Okay thanks for all the reviews folks, it's been five months but finally I have updated ^_^ sorry everyone who's been waiting!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all to do with Vampire Knight
High Rollers & Smooth Talkers
Chapter 7 Fork In The Road
As the boot connected with his face he wished he could go back and smack himself in the head because really if Zero knew something like this was going to happen to him he would never have agreed to go back to that club...Takuma had been right all along...getting involved with the Kuran siblings in anyway was bad for your life expectancy.
So when Kaname had gone on an extended business trip to China he should have just forgotten about him and Yuuki and gotten on with his life just like everyone else who had left, it was easy for Zero to move on he had learned to after all his and Ichiru's parents had moved regularly when they were young most of the time they didn't even stay in the same town for more then a year at a time. He didn't blame his parents, sometimes he made friends though most times he didn't...he was ahead of his class most of the time so he would sleep through a lot of his lessons he could have skipped two grades if he hadn't been worried about his brother.
They had both learned not to make any lasting connections or to stand out, their family were like ghosts...once they left no one remembered them and everything went back to how it was before they came.
It had been simple then all he'd needed was Ichiru so he could forget everyone else.
Unfortunately for Zero, Kaname had other ideas.
Four Months Earlier
Zero sat on their couch with his notebook once again, he sighed and rubbed his eyes, no matter how tired he was getting he didn't want to go to bed just yet. It was a Saturday night, Ichiru was asleep and of course Kaito was out where ever the hell he went. He looked out the window into the blackness of the badly lit streets outside and wondered if they were ever going to escape this boring day to day existence and actually live his life for once instead of just working all the time whether it be his job or his music...most of all he wanted his little brother to be happy.
"Zero...are you still up? Come on come to bed, I can feel you brooding from our room" Ichiru asked as he leaned against the door frame.
"Eh..." he sighed and stood up "I'm going out, if I'm not back before morning you know where I am, okay night" he walked over to the door and grabbed his coat.
Zero strolled slowly down the deserted street his breath turning to mist in the cold Fall air full of the scent of garbage from the piles of trash left lying around in the side alleyways.
He didn't know how long he had been out but Zero walked all over, he didn't exactly know where he was walking the only places open were the clubs, speakeasies and brothels.
"What's a pretty little thing like you doing in a place like this?" a sleazy looking guy about two decades older than him asked and draped an arm over Zero's shoulder.
"Shove off" he growled and pushed the man away.
"God...sometimes I wish we'd never come to this city" Zero muttered to himself and brushed off his coat glad for once that he'd found his way back to Cross' place.
&.&.&
Smoke billowed above them as they stepped down onto the platform.
"Eh..." Aidou moaned as he stumbled down off the train with his face a pale shade of green and covered in sweat "I never want to leave New York ever again!" he exclaimed. He didn't know why Kaname had wanted him to come along with him and Ichijou but he now regretted it greatly with all the sea sickness he'd gone through.
"It wasn't that bad Hanabusa!" Ichijou said cheerfully.
"How the hell can you be this happy all the time...we just spend three weeks on a boat and than another four days on a train! God I feel like I'm gonna puke" he whined as he leaned on his cousin, who had come to pick them up, and used Kain to support him so he didn't fall on his ass from motion sickness.
"Hey! Don't lean on me" Kain told Aidou and pushed him off.
"Kaname do you need a hand with those?" Ichijou asked their boss and friend.
"No thank you Takuma, I can manage" he replied and picked up his two suitcases. Kaname sighed, it was so good to be back after two months away in Peking on a business trip that Riido had forced him to take in his stead. All the time he was away he couldn't stop worrying about Yuuki even though Shiki was looking after her before she would go back to school...and then there was Zero Kiryuu, he'd only known him for a couple of weeks before leaving and even then they'd only met a couple of times. Was it love at first sight? Kaname was nowhere near naive (or stupid) enough to believe in something like that, he loved Yuuki...he'd loved his father...even still loved his mother, sure there was a physical and mental attraction but to ask if it was love he was feeling he couldn't answer because he'd never felt it before outside his family.
The four of them walked towards the entrance of the station where Seiren was waiting with the car.
"Welcome back Mister Kaname" Seiren said bowing to him and helped Kain put the luggage away in the boot.
"Hello Seiren, can you drive me home please" he ordered her as he got into the car "Takuma I want you three to go back to the club and get it ready to open again in within three days".
"That's a little soon isn't" he asked.
"No, a couple of months is a long time to be closed we need it open as soon as possible, remember Takuma it's not the club that's important but the clientele, that's the reason we opened in the first place".
&.&.&
Juuri poured herself another glass of wine; she told herself that she was meant to be happy her beautiful Kaname was coming home but she just couldn't stop feeling this way he looked looked so much like her dear Haruka now days.
"Mother I'm home" Kaname called out as he walked through the door.
"Kana! I'm so glad" she greeted her son and hugged him.
"You've been drinking again" he said a bit disappointed with her "How much have you had today?" he gently took the glass from her hand.
"Two bottles...I'm sorry Kana..." Juuri whispered and tears pooled in her eyes.
"I know you want to forget what he did but his isn't the way Mom please you need to stop" he argued leading her towards the sofa and sat her down "I'm going to make everything right again Mom I won't let Riido get away with what he's done".
"You try so hard my dear, you're such a good boy Kaname...such a good boy but you can't bring him back can you" she whispered and rested her head on his shoulder.
&.&.&
Kaito pushed the man up against the brick wall "Tell me what you know! Tell me!" he yelled as he grabbed onto the collar of the guy's shirt.
"Nothin' I don't know anythin'...come on I gave you that info about Ichiou what more do you want?" he pleaded as blood trickled down his chin.
"You owe me Senryu, I got you out of that assault rap" Takamiya reminded him "Now I want to know the connection between the Kuran's and the Shirabuki's".
"The Kuran's! You crazy man, no way I'm going anywhere near those crazy bastards! Kuran will slit ya throat for looking at him funny" he cried desperately "I'm not going anywhere near that fucker...if you want him so bad why don't you cozy up to him Mister Policeman cos I'm out...URGH" he collapsed to the ground.
"Well it seems I have no use for you anymore then" Kaito muttered to himself and pulled the bloodied knife out of Senryu's stomach.
TBC
