Crimson Depts by Rondomness
Ohh, sorry… It's not because I hate them that Zero and Kaname have to suffer this badly. You can just say that I love them too much for their own good… Can't believe I've actually written nine chapters already. Kind of reminds me of Kuran. In Japanese, Kuran means "nine orchids". At first, I wanted the chapters name to be Nine Orchids, but it just suited the story really badly as it gives off quite a peaceful image (in my mind) and this chapter is NOT peaceful at all…
Warnings on this and following chapters. Torture, abuse and beatings…
Reviews are most welcome.
Chapter 9: Invisible Chains
"What is he doing? What does he want?" Yuki pleaded as she begged the Chairman to tell her where Kaname was and what Rido wanted with Zero. She had asked to be taken into his confidence ever since she arrived at the school, but the Chairman kept telling her that she should hold herself as far away from this problem as possible. "I can't just back out and do nothing. Rido has Zero somewhere and he did so horrible things to Kaname. What if he hurts Zero? Why hasn't Kaname returned yet? Where is he?"
She fought to get a response, but her adoptive father kept turning away from her. "The Senior Council has taken over the case. I'm sure they'll find Kiryuu right away and Kaname-kun will come back as soon as he's ready. He is very weak, the Council is just helping him recover." It was such a lie he told her right now, but the Chairman had to make sure, Yuki didn't come close to Rido. He had promised Kaname that and he understood the importance of separation between Rido and Yuki.
"Go back to you room. Everything will be just fine." Yuki sighed, nodded and went to the small room she shared with Yori in the girl's dorm. Yori wasn't there and that was much needed, because Yuki had quite some stuff to think about. It appeared like both Rido and Kaname knew something about her past, and maybe the Chairman too. She knew that Kaname would never hold such information away from her, unless it was something Yuki would have a better life without knowing.
What had happened? Was her past full of blood and corpses? Was her family killed by a vampire? A pureblood? Had Kaname anything to do with it? Her thoughts didn't make sense anymore as she went through the little information she had over and over again.
As Kaname slowly returned to consciousness, a burning hunger settled in his throat. He hadn't got any blood for more than a week and he had been drained until he fainted several times. Even before Rido had abducted him, the pureblood was lacking blood, since Kiryuu really hadn't held back. The much needed sleep however, had given his body some time to heal itself and the deep, open welts over his chest had become less visible.
For a lovely second, Kaname thought that everything he had went through during the last week had been a horrible nightmare and he was back in his old bed in the Moon Dorm. When he got out of bed and down the hallway, the other students would greed him like they used to and Yuki would send him her lovely, yet slightly blushed smile as he went past her on the way from the dorm to the class rooms.
Finally, the truth settled upon him and the pureblood sighed in frustration. Slowly, he sat up and started undressing. He had been so exhausted last night that he had just placed himself on top of the bed, not covering himself with the sheets, not bothering taking off his clothes. From the dull light coming in the window, he guessed that he had been asleep for more than 18 hours, the rest of the night and all day. An old grandfather clock told him that it was a little over 7 PM.
The hot water running down his naked body, made Kaname relax. The solidified blood on his neck and from his wrists, ankles and chest painted the water red and Kaname was uncomfortably aware that every single vampire at the estate must had been able to smell him, while he was asleep. A rather unpleasant thought as he knew that all of them probably had to restrain themselves not to attack him while he slept.
Kaname felt less dizzy after the bath, but he seriously needed some blood and the welts weren't healing until he got it. He had barely managed to pull on some clothes, before it knocked on the door. Kaname sighed and unlocked it, but stood in the doorways to prevent the person outside, by closer look a butler, from stepping inside.
"Ichiou-sama wishes to see you now." Couldn't that old man wait? Kaname was starving and was on the brink of rejecting, but Ichiou would force him to come anyway and if he said no, that would be a clear message about the pureblood's state. "Fine, I'll come. But first, would you bring me some bloodtablets and a glass of water?" Kaname wasn't really being polite at the moment, but he was in a bad mood and he just had to give a last comment of what he meant about the whole household. "And please prepare a car. I will be going back to Cross Academy at midnight."
The butler bowed, but didn't agree. Strange, normally a servant would give a remark. Well, as long as he left, Kaname was satisfied and he sunk back in a chair.
Zero slowly opened his eyes and adjusted to the darkness. It hurt everywhere and he gasped shortly as the pain coming from his shoulder echoed through his entire body. That sound caught Rido's attention and before Zero's world got pitch black again, as he yet again was force to go to sleep, he heard a mocking voice whisper in his ear. "Ohh, no. Not yet, we've not reached our destination yet, you little brat…" And Zero heard no more…
Takuma was worried the entire way to the Ichijo Estate and it was only becoming worse as he saw the house. He hated this house, he hated everything it represented. He didn't hate his grandfather, but at the same time he was unable to forget what Ichiou had done to Kaname. How the pureblood had suffered on end for years, how one mourning, Takuma had come into Kaname's room without warning. He couldn't forget how the pureblood slowly had turned against him and the sight of how the glittering tears had fallen down his cheeks.
The only time, Takuma ever had seen Kaname cry.
Takuma walked through the huge house to his rooms with painfully slow steps. He had first wanted to go directly to Kaname's room, but he figured out that the pureblood probably didn't want to be disturbed. Making it to his own room, he sank back in a chair and started reading a manga.
It knocked silently on the door and Kaname thought that his bloodtablets finally had arrived. "Yes," he opened the door slightly and was confused by the sight of a young man, not much elder than the pureblood himself, with no signs of neither bloodtablets nor water. "Ichiou-sama wants to see you now," the young man explained, looking down in the floor. "Ohh, yes. But I'm waiting for some bloodtablets, I will go when I've received them." There was no way he was going into Ichiou's office so drained.
"I'm sorry, there must have been a misunderstanding. The bloodtablets are ready in the office, Ichiou-sama's waiting for you." Kaname closed his eyes. Now, he had the choice of either going to his office and get the tablets or stay here without. And he understood that he couldn't just stay in his room forever. Gathering his strength, Kaname slowly nodded. "Alright, I'll go and see him then."
As Kaname made his way through the halls, he forced himself to look like he wasn't on the brink of collapsing. He opened the doors of the office very slowly, taking measured steps as he went inside and he stood as far away from the desk as possible. As his eyes searched the desk after any signs of blood, his heart sank.
"Kaname. Feeling better today?" How he hated that voice and those cold, grey eyes. "Much better." It was a complete lie and both knew it. A cold shiver ran through him as Ichiou rose from the chair and walked towards him, studying Kaname as if he was merely an object. "Are you thirsty?" Kaname silently sighed and turned towards his guardian. His eyes were like steel as he collected himself and with determination said "no."
Ichiou shrugged and turned away. "That's too bad since I brought a young girl here for you to feed upon. Follow me." He led Kaname to his personal rooms and the pureblood was becoming more and more frightened by the entire situation.
Inside the private, little room, a young girl around 16 sat on a divan. Her head rested slightly against the back and her eyes were closed. She was obviously unconscious and Ichiou pushed her head aside, removing the hair from her neck. Her features were delicate in her soft sleep and Kaname could hear the blood flooding through her veins. He couldn't hold back a loud gasp as Ichiou cut a little hole in her neck and the blood started flowing down her shoulder. Ichiou looked at him with a mocking smile as Kaname bended over the divan, in unpleasant assurance that there was no way, he could hide his hunger now.
The pureblood looked one last time at her face as he buried his fangs in her throat. She moaned softly, Kaname moaned loudly. The blood was so sweet and he finally felt how his own throat stopped hurting. However, it had a strange taste and as the hunger settled and Kaname became clearer in mind, he understood that Ichiou had drugged her.
Kaname slowly turned, the blood running down his face, and his eyes met with Ichiou's cruel smile. "Morphine? You've drugged her with morphine?" A smile tugged at his lips, as Kaname realized that Ichiou had used the pureblood's bloodlust to drug him. "Right, you're not an idiot Kaname. Then why didn't you see this come?" Ichiou asked mockingly as he grabbed the young pureblood's hair so they were looking into each other's eyes. Kaname was halfway sitting, halfway lying over the girl and as the drugs began to work, he sled down the divan and onto the floor. Ichiou's hold in his hair forced him to turn around and face the noble.
There was a veil over Kaname's eyes and the pureblood had to force himself to raise an arm and weakly take a hold in Ichiou's coat. "You know, it will do you no good to drink my blood while I'm unable to fight back. I will make sure, the public finds out and then you will be in jail the rest of a noble's short life."
"Do you really think I'm stupid enough to think I can drink your blood if I immobilize you? Then, I could have done it long ago, isn't that right? I know you still remember how it was back then, and I intent to bring that time back." Kaname's grip loosened, he could barely see Ichiou anymore. It was clear that he'd got an overdose, something that would kill a human.
Ichiou softly liberated his coat and placed himself close to Kaname's ear, while turning his head a little to expose the pureblood's creamy neck. "Though, I must admit it's really tempting." Ichiou licked the side of Kaname's neck, making him fighting to regain control, while Ichiou's fangs lay over the main vein, not hard enough to draw blood, but hard enough to make it really uncomfortable.
Ichiou sighed and pulled away. "Now, no more time for play, we have things to do before you regain strength. " Even in his drugged state, Kaname could feel the shivers that ran through him and he hated himself for being so helpless. God damn Rido for making him so hungry.
Ichiou walked over to a little side table, but Kaname couldn't see what he was doing. Inside, Kaname felt a strange warning signal, almost like the one coming when Kiryuu was around. Almost like…
Kaname's dully eyes widened as Ichiou approached him again and his fears were concerned when he felt cold metal on his skin and then a strong electric shock. For a second the pain was overwhelming and Kaname felt like screaming, but then it became less painful until it was nothing more than a faint, dully pain in his head.
The hunter charm left him unable to move, at least not very well, and with the drugs it would probably be more painful than it was worth. "You can't make me stay," he faintly whispered. "I will regain strength, even after this foolish taming. You can't hold me here."
Ichiou chuckled and sat on the divan, taking his hand to rest in Kaname's disheveled hair. "See Kaname, that's where you're wrong. Maybe, I can't hold you, but with the entire Council behind me, you're helpless. But off course," he moved closer, "I have no need to do all this, if you'll just say to the Council that I'm allowed to drink you're blood." Even in Kaname's drugged state, he managed to turn his head and look defiant at Ichiou. "Never. You can take anything, but that. I don't care about what you do, I will never say it is okay for you to drink from me."
Ichiou's eyes tightened as he heard it. He had known that Kaname wouldn't be easy to break, but none the less, he would break. With time. "Come here." The noble gripped Kaname and jerked him roughly to his feet, dragging him onto the divan. Ichiou had first intended to take Kaname to the cellar, which he had often used when punishing Kaname, but he wouldn't be the one caught caring an almost unconscious pureblood. Kaname was only semi-conscious as a few harsh blows landed on his chest, which, like the rest of his wounds, had started to heal, but was now hindered by the drugs and hunter charms.
He was so far away, that he couldn't respond, couldn't even feel the blows and that irritated Ichiou. His irritated face was breaking through the clouds, and Kaname smiled faintly, even though he knew that it probably wasn't the best thing he could do at the moment. "How dare you smile, you little brat?"
It almost felt as if Ichiou tried to punch the smile off his face, by beating him severely everywhere the noble had access, even ripping off the pureblood's shirt and beating his hurting chest. That pain brought Kaname back to reality and he grit his teeth not to give anything away. It amused Kaname that he could win this battle of power, even though he was the one being beaten, just by suffering in silence.
Zero slowly awoke and glanced thoughtlessly to see where he was. It didn't look much like the dungeon he had been in when he had suddenly lost consciousness. He remembered Kuran, Yuki and that Rido-guy. Where he was now, he had no idea, but as he moved to get a better look and come away from the hurtful position he was in, a violent pain ran through his right shoulder and he gasped loudly. He now remembered that he'd been shot and the hunter immediately looked for his gun. The weapon was gone and as Zero's mind became clearer, he understood that someone was holding him captive.
He was standing up, strung up by chains attached to the ceiling high above. There were chains around his wrists and upper arms, all just long enough to reach him, so he couldn't move. Zero gripped firmly around the chains engulfing his wrists and jerked at them, checking if he could break them. It didn't seem that way. They were both strong and thick.
"Are you finally up?" The cold voice set shivers down Zero's spine as he tried to turn and face the vampire. Zero was now aware, that the vampire holding him here was the same vampire, he had attacked earlier. Rido. It didn't really make sense, but apparently he had "rented" his son's body, apparently without permission. It was despicable. Something only beasts would ever do.
Rido smiled as he stepped inside the sparse light coming from a small candle standing near Zero. "Already testing the chains I see. I'm not really hungry right now as I've been having a small feast on my nephew not long ago, but shouldn't we make you bleed a little and see if that changes it?"
Rido placed two fingers on Zero's jaw and pushed his head up, while nuzzling the hunter's silver locks. Then, he touched Zero's chin and made a small rift in the pale skin, drawing blood to the surface. Rido smiled cruelly when he suddenly took his hand down and ripped the hunter's shirt open, digging his claws into the skin. A small gasp, but it was of surprise more than actual pain.
Rido sighed. "Just as disobedient as my nephew. But, then again… I broke my nephew and with him, I had to be gentle not to hurt him that much before it was time. With you… I can and will be much rougher." Zero didn't really hear the last part, his entire mind focused on finding out about Kaname. Had he really been hiding something important for them? "Wait… time for what? What is it between you and Kuran?"
Rido smiled cruelly at the hunter, before letting his hand to rest in the silver locks and he grinned lightly as Zero jerked his head away. Much of Rido's games were about shoving just how defenseless his victims really were. "Hmm, my nephew doesn't really tell anything, right? Why, why?" He shook his head slowly as if he was considering it really careful. "Maybe it's because he doesn't know who he can trust? Maybe it's because he is ashamed? Or maybe it's because he doesn't want Yuki to worry." Rido smiled as Zero jerked back at the mention of Yuki.
"If you hurt her, Rido. If you ever as much as touches her, I'll rip out your heart with my bare hands." Zero twisted and squirmed to get out of the chains, but it wasn't really working and Rido merely smiled at the threat. "I won't hurt her as the first one. The only one that can and will hurt her now is Kaname."
Zero's struggles ended and he stared at the vampire with a mix of shock, concern and disbelief written across his face. The thought that Kaname could actually hurt Yuki hadn't really crossed his mind since the Night Class had been established. Before that, he had always been afraid whenever Yuki and Kuran was together alone, but whenever he expressed his concern, Yuki would assure him that he was overprotecting and that Kaname never would do such a thing. And slowly he had started to believe in her, even though he still to this day always was being suspicious.
"What exactly is Kuran? Why are you after him? You're a beast. The wor…" a sharp backhanding ended the hunter's questions. "You should know your place by now. Even in this body, I'm on a much higher level than you, made even more so by the fact that you're my hostage and captive right now." Rido smiled faintly, as his fingers turned to talons and he viciously ripped the hunter's chest, making him grit his teeth in pain.
Rido stopped before he had left any rifts deep enough to draw blood, only bruising the surface of the skin. Then, he walked behind the boy, who in vain tried to turn around. Rido placed a small bite in his finger, making the characteristic blood whips. They descended upon the hunter's back making him scream. The red liquid ran down Zero's back, making his pants and the rest of his shirt bloodred.
Zero was screaming, while he dangled from the chains, the blood completely soaking through his clothes, before Rido stopped. Then, he wandered around the chained hunter and gripped his hair. "Hmm, I see why my fiancée chose you. You're so much fun to play with. But how do you taste, I wonder?"
Rido moved closer, pressing Zero's hair up and biting harshly in his throat. The hunter gasped in pain and tried to pull away, while Rido made high gurgling sounds. It was the first time in four years, Zero had felt the sensation of being drained and it wasn't any better this time. It hurt like hell and Zero wondered if he had hurt Yuki this much every time.
Shizuka hadn't taken so much when she turned him and that had only been for a few seconds. This brutal violation lasted for minutes and in the beginning, the hunter squirmed to get away, but as he lost strength while the blood left him, he hadn't the powers to keep up the fight. It would have changed nothing however. Rido was far too strong and Zero was chained. The hunter's head sank down on Rido's shoulder and his struggles ended.
"Good boy, do as you're told," Rido hissed against Zero's neck. "S-stop…" the hunter pleaded as Rido's teeth sank back in.
Takuma had decided to visit Kaname as soon as possible, but now that he stood outside the doors to the pureblood's old rooms, he didn't feel like visiting. He silently knocked on the door and a muffled voice from inside allowed him to enter.
Takuma grit his teeth in frustration as he came in and saw the pureblood lying on the big bed, his back against Takuma. He had almost healed, but still had a few bruises on the back and as he turned, it was clear that he had been beaten other places than the back. Kaname looked at him with a light blush of shame, but he knew that he couldn't hide from Takuma. The young noble had known of everything since he one day had come in and seen Kaname being "disciplined".
"Kaname." Takuma's voice was full of concern and sorrow. He had hoped that the abuse would stop when Kaname no longer was around the house, but it seemed like his grandfather wouldn't stop no matter what happened. "It happened again, didn't it? Was he very rough on you?"
"I'm okay, its fine," the pureblood assured, but as he struggled to his feet, a sharp pain spread through his chest and Kaname gasped. "No, you're not. Please, let me help you Kaname." Takuma reached out, but Kaname pulled away. The noble didn't understand that Kaname couldn't be any better as long as that stupid charm was on.
The soft knock on the door, followed by the voice of a servant asking to be let in broke the unsettling silence. Kaname straightened up and let the servant in. He was around 20, brown hair and eyes and he was visibly surprised to find Takuma in here. "Ohh, it good you're here, Takuma-sama. Then, I'll just tell both of you at the same time. Ichiou-sama asks for you to prepare yourselves for a cocktail party at the Aidou family estate."
Damn it. Since Ichiou and the head of the Aidou family didn't get along very well, it was obvious why they had to go. Kaname had to walk around and talk with everyone, drugged and restrained with charms. And he knew that the reason why Hanabusa's father had invited them at all probably was because he wanted to ask Kaname to remember that his daughter could be an option when looking for a wife.
Kaname sighed. It wasn't like he didn't like his fellow student's family, but why did they have to hold a party tonight?
"All right, I'll make myself presentable." Kaname gave Takuma a look as the noble started protesting. The servant bowed shortly and left the room. He had barely closed the door, before Takuma irrupted. "You don't have to suffer through that. We'll find a way to let my grandfather know that you can't come."
Kaname stopped Takuma by holding up a hand. "I can't. I'm grateful that you want to risk being punished yourself for my sake, but if I'm not coming, it'll be much worse for myself, trust me." He silently sat up and started to dress up.
Sorry, the end is quite suddenly but the next events don't have a place where it's great to stop. So, have to live with a shabby ending. My hand continues to torture Zero and Kaname terribly, I have yet again failed to protect them. First, I wanted Kaname to be saved after Rido's abuse, but Rido is far too strong, so Kaname's only chance of escape was if he was taken in by the Council. And the circle continues….
Reviews are most welcome, thank you all for reading this.
