A Knight's Love by Sakamoto Asuka

Rating: T

Summary: A short little story I wrote up about Kaname x Zero x Yuki. The characters in this story are not mine, but actually belong to Hino Matsuri.

Zero's body reacted before any thoughts could begin. He saw the attack coming. He saw whom it was aimed at. And before he could understand just what it was that wound itself around his heart and squeezed, Zero stood in the way. His legs trembled, threatening to give out but still, he remained. His fingers grew numb but the Bloody Rose did not fall. His sight blurred but his glare did not waiver. His resolve to protect stood strong.

In answer to his stubborn will, a second shot rang. The bullet embedding itself inside flesh to join the first then exploded into shards sending the ex-human buckling, stumbling back a pace. Yuki screamed, the scent of her tears overpowering the growing pain in Zero's chest. He wavered and for a moment but then spread his feet apart, regaining his balance.

A third shot. Zero grimaced.

A fourth. Blood splattered.

A fifth. The Earth drank red.

Yuki squirmed in the pureblood's, choking on her tears and garbled words of 'stop!' and 'don't!' Kaname's fingers wound into Yuki's shirt, his grip turning his knuckles white. It was all he could do to keep the girl from tearing away and throwing herself to Zero. But… his body flinched with each ringing shot and every nerve in his body screamed to react. To move and protect. Knowing that he still… he remained where he was. Zero's pain rebounded in his own flesh and drained the color from his face. He could taste the blood that accompanied each new shot as flicks of it splattered across his cheeks and fell into Yuki's soft hair. Why? Why did Zero jump in the way like that? The pureblood could of most defiantly stopped those bullets and Zero should of known that. Yet, here he was, staring at Zero's shuddering back as their attackers empty round after round into the ex-human. As Zero, irritatingly enough, shielded every anti-vampire bullet from reaching the pureblood. Kaname felt frozen and more helpless than he should have been. Things were moving too fast for common sense or even instinct to keep up. Before thoughts of actually coming up with a retaliating attack of his own, the damage was done.

After what seemed like an eternity—but in reality, seconds—the attackers quieted their weapons and surveyed their work. Zero's body was riddled with gaping wounds that settled themselves half an inch wide and deep into functioning organs beneath weakened muscles. The flesh was torn and burned, blood escaping and soaking what was once a white button down shirt now shredded rags hanging from his shoulders. A dark world threatened to engulf Zero. It offered him sleep, rest, and a retreat from pain. It told them this was nothing but a dream and all he had to do was close his eyes to wake up from this nightmare. As tempting it was, Zero remained. As long as breath still ragged in his punctured lungs, he wasn't going to give these people the pleasure of victory. They were not going to harm the two behind him. They were not going to harm the ones he loved.

One of the dozen men standing across from him tilted his head in curious delight. The ex-human was barely standing. He was convinced the boy's blood supply was now soaking itself into the ground below and he had to admit, the ex-human was strong. But strength only took you so far. He lifted his weapon of choice and aimed down the barrel setting his crosshair over the boy's pale face. Zero's lilac eyes—now stained in red and riddled in pain—glared back. The man smirked and fired.

Zero's lungs snapped and strained as he inhaled sharply, taking in the reality of the shot. Instincts to survive quickly swelled up and filled his mind with concerns of immediate action. But Zero's body was far too damaged. Too much blood was lost. Too much strength was used. He was spent and had nothing left.

Enough.

Invisible fingers reached out, snaking around the rifleman's throat and squeezed. The aimed shot was interrupted and instead grazed the side of Zero's face, tearing skin but causing little damage. The man choked and wheezed, dropping his weapon suddenly and clawing at his throat in urgency. The others tilted their heads and blinked, confused over the comrade's obvious distress. With a sickening snap, the man's neck collapsed on itself and he fell to the earth, lifeless. Another followed the first, this time shot by one of his own comrades. The will of a pureblood, angered and chilling the air with his intent, slaughtered the human mind's defenses and attacked his enemies with no mercy. They were fools, thought Kaname, approaching a pureblood as young and inexperienced as they were. Although… his anger skyrocketed at the thought—forcing the last armed enemy to take his life by the very weapon he shot Zero with—he knew they had the last laugh. In many ways, they had succeeded in harming the pureblood known as Kaname Kuran.

Kaname leaned forward and wrapped his arms securely around Zero's shoulders, pulling the boy's body to the warm safety of his own. Zero tensed and sucked in air desperately at the touch, his fogged mind mistaking Kaname's touch for the cold fingers of Death himself. His body tried desperately to start healing but there were to many wounds, to much anti-vampire magic hindering it's attempt. No, he thought, I have to stay or they will be shot…

"Zero," Kaname whispered into the ex-human's ear, his voice soft and trembling. Zero's pulse was so faint. "It's okay. It's over."

At the drop of Kaname's last word, the strength that had locked itself away in Zero's legs, gave way and he crumpled to the ground. Kaname supported all of Zero's weight and gently guided him down, hugging the boy to his chest. Yuki, blinded by tears and gasping between sobs, crawled over and bent her forehead into Zero's bloodied chest immediately soaking her auburn hair in red. She lifted a trembling hand to trace one of the many grievous wounds and she choked as her anguish took a new level. Zero's body was supposed to be warm and smell like morning flowers, but now his body was growing cold and the blood drying to his skin smelled of Death.

"Zero, you idiot," she whispered. "Why didn't you attack back?"

Kaname's chest tightened in a painful knot. His eyes traveled over the state Zero's usually healthy body was now in and felt his stomach churn in panic. For a moment, anger surged for how stupid Zero had been. Kaname should have been the one to take those shots. He wanted to beat the living daylights out of him for not thinking before acting. But anger would not save Zero.

He leaned in to the wound along Zero's face and pressed his lips against it. Zero stirred and his eyes fluttered open briefly from the familiar act.

"You have to stay awake, Zero."

Kaname's words sounded like they were echoed from the bottom of a well. He forced his eyes open again and realized Yuki's weight against his chest. He lifted a hand with great, wincing effort and curled his fingers over hers. Yuki gripped his hand in response but did not lift her face. She didn't want to look into the fading color of Zero's face. See the pain he was in.

Kaname shifted Zero's weight to one side and pulled his collar free from his neck in one swift jerk of his hand. He took a shuddering breath, trying with all his will to not crumble under the seriousness of the situation. Yuki's grieving sobs swam over calming thoughts and his worry for Zero threatened to cloud his judgement. He had to keep his thoughts in order or Zero's life could be forfeited.

He dipped his head again and positioned his neck within easy access of Zero's mouth. Words were not needed, Zero knew what Kaname was trying to do. Zero tilted his chin up and gently ran his tongue across the throbbing vein in Kaname's neck rousing sensations he knew that would cause. Kaname closed his eyes and let the smallest of smiles creep over his face. Even in the state Zero was in, he was trying to be loving and gentle about it and he couldn't hide the shudder that ran through his system as Zero's lips glided across his skin. But Zero's body was too exhausted to find the strength to pierce his fangs in long enough to draw blood. Try as he might, he couldn't hold on long enough and Kaname's healing abilities worked against him. He exhaled and dropped his head back against Kaname's shoulder.

Kaname cursed to himself and quickly moved to another alternative. He lifted a wrist to his own mouth and sunk his fangs into the flesh there, drawing several draughts of his own blood into his mouth. He dipped his head back to Zero's and pressed his lips against the more pale ones. Zero's lips instantly parted to the touch as the blood was traded. Shivers ran weakly down Zero's spine as Kaname's lips worked against his, a familiar and expert tongue willing him to swallow. Zero moaned gently against Kaname's mouth, pressing his closer for more contact. His blood filled his taste buds and warmed his throat but it was Kaname's affection that was willing Zero's life back. Kaname lifted his unbitten hand to thread his fingers into Zero's hair, caressing his bloodied scalp. He only broke the gentle kiss when he needed to retrieve more blood.

Yuki could almost feel Zero's body react to Kaname's actions and could feel the life start to come back in the body under her hands. As if to help, Yuki turned her head to trace one of Zero's wounds with her own lips. Kaname had done the same when she had a small cut on her elbow and it made the pain go away. Yuki didn't know if she would have the same effect as Kaname had, but if she could distract Zero from thinking about the pain, she would help him through at least that.

Zero's breathing hitched slightly when Yuki's actions registered past the pain factor. If he weren't dying of blood loss right now, Zero would have probably laughed. Yuki was always so shy when it came to intimate acts and here she was trying to kiss his pain away. But, her warm lips felt good against his cold skin combined with Kaname's and he squeezed her hand in encouragement. Zero was relying on both of their touch to stay conscious.

And after several moments, the three of them knew that everything was going to be okay. Zero knew was going to survive because of the love the three of them shared for each other. When Kaname was spent and was willing to give more blood even after his body was at its limit, Zero stubbornly refused and retorted with a smart-alec tone that proved he was recovering. Yuki pounded her fists on Zero's chest, complaining about how stupid he was then quickly started apologizing at his choking laughter before giggling with relief herself.

For the longest time, Zero thought he couldn't love. That because of what he was, he wasn't aloud to. But here, in Kaname Kuran and Yuki Cross, he found it. He found a reason to live, a reason to protect and as much as Kaname hated it when he did the stupid things he did, Zero would gladly put himself in harms way for the both of them.