Chapter 7

When Kaname finally came home, the castle was preparing for the big ball that was going to take place the same night. He was eager to tell everyone the news about his lost love but felt that for his father's sake, he should keep quiet about it. He had promised to choose a future spouse at the ball and that was exactly what he was going to do. When he walked in to the large ballroom the decorators had transformed it all wrong. He walked around and wasn't satisfied with what he saw not a bit and where were Ichijo? His father sat by a table and poked among a big vase of red roses.

"What are these?" He burst out as he came closer.

"It's roses." His father simply answered.

"Yeah...but they are red!" Kaname complained.

"And...?"

Kaname picked them up out from the vase and sniffed them. "They should be white, like a swan!" He gave them back to his father and looked around. Someone was missing. "Where's Ichijo?" He asked. His father gave him a "why should I know look." "I haven't seen him since you to left." Haruka simply answered. Kaname turned around and asked the servants if they had seen his friend. "Has anyone seen Ichijo?" Some shook their heads and others were too occupied to hear what he had to say. One of his most faithful servant, who was in charge of the music this time answered. "No, just as King Haruka told you. We haven't seen him since you two went out, Kaname-sama." Kaname thought that Ichijo probably had lost his way and where coming home sooner or later. As he watched how his servant conducted the orchestra he saw that it wasn't swan like at all. On his way of trying to stop it he ran into a man that handed the canapés. He took one of what he thought was a very dry and boring canapé and tasted it.

"Would you serve this to a swan?" He asked.

"N-no, I wouldn't." Kaname put back the half eaten canapé and gave the man a push in the back and directed him towards the kitchen. "Exchange it to something light and fresh. Maybe something with fish, like salmon?" He let go of the man and headed to the music.

"Nonono! Tonight the music must be played soft and graceful, like a swan!"

"A swan?"

Kaname formed his hand into a beak and poked at the servant. "Don't you know what a swan looks like?" He asked as he started to pull at the clothes with his swan.

"Of course I do." He answered a little bit bothered by Kaname's poking.

"Then how would it sound like if you played like a swan?" Everything had to be perfect and swan like of course. The man made a flick with his hand and a horrible sound came out from only one of the players. They both laughed together as Kaname understood that playing like a swan wasn't the best one of ideas. "Remember, soft and gracefully. It's very important."

Kaname continued his stroll in the room and saw that many things weren't swan like. That had to get changed. This ball meant everything to him and for Zero as well. The worst part was that his best friend weren't here to help him out or to hear the good news. "Where is Ichijo?" He asked again but this time a little more irritated. The king rose from his table and sighed. He went to Kaname, still holding the red roses. "No one has seen him, Kaname." His son took one of the roses and touched its petals. "Then who should be my best man?" He asked quietly. The king dropped all the remaining roses on the floor in shock. "You mean? You have...?" Kaname nodded to his father and smiled. Just like in any movie sweet, soft music started to come out from the orchestra's instruments. This was it! "This is how it should sound!" Kaname exclaimed. He felt how the music filled his body with grace and Kaname moved around on the floor as if he was dancing with someone. He took a lap around his father and gave him the red rose. The servants looked at how strange the prince was behaving and the man with the canapés almost walked into the punch. Haruka stood and span it around, wondering who had made his son that smitten.

"Kaname, my son. Tell me who it is."

His son took the rose from his father and let it down in the vase again. He looked at it as if it was his fiancée that was standing in front of him. "It's the most beautiful flower the world has seen. A very lonely flower, that's about to be picked by a very handsome prince who is going to treasure it." The king sighed. "You are not going to tell me aren't you?" Kaname shook his head and was about to leave the room but his father had something more to tell him. "Since I didn't know about this. I arranged a meeting or more like a small date with the Yuuki girl that has been swarming around you the last couple of years. They are arriving in about an hour so go and change your clothes."

Kaname had changed his clothes just when his arranged date arrived. His father had let her in to his son's small living room that was in conjunction with his bed room. She wore a white dress that had long sleeves. When Kaname saw her he immediately thought that the dress looked a little dull and childish. She had been served tea which she hadn't touched. Kaname sat down against her and she greeted him nervously. He smiled at her and begged to God that this would be over soon. The talking went slow but Kaname tried to be talkative so he asked questions about her and didn't really reveal much about himself. He knew that girls usually liked to talk about themselves so he asked what ever came in mind. How his father had thought when he had set up this date, he had no idea. They were like two different vampires. It became quiet for a moment and Kaname had run out of questions and conversations topics. Yuuki sat and fiddled with the hem of her sleeve.

"I don't want to be a big jerk or anything but I already found someone."

Yuuki looked up surprised and smiled half heartedly. "Oh..."

"I'm so sorry but my father had already arranged this before he knew about it. I hope that our kingdom hasn't disgrace yours by doing this."

When Yuuki was about to answer a knock was heard and Kaname excused himself to get it. Touga and another fellow hunter stood with a puzzled look on their faces. "What do you want?" Kaname asked. "You won't believe this but Kiryu Zero is standing outside the gate."

Ichiru had made it to the gate that belonged to the vampires. His back still bled and the taste of blood in his mouth still reminded him about how Rido had abused him. It had hurt and it still hurt. Ichiru had walked all the way by himself and felt drained. The two guards that guarded the gate surrounded him with their weapons pointed at him. Ichiru held up his hands in front of his body to prove that he wasn't there for fighting. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" One of the guards asked him. "I ran away from my captivator while escaping death and this is the treatment I get?" Ichiru asked. The guards examined how bad the man before them really looked and judged that what he had told them actually was the truth. "What's your name?" Ichiru fought back the feeling of the slowly approaching darkness and answered. "My name is Kiryu Zero." The two men surrounding him took a step back as they heard the name. "That can't be! Kiryu Zero is supposed to be dead." Ichiru coughed and grabbed his side in an attempt to dull the pain. "Get Kuran Kaname." He said.

Kaname hurried down the stairs. Was it really his beloved that stood in front of the gates? The rumour about he lost prince return had already spread through the castle. Kaname ran towards the gate and ignored everyone's warnings about going out to someone they wasn't sure about. He saw the silver hair and the purple eyes. It was Zero. But he looked so battered and weak. "Zero!" Kaname shouted.

That must be him, Ichiru thought. He took three steps forward but was stopped by the two securing guards. "Kaname!" He shouted back. "Let go of me!" He tried to get through but was held back. "Kaname!" The man that had shouted his brother's name ran to him but what he said to the guards was unclear to Ichiru as his vision grew weaker. The guards let Ichiru go but instead he stumbled forward and fell into Kaname. His legs was as jelly and with the foreign mans arms around him as support he felt secure and let himself shut down.

Kaname caught Ichiru as he passed out before him. The man was just as Kaname had thought, badly injured. His wounds were still bleeding and he seemed to have gotten some strong hits on his body as well. The Kuran heir brought Ichiru up in his arms and carried him bridal style into the castle. "Go and get the doctor. He needs to attend to these back wounds. We will be in my room."

Kaname pulled away the covers of his bed with one of his hands and lay Ichiru down on it. He was glad to be reunited again but not like this. In the wait for the doctor he took of Ichiru's clothes and cleaned him with a damp cloth. He was extra careful when he went over the darkened bruises. He paused as it knocked on the door and realised that Rido had given him a lot of beating. The doctor entered the room and started his examination. Kaname sat on a chair and couldn't do other than to watch. The doctor turned Ichiru around to clean his back wounds and the smell of antiseptic filled the room. He helped the doctor to hold Ichiru as he bandaged his body. They pulled the cover over his body and let him recover. Kaname didn't want to rush things but the ball was tonight and he had to make his promise in front of everyone. If he didn't, Zero's escape and injuries would have been in vain.

Kaname placed his chair beside the bed and settled to read a book while Ichiru slept. The room was quiet besides from the heavy breaths from the sleeping form in the bed. The Kuran heir threw anxious glances at the man in the bed once in a while to check if everything was all right. The doctor had made a good job and Ichiru slept without any problems. One hour, two hours pasted and Kaname was starting to feel that small panic again. There was still a couple of hours to go before the ball was going to begin so he relaxed and decided that he would give Zero one more hour. But he didn't have to wait long.

Heavy eye lids tried to open as Ichiru started to come back to the real world. He stared up into the sealing belonging to a bed. His head was resting in a sea of soft pillows and his body was covered with a thick blanket. The smell of the surrounding fluffiness wasn't the fresh smell that you got from washing, it smelled more like faint vanilla. The pain had dulled and had gone to stinging. He twinkled with his eyes to get a clearer view of his situation. It was when he felt that he wasn't alone.

"Hi there." A soft voice to his left said. "I brought you to my room so don't worry. Do you want something to eat?"

Ichiru turned his head towards the voice which he suspected came from Kuran Kaname. He smiled at him and nodded. He was kind of hungry. Still feeling a little drowsy he closed his eyes but was forced to shoot them open as he felt a cold hand on top of his forehead. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to check if you had fever." Kaname said as he saw that the hunter before him was ready to jump out from the bed in shock.

"Do you want to sit up?"

"Y-yeah."

Kaname helped Ichiru to sit up in the gigantic bed and pulled up the cover to his chest due to the absence of clothes. "I will go and get something for you to eat and then we will get you into some clothes. All de guests will arrive in one hour so we need to get ready. Just tell me if you don't feel good."

The vampire exited the room and left Ichiru alone. He figured that he would get back soon so he stayed as he was. He only looked down to his bandaged chest and ran his fingers over it. Treated like a king, oh right, he was supposed to pretend to be one. But why pretend when he actually is one. Then the small detail that he didn't want to have anything to do with the Kiryu kingdom could easily be overlooked.

The door opened and Kaname walked in with a bowl of soup on a tray. He smiled at Ichiru and was returned with a nod. Ichiru still hadn't figured out how he was going to interact with this man. He didn't really know how much Zero had been familiar with this man. They probably had been around each other enough to realise that they love each other. So probably pretty close. The bowl was sat down in front of him and he started to eat it slowly while Kaname went into his closet to find some clothes for him. The soup was good and it disappeared fast.

"Did it taste good?"

"It was very good." Ichiru answered.

"Great! I found these clothes that probably would fit you. They are not that fancy but I think they will suit you. So if you dress, I'll go and get a shower and change myself." Kaname took away the food tray and laid the clothes on the end of the bed. He went into the bathroom and Ichiru pulled away the cover to get into those clothes before the vampire came back to see more than he needed. It wasn't hard to put the feet on the floor but standing up was. The pain in his back was indescribable, it wasn't constant but when he bent it hurt. He ignored the pain and got his clothes on. The small effort made his heart race and the bandages was so hard wrapped around his middle that it was a bit hard to breathe. He sat back down on the bed to wait for Kaname.

The heir had put on his finest clothes and a cape that went down to his heels. Ichiru had been given something similar but it was not as fine as Kaname's and did not include a cape. "You look beautiful." Ichiru said as Kaname came back. "Not as cute as you look. Is your body okay by the way?" Ichiru shrugged not knowing what to tell and not tell. He had come this far and it was too late to back away. Rido-sama trusted that he would fool this man that he is Zero."Rido...he,.. When he found out that I was trying to escape he tried to stop me. I refused and tried to get away but he caught up with me. I-I never felt such strong pain before. It was..." Ichiru stopped midway for the best effect. Kaname sat down on the bed close to Ichiru. He placed his hand over Ichiru's and leaned against his shoulder in his way of comforting the man. "I have to go down now to welcome the guests. Come down when you feel like it. Try to stay away from my father 'cause he probably wants to interrogate you. Just come down straight away and I will take care of you." Kaname stopped in front of Ichiru before he went down to the kingdom's guests. He rose from the bed wincing as he did. "Thank you for everything." He said. "Don't worry. I did it because it is you." Ichiru found his hand pressed against Kaname's lips. "I'll see you later then." He murmured against it.

Ichiru was alone in Kaname's room and decided that he should look around. The bedroom was simple but yet expensive. There wasn't really nothing personal about it, it was a simple room. How boring, he thought. Ichiru walked back to the bed after his small exploration. He sat down on its edge and laid down on it, with his feet touching the floor. He missed Rido. This freedom was giving him the creeps and the kindness the Kuran boy gave him felt so strange that he felt a little sick about it. It hadn't been long since Kaname had gone to the reception and maybe he should go down as well. It could be good to show some eagerness and steal the whole show. That was exactly what he was going to do.

Kaname stood and welcomed the guests which seemed to never end. How many had his father invited? If he didn't know better, this was almost all the ones that were single. First it had been the disastrous small date with Yuuki and now all these people. What was his father thinking of? If he was desperate and really needed to find someone to marry, anyone would be willing to do it. His father's kingdom is the greatest one after all. After what had felt like an eternity the people coming finally started to end and he could leave the entry to his people. Now it was time to socialize.

Kaname took a glass of champagne and walked around in the ball room. He conversed with some important guests and only shook hands with others. There were so much people and a big number of them wanted to talk with him or his father. "King Kuran! Prince Kuran!" The only reason that Kaname's smile didn't falter this night was that he knew that the one he had looked for all this time was in his room. It still felt so unreal. He had found Zero and Zero had found him again. They were meant to be. The Kuran heir excused himself to two older men before he walked to the table with refreshments. He was getting cravings for some of the canapés and he needed to get a new glass. Kaname settled with a glass of wine and he stood by the table and tasted all different kinds of canapés. The head chef had done a good job one these. As he stood and looked out over the crowd, Touga appeared, leaning on a pillar.

"How is he?" He asked.

"Just fine. He ate and dressed. Nothing to worry about." Kaname answered casually.

Touga raised his one eyebrow, setting his eye on the prince. "Is it really okay to leave him alone? What if Rido comes after him? You can't believe that he just let Zero go."

"I don't but Zero is here and for now that is all that matters to me."

Touga smiled. "Then you won't have any problem with this fan club of yours." He said and pointed at a large group of girls walking towards them.

"I have to excuse myself." Kaname said as he saw them. He walked away from the table towards the crowd but the group was faster and stopped him.

"Kyaa! Prince Kaname you look so hot!" Two of the seven girls exclaimed. They got closer and stood packed with Kaname in the middle. "Ne, Kuran sama. You will choose one of us don't you?" The girls looked at him and hoped that he would say their name. He saw their anticipation in their eyes and even though he didn't want to disappoint them, he needed them to know that he already had found someone precious. He took a sip from his glass and tried to remain calm. The little fan club of his pushed and he could swear that he felt a hand touching his butt for a second. "Girls, calm down. The thing is that I already-"

"Who's that?" Voices started to shout and it spread like the wind. Everyone's heads turned against the big stair. There a man with silver hair stood and looked down at the big fancy crowd. "Zero!" Kaname shouted and pushed himself through the ring of girls heading towards the stair as he noticed him. "Kaname!" Ichiru shouted back. He saw how the prince tried to get to him and it was time for the grand finale.

Dear Royalties, meet Kiryu Zero.

A/N: I'm not very happy with this chapter but at least it didn't take as long time as the last update did. :)