Reunion
Tailing a woman who singlehandedly controlled the remaining flock of Pureblooded vampires was a minor inconvenience that Kiryū Zero could technically live with and quite possibly enjoy. However, stalking an ex-best friend turned vampire, well, that pill was a little hard to swallow. In fact, the hunter had almost refused to take the job, but a sudden influx of Level E vampires in the area had left the Organisation rather limited for options. The silvered man had even offered to take on Takamiya Kaito’s stale paperwork as long as the other hunter would be willing to play tail with the remaining heir of the Kuran clan — anything to avoid taking the job for himself, but Kaito was as merciless and unmoving as a marble statue. And so here he was, lavender gaze fixed on the one person he’d never thought would walk away.
It has been decades since they parted ways and he could still feel the heavy, algid drops of rain soaking into the silvered tresses and slithering down the pale visage of the man who watched her back as she chose another; grief-stricken & heartsick. She chose the one who killed his family, the one who tormented him without mercy — the one who knew he was never good enough to even touch a single hair coveting her scalp and yet corrupted her without a second thought — Kuran Kaname. Decades since, the name would still roll off his tongue with enough poison to make those around him flinch, as the ire ignited by the very thought of the Purebloodreptile being out there alive and in good health, playing a make-believe family with her, was fiery enough to incinerate — a hatred so deep it was carved into his bones, woven into the very fabric of his soul; that kind of hatred always burned the brightest and it would scorch all, even himself, at the slightest touch. To say that Zero hated her for choosing Kaname would be incorrect as he, like a naïve fool, believed that the girl who helped him heal all those years ago was still present inside the Pureblood shell that now encased her. However, as years passed the craving for her touch had lessened more and more, until the hunter was no longer enamoured with the idea of Cross Yuuki, instead choosing to focus on who and what she now was — KuranYuuki, a target. Just another name in a myriad of files belonging to those just like her; files that he’d archived and locked away behind the closed doors of his office.
After all, how unbecoming would it be for the Vice President of the Vampire Hunters Association to feel affection towards a vampire.
❝ Yuuki. ❞
Laconic, sharp; a tongue that could feed a thousand lies and still feel nothing, not even the slightest sting of remorse. With vacancy firmly pinned onto the pallid mien he thought —
Just another job.
There under the dim monolith stood the two which believed their paths would never cross again…yet here they were, strings of faith tying them together once more after so many years spent apart. Life had a weird way of disturbing the peace of mind each of the standing figures here had. Funny, wasn’t it? The same destiny that tore them apart, now shackled them to one another thanks to the hunter’s work. She was aware. Yuuki was well aware that a hunter would be assigned to protect the last of her kind, but never in a lifetime would she estimate it would be Zero. That voice…silky, cold…so detached…so toneless, it reached her ears once her name rolled off of his tongue…despite all, it recalled memories, such embittered images. However a gust of wind that suddenly hit against her face dispelled them instantly from her head. It carried his sent along the way, that very sent she longed for but forgotten about…till now. Her body shivered, no, not from the cold air that brushed and tickled her skin, no. From desire…a yearning for this man. A hand rose up and rested against the oatmeal coat, right over her ponding heart. Nimble fingers gripped tightly onto the fabric in a desperate matter to calm down. Yuuki was practically lost in her own world at this point, she…she was never good at restraining how she felt and right now…all she craved was this man’s touch. Could she not run up to him and pull him into a warm embrace? Of course not. It was long beyond the point of going back. All they both could do was just move forward. The trembling hand was now met with the other one that kept a strong hold over it. With her thoughts clouded by feelings, remorse it took her a while to properly respond to the other. Staring back at those now emotionless amethyst eyes, her own wine ones tried searching for the man she left behind…they tried finding any lingering trace of the familiarity, of him, but could not find anything. Not that she had any hope but…the disappointment was frankly crushing. Though, her will and character did not falter.
“Zero…” She repeated once more, her voice in retort to his, soft, melancholic…with hints of warmness. His name left her lips smoothly, just the way she used to call him before. Quick to return though to its primal form, light and quick spoken. “So, you were assigned to guard me?” With a few steps she was now only a feet away from the man, face lifted up to look at that face which she thought she could only see in her memories. A brief moment of silence between the two until she proceeded. “You’re unharmed, right? Did you have to deal with any level E’s? The weather is rather chilly, let me know if you’re cold, alright?” The questions just came out naturally as if she never left his side, however, some restrainment could be felt in the air. The last thing he needed from someone like her, who he must have held a grudge against, was for her to be friendly and…act as if nothing happened...act as if she was still the same person as before. The image of Yuuki Cross was erased from both of their heads, the one who stood there was Yuuki Kuran and…she needed not let her old self, her old feelings get in the way…or trouble her ex friend. However, she still was bad at holding back.So... Yuuki swiftly turned on her heels, her back now facing the male, a glance over her shoulder at that familiar face. “Let’s head to our destination before we freeze, shall we?”
Her sight now fixed back on the path ahead of them, a small smile curling up on her lips as she took each step. Despite all, even if he thought of this as just another mere job or burden...she was happy, happy because...he was back in her life and most important he was still breathing, he was still alive. And…a whisper couldn’t help but escape her lips, so quiet it probably didn’t reach the hunter’s ears, a sentence not making much sense but…it just expressed her in the right way.
“I’m glad.”
