Pairing: Kaname/Zero

Rating: M

Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance

Warnings: Slight torture; suggestive themes

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Never will.

Word count: 4,114

Summary: Finding himself at his captor's mercy, Zero finds out something unexpected that shakes him to the core.

Chapter 10: Shadows in the Dark

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When Zero regained consciousness there was nothing but all encompassing darkness that not even his enhanced senses were able to penetrate. The floor beneath his skin was as cold as the stone that dug into his back and in the prolonged silence the only things he could hear were his breathing and the sound of his rapidly beating heart. His eyelids felt heavy, as if he hadn't opened them in a while, and he wasn't even sure that he would be able to move any part of his body if he tried, disregarding the fact that his limbs where chained to the wall behind him. He didn't need to see where he was to know that it was definitely not the Moon Dorm anymore.

Memories suddenly flashed through his mind and he gasped when he remembered the scene on the balcony.

"…You just gave me everything I need to kill your lover."

The words echoed through his head and with renewed urgency Zero tried to dislodge the fastenings around his wrists.

His muscles tensed slightly when he made the attempt to move, but other than that nothing happened. Great. He was alone, unable to move and chained to a wall in some kind of medieval prison cell by the smell of it. The mouldy air felt heavy around him, almost smothering him. He didn't need to be a genius to know that he was screwed.

Silently cursing his bad luck and everything else he could think of at the moment that was even remotely connected to his abduction, he forced his eyes open once more. The darkness was still baring down on him like a thick blanket, but from time to time he could have sworn there were shadows moving along the walls.

The thought that there was quite possibly something else besides him in the room that he wasn't even able to sense made his muscles tense in growing unease.

If he ever got out of here alive he would be sure to make Kaname pay for always getting him into this kind of wrecked situations.

Kaname…

"…You just gave me everything I need to kill your lover."

His head snapped up, but Zero ignored the flaring pain that coursed through him at the sudden movement. He needed to get out of here before something could happen to Kaname. If it wasn't already too late. Who knew how long he'd been unconcious. Shaking the thought away with a frustrated growl, Zero fisted the chains above in his shaking hands and pulled himself into a more upright position. No way would he continue to hang around like a wet sack and wait for his captor to come and find him.

Bracing himself against the wall as much as he was able to, Zero used his entire weight in an attempt to break free. There was more resistance than he had anticipated and he clenched his teeth in anger when his body sacked back against cold stone. At least it seemed that his ability to move was slowly returning, even though there was still this searing pain behind his eyes.

"You won't be able to free yourself from these chains."

Tilting his head in the direction of the voice, Zero tried to make out more than the distinct shape of his captor. Still, the shadows completely surrounded the other man, seemingly swivelling through the air and shielding him from the hunter's gaze.

"Who are you?" Not that Zero expected some kind of reply, but the silence that once again began to lay itself over the room made him nervous. It was as if he was alone, even though he could clearly make out the shape of another person right in front of him. Therefore he was a little startled at the rumbling words that suddenly penetrated the almost suffocating silence.

"There's no need for you to know my name."

"No, of course not." Zero snarled, his words practically dripping with sarcasm. "You're just the one that knocked me out and tied me to a damn wall. Well, if that isn't a first-rate basis for a lifelong friendship." Zero knew that it wasn't the best idea to provoke his captor, but his nerves were rattled and his patience was wearing thin. "Oh, and can't forget the fact that you want to kill the person I love. That's just great."

"Your sarcasm isn't going to help you, hunter." the other man stated in a quiet voice and took another step forward. They weren't more than ten feet apart and the further he moved toward the place where Zero was chained to the wall, the more the hunter could feel the man's power seeping through every pore in his body. It felt like constant little bolts of lightning shooting straight through his veins. There was no doubt that this person was a vampire and by the look of it a pretty strong one.

"Why am I here if it is Kaname you're truly after?"

"Don't you know?" The distance between them became less with every second, and still Zero's eyes could not take in the man's features.

"What, you got a problem with your eyes? Couldn't kidnap the right person?" His words were interrupted by a deep rumbling noise.

Laughter. This damn vampire was laughing at him!

"You damn-"

There was a sudden flash and Zero couldn't keep from crying out in agony. White-hot pain set his whole body aflame, the shackles around his joints burning into his flesh when he arched away from the stone wall, pulling the metal chains taut in another desperate attempt to free himself and end this torture. His mind grew fuzzy, every nerve in his body protesting. Using all the strength he had left Zero tried to stay conscious through every lancing bolt of electricity.

The blackness at the edge of his vision made it almost impossible for the hunter to concentrate on anything else but the pain. Everything around him seemed to move, whirling around him in a storm of pictures and images. It made him want to close his eyes and give in to the growing pull of blissful darkness. The thought of escaping this torture was tempting, threatening to overwhelm his senses.

Then suddenly it stopped.

Panting through the pain that still wrecked his mind and body Zero fell forwards, his entire weight resting on his slack arms.

The dizziness that overcame him when he lifted his head made his stomach churn and it took a moment for his eyes to focus on the man that now stood directly in front of him. There weren't shadows to hide him anymore, but with the black creeping in on his vision there was still no way to recognize anything important. The last thing his mind registered before he finally lost his fight against unconsciousness was the other's satisfied smile and two piercing black eyes.

"We are going to have so much fun, my little hunter."

And then there was nothing.

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The next time he woke there was a flash of blinding white light, forcing him to shut his eyes once again in order to shield himself from the intense pain that pounded through his head.

He couldn't hold back a pained groan and cursed inwardly at his own weakness. He didn't want to give his tormentor the satisfaction of seeing him like this.

Why the hell wasn't he able to free himself? He was a vampire, for God's sake! If there ever was a moment where he would be glad about it- and he never thought such a moment did even exist- it would be a situation in which he could use his inhuman strength to escape his imprisonment. A situation like this one.

So why was it that he couldn't do more than futilely rattle his chains? Furthermore he felt as if his whole strength was slowly but continuously seeping out of him.

"I took the liberty to use a special kind of metal for those chains to make sure of your obedience, however temporary it may be." came a deep voice from his right. "They are laced with anti-vampire charms, but I'm sure you're already well aware of that, aren't you, my cute little hunter?"

Zero gritted his teeth in anger when he heard the amused words of his captor and the way he was addressing him. Oh, how he wanted to give him some piece of mind right about now, but after what happened to him the last time he'd tried to talk back to the man, he knew that he should probably refrain from provoking him further. The reminiscense of the agony he'd felt and his wrists that were still aching where he'd rubbed them raw during his struggles kept reminding him of this fact. He didn't even know how long he'd been unconscious this time.

"What do you want from me?"

Prying his eyes apart and ignoring the new wave of pain that assaulted his senses Zero was finally able to make out everything around him. Based on the fact that there were neither windows nor other openings to let in any kind of light, he was pretty sure that he was in some kind of dungeon. The light that pierced his still over-sensitive eyes came from floodlights that were strategically positioned in the corners of the room, illuminating everything and leaving no room to hide. Not that there existed even the smallest possibility for Zero to even think about it. The cold and moldy stone walls around him seemed several centuries old at least and there was no furniture except for a chair the other vampire had seated himself upon.

Zero felt like one of those damn princesses right out of a fairytale, waiting for their prince to rescue them from the evil dragon. He suppressed a snort at the thought. Yeah, now he'd really lost it.

Blinking repeatedly to clear his still slightly fuzzy vision the hunter leaned back against the cold wall.

"You know, you could've just-"

Zero's words died in his throat when his gaze landed on the smirking man in front of him. Suddenly he felt as if all the air in his lungs had evaporated, leaving him gasping for breath and staring wide-eyed at the other vampire.

"That's impossible…" he whispered when he found his voice again. The man in front of him tilted his head in obvious amusement, causing the long, snow-white hair to cascade down the dark shirt he was wearing and over his leather-clad thighs. Sweeping some strands aside, Zero found himself once again confronted with two piercing black eyes.

"Something the matter, my little hunter?" the vampire spoke with a cruel smile. "Do I look like someone you know?"

Standing up from his chair he slowly walked over and kneeled down in front of Zero. Following the vampire's every move Zero's attention was caught by the necklace dangling around his neck.

The hunter's heartbeat accelerated when he realized what it was. A cherry blossom… encased in an ice-like crystal.

Images flashed through Zero's mind, but this time they were memories of a time long since past.

A cold, dark winter night.

A lone cherry tree standing in full bloom despite the season.

Deep pink cherry blossoms falling all around him in an imitation of real snow.

And underneath the tree…

…a woman.

No.

A vampire… long, white hair floating in the wind, the blood of his parents colouring her kimono a deep deep red.

And the pain. The all-consuming pain when her fangs pierced his flesh and condemned him to a fate worse than death.

Shizuka Hio.

Whispering the name in a state of disbelief, Zero felt the blood run cold in his veins.

"Not quite." spoke the vampire in front of him, voice suddenly devoid of the cheerfulness he'd shown all this time. Straightening up he held his arms out and looked down at the hunter with a strange glint in his eyes, inclining his head in the mockery of a bow.

"Let me introduce myself properly." he said and his black eyes flashed dangerously red. "Raiden Hio, brother of the ´Madly Blooming Princess´also known as Shizuka Hio and last remaining descendant of the Hio family."

"That's impossible." Zero whispered brokenly, earning himself a snort from the white-haired vampire.

"Why? Because it's said that every member of the Hio family descends into the realms of insanity one day? I think you'll be pleased to confirm that my sanity is still perfectly intact, little hunter."

"Yeah well, I don't think so." Zero said after a short pause and met Raiden's gaze dead on. There was no mistaking his connection to that woman. After all, he was almost an exact replica of his sister, save for the eyes. Where her eyes had been a pink not unlike the colour of cherry blossoms, Raiden's eyes were completely black and Zero found himself unable to look into those darkened orbs for any longer period of time. But there was still something gnawing on his mind. "The bloodline should have ceased to exist with the death of Shizuka Hio. There never was a word about a brother."

Shifting forward where he was kneeling right in front of Zero, Raiden was about to reply when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. There was a thoughtful expression on his face before he tilted his head and inhaled the hunter's scent. His eyes closed and a small smile curved his lips upwards. There was some kind of purring sound that made Zero's hairs stand on end. With dread he realized that whatever this vampire planned to do to him, there was almost nothing he was able to do to defend himself in his current situation. He absolutely hated his own helplessness and he wished- not for the first time- that he could somehow get his hands on his Bloody Rose.

"Honestly… I was wondering what a pureblood vampire like Kuran could possibly see in you." Raiden whispered and took another deep breath. "But this scent… I have to admit it's quite alluring, even to me. And if your scent alone is this intoxicating… I wonder what your blood would taste like."

That was the final straw.

"Get away from me!" Zero all but growled and tried to shuffle back where he was seated. The shackles around his wrists however held him firmly in place and the only thing he was able to do was to turn his head away from the white-haired vampire. Too late he realized that he was practically baring his throat to Raiden with this action.

If the hitch in the other's breath was any indication he'd realized it too.

The hunter cursed under his breath, but before he could even attempt to move there was a hand in his hair and his head was none too gently yanked back. There was a dull thud when his head connected with the stone wall and a fresh wave of pain radiated through his scull.

"You damn leech!" he snapped when everything stopped spinning. "Get your hands away from me or I swear, soon as I am out of here I'm gonna chop them off and shove them up your damn-"

There was a sudden flash of lightning and Zero cried out in pain. This time it didn't last more than a few seconds, but he was panting by the time it stopped nonetheless.

"What are you-?"

"Electricity." Raiden replied with a self-sufficient smirk. "You couldn't possibly have thought that a pureblood vampire like me didn't have any special abilities."

Zero groaned inwardly at the revelation. Now he wasn't simply held captive by a pureblood vampire, no, it had to be a pureblood with the power to control electricity and shock the living daylights out of him whenever he damn well pleased. That was just great. How much worse could it possibly get?

"It should take a while for your lover to find this place. But I'm sure we'll find something to pass the time, don't you agree, my little hunter?"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Oh? But you're just too adorable when you're all angry like this, my little hunter." Raiden taunted and Zero growled when the hand that wasn't holding onto his silver hair wandered slowly up his thigh. The touch made him squirm. Everything inside of him rebelled against the thought of being touched by someone else than Kaname.

"This little hunter is going to kick your ass if you don't keep your filthy hands to yourself!" The words only earned him another deep, amused chuckle.

"I really like this defiant side of yours. It's a shame that you are already bound to another vampire; otherwise I certainly would have taken you for myself."

Lavender eyes widened in shock and Zero was unable to hold back the fear that suddenly took hold of him at the thought of this man touching him in ways only Kaname had ever done before.

"What do you want? Why are you doing this?"

This seemed to be the million-dollar-question.

There was a short moment of silence as Raiden's hand retreated and Zero breathed an almost inaudible sigh of relief. Then the man stood and Zero was surprised to see the deep pain that was etched onto his face. However, it didn't last long. After that there was nothing but anger and hatred once again and not for the first time Zero wondered if maybe Raiden was already standing precariously close to the edge of insanity. He sure was behaving like it.

"There are several reasons for me to kill him." he said while slowly walking up and down in front of the hunter, never once taking his eyes away from the quiet form on the ground. "In the beginning the only thing I thought about was revenge. The moment I found out that he'd killed my sister, the last remaining part of my family, was the moment I swore to make him pay. But now…"

Lowering himself to the floor in front of Zero he tilted his head to the side. There was something in his eyes that forced the hunter to advert his gaze and he flinched slightly when Raiden reached out and touched his face.

"This whole talk about coexistence between vampires and humans is getting on my nerve. Without Kuran as their leader no one would even think about this stupid idea. I am going to make sure to teach those petty little humans their place."

"And where would that be?" Zero was pretty sure that he already knew the answer, but he asked nonetheless. His only hope was to keep Raiden distracted and win some time until Kaname had figured out where to find him. There was a moment when he thought the white-haired vampire had caught on to his thoughts but then he continued talking and the hunter swallowed another relieved sigh.

"There could never be something like coexistence between vampires and humans. Those weak and pathetic creatures could never be equal to us. They were created with the sole purpose of serving us, just like we were created to rule over them. And once Kuran is taken care of I am going to make sure that every vampire realizes this fact too."

"Huh. I would have thought after everything you've gone through to get to Kaname there would be something a little more… significant than a petty little power struggle."

"Once I've cleansed the world of the unworthy even you will realize the truth of my words." Raiden replied with conviction, not even reacting to the provocative words. Still smiling, he traced a line along Zero's throat with his fingers. "When that time comes you will bow down before me, one way or another."

It took Zero everything he had not to snort at these words. Instead he contented himself with glaring daggers at the man in front of him.

"That'll never happen."

"We'll see. But first I am going to carry out my revenge. I am going to show Kuran what it means to lose the ones you love. I'm gonna take everyone he holds dear away from him before ultimately killing him. But I think first I'm going to let Kuran squirm a little more and what better way to do it than steal away his pretty little pet? I'm sure he's searching for you right now. Can you imagine his desperation? The pain of knowing that he was unable to protect the one he loves?"

Zero shuddered. These feelings were something he knew himself and the thought of Kaname experiencing them too made his heart clench painfully in his chest. Zero knew what it was like to lose the ones you loved most in the world. He'd already experienced it once when he'd lost his family because of that woman and he would make damn sure that Kaname wouldn't have to deal with something equally painful.

He was wrenched out of his musings when a cold hand closed around his exposed neck. Raising his head he looked at the other vampire. Lavender orbs widened at their proximity and his breathing increased when he realized that Raiden's eyes had changed from their usual black colour to a deep red. Definitely not good…

"There's still something that's been bothering me." Zero admitted hastily and forced himself to remain calm. Facing an obviously hungry pureblood vampire (that was not Kaname) made this task slightly more dificult.

"What's that?" came the indifferent reply and Zero's heart pounded in his chest when one hand continued its way up the inside of his thigh. Fear crawled up his back when fingers began to leisurely play with the zipper of his pants.

"How… how did you know about my relationship with Kaname? I'm sure I didn't see you before."

There was a small laugh from Raiden. Leaning forwards, the next words were spoken directly next to the hunter's ear, while deft fingers played along the waistband of his trousers. The touch of those ice-cold fingers raised goosebumps along every inch of Zero's skin.

"Did you really think that I'd be stupid enough to show myself at this party? There was ´trap´ practically written all over it. And for the question on how I knew about the fact that you're Kuran's little pet hunter… let's just say your secret meeting on the balcony wasn't really that secret. Even though I have to admit that your little trick of concealing this bond of yours had me a little confused in the beginning."

"But the other hunters-" Zero was sure there had been no less than ten hunters positioned all around the mansion. There was just no way they wouldn't have been able to detect a pureblood vampire snooping around.

"See, that's exactly your problem. You hunters just think you're invincible, but neither of you realized that I was there the whole time."

The hands still resting on Zero's waist had stopped their advances sometime during their conversation and he was determined to keep it that way.

"Why take the risk? Why didn't you just send someone to do the dirty work for you?"

"Because that went really well the last time I tried it." Raiden replied with a grimace. "No. That's something I really wanted to do myself this time. There can happen so many mistakes if you don't do everything by yourself."

"So, what now? You're going to keep me locked up here until Kaname comes? If he even comes…" Zero knew that Kaname would do anything to find him, but at the same time a small part of him wanted Kaname to stay away from the danger that was Raiden. When push came to shove he wasn't sure which pureblood would come out ahead.

"Oh, I am sure he'll come for you." Raiden stated with a grin. "You're his mate after all. Mated vampires are completely fixated on their partner. There's no way he's going to abandon you. Doesn't mean I can't have my fun with you until then…"

Zero blanched when the button on his pants popped free. The rattle of his restraints taunted him when he braced himself against them, but it was no use. He could have just as well asked Raiden to release him, that's how ineffective his actions were. With growing dread he watched as the other vampire slowly started to unbutton his white Night class uniform.

Red eyes hungrily latched onto every patch of exposed skin and when those burning orbs met Zero's lavender ones, another cruel smirk curved Raiden's lips upwards, revealing razor-sharp fangs.

"I believe I'm going to have myself a little hunter for dinner."

Tbc…