Red Vengeance Vampire Knight Fanfiction)

Chapter 14

The day after I told Kaien my story the rain stopped and we were finally able to leave the confines of the house.  I was and still am thankful we were finally able to leave, to say the least.

Currently Kaien and I are searching in yet another victims' house for any clues as to who the vampire hunter killer is.  We've been searching victims' houses nonstop ever since the rain stopped and we were able to leave.  That was about three days ago, since then we've been everywhere, looking high and low for a scrap of some lead we can use to gain leverage on this case.

The answer is nothing, we have found absolutely nothing.

My frustration has hit its limit and for the last day or so I've felt like I've wanted to explode.  What makes it even worse is how strange Kaien has been acting.  He's still his cheery self except...different.  It's almost as if he's making sure every action is cautious and thought out.  Stranger still, when I'm not looking I sometimes turn to face him again only to see him calculating me carefully.  Maybe because he wants to fix me...

If so he's down-right stupid, I'm not broken, there's nothing to fix.  It makes me regret even telling him anything in the first place. I'm fine, I've lived my life on my own for awhile.

...But at the same time I've felt better of late, less burdened and my fits have been less as well. Whether it's because I told Kaien my story or not, I don't know. But I do know that whatever it is, I'm grateful.

I don't think I could of made it much longer. I'll admit now that my fits were getting worse and more frequent, but I'm fine now so I guess that's all that really matters.

"Hitomi?"

I whirl around to face Kaien. The house we're in now isn't as big as the others we've visited. It's smaller and less grand with a more homey feel to it. Just from looking I can tell that the hunter family that lived here loved it. Children's pictures and family photos hang on the wall as well as good grades on the fridge. Despite all the happy memories, they do nothing to outshine the bright spots of blood marring the plush carpet.

"Did you find anything?" I ask quickly, my raised brow communicating my doubt.

Kaien shakes his head. "Unfortunately no."

My disappointment is practically nonexistent, it's not like I was expecting any other answer anyways.

"Then what?" I ask, sighing through my nose.

"Do you know what your name means?"

"Uh...no." I say, slightly surprised at the random topic. In these past couple days his randomness has been less as well, causing his question to spike my curiosity at least slightly. Very slightly.

"I'll tell you later." He says, spinning on his heel to search some room.  That leaves me looking after him as if he'd just grown a second head. Weird, just weird.

A sigh of irritation and then I stalk after him into the room he went into --the dining room.
"Why later?" I ask, narrowing my silver eyes suspiciously at the blond haired hunter.

Kaien shrugs, continuing to search the room throughly, only to breeze past me once finished.

What's his problem?! You know what, it doesn't even matter I won't go after the bait.

With an indigent huff I go to a room far away from where Kaien is searching,  He's just lucky I promised to try to work more as a team with him, if I hadn't I'd still be calling him Mr. Cross and I would of already blown up on his ass.

After awhile of searching, we come up empty handed like we have since the beginning of this damned case. It's incredible to think we've worked everyday without a break and we've searched so thoroughly and haven't found even the slightest lead. I wasn't expecting this to be easy, the vampire behind all of this is cunning and extremely careful, but still I expected something. With the rate that we're going we'll never get evidence. And without evidence I can't tell Makishima or Kaien who's really behind it all.

If only Makishima would of listened, I would of been able to tell him who's doing all of this and we would of been able to hunt them down and slit their throat.  It would of been quick and easy, but of course everything has to be the hard way.  Evidence, I need evidence.

This is all I think of on the ride back to my crappy apartment, and it's all that's on my mind as we enter and take off our shoes at the door. That is until....

"Hitomi?"

"Yes." I grind out.

"Are you ready for me to tell you what your name means?"

"Why not?" I say, flopping on to my faded couch which seems to groan from under me.

Kaien holds up a finger before going into the kitchen.  I hear him rifle around for something and then I hear clanking.

What the....?

He returns minutes later with two mugs of some steaming drink.

"What is it?" I ask, eyeing him warily.

Kaien pouts. "What, you don't trust me?" He whines.

"When it comes to strange liquids, no. No I don't."

"What about any other time?" He asks. Though there is still a pout on his lips, there's a sort of seriousness in his eyes when he asks his question that takes me aback and forces me to consider my answer more carefully.

Do I trust him? My mind immediately goes to how much of an idiot he is and I think I have my answer until I remember. I remember us fighting back to back against level E's and his knowledge of vampire families that helped us to narrow down the families who could be the ones committing these crimes.  I remember how worried he was when I came back from my jog all injured from my scrape with the E's and our conversation about each other's lives and so much more.  It is only then that I have my answer.

"Yes." I answer simply. 

A small almost nonexistent smile appears on the hunter's face.  Much to my disgust I feel my fave heat up from embarrassment.  Embarrassment, what the hell, when have I last felt that?!?!

"But you're still an idiot." I say quickly. "And I still hate your views."

Kaien's smile only widens, making me want to slap him. "Of course." He chuckles. "I wouldn't expect anything else."

My fingers inch towards the gun in my holster, like a hawk his eyes zero in on this.  Once he registers what I'm doing he does the opposite of what I expect.  He laughs.  He laughs so hard that he nearly falls off the couch.

"Stop it right now!  This is not funny!"  My face becomes even hotter.  "Stop it!"

He stops for a moment and looks at my face and then he rolls on to the floor laughing.

"Hey!"
Soon enough the room fills of his laughter and my anger. 

Finally his stupid giggles cease and he calmly gets back on to the couch, still smiling.  Thankfully by then my face has returned to its normal color. The now-cold mugs of warm drink sit forgotten on the coffee table.  I'm not thirsty anyway.

"So you want to know what your name means?" He drawls out almost teasingly.

"I already told you yes." I scoff at the blonde.

"Hitomi means pupil of the eye." I give him a confused look. "Typically it's given to children with beautiful eyes." He looks into my eyes. "It makes sense, you have some of the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen."

My angry retort is frozen on my tongue and once again I feel my face burn scarlet which redefines the word angry, I'm livid.

Kaien puts a cool hand to my warm cheek. "Why are you so red--?"

He doesn't have time to finish as I nearly bite his hand off.

He holds his hand to his chest. "Did you just try to bite me?!"

I'm not sure whether it's the fact that I almost bit him or the ridiculous tone and expression on his face, but for some reason a chuckle escapes my lips. With wide eyes I cover my mouth in shock, still I can feel the need to laugh bubbling up inside me.

"H-Hitomi?" His scared tone puts me over the edge.

My loud laughter fills up the room.

"Stop it!"

"That is not funny!"

"Hey!"

Soon enough the room fills with my laughter and his anger.