Vampire Knight: Season of Transience

Chapter 1

А single wild rabbit twitched its nose endearingly. It had yet to sense the presence of the hunter in this lush forest in the ravine.

Making sure to conceal his presence, Zero carefully aimed the barrel of his gun at the rabbit and hesitated – for a brief moment.
If he pulled the trigger, that rabbit would die. Blood would spurt out and its life would be gone in the blink of an eye. The rabbit would then become food for humans. It was necessary for this to happen.
It would not have died for nothing.

'...ugh!'

Bam!

He pulled the trigger while letting out what sounded like a cross between a 'tsk' and a sigh.
His uncertainty just now, however, caused his aim to go wide, missing the surprised rabbit which then fled into a nearby bush.
There goes my dinner for tonight...

He sighed, half resigned yet half relieved. Just then...

Bam!

The sound of gun going off reverberated through the forest, and а young boy, older than Zero, emerged from the bushes. It was the boy who had started training together with Zero just а few days ago.
'Kaito...'

Hanging limply from Kaito's hand was the lifeless body of the wild rabbit that had been alive just a moment ago. Zero swallowed involuntarily. The rabbit had been shot through the heart. It had probably died painlessly, not even comprehending what had happened to itself.

'That's amazing, Kaito. You killed it with just one shot.'
'You missed it on purpose just now, didn't you, Zero?'
'I...'
Kaito laughed as though he could read Zero's mind.
'So you think it's too pitiful, huh?'

The cold look on Kaito's face seemed to mock Zero. Needless to say, besides looking taller and more grown up than the eleven-year-old Zero, fifteen-year-old Kaito was also more mature in his thinking.
'Those feelings are completely pointless. Especially for a vampire hunter,' Kaito said. With that parting shot, he turned and walked off, tossing away the corpse of the wild rabbit.
With a small thud, Zero caught it instantly in his arms. The rabbit, with its eyes closed, was still warm.

Deep in the mountains, quiet and virtually untouched by civilization, it was like а different world from the city altogether.

Zero was currently living in a log house by the lake and training under a vampire hunter named Toga Yagari. The boy was descended from a long line of vampire hunters. Even now, his parents were somewhere out there, busy fulfilling their duties.

When Zero and Kaito returned to the house, Yagari was out front, tending to his weapon. With his huge body, long hair and stem features, he gave the impression that he was as untamed as he looked.

Most of the weapons of vampire hunters had to be put through certain special rituals, and Yagari never allowed himself to slacken in this regard. Although he appeared frivolous, he was, in fact, surprisingly serious beneath the surface. Zero, himself had no idea what to make of his own master. Since Yagari sometimes took care of lchiru, his younger twin, Zero considered him to be a close family friend rather than his master. Yagari probably felt more like a brother who was very much older.

'We're back...' Zero greeted.
Kaito remained silent.
Kaito's master had been injured during work a few days ago, so he left his disciple in the care of Yagari while he recuperated. Apparently, Kaito's master was one of Yagari's seniors. For someone who looked so unfriendly, Yagari's social circle was surprisingly large.

However, Kaito did not seem interested in getting along with either Zero or Yagari, drawing a clear line between them and standing firmly behind it. Zero appeared to be the only person who was bothered about Kaito's attitude, though. Yagari was just being his usual self.
'Oh, good.'

Yagari acknowledged their presence. 'So, how was the hunt?' he asked, with a cigarette clamped between his teeth. He glanced at what Zero was holding.

'Only one between the both of you?'
'At least we have something to eat, don't we?' Kaito replied coolly.
'That's true,' Yagari agreed a wry grin on his face.