"Ichiru, can you hear me?" I touched his face, fingers pressing all too delicately on his skin.

He wasn't responding.

"It's Zero." I smiled, bringing my face closer to him as I stared into his eyes. Those orbs were unmoving, seemingly unseeing, but that didn't deter me.

My forehead touched his. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.

"It will be just the two of us from now onwards."

Ah.

A single drop of tear escaped as I blinked my eyes open.

"Zero, open the door. You're going to be late for school!"

I sighed and made an attempt to push myself up. My head felt a little dizzy. Usually when that happened, it indicated that I hadn't had enough sleep. I was vaguely aware of how restless I had been as I tossed and turned under my sheets throughout the night.

It had been seven years since mom left us, seven years since we lived by ourselves in this house which mom had abandoned, and six years since you left me. It had been a year since I coped with your death, but I never had been able to get over it. Even until now, I lived my life with you surfacing between my reality and dreams.

"Zero!"

The house had always been silent with the two of us. With me occasionally talking to you so that you wouldn't feel too bored all the time and telling you little events that had happened during the morning period where I stepped out of house to attend school. When you were still alive, Yuuki wasn't this persistent. But with your death, she claimed that the changes that had happened in me was unacceptable. She started becoming more outspoken, more demanding as she came and obnoxiously threatened me to open the door every morning.

I knew I didn't change, Ichiru. Because I could still feel that same emotions rushing in me whenever I thought of you. She was just being paranoid.

"If you don't come out, then I won't stop bugging you!"

Like I could ignore that when she phrased it like that. Knowing her, she probably wouldn't budge from the door an inch unless I opened it. I had my own limit of patience, and I knew I wasn't keen enough on staying stuck listening to her calling out to me each single second.

I was ready in ten minutes.

"What took you so long? I would've probably kicked that door down if you spend another minute ignoring me inside."

What a thing to say. People wouldn't expect someone with such a pretty and gentle face like that would be able to speak out such extremities. Then again, she only speaks this way to me. Perhaps, I had understated the number of years we had known each other. Both of us had probably grown too familiar with each other over the years to not have those boundaries that should've existed between a male and a female.

The boundaries between us at the moment was indecipherable. It wasn't in any category I found accessible for referring. Something was off.

"Zero!"

Her gasp broke my train of thoughts. We were currently walking to school when she had suddenly burst into a fit of panic nerves in the middle of the street. It was peaceful until then.

She leaned over. I instinctively pulled back, but not quite enough to avoid her hand which was reaching out to pull my shirt collar away from my neck.

"Since when…?"

I pried her fingers off. I didn't like explaining to her questions. Having to tell the reasons sometimes drained me emotionally. I disliked baring anything of myself to others. Therefore my response was merely a shrug of shoulders before I walked ahead of her.

"Zero, you know tattoos are prohibited in school! What would the disciplinary teacher do if he caught you with it?"

"Let him do what he wants. I don't care." I thought it would be stressful for me if I have to worry about every single thing like Yuuki did. Because it wouldn't only be restricting myself, but it would also be tiring to be so cautious all the time.

"There you go again."

Her footsteps made a halt behind me. I didn't falter, however. I knew what she meant. I knew she was tired of me behaving so nonchalantly in each and every matter. She must see me as someone annoying, arrogant and too proud for his own good. I thought it was better that way. As a matter of fact, I think she should've been viewing me that way since a long time ago.

It would put a distance between us. And it'd do both of us some good.

"Idiot!" She shouted angrily.

I sighed. I didn't have the desire to say anything in reply, so I merely brushed her off and proceeded like it was nothing.

I had even threatened to kill myself if she came nearer. But did that deter her from approaching me later? No. It was like she had forgotten all about it the next time she saw me. She was as stubborn as a mule…

Brother, you can be so stubborn at times.

"It was only for appropriate reasons. Not like her nonsensical reasons." I muttered to myself. A slight frown began to mar my face.

I felt uneasy discovering that this similarity might probably be the reason why I had been so tolerable towards her. Or maybe, it was because I felt indebted. Her father, Kaien Cross, was afterall the man who had taken both me and Ichiru in after the incident. He was also the man who had continuously paid for Ichiru's medical fees after he was discharged from the hospital.

Ichiru had a weak body since small. He could get sick easily because his immune system was low. Mom expressed her agony through the countless tantrums she threw on him. During those time, I was the one who would be there to shield all the onslaughts of her piercing words as I hugged him close to my body. When it had ended, he would cry in my arms and it would just be another night that will be filled with soft whispers of soothing comfort.

I could understand why Ichiru felt so insecure. But at the same time, I wanted him to feel that he had me in his world. It wasn't just mom. He had me. I'm willing to do anything for him, for him to smile and be happy. I wanted him to see me as his world.

I love him. Perhaps, too much that…that it eats me from inside whenever I remembered him.

I suddenly wavered in my steps. My vision suddenly became blurry. This wasn't uncommon. It happened when I found myself too immersed in the past. I knew thinking of the past will only worsen my condition, but how can I possibly forget them when they had been the moments I wish to keep forever in my memories? How can I possibly throw them away when they had been the only memories that reminded me of Ichiru?

I-I can't.

I found a narrow and dark alleyway where the morning lights wouldn't seep in and hid myself in it. It helped. Because in this darkness, I seemed to be able to find myself better than in the lights.

It was my solace, this darkness that enveloped me both from outside and inside.

Akatsuki Kain was waiting outside of the school gate when he noticed the girl who was always sticking beside Zero came by.

His first instinct was to grab her arm.

"W-What?" It looked as if she was deep in her own thoughts before that. But the thoughtful look was wiped off from her face as she now blinked in surprise at him.

"Where's Zero?"

She stared at him for another moment before frowning. Zero was separated from her a while back. She had thought that he would've already arrived by now since he had went on without her. It got her worried then as she mulled over it.

"I don't know. Why are you asking for him?"

She didn't get a reply despite her inquiries. All he did was to sigh. She could only watch as he casually turned on his heels after that, walking past the school gate and into the school compound with his school blazer slung over his shoulder.

Yuuki vaguely recognized him as one of the seniors from the elite class. And she had to wonder what mess did Zero get himself into this time to be involved with the other.

When I reached school, I knew I was late. The disciplinary teacher was standing near the gates, seemingly punishing the few students that had arrive late as well.

"Get down on your knees and put your hands behind your head! Say after me-"

He was apparently distracted, busily pointing out and yelling angrily to those poor students who cowered in fear in the presence of his deafening voice. I was saying the truth when I said I didn't care what he was going to do to me if he caught me, but that didn't mean that I enjoy being punished by him. And at the moment, I was in no mood to listen to anyone roaring obscenities into my ears. With my current annoyance, I might probably snap before I could even restrain myself.

So the best option was to avoid him.

I went around the school gates, where it led me to the back of the school. I threw my bag over before climbing the low walls myself. These low walls here had probably been climbed over numerous times by students who had a whim to leave school in the middle of the class. It was surprising how this place had never been discovered by the teachers. But it was all good. I had benefited myself through this walls countless of time. So I wouldn't complain.

"Hello."

I thought my heart just leaped into my throat as I completely froze. I turned around later only to meet with a face that bore calm eyes and a polite smile. However, I still found the whole situation unpleasant.

"Running away from Yagari-sensei?"

I smiled. Obviously, with sarcasm. "You bet I am. So are you going to report on me now?"

I thought he screamed every bit like the prefects from the Student Council. With his neat and polite appearance, calm and controlled demeanor and a firm-sounding voice. I could only guess that he was out on his daily patrol when he saw me.

I picked up my bag that was on the grass and looped it back onto my shoulder.

"If you're going to report on me, then why don't you arrest me now? You'll get merits from Yagari that way. He'll definitely look at you in a better light." That teacher had been trying to find faults in me for as long as I remember. He was practically looking forward to seeing me kneel before him. It seemed that capturing the faults in me had been his favourite past time recently.

Despite what I had said, the prefect reacted like it was completely normal. I was a little pulled off by his composure.

"Worry not… I won't report you if you could give me this in exchange."

"What is it?"

"Your name."

Naturally, I was dumbfounded.

He smiled. I began frowning. It was weird.

"What? You're going to write my name out and give it to Yagari then? You're still reporting on me that way."

He waved his hands casually. "It's not for that purpose. But I understand if you've misunderstood me."

At this point, I had grown to be wary of him. This person, with his refined face and gentle amber eyes that seemed to naturally soak into your vision, it was like seeing something unreal. He was the epitome of an ethereal beauty. It was awkward for me to admit it myself, but it was also a truth I can't deny. His appearance seemed so out of place that I almost had the urge to ask if he really belonged here.

Overall, he looked kind and harmless.

"Zero Kiryuu."

His smile widened.

Finished, right? I'll just assume that the exchange had been made and he'll have nothing to do with me anymore…

"I'm Kaname Kuran."

I had just walked a few steps until he said that, successfully stopping me in my tracks. But I did not turn. For some reason, I found that facing him bring forth a heavy feeling in me, like I was defying gravity or something. It was incomprehensible.

"I hope we will see each other again later."

I almost thought of turning around just to shot him my incredulous face. See each other again? Who was he kidding? Instead of turning, I laughed instead. I was surprised myself. It had been such a strange thing to say. And it was so out of the blue. To add to the strangeness, he sounded so friendly it was almost ridiculous.

"Of course."

As if we will.

Well. I hadn't quite expect him to be so sarcastic all the time. Nevertheless, I thought it was interesting.

Zero, right? I was right when I deemed that he was unique. Different from the rest. And there is this strong feeling in me that kept pushing me to want to know about him.

In my entire life, I had been subjected to normalcy that it sickened me to my stomach when the realization finally dawned on me. Each day had been the same, each faces I see everyday had been the same and the routines had been repetitive throughout my whole living years. It was starting to get dull, tiring. I wanted something different this time. If only for a while, I wish it would help to sprinkle colours into this gray world of mine, where things cease to become abstract in my life any longer.

Since the day I first met him at the bus stop, I thought I had found something colourful. Despite the gray clouds that hung solemnly above, despite the raindrops that pelted the earth dully, his presence that appear had radiated something so foreign that I thought it was almost fascinating to be immersed in.

That day when I had shivered underneath the rain, I came to another realization that I thirsted for someone to quench this emptiness in me. As his face burnt itself into the back of my mind, I found myself yearning. Yearning for him. That feeling had painted the white canvas in me in such an abstract way that I remained attracted to it, even until now.

And today, seeing him again for the second time, that colours continued to swirl on the canvas again.

It was a beautiful feeling. I was swayed by it, charmed by it and helplessly drowned in it. It had been such a long time since someone could excite me this way. He was the only one who could.

I knew I had found it then.

Love.