Author's Notes: Now this is the real one shot, though I'd like to tell you already that it's more for Anne and Kaito. Nothing, just suddenly wanted write it. I hope you enjoy it! ヾ(≧∇≦*)ゝ

I'm sooooooooo excited! ⊂((〃≧▽≦〃))⊃

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Roses and Thorns

"Yo! Zero my boy!"

The silverette turned at the greeting to find an annoying ash-brown hunter waving as he walked towards him. He frowned as he saw a suspicious glint in his hazel eyes, "What?"

"My dear Zero, as a wonderful present for your come-back from the world of the dead, let this wonderful senpai of yours treat you to some nice place." He conspiratorially whispered as soon as he hooked an arm behind the silverette's head from the side.

"What welcome gift. I've been back several months ago. You just wanted to go to some strip club. Don't drag me with you." The silver haired hunter said as he shook off Kaito's arm, proceeding towards his room. He once made the mistake of going with this bastard which landed him in trouble with his husband. He sighed, he just came back from a mission; he didn't have the time to deal with Kaito's raging hormones.

"Heh~, afraid of your hubby?" Kaito sneered, not backing out without a fight, "Fine, twiddle your thumbs here like a good ol' housewife." He mocked as he turned around, in the act of leaving with his hands behind his head, only looking back to flash a sarcastic smirk towards Zero who also turned back.

Oh he didn't just say that, "What did you say, you lightweight?" Zero glared, "I just didn't want others to see me together with someone who gets drunk after one tiny glass of rum," he scoffed, mocking the hunter's low alcohol tolerance.

"Huh?! Is that a challenge, punk?"

"No, it's a fact, asshole,"

They glared at each other as they bumped their heads, like two idiotic bulls locking horns.

"Otou-chan, are you going out?"

The sweet voice of his princess stopped Zero from bashing the bastard in front of him, "Ah, only for a while. Someone needs to keep this lonely old man out of trouble," he smiled as he patted her head while she giggled, "Just wait here, I'll just change." He turned to Kaito who grunted as he's too conspicuous with his hunter attire.

When they were left alone in the hall, the child turned towards the tall hunter and asked, "Where are you going, Kaito-san?"

"Somewhere you don't know. It's too early for a brat like you to know, you wouldn't understand." Kaito answered as he crouched to be at the same level of the little girl.

"Hmmmmm, just remember not to drink too much. Do not overestimate yourself as you well know your limitations," Anne smiled knowingly, generating a sweat from the hunter's forehead, "and always remember that beautiful women have thorns, be careful not to be prick and hurt yourself, Kaito-san."

The hunter stared for a while. There was something in the way she speak, smile and look at him that made him want to swallow. He really never understood this child; she's always been a mystery to him. It's not that he's wary or scared of her but sometimes, there were times like this that makes his heart beat uncharacteristically fast, as if he can feel a trap being laid out to snatch him and he felt that somehow, he's in danger… of what, he didn't know.

He wasn't able to say anything as Zero came back from changing and after kissing his daughter goodbye, they left but he already lost some of his zeal in seeing and meeting some babes as his mind got occupied by a certain lilac eyed pureblood princess.

"It's a surprise to see you so understanding."

She didn't turn around at the sound of her twin's voice; instead she watched unfalteringly as the car their otou-chan used drove further away, "I have always been understanding."

"Well, not if it concerns Kaito-san. Normally, you would go berserk every time they go away for this," he observed, now reminded of what their father will say if he's to learn that their otou-chan went with Kaito-san to a club again. He hopes they'll come back before their father is back from the council meeting.

"I won't do something so unsightly ever again," she smiled, "Ne Natsu, I've learned that if a master knew that there would come a time when her pet will be imprisoned for all eternity, then isn't it kindness to set him free as much as she can?" she smiled, only then turning to her twin who blanched white at her words, "I don't mind, I'm patient." She walked away as she chuckled a little darkly.

Natsume gulped as he watched his twin walk away, sighing at the fate that will undoubtedly befall the ash-brown haired hunter in the near future, "Run, Kaito-san, while you still can."

A sneeze escaped from Kaito as he sat inside Zero's grand black car.

"Cold?" Zero asked.

"No, maybe someone's reminding me." he sniffed as he rubbed his nose.

"Of what?" asked the silverette as he made a quick sideway glance to his companion.

"That beautiful women have thorns."

It will be a few years from then that Kaito will really know what that warning meant as he sat bloodied, leaning on the wall of an abandoned church, with heaps of vampire dusts surrounding him.

"Fucking wrong intel," he groaned as he nursed a large wound in his stomach where a vampire's clawed hand passed through, "One? Freaking triplets." He spat as he kicked the dust that was once a figure of a beautiful woman to alleviate his anger but the action only sent a wave of pain throughout his whole body, "Shit," looks like this is it for me, at least I got those bitches good.

He laughed then coughed, he's starting to taste blood inside his mouth. Yeah, he fucked up real good this time. He looked up at the sky seen through the broken ceiling of the old ruin and sighed, guess this is it.

He can't help but imagine the reaction of the people who knew him at news of his death. He smiled, will someone mourn for him? He thought of his esteemed mentor, the idiot chairman, then the stupid Kiryu twins, trying to imagine their possible reaction when the memory of a certain lilac eyed brunette intruded in his thoughts.

'Yeah, I'm sure that one will cry,' he mentally laughed, wondering why even when he's near death, would he still think about that princess and why in the world would he feel this unbelievably happy at the thought that she'll cry in his funeral.

He must be insane. He's not a pedophile but he still wondered why the hell he would be attracted to that brat. He smiled; it's only now that he's acknowledging being smitten by a brat, 'Heh, death is amazing.'

He closed his eyes as he panted, counting the lasts of his breath, feeling the strong desire to just see those familiar lilac eyes on the face of the beautiful brunette, "Brat," he unconsciously whispered.

"Ah, I told you, be careful not to prick and hurt yourself. Beautiful women have thorns, remember?" the familiar voice of the pureblood princess filled the silent ruins, quoting what she said many, many years ago.

He vaguely understood it as the lack of blood made him incoherent but he knew she must be mocking him. He would have smiled but he didn't even have the energy to move a muscle.

"This will hurt you a lot but it can't be helped, after all, disobedient children ought to be punished, right?" Anne said as she kneeled beside the unmoving body of the hunter. She must be quick or she would lose him forever, "Ne Kaito-san, don't hate me for this," she added as she effortlessly lifted his upper body, her lips just at the base of his neck, mustering all her self-control not to just roughly bite him because of the scent of his enticing blood in the air tempting her senses. She can't hesitate, not now.

"I'll just intoxicate you to the point you'll forget the pain," she whispered before she sank her slender white fangs into his beloved hunter's tender flesh, humming in delight as she finally tasted the hunter's blood. It's everything she thought it will be, "Be mine." She softly said after retracting her fangs as she placed a light kiss on her hunter's lips.

Kaito wasn't able to react to any of it though he did feel the pain of a vampire's bite piercing the skin over his pulse, smell the beguiling sweet scent of lily of the valley, felt comforting warmth embrace his cold body, heard the familiar melodious voice claiming him and felt the ghost kiss on his lips. But what he remembered most of all was the warning he heard a long time ago,

"Beautiful women have thorns,"

When he next opened his eyes, with advanced vision not possible for any normal mortal to possess, his sight was instantly caught by the enchanting brunette smiling down at him. He smirked at the nervousness he saw hidden in her lilac eyes. He knew what could have happened but though he was at odds with it, he can't find the indignant anger that he should have for his lost lineage. He sighed inwardly as he can't help but feel that he's been caught at the sharpest and deadliest thorn of all.

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