Vampire Knight: The Kiryu's Pureblood Lover

Chapter 26

"Shall I get him some blood?" Amelia questions Zero who shakes his head and removes his blazer and rolls up his left sleeve. He punctures his wrist with his sharp nails and then presses it against Ichiru's mouth as he starts to bleed. Ichiru grabs on to his arm, opening his now crimson eyes and drinks up a lot of Zero's blood.

"Ichiru, are you alright?" Zero questions his younger brother who pulls his mouth away and wipes at his mouth. He looks at the blood staining his pale hand and doesn't respond to Zero's question.

"Where's Alondra? I know now that seeing her wasn't a dream." Ichiru says with a slight raspy voice. Zero sighs and looks towards the door.

"She ran out filled with guilt. Kira and Yoru went after her while I stayed here to keep an eye on you." Zero tells him and that has Ichiru bolting upright.

"Well, I'm fine now! So lets go find her!" Ichiru says to Zero who shakes his head and helps him lie back down.

"Ichiru, we don't know this place, so we'll only end up getting lost ourselves. All we can do is wait here and hope those two idiots manage to bring her back." Zero tells him making Ichiru annoyed. He looks up at the ceiling with a glare, looking like his elder brother more than ever. "How do you feel?" He tries again as Ichiru starts to feel a bombarding of stimulation at his heightened senses.

"I-I can hear your blood running through you, I can hear your heartbeat... Everything is suddenly brighter, and... I feel stronger. This is what I wanted Shizuka-sama to do for me, but she refused. She preferred me as a human." Amelia's eyes widen as he brings up Shizuka. She remembers Alondra's story once again.

"I was afraid of you becoming this as well. I worry about your developing hunger. How fast will you fall into a Level E..." Zero's expression fills with worry, guilt, and sadness. Ichiru looks over at him. He can't help but make a cruel jab.

"We both have a pureblood that would willingly give her blood to us." He's eyes widen as he looks over at Ichiru. He looks away and smiles sadly. "You could have taken my life, like I had asked. Then only one of us would need Alondra's blood." Zero grabs Ichiru's arm and makes him face him.

"Like I said, I won't do that. You... you're allowed to live and be your own person, Ichiru. You are not me, and Alondra sees that too. She wanted you to live too. No matter what her feelings are for us, she wanted you to live." He tells him with a sad smile. Ichiru looks at his brother closely before resting his head on his shoulder. Taking comfort once again in his brother's warmth. One that has always eased him on his scariest nights, when he feared he wouldn't wake up again.

"Zero, I love her, but all I've done is manipulate you two. Keeping you two apart and trying to monopolize her. If she chooses you... please..." Ichiru's voice cracks and Zero holds him gently, shaking his head.

"Stop it, don't think about that right now. We won't know what's in her heart until we ask her. We can't keep assuming what she wants. She has to say it. So, just... just try and adjust to your changes." He pleads with him, feeling his chest ache. They both feel the same for the same girl and it's always been a barrier between them. A barrier that started to separate them from a young age. They want to break it down. They're just afraid of what it means once it is down.

                                   ~0~

Alondra looks around the forest trying to find a way out. She's been running straight for what seems like hours, but the forest doesn't seem to end. She stops to catch her breath and leans against a mossy tree.

"Well, now that I've cleared my head, I realize how stupid I am." Alondra says, annoyed with herself and her actions. She slides down the tree and sits on a small patch of grass. She sighs and plays with the grass.