A/N: And I'm back with another chapter. Actually a little earlier than expected this time as well. So hello again, dearests! *hugs everyone*

Sorry to say it's another boring chapter where pretty much nothing happens *sighs* It will probably turn out to be a disappointment, but I do hope you will somehow manage to enjoy at least some bits of it at least a tiny bit *bows deeply* I am truly sorry if you don't though *bows again*

As always, thank you — and I mean really and truly thank you — for still following this story, for your favs and alerts, and most of all, for your incredibly kind, inspiring reviews. You may not realize it, but your support means the world to me, like it would to any other author. So, again, thank you *bows*

And the usual. Disclaimer, warnings and the rest remain the same. There are definitely mistakes here and there since English is not my first language, and those mistakes are all mine.

Would be happy to hear your thoughts on this one as well.

Hope you will be able to enjoy reading! :D

Chapter 36: Revealed Truths

Hiou Shizuka wasn't there.

She was nowhere in the mansion, nor anywhere near it, Zero was almost certain of it. He couldn't feel her presence no matter how hard he tried. Then again, he wasn't quite sure he could completely trust his senses with the way they were right now, and he wanted to be certain. He wanted to know.

So he asked, "Where is she?"

The question made Ichiru slow down and turn to him.

"That woman," Zero elaborated without waiting for his twin to ask. "I can't feel her anywhere."

Ichiru let out a soft 'Oh' before nodding and replying, "Yeah, she left a while ago."

Zero blinked at the information, his brows rose a little before creasing into a small frown. "Why?"

Ichiru shrugged. "I didn't ask."

"I see…" Zero trailed off, lowering his eyes thoughtfully and allowing Ichiru to guide him further inside the house. A small sigh escaped him, one of undeniable relief. He felt his form relax, only now realizing how tense it had been before.

She wasn't there, that woman. He didn't have to face her. Not yet.

He had been right all along, too. It didn't seem like his senses were off, after all, even if pretty much everything around him still felt…weird. And that included…

Zero looked up at his twin. "You feel different," he blurted out without really thinking.

He had noticed the change a little while after waking up, but hadn't said anything, thinking he had been imagining things. But that feeling hadn't disappeared — on the contrary, Zero perceived it more clearly now, and he couldn't help wondering about it.

Ichiru halted in his strides, turning to his counterpart again. Zero could tell from the expression on his twin's face that he had no idea what Zero was talking about. "Different how?" Ichiru asked, involuntarily tightening his hold on Zero's hand.

Zero frowned, his gaze lowering thoughtfully as he tried to discern whatever it was his senses were trying to tell him. Unfortunately, it wasn't an easy task — either that or he was still a bit too out of it to be able to think properly — and he only came up empty in the end.

A resigned sigh marked Zero's surrender. "I don't know," he finally answered, looking up at Ichiru anew. "I'm not sure. It's just… Your aura, it feels different. From before, I mean." He shrugged before repeating, "I don't know."

Ichiru involuntarily tensed up. "Does it bother you?"

"I don't think so."

"What then?"

Zero gave a shrug. "It's just weird. Like you're not really you."

"Do you hate it?"

"I need to get used to it."

"You didn't answer my question."

The remark made Zero pause. He contemplated for a few moments before answering, "…I don't."

"But?" Ichiru prompted, knowing very well there was more to his twin's words.

"But I still need to get used to it," Zero voiced the same conclusion as before.

Ichiru squeezed Zero's hand in his tighter. "Is it that bad?"

"It's…" Zero paused to think, his eyes lowered briefly, clouding over, his frown returned. "Uh…a little overwhelming." To put it mildly. 'Suffocating' and 'oppressive' were actually more suitable words to describe the feeling Zero was getting, but he chose not to use those. He knew how it would affect Ichiru, and he didn't want to make his counterpart feel worse than Zero knew he already did.

Ichiru frowned. "You didn't say anything before."

"It wasn't like that before."

Ichiru blinked, his frown smoothing out. "Oh…I see…" he trailed off, looking away.

A long silence followed as the two remained standing still in the hallway.

After a while, Ichiru finally found it in himself to lock eyes with his twin anew. "Do you want me to leave?" he risked asking, mentally preparing himself for an unfavorable to him answer yet vehemently praying for it not to come. He didn't want to separate again, and certainly not after he had just gotten his brother back. But he didn't want to make Zero uncomfortable with his presence — mostly his hunter presence, he supposed, as it was probably that which agitated his twin's newly awakened vampire side — either.

"What?" Zero asked with a frown. "No," he shook his head, "of course not. Why would you even think that?" he finished with a small, so familiar to Ichiru indulgent smile.

Ichiru felt his tense shoulders relax as he breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Zero's smile widened a little as he added, "How can I get accustomed to it if you're not around, you idiot?"

A soft chuckle escaped the younger twin. "I guess you can't." His lips stretched into a slight smirk. "I will try my best not to stay away from you for too long then."

Zero arched an eyebrow. "Do you even need to try?"

Ichiru frowned, trying to sound offended as he replied, "You make it sound as though I'm some sort of a creepy stalker. Or worse, a clingy brat."

Zero gave his twin a skeptically amused look. "You seriously need to re-evaluate your priorities there. And," he added with a smirk, "those are your words, not mine."

Ichiru huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "My priorities are just fine, thank you very much. And," he mimicked the way Zero had said the word before accusing with a pout, "you're a terrible older brother."

An amused chuckle escaped Zero. That side of his twin — the impossibly childish and spoiled one — never failed to lift his spirits. "I'm not," he denied in response. "Your standards are just way too high. And," he spoke in the same manner as before just to get on Ichiru's nerves, his smirk widening as he added, "you know it."

Ichiru shrugged. "I never said otherwise. I am very hard to please," he replied with his own smirk back in place and thriving before he turned to continue making his way down the hallway.

Zero automatically followed. "Are you bragging about it now?"

"Merely stating the truth," Ichiru responded with another shrug, then turned to his twin. "That's another good thing about me. I'm honest."

Zero snorted. "And awfully modest."

It was an enormous effort to keep a straight face, but Ichiru managed. He hadn't had years of practice for nothing. "I know, right?" Even his voice sounded genuine, and Ichiru gave himself a mental nod of approval. "You don't get to meet someone like me often these days."

Zero gave another chuckle. "Yeah, you're definitely one of a kind."

Ichiru nodded, a pleased smile curving his lips. "Good to know you appreciate it."

"Not such a terrible older brother I am then, am I?"

Ichiru hummed, pretending to think. "You can do okay, I guess. When you try hard like you're supposed to."

Zero immediately got reminded of one of their most ridiculous conversations not so long ago. "Because it's my so-called 'duty'?"

"Precisely," Ichiru confirmed without missing a beat.

Zero could only chuckle and shake his head at his counterpart's logic. "Had I known what I was signing up for, maybe I would have let you go first and take a shot at being the older twin."

Ichiru laughed. "I seriously doubt you had any choice in the matter. But even if I had outrun you in that race, I know I would have been the best older brother one can ever dream of."

Zero gave an amused snort. "Yeah, and probably themost humble one, too."

Ichiru frowned, tilting his head slightly to the side as he asked, "What is it with you and your obsession with humility today? I'm not such alost cause, you know."

"Says you."

"Which is more than enough."

Zero nodded. "And totally objective, I'm sure."

"I always am." All Ichiru got in response from Zero were silence and a skeptically arched eyebrow. "What? I have a problem with that too now?"

Zero feigned surprise. "So you're aware of that?" He nodded in mock approval. "Good, maybe you really aren't a lost cause, after all."

"You're such a bully," Ichiru accused with a petulant pout, then turned away, huffing. "Keep being like that, and I'm totally firing you."

Zero gave his twin a look of amused bewilderment. "From what?"

"From the position of my big brother."

"I seriously doubt you have any authority to do that," Zero remarked with a mocking snort. "I'm all you've got, so take it or leave it."

There was a short while of petulant silence, then came Ichiru's grumpy reply, "I'll take it."

Another snort from Zero followed the answer.

"But," Ichiru couldn't help adding, "you'll have to do better than that, starting right now."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning stop being an ass and give me back my loving brother."

"Can't take a few minutes of friendly teasing?"

"I have. And now those few minutes are up."

"But we've only just started."

Ichiru gave his counterpart an incredulous look, halting in his tracks. "There is still more?"

Zero stopped as well, smirking. "What do you think?"

Ichiru grimaced apprehensively before replying, "I think we should just drop it and move on."

Zero feigned a pout. "Can't I have my fun once in a while?"

"You have. More than enough. Now let's drop it and move on."

Zero kept fake-pouting.

Ichiru held his ground, repeating more slowly, "Let's drop it and move on." When that didn't work, he gave a resigned sigh and resorted to begging with his best pleading expression, "Please?"

Zero tortured his other half for a bit longer before finally taking pity on him. "Okay," he conceded with a soft chuckle. "Okay, just lose the puppy dog eyes. It's cheating."

"It's not," Ichiru denied, granting Zero's request. "It's my only weapon against you. I have the right to use it."

Ichiru's words drew another amused chuckle from Zero. They resumed walking again.

"Still unfair. That you have yours, but I don't have mine," Zero remarked next.

"It's not. You don't need one."

"How so?"

Ichiru shrugged. "Because I'm harmless."

That earned him a snort and a skeptical look from his twin.

"…To you," Ichiru added.

Zero nodded. "That's more like it."

They both laughed quietly before slowly lapsing into companionable silence. It lasted for some while, until they reached what Zero realized was apparently their destination.

"Kitchen?" Zero blinked, looking around a spacious room.

Ichiru nodded, "Mm. Thought you might be hungry."

Now that Ichiru mentioned it… "I am," Zero admitted. He was actually starving. It was a wonder he hadn't noticed before.

Ichiru's lips stretched into a smile. "Good. Let's make something then." It had been a while since they had cooked together, and Ichiru had missed spending time with Zero like that terribly.

"Mm," Zero nodded his consent as he stepped further into the room to explore it along with its contents. "And while we're at it, you might as well tell me how on earth we ended up here." Having found two aprons, Zero approached Ichiru and handed him one. "Deal?"

Accepting the offered piece of clothing, Ichiru reluctantly agreed with a nod, "Deal."

-o-

"What do you want with them?" Kaname asked a little while after Shizuka's last revelation had sunk in.

"Nothing much," Shizuka replied with an elegant shrug of her shoulders. "Only to keep them safe and strong."

Burgundy eyes narrowed distrustfully. "Why?"

"Because I care for them."

Kaname didn't answer, but his expression said it all.

Shizuka gave a soft chuckle. "It is the truth, whether you believe it or not."

"I don't," Kaname said bluntly. "What is the real reason for your sudden interest in them?"

"It isn't sudden. I have been watching them for years."

"Why?"

"I believe I have already told you as much."

"And I'm still not convinced."

Shizuka gave a small snort. "Of course you aren't. However..." She looked up at Kaname with a mirthless smile. "That is hardly my concern, is it?"

It happened in a split second. One moment Kaname was standing a safe distance away from Shizuka, and then the next he was already on the other side of the room, pressing the female pureblood into the nearest wall by the neck, his previous seemingly calm and collected facade completely gone, replaced by a dark scowl, burning red eyes and elongated fangs.

"Enough of this nonsense," Kaname growled dangerously, slowly tightening his now taloned fingers around Shizuka's neck. The woman did nothing to fight him off — she hadn't even when she had seen him lunge at her. "Give them back," Kaname demanded.

Shizuka remained unaffected by the very obvious threat in front of her. "Are you sure it's wise?" she asked, her mirthless smile widening slightly. "Right now I am the only one who can keep them out of harm's way, the only one you can trust with them."

"Trust you?" Kaname snorted. "Don't make me laugh. I could never trust someone like you." Especially with Zero's life and safety. The woman must be delusional to think otherwise.

"It seems to me you have no other choice though."

"I disagree."

Kaname's fingers tightened further, his hold turned outright suffocating. Shizuka's voice confirmed as much when she spoke next, "My death will solve nothing." But even so, the woman refused to back down. "You will only lose your one true ally against that man." Her smile had long disappeared, replaced by an angry scowl at the mention of their common enemy.

Kaname gave a snort of contempt. His fingers around Shizuka's neck loosened a little. "So that is what this is all about? Your revenge on Rido?"

"Not just mine. We both want him dead. For good."

That was true, and they both knew it, reluctant as Kaname was to acknowledge the fact even to himself.

"Is that why you kidnapped them? To use as leverage against me?"

"I didn't kidnap anyone," Shizuka disagreed. "I gave them a choice. They are free to leave whenever they want."

"Where are they?"

Shizuka gave a small, wry smile. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that."

Kaname gritted his teeth, his hand tightening around the other's neck anew. "Then I will find the answer on my own." He turned Shizuka's head to the side with a jerk of his hand, exposing the woman's neck.

"I am a pureblood," Shizuka reminded in a surprisingly calm manner, not at all fazed by the fact that she was about to get — more than likely savagely — bitten. "You can try all you want, but you won't find anything."

"I will have to dig deeper then," Kaname whispered, inches away from his goal.

"…He has allied himself with the Shirabuki heiress."

The information made Kaname halt a breath away from Shizuka's neck.

"You need me, and you know it, young Kuran…" Shizuka trailed off before adding, "No…Kaname-san."

Kaname's eyes widened a fraction at the tone and the honorific the woman had used. He knew then. He knew that she knew. She knew who he really was. But even worse than that was the fact that she was right. He did need her.

"…Give them back," Kaname tried again after some time. "Give him back."

A long silence passed.

"You can't protect him," Shizuka finally spoke again. "You couldn't before, you can't do it now, and you won't be able to." She turned her head to look at Kaname after he had leaned away. "If he is with you, that man will find a way to get to him. You know it as well as I do."

"This time will be different," Kaname argued. "I will-"

"You couldn't protect him even from your so-called sister," Shizuka reminded him. "You had your chance. Now it's my turn."

Kaname knew he couldn't argue against the first part. He had failed way too many times to be able to redeem himself. However…

"Why would you want that?" He didn't trust her. He couldn't. He wouldn't.

Shizuka breathed a long sigh, lowering her gaze thoughtfully. She stayed silent for a long moment before looking up at Kaname anew and giving her answer, "You aren't the only pureblood who cancare for them. And it doesn't matter whether you believe me or not," she added in response to Kaname's still very much doubtful expression. "That is the only answer you are going to get from me."

Kaname clenched his jaw in frustration. He refused to believe still.

But he knew how he could make sure that Shizuka wouldn't be able to go back on her word.

"Swear it," he demanded. "Make a blood pact with me and swear not to do anything that would bring them harm." Kaname let a long moment of silence pass as he looked deep into Shizuka's pink eyes, searching, assessing. "That is my condition. Are you willing to take it?"

Shizuka didn't hesitate with her answer. "I am."

-o-

"She was always good at it," Rido spoke almost joyously, "that unruly former betrothed of mine."

An unimpressed eyebrow rose in response. "Good at what exactly?" came in a silky smooth, feminine voice of one Shirabuki Sara. It wasn't a question born of curiosity, but more of the knowledge that her companion was anticipating it.

Sure enough, Rido was pleased, if the widening of his lazy smirk was any indication. "At surprising me. In the most unpleasant yet amusing ways."

A while of silence passed. Then followed the reply. "You actually seem to be enjoying the situation..." Sara observed, still as unimpressed as before. "Despite your previous dreadful failure."

"It wasn't a failure, just a minor bump in the road to my inevitable victory," Rido corrected the woman with an uncaring shrug. "But you're right, I am enjoying the situation." His smirk widened further and he tilted his head to the side, adding, "Why wouldn't I?"

"Why would you?"

"Because it's fun."

Sara turned away, an impatient sigh escaping her. She shook her head lightly in disapproval, her long, silky blond curls following the movement, swaying subtly from side to side. "You're too careless."

"You're too much of a worrywart."

"It's called being smart."

"Tiring is what it is." Rido moved towards the victorian red velvet sofa the female pureblood was seated on, plopping down on it unceremoniously, yet somehow still managing to make the action look uncaringly graceful. "You really need to learn how to have fun once in a while."

The corners of Sara's mouth lifted slightly in a subtle smile. She gave a light snort before leaning forward and reaching for a porcelain teacup on a coffee table in front of her as she asked in response, "And who, pray tell, do I need to learn it from?" Her lips curved further into a smile as she brought the cup to them, adding, "You?"

Rido shrugged. "Who else?"

Sara suppressed another snort, but she failed to keep the corners of her mouth from lifting some more. "I'll consider your offer…" she said after taking a sip of tea from her cup, "…when you actually succeed."

Rido breathed a long sigh, shaking his head. "You're no fun at all." But even as he said that, his smirk remained firmly in place.

"And that is perfectly fine with me," Sara replied with an elegant shrug before taking another sip of her drink. "But that aside," she spoke again after a brief silence, returning her gaze to Rido, "I would rather you tell me about your next move."

"You mean our next move?"

A blond eyebrow rose. "I thought I wasn't supposed to get involved yet."

"Slight change of plans," Rido explained. "We have a new player now, it's only to be expected that we adjust our game plan a bit, wouldn't you agree?"

Sara let out a soft hum of approval. "It's good to know you actually think before you act."

"I always do."

"It certainly doesn't look that way though."

Rido gave a chuckle. "I'm doing everything just right then."

Sara regarded the other with a sidelong look before turning away with a dismissive shrug of her shoulders and continuing to drink her tea.

"So," the woman spoke after another while of silence, turning her blue eyes to Rido once more, "what is our next move?"

Rido's ever present smirk widened. "It would require blood. Quite a bit of it."

He couldn't wait to enter the next stage of their little game.

-o-

It took Zero a while to absorb everything Ichiru had told him. The things in his brother's story just seemed too surreal to be true.

He knew they were though. The truth. He didn't doubt it for a second — he had no reason to, too. But it was still hard to believe that so much had happened while he had been asleep.

The academy had been attacked and suddenly turned into a battlefield. By Kuran Rido and his allies that had included not only vampires of all levels, which would have been more than expected, but hunters as well. And not just any hunters, not just some rogue hunters that had lost their way and switched sides for one reason or another, but the high-ranking, respected hunters of the Association, one of which had been the President himself.

Apparently, it had been an all-out war — enough to make even Cross forget about his retirement and pick up his long sheathed sword and fight. Zero was sure it must have been an intense battle that had caused some serious damage on both sides. Thankfully, though, Cross and Kaname's side had come out on top — Ichiru had told him that with absolute certainty. That had been a relief to hear, although it had done little to reduce Zero's urge to see for himself.

Yuuki hadn't suddenly turned into a vampire, and a pureblood at that — which was simply impossible. The latter, not the former.

Apparently, she had always been one, she had been born one, later sealed for her own safety and kept hidden for most of her life. And if that revelation hadn't been surprising enough, then the fact that she was also Kaname's sister certainly had.

No one had known, save for Cross and Kaname himself, of course. And, Zero mentally added as an afterthought, Rido, evidently. The man had known what he had been doing, Zero was sure. His actions, his words...everything that had transpired on that day, before the bite, suggested so now. Rido had known too, and he had acted on that knowledge.

And as for Kaname and Cross...

Zero honestly thought Kaname couldn't be blamed for keeping that secret. As an older brother, Zero understood him — he really did, more than anyone would ever know. Even Ichiru, as much as he disliked Kaname, seemed to share Zero's opinion, even if he would most likely never admit it.

And Cross...

Zero heaved a sigh.

He was still grateful to the man for everything he had done for them, and he always would be, but he couldn't say he didn't see where Ichiru was coming from. He got why his twin felt betrayed, and even why he thought he couldn't trust their guardian.

Ichiru's trust was a frighteningly fragile thing — hard to earn, easy to break, and almost impossible to regain after it had been lost. It had always been like that, and Zero doubted it would ever change. And now that Cross had lost that fragile trust put in him…it would take a ton of effort and a lot — an awful lot — of time to get it back.

Zero almost felt sorry for the man. Almost. Because a part of him — an ugly, spiteful part of him that he knew but never wanted to admit existed — actually agreed with Ichiru and thought Cross deserved the outcome, terrible as he felt about it, ashamed as he was of himself for even thinking that.

But he did think that. That ugly little part of him did. The one that contained his own feelings of bitterness born of betrayed trust and hurt pride. The one that was angry about being kept in the dark for so long, about him and his brother being considered less important than someone else, even if he himself cared for that someone else deeply.

It was probably unfair of him to think that way, but he couldn't help it.

He knew they were strong, he and Ichiru, enough to be able to protect themselves from danger — in most cases, anyway. They had each other, too. But that didn't mean they didn't need someone who cared for both of them. A parent figure, a family, even if they weren't related to them by blood. They still needed someone to trust and lean on, and they couldn't help craving warmth and care from someone that wasn't one of them. Ichiru would never ever admit it, he would keep insisting they only needed each other, but Zero knew better than to buy it. Just like he knew that Ichiru was the one who needed it the most.

He always had, he probably always would, and it couldn't be helped. And despite what Ichiru thought, there was nothing wrong with it, nor was it something to be ashamed of. It was only natural for a painfully insecure, rejected child — one that was still there even after all these years — to seek those things, consciously or otherwise.

Ichiru had. He had sought it from Cross, even if it hadn't been that obvious, if at all, to anyone other than Zero.

Zero was pretty sure he had done the same. He knew the need had been there, so he had most likely tried to fulfill it, although he had no idea how obvious he had been about it. He hoped he hadn't been that different from Ichiru though, as the alternative would be plain embarrassing.

Cross had been happy to provide them with all that. He had always been nothing but kind and caring and warm and generous. A little crazy — more than a little, actually — most of the time, Zero admitted, but it didn't change anything. The man had given them everything he could. Maybe not absolutely everything they had probably needed, but he had done more than enough for them. There had been warmth, there had been care, there had been support and kindness and so much more.

Trust, however, didn't seem to have been one of those things now. And that made a part of Zero doubt the rest. Not strongly, only a little, but the seed of distrust had been sown.

Zero could see why Cross had done what he had done. But try as he might, he couldn't relate to it.

It wasn't fair to his guardian, Zero realized that. It wasn't fair to think the way he did, to be able to find it in himself to understand Kaname, and not Cross. But that was the way he felt, and it rarely followed logic.

He couldn't say that Kaname's silence didn't hurt. It did, but Zero at least understood the reason for it. Had he and Ichiru ended up in that kind of situation, he would have done exactly the same thing for his little brother, and he would have done it without a moment's hesitation.

Cross's case was a different matter. His silence hurt more. It affected not only Zero, but Ichiru as well. And it was much more difficult to let go.

Zero wanted to, he did, but that ugly little part of him wouldn't let him. It was stubborn and surprisingly hard to overpower, and incredibly frustrating in its persistence.

"…-san?"

Zero let out a heavier sigh.

He was such a biased hypocrite it almost made him feel sick.

"Nii-san?"

Zero blinked several times, startled out of his musings by his counterpart's voice. It sounded worried. Probably because Ichiru was. Worried, he meant. Zero realized it upon turning to look at his twin.

"Yeah?" the older of the two asked with another blink, now completely out of his daze.

A slight frown crossed Ichiru's brow for a moment. He allowed a short silence pass before asking, "You okay?"

Zero hesitated a moment. Then he gave a slow nod and confirmed, "I am." He tried to smile, even just a little, to make his words sound more believable, but he knew the attempt was weak at best. He felt it, and he could tell by Ichiru's still worried countenance — perhaps even more so than before.

Ichiru's frown returned, for longer this time. He pressed his lips together, obviously not quite convinced by his brother's answer.

Before he could pursue the matter, however, Zero corrected himself, "I will be." He managed a genuine smile, and he sounded more sincere this time. Because he was. "So stop worrying about it."

Ichiru hesitated, but he still nodded his head in the end. "Okay."

The two lapsed into silence. It lasted for a while, until Zero interrupted it, but it wasn't Ichiru he spoke to.

"You can come out already," he said, looking over his shoulder at the partially open door. "You've been hiding there long enough."

Ichiru looked over his shoulder as well, just in time to see Maria's head meekly peek around the door. He had thought he had sensed her sometime before not so far away, but he had chosen not to pay attention to her presence. It hadn't bothered him, it very rarely did, subtle as it was, so it had been easy to forget about it. He had assumed then that Maria would simply go away quietly like she tended to do, but apparently, he had assumed wrong.

"What are you doing here?" Ichiru asked, frowning at the girl.

Maria's fingers involuntarily curled around the edge of the door she was still partially hiding behind. She tensed, visibly nervous under Ichiru's stern gaze.

"Um, I…" she started, but faltered, looking down. "I just…" She pressed her lips together, growing more discouraged by the second.

Zero gave a long sigh after a while of silence. Half turning around, he asked, "Are you hungry?"

Maria looked up, taken aback, her eyes wide as she blinked rapidly at Zero.

Another silence passed with no answer — verbal or not — from Maria.

"Are you?" Zero prompted.

That startled the girl out of her short-lived daze. She still didn't say anything though, and only offered a meek nod in response.

"Come on in then," Zero said next, turning back to his task. "Take a seat. We're almost done."

Maria remained by the door, blinking confusedly at the back of Zero's head. She shifted her gaze to Ichiru for some kind of help or permission or protest or anything, really, but he only gave an indifferent shrug and turned away as well.

She hesitated for another few seconds, then timidly stepped into the kitchen and sat down at a table.

"What's your name?" came after some time, startling the girl. Zero's amethyst eyes were on her again.

"M-Maria," she replied, involuntarily straightening her back. "Kurenai Maria."

Zero nodded in acknowledgement. "I'm Zero."

Maria nodded back, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I know," she replied, relaxing a bit. "It's nice to meet you, Zero-kun."

Another nod was Zero's only response before he turned away anew.

Maria smiled a little wider, breathing out as more of the tension seeped out of her body, making her feel much more at ease than before.

The silence returned then, and it lasted for longer, but it was a comfortable one this time.