Author's note:

THANKYOU to Atheist1 for pointing out my mistake! Did anyone else see it? I put Isamu's wife getting pregnant when he was 21, and giving birth when he was 24! My god, what a long pregnancy…
It has been amended! Thank you very much! Isamu's wife isn't suffering as much back pain anymore!

Trivia:
did anyone know that Pureblood vampires are also known as Truebloods? Matsuri-cited!

some of this chapter will NOT make sense right now. if you are confused, youll have to waa-iiiit~! things will be explained in time, ok?

WAHOO! LAST OF THE MEMORY ARC!


As he neared the trail, Kaname's heart beat faster in trepidation. He had been walking for three weeks now, nonstop. The fiery anticipation and fear in his veins stopped him from stopping, and he'd clung to his senses, sticking to the trail like glue.

It amazed him when he found his feet walking on a much too familiar path. He backtracked, and tried again to follow the trail, but every time, his feet fell onto the same path. Even when he closed his eyes, it was the same.

He was walking home.

The mountain Pass, the Twin Mountains. This was his home.

What was Katsuo's trail doing here?

Kaname involuntarily found his legs moving faster, taking the well-known best routes around the dirt path, knowing where the ground was easiest to walk. But soon enough, he wasn't even walking anymore, he was running.

Something wasn't right.

Why was Katsuo in his homeland? Was he looking for him too?

Ever since he had split from Katsuo and Lady, taking the place as their enemy, Katsuo hadn't batted an eyelid towards Kaname. He barely acknowledged Kaname's attempts to stop him. In fact, it was like Kaname was too insignificant to even exist in Katsuo's life, as far as he was concerned.

So why had he come here of all places – to a place they both knew belonged to Kaname.

It was curious.

To his amazement, even the land seemed to know someone unwelcome was here. The grass under his feet was brittle and dry, cracking and snapping under his weight. Nettles sprung high from the ground and clung to his clothes, their tiny needles stinging him harmlessly. It was daytime, but the tall Left Mountain had grown. Perhaps it was only his imagination, but it seemed to block out all the light, which he appreciated, but which also made the scene all the more eerie.

But above all that, it was cold in the shadow. Bitterly cold.

Kaname knew his home, and it was never this cold.

Katsuo was here.

He paused at the Crack, flashing a quick smile to it, as if it was alive. Panting, he leaned against it, grinning again when he saw how wide the Crack was now. Enough to fit a man.

"I'll come back to you," he whispered, touching the rock affectionately, and laughing at himself for being a crazy fool. Here he was, talking to a mountain like an old friend.

Then he straightened up again, sucking in a deep breath.

But on this breath was a different scent.

Delicious and sweet, the scent of blood swam through the breeze that rattled through the Pass. It was unlike any other breeze he had felt around the Pass – harsher, colder, and saturated with such a beautiful smell, that his mouth salivated.

Only now did Kaname realise his hunger again. It had been years, more than the five years he had suffered after Waking, since he had tasted blood, and this one called to him like a master to its dog. He answered its call, throwing himself into a sprint.

All thoughts of Katsuo had fled from his mind.

He tore down the path, gulping delicious breaths, each making his fangs grow, his stomach growl, hungry for blood, starving for it, desperate to sink his teeth in and-

and

and then he heard it-

the screaming.


The scene Kaname came upon did not at first make sense to him.

First he saw a corpse, one of the Army Leaders. Two bullet holes shot dead straight through him, one in the heart and one between the eyes. He was crumpled to the side of the path, his stinking blood dried to black on the grass, lifeless eyes staring up to the sky.

And Isamu… Isamu was spread across the left mountain side, against the flack rock face. His face was a mess of pain, blood smeared into his hair, dripping out of his mouth. He was panting hard, gritting his teeth.

Kaname was at his side in seconds.

"W…What-what…" was all he could manage, gingerly placing his hands on Isamu's face. He was the source of the intoxicating blood scent. Of course he was.

He tried not to touch him too much, feeling the waves of pain fly off him. Also, getting so near, he couldn't ignore the sensation of desire andlust building inside of him. The blood was so fresh and its warmth permeated into the air, Kaname was addicted to it already so he had to force himself to concentrate on Isamu. Isamu who was bleeding heavily, not only from the head it appeared.

"Kaname?" he whimpered, shuddering as his torn thigh went into spasm from the shock, the rest of his leg trembling uncontrollably. He strained his head around to face him.

"What's happening? Why are you here?"

Kaname urgently ripped his sleeves off, wiping away the blood from his face and sniffing out his greatest wound – a huge gaping tear in his thigh. He quickly bound it, tying it tightly even as Isamu screamed again through his teeth. To his surprise, Isamu didn't writhe against his hold, even though the pain should be enough that he needed restraining. He hadn't blacked out either, but he was just standing there, against the wall.

There was something unnatural about his position, and Kaname tried to pull him so he lay down. The blood was rushing out of him, pulled by gravity to gush out of his wound. His leg had to be elevated. But when he tugged on him, Isamu only screamed louder.

Desperate, Kaname almost didn't hear the voice that came next.

"Careful, you'll break him,"

Kaname immediately released Isamu, watching his face tighten again and then go slack and pale, sweat dotting his forehead and neck as he panted. He ached to take the pain from him, to comfort him, but that voice was the bigger worry right now. Isamu could handle pain, even as much as this. Kaname had to face him.

Turning slowly, Kaname saw the same handsome face he remembered. Tall, dark and devastatingly handsome – extraordinarily similar to his own dark good looks, but pinched from the years he'd suffered alone, broken-hearted. Kaname felt a brief glimmer of sympathy for the man, whose true anger stemmed from the loss of his family; but he couldn't forgive him for his bloodthirsty ways. Naturally, Katsuo was evil – or at the least, he was consumed by his lust for power; even before Lady's death, he had always believed that he could do as he wanted, enslaving a whole race for his own comforts.

And that greed could not be forgiven.

Katsuo's hands were outstretched, his fingers curled at the tips from the amount he was straining them. Instantly Kaname recognised his stance. It was the one he often adopted when he discovered something new he could do, but could not control yet properly. The troubling thing was the where his hands were pointing to – it looked like it as towards him, but of course, it was really at Isamu.

Kaname flinched as his hands wavered, juddering like live wire, and simultaneously Isamu shrieked louder. The deafening sound stunned him, freezing the blood in his own body.

"Katsuo, stop!" he cried, his body instinctively curling around Isamu to shield him. "Stop it!"

And then Katsuo burst into hearty laughter, his hands shaking with his shoulders. Kaname could feel behind him, Isamu's body moving with his movements too. Kaname had to turn to see what was happening, and gasped when he saw the blood begin to leak through Isamu's shirt. He was being crushed against the wall by nothing more than Katsuo's will, the rock was breaking him-

"You're killing him! Please, Katsuo!"

Kaname urged his own powers against Katsuo, throwing one hand towards him to push him away, and touching one to Isamu's chest to pull him out of the rock . It felt like a ridiculous game of pull and push, where no one was moving. They were caught in a stalemate position, where all Kaname could hear was Isamu screaming, Katsuo laughing and his own angry heartbeat thundering in his ears.

But like he often did when he had discovered a new power, the strain of keeping it was wearing at Katsuo's control. Kaname had never felt so terrified in his life. One slight move, one jerk of his hand, and Isamu could be crushed to death. And Katsuo's control was so fragile now. Even from this distance, Kaname could see his laboured breathing through his manic grin.

He had to stop this quickly before it got out of hand.

It was a gamble, but Kaname knew what he had to do, and how impossibly fast he would have to move to stop Isamu being crushed.

With speed he didn't know he had, he whipped around, throwing both his hands towards Katsuo. The force of the shove was great enough that Katsuo toppled backwards, releasing Isamu.

Kaname immediately caught his lover carefully in his arms, still shielding him from Katsuo as he laid him on the ground. He forced himself to ignore his pained groans and whimpers as he moved him so his feet were elevated by his own shoulders.

"Breathe easy, love. Be calm, be calm…" he hushed, also shooting worried glances over his shoulder to Katsuo's whereabouts. The Vampire was on his feet prowling from left to right, like a panther stalking his prey. But he didn't come any closer, and apart from his watchful, fierce eyes, Katsuo did nothing.

What was he playing at?

"Katsuo," he called in anguish, "This is between you and me only. None of it involves him. Let him go, please, I beg you-"

"Begging is weak, Kaname," Katsuo spat, "And even if he could walk out of here, do you really think he's the innocent victim in all of this?"

"He has done nothing-"

"What do you take me for, Kaname? A fool? I have ears. I have heard of these Vampire Hunters who fight with my lover's blood in their veins. I have heard about this heroic, white-haired Hunter who is famous for fighting alone, Hunting us Vampires like we're game. This murderer-"

"He didn't kill-"

"I know what he did!" he roared. Katsuo's face was a contorted in unconcealed rage. The grass ripped up where he stood, and twigs and stones flew around him in an airborne maelstrom of disaster. "He drank her first! Don't think I don't know – I've heard that he started it all. He tasted her blood and then they wanted more. They feasted on her!"

"But she sacrificed herself, Katsuo! It was her decision to make,"

"Her life was my life. Our blood is a precious thing, Kaname. Thinking of it being wasted on the Humans kills me inside!"

"I wish it would kill you for real," Kaname snarled, standing to face him, "Have you gone completely mad, Katsuo? Can't you see that just like us, the Humans are just a race – a species that took the only option they had to preserve themselves. They drank her blood so they could defend themselves from you-"

"They have no right, Kaname. This world was meant to be ours. But he gave those Humans a chance against us. I'm doing what is right, Kaname, don't you see? I'm claiming what was meant to be ours," he stepped towards them.

"I won't let you near him. If you try to lay a finger on him, I'll kill you," Kaname almost winced at how lame and feeble his words sounded, even to his own ears.

He was stood protectively over Isamu, but his whole body was exhausted and shaking. Why was he shaking? He hadn't even started fighting yet, but there was no energy in his body. And then Katsuo laughed again, a shrill sound that hurt Kaname's ears.

"You're so weak, Kaname. I don't think even if you tried, you could stop me," he spoke calmly, rationally, stalking them in a circle and watching them, "There is no way you can fight me like this, Kaname. You're so easy to figure out, so easy to anticipate. Don't you know I can see what you're going through? This is admittedly, the only weakness of the Vampires. You're hungry. We need to feed,"

Kaname shook his head determinedly. He wouldn't listen to him. He had to think of something, a plan to stop Katsuo. The situation was too dangerous. He feared that if he went to fight Katsuo, he would be leaving Isamu vulnerable to his attack, because there was no doubt now that Katsuo didn't only want Kaname dead, but Isamu dead too, for drinking the blood of his mate.

Even if he managed to get to Katsuo before he reached Isamu, would he be able to fight him?

Like Katsuo had said – Kaname could feel the hunger ripping through his gut like an angry storm. His throat was so agonisingly dry and his fangs were fully elongated, almost hanging out of his lips as he panted. There was a hungry beast inside him, starving for blood; and Isamu lay just behind him, bleeding profusely. The perfect meal to a monster like him – injured, vulnerable, lying there because there was nothing else he could do

because he trusts you Kaname. He believes in you, that you'll never hurt him. Even though it's his blood you've been craving, always

What type of a hell was this?

Suddenly, he understood what Katsuo was doing.

He was baiting him.

It all made sense now!

The reason why he could never catch Katsuo these past years was because he was being led on a wild goose chase. It must have been right after Lady's death when Katsuo discovered that Isamu was the one who first fed from her on that night – from then on, in Katsuo's eyes, he was her murderer. He wanted Isamu dead from the start.

He had been leading Kaname on, forcing him to go for years in pointless circles, in a fruitless Hunt to wear him out. While Kaname thought he was simply being evasive, Katsuo had been dragging the years out purposefully, to starve him.

And when he was perfectly hungry, when the thirst consumed him and he was truly weak, he would lure him into his greatest trap.

He heard low chuckling, and saw Katsuo's eyes staring at him intently, the pleasure on his face similar to a cat that had caught its prey, and now he was playing with him before his death.

"You understand me, now?" he laughed, tilting his head towards Isamu, "You're starving. There is no one else here. So you'll have to eat him,"

"No!" Kaname gasped, throwing a hand over his nose and mouth as he tried to block out the intoxicating scent.

Katsuo could've killed Isamu all along, but what better revenge, what sweeter plan could he make, than to make Kaname the one to kill his own lover. He would draw Kaname to him, and when the opportune moment came, he would find Isamu and make it an impossible scenario for Kaname to win.

Two birds with one stone.

"You're sick, Katsuo! What would Lady say if she saw you now-"

"Those words won't work on me. I know what she would say. She would do as she has always done – stand by my side and say I am a clever man-"

"Have you no heart?" he begged.

Katsuo scoffed, "Where does my heart lie, Kaname? With her, always her,"

Seeing there were no words he could sway him with, even a mentioning of his beloved Lady didn't draw upon his conscience, Kaname turned to Isamu. If they were about to die, he would do so with Isamu being the last thing he saw.

Kaname knelt down to his lover again, raising his wounded leg up again, but it was already sticky with blood, and the flow didn't seem to be stopping. He put pressure on it, tugging Isamu's hands to press on the wound too. "I'll get you out of here, I promise,"

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Isamu slurred. His eyes were half-lidded by now, and he barely whimpered as more pressure was applied to his thigh. When Kaname removed his hands to tend to his other wounds, his limp hands fell free.

"No, no you have to keep pressing here…"

"Time's running out, Kaname. Your meal is going cold,"

"Shut up, Katsuo!" he yelled, batting Isamu's cheeks lightly to keep him conscious. He was going cold. What colour was usually at least a faint pink in his cheeks was now gone, and his face was ashen. The cold smear of red blood was all over his skin, a fake rouge – a bad joke made of the sinful image Kaname had fantasised so many times of Isamu's white skin smeared with blood. This wasn't what he wanted anymore, not like this, but his fangs and his body wanted it.

Kaname could feel his control slipping as he roughly yanked Isamu onto his lap, bowing over him.

The wounds weren't closing, and his blood was soaking the grass.

What more could Kaname do? Isamu was slipping away…

"You're weaker than I thought, Kaname. I'm being generous and giving you the chance to have the best meal of your life. No blood is sweeter than of the one you love. You have a choice.

"Eat him, gain your strength back, and then I will fight you. When you're pitiful like this, it isn't even worth the fight.

"But if you don't eat him, I guarantee that the both of you will be dead very quickly. He's already on his way out, Kaname. You don't have long to think it over, but I'll wait patiently here for you to make your decision," Katsuo clambered over to the other side of the Pass, leaving Kaname to his impossible decision.

What type of options were these? Either way, Katsuo was saying that Isamu would die. It was only his own life that he could save.

The choice wasn't hard to make.


Cool grass, brushing his forehead. Shade, a deep shade that blacked the redness of his inner eyelids, so as he lay there with his eyes closed, it was very easy to think it was night time. Only the warmth of the sun on his feet told him it was still day, and there was the sound of steady breathing on his right. The pace of the breathing told him who it was.

So he slowly opened his eyes, turning his head with a smile, there he was.

The lighting was soft, and filmy. Peaceful and clean.

He took his hand slowly in his, lacing their fingers together.

Smooth skin, perfect and white in his hand. He rubbed his thumb over the sharp, defined knuckles.

Then he took in a deep breath, and shut his eyes again.


Once he saw that Katsuo wasn't moving from his spot, where he watched him like a hawk, Kaname decided it was as safe as ever to move Isamu to a more comfortable spot. They lay side-by-side under the overhanging, next to the Crack. Impossibly, the rock always felt soft here, at least to Kaname it did. It was the way it cradled their bodies gently, he thought, which was the comfort they needed, at their dying hour.

Kaname started when he felt something touch his hand. But it was Isamu's hand, so he simply watched as his trembling fingers felt along his own hand for purchase, then slipping their fingers together snugly. A slow thumb traced his knuckles, so light that Kaname had to pretend to feel it.

When he looked up, he caught a flash of violet.

"Isamu…"

He closed his eyes, heaving a sigh.

"…tired,"

"I know," he kissed his forehead, "It isn't long now. Look at where I brought us,"

Isamu opened his eyes, white eyelashes fluttering, he smiled at the overhanging rock.

Beautiful.

"Are you ready?"

"…ready?"

"Together, Isamu," Kaname whispered, rolling onto his side so he could see his face fully, "We'll leave this all behind us,"

Suddenly Isamu's eyes snapped wide, and Kaname found himself in a tight hold. Isamu's fingers clutched his shoulder and dragged him on top of himself, and Kaname had to stop breathing when the movement caused the beginning-to-scab wound to open again and hot blood to gush again. His nose was right next to Isamu's ear, and his lips were pressed against his jaw.

He choked when Isamu pulled him closer, so close, their bodies meshed together. Kaname shifted so he didn't touch any wounds, with his shaky arms holding him upright above his body. This was such sweet torture – his own love was pulling him in for an embrace, and tempting him with everything he had. Guilty tears stung his eyes when he realised he had unknowingly switched from thinking of Isamu in his last moments, and was instead dreaming of blood.

Sobs racked his body, shaking them both as he tried to control his rage. They were stuck, at the end. He wanted so badly to lie down with Isamu and hold him, which would give Katsuo his answer – they would die together. But his mind was in turmoil, his instincts were torturing him with the urge to give in, to bite into that neck that was so close to his lips already, just under his jaw-

"Please… I c-can't do this anymore… it hurts, i-it…" he let out a shuddering sob, catching his lips on his own fangs, "I'm so hungry… I c-can't…"

Isamu's eyes had closed again. Kaname could still feel his shallow breath on his face though. Like Katsuo had said, Isamu's body was already broken, he was dying, no matter how much Kaname wanted to deny it, he didn't have much time. There was a chance... a chance that if he regained his strength from Isamu, he could defeat Katsuo, once and for all. But the price to pay...

This somehow reminded him of his first meal, the old cow who was on her last breaths. Would this count the same way? Could it be called being merciful? Ending the pain quickly?

But this isn't the same, this is Isamu, who he had promised never to drink from.

He had also promised him he would kill Katsuo.

I have a feeling that if I ever was to drink your blood, I would not be able to stop.

Kaname gasped as he felt Isamu's hand nudge him down again, settling his face in the crook of his neck.

Was this…his permission? Or was it his own imagination?

Either way, this was the most permission he would ever get from Isamu now.

"I am so sorry, my love…I had hoped we would die together, but even now, in these dire circumstances, we cannot be selfish. Forgive me,"

He bent his head, tilting forwards as he instinctively found the throbbing artery in his throat.

"Don't be afraid. I'll be very quick, I promise …"


The molten swirl of blood on his tongue forced animalistic groans from his throat as he gorged on it, feasting on its addictive taste. Grunting in pleasure, Kaname felt hot trails of tears on his cheeks, matching trails of blood dripping from his lips. This was a paradox, a mix of absolute bliss and agony. Every sip took Isamu further away from him, yet his blood was inside him, making him stronger.

The taste was something he could not have ever dreamed of. Not a sweet blood at all, but sharp and strong. Like he had said before, he knew he would not be able to stop drinking it, ever. It was like respite, finally a break from the years of fasting. He clung to Isamu fiercely, never letting him go.

Soon enough, he felt Isamu's hand slip from his neck. His fingers followed the current of warm blood that drained to his neck, to his own lips. Isamu was turning cold.

Shuddering from knowing that it was coming to an end, Kaname let the hand supporting Isamu's head slide up to his scalp, running it through his tangled hair.

As he did, it triggered something that seemed to make time stand still.

Spilling out of Isamu, through his blood… Kaname swore he could see things. Glimpses of their past together – all the happy parts, like when they were young, and Isamu used to follow him around like a shadow. Then there were the lost years where they were apart from each other – Kaname swore he could see Isamu, what he was like during them – a distracted boy who rarely spoke. Then came the recent years, the kisses, the banter… all the sweetness Kaname knew of their time together. It came altogether in a myriad of emotions – joy, horror, embarrassment – and suddenly Kaname knew that he was seeing Isamu's last thoughts, his memories.

He wept as he detached his fangs from his lover, but like a spark of hope, a comforting reminder – the thoughts didn't leave him.

Kaname was standing tall, striding over towards Katsuo with blood dripping down his face and fire burning in his eyes, just as the last tendrils of Isamu's mind began to slip away-


When Kaname awoke next, he found himself completely alone. The Pass was silent, though there was the smell of smoke and charred flesh, and the grass was now ruined in places.

He couldn't remember what had happened. All he could recall was seeing Katsuo charging at him while he made for him in the same way, anger causing the very particles of air vibrate so much that the world was on fire.

Now, he sat alone on the charred path, surrounded by tiny shards of crystal. He lifted a piece into his palm. It was freezing cold, but it was not ice… no, it was a strange crystal. He tossed it aside.

"Isamu,"

Kaname swerved around to orientate himself. It was night time, yet quickly he caught sight of the white hair, the co- corpse of his lover. He stumbled towards him, discovering wounds on his body with each step. Clearly it had been a hard battle, since he hadn't come out of it unscathed – though his injuries were healing in seconds. He briefly wondered where Katsuo was, but dismissed that thought. All his thoughts were on Isamu now.

As he reached his lover, he hesitated, before gathering him into his arms. He didn't respond. How could he…? Still, it was strange to have Isamu so quiet and complacent in his arms. When he kissed his cheek, it was distinctly cold.

Without knowing what he was doing, Kaname turned towards the Crack, now large enough for a man to walk in. Was it any surprise that his feet were taking them there, to the place Isamu had promised they'd investigate? Kaname chuckled humourlessly.

"Let's go see it, my love. The adventure of a lifetime, I promise you," he whispered into his ear, bowing his head at Isamu's cynical silence.

The space between the rock walls of the narrow crack they were going through was difficult to squeeze through at times, and the floor dipped downwards into the heart of the mountain. Sometimes Kaname feared they would get stuck, and then he would laugh, and heard Isamu's brash laughter ringing in his head. In his mind, they were holding hands on this adventure, creeping along the long narrow path together to investigate the source of Kaname's never-ending curiosity.

Drips of water from the wall drew his attention, and he looked up, gasping as he saw how high the walls soared. They were at least a hundred feet deep, below the surface of the mountain, and as Isamu had told him, the brittle rock had torn from the tectonic shifting, splitting the mountain open at the top. A gaping shaft at the top let in a drift of moonlight which lit the small cavern they found themselves in.

Kaname laughed. It was empty. There was nothing there.

"Oh don't laugh. It's always the journey which counts, not the destination," he shushed Isamu's scornful stillness.

His smile faded when he realised, it was truly quiet.

His eyes were drawn to the centre of the cavern, where the ground rose in a small platform. Kaname decided to rest there. At least it was above the cold, wet ground.

He laid Isamu beside him and they lay together, staring up at the blue hue of the moonlight filtering in. Kaname let his hand drift towards Isamu's.

But he didn't take it.

Kaname folded his hand over Isamu's twisting his wrist so their fingers brushed. Lace them, intertwine them… I want to feel close to you…

It was then when it must have clicked, when it finally sunk in

that Isamu was really gone.

He rolled over to see his face. Unlike what books said about seeing someone you loved dead, it wasn't peaceful, it wasn't 'like he was sleeping'. Isamu's face was stony cold, the softness of life had been removed from him. Kaname could recognise that this was nothing more than Isamu's shell. He was gone, he was really gone, he…

Kaname bit his lips, tasting the blood from before on them.

"Are you thirsty, Isamu?"

He clawed his wrist open, watching the blood spurt blankly. It gushed onto Isamu's face, but his mouth wouldn't open to drink from him. He tried to coax Isamu's jaw open, but it was rigid. Kaname impassively bit his other wrist, tearing it open too.

"Drink, Isamu," he urged, watching the blood pool in the hollow of his throat.

Then the smell hit Kaname.

The smell of Isamu's blood, flowing, heavily from his own body – the part of Isamu he had in him, the part he could treasure… he was wasting it on a dead body.

Kaname licked his wounds clean, watching them heal quickly. He felt so shameful. Had he really lost his handle on life? He was going mad, talking to Isamu like he was alive like this.

Kaname sobbed bitterly, clawing at the rock.

It wasn't meant to end like this.

His eyes kept falling back onto Isamu's bloodstained face, his body dripping with it. How shameful. He had disrespected the very gift his lover had given to him – his blood, his life. Kaname shuddered, pulling at the rock.

Isamu needed a grave. He needed to be covered, protected.

Kaname tugged at the rock, feeling the soft rock give under his fingers, moulding it like clay. He pulled it over Isamu like a sheet, watching it cover him in a thin layer, so his body could still be seen beneath the rock. Sighing, Kaname admired it. He was the treasure of the cave now. He was beautiful.

He touched his fingers to Isamu's forehead, the blood on his fingertips dribbled onto it. Clumsily, he painted a line across his forehead. The blood on his fingers mixed with the rock, plucking the natural crystals in the rock and bringing them to the surface. Soon he was looking at a dark, black crown, inset into the stone.

Now he looked like he was sleeping.

He looked like a sleeping prince.

Kaname traced his lips.

And then he lay down beside him again, and closed his eyes.


Zero found it very difficult to make sense of the next scenes that flashed before his eyes. There were glimpses, flickers of images, but barely anything that made proper sense. For a long while, there was only mind-numbing darkness and cold. And then…


…the scent of blood. A blood he had locked away. Kaname stirred. He felt achingly dry and achy, and groaned as something shook his entire body.

Boom!

Ah, he shuddered, "Nnn…" it was his heart. He was beginning to wake…


…there was blood again! This time the hunger stung his belly and Kaname tried to hear what was disturbing him, who was the source of this blood? He could only hear the dripping of water, and a faint echo which sounded like a cry. Other than that, there was nothing but his own breathing.

This blood wasn't the same as last time. It smelt strange. But the image flickered through his mind of a white-haired boy-

He bolted upright, catching a wrist in his mouth and clamping onto the juicy flesh with his jaws.

Immediately as the blood poured into his mouth, he sucked hard, draining the arm of blood and forcing his feeder's heart to pump blood faster into his belly. He was ravenous. Kaname groaned happily, enjoying his first meal in… in… how long had it been…?

Then he heard the sound of brittle laughter, a cackle that sent shivers down his spine.

"If my blood isn't enough, soon you'll finish our entire family,"

…family? Kaname tried to loosen his jaw, release the wrist, but his hunger was not yet sated.

"Look at you. You're all shrivelled up,"

He shuddered. Finally his eager jaws snapped open. He panted, wincing as someone dried his lips.

"Come now, Kaname. Come feed grandpa, here you go…"

Kaname felt a weight drop on his chest, near his throat. The thing squirmed on him, whining lowly in fear. Was it an animal? Some sort of food for him… Kaname leant his head forwards, blindly snapping with his jaws. The creature was nudged forwards, falling right into his gaping mouth. He bit deeply and began to drain this new one. It tasted much better this time, but Kaname's tattered ears suffered the loud cries. Strangely enough, it sounded like a very young child…