A/N: Finally got another chapter posted! I feel like I probably could have dealt more skillfully with a couple things, but at least I got the chapter finished, so please pardon anything that may be lacking about it. :P
I drew a picture to go with this chapter. You can find it over in my Deviant Art account. The link to it is on my blog, which you can get to via the "homepage" link on my FFN bio.
So as not to spoiler the chapter before you've read it, the rest of my author notes are after the chapter this time. :)
Chapter Thirty-Six: "Aftermath"
Zero's violet eyes were edged with a ring of red and his face was frighteningly calm. He had pushed his injured body so far into overdrive that at the moment he didn't even feel his wounds or the faintness of his blood loss. Some distant part of him knew this strength came at a cost and that the resulting crash would be hard, but that didn't matter.
Nasser struggled with him and Zero twisted him up harder in the grip of his vines, pouring what little strength he had left into the seething ropes of thorns.
"This was always... your weakness..." Kaname murmured, his gaze on Nasser once more, a slightly ironic smile twisting the corner of his lips. "You thought... you had to do everything alone." Kaname knew well that trusting others could be a weakness but he had also learned, albeit the hard way, that if you trusted the right people, then it could also be strength. He and Zero had just proved that. Alone, neither of them could have won against Nasser, but together, it was a different story.
Nasser's dark eyes dulled, the inescapable knowledge of his own loss settling on him like a mantle. There was a vaguely surprised expression on his drawn features, as if he couldn't quite understand how it had turned out like this. Kaname may be right about his weakness, but Nasser was too well entrenched in his ways of thinking to change now. Kaname could see in those dark eyes that Nasser was all but incapable of understanding something like the bond of trust that Kaname and Zero shared, much less their love. It was sad in a way, although the younger pureblood could bring himself to feel very little pity for his adversary after everything he had done.
The luster had drained out of Nasser's gaze but there was still something eerily cruel behind his glazing eyes, a kind of strength that only the certainty of defeat can bring. The mortally wounded pureblood went very still as Zero's deadly weapons snaked all around his body. This fight was over for him, but it would be over for Kaname too. He focused all final effort into one small movement and Kaname felt a hot needle of agony knife through him as Nasser's clawed thumbnail pierced precisely through the center of his damaged heart.
Nasser had chosen his parting shot well, but it was the last one he was going to be allowed to make. A moment later the writhing, vicious twists of the thorny vines contorting around Nasser's left arm severed it completely. There was a gush of blood and then the detached limb, already riddled with hunter poison, simply turned to dust. The hand gripping Kaname's heart vanished.
Kaname would have breathed a sigh of relief if he wasn't in quite so much pain. Unfortunately, the sudden emptiness of the wound made his blood flow faster, filling his damaged lungs and chest cavity in a way that was very counter-productive to normal bodily function. His torn heart pounded raggedly, trying too hard to make up for all the blood he was losing and making him feel incredibly ill. Nasser's last little dig had been one too many. Kaname's heart had taken too much damage for his current state and he wasn't sure his body was going to be able to mend him this time. Strangely though, he wasn't afraid. Maybe it was the adrenaline of battle making him numb, but at the moment he was afraid of nothing. What would be would be. They had won. Nasser had lost. For this one moment in time, that was enough
The vines encircling Nasser's body dug into him like hungry fingers, burrowing into his flesh, threading through his body like a sewing needle through cloth. Zero shifted his gun to the side of Nasser's neck and shot him again at point blank range, aiming cross-wise to make sure there was no danger of hitting Kaname. Because of Nasser's resilience none of his shots were immediately fatal, but they were incapacitating. Zero wasn't giving the other vampire a chance to recover. For some reason though, he was intentionally keeping Nasser alive and a moment later, Kaname understood why.
Vines curled around Nasser's head and shoulders, yanking his head to the side and bending him over slightly, offering his neck to the injured pureblood below him. "You need this?" Zero asked Kaname quietly, an intense sliver of concern and warmth flickering around the edges of the almost frightening icy hardness of his gaze.
Even though you couldn't tell it by looking at him, Zero felt like his own heart had been dislodged and was pounding up in his throat as he looked down at Kaname. Waking up and seeing Nasser on top of his lover with his hand in Kaname's chest and Kaname's blood everywhere had been the most terrifying moment of his life. Dazed and groggy, it was several terrible moments before he realized that the two purebloods were strangely frozen and unmoving, locked as they were in mental battle inside Kaname's head.
In that first horrible instant when he woke and saw them, Zero had thought he was too late. He thought he was about to watch Kaname die in front of him as he had once watched his parents die. It would be the second time he had failed to stop a pureblood vampire from taking everything he loved away from him right before his eyes. In that moment he realized how terribly losing Kaname would shatter him. It was a blow from which he could not recover. He had lived a century in that moment. Something in his mind and soul had unwound dangerously. The terror and the fury had thrown him into motion with desperate abandon and given him the will to pour everything into this last attack, consequences be damned.
Zero had been ready to use himself up to destroy the bastard who took Kaname from him... but Kaname wasn't dead. Kaname was still here with him and Zero was going to make damn sure he stayed that way, no matter what he had to do.
Beneath his furious hatred towards the vampire he now held captive, the fear of a few moments ago was still with Zero. Kaname had been seriously wounded. He was a horrific mess and he wasn't healing. Normally a bright white flame, he was now an almost non-existent flicker in Zero's hunter senses. Zero knew his senses were not terribly reliable at the moment because he himself was in pretty bad shape, but it was still terrifying. He wasn't going to completely kill Nasser until he knew whether Kaname needed to eat him in order to survive. The thought should have disgusted him, but in the heat of the moment, it didn't. Nasser did not deserve his consideration and nothing that kept Kaname alive could be entirely reprehensible. It was that simple.
The red rim around Zero's eyes was slowly bleeding inward, replacing their natural color and setting his irises aflame. He was badly spent and literally surrounded by puddles of pure vampire blood. It was too much stimulus in his condition, the crash he battled to stave off was imminent. He was still in control, but blood lust was crawling into his chest and starting to make a home there. It stirred the slumbering beast inside him, waking all the violent desires that he normally kept suppressed. It was all Zero could do to hang onto his reason and not heedlessly tear the vampire in his grip into little pieces right then and there just for the sheer satisfaction of doing it. .
Kaname struggled to breathe around the blood filling his lungs. Zero was right. He needed to feed if he wanted to survive his injuries. It was the logical conclusion to the battle and a tradition as old as their race. It was the right of the victorious vampire to claim the lifeblood of the defeated, especially in a battle between purebloods. His fangs throbbed. More than just the need to survive... Nasser's blood called to him. Even severely diluted with hunter poison, the power in it beckoned to his animal instincts. From the first time they met, he had always wanted Nasser's power.
Kaname was not innocent. He had tasted his own kind and he knew the forbidden pleasure, the power-rush of absorbing someone else's life essence. He could understand why Nasser sought this ultimate form of prey and had made a lifetime profession out of hunting and devouring untold numbers of his own. He could understand all too well... and that disgusted him.
Nasser's dark eyes were on him - silent, waiting, almost expectant. Kaname's chest heaved raggedly as their gazes met and locked. He had always found those eyes too close a mirror to his own soul. He understood Nasser better than he liked. Much as he might wish to deny it, in many ways they were not so dissimilar. If Kaname had not had Yuki in his life when he was young... if he did not have Zero in his life now... if there was nothing he believed in enough to warrant the constant suppression of his own darker nature... if seeking power and his own pleasure were the only goals he had to live for... who could say whether he would end up any differently? Every choice, every changing ripple in the fabric of life created new, diverging branches of possibilities, much like every move in a chess game opened up certain avenues while closing others. Kaname was too skilled a tactician to pretend that he could not imagine an outcome in which he was the same as the creature that now held his gaze.
Nasser showed him much too clearly what he could become. He could be strong enough to satiate his desire for invulnerability and powerful enough to make sure things always happened as he wished, but twisted up with that power was a vicious, soulless cruelty that achieved its ends because it simply didn't care about anyone else. This was the "potential" that the elder pureblood had always sought to unlock in him. Even now, at the end, Nasser's fading gaze held a beckoning spark. "Do it," his eyes seemed to say. "Finish this. Become me. Take my place... I've always known you had it in you." With death all but inevitable, it seemed as if he wanted Kaname to end him this way. He wanted the satisfaction of knowing that he had shaped him and the boy would go on to become everything he wanted him to be. He wanted Kaname to have to live every day for the rest of his life with the knowledge that his blood and his power dwelt inside him.
Kaname hesitated. What Nasser wanted was clear, the question was... was that what he wanted? He knew what it was like to try to assimilate another pureblood's power. He knew that it took quite a while before you could get them completely out of your head. Shizuka had plagued him for months, Nasser would no doubt be much worse. Did he really want Nasser inside of him like that? Did he want to carry some part of this man around with him forever?
The pain was almost blinding. Kaname knew he was probably making a mistake - a stupid, emotion-based mistake no less... but so be it. Nasser had always called his attachment to others and his craving for love the weaknesses of a fool. Perhaps he was right, but Kaname didn't care anymore. He chose to embrace that weakness and to find in it a different kind of strength. That, perhaps, was what truly made them different and that was what he would hold onto. He was without doubt a fool, but he was his own fool. He was going to go on as if Nasser had never existed. He was going to live life in his own manner and be happy in ways that Nasser had never experienced and that was his ultimate defiance and his ultimate victory.
Kaname shook his head decisively. He was not Nasser. He would never be like Nasser. He would not walk his path, nor did he wish to retain any reminder that this blight of a man had ever existed. "No," he said simply, his gaze shifting away from Nasser and up to Zero. "I don't want anything of his."
Nasser looked startled and rage flickered in his eyes again. It seemed to upset him that his life would essentially be 'wasted' and all the power he'd sought so long and so hard to acquire would come to nothing. He may be the most influential man in the world, but he had nothing to leave behind him once he was dust. Organizations and companies would divide and go on their separate ways under new leaders. People would forget. After thousands of years of life, he would leave this world with no lasting legacy to mark his passing and that obviously burned him.
Kaname gave a faint, grim smile as his head fell back to rest against the ground. It was kind of worth what he was giving up, just to piss Nasser off one last time. Zero was definitely rubbing off on him.
Zero was watching Kaname closely, his eyes now completely red. He understood at least some of the reasons why his lover refused to feed, despite how obvious it was that he needed to. Perhaps, given his history, he was one of the few people in the world who could understand. Yet he also knew that Kaname was critically wounded and it may very well be fatal if he did not get some blood to replace that which he had lost. Zero would gladly give to him, but he was hardly in any better shape - a fact which was being brought home ever stronger as he felt the familiar, damming acid of need eroding away at the edges of his control. His injuries aside, he had expended far too much of himself using his powers. Blood lust, always his bane, already had a vice-like grip on his chest and was starting to tighten, crushing inward with that maddening, destructive force that never got any easier for him to handle. There was so damn much blood all around them and so much of it was Kaname's. It made ravenous desire curl in his gut and he felt sick with himself.
He was fighting the burn and maintaining his control, but he knew from experience how unstoppable this progression could prove to be once started. In his condition, he feared for his continued ability to resist the unforgivable allure that his lover's blood held for him. Normally it wouldn't matter, but right now it did. Kaname was too vulnerable, he could not and probably would not fight back.
Zero could not afford to lose his head for even a moment or he risked killing the very person he would give his life to protect. It was an ugly feeling, but he didn't have time to waste on self-pity or self-loathing. The adrenaline-laced intuition driving him decreed that those were useless feelings which were not going to help him right now. He needed to take a page from his lover's book and treat both his own need for blood and Kaname's as simple facts - a problem for which he needed to find a solution before his ability to think rationally dissolved.
He didn't have to think too hard, the solution was literally in front of him. There was a way to staunch Zero's need and give him blood to spare to take care of Kaname. For him it was a somewhat dangerous and repulsive way, but he could live with that. Instinct was taking over – the instinct to survive and most of all the instinct to protect his mate, both from his injuries and from himself.
Zero held Kaname's gaze. He hoped his lover would understand what he was about to do. "Guess he's mine then," he said darkly. The vines tightened, yanking Nasser back against the ex-human as the silver head dropped to the elder vampire's exposed neck. Zero's fangs sunk into Nasser's throat and he drew hard.
Nasser gave a strangled howl of protest at the ultimate humiliation of having his last blood taken by a mere ex-human, especially this ex-human. Zero gained a certain dark satisfaction from that before the blood hit him and everything blurred like a camera lens going out of focus.
Nasser's blood literally burned as it entered him. It was infused with so much hunter poison by now that it was practically toxic. The thought flittered through Zero's mind that it was a damn good thing Kaname hadn't taken from him. In Kaname's state, the shock of the poison could have killed him before the blood had a chance to do him any good. Nasser had probably suspected as much and hoped for it, the bastard. Zero growled and drove his fangs deeper. On some instinctual level he knew that though the poison may burn him, it wouldn't kill him. Zero's body was proving uniquely able to neutralize and filter out this particular strain. Of course, that was not really such a great surprise considering that he himself had also been the roundabout source of the poison.
His prey thrashed in his grip and he hung on tighter. Despite the toxins, Nasser's blood was still incredibly heady. Once long ago, in a less charitable mood, Zero had compared Kaname's blood to poison and Nasser's was about a dozen times more concentrated. It hit him like pure heroin and the more he ingested, the less the world made sense. The dark, thick blood filled his senses and sent them reeling. His thoughts scattered as his vampire nature sucked him under, shutting down his higher brain function. Somewhere in the chaos of crimson there was a struggle, the sensation of tearing flesh and a flash of familiar energy. Over it all he was aware of the hard, throbbing pound of his own heartbeat in his ears, seeming somehow deafeningly loud as it drown out all other input.
By the time awareness of his surroundings returned to Zero, Nasser was no more. Kaname was still lying on the ground. The ex-human was kneeling over his lover, straddling Kaname's waist. The young hunger's fingers were digging into his own sides as he clutching himself. He was groaning low in his throat and rocking back and forth. Kaname's trembling fingers were combing soothingly through his hair in an effort to calm him. Pearlescent ashes were scattered about, dissolving into the bloodstained earth about them and disappearing.
"What... happened?" Zero asked hoarsely, squeezing his eyes shut against the dizzying pops of light occurring only in his own head. He panted for breath. It had been a long time since he'd blacked out while drinking. He felt like he was on a really, really bad acid trip. Or what he imagined that would feel like, anyway.
"It's over," Kaname whispered in answer, his voice faint from his injuries but still managing to sound tender. He didn't have the strength or the breath to give details. Nasser had tried to fight Zero and for a moment confusing chaos had reigned. Nasser attempted to take advantage of it when the ex-human started to lose himself in the blood. Kaname had mustered enough strength to sock the other pureblood with a weak, but effective energy punch and a moment later Zero literally crushed him to bits with his vines. Nasser's body had simply disappeared, leaving behind only blood and this light scattering of ashes. Strange how insubstantial it seemed, how impossible it appeared for this faint sprinkling of dust to have ever been an entire living being.
It was hard to believe that Nasser was actually gone and Kaname almost didn't believe it, except that he'd seen it. The whole situation felt somehow surreal and almost anti-climactic, but Kaname suspected that was most likely because he was in shock. His body felt numb and everything seemed very far away. Only the sensation of Zero's hair, warm and soft under his fingers could reach him. Only the hunter's forehead coming to rest lightly against his shoulder and the ragged brush of Zero's uneven breathing against his neck felt real.
"Did I... I didn't...?" Zero couldn't quite form the question. The way he was kneeling over Kaname scared him. He was afraid of what he might have done, or might have almost done.
"Of course not," Kaname whispered softly, his voice betraying his absolute faith that Zero would never hurt him. It had perhaps been a near thing. Zero had been deeply out of it right after Nasser's death and Kaname was the only potential prey left for him. Even in that state, however, Zero hadn't gone for him. He'd held back from the critically wounded pureblood and forced himself out of the blood haze, going against the natural impulse of every vampire and hunter instinct in him.
Zero's tense body relaxed slightly. Kaname continued to stroke his hair with numb, clumsy fingers as the boy began to shiver uncontrollably. Zero's actions with Nasser had initially surprised him, but he was glad the hunter had gotten something back from the other pureblood. Zero deserved that and Kaname was sure that after this fight, he had also needed it badly.
Zero was not a pureblood so he could not inherit Nasser's power the way another pureblood would. That meant he wouldn't get nearly as much benefit from it, but it also meant the elder vampire could not linger with him in the way he would have with Kaname. The human side of the hunter's genome protected him from that. It also helped protect him a little from another possibly serious side-effect of his actions.
Kaname felt a lump in his throat and his hand curled tightly in Zero's hair before stroking the torn side of Zero's neck. "Look at me, Zero..." he murmured. "Look at me. Are you all right?"
Zero rested his head against Kaname's shoulder for a few more moments, struggling with the weird sensations twirling around inside him. He felt empty. He needed very much to touch Kaname, to be close to him... and he knew why. He and Nasser had traded blood during the fight, meaning that for the few brief moments before he died a bond was trying to take root. Thank God Nasser hadn't lasted long enough for it to truly form before it had been severed. Zero's ex-human constitution also protected him to a certain extent from such things, as it always had, making him less affected then he would have been if he had been born a vampire. He'd known what he was getting into and accepted the risk. The ache inside him blended with his overall disorientation, but he could deal with it.
Finally, he lifted his head, rocking unsteadily back on his knees so he was straddling more carefully over Kaname's hips and placing less pressure against his lover's injured body. He met Kaname's worried gaze caressed his cheek. "Fine," he murmured hoarsely. "I'm going to be fine. I'm sorry."
Kaname was glad to see that Zero's lilac eyes were their correct color again. He shook his head quickly to let him know there was no need to apologize. Zero had done nothing wrong. He didn't like the thought of his lover being forced to have any kind of connection to Nasser no matter how brief, but the hunter was already bonded to a pureblood; their bond was very strong and it took precedent. That would enable Kaname to help Zero ward off most of the aftereffects of the aborted connection with Nasser. Kaname had little to offer right now, but he tugged lightly at Zero through their connection, making sure the hunter felt him and knew he was there. He understood quite well how important that was.
Kaname's fingers trembled weakly as he reached up and touched Zero's cheek, leaving bloody fingerprints there, but his eyes were strong and victorious as he met and held Zero's gaze. Kaname was in horribly critical condition, but his spirit at least was undimmed. Perhaps if he had more strength he might have been angry with Nasser for putting Zero through yet one more ordeal, but that would be rather pointless since the man was dead. All Kaname cared about now was that Zero was all right. He tried to say so, but he choked on the blood clogging his lungs. He gagged and retched painfully.
Zero quickly slid a hand under Kaname's head and carefully lifted him off the ground. Gentle, thorn-less vines slid around the pureblood's back helping to support him. The inclined position seemed to help Kaname's labored breathing significantly and the pureblood's gagging slowly tailed off.
Zero's blood lust was thankfully gone although his injuries continued to bleed freely. His body was apparently still struggling to process the poison out of Nasser's blood and not yet using it to heal. Or possibly, his unprecedented energy expenditure had thrown everything out of whack and his body simply needed more time to sort itself out. He pressed one hand against the throbbing gash in his side while continuing to support Kaname with the other. He gave his lover a small, tenderly ironic little smile. "You look terrible," he murmured.
Kaname's lips twitched in return. "You too."
"How do we always end up like this?" Zero shook his head, trying not to look too hard at the ugly, gaping hole torn in his lover's chest. "I think it's your fault."
Kaname was still smiling faintly and he surprised Zero by not arguing. "Probably," he murmured simply.
Zero leaned closer, nudging his already torn and gaping shirt collar a little further off his neck. "Hey... we really kicked his butt, huh?" He murmured, a mixture of jibe and slight disbelief in his tone. There had been a part of him that hadn't believed they'd actually make it through this.
Kaname leaned closer, desperately needing what he knew Zero was offering. "We did, rather," he agreed, the small smile tugging at his lips again before the motion and his torn body drew another pained wince from him. "Too bad we weren't the only ones doing the kicking," he added ruefully.
Zero shifted, trying to lean closer to Kaname without pressing too hard against his legs. "What, you hurt or something?" he said wryly. "Aren't you going to tell me you're fine and those are just scratches?"
"Idiot," the pureblood huffed, breathless with need as he nuzzled his face urgently against the side of Zero's neck. He was too weak to hold his own head up and Zero had to shift his grip to hold him in place so he could feed.
"Hey, that's my line," Zero protested, his breath shuddering in his chest as Kaname's warm lips moved against his neck, fumbling slightly before latching on. All of Kaname's teeth were still aroused, not just the ones to which Zero was accustomed. The foreign feeling sent a shiver down his spine, but it was not from fear.
"Too bad... I stole it," Kaname returned, his voice turning into a groan against Zero's skin. He was trying so hard to shift his teeth back to normal before he bit Zero, but his fangs weren't obeying him and he simply wasn't capable of waiting anymore. Two rows of razors clamped on Zero's neck and Kaname groaned again, his throat working urgently as Zero's blood flooded blissfully into his mouth.
Kaname felt life flowing slowly back into his numb body. He needed this blood more than he'd been admitting to himself. He probably would have died without it, but it was somehow important to him that he owed his life to Zero, not to Nasser. It was fitting that Nasser's blood should give back to Kaname what he had taken, but filtered through Zero's body, Kaname didn't have to think about the despicable older pureblood, nor worry about the darkness of that departed soul.
Zero held him close, letting him take whatever he needed. It was a sweet, unusual juxtaposition of roles between them, but not one that either seemed to mind. Kaname sucked hungrily and yet gently at lover's neck. Despite the deep, needy bite of his extra fangs it was still the intimate gesture of a lover. Kaname tasted nothing of the poison or darkness that Zero had filtered out of Nasser. It was only Zero's feelings of adoration and relief which came to him through the rich blood. Kaname lost himself in that warmth and in the safe embrace of that love and these arms. After the raw violation he'd forced himself to endure in order to trap Nasser, he needed this gentle touch of Zero's soul almost as much as the blood itself.
Zero wasn't in peak shape. His body was still getting over his power usage and he felt himself sliding into a peaceful haze as Kaname drank from him. It was like riding in the back of a warm car on a summer evening after having spent all day running about out of doors. A comfortable, leaden weight took over Zero's limbs. As strength flowed out of him and into his lover, he found himself slowly sinking down against the pureblood. Unconsciously, he let Kaname take over supporting their weight at some point along the way as the pureblood's strength grew and his ebbed.
Kaname only took enough to enable him to survive, although that was still a lot. In his condition he could have killed Zero and still not healed all his own hurts, but of course he was careful not to do so.
He finally withdrew from Zero's neck when he realized that he was sitting under his own power and he was now the one holding his lover upright. The young hunter's body was slumped against his chest. Kaname blinked to clear his head.
"Zero?" The pulse of Zero's life beat strong against his chest, so he wasn't truly afraid, although he did feel a bit of guilt. He knew that his lover was still in a semi-fragile state and he'd just taken a lot from him.
Zero stirred slightly, but his eyes remained closed. He mumbled something as if incredibly sleepy. Kaname saw the vines around them shrinking and retracting back into Zero's body. He realized that Zero must truly need to shut down and rest. Now that the threat of Nasser was gone, the ex-human was unconsciously recalling all the power he'd expended through his vines. As a result, the enclosure around them began to crumble and vanish away.
A breeze stirred Kaname's hair about his ears as fresh air leaked into the stale enclosure. Sunlight broke through the disintegrating canopy of vines in mottled beams, catching on the dancing motes of dust in the air and illuminating the gore splattered crater in which the two vampires knelt. The stained earth, before an inky black, now glittered a macabre cheery shade of crimson about them.
Kaname winced as the bright sunlight burned against his exposed skin. He was still much too weak and it hurt like hell, but there wasn't much to be done about that. He shifted, shading Zero a little with his body as he gathered the boy with difficulty into his arms. Zero did not respond to the motion, his head lolling against Kaname's chest. Kaname wasn't sure if he was actually unconscious, or just too drained to move on his own.
The pureblood wasn't crazy about the idea of moving either, but as much as his hurting body screamed for rest he knew there wasn't time. No longer cut off from the outside, he could hear the murmur of voices and sense the presence of many people just outside the crater. Many hunters to be precise. With the barrier around them disintegrating, there was the rest of the world to be faced now. There would be consequences for what had happened today. He needed to attempt damage control.
Kaname let his head sink for a moment, struggling with an almost overwhelming weariness. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to have to go up there and deal with the mess he knew was waiting for them. He was not coming out of this fight unscathed. His torn shirt hid the ugly gash in his chest, but it was still there, along with many of the other wounds Nasser had given him. His body was focusing on the most important internal damage first, but even that was slow going. He wanted to just curl up with Zero and sleep. He wanted it so badly it triggered a humiliating prick of tears behind his eyes as he tried to force himself to move.
Pressing his eyes shut, Kaname calmed himself. They were almost out of this, he couldn't falter now. Zero had saved him and it was now his turn to make sure they both got out of here alive. If he passed out now, there was no telling in what circumstances he would be when he awoke. The thought of possibly waking up in some hunter isolation cell somewhere with no idea where Zero was or what had happened to him was significantly terrifying enough to force Kaname into motion. He didn't have long before his body would shut down with or without his consent. He needed to try and get things settled before that or he would lose any chance to influence their situation.
Kaname spared a moment to pick up the Bloody Rose from where it had fallen and shove it under Zero's belt, in the waistband of the hunter's pants. His lover would be pissed if he forgot that. Then the pureblood levitated unsteadily up out of the crater in which their fight had taken place, carrying Zero in his arms. Several of the constructs Zero had created out of the earth and the stone of the podium still remained, like ruins of some bizarre ancient civilization, but the majority of the canopy had disappeared. The vines were gone but the bubble created by the hunter seals surrounding them remained. That was a barrier Kaname dare not try to cross in his condition. Even this small expenditure of power was quickly becoming too much for his battered body and as soon as they were out of the crater he sank to the earth, going to his knees on the broken tiles of the courtyard that had been outside Zero's previous circle of vines, but were still inside the hunter's charmed rings.
A deep hush fell over the courtyard at their appearance, settling thick and oppressive on the tense air. Somewhere overhead a bird chirruped, happily unaware of how out of place it's careless high spirits were to the knots of people gathered below.
The seals on the ground burned red with an unnatural light. Row after row of them bathed the immediate surroundings in a threatening, blood-red cast. The light they gave off was not very bright, but the pureblood's vision was already dim with exhaustion and the glow of the charms drawn specifically to imprison his kind combined with the bright sunlight made his eyes smart and sting. It intensified the pain of his injuries as if the gravity pulling on his broken bones and wounded body had suddenly increased. Worn to the bone, he could feel the weight of the encircling spells pressing in on them, making it increasingly harder and harder to breathe. He wasn't going to be able to hold out long in this cage.
Kaname noticed in a distant, almost detached way how the pale stones beneath him were quickly becoming slick with a combination of his and Zero's blood, painting a new portrait of crimson here much like the one they'd left down below. That wasn't good. He was already aware of his own damage, but the speed with which the crimson around them was spreading made his concern for Zero spike sharply. Zero had paid a hard price for standing by him and the pureblood's sluggish, damaged heart pounded with worry. He was finding it hard to think and hard to clearly assess how much danger Zero's wounds might present. He could be fine, or he could be dying. Kaname couldn't tell and that terrified him. He felt like every thought going through his head had to travel around the earth several times before it made it back to him. He was so tired.
Kaname held Zero's body to him, hunching over him slightly as he tried to gather himself, tried to be strong enough to protect them both from whatever may come now... but he knew he wasn't. Nasser had gotten a part of his heart - that wasn't something he could just snap back from. It would take days, maybe weeks for him to grow it back and until then he was going to be significantly weakened. His body was so battered it was doing all it could to stay conscious and functional at the same time, protesting vehemently at having to do both.
Squinting as he tried to catch his breath, he got an impression of the wreck of the plaza and partially shattered buildings around them. Shit. This was his fault and there was going to be hell to pay. They were in a bad spot and he knew it. He was critically weakened and they were surrounded by potential enemies with very good reason to be both dangerously angry and afraid of him. That combination could well be lethal at this stage. People destroy what scares them, and he was in no position to stop them.
Zero stirred, arms curling around Kaname as his consciousness slowly began to reassert itself.
Kaname breathed raggedly. He lifted his head with effort, gazing out through the stinging glow of the layered charm circles and towards the hunters surrounding them. There was a veritable army there by now. More must have been called in while he, Zero and Nasser had been locked in combat in their own little world. Even if Kaname had been foolish enough to attempt breaking through the seals, there were too many of them on the other side. The pureblood and ex-human were well trapped. The hunters had their weapons trained on the two vampires in the circle and could easily shoot them dead where they knelt.
In the middle of a complete black-out bubble, after what had just happened, they could do so without serious repercussions. The treaty had been openly broken which was as good as an act of war. If they realized or even suspected that Kaname had been the one who broke it, then even killing a pureblood would not have been outside their jurisdiction. All they had to do was say he'd gone mad and that they'd had to stop him before he destroyed the entire city. No doubt, there were many here who truly believed that and there was plenty of proof to back them up. The Council wouldn't truly care. They hated him anyway. It was a golden opportunity for the hunters and very probably the only reason they had not already run with it was because of the one-eyed hunter currently in charge of the group.
Yagari had history with them, he would at least wait to be sure whether or not Kaname was a threat and in any case he would not easily order Zero killed, not without a damn good reason. Kaname counted on both those facts, but the last one especially. Fallout from all this was probably going to be ugly, but he couldn't let Zero get caught in it. This was his mess and he'd figure it out somehow. Yagari's presence brought them time, but he was only in charge because of seniority, if the others started questioning his impartiality because of Zero's involvement and took things into their own hands, matters could still go badly. The hunters looked incredibly spooked, angry and wary. Kaname knew he needed to try and appease them, to let them feel they were in control and that they didn't need to prove that by killing anyone. They also needed to see he wasn't a raving loony or a cornered beast that might turn on them.
Kaname straightened slightly, keeping Zero protectively close while intentionally making himself an easy target. He gave the hunters the ability to line up a clean headshot so that none of them would be tempted to shoot Zero in an attempt to get him if that's the way things went down. He regarded their captors with a calm, steady gaze, his dark eyes still holding an indefinable inner strength of will despite the fact that his body trembled with exhaustion, his vision fluxing with every arrhythmic beat of his torn heart.
"Nasser Ardon attacked us, put everyone present in jeopardy and is now dead," he said simply, his hoarse voice betraying no emotion. It was mostly true, but Kaname had no problem lying with graceful conviction either - not about this. "I submit to you that his death was a matter of self-defense between two purebloods as is allowable under our laws, and that any actions by myself or Zero which infringed upon the treaty were undertaken only in an effort to prevent a greater calamity. I understand if there needs to be an inquest about what has happened here today and I am prepared to surrender myself into your custody until the validity of these assertions can be established," Kaname said quietly, a certain dignity managing to be present in his soft tones despite the situation.
He did not lightly submit himself to someone else's control, especially not so soon after he'd had to tear himself open for Nasser in order to trap him - that was going to smart for a while and it made him afraid. He knew the inherent danger that once into the hunter dungeons he might never get out, but he also knew he had little choice at the moment. He wasn't bargaining from a place of power. He needed to be as reasonable and appeasing as he could be. He needed them to not be afraid or things could go badly. Besides, he was reasonably assured that he could eventually figure his way out of most situations in which he was still alive, and there were others who would work for him and his interests as well, even if he were not at liberty. Right now the goal was getting out of this circle alive... and more especially, getting Zero out of this circle alive and with his future still intact.
"As a representative of the Council of Elders, I acknowledge what you have said, what I myself have seen, and I will bear witness to such in any forthcoming inquiries," Takuma said quietly, obviously speaking for the benefit of the others present rather than Kaname. His formal words and tone carried just enough authority to remind the hunters that they had a Council member present as observer without offering any kind of challenge to their authority over the situation.
Kaname knew his friend's presence here would help, but the situation was still dangerous. If he were killed, the four nobles would also have to be eliminated, but there was no guarantee that would be seen as a significant problem. Vampire life was cheap to most hunters. It wouldn't be a terribly smart move for them, but that didn't diminish its possibility.
One of the more edgy looking hunters glanced between Takuma and Kaname before turning his gaze back on Kaname and snorting derisively. "You're not going anywhere, you blood sucking freak. Look at this place, look at what you've done. You think we'll just let you walk out of there?" Obviously, the speaker considered such a move tantamount to suicide. His attitude was not unreasonable. If the situation were different, he might be right. After all, if it were Nasser who had survived this fight and not Kaname, they would all have had very good reason to fear for their lives. An injured vampire was a hungry vampire and Nasser would have tried to make a snack out of all of them.
Yagari shot the man a cool look, not reproachful, but reminding him that he didn't have any authority to be making decisions on his own. Regardless, Yagari knew the fellow was right about one thing. They couldn't allow Kaname out of the charmed enclosure just yet, it would divide the hunters and start something ugly. What Kaname said was reasonable, and he did not think the young pureblood was a threat, but they needed to proceed cautiously through the minefield now confronting them all. Kuran was wise to consent to being taken into custody because that was what was going to need to happen in order to resolve this peaceably in the short term. If he'd resisted, that would make things politically sticky, but him offering the idea up himself opened the possibility of trying to keep this on a level where it wouldn't have to totally snowball into a major diplomatic issue for either the hunters or vampires.
"Ardon's a known threat to the peace considering he's already broken the treaty by turning and using our brethren for his own purposes, and attempting to infiltrate headquarters," Yagari drawled. Like Takuma, he was ostensibly responding to Kaname, but the words were more for the benefit of his fellow hunters. Most of them knew that something big had been going on at HQ lately, even if not all of them were aware of the details. Now seemed a prudent time to let that cat out of the bag. "It's not too much of a stretch to believe he's responsible for this mess too, but this situation has gone too far to clean up easy. There are some questions that will need to be sorted out. Sit tight for now. We have transportation coming, soon as it gets here, we'll be able to escort you out."
Kaname knew that that was the polite way of saying they had paddy wagons on the way, and once they had the appropriate restraints to place on him to assure his continued cooperation, then they would take him in. No surprise, really, except that Yagari was being more diplomatic than was normal for the blunt, plain-spoken man. "You can come out when you're in the right chains," would have been a more normal response. Again, Kaname got the feeling that Yagari's sudden growth of tact was for the benefit of his companions. The senior hunter was intentionally setting a certain kind of tone and guiding the others to unconsciously follow him by example. Kaname had to respect him, Yagari was no fool. He realized the charged, dangerous situation they were in and was doing a good job of keeping it under control without giving anyone a reason to disagree with him.
"You can't seriously expect to arrest Kaname-sama for protecting everyone here?" Ruka's voice was indignant.
The hunters had already removed all the other vampires present from the scene, leaving only Kain, Ruka, Takuma and Shiki. Those four had refused to budge and with some misgiving, Yagari had finally accepted Takuma's demand that as a member of the Council of Elders, he and the others be allowed to remain to act as witnesses for whatever transpired here. The Council would certainly throw a royal snit if one of their representatives was excluded from a matter than concerned such a potentially touchy issue for their race. Considering Takuma was the only friend Kuran had on that particular governing body, this was likely to go in his favor given how things seemed to be turning out.
The four vampires had been allowed to remain, although they were ringed with guards who held weapons trained on them, just in case. Council member or no, no one here was forgetting that these four were in Kuran's camp.
"Understood," Kaname said calmly in response to Yagari, cutting off any further protests on his behalf. His gaze was firm as it fixed on the small group of vampires outside the circle, clearly telling them not to cause trouble. Or at least, it was as firm as he could make it when he could barely see them through the black splotches swirling nauseatingly through his vision. He was relieved to see that they got the message, even if not all of them were very happy about it.
He shifted his grip on Zero as the hunter sat up a little more in his arms. The silver haired boy blinked to clear his blurry vision, wincing a bit in pain as his motions pulled at his injuries. The pureblood moved his hand with Zero so he could continue to apply careful pressure to the deep, bleeding wound in his lover's side.
"I ask only one thing," Kaname continued evenly, still speaking to the hunters, his gaze now fixed directly on Yagari. "Please let Kiriyu out now, and allow my associates to take him home," he nodded towards Takuma and the others. "He is in urgent need of medical attention. Any and all issues that may need clearing up are mine to deal with. He simply did his duty as a hunter by stopping a dangerous vampire and is guilty of nothing in this matter. In point of fact, he is responsible for saving all your lives."
Zero frowned as he suddenly became aware of what Kaname was doing. "Kaname..." he murmured warningly, but the pureblood hushed him.
"Be still, Zero. You're bleeding much too heavily," he murmured, then to the hunters he said, "I'm going to send him out now. He can pass through without harm, is that not correct? You will give him safe passage?"
Kaname knew Zero could pass right through the charmed circles around them with or without the hunter's approval. His status as a tamed vampire made him immune to certain forms of hunter containment. Kaname just needed to be sure the hunters wouldn't freak out and shoot Zero if he sent him out. He didn't think it would be too hard to convince them. Zero was one of their own and Yagari would stand up for him.
"Right," Yagari said simply, not allowing for debate on the subject from the others. "He can come through. Send him on out."
Kaname took a moment to press his hand more firmly to Zero's side. His and Zero's blood was freely mingled on their clothing and skin. With a shuddering breath, he used what little strength he had left to cause some of his blood to form a tight bandage over Zero's wound, finally stopping the worrisome blood loss for the time being. The rest of his failing strength he pressed into Zero in a way that would stimulate his body to heal. That should hold him until he could get proper treatment, but it had taken the last of Kaname's reserves, which was why he'd waited until after the important negotiations were over. The pureblood felt a cold, spinning numbness beginning to creep through his body. It was going to shut down soon. He couldn't hold it off much longer.
With a small amount of urgency, he shifted Zero gently off his lap to the ground. Zero was in a bad way, but with the boost he'd just given him he should be able to make it out of the circle on his own power. "Go," Kaname murmured. "It's all right, I'll be fine."
Aido could hardly tear his eyes off the two bloody figures in the courtyard. It took all his self control, and Seiren's warning grip to keep him from leaping down there blindly to... to... well, to do what he had no idea and that was the problem. There wasn't much he could do other than watch this situation unfold and the helplessness was suffocating. The majority of the people who meant the most to him in the world were down there and in imminent danger. Kaname, Zero, Kain, Ruka... Kaname and Zero looked so bad. Aido had seen Kaname weak before, but the sight was still intensely distressing to him. He'd seen both Kaname and Zero pulled half dead out of the waters of a devastating flood some years back and had hoped to never see them in such a state again. Apparently, life was not in the habit of giving him what he wanted.
A soft click drew his attention momentarily back to his companion and he saw Seiren adjust her grip on the slender, ultra-light sniper rifle she now held to her shoulder. She was steady enough to do what human snipers couldn't, able to hold the weapon and aim rather than needing to balance it on anything. She needed no scope either, able to use a simple notch on the barrel and her own extremely keen vision. Aido was sure she was deadly accurate. Any other time, he would have marveled a bit more at the way she had swiftly assembled the unusual weapon from pieces concealed in her clothing, but right now too much of his attention was fixed on the two figures trapped inside the coils of hunter charms below. He felt like his heart was in his throat.
Seiren may have felt the same, but she didn't show it. Her face was tight but free of hindering emotion. She knew the hard truth that her ability to protect her young lord in this situation was minimal. There were too many hunters and Kaname was pinned down, completely in the open. She dare not start anything, she could only stand by to respond if things turned ugly.
"Use the window, get inside and find cover," Seiren said quietly to Aido without shifting her gaze from the scene below. If things went south she could expect to draw heavy fire from below and she could not protect him out here.
"No way in hell," Aido murmured and she felt the air chill behind her, indicating that he was drawing on his powers.
Seiren didn't argue. The faintest ghost of a smile touched her lips. Weakened though he was, she hadn't really expected him to run. There was steel behind that frivolous exterior, and they shared a common goal.
The odds were better with two of them, but unfortunately not by enough. Sheer logistics were against them. If the situation got ugly, there was no way they could kill everyone in the courtyard fast enough. She estimated she could take out at least half the hunters in about two seconds, then the odds became much harder to calculate. For one thing, the hunters would now be aware of her presence and for another, if the four vampires in the courtyard were not killed before they could react then Takuma, Shiki, Kain and Ruka would also be in on the fight.
The hunters would all die, but they wouldn't go easy. There would be heavy casualties on both sides. She and Aido were likely to be killed, but they were even more likely to lose some or all of the nobles on the ground since they were closer to the hunters. Such a massacre would also almost certainly trigger the next hunter and vampire war. All that collateral damage was highly undesirable, but acceptable to her. The real problem with the scenario was that the probability of least one of the hunters having time to kill Kaname before she could take them down was well over 90%, and that was much too high to take the risk unless there was no other choice.
For now, all she and Aido could do was wait and watch and see what happened. Ultimately, she knew they had little chance of saving Kaname if things went badly, but should that happen then she would be very, very sure that none of the hunters walked out of here alive either.
Zero wavered slightly on his knees, one arm curled around his burning side. His other hand shot out and caught Kaname's pale wrist. The pureblood's body trembled softly under his hand and there was no strength, no resistance in it. If he tugged, Kaname would have fallen right over. "Liar," he murmured through grit teeth around the pain of his insides. He could see in the pureblood's eyes that he was only hanging on by a thread. He was nothing close to fine.
"I didn't say I was all right," Kaname grit out softly through his teeth, knowing there was no point in prevarication. "What's important is that I will be all right," he insisted, desperate to get Zero going before the darkness pulling at him took hold. He knew Zero wouldn't leave him alone in here if he were unconscious, bless him. "I'm sure they'll have a suitable conveyance here shortly. This is all temporary. It's not a big deal, just go." He was keeping his voice low so the conversation remained private.
Zero knew otherwise. It was a big deal to walk away and leave Kaname to face this alone in his condition. Kaname hid it well, but he was afraid of his own vulnerability, Zero knew that about him. After everything that had happened with Nasser, Zero finally understood at least part of the reason behind that fear and his lover's almost pathological need to dominate the outcome of any given situation. Any time Kaname had been vulnerable or not in control of events in his early life, he had ended up hurt - sometimes hideously so.
Zero would be damned if he let that dynamic continue to hold true. No one could be all powerful all the time. Kaname deserved to have someone to watch out for him on those rare occasions when he couldn't do it himself. The proud pureblood may not think he needed or wanted that, but tough. Zero would have his back whether he liked it or not.
"Zero? Can you stand? Come on out," Yagari urged, trying to hide the fact that he wanted to get him out of there as much as Kaname did. It sounded like he was prepared to go in and get Zero if the boy couldn't make it on his own.
Zero staggered to his feet to show he was all right, but instead of going out, he dropped to his knees behind Kaname and wrapped his arms around him from behind. He rested his chin on Kaname's shoulder, feeling the slender body shuddering against him. Kaname tried to resist as if sensing Zero's intentions, but instead his body slackened, unable to support itself any longer. His light frame slipped back against Zero's chest, resting against him in a way that Kaname obviously didn't want, but couldn't fight. The pureblood's skin was clammy and extraordinarily pale.
"Zero, don't..." Kaname whispered, but his hoarse voice lacked the strength to argue in the same way his body lacked the strength to support itself. Zero knew how badly Kaname was really doing, despite his previous veneer of control. Yes, the pureblood would be all right, his wounds were no longer mortal, but they were still serious. With or without the circle around them, Kaname was helpless right now. Kaname passionately hated being helpless. How could he expect Zero to abandon him in this state?
"I'm okay, Sensei," he declared, trying to clear some of the hoarseness from his tense throat. He was in a lot of pain, but his wounds weren't going to kill him that quick. Nothing on earth was going to make him leave Kaname's side when the pureblood was so weak. He trusted Yagari, and he would have entrusted Kaname into his custody maybe, but not the other hunters. Not alone. In his current state there were too many ways they could hurt and humiliate Kaname without even really intending to be malicious. Once Kaname was in a holding cell at HQ, he would probably be all right, but it was the trip there that worried Zero. This whole situation was bound to make the hunters unhappy and he knew how prisoners could be treated by edgy guards after a bad hunt. It was frightening. Kaname had lost part of his heart, what if somebody thought it was a bright idea to seal him? He could die.
"You're hurt. There's nothing that you staying here can accomplish. Please, Zero," Kaname protested softly. "...I need to know you're safe," he admitted.
"Will you chill? I'm better off than you are and I'm not going to keel over and die this minute," Zero murmured against Kaname's ear, supporting the other's body resolutely, despite the way his own was throbbing. "What you're really afraid of is that if I stay, they'll take me in with you, right?" he guessed astutely. "Well forget it," he said firmly. "I understand why it has to play out like this, but there's no way in hell I'm letting them take you in alone."
Kaname knew he needed to protest, but he was so tired and in so much pain and the truth was that Zero's words made him feel very warm. It was selfish, but it was true that he didn't want to be alone. There was some despicable part of him that was scared of being under the power of others when he was so vulnerable. It was shameful, of course, but it was there. He swallowed with difficulty.
"You can't. Don't link yourself to me right now, Zero, it will pull you down. I can prove Nasser's ill intentions, I can ultimately walk in and out of this, but if they arrest you..." Kaname struggled to finish the thought, but finally just let it hang meaningfully, his mind and tongue no longer fully cooperating with him. Zero would know what he meant. It could do irreparable damage to Zero's career to be taken in for questioning as a vampire in this matter, it would change the way people looked at him. Kaname was desperate to avoid that.
Zero would not have thought such a consideration any kind of deterrent under the current circumstances. Important as his life as a hunter was to him, his career took a second place to Kaname's safety. However, him being simply another prisoner wouldn't do much to allow him to keep his lover safe. He had a different idea in mind completely.
"Who the hell said anything about getting arrested?" he managed a small smirk, breathing deeply as he struggled to gather himself for the effort ahead. "I'm the one arresting you, idiot," he murmured. "You're my prisoner now, and anyone who knows me knows that means I'm not going to let you out of my sight for a moment until I get you safely to HQ." He pressed the side of his head gently against Kaname's, as close to a caress as was prudent at the moment with so many eyes on them.
"Zero?" Yagari's voice questioned. "You don't look good, kid. Come on out and get yourself checked out. We've got this."
Zero could tell Yagari was trying as best he was able under the circumstance to tell him that it was okay and the older hunter would watch out for Kaname. Yagari obviously had the same thoughts about getting him out of there that his lover had. Zero appreciated it, but he couldn't entrust Kaname to anyone else, not in his condition... not after everything that had just happened.
Zero lifted his head to meet Yagari's gaze through the red-tinged air. "Sensei, you're not trying to take my prize, are you? Come on, you have to admit I'm first on scene here," he said with a tired, but cocky grin. Several eyebrows raised and a few people, including Yagari, actually smiled at the sheer balls the battered young hunter was displaying. "First on scene" was common hunter parlance and it meant Zero was claiming the right of being the first hunter either on the scene or involved in the fight. In bounty situations, it was usually the first on the scene who had the right to final custody of the prisoner. Kuran was obviously not a typical bounty and he wasn't technically even being arrested, just taken into custody for questioning. Still, there was no denying that bringing in a pureblood for any reason could be considered an unusual achievement.
"I was in the skirmish first, and I have physical custody," Zero wrapped his arms around Kaname's shoulders a little more fully to emphasis his point. "Kuran's my prize and I'll be transporting him to HQ. I'll be fine, Sensei."
Yagari shook his head. He knew the real game his apprentice was playing. It both amused and frustrated him, but Zero would be Zero, he supposed. "You're a real brat, you know that, right?" he groused. "Nobody's trying to take your damn prize, you can have him. Just don't get yourself killed, all right?"
"Sure, whatever," Zero retorted, all but rolling his eyes. The banter between teacher and student lent a subtle normalcy to the tense situation and seemed to be setting the other hunters a little more at ease.
Zero could feel the way Kaname's chest was struggling to rise and fall under his arms. He realized what the charms about them were doing to his lover's wounded body and his jaw set. He shifted around until he was kneeling in front of Kaname, keeping a supportive hand on the pureblood's shoulder to keep him sitting upright. Kaname wavered dangerously, but managed to stay up for the moment. "How much do you trust me, Kaname?" he murmured softly.
Kaname blinked up at him slowly, his eyes dilated and weary but completely trusting. "With my life," he murmured the answer Zero already knew. Zero gave him a soft smile, wishing he could kiss him.
"Then trust me that it will be okay and I won't let anyone hurt you, all right?" he whispered as he reached behind his back and somewhat clumsily tugged something free. His gun was still wedged in his waistband in front of his left hip where Kaname had put it, but that wasn't what he was after. His clothes were in a complete state of ruin, but his handcuffs had managed to come through the fight all right and were still clipped securely to the back of his belt where he usually wore them. Drawing them out he let Kaname see then, hesitating for a moment despite knowing what he needed to do.
Kaname simply smiled faintly and held his hands up in front of him as much as he was able. "Arrest me, Mr. Hunter..." he murmured with the faintest hint of suggestive innuendo.
Zero grinned despite himself. "God, you're half dead, Kaname, you really are hopeless." But in truth, he knew and appreciated the complete faith Kaname placed in him as the wounded pureblood let him snap the cuffs around his wrists, taking one more bit of control away from him.
Zero closed, but did not activate the charm on the cuffs. He wouldn't do that to Kaname in his condition and the others didn't need to know. After all, he was aware how perfectly unnecessary the cuffs were to begin with. Kaname wasn't going to cause any trouble. These were normal cuffs, not the ones the other hunters wanted to use on Kaname, but Zero was not about to let them got those powerful binds on the injured vampire, it would cause Kaname too much pain. No, they were going to do this his way.
Gathering himself, he struggled to his feet, pulling Kaname's all but dead weight up with him. He probably shouldn't have been able to have enough strength to be doing this after what had just happened, but he was still processing some benefit from Nasser's blood and Kaname must have pushed a decent chunk of energy into him just now as well, saving almost nothing for himself, the beloved moron.
With a bit of effort, Zero pulled a bound Kaname up into his arms properly, holding him carefully in front of him, one hand under his knees, the other supporting Kaname's back. The pureblood rested his head against Zero's chest. He wasn't sure what the young hunter was up to, but he was too drained to do more than simply trust to whatever course of action Zero had decided to take. In the semi-conscious haze starting to settle over him, it was a relief to have someone he could simply rely upon. Zero's assurances were sweet, and Kaname had known for a while that Zero would protect him if he needed to, but almost more importantly, Kaname knew he could rely on Zero for good plans and sound judgment as well.
It probably seemed harsh to say, but he hadn't always been so certain of that in the past. He hadn't always understood Zero and the hunter's logic and actions could seem to him unclear and unpredictable. Zero, however, had blossomed into quite an incredible young man in so many, many ways. Kaname had finally been able to see that clearly, especially in the past few weeks and he'd discovered that Zero's unpredictability could in fact be his biggest asset at times. Put quite frankly, Kaname knew he could trust that whatever Zero was doing would probably not end badly or get them both killed, even if he didn't know or understand the plan. That was a huge relinquishment of control for the pureblood and perhaps bespoke his trust more eloquently than anything else could have.
"Zero? What are you doing?" Yagari inquired carefully, his tone suggesting that he already had a good idea and was not pleased.
Zero met his gaze evenly through the pinkish-red glow of the circles about them. "What does it look like? I'm bringing my prisoner out," he said matter-of-factly, nodding down towards the cuffed pureblood in his arms. "It's fricking suffocating in here, you know."
Kaname was on the verge of passing out and Zero wanted to get him out of here. He was weary and hurting and once again pushing himself harder than he should have after what had just happened, but all of that just made him pissed off and his irritation fed his resolve. He could crash later, right now, nobody was going to stop him.
"Yeah, I bet, but maybe we better wait on that," Yagari said slowly, gauging the rising levels of tenseness in the other hunters.
Zero smiled wryly, giving the other hunters a challenging look as if silently weighing their valor and finding it lacking. "Oh come on, look at him. He just did 15 rounds with a freaking pureblood Methuselah. Don't tell me you're all scared of one barely conscious vampire."
So saying, Zero stepped out onto the first line of charms. The tattoo on his neck throbbed as it reacted to the spells. He felt the buzz of them travel through him, making the hairs rise on his skin and his muscles tighten, but they didn't hurt him. They wouldn't hurt Kaname either, so long as Zero was holding him. There were only two ways an untamed vampire could pass through a hunter barrier. They had to either be in activated chains, which Kaname was not, or they had to be carried by a hunter.
Several hunters raised their weapons warily and Zero just fixed them with a withering look. "Don't be a bunch of sissy dicks. He's my prisoner, I'll take responsibility for him. You think I can't handle him in his condition?" He had a firm, commanding look in his eyes that he had never used with his fellow hunters before. They didn't need to know that he himself was barely staying on his feet. He'd learned well from Kaname that sometimes the pretense of strength and control was all you really needed.
"I said, I'm bringing him out, Sensei," he said a bit more respectfully, turning his gaze back to his master and intentionally speaking to Yagari as if he were the only person here that mattered. "He's in mycustody. He'll not be a threat to anyone." His gaze seemed to dare any of them to suggest that after what they'd seen him do, he wasn't perfectly capable of making sure that one injured vampire who had already agreed to come peaceably wouldn't turn on them or run off.
If there was one thing that hit the proud hunters were it hurt, it was being made to look like they were afraid of their prey, even in instances where that was a justly warranted reaction. Zero's attitude and words painted their reactions to Kaname as comparable to someone jumping onto a chair and shrieking over the sight of a mouse, which was a good way to make them all take a step back and try to not look quite so alarmed.
Zero lifted his chin and continued forward, treading deliberately across the charms as he carried Kaname out of the circle and back into the free air.
No one tried to stop him. It was more than just a fear of being shamed by overreaction. The hunters were no fools; they knew that even a vampire that appeared half dead could be mortally dangerous. However, there was something about Zero in this moment that made them hesitate to cross him, even if it was simply that they had all just seen what he was capable of and were still attempting to process what that meant.
It was interesting to watch the change in them towards Zero. They should have perhaps had more reason than ever to fear and mistrust him after his display of power. Some no doubt certainly did... but hunters had sprung from vampires and in their blood they held the same reverence towards power as those they hunted. Political power and influence within the hunters had always been determined by physical power and skill. They respected those who could enforce their wills, those who were strong. Zero had just eloquently proved how very, very strong he was. He had contained the power of two battling purebloods and had likely been involved in the death of one of them. Vampire or no, he was suddenly a hunter to be reckoned with. The authoritative tone Zero was taking now, so unlike what they were used to from him, seemed to emphasize that change. The others responded to it, even if unconsciously.
The four vampires in the courtyard knew better than to cause any ripples by drawing attention to themselves. They stayed where they were, but Takuma shot Zero a grin, obviously having enjoyed what he'd just seen.
Kaname couldn't help smiling slightly as well as he rested against the young hunter, his body feeling blessedly lighter and his pain easing a little now that they were free of the circle. The look on Zero's face just now had been priceless. He might as well have been staring down a bunch of annoying Day Class girls back when they were in school, warning them that if they didn't back the hell off, he was going to make them cry. Zero had never shown that kind of confidence or command around his fellow hunters before. It had always been painfully clear that he felt inadequate around them, despite his vast talents. Not at this moment, though. Kaname felt like he was in some way seeing Zero begin to come into his own and despite the crappy circumstances, it was a lovely sight.
Seiren lowered her weapon when she saw Kiriyu carry Kaname out of the circle. The pair wasn't entirely out of danger, but given that the hunters had just allowed that, the chances of them being killed out of hand had shrunk down into more negligible figures. Aido also seemed to sense that the crisis had passed and he relaxed a bit behind her, a small smile on his face.
Kaname was unconscious by the time the hunter paddy wagons arrived a few minutes later. Zero's body was starting to shake with fatigue, but he hid that from the others and carried Kaname silently across the courtyard to the street, bearing his precious burden up into the wagon and remaining with him as the barred door was slammed shut and the car drove away.
.
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A/N (continued): So… is Nasser really dead? Maybe. ;) Originally, I did not intend to kill him in this story because I have some ideas for future stories which involved him. He was always going to die more or less exactly like this eventually, but not for a while yet. However, since my muse has up and fled on me it's highly likely that I won't get around to writing the rest of the ridiculously involved and complicated ideas I have. Because I absolutely HATE it when stories leave you hanging, or TV shows go off the air leaving all kinds of ends dangling, I decided to accelerate things and change the ending of this story so that everyone could have closure on the whole Nasser issue. I did leave myself a small bit of leeway to bring him back should I suddenly be overwhelmed with inspiration and want to go ahead and try writing the other stories, but for all intents and purposes as far as I'm concerned right now, he's dead, so we can all be happy about that. :)
This story is not over yet however. There are a few very important questions to answer yet regarding what happened in An'swala and the nature of the virus and why Nasser really infected Yuki with it (yes, he kind of lied, big shock there). Naturally, we also need to get Kaname and Zero out of their current predicament and find out what's going to happen with dear Aido as well. So this story probably still has at least two, maybe three more chapters to go.
Thank you all for sticking with me through the long and sometimes incredibly slow ride and thank you all for the wonderful and amazing reviews that feed my soul and keep my fingers moving across the keys. ;)