This is another section that proves the need for a T rating... but one of the next sections will need a jump to M. If I can finally get the damn thing written right. If not, you will get a half-assed sex scene with a M rating.


What did you do? I asked myself. Your carelessness made her make this decision. She looked like she was dead, but I could feel her heart beating. I could smell his blood in her, invading her system.

I leaned over her unconscious form and scooped her up into my arms gently, crossing the room to lay her on the bed. She stirred slightly in my arms, her mouth seeking my neck instinctively. She turned away quickly and her eyes opened slowly.

"Zero-kun," she said. "What in the hell are you doing here? I believe you made yourself perfectly clear earlier." She tried to pull away from me, but she was too weak.

"I'm sorry, Sanako-chan."

" 'Sorry' will not fix telling someone you hate them," she replied tartly. "But it's not like I'll let that stop me. Kaname asked me, and I accepted."

"I can tell," I told, my voice getting so low it was almost a growl. "I don't hate you, Sanako-chan. I'm just worried one day you'll look in the mirror and hate who you see."

She recovered enough strength to move out of my arms and roll over, her face away from me. "I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing it for Kaname."

I started and stared at her. "What?"

She blushed. "He's got that look in his eyes that made me want to comfort Senri. He's so incredibly lonely. That's what made me do it. Someone needs me, Zero-kun, and I can help him."

I sat down on the bed beside her. "And you're jumping in, heels over head, to help a creature you hardly know?"

She looked back over at me. "I've know that type of loneliness before, Zero-kun. It breaks my heart to see anyone else like that."

I stroked her hair gently, not sure I knew what else to say.

"So can you forgive me for becoming something you despise?" she asked, her voice muffled by her pillow.

I leaned in and kissed her wet cheek. "Of course, Sanako-chan."

The tears came faster. "Damn it!" she yelled, "Why can't I control my fucking emotions?!" She sat up and flung herself into my arms like she was a little girl. "I hate it," she wept against my shoulder. "I hate smelling your blood, Zero-kun."

I rubbed her back. "You'll get used to it."

"Damn it, you smell good," she told me, sobbing even harder. "Like cinnamon and cloves with a hint of sugar. I hate wanting your blood. I feel like I'm betraying you."

I jerked back. "You want my blood?" I asked, bewildered.

"I won't take it," she whispered. "Not unless you are on your knees begging me to. I don't know why I want it. But I won't take it."

I pulled her back to me, admiring her restraint, even early on. Most made vampires can't help but take the blood of one they crave. But why does she crave me? I wondered.

She fell asleep in my arms, like a trusting child. I laid her down gently and covered her with a blanket. She still looked so innocent, even at 22. I leaned over and tucked her hair behind her ear before kissing her forehead.

I paced the room for a half hour, unsure what to do other than watch over her. I finally laid down on the other side of the king-sized bed that dominated the room, on top of the blankets she was beneath. After I settled next to her on the bed, she turned toward me, still asleep, and instinctively shaped her body to mine, her breasts pressing against my side.

She might look as innocent as a child when she slept, but I knew she had lush, feminine curves that proved her a grown woman. As she snuggled against me like a child, I stroked her hair gently, trying to distract myself from the body pressed against me.

Damn it, I thought, Why did she have to tell me she craved my blood?

I awoke with the dawn, suddenly aware of the strong arms wrapped around me and the hard chest my breasts were plastered against. I glanced at his face and found Zero had fallen asleep in my bed with me. His eyes were closed, and he looked like a little boy. I squirmed upward enough to kiss his cheek.

"I'd watch the squirming if I were you," he told me, not even opening his eyes.

"Then let me go," I told him, a flush rushing furiously to my cheeks.

"No," he told me. "You're my hostage. Go back to sleep, Sanako-chan," he rumbled against me.

"Drop the –chan. Any guy who slept in the same bed with me and held me while I cried should be able to call me by my first name alone," I added, giving up and snuggling deeper into his embrace.

"That reminds me: why do you have such a large bed in here, Sanako?" Zero asked.

I looked away, uncomfortable. "Kaien had it here when I arrived. I don't know why."

Suddenly, all I could smell was Zero's blood. "Let me go, Zero-kun," I demanded.

He let go instantly. "What's wrong?"

"I need… food," I told him, blushing as I hopped out of bed.

"I see," he said. "Should I leave?" he asked softly, apparently remembering what I said about craving his blood, crawling out of bed to stand next to me.

"Make up your own mind. It makes no difference. I need to the infirmary. That's where my tablets are."

Zero reached into his pocket and produced the box of tablets I'd been given by Kaien. "This is why I came looking for you last night."

I took the box from him and wordlessly dry-mouthed a tablet. I felt it the instant it hit my stomach. I could finally smell something other than his blood. "I need to go into town. Get some sleep and get to your classes. Tell Kaien I'm not teaching today." I opened my third floor window and hopped out into the dawn, Zero stunned and staring at my back.

I wondered aimlessly through town a few hours later –after running back to my room for my purse, which I'd forgotten in my dramatic exit. I'd bought a change of clothes, a red tank top and a short black skirt, which I now wore. There just wasn't anything more that I had to do. I opened the door of a restaurant and strode inside, sliding into an empty booth.

The waitress came and handed me a menu. I ordered coffee and Death By Chocolate. I wasn't sure if I could eat or drink as a vampire, although I supposed I should be able to. The waitress came with my coffee and chattered with me. I pretended to be interested and spoke back to her politely. She headed back toward the kitchen.

My eyes were drawn to a pair of broad shoulders –and the person attached to them, of course. I knew those shoulders. I'd cried on those shoulders the night before. But the long silver hair that brushed the tops of his shoulder blades was too long. That was when I remembered being told at sometime that Zero had a twin brother. Apparently, an identical twin, I thought, stunned. If only I could remember his name! I inhaled his scent. He smelled sweet with a mix of ancient spices. Human, with a hint of Pureblood. Mother! I thought, her blood in his veins calling to me.

I threw some money on the table, got out of the booth, and strode toward him. When I reached him, he turned toward me without me saying a word. "My mistress heard about you," he told me. "She sent me to bring you to her."

I looked into his eyes, identical to Zero's, yet with a harder edge to them, a glint of hatred. "Take me to her," I told him, intentionally pulling at her blood in his veins.

He looked at me, startled by my action. "What-?"

"I pulled at her blood in you, Kirruyu-san," I told him, looking innocently at him. "Does she have an issue with humans or something?"

"What are you talking about? She Changed my brother," he told me, a little bitterness lacing his voice as he led me out of the restaurant.

I took his hand. "Changing is no cake walk. Trust me."

"Why did you take my hand?"

"It makes us look more like a couple on a date, not like I'm just following you. We blend in with the scenery." He led me through the town, to the outskirts, where a carriage resided.

"Shizuka-sama doesn't want to chance you telling where she is," he told me.

"I understand," I told him. "Do what you must." He tied a piece of cloth over my eyes, blocking off my vision as he led me into the spacious carriage. "You're damn lucky this carriage is this big," I murmured. "I'm claustrophobic, and there is nothing worse that a claustrophobic vampire."

He led the horses down a path they knew well. I could feel their familiarity with it as they walked, each step sure. I concentrated on their feeling of familiarity as we plodded along.

We came to a stop and he untied my blindfold. "We're here," he stated, extending his hand to help me out of the carriage. I took it and stepped down, quietly surveying the surroundings.

The first word that came to mind when I looked at the mansion was 'haunted'. "And here I was thinking she had better taste," I mumbled.

He looked at me oddly. "What?"

I waved it away. "Nothing."

He led me into the mansion, through the dark parlor to the sitting room, lit only by candles. If this gets any more clichéd, I'm gonna puke. There she sat on the crimson sofa, waiting for me. The glow of the candles made her pale skin look almost translucent. Someone, hand me the barf bag! "Come on!" I exclaimed. "Grow some taste outside of a vampire legend, will you?"

"Is that anyway to greet your mother, Koshiba Sanako?" she asked me, her voice tart.

"Is that anyway for a vampire to be, catering to the myths the humans believe?" I frowned at her. "The last thing you need is for the humans to think you are a vampire."

She laughed. "None of them believe those myths are really true, child. That's the beauty of this."

Her servant now wore a mask to cover his face and his beautiful violet eyes. I stared at him.

My mother noticed and her eyes narrowed. "Leave us, Ichiru."

He bowed and did as she ordered.

"You know his brother, don't you?"

I looked at her. "Zero's the only reason I sought you out," I told her, half-truthfully. "I was recently awakened as a vampire."

"So I've been told."

"Did they also tell you I've had an abnormal craving for the blood of the boy you turned?" I asked, knowing in truth they couldn't tell what they didn't know.

"Do you like my Zero?" she asked, her voice sweet. "I can give him to you, you know, just as easily as I could give you Ichiru. Or maybe you're a bad girl and want both?"

Her tone of voice sent torrid images into my head, heated images of them both with me, me screaming out in pleasure. The image seared me with hot, molten desire, but I waved the images away. "What is so special about him that I want him so much?" I asked, my voice rasping with my desperation. "I can hardly control myself when I'm near him. I barely stop myself from taking his blood. And he's an ex-human vampire!"

"I don't truly know. The boy is so beautiful even the angels crave him," she told me, leaning over to stroke my hair. "You have your father's hair," she whispered, overjoyed.

"What do you care?" I demanded, pulling back from her angrily. "You abandoned me!"

She strode toward me. "I couldn't keep you. How do you explain a dhampir to the Pureblood you're married to!"

"Oh, speaking of your husband, it turns out he also had a bastard child. Only he had him with a Noble. Seems Shiki Senri and I were born of the same marriage but not of the same parents." I gave her an icy look. "He was the one to Wake me, you know. I can still feel his fangs piercing my skin." I closed my eyes and let out a little moan.

My mother's eyes were wide with shock. "No. That bastard's son can't have you!"

"Who are you to say he can't?" I glared at her. "You're nephew isn't opposed to such a union." I didn't intend to do anything serious with Senri, but I couldn't resist playing the emotions of the woman who'd given birth to me.

Her eyes widened in shock.

"Maybe we could have a happy marriage –unlike our parents."

"Stay away from that boy or I'll kill him." Her voice was so low it was a growl. "The spawn of a monster can only become a monster."

"She's playing your emotions, Shizuka-sama," Ichiru piped up from the doorway.

I glowered at him. "I wanted to make her figure it out on her own. And anyways, shouldn't you be pissed? She offered you to me, along with your brother. How'd you know twins were my fantasy, by the way?" I asked, turning to her suddenly.

"Lucky guess."

I smelled the blood rushing to his cheeks. "Okay," I said. "Let's go back to where we were before I decided to play your emotions. I may have a semblance of a fling with Senri, but I'll never be that serious about him. Besides, I've basically become untouchable to most of the Nobles, anyway."

"I thought I smelled Kaname's blood in you. What did he do? I don't want him to have you, either," she added with a growl.

"Oh will you just relax, Mother! I'm not the marrying type, anyway, even if Kaname was my type. He gave me his blood, which basically made me the equivalent of a Pureblood."

"He made you… a Pureblood?" she asked. "How?"

I waved away her question. "It doesn't matter. I just wanted to ask if you could think of any reason for me to crave Zero's blood."

"There's nothing… unless you imprinted on him…" she trailed off. "What's he smell like?"

"Cinnamon and cloves with a hint of sugar," I told her, recalling the scent and feeling myself go wet as the craving settled in my belly and throat.

"Ichiru," she snapped. He came to her like the obedient servant he is. "Touch her."

"What?" he asked.

"Touch her. I don't care how, just do it!" she yelled.

I felt his approach, felt his hand land on my shoulder. I almost moaned at the contact.

"More intimately than that!"

He turned me toward him and hugged me against his chest. I couldn't smother my moan. Two seconds later, his mask was shattered and I was shoving him away as hard as I could.

"How in the hell did you imprint on him! It takes months to do that!" My mother was beside herself.

"I had to have done it before I was completely a vampire. I've practically lived in the same house for more than six months," I told her. "Is this one sided?"

"Sort of," she told me. "It's usually the male who imprints first and the female imprints instinctively afterward, but it looks like you imprinted first. It all depends on if he imprints on you." She sighed. "It looks like I'm giving him to you, after all. Call if you want Ichiru, too," she added playfully, looking me in the eyes.

"Shizuka-sama!" he exclaimed, embarrassed.

"Only on Wednesdays," I told her with a wink.

"Koshiba-san!"

"Chill out, Ichiru-kun! We were only teasing." I placed my hand on his cheek. "Besides, your brother wouldn't go for it either."

My mother looked at me. "I think it's time to change you name. Hio Sanako."

"Aw, how do I explain that to my students? 'I changed my name. No, I'm not married. No, it's not legal.'" I laughed. "Half of them won't understand the significance, anyway. How about I go by the name I've always had, mostly because Zero won't have a damn thing to do with me if he knows I'm your child?"

"Even if you don't go by that name, you're still my daughter," she told me.

"I know that." I smiled at her. "But I need to get back. My second shift will be without their English teacher. And I need to eat before that."

She snapped her fingers at Ichiru, who automatically came to her side. She whispered in his ear.

"But Shizuka-sama!" he cried.

"Do it," she commanded.

He came over to my side. "Would you like my blood, Sanako-sama?"

I flushed and stared at him. "You do understand some thoughts will pass here, right? So don't do it unless you are totally willing."

"I understand." He stood by me.

I rose to my feet and backed him against the wall, kind of ending up in his arms. "Head up," I directed. He hurriedly followed my instruction. "I'm not going to lie to you. This will hurt. And you will hear every drop of blood I suck out of you."

"I understand," he repeated.

I nuzzled his neck a few times, smelling the sweetness and the spice. "You smell good, you know. Like ancient spices and honeysuckle," I told him, tonguing the place where his pulse throbbed in his neck. He gasped and his pulse accelerated. I hesitated once before sinking my fangs into him. He released a hiss of pain. "I'm sorry," I told him, lapping up the stray droplets before I latched onto him, drawing deeply twice before pulling back and lapping at the wounds until they closed. I stood on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear. "I know you love my mother. Take care of her for me, Ichiru-kun."

He gasped. "Yes, Sanako-sama."

I kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

He flushed and nodded.

"Goodbye, Mother," I told her, hurrying out the door.

Ichiru hurried after me. "I'll escort you to the school, Sanako-sama."

I smiled. "Just up to the gate, if you will?"

He nodded in acknowledgement. We climbed into the carriage and he hurried the horses through the forest to the town. We climbed out and practically ran for Cross Academy, hand in hand, frightening couples as we passed. Can't be late, can't be late, I chanted in my head, pulling Ichiru forward.

When we got to the gate, we stopped and caught our breath. That was, of course, when I realized the Day Class students were gathered to watch the Night Class.

"Shit!" I exclaimed. How was I going to explain Ichiru's presence? "C'mere, Ichiru-kun. You get to pretend to be my boyfriend for five minutes," I told him grimly.

His eyes went wide. "Why?"

"Because those girls over there are my students," I told him, my back to the gate.

He took a step closer and I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to mine. I kissed like I loved him, like I longed to kiss his twin, a deep, open-mouthed kiss that lasted about ten minutes. We separated, Ichiru startled by the kiss, my breathing harsh.

"See you later, honey," I exclaimed, running through the gates, pausing only to wave and smile at Ichiru, adding to our pretense. He gave me a bone-melting smile and turned to hurry back to my mother.

A gaggle of girls slid up beside me. "Who was that, Koshiba-sensei?"

"Just my boyfriend," I told them like it was nothing. I licked my lips nervously, trying to come up with a name. I did not want to explain having a boyfriend who shared a name with Zero's twin brother. "Hiro-kun. I went to school with him."

"Is he good-looking?" they asked, suddenly distracted from the Night Class students. "Is he sweet? Is he a good kisser?

I worked hard to not look at Zero when I answered, "Yes, he's handsome, and he's reasonably sweet. And yeah, he's a great kisser." I winked conspiringly at them. "Don't tell anyone I skipped morning classes to hang out with my boyfriend. I'll never hear the end of it."

"We promise, Koshiba-sensei!" the girls replied, excited. "But tell us more!"

I made up all sorts of lies to tell the girls. Hiro and I'd been going out for about six months. He was thoughtful and considerate. He became a dream boyfriend in five seconds flat, mostly because I was making it up as I went along. The girls accepted my answers readily, and I felt a bit guilty about lying to them about Ichiru.

"It's time for you all to head back to your dorm."

The girls scattered quickly at the sound of his voice. I looked over at him. How in the hell did I imprint on him? I wondered.

"Are you doing better?" Zero asked, concerned.

I smiled brightly at him. "Of course! All I needed was a bit of alone time."

"Who was that guy?" he asked suddenly.

"Oh, Hiro-kun? A friend from school. A good friend," I added thoughtlessly, smiling.

"A good friend you kissed?" Zero asked, his face unreadable.

I flushed, recalling the kiss I'd given Ichiru and who, exactly, I'd been thinking of when I kissed him. "I guess you could kind of call him my boyfriend," I said hesitantly.

"Since when?" he questioned.

"Since right about when she kissed me like she wanted me," announced Ichiru as he strode through the open gate.

"Honey, I thought you had work to do," I said, frowning sternly at him. He'd slipped in incredibly blue contacts and put on a dark wig and looked like a completely different person.

He waved that away, coming over to stand by my side. "She gave me the rest of the day off."

So that was what my mother told him before I fed. Blood rushed to my cheeks as I recalled the sweet taste of his blood on my tongue. My tongue darted out to moisten my lips.

I was pleasantly surprised when Ichiru leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back, hungrily, before pulling away slowly. "Sorry," I whispered, leaning my head on his shoulder.

He gently stroked my hair, which was still wild and down my back. "That's the first time someone's apologized for kissing me," he told me wryly in my ear.

I smiled at him slightly. "I've never been a normal girl," I whispered back. I drew out of his embrace to see Zero staring at us, his expression guarded.

"So that's how it is," he said softly, turning on his heels and walking away from us.

Ichiru let out a low whistle as soon as his twin was out of earshot. "Someone's jea-lous."

I looked at him. "The irony is you're his twin and while he must have realized that on a subconscious level, it hasn't sunk in yet."

"The irony, Sanako-sama, is you don't want me: you want him," he said, his gaze meeting mine calmly.

"I was getting there. But a threesome with you guys would still rock my world," I added, just to see him blush.

"Sanako-sama!"

"What?" I asked. "I like teasing you, okay?"

"How long until you're up to lecture?" he asked.

"English is the last lecture of the night. Why?" Curiosity made me ask.

He leaned in and licked my neck. "We get to pretend we spent some quality alone time."

I shivered against him as he kissed my neck and slid his arms around me. "I thought we were pretending," I murmured.

"Well… maybe a little," he replied against the skin of my neck.

"Idiot! Don't do that to a horny vampire or you will have your bones thoroughly jumped!" I hissed as he licked the place where my pulse now throbbed in my neck.

"Why?" he asked me innocently, licking it again.

"Because I'll forget it's your brother I want," I growled, harshly pulling his face up to mine. I devoured his mouth like a starving woman, my tongue sliding past his lips to tangle with his as he pulled me hard against his chest. My hands slithered down to slide under his shirt and up to measure the breadth of his chest. I jerked my mouth away when I realized what I was doing. "Why in the hell did you do that?" I growled, pulling my hands out from under his shirt.

"Because he was walking by us right about the time you said something about jumping my bones," he replied, composed as always. "Although it would have been better if you hadn't said that loud enough he could hear." He brushed my hair out of my face. "Shizuka-sama told me to make him want you if he didn't already."

I flushed. "Don't play me like that, Ichiru-kun, and ever expect me to trust you again!" Whirling on my heels, I started away.

"You don't have to trust me," he breathed out, catching my hand. I felt like he looked clear through me. "You just have to touch me." His arm snaked out to wrap around my middle and pull me against him, my back meeting his front. He exhaled sharply as my ass met his groin. His lips brushed my neck, making me shiver against him as his hands slid up to cup my breasts. I moaned out loud as his fingers brushed against my nipples and I felt him smile against my skin. "I don't care if you pretend I'm him," he told me, his fingers playing with my breasts until my nipples hardened and strained against the fabric of my bra and shirt.

"Ichiru-kun," I exhaled. "If you want to do this, there are better places than the courtyard." There. I'd said it. He had me too turned on to care who was touching me. I pulled his hands off my breasts and led him to my room in the staff quarters. When I opened the door, however, I saw Zero sitting on my bed. Ichiru bent his head and kissed my neck. I moaned softly.

Zero looked up at me, his eyes wide. "Sanako?"

I pulled away from Ichiru slightly. "Honey, let me talk to him alone." I knew Ichiru was about a centimeter from asking Zero if he wanted to watch, so I turned and kissed him lightly. "Please."

Ichiru disappeared into the shadows, like anyone who works for a vampire was wont to do. Zero's scent rose up to meet me as I strode into the room, closing the door behind me.

"What are you doing? Trading sex for blood?" he asked me, the look on his face disgusted.

I smirked mockingly at him, mostly because he assumed the worst of me. "What do you care? He doesn't."

The look he shot me was horrified.

"You know, he made me realize something," I told him.

"What's that?" he asked, not really caring what the answer.

"I can't keep waiting on you to wake up and smell the hottie, Zero-kun," I replied snappishly, turning my back on him and leaving the room.

Sanako is definitely fed up with him, hmm?Do you think he understands what she just told him?

You'll have to wait, my lovelies, for the next chapter.

So REVIEW, review, review, and keep me inspired!