Rare (Vampire Knight)

Chapter 61

Charlotte watched the fight unfold in front of her. It was Yuki who took action in attacking first. She ran at Kaname with Artemis held up and ready to strike. The girl's familiars fluttered about, as they were in the form of butterflies and Charlotte briefly wondered if Yuki had any control over their shape or if they were just naturally like that. Seeing the butterflies, Charlotte really began to think about how much that Yuki really didn't belong being a vampire. Her familiars were butterflies, for Christ's sake; they were creatures that craved the sunlight.

Charlotte stood back as Yuki and Zero took action. She knew that they both had full intentions of killing Kaname, but Charlotte didn't. She was not on his side this time around, but that didn't mean that she wanted him dead. She loved Kaname dearly like he was her brother and she wouldn't do anything to permanently wound him, which would be death because he was a pureblood and wouldn't be scarred physically or anything.

Yuki was close to Kaname now, her butterflies fluttering around the man as she held Artemis up high and was ready to bring it down across his chest to incapacitate him─or possibly kill him with one blow. Charlotte braced herself for the loss, readying herself in case that Yuki succeeded in what she felt she needed to do. Charlotte didn't necessarily agree with Yuki and Zero's course of action, but she felt that it was their decision and to stop them was to be against them. And she didn't want that, she didn't want them to feel threatened like they would if they knew or felt that she wasn't on their side.

Yuki swung Artemis down and Bloody Rose's vines descended towards their target and Charlotte held her breath, bracing herself for the coldness that would run through her body once Kaname was gone. She had had more than enough of his blood that she would feel his blood that was infused with her own go cold at the death of its original host.

But nothing happened. Charlotte didn't feel anything and it had suddenly grown dead quiet. She looked up, her eyes widening slightly when she saw what was in front of her. Yuki hadn't struck. She didn't deliver any blow to Kaname, and Bloody Rose's vines stopped along with her. There was a striking silence that spread throughout the corridor and Yuki's hands shook slightly.

"Why did you stop, Zero?" Yuki asked quietly, her voice oddly not shaking. Charlotte tilted her head to the side slightly as she saw that Artemis was barely noticeably trembling in her grasp. "You won't pose a threat at all like this. He won't die unless you use this blade to pierce his heart!"

All of Yuki's butterflies suddenly began to disintegrate as Kaname reached his hand out towards her. The girl was losing conviction, which made it easier to flick away her familiars. Charlotte ran forward, ending up right behind Yuki as Kaname pulled the girl closer to him and held the blade to the anti-vampire sword to her throat.

"The same could be said you..." he muttered, pulling her hand away. "You aren't a real threat yet, nothing like Charlotte who is glaring menacingly at me." Kaname looked around him and at the few butterflies that remained, a small and fond smile coming to his lips, "So your embodiment is a butterfly? The fact that yours took the shape of a living thing that favours light is just like you..." He caressed her cheek so slightly.

"But those are butterflies that drink blood and not honey," Charlotte said, watching as Zero came up behind Kaname and held Bloody Rose to his head. He and Charlotte made eye contact and Charlotte's heart skipped a beat. She knew that Yuki probably wouldn't have been able to follow through with killing Kaname, but Charlotte knew that Zero would have the ability to not hesitate to pull the fatal trigger.

"I can fight just as well as Charlotte, so don't belittle me."

Using the sword, Kaname struck at Artemis and sent Yuki flying back, and then he sliced off some of Bloody Rose's vines as he turned to Zero, ready to fight the young hunter. Seeing that those two would commence in a brutal and bloody fight, Charlotte ran forward and grabbed Artemis off of the ground where Yuki was still recovering from her impact with the wall.