"When the world is once again prepared, they shall return. Reborn into the lines they have created – vampire and hunter. From this momentous event a great union shall be formed. A union that will create a child, a child with power never before seen in this world…"
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The slam of the heavy, wooden front door echoed through the cavernous halls of Kuran Manor, alerting the Lord of said Manor to the arrival of his dearest friend. A friend who – if the force with which the door was slammed was anything to go by – was in one of his truly infamous foul moods.
"This is ridiculous!" exclaimed the silver-haired hunter as he barged into the lavishly furnished study. "Haruka! Where the hell are you?" He called again, violet eyes flitting restlessly around the dimly lit room. The hunter's eyes locked on the lean figure of his friend reclining in the grand, leather chair behind his desk.
"Are you even listening to me?" the hunter barked, slamming his hands down on the desk with enough force to cause several of the leather bound volumes atop the lacquered surface to fall to the floor with a loud "thud".
Haruka looked up, rolling his eyes at his friend's frustration as he moved gracefully from behind his antique to retrieve the treasured books before they fell victim to the hunter's imminent outburst.
"Calm yourself, Takeshi" Haruka soothed "What is it that has you so troubled, my friend?"
"You know exactly what 'has me troubled' as you put it" Takeshi quipped, his imitation of Haruka absolutely flawless. "It's been six months Haruka, something should've happened by now!" Haruka expelled the air from his lungs with a pronounced "huff". He pinched the bridge of his perfectly sculpted nose, allowing his shoulder-length, dark hair to shield his eyes from Takeshi's unwavering gaze.
"The bond shall reveal itself when the time is right" Haruka murmured, knowing full well the reaction this statement would elicit.
"Dear God…HARUKA!" Takeshi yelled, his palms connecting with the desktop once again. "Yuuki is six months old already! You know that God-damned prophecy inside-out, as do I" he looked at his friend warningly "You know what it foretells – 'the bond shall be instant and unbreakable, neither distance nor hardship nor time shall tear it apart. If separated'…" Takeshi trailed off, his eyes shifting slowly to meet those of his closest friend.
" '…even by death, the bond shall love on'" Haruka finished, then sighed. He felt six months of almost constant worry and anxiety settle on his shoulders. His entire body sagged with the enormity of the unease he felt. "Yes, Takeshi, I know what the prophecy states. Trust me, I know" Haruka said emphatically. "But what are we to do. Neither Zero nor Ichiru has shown any signs of a bond with Yuuki. It isn't as if we can force a bond to form is it?" Takeshi could feel the blood rushing to his head as the frustration he had been fighting throughout the day arose within him once again.
"That's…that's…" Takeshi floundered, desperately searching for a suitably powerful response to Haruka's rhetorical question.
"Bullshit!" came the tiny, almost squeaky cry from the other side of the study door. The heads of the two men snapped up as their eyes swung towards the door almost simultaneously. The curse was followed by giggles of a marginally lower register than the original disturbance which were accompanied by high peal of laughter with the same near squeaky quality as the first cry. "Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit!" the chorus continued.
Takeshi's eyebrows knitted together in confusion and he shot a nonplussed look at Haruka, who shrugged in response before striding gracefully to the solid wooden doors. Wrenching them open, he was met with two sets of eyes, opened wide in trepidation – one molten chocolate brown, the other a sparkling amethyst.
"Kaname Kuran. What are you doing?" Haruka huffed. The brown-eyed boy, made no move to reply but instead, stood up and brushed off his white dress shirt and tan shorts ensemble before turning his attention to the men in the doorway. "Father. Kiryuu-san" he addressed them, politely bowing to each in turn " I trust you are well?"
"As well as can be expected, son. Now would you care to explain that racket?" Haruka questioned, crossing his arms over his chest in a manner that clearly stated that he was not in the mood for any of his son's many evasive tactics. Kaname's dark eyes flicked to the ground as he searched for some rational explanation for the previous din.
The excuse, however, proved unnecessary as his companion chose that precise moment to contribute to the conversation. "Papa! Papa!" the smaller of the two boys squealed and ran towards the hunter, who was still motionless in the doorway, with supernatural speed. The silver-haired man snapped out of his trancelike state as his son came to a sudden halt before him, tiny arms outstretched expectantly.
Haruka chuckled to himself as Takeshi bent down and scooped the little boy into his arms . There was no way in the world that Takeshi Kiryuu could ever deny that young Zero was his son. The boy was practically his miniature, everything was the same- hair, face, skin -all of it. The only difference was the eyes. Zero had eyes that could only be described as beautiful. The colour of the most exquisite amethyst and with a sparkle that could easily rival the gemstone. Whereas Takeshi's eyes were a much softer colour, cooler, more like the lavender that grew in the Manor gardens during the warmer months.
Zero began chattering animatedly to the adults before him, mouth moving a mile a minute. His garbled explanation to the adults did very little to actually explain the reason for the noise but as the silver-haired boy babbled on about playing make believe with Kaname and pretending to be their fathers, the tension in the air evaporated.
Once he was finished, Zero looked fretfully down at his hands which he clasped lightly together in his lap, he raised his head slowly to view his audience once again. "Did I do something bad, Papa?" Zero whispered, his eyes glistening with the threat of unshed tears "I'm sorry I didn't mean it, honest."
Takeshi all but melted under the puppy dog-like gaze of his eldest son. "No, no. Zero" he started "Of course you didn't mean it." The tear induced sheen in Zero's eyes dissipated almost instantly. He squirmed in his father's arms until Takeshi got the message and lowered the child to the ground. Zero paused for a second at the hunters feet, straightening out his little blue yukata. He looked to the Kaname, as if seeking his approval, then grabbed his hand.
Kaname smiled indulgently at the other boy, "Well father, Kiryuu-san. We shall be in the playroom if you require our presence. Until dinner" he bowed to the adults once again, before turning on his heal and striding gracefully down the hallway, with a semi-bemused looking Zero in tow.
"Got to go play. See you later" called the silverette, waving enthusiastically.
"I get the feeling that we've just been played, my old friend" Haruka mused, running a hand over his chin.
" I am, unfortunately, inclined to agree. Played by our own children and four year olds no less!" Takeshi exclaimed exasperatedly.
"Ah no, Takeshi, Kaname is almost five" Haruka corrected. The merely hunter rolled his eyes and raised his eyebrow sceptically
" Yes, Haruka, what great solace I shall find in that!"
The brunette shrugged noncommittally and chuckled. "So anyway, how was the trip?" Haruka inquired.
Takeshi barked out a laugh "Awful as always, the association is full of idiots and cretins. Gods, I sound like my father...I need a drink. A stiff one at that." The hunter ran a hand through his hair and grinned at his friend.
"Scotch?" Haruka grinned back.
Takeshi laughed once again, "Perfect", he slung an arm around his friend's shoulder, falling into easy conversation as they followed their sons down the long, wood-panelled hallway.