Anime Short Stories Collection I

Nightmarish Regret [Zero Kiryu x Reader]

"Zero!"

The sound of [Name]'s voice had Zero jerking awake in his dorm room, his legs tangling in his blankets as if they were ropes trying to keep him bound. His body was covered in sweat, almost as if it had sprinkled rain in his room, and his eyes flicked around frantically, the light of the moon the only thing allowing him to see the small amount of things that he was able to see in the middle of the night.

It was impossible. [Name] wasn't here, in his room or at Cross Academy. Growling darkly to himself, he yanked at the blankets and sent them tumbling to the cold floor as he padded silently across his room, moving to stand and stare out the window, the darkness of the night enveloping everything that the moon's light did not touch.

[Name] had been a Day Class student who, like many of her fellow classmates, had a strange infatuation with the Night Class, despite them being monsters. At least, they were in Zero's eyes; the Day Class knew nothing of the Night Class or their true nature. Believing her to be like the others, Zero had simply passed everything off as her trying to get her shot to look at the Night Class.

But Zero had been wrong. [Name] knew that Zero was always there when the Night Class was, for whatever reason. She didn't come to see the Night Class; she came to see Zero. Perhaps she had seen something in him that no one else had.

Upon finding out her true reasons for being there, Zero had noticed that his lavender eyes had begun to trail over towards the girl of their own accord, without so much as a thought from Zero himself. He was placing himself between her and the Night Class, keeping a physical barrier in front of the girl. It was a stupid way to be acting, Zero had told himself. She was just another girl in the school, nothing more.

And then, Zero found himself seeking her out more often. Even outside of the school walls, off the grounds, Zero would somehow come across [Name] in town, accompanying her many times on her simple errands, things as simple as buying a new book or a quick snack. [Name] had noticed as well, but had never said anything to Zero, keeping her opinions to herself.

She never noticed the way he watched her. The way he looked at her [color][length] hair, the way her [color] eyes had always snatched his attention before anything else about her did. Even her personality held nothing against the striking nature of her eyes. There was something about them that always drew Zero in, despite warning himself over and over again that this was becoming more and more of a stupid thing to do.

Then, that fateful night. It had been a cold night and [Name] had been walking down the street with a scarf bundled around her neck. Zero had came upon her as he always did, seemingly without his own permission, unconsciously. The scarf had been a bright red, a shocking stand out amongst the dingy gray of everything around them. Her eyes had shone when they noticed Zero and he wondered if she had noticed the way that he had faltered, his body becoming more hesitant and shy around this girl.

She had greeted him as she always had, offering to take him to get something warm to drink before they headed back to the Academy. Zero had agreed, carrying his own cup of deliciously warm hot cocoa as [Name] sipped at hers, a cute smile on her face.

Zero hadn't been able to help himself. He had stopped her, lowering her scarf enough to kiss her warmly on the lips, the taste of cocoa mixing with her own taste. Zero had almost lost himself in that kiss, until he remembered what he was becoming. He couldn't hurt her, so he pushed her away. Cursed at himself and told him he should have never done that, it was a mistake.

[Name] had run away from him, dropping her cocoa in the process and letting the brown liquid seep between the cracks on the street. Zero had simply stared at it, hate seeping through his veins. How could he have let this get to this point? He shouldn't have ever approached [Name], should never have given in to his heart's desires.

Just as he had been prepared to turn back to the Academy, that's when he heard her screams.

"Zero!"

The scream had been full of fear and Zero had dropped his cocoa next to hers on the street, running after [Name]. He cursed himself for not doing so sooner, for not at least making sure that she was ok. Because he found her too late, the look of fear forever plastered on her face, the front of her body soaked in her own blood. The Level E vampire who had claimed her life smiled at Zero, running it's tongue through her blood. Zero blacked out, his Bloody Rose quickly extinguishing the threat.

But it meant nothing to Zero now. He stared down at [Name]'s lifeless body, knowing he would have to remove her from the street before others came to investigate the screams and the gun shots. But her blood... It both pulled at him and disgusted him. Fighting through his emotions, Zero had taken her body back to the Academy, turning her over before walking away from her.

That had been months ago and Zero still had those nightmares. Still remembered everything clear as day. His hands clenched into fists, his teeth sinking into his lip as his lavender eyes filled with tears. What he remembered the most, to this day, was that he had been the cause of her death. He may as well have been the one to sink his fangs into her throat, because to himself, Zero was her murderer. And he would never forget it.