A/N: And here I am again with a new chapter. Yay! :D

Sorry for yet another delay, dearests. As always, RL can be a royal pain in the ass, and the fact that I'm not exactly the fastest writer there is doesn't really help *sighs heavily*

But anyway, here is the new chapter. Sorry for the wait and thank you for your patience to all those who are still following this story. And of course, thank you for the favs and alerts and especially for all your wonderful, inspiring reviews. They are always a huge, HUGE source of support and inspiration *nods*

As per usual, disclaimer stands, warnings and everything else remain. Oh, and all mistakes are still mine.

And now…Hope you will enjoy reading! :D

Chapter 29: Illusive Calm

Ichiru was quiet — unusually, almost eerily so. Had been for some time now, actually.

He had been doing it often lately — spacing out, going somewhere in his mind, some places only he knew. He would usually just sit still staring off into space unseeingly on such occasions. Often he would barely even blink. Sometimes he would lift his hand and stare at it dazedly, maybe flexing his fingers while he was at it now and then. Other times he would stare at him — through him, really. It made Zero feel uncomfortable every time, though he was reluctant to admit it even to himself.

It was weird, to say the least. He wasn't used to feeling this way around his twin, and he sure as hell didn't want to get used to it.

Thankfully, tonight wasn't one of such nights. It was simple spacing out. Although it was still worrying.

Zero breathed a soft sigh as he watched his twin carefully, absently wondering how long it would take Ichiru to snap out of his daze and get back to normal this time around.

'Normal…' Zero mentally repeated, a feeling of apprehension coming over him and spreading slowly with sickening intensity.

Was there any 'normal' left for them at this stage…?

He hated thinking about it, but he knew there was no escaping it anymore. Something had changed. Something in Ichiru had changed. He was…different. His aura was different. He felt different, and Zero struggled to fathom the nature of that change.

It had started a while ago. Unexpected, incomprehensible, alarming. It had been going on and off, and now it looked like it had finally come to an end. Which was supposed to be a good thing.

Ichiru seemed to have gotten stronger. His vampire side seemed to have gotten stronger, as it felt more pronounced, more persistent to Zero's hunter senses. Whether it was good or not Zero couldn't say for sure. He only knew that he was glad that his twin hadn't fallen to the Level E as he had secretly feared for quite some while now. He was also glad Ichiru had gotten stronger, even as a vampire, but...

There was just something...disturbing...about this change. It was unanticipated, it was unknown, it was unexplainable, and that was always scary and unsettling. Such things were what unfailingly brought doubts, worries, difficulties and more often than not, unforeseen complications and troubles.

What if it was a temporary change?

What if the good condition wasn't going to last?

What if things suddenly turned for the worst?

What...would be of Ichiru then...?

And more importantly right now…

Had the others noticed already? Cross? Yagari? Kaito?

…The hunters?

What if they had? What would they do?

What would they do to Ichiru…?

He knew it wouldn't be anything good. He knew how they viewed his twin and he wasn't naive enough to think they cared about what happened to Ichiru. He was also almost certain the same applied to him. If they deemed Ichiru a threat, they wouldn't miss their chance, and not even Cross would be able to stop them.

Those were his deepest fear and his greatest worry, and he was terrified of how close they were to turning into reality.

Zero breathed a long sigh, starting when a familiar voice suddenly pulled him out of his musings.

"You're doing it again, nii-san."

Zero looked up at Ichiru, only now realizing his twin had come out of his daze and was now looking at him, studying him. He loathed to think how uneasy that made him feel. Ichiru had always been good at seeing right through him and getting inside his mind, but now it was different. It almost felt physical.

"W-what?" Zero pushed back his discomfort enough to speak and concentrate on their conversation.

"You're doing it again," Ichiru repeated. Met with Zero's slight frown of confusion, he elaborated. "Getting yourself sick with worry over things. Over me. You've been doing it a lot lately." In fact, his brother had been doing too much of it for Ichiru's liking.

A small smile came to Zero's face, his previously troubled expression softened. "That's my job as your big brother."

"…You do realize you're not even half a day older than me, right?"

"Doesn't matter, I still was here first. So just give it up and let me worry to my heart's content."

Ichiru sighed. "I would have, if you didn't take it to such extremes each time."

Zero frowned, almost offended. "I don't." He crossed his arms over his chest. "And you're hardly one to talk."

"You do." Ichiru insisted, unconsciously mirroring his twin's expression and posture. "And even though I disagree with you, I will be the adult here and admit that we deserve each other."

Zero snorted. "That's a first."

"Oh, I am so not taking your bait."

"What bait?" Zero asked with a slight tilt of his head, looking all innocent and confused while barely keeping a smirk off his face. Oh, this was fun.

"That one."

"I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about."

"Nii-san…" Ichiru all but growled out.

"Yes?"

"Stop it."

Zero blinked, still managing to maintain his innocent and rightly confused countenance in spite of his endless amusement. "Stop what exactly?"

Ichiru growled in mild warning that was hardly anywhere close to being real.

Zero chuckled before taking a guess, "Being you?" Because that was exactly what Zero was doing, and they both knew it. And boy, did it feel good. No wonder Ichiru liked getting on people's nerves so much.

Ichiru scowled. "Yes, that. Please." He ran his fingers through his hair with a frustrated sigh. "Gosh, you can be such an insufferable ass."

Zero smiled before replying with a shrug of his shoulders. "Well, I do always have the best example to learn from right before my eyes."

"At least I never act like an ass towards you." Ichiru wasn't pouting as he threw that accusation at his twin. He absolutely was not.

"That's not what I'm doing. I haven't even started getting to that part yet." Zero's smile widened. "You surely underestimate your talent for being a royal ass."

"Fine. Just leave it already." When Zero didn't say anything and only continued grinning at him, Ichiru gave a frustrated groan and added, "Please?"

A hearty chuckle escaped Zero at that. He was tempted to tease his beloved twin for a bit longer, but decided to take pity on him in the end. With a sigh and an indulgent smile, he conceded. "Can't really refuse you when you're asking so nicely, can I?" He reached out and ruffled the younger teen's hair affectionately.

Ichiru breathed a sigh of his own and happily leaned into the familiar touch, closing his eyes and shifting closer to his counterpart on the bed. His hand went up and settled on the nape of Zero's neck to pull his twin closer, bringing their foreheads together. The two lapsed into a comfortable silence after that.

It was only after a long while that Ichiru broke it with another sigh followed by a quiet question. "What made you so agitated?" He asked, opening his eyes to look up at his other half. "Was it me? Did I scare you?"

Amethyst eyes widened. "What?" It took Zero a moment to really register the questions. "No," he denied, his brows drawing together in a small frown as he drew back a bit and shook his head. "No, of course not."

"You can't really lie to me, you know."

"I'm not lying."

"You're trying to."

"I'm not."

"There you go again."

Zero sighed heavily and made to move further away, but Ichiru's hand on his upper arm stopped him. Silence fell over the room once more as the twins engaged in a staring contest.

Another long sigh left Zero after some while. "I'm just…worried. That's all."

"You shouldn't be. I'm fine." Ichiru replied calmly without missing a beat.

Zero lowered his head and averted his gaze, a frown returning to his features. Ichiru could tell his twin wasn't fully convinced.

Sighing, Ichiru cupped Zero's face in his hands and forced his counterpart to look up at him anew. "I really am, nii-san. Better than fine. I feel great." He smiled warmly, his thumbs stroking the smooth skin of his brother's cheeks. "So there is nothing to worry about."

"…But the Association-"

"Shouldn't concern us." Ichiru cut Zero off before the older teen could finish, all traces of warmth gone from his features, replaced by cold contempt he had always felt for the Hunter Association. "I'm not falling, and I won't — I can't, you know that as well as I do, nii-san."

"Yes, but what was it then?" Zero asked anxiously, his fingers locking around Ichiru's wrists. "What happened back then?"

Ichiru couldn't help but avert his gaze, his hands slid down from Zero's cheeks, ready to retreat altogether, but they didn't make it past his twin's neck, forced to stay by Zero's unrelenting hold. Ichiru exhaled a shuddering breath, stubbornly refusing to meet familiar amethyst eyes of his brother. Shame couldn't be more obvious on his face as he replied quietly, "I don't know."

Immediately, Zero regretted bringing up the subject. That wasn't his intention. He hadn't meant to make Ichiru feel guilt — yet again — over what he had unwittingly done.

Taking a slow breath, then releasing it in the same manner, Zero gave Ichiru's wrists in his hold a light squeeze and leaned forward a bit, trying to catch his twin's gaze. A gentle, apologetic smile came to his lips the moment their eyes met, and Zero spoke softly, "I'm sorry." Carefully, he took Ichiru's hands in his and lowered them, not once letting go as he settled them down on their knees with a brief reassuring squeeze. "I'm sorry, Ichiru," he repeated, continuing as soothingly as he could, "I didn't mean it like that."

There was a moment of silence before Ichiru gave a soft sigh and replied, "…I know."

"I'm just worried." More than Ichiru thought he was. More than anyone could know. "And I want to get to the bottom of it. So please," Zero's expression turned imploring. Already Ichiru knew he wouldn't be able to deny his twin whatever he was going to ask of him. "Please, Ichiru, help me with it. Okay?"

There was another sigh. Then Ichiru gave a small nod.

A smile slowly stretched across Zero's lips, his hand rose to pat Ichiru's head affectionately.

A comfortable silence settled over the room anew. It lasted for some while, until Ichiru interrupted it with a request.

"I want to take a walk. Can we get out of here?"

"Of course. You're not a prisoner here, you know."

"Mostly feels like I am."

Zero sighed, "Ichiru…"

"Okay, maybe I'm not exactly a prisoner," Ichiru conceded, albeit only partially. "But I do feel like I'm some kind of a lab rat for that idiot Idol to play doctor with."

Zero's eyes widened to the size of saucers, and so did Ichiru's after a moment that it had taken him to realize what exactly he had just said. He let out a groan of frustration, covering his face with his hand only to avoid looking at his twin — and to hide his blush of utter mortification. He knew Zero was barely resisting the urge to burst into laughter — he could tell even without seeing his counterpart's face. His amusement was almost palpable.

Ichiru lowered his head and hunched up with another groan, his words muffled as he said next, "That came out so wrong…"

There was a hearty chuckle followed by a quiet, suppressed chortle. "It sure did."

Ichiru groaned again, this time louder, his blush deepening along with his mortification. "Forget it. Erase it from your brain," came the muffled demand that sounded more like a whine to Zero's ears, which only heightened the older teen's amusement further.

"I don't think I can. The images are just-"

"Don't imagine anything!" Ichiru looked up, wide-eyed and extremely flushed. It was so unusual to see Ichiru in such a state that Zero couldn't help getting a bit worried for his twin. He had to suppress his instinctive urge to feel Ichiru's forehead. "Geez, nii-san, you're unbelievable." Ichiru continued, cringing in obvious disgust. His face was still red though.

Zero gave another chuckle. "Me? You're the one who said that."

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it!"

Zero hummed, tilting his head to the side as he pretended to contemplate his twin's words. "Do I really?"

"Wh-wha—? Gosh, nii-san, what is it with you today? You're impossible!" Ichiru exclaimed indignantly. "I'm your cute little brother! You're supposed to love and cherish and spoil me rotten!"

Zero arched an eyebrow at that, a smile of pure amusement playing on his lips. "Haven't I been doing exactly that since, well, I don't know, probably even before our birth?"

"Well, you're totally slacking off today!" Ichiru accused with a pout as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Yet another chuckle escaped Zero. To say that he deemed his twin's current behavior adorable would be an understatement. "You make it sound like it's my job or something, you know."

"It's your duty!" There was genuine conviction in Ichiru's tone. He did actually think so.

That realization only amused Zero further and elicited another laugh from him. "I see. Well, it's nice to finally discover what my true purpose in life is." Zero didn't bother to hide his sarcasm as he said that.

Ichiru snorted before replying in the same manner, "I'm amazed it took you this long to realize."

Zero shrugged his shoulders. "Guess I was too busy pampering you."

Ichiru hummed thoughtfully. "Well, then it can't be helped."

The two went silent for a few moments, looking at each other with identical grins, before simultaneously bursting into laughter, unable to keep themselves in check anymore. It took them some time to calm down, and even after they had, they still failed to hold back small chuckles that kept escaping them.

The atmosphere in the room was pleasantly light, and it seemed like nothing could spoil it, but Ichiru's good mood evaporated into thin air the second the door of his temporary room was pushed open by one Aidou Hanabusa.

"Okay, Kiryuu Ichiru, it's time for your nightly check-up." The noble announced as he entered the room in confident strides.

Ichiru scowled, glaring at the newcomer.

Seeing the blond vampire and Ichiru's reaction to his sudden appearance, Zero couldn't help but burst out laughing anew, attracting the attention of both vampires.

"Dammit, nii-san, stop it!" Ichiru hissed through his teeth before turning to Aidou, his scowl darkening as he barked angrily, "What the fuck?! Get the hell out, you creep!"

Aidou halted with a start, turquoise eyes widened. "C-creep?" He blinked, genuinely confused and just as affronted. "What the hell, you ungrateful brat!?" The noble exclaimed, looking very much like an angry cat ready to attack. He stalked forward, but his legs stopped of their own accord when Ichiru took an offensive stance with a threatening growl rumbling in his throat. Aidou resisted the urge to retreat as his instincts were screaming at him to do. He wouldn't back down, his pride would never let him. Even more so if it was one of the Kiryuu twins he was up against.

Zero chose not to interfere just yet, preferring to enjoy the situation a bit longer.

It took some while before the twins actually got out to take that walk.

To Ichiru's greatest annoyance and Zero's deepening amusement, Aidou somehow ended up going with them.

-o-

"Well, if it isn't the great Takamiya Kaito himself greeting our unworthy selves," sounded a familiar to Kaito voice that never failed to make him grimace. Although it was mostly its owner and their words that provoked such a reaction rather than the voice itself. "Today must be the luckiest day of our insignificant lives."

Kaito didn't bother to hide his annoyance as he tsked and replied, "Of all the hunters they just had to pick you… Honestly, weren't there better candidates?"

The expression on Kaito's red-haired opponent's face darkened while his mirthless smile widened, turning even colder than it had been originally. "Sorry to disappoint you, your highness. Apparently, our boss doesn't deem this 'mission' difficult enough to send here higher-ranking hunters worthy of your precious time."

Kaito's scowl deepened. So far this exchange of pleasantries had been going on for no more than a minute yet he was already tired. It was just it. He had never gotten along with this particular hunter, and he was sure he never would. The guy hated him and always used every opportunity he got to express his highly negative attitude towards him. Why though, Kaito honestly had no idea.

A weary sigh escaped him. Pinching the bridge of his nose briefly, Kaito tried to reply as calmly as he could, "You know damn well it's not about the ranks. What I'm worried about is your lack of self-control and tendency to shoot any bloodsucker you see on the spot."

One red eyebrow rose. "Isn't that what we're supposed to do as hunters?"

"Not if the target is sane."

"There's no such thing as a sane bloodsucker." The redhead shot back with a grimace of distaste, crossing his arms over his chest. "And since when have you turned into their advocate? Getting confused about the side you're supposed to be on, are you?"

"Like hell I am."

The redhead's expression turned condescending. "You sure? It must be hard to tell right from wrong after fraternizing with the enemy for as long as you have."

Kaito frowned. "The fuck are you running your mouth about?"

"Why, your special relationship with the Kiryuu brats, of course. Though I wouldn't be surprised if there are other bloodsuckers you're chummy with."

Kaito growled, unconsciously taking a threatening step forward as he replied, "You better shut up and watch your damn mouth from now on if you want to keep your face intact."

"Oh?" The redhead smiled even wider, also stepping forth. "Did I hit a nerve there?"

"All you did was exhaust my patience with your delirious bullshit. You better check that head of yours before it's too late."

"You can rest assured that my head is just fine. Yours, on the other hand, must be in some serious need of medical attention if you actually believe there is nothing wrong with your current views."

"You bastard-"

"Okay, that's enough." A third voice sounded, interrupting the two and stopping Kaito from stepping closer and grabbing his opponent by the collar like his hands had been itching to do for some time now.

"Huh?" With displeasure evident on his face as well as in his tone, the redhead turned to the third hunter that had been there since the beginning yet stayed quiet throughout the whole exchange. "Since when did you become important enough to order me around?"

There was a sigh — a very heavy and tired one that managed to express just how unimpressed the third hunter was with his redhead companion. Then he gave his reply, "I'm not 'ordering you around', sempai, I'm just saying we're all grown-up enough to be able to do without your bickering at least this once." He turned to Kaito. "Isn't that right, Takamiya-san?"

Kaito scowled before turning away with a disgruntled snort that was mirrored by his redhead opponent.

There was a questionably peaceful moment of tense silence. Then Kaito returned his attention to the pair.

"Where is the last one?"

The two hunters frowned simultaneously in a wordless question, so Kaito elaborated, "I was told there would be three hunters."

The redhead arched an eyebrow while his younger companion's frown deepened. It was the latter who gave a verbal reply for the two of them.

"We haven't heard anything of the sort."

But the redhead couldn't refrain from baiting Kaito, after all. "You sure you didn't imagine that? I wouldn't put it past your delusional mind. Must have gotten even worse than before."

There was a heavy sigh. "Sempai…"

"And you must really want to get into that hospital ward of the Association if you're asking me to help you with it this persistently." Kaito growled menacingly, once again stepping forward threateningly. Realizing the actual danger of the situation this time, the youngest of the three hunters blocked Kaito's way in an attempt to stop the man before he could make good on his threat, which was exactly what he was going to do without a doubt. Thankfully, the ash brown-haired hunter did halt, and the youngest of the trio couldn't help breathing a discreet sigh of relief, the tension in his shoulders easing a bit. Unlike his idiot of a companion, he sure as hell did not want to fight someone like Takamiya Kaito.

Hazel eyes narrowed down at him, sending a cold shiver down his spine and making him tense up anew. Great. Just great. Now he was on the man's bad side as well. 'Damn it.'

There was a very long moment of very strained silence, which probably would have turned into a whole hour if it weren't for a new presence joining them.

It was another hunter — apparently, the one Kaito had told them about. He didn't know him, but it didn't matter. At this moment he couldn't be more grateful for the man's very timely arrival.

A wordless nod was the only greeting the newcomer offered. It was obvious he either hadn't noticed the tense atmosphere surrounding the trio — which was impossible, one had to be completely deprived of all their senses to achieve that — or chose to ignore it on purpose — more than likely, but still not so easy to accomplish. Not that he cared. He was just glad the man was there, whoever the hell he was.

"Damn finally," Kaito grumbled irritably before turning around and heading for the iron gates of the Cross Academy. "Let's go."

Everyone followed without protesting or saying anything whatsoever.

-o-

A tense silence filled the classroom as Yagari stopped his lecture and shifted his attention from the textbook in his hand to the Night Class students. After a few moments of observation, the hunter heaved a long sigh of unhidden irritation before focusing his gaze on the only pureblood in the room. "Tell your pets to cut the crap already, will you, Kuran? They're annoying."

"They're agitated," Kaname replied calmly. "Which is understandable, considering the increased hunter presence."

"The hell are they getting agitated for? It's not like those hunters are here for them."

A perfect eyebrow rose skeptically. "Are they aware of that?"

"They're supposed to be. But even if they aren't," Yagari folded his arms over his chest as he shifted his weight to one leg, a mocking smirk slowly came to his lips, "don't tell me great noble bloodsuckers such as yourselves are actually scared to take on a couple of cute li'l hunters?"

Growls and hisses filled the room, and Yagari let out a derisive snort. "Charming. Not as meek as you try to seem, are you?"

"Settle down, everyone," Kaname commanded sternly when his vampires got louder in their display of hostility.

"Wasn't that hard, was it?" Yagari commented indifferently. "Now, if you're done playing around, let's get back to business, shall we? Whatever you want to know about those hunters you can go ask Cross after my class. And right now you better shut up and listen."

"…Aren't students supposed to interact with their teacher during the lesson?" Shiki asked with a slight tilt of his head, his usual blank expression in place.

"My class, my rules. We interact when I deem it necessary."

"That's rather one-sided. And despotic." Rima said, earning a nod from Shiki next to her, as well as from a few other Night Class members.

Yagari shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing new to you hierarchy-obsessed leeches then." Quite a few eyebrows twitched in annoyance at that, but no one said anything in response. "Now, shut it and start paying attention to the damn lesson. I'm losing my patience here."

Everyone stayed quiet.

Yagari gave his nod of approval. "Good."

The class resumed.

-o-

"Goddammit, would you calm down already?" Ichiru growled out through tightly gritted teeth as he glared at Aidou over his shoulder. "You're unnerving me."

Aidou bristled at the words. "Shut up! It's not like I can help it!" He tried to defend himself. "There are too many hunter auras around here! It's making me nervous."

Ichiru arched a skeptical eyebrow. "That is all it takes? Wow, it's a bit too pathetic even for you."

"It's not!" Aidou closed the distance between himself and the twins in a few brisk strides.

Ichiru glowered and made a disgusted sound. "Don't come near me."

Aidou ignored him, continuing, "It's a perfectly natural reaction for a vampire!"

"It's only a few hunters, and you're a freaking Level B," Ichiru countered, unimpressed. "You've been doing just fine all these years, so get a grip already."

The blond faltered, going silent for a few thoughtful moments before replying, "W-well, it's different with you and other hunters staying here."

Zero lifted his brows inquiringly and tilted his head to the side as he turned his attention to Aidou. "Different how?"

"It's not like you're seeking to murder us." The noble replied with a concentrated frown after another short while of contemplation. "You're all annoying and a huge pain in the neck, but we're already used to you, so your presence here isn't that much of a bother anymore."

"So basically, you don't see us as a threat." Ichiru summed up. He turned to Zero then. "It wasn't my imagination, he did say that, right, nii-san?"

"What?!" Aidou exclaimed, his eyes wide with incredulity as he looked at the twins. "That's not what I-"

"Pretty much." Zero confirmed his counterpart's words with a nod, both merrily ignoring Aidou now.

"He totally underestimates us, doesn't he?" Zero gave another nod, and Ichiru continued with a huff, as though genuinely offended. "How arrogant."

"Well, that's the great 'Idol-sempai' we're talking about. What did you expect?"

Poor Aidou was red with frustration by now. "Stop it, you two!" He demanded vehemently.

"Is it just me or he is trying to order us around, nii-san? Gosh, can you believe this arrogant Idol?" Ichiru shook his head in clear disapproval, his expression fully corresponding to the act he was putting on. "That's what you get for being nice to people like him."

Aidou's face was priceless. The twins barely managed to contain their laughter.

"You're never nice to me!" The noble said accusingly, obviously talking to Ichiru.

"I am." Ichiru argued with unshakable conviction that threw the older vampire off balance further.

"He is." Zero supported his twin, nodding. "In his own way."

"What kind of way is it?!" Aidou was steadily losing his patience. Everything about his posture said so.

"The one that's perfect for a masochist like you." Ichiru retorted with a knowing smirk.

"I am not a ma-" Aidou faltered, his face turned bright red. His voice lowered to a hissing whisper when he resumed speaking, "I'm not a masochist!"

Two pairs of lavender eyes blinked. Simultaneously, the twins tilted their heads to the side before asking at the same time, "You sure?"

Aidou unconsciously stepped sideways away from the two. Their perfect synchronicity, fascinating as it may seem, somehow gave him the creeps.

"Isn't that why you keep getting into trouble with Kaname?"

"I don't do it on purpose!"

Ichiru gave a derisive snort. He didn't comment, but he didn't need to. It was more than obvious what he thought.

Aidou got it loud and clear, so he insisted, "I don't!"

"Well, if you say so…" Zero shrugged.

It was obvious the twins weren't convinced though — everything in their demeanor suggested so. Or so they made it seem, at the very least, and Aidou totally fell for it.

"Argh!" The noble groaned as he mussed his hair exasperatedly, clearly at his wits' end. "Goddammit!"

The twins blinked again, now looking at the noble with unconcealed amusement.

"Really, Aidou-sempai, you don't have to be so embarrassed about it. No one here is judging you or anything. Personally, I don't give a damn about your preferences." Ichiru said with an indifferent shrug at the end.

"Same here," Zero nodded. "Honestly, if there's anything you should be concerned about, it's your words about us being harmless. You better make sure not to say anything like that in front of our master. He will shoot your reckless ass just to prove you wrong. You won't die, most likely, but it'll still hurt like hell for a while."

"Oh, Kaito too." Ichiru provided helpfully, his face twisting into a grimace as he continued after a brief pause. "He is probably even worse. He will be nastier about it. And craftier. I'm pretty sure the bastard is a freaking closet sadist, so he'll probably do everything nice and slow just to prolong his entertainment."

There was an affirmative nod from Zero.

Then another thought struck Ichiru and he added, "Oh, but then again, maybe Aidou-sempai will actually enjoy it." He turned to Zero, easily ignoring an indignant cry from Aidou. "You know, a masochist finding themselves a sadist, that kind of thing. Maybe it could work. What do you think, nii-san?"

Zero hummed, seeming to actually be considering the possibility. Before he could voice his opinion, however, Aidou exploded, redder and angrier than ever. It was a wonder he managed to hold back from using his powers and freezing everything — and everyone — in the vicinity.

"That's it! I've had enough!" The blond screeched before turning around and stomping away angrily in the direction of the Moon Dorms. "Like I'm going to take any more crap from these ungrateful shitty brats!" He groused under his breath, huffing and muttering curses all the way back.

The silence that followed seemed almost deafening in contrast with all the noise that had been there previously. It lasted for some while as the twins watched Aidou leave, until Zero returned his attention to Ichiru and spoke.

"…I think you're starting to rub off on him. He would have never said that last part out loud before."

"Just me?" Ichiru turned to his other half with raised brows. "Don't pin it all on me, nii-san. You have a hand in it too as my accomplice."

Zero mirrored his twin's expression. "Since when have I become one?"

"You've always been one. You just never noticed."

Zero hummed thoughtfully.

"But anyway," Ichiru was quick to shrug the matter off, a broad grin lighting up his face, "now that the nuisance is gone, where shall we go?"

It was amazing how one's mood could change so drastically in such a short span of time.

-o-

"Did something happen between you, Ichiru-kun and Aidou?"

Zero looked over his shoulder, blinking. He went over the events of the day in his head, replying with a light shrug of his shoulders after a few moments, "No, nothing out of the ordinary." He returned to his task at hand, which was cutting vegetables. "Why?"

"I had a rather…weird conversation with him tonight."

Zero hummed softly. "What did he say?"

"I didn't quite understand. He was too agitated to convey any useful information. It was just screaming, disjointed rambling and inarticulate complaints." And swearing. Swearing. Never in his life had Kaname expected to hear such language from Aidou, of all people. And in his presence, no less.

"So why did you think Ichiru and I have something to do with it?"

"Well, your names came up quite a few times there. That and the strong terms he used when referring to you two hardly left any room for doubt."

Zero chuckled at that, having imagined the situation quite vividly, albeit roughly. "We are rubbing off on him, then. Just as Ichiru said."

Kaname raised an eyebrow, an amused smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "So you did do something to him."

Zero gave a shrug. "Just the usual nice chat."

Kaname chuckled. Oh, he knew those 'nice chats' of theirs all too well. He couldn't help but feel genuine pity for Aidou, even if a huge part of him was secretly having fun right now. "I somehow doubt it. He doesn't usually get that worked up."

"Well, maybe we did tease him a bit. Only slightly though. Honest."

Kaname's smile widened, another hearty chuckle escaping him. "I can imagine."

Zero looked over his shoulder at the pureblood with slightly widened eyes. "You don't believe me, do you?" He faked being offended, his expression changing accordingly and a small pout settling on his lips. "I'm hurt."

Kaname gave yet another chuckle before offering his reply. "Of course I believe you. But I do think you're making it sound much more innocent than it actually was."

"Even if I am, we still weren't as bad as you." As he was saying that, Zero put down the knife in his hand and turned around to fully face the pureblood. Folding his arms over his chest, he arched an eyebrow at the other, a meaningful smirk playing on his lips.

Dark brows rose in surprise. "Me?" Kaname blinked and tilted his head to the side, his face the epitome of innocent confusion. "What on earth are you talking about, Zero-kun?"

Zero rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't you play that card with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Another innocent blink. "Truthfully, I don't."

Zero gave a deep chuckle of amusement. "It's almost scary how good you are at it."

Kaname smiled and asked with another tilt of the head. "At what?"

"Alright, stop it now or I'll hit you."

Kaname's expression turned to one of hurt mixed with genuine disbelief. "You would actually do such a thing? To me?"

"If you don't stop asking for it, I sure as hell will."

Kaname hummed as he stroked his chin thoughtfully before replying, "That would be quite a refreshing experience."

A soft laugh escaped Zero. He shook his head. "Maybe you have a whole lot more in common with Aidou than we thought."

Kaname conveyed his question through an inquiring look.

Zero shook his head again. "It's nothing." Chuckling amusedly to himself, he turned around and concentrated on cooking anew. "Just come over here and have a taste. I need a second opinion."

Kaname easily dismissed the previous matter with a shrug of his shoulders, forgetting about it altogether in less than a minute as he happily complied with Zero's request and let himself enjoy the rare alone time with his beloved.