A/N: Cut Zero a little slack for his decision making at the start of this chapter, keep in mind his head isn't really clear and he's in a lot of pain. Likewise, keep in mind later that Kaname's only pissed because Zero scared the bejezus out of him, lol. I apologize for doing a 'cut scene' over a certain part later on that I would usually enjoy writing out in full detail XD but right now this story really needs to keep moving and this chapter is already 20 pages long, so I had to leave some things to the imagination for a change. ;)
Also, PLEASE NOTE that Me + medical science = FAIL. Keep that in mind and please ignore any and all errors, omissions or glaring WTF-ery regarding the vaguely medical oriented bits of this chapter. I orginally intended parts of this chapter to happen at Aido's lab, but that just didn't work out logistically when it came time to write it, so this is what happened instead. It's probably totally ridiculous that Aido would be able to do these things at his home, but then again he's a wealthy genius vampire who has a huge vested interest in being able to do just this type of thing without having to get too far away from his sick bed, and my VK universe is actually set vaguely in the future, so their tech might be different/better/smaller than ours in some way, so... anyway, just try to ignore and suspend any disbelief and forgive my utter scientific failings. :P
Chapter Twenty-Six: "Here Comes the Rain"
The raw gnaw of agony in his wrists woke Zero before he would have liked to be awakened. He tried to go back to sleep, but he hurt much too badly. Kaname's help had numbed him for a while, but the effects must have faded. Zero glanced at the clock and saw that he'd been asleep for longer than he'd thought. It was still early in the afternoon, but he'd gotten a somewhat decent amount of rest. Too bad his aching body made it feel like it hadn't been nearly enough.
He felt the still, peaceful shape of Kaname's body beside him. The pureblood was curled against his side, his cheek resting against Zero's neck. He knew all he had to do was wake Kaname and the pureblood would gladly take away his pain again, but Kaname would probably also try to coax him to drink again instead, and Zero wasn't up for that. Just looking at Kaname lying there, his hair fanned on the pillow, his face relaxed in sleep and his tempting neck irresistibly naked and available was making Zero's chest burn with a wholly different kind of pain.
Kaname looked beautifully serene and peaceful lying there. The leaden stillness with which he slept indicated that he was still recovering from the other night. Exerting himself as much as he had yesterday probably hadn't done him any favors either. Zero realized with a bit of a start that there were faint red marks on the pale cheek that was turned towards him. He almost reached out and touched the rash softly before he caught himself. Was that from yesterday, he wondered? He remembered that Kaname's shade had singed its muzzle trying to bite through his charmed restraints... was it possible that Kaname had reabsorbed that injury when he reabsorbed the avatar? Probably, since only the hunter nature of the slight injury could explain why it was still present.
There were also faint splashes of pink dappling the pureblood's exposed shoulders, as if he'd stood too long in the sun... which in a way, he had. It wasn't easy to run around in shade form under the ungentle glare of the sun and carrying two people over all that distance, one of whom was struggling fiercely, in broad daylight had taken more out of Kaname than he would admit.
Zero knew the faint marks presented no danger to Kaname, but he couldn't help feeling concerned anyway... then he realized his breath was starting to come short. His gaze had fixed on Kaname's neck even though he knew better. The pureblood's was sprawled partially on his side and partially on his stomach. His skin looked so soft, so inviting. Zero could almost see all the veins mapped out beneath, waiting to be tapped. He blinked, caught by the sudden swell of need that had grabbed him unawares.
The ex-human leaned up on his elbow before he could stop himself. Kaname was completely unguarded and vulnerable and that called to him. It would be so easy to take what he wanted... so easy to slide over Kaname's back and press him against the bed as his fangs found flesh... Zero shuddered. The most compelling part of all was that he knew Kaname would be intensely pleased to be awoken like that. His lover would shift under him and groan softly in delight, tipping his head more to the side, offering more of himself and wanting more of Zero in return...
Zero knew. It had happened that way many times before. The lovely familiarity drew him in and his head started to dip lower. A sharp pang from his injured ribs arrested his progress and brought a fleeting moment of clarity with it, allowing him to realize what he was about to do.
Zero fell back to the bed, pressing the back of his fist against his mouth and breathing raggedly as he stared up at the ceiling in silent, wide-eyed panic. What had he almost done? It didn't matter how hungry he was, it wouldn't kill him to wait until he knew whether it was safe or not. Kaname was obviously already a little weakened, did he love him so little he would risk the possibility of giving him something dreadful just because he couldn't control himself? No way.
He pressed his eyes shut, knowing they were red. Kaname would sense his hunger the moment he woke up. Heck, if he wasn't careful, it was going to wake him up. Already, the pureblood was stirring in his sleep. Zero's mind was foggy and he could feel in himself that seductive, frightening loss of control which he had not had cause to dread in a long time. Kaname had presented him with a safe place where he gradually learned not to fear his needs but he'd spent a good portion of his formative years terrified that he was becoming a monster and those scars were deep. The fear that succumbing to his desires meant hurting someone he cared about was ingrained into the surface of his psyche and too easily rekindled.
Unable to trust himself, Zero rolled painfully onto his side and out of bed. He couldn't be near Kaname right now, it wasn't safe. The unbearable temptation was so strong, he wasn't going to be able to resist much longer. If Kaname got one glimpse of him in this state there was nothing Zero was going to be able to do to prevent the pureblood from forcing him to drink, either. There were other options he might have taken, but he was currently incapable of the rationality needed to come up with such.
"Zero?" Kaname murmured sleepily, the motion awakening him.
"Bathroom," Zero mumbled without turning around and he heard Kaname settle back onto the pillow. "Gotta make a few calls too," he added as he shuffled for the bathroom, trying not to wince with every step. He was doing a good job of hiding his hunger and containing his aura, something Kaname had been teaching him how to do, but it wasn't easy. He was probably only succeeding because the other vampire wasn't entirely awake and was feeling a bit muzzy from the small touch of hunter poison and sun exposure he'd had yesterday.
Kaname made a sound of mild protest. He knew Zero often had to get up in the middle of the day to make phone calls that had to happen during human business hours, but he wanted Zero to rest some more, especially after what he'd been through. Although, he imagined Zero must be doing better if he wanted to be up and around already. Having always lived with vampire healing gave Kaname a skewed view of what was considered a normal interval for recovery.
"It won't take long," Zero muttered, trying his best to sound exasperated instead of desperate. He wanted Kaname to go back to sleep. He needed a little time. He needed to go see Aido, quick.
"Fine, fine..." Kaname murmured, rolling over and burrowing back under the covers. "Just don't go running off on me again, right?"
It was a sleepy jest, but it hit Zero with a sharp pang of guilt. "No, of course not. Go back to sleep, Kaname," he lied, feeling like absolute crap.
After hiding in the bathroom until he had his bloodlust momentarily back under control again, Zero quietly grabbed some clothes out of one of his drawers and slipped out of the bedroom. He dressed downstairs, once he was out of Kaname's earshot and away from the maddening sound of the blood pulsing in his lover's veins. He donned jeans, shirt and shoes, but he felt curiously naked without the familiar weight of the Bloody Rose. He was probably going about this all wrong, but pain and hunger were clouding his reason and he just didn't know what else to do.
Driven by an urgent need to get as far away from Kaname as he could before he lost his resolve, Zero made his way quietly out to the garage. He didn't like leaving without explanation, but Aido didn't live that far away and he reasoned he should be able to get back before Kaname woke up. Later he would wonder in what universe this had seemed like a reasonable plan, but being in a heightened state of blood lust was rather like being drunk... there were a lot of things that sounded like a really good idea at the time.
He saw that his bike had been brought back, as Kaname said it would be, but he realized his spare keys were still up in his room. No way he was going back up there to get them and risking waking Kaname, or further exposing himself to the temptation that Kaname presented to him. Instead, he chose one of the several cars in the garage and retrieved the appropriate set of keys from the lockbox in the drawing room.
Zero was halfway to Aido's house before the red finally faded from his vision, and his head cleared enough for him to wonder what the hell he was doing. If Kaname woke to find him gone without explanation, the pureblood was going to panic. He felt hideously guilty. This was a lousy thing to do to him, but Zero knew if he went back, he would not be able to control himself and in his current state and he couldn't bear to tell Kaname his fears until he knew for sure, one way or another. He'd come this far, he might as well finish it. He just needed to be quick.
Dark clouds were rolling in across the afternoon sky. They made it look as if evening were already approaching and increased the urgency in the pit of his stomach. Flooring the accelerator, Zero hoped there were no traffic officers on this stretch today.
Aido rolled over and put the pillow over his head with a groan, trying to figure out where the ungodly racket was coming from and if he could kill whatever was causing it before it made his head explode. Unfortunately, due to his clogged airways, he couldn't actually breathe under the pillow and quickly came up again, gasping for air as consciousness intruded a little more clearly into his thoughts.
The blonde flopped onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, unsure for a moment if he was really awake or not. The damp, sticky sheets tangled around his legs were soaked with perspiration, but his body felt blessedly cooler now. Despite still feeling pretty crappy, in some ways he actually felt quite a bit better than he had before. His fever had broken several hours ago and he'd been in a deep sleep ever since, although he wasn't up to piecing all that together just yet. He couldn't even figure out what the thumping noise that had woken him was.
He was aware that his mouth felt painfully dry and he was incredibly parched, so he rolled out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen. Splashing water on his face and neck and drinking straight from the tap brought him a bit further back to life and he realized that the incessant thumping noise was someone knocking - more like pounding - on his door.
Shuffling to the door, Aido yanked it open. "What?" he demanded hoarsely, and then blinked a few times when he saw who it was. To be honest, he had no idea who exactly he had expected to see, but it hadn't been Zero Kiriyu standing there looking like he'd just lost a fight with a sledge hammer.
Shock registered on Zero's face as he took in Aido's flushed and rumpled form. The young vampire's blonde hair was wildly mussed, his skin was damp with perspiration, his eyes were a little too bright and his cheek was creased, suggesting he'd just gotten out of bed. Well, that wasn't surprising given the hour, but Aido was obviously not feeling at all well. Zero had the decency to feel guilty for dragging the sick vampire out of bed like this, but there was no one else he could turn to.
"Zero?" Aido looked at him in mildly annoyed confusion, taking in the hunter's dark shiner and busted lip. "You look terrible."
"Thanks, you too," Zero returned dryly. "Can I come in a minute?"
Aido backed up and let him in, shuffling back to the sink in the kitchen and getting more water, in a glass this time.
"Hanabusa, are you okay?" Zero asked quietly as he followed the other vampire and watched Aido hang onto the sink edge while he gulped water. Now that he was a safe distance away from Kaname, Zero was finding it a little easier to control himself and function beyond his hunger, at least for the moment. Fortunately, Aido did not inspire in him the same kind of instant craving that Kaname did. He really was literally addicted to his lover's blood by now, although he didn't like to think about it that way.
Aido looked up at him with puffy, red-rimmed eyes and gave a sarcastic snort. "No," he snuffled, reaching for a tissue. "No, I'm not. I've been deliriously ill, I don't even know what night it is or whether or not I'm dying and I feel like hell. Why are you here?"
Zero's guilt deepened. Usually Aido's snarkiness would have brought answer in kind, but the blonde looked terrible and Zero wished he could say he'd just come by to check on him. "I... need a favor."
Aido gave a laugh that turned into a cough. "You're kidding, right?" He pressed the cool glass in his hand to his forehead, leaning his hips back against the edge of the counter behind him. "What happened to you anyway? You really do look like crap."
Zero chuckled mirthlessly, unconsciously touching his throbbing jaw with his fingertips. "Yeah, I know. It was... work related," he said vaguely, not wanting to go into what had happened. Fortunately for him, Aido was apparently too miserable to be very curious.
"Look," Zero rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I know the timing sucks, but I need you to run a blood test on me."
Aido groaned. "Now?" He set the glass down on the counter and moved over to the refrigerator. Tugging the door open, he pulled out a small quart jar of thick, dark liquid. Unscrewing the top he gave it a sniff as if to see whether it was fresh.
Zero bit his lip, gaze cast down to the floor as the scent of blood filled the room and his chest tightened.
Aido took a small sip out of the jar, then made a face at trying it cold and reached for one of the saucepans hanging nearby. "Whatever for? Can't it wait?" he asked as he poured the blood into the pan and put it on the stove to warm.
Zero leaned his shoulder against the wall beside him, clutching at his chest and trying not to groan. The scent of the warming blood infusing the air was unbearable. It was threatening to put him back to the edge again. "No, it really can't," he said quietly, struggling with the pressure in his chest that mixed uneasily with the raw throb of his damaged insides. He felt sick and so incredibly thirsty.
Aido started to say something, but as he turned back around, he saw the red in Zero's averted eyes and read the signs of his problem written clearly across his face and tense body. "Zero! What the hell?" He sounded confused and a little worried. "You shouldn't be here, you need to go home." The noble couldn't imagine why Zero was running around on the verge of bloodlust when he had Kaname-sama to drink from.
"No!" Zero rasped, pressing his eyes shut and turning his head against the wall, forcing himself to breathe slowly. "I can't go back until I know if it's safe," he rasped. "Don't you get it, Aido? I'm telling you there's a chance I could have been infected with something like what you have. I'm probably not, it's probably nothing, but I need to make sure. You want me to bite Kaname before I know for sure?"
Aido's eyes widened. He was terribly confused about why Zero thought he might be infected, but he could completely understand not wanting to endanger Kaname in anyway. "But... What? How...?"
Zero shook his head. "That's not important right now. Hanabusa, you're the only one who knows how to do this. Are you going to help me or not?" The words could have sounded harsh, but the desperation in Zero's voice lent them much more of a pleading edge than he probably would have liked.
Aido knew Zero didn't ask for help easily and it sobered him a bit. "Sure, of course..." He ran a shaky hand through his hair. "Just let me get something to drink," he murmured. He understood how Zero was feeling far too well. He took the warmed blood off the stove and poured it into a mug. It wasn't nearly as good as fresh, but it was a lot better than nothing. He paused partway through and poured half of it into a second mug. He completely drained his in several swallows before carrying the other over to Zero.
The ex-human still had his cheek pressed against the wall, his eyes clenched shut.
"Hey, Zero?" Aido held the mug out towards him. "It's Kain's; he and Ruka have been keeping me stocked. It's not terribly fresh but it helps. It's just out of a cup, I don't think Kaname-sama would mind," he added quietly. Drinking stored blood from a serving vessel severed the emotional connection that usually accompanied the act of blood sharing. It was mostly just food at this point.
Zero hesitated, agonized crimson eyes fluttering open. He wanted to refuse, but knew it was pointless to do so. There wasn't really any reason for him not to accept Aido's offer, except for his own revulsion at the idea of drinking a nice warm cup of blood as if it were coffee or something. Ironically, that seemed weirder to him than drinking it from someone's neck, which told him that he was either a very strange person, or he'd been hanging out with vampires for far too long. He also was not crazy at the idea of drinking some random person's blood either. It wasn't as if Kain was a stranger or anything, but actually that made it worse and more embarrassing to him.
Biting the figurative bullet, Zero took the cup from Aido, downing it quickly before he could think too much about what he was doing. It actually didn't taste bad for being least a day or two old, although Zero of course was completely spoiled by his usual fare. He handed the mug back to Aido, feeling his chest loosen slightly as the thick liquid took a bit of the edge off his need. It was a drop in the bucket of what he needed and he was still intensely hungry, but it helped him get control again.
He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, the red fading from his eyes with effort as he leaned against the wall. "Don't ever tell Kain," he muttered.
"Did anyone ever tell you how demanding you are?" Aido asked as he put both mugs in the sink. He felt a little better and more alert now too, although he was still fatigued.
"Once or twice," Zero said with a faint attempt at a grin, thinking the pot was calling the kettle black. "Hey... thanks," he added, serious this time.
"Whatever," Aido returned a weak attempt at a grin himself. "Look, Zero, I really need to take a shower and try to clear my head before I start looking at tests again. It'll just take a few minutes, okay?"
Zero resisted the urge to say that was definitely not okay and he had to hurry before Kaname woke up and missed him. He wasn't that selfish; his poor choices were not Aido's fault and the younger vampire really did look like he could use a few minutes to gather himself and freshen up. Besides, Zero didn't want him to be making mistakes either. So the hunter just shrugged and nodded.
Aido seemed to take forever in the shower. When he emerged he was wearing fresh pajamas, slippers and robe and looked a little more alive. Zero eyed the pajamas under the robe when he realized there were actually pictures of cute little ducks sown into the hems. Aido caught him looking and glared, muttering something about it being a gift from one of his big sisters.
Zero had made tea and toast for the blonde while he was in the shower. He remembered his mother making that for him on the few occasions when he had been sick as a child, and he'd made it for Ichiru quite often. Aido drank the tea appreciatively and nibbled on the toast at Zero's insistence. He found that it went down better than he'd expected and ended up finishing it. Apparently, he decided, Zero knew a lot about this being sick business.
Zero managed to curb his agitated impatience long enough for Aido to finish his breakfast. The young noble was definitely starting to look perkier, although he was still running through tissues like nobody's business.
"Zero, why do you think you might have been infected?" Aido asked as he got something out of one of the cabinets and set it on the counter. "You weren't..."
"No, it was not from blood contact," Zero cut him off a bit tersely. As if he would have been messing around with anyone but Kaname!
Aido had the decency to smile slightly. "I didn't expect so. So then...?"
"So then it's none of your business." Zero sat down at the table, wincing and gingerly hugging his painful, broken ribs as they shifted. God, it hurt. He still felt like shit from the beating he'd taken and his impatience was finally getting the better of him. "Can we just get started already?" he said somewhat irritably.
Aido frowned, a little more worried by how bad Zero looked now that he was finally un-fogged enough to begin noticing someone other than himself. "We are getting started," he said, gesturing to the box he'd just set on the counter. Zero realized it held packaged syringes and empty ampoules. "I need your blood before I can test it, geez. Roll up your sleeve."
Aido had everything necessary to draw blood readily on hand. He should, he had been testing his own obsessively up until his latest bout of fever. It wouldn't be that hard to simply run Zero's blood through the gamut instead of his.
"We don't have to go to your lab?" Zero asked with a small frown, relieved at not having to take that extra time, but worried about getting accurate results.
"Nope," Aido sighed, snuffling into his tissue before getting a fresh one. Zero realized that there was a tissue box nestled into a corner on almost every flat surface in the room. "I moved a lot of the same equipment in here. I have to be able to test myself every couple hours." Aido had the money and the knowledge to be able to create such a set-up in his own home and it was worth it to him to not have to go to the lab for every test. His lab was still better, but what he had here was more than adequate for his needs.
"Oh, okay." Trusting Aido when it came to all the scientific mumbo-jumbo, Zero unbuttoned his cuff and rolled his sleeve up as directed while Aido retrieved a sterile syringe and a couple of empty ampoules from the box.
Aido tossed Zero an elastic strap. "Tie this around your upper arm," he instructed. The noble was getting very good at drawing blood in the non-vampiric sense, he felt like he could do it in his sleep, which was somewhat disturbing to him.
Zero did as he was instructed and rested his elbow on the table, exposing the inside of both elbow and forearm. Aido caught sight of the blackened, ugly scabs circling Zero's wrist and the faint, black spider lines tracing away from the wounds under his pale skin. They were somewhat lighter and less noticeable than yesterday, but they were still quite visible. The blonde froze, staring at the injuries and suddenly understanding why Zero was moving like he was in so much pain. Those were obviously hunter inflicted injuries and they had to hurt like hell.
The nasty fact that Zero looked like he had been both beaten and restrained was starting to make an impression on Aido and he didn't like it at all. He may give Zero a hard time, but the ex-human was his friend and these were alarming injuries.
"Good God, Zero, what happened?" he couldn't help asking yet again. There was a sudden, soft note of concern in Aido's voice that made Zero uncomfortable. It was easier when he and Aido teased and taunted one another. He didn't want the blonde to pity him... and he really didn't want to explain how he'd gotten those wounds.
"I told you, job related," he said quietly, looking away. "Just take the damn blood, all right?"
Aido frowned, turning Zero's arm a little and summarily plunging the needle into the vein. "Okay, fine."
Zero tensed slightly, but Aido knew what he was doing and the bite of the needle lasted only a moment before it faded and he saw the dark, purplish color of his blood filling the vacuum tube attached to the syringe. He had a moment of déjà-vu at the sensation of the needle in his arm and he pressed his eyes closed for a moment, trying not to remember those awful moments in the woods.
"Does Kaname know?" Aido asked as he studiously watched the blood fill the clear chamber and then detached it, replacing it with another empty one to fill.
"Yeah," Zero said simply, opening his eyes again. "But I'd rather he didn't know I asked you to test me again, all right?"
Aido looked up at him with an alarmed and suspicious look on his face. "You're asking me to lie to Kaname-sama?"
Zero rolled his eyes. "No, I'm just asking you not to mention it until I talk to him about it myself. Can you do that, Aido? Please?"
Aido hesitated uncomfortably. He removed the last vial and pressed a small wad of cotton over the needle, against Zero's arm, before sliding the hypodermic out of him. His gaze flickered up towards Zero and he saw the earnest entreaty in the violet eyes. He sighed, knowing he would regret this, but unable to say no.
"If you say so," he said with a sigh. "But I want to know what this is all about." His piercing blue eyes held Zero intently.
Zero nodded slowly, knowing he owed Aido that but reluctant to speak just yet. "Okay, but after we have the results, all right?"
Aido looked at him for a long moment, then gathered up the vials of blood and rose to his feet. He threw the capped needle away in a red bio-hazard container which he had sitting next to the trash can. "Okay, Zero. I'll go run the tests, and when I come back, you're going to tell me what's going on."
Zero nodded. "Deal," he said quietly as he rolled his sleeve back down and buttoned the cuff, hiding his injuries once more. "Aido... run a lot of test, okay? Not just for the virus, check everything."
Aido grinned wryly, his expression indicating that Zero had no clue what he was actually asking. "Everything is a little broad, Zero. What is it you want me to look for?"
Zero shrugged. "I don't know... anything unusual I guess. Why, is that too hard for you?"
Aido shot him a scowl. "Hardly. Fine, one full scale work up on the way. Settle in and make yourself comfortable, this is going to take a while." He headed for the door. "You owe me, Zero," he added as he swept out of the room.
"Yeah," Zero murmured softly to himself as he leaned both elbows on the table and rested his aching head in his hands. "I know I do."
Aido wasn't kidding about it taking a long time. Zero didn't know if it was because he was impatient or what, but it seemed like it was taking a way longer time then it had the last time he'd been tested. His head was throbbing mercilessly and his raw ribs hurt like the dickens. He was tired, his body craving the rest in an effort to heal and eventually his head sagged forward onto the table, resting on crossed arms as he slid in and out of a light slumber...
"You came an awfully long way to make a few calls, Zero. Was the house phone out of order?" The cool, silky voice behind him made Zero jerk awake and turn around in his chair. The motion was painful and he had to tightly grip the back of the chair with one hand to ground himself as the room spun for a moment.
Blinking the blur of sleep and pain out of his gaze, Zero found that Kaname was standing in the outer doorway to the kitchen. The pureblood was dressed in black jeans and a white button down shirt decorated with black, sweeping gothic lines of embroidery. The word "Rebel" ran down one side of the shirt's front while a phoenix spread its wings on the back, wrapping over one shoulder. Both jeans and shirt were Zero's. Even the shoes Kaname was wearing belonged to the hunter, indicating that Kaname had apparently dressed in a hurry in Zero's room and had not bothered sorting through the mess in his own in order to find clothes before going out.
For half a moment, Zero's sleepy mind was unexpectedly captured by how nice Kaname looked in his clothes. It was not the way the pureblood normally dressed, but damn if it didn't look good on him. His dark hair and pale skin set off the casual ensemble nicely and if he'd had his ears pierced like Zero's, he would have resembled some deliciously dark and brooding rock star.
He had the brooding part pretty well down, anyway. Kaname's dark eyes were not pleased and Zero found himself inwardly wincing under their piecing gaze.
Zero's gaze darted to the clock on the wall and he realized with a jolt that several hours had passed while he was out of it. Damn, what the hell was taking Aido so long? Zero had no concept of how long it could take to do an even partial facsimile of the full workup he had requested of Aido, so this had taken a lot more time than he hoped. Obviously, during that time Kaname had awoken and discovered his absence. Just as obviously, the pureblood had probably gotten very worried about him, which was most likely why he now looked kind of pissed. Zero would have been, if situations were reversed. He knew he should have just told Kaname where he was going, but he hadn't expected it to take this long.
The young hunter didn't bother answering the question, which wasn't really a question. "How'd you find me?" he asked instead, rising gingerly to his feet. It probably wasn't the best response, but he wasn't entirely prepared to go into his reasons for being here at Aido's place just yet. He hadn't wanted to talk to Kaname again until he knew for sure, one way or another. His stomach felt unexpectedly tense and sick and the fact that being confronted with Kaname again made his hunger skyrocket didn't help.
Kaname's eyes narrowed slightly, not liking the implication that Zero hadn't wanted to be found, nor the fact that Zero was obviously hungry and trying to pretend he wasn't. His lover's behavior was kicking off all kinds of warning bells inside him. The pureblood was already in a bad mood and this wasn't helping. Waking up to find Zero nowhere in the house so soon after what had happened in the woods the previous night had scared the crap out of him. He'd been terrified that something had happened, right there under their own roof and somehow he hadn't even known. When he'd found the missing car and finally thought better of that possibility, he'd been equally afraid that Zero had gone off alone and still injured after the people who had hurt him, just because he didn't want Kaname getting involved. He'd been almost literally sick with fear over his lover's wellbeing. To realize that Zero had done this to him on purpose for some reason made him a little angrier than he wanted to admit.
"The car," Kaname said with the cool, emotionless kind of calm which Zero always found irritating. "There's anti-theft GPS trackers in all of them." The pureblood folded his arms as he leaned against one side of the door jam. His body language was deceptively relaxed, but Zero wasn't fooled. This was how Kaname was when he was angry. Usually, unless he was seriously pissed, he didn't show outward agitation. Instead he became cooler and more aloof, while at the same time his physical manner became smoother, silkier and sexier. It was the subtle, languid repose of a tiger and the truly weird thing was that there was something strangely alluring about it. Ironically, the more dangerous a pureblood was, the more sensual they seemed to become.
Zero snorted softly. "Why am I not surprised? You don't have one in my bike, do you?"
"Do I need to?" Kaname glided forward a few steps with that same compelling, dangerous grace of his, until he was in Zero's personal space. His dark eyes were intense. Most people would have had cause to feel justly terrified of having that gaze on them, but Zero was not frightened. He knew he had nothing to fear. Usually he would have been angry at Kaname for acting like he had any kind of say about when or where Zero chose to go, but he couldn't really be upset this time. He knew he'd treated his lover pretty poorly by taking off without explanation given everything that had happened.
"You do and you'll regret it," he warned flatly, but his glare was half-hearted at best. Zero didn't really want to fight right now. He didn't want to admit it, but he was feeling rather emotionally drained. He was worried about what Aido might have to tell him when he came back, and he was even more worried about Kaname being there to hear it with him.
Kaname caught Zero's chin in his hand and tipped it up, holding the hunter's amethyst gaze with his own. The touch was commanding but light, gently mindful of Zero's bruises. "Why are you doing this?" Kaname asked quietly and Zero saw the flicker of confusion, hurt and fear that was ill hidden behind the dark, sexy danger in his gaze. "Why did you lie to me and leave without a word?" I was terrified, Zero. I couldn't find you. Have you any idea how sick with fear I was?
Kaname just couldn't understand Zero's behavior, it made no sense. This wasn't where he would have expected to find him, and Zero's attitude now was creeping the hell out of him. Something was wrong. "Surely, you could have just told me you were coming to Aido's? What are you even doing here? What's going on?"
Zero felt even more like crap than he had before. To make things worse, the traitorous throbbing in his chest was back. Kaname was too close to him and his fangs ached. "I'm sorry..." he whispered hoarsely, trying to pull his head away. He'd not meant to make Kaname worry like that, he just wasn't thinking clearly and he didn't know how to handle his own fears.
Kaname's grip tightened, not letting him go. He was alarmed by what he saw.
"Please..." Zero rasped, his eyes fluxing in and out of red as he struggled to twist his head away. He needed to put some distance between them, but he was in no real condition to put up resistance and Kaname was having none of it.
"Zero..." Kaname gasped softly as he saw his lover fighting desperately to force back the bloodlust that was obviously eating him up. It tore him that Zero was in pain like this and yet struggling to get away from him. Had they really regressed that far in so short a time? What the hell was going on?
"All right, well I hope you appreciate how much work this was, Zero. Took me hours and my head is ready to fall off thank-you-very-much, but I got your results and... Kaname-sama!" Aido's voice made both hunter and pureblood look up. The young blonde had just entered the room. He was still in his pajamas, dressing gown and slippers, now with a stack of papers in one hand and his omnipresent tissue in the other. For a moment he just stared at Kaname with a surprised and somewhat dreamy expression. Obviously, he was also affected by the pureblood's unusual garb and the sensual vibe he gave off when he was angry.
"Results?" Kaname's gaze fixed on Aido now. "What results?"
Aido's already pale face seemed to pale farther, accentuating the bags under his eyes. His gaze darted nervously from Kaname to Zero and back. "Um... well..." he seemed torn and unsure of what to do. A coughing fit saved him from having to answer immediately and he pressed the tissue to his mouth, bending over slightly as he hugged his aching ribs while the racking contractions squeezed his chest and lungs.
"Aido was running a test for me," Zero said quietly. He'd seen the panic in Aido's blue eyes and he wouldn't put his friend in the middle like this. He'd made Aido promise not to tell and now Kaname wanted the truth from him. It was a testament to how Aido felt about Zero that he was even hesitating and struggling with what to say. It would never be fair to try to make the blonde choose between their friendship and his utter devotion to Kaname.
Kaname's gaze turned back to Zero, whose chin he was still holding. "What kind of test?" he demanded, his voice hard with worry more than anything else.
"On my blood," Zero admitted quietly, looking anywhere but at Kaname's face. "I asked him to re-run the tests he did on us before. I-I had to be sure."
Anger was completely gone now from Kaname's eyes, replaced by confusion and fear. "Sure of what? You think you might be infected? Zero what happened? What didn't you tell me?"
Zero forced himself to meet his lover's gaze. His hand slid self-consciously to the inside of his elbow. "It's probably nothing, but... after I was attacked in the woods, when they were done beating me, I vaguely remember feeling someone stick me with a needle right before I passed out. They were probably just sedating me," he tried to assure as he saw the horror he'd wanted to avoid creeping into Kaname's startled eyes. "I was out for a lot longer than I should have been after all, but..."
"But you thought it was also possible that you might have been forcefully infected with the virus," Kaname said softly, his fingers incredibly gentle and almost trembling as they stroked Zero's cheek. He couldn't hide the deep, biting terror in his gaze. Understanding dawned and he kicked himself for being so stupid and not figuring it out sooner. He was really off his game. "That's why you wouldn't bite me," he whispered hollowly. "That's why you took off this morning when you're obviously starving. You feared infecting me."
Zero dropped his head. "Yeah," he whispered. "I-I couldn't risk it until I knew for sure." He pressed his palm against Kaname's chest, leaning into him slightly. He never wanted to be used against Kaname like that. Never. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I should have told you, I just... I wanted to know first." His head spun, every breath dragging Kaname's scent into his lungs. His fingers bunched tightly in Kaname's shirt as he continued to prove both how much he loved the pureblood and how iron his resolve could be with each moment that he managed to not succumb to his need for the other vampire's blood.
"Oh my God..." Aido's soft gasp suddenly reminded both vampires that he was still in the room with them. The young noble's face was even whiter than before and the papers he was carrying slid from his slack grip, scattering on the kitchen floor. Finding out why Zero feared he was infected and that he had apparently been attacked and deliberately beaten was utterly disturbing. On top of that, the notion that the ex-human would be a very effective weapon delivery system in getting to Kaname had never crossed Aido's mind before, and it was a terrible thought, for both parties concerned.
"Zero can't take blood tablets, he probably wouldn't show any symptoms of the virus, but as your protégé, people know he's a blood source for you, Kaname-sama. The only sure one you have since you are a known blood tablet user." The shock on Aido's face was deep as he knelt to pick up the scattered papers. The thought both horrified him and tugged at something in the back of his mind, but he wasn't sure what it meant, not yet.
Kaname knew Aido was right, it would be a fiendishly clever way to try to get to him, but he couldn't care about that right now. His insides were tied up in too many knots over the possibility that Zero could be sick. The uncertainty the first time they had been tested was bad enough, but imagining that Zero could have been hurt that way intentionally made it so much worse. The thought that someone could take the hunter away from him, like Yuki had been taken away was terrible. The black, horrible despair of those thoughts shut down everything else and the pureblood almost couldn't function under their weight. Zero was his weakness in more ways than one.
"You said you had the results, Aido," Kaname's voice was quiet but incredibly forceful. "Is he infected? Is he sick?" The pureblood almost couldn't breathe but he struggled to hold onto his faculties. He reached out and pulled Zero to him, hugging him ever so gently in a gesture of support for whatever they were about to hear.
Zero started to resist, then changed his mind and let Kaname hold him. This was exactly the kind of fear and pain he'd wanted to spare his lover, but he couldn't deny that his support at this moment felt kind of good, despite the hunger eating his insides out.
"No," Aido said quickly, realizing he'd been so shocked that he'd accidently let them fear the worst. "No, he's not. I ran his blood work through every test I could think of that might relate and it's clean. You're not infected, Zero, not even as a carrier." The noble's own deep relief was evident in his voice. He was very glad to be the bearer of good news, for both Zero's sake and Kaname's.
Zero sagged slightly against Kaname in relief. He didn't care if he was being pathetic. He was hungry and hurting and the reprieve of having this fear lifted made him almost faint. "You're sure?" he asked a bit hoarsely.
Aido nodded. "Completely," he assured. "I ran a number of different tests and the only noticeable thing that turned up is that you're currently anemic, which isn't exactly a huge shock." Given time and equipment constraints it wasn't actually possible for him to check everything as Zero seemed to think, but he'd checked what he needed to in order to be certain that Zero didn't have the virus and he saw nothing else visibly unusual in the hunter's blood. The level of anemia suggested to Aido that Zero had lost a significant amount of blood recently, which jived with the hazy details he had about what had happened to the hunter.
Kaname's arms tightened around Zero. The young hunter had been badly messed up, but all things considered, he hadn't bled too badly despite his injured wrists. Zero's internal bleeding must have been a lot worse than he thought for it to actually show up on a test.
"Thanks. I'm sorry..." Zero murmured an apology to both vampires present for putting them through all this for nothing. He felt supremely stupid, but he couldn't regret wanting to be careful. He tried to force himself to pull away from Kaname and failed.
Kaname stroked his hair gently. He felt shudders running through the body in his arms. Zero's head shifted restlessly against him. The ex-human was obviously trying hard not to go right for Kaname's neck now that he knew he could. They both knew how cruel it would be to put Kaname's blood in the air around Aido in his current condition.
"No need," Kaname said quietly. He understood now why his lover had acted as he had. He wished Zero would have just told him, but he was hardly one to talk, was he? In any case, it was easy to forgive. "Thank you for your assistance, Aido. Please get some rest," Kaname added gently to the blonde, as he started to steer Zero towards the door.
Aido smiled brightly. "Of course, Kaname-sama." For his part, the young noble was simply relieved that he had been able to give good news. He would probably give Zero endless grief about this at a later date, but he truly did not consider it a waste of time to be sure that Kaname-sama was in no danger... or to be sure that Zero was okay. "Oh!" he exclaimed suddenly. "I almost forgot!"
Aido hurried into the next room and returned a few seconds later. He held out a thin, document size envelope. "I found a draft copy of part of one of my missing reports, I wanted to make sure you had it," he explained, trying very hard not to need to use his tissue when he was this close to Kaname. "I'm sorry, I haven't had time yet to try and reconstruct the others..."
Kaname took the envelope with one hand, his other arm remaining about Zero. The young hunter was all but nuzzling Kaname's neck now and the pureblood knew they needed to get to the privacy of his car swiftly. He shook his head reassuringly. "Do not concern yourself about that right now, Aido. As I said, you should rest."
"Call Kain, someone should be with you," Zero added, the hoarseness in his voice showing the strain of his restraint.
Aido nodded as Kaname guided Zero rapidly to the door and watched with a small smile as the pair took their leave. He knew what was going to happen as soon as they were away, but he was only wistfully jealous.
Running a hand through his tousled hair, Aido poured himself another cup of tea before making his way back into the other room. He retrieved his phone from the desk. After he had called Kain as Zero had suggested, he noticed the waiting messages.
He smiled a little as he noted who they were from. He started the first message, pressed the phone to his ear... and his smile faded.
The air was heavy with the scent of impending rain as the two vampires stepped outside. Kaname squinted in the muted daylight, but didn't bother with his sunglasses as he and Zero made their way rapidly down the sidewalk.
Zero barely made it to the car. His eyes were red again and he kept them downcast lest anyone notice. He was incredibly glad Kaname had brought a driver so they could be together undisturbed during the drive back. They climbed quickly into the back of the limo together while an extra driver went to collect the car in which Zero had arrived. Leave it to the pureblood to think of everything.
Kaname was already unbuttoning his shirt as they got in, he could tell Zero wasn't going to be able to wait much longer. He told the driver to take them home before closing the privacy partition between the front and back of the vehicle.
As soon as the door shut, Zero shoved Kaname down into the seat, urgently pressing his lover back against the soft leather. The envelope in Kaname's hand fell to the floor and the pureblood's heart sped up as his lover pinned him to the seat. Zero pushed the unbuttoned shirt down off his shoulders quickly and knelt over him. He didn't mean to be so demanding, but he didn't have control anymore. It had taken a lot of strength to wait until they had privacy and now he'd hit his limit. At this point he wasn't even aware of the aggressiveness of his motions as he straddled Kaname's lap and grabbed a fistful of his hair. He tipped the pureblood's head to the side, arching it back over the headrest and exposing his throat.
Kaname allowed Zero to do as he pleased willingly and without protest. He shuddered pleasurably as his lover pushed him down and bared his neck. His body tensed for a moment as he was pinned, vague unease playing at the edges of his awareness. Not fear of Zero, but unease at how much his lover's aggression turned him on. There was part of him that was still confused and unsure if he liked this because it was natural to him or because he had been trained. The seeds of self-doubt Nasser had sown in him were not easily dismissed, but at least for now Kaname banished those feelings firmly and made himself relax. Now was not the time to let his personal demons interfere. He didn't want Zero to sense any kind of hesitancy and misread it. Any illogical apprehension he might feel had nothing to do with Zero.
His hands ran up and down his lover's back as he felt the heat of the hunter's mouth a moment before Zero's fangs penetrated him. His arms tightened around the hunter, holding him close and feeling the rapid beat of his heart. There was no shame in this, surely. He gave only what already belonged to Zero - his blood, his body, his submission, his love. Those were things the hunter could have whenever he wanted them as far as Kaname was concerned. It couldn't be wrong to enjoy something that felt this good, could it? Not when he was with Zero... The pureblood's eyes fluttered closed, his body humming warmly as his blood was drawn with rapid, hungry desperation. No... there was nothing about this that could ever be wrong.
Zero pressed tightly to him, almost trembling in relief as the much needed blood flowed into his body. He continued to hold Kaname's hair with one hand while he gripped the back of the seat urgently with the other, his body unconsciously rocking down against Kaname as he fed. The car was moving, but neither of them really noticed.
Kaname relaxed, groaning soundlessly in pleasure. Zero's need and desire had always been deeply compelling to him and his bite felt so good. After the first few moments he no longer found Zero's abrupt motions unsettling, he found them sweet and exciting. They were not rough for the sake of being cruel, instead they spoke eloquently of how much Zero needed and wanted him. That was one of the big differences between that which had once hurt Kaname, and that which now fulfilled him.
Rain began to patter slowly against the car, big, fat drops striking the window and running down the glass. As his desperation slowly faded, Zero finally realized what he was doing. The hand in Kaname's hair immediately turned gentle and let go, although he continued gripping the seat as if for balance. His urgent gulps became slower and he carefully started using lips and tongue to pleasure his lover as he finished up.
Kaname moaned audibly this time, the hands stroking Zero's back sliding up to tangle in his hair.
"I'm sorry," Zero murmured guiltily, apologizing for his earlier haste. It hurt him that he had been brusque with Kaname like that. In the past such things had seemed like no big deal, but right now it was a very big deal to Zero. He stroked the other side of Kaname's neck gently with his knuckles as he kissed the healing skin under his mouth. Crap, what if he'd scared him?
"Don't be," Kaname murmured reassuringly, not looking the least bit scared or traumatized, much to Zero's relief. His hand slid up under the hem of Zero's shirt and gently touched his stomach. He was pleased to feel the swelling around the bruises beginning to go down. "You didn't do anything wrong," the pureblood whispered, kissing the side of Zero's neck near him.
Zero exhaled pleasurably at the feeling of Kaname's touch on his stomach and neck. He lifted his head. The delicious euphoria that followed drinking that much of Kaname's blood dilated his eyes slightly and he didn't realize that he had blood on his mouth and chin.
Kaname shuddered softly at the compelling sight and leaned forward, licking Zero's lips and kissing him slowly. Zero leaned into him, his hand trailing down across Kaname's collarbone and chest. He knew he shouldn't be feeling the way he was feeling, not right now, it didn't seem appropriate. Too much was happening and Kaname was too vulnerable, despite what he said. But it was so hard for him to be rational he had this much pure blood in him.
"What I want right now, is wrong," Zero murmured hoarsely as he returned Kaname's kisses with slowly building passion.
Both of Kaname's hands slid up under his shirt now. "No, it's not..." the pureblood whispered back, equally hoarse.
Kain let himself in through Aido's front door, glad he had a key since his cousin apparently wasn't answering the door today. "Hanabusa?" he called, tossing his keys on the table and looking around. Leave it to his cousin to wake him up, ask him to come over and then not even answer the door. He hoped Aido was just being a flake and it wasn't that he was too sick to get up or something.
"Hanabusa?" he tried again, poking his head into the bedroom, but Aido wasn't in there either. Frowning, Kain returned to the living room and it was then that he noticed the note on the table, near where he'd left the keys.
Picking it up, he scanned it and then sighed. "Geez, Aido, running around before sundown, in your condition?" he muttered. Yeah, Aido was being a flake. What else was new? Kain dropped the note back on the table and resignedly made his way over to the couch in front of the television. Flake or no, he'd probably better wait for Aido to come back so he could make sure everything was okay.
The note lay face up on the table, penned in Aido's quick, surprisingly neat hand.
Kain, got a call from Naija, have to go to the lab. Back in a little bit. Leave more blood.
-HA
Kaname leaned back against the seat of the car, the leather soft against his mostly naked skin, his body cooling slowly as the engine hummed and rain beat down upon the metal roof. He ran his hand through his hair, still in the process of coming down as he watched Zero rummage around between the seats, trying to sort out their tangled clothing with considerable, and adorable, embarrassment.
"I love it when you're impulsive, you know," Kaname murmured.
They hit a bump and Zero banged lightly against the opposite seat. He swore softly, although Kaname thought that might have been directed at him. The hunter's cheeks were pink as he tossed Kaname's shirt and pants at him. "Shut up. You know how it is when I drink too much." Obviously, he meant too much of Kaname's blood, which was considerably more mind-altering than any alcohol.
Kaname was a little happier to cover himself than he would admit since he felt very exposed here in the car, even with the heavily tinted privacy windows, but there was nothing about the past few minutes which he remotely regretted.
Zero looked up as he quickly shrugged back into his shirt and there was a lot of guilt in his eyes. "I'm sorry... I told you we shouldn't have done that. I didn't mean..." He looked away, feeling physically great and mentally terrible. "Did I hurt you?" he asked fearfully. "I didn't mean to."
Kaname sighed as he buttoned his shirt. He didn't like this. He didn't like Zero having to feel guilty and uneasy after something that was perfectly normal for them before. After the other night, Kaname was a little more confident in how Zero felt about him and less terrified of the awkwardness that Nasser had injected into their relationship, but he still deeply regretted that it was there. "Zero... don't, please. Don't treat me like I'm glass," he murmured, focusing on the buttons with more attention than was necessary.
"Sorry," Zero murmured again as he buttoned up his jeans, frustrated that he pretty much screwed up no matter which side of the minefield he tried to walk on. He came across the envelope Aido had given Kaname and put it up on the seat.
Kaname, who had somehow already managed to re-don both jeans and shirt, reached out and caught Zero's face between his hands, making the other boy look at him as he knelt on the car floor in front of his seat. "No, I'm sorry," Kaname said quietly, knowing how difficult this must all be for Zero. "I'm sorry things are weird. You're not doing anything wrong. This isn't your fault, it's m-"
Zero leaned forward and kissed Kaname before he could finish, making any further words unnecessary. Don't say it. Don't say it's your fault, Kaname. It isn't. It's his and I'll be damned if I let even his memory keep hurting you like this.
When the kiss ended Zero slid his shirt back on and curled up on the seat, lying down on it lengthwise. He was tired after everything that had happened. He was mending quickly now, but it had been a long road to get there. Kaname patted his thigh in invitation and Zero scooted a little closer, laying his head on the pureblood's lap.
Kaname stroked his hair lightly as silence settled comfortably between them. They were almost home. Kaname felt good, but his thoughts were not entirely at ease. They went too easily down dark roads if he allowed them and the pureblood pressed his eyes closed tight, concentrating on the soft, precious feel of Zero's hair under his fingers and the weight of his head on his lap.
After a moment, Kaname picked up the envelope that Zero had placed beside him on the other side of the seat. It wasn't sealed and he easily slid a thin sheaf of paper out of it using only one hand, allowing his other to remain on Zero's head. As Aido had said, the pages proved to be a rough draft of one of the many reports he had written for Kaname while he was working abroad for Diachi Sato. Kaname had in fact read Aido's other reports, or at least, he'd skimmed them and given them to Seiren to read in case there was anything important in there. In his defense he'd been very busy the past few days and Aido had written him almost a full box worth of missives, most of which went into detail on unimportant, everyday matters concerning the operations of the lab and his dealings with the other scientists.
Kaname scanned these pages now mostly for something to do other than be alone with his thoughts, but as he read, the pureblood's eyebrows began to knit.
Aido hurried through the rain under the shelter of his umbrella. He sneezed, then sneezed again. At least the cloud cover all but negated the late evening sunlight, but the damp air was not doing his stuffy sinuses any favors.
He held his phone pressed to his ear, juggling it and the umbrella as the wind tugged at his raincoat and whipped it about his legs. "Naija? It's me again. Call me, please." Aido left yet another message for her. He hung up and tried her work phone again. Ahead of him, the doors to his lab automatically read his bio signature and swept open for him. At least he didn't have to fight with them too.
Holding his phone between shoulder and ear as he folded the umbrella and tried not to drip all over, Aido was focused on the ringing on the other end of the line, his deep concern over the messages he'd gotten and his aching head. His immediate surroundings did not take much priority. He hurried down the corridor towards his lab without looking back, and he did not hear the nearly silent movement behind him, nor see the shadow that slipped through the automatic doors just before they closed.
"What are you doing?" Zero asked with a small frown when he came downstairs after his shower to find Kaname in his study with folders and documents strewn all over the top in cluttered but orderly piles.
Kaname was frowning deeply now, shifting through the papers which were a mix of typed pages and pages filled with Aido's neat, flowing hand writing. He tapped one of the smaller piles that only had two pieces of paper in it. "This is the draft of the report Aido gave us before we left. The rest of these are his other reports. He was very methodical in his record keeping. Each report is dated the same day of the week, exactly two weeks apart... but there are gaps in them." Kaname tapped several different piles. "Here, here, here..." He shook his head.
Zero's brows furrowed, not really getting why this was important. "Right... those are probably the ones he lost when he shipped them back home?" He remembered the argument he'd overheard between Aido and Kain on that topic.
Kaname nodded. "Yes, but there's something wrong about this." He should have seen it before, but he'd not been paying enough attention and it hadn't seemed important at the time. "The missing reports are not all in a sequential group as you would expect if it was merely an accident. The gaps are scattered all over throughout the timeline."
Zero's confused look turned suddenly suspicious instead. "You mean, you think someone deliberately went through and removed only those particular ones?"
Kaname nodded. "I do. I should have seen it before, but a number of the missing reports are from the beginning of his stay abroad. I didn't realize his documentation had actually been so regular, the gaps made it seem random until you evaluate the whole more carefully."
Zero cast him a worried gaze. "But why would anyone take the reports from way back then? I could understand if they had to do with the virus, but why bother with anything from before he even went to An'swala? What could they contain that would be worth stealing?"
Kaname's face was set and grim. He was getting the nasty feeling that he was being lied to and manipulated. "Information regarding Diachi Sato's dealings and things that happened at his labs, perhaps?" he hazarded and Zero noted the dark look in the pureblood's eyes.
"That was the content of this report," Kaname tapped the small stack again. "This report is a partial copy of one that went missing. It's apparently from a time when Diachi was at the lab personally overseeing a project. There is no other mention of this in any of Aido's reports and I don't even know what the project was. All the reports from that date range are missing."
Zero started to say something, but Kaname held up his hand, indicating he hadn't finished. "Oh wait, it gets better. In this draft, Aido briefly mentions a conversation with Diachi regarding Aido's previous work on the blood tablet project. Apparently, Diachi was very interested in the topic."
The hunter felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle. Aido had been heavily involved in development and testing of the current line of blood tablets back when he was at the Academy. If you wanted to know all about them, you couldn't have picked a better person to go to. Was it a coincidence that this sudden interest should coincide closely with the discovery of a virus that just happened to be targeting blood tablet users? Was it a coincidence that the one person who knew the most about them, had been sent to where he could become infected? "You thick it could be Diachi who had Aido's reports censored?"
"I think it is a logical possibility that we can't ignore," Kaname concurred cautiously. He reached over and picked up the phone, quickly punching in a number. There were too many facts adding up too quickly and he didn't like the picture that any of them were forming.
"Yes, but I don't see what he would have had to gain really, I mean, doesn't taking those reports just highlight their possible significance? Even if he took a bunch of unnecessary ones as well to try and confuse the matter, Aido can simply try to remember or reconstruct what's missing, right? Destroying the reports don't make much sense while..." Zero suddenly stopped, a hard, cold chill of apprehension and fear racing up his spine.
Kaname caught and held his gaze, mirroring his concern. He quietly finished Zero's awful thought. "It doesn't make much sense, while Aido's still alive."