(This is a massive chapter, please bear with me here.)
"Takamiya!"
Both Kaito and Maya turned at the mention of their name. They had just finished doing some research for Kaien in the Archives and had not stepped twenty feet out of the door before they were called.
"Yeah?" They both answered simultaneously. Maya saw that the running hunter was carrying a letter in his hand.
"I just received this from President Cross. He want's both of you on this mission as soon as possible." said the boy, Misaki. Kaito took the letter from him and ripped it open, scanning it before growling and Maya snatched it out of his hands to take a look.
"Are all of these Level E's on the execution list?" Maya asked, eyebrows furrowing in concern. There was about fifteen names on this list. "How in the ever-loving-blazes are the two of us supposed to take down this many. We may be skilled but we aren't god."
"You won't be alone. Cross is allowing a team to go with you, the two of you are in charge," replied Misaki, pulling another list from his back pocket. "Here are the Hunters who are going to go with you. You may want to give them a head's up."
Maya and Kaito looked at each other before her brother agreed. "Alright, we'll do it."
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"Where is it that we're going?" asked Zero, who sat in the passenger seat of her car. Three more hunters sat quietly in the back, weapons in their laps.
"Black Forest, it's where they believe the swarm is," Maya replied, foot pushing down on the accelerator and set the car at an even faster pace as she drove through the sloped, curving hillside.
Once glance in the rearview mirror told Maya that the other three hunters were nervous. "You're not scared are you?"
One of them snorted. "No."
"Everything will be fine, as long as we stick together." She replied, dismissing the lie that fell from their lips. Checking her side view mirror, seeing a sleek black SUV and a familiar Mustang on her tail, she turned off the highway and onto an exit, then traveled south for another thirty miles before pulling off onto a dirt road for another few minutes, then parked in a clear. Maya got out and popped the trunk, pulling out a silver case. She unhooked the latches and opened it to reveal several ear-pieces. "Take one and put it in your ear. We'll need these in case things get a bit dicey."
Maya put one in her own ear, turning to her brother and Yagari who had gotten out of the Mustang. Then glanced at a familiar face who was the last to hop out of the SUV, Kei, Daisuke's younger brother who was barely fifteen.
"Cross is an idiot for making me have a responsibility for a kid." Grumbled Maya. Despite her irritated appearance, inwardly, she was a nervous wreck. Kei had volunteered to go on this dangerous mission, and Kaien had the balls to put him on this one that was overseen by her. If anything were to happen to him...
"Yo, you ready boss?" asked Ryuka, one of the hunters on the team.
"Yeah, come on everyone." As they walked, she gave instructions. " I want a quick and out of this thing. Stick together. If you find something or someone, don't go shooting your gun off like an idiot. Tap your mic. Any questions?"
No one said a word. "Good. It's almost dusk so keep an ear out."
They took off at a jog, hoping to reach a safe-point by nightfall. Black forest was well...black. There had been a massive forest fire and nothing had ever grown back, leaving little to no protection if they were spotted. They reached a small rocky outcrop and built a fire. Most of the men had passed out after a long run, exhausted. But, Maya was still on full alert, standing off to one side in her wolf form. Her ears rotated back and forth, watching the darkness with her sharp eyes, nose inhaling every breeze that blew past.
A yawn made her turn her head to see her brother a few feet away, covering his mouth with a yawn as he settled down against a small boulder. She smiled when he glanced her way, his eyes half-lidded from exhaustion. Then soon he was out cold.
Settling down on her haunches, she let out a yawn, shaking her head from side to side. A pair of footsteps approached, and Zero sat down next to her, one leg bent to support an arm. She turned her head to look at him, but her ears still stayed moving to catch any unfamiliar sound.
"What is it?" She asked, having morphed her vocal chords so that she could speak. Zero's hair was tinted orange from the light of the fire behind him, silhouetting half of his face in darkness.
"What do you think about this?" He asked.
"This?"
"This." He replied, gesturing to the surrounding darkness. "Don't you find it a bit odd that there is a swarm of Level E's out here?"
Maya gave a rough snort, blinking her golden eyes as she turned away. "It's not the first time this has happened. What are you thinking?"
"It just doesn't feel right. Usually, the Association keeps tabs on nests like this, and the assignment came out of the blue, isn't that odd?"
"Maybe a bit, but I won't worry about it. The Association gave us a job to do, so we're getting it done." She said. There was still no signs of any activity, or the scent of Level E's anywhere near the place, so she laid down, curling into a ball so that her shoulder pressed against Zero's leg. She felt him run a hand down her back and then scratch behind her ears and it made her smile before drifting off to sleep.
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"Maya...Maya wake up."
She yawned, running a hand through her hair as she sat up, not realizing that she had turned back into her human form overnight.
"I'm surprised you fell asleep next to a vampire." Said Zero.
"Shut up." She replied, standing and stretching her stiff muscles. "What time is it?"
" Almost 6:30, we should get a move on." Replied her best friend.
A sudden chill crawled its way down her neck, making the hairs stand straight up. "Guys! We have company! Get up!" She hissed at her fellow hunters who were already awake. They quietly got to their feet, stoking the fire and turned on their earpieces with weapons in hand. "Kaito, Yagari, take your group and head left. Zero and the rest of you come with me. Watch your backs." She watched them run off before following them, and slowly separated her group from theirs.
All their group could hear was the sound of their boots scuffing the hard packed dirt, but there was no sign of the Level E's anywhere. Their close proximity had triggered her senses, and now it was just gone. The mic in her ear screeched and she gasped, holding a hand to her ear. Zero, including Daisuke and the others, had the same reaction.
"What's going on!" I shouted. "Answer me!"
"We're getting ambushed! Yagari and Kaito are gone! AHH-" yelled Ryuka into the mic. Several more shots were fired and there was another yell before the mic cut off.
"Ryuka! Ryuka!" Maya yelled. "Dammit!" She turned to everyone. "Come on!" They ran as fast as the could towards the sound of distant gunfire, which had cut off at some point. They burst into a clearing at the bottom of the hill and froze at the sight before them. Ryuka and three other hunters lay on the ground, obviously dead because of the blood that pooled around them while three Level E's lapped up the remainder of blood from their victims. Maya wanted to hurl, but with an angry cry, and with the help of Zero, they shot the Level E's in the head without wasting a bullet. Kaito and Yagari were nowhere in sight.
"What the hell." Stated Zero. "Where are the rest of those Level E's? There was at least ten on that list..." The two of them watched the others run to their fallen comrades. The sight caused angry tears to well up in her eyes.
"There's no way that those Level E's killed them like that. There's something else at play here..." Maya surveyed the area, her sharp eyes catching something across the clearing on a tree branch. She turned to Zero. "I need you to stay here in case those Level E's show up."
"I'm not about to let you go alone. We have no idea who could be out there!" He stated, lilac eyes full of anger.
"I know, but I need you to keep an eye on Kei for me. I can't let anything happen to him." She placed a hand on his shoulder before running across the clearing to grab the piece of fabric and brought it up to her nose. There was blood on it, and it smelled of Kaito and also...
Maya let out a snarl and phased, running on all fours as fast as she could, finding bits of blood on the ground along the way. A picture of Kaito dead filled her mind and she pushed herself even faster, not wanting that to be the case when she got to wherever they were. Sliding down a steep rocky outcrop, she landed in a small clearing, seeing two familiar figures lying motionless on the ground. Maya turned human and ran out into the clearing toward them, calling out her brother's name.
About halfway there, something slammed into her, causing her to fly back, hitting the dirt at about twenty miles an hour and sending a spray of dirt along with her. She coughed, feeling her left side throb with pain. Spitting blood onto the earth below, she looked up at the figure who stood mere feet from her head.
"Kuran!" She snarled.
"I thought that this little ambush would get your attention," Kaname replied. "It really was quite easy, making a few Level E's for a diversion was simple."
"A diversion for what!" Maya coughed, groaning as she rolled onto her knees, feeling her body protest. "This is completely unlike you! You're crazy, hurting or killing the innocent along the way to get what you want. You're always trying to overpower everyone else. What is it that you're trying to gain?" She managed to get to her feet, one hand still holding her side, the other clutching Blood Fang in a tight grip.
"Respect and power."
"You already had that! You had everything!" Maya shouted. "You just killed my friends, how is that going to get you any respect! How would Yuuki feel if she saw her beloved brother killing hunters, or vampires, or anyone else! She would be disgusted with you!"
"Yuuki..." Kaname said, eyes narrowing.
"She loves you, Kuran. Stop whatever you are doing and go home to her! There's no need to do any more damage..." She explained, moving in between the pureblood and her two family members who were still unconscious.
"I know that Yuuki does, but I still have problems to get rid of. I want her to be happy."
"What problems-" Maya froze, realizing what he meant. "What do you want with them?" She gestured to the two people behind her.
Kaname didn't seem to listen to the question but began pacing back and forth in front of her, his body language making her tense up. "I was going to come and find you, to tell you that I would be needing you soon, but...I always like to get you alone. I don't want idiots with their prying ears listening into our conversation."
"I know that my job is to help you build the furnace, you didn't say anything else except for me to be your stupid bodyguard and protector and all that crap," Maya replied. "You don't need to drag my brother into this. He doesn't need to be a part of anything."
"I need you to kill someone for me."
Maya's eyes widened. "That wasn't part of the deal!"
"As I told you before, I will use you until you are spent."
"I won't do it." She snapped back defiantly, eyes burning gold.
"Then it's a good thing I brought incentive."
Faster than Maya could blink. Kaname grabbed Kaito's awakening form off the ground and bared his sharp white fangs too close for comfort by Kaito's neck. Kaito, now fully awake, started to struggle with panic when he saw the position he was in. Kaname's grip tightened, causing Kaito to still when the pureblood's sharp nails sharpened and dug through his jacket. She could see that he was already injured and could barely stand and wasn't even that conscious.
"NO! PLEASE! PLEASE! DON'T!" Maya screamed, holding her head in her hands as she watched. " I'll do it! I'LL DO IT! Just please let him go!"
"I don't believe you." Kaname moved down once more to bite her brother.
"Stop! If you let him go, I promise, I'll do whatever you want, I'll be your shadow and I won't back away. I won't go behind your back anymore. Just let him go!" She shouted.
Kaname dropped Kaito and stalked over to Maya, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look straight into his wine colored eyes. It took every ounce of her not to move away from his tainted grip. She held her gaze, letting her eyes tell the truth, promise pure and truthful in her golden and emerald stare. He released her after what seemed like forever and shoved her towards her brother and Yagari. "Get rid of them before I do it myself."
Maya ran over to Kaito, collapsing to her knees and hugged him. He seemed more lucid now. "Maya?"
"You need to get out of here, right now." She stated, seeing his eyes fall on the person not to far behind her.
"No, Maya, I am not leaving you alone with that bloodsucker!" He said. "He tried to kill me!"
"I know, Kaito. I know, but I need you to take Yagari and leave. Kuran and I are just going to have a talk, okay? I'll be fine." She lifted him to his feet.
"Maya!"
"Go."
"But-"
"GO!" I all but shouted, feeling Kaname's impatience start to grow. Kaito picked up Yagari and headed out of the clearing. Once they were out of sight, Maya turned to Kaname with a blank expression.
"Now," said Kaname. "Here is what I will have you do."
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(I was listening to this while typing this next scene. Kinda fits the mood. Start at 4:25 if you want. Or listen to the whole thing, haha.)
Maya sat alone in the clearing, gun in one hand, the other over her face. She let out a sob and hammered a fist on the ground, pressing the rear of the gun against her forehead in anger. With an angry shout, she raised the gun and fired all remaining rounds at the empty spot where Kaname had once stood, and kept pulling the trigger after the clip had already been emptied. Leaning over, she pressed her forehead against the ground before standing and wiping the dirt off of her forehead. Maya walked back through the trees, not bothering to pick up her feet as she scuffed along the ill-worn path, retracing her steps.
"Here is what I want you to do..." Maya flinched as if she had been slapped, and shied away from the conversation she had had an hour before with the pureblood. After about 45 minutes of walking, she arrived back at the trucks, but her arrival went unnoticed at first. Yagari was growling obscenities under his breath, leaning up against the Mustang. Kaito was pacing back and forth, looking lost and empty, his eyes looking glassy. Zero was sitting on top of the SUV, watching her brother. The rest of the hunters were lounging about.
Maya ran towards them. "Kaito!" She cried. Her brother's eyes snapped up and only ran five steps before I jumped into his arms. She gripped him tightly, vision blurry with tears. She'd almost lost her brother, her blood, her family, and the relief was like ice being poured over her body in one fell swoop.
"You're such an idiot, you know that?" She heard him mumble in her ear. Maya choked out a laugh, and then sobbed, burying her face in her brother's lapel. She let go of him reluctantly after a few minutes, catching Zero's eye.
"We ran into the rest of those Level E's when you left, this guy showed up out of nowhere, he claims he was friends with you." Zero stated, gesturing to a figure who emerged from his spot behind the SUV.
"Heisuke..." She breathed.
"Maya!" Kei nearly knocked her over in a hug, and she hugged him back, relieved that he was okay.
"That pureblood saved this runt's scrawny neck." Yagari. "I don't know how the hell he found out where we were or that we were even on a mission. He said that he's a friend of yours. Either way, he saved our asses."
Maya stared over the top of Kei's head at Heisuke and gave a thankful nod. His eyes narrowed, studying her face, and she immediately hid any turmoil that may have been there.
"Here is what I want you to do..."
Maya looked away from Heisuke, feeling her eyes will with tears. One escaped, falling onto her jacket.
Author's Note: This was an absolute monster of a chapter. Wowza. I've made Kaname the worst haven't I? Sorry all of you Kuran lovers out there. I like him too, but I thought he'd be a great meany!
Announcement: A new Vampire Knight fanfic is out on my page called The Bloody Rose. If you want to see the Vampire Knight character in a pirate's world, I highly suggest you get on that a-train, cause it's going to be a smooth-sailing story. Also, if you need a story idea or two, feel free to check out the Writing Prompts Book I have on my page if you need an idea, but don't forget to ask permission first!
ALSO: Finals are coming up and I won't be updating for a few days, so please bear with me! I haven't forgotten you!