Ren-sama's Note:
Thanks for the wonderful reviews, everyone! I'm sorry that I won't be able to take up your request for a lemony encounter right now. Anyway, here's the next chapter! ˆoˆ
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Chapter 14
Zero's breath hitched at the way Kaname was looking at him with a predatory glint in his eyes, as if devouring the hunter with his gaze alone. He shivered slightly just as he realized his hunter senses were blaring in alarm, though in a different way than usual. "K-Kuran..?" He called the other's name, vaguely aware that the pureblood's chocolate orbs were just seconds from changing to glowing crimson now.
"Don't worry, Kiryuu. I won't bite you." Kaname whispered seductively as his eyes turned into a vibrant color of crimson – powerful and predatory, and at the same time, gentle and warm. "At least not right now…" The last words were whispered when Kaname's lips were just beside the corner of the hunter's mouth, purposefully brushing against Zero's lips in the process.
Zero jolted out of the pureblood's arms when he felt the electric-like sensation of pleasure raking his whole body when Kaname's lips touched the corner of his mouth. It was shocking, not to mention utterly harassing. He immediately wiped it off with the back of his arm just as he glared at the pureblood. "What do you think you're doing!?"
Kaname, much to his annoyance and embarrassment, only smirked in reaction. His glowing crimson eyes looked really playful… and yet so dark the hunter knew he was barely controlling his urge to devour the teen in front of him. "You liked that, didn't you? It wasn't really a kiss though, so there's no need to be so angry. And you're not a girl anyway, even if it's your supposed first kiss."
"Shut up, vampire!" Zero let out a dangerous growl while glaring daggers at the perverted pureblood in front of him. His back was on the tree, with Kaname also standing now in front of him, and he knew that there was no escape for him if the pureblood would seriously try to trap him there.
Kaname hummed a familiar song, as if he didn't hear anything just now. "So I was right. It really was your first kiss." He purposefully ignored the growl that followed his sentence as he picked a blue rose, severing it from its stem with utter grace and gentleness only a pureblood like him was capable of. He smelled it. He kissed a petal of it – in a gentle and loving way – aware of the hunter's gaze on him and his action. He looked at Zero, eyes reverting back to their original chocolate color, and gave the flower to him.
The hunter arched an eyebrow at the gesture – surprised, incredulous, awed, and also a bit curious. Kaname just kissed the damn flower and now he was giving it to him?
When Zero didn't act like he'd be taking the blue rose any time soon, the pureblood took a step forward and reached for the hunter's clothing. He fastened the flower there on the right chest side of the prefect's black uniform, blue and proud like a brooch, before he turned around and started walking away without another word, leaving the hunter in confusion and deep embarrassment.
Now, Kaname knew that the bed was waiting and sleep would come to him soon. He felt so relaxed and happy.
Zero watched as the pureblood walked away, unable to form any coherent thought about the matter. What the hell just happened? One second he was having a nightmare, and then the next he was enveloped by warmth, only to wake up in the pureblood's arms, and then almost kissed by the vampire, and given a flower before he was left all alone. Really, what the hell was that just now? And that tone Kaname was humming earlier, now that he remembered it, wasn't that the Cross Academy hymn? Really, what the hell was going on through the head of that obnoxious, not to mention perverted, pureblood?
He could still remember the time when he first saw Kaname thirsty. That one didn't end up nicely for him… Zero didn't know the pureblood was a lot stronger and damn scary than how the brunette usually was when he's hungry for blood, not to mention a lot more perverted.
And yet, and yet, he could still hear his heart drumming inside his chest, as if about to burst into flames too. He could also still feel the blush on his cheeks, not to mention the brightness of the tips of his ears. He now wondered if Kaname noticed those things too, or if the pureblood did what he just did with the purpose of basking in Zero's flustered reaction. Damn pureblood, making him feel suddenly confused and shaken… not to mention totally embarrassed.
He slid down the trunk and sat again on its roots as he closed his eyes. He let his head rest on the tree just as he found himself thinking of another thing to muse about. Kaname. Earlier, he saw Kaname's eyes… so daunting and yet also too charming up close… like the eyes of the girl inside his dreams…
And his eyes opened wide. Did that mean anything? Was the girl in his dreams actually related to Kaname then, namely Yuuki? Or was it Kaname himself? And the girl, in fact, was actually a guy? He shuddered just at the thought that it could be Kaname he was always sharing his kisses with inside his dreams.
And yet, and yet, the thought of Kaname inside his dream also made something inside him warm up for some reason he didn't want to think about right now. Love and the like were the least of his problems… or at least that's what he hoped.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kaname was sitting on a couch in his office, holding a wine glass of red liquid – namely water with a pill mixed in it – while looking outside the window in absentmindedness. He had such a good night sleep yesterday because of his by-now one and only favorite hunter.
The corner of his lips curled into an almost invisible smile as he reminisced the events with Zero in the woods yesterday. He sipped a little from his glass, seeing not the rising sun of the cool Thursday morning but the image of one flustered silver-haired hunter reddening from cheeks to the tips of the ears, breath hitching once in a while, and heart drumming wildly inside his heart. All because of him… Kaname closed his eyes, his lips curling into a full-fledged smile. It's all because of him that Zero reacted like that… and only because of him…
His eyes opened just as the smile on his lips vanished without a trace when his loyal servant appeared before him, or rather, behind him. He looked over his shoulder so he could see her, a beautiful female with short silvery-purplish hair – Seiren.
"Did you find something new?" Kaname's voice was also back to its normal cool and detached voice, a voice fitted for a leader like him – a powerful, authoritative, and pureblood leader at that.
"No, Kaname-sama." Seiren stiffened at the air that surrounded the room, though she knew that her master wasn't the type to get impatient like that. "But I found something else." Kaname sipped from his glass, waiting in controlled and deeply ingrained patience. He knew that losing his cool now would make him all the more obvious to his follower. He wanted to know so much about Zero, and so badly too that he could barely control himself… And yet, the next words that came out of her mouth really did make him lose his composure, not to mention his voice. "Kaname-sama, the surname Kiryuu is not in the official list of old Hunter Families. It only appeared in the record about twenty years ago. There is no clear record of that surname anywhere else. It seems as if its appearance twenty years ago was actually the first time it was used by someone."
Kaname furrowed his eyebrows at that. He thought hard about it for some milliseconds before it dawned to him. "You mean it's like a fake surname?"
"I apologize. I still don't know the details, Kaname-sama. But I will make sure to look into it." Seiren bowed deeply in one knee and apologized. "For now, we are sure that Kiryuu-san's mother is really from a hunter family, the Cross Family, but his father's lineage is not very clear. No, to be exact, his father doesn't have any lineage. He's the first Kiryuu in the record. It means that as of now, now that his family members are dead, the only person with a surname Kiryuu is the prefect, Kaname-sama."
"…Hn." Kaname sipped the crimson liquid from his glass. "Anything else?"
Seiren broke eye contact at that. She bowed lower and looked at the ground before she nodded. "Yes, there is one more thing, Kaname-sama." Kaname waited in thin patience as she pondered how to say it in exact words. "The Kiryuu Family is known in both the hunter and the vampire world as the traitorous family, or the family of traitors. But there is no information about it. There isn't any data on what their crime was or why they are called the 'traitors'."
Kaname sighed inwardly upon hearing the news. It seemed the more he tried to dig out Zero's past, the more it becomes complex and the lesser he understands. He formerly thought that the Kiryuus were one of the old families of hunters which were feared even in the vampire world. That's how prominent, or rather, infamous Zero's family was to the Council and most vampires. They were considered a legend – the family which was composed of only two grown-up hunters and two little hunter kids.
"You say that even the vampires consider them as traitors?" His eyebrows furrowed even more when Seiren nodded. His attention also caught that part. How could the vampires consider a hunter family as traitors? Of course they were enemies. It's only natural to not trust them and even want to kill them. A traitor meant that they were once trusted, right? And how could the hunters consider them as traitors too? Zero was still a hunter even now so it was hard to imagine him being an outcast. And he didn't look like it…
"Kaname-sama." Seiren called again when the silence had already stretched too far.
"Continue with the investigation, Seiren." Kaname said as he sipped the near empty wine glass. He didn't even blink when Seiren disappeared from her position. It seemed he had to approach Cross now. He sighed. He kept on investigating from the shadows, and yet the one person who probably knew everything about Zero was just on the building south to his dorm.
He needed sleep. But before that, there was something he needed to do first. He now wondered if Zero even knew about all of those things – the things about his family record, the things about his family's 'traitorous' title, and everything else. He kind of doubted that though. Even to him, it looked like Cross was far from being convinced, not to mention ready, to tell Zero anything. And Kaname doubted the old hunter would ever be, at least as long the peaceful surrounding of Cross Academy remains. And yet… this peace and calmness would not be for long.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Are you sure you want to stay here?" Yagari tipped his hat to his other side in order to see his students better. His right eye had been blinded and he was still trying to cope up with the fact that his line of vision was cut into half.
Yuzuru nodded as he smiled. "For as long as possible, master." He then looked at Zero before he patted the younger hunter's head, much to the teen's annoyance. "And Zero might cry if I leave, you know."
"Tch. As if, Idiot." Zero scowled at that while Yuzuru gave him a smug grin.
"I need to leave first." Yagari voiced deeply. "I also need to do some investigation regarding the incidents with Zero. We need to find out the mastermind behind what happened."
They all heard the loud sound coming from the train, signaling its imminent departure at 7 a.m. sharp. The loud noise coming from the crowd only heightened at that and many passengers immediately crowded in front of the train's doors.
"The train is about to leave." Cross observed. "Yagari, are you going to tell the Association about Zero?" He wore a neutral expression on his face but the raven male could see the plea in his light chocolate eyes.
They all looked at Zero first before everyone looked at the raven. Yagari didn't answer first. He pulled out a cigarette from the inside pocket of his black trench coat and lit it, put it in his mouth, before he grunted. "No, there's no need to."
"Yay!" Cross beamed and acted his childlike self again, hugging Yagari without any warning. The latter immediately jerked away in annoyance, especially since the action caught some unwanted attention from other passengers. Yuzuru only laughed at his master's flustered reaction.
Zero looked grateful at his master's words. It meant that Yagari was on his side after all, even if both of them were hunters and both also knew that what happened to Zero should be at any cost reported to the Association. His face lightened up into a small smile and his master patted his head twice before the latter boarded the train.
"Thank you, master." Zero bowed deeply before he looked at Yagari directly in the eyes. "Please take care always." Yagari only smirked from the other side of the glass window.
The train gave another whistle just as its momentum started to increase. After some more seconds, the train had started to leave the station. They all waved their goodbyes to Yagari even after the train disappeared into the distance.
Yuzuru whistled when the station turned quieter. "So, are we going to head back to the school now?" And ride that car again…
Zero smirked when he saw the expression on his senpai's face. It was funny how Yuzuru always equated colors with something. The brunette told him that pink was feminine and thus riding that pink car was disastrous for his masculinity. It was a little funny, but he would rather ride that car a thousand times over and over again than walk those woods for the second time. It still brought some trauma to him, even though he knew it shouldn't. He was a hunter, and a young adult at that. He knew that there were things he must learn to cope up with. But to suddenly found himself turned into a vampire in those very woods… How could he simply cope up with that..?
"Zero-kun?" Cross called when he noticed that Zero was in deep thought, with eyebrows furrowed and expression contorted into slight pain and worry.
Zero's line of thought was cut short when he heard his name being called. "What is it, Chairman?" Even Yuzuru stopped short to what he was about to say in order to listen.
"Ahh…" Cross laughed sheepishly just as he scratched the back of his head. "Nothing. Should we go back to school now?"
"Sure." Yuzuru and Zero answered in unison, both thinking that maybe Cross was really losing it.
They were nearing the gate of the school when Cross's phone rang. The two young hunters exchanged looks at the nursery rhyme-like ring tone but both knew better than to make any comment regarding it. If they didn't want Cross to enter his childlike mode, complete with cries and wails, they wouldn't dare say a thing about the tone.
"Hello." Cross answered the phone with his innate cheerfulness. "Oh, Kuran-kun! How are you? Oh, I'm fine, I'm fine!" Cross chuckled just as Zero huffed at the mention of the caller's name. Yuzuru arched an eyebrow at his kouhai, which the latter readily ignored. "Really? Alright." He was still beaming, but both hunters noticed his sudden change in demeanor. "I'll see you then."
After they both got out of the car, Cross immediately turned to Yuzuru and broke the subject that the three of them had been thinking of for a while now. "You haven't talked to Kuran-kun yet, have you?"
Yuzuru's expression scrunched up a little at the question, obviously disgusted even at the thought of wanting to meet a vampire, and a pureblood at that. But he nevertheless shook his head, indicating he hadn't talked to Kaname yet. "No, I haven't. But I believe that meeting is necessary for us in this occasion." He glanced at Zero before he looked at Cross directly, expression unreadable.
The Chairman understood the quiet gesture. Yuzuru didn't trust Kaname, especially since Zero was turned into a vampire in the pureblood's territory. But it seemed the young brunette wanted to meet Kaname just to see how the pureblood interacted with his kouhai. "Alright. Shall we head inside the dorm now?"
Zero rolled his eyes. It was so like Kaname to hide his presence even when he's inside the Sun Dorm. And yet, the unmistakable scent of a pureblood lingered in the air which, Zero realized, was only familiar to a vampire like him. "That annoying pureblood…"
Yuzuru didn't act like he heard anything as they entered the door of the Dorm, though the unmistakable voice of his kouhai still rang in his ears. Zero's tone was thick with annoyance. But behind that…
"Good morning, Chairman, Kiryuu, and Takano-san." The three hunters' head immediately darted towards the kitchen where the voice came from.
"Good morning, Kuran-kun." Cross was the only one who returned the greeting. Yuzuru's whole body shivered a little in revulsion when his name was called by a vampire. Zero, who was so used to being called by Kaname in that annoyingly cool voice of his, merely grunted in response. He even mused on how Kaname often shift on calling his name so easily – from his last name to his first name to his last name again. It seemed Kaname was doing it on purpose when they were with other people.
They all entered the kitchen and saw Kaname sitting in one of the chairs in the dining table. Cross beamed at him and darted towards the counter to brew some coffee, tea, and milk. Zero merely scowled at the presence of the perverted pureblood as he sat in front of Kaname's chair. Yuzuru, on the other hand, remained in the doorway, staring at the two hunters in shock and a hint of betrayal.
The brunette couldn't help but feel that he was betrayed a little at the familiarity both Zero and Cross showed to a vampire. It was more than just a little shocking to him. He remained in his stilled position as he watched how his two companions moved with ease even in the presence of an enemy, and a very powerful and dangerous enemy at that. His whole body was blaring in alarm to the dangerous and more than deadly presence, and yet Cross and Zero both acted as if they were about to have breakfast with a friend.
Zero noticed his senpai's eyes and understood everything going on inside Yuzuru's mind in that instant. He was like that when he first saw Cross being friends with Kaname too. "Come on, Yuzuru. The idiot pureblood here wouldn't dare lay his hands on you." He glared at Kaname when he said the last line, which made the latter smile coolly, obviously thinking of a smart retort.
Yuzuru was a little surprised. More than the fact that Kaname didn't react to the obvious insult like what a normal proud pureblood would do, it was the fact that the pureblood looked happy at the words and even at the glare that came from Zero. It was more than perplexing. And now that he saw it, he couldn't help but hide a small, bitter smile. Zero didn't feel threatened by Kaname's presence at all. In fact, the silver-haired hunter's aura felt so calm right now.
Kaname could see those emerald eyes gleaming with hatred and confusion and he was about to open his mouth to form some smart comments when Cross cleared his throat so suddenly, obviously wanting him to keep his mouth shut for a while. He only smiled and re-focused his attention to Zero. Ah, his Zero… His smirk widened when he saw those amethyst eyes glaring at him again. "Aren't you happy to see me, Kiryuu?"
Zero growled in his throat, and was about to form a retort when he finally noticed the gleam in Kaname's chocolate eyes. His amethyst eyes widened and his breathing hitched a little when he remembered what Kaname might be pertaining about. Yesterday… the kiss-like action from Kaname… those predatory eyes wanting to devour him whole… the flower… Hell, Zero wasn't able to sleep at all because of that! "Shut up, you bastard." He couldn't help but growl.
Kaname only chuckled in response, making Zero more annoyed. Yuzuru looked at Cross with confusion. The latter also wore the same expression. The older male was so sure that Zero and Kaname weren't that close just some days before now.
Yuzuru narrowed his eyes at Kaname then. How dare that pureblood flirt with his kouhai? Zero might not realize it since the silver-haired hunter was a bit dense to those things. But Yuzuru, a man with more experience, knew those eyes very well. The predatory gleam that Kaname's eyes were emitting, that cool and confident smile, that gesture… All of those things only said that Kaname was trying to seduce Zero, consciously or unconsciously. Though by the looks of things, both were a little too unconscious of what they were doing.
Cross couldn't help but chuckle at the continuous verbal quarrel between Zero and Kaname while Yuzuru couldn't help but sigh. "So, what brought you here, Kuran-kun?" The older hunter smiled as he sat just beside Zero. His question made the two males stop their early morning banter filled with dagger-like glares and growls – though most of those were coming from Zero.
Yuzuru sat on the silver-haired hunter's other side as they all waited for Kaname's answer. Zero looked happier when Cross brought the glass of milk to him, readily ignoring Kaname's 'neko' mutterings. The older male also gave Kaname a cup of tea and Yuzuru a cup of coffee. He himself settled on tea.
"Thanks." Zero murmured and Cross merely smiled at him in a fatherly way.
"I want to talk to you, Chairman." Kaname answered in a business-like manner – cool and composed – though both Zero and Cross somehow sensed the impatience in the pureblood's voice. It was so unlike him. The brunette vampire sipped his tea and waited for the Chairman's answer.
"Of course, Kuran-kun." Cross's smile was genuine and kind. "Now?"
"No, it can wait until a little later." Kaname answered, unconvinced even by his own voice. He sighed inwardly before he shook his head a little. "But if you'd like, it can also be now."
Cross chuckled before he nodded. "Please excuse us, Zero-kun, Yuzuru-kun." Yuzuru blinked when Cross called by him by name. Zero merely nodded and continued drinking his milk.
When the two left for Cross's office, Yuzuru looked at Zero and asked the question he'd been holding back for a while now. "Zero, are you close with that pureblood?"
The silver-haired hunter almost choked in his milk. "W-What?!" He stared at his senpai incredulously. "Didn't you see how we can't take each other's company?"
"Right." The sarcasm in his senpai's voice was so thick Zero could almost touch it. He couldn't help but scowl at Yuzuru, which made the older male laugh at him. "Sorry, the two of you just give off the vibe that you're very close to one another."
Zero snorted at that. "As if. If you only know how annoying and perverted–" And he stopped in the middle of his sentence before he looked at Yuzuru. But it was already too late. His senpai was already looking at him suspiciously.
"What do you mean by that, Zero?" He asked with narrowed eyes. "Don't tell me…"
"I don't want to share it… yet. But there's one thing I can tell you for sure." Zero glared at his co-hunter. "It's not what you think."
Yuzuru smirked. "How would you know what I think?"
"You always have that line of thought." Zero answered, making the other's eyebrow arched. "I mean your mind is always in the gutter, Yuzuru." And Yuzuru broke out laughing.
"Tch." Zero scowled even more.
When Yuzuru recovered, he sipped a little of his coffee before his demeanor suddenly changed. "So…" Zero looked at him expectantly. "How will you continue your mission when you're this close to them?"
"What do you mean?" The teen asked. "My personal relationship with people has nothing to do with my mission as a hunter."
"Your relationship with people can interfere with your logical reasoning." The older hunter answered. "Not to mention that this mission is set so that all relationship you have with them would be destroyed once they found out."
Zero stiffened at that. He knew that… He knew that from the very start. And yet… "I know that." His grip on the glass tightened, and that gesture didn't escape his companion. "But I have to do this. It'll be my last mission. I want it to be a success."
Yuzuru couldn't help but sigh at his kouhai's stubbornness. "You know, the Association doesn't like it when there is no anomaly to report in spying missions."
"I know that. They weren't happy with my first report, remember? And they were a little more than unhappy with my second report." Zero gulped a whole mouthful of milk as he breathed deeply. "And they haven't replied to my third report yet."
"Don't worry." Yuzuru tried to comfort him with a kind smile. "I took a leave so I can help you with your mission." He patted Zero's shoulder before the two emptied their glasses.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Chairman." Kaname voiced as they sat in the office. Cross was in his table while the pureblood sat in one of the couches. "First of all, I want to apologize."
"Eh?" Cross blinked, not knowing what Kaname meant by that. "What do you mean, Kuran-kun?"
"You told me to investigate about Shizuka Hiou." Kaname said and Cross nodded in assent. "But I ended up investigating everything about Zero." The Chairman immediately stiffened at that.
"Kuran-kun, I appreciate your concern about Zero. But I believe that there are things one shouldn't wander into." Cross didn't look particularly angry. He was just worried about Zero and also afraid of what would happen if someone else knew of the truth that had been hidden.
"I know that." The pureblood crossed his legs, appearing more composed and calm than he actually felt. He could feel Cross's distress and he didn't like it. "But I've already done it. I'm in the state where I can no longer turn back, Chairman."
Cross sighed. "How much do you know?"
"I know for a fact now that… the Kiryuu family was considered as the family of traitors." Kaname started, stopping for a while when he saw the pained expression on Cross's face. "And that the surname Kiryuu is most likely a false surname since the first person recorded to have used it was Zero's father." The pureblood heard the Chairman grit his teeth, but Cross remained quiet so Kaname still continued. "The Kiryuu family was composed of two adults and two children. The two children were Zero and his now deceased twin brother Ichiru. The two adults were Zero's father Shiro and mother Kara, your younger sister."
Cross sighed again. "Have you told anyone about those things yet?"
Kaname shook his head. "I know that it might displease you if I asked someone else, or if I told about it to someone else."
Cross smiled a little. "It's not that I don't want others to know. I just… don't want Zero to know anything about it. And if others knew, then Zero will also most likely know. Though Yagari told me that Zero has to know… I still… think it's too early for him."
The pureblood nodded. "I want to know, Chairman. I want to know everything about Zero." "I need to…" He added in his mind.
Cross arched an eyebrow at that. "Really? Why?"
The younger male merely cleared his throat, indicating he was reluctant to answer the question. He crossed his arms as he straightened in his seat. "To satisfy my curiosity, I guess."
"…I can't, Kuran-kun." Cross closed his eyes and took off his eyeglasses before massaging his temple a little. "I haven't even told Zero-kun. It would be unfair to tell you. I hope you understand." Kaname knew that Cross would most likely refuse to tell him anything. But it was still a little disappointing to know nothing. He sighed inwardly. If only he could know everything. "Please, Kuran-kun. Stop investigating about Zero-kun now. You don't know what you're trying to dig up."
The pureblood closed his eyes. "Don't worry, Chairman. I will not wander too far from the surface. Even I might not be able to get out if I dig too deep." Those statements somehow assured Cross a little for his aura turned a little lighter, relief flooding from it.
"Is there anything more, Kuran-kun?" Cross asked with his now usual smile. Kaname suddenly looked too serious for his liking and his smile slowly vanished from his face. "There's something else, huh."
"That man has started to move." The pureblood almost growled out the sentence as the whole room suddenly turned some degrees colder than earlier. "I still don't know the details. But Takuma reported it to me personally. He's already awake."
Cross bit his lower lip in frustration, his eyes turning sharper than normal. "Yuuki-chan will be in danger again." He then shook his head. "No, not only Yuuki-chan. Zero-kun too…"
Kaname's attention perked up at that. "Zero? What do you mean, Chairman?"
Cross looked up so suddenly Kaname was almost sure the man broke some veins in his neck. "N-Nothing, Kuran-kun." The older man tried to hide his concern by making a childish smile, but both of them knew that Kaname wasn't the type to be easily fooled by that. Nor was he the type to let it go so easily.
"What do you mean by Zero is in danger too?" Kaname repeated his words, more forceful than he intended. He then sighed. "I'm sorry. I know it's not my place to know." Reverse psychology always worked when it came to Cross.
"No, no. It's not like that, Kuran-kun." Cross sighed as well. "It's just that… that man also has a connection to Zero's past. Even if Zero might not know him personally, I will never forget what he did to my sister. What he did to Zero's mother… just so he would be able to have a taste of Zero and Ichiru's blood."
"What do you mean?" Kaname furrowed his eyebrows at that. "Chairman, please tell me."
"I'm sorry, Kuran-kun." Cross shook his head before he stood up. "We should talk about something else now. I will make sure that that man will not enter even a small part of his body into this school. And you make sure that he does not bring harm to anyone outside."
Kaname smiled as he nodded. It seemed that's the best of his capability of ever persuading a legendary hunter to spill everything. It's not as if he didn't find out anything. It's just that the things he found out today were in bits and pieces and he didn't know what the puzzle where they all fitted looked like. "I'll make sure of that, Chairman."
"Anything more?" Cross asked, his goofy smile back into place.
"Yes. About Shizuka Hiou. And about that hunter named Yuzuru Takano." Kaname said as he stood up too. He thought the Chairman would chase him out of the office. But Cross merely changed seats so they were sitting side-by-side in one couch.
"Don't worry about Yuzuru-kun. He's a nice kid. And besides, he won't hurt Zero's feelings nor hurt him physically. I assure you that." Cross started, making Kaname nod in understanding. "And about Shizuka Hiou…"
"Takuma gave me a report earlier before I went here, Chairman." Kaname faced his companion so he was sitting in a slanted manner. "Added to the report that Seiren already gave me these past few days, I can tell you that she was indeed out of the prison that night when Zero was turned. What puzzles me is the fact that there is no record about that information both in the Hunter's Association and at the Council."
"Don't tell me…" Cross gritted his teeth. "Do you think that man has something to do with this?"
"I'm still unsure of that. But I will look into it." The pureblood looked at his companion with furrowed eyebrows. "But that man is…"
"I know you cannot do much about him since he is your uncle and he's also part of the last of the Kurans, protected by the Council in which you are part of and all." Cross looked thoughtful for a while. "But it's possible that he might have some connection to the incidents that has happened to Zero since he came here."
"That man cannot do all those things alone, Chairman." Kaname spoke. He knew that for a fact. That man might be influential, but only to the vampire side. But if he had any ally on the other side… "There might be someone bigger backing him up. Someone who knows Zero… someone who can cover up many incidents without much effort… someone who is…"
"In the Hunter's Association…" Cross finished for him. "If it's a conspiracy… Oh, Kami. Zero…"
"Let's continue our conversation some other time, Chairman." Kaname furrowed his eyebrows when he felt some hunter presences in the atmosphere, though a little bit far away from them. It's not Zero's or Yuzuru's.
"Chairman," they both heard Zero's voice before the latter knocked on the other side of the office door. "There are some hunters at the gate." Cross immediately stood up from his seat just as Kaname did and opened the door for the teen. His expression was serious, something rare for someone like him. "I think they might be trouble. They're from the Elite Force. Yuzuru already went to the gate to greet them, Chairman."
"You better come with Kuran-kun in the Moon Dorm for a while, Zero-kun." Cross said kindly with a smile. And seeing the not-so-hidden surprise and immediate refusal from the younger hunter, Cross chuckled and added, "Only if you want to."
"You better not be a kid, Kiryuu." Kaname smirked. "You should know by now that that's the best thing to do if you don't want both Yagari-san and Takano to get in trouble for not reporting you."
Zero couldn't help but growl. It's so annoying sometimes how he thought that Kaname might be right. "Whatever. I will not go to the Moon Dorm. There are many places to go to." He immediately turned around and was about to leave when he heard the whisper that the pureblood uttered only for his keen ears to hear.
"Like the Rose Lake?" Even if the hunter's back was facing him, Kaname knew that Zero was glaring, and at the same time blushing up to the tips of his ears. It made his smirk widen.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"What do you think you're doing?" Zero asked as he glared at the pureblood who kept on following him ever since he went out of the school earlier. He let the two hunter visitors pass the gate first before he sneaked out, only to find out that there was someone following him – the one and only annoying perverted pureblood named Kaname Kuran.
Kaname chuckled before he decided to walk beside Zero. "So, where are we going?"
"What do you mean 'we'?" The teen growled again, making sure to make it a little more menacing though it only made Kaname smile more – much to his quiet confusion and embarrassment.
"Chairman asked me to keep an eye on you in case you do something totally hilarious." Kaname said as an alibi, though he heard no such thing from Cross. It was just really fun to annoy the hell out of his favorite hunter – not that he liked hunters in general.
And as if they were friends, Kaname even took Zero's arm, guiding him to one of the finest restaurants in the area, not even flinching at the curse and not-so-subtle resistance from the hunter. "This is a fine restaurant. It's lunchtime now so we can just eat here."
After a while, Zero sighed before he let himself be guided – dragged was more like it – to the annoying restaurant by the more annoying pureblood. His struggles were futile anyway. The pureblood didn't even blink while he did his best to make the brunette let go of his arm. Just how strong was Kuran anyway..? He glared at Kaname as the latter picked a seat for the two of them. The two sat across each other so they were facing one another.
Zero kept his scowl in place even after they made their order, scaring many of the waitresses who dared flirt with him or even with Kaname, much to the pureblood's amusement. "It's nice that you don't like anyone flirting with me. I feel so loved, Zero."
"What do you mean by that?" Zero almost snarled the words. "And stop calling me by my first name. We're not friends. And we'll never be."
"Ah, so horrible. Even though I decided to pay for everything since this restaurant is a bit expensive." Kaname voiced in his usual cool, but this time, a little seductive tone.
"I can pay for my own bill." Zero glared at the pureblood when some customers whispered to one another. Even though it was a mere whisper, the two could hear the words of the people just perfectly fine as if they were speaking just beside the two vampires. He glared at one lady who thought that Zero was such a jerk treating his boyfriend with such harshness even in public. He even made an old woman flinch with his gaze alone when the latter made a comment about the two of them youngsters being so aggressive about their romantic relationship.
"No wonder dear Zero doesn't have that many friends." Kaname shook his head, letting the hunter hear what he really thought. He smirked when Zero's sharp glare suddenly turned to him with much vengeance. "Scary Hunter-san, you won't have any girlfriend if you continue that attitude of yours. Only someone like my sister can tolerate that attitude, you know. Or… do you actually like my sister..?"
"Hah?" Zero arched an eyebrow at that, all sorts of retort momentarily forgotten. "Not to be so rude to Yuuki, but she's not my type. And I don't give a damn about those romantic craps."
Just then, Kaname thought he saw Zero's eyes filled with pain for a mere second. The next time the hunter blinked, there was nothing except annoyance written in those amethyst orbs. It seemed Zero was serious about not wanting to have any romantic relationship… "Is it because you think that vampires don't have the right to love? Or because you think that no human will ever accept you as you are now? Or do you think that you will die soon anyway so it doesn't matter anymore?" Zero looked up so sharply the pureblood immediately remembered how Cross did the same thing earlier. It seemed to be a Cross family characteristic then. "Is that it, Zero?"
The teen avoided the pureblood's gaze in annoyance. He didn't want to be interrogated before he ate a heavy meal, not to mention interrogated by a pureblood who only wanted to see him in pain. He wouldn't give Kaname that satisfaction. "Didn't I tell you not to call me by my first name?"
Kaname knew that he went overboard. Zero was being distant now. "Alright. I won't talk about that anymore." He smiled as if he just didn't annoy the hell out of Zero. "Ah, the order is here."
Zero's sharp gaze left him and focused onto the approaching waiter carrying their tray of orders. For a change, Zero didn't order any carbonara, though he still ordered a glass of milk. The two ate quietly for a while, both occupied in their thoughts, when Kaname suddenly asked the question he knew might break their fragile relationship.
"Zero, can I ask you a question?" Kaname asked in his usual cool manner, though the hunter's interest immediately perked up at the fact that the pureblood didn't seem to be in the mood for jokes this time. "How much do you remember… about what happened to your family ten years ago?"
All heads turned to their direction when the spoon that Zero was holding just a second ago immediately fell on the floor with a loud clang.
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.tbc.
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Ren-sama's Note:
Yep, that's it. Until next time, everyone! Please review~! ˆoˆ