A/N: Here is the sixth chapter of The Devil! I am going to be focusing on this story writing wise until I fully write out what I have outlined. I will probably post 1-2 times a week for this story, as I am currently daily posting Heartless (A new femZero story of mine, if ya'll like gender-benders, check it out!). Basically, I'm posting once a day and it will usually be Heartless as I'll probably post The Devil's next chapters as I complete them. Please tell me what you think of this chapter and this story as a whole, and I hope you enjoy :)
Half the week passed uneventfully and not quite much had happened to disturb the Academy's residents. Kuran had been incensed upon hearing that the Council had deigned to interfere in what he claimed was his 'territory'- possessive prat that he was- without his knowledge, and he was even ticked off with Zero for killing them all virtually on sight. So essentially he had spent half a week in the doghouse so to speak and he was not happy about that in the least.
He had needs, goddammit!
But instead of going into town to pick up someone(s) to fuck away the horny he was instead marching into the clinic where he had been summoned by the Nurse to talk to Kurenai Maria. The Nurse complained that the petite noble vampire was insane and should be transported to the nearest mental hospital but Ichiru had fervently denied anything of that sort so while his twin was busy calling all her relatives or whatever he was going to meet with the girl herself.
Knocking on the door but not waiting for any welcome, he entered and greeted the cranky Nurse with a raised brow as she immediately hopped to bitching about the 'psychotic brat' who kept going on and on about her hallucinations.
Zero stilled at the complaint, his expression turning to one of curiosity as he demanded the Nurse explain.
She shrugged, "The brat hasn't shut up about some broad she dreamed up. Says the broad won't stop singing or some shit."
He waved her off and followed his senses to Maria's room, sneering when he heard the Nurse mutter about how she hated her job and all the 'brats' she had to put up with.
Bitter mortals could be fun at times, but he had no patience for the Nurse- hadn't since she had 'fixed' his fractured leg by breaking it in two his first year at the Academy.
He still harbored the desire to end her miserable existence, but she was unfortunately the only human nurse they had been able to find that could deal with vampire anatomy no problem as well.
But one day he had no doubt he would snap.
Pausing outside Maria's room, he blew out a breath and calmed his mind, pasting on a an expressionless mask to deal with the ill vampiress.
He knocked, waiting for a moment and then entering the small room where Maria was well-settled.
The room was neat and bare of almost all personality- grey painted walls and white and grey speckled linoleum tile floors- minimal furniture and mass-produced art taking up the allotted space without a single touch of warmth or welcome to brighten the senses of whoever was unfortunate enough to become sequestered here.
His eyes quickly spotted Maria sitting up in bed, her delicate form covered to the hip with heavy blankets that he was sure would irritate his skin should he touch them. She wore a thick white robe and a blush colored silk nightshirt, her fingers toying with the robe's ties in her lap, her hair hanging in tangles to enshroud her face in thick shadows.
She looked up from her hands, frowning, "You're not Ichiru."
Zero shook his head, "No. I'm his brother."
"She said Ichiru didn't have a brother."
"Shizuka?" He asked and she shook her head, "No…"
She glanced back down at her hands and he stepped closer, sensing another presence draw near the room but quickly ignoring it once he sensed the familiar train of thoughts.
Aido-senpai.
"Who, Maria-san?" He urged and took the chair that sat in the corner and sat down beside the bed.
Her face was thinner than before, her skin slightly grey-tinged, her eyes flat as if all that she had been was gone.
No, maybe she hadn't had anything to begin with- he had only seen her while Shizuka took up host in her body after all.
"The woman in white." She sighed, "Her name is Lily. She comes to me when I sleep. Says I can help her if I stay at the school. Says she wants to know everything to do with Kuran-sama."
He leaned back, "What is she?"
Maria blinked, her eyes slightly glazed, "She is a pureblood- but I think she's more than that. I think she's an ancestor."
"Why?"
Maria shrugged, her fingers twirling the white terry tie into a tangle.
"She feels more powerful than a normal pureblood and sounds older… She talks in more formal, flowery sentences- only old purebloods talk like that."
Her eyes became glazed once more and she leans further back onto the headboard for support, her fingers slowing in their movements.
She sighed softly.
He said nothing and waited for her to either fall asleep or continue and continue she did after another few moments.
"She calls all of us puppets… says she is our true master. Our true Queen. That she will play the grand game with Kuran Kaname as she had before but this time she'll win…"
Maria sighed once more and began to nod off before passing out completely.
"Aido-senpai." Zero called, "Be sure to tell Kuran everything you just heard. He'll want to know about this no doubt."
Aido grumbled about not being his slave but still rushed to do Zero's bidding anyway.
Zero sighed and stood, placing the chair back in its place before leaving the clinic and heading for the main house to talk with Ichiru about the vampiress he had just finished seeing.
His thoughts remained focused on Kurenai's words- the woman in white was another enemy, another player on the field and he had to think long and hard on who she was. He got the feeling Kaname would know about her if she had such a vendetta against him and he wondered who the female must have been to him for them to grow attached to one another enough for the separation to garner the female's hatred of him.
He had never heard of an ancestor named Lily, so there was only so much he could assess at this point. Begrudgingly, he laid aside that train of thought and focused on what the night still had in store for him.
Turns out the night had him being his adoptive sister's confidant in store for him and oddly enough, he wasn't too put off about that.
He and Ichiru had discussed what to do with Kurenai and he certainly was not going to let her remain at the Academy as a spy for whoever this Lily woman was and he didn't trust her to not fall victim to a pureblood's command if she refused to cooperate with the new adversary of theirs.
Ichiru had agreed and made the contact with her family to have her sent home by the weekend and so after that was laid aside, the twins spent a few hours training together- Zero determined to bring his brother as up to speed with hunter training as he could, adding in his own little fighting styles here or there as well.
Ichiru was doing well, but Zero knew he would never be able to be sent on a mission without him as even after a few hours he near passed out from exhaustion. And no, he had not been training him into the ground- okay, maybe he had, but it wasn't that bad.
And it wasn't as if he wasn't taking special care to correct Ichiru's form every other moment, teaching him the proper stances to withstand strong hits and yet be agile enough to avoid most of it.
His brother would have to be quick primarily- because of his weaker constitution he was left with frailer bones prone to breaks and skin prone to painful bruising so he would have to take special care to build his speed up so he could avoid most hits.
Not to say there wouldn't be other changes- Zero had already ordered supplements to help build muscle and bone health as well as strengthen the immune system. Some Ichiru had been on as a child, others Zero used himself and a few that were given to young hunters to make them strong enough to face level Es on their first hunts.
He had also scheduled appointments with several doctors to keep his twin in working order (which had led Ichiru to yell at him about it all- "Your so fucking controlling, Nii!"- and Zero had since shrugged off). He knew he couldn't be there at all times to protect Ichiru, so he would be damned if he gave him anything less than the best chance to stand up to at least two Nobles at once.
But anyway, now he sat in the living room of the Headmaster's house, Yuki sprawled across the couch with her legs in his lap as he paged through a well-worn mass market paperback novel.
"I don't feel good anymore," Yuki said after a few moments of silence, "I keep having these dreams- no, night terrors…"
He dog-eared his page and dropped his book onto the side table, glancing at her in concern- was her seal breaking? It would be too soon for Kaname to be willing to awaken her but if her seal was breaking on its own perhaps they would be forced to, lest it ruin her already fragile mind.
"What do you see in your dreams?" He asked her and she sighed, rubbing her face.
"Blood. Lots of it, coming from everywhere. It just- it overcomes everything and I feel like I'm drowning. I can't get free of it." She whispered, her voice turning rough with unshed tears.
He sighed softly, pushing his hair from his eyes before he pulled her forward, wrapping her in his arms.
She sunk into the warmth he offered with a quiet sob, and he slowly ran a hand over her back in soothing circles.
He didn't exactly understand why he cared to offer her any comfort at all, even if he had accepted her into his family- he wasn't the best at offering comfort, his words too brash and too honest to quell oncoming tides or restless emotion in others.
But still, he offered her silent comfort- his mind shifting from thought to thought, searching for a way for this to all turn out alright even though he didn't have all the variables.
He met with Kaname a few hours later, after Yuki had been soothed into rest with a glass of warm milk and a deep sleep charm thanks to his hunter training.
He was currently sprawled out like a grade schooler on the pureblood prince's office couch while said pureblood prince worked on finishing up his paperwork for the night.
Zero had, of course, already started drinking and frequently refilled his glass of overpriced bourbon with little celebration, content to wait for his… what was Kuran to him? A boyfriend? Boytoy? Ooh, he liked that term even if it was near comic to describe the ancestor in such a way.
A pleasant buzz made his form feel a bit floaty and he eventually put the glass down in dissatisfaction as Kaname finally finished for the night, coming to sit beside him in a chair.
"Any plans for the break?" Zero asked and Kaname sighed.
"No, but my circle is leaving for the Aido estate tomorrow night. I thought it best to remain to keep a close eye on things."
Zero cocked a brow.
"Aido tell you what Kurenai said?"
"Yes. I cannot recall such a female- though I have not recovered all of my memories so I cannot exactly disprove her existence." Kaname sighed once more, "Female ancestors were tricky and if I was close to her I assume she'd be exceedingly clever to keep my attention. She could prove to be a threat."
Zero nodded, "I thought the same."
They were silent in contemplation once more.
"Yuki's seal is breaking." Zero drawled, retaking his glass and sipping from it as the brunet snapped his head to look at him.
"No."
"Yes." Zero reiterated, his tone crisp and final, leaving no room for argument.
"It's too soon." Kaname said and Zero nodded, "I know."
Zero could see the weight the pureblood carried hang over his shoulders like a dark, forbidding cloud and he found himself wanting to lighten his load or at least make it easier to bear if he was determined to bear it alone.
His silk button up was unbuttoned at the collar and Kaname ran a hand over the back of his neck in tense agitation.
Zero tossed back the rest of his drink and sat up correctly, standing up after a moment and approaching the confused and embrittled ancestor.
He stood in front of him before climbing into his lap, which Kuran allowed with a tired sigh leaving his lips as he relaxed back into the chair.
The silver haired spirit ran a hand over the other male's cheek- a whisper of a caress that drove the pureblood to close his eyes in relaxation.
What makes me want to comfort him? Is this how physical beings react when they come to (gag) love someone? Do they feel this heavy obligation to comfort them when life gets to be too rough?
He could suppose he felt that way for Ichiru- but to feel this way for Yuki or Kaname was baffling for him.
But it was not entirely unwelcome and he leaned forward, crossing the thin distance between them and kissing the ancestor slowly, each caress of his tongue against his partner's soft and languid and a bit lazy.
But Kuran did not for once demand to dominate him, seeming to take enjoyment in the equal reciprocation they shared.
Zero pulled away after a few moments, laying his forehead against the vampire's, his breathing deep but shallow at the same time as thought abandoned him, contentment coiling inside him instead as he felt the pureblood unintentionally wrap his aura around them both, a comforting blanket-like weight that offered comfort even though it was unnecessary for the spirit.
And he enjoyed it, even if it was unneeded.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Questions for ya'll this chapter- What do you think of this new ancestor, is she a threat or maybe a future ally? How do you like the relationship between Kaname and Zero? What's is your favorite VK character in this story? Let me know below! :)