Pairing: Kaname/Zero

Rating: M (just in case)

Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance

Warnings: Yaoi, but you already knew that ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters and I'm pretty sure I never will…

Word count: 2,841

Summary: Cross has some news for Zero and Kaname that will shine an entirely new light on the things that happened during their mission and Zero is faced with one of his greatest fears: losing Kaname.

Chapter 7: Setting the Trap

"You've got to be kidding me!" Zero growled as he stared incredulously at the Chairman. "I mean… what the hell?"

"I'm afraid it's the truth. We double-checked everything just so we could be absolutely sure."

The atmosphere in the office was tense. Unbelievably, you-can barely-breathe tense. When Zero and Kaname had arrived it was no surprise at all to see the headmaster and Yagari already waiting for them. And from the moment he entered the room Zero knew that there was definitely something wrong.

No. Not just wrong. For the first time since he knew the man, Cross looked like the hunter he really was. There was no trace of his usual smile and carefree- bordering on annoying- attitude. The person in front of Zero was a skilled and professionally trained hunter, just like the ex-human himself.

And what he had told them barely a minute ago made Zero feel as if the rug had been pulled from under him.

"There's no doubt about it." Yagari repeated Cross' previous statement and looked over at Kaname. "The gun that was used during the assault upon you was definitely an anti-vampire weapon and its owner one of our own hunters. I don't like the thought either, but it's a fact neither one of us can deny."

"So what?" Zero said, glaring daggers at his old teacher. "Now we have hunters trying to kill Kaname? How the hell can the Association support the murder of a pureblood?"

"They can't." Cross interspersed and let out an exhausted sigh. He silently motioned for them to take a seat.

Zero was about to snap at him when he felt Kaname's hand on his back. It was a fleeting contact, no more than the brushing of the pureblood's fingertips against his day-class uniform, but Zero could swear that he felt a sudden bolt travelling along his spine.

Kaname smiled when their eyes met momentarily and made his way over to one of the chairs in front of the Chairman's desk, looking in slight amusement as Zero grudgingly followed his lead.

Even Yagari settled himself near the desk, igniting one of his cigarettes.

"Care to explain?" Zero asked through clenched teeth when Cross made no further move to carry on with his explanation. They looked at each other for a while before Cross' sighed again and closed his eyes resignedly, rubbing his temple in an attempt to quell his sudden headache.

"The gun belonged without a doubt to one of our own hunters." he said again when he finally looked up. "But this hunter wasn't the one who tried to kill Kaname. We were able to determine the person who originally held possession of the weapon. He was arrested and currently undergoes further interrogation."

"But how-"

"It seems the one who attacked you was a professional killer."

"But that's good, isn't it?" Zero asked with a slight frown. "I mean… we killed the assassin back in the warehouse and the responsible hunter is locked down. Even if he still has an ace up his sleeve, there's no immediate danger, isn't there?"

"I wish I could agree with you, but this whole thing is obviously much more complicated than we assumed in the beginning."

Kaname had been silent the entire time, even though Zero could feel his mood changing continuously during their conversation. He had to admit that it was a little unnerving, but at the same time it calmed him down to know that their connection was getting stronger. So strong in fact that he had no problem determining Kaname's actual mood. Somehow it felt unbelievably safe…

"The hunter wasn't the head of this whole conspiracy." Kaname reflected after a moment and Cross nodded in affirmation.

"It seems he was only a pawn in this whole game."

"Quite a dangerous game, don't you think?" the pureblood asked lowly, his auburn eyes narrowing in irritation. "Who would want to partake in a game with such high stakes?"

"Someone with nothing to lose." Zero said pensively and all heads in the room turned in his direction as he tried to explain his train of thought. "I can't believe that a hunter would willingly betray the Association and his fellow hunters. There has to be a reason for his actions."

"As a matter of fact, there is." Yagari stated bluntly, gaining everyone's attention. "His wife and son have been abducted nearly two weeks ago. There were no clues as to who could have done it until he received a call. The person on the other side of the line told him to deposit several anti-vampire weapons. Either that or his family would be killed…"

"That's what he told you?" Zero asked, anger slowly burning inside of him at the thought of another destroyed family.

"Yes, it is." Cross confirmed and opened a thin folder that lay on his desk. "The information he gave us were already proven to be true, at least in regard of his family. There will be several other tests to determine whether or not he is telling the truth beyond this, but it will take some time. Meanwhile there is another, more urgent problem."

"You're right." Kaname said with a glance in Zero's direction. He didn't want to unsettle his lover, but he also knew that the hunter had probably already figured things out by himself. "They will not stop coming after me. There's no way to tell when they're planning their next assault."

He could more feel than see the hunter stiffen next to him and reached over, carefully intertwining their fingers.

This earned him a curious look from the other two hunters in the room and a small, barely recognizable blush from Zero. Maybe it was a little too early for public displays of affection from either side. But before the pureblood could even think about pulling his hand back again, the other's fingers tightened their hold, keeping Kaname's hand in a secure grip.

With a small smile Kaname leaned back in his chair and looked back up at Cross. The man gazed fondly at them before directing his focus back to the topic. Kaname was sure that if given different circumstances he would have pounced on them by now, embracing them so tight they would barely be able breathe.

"We have to find the person behind the scenes. It's no use if we just sit back and wait for their next move. We can't take this risk."

"What do you suggest?" Kaname inquired with raised eyebrows. Not knowing who they were up against made it definitely harder for them to act accordingly and it limited their actions considerably.

"We're going to lure them into a trap."

There was a moment of silence before Zero cleared his throat.

"How do you want to trap someone you don't even know? I mean… all in all it's a great idea and I definitely prefer to strike first instead of just waiting for something to happen, but we have nowhere to start."

"Yes, we do." Kaname interjected suddenly, realizing what the Chairman had been talking about. He threw an apologetic look at Zero for interrupting him, squeezing his fingers ever so lightly. "We're going to present him an opportunity he won't be able to ignore."

"I see you understand where this is going." Yagari said with a smirk and flicked the but of his cigarette out of the window, ignoring the glare that Zero directed at him. "There will still be some risks though. But with the right preventive measures everything should work out in our favour."

"What are you talking about?" Zero asked with growing irritation when he wasn't able to follow their conversation anymore.

"We're going to organize a ball, inviting the high society of the vampire world." Kaname said, sly smile still firmly in place. "The person aiming for my life has to be someone with a lot of influence and certain connections, probably aiming for my position in the vampire society. Maybe I'm in the way of their plans or it could also be a personal grudge, we can't be sure until we find them. Nonetheless… if we invited all of the higher rank vampires there would be the possibility of our target being one of them."

"And he would definitely try to make a move." Zero murmured and looked down at their hands, his throat constricting at the thought of Kaname getting hurt again. "It's too dangerous."

"It's the only way." the other vampire said determinedly, meeting Cross' eyes. "I will take care of the invitations once we can determine a date."

"Very well. We will discuss the details later."

Zero suddenly felt nauseous. How did things turn out like this? Why didn't he even get a say in this? In a matter of minutes they had made decisions that would irrevocably change everything.

A tug on his hand brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up at Kaname who was already standing and obviously about to leave, still making no move to release the hunter's fingers.

With a last glance at the Chairman and Yagari, Zero stood and followed his lover out of the room and down the corridor.

As soon as the door of the office was out of sight he spun Kaname around, pinning him to the wall with a death glare.

"This whole plan is insane! You are insane!" Zero snarled, the grip on the pureblood's wrists tightening with the sudden onslaught of emotion. "What the hell are you thinking? You're gonna get yourself killed!"

"Zero…"

"Don't you dare use that tone with me right now! Did you even think about what will happen if something goes wrong? Just because you are a pain in someone's ass, you don't have to play bait! Damn it! You damn vampires and your damn sense of pride…!"

"Zero. This is not about pride anymore. There is someone out there trying to kill me and I certainly won't let him."

His hold on Kaname's wrists weakened more and more until the hunter gripped onto the other's uniform instead. Zero rested his forehead against the soft fabric, his breathing laboured and tears stinging his eyes. Even the presence and the soothing scent of his lover didn't do anything to quell his anxiety.

Damn it… he hated the fact that Kaname saw him like this. He acted like a lovesick idiot and if he hadn't known better he certainly would check to make sure he hadn't grown any female parts. He'd been a fool to believe that it would be easy for him to deal with this sort of emotional attachment after years of self-imposed solitude.

"Zero…"

Kaname's gentle voice broke through the sudden haze in his mind, but Zero couldn't bring himself to lift his head and look him in the eye. His heart throbbed painfully in his chest at the worry in the pureblood's voice. He didn't want to worry him. Not now. Not with everything that was happening around them. His breath hitched when he tried to suppress another soft sob.

He knew that he had given himself away when the other's body stiffened under his touch.

This time when his name was whispered it was with a trace of pain and Zero felt careful fingers touching his chin, gingerly tilting his head up until he was met with troubled auburn eyes.

"I don't want you to get hurt again…" the hunter confessed after a while. He didn't even try to hide the tremor in his voice and just held on to the other vampire.

"It will be alright." Kaname murmured lowly and pressed his lips to Zero's forehead. He closed his eyes and inhaled the sweet scent of the one he loved. "I won't let someone come between us ever again."

"That's what you said last time and look where it got you." Zero took another unsteady breath as he too let his eyes fall shut. "You were almost killed and bedridden for several days."

"I'm as good as new now." Kaname insisted, winding his arms around the hunter in a tight embrace.

"That's not the point."

"I know."

There was a moment of silence between them before Zero sighed and wrapped his arms around Kaname's neck.

"Just… promise me you'll be careful."

"Of course." Kaname assured before bending down to take Zero's lips in a heated kiss. Said hunter could only gasp in surprise, giving the pureblood the chance to push his tongue through the other's parted lips.

Zero moaned when their tongues touched without reluctance. Desperate to be as close as physically possible at the moment he pressed his body against Kaname's, eliciting a deep growl from him when their arousals brushed against each other through the fabric of their uniforms. Black against white.

His fingers carded through the pureblood's silky hair, pulling him forward to deepen the kiss again after they had been forced to break away for a moment.

"We can't do this here." Kaname panted when they parted again, but contrary to his words his hands didn't stop their journey over Zero's body. Instead the hunter could feel them slip beneath his Day Class uniform to caress bare skin and it was more than enough to make him forget everything else.

"I don't care." Zero breathed into the other's neck and a smirk formed on his lips when he let his tongue travel along Kaname's earlobe. "I want you now…"

"Zero…"

"Take me."

That was the last straw and Zero could almost hear Kaname's control snapping as he took hold of the hunter and hoisted him up and against the wall. Zero moaned deep in his throat as he wrapped his legs tightly around Kaname.

The heat between them was unbearable and when the pureblood's hands found their way into Zero's pants to circle his opening through his thin boxers, the silver-haired vampire threw his head back in bliss and let out a guttural moan of the other's name.

What he didn't expect was for Kaname to stop all of a sudden and he couldn't hold back the desperate whimper that escaped his mouth.

He could still feel the pureblood's throbbing erection pressed against him. The sensation alone caused wave after wave of desire to ripple through his body, but he could find no explanation why Kaname would stop their little make-out session like this.

The moment he looked down at his lover to ask about the reason for the interruption, Zero realized with some confusion that Kaname's gaze was locked onto something next to them and when he slowly turned his own head in the same direction his eyes settled on a wide-eyed Yuuki. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out.

Zero suddenly became extremely aware of his current position. He was pressed against the wall, Kaname's hands in his pants, erections still clearly visible between them and if he considered the dishevelled state his lover was in, he was almost sure that he didn't look any better. The fact that he could feel a deep blush rising to his cheeks wasn't helping the situation either.

Time seemed to stand still, neither one of them daring to make a move.

When he couldn't take it anymore Zero wriggled a little in Kaname's grip, signalling him to let him down.

His movement seemed to break the spell.

Kaname pulled his hands back and carefully lowered the hunter to the ground, steadying him when his legs threatened to give out under him. In any other situation he would have teased his lover about it, but now it would probably only add to the awkwardness that had settled around them.

Yuuki was finally able to advert her eyes and her cheeks turned a deep pink while she mumbled incomprehensible words that nearly sounded like apologies.

Zero had no idea what to do or to say, but his thoughts were again interrupted by the vampire right next to him. Kaname also seemed uncomfortable, but at least he succeeded in arranging his hair and uniform.

"Great." Zero growled lowly. "Now I'm the only one who looks like you just fucked me into the wall."

"Actually, I didn't do anything." Kaname said with a smirk and pressed a short kiss to Zero's swollen lips.

They both turned when they heard a little squeak and Zero sighed in resignation while he took a step away from Kaname and in Yuuki's direction. There was no chance he would be able to concentrate on any kind of conversation when Kaname stood barely a foot away from him.

With a deep breath he looked up at the girl who he loved like a sister. She was his family and he really didn't want to hurt her in any way. But things could never be undone and he owed her at least an explanation, even if she would hate him in the end.

So now here they stood and Zero couldn't believe what he was about to do.

"Yuuki… we need to talk."

Tbc…