Vampire Knight: Innocence

Night 16. Kiryuu Senji

Night 16

Kiryuu Senji

I was born into an Army. My Mother and Father controlled me like a puppet, trained me like a killer, and raised me like a robot. I had no other family. I was born an only child...but I had brothers.

A Saisho was dangerous to everyone. To Vampires, to humans and especially to Hunters. Saisho were normally greedy and borderline evil. They only killed because it would benefit themselves in some way. They were selfish. I was selfish.

Saisho were respected within the Hunters Association. Therefore I was accepted. But I wasn't accepted. I was respected as one of the last Saisho because they were frightened of me. And I was accepted as a Hunter because I was the only living son of one of the first Hunter Clans, the Kiryuu Clan. But there was a very, very thin line between real respect and absolute fear.

Old Man Hunter saved me, even when my own father tried to kill me – repeatedly. My Master tried to save me, but I couldn't trust him because Kiryuus trusted no one, my brother tried to save me... and it's when I was drafted into the Saisho Training Programme that my 'legend' began...

"We are no longer doing the Saisho Training, Kiryuu-senpai," Old Man Hunter said, his tone was changing to anger. He was getting frustrated with father, "Besides, even if we were, we don't take families that only have one son. And you only have one son. One ten year-old son."

Sudikako-sensei didn't look happy with father. But father didn't care. He thought that Sudikako-sensei was a bad teacher. Kaien onii-chan stood beside Sensei and kept looking down at me, while Wana-san stared down at his feet. Yagari-san also looked at everyone but Old Man Hunter. Old Man Hunter was angry with father for asking to put me in the Saisho training, a training programme that had been disbanded when grandfather tried to overthrow Old Man Hunter.

"Then the boy dies on the battlefield unprepared," father snapped angrily. "He is not reaching his full potential with Sudikako."

"And I suppose training with you is making him stronger?" Kaien onii-chan demanded.

Sudikako-sensei gave him a dark look but Kaien onii-chan didn't look phased. Sudikako-san looked back at Old Man Hunter, "I believe that you should allow Senji-kun into the Saisho training. If he is the only one to attend, then no harm will come to him."

Old Man Hunter closed his eyes, "But you already have other Hunters lined up, don't you, Kiryuu-senpai?"

Father didn't grin or smile. He nodded stiffly and crossed his arms over his chest. Sudikako-sensei shook his head, "Then know that when your son arises as victor, he will still never gain your approval. And he will never be a Leader."

"We will see about that," Father hissed. He crouched down beside me, "My son is worthy of the highest, most valued training our bloodline has to offer. He had already killed a Pureblood. He should be praised – or punished – for his deed. He shall train as I have, and my father before me. As a Hunter, as a Saisho. It is a title worthy of the first Hunter Clans."

"All of Sudikako-senpai's students have killed Purebloods. And I weep for our kind that has to resort to cutting our existence off at the very source of our income," Old Man Hunter shook his head. "The fourth and only living son of the Kiryuu Clan, already cursed by birth, cursed by killing and now, you wish to dirtier his hands further...I weep for you, brother. For all of you."

Kaien onii-chan crouched down beside Wana, and Kaien told him that he wasn't cursed. It was just Hunters Perception, it was lies. Wana raised his hand and his father looked down at him.