Vampire Knight Fan Fiction ❯ Entwined ❯ Fateful Encounter ( Chapter 3 )

Entwined

Fateful Encounter

Disclaimer: I do not own nor profit from any of the ideas, characters, names, etc that I have used from Vampire Knight. Original characters are all mine of course.

A/N: Sadly this chapter had to forego being proof-read by someone other than myself as centauri2002 was unavailable. Let's hope there's not too many glaring mistakes in there. *winks* There's a bit of blood in this chapter, but nothing too graphic, so I'll keep the rating as T... for the moment. *grins* Enjoy!

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Kaname Kuran gazed out of the window of the car as the world rushed by. He had left his estate about an hour ago, but the feeling in the pit of his stomach hadn't dissipated one iota. What was it? Anticipation? Anxiety? He wasn't entirely sure.

His mind drifted back to the message that Arlena Lowe had sent him. Her safe house had come under attack from a lone vampire. He had infiltrated the building and killed seven low -levels before Arlena had to personally apprehend him. That in itself wasn't terribly newsworthy. There were many vampires who had fallen into madness. It was the description of the attacker that had interested Kaname; a silver-haired vampire who had the ability to use hunter weapons. That simple description held far too many similarities to a person Kaname had once known for him to ignore. Of course, he had believed him dead, along with the rest of his family for many years, and he most certainly had not been a vampire. Still, Kaname endeavoured to be as informed as possible about anything pertaining to vampire society, and the best way to do that would be for him to travel to Arlena's territory and see for himself.

Perhaps the so-called alliance he had formed with the other vampire would prove useful after all.

Kaname's mind drifted back to the time he had first formed the alliance with the red-haired pureblood. It had been three years ago. Kaname had always held a high position in vampire society. It was his birthright. He was a Kuran, one of the most ancient and pure bloodlines still in existence. With it came power and money. So he was a natural target for other vampires of high standing with their political and financial ploys. Unfortunately for them, he was not an easy target. He had always resisted entering into partnerships or alliances. He did not like the feeling of being tied down or having to rely upon those who he knew to be untrustworthy. Purebloods, and indeed those directly under them - the noble class, had a well-earned reputation of being devious and manipulative. It was the society's culture, and one had to be that way to survive, let alone thrive in it.

Then he had met Arlena. She had not been thriving, she had been barely surviving. She came from a lesser known pureblood family. The Council of Elders, the governing body of vampire society, had passed judgement on Arlena's father. He had committed an unspeakable crime. Unspeakable in every sense of the word, as all records of the crime, judgement and sentence were destroyed, and it was now forbidden to even talk of it.

Such an event had not left Arlena in a very safe position. The only reason she had not been harmed or even killed was because of her pureblood status. Purebloods were so rare in this day and age that their lives, and their blood, were considered almost sacred.

When Kaname had heard of Arlena's situation he had met with her and offered his `protection' under the guise of an alliance so as not to hurt her pride. He had not expected it to yield any benefit for him, other than the obvious expansion prospects for his business, and at some points he had almost come to regret his decision. Arlena had proven to be rather hot-headed and reckless. She allowed her emotions, or more exactly her temper, to rule her. If not for the financial boost to his own economy that had occurred after bringing her on board, he would have cut ties with her long ago.

Kaname returned his attention to the present. His gaze still focused out of the window, he noticed that the trees and fields had thinned out, being interrupted more often by rows of stone and concrete buildings. They were nearing the city.

Kaname sighed slightly as he turned his head away from the glass. He was sat alone in the relatively spacious rear of his chauffeured Caprice. It wasn't as luxurious as a limousine, but it was also not as much of a spectacle. He didn't need to draw any more attention to himself than was necessary.

The pureblood thought back to the look Takuma had given him when he had told him he would be going alone. The blonde would be worried, he knew. Not because Kaname was incapable of looking after himself, far from it, but because he blatantly refused to tell Takuma his reasons for going. They had known each other since childhood, and the noble class vampire was probably the closest he would get to having a friend.

Takuma understood Kaname well enough to know that he did not share his thoughts or feelings with anyone, at least very rarely. But, he would not usually outright lie to the blonde. That would be the reason why he would now be worrying. Indeed, the pureblood had not meant to cause such feelings in the other vampire, but there were certain things he had told no-one about, not even Takuma, and he was not about to start now.

Kaname noted that the car was now passing buildings more regularly. He would be at Arlena's safe house soon enough, and then his questions would be answered.

* * *

Zero jerked forward as he realised he had just been sleeping. How could I fall asleep in a place like this?!

He had no idea how long he had been out for. Ten minutes? An hour? Several hours? There was no way to tell time in a completely dark room with no features.

He had obviously been more affected by his encounter with the pureblood than he had realised. The mental exertion of struggling for control over his body followed by the terror of nearly being bitten had worn him out, if not in body, then in mind.

His breath caught in his throat as he realised that if he had been asleep for many hours, then the other vampire could come back at any moment. His mind raced, desperately trying to seek a way out. He couldn't let that beast have her way. He had more dignity than that.

Zero's eyes searched over the area where he knew the door to be. It was practically invisible to him now. The room had obviously been designed to feel like an inescapable prison. To the side of the door, he also knew, was the control panel which would allow him to escape, if he could figure out the code or a way to circumvent it. But all those points were moot as there was no way for him to reach that side of the room.

He glanced up at the shackles binding his wrists. He had already tested their strength. Not only was the metal unnaturally sturdy, but the connection to the wall seemed solid too. There had to be a way though, there just had to be.

As Zero glared futilely at the manacles, a thought struck him. It would be an act of desperation, but that seemed to sum his situation up quite accurately. He debated with himself for a few moments whether it would really be worth trying. At length, he shook his doubts away. He didn't have time for rationality. That had gone out the window before he had entered this building.

Zero steeled himself for the discomfort and, no doubt, agonizing pain that was about to come. He clenched his jaw and tightened his leg muscles, pushing his back against the wall. With a sudden jerk of his arms, he pulled them down with great force against the chains, the metal cutting into the skin of his wrists, drawing blood. He did not relent though, continuing the excruciating pressure against his wrists, allowing his blood to coat the shackles. He gritted his teeth against the pain and as he felt the metal becoming slick, he pushed his arms up slightly then pulled back down with an immense jerk. He bit back the cry that was threatening to pass his lips. His wrists had, with the help of the slickness of the blood, slid part way past the manacles, but not fully.

Zero's breathing was now ragged and blood was dripping freely down his arms. He inhaled sharply, holding his breath for the next wrench of his wrists. He pulled his arms down again, but not as hard as the first time. He couldn't get as much leverage with his wrists and part of his hands jammed into the metal shackles. The cry of pain he tried to bite back this time escaped as a groan, as he let out his breath. It felt as if his wrists had hardly moved at all. He let out a grunt of frustration. He would not give up though.

Again, he tried pulling harshly against the shackles, but his wrists slid only millimetres. Zero decided to use another tactic. He twisted his body around, so he was facing the wall, having to entwine the chains in the process. With his feet against the wall and his wrists bearing all the weight of his body, he pulled down with as much effort as he could muster, a constant strain instead of the sudden jerks. It was excruciating on his wrists and hands. They felt like they were on fire and being pulled from their sockets at the same time. His shoulders were now burning with the strain, and he wasn't sure how much more he could take.

Then, suddenly, the resistance was gone. It was almost as if in slow-motion, he saw his hands slip free of the manacles, bloody and torn, and then he was falling backwards. He hit the stone floor heavily, dazing him. He rolled onto his side, groaning, cradling his hands to his chest protectively.

Zero's breathing began to steady as he lay on the cold floor. He opened his eyes. He hadn't even realised he had closed them. He looked down, to his chest, at his hands. He tried flexing his fingers, but grimaced at the pain that shot through his hand and up his arm. He certainly wouldn't be doing any fine needlework any time soon. Zero almost managed a smirk at the absurdity of that thought.

He rolled onto his stomach and looked towards the door, or at least where he knew it would be. Slowly and with great care, he pushed himself to his knees, and then to his feet. He ached all over and it took him a moment to loosen the stiffness in his muscles enough to be certain he could walk to the other side of the room. As he reached the wall, he scanned it for the control panel. He knew it was here somewhere. Gingerly, he felt along the wall with the tips of his fingers, cringing whenever he applied too much pressure.

His fingers touched a slightly raised panel on the wall, and he realised it was a cover of some sort. Feeling around the edge of it, he eventually found the section which allowed him to flip it open. Beneath the cover was an electronic keypad, displaying the usual zero to nine digits. Zero groaned. The combination could be one of several million. There would be no way he could figure it out in time.

He leant heavily against the wall. C'mon, think! There has to be a way. I haven't come this far just to give up!

His head jerked up, looking towards the door. He felt a presence nearing him. A vampire presence. Her presence.

He shifted along the wall, away from the door. There was no way he would be able to figure a way out in time. She had returned too soon. If only he hadn't fallen asleep. If only he'd been able to get free of the chains sooner. If only...

* * *

The Caprice came to a smooth halt outside of the entrance to the underground parking complex. A single guard booth was stationed to the side of the road next to the vehicle barrier. Kaname saw the silhouette of a figure through the small window of the booth. A low-level vampire, he knew, both from having sensed his presence, as well as having a deep understanding of security procedures in and near vampire complexes.

His driver rolled the front near-side window down to announce Kaname Kuran's arrival. Although the rear of the car was sound-proofed to some extent, the pureblood's acute hearing picked up every detail of the conversation. The guard seemed to be surprised at his sudden arrival. Obviously Arlena had either not informed him to expect company, or she really had not anticipated that Kaname would come to investigate the matter that she had written to him about.

The pureblood's chocolate brown eyes narrowed as he heard the vampire guard foolishly begin to object to allowing them entrance. Kaname did not have time for subordinates who decided they suddenly wanted to think on their own. He reached across and pulled on the door handle. Pushing the door open, he glided gracefully out of the car to a standing position, his gaze fixed firmly on the guard.

The low-level vampire turned when he saw motion at the side of the car. He stopped mid-sentence as the pureblood's gaze caught his own. Kaname did not speak. He did not need to. The expression on his face, and more importantly the deadly gaze, spoke volumes to the guard. He backed hurriedly away from the car, spouting apologies profusely. He rushed back into the safety of the guard booth, and raised the barrier, allowing the car access to the parking complex.

Kaname, giving the guard no more thought, turned back to the car and slipped inside, closing the door after him. He nodded to his driver, who took the motion as a directive to start driving once more.

The Caprice entered the underground complex, turning down the twisting single lane that led further in and downwards. When they came to the next floor below the entrance, they pulled out into a wide parking lot. There were very few vehicles using this building. It was reserved solely for use by Ms. Lowe, her associates and her guests.

Kaname's driver pulled them into a parking space close to a set of elevators. The pureblood leant back against the leather head rest. He closed his eyes momentarily, trying to pick up the locations of nearby vampires as his driver exited the car and moved round the vehicle to open the rear passenger door. He could detect many on the floors above him, but none in the vicinity. Kaname's eyes opened as he realised he couldn't sense the presence of Arlena in the building. A smile pulled at his lips briefly. Ah yes, she has a penchant for wards. Still, a mere ward should not be able to prevent a pureblood from using his or her abilities. It irked him slightly.

The door closest to Kaname opened and, pushing his irritation aside, he slipped out of the car. He turned to his driver.

“Wait here. I shall return shortly.”

The driver simply nodded in reply, closed the passenger door, and returned to his seat in the front of the Caprice.

The pureblood walked towards the two elevators. Stopping in front of the call button, he pressed it and stepped back, glancing up at the display above each door to check on the progress.

The elevator on the left was making better progress, having started off on the third floor, so he moved to wait in front of it.

While passing the time, Kaname glanced around him, taking in his surroundings. The underground parking lot wasn't particularly well lit, and he couldn't decide whether it was because vampires preferred darkness or if it was to hide the grubby state of the building. He certainly wouldn't have allowed it to degenerate to this condition, if he had been supervising this area. Yet another blot on Arlena's track record.

There was an electronic `ping' as the elevator arrived, and the doors slid open, rather noisily. Kaname eyed the interior of the elevator dubiously for a moment, before stepping inside, and hitting the button for the ground floor. He was thankful to find out that there was no irritating music playing that was often found in these contraptions.

The pureblood glanced in the mirror that encircled the inside of the elevator and noticed his reflection. The car journey had rumpled his tailored suit more so than he had realised. He softly smoothed the silk and fine wool of the jacket and trousers, straightening his long cashmere coat after he was done.

A few moments later, the elevator stopped on the ground floor with a little jerk and the doors opened. This floor was lit only slightly better than the underground parking lot. The elevator led out into a short corridor and, as Kaname stepped into it he observed a set of doors at one end were open. Two vampires stood in the doorway, obviously waiting for him. The pureblood headed towards them with long, quick strides.

The two vampires glanced at each other a little uneasily as the imposing brunette strode towards them. The taller of the two, with short cropped black hair stepped forward. “Mr. Kuran.” He bowed, respectfully.

Kaname stopped a few feet from them and nodded. “You are here to greet me then?”

“Yes, sir. We also regret to inform you that Ms. Lowe is currently unavailable. If you would come this way, you may wait in th-” The black haired vampire's words died in his throat as the pureblood's eyes flashed dangerously.

“Where is she?” Kaname's voice was eerily calm.

“I- I'm afraid I don't know, Mr. Kuran.” The vampire was doing a remarkable job at remaining outwardly calm, the slight stutter the only sign of his fear.

“You are lying.” Kaname took a step forward, his gaze locked with the vampire who had just spoken.

The black haired vampire's eyes widened and he moved to take a step back, away from the pureblood, but he suddenly found that he had no control over his body.

“I do not like to repeat myself. Where is she?” Kaname's expression was one of indifference, but his eyes held the slightest tinge of red.

The trapped vampire's companion watched on in rapt awe and dread. He could have fled if he had tried to, but his instincts told him it was useless. One glance at the expression on his associate's face, at the overwhelming terror there, told him he would need to intervene to save his life. He abruptly dropped to his knees, lowering his head and hands to the floor in a low bow, the highest form of respect.

“Forgive us, sir. We were following orders. I can tell you where she is, if you cannot wait for her to return.”

Kaname's gaze dropped to the prone vampire. He did not relinquish control over the other. “Do so.”

* * *

Arlena pondered whether Zero Kiryu would prove more co-operative now. She was relatively sure he wasn't stupid. Surely he would see he had no other option. He was stubborn though, immensely so. He also seemed to have a great deal of pride. Those attributes could get in the way of his rational decision making. Still, she tried to be optimistic. It had been a long time since she had treated herself to a good meal.

She stopped in front of the door that led to Zero's cell. Glancing behind her, she frowned. Something felt... off. She concentrated her senses, but could not pinpoint it.

She shrugged. It must be her excitement playing tricks on her. Hurriedly, she keyed in the access code for the door. It slid open with its usual grating sound.

The overpowering scent of blood hit Arlena. Her senses reeled, screaming not in alarm but in yearning. The pureblood's eyes narrowed. What's happened? This isn't just blood, this is a lot of blood. His blood.

Arlena's probing gaze penetrated the darkness of the cell, searching for the cause. The shackles were empty. He was gone? No, she could still sense him, faintly, in the cell. She stepped inside.

“You cannot escape, Zero. It is pointless to try.” Her voice held a mocking tone.

The door closed behind her, making the darkness of the room complete once more.

Arlena heard a sharp inhalation of breath to her right. She spun round in time to see Zero flinging himself at her. She didn't have time to react. He collided with her, knocking them both to the floor. An elbow was driving itself into her stomach, just under her sternum. She gasped in pain and lashed out with her arm, backhanding him across the head. The other vampire fell to the side with a grunt, rolling partially off of her. She snarled with anger, her vampire instincts picking up on her opponent's apparent weakness. Her fingers lengthened into sharp claws, her fangs extended, she kicked at Zero, pushing him off of her fully and pounced on him. He tried to roll away, but her claws caught his arm, digging into the flesh. The other vampire cried out and tried to pull away, but she was upon him, holding him down.

The scent of blood was driving her senses crazy. Through the red haze she saw the hate in those amethyst eyes. She snapped. Her free hand clutched at his throat, jerking his head cruelly to the side. No more toying, no more questions.

She retracted her claws from Zero's arm, replacing them with her knee. Another cry erupted from him, bringing a satisfied smirk to Arlena's lips. She brought that clawed hand up to his neck and tore the jacket and shirt away from it, baring his flesh to his shoulder. She could feel the silver-haired vampire struggling desperately to free himself, but her strength outmatched his. She wouldn't use her power to control his body. She would revel in the satisfaction that he knew he was free to stop this, but simply did not have the strength to do so.

Her lip curled back, baring her fangs as she lowered her head to his neck. Her tongue flicked out, feeling for the throb of his pulse.

“No!” Zero's voice was surprisingly strong. So different than the last time they were in this position.

Her entire body ached for the blood flowing through his veins, and she was most certainly not going to fight the urge this time. Her fangs brushed his skin and he jerked beneath her, inadvertently drawing blood. The taste of his fresh blood sent her over the edge and she began to sink her fangs into the tempting flesh.

Suddenly, Zero was no longer beneath her. No, that wasn't right. She was no longer on top of him. She was flying through the air. She hit the wall on the other side of the cell and crumpled to the floor.

Arlena started to push herself up to her knees, her teeth grinding. What had just happened?

An overwhelming and familiar aura fell upon her, the cold, quiet anger that was being transmitted through it feeling like an oppressive weight. She turned her head slowly, looking towards the entrance of the cell.

The outline of a tall, lean man was silhouetted against the light of the corridor behind him. It was Kaname Kuran. She had known that before she had even seen him. What was he doing here though? More importantly, why had he stopped her during her feeding? She knew some of his actions were unusual when compared to other purebloods, but to interrupt her during such a private moment...?

She spat her own blood out of her mouth. Her extended fangs must have cut into her during the impact against the wall. She resisted the urge to snarl. The brunette was obviously not his usual calm, collected self. She didn't need to provoke him any further.

As her eyes adjusted to the contrast in light, she noticed that Kaname was not looking at her, but that his gaze was firmly fixed on the low-level vampire. His face did not betray any of his feelings. A quick glance at Zero told her that he had not bothered to get to his feet. He simply lay there, staring at Kaname, his eyes narrowed, his face pale.

That irritated Arlena more than being flung across the room. They were both ignoring her. How dare they!

She pushed herself to her feet, leaning against the wall slightly as her head spun briefly.

“What is the meaning of this, Kaname Kuran?”

It was as if the other pureblood had not heard her. He did not reply, nor even look her way. She started to step towards him, her anger building up, but she stopped in her tracks as his lips parted.

“Kiryu,” Kaname's voice was firm and level.

Zero's eyes widened in surprise.

Arlene looked from Kaname to Zero and back again. “You know him?”

Finally, Kaname turned to look at her. “I know of him.”

The red-haired pureblood raised an eyebrow, her curiosity calming her anger a little. “Is there something so special about him that you interru-”

Kaname cut her words short, silencing her with a look. “You will not touch him. Not now, nor in the future. He is mine.”