N: Hello again!
T: I DON'T WANNA BE RAPED! *runs off again*
Z: ...
K: ... He says that as if he actually expects Necro to be swayed by that...
R: And as if he thinks she can't find him.
Z: Okay, but I do say, the review does have a valid question, Necro.
N: Which is why we're gonna answer it, of course!
Mysterious Voice from Nowhere: Also, shouldn't the ukes be lubed first? From reading other lemons, it would be painful without preparing.
K: Normally you'd be right, reviewer, but in this case, we horny purebloods are in heat and don't really care about our ukes. The added friction of no lube feels pretty good on our cocks, and besides, we hit their prostates right off the bat and the vampires in this fic have some kind of thing where if they injest the blood of their mates, any pain they may feel gets turned into pleasure by their vampire nerves. With that in mind, it explains why Skye didn't prep at all, and as for Ace's prep on Takuma, well, he was lucky to get that much, quite frankly.
N: Thank you, our resident horny pureblood! Now, Zero, do the disclaimer.
Z: Necro does not own Vampire Knight.
R: This chapter takes place during the Tenth Night, and Necro directly stole some circumstances and dialogue from the manga. In fact, this may be going on for the next while, until the Rido-arc...
Chapter Two: Lord's Breakdown
Kaname opened his mahogany eyes, silently stretching his shoulders as he sat up. He brought a hand around to tiredly conceal a yawn flashing his fangs before he paused, realizing something. Hadn't he restrained himself last night using some of Zero's specially charmed vampire hunter gear? Almost dreading the sight of what he might have to face, he slowly turned his head, stopping when he saw the rather large twisted shred of metal embedded in his bedpost. His eyes widened in shock, and he lost control of his powers.
One by one, all the light bulbs down the long hallway burst, the falling glass fragments coming closer to a frozen Takuma coming back from Kaname's room. He may have seen Kaname destroy light bulbs before, overloading the circuit was mere child's play to a pureblood, but never so many or so far from his physical presence. Doors were opened in curiosity, followed by quick slams and sharp squeals from the glass shards. Suddenly, Ryou stood at the top of the stairs, amber eyes gleaming as his hands flew out with fingers spread, his powers halting the falling glass instantly as the sound of electricity slowed, one particular shard hovering mere inches from Takuma's nose. He sighed, twisting his hands as he lowered them with his powers following, his body sagging against the banister exhaustedly for a moment after the last piece touched the ground. "Ryou-sama, you're bleeding!" the blond yelped, seeing a long slender across the pureblood's right cheek slowly leak crimson at one edge. He started forward, but a flicker of cool amber held him in place.
"I was sleeping on the couch when the initial surge occurred, shattering a glass on the table, a shard of which cut me and woke me up," the black-haired male explained firmly.
"But Ryou-sama," he protested softly, one hand instinctively moving as if to cup the injured cheek, "the cut-"
"-will heal," the pureblood finished, pushing past the noble. "To be honest, Kaname locking his door irks me more than a scratch does." He cursed softly when the doorknob refused to give under his hand, pulling out a black bobby pin and expertly maneuvering it around in the lock until a small click sounded (Needless to say, Ryou didn't exactly hang around with the most respectable of humans, especially considering the matter that they were the ones who taught him to manually pick locks). He tried the door again with the same results, this time adding, "Kaname, if you don't fucking stop locking this door, so help me, I will fucking make the wood explode." The bronze handle gave under the weight of his hand now, Takuma somewhat surprised that Kaname would let Ryou enter his room in such a disrespectful manner, for the reserved pureblood had never before made an exception for anyone but Yuki though he was quick to break his self-imposed isolation to go pick up the other male from the airport, but when the maid came bearing news, he was suddenly engaged with his own priorities. The young pureblood entered the darkened bedroom, splaying himself across the couch opposite Kaname in a sharp contrast to the other's dignified arrangement over the cushions.
"You wouldn't have blown up my door, Ryou. You don't have enough strength if you can't even heal that cut, but even if you did, you would never compromise my privacy so dramatically."
Tired amber eyes flickered over to his friend's wine red orbs. "Last night, I destroyed everything in my room that was breakable and quite a few things that weren't. To say I'm exhausted would be an understatement."
Kaname chuckled softly, leaning over to drag his tongue along Ryou's injury so that the healing balm in his saliva could close the leaking cut. "I guess I should count myself lucky I only broke a pair of vampire hunter restraints that I borrowed from Zero Kiryu then."
The black-haired vampire hummed in agreement. "I've heard a lot of things about the blue moon," he murmured softly, eyes fluttering closed, "but never that the augmented powers could be stronger than the very objects designed to tame us."
The brunette made a face as he spat Ryou's blood out of his mouth and into a folded Kleenex tissue. "Your blood tastes downright atrocious, Ryou," he muttered darkly, then he realized what his friend had said. "Wait, I thought purebloods only went into heat on a blue moon."
"Oh fuck," the younger breathed, amber eyes wide now with the injection of adrenaline.
"I agree completely, Ryou."
Since Ryou was currently sleeping off his exhaustion on Kaname's couch, the older pureblood resigned himself to greeting Asato Ichijo in person as it would allow him the opportunity to figure out which vampire he had mated with (the only human either one could have possibly wanted to mate with was Kaname with Yuki, but seeing as she wasn't currently in the country, he decided she could be taken off the list of potential suspects). Still, he hadn't expected it to be so easy, Takuma smelling strongly of roses, the symbol of a pureblood, in a way he hadn't even when he had been sleeping in Kaname's bed when they were both eight, and he wasn't disappointed, unable to scent roses on anyone other than Takuma and light traces of Ryou's citrus-esque smell, to be expected since the pureblood had been sleeping on the couch earlier.
He mechanically exchanged pleasantries with Ichio, only brought back to the possibility that Ryou's blunt manner of speaking might have rubbed off on him at a quiet word from the blond noble. He gently smiled at the blond in a silent gesture of thanks, this time making a conscious effort to pay attention to the older man, both to protect Takuma in case the perky noble was his mate and to try to keep the fact Ryou was here from the manipulative vampire. "Kaname-sama, purebloods are different from Aristocrats. Even if you're covered in blood, nothing can defile you. You're a flower that smells lusciously sweet for eternity." He resisted the urge to shudder when a gloved hand closed over his own, bringing up to the man's lips. "Your overflowing youth, power, beauty… I pray that someday I will be able to receive the benefits of your incomparable blood-"
"Kaname-sama!" Hanabusa and Ruka cried simultaneously, she moving in front of the pureblood while he grabbed the older man's arm.
"Well well," a quiet voice added from the stairs, instantly causing everyone below to look up to see Ryou leaning against the banister, his right elbow and left arm resting on the wood so that he could pillow his cheek with his hand, and wearing clothes fancy enough to nearly outclass Kaname's dressy yet casual style, "you have some nerve, Asato Ichijo, to presume such honors will come to you, though I must say it is quite refreshing to meet someone so forward in these times of endless dancing around what it is we truly want in the vampire court."
"Ryou," Kaname called softly, "you are being much too blunt about such things for a first encounter."
The younger pureblood shifted his weight from dead center to his left leg. "Am I?" he asked, blinking in surprise. "I hadn't even noticed." He straightened up, taking his time striding down the stairs to stand by Kaname's side, respectfully positioning himself behind Kaname in a subordinate position. "Forgive me for my presumption, Asato Ichijo. In my society, I so rarely have to attend such formal functions, never mind that I have been away from 'decent company'," here the slight stress on the words was one most would not sense, but Kaname picked it up only because of his extended companionship with the other male and Takuma seemed aware of it as well, if only by the slight tensing of his muscles and a subconscious shifting into a more protective positioning to the pair, "that I seem to have abandoned whatever manners I may have been taught."
"Choushinsei-sama," Hanabusa murmured quietly, and the young pureblood reacted swiftly, his hand flicking out to slap the poor noble across the face in a movement too fast for any eyes to see save Kaname's and Ryou's himself.
"I would have thought you one to train your dogs better, Kaname," he remarked quietly, his amber eyes closed-off to the upturned reddening cheek of the blue-eyed blond. "Still, I guess any dog, no matter how well trained, may sometimes bite at the heels of a perceived-criminal."
Akatsuki looked almost as if he wanted to take the pureblood's arm off for that statement, but Kaname snuck him a subtle look that told him in no uncertain terms to simply let things play out. "Choushinsei-sama… the Supernova Prince… Ryou Ayumu," the elder Ichijo murmured, bowing regally. "It is truly an honor to meet someone so highly regarded throughout the world, Ryou-sama."
"Well, I would truly love to stay and chat," Ryou murmured softly, his face neutral but Kaname clearly sensing the disgust burning through his veins with every second that he stood there, "but I have some paperwork I've been neglecting to look at as a favor for the Overseer of England, so if you would excuse me." The younger pureblood didn't wait for an answer, just walked away as if he didn't care what Ichio said, taking his status for granted.
"I apologize for Ryou," Kaname murmured softly, gesturing towards the direction his friend had walked off in once he was sure the black-haired male was out of earshot. "He grew up in a state where he was either ridiculously spoiled or around foul-mouthed humans who served as rather lacking role models. Like he said before, he doesn't really know how to act around others."
"It's quite all right," Ichio stated blankly. "Now, if you will excuse me, may I talk to my grandson in private?"
"By all means," Kaname allowed, spreading his hands. "I have my own personal matters to resolve anyway."
Zero stoically hid his limp as he slowly walked to greet the newly-returned Yuki. "Zero!" she yelled, dropping her bags and hugging him tightly. "You would have loved LA! The place where we stayed, well, it felt more like somewhere you would live than anything like the Moon Dorms!" Like what the other vampires live in were the unspoken words floating in the air, but both pretended that they weren't there.
Not wanting to suffocate, he gently pried her from around his chest. "Have you returned the keys yet?" he asked, knowing her forgetful nature as well as he did White Lily's iffy temperament.
"Oh my gosh, you're right!" she blurted, running off towards the Moon Dorm as he rolled his eyes at her childishness, taking his time with a slow amble in the same direction.
"Kaname seems to depend on you, Takuma," Ichio murmured, suddenly spinning on his heel to stare directly at his grandson, "but it seems Ryou is the one in the most need of guidance." He seemed as if he were thinking quickly, measuring his words out carefully to the younger when he added "Yes, Ryou is definitely not the better of the two purebloods… the Ayumu bloodline has diluted much since they left Japan… but with his past behavior, he will be the easier for you to woo."
"Woo?" Takuma echoed confusedly, his brow furrowing.
"Yes, woo. Ryou Ayumu may be the lesser of the two, but a weaker pureblood under my control is better than none at all." Suddenly, the old vampire was reeling backwards clutching his cheek, the shorter Level A bristling before him with burning amber eyes.
"How dare you?" the male growled, his vermilion button-up shirt highlighting the reddish tint to his gaze. "You have done naught but cause trouble since you got here, Asato Ichijo, but insinuating that I, the last remaining member of the Ayumu family, must have weakened blood due to supposed weakness and then presuming me willing to obey your every whim simply because you fancy me marrying your grandson to gain my compliance? How dare you!"
"Cross Academy is a tentative illusion born of a fictitious peace, is it not?" he replied, eyes narrowed in distaste. "Never mind that you further compromise it with your weakness, Ryou-sama."
"I AM NOT WEAK!" the dark-haired boy yelled, the force of his anger snuffing out the candles and shattering the glass of the lanterns.
"Cross Academy truly is peaceful!" a feminine voice added, Ryou recognizing her as Yuki Cross from the descriptions Kaname had regaled him with over the years.
"I would like to hear why Cross Academy can be considered 'peaceful' when such a problem child as Ryou Ayumu is on the grounds."
"Problem child!" Ryou hissed in indignation (he was generally ignored, mainly because he did so in a pitch low enough that it simply sounded like a low hiss to the other vampires and silence to poor little ignorant Yuki). "I'll show you a problem child!"
"The Headmaster would be happy to answer you that," another voice added, this one revealing himself to be a silver-haired lavender-eyed male with a vampire hunter's aura, "if you would follow me.'
"Very well, Zero Kiryu," Ichio replied, schooling his expression. "Lead the way."
As Zero passed, Ryou could have sworn he smelt roses, but his attention was diverted by a tug on his sleeve from Yuki. "Excuse me," she said softly, "but are you Ryou Ayumu?" He nodded absently, and she spluttered, "Thank you for letting me and my friend Yori stay in your flat!" She bowed from the waist, but he waved her thanks away.
"It was nothing," he replied blankly, turning to walk back into the Moon Dorm. "It makes me feel good when I know someone's around keeping the place feeling like it's acutally holding something alive inside it."
"Kaname-sama," Ruka whispered, walking towards the pureblood lying across the couch while he was reviewing a handful of forms, the back few sheets in a goldenrod and a horrid pink color, "if my blood can give you any kind of sustenance, I would be glad to let you drink from me."
"Ruka," he murmured softly, shaking his head. "You don't need to worry about me. I'm fine."
She went to step towards him, but a firm hand on her shoulder stopped her dead. "What Kaname should say but is too polite to," an amused voice said from behind her, "is that he's already mated. Your blood would taste like nothing but shit to him and do him no more good than plain water would."
"Choushinsei-sama!" she cried, whirling around to see him standing there.
"Yes." He scuffed his shoe on the floor, a sepia dress shoe that he glared at with enough fire to consign it to the scrap heap. "Would you do me a favor, Ruka?" She nodded, and he reached into the pocket of the black slacks he wore, pulling out a fancy silver tub. "Give this to Hanabusa. It's bruise cream that does wonders for the things that won't heal up quickly with a vampire's accelerated healing, as I would know from experience, and tell him it works better chilled… and that I'm sorry for hitting him."
"Yes, Ryou-sama," she murmured, taking the small item and walking out.
"I can't help but feel sorry for her, having obviously fallen in love with someone who could never return her feelings in the first place, never mind that the man she loves turned gay on us all."
Kaname didn't look up from his papers. "If you're hoping for a bed, go annoy someone else, I'm planning on returning to mine soon. And since when have you worn dress shirts like that?"
Ryou shrugged out of the shirt, pulling on his usual shirt and changing his shoes back as well. "Since I decided that decorum was needed and that blue does not make me look all too attractive." He tied the sweatshirt around his waist once more, striding towards the door, no doubt with the intent to crash on the couch in the main foyer again. "Zero Kiryu," he said, stopping in the frame as if he had just remembered the name.
"Excuse me?" Kaname asked, his brow furrowing slightly as he tore his eyes from the form.
"Zero Kiryu. He's the other male who mated with one of us, the other of course being Takuma."
"How ironic that the one vampire would like to kill all others and the noble who wants nothing to do with the world of politics would be mated to two of the most powerful purebloods who both come from families who essentially raised the vampire race from the ground up, wouldn't you agree, Ryou?"
Ryou smirked, his words hanging in the air long after the door had closed behind him with a near-silent click as the lock slid into place. "Ironic isn't the word I would use, Kaname; that would have to be fate."
Z: Reviews are what encourages Necro to write.
N: It's true. Besides, how else am I supposed to know if what I'm writing is (not) crap?
K: Until the actual pairings are revealed, you people can continue to review with guesses as to Ace and Skye's identities.
R: And the structured review of the chapter is: "I have read this Vampire Knight fanfiction, and it has three chapters, only one of which properly earned it's M rating."
T: All the chapters have reasons for the name. The Prologue, America's Charm, is after Ryou's mannerisms, almost embodying that international "American Charm"; Chapter One, Pureblood's Moon, is after the blue moon, which is essentially the moon that acts upon purebloods and makes them act as they wouldn't normally; Chapter Two, Lord's Breakdown, refers to the actual Tenth Night chapter "The Lord of the Moon Dorm" and then the two "explosions" caused by Kaname and Ryou loosing control of their powers.
N: UNTIL NEXT TIME, READERS!
I'll also show you a sweet dream next night...
