-- Chapter 5 - All souls day - part 2 --

Zero was still silent as they purchased return bus tickets for the half an hour trip to the memorial park. Yuuki glanced at him uneasily but decided to say nothing as they boarded the waiting bus. Perhaps he was thinking about his parents... she shouldn’t disturb him if he was. She looked outside the window instead, wanting to slip her hand into his but for once, not daring to.

Zero glanced at her. She was uncharacteristically silent, perhaps thinking how rude he’d been when she’d only tried to appease him, and most likely regretting her spontaneous decision to accompany him on this trip as well. He sighed silently and looked out the window again, longing to hold her hand in his but not daring to.

As the bus turned into the imposing gates of the memorial park, Yuuki’s curiosity was roused again. She looked around, seeing the beautiful surroundings that reminded her more of a beautifully kept garden instead of a typical graveyard – small gardens of lush green grass with well-tended trees and bushes contrasting with colorful flowers interspersed with well maintained sections of graveyards. In the distance, a man-made lake sparkled in the sun and small gazebos situated in each garden offered a respite from the blazing sun for visitors who wanted to sit down and rest or take in the peaceful surroundings.

“It’s beautiful, huh, Zero?” asked Yuuki as she walked beside him, looking around her in wonder. He glanced at her sideways. “Yeah”

They walked on in silence in the sunshine, Zero looking at the ground, oblivious to the beauty and splashes of color in the gardens that passed, while Yuuki swung her head right and left, looking at everything she could. Zero walked on, his steps sure and confident as they made their way to a small graveyard situated on a small hill in the middle of the park, covered with both simple and elaborate tombstones, some complete with statues, winged angels and even marble arches.

When they’d reached the small cemented path leading up to the plain but imposing Kiriyu twin graves situated halfway up the hill, Yuuki stopped. She reached for Zero’s bag and lifted it off his shoulder without comment. He glanced down at her for a moment, nodding his thanks before walking up the short path by himself. This area was more deserted and quiet. There was a small stone gazebo in the garden a few meters away and Yuuki gladly went into its shady interior.

She set down both their bags on the cement bench that ran alongside its stone pillars before sitting down beside them, putting her sneakered feet up and hugging her knees as she watched Zero kneel in front of the headstones, bending his proud head in prayer.

Clouds hid the sun for a moment and Yuuki looked up, noting additional dark clouds forming on the horizon. Great… just what they needed – a heavy shower. Oh well... she shrugged philosophically. The other visitors were already preparing to leave as they’d also noticed the swiftly darkening sky. She watched them idly, then glanced again at Zero. He was still kneeling before his parents’ graves, unmoving.

Thunder growled softly in the distance and Yuuki eyed the dark clouds uneasily. It was a ten minute stroll back to the entrance where all the buses waited and she didn’t want to get wet, knowing she was prone to fever if she did. And she could kiss any future trips with Zero goodbye if that happened, she thought wryly. Reluctantly, she swung her legs to the floor and stood up, stretching her arms above her head before walking out of the gazebo and starting on the cemented path towards Zero.

“Zero...?” she called softly as she neared him. He didn’t give any indication that he’d heard her. She reached his side, bending down to place a tentative hand on his shoulder – it was trembling slightly, she noted with a frown. “Zero? I’m really sorry to interrupt but it’s going to rain, we’d better go soon...”

He started then turned away from her, swiping both palms across his cheeks before taking a shuddering breath. Yuuki’s frown deepened for an instant before her eyebrows flew up as the realisation hit her. Oh dear - surely he wasn’t... wasn’t... crying? she thought, shocked.

She gripped his shoulder, shaking it slightly. “Zero? Look at me!”

He shook his head violently but didn’t turn around.

The wind picked up, whipping Yuuki’s hair around her cheeks and flapping the hem of Zero’s coat. Lightning flashed across the darkened sky, accompanied a second later by thunder. Heavy raindrops started to fall around them. Yuuki placed her fingers under his chin, firmly applying pressure until he looked up at her reluctantly. Silent tears ran unchecked from amethyst eyes awash in remembered grief and pain at the brutal slaying of his parents.

“Oh, Zero...” said Yuuki helplessly, her own eyes filling with tears. She placed both arms unhesitatingly around his trembling shoulders. He gave another shudder, then swung around towards her, still on his knees, to fling both arms around her slim waist, pressing his wet face to her shirt front. She’d unbuttoned her jacket after walking here in the sun and his hot tears quickly soaked the cotton material. Heedless, she held him closer to her as her own compassionate tears ran down her face onto his hair.

The rain started in earnest, bathing the marble headstones and cemented paths and turning them a shade darker. Within minutes, Yuuki was soaked to the skin; Zero fared slightly better as his long leather jacket kept his clothes mostly dry, although rain from his hair still dripped into his collar and the bottom of his jeans were wet.

Yuuki continued to hold him but as the lightning and thunder continued, and the rain grew heavier, she patted his hair reluctantly and pulled away slightly. “Zero?” she said, speaking over the sound of the rain. “I’m really wet, let’s find some shelter...” He lifted his head then, blinking and looking around as though faintly surprised to find it raining heavily.

“Here...” Yuuki pulled him to his feet, as much as she could, and they both stumbled down the path to the gazebo, Zero’s legs tingling with pins and needles after kneeling on the hard cement for some time.

Once in the gazebo, Zero sat down on the bench, the action pulling Yuuki close to him as she was still holding onto his arm. She moved unhesitatingly to stand between his long legs, wrapping her arms around him again, tucking his head against her shoulder. Still shaking silently with sobs, Zero gathered her close to him, burying his face in the curve of her neck as his tears continued to fall. He was holding her much too tightly but she didn’t resist, feeling the pain and grief in the stalwart body she held in her arms that was now trembling helplessly, wishing she could take his pain unto herself as she stared unseeingly out of the gazebo at the heavy rain.

Finally, his sobs subsided somewhat. Zero had needed comfort, and he’d gotten it from Yuuki but now, his body demanded something else. Uncharacteristically weakened by his grief, holding her too close to him, breathing in her sweet scent with his face buried in her neck, it was inevitable that his bloodlust awoke, demanding to be satisfied.

Yuuki felt the change in him, pressed as close as she was. She both felt and heard the increasingly ragged pants of his breathing against her neck, how his body tightened against hers and how lean fingers squeezed the back of her jacket. He entwined his other hand in the wet tendrils of her hair, unconsciously tilting her head aside. Yuuki closed her eyes, feeling his shaky lips pressing against the pulse beating at the base of her throat, his chin nudging aside both her jacket and shirt collar.

“Zero?” she murmured. Placing her hands on either side of his face, she pulled him away from her neck. Soft brown eyes noted the crimson irises and needle sharp fangs just visible between his parted lips as he stared helplessly up at her, unable to hide both the tears still sparkling in his eyes as well as his bloodlust.

“It’s OK, here...” she added gently, releasing him to quickly shrug her jacket off her shoulders, leaving it to hang down her back from her elbows. She quickly slipped the first two buttons of her shirt free and pulled the collar away from the right side of her neck, somehow knowing her pristine white shirt was going to end up with bloodstains down the front...

Zero pounced immediately on the pulse sweetly throbbing under the creamy soft wet skin, angling his head automatically to fit it into the curve of her neck. Yuuki closed her eyes, holding Zero’s head against her neck, feeling the familiar twin stings as his fangs pierced her skin, heedless of the fact that half her bra was revealed as Zero’s hand clutched tighter at the back of jacket and shirt, pulling her shirt askew. Warm liquid dripped past her slender collarbone towards her breast as he sucked desperately at her neck but she didn’t know if it was her blood or his tears as he hadn’t fully stopped crying… All she could do was to hold him close to her, feeling as if her heart would break.

Minutes ticked on as they clung to each other. Zero had stopped drinking, pressing his tongue to the twin wounds before licking off remaining drops of blood from her neck and shoulder. The sounds of his sniffling against her neck was somehow strangely disarming to Yuuki and she shivered slightly but didn’t stop him as his warm tongue raced a wayward drop of blood that trickled down towards her breast. The drop of blood won, reaching her bra cup first and triumphantly soaking into it, causing a small circle of red to slowly bloom on the lace, and leaving Zero’s tongue frozen on the sweetly swelling flesh above it.

Yuuki froze for a heartbeat before twining slender fingers in the rain-darkened silver hair, yanking Zero away from her breast. “Hey...!” she warned, only to realise her mistake as Zero’s head was now pulled back far enough to focus on the spot where his tongue had been a second earlier.

“Sorry” said Zero rather breathlessly, still staring. Yuuki released his hair and pulled her soaked shirt front straight, snorting a little in indignation. Honestly, boys! She did up the buttons swiftly with slightly trembling fingers before shrugging her jacket back over her shoulders and zipping it up to hide the faint splotches of blood on her shirt.

Zero had recovered sufficiently to look around him, noticing the rain had finally slowed down to a light drizzle as Yuuki dug into her bag, pulling out her packet of tissues and handing it silently to Zero. After he’d finished wiping his face and blowing his nose, he stood up, stretched and looked over at Yuuki, who was now bent over her bag, rezipping it. He reached over and pulled her easily into his arms for a swift hug, her back against his chest. He inhaled the scent of her hair and released her before she could do more than squeak in surprise, keeping his hands on her upper arms to ensure she wouldn’t topple over before releasing her completely.

The rain had finally stopped. Zero shouldered both bags and they walked back to the main entrance, joining the few people who had also been taking shelter in the other gazebos and were now making their way to the line of waiting buses.

Yuuki sneezed as soon as she’d sat down next to the window, shivering slightly in the air-conditioned interior of the bus. Zero stowed their bags in the overhead compartment and flicked the air vents above their seats shut. He shot a worried look at Yuuki as she hugged herself. “Did you bring another jacket?” he asked.

“No" she said. As he frowned, she hastily added “... but I’m fine..."

He raised an eyebrow at that, plopped down beside her and unbuttoned his own leather coat. “Take off your jacket and come here” he ordered. Yuuki didn’t argue, shrugging immediately out of her wet jacket and draping it over the back of her seat. He reached out, drew her into his arms and wrapped his coat around her. His shirt was mostly dry and Yuuki leant back against his broad chest, shifting lower until she could feel his heartbeat right under her ear. “My hair’s wet” she said softly.

“Hush, I don’t want you to get sick...” he replied, adding silently especially since I’ve just taken blood from you...

Yuuki shifted slightly as though she’d somehow heard what he thought. He ignored curious glances from the other passengers at the intimate way she was pressed against him inside his jacket, his intimidating stare preventing any pertinent questions or remarks. Yuuki was blissfully ignorant of anything, she’d dozed off in seconds, mentally exhausted, warmed by Zero’s body heat and lulled by the steady thump of his heartbeat against her ear.

When the bus finally stopped outside the hotel they would be staying at, Zero roused Yuuki. He’d placed his hand on her forehead a few times during the bus ride and she didn’t seem to be feverish... yet...

Yuuki sat up slowly and yawned, reluctant to leave Zero’s warm chest. Feeling cramped from being in the same rather awkward position for so long, she stretched and twisted from side to side, trying to alleviate the stiffness in her shoulders and back. Zero had stood up to retrieve their bags and Yuuki rubbed her eyes before peering at her watch – no wonder it was getting dark, it was already seven in the evening. She shrugged back into her wet jacket, now cold from the air conditioning then slid out from her seat quickly. Swaying a little, she made her way to the front of the bus.

“Wait, Yuuki...” Zero dropped a hand on her shoulder, staying her. She looked up in surprise as he brushed past her to the front of the bus before jumping lightly out onto the pavement, skipping the three steps completely. Some of the passengers seated at the front of the bus gasped at this, Zero ignored them. He slung both their bags onto one shoulder before leaning into the bus and holding out his hand to Yuuki. “Grab my hand” he ordered.

Yuuki leaned forward and reached for his hand and, as he had more or less expected her to, lost her balance in the process. He reached up, grabbed her around her waist and swung her bodily out of the bus onto the pavement beside him, the bags hitting the side of the bus as he did so. Yuuki grabbed at his arms to steady herself, her head swimming a little from the sudden movement. The same passengers cheered and clapped. Yuuki smiled, waving back at them.

Zero noticed a lady passenger sitting in front of the bus, turning towards her husband sitting beside her and making a laughing comment, gesturing towards them at the same time. It was obvious what she thought – lovebirds... and he turned away. If only...

In the hotel lobby, Yuuki stood beside Zero, looking around her with interest as he signed in and got the hotel room key card. She only looked at the single key card the desk clerk gave Zero after he’d signed in. “What, we’re sharing a room?” she asked, mildly surprised. She’d have thought Zero would’ve wanted his space…

A thought struck her. “Is the hotel fully booked?”

Zero slanted a glance at her before admitting “No” They walked across the lobby toward the hotel lifts, Zero waving away a hotel porter who wanted to carry their bags. He jabbed the Up button impatiently, hoping Yuuki wouldn’t ask anymore questions.

“Oh” Yuuki frowned then her brow cleared. “The Chairman didn’t give us enough money for two rooms?”

Zero glanced down at her again. “He did”

Yuuki huffed. Talking with Zero was really frustrating sometimes...

“Well, why do we have to share a room then?” she demanded as they entered the hotel lift, along with an elderly couple. Yuuki placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head up to look at Zero. He ignored her as he selected their floor button but groaned mentally when he encountered the disapproving look clearly written on the elderly woman’s face. It was pretty obvious what she thought – he was a pervert out to seduce his innocent looking girlfriend... Her husband’s face was impassive but Zero knew what he was thinking as well… if this girl had been my daughter, I’d make damn sure...

Thankfully, the lift stopped at the couple’s floor then and they exited silently, the woman turning to give Zero a glare of warning as she stalked past him. Behave yourself, young man... her glare seemed to say. Zero scowled as the lift door closed.

“Well?” demanded Yuuki, wondering why was Zero so reluctant to tell her. She squeaked in surprise as he suddenly swung towards her, crowding her against the lift wall as he slammed the palms of his hands onto the carpeted panel on either side of her head, glaring down at her.

“Because I want to make sure you’re all right, get it?” he hissed, angry that she’d forced him to explain his actions. Because that was only one of the reasons why he’d requested for a single room where there were many still available. Because you want to hold her in your arms when you sleep... a voice whispered in his head. And that’s why you specified a double bed instead of twin sharing.

“Oh…” said Yuuki vaguely. “Well, you needn’t have. I’m fine...”

Talking with Yuuki was really frustrating sometimes... Zero rolled his eyes, pushing off the wall as the lift stopped at their floor. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirrored doors and knew he looked as frustrated as he felt. The doors slid open and he stepped out, grabbing Yuuki’s elbow and pulling her out of the lift.

“C’mon...” he said.

In the room, Zero flicked on the lights, his eyes focusing immediately on the duvet with its green and blue leafy pattern stretched over smooth cream colored sheets on the Queen sized bed. The wrinkle free surface was disturbed almost immediately as Yuuki dived onto the bed, rolling around and laughing in delight at having a double bed as opposed to her own narrow one… Wow, a person could really stretch out on this, she thought happily before sitting up. “Zero, I want this side” she pointed to the side nearest the bathroom, despite the fact she had already rumpled his side of the bed.

He raised an eyebrow at that but made no comment and Yuuki took it as agreement, as he’d known she would.

“Why don’t you shower first, your shirt’s still wet...” he commented as he slipped off his sneakers and strode to the window. He pulled aside the curtains to look out but found himself watching Yuuki’s reflection instead as she reluctantly got down from the bed, kicked off her own sneakers and padded towards the luggage bench where Zero had dropped their bags on. She unzipped her bag and pulled out her pyjamas and toiletry bag before going inside the bathroom.

He noticed she didn’t lock the door and sighed, folding his arms to gaze out the window. He knew Yuuki’s penchant for getting a high fever whenever she got drenched in the rain and hoped today would be an exception despite the fact she’d been in her wet clothes for more than a couple of hours, and part of which had been in an air-conditioned bus too.

Yuuki hummed to herself as she stripped off her wet clothes and stood underneath the hot water, letting it warm her body. She shampooed her hair briskly with her favourite shampoo, preferring to use her own rather than the ones provided by the hotel. She even took a few extra minutes to blow dry her hair, knowing Zero would send her right back to the bathroom if she came out with wet hair, especially after being caught in the rain.

Half an hour later, Yuuki dropped the hairdryer back in its stainless steel holder beside the vanity top mirror and came out, shivering a little as she stepped from the steamy warmth of the bathroom to the air conditioned room, already clad in her pyjamas. Zero had removed his coat and was lying down on the bed, arm over his eyes to block out the light.

“Hey, Zero, you can - can - ” Yuuki sneezed twice, causing Zero to lower his hand and sit up. He looked at Yuuki for a moment before getting up to stride over to her, reaching out to place a hand on her forehead. Yuuki slapped his hand away “Hey, I just washed my face, your hands are still dirty...”

Zero exhaled patiently, then grasped her arms and bent his tall frame to touch his forehead to hers. Was it his imagination, or did she feel slightly feverish? Perhaps it was because she’d just showered… His senses reeling with Yuuki’s soft sweet scent, mixed with the familiar smell of the shampoo she used, he took a step back.

“Well?” asked Yuuki. “What’s the verdict, doctor?”

“You’ll live...” he muttered as he grabbed his towel and went into the bathroom. Yuuki wrinkled her nose at the closed door. She picked up one of the bottles of drinking water provided by the hotel and sat on the bed, sliding her feet under the sheets. After drinking a few mouthfuls, she capped the bottle and lay down on the pillows, wondering what they were going to have for dinner... although surprisingly, she didn’t feel hungry, just very, very sleepy...

Her eyes drifted shut almost immediately after that.

-- To Be Continued --