Chapter 9
Zero left Yuuki and Cross together with Kaname downstairs and headed upstairs alone quietly. He entered his room and, out of habit, immediately locked the door.
He glanced at the mirror and noticed how pale he looked. His mission wasn't going too well and the Association didn't seem too pleased with a report that said there's nothing going on under the surface of the school. But if Zero couldn't find anything, then he didn't need to report anything. He might be a professional hunter and spying was one of his jobs, but he wasn't about to create some stories just to satisfy the higher-ups in the Association. He wouldn't do anything that could destroy the setting of the school. Even if he was still somehow against vampires' co-existence with humans, he knew that the school was doing well to prove that it could happen.
He changed into a sweat shirt and went to the bathroom to wash his face and clear his mind, but he froze when he felt an all too familiar chest pain. It started as something tolerable, if not hurtful, but Zero found the pain was getting more intense by the second. It was even more intense than the last time. It seemed every time his body took the pills, the effect was getting stronger. But he also realized that three pills took more time to have an effect than just one pill. When he first took a pill, the effect came right after some minutes. But when he took three of them, the disgusting things took effect after at least half a day. Perhaps if he drank more, it would take longer before the effect took place… Either that or he would die from over dosage. And after the pills' temporary wonder wore off, the pain would be something he didn't want to feel even in his worst nightmare.
He clutched his chest as he struggled to breathe. He covered his mouth with his other hand just as he started coughing up blood. His knees gave out because of the intense pain and he slumped on the flooring of the bathroom without much poise. He gripped the edge of the toilet bowl as he continued throwing out crimson colored liquid. Some blood spilled on his shirt and more to the flooring than to the bowl. His body was trembling too much to even hold tightly onto something.
After some minutes of coughing continuously, his body finally gave out. He barely had the time to think of where his body would land when there was suddenly a swift air movement beside him and someone already caught him before his body even touched the floor. Zero sensed the presence a little too late but the scent was what made him sure Kaname was the one holding him from behind.
"This is what happens when you ignore my blood and drink something else." Somehow, Zero felt calmed at the sound of that cool voice. It meant Kaname wasn't angry at him for being humiliated in front of Yuuki and Cross. The voice held warmth and calmness that Zero never heard from the pureblood yet. It wasn't like the tone he used when speaking to Yuuki either, so it was just a voice for Zero. But his thoughts were too muddled up and he wasn't thinking right, so maybe that's also part of the reason.
Zero's body continued to tremble in Kaname's arms and the brunette was silently panicking. No wonder Aido helped the hunter even when they were in the middle of a fight. The other vampires whose bodies were not that inclined to take the pills would just throw up a small amount of blood, but their bodies were still okay and they could even joke around afterwards. But Zero was different. He looked like he was about to die and Kaname didn't like it. No. He hated it, even though he didn't understand why he thought that way.
Actually, he had no intention of going to Zero's room, even when he smelled the blood. He was afraid to lose his control again and it would be a disaster when that happens. He couldn't understand why Zero's blood could make him feel so hot and excited. He desired Yuuki's blood but not with that intensity. If it was because Zero was a hunter, then why didn't Cross exhibit such blood as well? It's only with Zero that he could feel that way. And now that he realized it, there were so many things he couldn't understand when it came to Zero. He didn't like it when he was in the dark about something. And he somehow had the tendency to try to know everything about that certain thing, even to the point of possessing it. Of course, that was it… He was merely interested because Zero was a mystery to him… That was merely it…
Zero's body went limp and Kaname's panic initially intensified. "Kiryuu?!" But when he felt Zero's silent but even breathing, he was at last able to calm down. "You shouldn't be so stubborn." He voiced, but he knew that Zero was not merely being stubborn. Drinking blood from Kaname went against all of Zero's hunter principles. And it would somehow destroy that hunter's very identity.
Zero opened his eyes and saw that Kaname's eyes were not actually entirely chocolate in color. There was a tinge of crimson and they looked even more charming up close. Kaname blinked, perplexed at the hunter's lack of response. Zero was staring at his eyes directly but he was not moving. "Kiryuu? Oy, Zero? Can you hear me? Wait, can you even recognize me?"
Zero's unmoving body slightly shifted when he tried to talk. "Idiotic… pureblood..?"
"I guess you're not okay after all. Telling a pureblood that he's an idiot is a kind of sacrilege." Kaname's tone was serious but his eyes looked more amused than offended. No one had ever called him that, not in his entire life. Now that he had calmed down, he realized the scent of Zero's blood was just too strong to resist. He already took some pills earlier but his control was still being put to the test.
"Do I stink that much..?" Zero asked weakly when he noticed that Kaname was trying to cover his nose very casually to not offend the hunter. Aido said that he didn't stink, but Kaname's nose was far more sensitive than Aido's and he could surely smell Zero. "Level Es smell like Level Es after all… All rotten and dead…" He tried his best to get up only to feel his muscles aching in the slightest movement. He couldn't even move his hands without exhausting the little energy remaining in his body.
Kaname realized Zero was taking what he was trying to do in the wrong way. "No, actually, it was the opposite." Zero looked confused and the pureblood knew he had to explain. "It's your blood. Its scent is too strong to resist."
"Aido said something like that too…" Zero mumbled. He felt very sleepy but he was trying his hardest to stay awake. A vampire – one that tried to attack him earlier – was beside him and he mustn't let his guard down, not that his guard was up in any kind of way right now. He couldn't understand his feeling, but he felt too calm at this moment, even when a pureblood vampire was beside him. Of course, his hunter side was kind of growling inside him, but it wasn't rampaging like what it usually did when a vampire was near.
"Drink from me." Kaname bit his lips with his fangs and the blood flowed from his mouth. "Take the blood as my apology for my behavior earlier in the church." Zero needed blood right now and he would be extremely thirsty if he didn't drink anything. He didn't have the energy or even the will to resist when he smelled the delicious scent of Kuran blood. The hunter's eyes turned crimson and glowed just as his fangs extended fully. Kaname helped him have a better position as he unbuttoned his black long sleeves. He tilted his head to make Zero more comfortable and have more access. The hunter inhaled the scent and licked Kaname's neck which sent shivers of delight to the pureblood.
Zero didn't pleasure the pureblood much because his thirst was so much so that he couldn't even think straight anymore. He gently sunk his fangs in Kaname's creamy flesh, which made the pureblood let out a contented and pleasured sigh. Kaname closed his eyes as he listened to the sound of blood flowing out of his body and into Zero's mouth. He gently held the back of Zero's head and pulled him even more. The pleasure was so much that he tilted his head more. His fangs were also fully aroused and the feeling of Zero sucking him was making him even more excited. Zero drank the blood slowly. He wanted to savor its taste inside his mouth before he'd swallow the pure crimson bliss. It felt so rejuvenating and it calmed him down to no end. Kaname's blood was definitely on a league higher than any other.
When Zero finished, he felt more alive and warm inside him, though he was still a bit groggy from the throw up earlier. He felt so sleepy his red-alert hunter sense couldn't even make him stay awake and was almost out of it when he heard Kaname's voice. It seemed to have come from a far away place, but what it contained woke him up immediately. "Do you want to transfer to the Night Class?"
"…To become one of you? Don't make me laugh, Kuran." Zero snorted weakly. Even if it was just a joke, he hated how Kaname seemed to have assumed he was already a comrade of the vampires in the Night Class.
"You areone of us, Zero Kiryuu." Kaname indicated. "You might not want it, but you have no choice anymore. You can't revert back to being human just because of strong will." Zero's head was clearer now and he noticed he was still in Kaname's arms. He immediately sat straight and put a little distance between them.
"Why are you still here, by the way?" Zero said in his usually worn annoyed expression, obviously feeling awkward because of their earlier intimate position. "You've given me blood. There's no reason for you to stay anymore. And don't expect me to be gratified every time you give blood to me, because in the first place, it was your idea and I was always in no condition to refuse." He stood up, still blood-soaked, and went out of the bathroom, passing Kaname by an inch.
"Now that your mind is a little clearer, are you sure you aren't going to ask anything?" Kaname voiced. Zero's back was facing the pureblood but he was sure Kaname was having that smug smile of his again.
"I don't have anything to ask you. Get out of my room now." The hunter simply answered before he took some change of clothes from the drawer. It wasn't that he was being complacent by having his back face a vampire, and a pureblood at that. It's just that he knew even if he was facing Kaname, he had no chance against the pureblood if he was to be attacked. So why bother..? When he faced Kaname again, the pureblood was already by the window, leaning on the wall and staring at him in amusement. Zero glared at him because the hunter felt that the pureblood was making fun of him. "What do you really want?"
"You want to ask me something, right?" Kaname asked again, this time more serious than earlier. "Like… why Yuuki is human and I'm a vampire. And why did Cross adopt her and I wasn't? Something along those lines…"
That certainly piqued Zero's interest, but his face remained stoic and indifferent. He didn't want the vampire to think he'd won. "I don't care. And if you're going to stay here just to show off or say something like that, then it'll be better, no, it'll be best if you're gone."
Kaname chuckled. "How cold, Zero-kun… Even though I was about to tell you just to satisfy your curiosity…"
Zero glared at him more intensely. "I don't care! Just get out!" He was a serious person and he didn't like being teased like that, especially by someone he barely knew. His temper wasn't that excellent and he didn't have the time to adjust just because Kaname was the one who gave him life in the form of blood. Kaname just chuckled and shrugged before he was gone. In the blink of an eye, Zero couldn't see him anymore and he also couldn't feel the pureblood's presence at all. He breathed deeply before he changed his clothes.
Kaname went to Moon Dorm with so much confusion. He was shocked at himself for actually trying to open up to someone he barely knew. It's not that he disliked it, but he was kind of nervous and afraid. He was showing nothing but amusement earlier, but he was actually afraid that Zero would really ask.
Zero was someone from the other side of the binary opposition but Kaname was so sure the hunter would understand his pain. It's not that he wanted Zero to feel the same kind of pain, but he just thought that sharing the story to Zero would lessen the depressing weight that his heart carried all this time. He couldn't open up to Yuuki because he was supposed to be the one to protect her and not the one to burden her heart with unnecessary worries. He couldn't open up to Cross either because the man was already kind enough to accept Kaname and Yuuki in his life. That was enough for the pureblood.
Of course, there was no way he could talk about his life with his vampire circle because they thought of him as someone strong and reliable. He was their Leader and if he showed any sign of having a weak heart, he would surely lose their trust and obedience. That would be very humiliating and would utterly destroy his dignity and position as a pureblood. That's why he was so adamant on making Zero accept him. The hunter was someone who lived because of his blood, someone who would not break his trust because there was nothing like that between them. Zero was simply a hunter whom he could dispose of after use, a disposable chess piece in his game. Yes, that was merely it… He breathed deeply as he tried his best to accept the obvious lie that his mind created just to satisfy his need to explain to himself.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Zero woke up feeling the sting of the sun in his eyes. He tried to open his eyes but the light was just too damn dazzling and annoying. It seemed he forgot to close it last night… But he wasn't this irritated to sunlight before. Was he changing again..? Was his body adapting to the night life..? He felt his mood soured and he knew he had to stop thinking for a while. He put on a sweat shirt and pants and left the Dorm to clear his mind. He wasn't thirsty so he was a bit more confident in staying outside his room. He let his mind wander off as he jogged the outer circle of the school for a while.
He remembered Yagari and Yuzuru, and wondered what could they be doing right now, or if they were having some mission or just simply lying on their backs in their bed and enjoying the quiet morning in idleness. Yagari was his master, the one who raised him after that incident ten years ago. Yuzuru was the closest friend he had in the Headquarters. He might be so damn annoying all the time, but Zero cherished him just like a brother. Right now, the thing he was most afraid of was for the two of them to know about his situation. He's sure there was no way those two wouldn't know sooner or later. But he preferred that they found out after his death, after this mission. That way, they wouldn't have to see him so different, so unmistakably… vampire.
Zero blinked and found out he was already jogging in the school yard. The morning air felt so refreshing but the sun was kind of hurting his skin. He continued jogging nonetheless.
After some minutes of circling the yard, he saw a blonde male sitting in one of the benches, trying to hit on girls. He raised an eyebrow at the damn eloquence that Aido was showing just to flatter the girls, who looked just like any other girl in the campus in Zero's eyes. When the girls saw the silver-haired hunter, they immediately bowed to Aido and left. They knew that Aido was banned on school grounds during the day even if there was no class. A prefect, such as Zero, would surely report it and the two didn't want to get involved. Aido put on an irritated face and looked at Zero, who merely looked at him back.
"What do you think you're doing, annoying me so early in the morning?" Aido asked when Zero was nearer. He saw that the hunter was soaked in sweat from jogging. His silver hair was darker in color because it was a little wet and some of it was stuck on his forehead and cheeks. He looked really dazzling and Aido gulped as he looked away.
"Just so you know, I didn't do anything." Zero tried to act innocent. He knew he was the reason why those girls left, but he was not about to accept that when he didn't even do anything directly. "And what are you doing here so early in the morning? I didn't think you're so much of a rule-breaker, Aido. Kuran will surely sigh if he sees you."
"Oy, don't just blurt out Kaname-sama's name like that!" It seemed the only thing that remained in Aido's head was the so-called insult about Kaname not being called with any honorific. Zero sighed as he stretched and was about to continue jogging when Aido walked in his way.
"What are you doing?" Zero asked casually.
"Trying to ruin your morning, just like you did to mine." The blonde smirked, but that only amused Zero. He was feeling so awful so early in the morning, and Aido might just be the one to help him forget his other problems, mainly because the blonde was a walking problem himself. Zero knew the blonde would get even more annoyed if he would stop jogging and go to somewhere else, and he just had somewhere in mind. He walked to Aido's right and left the blonde without another word. "Oy! You, Kiryuu! Wait!"
Zero entered the school cafeteria and went directly to the counter. Aido followed him and also went to the same place. There weren't many students yet, but the sight of Zero and Aido together immediately brought their morning energy to a higher level. Aido, who was so concerned in keeping his cool appearance, waved back to the students and sent some flying kisses, which made the whole cafeteria radiantly animated and energetic. Zero only snorted and looked at the menu.
"Carbonara, sir?" The girl at the counter asked kindly and Zero only nodded.
"Yuck, that milky pasta again?" Aido grimaced, trying to annoy Zero.
"And burger." Zero added, ignoring Aido's comment. It's not like it was Aido who would eat it anyway. Afterwards, he went to the vending machine and put some coins to get two bottles of milk.
"Are you a cat or something?" Aido asked as he followed Zero to the table. Zero started eating without talking to him, and the act was starting to get on his nerves. To annoy Zero, he immediately grabbed a bottle and opened it. "If you're still going to ignore me, I'll drink this!" He said the words as if he held a hostage whom Zero cherished so much.
Zero sighed. "If you want one, you can just buy your own. Or are you so broke that you don't even have the money to buy a single bottle of milk?"
"Of course not!" Aido exclaimed and immediately drank the milk. He looked very proud and confident afterwards, like he was able to win against a huge obstacle. Zero watched the blonde in silent amusement while he finished his food.
The two were surprised when someone placed a bottle of milk on their table. Zero looked up and saw Yoru looking at him seriously. Aido looked up too and recognized the guy as the one whom Zero got into a fight against.
"Miura." Zero voiced before he looked at the bottle of milk. "Bribe?"
"Of course not!" Yoru exclaimed in his annoyed expression. "It's a token of my apology. But don't get the wrong idea! Yuuki and the others scolded me badly, and they also told me to apologize. That's the only reason why I'm here."
"It's a bribe after all." Aido thought as he looked at the guy. Yoru looked in between embarrassed and annoyed. But there's also a deep tinge of pride in his eyes, and something similar to an apologetic look. At least he's sincere…
Zero looked at the milk with creased eyebrows. "Are you sure it's safe to drink this?" Miura's look of outrage was so prevalent that Aido had to bite his lower lip to prevent himself from laughing. The guy's face, however, changed from indignation to surprise when Zero drank the bottle of milk straightly. Afterwards, he also took his own bottle of milk and drank the whole of it.
"Neko Kiryuu." Aido muttered as he put his elbows on the table and clasp his fingers. He put his chin on top of them and looked at Zero with a bored look on his face.
"You can talk if you don't steal other people's milk anymore." Zero, having been refreshed, stood up and tapped Yoru's shoulder once. "Thanks for the milk." He said with a serious face before he started walking out of the cafeteria on his own.
"Oy, don't leave me here!" Aido shouted behind him. "You were supposed to force me to leave the premises, remember?" He half ran half jogged his way towards Zero. Just as he passed Miura, he whispered, "I think you're forgiven." He smiled before he went off with Zero. Yoru watched their leaving figures in silence, eyebrows furrowed and cheeks having a faint tinge of pink.
"Why the hell are you following me?" Zero asked when Aido continued to follow him in his stroll. He couldn't jog yet because he had just eaten so he was walking leisurely instead. He put a hand in his pocket and realized he was holding the bottle of blood pills. He tended to bring the bottle along with him unconsciously these past few days. He played it with his hand as he continued strolling.
"I'm not following you. It's just that I want to go that way too." Aido snorted.
"Then go that way. I'll go this way instead." Zero suddenly turned right.
"Oy, Kiryuu!" Aido shouted behind him. He ran nearer when Zero stopped and turned. "…Don't go hard on my belongings tomorrow, okay?" The voice was merely a whisper. "I'll treat you ten bottles of milk if you leave my belongings alone." His serious expression looked so damn funny that the corners of Zero's lips were twitching from holding the laughter in.
Actually, Zero just remembered now that the prefects were supposed to inspect the Dorms every end of the month. Yuuki was also saying something like that last Friday but he wasn't listening much so the explanation about the inspection simply passed his ears, entering from one ear and getting out of the other. And now that Aido had told him about it, he knew he had to ask Yuuki about the details again.
"Sorry, I need to go." Zero said before he turned around again. "And please don't go bribing me. I'm an honest prefect who will report all anomalies inside Cross Academy." What he said just now had a deeper meaning though. He'd have to report everything… But it seemed Aido just guessed the literal one.
"Tch. Stingy cat!" Aido blurted out before he started dashing away in the other direction with much elegance and grace, just like the vampire that he was.
"Stingy cat, you say?" Zero uttered before he walked towards the Sun Dorm again.
When he entered the mansion-like dorm, he saw Cross sitting alone in the living room, reading something like a newspaper. The Chairman smiled when he saw Zero and the latter slightly bowed his head briefly in respect. When he asked Cross where Yuuki was, however, he found out that she was outside the school, hanging out with her friends again.
"She asked me where you were earlier." Cross said beneath his glasses. "I thought she wanted you to go with her. But I saw you leave the dorm so I told her you were out. Do you want to ask her something?"
"Ah, no." Zero initially answered, but he thought it would be best if he'd ask Cross instead of Yuuki. The girl had already explained everything to him and she would be so damn angry if she found out he wasn't listening that entire time. "Actually, I want to ask about the inspection."
Cross blinked and leaned his head to one side in his child-like way. His glasses dangled in a diagonal angel at the top of his nose. "The inspection? I asked Yuuki to tell you about that… Didn't she say anything?"
"Ah, no. She already told me." Zero was finding it hard to explain.
"Alright, come with me to the kitchen." He smiled before he closed the newspaper and walked into the kitchen. Zero followed quietly, wondering why they had to go there instead of the office where Cross usually talked with him. Maybe because no one's here right now… There were only few students living in the dorm, especially in the Sun Dorm, and some of them even went home on weekends. Zero sat on a chair just as Cross sat in front of him so the two of them were facing each other.
"Let's start then." Cross said. "Inspections are done once in a month, but without definite date schedule to prevent students from cheating and hiding the things that are not supposed to be found inside their rooms. The students will only know that there will be inspection at least one or two days before it. The prefects, together with the Dorm Heads, are the ones who will confiscate the things that are supposedly banned. Of course, the prefects' rooms have to be inspected too."
"The things that are banned… What are those?" Zero asked casually. He didn't have a care about those things but he knew he should at least be aware of what he was supposed to inspect the rooms for. All that mattered to him now was that he could use that inspection to get inside the vampires' den and then his mission could continue.
"There isn't much problem about banned things in the Moon Dorm because Kuran-kun will surely take care of everything without mercy." Cross said before he sighed. "The big problem will be in the Sun Dorm. The students tend to take photos and have albums of their idols in the Night Class. Those things are banned. Of course, all sorts of x-rated magazines, alcoholic beverages, and addictive medicines are also banned. There are also many other things that are shocking, and you'll immediately know that they're banned. Yuuki will be with you so you don't have to worry that much." He smiled. "Do you have any more questions?"
"No, my questions were all answered." Zero said.
"Want a cup of milk?" The Chairman asked in childish tone, and when Zero shook his head, his expression became more serious. "Zero-kun, I have to tell you something." Zero looked attentive enough and Cross said what was in his mind ever since Zero came to the school. "I think we need to find the vampire who… turned you." His voice cracked at the word 'turned,' as if he didn't mean to say it like that at all.
Zero's eyes widened. "You mean… Shizuka… Hiou..?" He asked quietly, as if afraid she would come at the mention of her name. "Why..?"
"You received blood from her, right?" Cross asked seriously. When Zero nodded, he continued his explanation. "I think she gave you too little so you will have no choice but to find her. You have to drink a certain amount of her blood to be able to truly live. Without a certain amount of her blood, your body will die, or worse, turn to a Level E even if you keep taking the blood pills. The only thing preventing you from transforming into a Level E is the seal on your neck. And it's starting to weaken because your vampire side is getting more and more powerful…" But the Chairman wasn't looking at Zero while he's saying that.
"Don't worry too much about me, Chairman Cross." Zero smiled. "You just have to put a bullet in my head to stop me."
"Zero-kun!" Cross almost stood up from the chair when he heard just how low Zero's regard for his life was. "Please don't say something like that. You don't have any idea how it will break me if you were to–." Zero looked up just in time to see Cross's surprised expression. It seemed the Chairman caught what he was saying and stopped in the middle of it. "N-No, never mind. If you don't mind, I will ask Kuran-kun to at least locate where Shizuka Hiou is. I'm glad that your body doesn't look like it's on the verge of breaking though, which is kind of surprising. To stay sane for two whole weeks without anything but blood pills is really something."
Zero immediately tensed as he realized why his body wasn't breaking or why his mind wasn't. It's because of his blood… Kaname was also a pureblood just like Shizuka Hiou. Of course he'd have the power to sustain Zero's body and also his sanity. Without his blood, Zero would've probably already transformed into a Level E due to lack of Shizuka's blood. Kaname probably realized that Zero didn't receive much blood and decided he's the only one who could help. So that's why that arrogant idiot said he's the one providing his life… The only question in Zero's mind now was why… What could the pureblood attain by doing that..? He didn't know if he could tell Cross that information but he was sure that that's the sole explanation for everything.
But there was one thing bothering him right now. It felt as if… as if Cross was hiding something… He didn't know if it was just him or if the thing about Shizuka and him being a Level E weren't the problems for Cross at all. Sure Cross panicked earlier when he said he'd kill himself. But other than that, there was something off about Cross's explanation. He couldn't put a finger on it but he was sure Cross was hiding something, if not entirely lying about it. He had to figure out what 'it' was soon, especially since Cross was being more worried about it than him.
"Zero-kun?" Cross called and Zero looked up again, not realizing he was already looking at the table while deep in thought. "Do you agree to ask for their help?"
"…I-I'll think about it." He answered, still a little surprised at the information that Cross told him. He knew his decision would be that he wouldn't want any kind of help from the vampires. After all, even if these vampires were somehow proving themselves to be a little different than normal bloodsuckers, he was still a hunter and that fact wouldn't change. But Cross looked so worried, and he knew it was sincere, and he didn't want to make the Chairman any more troubled and upset than that.
Cross sighed before he returned to his childish face again. "But please hurry up in deciding because it might be a little late if you keep on taking your time." Zero nodded and the Chairman's face looked a little better.
"I'm going back to my room now." Zero stood up and briefly bowed. "Thank you for your time."
"Likewise." Cross was already a bit more cheerful and Zero didn't know how the older man could go changing moods so easily. Zero received a gentle pat on the head from him before the younger hunter exited the kitchen. He was at the foot of the stair when he heard Cross shout from the kitchen. "Come down here for lunch, okay?"
"Sure." He answered back. His voice was kind of low but he was sure Cross heard it all the same, what with those hunter senses and all. The young hunter ascended the familiar stairs and entered his room. The jog earlier cleared some of his worries but he was still thinking about a lot of things. First and foremost was his mission. What would become of it if the Association wouldn't accept any positive observation? What would he report that wasn't already reported? The vampires here lived quite an idle life and they weren't the type to make troubles… But Aido was the type to make troubles…
Not to mention Cross seemed to be hiding something. No, he had no right to judge Cross at all, especially since he himself had so many secrets too. Everyone has the right to keep a secret of some sort, right?
Zero sighed as he gently shook his head. He didn't want to think of many things right now. All he needed to do was complete his mission and everything would be over. He wouldn't have to think ever again. After all, when this mission was completed, he promised to kill himself both as an act of mercy and punishment. He needed to punish himself for being so weak that he turned into a vampire, and he also needed mercy as to not taint his dignity as a hunter. He somehow knew that Cross might not be able to fulfill his promise of killing him, and that would be troublesome.
"Let's just say I need to protect someone, and you're sane existence is needed for that person's protection. I only need you to exist, stay sane and satiated, and not attack anyone in the Day Class…"
Zero's mind immediately ceased from working when the words echoed inside it. They were Kaname's words. "I forgot I made some non-sense promise like that…" And now, he had more things to think about. He was the type to give his everything just to fulfill his promises and in return, not taint his dignity as a man. But now that he realized it, he just made two conflicting promises – the one was to kill himself after the mission and the other was to try to live in return for Kaname's blood. Damn… What the hell was he thinking..?
He went to the bathroom, took a short shower, and changed clothes. He rubbed his hair with a towel and unconsciously glanced at the mirror. He looked really pale and his eyes were more hollowed than before. His fingers touched the crimson tattoo on his left neck and stared at it for a while before he let himself fall on the bed and sighed. It was so annoying that he had to think of almost every problem he now had. It was making him look ten times older than his actual age, though if other people saw him, they would only see a gorgeous young man with beautiful amethyst eyes and silver hair. He was surely the busy type… to think of everything all by himself… He sighed again and let himself fall into a slumber.
He woke up with the scent of blue roses. When he opened his eyes, two chocolate eyes towered over him and smiled. Zero returned the smile as he looked at the person again. The person's face was blurred but Zero was sure he already saw this person up close before, and not just in his dream. The place was the familiar lakeside in the school. The blue roses gleamed under the moonlight and their scent was taking over everything.
"Am I dreaming..?" Zero found himself asking to the other. It was the second time he dreamed of this person and he was kind of relieved to see her again even though her face was always blurred to his eyes. The only thing he could see clearly was the awfully gorgeous chocolate eyes that glanced at him once in a while.
The person merely smiled at his question and her lips formed a quiet "Dreams and realities are always intertwined." Zero watched as she picked a full-bloomed rose and kissed it. She went nearer to where he was sitting and handed the flower to him.
"It's for you." Her mouth seemed to have said. Zero couldn't hear her voice because she was speaking too quietly. But he was sure of what she spoke of. Now that he thought about it, the scene seemed familiar to him somehow, like he'd seen it before.
"Thank you." He answered as he took the flower. He too kissed it, on the part where her lips touched it, and that made her chuckle. Up close, Zero realized that her eyes weren't really pure chocolate in color. There's a tinge of crimson in them, and that made her looked even more charming. Her wavy brunette hair fluttered slightly when a gust of wind passed by them. Zero reached out and touched them. He brushed the hair out of her face and guided the soft strands to rest behind her ears.
"You're beautiful, Zero." The girl told him and it somehow made him gape a little. It was kind of an out-of-place choice of word for a girl to say that. And that made him all the more perplexed, especially when the hunter was thinking of saying the same thing to the person herself.
The girl closed their distance and gave Zero a light kiss on the lips, which made him immediately blush. The girl chuckled, a ringing sound so good in the hunter's ears.
"Zero Kiryuu…"
"Zero Kiryuu." Zero opened his eyes slowly when he heard a voice call him. He was still a little out of it from having the dream and the chocolate eyes up close that welcomed his gaze didn't help in telling him he was in his room, sleeping for at least two hours now. Those charming chocolate eyes that looked like the ones in his dream… He wanted nothing but to stare at them right now… "Do you know, Kiryuu, that it's kind of creepy when you look at me like that?"
Zero's eyes widened when he recognized who the voice belonged to and immediately tried to push Kaname off him. The pureblood was sitting on the side of the bed and was towering over him. His little act of struggle somehow did only a little so he was the one who jerked away. The sight of Kaname so close to him while he was so vulnerably asleep could result to heart attack. The pureblood was way too close..! If he was any other hunter, he would've immediately lost it and entered battle mode.
"W-Why are you here!? What do you want!?" Zero shouted half in surprise and half in apprehension. He visibly reddened from embarrassment. It was now the third time that Kaname was in his room, but he was still not used to it. Like hell he would be. The pureblood, however, looked amused in his reaction instead of annoyed.
"It's kind of rude to make Chairman Cross wait for you even though you promised to have lunch with him." Kaname voiced in a tone that annoyed Zero even more, not in the kind of way that he would want to shoot the pureblood with the Bloody Rose, but quite close.
Zero looked at the clock and saw that he was late for lunch. He made Cross wait for him again… He stood up and looked at the pureblood again. "You didn't answer my question."
Kaname merely shrugged, treating the topic as something trivial. "I kind of volunteered to wake you up since he was so tired of waiting and then I found you lying on your back in the bed, dreaming away while drooling on the pillow." Zero could feel his veins of annoyance pop out with every word that came out from Kaname's annoying but gorgeous mouth. "But I was surprised, Kiryuu. I didn't know you have the habit of sleeping with your hair wet and all. And you even have this innocently cute face… It was kind of charming."
"What do you mean charming?" Zero barked at the pureblood before the hunter left the room, not forgetting to slam the door behind him. He descended the stairs only to hear Kaname's ringing laugh in the kitchen. The sound was very beautiful, except for the fact that the pureblood was laughing because of him. This particular pureblood was really getting on his nerves and annoying him to a very high extent. Kaname stopped when Zero entered the kitchen and amethyst eyes glared at him. Cross chuckled at the two of them and ushered Zero to also sit. The table was ready, filled with foods that Zero never dreamed existed. Of course, most of them were Cross's experiments but they were kind of good.
"Where's Yuuki?" Zero asked Cross, purposefully ignoring the other presence in front of him.
"She's with her friends." Kaname, leaning his face to one side, answered in a way-too-innocent tone even before Cross could form the words in his mouth. The Chairman looked at Kaname and saw that the latter was purposefully trying to piss off the silver-haired hunter. He looked at Zero and immediately saw that Kaname succeeded. Cross sighed, wishing Yuuki would come back soon.
"By the way, Zero-kun…" Cross's face darkened and Zero immediately felt that there was something unnerving about his voice. "A letter came earlier…"
The younger hunter's eyebrows immediately creased and he felt his body freeze. What if it's about his secret mission? He hadn't reported anything after that first report and he was afraid the Association got impatient. "Does it concern me?" He tried to say casually and continued to eat his meal. Kaname watched them in silence as he too ate quietly. Cross looked really worried and Zero's expression was that of a cornered mouse. The pureblood couldn't see it much because the hunter was trying to hide it but he could feel that Zero was afraid of something.
"Yes, it does." Cross said in deliberate care. He breathed deeply before he said the next words. "Takano-kun and Yagari will visit you the day after tomorrow."
Zero's shock made him lose hold of the spoon and it clattered loudly on the floor. He's wide eyed reflected nothing but fear as he looked at Cross and asked in quietly trembling voice a confirmation of what he just heard. "You mean… Master and Yuzuru..?"
"Don't worry." Cross patted his head. "I won't let them hurt you. I won't even let them get near you." Zero's eyes looked uncertain as he stared at the older male and Cross couldn't help but hug him tightly just to ease his fear. "I promise that, Zero-kun."
"Ahem." Kaname voiced and both Cross and Zero looked at him, at the same time breaking their hug. "Just clearing my throat. A meat got stuck."
"Oh." Cross smiled with guilt. "Sorry about that, Kuran-kun. I might have cut the meats a little too large."
"Ah, no." Kaname smiled as well. "I didn't mean it that way. I was just carelessly swallowing everything I like without properly biting it to pieces, that's all." Zero looked at the pureblood to see if he meant other things when he said that but all he could see from Kaname's expression was a cool smile.
"Oh, I see." Cross answered. They all knew that none of them was the ignorant or the insensitive type. Cross realized that Kaname deliberately cleared his throat when he saw the Chairman hug Zero, and went to the trouble of explaining things to them. Zero thought that Kaname was hiding something by deliberately explaining his actions, which was very unlikely for a selfish pureblood such as him. Kaname knew the two hunters in front of him somehow realized what he was thinking, that they shouldn't be hugging each other in front of him. Yes, they weren't the ignorant types. But that didn't mean they couldn't misunderstand one another's intentions at all.
Kaname was the type to devour everything he liked. And right now, he had his eyes on Zero, or particularly, Zero's blood. He wanted to have a taste of it so much so that even now, he was barely holding his desire inside him. Kaname wanted to bite him earlier too, when the hunter was asleep. He looked so utterly vulnerable and gorgeous with his innocent sleeping face and his silent even breathing. He wanted to savor Zero's taste inside his mouth too, like what that female pureblood Shizuka Hiou did. His intense bloodlust and desire was burning him from the inside and it was making him a bit of a perverted pureblood.
Blood tastes its best when the person was high in pleasure, and he could think of many things just so Zero would scream in sheer ecstasy and bliss. Oh, how he wanted to eat Zero… in so many ways. But he refrained only because he didn't want to be hated by the people he liked. First of all, Yuuki might get angry at him for hurting Zero. It seemed his younger sister had taken it to her mind to take care of the hunter at all times. She also considered Zero as a close friend, and seeing the hunter hurt would definitely hurt her too. Then Cross might get hurt and disappointed at Kaname for laying his hands on Cross's… And then Zero himself would definitely get hurt the most and hate him to the core, not that the hunter didn't hate him now.
He could only stare at the delicious hunter in front of him, at least for now… Zero's personality was strong. And he definitely was the type to kill someone who would sully his dignity and pride as a hunter. But aside from that, he was incredibly innocent in everything that the pureblood couldn't help but be amused. Oh, how he wanted to devour that innocent little hunter…
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.tbc.
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Ren-sama's Note:
So, that's it for now. Yeah, Kaname is already showing his true self bit by bit here! ˆoˆ