Ophelia's Lament

By Kate Valentine

I can't…

I can't.

I can't tell them.

She ran through the night, drenched in the rain that fell from the heavens above. She stopped when she reached the ledge of the castle's ledge. Her nightgown swirled around her when the wind blew, whipping her hair about her face. She was convinced that this was a slap for what she'd done.

Whatever that was, she didn't know.

But they didn't talk to her anymore. It was as if she didn't exist…

Love.

Yuuki cried so hard at the thought of the word that hiccups began to overtake her sobs. Her sobs were always quiet, but now they could be heard. This was the breakdown that she had been waiting for all along—and she gratefully accepted it.

Why did she feel that she deserved all of this? Death? She had people that once loved her. Why was she staring into a dark abyss at the edge of a castle?

Because…because.

She was waiting for someone to come and kill her.

To save her from this pain…

Selfish?

Yes. But it felt good to be this way…

They had given her so much, and she couldn't give them anything in return.

Zero…

He turned her away once she became a vampire and after the fight with Rido. He avoided her as much as possible.

Her friendship was gone.

He shunned her like the plague.

Kaname…

A lump swelled within her throat. Sweet, sweet Kaname…his love was so perfect, so pure for her, that he wouldn't drink from her at all. He wanted her blood, but he seemed to have near perfect control over his hunger and took a blood tablet instead.

She didn't deserve either of them. Everyone treated her differently because of her blood line.

Why did it have to turn out this way? She swallowed her tears, but they seemed to mix with the rain anyway.

"For Shizuka." She heard someone mutter from behind her. She smiled bitterly when she heard the cock of the gun. After a moment of silence, "Have you any last words?"

She breathed. "Thank you…Ichiru." She smiled at him. "Thank you so much…" As a sob rose in the back of her throat, she heard the fire of the gun, and felt an immense pain shoot through her stomach. Yuuki gasped futilely for air and fell to her knees, clutching at her abdomen.

No…no! It wasn't supposed to be this way!

"May you die a long and painful death…princess." He spat the last word as he walked away.

He left her to die there…and she wasn't dead yet.

She couldn't remember if she screamed or not…she couldn't even hear what was going on around her after a minute of being shot. Blood was bubbling up through her throat, and she vomited who knows how many times before she was found.

Zero had cared for her after all.

Zero had known something was up when he saw his brother meeting up with Yuuki once or twice.

So he followed them…and found Yuuki in the worst of circumstances.

She was coughing up blood when he found her—enough so that she was lying in a puddle of it, although the puddle was being washed away by the pouring rain. It still had a way of staining her nightgown.

She had been screaming without really hearing herself, clutching her stomach in pain beyond words and sweet nothings. Why did she let this happen?

It was because of him…it had to be.

He distanced himself so that she could stick with Kaname. That was the master plan!

Then what did Kaname do if…

Oh, Lord. No…no, no, no…

Tears threatened his own eyes, but he forced them back as he picked up the bleeding porcelain doll and ran with the screaming, bleeding girl and took cover inside of the castle.

It had been abandoned long ago, but he found a bedroom and put her onto the bed. She wasn't screaming, but she wasn't exactly quiet either. Her eyes were glazed as she reached out for him, pleading for his help.

And then something occurred to him.

He carried all of the blood he had drunk from her a little while back.

Zero supported her as he placed her mouth at the nape of his neck.

"Yuuki," He breathed. "Drink."

"I-I c-can't…" She wept. "I'll…I'd rather…"

"Yuuki…" He finally let his tears drip off his face, alongside the water droplets. "I can't let you die…I can't…" He said, pushing her head closer to his neck. He felt her fading, and he was really becoming scared. "Don't make me resort to another way."

Yuuki started to sob again as she bared her fangs. "I don't want to…Zero…" She hiccupped, but was suddenly pressed against his neck, therefore sinking her fangs into him. Zero shivered as he felt her drink from him—so this is how it felt to want someone to drink from you…

She kept drinking, and Zero began to feel a bit dizzy. But he didn't stop her…she didn't stop him. He wanted her to know how he felt.

They both collapsed onto the bed, both ready to heal.

"Zero…" He heard her whisper. "Why did you leave me?"

The way she said that broke his heart—again. He watched as her breathing suddenly became sleep-ridden before he pulled her closer to him and pulled the covers over them.

"Because I loved you, Yuuki." He whispered into her ear. "More than you ever knew."

A/N: I know that Zero's brother is...well...dead, but I won't let myself believe that. xD He was too perfect for the roll as her "assassin" and I'll just pretend that he escaped everything that happened at the school three years previous. If you don't like it, don't read it. Simple and clean right there.

Anyway, if you have something to say--say it in a review. Who knows? You might get a personal response back.

Kate V.