A/N: Looong chapter ahead. Please note that in some ways I portray Zero's powers a little differently than the manga. In the manga he was able to take on a pureblood almost right after their emergence and they were a little more extensive than the way I'm playing them right now. But the set up was different in the manga, what with Yuki's pure blood reawakening inside him too and especially the fact that Zero had re-absorbed Ichiru, competing his hunter strength. Not so in this story, so things are bound to be a wee bit different. Also, I am currently brain dead, and have not properly proofed this chapter at all, so I apologize in advance for any errors, but I wanted to go ahead and get it out while I had a chance today.
Chapter Twenty-Six: "Where Do We Go from Here?"
Moonlight glinted faintly silver on the rapid flash of silent, snaking movement. Feet left the earth, a graceful body leapt, turned, dodged. The night air rustled with the faint whisper of its passage, the brush of the wind through tree leaves, and soft huff of two sets of labored breaths.
"This... is not... entirely... fair..." Kaname's voice was remarkably calm and even considering he was ducking and dodging about faster than sight. A swift mass of tangled, thorny vines tried to hedge him in, but the pureblood evaded. He executed a blurring double summersault in the air and came down to land behind his sparring partner. His arm snaked out and he caught the other vampire around the neck, yanking Zero's back in against his chest and quickly clamping down hard enough to impinge the hunter's breathing.
Zero grabbed the arm around his neck and bent at the waist, jerking forward, attempting to throw Kaname over his back. The pureblood shifted his weight quickly, leaning back and letting the physics of the angle increase the burden of his resistance, making him too heavy to budge. Kaname's free hand slid teasingly up the hunter's side, dragging his shirt up a little and feeling the lean muscle beneath.
Zero felt a warm thrill race from Kaname's brief touch and he scowled. Not that the sensation wasn't pleasant, but Kaname always did that. Always touched and teased him when they were sparring. It was devilishly hard to concentrate when the pureblood could make heat churn in his gut with just a caress. Of course... that definitely went both ways...
Zero tilted his head back against Kaname's shoulder, easing the restriction to his airway and at the same time twisting his head so his gasping breath rasped warmly against the pureblood's sensitive neck. His tongue flicked out, licking a salty bead of perspiration from Kaname's jaw and Zero felt the tense, wavering distraction in the body behind him. Actually... this tactic was probably more effective against Kaname than against him, as the pureblood often seemed truly physically captivated by his touch.
Momentarily lost in the hot haze that shot through him at Zero's sensual contact, Kaname almost didn't notice the vines snapping towards his ankles until he felt them brush his skin. Reacting quickly, the pureblood threw himself backwards, tugging Zero down with him as they hit the ground and rolled. Both bodies thudded hard onto the earth. Kaname used the movement to distract his opponent's concentration as he kicked free of the vines before the thorns could bite through his pants.
Zero rolled with Kaname, but then gave a quick, sharp twist as they started to slow. He broke free of the pureblood's grip and sprang away. They were both on their feet again in a moment, regarding one another warily.
Although the grassy earth was not so padded and forgiving as the practice mats they would use in the gym, the two vampires found that vast expanse of the villa's moonlit lawn gave them much more room for their practice. The estate's isolation and completely vampire population gave them the freedom to flex their powers in the open without fear of discovery.
Well, one of them was flexing their powers, anyway.
"Your control has become quite good," Kaname commented approvingly. Perspiration glistened on the pale brow and made the dark hair cling in curly ringlets to the sides of the pureblood's face and neck. Zero had him ever more on the defensive lately. The ex-human's new abilities had blossomed very nicely... no pun intended.
Zero feinted and the pureblood dodged, having to avoid both fists and vines. Kaname landed a swift, sound blow to his opponent's gut, but only barely avoided getting his arm sliced open by a blur of thorns. He dodged, but couldn't avoid the tail end of one vine that snapped back and caught his cheek, grazing the cheekbone and drawing a faint line of blood.
Kaname winced at the burn of the wound, feeling the mild sting of shock to his system. The cut was small and his ability to resist anti-vampire wounds was high, but each little nick still exacted a cost on his endurance and performance. He had to be careful not to let himself be caught too many times, or cut too deeply. He knew that one or two serious hits from Zero's thorn-barbed vines and he would be in trouble. It would be equivalent to being shot by the Bloody Rose. The pureblood delighted in the challenge, although he was currently at a disadvantage due to their arrangement regarding the use of his powers.
"I should think you would welcome the chance to try yourself against a harder challenge..." Kaname murmured tauntingly, wiping the blood from his cheek with the back of his hand.
Zero winced and almost fell to one knee at the blaze of pain from the impact of Kaname's blow. It had probably cracked a rib or two, but that would mend. Zero knew Kaname was hardly holding back now... but then, neither was he. Not that they wanted to hurt one another, but both of them were far too competitive to pull their punches much once they really got going. The hunter did not let himself fall though. He could not let himself go down unprotected for even an instant, or Kaname would have him. The pureblood may not be utilizing his powers right now, but he was still faster and stronger than Zero.
The scent of Kaname's blood in the air made Zero's eyes flash briefly red. The hunter smirked sarcastically. "You're just complaining because you can't win in five seconds anymore..." he shot back, but his breath was coming hard and ragged. Kaname was wearing him down. He was getting much better at controlling his new abilities, but his endurance was one of the areas on which he was still working. Using his vine powers in a concentrated, directed manner like this for an extended period of time took a heavy toll on his energy levels. The pureblood was well aware of this and played to that weakness, waiting for Zero to get too weary to keep throwing the dangerous, sinewy barbs at him.
Zero dodged as Kaname appeared suddenly in front of him. He blocked the flurry of incoming blows with rapid counter-strikes. His forearms smarted from catching the brunt of the impacts. His muscles burned and his chest was heaving from the effort, but the release of the fight felt good. Kaname may always outdo him in just about everything, but at least it was truly no longer easy for the pureblood.
Kaname's breathing was almost painfully rapid in the cool night air. He sprang away from Zero before the ex-human could try to trap him. Zero's abilities made it that he had to keep moving so the hunter couldn't get a fix on him. On a purely vampire level, Zero's powers were impressive, but would not have given someone like Kaname much pause. The fact that they packed a hunter punch behind them however... that made things tricky. Not to mention effective. The couple of small nicks Kaname had obtained already during the match made him a little slower and wearier than usual. His body and muscles ached more than he let on.
In the beginning, he'd started sparring with Zero as a way to try to coax the boy out of his despondency. He had intentionally drawn things out then so as not to squash the ex-human too quickly. But now, after all that had happened, Zero was much more of a challenge, and Kaname savored sharpening himself against the hunter's determined steel as much as he enjoyed pushing Zero to practice and expand his growing abilities.
"True, more like ten seconds now..." Kaname retorted with the familiar smug little smile that was guaranteed to get Zero's goad. With pureblood speed he was behind the hunter again in an instant, grabbing the ex-human's arm and twisting it behind his back.
"You wish!" Zero grit out between his teeth, his heart pounding hard as Kaname caught hold of his other wrist and pulled it in against Zero's own body, pinning the hunter's arm down to his side. Kaname may still give him an overwhelming and futile urge to pound the pureblood senseless when they were sparring, but the hunter really did enjoy matching himself against Kaname as well. If he could hold his own against Kaname... he could hold his own against anyone. He was still a ways off from that point, especially considering that Kaname continued to play with a handicap, but that day would come... he promised himself that. That day would definitely come.
Kaname's grip tightened, his hot breath brushing Zero's neck. He obviously intended to end the match now. Zero had other ideas, however. Almost without conscious direction, thorny vines erupted from the surface of his captive arms, morphing out of his skin. Zero's face creased in a deep grimace. It didn't feel too good when that happened. It wasn't exactly painful, but it felt very strange. Maybe someday he would get used to it, but he wasn't yet and it still unnerved him a little.
Kaname realized what was happening and released Zero quickly, but not before the thorns had cut and scratched his palms and his left inner forearm. The burn radiating from the injuries was intense. He'd not been cut very deeply, but it was more than enough to be significant.
Zero knew it and pressed his advantage, forcing his exhausted body to pivot around and making his weary and aching will send another thick barrage of vines after the pureblood. Vampire abilities had always looked effortless to him... but he was quite painfully aware now that prolonged use could really wear one out. Zero could have sworn his brain was as bruised as body and he felt drained. It seemed to him as if he had a certain reserve of strength from which to pull, and each time he flexed his powers, it dipped into that reservoir. By now he was just about running on empty.
Kaname dodged, but his body was suddenly sluggish, his movements feeling clumsy and lagging well behind his normal speed as hunter poison burned through his veins. His bleeding arms smarted like hell, his head was swimming and he knew he was in trouble. He could have easily called timeout. Due to the aggressive nature of their sparring, he and Zero had agreed long ago that either of them could call for a break or a no-fault end to a match at any time if things went too far. But neither of them ever had and Kaname wasn't about to now.
Adrenaline was pumping wildly through his body and his heart instinctively leapt up into his throat at his increased vulnerability, but Kaname had mastered his fear response to the sting of hunter inflicted injury – at least in relation to Zero. Kaname trusted him and he kept his mind in the game, narrowly avoiding Zero's barbs and feinting to the left to give himself some more breathing room.
Zero knew him too well. When Kaname felt off balance, his tendency was to pull back and regroup. The ex-human anticipated the maneuver and was already moving to intercept. Kaname felt the vine's he'd intended to avoid snake around his legs. A pall of detached calm blanketed his mind as he slid into a coolly lethal and instinctive state that allowed the pureblood to think and react instantaneously without his mind being clouded by emotion or even pain, compensating for his weakened body. His fingers lengthened instantly to claws and he gave a quick slash, severing the knot of tendrils and stumbling backwards before they could pull him down. The severed vines oozed crimson for a moment before quickly sealing off and retracting.
Zero cried out and stumbled as a sudden flash of sharp, intense pain ghosted across his senses. It wasn't exactly that he could feel the vines being cut, but it did feel as if it was his body that had been slashed, although where exactly he couldn't have said.
Kaname froze at the sound of Zero's agonized cry. The "sap" on his fingers was disturbingly red. It didn't quite smell like blood, but it looked like it, and it did smell somehow like Zero. The combination jerked him out of the defensive mode he had slid into, his heart suddenly racing in his ears. Always, he had to be conscious of the danger he could pose to others, especially if he let himself go too instinctual. He walked a fine line in trying to throw himself in the match without using the same level of lethal-mindedness he would use with an actual enemy. He had a fairly good grip on that balance, but now he was suddenly worried. He'd never cut Zero's vines before, he didn't know what that might do and for half a moment the fear that he could have really hurt the hunter completely distracted him.
Zero, however, was still moving. He was used to working through pain and the brief flash, although excruciating, did not linger. The split second it took Kaname to realize this was a split second too long. He wasn't moving fast enough to pull away as vines twisted around his wrists and curled around his knees at about the same time Zero crashed into him. The hunter's movements had lost a lot of their control due to pain and fatigue and sheer momentum was mostly what carried he and the pureblood down to the ground.
As soon as Kaname's back hit, the vines around his wrists and legs burrowed into the earth, others erupting out of the dirt to snap tight around him, keeping him pinned. Despite the wild pounding of blood in his ears and his natural cornered fight-or-flight response, Kaname noted that the vines weren't barbed. They were smooth and devoid of thorns. Zero was trying to restrain him, but was apparently not willing to inflict any further injury or cut him up any more. The pureblood twisted and struggled for a moment, but Zero, who was half sprawled, half laying atop him, grabbed his shoulders. His hands slid swiftly to Kaname's neck, but he didn't squeeze, instead he did something far more effective at quelling the pureblood. He cupped Kaname's neck between his palms, his thumbs gilding deliberately from the pureblood's jaw down to the base of the pale throat. Both of their chests were heaving rapidly from exertion and Zero could feel Kaname's racing pulse under his fingers. It made him feel weak for reasons other than his own total exhaustion.
Zero's probing thumb found that spot and Kaname shuddered, his struggles reluctantly ceasing as he conceded that the unthinkable had actually managed to happen. Zero had won this round. The pureblood was in the unique, although not unfamiliar position of being both humiliated and proud. Mostly proud though. He groaned softly through his teeth as Zero continued to worry his neck, the hunter's body resting so deliciously over him. Okay... so intensely aroused was going to replace both feelings momentarily if Zero kept that up.
Sheer adrenaline felt like about the only thing keeping Zero conscious, but exhilaration was covering his aches and pains at the moment. A slow, wide grin spread across his face as he looked down at Kaname, his rapid breathing brushing the pureblood's face and ruffling his hair. "I win..." he murmured in a delighted, slightly taunting voice that was made husky by sheer exhaustion.
Kaname couldn't repress a warm little shiver at the sound, even as he smirked ruefully, still panting for breath himself. Zero's scent all around him was not helping to clear his head at all. "You only just noticed?" he responded with amused glibness. "Then again, I suppose it is quite a shock..." the elegant smile was devilish. "Better enjoy it while you can."
Zero's eyes sparked with heated amusement and he gave a lazy smile as he dipped his head, licking sweet, salty perspiration from Kaname's throat and nipping at the exertion flushed skin lightly. "Oh, I will..." he murmured and he felt the pureblood's breath catch.
The hunter was spent to the point of being lightheaded. He was too exhausted to move and it was far too comfortable resting against the pureblood like this. He could not bring himself to pull away. Kaname routinely enjoyed teasing Zero unmercifully after he bested him, and the hunter felt it was more than time for a little payback. Resting his arms on either side of Kaname's shoulders, he slid his knee between Kaname's legs, letting it his thigh press intimately against the pureblood's body. His grin deepened a little as he felt the firm state of his lover's arousal against his leg. There was no denying that sparring together almost always turned them both on – it was in their natures.
Kaname groaned deeply, invitingly in his throat as Zero's light nips evolved into more intense and purposeful licking and sucking. They were technically in a fairly exposed location, but this corner of the lawn was out of sight of the house and the welcome blanket of the night held them close. There was no one around to see them but the staff, anyway. The rest of the visiting nobles had returned to Cross Academy yesterday.
Kaname's movements were pretty restricted by the way he was still pinned, but his hips rocked hungrily up against Zero, rubbing against his leg in a manner that was making Zero's stomach knot and flip-flop in desire. The hunter groaned and sucked harder on his lover's neck, fangs grazing the pale skin. He was surprised when he tasted the intoxicating flavor of blood in his mouth, his fangs cutting shallow grooves into Kaname's skin.
Kaname half growled, half whimpered in delight, jerking against Zero's thigh.
Zero hadn't thought he'd been applying enough pressure to actually draw blood and he realized Kaname's skin must be more fragile than usual because of the hits he'd taken during their match. His fingers slid searchingly down his lover's arms and he realized with a small jolt that Kaname's pinned hands and arms were still scored and bleeding sluggishly into the earth he was lying upon. Zero eased up a little. Crap... how had he managed to forget that Kaname was injured?
He didn't want to stop... he really didn't... but he didn't want to hurt Kaname either. He told himself that sternly and repeatedly. Zero was becoming a little bit bolder and more aggressive in matters of intimacy. He wasn't sure if that was because he was growing more comfortable with their relationship, or because whatever had happened to him when he was unconscious after the flood had made him become more vampire than before. Kaname wouldn't say that to him, but Zero could feel the subtle change within him, and he was sure the pureblood secretly thought the same. He didn't like to dwell on that idea, but he feared that it might be the case. And that that might be what was to blame for the fact that knowing that Kaname was vulnerable and bleeding right now excited him a little... an excitement that made Zero feel guilty. In the past, he would have tried to write it off to the uneasy enmity between them but that was no longer the case, so there had to be something wrong with him that he could feel this way. He cared about Kaname deeply. So deeply it made his heart ache. It didn't matter what he wanted, he couldn't and wouldn't take it at Kaname's expense.
Kaname groaned sharply in protest as Zero's lips left his neck and the hunter leaned up on his elbows.
"You okay?" Zero questioned softly, trying to dredge up the energy to release the vines holding Kaname. Now that the initial adrenaline was fading, weariness was settling down hard upon him and it was growing hard concentrate.
Kaname blinked at the totally unexpected question as if trying to process what it meant and wondering why on earth Zero was talking when he wanted him to be doing something entirely different. Suddenly he seemed to understand and he wasn't sure if he felt touched or frustrated.
Zero was caught by the way Kaname's dark eyes glittered in the moonlight as he looked up at him. The pureblood's flushed lips were parted in breathless desire, showing a faint slip of fang behind them and his eyes... his eyes could just swallow Zero's soul completely. So strong and commanding, even though he was currently pinned to the earth... and yet at the same time, so open and trusting, so willing to give. There was a name for the emotion that Zero felt in that moment... but it flittered just beyond the edge of consciousness, a truth he wasn't quite ready fully process just yet.
"Fine, I'm fine..." Kaname promised quickly, urgently wishing he had his hands free so he could pull Zero back down to him. His grip on his powers was weak because of the anti-vampire wounds he'd taken, but he tugged lightly at Zero with his will, trying to give him the idea.
Zero looked unconvinced. "No you're not," he murmured, knowing how Kaname was about not taking care of himself. He shifted over a little and started licking Kaname's lacerated arm gently, urging the wounds to close and enjoying the taste of the blood. Kaname meant so much to him... his trust was so precious... Zero couldn't possibly risk endangering that on strange, stupid impulses. He was afraid of messing up the comfortable peace that seemed to have grown between them the past few weeks.
Kaname banged his head back softly against the ground in frustration. Damn it, he was on fire here... It was both maddening and yet incredibly dear how human Zero could be sometimes. Zero assumed that because Kaname was injured he might not be in the mood. He probably even felt guilty for feeling that way himself if the tender, conflicted concern in those beautiful violet eyes was any indicator of what was going through his head. The ex-human didn't understand that to a vampire and especially to a pureblood, a little bloodshed was practically foreplay. Yes, Kaname felt intensely vulnerable due to the nature of his wounds... but he trusted Zero. He wished deeply that Zero couldjust understand. He wanted Zero to stop being afraid and let himself be a vampire. He wanted to not be afraid that Zero would look at him like a freak if he admitted that this was exciting to him.
Sometimes he fantasized about dragging his claws down Zero's sides as he kissed the boy breathless and drained his blood, imagined what it would be like to take him so hard he tore him... but he did not dare. He had no way of knowing if those things could be pleasurable for Zero like they could be for him and feared both hurting and terrifying him. So he strove to always be careful when he made love to the ex-human. He was sure the hunter would not understand if he strayed too far down certain paths. It was safer if he encouraged Zero to experiment in those slightly darker realms with him instead, but Zero seemed unwilling or uninterested. Kaname was half tempted to try getting his lover drunk again and see what happened... but he felt incredibly silly and mortified for even thinking along those lines.
The pureblood sighed softly as he stared up at the stars, Zero's mouth gently moving against his arm and inspiring a deep warmth in his heart, even if the rest of his body was protesting. He tilted his head to look down at the ex-human's silver head. Kaname loved Zero for who he was, and if who he was meant that the pureblood needed to squelch his desires for the more purely vampiric forms of lovemaking... then that was not too much of a sacrifice to make. Nothing was.
"Zero..." Kaname murmured his lover's name softly, just to say it. Zero's body was growing heavier against him, his motions slowing, and Kaname supposed it was just as well that they hadn't gotten too into it too fast; he might have misjudged how much strength Zero had left after their draining match.
Zero lifted his head slowly, and his glazed, heavy-lidded gaze told Kaname he was right. Zero seemed to understand what was happening and was trying to fight it as he felt his body threatening to shut down. No, damn it... not here, not like this...
His head felt so heavy... he just needed to rest for a second... Kaname's chest was so warm and inviting as his head sank to rest there...
"Zero?" Kaname tried ineffectually to rouse the hunter and a wry, slightly consternated look crossed his face. Zero hadn't released him and the vines still held him firmly rooted to the earth. Well... good thing they were somewhere safe and there was nowhere pressing they needed to be. He knew it could take a while for Zero to recharge after he'd expended himself like he had. With a soft, resigned chuckle, Kaname let his head fall back to rest against the grass and stared up at the night sky once more.
It was very peaceful lying here under the moon with Zero. After a minute or two, the vines binding Kaname retracted and slid away on their own, the unconscious hunter too drained to maintain them without conscious effort. Kaname's arms slid up to wrap around Zero's shoulders as the ex-human slumbered on his chest. He was glad to be free... but in no hurry to move. His body ached like the dickens and the ground was leeching cold into his back... but Zero's warmth atop him more than made up for it, and the silent restfulness of just lying together under the stars like this was too alluring to resist.
He ran his fingers lightly through Zero's soft, perspiration soaked hair. Zero had really put everything into their match, he was so proud of him. The delicate silver chain around Kaname's wrist was stained with his blood, but still glinted softly in the moonlight as he moved. Aido had made them a new set of charmed bracelets while he and the other nobles were visiting. Kaname had not been wearing his bracelet the day of the flood, but Zero had and had lost it in the river. They didn't really need to wear them here at the villa when they were alone... but Kaname kind of liked the small physical representation of their relationship.
Aido and Zero had worked together to set a number of different charms around the villa actually. It was common practice for vampire nobles and purebloods to have certain scent and sound barriers placed in various areas to ensure privacy when entertaining guests or the like. Modern methods of sound proofing had removed some of the need for them, but not all. You could hire contractors to come set the charms for you, but Aido had wanted to do it and it had been much more entertaining to watch him and Zero quibble and collaborate over it. The pureblood rather thought that in the end he actually trusted the charms a lot more knowing who had crafted them.
Kaname lost track of time, dozing a bit himself as his body tried to recoup. It was possibly several hours later when he felt Zero stirring against him. The hunter pushed groggily up onto one elbow and blinked, not looking like he was really fully awake. Kaname smiled softly. "Zero?" The hunter was adorable with bleary eyes and his mussed hair sticking out at all angles.
Zero shook his head and seemed to remember where he was. He colored immediately as he realized he'd passed out on top of Kaname like this, although there was no denying how comfortable the warm body under him and the warm arms around him were. He quickly pushed himself off of the pureblood, rolling once and pushing up to his knees with a groan. He hurt everywhere. He realized that he'd gotten spoiled... Kaname usually let him drink after they sparred, allowing him to enjoy a near pureblood-like immunity to the after effects of the abandon with which they threw themselves at one another. But given the pureblood's recent injury, he wasn't about to ask or accept such this time.
Kaname pushed onto his elbow as well, leveraging himself up stiffly to sit. He too, groaned ruefully. He was already starting to mend, but it would take a while for the hunter inflicted wounds to fully fade. "That's it," he murmured in dry amusement. "I get to start using my powers too or I'm not fighting you anymore..."
Zero shot him an equally dry look as he struggled to fight the inexorable tug of gravity that was attempting to hold him on his knees despite his best intentions about getting up. "You say that as if it were a bad thing?"
They both chuckled. Zero finally won his battle with gravity and rose to his feet. Without even thinking about it, he offered Kaname a hand up. Without even thinking about it, Kaname accepted.
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Steam rose about Zero in billowing clouds as he stood in the shower. Hot streams of water caressed his aching body, feeling both good and painful at the same time. He glanced ruefully at the dark bruises forming on his arms and chest as he lathered on the soap. There was a little pride there too though. He had won for once after all. Even if, ironically, that meant that he was going to have to settle for his body heal at its natural accelerated rate instead of the super-accelerated rate that Kaname gave him.
Just as well, he supposed. In a real fight Kaname wasn't going to be around afterwards. Zero considered with a small frown that he ought to not take the easy way out so often. He couldn't afford to become dependent on soaking up Kaname's healing powers all the time.
Zero stopped himself with a sigh. Here he was, thinking like a hunter still. As if that was still his future and his life. He didn't know how else to be... but the truth was, that path was closing to him more every day, and he just didn't want to see it.
Zero pushed the thoughts aside, running his hands through his dripping hair. Nope, he was not going to let his mind go that way right now. It had been a good night and he wasn't going to spoil it. He started thinking about packing instead. School was starting again in a few days. The other nobles had already gone back and Zero assumed he and Kaname would soon follow. He wasn't a student, and had nothing to do there, but the touch of normalcy was something to look forward to, he supposed. Even if going back was also a slightly bittersweet thought too. There wasn't a hall or a trail in that place he hadn't walked with Yuki.
Zero bit his lip. No, that train of thought wasn't safe either, apparently. Okay, so packing... Zero started compiling a mental list of what he needed to get together. Kaname had apparently moved all his things here from his dorm room while he'd still been unconscious, because they had been in the closets and drawers of Zero's new bedroom when the ex-human had started poking around. Of course, there were a lot of other clothes in his closet too... designer label stuff like Kuran wore but that had obviously been purchased for Zero. The hunter had rolled his eyes at that, remembering the time back at the dorm that Kaname had gone through his closet and despaired of finding anything he considered suitable for Zero to wear. Zero avoided the unasked for clothes usually, but he considered bringing some of them back to school with them anyway. Kaname was rather hard on garments when he got... excited. Zero was already finding out that it was necessary to have a large wardrobe to cover the damages and if Kaname was going to wreck them, he supposed it was okay that he'd paid for them.
Zero turned his face up towards the spray, closing his eyes and letting it sluice his face and hair. Dark water pelted his face, closed over his head... Zero dropped the soap and quickly yanked his head back, heart thudding in unwarranted fear. He wiped his face with his hand and scowled at the soft tremble that shook through him. It was stupid that he still had flash backs to the flood sometimes but he had almost died, he supposed. It would pass with time.
Grimly, Zero pushed his head back under the shower head, closing his eyes and forcing himself to stay there and face the tentative unease in the pit of his stomach. It was just water, for crying out loud. Get over it.
When he left the bathroom a few minutes later, towel around his waist, Zero found Kaname sitting on his bed, obviously waiting for him. The pureblood dressed in fresh clothing and also appeared fresh from a shower – his dark hair damp, the faint scent of the rose scented soap he used clinging to him. Zero was glad to see that Kaname's visible injuries from sparring earlier had faded, yet he felt a twinge of disappointment at the same time... which he repressed quickly with a flash of irritation at himself. Kaname was wearing long sleeves and elegant little fingerless gloves that were probably hiding the still healing marks on his arms and palms. That was a little odd, he didn't usually hide those things from Zero, but the hunter said nothing.
Zero wasn't surprised to find Kaname here, or by the softly concerned look on his lover's face. Crap. He hadn't been guarding his emotions. Kaname must have felt his moment of panic in the shower and come to be sure he was all right. It was sweet, but it was embarrassing too. Kaname could be so smotheringly protective sometimes.
"I'm fine," he mumbled with a sigh in answer to the unspoken question as he headed for the closet.
Kaname simply nodded. Yes, he was sure Zero was, but... he couldn't help the need to be here. "The water?" he asked simply, his tone suggesting he already knew the answer.
Zero yanked his robe out of the closet, wishing Kuran would just drop it. The pureblood was as bad as Yuki had been about things like this. "It's nothing."
Kaname's eyes traced the bruises on Zero's strong, lithe body, admiring the way tiny droplets of water still clung to his skin before Zero slipped into his robe, covering them. Zero turned back towards him and Kaname quickly masked the predatory hunger in his gaze. The bruises were enticing to the pureblood... especially because he had made them. Not that he liked Zero being hurt, but the boy would heal soon and the vampire view of such things was just... different. Too different to put into human terms. Zero would not understand, so Kaname hid his feelings.
"I know. It has happened to me as well," Kaname murmured softly and simply. He knew that admitting his own weakness would probably be more comforting than picking at Zero's.
Zero's violet eyes snapped to the pureblood in surprise. He hadn't realized Kaname had had similar flashbacks and was more than a little surprised that he admitted to it.
Kaname's grin turned wry. "What, you haven't noticed that we have an indoor Olympic sized swimming pool and I never use it?"
No, actually, Zero hadn't. Even though their guests had, and Zero had ended up inadvertently joining them when Aido pushed him in. But Kaname had merely sipped a drink and watched in amusement from a poolside chair. Zero realized no one had expected him to join them. Suddenly, Zero felt inexplicably guilty. Not only for not noticing that Kaname was avoiding the water, but also because he'd unconsciously fallen into the same mindset as the other nobles, accepting that Kaname was apart and different from them. Zero did not normally think that way and he didn't like it.
"Sorry," Zero said softly, his manner suddenly softening. He tied the sash on his robe, but his gaze remained on Kaname. "I thought you just didn't want to."
"Well, that too," Kaname admitted lightly. He was used to not mingling over much with others and accustomed to needing to hold himself apart. He didn't want to concern Zero too much, or make a big deal out of nothing. He just wanted him to know that he was not alone in dealing with the aftermath of their recent ordeal.
"The point is, I believe it's a natural response that will fade eventually as we continue to confront it," the pureblood said pragmatically, finding it less embarrassing if he looked at it from a clinical, psychological point of view.
Zero nodded, having thought more or less the same thing. He picked up the discarded towel and rubbed his short silver hair with it, halting the water that was dripping down the back of his neck and wetting his robe.
"Yeah." He appreciated what Kaname said, and the support he was obviously trying to offer. It meant a lot to Zero, but didn't really want to talk about it anymore. He sat down on the bed and dropped the towel. Reaching over, he hesitantly squeezed Kaname's hand for a moment before dropping it and looking away. Casual displays of affection outside of the heat of the moment were still a bit awkward for him.
There was a soft knock that drew their eyes to the doorway of the bedroom. Seiren was standing respectfully outside the open door, having knocked on the frame. "Your visitor has arrived, Kaname-sama," she announced. Normally, upon finding Kaname in Zero's bedroom, she would not have interrupted, open door or no, but Kaname had requested immediate notification of this arrival.
Seiren had been living at the villa the whole time that they had. Her presence remained barely felt and Zero rarely saw her save when Kaname apparently bid her to feel free to mingle with the other nobles when they were visiting. Zero had finally realized that Seiren was more than just another protective Night Class student and self-appointed bodyguard. She was Kaname's bodyguard and his left-tenant. She was his eyes and ears that could move around where he could not, a completely loyal extension of the pureblood's reach and agent of his will. Zero knew enough about vampires to know that the honor of serving the Kurans in such a trusted position had probably been passed down in Seiren's family for generations. It was funny how that thought didn't irritate him now like it once would have.
"Thank you, Seiren," Kaname replied. "Tell him we shall be down shortly." Seiren withdrew and Kaname turned back to Zero with a small smile. "You'd better put something else on."
Zero made a face and groaned, flopping back on the bed in a recalcitrant gesture. "I'm sure whoever it is doesn't want to see me, Kaname. You go on." The hunter yawned. He was exhausted and didn't feel like sitting around and pretending not to be awkwardly out of place while Kaname entertained whoever had come calling. The gloves made sense now, at least. Kaname had been expecting company when he dressed.
Kaname gave an amused, somewhat secretive smile. Rising to his feet, he crossing his arms and looked down at Zero expectantly. "I'm rather sure he does. Come on, it won't take long."
Zero's eyebrows rose, although he didn't budge. It was already morning; he could see the muted glint of sunlight through the window. Come to think of it, it was actually pretty late for vampires to go visiting, wasn't it? Kaname was usually in bed before sun-up. "Who is it?" he inquired, reluctantly curious now despite himself.
Kaname's grin deepened a little. "If you want to know, get dressed and come find out."
Zero reached over and snagged one of the pillows near his hand. He lobbed it at Kaname in peevish frustration. The pureblood caught the pillow easily with a small chuckle. He tossed it back onto the bed and headed for the closet, shifting the hangers around. "You could wear these..." he suggested lightly, not really bothering much about what he was suggesting since he was well aware that Zero was not about to wear anything he picked out for him. It had the desired effect, however. Zero pried himself off the bed and stomped over.
"Out. Out of my closet, you're not allowed in there," the hunter muttered, giving Kaname a light, irritated shove. He grabbed a shirt at random from one of the hangers and a pair of jeans that was lying on the closet floor. He didn't particularly care if Kaname's visitor thought him underdressed. If Kaname wasn't going to tell him who it was, then he wasn't responsible for whether or not he was presentable for the occasion.
Kaname backed off, still grinning in wry amusement. Zero was so predictable sometimes.
Zero knew he was only going to amuse Kaname more if he insisted the other vampire leave while he changed, so instead he intentionally untied his robe and shrugged, letting it drop to the floor. Grabbing a fresh pair of underwear from his drawer, he started to dress. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kaname stiffen, hunger flittering briefly but visibly though those gorgeous dark eyes. The hunter smirked inwardly. Kaname was the one forcing him to do this; it wasn't his fault if the pureblood was going to have to struggle to keep his mind on his guest now.
"You know, the new term starts tomorrow and we're not remotely ready to go. You're going to miss your first night of classes," Zero remarked as he did up his jeans and reached for his shirt, masterfully managing to mostly ignore the way Kaname's eyes were devouring him. "Not a very good example for the Dorm President..."
Kaname's manner changed slightly. The amused look faded to a more serious one. "Actually, Zero... I'm not going back."
Zero froze, shirt in hand, and turned to look at Kaname in surprise. Obviously, the thought had not crossed his mind.
Kaname winced inwardly. He' been rather hoping that Zero might have at least considered the possibility himself, had hoped that he might have grown comfortable here. The pureblood had done everything he could to make this place appealing.
"That part of my life is over," Kaname said quietly. The Academy had served its purpose and his plans. Rido and Ichiou were both gone, neither could control him anymore and he did not need to hide from his domineering guardian's control. Cross was gone, and Yuki... was gone. There was nothing to hold him there now. "My affairs are no longer being managed by others. Too long though, they have been, and I need to reestablish control and loyalty in what remains of the fractured branches of my parents' syndeo. I need to step in and begin taking an active role both in my business concerns and in vampire society at large in order to maintain balance. It is no longer convenient nor fully possible for me to do all that from the Academy," Kaname explained. His gaze was slightly troubled, as if these were not tasks to which he looked forward. His duty was clear, however, and he played the game well enough to know where his path lay now.
Zero understood what Kaname was saying, but the whole thing still came as rather a shock. He... he simply hadn't considered not going back. It was incredibly hard for him to let go of that part of his own life so easily. Realistically, he knew Kaname was right and it was probably time for him to move on as well, he wasn't even actually in school there any more for goodness sake. How long could he hang around before it just became pathetic? But still, the sudden prospect of change painted a huge, unsettling blank in his future that Zero wasn't sure how to handle.
"What about the Night Class?" Zero asked quietly, still holding his shirt and apparently having forgotten about it.
"Most of them will continue to attend," the pureblood replied. "I have already spoken to them about this. I will still support the school and shall return to visit as often as possible. It is invaluable to the pacifist movement. But I will be more useful elsewhere now. In order to further the goals of co-existence the movement must eventually spread beyond the walls of the Academy, Zero." He very much wanted the ex-human to understand his motivations.
You spoke with them about it, but you didn't tell me. Zero looked down at the shirt in his hands, trying to understand what he was feeling. Kaname's words made sense, he understood that the pureblood was doing what he needed to do, but he couldn't help the slightly lost, perhaps selfish thought: where does that leave me? Of course, Kaname had a million responsibilities to tend to and things that needed his attention... but what was Zero supposed to do now?
He'd never considered anything but being a hunter... at least, back when he had considered a future at all. He'd taken a few hesitant steps testing his wings in that direction before Yuki's death. But so much had changed since then. He was with Kaname now, and he had to be realistic. He could not expect Kaname to approve of him pursing that path. It was ridiculous to think that the hunters would ever even really accept him anyway.
"Will you stay here, then?" Zero asked quietly, his tone a little more numb than he intended.
"Yes, at least some of the time. I'm going to need to be doing a lot of traveling in the very near future, but I thought, we could..." Kaname trailed off. His mood had been shifting more and more towards uncertain as they talked and he had a softly anguished look hidden behind his eyes now. Zero had asked where he was staying, not where they were staying and it silently terrified the pureblood. He had not imagined not having Zero with him.
"I'm sorry I didn't say something sooner," Kaname apologized softly. The look on Zero's face was not giving him the impression that the hunter was thrilled with this discussion. "I did not think there was anything still there for you either." Zero had graduated; certainly he didn't expect to stay there forever? "Look... is this all right with you? I had thought... hoped... that you would stay here as well, but if you would rather return to the Academy, I can try to rearrange things. Or... you can go back and I can try to join you again as soon as I can, when I can..." the words trailed off to a whisper, Kaname's eyes betraying just how deeply he hated the idea of being separated from his lover. He'd rather drink acid than send Zero back there alone, but if it's what Zero wanted, he would try to make something work.
Zero realized his feelings must be showing much more transparently than he'd intended. He shook his head. "No, I... no, that's fine," he assured. He realized he was still standing there, stupidly holding his shirt and he tugged it on quickly over his head, shoving his hands into his pockets a little more uncertainly than he might have wished. Going back to the Academy alone was far too desolate a prospect. For better or worse... his place was with Kaname. Even if that was still hard for him to accept in some ways, he knew now it was true.
Actually, going back or staying here... it really made very little difference when he stopped to think about it. It was just that the change forced him to face the rudderless void of his own future. Like one who had been living under the death sentence of a terminal illness, Zero had gotten used to not thinking much about the future. He had never tried to picture where he expected to be five or ten years from now or anything like that. Insane and dead was where he had expected to be. Kaname's intervention had opened the future back up to him... but what was he supposed to do with it?
Being Kaname's lover was all well and fine, but... but... it was hard to accept the thought of that being pretty much the sole definition of his life. Kaname was quite able to support them both with ease, and more than happy to do it, but the thought of always being dependant on his lover and having nothing to do but hang around the estate waiting for Kaname all the time was a bleak prospect. Maybe I could take up knitting or watch soap operas, he thought acerbically.
But... he would be with Kaname. Despite himself, a rouge part of his heart was whispering that ultimately that was what mattered. Even the pragmatic part of his mind had to admit that in reality, he couldn't afford to be away from Kaname for too long. Somehow he'd just... figure everything else out. It wasn't Kaname's problem and he didn't want the pureblood to feel like he had to try to rearrange his whole life to suit him, so Zero tried to keep his feelings to himself.
"I'd rather stay with you," Zero said quietly, shrugging and looking away so he wouldn't flush at the words. "It's nice here," he added quickly.
Kaname smiled warmly, feeling like he could breathe again. He was deeply relieved to hear Zero say that and quite touched to know that he felt that way. His eyes stung a little and he blinked quickly. "I'm glad," he said softly. A faint, mischievous glint slowly entered his eyes once more. "I think our guest might have been rather put out if we had to change arrangements on him."
Zero looked puzzled but Kaname continued speaking before he could inquire after his meaning. "You know I'm very proud of you, Zero," the pureblood said truthfully. "You have grown much in your abilities."
Zero did flush this time, studying the floor and suddenly wishing Kaname would shut up... although... at the same time he couldn't help feeling a little pleased at the praise too. He wasn't sure what the sudden topic change had to do with anything though.
"I can help you hone those skills. I can teach you about being a vampire," Kaname continued, reaching out and cupping Zero's chin in his hand, tipping the other's head gently back up towards him. "But your potential is more expansive. There are things that I cannot teach you. You're a hunter, Zero." Kaname's gaze was earnest and intense. "And you're good at it. I think it's time you begin your training again in earnest."
Zero looked thoroughly confused and surprised now. "You... want me to hunt vampires...?" he asked a bit incredulously.
Kaname reached out and brushed Zero's face lightly with his fingertips. "I want you to be who you are, Zero, and to do whatever makes you feel fulfilled. And despite what you may think, hunters and vampire nobility do share a somewhat common cause – we all realize the necessity of dealing with those who have fallen into madness before they can harm the innocent."
Zero was still staring at Kaname nonplussed, but it was true, he supposed. He'd seen members of the Night Class terminate Level E's on Kaname's orders before. His thoughts were spinning a bit, but he couldn't help the thread of warmth inside him, lightly squeezing his heart. It was kind of... nice... that Kaname cared about his future like this.
Kaname shook his head. "The first step to co-existence is seeing past our differences to what we have in common, and recognizing the part that each of us play in the natural order of things, is it not? Or so Cross used to tell me, quite endlessly." He smiled fondly in recollection. "It is why I supported the formation of a hunter class at the Academy." He shrugged. "But mostly, I want you to be happy, Zero," he admitted. "To see you fulfill your full potential. And to do that... you need the guidance of another hunter."
Kaname had stepped back and his gaze now flicked towards the door just as a figure appeared. His senses were still dulled from earlier, but he'd not missed the approaching footsteps in the outer room. The rude audacity of the intrusion would have been surprising, save for who it was coming from.
A tall man with an unruly mane of dark curls stopped in the doorway, leaning one shoulder carelessly against the frame as fixed the gaze of his single eye upon the two vampires in the room. The unmistakable scent of cigarette smoke and leather followed him, although not in an unpleasant manner.
Yagari Toga flicked his battered, signature cowboy hat back a little on his head with one hand, a clear gesture of irritation to those who knew him.
"Hey, Vampire," he addressed Kaname in a slow, annoyed drawl. "You drag me all the way out here to the backside of nowhere and then have your toadies keep me cooling my heels in your parlor... that's not very nice."
Kaname knew well that the master hunter was actually irritated about another matter, but he seemed rather like Zero in the way that irritation with anything turned into a snarky, sarcastic mood towards everything. Or rather, Kaname reflected briefly, it was probably more the other way around, and Zero was like Yagari, which made sense considering the elder hunter's involvement in his early life.
"My apologies for keeping you waiting," Kaname said dryly. "I'm glad to see you've obviously already made yourself at home."
"M-master Toga?" Zero said in blank shock, totally unprepared for his unexpected arrival and grasping belatedly that this was the guest Kaname had been expecting.
"Hey, kid," Yagari greeted. The hunter's gaze switched to Zero and it warmed imperceptibly, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his weathered features as he pushed away from the door frame and entered the room. He crossed over to Zero and ruffled his hair in greeting. Zero shot him the expected dry look, although it was tempered with surprise. Yagari tipped Zero's chin up a bit on his fingers, giving the boy an appraising look before withdrawing his hand.
"You're looking good," he remarked, pulling a cigarette from his shirt pocket and lighting up. His expression was unreadable. It was an understatement of course. Compared to the first time he'd seen Zero after his full vampire awakening, the boy was a picture of health, strength and stability. It did him good to see such a change for the better, so much more so than Yagari would admit. But long life experience had taught him to be wary of too much unexplained good fortune. Whatever had slowed his descent, he knew Zero's ultimate prognosis. "Guess the air out here agrees with you..." he shot a suspicious look towards Kaname as if trying to puzzle out what the pureblood's game was in all of this. Zero he may be ready to trust, to a point... but Kaname, not at all.
Kaname simply smiled with cool, blank innocence. "The air is very clear out here," he agreed simply, giving nothing away. Yagari didn't know he was giving Zero his blood, precious few people did, and Kaname was not about to enlighten him. Let the hunter think whatever he liked. If Zero wanted to confide in him, that was his affair. Kaname was only tolerating the man's presence for his lover's sake. Kaname's smile darkened a trifle. "Or it was..." he added in the same conversational tone, giving his hand a little wave in front of his face that indicated he did not care for the strong scent of the hunter's tobacco. As a hunter, Yagari had to be well aware that the brand of cigarettes he favored was particularly strong smelling and therefore likely to offend more highly developed vampire senses. He was smoking in front of Kaname just to annoy him.
Zero was actually unforgivably a trifle amused to watch Kaname and Yagari staring each other down. There were two people he never wanted to see too deeply at odds. He couldn't help feeling somewhat flustered and embarrassed though at the Yagari having noticed the change in him. The last thing he wanted to admit to his former Sensei was that he was more vampire than ever and surviving on a diet of pure blood, from a vampire who – oh by the way – he was also sleeping with. No. Some things Yagari definitely did not need to know. It was good to see the elder man though. Zero didn't realize he had missed him until now.
"Sensei, what brings you out here? Are you on business for the Association?" Zero inquired both to break the ice and change the subject. Yagari had already stated that Kaname had apparently gotten him out here, but Zero wasn't sure in what manner.
"Not exactly," Yagari said with a soft snort. He gave Zero a speculative look, although he supposed he shouldn't be surprised that Zero did not know, and was not in on what had happened. "You could say I'm working 'special assignment' right now, right Kuran?"
Kaname inclined his head slightly. "He's going to be staying with us for a while, Zero" he explained. The pureblood's tone subtly told just how much that thrilled him. "He will be working with you to bring you up to speed with where a hunter your age should be. I'm sure you've always been quite adept, so it shouldn't take too long." Hopefully.
Zero couldn't pretend he wasn't pleased by the prospect, but he was also quite shocked. He'd never imagined he'd be able to have Yagari as his full time teacher again. There was so much he wanted to ask him and talk with him about, so much he knew he had only brushed the surface on in their short time together in his childhood. But it seemed quite impossible that Yagari had decided to simply up and drop the rest of his life in favor of being a live-in tutor to a vampire pupil.
"I... thank you. But... surely... I mean... don't you have other things you need to be doing?" Zero's expressive eyes showed a little more of what he was feeling than he'd intended. Yagari was actually a bit surprised by what he saw in them. For a long time, Zero's eyes had been dull and dead, giving away nothing but the nihilistic acceptance of fate that had clung to him like Yagari's cigarette smoke. The renewed life he saw in them now reminded him more of how they had been when Zero was a child.
Yagari's initially hard expression had softened a bit. His wry, annoyed smirk showed a little amusement now as well. "Me? Nope, apparently not. Somehow my calendar has mysteriously emptied. I must assume that the entire vampire population has suddenly become vegetarian, because the Association swears they have nothing for me and suggested I take a vacation. No... suggested is too mild a word. Rather, they put me on mandatory leave." His smile was sardonic and he shot a brief glace towards Kaname once more. He was perfectly aware who had made sure his schedule was cleaned, and he wasn't sure if he was more irritated at being jerked around by a blood sucker, or at the notion that Kaname could affect that much influence over even the Hunter's Association. Although he had a feeling the Association had its own purposes at heart as well that probably did not align with the pureblood's. The fact that Zero seemed to be a pawn at the nexus of overlapping schemes by ruthless forces from both sides of the fence did not sit well with Yagari and that was part of the reason he was actually here.
Zero was equally able to guess who was behind such an extraordinary occurrence and his cheeks flushed in mortification. He understood that Kaname was doing this for him with the best of intentions, but the pureblood's methods and his expectation of always getting what he wanted could be downright embarrassing.
"Sensei, I'm so sorry, I didn't..." he trailed off, not sure what to say. It would be ungrateful to Kaname to protest that he hadn't asked for this, but he hated for Yagari to think he was in on manipulating him.
Fortunately, Yagari had no such illusions. If he had, the look on Zero's face completely put them to rest. He shook his head. "Forget it, kid. If I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't be. I figure someone's got to counter the corruptive influence of all these vampires on you." He smiled wryly. He'd trained many young hunters. Few of them had he felt as close to as Zero. He could not show it, because of his hard-learned wariness of vampires, and of what Zero had become, but he had always been fond of the boy. The hunters had written him off much too easily. Yagari had too.
He'd been like a second father to Zero when he was a child, but it was Cross, not he, who'd been willing to open his heart and his home to the orphan boy after he was turned. Yagari had had plenty of reasons... his life was not one in which a child would have fit... but even after all these years, they still tasted bitterly like excuses. The elder hunter was well aware that in losing Cross and Yuki, Zero had lost his family all over again. Perhaps that, more than anything else, was why he was here. Maybe, it was a chance to try and make up a little for past mistakes.
"Hey, what's up with these?" Yagari inquired in his normal, casually brusque manner as he suddenly caught Zero's arm. The short sleeved shirt the younger hunter was wearing did not hide the darkening purple black bruises from his recent skirmish.
Zero started slightly in surprise. He'd forgotten about them already. They would be mostly gone by tomorrow. "Nothing," he dismissed easily, if a bit self-consciously. "Kaname and I were sparring." He didn't want to admit to Yagari about his new powers. Not yet.
Sparring, huh, riiight... Yagari's gaze narrowed slightly in concern, looking about as convinced as if he'd been told that Zero had 'fallen over a chair'. Yagari could not easily picture a pureblood vampire lowering himself to bother sparring with an ex-human, and took Zero's words to be a euphemism. Meaning he randomly beat the snot out of you and you're not about to say so with him standing right there. The hunter shot the pureblood a hard, cool look, but said nothing.
Kaname returned his gaze evenly and expressionlessly. He could tell what Yagari was thinking, but he felt no need to defend himself to the hunter. It wasn't any of Yagari's business what his and Zero's relationship was and Yagari would never believe him anyway. Kaname was not overly concerned what the hunter thought of him, but in a way, he was pleased that the man cared enough about Zero to be protective of him in that manner. His chief concern about this whole set up had been whether or not having Yagari around was going to help or damage Zero's perception of himself. He could see in Yagari's face though, that despite how he felt about vampires, Zero was safe with the master hunter.
Zero didn't quite understand what he saw in Yagari's gaze, but before he could try to say anything, the hunter just ruffled his hair again. "Well, I'm sure Kuran will excuse you from any more... sparring... so you'll be in shape for lessons," he gave Kaname another pointed look before shifting his gaze back to Zero. "We'll start tomorrow. I expect you to work hard and make this worth my time." The gruffness of the words was softened by the fond look that flittered across the weathered features.
Zero gave a silent, earnest nod, not really sure what to say at this point.
"I thank you for coming and for your services," Kaname said coolly but graciously. "I am sure that you are tired and hungry after your trip. I have refreshments waiting for you in the guest house. Those quarters shall be entirely at your disposal during your stay. If you should prefer to have lodging in town, that can be arranged, but the guest house is a fair distance from here, so you will not have to be too near to me and my household if that is disturbing to you." And Zero and I can keep our privacy... "Seiren will take you there now." He nodded towards the doorway, where Zero suddenly realized that Seiren had appeared, silent and unnoticed sometime during this whole exchange.
The silver-haired woman fixed a very displeased look on Yagari. She was silently furious and mortified that he had made it up here to disturb Kaname without being detected. Yagari was considered the top hunter in the profession for a reason, of course, but she did not feel that absolved her.
She smiled with fake pleasantness and gestured for the hunter to follow her. Yagari seemed amused by her dislike, well aware that it was probably her security he had bypassed. He tipped his hat to her with an infuriating wink and turned to leave.
He paused in the doorway and turned back. "I'll see you tomorrow, Zero," he promised quietly, before he disappeared.
Kaname turned an inquiring look on Zero once they were alone again. "Are you angry with me, Zero?" he inquired mildly. It was hard to know how to please the ex-human sometimes. Zero was a complicated puzzle. He knew he was pleased that Yagari was here, but he seemed somewhat torn as well. "Would you rather I had not invited him?"
Zero ran his hand through his hair. Invited? It sounded more like twisted his arm but Zero couldn't be mad when Kaname was looking at him all innocent and open like that. He could tell that having another hunter hanging around was not Kaname's idea of fun, so the pureblood really was doing this for him. Zero ran a rueful hand through his hair.
"You don't invite people, Kaname. You remove all their other options so they'll come to you," he said a bit wearily, but without any true reproach.
Kaname cocked his head, considering Zero. He did not deny it. Nor did he see anything wrong with it. "And you disapprove? You disapprove of me making sure that he could get the time off without feeling torn or having to run off and attend to other duties all the time?"
Zero wasn't sure how to answer. "Yes... I mean no... I mean... damn it, Kaname, will you not do that? It sounds different when you put it that way." Kaname had this way of totally turning things around to make you see his point of view that frustrated the hell out of Zero.
"And what way should I put it?" Kaname inquired. He caught Zero's hand in his. "Zero... I just want you to be happy. If I'm not doing it right, if this isn't what you want, tell me what you do want..." he whispered softly. "You know I would give it to you. The moon, the stars..." he drew Zero's hand up to his lips and kissed the warm palm softly. "You name it, and it's yours..."
Zero felt his frustration melt away to nothingness under the aching warmth that swelled in his chest at the way Kaname was looking at him. How could he not melt under the earnest intensity of those eyes, under the devoted care that the pureblood offered so freely? After all, what had Kaname done that was so terrible? He had given Zero back the future he thought he didn't have, in so many ways.
Zero squeezed the hand that was holding his lightly, pulling it over to his lips this time so he could brush them across Kaname's knuckles. "Thank you... for doing this for me," he murmured. "You're right. It is what I want, and I really appreciate it."
Kaname soaked up the tender affection in Zero's eyes, happily losing himself in their lovely depths.
Zero smiled a bit hesitantly. "And if you want to know what I really want right now..." he raised his eyebrows slightly, his gaze straying towards the bed almost shyly.
Kaname's grin widened deeply and the bedroom door clicked itself closed.