Chapter 25: Defiance

Max: Hey guys. This chapter is gonna be a little....well....you'll have to wait and see, as always.

Zero looked out the small window, up at the stars and he placed his hand on the window.

Why did this happen? Zero thought angrily, his hand curled into a fist. Then, in pure rage, he banged his fist hard on the window, cracking the glass. Blood began to flow down his hand and wrist. The cracked glass cut him.

B-BUMP! B-BUMP!

What? Zero thought in shock. His heart began to pound in his chest erratically at the sight and smell of the blood. Then, he realized that he wanted the blood--even though it was his own.

Zero felt a pain in his gums as his canines extended and he brought his bloody wrist to his mouth.

Yuki ran up the many stairs in the tower, until she came to the door. She tried to push it open; it was locked.

"Zero!" she yelled, banging on the door.

"ZERO!!"

Yuki?! Zero pulled his wrist away from his mouth, his blood dripped from his fangs and his lips.

"Zero, open the door!" Yuki said from the door.

Zero felt his throat burn as he heard her scream from the door.

"No! Leave me alone!" Zero said, gripping at his parched throat.

"No!! I'm NOT leaving you!!"

Yuki.... "Aghhh!!"

"Zero?! Zero!" Yuki screamed, then she stepped back and she grabbed one of the torches from the iron cast on the wall, and she threw it against the door.

Now, there was a hole in the door, good enough for Yuki to see Zero's form; hunched over on his knees, gripping his throat in pain.

"Zero!" she ran over to his side, then he stood up and pushed her down.

"No!!! You can't be here! Don't you understand?! I'm a monster!" Zero yelled. Yuki looked up at his angry eyes, but she saw self-loathing in them. Anger. Pain. Fear, even. There was one other emotion in his eyes as he looked at her, but she couldn't name it. She wanted to take the fear and anger out of his eyes. She wanted to save him from the pain he was feeling.

Yuki got back to her feet and looked into his eyes. Then, she began to remove her jacket, and top-shirt. Zero took a step back.

"What are you doing?"

Yuki kept her eyes locked on his as she dropped her top shirt--she was wearing a tank top underneath--to the floor, and went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She felt his muscles tense.

"Yuki...?" he said in a shaky whisper.

"Zero...drink my blood..." she whispered. She felt him tense even more--if that was possible--but he didn't push her away. She felt his hands on her arms, but he didn't push her away.

"It's alright, Zero...it's alright..." she whispered soothingly to him. She felt one of his hands go to the back of her neck, into her hair, gripping. The hand he had on her back gripped the back of her shirt.

After another whole minute, she felt him move some of her hair, exposing her throat, and collar bone. She took a deep breath, and tilted her head to the side a bit. She felt his warm breath on her neck--causing her to shiver a bit, which made her move closer to him.

Zero felt Yuki press closer to him as he breathed slowly, listening to the flow of her blood under her delicate skin. He held her tightly; one hand in her hair, the other on her back. Driven by the maddening pain of the thirst, he ran his tongue across the bare skin of her neck and collar bone. Yuki sucked in a breath, but did not move away.

Zero felt the fangs extend from his gums, and he dug them into the bare skin of Yuki's neck, her warm, ambrosian blood filled his mouth, and soothed his parched throat.