Always

-

The very first memory Kiryuu Ichiru remembered having, was of his younger twin by five minutes, and consequently, a day. He and his brother, a pair of twins with different birthdays…one actually a day younger than the older… Zero had been born at twelve a.m., right on the dot and not a second later, according to an excited nurse.

They had been placed next to each other after they were born, during the short stay at the hospital. Their father had taken a picture, Ichiru to the left and Zero to the right, still identical, back then, dressed in the same clothes, resting soundly facing each other. But Ichiru's memory wasn't one so old, he couldn't remember something that far back if he tried. He actually didn't really know how old it was, how old either he or his brother had been.

All he remembered was deep, clear, glittering lilac, glowing ethereally as the sun's bright rays touched them gently through the thin glass of their window. Zero's eyes.

He hadn't known words like 'beautiful', 'captivating', or 'enchanting', but his feelings were the same as what those words worked to describe. And he hadn't known of 'I love you' either, but that was also still the same, would forever be the same.

He woke to Zero's sleeping face, and slept to his soft smiles. They were never apart for long, with the exception of school, as they were placed in different classes, but even then, Ichiru would make sure to stop by between lessons, during breaks or lunch, to spend time with Zero and see how he was doing.

"Ichiru?"

"Hm?"

"You were out there for a while."

He laughed lightly. "Sorry, I was thinking about you."

Zero tilted his head. "Me? What about?"

"Your eyes. It's the first memory I have of anything. Everything started with you, Zero."

Zero blinked, looking slightly surprised. "My eyes?" His lips curled in a smile, and the very eyes Ichiru loved softened and shined. "The first things I remember of anything are your hands. You always hold mine when we sleep." And it was true. Their father had told them, with an amused smile on his face, that whenever they slept together, even as babies, they'd always end up facing each other, foreheads nearly touching, and their tiny hands linked together in between.

"My eyes…" Zero raised a small pale hand up to the corner of his right eye. "Is that why you say you like them so much?"

"A bit. But it's really because they're beautiful." He grinned playfully at seeing a light flush touch his brother's cheeks.

"Ichiru," he protested.

"What? It's true. Everyone else says the same."

"They do?" Zero looked plenty skeptic.

Ichiru smiled teasingly. "Yeah, the girls." He straightened up in his seat and clasped his hands, sighing out, "Oh Kiryuu-kun? He's sooo handsome, his eyes are the best! They're sooo pretty!"

"Ichiru!"

He laughed his way out of the room and headed to the kitchen to make himself some hot chocolate and tea for his brother. Zero was never much for sweet things, but he got cold easily, and with his fragile health, he needed to stay warm.

His younger twin had been doing better recently. The most he suffered from were mild coughs and he hadn't a fever in a while. Being born sickly never seemed to bother his brother, but Ichiru could tell Zero longed for the approval of their parents, something Ichiru received with hardly any effort. They both knew why they were born the way they were, their parents did, as well as every other hunter family that knew of the 'Kiryuu twins'. A lot of the children had regarded Zero with pity, but his younger twin was quick to shake them out of their preconceptions.

Ichiru had never felt guilt and Zero had never blamed him. Whether the order they were born in happened by chance or by fate, the two of them chose to deal with what they were given. They were more than capable of working within boundaries and limitations.

Ichiru, for one, found it hard to think of he and Zero as separate individuals. No, he didn't know every thought that passed through Zero's mind, they didn't finish each other's sentences, and they didn't 'share' strong emotions or physical injuries, but that was exactly why he felt they were two parts of a whole.

He and Zero were born together, as twins, and rare enough, as hunter twins, and Ichiru had no intention of breaking that connection. He didn't mind if they seemed clingy; so he was protective of his younger brother – what sibling wasn't? Zero needed him, and Ichiru could admit he needed Zero in turn, perhaps even more so than his brother.

About to pass by his parents' room, he stopped at hearing his mother's voice filter through, quiet and concerned.

"Ichiru's doing so well, but Zero…" Ichiru narrowed his eyes. His mother really never knew when to let things go. He'd warned her, more than once, to let Zero be.

"You know he's never been at the best of health." As always, his father sounded tired, as though having said the same line on numerous occasions. Ichiru didn't doubt he had.

"But he still needs to go, if not for himself, then for Ichiru." Dark violet eyes widened and turned absolutely frigid. So it'd finally come down to this, he inwardly laughed, a hollow smile breaking out over his impassive features.

His mother had finally decided to make her move. A stupidly bold, daring move at that too. He shook his head mockingly, his smile tilting to a condescending smirk. She truly was an idiot if she thought he or Zero were so unaware of the general opinions many of the grown hunters had of them, or the consequences that could come about from those very biased opinions.

But while Zero was still innocent enough of the actual damage the adults and more specifically, the association, could cause to either of them, Ichiru had already thought far ahead. If his mother were to actually go through with this, Ichiru had plans.

"Ichiru?" Lord bless him, his father actually sounded genuinely confused.

"He's always worrying about Zero, and he's never able to fully concentrate during training. Ichiru has so much riding on his shoulders as a hunter. He won't ever reach his potential if he keeps getting distracted by Zero."

Ichiru refused to hear anything more, all thoughts of comforting hot chocolate or tea gone from his mind only to be replaced with a hurricane of freezing anger.

So they were taking Zero.

Ichiru knew what happened to hunter children when they were 'sent away'. He'd heard about it, briefly, from his teacher, Yagari Touga. It wasn't a common occurrence, but it did happen often enough to make most hunter kids wary. If they weren't good enough, they'd get their entire life changed, and without their knowledge.

Hunter children deemed 'unworthy', or more plainly, 'useless', were essentially cut off from the life of a hunter and anything associating with it, including their families. Yagari admitted to not knowing much of the details, but they used something, a specific method, to play around with the child's memories before sending them off.

They wouldn't remember their birth parents, previous life, and of course, nothing of their siblings, if they'd had any. It was a way to prevent outsiders from knowing about the association, and consequently, about vampires. For if a child couldn't be a hunter, they'd attend regular school with other regular human children, and a slip of the tongue about what the family's real profession was, was an easy, but deadly mistake to make.

Ichiru had thought it ridiculous paranoia on the association's part, but Yagari had guessed something similar might have happened some time prior and a lot of covering up had been needed, a time consuming 'pain the ass' sort of covering up that the association had no desire to go through with a second time.

It didn't matter the circumstances, if a child was useless, useless was what they were and the proper measures for it were taken. Parents who were caught trying to keep their child were then regarded as enemies/traitors (though Ichiru had concluded there must also be parents who had been successful at keeping their child away from the association's influence).

And so they were taking Zero. His mother was convinced, and it seemed his father was as well, or he would be, anyway, after his mother went through the foot long mental list she kept of Zero's faults. Ichiru could actually imagine her thoughts organized as files, everything put in order like a file cabinet at the office, mechanic and unfeeling. He at times wondered, with a bit of vindictive bitterness, if she realized she seemed as cold and uncaring as the vampires she killed.

Ichiru came to believe she was probably incapable of warmth, and never sought any from her. Her ability to look at things objectively made her a good hunter, but in turn, it took her farther away from humanity. He could see she was drifting ever further away, but didn't care to work to pull her back. He couldn't see how he'd gain anything from such an endeavor, and really, wasn't that their father's job?

But she would be hurting Zero with it deeply, and that, Ichiru couldn't allow. Zero would choose to go if Ichiru's name was put into the equation, and the older twin knew his mother would use that against his younger brother. It'd be for your older brother, she would cuttingly say, and make Zero out to be the one at fault, as if Zero did anything wrong to be born the way he was.

But Zero would believe her, word for word, that he was a liability, a distraction, and useless as a hunter, a hindrance to his brother.

Over my dead body, Ichiru swore. His parents weren't going to get the chance. They weren't taking Zero from him.

He hadn't even noticed he'd entered his brother's room until Zero's soft voice interrupted his jarring thoughts.

"Ichiru?"

"Zero," Ichiru sighed, trying to calm himself. It'd be no good if Zero picked up on his anger. "Zero, sit with me?"

"What's wrong? You came back so fast, and…" You looked so angry. It'd scared Zero a bit, seeing his brother like that. His dark eyes seemed even darker, stormy and cold. He was normally so calm it'd been alarming to see him so unsettled.

"I'm fine, Zero." Ichiru smiled, pulling Zero closer to him and flopping down on the bed beneath them, pulling his brother down alongside him as he did, burying his face into his brother's chest. He immediately felt fingers go through his hair, slender, delicate, soft and pale. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

"It's okay," his younger twin murmured above him. "As long as Ichiru is fine."

Ichiru pursed his lips. With Zero, everything was 'okay' as long as everyone else around him was also 'okay'. If anyone ever asked after his wellbeing, he'd automatically ask if the other person was fine before giving an answer, which would be along the lines of, 'I'm fine, as long as you're fine.', or something similar, nearly every time.

It was one of the very few traits about his brother Ichiru found exasperating. It tied in along with Zero's remarkable ability to turn attention away from himself. Which was why while everyone knew him, they didn't really know him. Zero was well versed in turning the spotlight away from himself, if only because it kept coming back to shine on him, and he'd had to work to tilt the angle so many times he might as well be a natural at it by now.

Physically impaired he may be, Zero's intelligence stood out in everything else, and the people around them couldn't help but take notice. But, Ichiru grimaced, for other people (like their ignorant parents) all they could see was Zero's fragile health and his resulting lack of physical training. As if a hunter who was all brawns and no brains ever made it to the top. Yagari would be so disappointed.

"Zero, do you remember what we promised that one time when I fell off the roof?"

The soothing fingers in his hair stopped, and the slender figure beside him tensed, "Yes. I was really worried then, Ichiru. Your leg and wrist… I thought you might never get better."

"Sorry for that Zero, but our promise, do you remember? Word for word?" It was actually several comprised within one, said when Ichiru was trying to calm his brother's fears in the infirmary and hospital. Zero had never left his side then, and the nurses always liked to comment on how endearing it was, seeing them together, especially when Zero fell asleep with him on the bed.

"You'll be there, always. You'll protect me, always. You'll love me, no matter what, always." He let out a soft laugh that tickled Ichiru's hair. "It sounded so nice then, now it sounds a little silly."

Ichiru smiled. "Good, and does it matter if it does? They're true." And he intended to keep every one of them, even if it meant going against his parents and all that he'd been raised to believe.

"Zero, let's go out?" He asked. "We could pick up some food, I know you liked the kimchi fried rice last time." Zero had actually wanted to visit the store again to ask how they'd made it.

"Did Mother or Father say we could?"

"And if they didn't?" Ichiru smiled cheekily. Seeing his brother's worried frown, the smile turned more reassuring and he raised his head to press a chaste kiss to Zero's chin. "It's alright Zero, we'll leave them a note." Not that they'd care anyways, Ichiru thought to himself bitterly. The most they'd care about was if their proud soon to be hunter and weapon for the association would be damaged or not, thoughts of Zero coming to them only as a second afterthought. His lips curled in disgust. He bet even vampires took better care of their children.

Zero seemed to be having an inner debate before finally deciding the kimchi fried rice and an evening with his brother was more important. "Alright. But only for a little while. It's already dark."

"Of course." With only thoughts of enjoying an evening out with his brother, Ichiru had no idea how much he and Zero's lives were going to change in a matter of hours.

He didn't need to step foot inside their house to know something was wrong. He didn't even need to near it to know a vampire (he couldn't yet be sure of what level) had been close or even inside.

"Ichiru?"

"Zero, stay close." He kept his brother behind him as pushed open their door and slowly walked down the quiet, near silent halls of their dark home. The lights were out, and while he could assume it was either because their parents were asleep or out for one reason or another, he highly doubted any of those conclusions could be applied tonight.

His breathing had automatically slowed and his movements became more guarded. Stopping by the living room, he pushed lightly at the door with the tip of his foot, creaking it open a few inches, and barely holding in a gasp (maybe even a scream) his eyes grew wide at the utter carnage inside.

This is…this was…

"Ichiru?" Ichiru whipped around and pulled Zero close, pressing his younger twin's face into his chest, making sure the scene behind him would never make it past his own eyes. He could only imagine how Zero would react to seeing their parents' dead bodies this way, and had no intention of making it a reality.

"Shh, don't move Zero. Let's go to your room."

"Ichiru what's wrong?"

"I'll try to explain things once we go upstairs."

Before Zero had a chance to ask any questions however, Ichiru whispered a minor spell and had Zero asleep in seconds, gently settling him down on the bed. He couldn't risk Zero getting impatient and racing downstairs to see what Ichiru had kept from him, nor could he risk putting his younger brother in danger, as he was also well aware of the powerful presence of a pureblood vampire still surrounding their home.

"You certainly worked fast. Didn't I tell you I'll let you know when the time is right? You even let Zero see you." He spoke aloud. His younger brother had told him about having seen a vampire (female, with long never ending pale hair, gifted with an unnatural amount of beauty, even for a vampire, that'd scared him – 'She looked so sad…enough to kill something.'), though Ichiru doubted she'd been that close to their home that particular day.

"So you know."

"You're really bad at hiding yourself, or you wanted me to know." He narrowed his eyes, taking a sharp glance over his shoulder. He couldn't see her, but he could certainly feel her. "Why did you show yourself in front of Zero?"

"Protective of him, are you?" He could hear the smile in her question, and worked to further keep his anger down.

"You're either deaf, suffering from short-term memory loss, or deliberately evading my question."

"Sharp words, are you sure you can risk talking to me that way?" Her amusement seemed to have grown from his cutting response. It was as though she were completely unaware of the danger she posed on herself by prolonging her stay in the home of a hunter.

"And you think I was stupid enough to walk in here, with my brother, without any help?" He shook his head when hearing a slight inhalation of breath, having activated the runes he and his brother had invented and placed around the house. Pureblood or not, no vampire was going to get past them. Whoever she was, she was stuck here until the hunters came and dealt with her.

"If all purebloods were like you, I don't know how any of you managed to live for so long." If she'd gotten caught up in their runes due to underestimating a pair of eleven year olds, Ichiru hoped she felt as stupid as she looked. "You either get out and leave us or your immortal ass is fried." He smiled pleasantly. "If you could clean up the mess downstairs on your way out, that'd be even better."

There was a pause before her soft voice spoke back. "You call the bodies of your parents a 'mess'?"

He gave a light, uncaring shrug. "That's what they are now, and Zero shouldn't have to look at something so dirty. His eyes were meant to shine." His own dark violet eyes traced along Zero's pale lids, right under his brows and continued down to the curve of his long lashes.

"Your Zero doesn't have long to live. What does it matter what he sees?"

"I don't need to hear that from a vampire," Ichiru frowned, his attention still on his brother.

"He will die soon, much earlier than you," her voice continued, as though without interruption, "and his death will be painful." There was the swishing sound of cloth (silk?) and this time, there was confidence in her tone. "You let me free, and I can give you your Zero."

Ichiru grimaced. She wasn't giving him much of a choice. He'd do anything for Zero. He'd never considered the possibility of gaining anything from this vampire. "You try to do anything else, and you'll end up more than fried." He'd make sure she was dead before she could say 'Gotcha!'

There was an amused chuckle. "I rather like your Zero and wouldn't wish him death. Just bring me a clean cup."

Ichiru did so, alarmed into nearly dropping it when blood, thick, pure vampire blood started to pour down into it, nearly filling to the rim. The warmth he felt seeping through the glass from the dark liquid made him sick. "Why would you go this far?"

"I already said. I like your Zero. He's rather special – to you, to others, and now to me. I've never cared for pureblood semantics. I could care less about anything now. Giving blood away means nothing."

"But you want me to let you go? What's the point of living like that, caring for nothing? Everyone cares about something." He raised a brow. "You care enough about Zero to save him." Not waiting for an answer, he just turned to his brother and gently shook him awake.

"Zero?"

"M?"

"Sorry to wake you, but I need you to drink something for me, can you do that?"

"M'kay…" Zero's expression changed to one of adorable confusion as the blood passed his lips, and Ichiru thanked the light spell for sleep still lingering, adding to his brother's confusion for the moment. Vampire blood was known to taste nothing like human blood, its scent also sweet compared to the near stomach curling metallic quality that human blood had.

He knew Zero would ask questions later, but for now, he was more or less glad for his brother's easy compliance.

Surprisingly, the female vampire stayed silent until Ichiru coaxed his brother to down everything and had fallen back asleep before letting out a soft laugh. "You didn't even test to make sure it wouldn't harm him."

"I had a feeling it wouldn't." Ichiru said quietly, stroking his younger twin's hair and cheek. Pressing a chaste kiss to his baby soft skin, Ichiru murmured a few words, deactivating the runes. "You should be able to leave. I don't want to see you near Zero again."

She laughed again, quiet and contemplative, "Of course."

Ichiru finally relaxed when he felt her presence leave the Kiryuu estate.

He'd almost tried to keep her here, for the hunters to do whatever they wished, but he didn't see why she would ever come to seek them out again. She'd come for their parents and had obviously gotten what she wanted. Still, for a vampire, she seemed a bit odd. As a pureblood, it shouldn't have been too difficult to pull herself out of the trap he and his brother had invented if she really tried (he could only be so confident about those runes, as they'd never been tested), but she merely played along and even offered to heal Zero. She'd offered hardly any resistance.

Whether her decision was based on genuine care or a passing moment of boredom, Ichiru would never know, but he was glad, at least, for Zero's spared life. Not to mention, she'd gotten rid of their parents for him. He'd no idea why she did it, he hadn't cared to at the time he first met her, but he wouldn't have to worry about them coming between he and Zero anymore.

He frowned. Now what to do about their bodies…

He didn't have time to think up much of a plan as he heard the hunters he called for coming inside. It wouldn't be long before they—

"What the hell?!"

Found the bodies. Ichiru sighed. Fixing on an expression of distress and fear, he hoped it looked genuine enough. He tried to remember and mirror Zero's features. Looking back down at his brother, his dark eyes softened. "I'll keep us together Zero. Cut ourselves away from the association if we have to. I'm not losing you."

Pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead, he slowly made his way downstairs and into the room his dead parents were lying in. Letting his hand tremble as he leaned on the doorframe, he whispered out, "Are, are they okay? They're going to be okay, right?"

The hunters examining his parents whipped around at the sound of his voice, and their hardened gazes softened upon seeing him. One of them gave him a grim smile. "It's good to see you're okay son, but you're Mother and Father…"

Another hunter took up the reigns. "They're gone, kid. It hasn't been long, but it's too late to do anything for them now."

"Where's your brother? He's here right?"

"Zero's been feeling unwell and when he saw this…he's, he's sleeping." Ichiru's eyes shuttered, shining with a wet sheen. "What…our parents, Mom and Dad…what, what should I tell Zero?"

One of the hunters walked over, his features pained, and gave a fatherly hair ruffle Ichiru guessed was supposed to feel comforting. "It'll be hard…but things will get better. Sorry you had to see something like this. We'll clean things up best we can and give them a proper hunter's burial."

Ichiru merely nodded desolately, keeping his eyes low. With a surprising lack of effort, a few tears rolled down his cheeks, gathering at his chin before inevitably dropping not far from his feet, darkening the carpet. Biting into his trembling lips, he hunched his shoulders and hid his face, wiping at his eyes.

It was intriguing, a bond a child shared with their birth parents, Ichiru thought to himself, wetting his sleeves. For while he hated them, for the way they viewed him an object and Zero, as probably something even less, he still found it in himself to miss them. Regardless of how terrible they were, how cold, they were still his parents.

Sniffing, he made sure his face was dry and straightened himself. The pain he felt was dull; he didn't doubt it would fade without much effort. He wouldn't have too many problems putting this behind him, but Zero…

"I'm going to go see Zero," he murmured softly, and without waiting to see the other hunters' reactions, he went back upstairs.

He was alarmed to see his younger twin getting restless, a frown on his sleeping face as he turned uncomfortably. Settling over the covers, Ichiru held him close. "Shh, what's wrong Zero?"

"Ichiru…" Zero's eyes were wet.

"Nightmare?" Those were rare, especially for Zero. There weren't a lot of things that fazed him in terms of fear.

"Mm…I don't know, I can't remember…it hurt though, a lot. Mother and Father…"

"Something with Mom and Dad?"

Zero moved to nod, then stopped midway and shook his head before lowering his brows in frustration. "I…I can't remember."

"It's alright. I'm right here." He soothed, gently rubbing his back, and pressing his lips against a smooth forehead.

"Mm…"

Ichiru strode along the path to he and his brother's new (temporary?) home, trailing after a slim man of average height, his long hair tied at the nape of his neck in a low tail, oval glasses perched on his nose, a scarf around his neck, and a polite, gentle smile on his lips.

He was kind, and seemed laidback enough, Ichiru could tell, but he had sharp eyes Ichiru couldn't quite yet trust, reminding him too much of his own. He hadn't ever met him before, and doubted he worked as a hunter, but Ichiru was certain enough this man had some ties to the association.

Apparently, he and Yagari were close acquaintances/friends, and his teacher had contacted him about the events of tonight, working to let he and Zero be taken under the man's care with a few direct remarks and well executed death glares against the association members. They'd wanted to take he and Zero under their 'loving' care, and Yagari wasn't having any of it. Claiming guardianship rights as their formally appointed teacher, he'd elected Cross Kaien as the one to take them in instead.

The man reached into his coat pocket to fumble for his keys, and his smile turned brighter, an excited light entering his eyes, as he found a new topic to chatter on about while he did so. Ichiru inwardly sighed. Did this man ever stop talking? He shared an exasperated glance with his brother.

"I have a ten-year-old daughter you know? She's the cutest thing, and—"

"Please, I'd like to get Zero inside before he freezes to death," Ichiru cut in flatly, raising a brow, far from impressed with the man's rambling about his precious daughter. He could care less.

"Ah, my apologies!"

Ichiru let Zero inside first before following in after and letting the man take care of their coats. He took his brother's cool hands in his own and rubbed them for more warmth. "How are you feeling, health wise?" He was well aware Zero's heart was torn terribly at the news of the death of their parents.

Zero sent him a wan smile, "I'm okay Ichiru, really. Mother and Father had already told us there might come a day they won't come back. I just didn't expect it to be so…soon. In our house too…"

"Ichiru-kun, Zero-kun?"

"What is it?" The man had come back with a girl in tow. She was tiny; with long dark hair and large eyes of a similar shade, a shy curious look about her face. Still very much a child, Ichiru concluded. Pure and innocent in a naïve, ignorant way. He didn't doubt she didn't know much of anything outside the boundaries of her home. Mentally shrugging, he immediately ruled her out as any sort of threat. Neither he nor Zero would have too many problems staying here.

"This is my daughter, Yuuki, and Yuuki, this is Ichiru-kun and Zero-kun."

"It's nice to meet you… Um, I'm sorry about your parents." Her small uncertain voice trailed off towards the end, her gaze lowered to the floor.

He and Zero merely gave slight nods of acknowledgement before he turned to the bespectacled man. "Thank you for taking us in. Where will we be staying?"

Chairman Cross looked on silently as the twins headed to their designated rooms, returning to his own soon after tucking Yuuki back in. He couldn't quite get to sleep, however. He didn't doubt the murders of the Kiryuu family were a tragic incident, leaving behind two orphaned boys, but there were a few things that just didn't add up, and his curiosity was peaked.

The killer had apparently been a vampire, one of high class, though no one was sure of who exactly. Both Ichiru and Zero hadn't seen the murders happen, and had come back home only after everything was said and done, being the first to find their parents' bodies. Neither of the twins hadn't any idea of who might have done it, and if the vampire was indeed level B or higher, the association was wary, at the least, of looking into the case any further.

But why had the Kiryuu family been targeted? There were plenty of other hunters to go after, and why did they (the killer) only want the older two dead? For they could've waited around until the boys were home to finish them off as well, but obviously hadn't done that. What had been the purpose in killing the two hunters?

Revenge, was the first to crop up. It wasn't anything new. Humans and vampires killed for much less. And the Kiryuu line was infamous in vampire circles, for their strength, their intelligence… He had no doubt both Ichiru and Zero possessed both in large amounts. They would both grow up to be formidable hunters themselves, if rumors were anything to go by.

But the twins being left alive and unharmed weren't the only reasons Cross felt so uneasy. It was their reactions to their parents' deaths that had his insides squirming with something unidentifiable. Of course, it could've been a front, to seem stronger than they were (boys at their age started to worry about 'image' and the like), but they both seemed genuine.

Ichiru, according to the hunters, had shed a few tears, but was quick to compose himself. By the time Cross had been called to pick them up, he was laughing softly with his brother about whatever they'd been currently discussing. He could have just been trying to find some comfort with his brother after their rough night, but the dark eyes he'd turned to Cross when suddenly aware of his presence was cool, sharp, and calculative. There was not a speck of grief left, and when Cross offered his condolences, the boy had merely shrugged them off, giving him a pasted on polite smile that hardly reached his cold eyes.

It'd reminded him too much of Kaname while he was amongst vampire company (or any others besides Yuuki), and it'd…unsettled him, if just a bit. Not even Kaname had been so composed after his parents' deaths, an air of heavy, quiet mourning following him around, which only lightened upon seeing Yuuki.

He couldn't exactly put his finger on what, so far, it was just his instincts talking after all, but it was enough to make him wonder…

A long sigh escaped his mouth. "What am I thinking?" He muttered softly. Shaking his head, he got up to head for the kitchen. Maybe some warm milk might make him feel more inclined to sleep.

It'd been a couple of hours since the twins and Yuuki had been to bed and he was surprised to see one of the boys already in the kitchen, fishing around for a cup and a pitcher of cool oolong tea from the fridge.

It was only until the boy turned to face him, tea filled cup in hand, that Cross was able to tell which of the twins he'd walked into. Dark violet eyes raised to meet with his own light auburn and Cross felt himself pull his lips up in a smile.

"It's rather late. Did you have trouble sleeping?"

"No more than you," Ichiru softly answered, taking a few sips. "Not even adults stay up this late on a whim."

He let out a slight laugh, tinged with the bit of nervousness he didn't bother to hide. "Ah, yes, I was hoping for some warm milk."

Ichiru nodded, waving a dismissive arm as if to say, "Well, go ahead, feel free."

Faintly amused, Cross moved to pour some cold milk in one of his favorite mugs.

"I thought you were going to warm it?"

"Mm? Oh yes," Cross smiled, popping open the microwave with the push of a button and placing the milk filled cup in. He looked to Ichiru and blinked when the boy did the same, his brows furrowed.

"What is it?"

Ichiru seemed to hesitate for a moment before narrowing his eyes and answering, "M, it just seemed a bit…mechanical to use the microwave. You looked like someone who'd use a pot." The man seemed to fit in a domestic setting.

"Ah, I've been threatened off of much of the cooking utensils, I'm afraid," Cross answered sheepishly, pressing on the number pad and turning the microwave on. Yagari had been quite clear on that point. His glare had certainly seemed menacing enough. Needless to say, the three of them had had takeout that night. The tall hunter had made sure to bring food over every time he visited, from then on.

Ichiru let out a snort. "You're the type that can't cook? How did you feed that girl?" It was no wonder she was so tiny.

Cross smiled cheerily. "Oh, we got by." Yagari had mentioned his young daughter having been born with a stomach of steel or something similar. At times, Cross was inclined to agree.

"Apparently." Though how, Ichiru didn't want to know. "You're lucky Zero's here. He likes to cook. He was better than either of our parents…"

Cross sent him a somber look at the mention of the recently murdered Kiryuu couple. "I really am sorry about your parents." He hadn't known them as well as Yagari did, but they were close enough to exchange words. They'd been excellent hunters, even if they'd seemed a bit…cold. Not unlike Ichiru, actually.

Again, Ichiru's lips pulled up into a polite smile. "Thank you, I'm sure you are." His voice sounded oddly flat.

"If you…if you ever need to talk about anything, I'm more than willing to lend an ear. Yuuki too, if you'd like someone more your age."

Ichiru raised a brow. "Thank you for your offer, the girl's too, but Zero and I are both fine."

"Are you? After what you saw…"

"I think I would know," dark violet eyes cooled considerably.

"And Zero-kun?"

"Zero never saw them." Ichiru sighed, leaning back against the counter. "I couldn't let him see such things…"

"I see," Cross nodded, a sympathetic smile on his lips. He could understand wanting to keep a loved one protected from having to see something as horrible as the death of someone equally as important.

Yuuki…he smiled fondly. Kaname would certainly feel the same as Ichiru if in the same situation. Which they had been, his mind darkly supplied. Who knew what Yuuki had seen before she lost her memories? Her mother had died in the same room. The fact that, as vampires, their bodies disintegrated after their death offered little comfort.

"Yes, something so disgusting…" Ichiru hissed out.

Cross' eyes widened. "Disgusting?" He breathed. Wait, disgusting? The sight of their dead parents… Disgusting? He'd heard correctly, but how could…? How could such a young child hold so much anger and bitterness towards their parents? Especially when they'd just lost their lives?

Ichiru narrowed his eyes as he remembered the state of the room and his parents' lifeless bodies. "What else would you call such things? Something so… Zero shouldn't have to look at something like that." It was beneath him.

"What are you…?" He couldn't follow with what Ichiru was saying. Why shouldn't Zero be allowed a glimpse of his parents? Of course, he didn't wish for Zero or Ichiru to have seen either of their parents dead, but what did the older twin mean by his words? He'd first thought Ichiru had kept Zero from seeing them out of love and protection, but it seemed that wasn't all.

Ichiru scoffed. "You don't have to understand anything. But being born this way… I've never understood what being a good hunter meant. I've never thought my abilities as a gift, not when they see Zero, who doesn't have it as I do, as something less." The hand around the tea filled cup squeezed slightly. "There's nothing 'less' in Zero, he's not lacking in anything. It's us hunters that lack in something." Most especially his mother. He shook his head. "I never would have noticed without Zero. Zero gives me something I don't have.

"He is my better." Ichiru's eyes warmed as recalled memories of his twin. Zero was literally and figuratively his lighter half. "My—"

"Ichiru?"

Cross watched, with a bit of amazement (he'd seen it happen with Kaname plenty of times, but not in such an obvious fashion), as Ichiru's eyes, which still had cool undertones, softened even further as they looked upon the slender figure by the doorway.

"Zero," he murmured, absently placing the cup on the counter and walking forward to take his younger twin in his arms, "why are you up? You should be resting."

"You weren't there," Zero whispered. "You should be resting too, Ichiru."

"Mm, I will, in just a few moments, so go back to bed for me?"

Zero had on a hesitant frown, but gave a slight nod and retreated back to their room, his small, bare feet patting softly against the cold polished wood beneath them.

Ichiru watched Zero go before turning back to the chairman. "You may think what you like, but our parents being killed has its advantages." Dark violet eyes hardened. "I won't let anyone come between Zero and I, not even the people who gave birth to us."

Cross watched Ichiru walk back down the hall, quite unable to close his mouth. Ichiru… How did one twin differ so much from the other? Those tears he'd supposedly shed in front of the hunters…how much of that had been genuine? How deep were the depths of his cold, piercing eyes? Did everything else really not matter at all in comparison to Zero? Not even Kaname was so attached to Yuuki.

"Ichiru-kun…"

Disclaimer: No own Vampire Knights.

Wow, this was kinda weird, eh? Don't really know where this came from, but it seemed interesting to play around with :D I wonder how the meeting between a young Kaname and Ichiru would be like... I'm pretty sure the latter would find some way of irritating the former, namely using Yuuki XD