Sagakure (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} sagakure) wrote,@ 2008-06-15 02:19:00 |
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| Entry tags: | ¤ Vampire Knight - All VK Posts, ¤ Vampire Knight - Fanfiction |
[Vampire Knight fanfic] "Checkmate" - Chapter 2: "Castling the King" - PG13 Kaname-centric fic.
Here's chapter 2 of "Checkmate"! ^^/
---------- Title "Checkmate, chapter 2: Castling the King" Author: Sagakure Fandom: Vampire Knight Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it. Warnings: Angst & blood. Also, spoilers for chapters 30 to 35. This is a partial AU, because in this fic, some time has passed since episode 30's scene with Kaname & Zero, and there's no move on Rido's part yet. (Think of it as extending things a bit so that Rido attacks later, after the next vacation instead of this one? *lol*) As a result, everybody is still at school including Takuma & co., and things are normal without Rido-in-Shiki's-body stuff as of yet. -------------- Having stood in front of the door leading to Kaname's chambers for several hours now, Ichijou hated himself for his indecision, but he knew better than barge into the pureblood's room uncalled for. Of all the inhabitants of the Moon Dorms, he was the closest to Kaname, having grown up by his side, and this special position allowed him to take liberties with the pureblood no one else would have dared, such as the informal way he addressed him. But it didn't change in the least the immense respect Ichijou had for Kaname. He considered it an exceptional privilege that Kaname would allow him such closeness, despite who he was related to, and he wasn't willing to cross the pureblood and lose it. But it wasn't for the reasons another would expect, such as the political power or influence that a close friendship with the pureblood would inevitably bring, however. Ichijou would never betray Kaname's wishes because Kaname was his dearest friend, one he felt so marvelled to have that he sometimes couldn't believe his luck. But that was also what tied his hands in this situation, and made it impossible for him to open that door, or allow any of the many other vampires currently congregated in front of Kaname's room to do so. Instead, he stared at it with a rising desperation as if his sight could pierce through the door, his vampire senses attuned to the very maximum, clinging to the hope that Kaname would call for them, even if faintly, anything that gave him the permission to force the door open if needed. He knew someone else was inside now, they all knew. They even heard what sounded like someone breaking through the bathroom door. But that didn't change anything, especially since the invader was one that he knew Kaname had often allowed to come and go through his window in previous times. With a bleak, dread filled look on his face, Ichijou stood, his gaze glued to the doorknob for what seemed like an eternity, but when the metal knob turned and the door opened from the inside, he couldn't stop his eyes from widening in surprise. Zero Kiryuu, covered in what seemed like a sea of Kaname's blood, peeked his head out with an uncertain look in his face, quickly surveying the astounded group of vampires before latching for Ichijou's arm, whispering for him to come inside quickly. The commotion in the hall was inevitable, and as the two vampires closed the door behind themselves, the noise was such that they thought for a moment that they would have to secure the entry. Although no barrier they could have set would have held against such a determined group should they have tried to force it open. Surprisingly, it was Aidou who took over Ichijou's appeasing role, rushing to stand firmly with his back to the door, raising his voice and his hands to quiet his fellows. He had to muster all of his aura and freeze the entire ground of the corridor before he had their full attention. Every single one of them had smelled Kaname's blood on the hunter, and even though they knew better than think the likes of Kiryuu had any chances against their lord, instincts were a hardwired thing, and all of theirs were screaming at them to break in and protect the pureblood. But young and hot-headed as he may be, Aidou was a born genius, and had clear leadership abilities honed from an early age. Furthermore, his family had long been the most powerful clan among of the royalists, and the others knew better than doubt his undying loyalty for Kaname. His cousin Cain and their friends Luca and Rima, other eminent members of families who held the pinnacle of the royalist faction, the Kuran supporters, quickly fell to his side, reassuring the rest of the group, and insisting that much as they understood and shared their feelings, no one could possibly meddle in the affairs of a pureblood, much less without permission. They had to trust in Kaname, and wait for him to order them. Seiren knew that better than anyone, but being unable to do anything in such a situation made her clench her fists until her nails pierced through the flesh of her palms as she stood silently in the corridor, just hoping for the slightest sound or sensation that would indicate that her liege was calling for them. "You have to come with me quickly." Zero hurried through the antechamber and into the bedroom, with Ichijou hot on his heels. The blonde vampire had stared at him in horror, unable to say anything in reply, taking in the sight of the amount of blood the hunter was covered in. It was made even more impressive by the fact that the blood had been diluted in water, thus making it seem like there was an even larger amount. Vampire senses, even more so those of the more powerful ones, couldn't possibly mistake that scent. Ichijou knew it was Kaname's blood. He could also tell that not a drop of Zero's blood had been spilled, which told him there had been no fight. That, and Takuma's level-headedness were the grounding anchor that kept him at bay from his primal instinctive urge to crush the hunter into the ground for what seemed to have possibly happened in that room. But he knew better than assuming. Another vampire might have been more impulsive however, and it was good that Zero had called him in and not someone else. With the bathroom on their right, they walked through Kaname's study and then left towards his bedroom. Ichijou held his breath and shuddered when he saw the distinct trail of blood crossing the whole place, going from the bathroom to the room they were about to enter. Kaname's blood. But what he saw inside was even more heart wrenching. Not even in the very worst moments, not even immediately after the pureblood had lost his whole family, or when Ichiou forced him under his guardianship, had Takuma ever seen Kaname the way he was now. The pureblood was laying on his large bed, the coverlet and blankets thrown off so his body rested directly atop the soft white sheets. His naked body looked drawn and weakened, and he shivered slightly from the cold or, much more likely, from the powerful feverish state induced by the blood loss, akin in vampires to the symptoms that would normally precede a syncope in a human. Blood or bloody water were everywhere, painting the scene into even more of an image of horror. Rivulets of it covered the pureblood's ghastly pale skin, drenching the bed and the stained sheets all around him, and soaking through the torn garments Zero had wrapped around the multiple gashes on the pureblood's forearms, makeshift bandages tied tightly in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Absolute desperation in his face, Kaname was currently trying to tear the rags off with his teeth, his razor-sharp fangs extended by the hunger and doing a much better job at cutting the fabric than Zero had assumed they might due to the pureblood's current lack of strength. He had already gotten half of one arm free and blood was oozing down his elbow, flowing anew from wounds that refused to heal since the poison had worked its effect over his healing abilities. He displayed an unexpected amount of energy for someone whose body was crashing into hypovolemic shock. The hunter rushed to the side of the bed when he saw what Kaname was doing, cursing himself for not having foreseen this, and pulled the pureblood's arms away from his mouth, pinning them to the mattress on each side of his head. "If you keep this up, I swear, Kuran, I'll tie you to the bed!!" Kaname breathed raggedly, his head spinning as his vision dimmed and unfocused, but he was still conscious and struggling as much as he could. "JUST LET ME DIE ALREADY!! Do you have no mercy?! Do you hate me that much?!!" Takuma was standing by the door, completely paralyzed by what he was seeing. He stared at Kaname, willed himself to go to his side, but it was as if his body wouldn't obey him, so shocked he was by the sight in front of him. It was only when Zero yelled for help that he snapped out of it and ran to the bed. The hunter had pulled off his school tie in a quick movement and was in the process of tying Kaname's wrists together behind his head, securing them tightly to the head of the bed, counting on the fact that in Kaname's current state, he wouldn't have the strength to tear it off. The pureblood reeled against it, trying to pull away, but not succeeding at anything more than merely slowing the hunter down. Quickly, Zero rebandaged the wounds to try to quench the blood flow until they could heal. The sight of those wounds that refused to heal was filling him with a newborn dread that he couldn't explain. The moment he had seen them bleeding again, Zero realized Kaname had used a hunter drug or weapon on himself, else he would have already healed by now. But he couldn't know how long it would take before the pureblood's body burned off the poison and resumed functioning properly, so he had to do all he could for him in the meantime. If he wasn't too weak for that, Kaname would have torn at the hunter with his mind, but in this state, he couldn't even do that, which was all for the better really, since he wouldn't forgive himself if he harmed in any way the one Yuuki had chosen, much as it shattered his heart to admit that to himself. Among choked breaths, he uttered a stream of imprecations against the hunter, half of it in languages neither Kiryuu nor even Ichijou were quite sure they recognized. When insults had no effect, he lost whatever composure he had left and resorted to begging. "If you have any mercy in you... If you have ANY decency, don't do this to me! I beg of you, just let me die!! PLEASE!!" There was anger in his voice, but it was nothing compared to the pain it contained. Ichijou had sat down on the bed on the other side of Kaname, with the intention to help, but all he could do was stare in mesmerized horror. He was now covering his mouth in a nervous reaction. He felt physically ill. He couldn't look at Kaname's face anymore once he saw the amount of desperation in his friend's eyes, and the tears streaming down his face. No one should have to go through this. It was an immense insult to invade the privacy of a pureblood and see them crying. When Kaname started begging Takuma thought he'd die on the spot from witnessing it. He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't be seeing this. He broke down crying too, just from the sheer misery that emanated from his beloved friend. Zero was more practical, and focused on the task at hand, thinking that as long as Kaname stayed alive, feelings could be mended later. Or not. He wasn't expecting the pureblood to ever forgive him. But even if he lived just to hate him, it would be better than letting him die like this. Yuuki would never recover. Kaname may be under the impression that he could be discarded like an old rag because Yuuki had gone for Zero, but the hunter knew better than think that Yuuki would have a normal life if Kaname disappeared that way. As a matter of fact, he was pretty strongly convinced that her feelings would never be just for him, much as he wished they could be that way. Kaname had always been the very center of her universe. The pureblood was a colossal part of her life, and Zero wasn't going to let him take it away from her, no matter what Kaname did to him once he was back to his normal level of power. Those things could be dealed with later, as long as Kaname survived. Unheeding to the pureblood's protests, Zero forced the back of Kaname's head against the mattress, one hand pinning his head down and the other one securely gripping his chin, prying his mouth open by force and paying no heed to his attempts to jerk out of the strong grip. "Ichijou-senpai, I'll hold him down while you do this! Quick!! He needs to start healing faster before it's too late!" Takuma jolted, his eyes meeting Zero's as understanding dawned on him. In Kaname's current state, his body couldn't heal itself fast enough. If his wounds continued bleeding with his struggles, he would soon reach a point of no return, where his body would lose too much blood to function anymore and would begin to solidify quickly, until he shattered and turned to dust. Ichijou extended his nails and cut a gash in his own wrist, bringing it swiftly to Kaname's lips. But the pureblood didn't want his blood, and arched back against the mattress, fighting with whatever strength he still had left to stop them from forcing the blood into his mouth. What felt like an eternity ago, faced with a similar state of shock and blood loss, Shizuka Hioh hadn't been able to do more than lay there until she shattered. But cornered into a last stretch of despair, even in shock Kaname still had enough strength to put up a fight. He pulled against his restraints with all he had, to the point that Zero thought the pureblood's arms would snap if the tie didn't give first. Kaname didn't dare try biting either of them to get them away from him, by fear they'd use the occasion to make him swallow the blood. Instead, he hoped to exhaust himself enough in his struggles that his body would finally hit the point of no return. But he couldn't do more than escape Zero's grip on his head for a moment, and the hunter pinned him to the mattress again, pressing his head back much harder now, forcing the pureblood's jaw open with his other hand. "NOW, Ichijou-senpai! Now!!" But Takuma's hand was shaking when he approached his wrist to Kaname's lips. And despite Zero's iron hold on his jaw, Kaname managed to choke out a promise. "I will...never...forgive...you...Takuma... Their eyes met for a moment, both filled with tears. Ichijou held Kaname's gaze, and pulled back his arm. "What are you doing?!" Zero couldn't keep the grip on the pureblood's jaw forever, and couldn't understand the sudden change in Ichijou. They had to do it now, as fast as possible. "I...I can't do this, Kiryuu-kun. I can't do this to Kaname." "Then hold his head!! I'll give him my blood instead!!" "I can't... I can't, Kiryuu-kun." Zero threw his hands up, raging in exasperation. This couldn't possibly be happening. Ichijou continued, his face filled with shame and his gaze fixed on a random stain on the sheets. "I won't throw you out, although I really think I should. But I can't help you do this." Kaname was trying to catch his breath, ragged sobs mixed with panting and making him choke amidst his attempts to tell Takuma to do precisely that and throw Zero out. Zero shot them both a glare that said much of what he thought of vampires and their stubborn need to make it all so much more complicated. He got up quickly and ran back to the front door, opening a crack just wide enough to be able to speak, afraid that otherwise the vampires outside might rush him before he could close it. "Somebody go get Yuuki, NOW!" He was met with a collective stare of shock and puzzlement. "NOW!! If you want Kuran to live, bring her NOW!" He slammed the door shut and rushed back to the room, afraid that if he didn't make it back fast enough, he would find Ichijou untying Kaname by the time he returned. Watching over the pureblood was in part why he couldn't go get her himself, that and the fact he wasn't sure he would make it back inside in one piece if he exited the room. But when Zero returned to the room, he found the blonde vampire just sitting very still, a worn out look on his face as he caressed Kaname's hair softly. That gesture alone was an amazing breach of protocol. They were close friends, but no one touched a pureblood without their command or permission. That he was not fighting Zero or untying Kaname also spoke so much of his despair. He couldn't bring himself to directly betray Kaname's wishes by forcing his blood into him, but he couldn't stand taking active part in helping the pureblood kill himself either. His eyes were filled with tears and a look of longing nostalgia while he spoke softly to Kaname, babbling of long lost memories and something or another of no importance. Kaname's eyes were glazed and unfocused, and his struggles against the restraint were more weak now, as if he had less and less strength to continue and would lose it soon. The lack of blood in his body was making his head spin considerably, not enough oxygen making it to his brain. The ringing in his ears wasn't helping either. The fact that he couldn't hear at all what it was that Zero had told the others at the door was by itself proof of how far gone he was. Zero felt a pang of pain go straight to his heart at the sight. It wasn't just for Yuuki. He had hated the pureblood for a long time, but he had also grown to grudgingly respect him. Seeing him so broken brought an indescribable sadness, and he clenched his teeth while he tore off a piece of the hem of the bedsheets to wrap around Kaname's wrists where his struggles against the tie had cause the blood to start flowing again. It was Aidou who went for Yuuki. They didn't decide who would go; the moment Kiryuu spoke, Aidou simply took off running down the stairs as fast as he could, unable to leave such a task in anyone else's hands. Cain, Luca and the others took his place in front of the door and waited out, hoping he would return fast. Screw acting like a human and hiding his nature. He ran at inhuman speed and leapt walls to get to the Day Class. He actually barged into a classroom from a window as it was faster than going through the inside of the building. It had been luckily open, or he wouldn't have hesitated to crash through the glass. It was only luck and a conveniently placed terrasse on the roof of the lower wing of the building that made the students assume he had walked up to the window normally, when he had actually ran up the wall of the building. But Yuuki was nowhere to be found. (To be continued) |
Chapter 3, hopefully tomorrow, otherwise next week. ^^/
The layout of Kaname's chambers is totally made up. I suspect there's some truth in it, but I'm totally unsure of the placement of those rooms I listed, so I just made it up.
