∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ In the association's headquarter ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞

"…me-kun"

"No matter when or where, we will find each other"

"…name-kun"

*breathy chuckle* "The time will come to pay for our sins; I just hope that it comes sooner than later. Until then, redemption is the only way out. Insanity is our worst enemy after all."

"Kaname-kun!" The voice of Kaien Cross finally reached the pureblood's ear in time with an elbow nudge from the silver hunter sitting next to him.

"Yes?" The brunet responded abruptly.

"Do you have any observation you would like to add before we classify these information and send it to the investigation squad?" Yagari asked in a gruff voice, annoyed by the indifferent attitude of the vampire, "Or would you rather go back to your royal place and sip on your expensive wine?"

"To-" Cross was about to complain when Kaname cleared his throat.

"No… I believe there is nothing more to add seeing the little clues we currently have. I will keep you updated if anything new comes up from our end. Ichijou will be handling the communications as usual." Kaname answered with enough composure to make up for his brief inattention. He might be on better terms with the one-eyed hunter, but he was aware that the trust is very fragile to allow any slip.

"Very well… This will wrap up the meeting. I am sorry for dragging you guys from the comfort of your sleep and keeping the tired one awake until now. Expect a summon as soon as we find out more about this incident. Let's call it a night!... or a day…" Yagari announced as he slowly rose from his seat and checked his watch. It was already early morning.

The scrapping of chairs and murmurs filled the previously calm room as hunters, vampires and detectives stood to take their leave.

"Thank you…" Kaname leaned and whispered to Zero, who was rearranging the notes he wrote.

"You're welcome…" He whispered back without looking at the vampire, "It is rare for you to zone out like that."

"Yeah… I guess." Kaname trailed as he stood with his usual grace. "You should get some rest as well, though. You need it the most."

"Um… I will go as soon as Kaito finishes his errands." Zero mumbled.

"Do you need me to drive you? In case, Takamiya-kun takes too long. Ichijou will be driving." Kaname suggested in a reassuring manner.

"I appreciate the offer, but I already made the arrangements with Kaito." Zero finally looked at the vampire with a friendly expression, unlike the venom-filled glare he sent his way lately.

"Understood." Kaname nodded and turned around to leave in time with an alarmed secretary storming inside the room.

"Mr. President! I believe we have a situation that requires immediate attention." The woman hurried to Yagari's side, interrupting his talk with Cross when she shoved an envelope between them.

The remaining people in the room stilled at the alarmed tone. They watched the one eyed hunter pulling what looked like a page from a newspaper as well as a couple of photographs.

Zero felt as if a rock fell in the pit of his stomach when Cross craned his neck, looked at the content and gave him a horrified look.

Yagari put the papers face down on the table and leaned on it while giving out instruction. "Alright, everyone… That's it for today, you can take your leave, except for those that I will name now. Zero, Kuran, Shouto, Ichijou, Kaito and Cross." He glanced sideway at his lover, his jaw locked and tensing visibly.

Once the room was vacated from any unconcerned person, Yagari beckoned the rest to join his table as he flipped the papers for them to see.

Zero all but paled when seeing the content.

"What the fuck is this?" Kaito cursed as he read the papers headlines, "Torrid affair unraveling between two powerful figures. Could this be the reason that Kuran Kaname went into reclusion? Does the queen know that he is involved with the future king of hunters, Zero Kiryuu?"

"This does not make sense." Cross pulled another page from a different publisher, "Will the hunters really settle with a king who is into cross dressing and bedding their so called enemy?"

The words did not register in time for Zero. What frightened him the most was that the headlines were supported by pictures. Photographs of him and Kaname in his car, pictures of their date at Paradiso. Unfathomable panic surged inside him and he tried his best not to let it show.

His heart jumped to his throat when all eyes landed on him and Kaname who was standing behind him. He did not have the courage to look at the brunet in fear that his panic would show.

"Do any of you have an explanation as to why the tabloids of the vampire society, hunter society, and human society are suddenly showing interest in something we never heard of?" Yagari grunted with a scrutinizing look.

Seeing the silent response, He pushed the enlarged photograph for Zero's shaky hand to take.

Ichijou had another newspaper in hand that he read to divert the attention slightly, "Two eligible bachelors and successful business men finally revealed the reason for their single lives, or what we thought was a single life. Not only are they involved in a homosexual relationship, the president of the Kuran financial group have conceived a child with a distant cousin. Will the heartthrob couple adopt the child as their own?" The noble vampire snorted at the nonsense written in the tabloid of the human's papers who had no idea about what they were talking about.

Zero jolted when Kaname placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze before the others' attention diverted back to them. He took the picture from his trembling hand and took a deep breath.

"Apart from this one, all the other pictures here are falsified." Kaname announced, showing the one having him lean over the seat with his face close to Zero's, "This one was probably taken the night Yagari-san asked me to drive Kiryuu-kun back home after we went over the speculations and tactics. I am sure you remember it well."

Yagari pondered for a moment and nodded. Kaname placed it on the table, "There was a problem and I was trying to open the door myself because Kiryuu-kun was having difficulties with it. He was feeling queasy and needed the fresh air."

"I see… Hence the compromising position…" Cross pondered before starling the others, "Ah! here, you can see the arm reaching out to the door." Cross pointed to the picture, relieved to deny one speculation.

Although he was preventing me from opening the door instead of helping me there. Zero grumbled in his head at the memory.

"What about the others? I can see that the face is blurry, but what makes you sure that it is falsified, the other person is obviously you. The person dancing with you is also too tall to be Yuki." Yagari inquired, still suspicious. Especially after noticing the shaken up hunter trying to keep his composure.

They observed as Kaname pulled his phone and dialed a number. He pushed the speaker and laid the device on the table. After a couple of dial tones, the person he called answered in a cheerful voice.

"Oh my! I never thought that I would see your number for another decade. Should I be lucky or wary?" The male voice echoed through the room, leaving few confused look and another of acknowledgement from Ichijou.

"Glad to see that you are as cheerful as ever, Liam." Kaname answered with a smooth, confident voice.

"Alright! Lucky it is." Zero noticed the foreign accent and gave a quizzical look towards the pureblood.

"Liam… I have a favor to ask. Do you remember that night in Paradiso, few months ago? I am putting you on speaker now because a picture that your photographer took somehow leaked to the press. I believe that it was against your policy to allow such a thing." Kaname inquired.

"It still is. Geez! I can't believe it! I will make sure to look up the one who worked during that night and have a word with him." The man grumbled, "Sorry for getting you mixed up in this. I hope that you will be able to contain the situation on your side." he apologized sincerely.

"That is actually the reason for this call. Seeing that your face was blurred, whoever trying to publish these photographs is aiming to sully the reputation of an innocent person. If possible, I would like you to testify that you are the person accompanying me that night. You owe me that much after I went along with your bet." Kaname took on a playful tone that confused the others even more. Especially Zero.

"Oh, shoot! Of course! I will clear my schedule and come as soon as possible. If you will excuse me now, I need to tend to some troublesome customers." He chirped.

After exchanging few words of gratitude and farewell, Kaname hung up and glanced at Takuma briefly before explaining. That noble vampire caught his drift right away. I see!

"The man I was talking to is named Liam. He was well known as the retired idol 'Aki' few years back." Kaname explained

"You mean that drop dead gorgeous singer!" Cross exclaimed.

"The one and only." Kaname confirmed, and Toga squeezed the bridge of his nose at the shriek of his lover. He was aware that Kaien used to be a big fan and memorized every single song of the man along with buying every first edition of his records. Little did he know that he was connected to the pureblood?

"If I remember correctly, he was quite into cross dressing." Yagari grunted, "Should I assume that this 'woman' is him? The coincidence of the outfit is quite off-putting though."

Kaname sighed, faking exasperation… "He was present during the undercover mission and helped me contain the situation when it got out of hand. That is how he saw Kiryuu-kun's outfit and mimicked it. He made me go on a 'date' with him after I lost a bet and promised to fulfill one request. The reason that the picture was blurred is probably to camouflage his face since he did not bother with a disguise. The hair is enough proof." Zero was amazed at the flawless way Kaname was creating one lie after the other, confirming his deep-rooted distaste for his deceitful kind. Even I would have believed him had I not been the one in that freaking picture.

Takuma took the picture as if he was examining it closely, "That explains a lot." The hunter startled as the voice of the noble cut through the brief silence.

"Do you know the man?" Kaito inquired, he would trust the truth of the matter more if his lover confirmed it.

"Yes, of course…" Takuma stuttered, "Liam is actually my distant cousin. He had a good career in England before moving to Japan. He is also the owner of the restaurant where this picture was taken. It is called Paradiso, and he is known for his shrewd but playful nature. What I meant by saying that it explain a lot, is that the build and the hair style of this person" he pointed to the picture, "are extremely similar to Liam's." Emerald green eyes landed on the narrowed amethyst orbs. The look Zero perceived in Takuma's eyes spoke volumes about the great lengths that the noble could take to protect his leader, his best friend. As grateful as he was that the story was consistent for the others to buy it, Zero was starting to get irritated about other matters. An irritation that did not take long to come out.

"Hello! Can anyone bring the actual problem to light here…" Zero interrupted, finally over his shock, "Whether the pictures are falsified or not, the troublesome part is that the headlines will cover the whole country in a couple of hours and people are going to believe whatever they see and want to believe, even if we deny the assumptions later."

"Unless the headlines never make it out of the printing company." Kaito pointed and quickly fished his phone.

"Kaito will hamper the printers; I will have Ichiru put in a few favors to stop the publishers from pushing the matter and Ichijou-kun!" Yagari instructed systematically, "Could you handle the vampire's paparazzi. Those guys are a pain to deal with."

"Consider it handled." Takuma immediately moved into action.

"Good. Zero and Kuran! I need you to keep as much distance as possible and only meet with a third person present if discussions were required. I know it is a pointless request because you are not drinking friends or anything, but just be careful from now on. The last thing we need is a scandal amongst the higher up added to the troublesome lurker." Yagari sighed in exasperation.

"Printers handled." Kaito came back into the room with a full grin on his face.

The dirt he has on them must be pretty bad if it got settled that fast! The common thought swam through most heads.

"I will need to meet with the head publisher so I will leave first." A frustrated Takuma grabbed his keys and stomped out of the room, "I will probably have to write a fat cheque for this." He grumbled, annoyed by the greedy sly fox he talked with over the phone. Kaito followed him with the pretense of making another phone call.

"Bill it on me." Kaname called out.

Minutes later, Zero left with Kaito and Yagari closed his office to handle the rest of the mess. Cross tapped Kaname's shoulder and urged him to follow him outside.

They used a car from the association to go back to the campus. Once inside Cross's house, Kaname pulled out a folder he was holding and took out a paper from it.

Cross stared at the pattern drawn on it.

"I believe that I told you about how fogged my memories were since I awakened from my long slumber." Kaname explained as he gratefully accepted a glass of wine.

"I remember." Cross sipped on his glass while examining the intricate triquetra.

"It is not that they were fogged, they were sealed." Kaname deadpanned.

There was a long silence before Cross put down the paper and the wine slowly on the coffee table, removed his glasses and took a seat facing the pureblood.

"Sealed? By whom?" He finally asked.

"Rika." The name made the light colored eyes widen.

"That does not make sense." Cross frowned.

"Not unless I tell you that she was the last person I associated with before slumbering and she was the one I trusted my vulnerable body and tomb with." Kaname explained more with a blank expression, "Which I regret dearly now."

"Kaname-kun… I am confused here!" Cross stuttered with a hand raised to request a time out, "The heirloom passed down from Cross Rika had a lot of knowledge about vampires, hunters, spell craft etc… However, it also contained a lot of information about their life and her encounters back in the time. I never found any indication of your presence in any of those records, and I would certainly not miss it for the life of me if it was there."

"She was a cautious person and very thorough in everything. I would not be surprised if she left that part of her life out on purpose or…" Kaname trailed.

"Or hid it somewhere else." Realization finally reached the ex-hunter's mind. "That still does not explained why she would seal away your memories. How did you know that they were sealed anyways? Did you ask her? I guess not."

"She did it while I was slumbering away. When? Where? Why? I don't know. I was not aware that they were sealed until I was told so. They have been coming back at a faster pace lately. I used to have glimpses before. They later turned into chunks of events. That is how I remembered about the first parent and the Great War. I guess reading about it in the records triggered something. However, lately, all I can remember are voices, words and patterns, the faces are still blurry. Therefore, I need your help in order to accelerate the process. The one truth that I am positive about when it comes to Cross Rika, is that every action she takes has a purpose, even moving a spoon from one angle to another."

After few moments of pondering, Cross Kaien tensed up and observed the Kuran progenitor. I forget sometime that this person is not what he is posing as.

"Kaname-kun, are you saying that the reason your memories are surfacing now has something to do with these random attacks…"

"It is an assumption that may prove true, if I can find the relation between the pieces of this puzzle." Kaname sighed the words. He was having just about enough of this ludicrous situation and needed to know the next winning move against their enemy, soon.

"Instead of digging through the archives, wouldn't be easier to question the person who informed you about the sealing." Cross suggested.

"She is not one to cooperate easily." Kaname stated flatly, "As a matter of fact, I do believe that we need to put a restraining order on this person, but not for the information she holds, but for the damage she can cause if she is siding with the enemy."

Kaien tilted his head in confusion. He pulled a pen and a paper to jot down the name of the person to forward to Yagari, "She is currently known as Hana Murasaki"

Cross's hand stilled before the tip of the pen scratched the paper, "Pardon?"

"Exactly as you heard, Cross-san."

"Again, Kaname-kun, you are not making any sense. Hana-sensei is quite old and very very retired from any business related to vampires and our societies. In fact-"

"She had nothing to do with them in the first place." Kaname interrupted, "That was what you wanted to say?"

"Along those lines, yes." Cross nodded.

"I believe that you are mistaken. She has everything to do with it."

"How so?" The hunter had a feeling that he would not like what he will be hearing next.

"This might come as a shocking revelation." Kaname interlaced his fingers on top of his knees as he reclined on the seat, "The child that Rika took under her care shortly after she went off the grid was a shapeshifter. A shapeshifter with a very long lifespan. At the time, her name was Rosa. Nowadays, she calls herself Hana." Kaname paused in time with the gasp of Kaien

"You mean that Hana-sensei is-"

"Rika's adopted daughter, a few thousands of years old specimen." Kaname explained.

"But… She does age like a no- oh wait! It should not be normal to age that slowly for a human and she said that she is no hunter." Cross slumped in his seat, confusion written on his face. He shook his head and raised a finger before Kaname continued his explanation, "If she is that old, and what you call a shapeshifter… What is her true form?"

Kaname took a deep breath, "From what I recall. The appearance she likes to take in my presence is that of a girl, and now a woman with long silver hair and almond shaped violet eyes."

Rubbing his lips in frustration, Cross sighed before answering, "That explains more since she appeared as a young woman with light brown hair and eyes of the same color. Are… Are you sure that we are talking about the same person here?" Cross wanted more reassurance.

"We are talking about the director of the Slice of Heaven orphanage and the person claiming to be your mentor. I believe that it is safe to assume that she is the same person strolling around as an old wrinkled woman."

"Could she be the Kiryuu's-" Cross pointed

"It would be also safe to consider the possibility, but I am not sure about it. As you said, the Kiryuu clan did not exist before I went into slumber. Rosa may have sired offspring. However, seeing that she has no hunter aura, and the Kiryuus certainly are hunters, not shapeshifters, we have some tests to conduct before concluding anything." Kaname explained.

Cross pinched the bridge of his nose, "This a lot to wrap my head around. Let's take it one step at a time. Where do you suggests that we start from?"

"First of all, this is top confidential. The only other person to know about this is your trusted confidant and mine." Kaname pointed.

"Toga and Ichijou-kun." Cross confirmed.

"The first step would be a restraining order on Rosa. We need to rule out the possibility that she is the suspect X involved in the blood pills. From my last visit, I am confident that she has nothing to do with it, but we had better be safe than sorry. Meanwhile, I will need you to dig up any information you might get about those notes. I will do the same with the classified old records. Removing the seal over my memories would be the best shortcut to solving the mystery, however, knowing Rika…" Kaname trailed as he rose from his seat.

"She would certainly not make an easy task out of it." Cross finished his sentence.

"Kaname-kun… One thing I surely never found in the family heirloom or in any other record was the circumstance of Cross Rika's death, or any confirmation that she passed away in the first place. You are not thinking that…"He had hard time finishing the sentence.

"It is only an assumption so far, but yes. I am afraid that Cross Rika did not die, and if she did, it seems that she found a way to transcend time and death to come back. Cross-san, I believe that she is alive. However, I only have hazy clues as to what might have happened, or what might have pushed her to seal my memories. I believe that this symbol could be a clue that I need to look into, but I am perplexed as to where I should start." Kaname slid a finger over the triquetra, "I do not want to think that she is the enemy, but I have a bad feeling that she has a hand in what is going on around us." Garnet orbs met worried hazel eyes.

"Understood…" Cross answered slowly, his heart heavy, "I will look into the ancient records as well as the family heirloom once more. I will inform you as soon as I find anything pertaining to this symbol or your connection with her."

"It might be wise to look into the Kiryuu's as well." Kaname added, surprising the ex-hunter once more.

"But-" Kaien stilled a moment when he perceived the slight hesitance in Kaname's expression as he sat once again.

Kaname hesitated a little, tapping the pen on the wood before he decided to share all that he knows. If there was one person he trusted more than himself with his deepest secrets, it would be Cross Kaien. Therefore, if he wanted to get the most of his digging, the man has to know everything.

"In fact, I would be grateful if you looked into these clues…" Kaname reached out for a pen and paper from the desk and scribbled the notes that he handed over to cross.

"Triumvirate of power, clan of sinners and shapeshifters?" Cross's brow rose at the nonsensical scribbles, "What does the Kiryuu clan have anything to do with all this."

"Rosa hinted that I should look into them if I have a chance of speeding up the process." The explanation was loud and clear for the ex-hunter.

Kaname rose again, and headed to the door.

"Kaname-kun!" Cross called out, stopping him in his steps, "Who is Cross Rika? The actual person that you knew."

"She is well known for being a cunning, shrewd and ruthless individual. I am not thrilled at the prospect of having her as an enemy, to be honest." Kaname pondered loud enough for Cross to hear, "And if Rosa is in cahoots with her."

"Hearing you say it that way makes it even more frightening." Cross gave a nervous laugh as he stared at the pattern Kaname drew previously, "What chances do we have if they are really our enemy."

Kaname's hand rested on the doorknob, "I am afraid that we would be out against two political animals. One is the most bloodthirsty, manipulating power I have ever met who only cares about her family and no one else. The other seems to treat matters of life and death as fun and games. If Rosa surpassed her 'mother', I would say that we are in for a lot of trouble."

"And the possible outcome of a battle?" Cross asked the dreaded question. The sick feeling in his stomach was increasing with every word that Kaname uttered.

"Assuming that Rika is the mastermind. I would say that she is enjoying a cold war for now before sweeping the rug under our feet. We will probably not notice until it is too late. That is her style. From what I am observing, most of the pieces fit."

"This is not good."

"Going up against her will not do us any good. Especially if we cannot determine the extent of her influence. The best we can do is understand what is displeasing her people and try to reach an understanding."

"Is that how you handled it in the past?" Cross asked as Kaname opened the door.

"Perhaps. I could not recall even if I wanted to. I will inform you of any finding on my side." With that last statement, Kaname was about to leave the puzzled hunter to reorganize his thoughts had Cross not run after him and called out from the door of his patio.

"Kaname-kun!"

"Yes?" Kaname turned around, about to head back in if the hunter had more to discuss.

"This is unrelated but I need you to answer me truly." The hunter had an overly serious expression that alarmed the pureblood.

"Yes." Kaname answered cautiously.

"Were the pictures really falsified?" The old hunter might pose as the fool most of the time, but his keen eyes never betrayed him. Try as they may, he had the knack to see past the poker face of most those he cared for, Kaname was no exception. He noticed how shaken Zero was upon seeing the headlines and pictures, but Kaname managed to compose himself before any other noticed, except for Cross Kaien. The brief panic he perceived in red brown eyes worried him.

"They are." Kaname answered curtly, "Liam shall come and submit his testimonial soon. I am fairly certain that Kiryuu-kun has an alibi for that night as well." The pureblood explained. He was confident that Takuma took care of the footage of Zero's residence as well as the unlikely chance that the receptionist recognized him in his disguise. Seeing that they took Kaname's car, Zero's alibi would be strong enough to testify that he was in the comfort of his home the whole night.

"Very well. Get as much rest as you can, I feel like we will not get enough in the near future." Cross chirped before seeing the pureblood off.

Just as Kaname left the house in direction of his dwelling, his phone vibrated. Taking it out, his lips curled up in a wistful smile when he saw a message from Zero.

Zero:: "Thank you for saving the day."

Kaname:: "You are welcome."

Zero:: "You could have given me the heads up about the backup plan."

Kaname chuckled at the familiar attitude of the fuming hunter.

Kaname:: "You would worry too much if I brought up the possibility of those picture falling in the wrong hands."

Zero bit his lower lip, hating the fact that he agreed with the pureblood.

Zero:: "I appreciate the way you contained the situation. Good night!"

Kaname did not want the discussion to end. Thus, he quickly dialed his number, craving to hear his beloved's voice before spending another sleepless night thinking of him.

"Hello." Zero's curt answer brought the smile to his face again. He stood in front of his elevator.

"Did you get home okay?"

"If you are asking about an accidental spell barbequing the car, or a cat crossing the street while Kaito was flying off, then no! None of it happened." Zero answered back while pouring the hot water, and dipping the herbal infusion in it. He was feeling too strung up to sleep and needed to calm his nerves.

"That is good. I would feel sad for the cat." Kaname answered humorously, appreciating the melodious chuckle it elicited from the hunter.

"I am sorry about today…" Zero whispered.

"About what?" Kaname was confused. He decided to take the stairs instead to ensure that the signal does not die on him. Anyone would give him the weirdest look about going up to the penthouse that way, but he could care less.

"I have been snapping and whining instead of thanking you when you lent me a hand at the party, when I felt sick." Zero mumbled.

"Are you really all right?" Kaname inquired.

"I am fine, why?" Zero frowned.

"You seem to be thanking me an awful lot today, I am just wondering if you hit your head during the explosion." Kaname teased.

"Jerk!" Zero snapped, scowling to no one. His lips twitched slightly upon hearing the breathy chuckle. "I see that you reached your place as well," he added when hearing the click of a door closing.

"Yeah… I did." Kaname switched on his lights and headed to his liquor cabinet like every night for the past couple of months.

Zero grew silent, listening to the shuffling before he spoke again, "So the friend's name was Liam." he inquired, unable to keep the memories of that night at bay.

"More like unwanted ties than friendship." Kaname clarified.

"I guessed as much." Zero deadpanned, "He would not go to such lengths if there were no favors involved."

"He would… Just not for my sake." Kaname explained more.

"Ichijou? Oh! He did say that he was a distant relative." Zero remembered.

"You will meet him soon and you will probably understand what I am talking about." Kaname had to hold back the mirth from his voice. He could picture the thunder roaring if the two ever met.

"Why am I not looking forward to it?" Zero's tone was skeptical.

"Speaking of which… What happened to the pictures? The originals." Kaname remembered that Zero kept them so that no one laid eyes on them.

"Who knows?" The hunter shrugged, keeping his voice even, "I might have burned them, torn them and threw them in the trash, flushed them down-"

"Sorry for asking." Kaname interrupted, "Well… If none of the morbid deeds you listed happened, could you give them back?" He taunted.

"No." Zero answered flatly, his brain racing about all the possible locations where he might have hid them in case the pureblood decided to sneak and take them from his place.

"Too bad. Seeing the blurry version made me want to admire the original. You looked quite stunning that night after all, Zero." Kaname trailed, his voice growing deeper and seductive, as if his lip were moving against the hunter's earlobe.

"You need to cut down on the booze, buddy." Zero retorted with a mocking tone, desperate to hide the sudden shakiness of his voice.

"Hmm?" Kaname hummed pleasantly; twirling the glass of wine he held at eye level, "I believe that my threshold is quite higher than a certain someone." He teased.

"Your threshold maybe, but your scent says otherwise." Zero pointed.

"My scent?" Kaname inquired, curiosity obvious in his voice.

"Hello! You were sitting next to me during the meeting, and I swear I could get drunk on the strong smell of liquor you give off." Zero knew that he was exaggerating, but it did bother him a little. The immaculate pureblood would not usually allow himself to get caught dunk, or smelling like it. He would also not allow any sign of restlessness or vulnerability, even in his daily life. It was a while after Kaname started visiting him regularly that Zero started picking up on the signs of his discomfort. He knew that when he comes after a strenuous meeting, Kaname would keep pressing on his temple subtly, as if he was resting his head on his hand. He knew that he always paced himself with his drinks, whether they contained silver wine or not. He also knew that he never witnessed the shadow of dark circles starting to form under his eyes like the one he witnessed today.

"Worried?" The pureblood teased.

"As if…" Zero denied fervently. His attention snapped to the sound of the front door unlocking.

Picking on the sound, Kaname let out a long sigh, "I guess we should call it a night, make sure to get some proper rest and-"

*beep**beep**beep*

Kaname stared at the device for a moment before placing it on the on the table and sat on the windowsill with a glass of wine in hand. With his temple resting against the glass, he closed his eyes and allowed the sunrays to sting what showed of his skin, the pain searing through his nerves was the only reminder that he was alive inside the hollow shell he calls body.

"You should be sleeping in the shade of a tree instead of sunbathing in the middle of the lawn like this. You might not turn to dust, but you will be quite sore later."

Red-brown eyes shot open, flickering around until he regained enough composure to realize that he was still in his living room. Looking down, He realized that he spilled his wine on the carpeted floor. With a long sigh, he placed the empty glass on a table nearby and headed to his bedroom. He unbuttoned and removed his shirt that he threw on the floor, next was the belt that landed on a sofa and the pants greeted the doorknob. Clad in his boxers, he climbed the oversized bed where he laid with eyes wide open staring at the carved ceiling.

The male voice that echoed through his head was very familiar, comforting even, but he could not associate a face with it. Remembering it brought up a semblance of heartache and longing in his empty heart. The more fragments of memories came flooding back, the more his loneliness swallowed him. Kaname unconsciously extended a hand up to the crystal chandelier adorning the ceiling. Won't you save my wretched soul, Zero?

The hand fell back and hid his eyes as he welcomed yet another sleepless night.

∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ Meanwhile in Gin's place ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞

"…ro?"

"…"

"ZERO~?" Gin trailed.

"huh? What were you saying?" Zero's attention snapped back to the man talking to him. He shook his head when the image of the tired pureblood flashed through his head. He felt stupid for panicking upon Gin's arrival to the point of hanging up without any warning. What am I doing?

"He is not sleeping. He does not eat anymore"

Takuma's words echoed in his head before he snapped back again to the chair scraping. He looked at the fuming Gin who pulled up his laptop, "I guess you are not interested in knowing the answer to your question."

Feeling bad, Zero put down his drink and joined him. He hugged him from the back and pressed a cheek against his, complaining about the poky stubble.

"I will shave as soon as I finish this." Gin grumbled back, as he typed.

"Whatcha doing?" Zero asked in a playful voice. His eyebrow knitted when he found that the older man was checking a traveling itinerary.

"I told you about my inheritance back in Australia." Gin paused for Zero to hum the affirmation, "There was some unexpected issue that the person in charge cannot handle. I need to be there, soon."

"Do you have to go all the way there? That sucks." The hunter pouted.

"Tell me about it. Ah! Here is a flight available." Gin clicked and entered his details.

"That is three days from now!" Zero exclaimed.

"I would leave this morning if I found a flight." Gin groaned after confirming his reservation. He leaned back and ruffled Zero's hair.

"That urgent!"

"Yep… Enough about me… How are you doing?… I have been worried sick about you." Gin tilted his head to the side to face Zero.

"I am good. A little jittery from the adrenaline rush, but fine nonetheless." Zero reassured.

"Zero… I am thinking of speeding up the process of us moving to Australia." Gin surprised the hunter with the serious tone.

"How come?" Zero stuttered as he straightened up and followed Gin to the couch.

"Come on… Even a blind person can sense how dangerous things are getting around here. I felt as if my heart stopped when chairman explained your phone call earlier. I don't think I can handle any more frightening situations. I am-"

Zero stopped him with a finger against his lips, "We are going according to a good plan. Besides, I cannot possibly move away when I am still a charity case of blood donations, can I?"

Gin fell silent when he remembered that specific detail. Zero's appetite for blood have been increasing to the point that Yuki started bringing more blood, a cocktail of it even. The last visit was three times more than usual, she bragged about how many of their friends rushed to give some of theirs when they caught her in the infirmary drawing blood. He was grateful for it seeing that Zero's coloring had gotten much better, his energy was back and his mood swings reduced greatly.

His gaze followed the hunter who left him to fetch his soothing drink. Zero would wear baggy clothes when going out but he took a liking to tank tops and pajama pants when lounging at home. At this point in his pregnancy, he looked more chubby than pregnant. His slender waist was nowhere to be seen and he gave the impression that he overate during his last meal instead of carrying a child. However, the rumored pregnancy glow certainly showed on Zero, he looked more enticing than ever and he was not even aware of it.

Sitting on the sofa again, Zero snorted at the worried gaze Gin gave him, "Did anyone complain about how much of a worrywart you can be?"

"I have the right to be when the man I love faced a bombing attack." Gin draped an arm on the sofa's back to massage the silver head while Zero enjoyed his drink.

"Ugh! Fine, we are planning on taking more precaution in the future so that there would be no repeat of today's incident." Zero twisted to face the older man with a stubborn look.

"How about you just stay home, that would be the best precaution." Gin teased, knowing that the hunter would never agree.

"You already know the answer to that." Zero grunted while leaning to place the empty teacup on the table. Then, he dipped an elbow next to Gin's arm and looked into his grey eyes.

"I promise that everything will be all right. I appreciate the way you care about me, about us. Therefore, to put your mind at ease, I am going to tell you something good."

Gin could not help the smile that traced his lips at the cute way Zero was trying to raise the suspense, without waiting for an answer he leaned and claimed the noisy mouth in a tender kiss. He hooked a hand behind Zero's head and deepened the needy touch, urged by the eager way Zero responded.

Out of breath, they finally separated and eyes fluttered open. Licking his lips, Zero gave a soft chuckled as he tapped on the shoulder he was leaning on. "I forgot how dangerous your kiss can be."

"I can be a dangerous man, sometime." Gin shrugged, mischief twinkling in his eyes, "You did not grow rusty yourself."

Zero looked away, sulking from the insult before Gin grabbed his chin and consoled him with another playful kiss. He whispered against moist lips, "Ne? Zero? How about we stopped playing pretend already."

∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ The next day ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞

Unable to settle down, Kaname left at the earliest hour. Now standing in front of the wrecked building, he took careful steps up the stairs and rung the bell.

It did not take long for someone to come greet him after the chime quieted down. Unexpectedly, the person was a young human woman whom he never met before. The other thing he noticed was that the place was bustling with life; sounds of children running around, giggles and screams filled the air.

"Welcome! How may I help you?" The young woman greeted with a smile.

"I am sorry for coming this early. I would like to meet the person in charge here." Kaname asked cautiously.

"That would be me." She answered back, surprising the brunet.

"I do not mean to be rude, but wasn't there an old lady here before? I believe her name was Hana Murasaki." Kaname inquired, puzzled to no end.

"Oh! Indeed, she was my predecessor. She retired not long ago and I took over as the managing director now." She explained.

"I see. Do you have any contact or address where I can reach her? I am an old friend of hers." The pureblood had to reign in his frustration by putting his usual business smile.

The young director pondered for a moment before flicking her fingers, "I do believe that she left something, could you wait inside while I check in my office."

Kaname took a step forward but stopped just in time upon remembering the barrier, "I am okay with waiting in the lounging area over there. The morning breeze is quite pleasant today." He smoothly dodged the invitation to go inside.

Minute later, she came back with a folded note.

"Are you Kaname-san by any chance?" She asked.

"Yes. That would be me." Kaname rose from his seat.

"I was asked to verify the nickname before handing this over." The woman felt awkward.

Kaname fought the urge to roll his eyes at the antics, "Makkuro." He deadpanned.

"I think she left this for you." She handed over the folded paper with his name written on it.

"Thank you very much." Kaname bid her farewell, after asking about what happened with the wall that was covered with cardboards. She dismissed it due to the old age of the building, which was in dire need of renovation.

In his car, he unfolded the paper and stifled a groan after reading the words.

You know very well that patience has never been one of my virtues.

You sure took your sweet time to visit again, but don't worry, we will meet soon.

Until then, sit tight and wait for us.

I hope that you liked the farewell gift.

Rosa

He did not take as long to drive back to the Academy and wake up a tired Cross. After showing him the note, they remained silent for some time.

"Kaname-kun, what did she mean by farewell present?" The old hunter was confused.

"This." Kaname held a piece of tape that he removed from the paper before. Kaien squinted his eyes and realized that it had few strands of silver hair attached to it.

"I am confused."

"She want us to run the DNA test. I told her about it during our last meeting." Kaname explained.

"What? That was-" Cross started to reprimand him.

"Confidential, I am well aware of that, but I had to rule out the possibility. It was a risk worth taking." Kaname placed the hair in Cross's hand, "She is either confirming our suspicions or denying them. Frankly speaking. Her sketchy disappearance is disturbing, but I would like to believe that she is not the enemy, not yet." Kaname spoke slowly, worry clearly laced in his voice.

The chairman adjusted the tie of his ponytail and put on his glasses before pouring his morning coffee, "I will relay this to Toga and see what they could find out. However, there is one thing that bothered me about last night's discussion and now. Kaname-kun. What is she to you?"

The pureblood paused for a second before answering with his usual composure, "I will inform you when I remember that part."

∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ In a classroom after a lecture ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞

"I see… He is finally making a move. Thank you for telling me." Gin whispered over the phone, tapping on the desk with his pen, his eyes unfocused on the papers of the pop quiz. "Of course… It is a good timing since I will be sending you a present soon. I am sure that you will find it helpful. Oh! and, Toga… Dig up as much as you can about this Seppie person. She is probably the person you are after."

He hung up and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Tough day when you did not get that much sleep." The young voice snapped his attention to the classroom's door. He stretched on his chair while Nao stepped closer and made himself comfortable on his desk.

"Tell me about it." Gin cracked his neck and wiped his face in an attempt to chase the sleepiness away, "I am envious of the student who slept through most of the lectures today."

"Hmm… I wonder who is it that you are talking about." Nao played the innocent, "How did it go yesterday?"

Gin looked into the worried dark orbs and smiled, "He was somehow too distracted to listen. I should consider myself lucky seeing the lame excuses I was coming up with."

"Yeah! Being too worried to settle down does not explain being out most of the night. It was a pain climbing up to the fourth floor last night, and my roommate had to close the window. Talk about adding to my agony."

"I told you to let me get you in without the sneaking around. I am technically one of your chaperones." Gin pointed.

"Oh yeah? Can you remind of the guy who did not want to reveal any connection between us?" Nao teased, "Besides, it was my fault that we had to drag on for that long."

"Damn right! You chose the right time to tell me that she was Rosa's mother! It is a good thing that I only scraped the car instead of crashing into the nearest tree at that speed." Gin complained. It was shocking enough meeting Seppie, but the fact that she was Rosa's mother left him speechless.

He was amongst the few who knew about Rosa's true nature as well as her actual age; it was hard to miss when you spend few decades with the woman. However, thinking that Seppie was her mother did not make sense at all. The fact that he managed to neutralize her attack is proof enough that she was a vampire, a powerful one to boot, but Rosa was clearly not a vampire no matter how you looked at her.

"Well, I was not supposed to tell you. She did not even mention it to me. She has been covering it up by saying that it was a guest. I just happened to overhear her saying 'mother' while she thought that I was asleep. So… Are you going to look into it?" Nao urged, he had enough of sitting around doing nothing while his family was falling apart.

Gin gathered his books and paper and walked to the door, "You bet… I am leaving in three days, actually."

"Then! Can I-" Nao chirped excitedly.

"No you are not coming!" Gin flicked his forehead, "I won't be gone for that long and you have school. Enough of the wannabe life until you get a proper degree."

"Cheapskate!" The prefect pouted then grinned, "Send my regards to that sleaze ball."

Gin rolled his eyes, "He won't stop crying from your harsh words. Need I remind you that it is thanks to him that you are here?"

"Nope. It is thanks to you. Oh! I have to go… Duty call! See ya tomorrow!" Nao waved as he ran while putting the prefect band on his arm.

Gin walked to the opposite direction to go back home, impatient to spoil the capricious man waiting for him. He was extremely reluctant about taking off so abruptly, but he was more afraid that the extent of power threatening his love could be far greater than what anyone ever expected. Thus, he needed to dig deeper into what he already knew.