Episode 5

    You flutter your eyes open as your eyesight slowly adjusts to your new environment. Your muscles ache from your battles earlier, numbness latching onto your limbs. Your heart pounds loudly against your ribcage while your senses slowly come back to life.  You push yourself up to an upright position, sadness mixed with determination circulating throughout your veins. You wipe at your bloodshot eyes with the back of your hands and quickly take in everything around you. Your (e/c) orbs grow wide, images of what happened to Zero flashing before you like a movie. You swing your legs over the edge of the bed and take in a breath to stop yourself from crying. You wrap your bandaged fingers around the metal bedpost, carefully placing your feet on the marble tiled floor.

You appear to be in your own bedroom as well as the door leading to the hallway is currently wide open. The room is the size of two apartments, (f/c) mixed with black decor making up its interior. A coffin shaped bed is directly by your right side while various types of art pieces are hanging up on the wall. Black curtains cover your windows, blocking out any sunlight. The scent of your favorite candles linger in the air and you realize someone must have lit them. You scan the area one last time, quickly rushing in the direction of the doorway.

A burning sensation immediately plunges into your legs as you try to walk. Suddenly, your body feels too tired to carry itself, your muscles beginning to hurt worse than before. You bite into your bottom lip hard enough to draw blood while continuing to move forward. Your body slowly grows stiff, your movements coming to a halt. Your body seems to pause in a paralyzed state and panic overwhelms your soul. You accidentally trip over your numb feet, gravity quickly taking a-hold of you. You close your eyes tightly and brace yourself for impact. You silently wait for piercing pain to stab into your skin, but nothing happens over the next few minutes. 

    "What do you think you're doing up?" You hear a hypnotic yet rough voice say from behind you as you feel a pair of strong arms loop around your waist. Your face flushes light pink, your back leaning against something solid. You roll your eyes like you've been caught while your hero helps you stand upright. 

    "You should be resting after everything that you went through yesterday. You used up a-lot of your strength to fight back that endless ambush of level Es," he says matter-of-factly, you hesitantly turning around to come face to face with Akatsuki. 

    "Is Zero okay? What happened?" You ask various questions about the events that took place and grab his shirt to pull him down to your height. He carefully takes both of your hands, lacing his fingers with yours. 

    "It's okay. Calm down, (Y/n). You're safe. Zero is alright, I promise. Ruka took him in last night and she's been watching over him ever since. She's taking care of him right now as we speak," he replies and squeezes your hands in an attempt to comfort you. You let out an exhausted sigh, your mind becoming a hazy emptiness. Tears cloud your burning (e/c) eyes as you realize you're almost completely drained of energy from that stunt you pulled yesterday. It'll take a few more days for your body to heal or for you to even be remotely the same as you were before.

Most humans think vampires along with pure-bloods are super powerful or invincible. Well, that's partly true. Pure-bloods including vampires do have various types of abilities. Most are born with one or more, but if they use it to a certain degree it has its downside. Plus, it relies on your emotions or your current emotional state. Since you were scared and you used a huge amount of power, it actually multiplied the effects. Your body begins shaking while you subconsciously replay the event in your head. You carefully twist your hands out of his grip, hugging him instead. You lean your head against his chest and bury your face into the fabric of his shirt. You let your emotions go, your tears finally breaking free.

Akatsuki sighs as he places a hand on the back of your head. He runs his fingers through your (h/c) locks, wrapping an arm around your upper back. He pulls you closer while you suddenly feel safe right where you're at. 

    "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left and I should have listened to you...but, Zero is so stubborn. I couldn't let him go by himself...We were doing chores like usual with the traps we set up in the cemetery. I didn't have the stomach to watch those poor animals die, so I went exploring by myself. I wanted to check out a tomb just for fun...but found it empty and then, I was attacked by some level Es. Zero protected me like he was supposed to...so, what happened was my fault. I'm really sorry," you confess what's been bugging since you woke up from an awful nightmare and lift up your chin to lock eyes with him. 

    "I'm glad you told me that. It's okay,

(Y/n). I promise, I'm here for you," he says, wiping away your tears with his thumb. You lean your face into his palm and both you continue staring at each other. He smiles at you, playfully poking your sides. He begins tickling you as you giggle. You squirm in his hold, your laughter breaking the heavy silence. You hear footsteps echo down the hallway while someone else steps into the room. You turn your head in that direction, your gaze landing on Ruka's frame. She clears her throat loudly and Akatsuki immediately stops teasing you. He carefully places your feet on the floor, bending down to your height. 

    "Why don't you go check on Zero," he states, placing a hand on each of your shoulders and guiding you toward her. You hesitantly follow her into the corridor, casting one last glance at him. You quietly wrap your slender fingers around the door leading to Zero's bedroom as you glance through the small opened gap between the door frame and wall. Your eyebrows furrow together, your gaze locking onto the scene playing out in front of you. Sadness overwhelms your senses while concern flickers in your bloodshot (e/c) orbs. Zero is currently sitting upright, playing with the vampire hunting knife your father gave him. You notice bandages are wrapped around his pale neck and his eyes are down-casted like he's regretting what you did.

    "Zero," you say loud enough for him to hear, quickly stepping into the room. He ignores your presence completely as he continues digging the blade under his fingernails. You sigh in annoyance at his behavior, walking up to his bed. You sit on top of the bed sheet while sitting on your knees.You reach out to confront him, but he turns his back on you. You automatically frown and suddenly feel a bit hurt. 

    "Zero, what's wrong? I just wanted to check on you and make sure you're okay. The last thing I've been seeing in an endless cycle is you being hurt or injured ever since I passed out. I want to talk to you and see that you're alright. Please, say something," you mumble, trying to place a hand on his shoulder. He twirls around to face you as he swiftly grabs your wrist. He narrows his eyes, clenching his jaw tightly. He glances at your bandaged frame while mixed emotions flash over his violet pupils. 

    "Why did you do that? You could have died or worse," he states, his grip tightening on you. You tilt your head to the side and smile childishly. 

    "It's not a big deal. I'll be fine in a few days. I did what I thought was best for both of us. You're my best friend, Zero. I can't let anything bad happen to you, anymore. You're all I have besides Akatsuki and my parents," you reply as he makes a tsk sound with his teeth. He rolls his eyes at your words, pulling you into a hug. He gently wraps his arms around your waist while your face flushes light pink. 

    "I'm alright. So, stop worrying," he mumbles quietly, you hesitantly nod your head in understanding. He squeezes you tightly and pulls you even closer. Without saying anything else, he buries his head into the crook of your neck. You sigh as you place a hand on the back of his head. You run your fingers through his spiky yet messy white hair, letting him deal with his emotions in his own way. The two sit there for what seems like forever while a beam of moonlight lingers in the cold atmosphere.

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