Things We Used To Share

Her Last Words

Zero was shocked, to say the very least.

But not surprised.

It wasn't a matter of if, but when.

There were many questions running through his mind.

Was he here to exact revenge? That was an obvious yes. It was as if the answer burned within Ichiru's no longer warm smile.

Would he target Hiro?

The only real question was..when would he strike? And how?

He wasn't a hunter anymore, and he hasn't done anything to warrant any inspections from either the council or the association.

He introduced himself to the class, taking a seat right beside Zero.

"Hello, brother."

He saw Yuki share a glance with him, her eyes filling up with worry.

Zero shared her corncern, but he only gave her a slight nod. It was almost unnoticeable, as if he was telling her to stay calm but vigilant.

She returned the signal with a determined frown.

Ichiru looked to Yuki just as she turned around to Yori and engaged in quiet conversation.

He smiled, looking to his twin.

"You should introduce me to your friends."

__________

The afternoon breeze was warm today. 

Rima and Hiro sat beside a tree, a book in his hand as he turned the page. He read aloud softy and leaned into her shoulder, her eyes following along.

He felt Rima tense.

One eye opened, azure orbs peeking out. He paused when he saw a student dressed in day class attire.

Someone who shared Zero's face.

"Hiro Kuran."

Rima frowned deeply, glaring up at the other twin. "Who are you?"

He shrugged nonchalantly.

"May I join you?" Ichiru asked.

"Sure."

They both looked to Hiro with surprise. He made space, gesturing for Ichiru to sit.

Ichiru smirked, walking over and taking a seat beside him.

Hiro turned to Rima with a sorry smile, and she softened at his face.

"I'm sorry, Rima. But can we hang out later? I...have to speak to him about something." He motioned to Ichiru.

She looked between the two of them.

"I'll be okay." He promised her.

She slowly got up, glaring at Ichiru before giving Hiro one last glance. She walked away, her hair blowing in the wind.

Hiro furrowed his eyebrows, feeling bad about making her leave.

But this was something he didn't want her to be apart of: Ichiru's Revenge.

Ichiru is still from a family of hunters. Hiro doesn't doubt Rima's strength, but Ichiru wouldn't have come back alone or without a plan.

He just had to be cooperative and alert until Ichiru made his first move.

"You're rather stupid for a Pureblood." Ichiru said.

Hiro turned to him with a frown, a vein mark on his cheek.

Ichiru chuckled, leaning into the tree. "Or you're confident in your own ability. Letting your enemy close because you know you could kill me with a single glance."

Hiro stared at him, eyes dimming.

Ichiru was cynical, even more so than Zero. He wondered what happened between the two of them. What led Ichiru to side with Shizuka and leave behind Zero?

"You look worried. Are you scared?"

Hiro shook his head. He looked out at the grass before them, blinking slowly. "Why did you choose to follow Shizuka?"

Ichiru grimaced at the mention of her name. He looked to Hiro with angry eyes. He and Zero truly shared the same face, but they were so different.

"Sorry, it was rude of me to ask." Hiro said, fully turning to Ichiru. "She...actually wanted me to give you her last words."

Ichiru sat up, looking to Hiro with wide, lavender eyes.

"She said you made this horrid world bearable'..." Hiro explained in a soft voice. "She felt bad for leaving you."

Ichiru closed his eyes, taking in those words.

Hiro could sense the immense sadness overwhelming him, and yet, his face remained calm and stoic.

It was quiet between them.

Ichiru looked at Hiro, as if scamming or analyzing him. His lavender eyes weren't as angry as before, but there was still resentment there.

Hiro couldn't meet his eyes after that, looking to the ground.

"Why did you kill her?" Ichiru said, frowning. "You should have stayed out of our business."

Ichiru was right. Whatever happened between them and Shizuka wasn't his business. He had ultimately killed her by interfering, and almost placed a target on Zero's back.

But...

"Zero's my friend." Hiro said quietly, blushing slightly. "I was the one who opted to go after her, because I didn't want him to die or get hurt." He ran a hand through his hair, sighing with a regrettable frown. "I never intended on killing her."

That's what Zero had planned to do, and Hiro has taken his chance for revenge.

And now, here he was with Ichiru, the cycle continuing.

"I thought I could understand her." Hiro admitted. "Or at least, she could understand me. We had similar lifestyles... But she made her choice."

Ichiru finally tore his eyes away from Hiro.

He stood up, dusting his pants off.

"Will you still carry out your revenge?" Hiro asked.

Ichiru smirked, placing both hands in his pockets. He turned and walked away, leaving Hiro's question unanswered.