Well, it's the beginning of what several have been asking for: RuixZero action! ^^ Thanks for supporting my OC so much; I really had no idea he was loved. Anyways, thank God that I didn't have a class until 10, because I got to finish a chapter! Woot! Currently listening to "Time Warp" from Rocky Horror Picture Show. RHPS FTW!!!!

"The mafia?"

I nodded. "Yes; I'm sorry, but we have been advised to get too involved," I replied.

Emilia's brow arched and her lower lip stuck out in a pout. "Why the hell would the mafia be after me? I have no connections with them," she replied. "I sing and dance on stage, not participate in illegal and secret affairs."

Rui shrugged. "We'll still guard you until these death threats cease, but we can't go digging for information regarding this Boss dude," he stated.

"… I hired you two to do my bidding."

"You hired us to protect you, and that's exactly what we are doing," I corrected.

Emilia frowned and turned away. "Fine, do whatever the hell you want. I have a show tonight, so I need to get ready. See you after the performance."

She stormed off, her fists balled up at her sides and her heels clicking hard on the marble floor. Jared winced as he removed his glasses and cleaned them on his jacket. "She took that pretty hard," he commented.

"Well, she'll have to get used to it," I replied, folding my arms before my chest. "If we had all of the Hunters Association here, we might have a chance against this Boss, but since it's only Rui and me… we're hopeless."

Jared nodded. "I understand. I'll see what I can do. For now, relax and enjoy L.A. for a bit before the show."

He left me and Rui alone in the hotel lobby. Huh… enjoy L.A.? I knew there was a lot we could do here, but nothing really came to mind. Besides, I didn't feel like going out to do something. After that tense conversation with Kaname and the harshness from Emilia, I felt like going up to the room and sleeping. I yawned and stretched, popping my back. "I'm gonna take a nap," I said to Rui. "What're you gonna do?"

"Dunno," he shrugged. "I was actually thinking about taking a nap, too." He then turned to me, a questioning look in his golden eyes. "Do you mind… if we take a nap together? No homo?"

I narrowed my eyes and studied his face. He looked innocent enough; either that, or he was a good actor. "Fine," I replied with a huff, "but if you try to pull anything, I'll drain you of every drop of blood you have."

A smile formed on Rui's face. "Ooh, sounds kinky," he said, flashing a fanged grin.

It took me forever just to fall asleep. My mind kept running through the phone conversation over and over again, and it was killing me inside. The thought that Kaname was pulling away… I couldn't bear it. I finally rolled over to my side facing away from Rui (who had fallen asleep in the hotel chair) and closed my eyes. But my dreams were like nightmares; they weren't scary, or anything like that. But… the thought of losing Kaname, the visions of him fading away was like I was dead to him, and vice versa.

"K… kaname…"

I could see his face in my mind, my dreams. He looked… hurt. Just seeing the pained expression on his face made me hurt inside, and I didn't want that anymore. His soft fingers felt so real on my cheek as he wiped away a warm tear. "Zero-kun," his voice echoed. "It's okay."

"Kaname… I love you, and yet… I feel as if we're drawing apart…"

"It has to be this way," he replied softly. "In the end, it will be alright."

"Don't leave me," I rasped, taking his hand and pressing it closer to my cheek. "Don't leave me like this."

But already, he was drawing away from me. His eyes closed as he lowered his head and muttered, "It will be alright."

My heart almost stopped. "Kaname, don't leave me alone!"

"Zero."

"Please…"

"Zero?"

"What?"

"Zero!"

I shot up and yelled, pulling at my silver hair and breathing heavily. Rui leaned back, a strange look in his eyes. "Zero… are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"No…" I muttered, catching my breath and touching my face where I had felt Kaname's hand before. "I… I have no idea what the hell is going on."

"You've been acting strange ever since we got here," Rui stated as he drew a little closer. "Look, I know things are tense between you and Kaname-sama, but let it go. You need to relax."

"But," I retorted, "I love him. I feel as if he abandoned me."

Rui patted me softly on the head. "He hasn't abandoned you. He may be thousands of miles away, and he may not be helping with this case, but he still is here for you." His voice hitched a little at the end of his sentence and he quickly turned away. Then he turned to face me again, his eyes lowered and glossy. "I know this whole thing is hard to grasp, and I know… I… Do you mind… if I comfort you?"

My heart jumped. "What?" I gasped.

I had barely whispered this when Rui leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine. At first, I pulled away, thinking about how wrong this was, but when Rui's tongue slipped into my mouth and caressed my own, all thought was lost. I had to admit, the guy had talent of tongue. When he began to push me back, however, I pushed him back and gasped, "We… shouldn't be doing this… We've only been away from home for a few days, and I still love him."

Rui smiled and cocked his head to the side. "You said yourself you should take a break from Kaname, didn't you?"

Using my own words against me, now? Huh… but he did have a point. "Fine," I said, closing my eyes and falling back against the pillows. "Just out of curiosity… how long have you been wanting to do this?"

"… a while... it was a pain holding myself back for a year."

"I'm sorry."

"Good. You should be."