Tainted

~o~

Zero walked into his temporary home, all but throwing his duffel bag onto the floor with one hand as his other rubbed at his temple warily. He hated his job; staring down a Level E who had raped and murdered teenage girls in his run-down apartment in a third-rate neighborhood. His order was terribly cliché, and long, and tiring. He wanted a hot shower and to crash on the couch.

"Zero, are you here?"

A groan left his lips and he picked his head up to look at his girlfriend tiredly. A bright smile lay over her fair skin as she stepped forward to collect him into her arms. "I was worried about you," she said softly, and he couldn't resist wrapping his arms around her any longer.

"I'm fine," he shortly replied, keeping his empty eyes out of her vision as she stepped back to examine him, poking at his chest with a frown. "Will ya' quit that? I hurt, you know."

"You're hurt? Where?" her voice was frantic as she grabbed his hand in both of hers – as his hands were larger, naturally, but very calloused – and rubbed it against her cheek. A brief glint of contentment flashed in his lavender eyes, but it left almost as soon as Yuuki noticed it. Realization made her eyebrows knit together, and she stilled her – and his – hand.

"Oh."

Silence washed over them before Zero decided he'd rather pass out clean than in his current state, and he pulled his hand back to pull his long, blue trench coat off of his shoulders, a loud 'Crack!' making the girl standing shorter than him cringe; a shower was exactly what he needed. To offer some sort of help, Yuuki walked behind him and helped slip the article off of him, hanging it over a chair, rubbing at his shoulders. "You go get your things, I'll draw the bath for you-"

"I'll be showering," Zero cut in, but Yuuki gave him a firm look, lips pressed into a line.

"Then, I'll start the water for you," she reasoned, flashing him a small smile before turning down the small corridor leading to their small bathroom, and disappeared through the door. Zero, inwardly wondering how she could possibly be so happy all the damned time, shook his head and walked through the corridor and into the bedroom they occupied.

-x-

Zero stood in the shower, letting the warm steam envelop his worn, tense body. The muscles in his back contracted once, before the knots seemed to loosen and he let out a soft sigh. He hated his job. He hated having to be the Association's lapdog, even if it meant protecting his beautiful girlfriend for one more day. Most of all, he hated… hated staring into the cold eyes of the monster he'd inevitably become.

His life as a Level D was prolonged; while he didn't get to drink the blood of his 'master', Shizuka Hio, his brother did, and he had devoured his brother years before. His strength had multiplied, even without the purest blood coursing through his veins. He carried the blood of two Purebloods; Shizuka Hio, and Kaname Kuran.

Gods, how he hated that man.

Even if he'd kept Yuuki safe, he couldn't stand the thought of his competition.

Former competition, that is to say.

Zero lathered his silvery hair with his shampoo, nothing too fancy or luxurious, and had busied himself with rubbing suds over his aching joints. He hadn't heard the bathroom door open, shut, and the sound of cloth hitting the floor.

What he did hear, however, was the sound of the shower curtain sliding back and forth, and he let a calmness fall between he and the red-handed. No amount of guilt was felt through the air; in fact, the red-handed was more concerned for him than guilty.

Two small arms wrapped around his taller frame, pressing a naked chest into his back. "Yuuki," he murmured. He wanted to embrace her, but the strength she offered disabled movement. Instead, he stared at his hands, baring his fangs down at them.

Not particularly content with being the one holding, Yuuki spun her boyfriend around and pressed him against the wall; while she wasn't stronger than him, she was fiercer, and he was tired. He merely looked down at her, and managed to remain nonchalant as she asked, "Why won't you touch me? Why don't you ever touch me?"

It took a minute for Zero to word his answer. "…My hands. They're stained with the lives of… they're tainted, Yuuki." His voice was thick with pain, and a hint of hate in himself. The brunette, whose chin was perched on his chest, was even less content. Crimson eyes narrowed before she smacked him hard on the chest, to which he let out a groan. That certainly didn't make him feel better.

"You… you moron!" Tears welled up in her eyes before she grabbed his large hands, placing one around her and the other on her breast. Her forehead fell, defeated, onto his chest. "If that's how you… h-how you feel, then. Then taint me! Taint me, too! We'll be tainted together, Zero!"

Her words… went straight into his heart. His heartbeat was loud, and he knew she felt his heart racing. But, instead of telling her how absolutely stupid that sounded, he switched their positions, causing her to look up in surprise. Her hands were pinned up above her head. His lips met hers in a fiery kiss, to which she returned with fervor.

Then, taint you I shall.

~o~

This one's been eating at me for a while. Thankfully I could get it up before it devoured my brain any further.

Hope you enjoyed~ Please review if you liked it! Requests are on the way! (I'm also still taking them, so send a few in a review if you want me to write something.)

~Cookie