Toga winced and the cup in his hand slipped and fell on the carpeted floor, spilling its hot content on the headmaster's beloved ornament.
He can't be mistaken. It was clearly Zero's scent. It was strong enough to convince Toga that something really bad had happened to the boy. This much scent could only be coming from deep or multiple injuries.
He didn't have to tell the blond ex-hunter what he was doing and where he was going because Kaien was running after him in the same direction.
Two more scents filled the air, the other faint and then followed by another that was the strongest among the three. The most important thing right now is that the last one is not Zero's. They still have to hurry and make sure that he's already out of danger.
The closer they get to the woods, the stronger the scents become. The faint scent disappeared completely by the time they entered the forest while the strength of Zero's remained the same, the strongest one just kept getting stronger.
Multiple auras coming from noble vampires alerted them even more.
What the fuck is going on?
Zero!
Toga ran even faster only to feel himself slowing down. He fought to keep going but his attempts only made it increasingly painful and eventually impossible. Some sort of heavy gravitational pull is causing him and Kaien to stop moving. The said pull settled on his whole body, weighing him down whenever he attempted to make a movement but disappeared when he stayed still.
This is a rare and powerful enchantment that Toga knows could only come from purebloods and there's only one around here to point a finger on.
"He's raging," Kaien uttered behind him. When he turned to him, the blond recognized the look on his face that he immediately shook his head. "It's someone else."
"It better be." Toga gritted his teeth. His fingers itching to reach for his anti-vampire shotgun on his back.
The wind carried the sound of a deep growl and a spine-chilling scream that echoed through the forest and in his ears.
He was just starting to get really frustrated when suddenly the force that's stopping them disappeared. They hurried to the clearing and found a number of nobles huddled around something that he couldn't clearly see but didn't really matter because he was following Zero's aura.
When he finally found the silver-haired boy he was lying half-unconscious with blood all over him on Kuran Kaname's lap where the pureblood was trying to position him for something.
He moved towards the two when he felt a hand on his arm, stopping him.
"It's dangerous." It was a woman's voice and when Toga turned, it was a Level C vampire with hair that reminded him of Zero's. Her violet eyes were not even looking at him but to her master and his mate. "Kaname-sama put up a barrier." She extended her arm and her little fingers touched something in the air that sparked and probably even stung her because she flinched afterward. "He's not fully himself yet…" Then she looked up, eyes cold but determined and her face, impassive, despite what's happening.
"Not until he's sure Zero is safe and healed," Kaien said behind them. "What in the world happened here?" The headmaster asked in the calmest and collected way, given that if and when the HVRO finds out about this, it will be the end of his Night Class if not the whole Cross Academy.
As Kuran's bodyguard started to explain, Toga continued to watch Zero who is now weakly feeding on the pureblood.
This isn't the first time he sees a vampire feeding but this is Zero and he's drawing blood from the oldest known vampire in the world. He could see the silver-haired boy taking small gulps while the pureblood's long bloody fingers are carefully and gently running up and down his head to the rest of his back, nudging, and encouraging Zero to keep going with the softest and fondest look on his face.
Now that Toga is looking even closer, he notices the pureblood's mouth moving, his lips pressed into Zero's ear and he's whispering something.
Toga couldn't help but marvel at the sight. The peaceful look on Zero's face, with his eyes closed and arms wrapped around Kuran is quite fascinating. This is the first time he'd seen Zero in this state in a long long time. He looked so serene, like a baby so trusting in the arms of its mother.
The first time he heard about the bonding from Kaien's calls, he was devastated. He couldn't accept that after everything that Zero had gone through, he's gonna end up trapped in a bond with not just a pureblood vampire but the purest of them all, the most powerful of them all.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Where is Kaname-sama?"
Takuma took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, searching for the composure that had left him so long ago.
"What is happening?"
"Is he really mated to that hunter?"
"That explains the cheap funny smell."
Now his head is starting to hurt again. He can't do this right now.
"Is Hanabusa going to be okay?"
He raised his hands as he turned. He just came from Aidou's room and while his situation has definitely improved, it's still far from being okay. He lost a lot of blood and suffered a life-threatening injury and if he's being honest, he thinks the other noble is still not off the death angel's hook. Rima is still on his side and has never left to continuously boost his healing for more than 12 hours now and she's not looking good herself. Takuma suspects that Rima could detect Aidou's life force and she knows that if she stops, he's going to die right away.
"I'll be honest with all of you." He started and everyone stopped talking at once. Eyes looking at him intently, holding their breath for what they've been wanting to hear since the incident last night. "Things are happening too fast and believe me, Kaname-sama will make it right for all of us and most especially for himself."
That was vague even for him but the truth is right there. He's not even lying.
"He attacked one of us, all because of that hunter!"
"Right! Are we still even safe here?"
Gritting his teeth, he couldn't help but point out "Not if you are as stupid as Hanabusa."
Everyone stood silent and guarded and Takuma belatedly realized it's because he just released a threatening angry aura. He took yet another deep breath and collected himself.
"I'm sorry. I'm just stressed. We have been dealing with this issue with Kaname-sama and..." he gestured that they should already know who he's talking about without saying his name. He knows the nobles are sensitive when it comes to hunters and the ex-humans. "He didn't mean for this to happen. He'd been fighting it… but it's just stronger. It takes over him…" He continued to remind them, "You've seen it, right?" He asked. "You've seen him ."
The others nodded. He could feel them shiver in fear, even now at the memory of what they saw last night.
"The golden-eyed Kaname-sama…" Said one.
If Takuma had any strength left, he'd give the noble an award for his creative naming skill. A little eye roll would've been a fitting reward.
"So, what about that hunter? Is he really-"
"Nothing is permanent right now. Let's just keep things going. Go about things as usual and leave it all to us." He said, tone dismissive and he didn't wait for another word before walking away.
He sighed in relief after finally escaping the interrogation.
The empty corridor is dark and the events that happened contributed to the gloomy atmosphere in the whole dorm. Kaname's ever-present powerful aura is concentrated in the left wing where his gigantic room is, whereas everyone is gathered everywhere his presence isn't or barely felt.
Takuma wondered if everything would go back to normal if the procedure were to truly work. If technology can really overcome the supernatural.
He has decided to help complete the bond even if Kaname belatedly realized that it will single handedly destroy everything he built and worked hard for thousands of years. He feels so mad. Kiryuu Zero is so oblivious! He doesn't know how much power he has over Kaname right now.
Takuma is drained in every way. He needs Senri.
He needs sex.
Everyone can go fuck themselves right now.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Zero turns to chase the sleep that's quickly leaving him behind as he starts to become aware of his surroundings. When tossing and turning could no longer keep him in the dreamland, he slowly opened his eyes, adjusting to the daylight.
The first he saw were little rays of sunlight slipping through small seams from the edges of the closed curtain.
Next ,he felt arms around him from the back, the comfortable warmth and feel of skin against his, followed by the calming rhythmic sound of steady breathing and the way warm breath fans his nape.
He put his hand on top of Kaname's and tugged and pulled him closer to keep his hold on him tighter. That woke Kaname up with the way he was now moving on his own, pressing his face on the crook of his neck and inhaling him loudly.
They stayed like that for a long time and Zero wouldn't mind staying longer. The silence that used to make him feel alone and lonely now is a comforting white noise with Kaname next to him.
The memories of what happened last night replayed in his mind and though he was hurt, the way that Kaname protected him stuck the most.
He attacked one of his own for him.
He was surprised. Kaname almost killed the blond noble in front of the whole Night Class. Zero's painful injuries were momentarily forgotten, he was even more scared for the noble vampire than with his wounds that were slowly draining his blood and making him weaker by the minute.
"How are you feeling?" Kaname's voice was a welcome sound in the silence he was enjoying.
Instead of responding, he remained silent. He doesn't want his voice to break the tranquility of the moment. He feels good and he wants to stay that way a little longer.
The pain of his wounds last night is now a distant memory. His body is satiated and comfortable, thanks to Kaname's blood.
Then Zero paused.
He moved to get out of the pureblood's hold and sat on the side of the bed, turning to the unfairly beautiful brunet behind him. He can't be this good-looking so early in the morning. His bed hair only accentuated his intense sultry look, his eyes dark with wanting as he stared at him.
"I'm still mad at you. Nothing's changed." He reminded the pureblood and himself, trying to put the brakes on his rioting heartbeat.
Kaname raised his hand and Zero's eyes followed the way his long beautiful fingers ran through his equally beautiful wavy locks and apparently, there's only one adjective in his vocabulary. He looked devastatingly handsome despite the pained look on his face.
Zero shook his head. "I'll feed you first. Then I'll leave."
He climbed back on the bed and onto Kaname, nonchalantly positioning himself on the pureblood's lap. He even placed both his hands on Kaname's shoulders for support.
The way the pureblood was looking at him right now is making him livid. How can he look at him like he wants him so much when he's the one who came up with the idea to break the bond?
"Stop that!" Zero gritted his teeth. He decided not to look at his face and hurriedly bit his own arm. It's always been painful to do it this way, but there's no other option. When he felt his mouth couldn't accommodate any more blood, he raised his head and mistakenly met Kaname's eyes.
There it is again. The glowing golden eyes, intently staring directly into his own. His fingers on both sides of his hips are digging through his skin and his jaw is clenched he could see it twitching.
Zero almost… almost swallowed his own blood when the pureblood's hands left his sides and went behind his head to pull him none so gently towards him, his mouth crashing his, some of his blood spilled on the side of his lips but they weren't wasted when after emptying his mouth, Kaname's hot and wet tongue lapped them clean before going back to his press their lips again.
Take me.
Take me, please.
Zero could hear his subconscious crying in so much need.
Fuck me!
His body is moving along with the purebloods' pressing and rubbing their groins for that delicious contact, for that release his body is aching for. Kaname's tongue was relentless, moving around his mouth as if he owned it just like how his hands- his fingers press, stroke, and knead his burning skin through his clothes.
Before he lost himself, Zero used all his strength to push Kaname away, the force also causing him to fall off the pureblood's lap.
"You can't keep doing this!" He snapped, his body still tingling from the sensations that were prematurely broken. "What's the point?"
The pureblood's dark ruby eyes resurfaced and Zero has no time to hear what he has to say. He needs to be away and Kaname needs to respect that because he's trying to respect his decision too.
Without looking back, Zero hurried out of Kaname's spacious and luxurious yet very suffocating room and found himself finding his way out of the dorm. It hasn't been that long before his breathing started calming down when he felt something prickly all over his skin.
It momentarily slipped his mind that dozens of noble vampires live in the building and that he should've taken the pureblood's windows to exit. It's too late now because when he reached the stairhead, he saw brilliant red eyes trained on him.
He felt the need to turn back but his stupid pride kept him going. Slow and guarded, he met their stares as he descended the staircase. All of them have that contempt and look as if he's the most disgusting creature that walked the Earth. They look like they want to attack him and they're using all their might to stop themselves which as a result intensifies their death glares and if one of them has laser eyes, Zero'd be ashes in seconds.
Zero didn't realize he held his breath until he had to breathe a little loudly once he was out of the building. He stopped his hand from reaching for his chest as if it would aid his body's need for more air as he gasped.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"And you didn't tell me?" The headmaster instead turned to the dark-haired hunter leaning by the window.
"Don't make it a big deal." Toga Yagari said and Kaito winced at the choice of words. In situations like this, he should've avoided negative words. When you tell someone don't worry, you make them worry instead. When you tell them no problem , you feed them the negative word and that's all they hear, not the whole thought.
Toga Yagari is as exceptional a hunter as he is a teacher to budding hunters like himself, but that's all he's known for. He can attest after years of being under his experienced thumb that he doesn't have an eloquent tongue nor does he have a respectful one.
"We don't start until next week so I think we have enough time to get settled, right sensei?" Kaito started with the headmaster and ended up directing his eyes to the bigger guy. "Anyway, I can't wait to meet Zero! It has been a while."
His expectant smile faltered when he noticed the two looking at each other instantaneously and then just as quick, they looked away. Uncomfortable silence filled the room for a second before the headmaster stood, faking a smile and enthusiasm.
"How about Yagari-kun shows you to the guest room on the second floor? You'd love the view from the window."
The view indeed was spectacular. He could see the lake and the woods that stretched around the school. He could see the school grounds including the main building, the dorm for the Day Class students right in front of the headmaster's residence- where he was told to stay instead of the Day Class teacher's residence, and across the lake to the right are the bloodsuckers' lair.
He could see the bias. It looked more like a castle than a dormitory and he couldn't blame the headmaster, after all these are mostly noble vampires role-playing as students. They have the means.
The map he was given was pretty precise and Kaito must say, Cross Academy is not for the low class.
"So, where's Zero?" He asked.
"He's unwell and recuperating. There was an incident and-"
Kaito felt before he saw a familiar figure come out from the woods and approach the headmaster's residence. He recognized it immediately.
"I don't know what medicine he took but I think Zero-kun recovered fast." He said, not bothering to turn because he knows Toga Yagari felt his aura too. "I think he was just acting up." He stifled a laugh, "he seems to have just got home from a rendezvous." He commented suggestively then reached to open the window but had to scrunch his nose. "He smells funny."
"Yeah, about that."