Zero Heart: The Sequel

[hunting]

[Ace is probably experiencing a very violent and jarring drop that will deposit him (none too gently) right in the center of that familiar river of blood. Which means that, yep, that nagging sensation at the back of Ace's throat is back.

1]

Comments

[deadofknight]

We'll see about that, won't we?

Zero, I'm waiting~

[hunting]

[The ground beneath Ichiru suddenly pulses to life with a blazing purple symbol in the same shape as Zero's tattoo.

Ichiru's eyes darken and he looks straight at Ace before smiling, as he lets his sword fall to the ground.]

"Why would I resist the wishes of my brother's heart? Especially when he is so sure he is ready.

Hmm, I wonder how long this will last..."

[deadofknight]

[w h a t e v e r, pulling out his rope]

[hunting]

[True to his word, Ichiru's not resisting. Just keeping his gaze locked on Zero's. Zero, for his part, looks deeply pained, but the symbol underneath Ichiru never wavers.

Ichiru lowers his voice. This time the tone carries no emotion, just certainty, even in its question.]

"How much do you think you can truly change?"

[deadofknight]

[continues with the binding as if he hadn't heard anything...]

[hunting]

[His gaze remains with Zero, as if sharing a silent prophecy. But Ace will notice that the air around them has become considerably colder, almost to the point of freezing.]

[deadofknight]

[ggglancing at Zero briefly to see if this is his doing... temperatures don't affect him that much, but he does speed up the tying so the cold can't make his fingers clumsy.]

[hunting]

[Zero seems confused by the look. The fingers of one of his hands are also clearly digging into the part of his arm he's holding while he stands, especially under Ichiru's gaze.]

[deadofknight]

[to Zero]

Are you the one dropping the temperature?

[hunting]

[Ichiru interrupts:]

"He's not the only one with some control over this place. He just has more. Call it a... reflex."

[deadofknight]

[ignoring Ichiru, watching Zero out of the corner of his eye like he's still waiting for answer. 'x']

[hunting]

[Just looks even more exhausted at this exchange and shakes his head, as the temperature returns to normal.]

"... what are you gong to do now?"

[deadofknight]

[finishes binding Ichiru up; assume any parts of ichiru's body he didn't get with the rope were bound with cloth scrounged from elsewhere. 'x']

Put him in an out-of-the-way corner for safekeeping.

[hunting]

"... not the tree. That won't help. Whatever it means to him... it means something else to me. Despite what he said before... that can't change."

[Actually sounds almost... harsh here.]

[hunting]

[Ichiru gives Zero a look that's pretty much impossible to read.]

[deadofknight]

[to Zero again]

Any suggestions, then?

[hunting]

[Sounding very quiet now, struggling with his words a bit.]

"The past... The present's been blocked for a while now...

Nobody can leave the past."

[deadofknight]

["The present" must be Aather...and the tree had memories, but it wasn't anywhere that Zero's mentioned before. But the school...]

Are you saying I should leave him with Yuuki?

[hunting]

"I'm just giving you a location. There's more to that part than her memory.

But... what she represents won't falter now. That aspect's choices are set by mine."

[deadofknight]

I'm going to take your word for it. I'll take him to Yuuki and see what she has to say.

[hunting]

[Just nods and turns to Ichiru.]

"I can't keep doing this..."

[deadofknight]

[waiting for them to finish, quietly pulling out a few last wads of cloth...]

[hunting]

[Ichiru just gives him an eerily soft, bemused look.]

"Zero always comes back. In the end."

[hunting]

[Turns head to the side.]

[deadofknight]

[striding over to the now well-and-truly trussed up Ichiru]

Any last words?