A Captive Blue Rose

I turned back to Zero. The scent of Yuki's blood was thick in the air. His jacket was coated with it from where he had carried her. "You know you should get a change of clothes with her blood on you, it must be hard." Then instead of leaving well enough alone I kept going, I'm not sure why. I guess after watching her and Kaname and then her and Zero, you tend to notice the differences. "You know you should keep fighting for her." I tried to walk past him to the door when he stepped in front of me.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

Crap I had pissed him off. I hadn't meant to, it's just sometimes my mouth opens before my brain can tell it to shut up. I gestured to the door. "I need to get back to the manor. I'm sure that's where he took her, they'll be waiting for me."

I took a few more steps and had almost made it to the door when I heard the cocking of the gun. I stopped glancing back, he was pointing the Bloody Rose directly at me. "You're not going anywhere Aido."

"What!? Why? I didn't do anything." He walked over and grabbed my wrist twisting my hand behind my back. "Ow, ow, ow, Zero that hurts."

"It's supposed to. I'm taking you into custody for questioning."

"What! I didn't do anything, I'm innocent. What are you even going to charge me with?"

He shrugged. "Don't know yet, I'll come up with something. The fact that you follow him around like a little puppy is enough for me. You're going to tell me everything you know about him and Sara and that little incident at the soiree."

I tried to turn my head to get a look at his face but couldn't he just twisted my arm harder dragging my wrist up between my shoulder blades. He couldn't really be serious, could he? When had I been thrown into some James Bond movie? Kaname did have secrets but why did he suddenly think I had all the answers. "Puppy! Really? Just because I'm a close family friend and I happen to be tutoring Yuki is no reason to treat me this way." I felt the gun press into my side.

"Are you going to start resisting? Go ahead, fight back, give me a reason." He dug it into my ribs and I flinched.

"I'm not stupid. I'll go. Ask me whatever you want." He shoved me forward towards the door, still keeping the gun pressed to me. "You know it's funny that you're the one always calling us monsters and here you are man handling and threatening the innocent."

We walked down the hall and to a dark staircase. He kept a tight grip on me as we went down one flight of stairs after another. Just how far down were we going? Finally, we came to the bottom, a dark hallway stretched out before us with only a naked bulb intermittently throwing a dim light out. The walls were roughhewn stone broken only here and there by heavy oak doors. It was dank and musty. Where exactly was he taking me?

Halfway down the hall, he stopped and unlocked one of the doors. He released me and pushed me roughly into the black room. "Welcome to the interrogation room." There was something very wrong here. The hair on the back of my neck stood up and I had a creeping sensation run across my skin. He flicked a switch and a single lightbulb flickered to life illuminating the nightmare before me. My eyes went from one scene to the next and I knew why it didn't feel right.

Behind me, I heard him close and lock the door. I took a step backwards, back towards sanity and freedom. "This isn't an interrogation room, this is a torture chamber." I took another step back and colliding with the unmoving force of his body. "Zero, take me somewhere else please. Ask me whatever you want but not here."

He leaned down so his mouth was right by my ear. "What's wrong Aido? You don't like it?"

No, I didn't like it. How could anyone like it? The left wall was covered with an array of weapons, everything from knives and swords to guns and crossbows. What made it especially horrid was the fact that they were all vampire weapons created specifically as a swift means to our destruction. The rest of the room wasn't any better, there weren't any more vampire weapons but there were plenty of unpleasant items. Spread out on tables, hung on the wall, balanced in the corner, from what looked like power tools to surgeon's utensils was an endless supply of items designed to cause pain. In the middle of it all stood an evil looking chair festooned with heavy straps and buckles.

I was pressing back into him now, my whole body wanting to flee this place. I nodded towards the wall of weapons. "It has to bother you to, don't you feel it? The hate flowing off of them. I can feel that each of those damned things would like nothing better than to end my life."

He spoke again directly in my ear, so close I could feel his breath on my skin. "I might be a vampire but I'm also a hunter. Sure, there are some of them I can't touch but most of them know me, they like me." He spun me around and roughly pushed me backwards further into the room.

I stumbled over my own feet and almost fell. "You can't just do this, you can't torture me."

He smiled, a cold dark smile and I felt some of the bravado leaving me. "You're not a pure blood Aido. Kaname may have swooped in and grabbed Yuki but he left you behind. No one is coming for you. Besides, I won't kill you, only hurt you…a lot."

My breathing was speeding up and I looked left and right again but there was nowhere to go, nowhere to run to, there was only one way in and one way out. I was starting to realize I was in a very bad situation, one I couldn't control. I also realized I had underestimated Zero. I didn't even have any good information to trade to get my ass out of here. He advanced on me and I took another step backward. My leg hit that blasted chair and knocked me off balance. I ended up falling right into it and he was on me, pouncing like a cat on a mouse.

He pinned my wrist down and before I knew it had tightened the heavy leather strap. I pulled at it, I should be able to break it but it didn't budge.

He seemed to know what I was thinking, "You can't break free that easily. There are binding spells on these straps."

He bound my other wrist and started working on my legs. I couldn't move. "Listen Zero, let me go and I'll tell you everything. I'll even become your confidential informant. I'll funnel information from the manor directly to you. Just let me go, please."

He finished with my legs and rested his hands on my knees, sliding them slowly up my thighs. "No."

"But why?"

"Because I'm having fun now. I need the practice. I'm not letting you go for a long time." This was a bad situation that was getting worse.

He stood up and walked behind me where I couldn't see him. I tried to turn my neck but the back of the chair was wide and taller blocking out my view. Then I felt his long fingers pressing my head back against the hard wood and the rattle of more straps. I ducked and tried to pull away but he only tightened his grip and slammed my head back. "No, no, no, don't strap my head down. I won't be able to see. The rest is bad enough but not the head, okay? Not the head."

He stopped and his fingers ran through my hair. "Aww I see. Afraid of the unknown, are we? Now we are starting to make some progress. Okay I'll leave that one undone but only because I have a better idea now." I heard vague noises behind me as he rummaged through something but I still couldn't see what he was doing, the chair blocked my view.

It was silent for a moment and I froze trying to pick up any noises. Then something dark descended over me. A rough cloth covering my eyes as he securely tied a blind fold around my head. Great, why did I have to open my mouth. I couldn't see anything. I had no idea what he was doing, what he was touching.

I heard the slid of his shoe on the concrete and knew he was in front of me again. "Perfect!" I jumped as the gentle touch of a finger slowly sliding down my cheek. I jerked away and he laughed. "Now you can't see but you can throw that pretty head of yours around trying to get away. Yes, I like that better."

One hand slid further up my leg and rested on my hip. It was followed by more weight and pressure on my legs and then a sliding and settling. I realized he had just straddled me and was now sitting on my lap. One hand caressed my face and gripped the back of my neck holding me still.

"Now I'd like you to meet Vipera Rossa or Red Viper in english. She is one of those weapons that I can handle, very small but still deadly."

He pressed the blade against my cheek and I winced. It burned as if it had just been pulled from a hot oven. I tried to pull away from it's touch but the grip on my neck tightened. He turned the knife, digging the blade in, slowly applying pressure until it almost broke the skin.

"Zero, please don't cut me with that, I won't be able to heal. If you must, use a normal weapon, please, please." I bit my lip, holding my breath, the burning was becoming intense.

The blade stopped moving. "If I put Vipera Rossa away, what will you do for me?"

I exhaled. "Anything." Shit I shouldn't have said that, I bit my lip again. I was close to hyperventilating.

"Oh, I like that, very fetching."

What the hell was he talking about now? God, I wish I could see, this forced blindness was making everything ten times worse.

"I want you to continue to bite your lip. I want you to bite it so hard that it bleeds. Do that and I'll put the little Viper away."

I hesitated, was he crazy? The blade pressed down again and he slowly started to drag it down my cheek. "Tick, tock, I'm not a patient man Aido so you better do it now or…" He twisted the point of the knife just a little.

"Okay, okay, I'll do it." I took my bottom lip between my teeth and started to bite down.

Directly in my ear he purred, "Harder."

Crap, I knew this was going to hurt but it would be a lot less than that evil vampire hunter knife. I increased the pressure and then finally just clamped down. My teeth punctured my lip and blood filled my mouth running down my chin.

"Good boy." I was not prepared for his next move as he bent down and delicately licked the blood from my chin. His tongue tracing it's way up to my mouth and then over my lips. Then he was kissing me. I inhaled in surprise and tried to turn away only to have the hand on the back of my neck drift up and tangle in my hair, twisting it and then yanking it down, pinning me in place.

I yipped in panic and he took that opportunity to push closer, his tongue sliding into my mouth, sucking at the blood that still flowed from my lip. What the hell was this? I tried to turn away again only to have my hair violently yanked this time.

Okay, fine, if he wanted to do this, so could I. This was a game he was going to lose. Did he think this would embarrass me or threaten me? Well he was wrong, it wasn't like I hadn't thought of this before – well something similar to this, without the straps or the blindfold or well Zero. Late at night or early in the morning I had fantasied about something like this many times. My problem was I tended to fixate on unattainable men so for the most part I never saw the scenario moving out of the fantasy world. So, he didn't want me to fight back, then I would join in.

Even though I was blindfolded I let my eyes slide closed and then I leaned into the kiss, parting my lips further and sliding my tongue along his. This time he pulled back in surprise and let out a little moan. I took advantage of this opening and pushed forward, putting everything I had into the kiss, pressing into his mouth, drinking him in. I felt him relax against me, one hand cupping my chin and the other in my hair holding me still. The panic and the confusion faded away as I just let the present moment play itself out. I really wished I could move my arms because I wanted to touch him. I wanted to slid my hands up his back and pull him closer.

Just as my mind was continuing to go further down the rabbit hole, he pulled away. I was suddenly snapped back to reality feeling very alone and very exposed. The hand holding my chin slid up catching the blindfold and pulling it up. I blinked looking directly into those violet eyes. "My, my Aido aren't you full of surprises but don't think you can trade sexual favors and get out of here."

"What! I didn't say anything like that." The panic was coming back, quickly.

"Maybe not with words but that mouth of yours still spoke all the same." He reached into his pocket and pulled out something black and shiny. He pushed a button and a blade sprang to life. Very slowly he moved it closer and closer until the sharp point was pushed against my skin directly below my eye. At least the blade was smooth and cool, it was just a normal weapon but that didn't give me a whole lot of comfort right now.

"What are you going to do?"

He moved the blade slightly so the edge caught the light and flashed. "I was thinking of cutting you."

"But why? I've done what you wanted me to do and, and, and…"

He moved closer so our faces were almost touching. "And I liked it? That may be true but we are in the torture room. I told you I needed more practice and I've always wanted to watch you squirm." My eyes were welling up with tears and I couldn't stop it. God damn it, I was going to cry. I was going to give him exactly what he wanted. I squeezed my eyes shut and felt one tear escape and roll down my cheek.

He took a finger and brushed it away. "How sweet, what's wrong Aido? Did you think that kiss meant something because it didn't. Now open your eyes."

I clamped them shut tighter and tried to force my head down. The hand still in my hair yanked my head back up. "Open your eyes." When I still didn't listen, he dug the blade in breaking the skin. I felt the hot blood running down my face but I still disobeyed. He began to draw it up brining a line of pain closer and closer to my eye. "Okay, okay stop!" I opened my eyes to find the point of the blade poised directly before it.

"You were doing so well and now you're getting rebellious. You're going to learn to do whatever I tell you to do. I've got to punish you now. I should shove this knife directly into your eye. How long do you think that would take to heal? You do have such pretty blue eyes though, so expressive. You can't hide anything from me when it's mirrored there for the whole world to see. Tell me you're sorry for disobeying me, tell me you will do anything I want and I'll consider using this knife on another part of your body instead."

I told myself I had to do it. I didn't have any other option. I could resist him but really what the hell would it get me? I couldn't move and he had a blade to my eye, just begging me for a reason to stab it. I really did not want to experience the pain of having an eye gouged out. Yes, I told myself it would eventually heal but I just couldn't stand it. "I'm sorry I disobeyed you. In the future I'll listen to all your orders, I'll do what you want."

He took the knife away and I exhaled not even realizing I had been holding my breathe. "That's what I wanted to hear. Now I want you to prove it. You see the inside of your arm is very tender and sensitive, I'm going to hold your arm and drag this knife over it, again and again and again. And while I'm doing this you are going to stay absolutely still and not make a noise. How's that sound? I want you to say, 'Zero please cut my arm as punishment for disobeying you.'"

He was crazy, he had to be, right? I opened my mouth but nothing came out. I sat staring at him frozen. He took the knife and slammed it into the chair next to my head, the blade burying itself into the wood. "Now Aido before I get mad."

I glanced at the blade and back at him. He was serious, deadly serious. I squeezed my eyes shut again head pointed towards the floor. "Zero please cut my arm as punishment for disobeying you earlier."

"There you go." He pulled the knife from the wood. "Now open your eyes, I didn't say to shut your eyes."

I quickly opened them and looked at him. He ran his hand over my left arm. "I'm going to take this cuff off but don't get any cute ideas that you can escape because you can't. Then I'm going to pull your sleeve up. I'm going to hold your wrist in my left hand and with my right, I'm going to take this sharp little stiletto and carve diagonal lines from the crook of your elbow all the way to your wrist. During this time, you are going to stay absolutely still and not make any noise."

I watched it play out in slow motion as he carefully undid the cuff and took my wrist very delicately, rotating my arm and pushing my sleeve up above my elbow. He dragged the knife back and forth lightly across his intended target. "Are you ready?"

No, I wasn't but that didn't matter. I also knew he was expecting a verbal answer and that I had better give him one. "Yes."

He glared at me. "Yes, what?"

Crap, I searched my mind, what would make him happy? "Yes, master?"

He smiled at me. "Very good, you're learning. Okay I'll do it but it's only because you are making me, because it's for your own good."

The fingers on my wrist tightened and he swiped down and across. I squeezed my eyes shut burying my head in my shoulder. A line of liquid fire and pain flared in my arm, quickly followed by another and another and another. I tried not to pull my arm from his grasp although every fiber in my being begged me to. I was breathing heavy, biting my tongue trying not to call out. He continued until he came to my wrist, instead of slicing he stabbed digging the blade in and the twisting it. I whimpered, immediately cringing, knowing I had failed and dreading what would happen now because of it.

He pulled the knife from my arm and patted me on the head. "It's okay, I cheated so I won't hold that one against you."

My arm burned, hot and wet as my blood flowed and ran from all the cuts. He still held my wrist delicately watching it drip down to the floor. "I guess I shouldn't waste it should I?" He brought my arm up to his mouth and started to slowly lick the blood off, lapping it up like a kitten with cream.

I was beginning to feel light headed, no one usually drank my blood. The last person I had shared it with was my younger sister and that had been over a year ago. I wasn't used to losing so much so fast. He looked up at me, wavering slightly. "You don't look so good little one." He ran a hand over my face. "Yes, pale and clammy. I guess that is enough for now then." He dropped my arm and slid off of me getting to his feet. He undid the other cuff and I moved my hand, cradling my now completely dead arm against my chest. I was smearing blood everywhere but I didn't really care. My arm was one huge throbbing ache and every time I moved another sharp pain shot through me.

He undid the rest of the straps and pulled me to my feet, I wavered slightly and he put out a hand to steady me. Was he going to let me go now? Had he had enough fun at my expense? He pulled me to the heavy door and out into the hall. Instead of turning back the way we had came he moved me further into the darkness. I was stumbling completely spent, there was no way I could fight him off or try to escape right now. I just held my throbbing arm and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.

He stopped me and pushed me backwards into another room. He kissed the tip of my nose before stepping back into the hall and slamming the door in my face. "Goodnight Aido, I'll see you later." He turned and walked away, I could hear his footsteps getting softer as he receded into the darkness.

I turned and looked around me. I was in a cell. There was a dirt floor, the same rough stones made up the walls dripping with moisture, there was a very uncomfortable looking cot and a toilet. Nothing else not even a window, although we were so far underground I doubted any of these rooms had a window. The door was made of rusted bars. It was dark, there was only very faint light coming from the hall which only barely illuminated my surroundings and it was cold and very quiet.

I felt sick, not only from blood loss but from this whole situation. I laid down on the cot and curled into a ball, pulling the thin dirty blanket over me. I cradled my aching arm and closed my eyes. I was starting to get hungry, if I didn't have something soon the hunger would turn into a needling pain that would not be denied. I just hoped he came back quickly and gave me something, anything.

I must have drifted off, when I opened my eyes it seemed like time had passed but how could you tell here. Nothing had changed. There was no sound, no movement, I couldn't even tell if it was day or night. I sat up and rubbed my arm. It had finally healed but it had also taken the last of the energy I had. I was lightheaded and very hungry. I walked over to the bars and tried to see out into the hall. The way the thick stone walls were built, I could only see the area directly in front of the cage and there was the same blank nothingness there.

I walked back and sat on the cot, he'd come back sooner or later right? But how long would he make me wait? I usually enjoyed spending quiet time with myself but this was different. With nothing to do, with a blank empty slate stretching on endlessly before you, I think this was the worse thing he had done to me. I laid back down, trying to ignore the hunger, trying to ignore the sick weak feeling. I just wanted him to come back. I didn't care if he hurt me anymore, I just didn't want to be alone.

I'm not sure how much time went by, it was impossible to tell, it could have been hours or it could have been days. I tried to sleep or at least lay down and keep my eyes closed. I think I must have been asleep when my savior finally did show up because I didn't even hear him until he was right on top of me.

The bed moved and when I opened my eyes, he was over me, one hand on either side of my head looking down at me. All he said was, "I want more." And then his fangs were buried in my neck.

I whimpered, trying to push him off but I was already too weak for that. "No, Zero, you're taking too much." My words slurred and I couldn't hold my hand up anymore, it fell lifelessly at my side. "Too much." And then it didn't matter anymore, there was a comfort in the blackness that was slowly closing over me, a peace that I welcomed.

I must have passed out, the next thing I remember was being slapped, hard. "Ow." I opened my eyes with a great effort. Zero was holding me and shaking me, trying to wake me up more.

"Damn it, Hanabusa wake up! You're an aristocrat with a high pure blood lineage, you're supposed to be stronger than this." He smacked me again and I winced.

"I'm awake, stop, stop slapping me." My word were still slow and slurred but I was here.

He gathered me up in his arms pressing my face into his neck. "Hurry up and drink, before you pass out again."

I was still incredibly weak but I didn't need to be told twice, just being that close made the hunger flair again and I bit down. It tasted so good, so sweet, with every swallow I felt strength coming back into me. I drifted off and almost flipped the scales on him accidently.

"Aido, enough, Aido, stop!"

I came to my senses and let go, pulling back slightly. I wiped the blood from my mouth and licked it off my hand. Oh God, I wanted more, just a little bit. We were so close. I watched the red drip down from the puncture wounds and follow the column of his throat. Before I realized what I was doing, I leaned in and licked it up, my tongue lightly tracing over his skin which was both sweet and salty.

"Enough now." But he didn't say it in a mean way, it was very gentle and almost sad.

"When you were worried about me, you called me by my first name."

Zero shook his head. "No I didn't and I wasn't worried about you, don't flatter yourself."

"You could have fooled me. You were worried."

"I was worried about my own ass. If I accidently kill you there will be hell to pay." He grabbed my chin and turned my head so he could see me better in the low light. "You should be fine now. Your color is coming back." He let go of me and started to stand up and I panicked.

I grabbed his wrist, holding on tightly. "Don't leave me. Please, please don't leave me. Stay with me, please."

He stopped, looking hard at me and then looking up at the ceiling and shaking his head. "Jesus Christ! Fine! You can come with me but the first time you piss me off, I'm putting you right back down here."

Relief flooded through me and I hugged his arm tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

He shook me off. "Okay, whatever, just come on."

I got to my feet and stumbled. He put out a hand to steady me. "Still not a hundred percent, I'll give you blood tablets when we get to my room. Come on."

He kept one hand on my shoulder both supporting and guiding me, up the steps and down another hallway where there was blessedly, windows and light and noise. He pushed me into the room and closed the door behind us. It wasn't much, just a bed and a desk with a chair, two more doors that I assumed led to a closet and probably a bathroom but at this moment it looked like heaven compared to the hell I had been in previously.

He leaned against the door and rolled his eyes. "I shouldn't be doing this." I thought he was talking more to himself than to me so I just stayed quiet. I didn't want to jeopardize my good fortune. I went to sit down on the bed and he reached out, pulling me back.

"No! Not like that you don't."

"What?"

He pushed me towards one of the smaller doors. "You stink. You can take a shower before you smell up the whole room."

I winced. "You're the one that kept me locked up down there, it's your fault."

He opened the door and shoved me through into a small white tiled bathroom. "I don't care, just clean up." The door closed behind me.

A shower did sound really good. I undressed and got into the tub letting the hot water run down over me. I scrubbed my skin until it was red, I was surprisingly dirty. How long had I been down there? I was too afraid of returning to that place to even ask. I got out, wrapping a towel around me and reached for me clothes. The clothes that were no longer there. I looked around the bathroom in confusion. He had taken my clothes.

I opened the door and peered out. Zero was sitting at the desk leafing through papers. "What happened to my clothes?"

"I took them."

"Umm why? Can I get them back?"

He took his reading glasses off, setting them on the desk before turning around to face me. "Do you think I would have you take a shower just so you could get back into the same dirty clothes? I don't think so. Don't worry, you'll get them back tomorrow, housekeeping has them."

"Tomorrow! What am I supposed to wear now?"

"Quit being a pain in the ass and just wrap a towel around yourself."

I sighed. I didn't like this, nothing makes you feel more vulnerable than being naked in a strange place with only a towel that never seems big enough for coverage. But it was better than down there. I took a deep breath and then walked out, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Zero got up and walked over, holding out his hand. "Give me your hand."

I looked at him confused but listened. He took my hand and bent down, there was a metallic click and I now had a shackle encircling my wrist. I pulled my arm back, an ancient metal shackle that attached to a chain that attached to the heavy iron bed frame. "What?"

"We aren't having a sleepover Adio. You're still a captive. I'm not having you sneak away during the night."

"Naked? I'm naked. I'm just going to go traipsing around the hunter association headquarters at night naked?"

He smiled at me. "Well now you're not."

I pulled on the chain, at least it had a few feet of clearance. "Should I ask why you have chains on your bed?"

His face turned red. "Stop assuming things! I got it out of the closet. A hunter has to have a variety of restraints."

He turned and went into the bathroom. When he came out he was wearing pajamas. He turned out the light and slid into the bed beside me. I started to lay down only to have him shove me off the bed. "You sleep on the floor."

I sat on the cold wooden floor, well it was better than down in the dungeon and I wasn't alone anymore. "Can I have a blanket?"

"Ugghh." He pushed a blanket over the side. I wrapped it around myself, much better.

"Can I have a pillow?"

He threw a pillow down at me hitting me in the head. "I'm going to smother you with a pillow in a minute. Shut up and go to sleep."

I curled up beside the bed and unexpectedly fell right to sleep. I woke up to someone running their fingers through my hair. My mother used to do that when I was young and for a minute I thought it must be her. Then I opened my eyes and remembered where I was. Zero must be doing it. I rolled over and was looking up at him. He was leaning over the side of the bed watching me, fingers absently stroking my head. "What are you doing?"

He blinked as if coming out of a dream and snatched his hand away. "Nothing." He got up without looking back and disappeared into the bathroom.

I stretched, I was stiff after spending the night on the floor. I got to my feet. I could at least sit on the bed now, couldn't I? I pulled the blanket around me and sat down. It was still warm from where he had been laying. I had an idea now, something I could give him that might satisfy him.

When he came out, I called him over. "I've been thinking, there's a way I can show you what you want. Would that make you happy?"

He stared down at me. "Tell me."

"Bite me and as you drink, I'll share my memories with you. It's better than asking me anything, you'll see what I've seen."

He thought for a second and then sat down next to me. "Okay. I'm game."

He started to lean in and I held up a hand stopping him. "But one thing, I'm still not that strong, let me drink from you at the same time to offset it?"

He sat for a moment. "I guess so but don't try anything, I'm warning you."

"I won't. I promise."

He pulled me close, one hand running over my naked back as his lips touched my neck. I winced at the initial pain but then it mellowed and a warmth started to flow through me. I licked his neck and then bit down, sucking gently trying not to take too much. I cleared my mind and then focused everything into remembering, having it play out like a film in my head, pouring it all into him as he drank.

The door suddenly opened and we both jumped pulling apart. A young man stood at the door with a surprised look. "Oh, I did not need to see that."

"Kaito! What the hell? When are you going to learn to knock? It's not what it looks like."

"Really? You've got a naked vampire chained to your bed and you're both sucking each other's blood. But it's okay, I'm not one to judge. You know whatever makes you happy."

"Kaito!"

"Right. I'll come back later." He closed the door and was gone.

Zero wiped the blood from his mouth, still staring at the door.

"Sorry. Did you get enough?"

He stood up. "Yes, you were right. You are innocent. You don't know anything important. I'll get your clothes so I can get rid of you already." He walked to the door and was gone.

I sat on the bed feeling empty and wondering why. He said I could go so why didn't that make me feel happier. Soon he was back and I was dressed, walking out the door as if nothing had happened. I blinked back at the bright sunlight, Kaname stood at the stone gate waiting for me.

Zero gently pushed me forward, towards the steps and the path and freedom. "I lied to you. He's been here every day trying to get you back." I started to take a step and he laid a hand on my arm stopping me. "You do know you want something you can never have."

I smiled sadly and nodded. I guess I had shared a little more than I had meant to. I looked up into those unreadable violet eyes. "You lied about something else too, that kiss did mean something."

He pushed me down one step. "Go back to where you belong Hanabusa." I wavered and he pushed harder. "Go."

I smiled as I reached Kaname's side, I hadn't been abandoned and forgotten after all. I turned and looked back to the door. Zero was still leaning against it watching me.

"Aido, let's go." Kaname lay a hand on my arm pulling me forward. I sighed and followed him, why was I always picking unattainable men?

The End