Hey people! Originally I had planned to post this on St. Patrick's Day because the story this is based on, "Thinner Than Water" by Justine Larbalestier, had an Irish background. It had originally been about fey instead of vampires, but it makes sense for a Zero/Kaname story.
Everything changed that night; the night I found Kaname bathing in the river. I had been planning my newest escape from our small village, where nothing but becoming a hunter lay in my future. Being an author was what I wanted to do, not hunting. My family is constantly telling me that it is an impossible dream. Maybe they're right, maybe it is impossible.
As I walked down a worn path, the sound of light splashing caught my attention. There, waist deep in water, was Kaname. I know that should have been my first hint to leave, but he was just so beautiful. His pale skin glowed under the moon beams. My breath caught as he scooped another handful of water over his head, the droplets slowly tracing their way down his body.
"Zero, is that you?" Snapping out of my dream, I see Kaname looking right at me with those sultry eyes of his. No one has eyes like his. They are the color of melted chocolate mixed with wine, but their beauty is not seen in the village. Everyone believes that he is a devil in disguise, a vampire, because of his "demonic" eyes.
"Zero?" he calls again, slightly confused. Feeling a bit foolish for hiding, I stepped towards him. A quaint smile graces his features when he sees me. "I thought I saw a flash of silver within the trees. How lucky am I that it was you! Have you any plans for tomorrow?"
Tomorrow was a special holiday, Lammas Day. For older people it symbolized the first of the new harvest, but for young adults like Kaname and I there was another reason to celebrate. On that day unmarried couples could be joined together in a year long bond called handfasting. Then the next Lammas Day if the couple wished, they could be wed.
My answer of "No" seemed to shock and please Kaname at the same time. "But how could a stunning young lad like yourself not have any admirers? Surely someone must have asked for your hand."
"People have asked me but no one is who I want to handfast with." I honestly told him.
His smile grew, "Would you allow me the honor of joining me tomorrow?"
My tries to hide the fierce blush across my checks were in vain as he waited for my response. "Yes. I accept your offer to fast tomorrow." is all I said before heading back home. It was very late in the night and I would need my sleep for tomorrow. I guess there really is a reason to stay in this dull village after all.
The next day I, along with my closest friend Yuki, had decided on waiting in the field for Kaname. Although she felt I was too young to settle down, Yuki gave me her full support. She really has been a wonderful friend to me for most of my life, with her kind and bubbly personality.
Around noon a shadow was cast on our resting forms. I bolted awake in hopes of seeing Kaname standing over me, but it wasn't him. It was just the village playboy, Aido. He was nice looking with his blond hair and blue eyes, but he was too well aware of that. "All alone for Lammas Day, Zero?" he taunted, "If you had handfasted with me, you could have spent your day in a much happier mood."
"I'll have you know that I am waiting for someone! He's more of a man than you could ever be, so get lost!" I angrily spat.
Much to our enjoyment, Aido did leave after that. It was really a shame that his brother, Ichijo, has to deal with him. Ichijo is such a caring young man, who could have his pick of anyone to handfast with if he wanted. Yet he did not; less than a year ago a terrible fire had taken away his love, a petite brunette named Shiki. Since that time, he has vowed to never take another lover.
Not too long before Kaname arrived did Yuki have to go home. Then all by myself on the field I closed my eyes, laid back, and softly hummed. The song I was humming had not even ended when another voice joined in. I knew right away that Kaname had come for me because the voice was of his angelic tone. His singing was by far the most beautiful around, even though the town's people believe it to be a siren call to lure the innocent into sin.
"What a lovely voice you have, my dear." he took me into his arms, "I would not mind waking up in the mornings, if you were the first thing I heard."
That afternoon, we were bond in handfasting. My choice of lovers did not please my family in any way. My twin brother, Ichiru, desperately tried to make me change my mind, calling Kaname names like "the devil's child". Despite their disapproval, no one tried to stop us during the ceremony.
By nightfall, our spirits were significantly lifted. Upon our arrival to the home Kaname had built for us, we burst into the bedroom in a mess of lips and limbs. Never before would I have believed in such internal heat than what coursed through my veins as nimble fingers ran over my body. Oddly enough, through our displays of passion we ended up on the bed instead of the hard wood floor. Not that I think it would have mattered, we were just too far lost in each other's embrace.
Our shirts were thrown across the room while our pants lay bunched up at the end of the bed. Nude, we tangled together with heated kisses and curious gropes. It wasn't until a slender finger began to probe my entrance that my thoughts cleared.
"Wait Kaname!" I suddenly blurted out, "I'm not ready for this!"
The lust in his beautiful eyes turned to confusion. "But we've handfasted. Is this not what lovers are meant to do?"
"Yes, but if I become pregnant then I will never be able to pursue writing." I blushed as Kaname continued to stare at me.
There is a moment of silence until he takes my hands in his. He cradles me to his chest, "I understand. Zero, I will never force you into something you don't want to do. We can wait for as long as you need."
We kiss once again; starting out as timid brushing of lips turning to passion as hot as a wildfire. Somewhere along the way I fell back onto the mattress with Kaname on top of me. His lips traveled their way from my mouth down to my jaw, neck, chest, torso, until they found my erection. The warm moisture immediately had me in a deep back arch, withering in pleasure. Whimpers and moans emerged from me as if I was a fiddle who Kaname knew exactly which strings to play.
I remember that when I asked him if he wanted me to return the favor, Kaname refused. He explained it was because when I would touch him like that, it would be out of love not obligation.
That night, and every night following, we would fall asleep in each other's arms after pleasuring each other. In the morning, Kaname would leave for work at the village's wood artisan. I couldn't go back to my old classes but my teacher loaned me textbooks. Every day, I would study and do odd jobs around the house like dusting. Around the later part of the afternoon, Kaname comes home.
We could spend hours just talking. He would describe the newest project at work or of recent news in the village. To help me with my writing, Kaname would ask me to tell him a story as he lay his head in my lap. Our days were never unpleasant because we had our nights together to look forward to. It was a simple life, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
After almost half a year without seeing my family, it was quite a surprise to see my mother at our front door. Of course, it was not exactly nice to see her. It was pretty unlikely that she had come here out of peace, especially because she waited until Kaname had left for work. Real clever, Mom. There was no way I could have seen this coming.
Against my better judgment, I let her come inside. Less than a minute later, she burst out in overly dramatic tears.
"Oh, Zero!" she cried, "I can not let my youngest son remain bound to a demon! You're still young; there will be more opportunities to handfast so please end this madness!"
By the end of her little speech, my anger had risen to an all new level. "Kaname and I love each other! I don't care if you are my mother; nothing you say can change my mind." I screamed at her. Then as quickly yet gently as I could, I pushed her outside. How dare she come into our home and insult Kaname in front of me! The last thing she said before I closed the door in her face was "This choice can only lead to disaster."
That night for the first time in my life, I found myself wishing that I had listened to my mother's warning. Everything had been just how it had been the night before; Kaname came home from work, we ate together, and cuddled on our bed. As we lay together, talking about our day, there was a loud banging on the front door. Before we even had time to react, the door was broken through and a mob pushed their way inside. I felt the color drain from my face as I recognized my mother, my father, Ichiru, Aido, and many others from the village.
"Zero, this has gone on for too long. We're brining you bac-" Father shook in rage as he noticed Kaname's hand under my top, "You! How dare you touch my son in such a manner, you filthy witch!"
I watched in horror as my father dragged Kaname off of our bed by his hair. Trying to help protect him, I lunged towards them only to have Ichiru pin me down. My twin's face twisted in sadistic glee, "This is what you get for handfasting with sin, now he has to pay."
As I struggled to get free, I shouted "Don't you dare hurt him! I would rather die than see the man I love get hurt!"
"Take that thing outside, We'll deal with it there." Father said as he motioned toward my captive lover, "Zero doesn't need to see this."
And as they left, I knew that would be the last time I would see Kaname alive.
After Ichiru and Mother finally released me, I ran out of the house. Following the freshly made drag marks in the dirt, a river came into view. I recognized it right away; this was the river where I found Kaname bathing almost a year ago, the same river that now held a floating corpse.
It was sickening how peaceful he appeared as if he was laying on his back. Kaname's skin had always been fair but now it was a ghastly white. His body was twisted and broken like a child's play toy. Blood covered his mouth in a warped joke of all of the village's vampire theories. And his eyes! The eyes that I had fallen instantly in love with were glassy and dull; one was even swollen shut from being beaten.
My heart broke once more as I carried his body out of the water, soon collapsing on the damp bank. Tears blinded me, my body shaking uncontrollably. I wept for hours until my family forced us apart once again. They took his body and burned it right in front of me. The flames caressed his skin in deadly embrace, slowly turning the only good thing left in my life to ash.
I reached for him, grabbing his arm despite my own skin burning in the heat. If it hadn't been for three pairs of hands pulling me back, I would have joined my love. My arms had become black; the charred flesh beginning to peel off. Yet I did not feel any pain, only lost and alone.
That very night Yuki found me crying, all alone, in my former lover's house. She had tried to get here before the mob to warn us, but Aido had stopped her. Apparently, he had made a stop before he came here because I had refused to handfast with him. Somehow, I wasn't surprised by this. I know that he had never liked Kaname and then I had chosen him over Aido.
Yuki had come to help me run away from the village. She told me that as my best friend she only wanted me to be happy and that I wouldn't be if I stayed here. But that night, and every other time we tried to escape, something stopped us. Our latest attempt had resulted in me doubling over in pain a moment before we crossed the town's border.
After a couple of months, we were still here and Lammas Day had arrived. Against my will, my parents forced me to handfast. Their first choice for me was Aido, big surprise there, but I ended up bound to Ichijo. It is sad how similar our situations were; both of us without our lovers, desperate to escape from life. We would never love each other like we did for Kaname or Shiki, but we do care about one another.
That night Ichijo moved in with me, in the house Kaname and I had shared. We had agreed on this because it was on the outskirts of town where no one would bother us, and because I could not bear to leave it. Even though we were officially a couple, Ichijo and I acted more like brothers or close friends when we were alone.
All of my hard work had paid off when Ichijo was able to get me a job at the publishing company he worked at. How I wish Kaname could have seen me there; editing papers and filing documents at my very own desk. He had always believed that I would reach success. Why couldn't he have been able to see that he was right?
When the work day was over, Ichijo and I would walk home together. I don't know why but ever since I had left home, I have begun to really enjoy cooking. So each night I would make us dinner, the leftovers to be tomorrow's lunch.
There were a lot things I did not know about Ichijo that we ended up having in common. It turns out that he had a deep love of literature even though his family's business was law enforcement; his father being a judge, his mother being a lawyer, and even Aido being a police officer. He had refused to become a lawyer, just as I had refused to become a hunter like the rest of my family, becoming an outsider in his own home. Writing had become his calling; he had begun to compose a novel of his own, but he felt it still needed a lot of work. Some nights I would read over his latest chapter as he started writing the next one. Other nights I would tell him of the stories I had told Kaname before. Ichijo's emerald eyes would shine with delight as he listened to my every word. At the end of each story he would say the same thing; "Why have you never written that down? You have such a natural talent for telling tales!"
I might be happy with my new life but I still dreamed of Kaname at night. Even after his death, I remained faithful to him. Ichijo had brought his old bed, to sleep in, into our bedroom while I slept alone on the bed Kaname and I used to share. Some nights my dreams turned into nightmares; making me relive Kaname's death over and over. I would wake up with tears streaming down my face as Ichijo tried to comfort me. He knew better than anyone else what it was like to see your lover die right before your eyes.
One night, after I had crawled into his bed because of a bad dream, an eerie melody hung in the air. My ears perked up as I recognized the voice; it was Kaname! Blindly I ran out of the house to the cliffs from where the voice came from. There was a shadowed figure waiting for me, sadly singing in the wind.
"Kaname? Is…is that you?" it did not answer, "Please! Please, I can't take it anymore! Are you Kaname?!"
The figure slowly turned, revealing wet crimson-brown eyes. "So you do remember me, Zero. I thought you had forgotten all about me once you handfasted with someone else."
"What?! Kaname, I could never forget you!"
His laugh was bitter, "You smell of another man. Don't you dare lie to me."
"Yes, I am bonded to Ichijo," I choked out between sobs, "But that's because I had to! You were dead, Kaname! You remember, Ichijo. He doesn't love anyone but Shiki, just like I don't love anyone except you!" I threw my arms around him.
He did not embrace me but instead grabbed me around my throat. "Do you know what I went through to come back to you? And here I find you in another man's bed! I could and should easily kill you right now!" His eyes were a demonic red as his grip on my neck tightened.
I smiled, "I've missed you, my Kaname. Do what you want with me, I will always be your husband."
The crazed look on my lover's face faded as my words sunk in. He was shaking, "Oh, Zero." He released my neck and brought me into a passionate kiss. After such a long time without each other, we could not get enough of each other. I could feel Kaname's lips travel down my jaw to my neck, sharp fangs nipping my flesh.
"You really are a vampire?!" I gasped.
He watched me carefully, "Does that scare you?"
I cradled his face in my hands, "No, I trust you. Please, let me be like you." Kaname tenderly smiled at me, before biting down on my neck. After my transformation was over, we cuddled on the grassy cliff.
As we kissed, I shyly said "Kaname, make love to me." The stars above us shone as we made love again and again.
Hope you liked it! My next post will probably not be until Thursday or Friday, because school has been keeping me busy.