Vampire Knight: Innocence

Night 11. Pasts

Night 11

Pasts

Long hair. Long, light hair. Soft like silk and it smelled of flowers. Pale fingers brushed through the hair with a pale pink hairbrush. Long strokes and a storm in the background. When the lightning flashed, the hair looked blonde. In the dark it looked silver. In the mirror, Ichiru could see his reflection as he brushed the Pureblood's long, silver hair. He longed to touch her skin, her pale skin that was probably cold like ice. He was only fifteen, but he felt he was more mature. Obviously, to this princess, he was still a child.

"You are good at this," Shizuka whispered.

"My friend used to let me brush her hair," Ichiru whispered. "And Mom did too... when I was little and Mom's hair was long."

"Do you miss her, Ichiru?" Shizuka asked, turning to look at him. He looked up at her and she gently took his face in her hands, "Do you miss your Mother?"

Ichiru swallowed hard before he nodded, "A little..."

Zero opened his eyes. He was staring up at the ceiling. He groaned when he moved his head, his neck was stiff. Zero sat up on the couch and stared at the TV. He had fallen asleep in front of it again. He stretched and his eyes locked on a sleeping Kira. They had been a little off since his birthday, not really getting along but not really fighting.

Not really speaking was more like it.

She was curled up in a small ball on the armchair, wrapped in a bright yellow blanket and Kaito was sitting on the floor in front of the armchair. Kira stirred and started whimpering and Zero knew that she was having a nightmare. The soft pleading whimpers were still so familiar. Zero got off the couch and hit Kaito on his head and the bastard glared at him as he rubbed his head. Zero put his hand on Kira's head and gently rubbed it, like Yuuki used to do for him... like Kaname used to do for her...

Kira continued to stir. Zero sighed and gently locked his arm around Kira's back and around the back of her knees. The blanket fell to the floor and Kira let out a muffled shriek in Zero's arms. Zero held her close to him and she sighed and mumbled something incoherent. Kaito stood up and stretched and all his joints clicked. Zero nodded at him, his way of saying goodnight, and then he carried Kira upstairs to her bedroom. He pushed the door open with his hip and stared at Kira's room. She had settled in pretty well considering she's only been living here for almost a month. Zero saw posters on her walls and pictures she had taken and drawings. Her taste in décor hadn't changed, that was certain. Her dresser was filled with boxes and cans and cases that were probably just useless crap she only used once or twice. Zero set her down on her bed and gently put her head on her pillow. He was about to leave when he caught a photo frame on her bedside table. It was a picture of Zero and Ichiru on their thirteenth birthday. But... Kira wasn't around then... Zero picked up the frame and stared at the picture and saw his mother and father's reflection in the mirror behind Zero and Ichiru.

"Uncle Yagari sent it to me for my thirteenth birthday," came a soft groggy voice. Zero's gaze quickly snapped to see Kira staring at the picture in his hands. She closed her eyes, "It was the last thing Uncle Yagari sent me...because it was the last he had heard from Uncle Kiryuu..."

Zero set the picture down and turned to leave but Kira grabbed his sleeve and he turned to look at her. She swallowed hard before she met his gaze. He sat down on her bed and she curled into his side. Zero didn't do anything to comfort her; in fact his body went rigid and stiff. Kira buried her face into his chest.

"You were whimpering in your sleep," Zero whispered. He slowly raised his hand and rubbed at her head again.

"I do sometimes," Kira took a deep breath. "Will you take me?"

Zero gazed down at Kira. He raised an eyebrow, "Take you? Take you where?"

Kira took a deep breath and looked up at Zero. He didn't know how long she was staring at him or him at her, but she swallowed hard before she opened her mouth, "To where it happened? To Uncle and Aunt Kiryuu?"

Zero froze. Kira always did this, when someone was lost to her, she had to go back to see where they met their end. The Chairman, Yagari and Zero's father did the same thing. It was something he couldn't understand. The Chairman explained that it was a way for Vampire Hunters to honor their loved ones...when the Chairman wanted to go, he asked Zero but Zero had locked himself in his room. And now...

"What?" Zero asked. Kira nodded and with large pleading eyes, Zero couldn't say no, "What gives you the right to want to see my parents? You left Kira! You ran away and left! And when you did that you broke all ties you had with me, my brother and my parents! All of them. After you left you didn't exist for two years!"

Kira looked hurt by Zero's words. But Zero didn't care. She had hurt him when she left and now she asked for something he couldn't even bring himself to do. He couldn't go into the house where he was betrayed by his brother, where he watched that woman slaughter his parents and take his life away from him.

"I'm sorry, Zero..." Kira managed to say. Zero froze when it sounded like she was trying to choke back tears. But he was so angry with the girl, he didn't care if she burst into tears or not, "I did leave you. But I was sick."

"You couldn't have been that sick if you're still alive! If you're still here! If you came to find me!" Zero shouted angrily.

Kira glared up at him and stood on her bed, "I didn't come to find you! You have the Chairman, you have Yuuki! You have Kaito! Who does Ichiru have?! I came here to find him! Because he needs me!"

Zero couldn't control himself, "Ichiru needed you five years ago! He needed everyone five years ago! He doesn't need you now! A dead man doesn't need anyone anymore!"

Zero stopped himself when Kira collapsed onto the bed and stared at him with wide eyes. What had he done? Zero had never seen Kira cry before. But tears rolled down her cheeks and she buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Loudly. Painfully. It hurt Zero's heart. Zero didn't reach out to comfort her. He fled her bedroom and closed her bedroom door behind him.

Yagari had just strolled out of the bathroom.

"Zero? It looks like you've seen a ghost," Yagari commented as he slipped a cigarette between his lips.

"Ichiru!"

Zero fell against the door and slid to the floor and held his head in his hands and shook his head back and fourth, "What have I done?" Yagari didn't answer him as he rushed into Kira's bedroom and Kira slammed the door hard against Zero's back.

§Vampire Knight§

Innocence

The air was cold and crisp. The grass was frozen as snow fell from the black sky. Shovel and Hammer imprints were left in the snow as two men dragged the equipment through a cemetery where black tombstones poked out from the ground and blended against the too-white snow. The two figures stopped in front of a grave and stared at the rectangular cement piece and the plain tombstone that just bore a name. Beside it was a tomb that was similar. A hooded figure appeared between the two. A gloved hand gently caressed the tombstone and a kiss was placed upon its surface.

"Soon, my love," she whispered. She stood up and glared at the two figures, "Tear away..."

The two male figures picked up the hammers and started pounding away at the concrete block and the woman moved to sit down on the one beside it. She glared at the inscription and smirked, "Just when you thought this was all over," she gave an evil smile. "You took my beloved from me, and now I am going to take your sons." she stared at the inscription of the grave where her Henchmen were digging. The inscription was bold:

Kiryuu Senji

Brave Father and Beloved Husband

She stood up and caressed the name, "Blood for blood..."

§Vampire Knight§

Innocence