Wow, I'm really glad you guys liked that chapter! I feel like the story has come a long way! I'm so excited! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this one, too. This is on Kaname's end, concerning the last chapter. I hope you enjoy!
Confusion lit his eyes as he stood straight, blinking away confusion as his mind comprehended the figures stationed at the bottom of the slanted classroom, near Yagari's desk. Cross was there, and Yagari himself…and they looked uneasy, he realized with the slightest stiffening of his muscles. What the hell was happening all of the sudden?
He could feel Zero against his body, could feel the boy wriggling in his arms and knew a blush would paint those cute cheeks. He didn't want to, but his arms did untangle, the white fabric of his blazer swishing lightly as he watched Zero step away and take his seat at the window. He would have to convince Zero somehow to sit in an actual desk like the rest of the students, though the knowledge that his hunter was within arm's reach was a great comfort. He was no fool, he thought bitterly, resisting the urge to tug Zero back the minute the prefect stepped out of the circle of his arms. They'd both noticed the crimson glares and suspicious gazes. It was no secret, what had happened that day. Personally, he didn't mind-couldn't MAKE his mind-accept the fact that he'd been marked by the level-D vampire. His body shuddered and his neck tingled at the memory of it.
In his mind's eye, he recalled the way the electricity in his body spiked and crackled, and how Zero had held onto him so tightly. He could feel the fangs piercing his neck and shuddered as he fondly recalled the feeling of giving his own blood to Zero. His hunter, like a kitten with cream, had lapped and sucked and drank his blood willingly. He had clung to Kaname, and Kaname had held him, had anchored him.
Still, it unsettled him to see that look in Zero's dusty lilac eyes. That was a lonely gaze, sorrowful even, and he felt it through the bond as his mate curled emotionally into himself. A glance towards Yagari told him why. Zero wouldn't admit it-he didn't expect the boy to, really-but he knew Zero yearned for the praise of his former teacher. It had stung Zero deeply to be scorned by him for falling to his vampire thirst upon Yagari's first arrival, but this look of uneasiness in the older hunter's eyes made Kaname nod slowly to himself. For Zero to feel that he'd betrayed his teacher by marking a pureblood vampire was unacceptable to Kaname, especially because Zero didn't remember any of it.
He pushed the thoughts away now as he turned his full attention on the two figures in the front of the class. Takuma had begun to stand as well, and Kaname stiffened uneasily. If the chairman needed the president and vice president of the Night Class, as well as their vampire hunter/teacher, it wasn't an issue he could brush off. Seeing the urgent flash of uncertainty behind Cross's wiry glasses, he bit his lip and sent one last glance Zero's way, hoping beyond hope that he could check in periodically through the silver connection between them. Zero could handle his own; especially with Kaname's blood coursing through his veins, but blood alone could go only so far. He couldn't take the hunter with him, knowing the Senate had most likely heard of his new…dilemma already. His mouth suddenly felt like cotton just then, dry and coarse, as he descended the stairs towards the door. Inside, he was cold.
The hallway outside was silent, and the doors sealed the hushed whispers inside the room once more. It was brighter out here, harsher, and he forced himself not to squint into the slightly brighter light as he followed Cross. He knew without looking that Yagari would be eyeing him warily, but it hardly mattered. No doubt the older hunter had smelled Zero on him. He'd dealt with hunters before, and his diplomacy was, after years of Takuma's influence, perfect in its fullness. He kept on, ignoring Yagari for the most part. The vice president himself was a step behind Kaname now, and he was able to let his tense muscles ease slightly at the knowledge. He knew Takuma disapproved, knew they all did, but they wouldn't openly go against him to harm Zero…would they? At least Seiren was with Zero.
A glimpse of short purple hair from his silent bodyguard chilled his blood. She had opted to accompany them. Alright, that meant that he'd left his mate in a dark and confined classroom with more than a handful of society's strongest young vampire nobles… That wasn't a reassurance by any means. Shiki and Rima, though usually moderate, would not move to help mediate any conflicts, and he didn't expect them to, really. Still, that spiked his unease further. No doubt Kain was a little more impressionable because of Hanabusa…and Ruka was more so. He forced his mask of pleasantness as he stepped into the chairman's office.
He was about to ask what had happened, was about to suggest they move quickly and finish this trying matter, in order for him to go back and oversee the Night Class once more. As the door closed, however, Cross was in front of him, gaze level and unflinching as he held out a simple manila envelope, marked with the waxy seal of the High Vampire Senate. Cross's fingers did not shake, and he did not joke or make small talk. This, Kaname thought with unease, frightened him more than words ever could.
"Kaname, this came for you today. It…concerns Kiryuu." He watched silently over the edge of the manila envelope as Cross was led by Yagari's eerily calm hands toward his desk chair to sit. The old hunter's legs were weakened, and that was enough to make Kaname's grip on the envelope tighten a fraction. He felt pale. Hell, he KNEW he was pale-after seeing the usually sturdy, sometimes annoying, hunter become so shaken. "Kaname, they'll come after him, after Zero…after my son." He watched Cross rest his forehead on his folded hands and the light overhead glared off the face of his glasses to hide the salty tears in his eyes. Hunters rarely cried, and that was what convinced Kaname to open it.
With Takuma and Seiren standing near the door, and Yagari sizing him up from behind the desk, hands still resting on Cross's shoulders, he brought one long pale finger to slide along the seal and break it. He set aside the envelope then and studied the elegant scrawl with critical dark eyes. Yes, that was handwriting he would know anywhere. This was the Senate.
Kaname,
We hope this letter finds you well, and we would like to congratulate you on your success with the Night Class at Cross Academy. Other than this recent success, however, a recent disturbance has been brought to our attention. We are of the understanding that you have incorporated one Zero Kiryuu, a vampire hunter and Level-D vampire, into your class for experimental purposes. While we fully support your use of integration to prove your pacifistic stand on this issue, we regret to inform you that the act of a lower level vampire marking a higher level vampire-especially a pureblood by a level-D vampire-is strongly prohibited, and will be met with intense opposition.
This being said, we, acting as the Senate whose job it is to regulate vampire society, are offering you an alternative to the otherwise inevitable end of Kiryuu Zero. We strongly suggest you break the mark that binds you both. After such action has been taken, you may employ the same method to keep the ex-human as your pet and therefore keep him from reaching a level-E state. You have the remainder of this month to make your decision. After such time, we regret to inform you that we shall take immediate action towards eliminating Kiryuu Zero as a threat to vampire society.
We hope that you, as part of the pureblood hierarchy, will understand our decision and act according to your role in the aforementioned hierarchy, for the good of your people. We wish you a long and enriched life, Lord Kaname, and do hope to hear from you again at a later date.
The High Vampire Senate
He was trembling. Kaname Kuran was trembling and unable to control it now as the elegantly phrased words sank into the very core of his being. He shook, and the touch of a hand to his shoulder from Takuma was not enough to calm him. The paper caught fire slowly, and it burned with the flicker of intense cruel blues and reds until nothing but ash remained to flutter to the ground from his pale, unharmed fingertips. It had been pure rage that had set the fire, and he vaguely recalled watching Takuma stomp it out with the heel of his shoe. Still, he did not speak. His lips moved, yet no sounds came out. His throat ached suddenly, and the cotton mouth from earlier turned into a scorching desert.
The world around him was spinning, swirls of intensely vivid colors and noises filled the room and he swayed on his heel. He was gripping the back of a nearby chair now, he realized blankly. He was gripping it, and the strength in the grip had torn the back of it nearly off. He continued to shake. His heart was racing, was throbbing painfully against his chest, and he began to silently search for words enough to describe what he felt. He was just sane enough not to go into a bloody frenzy that killed the inhabitants of the office, though his anger was drawing him closer.
He hissed in a deep, considering breath before exhaling sharply. The red he saw faded slowly from his vision and he straightened slowly. His muscles, one by one, relaxed back into the coolness of indifference, the perfect model of a Pureblood Prince. He cleared his throat, covering his lips with the hand that had previously been about to break a chair. His eyes closed, opened, and closed again, and the flutter of his lashes grazed his cheek. "Well," he continued, turning to gaze into Cross's calm hard eyes. No school chairman there anymore. A hunter was in its place. "I suppose I will have to consult Zero on this matter. It is no secret that he has, indeed, marked me as a mate, and I realize that, to keep this bond, I will have to make him my pet. That being said, I will give him the choice to either break the bond or change it…"
He would have to first let Zero KNOW about the bond and remember what had happened that day… Guilt welled up inside him now and he gritted his teeth thoughtfully. Zero had asked for none of this. He'd been content with hating vampires and hunting level-Es. He'd just gotten used to his life again. Hell, he'd just begun to TRUST Kaname. All of that would shatter, he knew.
He supposed it was this knowledge of the impending consequences that kept him from, momentarily at least, feeling the spike of unease through the bond. That was Zero…and he was in danger. While he'd been standing around, it had escalated. The worst case scenario was becoming a quick reality, and it was as if he were struggling to surface from a dream to react. He was almost out of that dreamy confusion when the pain arched through Zero and into him. That open flood of energy from him to Zero opened up and he felt his pureblood power fuel Zero's level-E state as the boy defended himself.
"Go," he rasped, trembling legs giving out beneath him a moment. He grasped the edge of the desk and slid down to crouch on the floor before the desk, holding his throat. Was this the intense and desperate hunger of a level-E vampire? "Go now and stop him. Zero is…he's falling." Paralyzed with the ache of everything Zero felt, he struggled to his feet and watched Takuma blink in confusion.
"Kaname-"
His vermillion eyes flashed crimson with rage and his fangs elongated. "Go to Zero before he falls completely! He's wounded, and my power won't last him much longer…" He coughed then and paled. He couldn't… He couldn't allow Zero the use up all of the power between the both of them. They would both die if that happened. He forced the silver connection to go dead momentarily, if only to snap Zero back to himself. It worked, he had no doubt it hand, though he could only hope Takuma and Seiren had gotten there in time.
As he made his way out of the office, helped by the chairman as Yagari followed Takuma at a sprint, he blinked. Yuki's familiar face was awash with pale worry now as she stood in the hallway before them. He was about to speak, but Cross cut him off promptly.
"Yuki, go to the classroom to be with Zero. Something bad has happened." The scent of blood had reached their noses then, and Kaname watched Yuki's large dark eyes widen in understanding. She ran, not stopping as she burst through the doors. Pushing off from Cross, he followed suit, urgently moving through the doors and into the overwhelming cocktail of spilt blood.
Yagari brought the stretcher. Yuki had knelt beside Zero. He watched as Takuma's fangs elongated. The vice president held the Night Class at bay now as Cross ran to help Yagari position Zero's body onto the stretcher. His anger could wait, he thought as he joined them, just in time to lean over Zero and cup the boy's face. He was alive… Relief swam in his eyes as he held Zero's face in his hands, stroking those pale cheeks. Zero was shaking, still thrashing and trying to fight, but his eyes were that same scared lavender he'd glimpsed earlier…
He listened to the accusation leave Zero's lips. "You left… You abandoned me…" The thing was, he thought bitterly, it was true. Without thinking, he did the only thing he could. He pushed open the silver connection again and bit down into his wrist, forcing to blood to Zero's lips. He wouldn't die. No, he wouldn't die-not now. He wouldn't die when he still had so much to live for. Kaname watched them strap Zero's still struggling body down and felt tears trickle down his cheeks. Yuki was soothing him now, and he eased away his wrist from Zero's lips. Cross had assured him Zero would be taken care of, though, which gave him just enough strength to become cold inside.
He wiped furiously at the tears and stood to his full height, menace and ill-will resonating off of him in thick and unreadable waves. The black tendrils of it snaked out and through the room that had long since grown silent. Takuma stood guiltily behind him, eyes downcast. The blond had done no physical harm to Kiryuu, though it was common knowledge that he regretted hoping for the worst to find the hunter. That was, Kaname thought bitterly, enough punishment for him… As for the rest of the Night Class, however, things were just beginning.
"He is," he began slowly, coldly, crimson streaking cruelly through his aura and into his eyes, "my mate. He IS my lover. He did claim me, mark me… What I allow has nothing whatsoever to do with all of you. What gives you the right to interfere in my affairs? Did you assume I did not know what I was doing? Did you assume I was weak enough to be helpless against a level-D vampire? I accepted Zero Kiryuu's mark willingly," he growled, shooting the intense glare towards Hanabusa now, then to Ruka.
He watched them fall to their knees, heads bowed in reverence and fear, and it did not please him. Nothing would. They answered as one. "No, Lord Kaname. We are deeply apologetic. We were wrong." There was no bitter resentment of the ex-human in their voices. The fear of the last known Kuran pureblood was enough to overpower that hatred.
Kaname nodded slowly, walking up and down the rows, hands behind his back now, as he continued, making sure his voice resonated off the walls of the room. "Do you know the price of your transgression? Do you know what the penalty is for those who dare interfere in the sanctity of a bond between vampires? Do you know…?" He paused then, eyes narrowing dangerously on Aidou and Ruka, "what I will DO to those who have informed the Senate of this private bond I have formed with Kiryuu-Kun?" Silence followed, and he nodded slowly. The fear was thick in the air now, cold as ice, and he continued. "I could expel you; I could physically punish all of you…"
He turned away then and his aura lessened. He heard them all stand and smirked inwardly. They truly did think he'd gone soft, didn't they? He turned on his heel and, smiling, strode towards Hanabusa and Ruka, who'd both managed to look slightly relieved. His hands were around their throats before they could take another full breath, and he hoisted them up without flinching. "I will kill you both if you ever touch Zero again…" He tossed them like ragdolls and, just as coldly, turned to glare at the sea of faces. "Spread that word, because that goes for everyone. I will not stand for it, and the bond between Zero and I will go unbroken and unchanged. Class is dismissed. If any of you think of stepping one foot outside the dorms, you will be punished accordingly. No outside blood and your blood tablets will be limited. Your daily privileges are hereby gone until further notice. Takuma…escort them back, won't you?"
He turned as his vice president moved to round them all up. He strode swiftly now to the infirmary, purpose behind every step. Yagari would be there, Cross too, and Yuki would no doubt be at Zero's bedside and on constant guard, like a mother hen protecting her baby chick. Only then did he allow the weakly spoken words to register in his frazzled mind. He knew how cold that abandonment felt, how sharp its blade and he regretted knowing that he'd abandoned Zero just then. The boy was still weak after being marked, and defending himself against a sea of vampire nobles was a foolish notion on its own.
More than that, he thought as his hand rested on the handle of the door. He had allowed Zero to fall to that level-E state and let his own self be rendered temporarily paralyzed by the intensity of it. Was that what it felt like to be totally overwhelmed by the bloodlust of falling to level-E? How had Zero dealt with it so calmly, so coldly? No pureblood would be any match against that inward storm of conflicting emotions-they wouldn't be strong enough.
He eased the door open and, as expected, all eyes were on him. Cross and Yagari would have already sensed him nearing, heard his footfalls. Yuki's eyes, however, widened in shock, and he watched them glow feverishly bright with the desperate need to protect Zero. Obviously she'd never seen the boy so broken before, not physically at least. In that brightness of her glassy eyes, he watched slight accusation settle in.
"Kaname…" Her voice was strangely steady now as she sat up, blinking back the urge to leap up. She sat poised at Zero's side, seated calmly on the bed. She held that suddenly too pale hand in hers and her eyes narrowed a fraction. The glint of the usual Kuran attitude was there, alright. "You shouldn't have left him alone…" Obviously Cross and/or Yagari had explained the mark to her, because her fingertips had been lightly stroking the newly formed tattoo on Zero's neck with tender gentleness.
"I had no choice, Yuki…" Even as he spoke, he wanted to take it back. He could have taken Zero with him. He'd been foolish enough to believe Zero could handle it in this new state of vulnerability. He stepped forward, eyes begging Yuki to allow him passage towards the bed. Silence fell for a long drawn out moment before she relented and stood. Kaname watched as she leaned down and pecked Zero's pale cheek tenderly and tucked the blankets up around him more. Her fingertips lingered a long moment, and she finally tore herself away at Cross's insisting she needed rest.
The door clicked shut and he took the still-warm seat beside Zero, leaning down to cup that angelically sleeping face in both hands. His own were, he realized in horror, shaking. He'd been so full of worry that his hands slid automatically from their place holding his hunter's face, down until he had peeled away the covers to reveal Zero's pale and bandaged chest. Old scars, those he'd seen thousands of times, were faded and new ones were pink against that alabaster skin. The skin was tender still, and slightly discolored due to the injury, but the blood he'd offered earlier from his wrist was keeping Zero sedated and numb for now. That, at least, was good.
He leaned down and sighed, brushing a soft kiss along the exposed flesh as it quivered in response. His smile was sad against it now as he brushed his cheek over the tender bandaged area. The warmth there was a comfort, and he had to resist the urge to wrap himself around Zero-protect his hunter as he healed. His gaze was oddly pleading now as he stared up at Cross, knowing already what the verdict would be.
"He's got to go back, Kaname. If you won't break the bond, then he's got to be in the Day Class again, where it's safe. Yuki will be his guard, and Yagari will watch over him. Zero won't patrol, though. Yagari and an additional hunter will help with that as Yuki cares for Zero at night."
His head rose at that, dark hair falling over confused vermillion eyes. "You're bringing in another hunter?" His mixed feelings welled up now and he clenched his jaw. Damn it…that was both good and bad. Zero would be protected, but hunters were never good…companions. They were all stubborn and prideful, much as Zero still was. While that was a very cute trait on the boy, it annoyed him already on Zero. More prideful hunters wouldn't fix that. Still, he nodded his agreement. "Fine, do what you must if it will help Zero…"
Whether he'd seen just how deeply Kaname worried for Zero, or he'd noticed the way the hunter's expression softened at Kaname's touch, albeit in his sleep, Cross bit his lip and nodded. "Kaname Kuran, meet Kaito Takamiya, your new instructor." His arm extended to the door, and another strong presence made itself known.
The messy sandy brown hair was styled around a young, strongly angled face as the hunter's long lean body strode forward without fear towards the pureblood, extending a sure hand. That cocky smirk positively glowed in the honey eyes as the hand dropped, as if knowing Kaname wouldn't accept the gesture. Still, he didn't let it faze him. As he sat comfortably in the chair across from the bed, he leaned forward and crossed his leg over his knee, craning his neck to get a good look at Zero's body. "I see you've caused me a lot of trouble already, vampire. You see, I don't intend to let a bloodsucker like you hurt my comrade again. Consider this your only night to be close to Zero before I begin implementing my plans."
Kaname's fangs extended at the words and he knew, instinctively, that this was all part of the hunter's bag of tricks to make him react. He refused to do so, however, as he remained partially leaned over Zero, shielding him instinctively from those sharp eyes. They didn't pose a threat to the boy, but Kaname was a little more than…territorial when it concerned his mate. "The bond is still growing, hunter. He requires my presence more often than before at this moment in time. Not only that, but he requires my blood as well as my support."
Kaito smirked wryly at that, eyes rolling. "After tonight, I doubt Zero will like you half as much as you would like to believe, vampire. For now, though, I suggest you go tend to your people and leave me to watch over Zero. After all, you Purebloods have more to worry about, if I'm not mistaken."
Cross chose that moment to intervene; exasperated to find Yagari leaning slouched on the wall, arms crossed. No help at all… "That's enough. Kaname, Zero will be just fine… We'll figure this out, but you've got to go for right now. I will take Zero back to his room, and Yagari will show our new student teacher where he will be staying as well. For now…let's all just clear our heads. This is all happening too quickly." He shook his head slowly then, as if to clear it, and was back to his old and foolish self.
Kaname stood grudgingly at that and nodded, turning with a last glance over his shoulder as Cross ushered him out. At least he had the bond… He could check in on Zero like that, and things would be fine…right?
Ok guys, I'm worn out tonight, so I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! If I left anything out or you're all confused as hell about something, leave it in the reviews and I'll get back to you on it in the next chapter! For now, goodnight and reviews are welcome!
Also, and this is in my bio, you can find me on Twitter under MewSara100 … Yes, I realize I use that for everything… If you Google search it, you're more than likely to find my deviant art account too. That's ok though, because I love stalkers! I don't tweet a lot, but I'll try to post updates and recent events in the fictions there. Also, check out the poll for my pending Halloween Vampire Knight Yaoi Fiction on my bio!