Yuki Alistair von Nacht. That was her name, who she was. Faces, names, memories flashed before her eyes, and she swayed on her feet once more, having to stop and lean against a tree to keep from collapsing to her knees. The wind blew, the November air cold against her bare skin. Normally, she wouldn't even feel it, but as malnourished and starving as she was, everything was beginning to affect her. Her hair hung limp at the sides of her face.
Kisuke stood in front of her, yelling at her, barking orders. She simply walked forward, and through him, ignoring him this time. He dissolved. Her foot caught something, and she fell, catching herself on her hands and knees. She looked around her, her vision blurring with fatigue. Her hand came away, blackened, and confusion marred her features. It would seem that she had stumbled upon some sort of wreckage. She sat slowly, looking around her, noticing what looked like a door off to her right. Except, the door led underground.
Something pulled at the back of her mind. She knew this place. She crawled over to it, tugging at the heavy door. Whatever this place was, the fire had not destroyed it. She found herself staring down a staircase into utter darkness. Darkness...her eyes widened slightly. She knew this place. She was home. The faces of her family flashed before her eyes again, ending with Zero. She shook her head.
She couldn't go back to them. She didn't deserve to go back. She'd hurt them, and almost killed her brother. She didn't deserve them. She didn't deserve him. She was nothing more than a monster, an abomination that shouldn't have existed in the first place. He deserved better than her.
She slowly made it down the steps, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. The memories of this place came flooding back, memories of pain and darkness, of cold, and solitude. Of silence. This was where she belonged. She never should have left in the first place.
Yes, father... Her mind answered.
Kiba paced restlessly as the family moved. Cross Academy was in ruins, they could not stay there, so it had been decided that they would all go to the Kuragari household, if only because they were the closest, and Emrys wouldn't make it anywhere else. In truth, he'd barely made it there. Even now, his condition was far from stable.
Kiba felt for him, for all of them, really, but...he could also feel Yuki, and he was restless. He couldn't form a complete link with her, as every time he tried, she shoved him out, but he could pinpoint her location. He knew where she was, and he wasn't letting her get away this time.
Unable to stand it any longer, and knowing that he couldn't get through to her on his own, the familiar sought out the only person who could. His yellow eyes looked up at the eldest Kuragari. "I know where she is."
They wasted no time, the familiar leading the pure blood. It didn't take them very long, and Kiba, while he'd never seen it, recognized the location as what had once been the Alistair Estate. The wolf's ears flattened slightly, sniffing at the air. He tracked her to the solid pair of doors in the ground, and he snarled slightly. The scent of blood hung heavy in the air, the underlying scent of crushed pine along with it. That only ment one thing, and in answer, a shadow shot up in the wolf's face.
Kiba yellped, skittering backwards before racing down the stairs. Wanted or not, he was not simply going to let his master continue this. Because this would kill her. He couldn't get close to her, she prevented that. His ears flattened against his head, his tail between his legs. Yuki sat in a corner, blood slowly dripping from her nose, and her hands. Her eyes were wide, staring at nothing. It was as if she didn't even realize that they were there. She probably didn't. The fingernails of her right hand had been all but torn off as she scratched at the wall. She was muttering something under her breath, and Kiba caught it, but only barely.
"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."
Kiba let out a whine. "Master..."
Zero had taken to looking after the injured, namely Emrys. They had all retreated to his family's home not too far from the Academy. That was one thing about the von Nacht's and Kuragari's, they always had a home somewhere. It wasn't for flashy occurances, but more for strategic placements. There had to be a place for them to conduct councils and have an advantage on the battlefield. He sighed, running his hand through his burnt locks as he closed his eyes. Cross Academy had been destroyed, there was no going back to it now. It was the last neutral zone, but with the attack, it was sure to cause some hands to be forced in the war. His attention was taken when when Kiba spoke to him.
"Take me to her," were the only words out of Zero's mouth when Kiba spoke to him. He knew where she was. His heart nearly fell to the pit of his stomach that day when Hel was able to get through to her, however; the look in her eyes nearly devastated him. It was one of pure and utter horror, of regret, and it had slowly killed him. He followed closely behind Kiba, his eyes taking in the surrounding area, and something flashed behind his eyes. He knew this place...or he thought he did. This was that place, the one from his father's memories. Zero had fed from Vincent once due to an injury he had sustained that would not have healed either way. He had seen a lot from his father, but this place seemed to be prominent in Zero's mind.
It was the place he held her. It was his Uncle and Aunt's birthplace: the Alistair estate. He felt his breath hitch, his anger rising before subsiding. He ran after Kiba, only stopping behind him when they came to a room, dark as night. He need not worry about his adjusting his vision, his eyes did that on their own, and what he saw almost caused his heart to stop. Yuki, she was facing the wall, her fingers scratching along the wall. He could smell the faint traces of blood, and could only assume that she had harmed herself in one way or another. He willed his limbs to move, and as he did, he grasped her from the wall, turning her around and embracing her.
"Yuki stop. This...this isn't your fault," he spoke, his voice coming out a mere whisper as his hold tightened around her.
Yuki flinched when a pair of hands grabbed her, the shadows writhing in response, but they stilled quickly. She didn't have the energy or the control to use them any longer, if the blood now leaking from her eyes was any indication. Her fingers still scratched, even though there wasn't anything there for her scratch at. Her body began to shake as Zero held her. Finally, she seemed to focus, and realize who was there.
"I almost killed my brother, I attacked you...I hurt you...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." She whispered hoarsely, tears mixing with the blood in her eyes. She flinched again, Kisuke's voice echoing in her head once more.
"I shouldn't have left...I don't belong out there."
Bloody words had been scratched into the wall, ranging from words to sentences, saying different things, in multiple languages. Most of them, however, read 'sorry', 'abomination', and 'home'.
Zero tightened his arms around Yuki as she spoke. "That wasn't you, Yuki. You cannot blame yourself for that. What you did wasn't because you did it. Aryan is fine, Hel saw to him, I'm fine. You didn't hurt any of us," he spoke softly against her hair. It hurt him to see her this way, and he couldn't do anything about it. Her words, they were like knives cutting into his skin, tearing him apart slowly, and he hated this feeling of being useless to the woman he loved. He took a deep breath, smoothing out her hair as he ran his hand down her back, combing through the silver locks.
"You shouldn't say that, Yuki. You do belong out there. You belong with us, with me," he spoke, his hold loosening just a bit. "You are not an animal Yuki. You are not something that needs to be caged. You live, you breathe, you love. None of that would have been possible if you had never left. This isn't a life, Yuki. Whatever this is, was not meant for you. You deserve so much better, and if I could give it to you, the world," he continued, unsure of if he was getting through to her or not. He wanted her to see that she was special, that she was a person who deserved as much out of life as anyone else.
Yuki buried her head in his shoulder. Why? Why didn't he just leave her? She didn't belong with them, she didn't, and she never would. He had said that she wasn't an animal. He was wrong. She was, she was wild and feral and she couldn't be trusted. She trembled again, her fingers curling into his shirt.
But then his scent hit her, and she shoved away from him, the fear in her eyes evident. It was oddly reminiscent of their encounter on the roof, but she wouldn't, she couldn't. She was worse off now than she had been when she almost drained her brother, she couldn't take that risk. Not with Zero.
"Don't," he spoke, reaching back for her arm and pulling her back to him. "Don't push me away, Yuki," he spoke, holding her at arms length as his eyes bore into hers. He didn't want her to push him away, not because of this. Let her push him away for any other reason but this. She looked so fragile, and it pained him to see her so. He could see the desire to feed, and he was the only one around. A smile played at his lips, bringing himself lower to her level, exposing his neck in the process. She had to feed, and he trusted her. He trusted her that she wouldn't let her hunger get the best of her.
"Take it, Yuki. Take what belongs to you, and only you. I trust you, because I love you," he spoke, bringing her head closer to his neck in the process. He kept one hand firmly against her wrist, reminiscent of when she first took his blood up on the roof. He wasn't going to let her go, not this time.
She couldn't do anything, not pull away, not run, she was trapped. But it was his voice that she noticed. He trusted her? It was more than she could fathom. How could he? Why did he? Even in her state, she still felt the thrum of electricity that still passed between them. She took a shaky breath.
And sank her teeth into his throat. He had said that he was hers, but he was wrong. She was his. There was no other way to put it. He grounded her, steadied her, when all else threatened to destroy her. She felt her body healing, and she was able to stop shaking as she pulled away slowly. She found herself swimming in sea foam as she leaned forward, her mouth covering his.
Zero smiled, his lips twitching softly as she sank her fangs into his neck and took what she needed. When she was finished, he felt her pull away and stared at her, wiping off the excess blood that pooled near the corner of her mouth. "And I, you," he spoke, leaning into her kiss, wrapping his hand behind her neck before pulling away. "There are a lot of people worried about you. I think it is time we go back to them," he stated, lifting her up so that he was carrying her bridal style. Without another word, they began a slow pace back to his family's home. Yuki was back, and that was all that mattered.
Kisuke stood in front of her, yelling at her, barking orders. She simply walked forward, and through him, ignoring him this time. He dissolved. Her foot caught something, and she fell, catching herself on her hands and knees. She looked around her, her vision blurring with fatigue. Her hand came away, blackened, and confusion marred her features. It would seem that she had stumbled upon some sort of wreckage. She sat slowly, looking around her, noticing what looked like a door off to her right. Except, the door led underground.
Something pulled at the back of her mind. She knew this place. She crawled over to it, tugging at the heavy door. Whatever this place was, the fire had not destroyed it. She found herself staring down a staircase into utter darkness. Darkness...her eyes widened slightly. She knew this place. She was home. The faces of her family flashed before her eyes again, ending with Zero. She shook her head.
She couldn't go back to them. She didn't deserve to go back. She'd hurt them, and almost killed her brother. She didn't deserve them. She didn't deserve him. She was nothing more than a monster, an abomination that shouldn't have existed in the first place. He deserved better than her.
She slowly made it down the steps, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. The memories of this place came flooding back, memories of pain and darkness, of cold, and solitude. Of silence. This was where she belonged. She never should have left in the first place.
You belong here, with me...
Yes, father... Her mind answered.
Kiba paced restlessly as the family moved. Cross Academy was in ruins, they could not stay there, so it had been decided that they would all go to the Kuragari household, if only because they were the closest, and Emrys wouldn't make it anywhere else. In truth, he'd barely made it there. Even now, his condition was far from stable.
Kiba felt for him, for all of them, really, but...he could also feel Yuki, and he was restless. He couldn't form a complete link with her, as every time he tried, she shoved him out, but he could pinpoint her location. He knew where she was, and he wasn't letting her get away this time.
Unable to stand it any longer, and knowing that he couldn't get through to her on his own, the familiar sought out the only person who could. His yellow eyes looked up at the eldest Kuragari. "I know where she is."
They wasted no time, the familiar leading the pure blood. It didn't take them very long, and Kiba, while he'd never seen it, recognized the location as what had once been the Alistair Estate. The wolf's ears flattened slightly, sniffing at the air. He tracked her to the solid pair of doors in the ground, and he snarled slightly. The scent of blood hung heavy in the air, the underlying scent of crushed pine along with it. That only ment one thing, and in answer, a shadow shot up in the wolf's face.
Kiba yellped, skittering backwards before racing down the stairs. Wanted or not, he was not simply going to let his master continue this. Because this would kill her. He couldn't get close to her, she prevented that. His ears flattened against his head, his tail between his legs. Yuki sat in a corner, blood slowly dripping from her nose, and her hands. Her eyes were wide, staring at nothing. It was as if she didn't even realize that they were there. She probably didn't. The fingernails of her right hand had been all but torn off as she scratched at the wall. She was muttering something under her breath, and Kiba caught it, but only barely.
"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."
Kiba let out a whine. "Master..."
Zero had taken to looking after the injured, namely Emrys. They had all retreated to his family's home not too far from the Academy. That was one thing about the von Nacht's and Kuragari's, they always had a home somewhere. It wasn't for flashy occurances, but more for strategic placements. There had to be a place for them to conduct councils and have an advantage on the battlefield. He sighed, running his hand through his burnt locks as he closed his eyes. Cross Academy had been destroyed, there was no going back to it now. It was the last neutral zone, but with the attack, it was sure to cause some hands to be forced in the war. His attention was taken when when Kiba spoke to him.
"Take me to her," were the only words out of Zero's mouth when Kiba spoke to him. He knew where she was. His heart nearly fell to the pit of his stomach that day when Hel was able to get through to her, however; the look in her eyes nearly devastated him. It was one of pure and utter horror, of regret, and it had slowly killed him. He followed closely behind Kiba, his eyes taking in the surrounding area, and something flashed behind his eyes. He knew this place...or he thought he did. This was that place, the one from his father's memories. Zero had fed from Vincent once due to an injury he had sustained that would not have healed either way. He had seen a lot from his father, but this place seemed to be prominent in Zero's mind.
It was the place he held her. It was his Uncle and Aunt's birthplace: the Alistair estate. He felt his breath hitch, his anger rising before subsiding. He ran after Kiba, only stopping behind him when they came to a room, dark as night. He need not worry about his adjusting his vision, his eyes did that on their own, and what he saw almost caused his heart to stop. Yuki, she was facing the wall, her fingers scratching along the wall. He could smell the faint traces of blood, and could only assume that she had harmed herself in one way or another. He willed his limbs to move, and as he did, he grasped her from the wall, turning her around and embracing her.
"Yuki stop. This...this isn't your fault," he spoke, his voice coming out a mere whisper as his hold tightened around her.
Yuki flinched when a pair of hands grabbed her, the shadows writhing in response, but they stilled quickly. She didn't have the energy or the control to use them any longer, if the blood now leaking from her eyes was any indication. Her fingers still scratched, even though there wasn't anything there for her scratch at. Her body began to shake as Zero held her. Finally, she seemed to focus, and realize who was there.
"I almost killed my brother, I attacked you...I hurt you...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." She whispered hoarsely, tears mixing with the blood in her eyes. She flinched again, Kisuke's voice echoing in her head once more.
You don't deserve him.
"I shouldn't have left...I don't belong out there."
Bloody words had been scratched into the wall, ranging from words to sentences, saying different things, in multiple languages. Most of them, however, read 'sorry', 'abomination', and 'home'.
Zero tightened his arms around Yuki as she spoke. "That wasn't you, Yuki. You cannot blame yourself for that. What you did wasn't because you did it. Aryan is fine, Hel saw to him, I'm fine. You didn't hurt any of us," he spoke softly against her hair. It hurt him to see her this way, and he couldn't do anything about it. Her words, they were like knives cutting into his skin, tearing him apart slowly, and he hated this feeling of being useless to the woman he loved. He took a deep breath, smoothing out her hair as he ran his hand down her back, combing through the silver locks.
"You shouldn't say that, Yuki. You do belong out there. You belong with us, with me," he spoke, his hold loosening just a bit. "You are not an animal Yuki. You are not something that needs to be caged. You live, you breathe, you love. None of that would have been possible if you had never left. This isn't a life, Yuki. Whatever this is, was not meant for you. You deserve so much better, and if I could give it to you, the world," he continued, unsure of if he was getting through to her or not. He wanted her to see that she was special, that she was a person who deserved as much out of life as anyone else.
Yuki buried her head in his shoulder. Why? Why didn't he just leave her? She didn't belong with them, she didn't, and she never would. He had said that she wasn't an animal. He was wrong. She was, she was wild and feral and she couldn't be trusted. She trembled again, her fingers curling into his shirt.
But then his scent hit her, and she shoved away from him, the fear in her eyes evident. It was oddly reminiscent of their encounter on the roof, but she wouldn't, she couldn't. She was worse off now than she had been when she almost drained her brother, she couldn't take that risk. Not with Zero.
"Don't," he spoke, reaching back for her arm and pulling her back to him. "Don't push me away, Yuki," he spoke, holding her at arms length as his eyes bore into hers. He didn't want her to push him away, not because of this. Let her push him away for any other reason but this. She looked so fragile, and it pained him to see her so. He could see the desire to feed, and he was the only one around. A smile played at his lips, bringing himself lower to her level, exposing his neck in the process. She had to feed, and he trusted her. He trusted her that she wouldn't let her hunger get the best of her.
"Take it, Yuki. Take what belongs to you, and only you. I trust you, because I love you," he spoke, bringing her head closer to his neck in the process. He kept one hand firmly against her wrist, reminiscent of when she first took his blood up on the roof. He wasn't going to let her go, not this time.
She couldn't do anything, not pull away, not run, she was trapped. But it was his voice that she noticed. He trusted her? It was more than she could fathom. How could he? Why did he? Even in her state, she still felt the thrum of electricity that still passed between them. She took a shaky breath.
And sank her teeth into his throat. He had said that he was hers, but he was wrong. She was his. There was no other way to put it. He grounded her, steadied her, when all else threatened to destroy her. She felt her body healing, and she was able to stop shaking as she pulled away slowly. She found herself swimming in sea foam as she leaned forward, her mouth covering his.
I love you, Zero.
Zero smiled, his lips twitching softly as she sank her fangs into his neck and took what she needed. When she was finished, he felt her pull away and stared at her, wiping off the excess blood that pooled near the corner of her mouth. "And I, you," he spoke, leaning into her kiss, wrapping his hand behind her neck before pulling away. "There are a lot of people worried about you. I think it is time we go back to them," he stated, lifting her up so that he was carrying her bridal style. Without another word, they began a slow pace back to his family's home. Yuki was back, and that was all that mattered.