The Winter Chill
Chapter 21
One Man's Happiness is Another Man's Misery
Disclaimer: Vampire Knight belongs to Matsuri Hino.
Chapter Summary: As Yuuki and Kaname bask in the happiness that comes with being reunited completely, Zero struggles with the new revelations and his own more aggressive thirst.
Zero leaned against the door of his dormitory room. He was aware of how hard he was breathing, how desperate he felt for air. His stomach's contents had already emptied in the trashcan a few feet away. He was having a panic attack. His mind had overloaded. He couldn't catch his breath; he couldn't clam down enough to breathe properly. All he could hear was fucking Kaname Kuran in his mind.
"Her fiancée," as if those words had not been bad enough, the bastard clarified, "and her brother." The thought made him feel ill again. All along, Yuuki had been in love with her brother. Zero choked on his humorless laugh and coughed a few times. His competition had been Yuuki's own brother. How fucked up was that? He fell against the door. He was completely aware that, if it were not for his lack of air, he would be laughing like a maniac right now; instead, he was coughing like a long time smoker as his laugh kept getting caught in his throat. He brought his hand over his lips in an attempt to muffle the sound. He thumped his head back against his door and stared up at the ceiling.
It made him feel even lower to know that Yuuki had known, near the end…Yuuki had clearly known…and she had chosen Kaname anyway. Zero closed his eyes; his laughter had finally died down as a sobering thought entered his mind. 'Not that Yuuki had even known there was a competition going on.'
He didn't know why everything seemed to have hit him so hard. He had known early on that Yuuki was a Pureblood; he knew that she would logically have to be turned back eventually. Maybe he had been trapped in that weird stage of acceptance and denial. He hadn't believed it until it had actually happened. And now….now, he felt like he couldn't breathe. This was worse than he ever speculated it would be.
'Yuuki,' just to think her name sent pain through him. 'Yuuki.'
"Nee, Zero, give that back!" She pouted as she bounced up and down on her toes. Zero just lifted the annoyingly cheery card—that she had played for what felt like the thirtieth time in a row—higher.
'Yuuki.'
"Hey, Zero!" He turned when he heard her call him. She was jogging toward him. "I want you to meet Sayori Wakaba!" He assumed that was the young girl that she had dragging behind her, but his eyes wouldn't leave her face. Yuuki was smiling that smile: the little endearing grin where one side of her mouth raised higher than the other. It made his heart give a small jump for he had labeled it as his. He had never before seen Yuuki grace that damn Kuran this smile.
'Yuuki.'
"Hey!" Yuuki cried out in quiet outrage. "I take my job as your blood bag very seriously, Zero." She teased him callously. Zero frowned deeply and slammed the door in her face. He didn't need her blood that badly anyway. He heard her give a quiet sigh and almost laughed when he heard her murmur: "I knew I shouldn't have said that." His eyes widened slightly when he heard a loud thump come from the bottom of the door. He knew just from the sound that she had kicked it. "But he shouldn't be so stubborn either!" She said louder, intending for him to hear.
'Yuuki.' Memory after memory slammed into his mind. Little moments he hadn't even considered to mean something to him filtered in. Despite how viciously each memory stabbed at him, they served to calm him somewhat. The memories of Yuuki's affection for him allowed him to breathe easier.
As his breathing became even, he became aware of a squirming inside of him. It was almost as if his veins were rolling over one another. Zero gave a shudder and then a shout as his stomach felt as if it turned in on itself. He screamed as the pain in his stomach seemed to multiple by a hundred. He convulsed into a ball at the door; both of his arms came around his waist in a steel trap as if holding tightly could stop the wriggling feeling. Not thirty minutes after his shout had died down, he heard a timid knock at his door. The Dorm President's voice called through the solid wood:
"Kiryuu? Are you alright, man? Do I need to get the nurse?"
Zero clutched at his sides as he looked up to reply. It was now that he caught sight of his bright crimson eyes. This pain was above the thirst, but it was apparently still the thirst. He swallowed.
"Just…get the Headmaster," Zero croaked out through his convulsing throat. For a moment, all he heard was a steady heartbeat outside his door. Zero suppressed further sounds, but still a ragged groan ripped from his lips as his throat burned sharply.
"Alright, just hang on," the Dorm President called; he sounded thoroughly shaken by the noise. Zero could only nod against his knees and pray that the stupid man would get here soon. And bring back up. He didn't know…he didn't know how much longer he could hold onto his sanity.
'What is this?' He panted. 'What have they done to me?'
X
Kaien stared down at the request for admission document in front of him. He held it between his fingers almost unseeingly. His eyes could only focus on the name of the student asking for access: Ichiru Kiryuu. The boy had arrived months ago with Shizuka Hio and left on the eve of her death; but not before the Headmaster had been able to see him. His lavender eyes were so much like Zero's, but so different as well. Whereas Zero held true warmth underneath the cold front he put up, Ichiru was empty underneath his false friendliness. Kaien lowered the document to the desk. He didn't want to think on that unpleasant time anymore; he had to focus on the future. No matter how uncertain that was at the moment. He slipped his glasses off of the bridge of his nose and set them by the document. His hands moved to cradle his head; his fingers parted his bangs to get access of his aching temples.
Of course, he would have to accept. He could not turn the boy away, not when it would mean so much for Zero to be reunited with him now. Chalk it up to his bleeding heart, but Kaien hoped that Ichiru could heal the holes Yuuki's change had left within Zero's heart. That was why he approved the request.
Kaien did not entertain false beliefs. He knew Ichiru was not here for the education or for the life connections he could make. Ichiru was here with darker motives…and more than likely under the orders of yet another Pureblood. He took his glasses off and rubbed at the bridge. He was just about to reach for the phone to notify Kaname of their newest Day student and his possible intentions when he heard the doorbell ringing rapidly, urgently. He furrowed his brows and pushed away from the desk. 'Who on earth could that be?' He wondered as he moved down the stairs. He thought for a moment that it could be Zero, but then he dismissed it. Zero would never knock or ring the doorbell; he would just come right in. It was the same with Kaname and Yuuki. Then…there was the urgency behind the calling. Something was wrong. He quickened his pace.
Kaien jerked the door open. His mind racing with thousands of scenarios as his eyes landed on his visitor: it was the President of the boy's dormitory. The young man clutched the archway to his door as if it were his only lifeline. His other arm was wrapped around his heaving ribs. Kaien's eyes immediately began scanning him for injuries, bites…anything that would give reason to his clear panic. It did not take his years of experience to know that the boy had ran all the way here. He looked up and met Kaien's eyes.
"Something…." He coughed and tried again, "something is wrong with Kiryuu." The Headmaster didn't bother to wait for him to move. The man instead darted around him quicker than the Dorm President had ever seen him move. A quiet groan escaped his lips when he realized he was going to have to give chase to keep up with the man. "I haven't seen him," he hurried to explain, "but I heard a loud thump come from his room. And kind of pained panting. I couldn't get him to open the door and no other student wants to get close to his room….so…."
"Thank you for coming to tell me," the Headmaster said. "Make sure to clear out the hallway, then you yourself need to get to your room." The Dorm President wanted to listen, really he did; but he couldn't forget the scream that had come from Kiryuu's room. It had been filled with so much agony. Just remembering the sound sent chills down his spine.
"Sir? What's wrong with Kiryuu?" He couldn't hide the worry that colored his tone. Zero Kiryuu had always seemed so strong, almost invincible. To hear such a sound escape that guy was unnerving to say the least.
"Kiryuu has always been sick, but in recent years he's been getting worse. He could be contagious," the Headmaster didn't really lie. Vampirism was contagious only if a Pureblood bit the human. Kaien hoped those words would be enough for the Dorm President. When the boy asked no more questions and then shied as far away from Zero's room as he possibly could, Kaien knew that it had gotten through. The kids that had gathered outside quickly retreated when informed of Zero's contagious disease.
Kaien stepped forward and knocked on the door. "Zero, it's me." He could hear shuffling and shifting from inside the room, but the door did not open. Kaien reached for the handle and braced himself for what he was about to see. He opened the door.
Zero was slumped against the floor. He clearly had not made it very far from the door. Both of his hands were around his throat, pressing hard enough to get off air supply. Crimson red eyes glowed at him in the low light. There were bite marks covering his hands and wrists; it appeared he had been trying anything that would be keep him from attacking the nosy students that had gathered outside. Kaien's heart bled at the realization.
"I have a place prepared for you, Zero. If you'll come with me…"
"I have no choice," Zero laughed brokenly. "I'm falling, aren't I?" He asked. Kaien closed his eyes and nodded.
"Not just yet, but you do have the blood of two Purebloods inside of you." Kaien could see in his eyes that the boy wanted to know more. "Never before has a vampire drank from two Purebloods. One blood will always be more dominant than the other. Right now, they are fighting for dominance in your body. It is enough to drive you insane."
"What will happen now?" Zero croaked.
"We will lock you away until your body has accepted both types," Kaien told him regretfully. "It would be idle if Kaname or Yuuki could come give you another-"
"NO!" Zero roared. He immediately paid for his emotional outburst by sharp, stabbing pains ripping through his throat. If it hadn't been for the Headmaster grabbing him, he would have hit the floor. "I," he coughed, "I don't want those arrogant Purebloods anywhere near me." Kaien frowned slightly but didn't comment.
"Do you think you can walk, Zero?" Kaien asked. Zero didn't answer vocally; instead, he pushed away from Kaien's shoulders and struggled to stand himself. He panted and puffed, but he managed to stay standing.
"Let's go," he grunted through his teeth as he approached the door.
"Okay," Kaien sighed. He followed Zero closely so that he could catch his son if he almost fell. It hurt him to know that Zero would not let him save him; he would not let him help him. Zero didn't even want his blood though it would help him.
Kaien stayed as close as he could to Zero as they walked far enough away from the premises. There was a building at the edge of the forest that had been prepared for Zero under the insistence of the Hunter's Association. He opened the door to the building with a heavy heart. It had been designed on the inside to look like a deserted storage shed; but, if one knew where to look, there was a door that lead down into a sound proofed room. Kaien walked to it easily and pulled it open. Zero followed him without a word.
Zero stopped however when they reached the last step. His eyes landed on the large manacles. Four steel screws, a twelve inch chain, and steel cuffs would be all that separated him from the Day Class Students. Zero sighed deeply and closed his eyes. He prayed that it would be enough as he walked slowly toward the wall. Once there, he turned to face Kaien and extended his hands up slightly. Neither Zero nor Kaien looked at one another as he came closer.
"I'm so sorry that I have to do this," Kaien whispered as he picked up one of the shackles. He latched it around Zero's left wrist.
"It's alright," Zero murmured. "I would rather this happen than…attacking another student." Kaien glanced at him as he reached for the other one.
"Is the thirst still as bad as it was before?" He asked. Zero nodded.
"It's taking all of my restraint not to rip your throat out," he said honestly. Kaien shuddered.
"I will bring you the refrigerator as soon as I possibly can," Kaien responded. Zero said nothing. He simply leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. It was his way, the former hunter understood, of dismissing him. Kaien rolled his lips together and stepped away.
Zero did not open his eyes again until the Headmaster was out of the building. Despite his best attempts at not thinking of blood, his mind wandered back to what the Headmaster had said before. That another dose of Yuuki or Kaname's blood would help him.
He still did not know how to feel about that. His answer had been a violent no at the time, but there was no telling what he would be thinking soon. What he would be willing to do to end his thirst…
X
Yuuki curled just a little further into Kaname's side as she listened to him reading. She wasn't really paying attention to the story; her older brother tended to read larger texts that above her level of comprehension, but she enjoyed listening to his voice. The little catches in his tone whenever he read something that surprised him; the slight pauses in his speech as he reads the next sentence: she was more interested in listening to those little cues than she was his story.
It was as he was turning the page that something caused him to stiffen. Yuuki pulled her head away from his chest and looked up at him curiously. His eyes were not focused on her or the book. Instead, they were staring straight ahead of him; such a severe look filled his eyes. Yuuki shivered as she felt what her brother must have. A powerful, malicious aura had entered their yard.
"I am here. Won't you come meet me?" She heard his voice just as clearly as she would have if he had been in the room with her. Yuuki started to shiver anew and clutched at her brother's arm. She felt Kaname's hand curl around her back as he pulled her closer to him.
Yuuki knew without having to be told that Uncle was speaking to her. She was the only one in this room that had not met him personally. Kaname had met him; she knew because she had overheard mother and father talking about it once.
A gasp escaped her when she felt her mother's and father's auras pulse and then explode. She started to shake viciously in Kaname's arms. He tightened his grip. "Mother is very angry," Yuuki whimpered against his chest, "Father is too."
"It's alright. I'll stay with you," her brother promised. Yuuki shook her head against his chest.
"But!" She clutched at his chest harder. How could he be so calm? Didn't he smell what she did? Didn't he sense what she could? "I can smell lots of blood…and something very scary is here." That something scary Yuuki knew had a name, but she didn't want to voice it. What if he appeared in their basement at just his name? Her fearful musings were interrupted by a scent she knew well. Horror filled her. She trembled in her brother's arms. "I can smell father's blood," she whimpered, gripping him harder. No! That shouldn't be possible. Daddy was…Daddy was strong…
She felt Kaname's hand on top her head and was aware of his fingers running through her hair. "It hurts me to see you so scared," he told her. What? Isn't he scared too? "Maybe I've just been reveling in these happy times and avoiding it…" Yuuki was so confused by his words and that only frightened her more. What was he talking about? "But I've made up my mind…" Yuuki wanted to curl further into his arms, hold him here. She could sense that he was going to leave her. No! She didn't want him too. His grip tightened on her head; he pushed her a little further into his shoulder. Hugging her. "I will prepare a place where you won't have to live in fear…" Yuuki could feel it; he was going to let go of her.
"Kaname." Her brother turned his head to the door. "Yuuki."
"Mother!" Yuuki couldn't help but wail. Kaname let go of her and stood. Yuuki scrambled to her feet next to him. "Mother!" She cried out again, rushing to the woman and grasping her skirt, "Where's father?!" She cried. Mother wouldn't be here without father at her side. The thought of what that meant only frightened Yuuki further, but it was like her mother didn't even hear her question.
"Please take care of Yuuki," Kaname told her. Yuuki's heart gave a small skip. He was going to leave! He was going to outside where the bad things were! "I'm sorry…I should've settled things with Rido myself…" What? She wanted to reach for her brother, but she felt so overwhelmed. Confusion and shock-her father's blood was still in the air—held her in place.
"Kaname," she heard her mother address her brother with such sad affection. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to her brother's cheek. Kaname looked so surprised by the action. "Thank you," she said. Yuuki's eyes widened. What was going on here?! "Please keep taking care of Yuuki." Why wouldn't she be here to do it? Why couldn't they take care of her together? And what about father?!
Her thoughts came to a screeching halt when she realized her brother was walking away. She wanted to run after him, but her mother had such a strong grip on her hand that she couldn't. Still, she reached for him with her free hand. "Kana…" He couldn't go out there. "Kaname!" She screamed. He couldn't go out there. Why wasn't mother stopping him?!
"Yuuki," She could hear her mother addressing her. "I'm going to seal all of your vampire genes and turn you into a human." Yuuki wasn't fully paying attention. Who cared about vampire genes and humanity?! Kaname was…Maybe mother didn't know.
"Mother, Kaname is—and there's something scary outside!" Her mother wrapped her arms around her. Yuuki struggled. That wasn't what she wanted! Why wasn't she…
"If I use this spell…I cannot…be with you anymore," her mother's breathy words coupled with the smell in the air stopped her immediately. Her mother was bleeding? But why? "But I'm so happy…I'm able to do this for you." The smell was growing. "I made this decision of my own volition. I don't want you to hate me…"
"Mother?" The smell in the air was growing. Somehow…Yuuki was even more afraid. Why did she feel sleepy? It wasn't time to sleep! Even more frightened was that something wet was spreading underneath them. "Mommy?" She whimpered as a droplet of her mother's blood fell on her face. She wanted to ask why her mother was bleeding. She hadn't been hurt when she came in…
"Ah, but…when you wake, you won't remember a thing…" Suddenly, there was an explosion of blood. Yuuki screamed…but then…nothing. Darkness filled her vision and she fell forward. Her mother was no longer there to support her fall.
Yuuki snapped up. Her wide, red eyes scanned the room fearfully. Her heart hammered at the new information that had been forced into her brain as the seal fully dissolved. Her now fully realized powers lashed the walls around her, sending a spiral of cracks throughout the room. A quiet gasp escaped her lips as her ears were assaulted with the sound of splitting wood and cracking glass. She bowed her head and brought her hands up over her ears. 'Calm down,' she told herself. 'You've got to calm down.' She tried to find that safe place she had established weeks ago; she forced herself to take deep and even breathes; and felt her powers slowly pulling back into herself. The room stopped moaning and splitting. Yuuki let out a sigh of relief and slumped back against the wall.
"I see I was not needed, after all," her head snapped up as she heard Kaname's voice. Thankfully, nothing in the room shattered or ripped. Even through the darkness, Yuuki could see him clearly. He stood at the doorway, almost as if he had just now opened the door. One hand was still on the golden knob. "You got control of your powers rather quickly," he commented as he dropped his hand from the knob and began to walk toward her.
Yuuki couldn't help but stare at him. So many feelings, so many thoughts rushed through her mind. She wanted to reach for him. She wanted to pull him to her and check for injuries. Though the incident that made her so paranoid had happened ten years ago, she still felt the urge to check him over. She stared with his feet. She knew if she were captured by his eyes she would forget whatever it was she had intended to do…and this felt important.
Without her having to tell him to, he stopped to allow her careful study of him. She could see his confusion, but didn't care to explain right now. Her eyes moved with careful slowness over his legs, his hips, his torso, and his arms. His voice almost distracted her as he commented, "I see…your mind has yet to catch up with changes your body has gone under. You are having trouble merging both ten years ago and today." He wasn't really speaking to her; so, she didn't bother to comment. She continued in her study of him. She lingered briefly on his neck, but moved her eyes up to his face quickly to keep from triggering her thirst. Her breathe left her as she met his eyes. They were so warm and so open. He smiled slightly. "Have I passed your test?" She didn't answer.
She just couldn't help but think that she had been right hours before. It was different to look at him now. It wasn't that he looked different physically; no, he was still the same breathtakingly beautiful man he had been before. It was her perception of him that had changed. Before she had been aware of who he was to her, but none of the memories were accessible. He had been right in his earlier assessment. Her mind was still trying to catch up, align moments and memories. Each time a memory clicked into place, she felt as she was given a better understanding of the man in front of her. She closed her eyes as he sank down on the bed beside her.
'Onii-sama felt as though he had allowed himself to get too comfortable with me before the academy. Things seemed almost the way they were before—when mother and father were alive. I was too innocent, too trusting as a human. I thought I was safe, that no other vampire would dare harm me. But that wasn't right. Kaname and Z—Kaname knew that. So, he did the only thing he could do at the time to keep me safe…drive me away. But…' She saw flashes of his eyes afterward. The way his soft smiles never really reached his eyes anymore. The distance that was supposed to be between the human and vampire races had been established within them. Their relationship of easy friendship and budding romantic feelings had been stagnated by his actions. 'How it must have broken his heart to do something so drastic…to expose my human self to such a thing and not know how I would react…would I ever speak to him again? Would I run from him from that point on? Or would I be so frightened of him that I wanted nothing more to do with him?' She knew that he had thought these things now; now she knew his mind in a way that only someone raised with him would. She frowned. 'How uncertain he must have felt in regards to me…'
She hated that human version of herself each time she thought of the moments where she flinched away from him. Each time he healed her, she had flinched away as if she were expecting something else; each time he approached her to touch her, she had shied back; and when he had shown concern for her, she had brushed him off. As a human, she had not fully understood the gift he was giving her by doing those things time and time again. As a human, she had been ignorant to the pain her reactions caused him.
So, he had started to be careful. He dialed back his reactions, his very essence so that the human girl could be comfortable with him. She felt tears gather in her eyes at her new understanding of him. Her heart skipped slightly when she felt his fingers brush back the hair on her cheek. His hand replaced the strands.
"Are you in pain?" She heard him ask softly; his voice was so full of concern. In a way, he was still holding himself back. The Kaname from before her memories were erased would have touched her cheek a little more firmly; this touch felt too careful, almost as if he weren't really touching her at all. Her lower lip trembled as she raised her hand and pressed it more firmly to her cheek. His palm pressed a little more securely against her cheek; his fingers actually touched her temple instead of hovering above it. It was now that she opened her eyes for him.
Kaname sucked in a breath at the tearful, glowing red eyes that greeted him. His chest tightened at the look in her eyes: remorse and sadness. Did she resent him after all?
"I'm so sorry, Onii-sama," she breathed. "I…I have been such a horrible fiancée, have I not? What an ignorant little human I was…" She smiled sarcastically. Sadness colored her eyes. "Pushing you away, recoiling from your touch..." She turned her head into the hand she held on her cheek and pressed a kiss to his palm. She did not miss the way his eyelids fluttered at the moment. "How I must have hurt you…" He opened his eyes to her. They were filled with sadness and love. All of it, she knew was for her. Still, she couldn't help but ask, "are you sure you would not prefer someone else?" 'I'm sure Ruka would be a very willing volunteer…' Jealousy surged through her strongly at the very thought of Ruka laying her hands on Kaname in the way Yuuki wanted too. Kaname let out a quiet puff of a chuckle and raised his other hand to her cheek. She was saddened to notice that this hand was a mere ghost on her cheek as well.
"I do not want anyone else," Kaname told her. "Don't disparage that human you were, Yuuki, for I loved her just as much as I love you now." Yuuki flushed with pleasure at his words, but still she could not help but mourn the pain she had caused him. Her lips parted softly as Kaname shifted closer to her lips and pressed his own to hers gently. She could immediately tell that this was going to be like his touches, mere ghosts of a thing. She leaned forward slightly so that his lips would meet hers in a real kiss instead of a teasing touch. He gasped slightly against her lips as he felt her body weight shift toward him. Yuuki felt his lips stretch into a smile underneath hers before his arms came up to wrap around her waist. "So eager," he teased when they parted. "Has awakening you truly made you so different?" Yuuki blushed, but she did not answer. He took her silence as embarrassment and chuckled. "I should not tease you so…I find myself quite eager for you as well." Her blush worsened and spread. Her heart raced at the implications behind his statement. "Oh? Look at that blush," he teased with a smirk. He brushed his thumb over her cheek. Yuuki ducked her head down and buried it into his shoulder. "Did your mind go to scandalous places?"
"Kaname," she groaned embarrassedly. He chuckled. The sound made her open her eyes and smile at such an earnest sound. She adored the way his amusement truly touched his eyes. She followed his hand as he lifted it to his lips. His fingers brushed the edge of his bottom lip as if he were trying to subdue the sound. 'Onii-sama…it feels so right to be back with you,' she thought fondly as she watched him. Every little move he made was fascinating. As he lowered his hand back down to his chin, Yuuki's eyes found themselves trapped by the sight of his neck. His pulse so clearly highlighted against the side of his neck seemed to pound just for her. She swallowed.
Kaname must have felt the change in her because he tightened his arms around her. "Yuuki?" He whispered. His breath caught in his throat when Yuuki slid further toward him. She raised herself up slightly; one hand gathering the skirt of her nightgown up around her thighs. He could have stopped her then, but surprise had overridden his brain. Her bottom settled on his lap; her legs splayed on either side of his hips. And then, he felt it. Her lips pressed gently against his pulse. He smiled softly. "You are thirsty."
"Can I, onii-sama?" She asked raggedly. Kaname wrapped his arms around her again. "Can I have your blood now?" She questioned even as she placed kisses—hurried yet each one sent a thrill through him—on his neck. Kaname couldn't help the tremble that rippled down his back. God, he wanted it. His arms tightened even further around her, pulling her flush to him.
"My blood is yours, Yuuki," he breathed as he tilted his head to the side, exposing his neck even further to her. A quiet whimper escaped her lips and sent a shiver down his spine. She licked a small line along his pulse point and then…she bit down. Kaname bit deeply into his bottom lip to smother the sound that threatened to escape his throat. He raised a hand to the back of her head. His fingers tangled into her hair. "I had planned to apologize for bringing you back into this world of blood and darkness," Kaname told her as he savored each pull she took from him, "but…I am too selfish for to mean it sincerely."
Yuuki pondered on the taste of his blood. She could remember asking Zero what her blood tasted like, but she had never gotten an answer. If her blood had been anything like Kaname's, she could understand why the men in her life enjoyed it so much. Kaname's blood tasted of all her favorite things: cinnamon rolls, chocolate sundaes. 'No wonder a Pureblood's blood is so coveted…' Yuuki gripped his shoulders and his hips a little tighter; some predator's notion inside of her made her want to trap him, hold him here…though she could tell by his body language that Kaname did not intend on going anywhere at all.
After a few more pulls, Yuuki understood what her childhood friend had meant when he said that feeding was intimate. It was as if a gate had opened up and let her inside of his mind. She felt all of Kaname's feelings and see a few of his more meaningful memories. She could taste his longing and love for her in his blood. It was embedded so deeply within him. So, this connection helped her to know that he was being honest; though he would have said he was sorry—and somewhere inside he was—he would not have truly meant it. He felt too much joy, too much pleasure at having this. She shivered and pressed a little closer to him; but she had pressed a little too much and toppled them both back onto the bed. He gasped slightly at the change in position, but did not fight her. She was careful to keep her jaw loose so that she wouldn't hurt him; her body bounced against his, but her fangs did not move in his neck. Kaname chuckled.
"You are being so careful with me, Yuuki…" He commented. "I can feel your fangs just barely in my neck. It will not hurt for you to bite more deeply." Yuuki blushed against him. 'Onii-sama is a masochist!' She thought as she did as he asked.
Yuuki gently retracted her fangs from his neck and licked the wounds lightly to clean the blood off of his throat. She dipped her tongue down lower to catch the slight spots of blood that had escaped from her mouth. Once she was certain she had gotten it all, she sat up. She let her hands rest against his chest as she studied his face.
She couldn't see any signs of stress or pain in his body or face, but she didn't trust it—not fully. Kaname was a master at hiding pain. His eyes were closed to her. She raised one hand to his cheek.
"Are you alright?" She asked him. "I didn't take too much?" He opened his eyes at her questions. Yuuki's breath threatened to leave her at the look in them. So much love and something just a little darker and thrilling shined in his eyes; but there was no pain there.
"I'm fine, Yuuki," Kaname reassured her as he raised a hand to cover the one on his cheek. He turned his head into her palm and kissed the skin there. His nose skimmed the inside of her wrist. A tingle shot up her at the motion. "You did not take too much from me." Suddenly, she was aware that she was still straddling his waist. Her skirt was still bunched up around her thighs. She flushed.
"So, what happens now?" Yuuki asked as she climbed off of him.
"We will be leaving the Academy," Kaname stated warily. Yuuki stilled in her attempts to get off of him. He sat up despite this; he cradled her body against him so that he wouldn't jar her off of him. Once they were comfortably settled, he started to speak again. "It won't be forever nor will it be immediately. We will eventually return; but until you reach full control, we can't have you around humans."
"Where will we go? The family home?" She guessed. Kaname smiled.
"No. It is too known by others. We will go to one that I have reserved for getting away," Kaname told her. Yuuki immediately thought of the building she had woken up in after she ran from the Senate. He must have seen the question on her face because he shook his head. "Not that one. It is in too populated of an area. You will see it once we reach it, love," Kaname teased her. Yuuki nodded her understanding.
"Kaname-sama," both Yuuki and he looked toward the door at Ichijou's voice, "class is about to start soon. Are you coming?" Kaname looked back toward Yuuki at the question. Yuuki stared back at him; one eyebrow quirked at the look.
"No, I do not think I will be attending class today," Kaname told Ichijou and Yuuki.
"Understood," the blonde noble dismissed himself and walked away. During this time, Kaname did not turn his eyes from Yuuki.
"If you feel up to it, we will begin our lessons after all the Nobles depart," he told her once Ichijou was far enough away. Yuuki tilted her head. There was something in his eyes that told her he didn't want to leave her now that he had his Yuuki back. Because the human hadn't actually been his. Not really. This Yuuki…the person she was now that the vampire and human coexisted in the same body…this Yuuki was his.
"And if I don't?" Yuuki tested him.
"We will do whatever you wish," Kaname conceded. Yuuki grinned slightly at his answer. She was both amused and exasperated.
"And what if I want to spend all day in the bath?" She realized the mistake behind her teasing question when his eyes darkened in that alluring manner she didn't fully understand. "A-And asked you to stay outside?" She hurried. Kaname laughed. For a moment, Yuuki was stymied by the honest sound. He had laughed in front of her before, of course, but it had never been like this. Truly amused. His eyes crinkled at the edges; his hand came up to shelter his lips.
"I would stay outside and wait for you."
"Like a dog?" The words escaped her before she could stop them. She slapped her hands over her mouth as she realized the insult. Kaname's lips still twitched despite it. Humor still filled his eyes. He reached forward and pulled her hands away from her lips. She felt his thumbs sweep back and forth over the inside of her wrists as he spoke:
"I am not willing to part from you just yet, Yuuki. So, you will have deal with my overbearing behavior for a little while." Kaname tilted his head. "Unless you wish for me to leave?"
"No!" Yuuki cried out. "I just…" She looked away from him and down to their hands. "I just thought you would have more important things to do today." Kaname moved a hand off of her wrist and reached for her chin. He tilted her head up with his forefinger every gently so that she would look him in the eye.
"You are most important. Everything else can wait," Kaname promised her. The look in his eyes was so intense, so filled with meaning that it brought a blush to her cheeks. He raised the hand at her chin to caress her cheek with his thumb. He leaned in to kiss her again as the screams from the Day Class girls filled the air. Yuuki tuned them out for a moment and focused on his mouth. Her arms came up to wrap around his neck. She held him close to her. His hands returned to her waist. "Your lips still tremble when you want a kiss," he commented when they pulled away. Yuuki bit into her bottom lip to stop the slight trembling she felt.
"So, lessons?" She asked as she slapped her hands to his shoulders. Kaname grinned.
"If you are saying that so that I will let you up, I assure you there are ways for our lessons to commence with you still in my lap," he teased. Yuuki pursed her lips. He smiled. "But I suppose I will let you go."
"Thank you, Onii-sama," she murmured as she moved back. She found his arms still locked behind her. She looked at him questioningly. Kaname grinned.
"If you will grant me another kiss." Yuuki couldn't help but smile at his teasing. It felt so nice to see him like this. After ten years of distance and her own ignorance, to be teased like this by him was welcome. As a human, she would have locked up and blushed. She would have gotten angry. She had gotten angry. Yuuki now understood her anger had never been Kaname's intention. She rolled her eyes good-naturedly and pressed a light kiss to his lips. When she pulled away, he loosened his arms. Yuuki stood up and straightened out her borrowed nightgown. Kaname rose as well.
Yuuki moved to pull her bottom lip into her mouth as they walked down the hallway to his study, but was deterred immediately by the sharpness of her fangs. Suddenly, the craving to worry her bottom lip only increased. The habit that she had fallen into so easily was now off limits unless she wanted to constantly split her lip. She unconsciously pouted.
"What is wrong, love?" Kaname, of course, noticed her face. Yuuki almost did it again. She huffed.
"I can't bite my lip," she murmured quietly. It was embarrassing to confess such a problem. Kaname, for his credit, did not laugh. Though if she had been looking at him, she would have seen the twitching of his lips.
"Yes. I'm afraid that is a habit only available to humans," Kaname told her. A small part of him was saddened that a habit she so favored had been taken from her; a larger part of him however was amused that the reason behind her devastated expression was because of such a little thing. "May I suggest a new habit?" Yuuki looked over at him curiously. "When you are stressed, you could just squeeze my hand."
"But that only works if you are with me," Yuuki murmured. "What does Onii-sama do when he is stressed?"
"Run my hand through my hair," Kaname answered. "Or destroy things." Yuuki blinked at that second statement. He was, of course, being honest. She knew for a fact that his rage was a quiet thing: a hole in the wall or a tree here and there, cracked windows.
"No…I think I would rather do the first." Kaname smiled.
"Yes. That would be best."
Yuuki couldn't help but smile slightly at the light conversation and the teasing between them. Cocooned in the warm feeling that he was radiating, Yuuki reached for his hand. For the first time in ten years, she could hold his hand without feeling as if it were a crime for her to touch him. Her smile widened when she felt his fingers link through hers. Kaname gave a small chuckle. Yuuki looked over at him. His eyes were momentarily closed; she could feel his thumb sweeping back and forth over the top of her hand. He opened his eyes to find hers on him.
"What is it?" Kaname asked. "Are you thirsty again?" Yuuki shook her head.
"I'm just so happy, Kaname," she muttered embarrassedly. Her cheeks flushed at her own admission. Kaname squeezed her hand gently, causing her to look up at him again.
"I am very happy too, Yuuki," he responded warmly. She smiled and tightened her own grip on his hand.
'If only we could stay like this,' he mused as he opened the door to his study. 'Never have to leave the peaceful walls of the Academy and venture outside where the vultures await. Never have to deal with the threats that are looming more heavily over the horizon…'