10~
"Do you really think Dad is serious about 'vampires'?" he asked, looking over at Ichiru who was lazily drawing in the dirt.
"Why wouldn't he be?" his twin countered, looking up at him with amusement lighting up his lilac eyes.
"Well..." he started with a shrug of his shoulders. "I guess it's 'cause I don't like the idea that something so horrible and nasty exits," he said, tilting his head when Ichiru frowned and his gaze became hard.
" 'Horrible and nasty'?" Ichiru repeated, his voice bordering a wondering tone. "I bet they're not all bad," the weaker brother argued.
"How can you say that?" he exclaimed, staring at Ichiru with wide, horrified eyes. "Dad said they killed to live and that they took joy in doing so!" he hissed. Ichiru just glared and stood up, storming off to the house as he let anger consume him.
"You don't know anything, Zero!" Ichiru shouted. He sounded wounded and... upset?
Had they just fought? And over something so trivial, the other actually standing up for the wrong side.
*.*.*
Zero stared at the wall of Kaname's bedroom, reliving the same memory over and over again. Ichiru's odd behavior that day had been odd and had bothered Zero, but back then he hadn't been conscious enough to understand it. Now his twin's actions did seem slightly suspicious.
Ichiru was alive. But the only way he could be is if he were a vampire as he had been, literally, ripped out of Zero's grasp by one. And he had probably... wanted it. He had wanted it to happen.
Zero froze when he felt Kaname's arm drape over his waist, then slowly rolled over to face the brunette only to find him still asleep.
You're such a bastard, he thought, taking in the vampires features.
"You look so much nicer when you sleep..." Zero sighed, hesitantly reaching out and poking the relaxed, pale face. He really wanted to know what Kaname knew. The brunette was definitely a lot more compliant when he first woke up, but the walls always went back up when he fully awoke.
Zero supposed they were a lot alike in that area.
"Hey, Kuran," he said, poking the other man's cheek a little harder. "Hey-"
"Kaname-kun~!"
Zero tensed, panic slowly working it's way into him. That had been Kaien's voice. And it was right outside of the bedroom.
And Zero was faintly certain he was still naked.
"Kaname!" he hissed, shaking the brunette when the man outside of the room knocked on the door.
He sleeps like the dead! Zero thought, already working on getting out of the bed, but Kaname groaned softly right before hooking a leg around his thigh and pulling him close again. The arm around his waist moved to his stomach, pressing him against the vampire's chest.
"Kaname-kun, why are you sleeping so late?" Kaien called, the door already creaking open. Kaname's eyes snapped open and he turned the struggled Zero, his red eyes proving to be very thoughtful and vivid even though he had just woken up. A devious smirk lit up his sharp features, and the crimson orbs swam mischievously.
"Stay quiet and you won't get caught," he whispered almost inaudibly. It sounded easy enough, but Zero didn't know Kaname had a game planned at that time.
"Kaname-"
"Kaien, what is so important that you must come into my room?" Kaname asked wearily, then gripped a fistful of Zero's hair and kissed him. The vampire's goal immediately clicked and he glared at Kaname, meeting the liquid red eyes evenly.
Kissing back would probably be an idiotic decision but he did so anyway.
"It's about Zero," Kaien started. His form was just barely visible outside of the canopy beds curtain now, but the blond made no move to open them.
"I'd rather not talk about that right now," Kaname said after pulling away. Zero only had that statement to recover before Kaname was back, his attack merciless this time.
"But it's really important," Kaien persisted. Zero hardly recognized it though, his own mind set on staying quiet as the brunette's tongue began a cruel dance with his own. He shuddered when Kaname pulled away and tried to -quietly- regain his breathing and composure.
"I'm not in the mood right now," Kaname growled, though his tone didn't match his face in the least. "So stubborn," he mouthed, taking advantage of Zero's surprise and tilting his head up to nip and suck at the one spot just below his ear. Zero reacted as he had the night before as Kaname teased the outrageously sensitive skin, but a hand flew to his mouth this time as he held back the small moans and whimpers. His breathing was labored and will was wearing thin by the time Kaien next spoke.
"It's about Rido as well."
Kaname was out of the bed before Zero could even notice, the door closing being the only thing that snapped him out of his daze.
"That asshole!" Zero growled, fumbling for his clothes then hurrying out of the room after dressing. Kaname and Kaien weren't in the jointing room, and as Zero wandered through the rest of the house he realized they were probably tucked away in one of the locked rooms.
More secrets? Zero wondered, pacing the living room restlessly only fifteen minutes later. And about Rido and I no less! he fumed silently. Ichiru now Rido?
His life at the institution had been saner than the life Kaname had thrown him in.
Questions whirled through his mind. Questions Zero was piecing together and answering himself. Rido had to be a vampire. And if he was really a relative of Kamame, a Pureblood at that! Then Rido's threat. His mentioning "Level D" implied that he knew. And Zero was pretty sure he was a Level D so that had to be directed at him.
Rido's threat seemed so much more serious now.
I'll kill him, Zero decided.
"You have the most interesting reactions, Zero..."
Zero whirled around, panic flaring through him as he met two mismatched eyes.
Rido?
"Your expressions when you were pacing? They were constantly changing, and to such different emotions from the last!" Rido snickered, his blue and red eyes glittering coldly. "So... thoughtful and emotional," he whispered.
"How did you-"
"Do you think I wouldn't know where my very own nephew resided?" Rido asked, arching an eyebrow in faux amusement. "I think the real problem here is you, Zero," he sighed. "You've been a very bad boy, haven't you? A patient running away with his very own therapist!"
"What are you talking about?"
"I blame Kaname though," the older man continued, waving a hand in dismissal. "It's just just you that puzzles me. Kaname risking his own human persona for a Level D? Not that I have any room to talk, I have one myself, but I would certainly never risk my neck for him," he scoffed.
So annoying, Zero thought tuning out as Rido kept talking.
Unfortunately, that was exactly what the vampire had wanted. As soon as Zero had shifted his attention, Rido was behind him. One hand was tangled in his hair, jerking his head back and to the side to expose his neck, while his free arm wrapped around his waist like a snake, vampiric strength keeping Zero from successfully struggling.
"If you make any noise to alert Kaname or the idiotic hunter, I will snap your neck like a twig and get away with it," he hissed in his ear when Zero opened his mouth.
Even if the brunette's previously cheerful demeanor had been fake, the sudden change still stunned Zero.
"You have such a pretty little neck," Rido sighed, his breath hot against his neck. Zero jerked, trying to get away, when he felt the older mans lips brush against the fragile skin. He knew Rido could sense the fear that pounded through him, but that thought did little to help and only seemed to intensify it.
The fear turned to horror when Rido laughed. It was low, cold, and emotionless and brought on chills that shoot Zero to his core.
"You're his play thing, too?" Rido exclaimed, the amusement in his tone genuine and clear this time. Zero grunted when he felt the grip in his hair tighten. "Not only are you his slave, and by the the puncture wounds on your wrist his food source, you're Kaname's whore?"
"Rido?" Zero started softly, feeling nothing change in the vampire. That couldn't have been possible though, he had to be feeling something right then, he just had to be good at hiding his emotions.
"...Yes?"
"Are all Kuran's bastards?" he asked, grunting the last word as he dug his elbow into Rido's stomach. Rido let go of him in surprise and pain, giving Zero the opportunity to turn around and knee him in the same place. "So persistent!" he breathed, knocking the Pureblood's feet from under him and kicking him once more. He quickly dug through his pockets, praying the pocket knife would still be there.
Relief took over when he felt the familiar chilled hilt of the knife.
"I bet you were one of the ones there that night," Zero snapped, quickly pinning Rido beneath him and digging the four inch blade into his stomach, smiling when a low, pained groan escaped the mans lips. "You attacked my family," he hissed, twisting the blade sharply.
The smell of blood filled his senses suddenly and made him dizzy for a moment. That moment was what Rido needed to kick Zero off of him and stand up. He carefully pulled the knife from his stomach and tossed it to the side, kneeling down and staring flatly at Zero.
"I told Kaname he should have taken Ichiru when we were about to burn the house. Now I'm glad insisted on you," he said, tone just as flat as his expression. "Ichiru is such a good 'pet'. He does what I tell him, when I tell him, then eagerly accepts his reward," he sighed. "Unlike Kaname, I don't like living with a challenge. I guess you could say being picked by Kaname prolonged your life, because I don't deal with challenges."
No...
Rido had Ichiru?
"And, Zero," Rido said, his voice demanding his attention. Zero growled softly, glaring at the vampire as he was forced to look at him by the strong hand gripping his chin. "If you say anything to Kaname about this little encounter... I'll kill you."
~.~.~ (Kaname's POV)
"Rido has Ichiru?" Kaname repeated softly, leaning against the door and staring at Kaien, "But I thought Shizuka-"
"Shizuka initially had Ichiru, but when he saw that you had Zero I guess he freaked out and... well you know what he's like when he sees something he wants," Kaien sighed.
"He'll do anything to get it..." Kaname murmured, lost as he thought.
He had been so intent on Zero that night though. A misunderstanding had to be the cause of this.
"But when we attacked, Rido was trying to convince me to get Ichiru, I just said I didn't care and that whatever twin stumbled upon me first, I'd take... Rido wants Zero," Kaname realized with sudden clarity.
"I don't know about that," Kaien chuckled. "I think he wanted Zero, but then found Ichiru and let go of Zero when you marked him. Up until you marked Zero I could hardly tell them apart!"
"Rido never wants something then stops," Kaname corrected the hunter. "If anything he's furious. Making a mistake like mixing up the brothers? If he wanted Zero then he still wants him now, especially because he messed up."
"But they're both the twins. As long as he has one he should be content... unless Ichiru's illness upset him..." Kaien muttered. "But after the change he wouldn't be so sickly!"
It was really annoying. Annoying enough to give Kaname a headache.
Rido is so troublesome... he thought, rubbing his eyes and sighing as he thought.
"Zero has more than Ichiru, though. And the fact that I was the one who got the stronger twin in general probably killed him." Kaname smirked.
"You're taking this too lightly, Kaname!" Kaien exclaimed, hazel eyes widening in amazement. "Do you understand what will happen if Rido gets both of them!" he hissed.
"He won't get both of them," Kaname growled, staring at the blond fiercely.
"Keep that in mind then, Kaname," Kaien countered, staring back through dark, narrowed eyes. "The Kiryu's are a set pair. One doesn't work without the other-"
A faint thump from the floor below and a grunt cut the hunter off. Both of them froze, not even moving a muscle in case they miss something. Sure enough, a small almost inaudible, groan of pain followed.
Kaname was out of the room in a heartbeat, only pausing outside of it and waiting to listen. Complete silence ensued, something even Kaname wasn't used to.
"Kaname-"
"There's nothing..." he murmured, slowly starting to walk down the hallway.
Maybe Zero fell? Bumped into something? Kaname wondered. But never had the house been so quiet.
"I'll go check on Zero," he told Kaien, picking up his pace.
"Zero's back?"
"Since last night," Kaname answered, his smirk unseen by the hunter.
As Kaname quickly slipped down the stairs, sound finally hit him. Though still not much of it. Just the tick of a clock and faint movement from the living room.
"Zero?" he called softly, peering around the corner into the small room. "Zero!" he exclaimed, alarm hitting him when he saw the silverette leaning against the wall, eyes wide and glaze over. The sound of his voice being called must have brought him back, as he had shaken himself and his lilac eyes had become focused and alert. "What happened?" Kaname asked, hurrying over to him to help him up. Once he was within the boys line of sight, Zero froze.
What has gotten into him? he wondered. When Zeero finally relaxed and shakily stood up, suspicion replaced his alarm.
"I fell," Zero said, but the vague explanation was an obvious lie.
Something had shaken him up. As soon as he had registered Kaname he had relaxed, but fear and anxiousness had weaved through him during the time he didn't recognize him.
"Zero, don't lie to me. What really happened?" Kaname asked, catching the young hunter's arm as he tried to walk away. Zero just shrugged him off and looked away, eyes revealing absolutely nothing. Containing nothing. The lilac pools had an unnatural lack of energy and were devoid of any emotion.
"I really just tripped and fell, Kaname," Zero sighed. Kaname narrowed his eyes, quickly growing tired of Zero's poor excuse.
"I need you to stop wandering around the development," Kaname sighed, deciding to change the subject. There was no use arguing with him over something he obviously wasn't willing to talk about.
"You're saying I can't walk around anymore?" Zero shouted, his eyes wide with horror and disbelief and finally filling the blank features.
"Yes."
"Why-!"
"Because Rido is after you," Kaname said sheepishly. It would make things worse if he were to really hide things from Zero, so he would give him small details.
Leaving out the bigger ones wouldn't cause too much trouble as long as Zero didn't find out.
"So Rido really is after me..." the silverette murmured, leaning agaisnt the wall. Kaname arched an eyebrow, waiting for Zero to realize his mistake. Hardly five seconds later Zero groaned in frustration. "I didn't just say that and you didn't just hear that."
"How exactly do you know about that?" Kaname growled.
"Is it because I spit on him?" Zero asked, clearly trying to change the subject.
It worked for a moment.
"You spit on Rido?" Kaname questioned, giving him a small, amazed, smile.
"Yes..."
Rido had probably been livid.
"You still haven't answered my original question," Kaname sighed, giving Zero a heavily guarded look. Zero stared at him, chewing on his bottom lip (something that completely enticed Kaname though he ignored the urge to do anything) with his eyebrows drawn together as he thought.
"We just spoke," he finally sighed with a flat glare that admitted defeat. "He was just in here," the hunter elaborated, then held up a pale hand, fingers stained with drying blood.
Kaname stared at the bloodied hand in amazement. He hadn't even smelled the blood...
"You..." he started, doubt replacing the previous amazement. Zero couldn't have killed Rido.
"I stabbed him in the stomach, but I didn't kill him," Zero said simply, giving his hand a look of disgust before letting it fall back to his side.
"You spit and stabbed Rido?"
He's so rash and idiotic- no, oblivious, he thought.
"Yeah... I also found out he has Ichiru," Zero replied dryly. Kaname winced. That had been the one thing he had wanted to hide from Zero at all costs for as long as possible.
"Zero, you need to let Ichiru-"
"No!" the hunter shouted suddenly. "He's all I have left, Kaname!" he exclaimed, eyes wide with anger and pain. Kaname stepped forward and gripped Zero's face in his hands, thumbs stroking his cheekbones in a weak effort to calm in.
"Rido turned Ichicru. He's gone, Zero. Rido's essence fills him, and his essence is overpowering. The only thing left of Ichiru is his body and voice, and that is something that you cannot deal with if he has Rido's teachings filling his head," he started softly, but Zero didn't give him the chance to continue.
"You're lying," he spat, quickly pulling away and glaring at him.
"I wouldn't lie about something like this. Or as creepy," Kaname sighed, his words obviously confusing Zero. "He laughed as Rido changed him..." he murmured as an afterthought.
It had been the freakiest thing he had ever seen. Kaname had watched from the woman's room, horrified, as Shizuka plucked Ichiru from Zero's small hands like a snack. Ichiru's face had been filled with delight, unseen by Zero, and his acting had been incredible as he had reassured Zero. Moments later, just seconds before Zero had slipped into the room Kaname had been in, Rido had snatched Ichiru from Shizuka and dragged him off.
While he laughed.
"He wanted this life, Zero," Kaname said, his voice stronger. "And Rido gave it to him. Because it was Rido who gave it to him, and raised him as a vampire, whatever 'innocence' you had seen in Ichiru is... gone," he added softly.
"But that's-"
"From now on you stay with me," he decided, offering Zero a smile when he stared at him, disbelief clear on his features. "You don't go anywhere without me or Kaien. In fact, you'll even come to the Academy with me," he explained, the smile turning slightly cold. "You can be a live example of what they're learning."
"But-"
"You can help out with the classes," Kaname continued, leaning forward so his face was just mere inches from the silverette's. "You'll be the example," he chuckled, taking advantage of Zero's surprise and placing a quick, chaste kiss on his lips before turning and walking away. "I have a class to supervise tonight, so clean yourself up and make sure you find away to hide the hickeys!"
Now he could officially worry.
A/N- Happy holidays~
And HOLY FUCK RIDO AND ICHIRU?!
Wanna know something really weird?
I ship Rido/Ichiru
I don't even know how the hell that happened. I'm just writing the beginning of this out and I thought, "Do I REALLY want Shizuka to be Ichiru's 'master'? Nah..."
And thus! The Rido/Ichiru was born! Even though I don't think anybody ships them! (Rido and Zero, yes. I've seen fics with them/heard of them, they're very unloved apparently, but I think the ship that needs the most love is Rido/Ichiru xD)
Responses~
ShadowsOfPensAndPaper- Is your Christmas 10x better? IT SHOULD BE CUZ I WENT THROUGH HELL TO GET THIS CHAPTER TYPED OUT. Okay, that's a lie. I SUFFERED and WORRIED for a week and prayed I'd get a laptop for Christmas (I got one for Christmas xD My moms computer died and the charger broke so I had no internet access. If Santa hadn't pulled through there would be no update~ haha) And of course Zero loves being molested, but that brings up a question;
If you like it does it count as molestation?
xSonya- Oh had to have tons of restraint. TONS OF THE STUFF (I don't have restraint :D) And I probably would have gone further with it (penetration but not with the one thing that counts~ *snickers*) had I not really really wanted to do what I have planned ;P
HoldOnAngel- JESUS CHRIST WOMAN CALM DOWN! I gave a smut estimation in SUR, so I guess I shall do one in this so you can cool your jets;
How this "smut estimation works"- I plan out chapters in my head (Not FULL chapters, just ideas that will fit in a chapter length). But the chapter number I come up with doesn't mean thats what it will BE. It could change *shrugs*
Chapters you have to wait for- 2 chapters ^^ You know what, no this is an absolute number. TWO MORE CHAPTERS UNTIL YOU GET YO SMUT HOLDONANGEL
Until next time~
Snow Whites Poison Kiss