Yuki leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss against the top of Kaname's head, remaining there, cradling his head as his silent tears bathed her hands, soft shudders of anguish that she would have done anything to alleviate shivering through him.
Zero stayed quietly unobtrusive by the tree he was leaning against as he watched Kaname bow his head into Yuki's hands. The silent tremors that shook the pureblood's shoulders and the faint scent of salt told Zero that Kuran was crying. It was somewhere between heartbreaking and embarrassing to witness and he quickly looked away. It was a private moment between Kaname and Yuki, Zero told himself, and he would not intrude. He wasn't even envious of the way Yuki was holding the other vampire. Actually... oddly... he was glad in a small, faint way. Glad that she could offer the comfort he would have had no idea how to attempt. Something was very, very wrong with Kaname and Zero was only just beginning to understand the depths of the depraved torture the teenage pureblood had been forced to endure these past weeks. Perhaps right now, Yuki, with her innocent heart and her deep, almost child-like affection was the only one who could offer Kaname any kind of comfort, and Zero did not begrudge that.
His fingers returned to his neck. It ached, more and more fiercely, but not with physical pain. It was as if he could feel some echo of Kaname's anguish throbbing in his own heart.
Stop it. Just stop it. I don't want to feel this. But thinking at it did no good. Zero picked up the gun Yuki had left beside him and leveraged himself up to his feet. He was still dizzy and weak, but he needed to be busy doing something, so he crept off silently to check out the area and make sure the coast was still clear.
Yuki shifted, hugging Kaname's head to her breast and running her fingers tenderly through his hair, murmuring soft, soothing things to him. It was weird, but perhaps she felt closer to him right this moment than she ever had before. Because for the first time she felt like he actually needed her.
Kaname felt like an absolute idiot. He had no pride left. None. But he couldn't help himself. Yuki's gentle words, the way she still tried to find something worth saving in him when he saw no redemption in sight... it had shattered a dam inside him and the pain of the past weeks came flooding forth unbidden and unstoppable. It was a hideously shameful display of weakness... but he was not afraid of being weak in front of her. She alone had always accepted him no matter what. In many ways, she had always been his innocence. Perhaps that was what he would always need from her the most - that innocence that he had lost in so many, many ways. And as the burning, strangely cleansing tears finally fell it released some of the tense, dark poison trapped in his soul that had been devouring him. The darkness seemed to wash away slowly with Yuki's gentle touch, the sound of her heart beating under his ear and the warm feel of her tears in his hair, as she too wept in sympathy and held him close.
Aido was on fire. He'd never felt so horrible. He would have likened it to having the worst flu in the world, if he'd had a reference point for that comparison. He'd never actually been anything as mundane as merely sick before. But this was worse than being sick anyway. His skin was flushed, his partially closed wounds raw and feverish. The poison had left him critically weak and his body wasn't healing properly or fighting the infection spreading through him.
His fingers curled weakly against the makeshift, knotted bandages Takuma had bound him up with and the young aristocrat coughed weakly, his whole body shuddering in the pain that caused his injured lung. Where was he? What was going on? Why did he feel this way?
The somewhat cramped position he was curled up in was very uncomfortable, and he tried to shift, but there wasn't really room to do so. Confused he groggily opened his eyes, trying to make sense of where he was and who owned the cool fingers that were pressed against his forehead.
"Aido... Aido can you hear me? Hanabusa..."
Aido frowned blearily. Ichijo? Oh shit, had he been stupid enough to let Kain and Takuma get him into another one of those idiotic drinking games? No... this was definitely worse than a hangover. Suddenly everything flooded back. The rain, the fight, Zero... Kaname!
Aido tried to sit up sharply, only to fall back with a soft cry of pain that was quickly checked by Ichijo's hand clamping firmly over his mouth to muffle the sound.
"Shh!" Takuma hushed in a soft whisper. "We're pretty far down, but we still have to be quiet until we get out of here. There might be people above."
Aido was too weak to do much but glare at the other, although if looks could have killed, Takuma's skull would be smoking.
"What the hell are you talking about? Where's Kaname? What have you done with him?" Aido demanded, voice muffled behind the hand still over his mouth.
Takuma blanched visibly. He'd woken up a bit before Aido, and his internal clock told him it was around midday now, although there wasn't much change in the level of light that made it down here and it was still comfortably dark. "I don't know," he responded quietly.
A few minutes of mutual catch-up finally left both vampires knowing more about what had led them to this situation and, unfortunately, less about what they were going to do next. They could not afford to linger much longer, but Takuma was reluctant to move until Aido was strong enough to not slow them down too much.
Carefully, Takuma cradled Aido's head and lifted it up to his shoulder, letting the other's face rest against the side of his neck. Aido gasped softly in pain at being moved, clenching his eyes shut, his breath rasping softly against Takuma's skin. In his fevered state, Aido didn't understand what Ichijo was doing. He was too weak to worry about it, forced to simply trust the other vampire as he struggled to stay conscious.
"Aido…" Takuma whispered softly when the other didn't seem to get the idea. "You'll heal better with blood."
Aido finally seemed to understand, but he balked awkwardly, head still resting weakly on the other's shoulder. "Um…. Takuma…"
Takuma rolled his eyes. "God, Hanabusa, sorry I'm not one of those pretty little day class girls but it's not like I'm asking you to kiss me, just do it. We have to get out of here, and I'm worried about you."
Truth was, Aido would have done about anything at this point to escape the deep, semi-delirious fever-ache in his bones. He had never dealt particularly well with pain or discomfort of any kind. So he didn't quibble further. Softly, a bit embarrassed, he sank his teeth into Takuma's neck, sucking slowly. His throat was scratchy and swallowing was painful.
Takuma was worried about how weakly Aido was feeding. It betrayed the fact that the younger vampire was not doing at all well. He shifted carefully, hand sliding to the back of the blonde's head, supporting him as he sucked and lapped faintly at Takuma's neck. Flushed and weak like this with the usual arrogance drained away, Aido seemed somehow even younger than the mere 17 vampire years that he possessed.
After a minute or two Aido pulled back, his head resting again on the other vampire's shoulder. He licked his lips slowly, breathing a bit easier than a few minutes ago. The gift Takuma had given him was indeed helping and although he still felt weak, Aido felt like his head was finally starting to clear.
"Takuma… why are you…? I mean…" Aido stopped, not sure he really ought to be pressing his luck and asking too many questions. The fact was – he and Takuma hadn't ever been that particularly close. They were friends in a casual sense, but Ichijo's sunny personality frequently grated on Aido's nerves and Takuma was always accusing him of being mean. If it weren't for their common tie to Kaname, they probably would not have taken the time to get past their vast differences enough to even become acquaintances. So Aido was a little surprised that Takuma was taking such care with him and seemed so worried. Although… he supposed, kind-heartedness was one of those 'irritating' traits he'd often teased Takuma about behind his back.
Takuma unconsciously stroked Aido's hair lightly as the other rested against him. He was a caretaker by nature, always had been. Right now he was treating Aido like something of a younger brother.
"This is my fault," he said quietly in response to the question Aido hadn't quite asked. "I… I knew something was wrong, weeks ago, and I didn't try hard enough to act. It's my grandfather's fault that you're hurt, that all this is happening. I will atone for his sins," Takuma whispered, closing his eyes and tipping his head back against the well wall behind him. "No matter what I have to do."
Carefully, Aido leveraged himself up to sit on his own. His wounds were going to take a little time to heal. Probably not long, but longer than he was used to. They didn't have time to wait though. From what Takuma said their current position could become untenable at any moment and this would be a bad place to get trapped. Already he was feeling deeply impatient to find out what had happened with Kaname and incidentally, Zero and Yuki too.
Slowly he struggled to stand. The small space necessitated that Takuma stand also, which the other noble was only too glad to do. He'd been sitting a long time waiting for Aido to waken and his legs were pins and needles.
Aido curled his arm around his middle but his stubborn look dared Takuma to ask a stupid question like if he was sure he should be moving around, which he could just see on the other vampire's face. He was hurting like hell and it made him grouchy and irritable. "So, you got a plan to get out of here, or are we supposed to tunnel over to the next county with spoons or something?"
Takuma gave him a look that was slightly amused and slightly annoyed, but didn't ask the question. "Has anyone ever told you how dumb you are for a genius, Aido? Yes, of course I've got a plan. But I thought we'd slip out of here, make for the garage and take a car instead if you don't mind. It'll be faster."
Kaname rubbed his sore wrists with obvious relief as the cuffs finally came away in Zero's hands and he was at last truly free. There was no need for them now. Zero's blood had sated his desperate need and he was no longer a danger. Kaname was still hungry, still injured and still much weaker than normal, but his condition was no longer critical and he was not worried about his control.
Zero didn't look at him as he disposed of the cuffs and moved away quickly. Kaname's gaze followed him for a moment before he quickly looked away as well. Both felt the awkwardness of knowing what had happened between them not long ago and neither was quite willing to face up to it. Better to put it down to blood loss delirium and not think about it, right?
Kaname realized he was absently rubbing the base of his throat again as he sat down beneath a nearby tree. He quickly forced himself to stop and rubbed his wrists instead.
"You know, I'm kind of surprised we haven't run across anyone looking for us yet, since we're still on the Ichijo estate and all," Yuki commented after a few long minutes, mostly to make conversation and break up the broody silence that had fallen over the little group. Kaname was sitting in the shade of the nearby tree again and Zero, who should have been exhausted and probably was, was tensely pacing back and forth a few feet away, constantly scanning the forest as if suspicious of the stillness. They had decided before to wait until dark before moving on, but since the incident almost an hour ago, no one had done any sleeping and Yuki was beginning to wonder if it wouldn't be better for them to just push on now.
"Not really. They probably think we're already long gone and safe. It's unlikely they would suspect us to be on foot or to be wandering around, lost in the woods," Kaname pointed out with a faint, wry smile. His color was much better and he no longer looked so much like a walking corpse, even though he was obviously still feeling weak. "They would have expected anyone bold enough to come after me to have a better get away plan than that."
Zero scowled, pausing in mid-pace. "Well excuse me for saving your sorry hide," he muttered, but his eyes said he wasn't actually taking it personally. "Next time you get yourself snatched, I'll make sure you approve the rescue plan beforehand."
Kaname smirked. Was that a joke? Kiriyu actually knew how to make a joke? Wonders might never cease.
"Once it becomes apparent that we have not turned up anywhere else, however, and they have a chance to reconstruct a better picture of what actually happened last night... I fear we may be in for some more company out here," he added a bit more seriously. He'd been trying to concentrate and pinpoint where exactly they were, and he was almost sure they weren't too far west of the main road that ran down towards the Ichijo estate. That wasn't much help to them at this point, but if they could manage to stay out of sight and hope for a passing car to waylay... well, it wasn't much of a plan, but then he didn't have much to work with at the moment.
Yuki made a face, not liking the thought of being pursued again one bit. "I wonder what the others are doing..." she murmured with soft concern, plucking at the grass poking up through the leaves beside where she was sitting.
Kaname did too, but he didn't want to focus on the question. "And I wonder why Kiriyu is imitating a wind up doll. You're wearing a groove in the ground, Zero, sit down," the pureblood remarked in mild exasperation to the ex-human, who had resumed pacing. Actually, Kaname was worried about Zero wearing himself out after everything they'd been through, and how much blood Kaname knew he had taken from him, but of course he couldn't exactly say that.
Zero glared and kept pacing. He felt edgy, and it wasn't just his headache. "Maybe we should move on," he commented after a moment. "I don't like the way the woods are feeling."
Kaname frowned and concentrated for a moment on trying to tune more into his surroundings and senses to see what it was, if anything, that Zero might be picking up on. It wasn't anything obvious, or nearby. The birds were still chirping and the insects humming, undisturbed. Kaname couldn't sense any other humans or vampires nearby and Zero would have said if he did. But... there was something, vague, in the distance, but getting nearer. He didn't know what it was but he felt it too.
Kaname pushed up to his feet, offering his hand to Yuki to help her rise. "I think you're right," he agreed. "We may not be able to afford to wait much longer."
"Can't you go any faster? You should have let me drive..."
Takuma categorically ignored Aido as he sped them down the long drive leading off the estate. Stealing a car hadn't been all that hard. Takuma knew where the keys were kept in the garage. Getting out from under the gazebo and to the garage without getting caught and now getting off the estate grounds before someone saw them or raised an alarm – those were the hard parts.
"You don't have a license," Takuma pointed out, wondering if Aido was trying to make him regret saving his life, or if he just couldn't help it.
"So what? We stole the car, Ichijo. And that doesn't mean I can't drive. I just never bothered to take the test." One of those things he kept meaning to do and never got around to. Wasn't like he needed to, he'd always had a driver to take him anywhere he wanted to go.
Takuma didn't bother pointing out that technically these cars at least partially belonged to him. "Look, if we go too fast, we'll attract attention. Nothing screams 'chase me' like running away," he pointed out logically.
Aido folded his arms across his aching chest and slouched down in the front passenger seat a little with a sigh. He already knew Takuma was right, and he should have stopped being a brat, but he was in pain and worried and not dealing with either very well.
He turned his head to watch out the window as the trees lining the long drive flicked silently by outside.
The threesome hadn't gotten very far when Kaname froze, his sharp hearing picking up the faint sounds first. He grabbed Zero and Yuki's arms and pulled them deeper under the trees, away from the clearing they'd been walking through.
Zero started to say something but Kaname pressed his finger to his lips swiftly, still trying to trace the sound he'd heard. "Shh!"
A few moments later, Zero heard it too. The whirring chop of a helicopter rotor churning the air. It was heading this way.
"Seems they've realized they need to change their search parameters," Kaname murmured softly, scanning the sky. The interference of the trees meant that even with his vision, he couldn't see where the chopper was until it broke into view over the treetops fifty or sixty meters away. Kaname frowned as he watched the helicopter approach overhead. The trees were so dense... and you could hear the chopper coming in plenty of time to hide. How did they expect this method to be useful? He was missing something...
Yuki instinctively pulled back further against the tree trunk beside her, holding her breath. "As long as we stay under cover, they can't see us, right?" she whispered somewhat apprehensively as the chopper passed directly over their position, winging by swiftly overhead.
Zero's brows furrowed as he watched the chopper pass. It was bulky and black, looked military grade to him, but of course it was no surprise that the Ichijos could have anything they wanted on hand. The chopper slid by, then went into a sharp bank. What was it doing? Something wasn't right...
Kaname swore softly under his breath, understanding what was happening as the chopper made a direct beeline back for their position. "Run!" he snapped, the others needing little encouragement as the large, black metal beast bore down on them. "They must have infrared trackers on board; they're following our heat signatures!"
The three scrambled swiftly through the dense undergrowth, even Yuki moving at a full pelt despite her injured feet. But the chopper kept up easily, not needing to see them physically to track them with the host of military grade equipment with which it was equipped.
A series of small pops sounded from above and clouds of light grey gas mushroomed behind them, then ahead of them, and off to the side. They scrambled to change course, to avoid the spreading clouds, but the acrid chemicals were quick and pervasive. Everyone's eyes started stinging and watering as the air became hard to breathe. More pops, more smoke... the chopper couldn't land here, but it was trying to slow them down and keep them contained until ground troops could reach them, no doubt.
Zero buried his mouth and nose in his sleeve, coughing harshly and blinking against the blinding sting of tears obscuring his vision as he scrambled forward, trying to keep track of Yuki and Kaname so they didn't all get separated as they attempted to escape the gas. He could feel the tingling warning of his hunter senses that somewhere in the distance there were other vampires in the area. He knew Kaname must be able to feel it too, or smell them, or whatever it was he did. Wherever the searchers were being mobilized from, they were unfortunately very well organized to be responding so swiftly.
Kaname wiped his eyes in annoyance. The gas was bothersome, but it wasn't enough to stop him. The others though... Turning when he sensed his companions no longer close on his heels he saw Yuki on her knees a few yards back, choking and gasping for air. Zero wasn't far behind. He was still on his feet, but he was also coughing and weaving. He was too weak to fight the fumes like he normally might have been able, he'd not had enough time to recover from giving blood and he needed to feed.
Giving his hands a small push in the air in front of him, Kaname sent a strong burst of air howling through the clearing. Yuki and Zero had to duck and cover their heads against flying leaves kicked up by the wind, but it was over as soon as it had started and the thick air was blessedly clearer than before. It wouldn't last long though, there was too much gas for Kaname to try and dispel all of it that way. Hurrying back, the pureblood took Zero and Yuki both by the arm, trying to help and urge them onward.
If it were just him, he could have masked his own presence, even his own body heat to hide from the sensors. If it were just him, Kaname could have easily fled the area and the gas in a matter of moments using his natural ability for unnatural speed. But there were three of them, so masking wouldn't do any good and leaving Yuki and Zero behind was not an option. Tactically, their options stunk. They were at a complete disadvantage down here and they were running out of time.
The chopper circled over head, coming back for another pass.
Takuma should have felt better now that they were off the driveway and on the public road leading away from the estate, but he didn't. The road was deserted, as it almost always was since there was little reason to come out here unless you were heading for the Ichijo estate. He wouldn't feel comfortable until they had gotten farther away, someplace where it was easier to lose themselves. It was hard to resist putting on more speed, despite what he'd said to Aido.
Aido was still silently gazing out the window with unseeing eyes, apparently lost in thought. Something was bothering him, tugging at him... suddenly he gave a soft cry and pressed his fingers against the aching throb at the base of his neck.
"Ichijo, stop! Stop the car!" he called urgently.
Takuma was so keyed up that the sudden outburst rattled him and he swerved across both lanes before quickly getting back in his own and casting a deeply irritated glare at his companions. "What is wrong with you?..."
"Stop the car!" Aido repeated insistently, reaching over and trying to do it himself, which got him a good hard smack from the other vampire that knocked him back into his own seat. Takuma wondered if his companion was going delirious again.
"I feel Kaname! He's here! Somewhere close!" Aido protested, fingers still pressed at the base of his neck. "We've gotta stop and find him!"
Takuma slammed on the brakes.
Kaname was forced to halt or end up dragging Yuki and Zero along with him. Yuki was almost unconscious, no longer responding to his urgent calling of her name. Zero was still stubbornly hanging in, but he could barely stand and was coughing so much Kaname was worried about the damage being done to his throat and lungs. The chopper was still circling them like a giant buzzard and the smoke pall it was spreading was getting thicker. Coughing against his arm, Kaname weighed whether or not he was going to be able to carry both Yuki and Zero. He probably could, but not very fast. Not in his current condition.
No, better option – try to eliminate the most immediate threat. That wasn't going to be a picnic either, but there was nothing else for it. Giving another small burst of wind to clear the air as much as possible around Yuki and Zero, Kaname eased them both down next to one another.
Stepping out into a more open spot, Kaname's gaze turned up towards the sky, staring down the helicopter as it came around for another pass and bore straight down on him.
Taking a deep breath, Kaname lifted his hands. It looked like he was throwing invisible objects up in the air at the helicopter, but the air wavered and warped as the high-pressure kinetic waves slammed into the side of the chopper, shaking it and causing it to dance crazily in the sky. It was hard to reach a target that far away, draining to summon up this much power in his still depleted state, but Kaname had no choice and he kept at it, buffeting the craft back and forth in a grim, somewhat desperate attempt to bring it down.
Kaname saw the tracer fire coming and his reflexes served him well as he hit the ground and rolled away to avoid the spate of bullets from the choppers onboard guns that tore into the earth where he'd been standing. Probably not anti-vampire bullets, but with his currently still retarded healing, he couldn't risk having any more holes punched in him. Obviously, he'd shaken the chopper crew up enough to push them to more drastic measures as they targeted him again. Moving with vampire speed, Kaname seemed to disappear from where he was standing and appear on the opposite side of the clearing, where he launched another quick volley of invisible darts. Before they could get a bead on him, he was gone again, appearing on another side, and another, launching a blinding fast attack from seemingly all angles at once. It wasn't random, he had a very precise plan, but they didn't realize it until too late.
Kaname's hands shook as he leveled what should hopefully be the last barrage. He was drenched in perspiration and his injured back was screaming. This kind of speed and energy output took a lot out of him. As he looked up, he saw what he wanted to see, however. The chopper lurched oddly, this time not as a result of an impact, but because his systematic attack had effectively disrupted the air around the chopper, completely removing the lift dynamics that was keeping it airborne. For a few seconds the large rotors seemed to claw at the air as if seeking purchase, then the chopper body started to spin in the opposite direction as it plummeted towards the ground like a stone.
Kaname watched as the clipped bird careened away from him into the trees, leaving a path long path of destruction trailing away in the opposite direction, out of sight as it crashed. He didn't wait to watch the dust settle. He'd bought them some time, that was all, and probably not much at that. The ground searchers still felt some distance away, but Yuki and Zero weren't going to be able to go anywhere fast, even with the clearing air...
Kaname tried not to think of their bleak outlook as he half ran, half stumbled swiftly back to where he'd left the others.
Zero was kneeling, supporting Yuki who was completely unconscious now. He had apparently seen what happened though, or at least enough of it because he gave Kaname a faint, wry smile. "Guess John McLain should start looking for a job, huh?" he managed to joke in a raspy voice between coughs. Kaname didn't get the reference and just kind of stared at him as if he was worried Zero might be starting to lose it. Zero chuckled and shook his head as he struggled to get to his feet. Not much of a surprise that Die Hard probably didn't fall in with whatever Kaname's tastes were in movies.
Zero tried to pull Yuki up with him and found he couldn't. Crap... he felt so weak and his head was spinning so, it was hard to tell what end was up. He wavered and started to fall. Kaname caught him.
"Zero? Zero!" The voice seemed to be coming from a long way away, although Zero was fighting valiantly to stay conscious. Not yet! Not yet... he couldn't let himself fold like this... but his body was giving him little choice and blackness was whirling up to swallow him.
Kaname felt a small swell of uncomfortable desperation well in him as he gently eased Zero back to the ground. He was exhausted to the point of trembling from his last exertion and his companions were unconscious or nearly so. He couldn't carry them both and he couldn't leave either behind. The probability of getting recaptured, of ending up back in Rido and Ichijo's hands was far too high and climbing higher by the moment. Kaname fought a tense knot of panic that was trying to rise in the back of his throat. He needed to be rational, and figure out what needed to be done. The problem was, for once, he simply couldn't see a move that would get them out of this checkmate.
Zero stayed quietly unobtrusive by the tree he was leaning against as he watched Kaname bow his head into Yuki's hands. The silent tremors that shook the pureblood's shoulders and the faint scent of salt told Zero that Kuran was crying. It was somewhere between heartbreaking and embarrassing to witness and he quickly looked away. It was a private moment between Kaname and Yuki, Zero told himself, and he would not intrude. He wasn't even envious of the way Yuki was holding the other vampire. Actually... oddly... he was glad in a small, faint way. Glad that she could offer the comfort he would have had no idea how to attempt. Something was very, very wrong with Kaname and Zero was only just beginning to understand the depths of the depraved torture the teenage pureblood had been forced to endure these past weeks. Perhaps right now, Yuki, with her innocent heart and her deep, almost child-like affection was the only one who could offer Kaname any kind of comfort, and Zero did not begrudge that.
His fingers returned to his neck. It ached, more and more fiercely, but not with physical pain. It was as if he could feel some echo of Kaname's anguish throbbing in his own heart.
Stop it. Just stop it. I don't want to feel this. But thinking at it did no good. Zero picked up the gun Yuki had left beside him and leveraged himself up to his feet. He was still dizzy and weak, but he needed to be busy doing something, so he crept off silently to check out the area and make sure the coast was still clear.
Yuki shifted, hugging Kaname's head to her breast and running her fingers tenderly through his hair, murmuring soft, soothing things to him. It was weird, but perhaps she felt closer to him right this moment than she ever had before. Because for the first time she felt like he actually needed her.
Kaname felt like an absolute idiot. He had no pride left. None. But he couldn't help himself. Yuki's gentle words, the way she still tried to find something worth saving in him when he saw no redemption in sight... it had shattered a dam inside him and the pain of the past weeks came flooding forth unbidden and unstoppable. It was a hideously shameful display of weakness... but he was not afraid of being weak in front of her. She alone had always accepted him no matter what. In many ways, she had always been his innocence. Perhaps that was what he would always need from her the most - that innocence that he had lost in so many, many ways. And as the burning, strangely cleansing tears finally fell it released some of the tense, dark poison trapped in his soul that had been devouring him. The darkness seemed to wash away slowly with Yuki's gentle touch, the sound of her heart beating under his ear and the warm feel of her tears in his hair, as she too wept in sympathy and held him close.
Aido was on fire. He'd never felt so horrible. He would have likened it to having the worst flu in the world, if he'd had a reference point for that comparison. He'd never actually been anything as mundane as merely sick before. But this was worse than being sick anyway. His skin was flushed, his partially closed wounds raw and feverish. The poison had left him critically weak and his body wasn't healing properly or fighting the infection spreading through him.
His fingers curled weakly against the makeshift, knotted bandages Takuma had bound him up with and the young aristocrat coughed weakly, his whole body shuddering in the pain that caused his injured lung. Where was he? What was going on? Why did he feel this way?
The somewhat cramped position he was curled up in was very uncomfortable, and he tried to shift, but there wasn't really room to do so. Confused he groggily opened his eyes, trying to make sense of where he was and who owned the cool fingers that were pressed against his forehead.
"Aido... Aido can you hear me? Hanabusa..."
Aido frowned blearily. Ichijo? Oh shit, had he been stupid enough to let Kain and Takuma get him into another one of those idiotic drinking games? No... this was definitely worse than a hangover. Suddenly everything flooded back. The rain, the fight, Zero... Kaname!
Aido tried to sit up sharply, only to fall back with a soft cry of pain that was quickly checked by Ichijo's hand clamping firmly over his mouth to muffle the sound.
"Shh!" Takuma hushed in a soft whisper. "We're pretty far down, but we still have to be quiet until we get out of here. There might be people above."
Aido was too weak to do much but glare at the other, although if looks could have killed, Takuma's skull would be smoking.
"What the hell are you talking about? Where's Kaname? What have you done with him?" Aido demanded, voice muffled behind the hand still over his mouth.
Takuma blanched visibly. He'd woken up a bit before Aido, and his internal clock told him it was around midday now, although there wasn't much change in the level of light that made it down here and it was still comfortably dark. "I don't know," he responded quietly.
A few minutes of mutual catch-up finally left both vampires knowing more about what had led them to this situation and, unfortunately, less about what they were going to do next. They could not afford to linger much longer, but Takuma was reluctant to move until Aido was strong enough to not slow them down too much.
Carefully, Takuma cradled Aido's head and lifted it up to his shoulder, letting the other's face rest against the side of his neck. Aido gasped softly in pain at being moved, clenching his eyes shut, his breath rasping softly against Takuma's skin. In his fevered state, Aido didn't understand what Ichijo was doing. He was too weak to worry about it, forced to simply trust the other vampire as he struggled to stay conscious.
"Aido…" Takuma whispered softly when the other didn't seem to get the idea. "You'll heal better with blood."
Aido finally seemed to understand, but he balked awkwardly, head still resting weakly on the other's shoulder. "Um…. Takuma…"
Takuma rolled his eyes. "God, Hanabusa, sorry I'm not one of those pretty little day class girls but it's not like I'm asking you to kiss me, just do it. We have to get out of here, and I'm worried about you."
Truth was, Aido would have done about anything at this point to escape the deep, semi-delirious fever-ache in his bones. He had never dealt particularly well with pain or discomfort of any kind. So he didn't quibble further. Softly, a bit embarrassed, he sank his teeth into Takuma's neck, sucking slowly. His throat was scratchy and swallowing was painful.
Takuma was worried about how weakly Aido was feeding. It betrayed the fact that the younger vampire was not doing at all well. He shifted carefully, hand sliding to the back of the blonde's head, supporting him as he sucked and lapped faintly at Takuma's neck. Flushed and weak like this with the usual arrogance drained away, Aido seemed somehow even younger than the mere 17 vampire years that he possessed.
After a minute or two Aido pulled back, his head resting again on the other vampire's shoulder. He licked his lips slowly, breathing a bit easier than a few minutes ago. The gift Takuma had given him was indeed helping and although he still felt weak, Aido felt like his head was finally starting to clear.
"Takuma… why are you…? I mean…" Aido stopped, not sure he really ought to be pressing his luck and asking too many questions. The fact was – he and Takuma hadn't ever been that particularly close. They were friends in a casual sense, but Ichijo's sunny personality frequently grated on Aido's nerves and Takuma was always accusing him of being mean. If it weren't for their common tie to Kaname, they probably would not have taken the time to get past their vast differences enough to even become acquaintances. So Aido was a little surprised that Takuma was taking such care with him and seemed so worried. Although… he supposed, kind-heartedness was one of those 'irritating' traits he'd often teased Takuma about behind his back.
Takuma unconsciously stroked Aido's hair lightly as the other rested against him. He was a caretaker by nature, always had been. Right now he was treating Aido like something of a younger brother.
"This is my fault," he said quietly in response to the question Aido hadn't quite asked. "I… I knew something was wrong, weeks ago, and I didn't try hard enough to act. It's my grandfather's fault that you're hurt, that all this is happening. I will atone for his sins," Takuma whispered, closing his eyes and tipping his head back against the well wall behind him. "No matter what I have to do."
Carefully, Aido leveraged himself up to sit on his own. His wounds were going to take a little time to heal. Probably not long, but longer than he was used to. They didn't have time to wait though. From what Takuma said their current position could become untenable at any moment and this would be a bad place to get trapped. Already he was feeling deeply impatient to find out what had happened with Kaname and incidentally, Zero and Yuki too.
Slowly he struggled to stand. The small space necessitated that Takuma stand also, which the other noble was only too glad to do. He'd been sitting a long time waiting for Aido to waken and his legs were pins and needles.
Aido curled his arm around his middle but his stubborn look dared Takuma to ask a stupid question like if he was sure he should be moving around, which he could just see on the other vampire's face. He was hurting like hell and it made him grouchy and irritable. "So, you got a plan to get out of here, or are we supposed to tunnel over to the next county with spoons or something?"
Takuma gave him a look that was slightly amused and slightly annoyed, but didn't ask the question. "Has anyone ever told you how dumb you are for a genius, Aido? Yes, of course I've got a plan. But I thought we'd slip out of here, make for the garage and take a car instead if you don't mind. It'll be faster."
Kaname rubbed his sore wrists with obvious relief as the cuffs finally came away in Zero's hands and he was at last truly free. There was no need for them now. Zero's blood had sated his desperate need and he was no longer a danger. Kaname was still hungry, still injured and still much weaker than normal, but his condition was no longer critical and he was not worried about his control.
Zero didn't look at him as he disposed of the cuffs and moved away quickly. Kaname's gaze followed him for a moment before he quickly looked away as well. Both felt the awkwardness of knowing what had happened between them not long ago and neither was quite willing to face up to it. Better to put it down to blood loss delirium and not think about it, right?
Kaname realized he was absently rubbing the base of his throat again as he sat down beneath a nearby tree. He quickly forced himself to stop and rubbed his wrists instead.
"You know, I'm kind of surprised we haven't run across anyone looking for us yet, since we're still on the Ichijo estate and all," Yuki commented after a few long minutes, mostly to make conversation and break up the broody silence that had fallen over the little group. Kaname was sitting in the shade of the nearby tree again and Zero, who should have been exhausted and probably was, was tensely pacing back and forth a few feet away, constantly scanning the forest as if suspicious of the stillness. They had decided before to wait until dark before moving on, but since the incident almost an hour ago, no one had done any sleeping and Yuki was beginning to wonder if it wouldn't be better for them to just push on now.
"Not really. They probably think we're already long gone and safe. It's unlikely they would suspect us to be on foot or to be wandering around, lost in the woods," Kaname pointed out with a faint, wry smile. His color was much better and he no longer looked so much like a walking corpse, even though he was obviously still feeling weak. "They would have expected anyone bold enough to come after me to have a better get away plan than that."
Zero scowled, pausing in mid-pace. "Well excuse me for saving your sorry hide," he muttered, but his eyes said he wasn't actually taking it personally. "Next time you get yourself snatched, I'll make sure you approve the rescue plan beforehand."
Kaname smirked. Was that a joke? Kiriyu actually knew how to make a joke? Wonders might never cease.
"Once it becomes apparent that we have not turned up anywhere else, however, and they have a chance to reconstruct a better picture of what actually happened last night... I fear we may be in for some more company out here," he added a bit more seriously. He'd been trying to concentrate and pinpoint where exactly they were, and he was almost sure they weren't too far west of the main road that ran down towards the Ichijo estate. That wasn't much help to them at this point, but if they could manage to stay out of sight and hope for a passing car to waylay... well, it wasn't much of a plan, but then he didn't have much to work with at the moment.
Yuki made a face, not liking the thought of being pursued again one bit. "I wonder what the others are doing..." she murmured with soft concern, plucking at the grass poking up through the leaves beside where she was sitting.
Kaname did too, but he didn't want to focus on the question. "And I wonder why Kiriyu is imitating a wind up doll. You're wearing a groove in the ground, Zero, sit down," the pureblood remarked in mild exasperation to the ex-human, who had resumed pacing. Actually, Kaname was worried about Zero wearing himself out after everything they'd been through, and how much blood Kaname knew he had taken from him, but of course he couldn't exactly say that.
Zero glared and kept pacing. He felt edgy, and it wasn't just his headache. "Maybe we should move on," he commented after a moment. "I don't like the way the woods are feeling."
Kaname frowned and concentrated for a moment on trying to tune more into his surroundings and senses to see what it was, if anything, that Zero might be picking up on. It wasn't anything obvious, or nearby. The birds were still chirping and the insects humming, undisturbed. Kaname couldn't sense any other humans or vampires nearby and Zero would have said if he did. But... there was something, vague, in the distance, but getting nearer. He didn't know what it was but he felt it too.
Kaname pushed up to his feet, offering his hand to Yuki to help her rise. "I think you're right," he agreed. "We may not be able to afford to wait much longer."
"Can't you go any faster? You should have let me drive..."
Takuma categorically ignored Aido as he sped them down the long drive leading off the estate. Stealing a car hadn't been all that hard. Takuma knew where the keys were kept in the garage. Getting out from under the gazebo and to the garage without getting caught and now getting off the estate grounds before someone saw them or raised an alarm – those were the hard parts.
"You don't have a license," Takuma pointed out, wondering if Aido was trying to make him regret saving his life, or if he just couldn't help it.
"So what? We stole the car, Ichijo. And that doesn't mean I can't drive. I just never bothered to take the test." One of those things he kept meaning to do and never got around to. Wasn't like he needed to, he'd always had a driver to take him anywhere he wanted to go.
Takuma didn't bother pointing out that technically these cars at least partially belonged to him. "Look, if we go too fast, we'll attract attention. Nothing screams 'chase me' like running away," he pointed out logically.
Aido folded his arms across his aching chest and slouched down in the front passenger seat a little with a sigh. He already knew Takuma was right, and he should have stopped being a brat, but he was in pain and worried and not dealing with either very well.
He turned his head to watch out the window as the trees lining the long drive flicked silently by outside.
The threesome hadn't gotten very far when Kaname froze, his sharp hearing picking up the faint sounds first. He grabbed Zero and Yuki's arms and pulled them deeper under the trees, away from the clearing they'd been walking through.
Zero started to say something but Kaname pressed his finger to his lips swiftly, still trying to trace the sound he'd heard. "Shh!"
A few moments later, Zero heard it too. The whirring chop of a helicopter rotor churning the air. It was heading this way.
"Seems they've realized they need to change their search parameters," Kaname murmured softly, scanning the sky. The interference of the trees meant that even with his vision, he couldn't see where the chopper was until it broke into view over the treetops fifty or sixty meters away. Kaname frowned as he watched the helicopter approach overhead. The trees were so dense... and you could hear the chopper coming in plenty of time to hide. How did they expect this method to be useful? He was missing something...
Yuki instinctively pulled back further against the tree trunk beside her, holding her breath. "As long as we stay under cover, they can't see us, right?" she whispered somewhat apprehensively as the chopper passed directly over their position, winging by swiftly overhead.
Zero's brows furrowed as he watched the chopper pass. It was bulky and black, looked military grade to him, but of course it was no surprise that the Ichijos could have anything they wanted on hand. The chopper slid by, then went into a sharp bank. What was it doing? Something wasn't right...
Kaname swore softly under his breath, understanding what was happening as the chopper made a direct beeline back for their position. "Run!" he snapped, the others needing little encouragement as the large, black metal beast bore down on them. "They must have infrared trackers on board; they're following our heat signatures!"
The three scrambled swiftly through the dense undergrowth, even Yuki moving at a full pelt despite her injured feet. But the chopper kept up easily, not needing to see them physically to track them with the host of military grade equipment with which it was equipped.
A series of small pops sounded from above and clouds of light grey gas mushroomed behind them, then ahead of them, and off to the side. They scrambled to change course, to avoid the spreading clouds, but the acrid chemicals were quick and pervasive. Everyone's eyes started stinging and watering as the air became hard to breathe. More pops, more smoke... the chopper couldn't land here, but it was trying to slow them down and keep them contained until ground troops could reach them, no doubt.
Zero buried his mouth and nose in his sleeve, coughing harshly and blinking against the blinding sting of tears obscuring his vision as he scrambled forward, trying to keep track of Yuki and Kaname so they didn't all get separated as they attempted to escape the gas. He could feel the tingling warning of his hunter senses that somewhere in the distance there were other vampires in the area. He knew Kaname must be able to feel it too, or smell them, or whatever it was he did. Wherever the searchers were being mobilized from, they were unfortunately very well organized to be responding so swiftly.
Kaname wiped his eyes in annoyance. The gas was bothersome, but it wasn't enough to stop him. The others though... Turning when he sensed his companions no longer close on his heels he saw Yuki on her knees a few yards back, choking and gasping for air. Zero wasn't far behind. He was still on his feet, but he was also coughing and weaving. He was too weak to fight the fumes like he normally might have been able, he'd not had enough time to recover from giving blood and he needed to feed.
Giving his hands a small push in the air in front of him, Kaname sent a strong burst of air howling through the clearing. Yuki and Zero had to duck and cover their heads against flying leaves kicked up by the wind, but it was over as soon as it had started and the thick air was blessedly clearer than before. It wouldn't last long though, there was too much gas for Kaname to try and dispel all of it that way. Hurrying back, the pureblood took Zero and Yuki both by the arm, trying to help and urge them onward.
If it were just him, he could have masked his own presence, even his own body heat to hide from the sensors. If it were just him, Kaname could have easily fled the area and the gas in a matter of moments using his natural ability for unnatural speed. But there were three of them, so masking wouldn't do any good and leaving Yuki and Zero behind was not an option. Tactically, their options stunk. They were at a complete disadvantage down here and they were running out of time.
The chopper circled over head, coming back for another pass.
Takuma should have felt better now that they were off the driveway and on the public road leading away from the estate, but he didn't. The road was deserted, as it almost always was since there was little reason to come out here unless you were heading for the Ichijo estate. He wouldn't feel comfortable until they had gotten farther away, someplace where it was easier to lose themselves. It was hard to resist putting on more speed, despite what he'd said to Aido.
Aido was still silently gazing out the window with unseeing eyes, apparently lost in thought. Something was bothering him, tugging at him... suddenly he gave a soft cry and pressed his fingers against the aching throb at the base of his neck.
"Ichijo, stop! Stop the car!" he called urgently.
Takuma was so keyed up that the sudden outburst rattled him and he swerved across both lanes before quickly getting back in his own and casting a deeply irritated glare at his companions. "What is wrong with you?..."
"Stop the car!" Aido repeated insistently, reaching over and trying to do it himself, which got him a good hard smack from the other vampire that knocked him back into his own seat. Takuma wondered if his companion was going delirious again.
"I feel Kaname! He's here! Somewhere close!" Aido protested, fingers still pressed at the base of his neck. "We've gotta stop and find him!"
Takuma slammed on the brakes.
Kaname was forced to halt or end up dragging Yuki and Zero along with him. Yuki was almost unconscious, no longer responding to his urgent calling of her name. Zero was still stubbornly hanging in, but he could barely stand and was coughing so much Kaname was worried about the damage being done to his throat and lungs. The chopper was still circling them like a giant buzzard and the smoke pall it was spreading was getting thicker. Coughing against his arm, Kaname weighed whether or not he was going to be able to carry both Yuki and Zero. He probably could, but not very fast. Not in his current condition.
No, better option – try to eliminate the most immediate threat. That wasn't going to be a picnic either, but there was nothing else for it. Giving another small burst of wind to clear the air as much as possible around Yuki and Zero, Kaname eased them both down next to one another.
Stepping out into a more open spot, Kaname's gaze turned up towards the sky, staring down the helicopter as it came around for another pass and bore straight down on him.
Taking a deep breath, Kaname lifted his hands. It looked like he was throwing invisible objects up in the air at the helicopter, but the air wavered and warped as the high-pressure kinetic waves slammed into the side of the chopper, shaking it and causing it to dance crazily in the sky. It was hard to reach a target that far away, draining to summon up this much power in his still depleted state, but Kaname had no choice and he kept at it, buffeting the craft back and forth in a grim, somewhat desperate attempt to bring it down.
Kaname saw the tracer fire coming and his reflexes served him well as he hit the ground and rolled away to avoid the spate of bullets from the choppers onboard guns that tore into the earth where he'd been standing. Probably not anti-vampire bullets, but with his currently still retarded healing, he couldn't risk having any more holes punched in him. Obviously, he'd shaken the chopper crew up enough to push them to more drastic measures as they targeted him again. Moving with vampire speed, Kaname seemed to disappear from where he was standing and appear on the opposite side of the clearing, where he launched another quick volley of invisible darts. Before they could get a bead on him, he was gone again, appearing on another side, and another, launching a blinding fast attack from seemingly all angles at once. It wasn't random, he had a very precise plan, but they didn't realize it until too late.
Kaname's hands shook as he leveled what should hopefully be the last barrage. He was drenched in perspiration and his injured back was screaming. This kind of speed and energy output took a lot out of him. As he looked up, he saw what he wanted to see, however. The chopper lurched oddly, this time not as a result of an impact, but because his systematic attack had effectively disrupted the air around the chopper, completely removing the lift dynamics that was keeping it airborne. For a few seconds the large rotors seemed to claw at the air as if seeking purchase, then the chopper body started to spin in the opposite direction as it plummeted towards the ground like a stone.
Kaname watched as the clipped bird careened away from him into the trees, leaving a path long path of destruction trailing away in the opposite direction, out of sight as it crashed. He didn't wait to watch the dust settle. He'd bought them some time, that was all, and probably not much at that. The ground searchers still felt some distance away, but Yuki and Zero weren't going to be able to go anywhere fast, even with the clearing air...
Kaname tried not to think of their bleak outlook as he half ran, half stumbled swiftly back to where he'd left the others.
Zero was kneeling, supporting Yuki who was completely unconscious now. He had apparently seen what happened though, or at least enough of it because he gave Kaname a faint, wry smile. "Guess John McLain should start looking for a job, huh?" he managed to joke in a raspy voice between coughs. Kaname didn't get the reference and just kind of stared at him as if he was worried Zero might be starting to lose it. Zero chuckled and shook his head as he struggled to get to his feet. Not much of a surprise that Die Hard probably didn't fall in with whatever Kaname's tastes were in movies.
Zero tried to pull Yuki up with him and found he couldn't. Crap... he felt so weak and his head was spinning so, it was hard to tell what end was up. He wavered and started to fall. Kaname caught him.
"Zero? Zero!" The voice seemed to be coming from a long way away, although Zero was fighting valiantly to stay conscious. Not yet! Not yet... he couldn't let himself fold like this... but his body was giving him little choice and blackness was whirling up to swallow him.
Kaname felt a small swell of uncomfortable desperation well in him as he gently eased Zero back to the ground. He was exhausted to the point of trembling from his last exertion and his companions were unconscious or nearly so. He couldn't carry them both and he couldn't leave either behind. The probability of getting recaptured, of ending up back in Rido and Ichijo's hands was far too high and climbing higher by the moment. Kaname fought a tense knot of panic that was trying to rise in the back of his throat. He needed to be rational, and figure out what needed to be done. The problem was, for once, he simply couldn't see a move that would get them out of this checkmate.