Chapter Text
Prologue
As the early streaks of sunlight filtered through his room , a gentle beam glided over his figure , casting a heavenly glow on his flawless skin .
He was finally eighteen ! A young man thought to himself as he gazed at his reflection in the mirror . The softest shade of lavender greeted him back , framed by a curtain of arctic silver locks . Features distinct to the Kiryuu bloodline , the prodigy hunter family .
He was proud of his lineage , even more so as he grew up and realized how much difference it made . Everything about him was much more developed as compared to his peers , his impeccable senses , his admirable skills , his abilities , his grace . Even his beauty was a weapon , almost on par with the kind he hunted . It was a perverse way to look at it , he blushed at the thought , shaking his head to chase that train away .
A deep breath was all he needed to regain his composure , willing the distraction away .
As it stood , nothing should worry him ..But something could only be so good until it wasn't.. There must be a catch .. A price .. A drawback .
And there definitely seemed to be one . Maybe it wasn't there before .. Maybe it was , but he never noticed . Whatever the case was .
The silverette brought a shaky hand to his heart , holding his breath as he focused . Violets hid behind a pair of lids as he concentrated on catching that elusive voice at the back of his mind , his other senses heightened by the absence of sight .
His mind , his body .. He couldn't exactly tell what it was but he knew something was wrong .
A shiver ran up his spine at the sudden cold breeze that came.out of nowhere . It was almost imperceptible but he wouldn't be a Kiryuu if he didn't suspect his surroundings .
He twisted around just in time and caught the attacker by their arm before sending them both to the ground and using his own body to disable that beneath him so they couldn't move .
“ Not good enough , Ichiru . “
He panted , feeling exerted from being taken off guard , though he won't admit that out loud . A boost of ego was the last thing his brother needed .
Ichiru would always sneak up on him like that , as if he just had to best him to prove a point.
“ Jeez , I was almost sure I got you this time . “ His younger twin practically whined about , all while trying to free himself , eventually giving up when his captor didn't budge , and staying still in that position , a touch of vulnerability flickering in his eyes before quickly fading into placid annoyance . It might seem like a prank of sorts but Zero could tell that Ichiru was dead serious and equally frustrated at failing to land a blow and worse getting himself tangled in a lock .
It's for that reason that he took mercy on his younger brother and pushed himself away , helping his other half up as well .
“ Seriously , how can you be alert all the fucking time ? “ Ichiru complained as he dusted himself off and fixed his hair back to sleek perfection .
Zero almost rolled his eyes and mouthed ‘ vain’ .
The elder of the two moved back to bed , trying to come up with something to do . It was a day off ..They had no school and no hunter training either .Which was also another word for Boredom . Hence why Ichiru was taking it out on him like that . Well , it was endearing in its own way , Zero would give him that .
The atmosphere soothed back into serenity as Zero relaxed further , enjoying the melody his twin hummed in the background . Barely a moment later the sound stopped abruptly .
“ Hey , Zero.. “ Ichiru trailed off ambiguously .. When he spoke up no more , despite obviously having something to say , Zero hummed to encourage him , trying to appear interested.
Seriously , Ichiru was such a baby sometimes.
Violet gems sparkled with so much emotion Zero just knew it wasn't anything good . Whatever was to Ichiru , wasn't to him . That's the rule .
“ Have you heard about the haunted mansion ? “ Ichiru asked in one go , barely containing his excitement . The rumors spread about the “ black veil bride mansion “ had him itching in curiosity .
Well , Zero couldn't exactly blame him . It's been a few months that people started gossiping about that place , especially after one particular night a young man claimed to have been called by her , that he'd been led there by a voice so bewitching he couldn't resist following along as if he was being hypnotised to do so . When the morning came , he found himself outside the magnificent structure , lying on the lawn a few steps away from the gates , with little recollection of what had happened the night before .
More people started talking about the incident , some even adding their ‘ touch’ to spice up the story .
It naturally became the talk of the whole town in no time . More men started feeling intrigued and gambled with the idea , only to experience the same thing .
After about 10 men reported going through a similar situation , everyone feared getting anywhere near the said mansion .. Of course with the exception of Ichiru .
“ Yes ..” Zero sighed the answer like he was being forced to swallow something sour , already knowing what would ensue and dreading it .
Sometimes , coded all the time , Ichiru got Zero and Kaito , their childhood friend and a fellow hunter , in various kinds of trouble because of his curious nature then got out of it unscathed thanks to his acting skills , some crocodile tears and puppy eyes that always seemed to work , even Yagari sensei let him off the hook more than once. It was aggravating , to say the least .
He recalled that particular time Kaito snorted to himself at the irony of it all . “ We only have ourselves to blame , you know.. I can't believe we fall for it every single time . “
Zero had agreed back then ..And he still did . Because , apparently , Ichiru had just convinced him to tag along and it worked like magic .. Like it always had .
The manipulative bastard !
Zero resigned himself to his fate . Okay , maybe he was feeling a little bit interested himself .. Sue him ! It's not everyday that Cross city had anything remotely worthy of his attention aside from hunting bloodsuckers . Besides , he doubted a ghost running loose would be intimidating enough to scare him , by his standards .
They were going to solve the mystery and laugh about it later . Zero latched onto that thought , almost chuckling at his brother's outfit choice . A Gothic Victorian suit ! Can't have the lady in black doubting their sincerity now could they ?
.
.
As they stood by the entrance of the mansion , surrounded by nothing but a sense of doom and left in the middle of a nightmarish setting , the distant echo of wheels scratching against concrete fading farther and farther , Zero felt a lump forming in his throat . The cab driver had been too eager to drop them off and make a run for it .. And they had to pay a fortune to convince him to get them there too !
Did he mention Ichiru was a manipulative bastard ?