Chapter 4: Underneath Your Mask
Zero idly twirled the red liquid around in his glass as he listened amongst a group of nobles he entwined himself in. He didn't bother to speak but he made sure to listen in case a question was directed to him. From the corner of his eye, just over by the refreshment table, Zero could see his brother-linked arm and arm with the young Kuran miss. The two seemed to had hit it off when Zero tucked himself away upstairs for a few.
The departure words the oldest Kuran left with Zero still pounded annoyingly in his head, but Zero paid no heed to it. Zero was just happy that Asato had his entire attention drawn on Kuran more than he was of him; it gave Zero the chance to mingle with others as a means to build relations that could benefit him. Maria on the other hand, took it upon herself to disappear to god knows where, but the occasional bird Zero saw hidden amongst the trees showed that she was still keeping a watchful eye out on the party.
The party itself had only just begun an hour ago, but to Zero it felt like more. The conversation was a bore; petty gossip was never something Zero was interested in, yet how people found this entertaining was beyond him. To Zero it was all meaningless chitchat.
"So Kurenai-sama, how do you like your welcoming party so far?" A blonde female noble asked.
"It's pretty grand for something I thought would be small." Zero admitted honestly.
The grand lobby he entered when he first came was decorated precisely and elegantly with a fair amount of the night class in attendance, but when he found out that the real gathering was being held in the backyard was when Zero fully came to terms with just how lavish this gathering really was. There were more night class members Zero hadn't seen in the lobby that were there in the backyard now. Even though it wasn't half the size it would be if a ball were held, yet even so it was enough that Zero wasn't quite expecting. The night class was fairly new to Cross academy but in it's new state it had gathered enough young nobleman and ladies to attend that could in no time catch up to the amount of humans who were in the day class.
"I did hear you turned down a vampire ball for favor of a small gathering." Another blonde noble spoke, this one male.
Zero knew him to be Takuma Ichjirou, the grandson of Asato.
"I just didn't see the point of such a large gathering when I'm fairly new to the vampire world."
Takuma placed a hand on Zero's shoulders. "I can only imagine how that would be awful. But you'll get use to it eventually."
Zero smiled a little in response.
"Well I for one love grand parties, it's the only time really when you can mingle and make relations with others." The young blonde noble added.
"I suppose that's true." Zero couldn't deny that.
"Haven't you ever wanted to attend any before?" A brunette vampire asked.
Zero could recall a few times where he had wanted to go but his mother and father never allowed it. It was when their relationship was still under scrutiny between the vampires and hunters who shamed them for their marriage. Zero knew now that it was in order to protect them from the hatred they would receive when the world knew they existed.
Humans and vampires mating and conceiving babies weren't as big a taboo than when a vampire mating with a hunter was. Purebloods and humans made nobles. Nobles and humans made commoner vampires. Purebloods alone could turn a human into a level D that could turn into a level E if they didn't receive the blood of their master.
A baby between a vampire, more specifically a pureblood, and a hunter was taboo because of the sin that hunters were. Hunters themselves were humans with vampire blood in their veins; hunters only mated with hunters in order to keep the blood that helped them kill vampires. It's what made them on equal terms with vampires. Zero's father was turned into a level D by their mother and had awaken to the vampire blood in him. Ichiru and him were not entirely pureblood but not entirely human either. They were in a class of their own.
A casteless duo the first of their kind.
"Not really." Zero lied. The silver haired teen had an act to play and revealing his true past to strangers wasn't in it.
"Speaking from experience, there not that fun anyways." Takuma replied. "It's always a bunch of old gentlemen trying to make others wed their daughters."
"Arrange marriages?"
"Yea, that's what most vampire balls are used for, finding potential spouses to wed."
Zero was most certainly happy that he declined the ball now.
"Now that you mention it Takuma-san, there are not that many female purebloods who are not already taken, so I'm sure there would be lots of offers for your hand soon."
"Ruka-Chan stop." Takuma glared over at the other.
"I'm only speaking the truth."
"Then if we're speaking truth, there is a possibility that the person Kurenai-sama would marry could more or less be with another pureblood like Kaname-sama who is not engaged to anyone." The orange haired youth beside Ruka spoke.
Ruka visibly paled. "T-There will be no way Kaname-sama would agree to that."
"What wouldn't I agree too?"
Everyone's head turned to look at Kaname who snuck up behind them just seconds ago and along side him was Asato.
"We were talking about arrange marriages between purebloods." Takuma answered.
Kaname looked over to Zero who met his gaze. "Is that so?"
"They were just informing me of standard protocol of what most vampire balls are like and it would seem that finding spouses is one of them."
"That is indeed what most vampire balls are for. Is that why you refused one?"
"Not really, I just don't like big crowds."
"Understandable, you're still new to events like these. It takes time to get use to."
"So I'm told."
"It would seem you two have quite the particular relationship." Asato chimed in.
Zero had almost forgotten that others were with them. It seemed as though whenever Zero found himself around Kaname, the outside world would no longer exist and it would be just the two of them in their own universe.
"Perhaps an arrangement between you two could be a possibility."
"I appreciate your kind suggestion Asato-san, but at the moment I will have to decline this offer. There are things I wish to accomplish first before I decide to wed anyone."
Asato seemed almost surprised by Zero's refusal but he made no indications to pursue the matter any further, at least not now.
Zero took this opportunity to dismiss himself before anything else was said. Zero sighed in relief when he found himself alone inside the dorm lobby. Parties, even small ones like this, were most likely going to be something Zero wasn't going to like much.
Walking straight down a hall toward the left of the lobby led Zero into a large library. Zero hadn't really paid attention to where his feet were taking him until he stopped amongst an array of books. Zero had a love for reading, so finding a library as large as this was like hitting a gold mine.
Zero slid his fingers along the smooth surface of the spines of books all lined up in rows. The library had two floors and different sections. The silver haired teen glided through them, heels clanking as it walked up the spiral staircase to the second floor.
Books, the stories in them were an escape of different varieties for Zero; it helped him cope with the lost of his parents. It shielded him from the outside world if only just for a flitting moment. Zero spent most of his time in the small library in Lily's home and read from cover to cover every book in her collection twice over, but the moon dorm's was bigger in comparison with far more books to choose from.
"Enjoying yourself?"
Zero yelped in surprise by the sudden voice beside him.
"God Damnit Kuran-san." Zero cursed the other male. "Isn't there a better way to approach someone without scaring them to death?"
"I don't know, I've never really scared someone to death before."
Zero rolled his eyes. "Just be more aware."
"I'll try."
The silver haired vampire ignored the chuckle that followed as he made his way around to the foreign literature section. Zero looked amongst the selection before pulling a first edition copy of Les Miserables.
"You know of Victor Hugo?"
"Of course, doesn't anyone?"
"So you've seen a play of his?"
"No, I rather read the book before I decide to watch a human recreation of it."
"Now that's interesting."
"How so?"
"I just haven't met someone other than myself who would rather read a book before watching a play or movie of it."
"Isn't that what most people do?"
"Not anymore. As human technology advances, the more reading books on paper become unentertaining. Those who still read books rather do it on a device than have a book in their hands."
Zero looked at the rows of books on the shelf, even though the library was being cleaned, Zero could tell that most, if not all, of these books have not been touched in years. Kaname was speaking truth when he said that people rather read or watch movies on devices that were beginning to replace the more original stuff. Zero always rather preferred to read a book in his hands rather than read it on a device that gave him a headache or sored his eyes if he stared to long at a screen.
"It's a shame to see such amazing books wither away." Zero uttered mostly to himself than to anyone.
"That won't happen as long as you're here to read them."
"Pardon?"
Kaname extended his hand and dropped a metal key into Zero's palm.
"She's all yours."
"You can't be serious?" Zero asked. "I can't take this."
Zero tried to hand back the key but Kaname wouldn't take it.
"Keep it, you can probably put it to more good use than anybody here."
"Even so I can't accept this."
"Why not?"
"Because you can't give something away for free without being given something in return."
Zero couldn't trust Kaname and he knew the other was plotting something he couldn't see.
"Can't you consider it a kind gesture from one pureblood to another?"
"Not when your threat from earlier is still clear in my mind."
"Forgive me for my earlier comment, I didn't mean to offend you in any way. I just have to take into consideration that it was your distant relative who murdered my parents, so please understand why I would have to be wary of you and your siblings."
"Well then take this into consideration too…" Zero started as he shoved the key into Kaname's hand. "They were framed by god knows who and I will do whatever that's within my power to discover who and why. So you can take your gift and shove it up your arse because I won't tolerate your constant belittling of my siblings, my family, and me."
Kaname stood in an amused daze after Zero left him alone in the library. Never had someone spoken to him like that, even a fellow pureblood never did. Yet this particular individual was different, but that didn't mean the silver haired vampire was any less dangerous and Kaname had to keep his distance from the other. At least until he uncovered what she truly was.
Kaname played with the key in his hand with a smirk. "It won't be long before I uncover what's truly hidden underneath your mask."
TBC…