorry, Zero. I shouldn't have said that, about forgetting me. I...I know that hurt you, and a part of me wanted to, because if maybe...if maybe you didn't love me, if you hated me, then I could pretend like I didn't love you. But..."
She met his eyes then, yellow meeting seafoam. "It was wrong and I'm sorry and I do love you. I've loved you for so long, even though I never really understood it...I still don't, really..."
She loved him. She loved him. He was tempted to believe that he was dreaming, that she had not said those words, and that his feelings were not being reciprocated by her. But they were, and he wasn't dreaming. She spoke to him, the words a little hesitant, but understandable. She loved him, and that was all he needed to hear. He closed the distance between them with a speed only possessed by his kind, his right arm hooking behind her neck and his left hand pressing against the small of her back. His lips descended upon hers, tipping her slightly back in the process.
"I could never hate you, Yuki. To hate you would be like hating the life that was granted to me, to hate the air I breathe. It is a necessity that I need, because I wouldn't be alive without it," he spoke when he pulled away from her. "Nothing you do or say could ever cause me to hate you, or forget about you. I would rather cease to exist than to ever hate the woman I love," he continued, the smirk returning to his features as a hint of playfulness flashed behind his eyes.
Yuki was not hesitant in returning the kiss, and when he pulled away and looked at her like that, it sent shivers down her spine. She loved him, this ridiculous, insufferable man, God help her, she loved him. She wondered how she couldn't have seen it before.
"I'm sorry it took so long for me to realize it." She said softly, her arms looping around his neck. A part of her just wanted to stay like this forever. "Believe it or not, it took Balthasar to talk sense into me."
Zero blinked owlishly a few times. "The dope? He talked sense into you?"" he stated, almost tempted to believe he truly was dreaming. "The world is coming to an end if that is true," he added with a light chuckle. How was it that the dope could talk to someone...he paused in that train of thought. This was Balthasar he was thinking about. The man, granted had a gift for listening and offering advice, but was just as dense and stupid about his own feelings. Though Zero really couldn't say where the von Nacht heir stood with those feelings. But those thoughts were for another time. Placing one last kiss upon her, Zero let her up and released her, however; his fingers were still laced with hers.
"Well, I suppose Bal's always had a way with words," he added.
His years as a ghost had given him a certain flair for recognizing just where to enter and what to say to cause maximal pain. And the entire point of this particular exercise was pain. He’d caused quite a lot to his dear sister already, but that was merely the beginning, a little reminder. This was designed to shatter them a little more. Slowly, exquisitely. And he’d start by crushing the fledgling blooms of happiness here. That was always especially interesting, in the end.
For just a moment, Freyr wondered when he’d begun to derive pleasure from the pain of others. But of course, like everything else, it had begun with Theodor, and would survive well past the man’s demise. This was just a part of his conditioning, as Hel’s subservience was part of hers. He was actually standing no more than three feet from the happy couple, having just arrived, but he was utterly undetectable even at that distance, unless he chose to make himself otherwise.
In this case, it was a capacity he exercised only on the girl, speaking directly into her mind, as he knew she would hear. Yuki Alistair-von Nacht, he said, his mental voice laced with something equal parts malice and amusement. You cannot see me, hear me, smell me or even touch me, but I am closer than you think. I think it goes without saying that I could wipe the smile from that boy’s face right now if I chose, perhaps by slitting his throat. You will leave him, and you will head west for seventeen miles. You will allow neither he nor anyone else to follow you. Am I understood?
If Yuki truly did hear the voice inside her head, there was no outward sign. She didn't recognize the voice, but she did recognize the malice -and truth- behind it. Whoever this was, whatever they wanted, they would kill for it, and then were threatening Zero.
And there was nothing she could do to stop it. You could not engage an enemy you could not sense, to attempt so would be suicide, and both she and Zero would be dead. She would not allow Zero to die. Getting off campus undetected would be easy. Getting Zero not to follow her would be the harder part. She quickly ran through her options. None of them were very good, most of them were dangerous, but she had little choice. She went for the least risky plan.
She centered herself with a breath, sending a telekinetic wave through Zero's mind, pressing down on his frontal and orbital lobes. It would hurt, but the pressure would cause him to black out; he wouldn't be able to follow her. She saw the confusion flash through his eyes, and there was a sadness in hers. Before he blacked out completely, she did say one last thing.
I'm so sorry, Zero...I love you.
She did the same thing to Kiba, the wolf whimpering slightly before collapsing onto his side. After that, Yuki shielded herself with her telekinetic energy, and just began walking. Whether or not she would get out of this alive, she still didn't know. She also did not try to contact whoever had touched her mind. There were very few people who could break through her barriers so easily, and she was not looking forward to meeting this person.