A/N: Answer someone's question on ages from the last two chapters. In the prologue Kaname was 8 and Zero was 7. In chapter 1 Kaname was 14 while Zero was 13. They are still the same age as chapter 1 in this chapter. I will give a fore warning, there is a mention of rape in this chapter, no I do not go into detail. I did not find it had any use to the story or chapter but to mention it. This chapter is longer than the other, Just a warning ;)
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Chapter II Zero and Rei
Kaname felt completely and utterly useless, a feeling he found he did not like at all. He was sitting by his bed where Zero sat with his back against the head board with blank eyes. It had only been three weeks since the Kiryu family massacre and no one had found any sign of Ichiru or had gotten Zero to remotely move. Since the incident, Kaname was forced to tell Rido, Haruka and Juri that he had bit Zero. They were very accepting of it, a whole lot more so than the Senate. The outrage that came from both the Senate and Association was something Kaname had expected but something his uncle and parents were not. Kaname glanced at his beloved mate from where he sat by the bed before getting up to stretch his legs. He had not left Zero's side since he brought him to his home. The young hunter would not even answer to his own name! That was something that worried Kaname greatly. Kaname even went so far as to reach through their link but got nothing but emptiness and silence. He felt Zero's presence but was stopped far from him. Sighing, Kaname glanced up at a clock sitting on his bedside table. It was way past time for Kaname to go to sleep but he found that he could not. Climbing onto the bed Kaname got close enough to Zero to where it would not take much effort to bite his mate. Looking into empty lavender eyes Kaname tried something he thought more than likely would not work. He bit Zero and began to drink his blood. For a few seconds nothing happened and Kaname was about to give up when something flashed through his mind. He stilled for a moment before biting down harder and that was when it happened. In less than a blink he found himself in what looked like a large room. The walls were painted a light blue with what seemed like shards of glass lodged into the walls. Kaname took a quick glance around the room and noticed that it was completely empty except for himself and one other. Sitting with his back against the far wall, Zero had his head resting on his knees face down. The smell of his mates blood spurred the pure blood forward, not without stepping on something first. Kaname had failed to look down at the floor in his initial observation, but he stared at it now with wide eyes. Covering the entirety of the floor looked like shards of glass in several different sizes and Kaname couldn't tell if they were shaded red or covered in blood. Taking a step back Kaname looked back at Zero. The glass reached and surrounded his silver haired mate.
"Zero!" The young hunter didn't even move.
"He won't answer. What you see is what is left of him for right now." Kaname whirled around, not expecting anyone to be behind him. His heart stopped. Before him stood Rei. "His needs time to heal, but he can not do it in this state."
"..." Kaname could not find anything to say. Here stood his beloved from the past, staring at him expectantly and Kaname could not think of a single word to say.
"I have been locked away in many bodies waiting to see you again. Waiting for the day when you would reawaken and you have not a single word to say? I am not so surprised considering what had happened all those years ago." Kaname seemed to find his voice at that moment and decided to attempt at an apology at least.
"Rei, I..."
"No, if you are to apologize please do not. You will insult me if you do." The same cold and callous response Rei always gave him when Kaname thought he had done something wrong and felt he needed to apologize. "I have been in here for hours now trying to wake him. It seems while I was combing through his mind, desperately trying to find something, anything, that would make the boy respond I found myself restricted. You would not have anything to do with that, have you?"
"Yes though I did not know you resided in Zero. I..."
"I am only here for a short moment. Yes it is true that Zero is my reincarnated self but only physically. Yes he has my memories but I do not reside in his body, waiting to take over at any chance I get. Me and him may share the same name but he is more meant for you to have a fresh start. Though I have found so far that the lock you have placed on those memories of us have seemed to have kept him from awakening as a vampire."
"Rei, I don't believe I understand." Rei looked at him with familiar dark lavender eyes. They were just as cold and emotionless as he remembered them. Rei wore the loose shirt and pants Kaname had seen him in last, though the baby bump was missing.
"I was actually expecting you to. By not allowing him to put those memories to rest you locked them away. By not letting go of the past you have locked it away and in turn prevented Zero from awakening. He can not truly awaken unless the past is dealt with. Why did you lock everything away?" Dark lavender eyes went from cold to confused, curious, and asking. Kaname had to admit to himself, he had been running from it all and locking them away from Zero seemed like the only way to deal with it. He had to admit he had hurt and held Zero back more than he believed.
"I...He kept having nightmares of that night. I spent the night one night and he screamed out. I felt my heart breaking and just to keep him from having them anymore I locked the memories away. I knew it was going to come back and do damage but not like this." Rei looked at him again in his usual way, cold and empty.
"The stress of being courted, the Association, the Senate that you had so dearly cherished in its early days, the pressures of his twin brother, the Marking he under went, and now the pressure of my past memories trying so desperately to claw back to the surface combined with his parents murder. It is all too much Kaname. Just far too much even for me to handle. Look down Kaname." Kaname did and saw only the broken glass which now he figured out was Zero's heart and the Zero that sat against the wall was his soul. His heart lay in pieces and his soul sat at the far side unresponsive.
"Their shards of Zero's heart." Rei nodded walking past Kaname and stopping right at the edge.
"Correct but they also hold memories. Important memories. Each one contains a memory that Zero cherishes dearly, even the small ones." Rei gestured to a small shard of glass that Kaname looked hard into. It contained a memory when Kaname first stayed the night. It was when Zero had woken up to find Kaname fast asleep next to him. He watched as Zero placed a small kiss on Kaname's lips before getting up for the day. Kaname had not known that. "The medium sized ones hold important memories." Rei gestured to another that held a memory when Kaname and Zero had gone for an evening walk during a ball held by the Senate, it was when Kaname had told Zero he loved him. "The varying large shards hold the most treasured and cherished memories." Rei waved his hands over the glass which made them move as gently as possible to make a path to a particularly large shard at least eight paces away. It was when Kaname had asked Zero to spend eternity with him and Zero had said yes. It was three days before Kaname had marked Zero.
"I noticed they vary in shades of red." Kaname watched as Rei frowned and looked toward the shards that lay around Zero, closest to him.
"Yes" Kaname watched as Rei tried to find a way to explain. "The ones we are looking at now are regular healthy blood red because they hold happier memories. Those over there," He gestured towards Zero. "those are my memories and some of his mixed together. Those that are his contains times when you and him faced the Senate and Association together and the meetings had turned for the worse. But the shards that look black, those are my memories. They are inaccessible unless you unlock them." Kaname walked close to the edge towards Zero. He looked at his love from where he stood and the words that past his lips were as an exhale of breath.
"Let me pass." And they moved to allow him to pass. A small pathway was made to allow him passage only to the large black shards of glass.
"Kaname keep in mind, those are my memories, the blackest of them is the one that will put the rest at peace." Kaname looked over his shoulder at Rei and saw something in his eyes. It was hope. "Please, let me go" Kaname nodded as the glass shards moved and adjusted, taking him to the worst memory. It was of that night. Kneeling down, Kaname reached a hand out and lightly touched the extra large shard. A light shone and he found himself reliving a horrible nightmare, but instead he was watching the events unfold.
Flashback
Kaname stood rooted to what he remembered was a room he used in his past life as a study. He watched as Rei paced the room's wooden floor, a worried expression on his face. It was something uncommon and out of character
"Kaname, please. It can wait another night or perhaps I can com along. Just do not leave me here alone. Please!" he watched his past self get up and wrap reassuring arms around Rei's waist and kissing him. Effectively stopping the ex-hunters pacing.
"My love, do not worry. You will be fine. Only those that matter to us know this place. You are safe here. Besides, I will not be long at the Senate. I promise. They have been making sure they keep me there far less every time considering the state you are in. The child you carry is the hope for a peaceful future. Even the hunters that were once your comrades are looking forward to it." Kaname watched as another kiss was placed on Rei's lips and his past self left the room. Everything blurred as hours passed by. Kaname realized he had been gone for far too long. He recalled someone from the Association had stopped him and inquired about Rei. Kaname was alone in the study for awhile, he figured Rei was more than likely asleep. The sliding door to the room opened and slammed shut and a scared looking Rei stood before him with his back facing Kaname.
"He's late...He's never late..." Kaname could hear the fear in Rei's voice. The door opened and a hunter entered. Kaname only knew the man as someone from the Takamiya family. He still did not know the man's name to this day.
"Heh, come here little Rei. I will end your suffering. Let me set you free." He took a step toward Rei.
"Stay away from me" Rei moved beck toward Kaname. Rei was trapped.
"I am sorry but that can not be. All I ever asked of you was your love and you reject me! ME! Then I come to find out you became that filthy pure blood king's mate. I came here to confront you and here I find you are with child as well. How could you sully your family name and everything you are for a filthy, disgusting monster?" Kaname wanted to tear the man into shreds but he couldn't move. He was forced to watch.
"Compared to you, Kaname is an angel. The only monster I see is the one in front of me. You betrayed your own comrades. Left them to die on the battle field to save your own skin. You even killed some of them to get away. You are nothing but a coward with misguided...ungh..." Kaname didn't even see it coming. The hunter had pulled out a dagger and buried it in Rei's stomach. He had missed the vitals and the baby.
"Huh, I missed. That atrocity is still alive." Kaname stared in shock as Rei collapsed to the floor. "That's alright, I'll just cut the brat from you."
"No!" Between screaming and coughing up blood Rei tried to fight the man off but to no avail. "KANAME!" Kaname's heart twisted and he could feel himself crying as Rei continued to scream for him as the hunter began to do something Kaname had not known about. The hunter began to rape Rei. "Bastard get off of me! KANAME!" The man finished and as Rei lay on the floor crying and bleeding the hunter began to cut up Rei.
"I want him to know that there will never be peace between vampires and hunters. I want this to be a lesson." Kaname watched as Rei said nothing and screamed himself hoarse as the hunter slashed their child. Tears poured from eyes and he was covered in blood. The man had stabbed him to where he would bleed out slowly, but since Rei had struggled the wound had been agitated and bled faster.
"Rei!?" Kaname sensed that the memory was coming to a close.
"Ah, it seems he has come home. Good bye Rei, I hope you enjoyed me giving you all my love." The man slipped out of the room and out of the house before Kaname had found Rei. Kaname watched his past self hold onto Rei and the baby as they shattered and fell away in his arms. The memory began to fade to black.
End Flashback
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Juri sat by the bed and waited. She knew Kaname would delve into Zero's mind to see if there was anything salvageable of the boy. She had found Kaname curled up in Zero's lap, eyes gently closed. It wasn't till just a few moments ago that she noticed Kaname twitching in his sleep. She was concerned but if anything truly bad was happening Kaname would have awoken by now. Sitting a little more straighter Juri watched Zero and Kaname a little more carefully.
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Kaname found himself laying on the floor in the large room again. The shard he had touched was half underneath him.
"Kaname..."
"I didn't know he had done that to you." Kaname looked into Rei's eyes and saw the other flinch.
"I hate that look in your eyes. I always have. You look less of the man I fell in love with and more the monster you truly are." Kaname looked away and stared at Zero and back at the blackened shards on the floor.
"How do I change them back? How do I bury the past and let it go?" He looked back at Rei and saw a soft smile on his lips.
"It's easy as forgiving yourself. To change the shards back to the way they were for Zero, help him remember just how much you mean to him. To do so, pull a memory from your heart and once you have, touch the shard." Kaname was skeptical but then again here he was in the psychological depths of his mate talking to the one that had died years ago. Kaname took the directions to heart, literally, and pulled on the first memory that came up. It was when Zero had been shy around Kaname the entire time they had been at a ball held by Takuma's grandfather. When Kaname finally cornered him on a balcony away from the others, Zero had leaned in and kissed him. Kaname smiled as the memory played out, not realizing his hand had lightly touched the shard containing the worst of memories and nightmares. It glittered slightly before fading from black to a blood red. Getting up Kaname proceeded to the other black shards, unaware that all the other shards began to shift and move upwards. He kept bringing memories he shared with Zero over the six years they had been together. He reached a shard that doubled the size of the one that contained Rei's death. Kaname did not have to look into it to know what memory it held. The death of Zero's parents, the memory of seeing their remains thrown about the house and their blood painting the walls. Kaname pulled a memory that trumped the nightmare. It was when he had brought Yuuki over for the first time to not only meet Zero but his family as well. It was a memory when it was proven that hunters and vampires could coexist in peace. Zero's parent's along with Kaname's and Rido sat at the kitchen table talking and laughing. Along side them was Zero, Kaname, Yuuki, and even Ichiru joining in on laughing at old stories on how they all had met and childhoods long passed.
Rei stood back and watched as the shard turned from black to white and smiled. The one thing that completed Zero and even Rei himself, was family. It was something they both held dear and cherished. Having witnessed the deaths and violation of family members back in the warring days, Rei was more than happy to see that all the blood shed, the loss of one loved so dear had become the peace they all had fought for. The family that was supposed to be when he was alive. The tremendous weight of feeling like he was chained had lifted as he watched Zero's heart piece itself back together again.
"The whole point to being linked with ones mate, is that you both share and join each others memories together and become one. Something you and I had not achieved. Maybe now you will understand how important that truly is." Kaname heard Rei and turned, he watched as his beloved faded away, a smile spread across his face and dark eyes now light "Take care of him Zero". Kaname stood and watched as the last shards pieced themselves back into place. He noticed the large one he was just touching had no place on the outside. He watched as it went through and placed itself at the core of Zero's heart, something that was at the core of Kaname's. Something they shared.
"He's right you know." Kaname just about jumped out of his skin. If there was to be a next time, and he hoped not, he needed to be more attentive because he really wasn't expecting to see Zero standing next to him smiling. "Focusing on one thought is not enough to control ones mind and stay connected to ones mate. You have to learn to let go of the past and not purposely or inadvertently block me out. We also have to be one before everything else can begin to fall into place which means strengthening our link and hiding nothing from each other." Kaname understood. He had that connection now, where he had not before with Rei. He had let go, something he did not know he could do. He had an understanding of Zero by seeing his memories, something he did not have with Rei. The ever lingering distrust that they could not let go of had something to do with that as well.
"Zero" Zero looked over at Kaname, seeing his mate's face full of seriousness.
"Hm?" Kaname looked into his eyes and Zero could not help but shiver.
"Next time, please listen when I tell you to wait." Kaname was serious but it seemed to have no effect on Zero as the boy started laughing.
"Don't give me that pouty face. It doesn't become you." Zero placed his arms around Kaname's neck and kissed him. Pulling back he smiled up at the vampire he had come to love so much. "It's time to wake up now my love" Kaname was taken a back by this.
"What?" Kaname was confused. That was random and off. Zero's voice sounded far off now and had a slight echo to it.
"Time to wake up. Kaname, my love, wake up." Everything had gone black, grey, then white. Zero's voice echoing in his mind Kaname's eyes began to flicker open.
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Zero had woken up before Kaname. What greeted him made him laugh. Rido had a chair pulled up at the foot of the bed Zero was on, the back of the chair was flipped to face Zero as the pure blood sat on it with his head resting on the back of the chair. That was not what made Zero laugh. It was when Rido had gone from a bored expression to a wide eyed one and he had gone really still. Next was Haruka but the initial shock wore off fast as he laughed with Zero at Rido's reaction and Juri sat next to Zero with a hand pressed against her mouth to keep the fit of giggles she had from bursting out.
"That was really creepy, just to let you know" Rido mumbled as Zero shook his head.
Turning his attention from the others to the pure blood curled up on his lap Zero began to gently shake Kaname, calling out to him to wake him up. It took a few minutes but Zero soon saw eyelashes flutter and open to reveal tired, worried, and worn wine colored eyes. Zero felt a pang of guilt but his worry overpowered it. He wondered just how long Kaname had gone without sleep.
"Zero?" Zero smiled but he could not ignore how exhausted Kaname looked. Reaching out, Zero touch Kaname's mind and found the link open. "How long have you been waiting for me to wake up?"
"Hey sleepy head, I take it you haven't gotten much sleep huh?" Zero stared into Kaname's tired eyes as he watched the pure blood ancestor. Kaname shook his head and instead of answering through their link he vocalized his answer.
"I have not slept since we brought you here after the incident at your house. I have been trying so hard to bring you back. I..." Zero quickly covered Kaname's lips with his. The pain of guilt having gotten a strong hold on Zero's heart, the silver haired hunter could barely stand it. Pulling back Zero looked his lover in the eye.
"Hey, I'm back. Maybe you can get some sleep before we talk about anything else." It was not a question but a statement and demand. Kaname knew better than to argue with a worried Zero. It was losing battle Kaname was too tired to try and fight. Takuma would tease Kaname and Rido would sometimes make comment along the lines of "Well, well, well, so the progenitor of our family can be tamed" The comment usually earned him a glare and something flying at him.
"Alright."
"Well, we'll hit the hay ourselves. We can talk once we are all rested up." Rido stated as he got up from his chair and stretched. Zero winced when he heard the pure blood's bones crack. He put the chair back by a bookcase at the far side of the room. Kaname had already settled himself in and had fallen directly to sleep. Zero smiled and glanced at Juri as she turned to close the bedroom door behind her. She returned his smile and closed the door. Zero settled himself next to Kaname but soon found himself wrapped up in his arms with Kaname nuzzling his face in Zero's hair. Sighing, Zero closed his eyes and had nothing but good dreams.
