Hunter, vampire. The boundaries between the two blur - I told you, did I not? I told you what they are. - leaving only a single enemy, the only enemy. Everyone.
Kaito nearly falls to his knees and grabs his arm, gasping as the bones start snapping back together. The clicks are audible, even over his strained breaths and again that sick, bitter laughter rises up from his throat, but it never makes it past his lips. Fury rises like a cancer in his throat, threatening to choke him.
No one could be trusted. No one. Except the one who entrusted him with a dark, vengeful promise.
He leans against the wall when he calmly points his revolver at Zero's back. His bones have not fully healed yet, but it no longer matters. Pain centres him, keeps him from teetering. The wound on his wrist is gone, only the blood remains.
The slight smile on his face is barely there but it's malicious.]
Don't turn your back on me.
[He doesn't even flinch when he fires several shots. No bullets? A lie, of course.]
[He hears Yuuki's voice and her desperate plea, but it only adds fuel to the fire. The fear and worry and energy she exudes like a drug, and he takes pleasure in the way she can match him in speed. A slow target results in a premature ending, hardly satisfying at all. Even the sight of Artemis as it explodes to its true self is enough to thrill.]
What's that, now?
[A pointed sneer, another chuckle low in his throat. She believes her words will work so easily, does she?
It takes little effort to hone in on her again. He cuts across her through another deep-set ripple of hunger-driven pain, once more swift on his feet to suddenly appear behind Yuuki, pressed tight to the wall as he corners her for a second time. One arm locks around her, clamping both of hers down against her body in an iron grip, energy crackling when his hand firmly grasps Artemis and holds it flush against her.
Much like he had Kaito, Zero's other hand is a vice about Bloody Rose as he digs it into Yuuki's lower back. Only, with her, he dips in closer.
Yuuki-
Nose buries into soft, rich mahogany-brown hair, nudging to her throat. He shivers at the taunt of her blood rushing just a hairsbreadth away, lips curling into a wayward grin. Hushed and low.]
Then how about I do this, now, Yuuki? You came, after all... [A shaky exhale; he almost laughs, and somewhere, within the words, the smallest fraction of a plea leaks into his voice- -Kill me already!]
It's really you I want anyway... You know that much, hm? [Darker, the gun digs deeper. A breathy, unstable groan when he steals a taste, tongue hot across such delicate skin.]
It's only ever been you.
[Tightens his hold, even intimately so, around such a slight body, lengthened fangs roughly burying deep to claim his prize. It's ironic the way his body- the very blood in his veins- both heaves a sigh in relief, yet pulses in rejection. It's been so long, it's as if it can't make up its mind.
Still, he drinks. Desperately, hungrily taking in the sweet, hot, precious elixir in by the mouthful. Thick drops of it spill down over his chin and shirt, trickling over his fingers and Yuuki's hands that curl about Artemis' handle.
He's about to relax his hold, even by only a tiny bit, when three loud pops! sound, slugging him square in the back. With a sickeningly wet smack, immediately his claim on Yuuki's throat is released, and a gurgling choke of a gasp passes his lips. The pain is white-hot, body screaming in yet another brand of pain.
It is not, however, the crippling type that he, in spite of such a situation, can affiliate to an anti-vampire weapon...
Yuuki is the one who is shoved away this time.]
You!
[He hisses, whirling around to face Kaito again. The blood that dribbles from his mouth and paints his chin and clothing is likely not only Yuuki's, now. That wayward grin cracks across stained lips. However, the laugh, a bark, is choking and viciously void of real humor.]
You little- [chokegurgle; he wavers. damn it-! even if normal bullets won't kill him... what a pain in the ass.] -piece of shit!
It's bad enough Zero is fast, but this fog makes him almost impossible to pinpoint once he starts moving. That's why, she tells herself, she isn't able to get away a second time. Surely, that had to be it, not emotions of desperation and denial causing her to be unable to actually use Artemis and her own skills as intended. Even as she's hit against the wall again, cornered, she can't help but wonder if she even has the willpower at this point to kill him if necessary (she doesn't want to; her childhood friend, no matter whether Zero sees them as enemies now, or not. But, hadn't she promised to stay alive so he would keep living, also?). If anything, Bloody Rose keeps her very still, because unlike Kaito, it would work on her.
Her eyes narrow as she listens to him, her mind automatically deciphering between Zero's wants and Zero's needs-]
Zero, please- [She can't finish her plea for him to stop, freezing in horror when she feels his fangs sinking into her. O-Oh god this isn't like before when she offered, this is... this is something else entirely (but it's funny, isn't it, that his hold is intimate, rougher than usual but surely not as rough as it could be, even with Bloody Rose practically digging into her spine). Yuuki doesn't react other than her expression shifting and neither he nor Kaito would be able to see that. She can feel it, her blood-her emotions-being taken, things she never wants him to know (Kaname, what do I do?-but her brother will never hear, never see this and she doesn't even know why she's thinking about him when he had already left her back home with nothing more than a few words after everything).
Thankfully the feeding only lasts a few moments before Zero pulls out, but Yuuki doesn't see it that way. It's not relief she feels. In fact, her heart skips a beat or two, the sound of bullets ringing out and piercing flesh just seconds before. It's stupid even, that she worries, but now she can smell it-Zero's blood spilling from his mouth in a mixture of hers and the wounds Kaito's bullets gave and her grip on Artemis only tightens in an attempt to control herself. She's still stunned (over everything-the bite, the blood, the bullets-) when Zero shoves her away to deal with Kaito. Her thoughts start racing through her mind, even being tempted by the smell of his blood, she forces herself to think rationally, to understand that this is no time for her to succumb to her own hunger.
(But, no, something isn't... this new situation just isn't possible. Hadn't Kaito announced over the network to her he was out of ammo? Then what-)
The pureblood slowly turns to look over her shoulder, confusion rampant in her eyes as much as panic for the safety of both of them. Yuuki sees that barely-there smile of Kaito's, just like he might notice the barely-there bloodlust starting to pool into her eyes. Even without knowing the hunter that well, she knows that something is wrong with him.]
Takamiya-san... [She manages to get a hold of her surprise and focus, then, instead yelling for Zero to stop. Don't go. Don't fall for it.]
Zero, DON'T!
[Too late, again. It seems to be a lovely pattern, lately, being too late for everything.]
However - his eyes flicker back to the vampire stalking towards him - there is still the interloper to deal with first. His arm is still healing when he fires the next two shots - by his third, all the bones are back where they should be, as if the injury never even existed. He doesn't retreat to a better position to fight from, the way he normally would in this situation - instead he takes several aggressive steps forward as he unleashes each round.
He doesn't hesitate. He discards the gun and closes in, hunting blade retrieved from his boot already in hand. The only certain way to kill a powerful vampire was to cut out their heart.
It would be a nice parting gift to throw at her feet.]
[There's little time to react when the second round hits.
Bullet number four slams into his right shoulder. He can feel and hear as metal draws fine and subtle cracks in the bone, tearing through tendons and muscle. It tightens his jaw and demands more composure from him. Each step takes careful focus,
Five.
He laughs this time. Again. Sharp and cynical through a clenched and bloody snarl, however catching as a wheeze, as though the bullet punctures a lung. His balance falters, but he steadies himself just before he lurches forward, taloned hand striking fast at Kaito's throat, once within reach. The first hit is a miss, however, pitifully and simply marring the hunter from lower jaw to mid-throat with a nasty gash, even if one nail penetrates the delicate area.
Bitter with the miss, a scowl begins to rise up from the back of Zero's throat, that same hand moving in for a second time, only when six hits.
The bullet plunges violently into his gut and shatters what physical stability he has left, like lead weights to eggshells. Growling, with a choked, gasping cry of pain, he doubles over and to his knees. Even more blood saturates both the front and back of his shirt, dripping from his lips and to the hard floor in heavy, repulsive splatters.
Yet, still, there's almost another snicker. It bubbles within him before his breath can stall again. Although his strength is about gone, his mental state and (however off-center) emotional reaction has one, and only, blast of energy violently shoving Kaito back.
Only seconds after, his arms, too, give way, skull knocking the blood-stained floor as his body collapses.]
They are indistinguishable, corrupt. Broken.
Hunter, vampire. The boundaries between the two blur - I told you, did I not? I told you what they are. - leaving only a single enemy, the only enemy. Everyone.
Kaito nearly falls to his knees and grabs his arm, gasping as the bones start snapping back together. The clicks are audible, even over his strained breaths and again that sick, bitter laughter rises up from his throat, but it never makes it past his lips. Fury rises like a cancer in his throat, threatening to choke him.
No one could be trusted. No one. Except the one who entrusted him with a dark, vengeful promise.
He leans against the wall when he calmly points his revolver at Zero's back. His bones have not fully healed yet, but it no longer matters. Pain centres him, keeps him from teetering. The wound on his wrist is gone, only the blood remains.
The slight smile on his face is barely there but it's malicious.]
Don't turn your back on me.
[He doesn't even flinch when he fires several shots. No bullets? A lie, of course.]
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What's that, now?
[A pointed sneer, another chuckle low in his throat. She believes her words will work so easily, does she?
It takes little effort to hone in on her again. He cuts across her through another deep-set ripple of hunger-driven pain, once more swift on his feet to suddenly appear behind Yuuki, pressed tight to the wall as he corners her for a second time. One arm locks around her, clamping both of hers down against her body in an iron grip, energy crackling when his hand firmly grasps Artemis and holds it flush against her.
Much like he had Kaito, Zero's other hand is a vice about Bloody Rose as he digs it into Yuuki's lower back. Only, with her, he dips in closer.
Yuuki-
Nose buries into soft, rich mahogany-brown hair, nudging to her throat. He shivers at the taunt of her blood rushing just a hairsbreadth away, lips curling into a wayward grin. Hushed and low.]
Then how about I do this, now, Yuuki? You came, after all... [A shaky exhale; he almost laughs, and somewhere, within the words, the smallest fraction of a plea leaks into his voice- -Kill me already!]
It's really you I want anyway... You know that much, hm? [Darker, the gun digs deeper. A breathy, unstable groan when he steals a taste, tongue hot across such delicate skin.]
It's only ever been you.
[Tightens his hold, even intimately so, around such a slight body, lengthened fangs roughly burying deep to claim his prize. It's ironic the way his body- the very blood in his veins- both heaves a sigh in relief, yet pulses in rejection. It's been so long, it's as if it can't make up its mind.
Still, he drinks. Desperately, hungrily taking in the sweet, hot, precious elixir in by the mouthful. Thick drops of it spill down over his chin and shirt, trickling over his fingers and Yuuki's hands that curl about Artemis' handle.
He's about to relax his hold, even by only a tiny bit, when three loud pops! sound, slugging him square in the back. With a sickeningly wet smack, immediately his claim on Yuuki's throat is released, and a gurgling choke of a gasp passes his lips. The pain is white-hot, body screaming in yet another brand of pain.
It is not, however, the crippling type that he, in spite of such a situation, can affiliate to an anti-vampire weapon...
Yuuki is the one who is shoved away this time.]
You!
[He hisses, whirling around to face Kaito again. The blood that dribbles from his mouth and paints his chin and clothing is likely not only Yuuki's, now. That wayward grin cracks across stained lips. However, the laugh, a bark, is choking and viciously void of real humor.]
You little- [chokegurgle; he wavers. damn it-! even if normal bullets won't kill him... what a pain in the ass.] -piece of shit!
[He starts at Kaito again.]
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It's bad enough Zero is fast, but this fog makes him almost impossible to pinpoint once he starts moving. That's why, she tells herself, she isn't able to get away a second time. Surely, that had to be it, not emotions of desperation and denial causing her to be unable to actually use Artemis and her own skills as intended. Even as she's hit against the wall again, cornered, she can't help but wonder if she even has the willpower at this point to kill him if necessary (she doesn't want to; her childhood friend, no matter whether Zero sees them as enemies now, or not. But, hadn't she promised to stay alive so he would keep living, also?). If anything, Bloody Rose keeps her very still, because unlike Kaito, it would work on her.
Her eyes narrow as she listens to him, her mind automatically deciphering between Zero's wants and Zero's needs-]
Zero, please- [She can't finish her plea for him to stop, freezing in horror when she feels his fangs sinking into her. O-Oh god this isn't like before when she offered, this is... this is something else entirely (but it's funny, isn't it, that his hold is intimate, rougher than usual but surely not as rough as it could be, even with Bloody Rose practically digging into her spine). Yuuki doesn't react other than her expression shifting and neither he nor Kaito would be able to see that. She can feel it, her blood-her emotions-being taken, things she never wants him to know (Kaname, what do I do?-but her brother will never hear, never see this and she doesn't even know why she's thinking about him when he had already left her back home with nothing more than a few words after everything).
Thankfully the feeding only lasts a few moments before Zero pulls out, but Yuuki doesn't see it that way. It's not relief she feels. In fact, her heart skips a beat or two, the sound of bullets ringing out and piercing flesh just seconds before. It's stupid even, that she worries, but now she can smell it-Zero's blood spilling from his mouth in a mixture of hers and the wounds Kaito's bullets gave and her grip on Artemis only tightens in an attempt to control herself. She's still stunned (over everything-the bite, the blood, the bullets-) when Zero shoves her away to deal with Kaito. Her thoughts start racing through her mind, even being tempted by the smell of his blood, she forces herself to think rationally, to understand that this is no time for her to succumb to her own hunger.
(But, no, something isn't... this new situation just isn't possible. Hadn't Kaito announced over the network to her he was out of ammo? Then what-)
The pureblood slowly turns to look over her shoulder, confusion rampant in her eyes as much as panic for the safety of both of them. Yuuki sees that barely-there smile of Kaito's, just like he might notice the barely-there bloodlust starting to pool into her eyes. Even without knowing the hunter that well, she knows that something is wrong with him.]
Takamiya-san... [She manages to get a hold of her surprise and focus, then, instead yelling for Zero to stop. Don't go. Don't fall for it.]
Zero, DON'T!
[Too late, again. It seems to be a lovely pattern, lately, being too late for everything.]
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She would be next.
However - his eyes flicker back to the vampire stalking towards him - there is still the interloper to deal with first. His arm is still healing when he fires the next two shots - by his third, all the bones are back where they should be, as if the injury never even existed. He doesn't retreat to a better position to fight from, the way he normally would in this situation - instead he takes several aggressive steps forward as he unleashes each round.
He doesn't hesitate. He discards the gun and closes in, hunting blade retrieved from his boot already in hand. The only certain way to kill a powerful vampire was to cut out their heart.
It would be a nice parting gift to throw at her feet.]
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Bullet number four slams into his right shoulder. He can feel and hear as metal draws fine and subtle cracks in the bone, tearing through tendons and muscle. It tightens his jaw and demands more composure from him. Each step takes careful focus,
Five.
He laughs this time. Again. Sharp and cynical through a clenched and bloody snarl, however catching as a wheeze, as though the bullet punctures a lung. His balance falters, but he steadies himself just before he lurches forward, taloned hand striking fast at Kaito's throat, once within reach. The first hit is a miss, however, pitifully and simply marring the hunter from lower jaw to mid-throat with a nasty gash, even if one nail penetrates the delicate area.
Bitter with the miss, a scowl begins to rise up from the back of Zero's throat, that same hand moving in for a second time, only when six hits.
The bullet plunges violently into his gut and shatters what physical stability he has left, like lead weights to eggshells. Growling, with a choked, gasping cry of pain, he doubles over and to his knees. Even more blood saturates both the front and back of his shirt, dripping from his lips and to the hard floor in heavy, repulsive splatters.
Yet, still, there's almost another snicker. It bubbles within him before his breath can stall again. Although his strength is about gone, his mental state and (however off-center) emotional reaction has one, and only, blast of energy violently shoving Kaito back.
Only seconds after, his arms, too, give way, skull knocking the blood-stained floor as his body collapses.]
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