Ren-sama's Note:
First of all, Happy Holidays, guys~! And since it's a holiday season, I don't want to make you wait any longer by making a long speech. Here's the next chapter!
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Chapter 20
Zero looked up at the ceiling of his room as he lay on his back on the bed. He arrived earlier, at noon, and he couldn't help but feel that the sun was more irritating now than when he first became a vampire. He didn't find anyone in the Dorm since it was already class time, meaning all students were in the inner circle of the school studying. Cross was nowhere to be found and he had a hunch that the man was in the Moon Dorm again.
He looked outside and saw that the sun was setting now. He couldn't believe he just stared at the ceiling for hours like it's the most interesting existence he'd ever laid his eyes on. Not to mention he never thought of anything and merely gazed at it blankly the whole afternoon. He knew he needed to think, needed to reevaluate what the pureblood told him. But he just didn't know where to start.
The teen sighed at his helplessness before he willed himself to be strong. He's a hunter. His mentality and emotion were a lot stronger than normal people. He could think of it calmly… and reach conclusion calmly.
First things first… Rido Kuran was his father's friend… or not? Maybe, yes. But that was a long time ago and there was no need to be so shocked about it especially since his father was long dead. So that's settled. Then… Was his father a vampire, and a pureblood at that… or not? No, that should've been the thing of most importance. "Whatever." He scowled at the fact that he's debating on the subject with most importance when all that he would be thinking were supposed to be important. As of now, he didn't have the slightest clue to the answer yet.
Then there's also the fact that his mother was bitten by Rido and he became a full vampire with hunter blood when he's supposed to be only half human and half vampire. Finally, there's the part where Rido told him he inherited his father's power. What power..? His eyes narrowed when his mind supplied an immediate answer. First, his mat burst into flames when he woke up from a nightmare. Then half of his room burst into flames when he woke up from another nightmare. Of course, the noble vampire burst into flames when he got angry. And most recently, Rido's couch burst into flames when he got angry… again. There was only one possible explanation of the things that happened to him recently. It's either someone's trying to pull a sick joke on him. Or Rido's explanation about fire being his power was true, not that the pureblood specified what his power was. No, it wasn't power per se. Just an… ability?
He sighed. No matter how he tried to think about everything, he just couldn't help but feel that Rido might be telling the truth. He needed to talk to Cross, and soon.
He stood up from his bed and dressed up just in time to feel Cross's presence outside the Dorm. He immediately went out of the room and descended the stairs, only to see the older male together with Kaname. Both brunettes stopped conversing and looked up at him when he descended the stairs with vampire speed. He never usually did that, especially inside the dorm.
"What's with the hurry?" Kaname greeted with a seductive smirk. "So happy to see me you can't even wait?" Zero scowled at the pureblood, momentarily forgetting why he's supposed to be hurrying up.
"Shut up, basta–." Zero initially voiced before he stopped in the middle of it. He remembered how he called Rido in the same manner and he knew there was no way he'd call Kaname that way now. "Shut up… Kuran." Both Kaname and Cross noticed the change in demeanor, not to mention the hollow aura of the teen.
"Did something bad happen in the mission?" Cross asked in immediate concern.
Zero looked at them both and saw the explicit concern on his uncle's expression and a silent concern in Kaname's eyes. He heaved a deep sigh before he managed to give them a small smile. "Are you two busy at the moment?"
Cross blinked before he shook his head. "No, not really. Kuran-kun and I were just talking about the matter of Shizuka Hiou's death."
"Oh." Zero looked like he didn't know if that's important enough to postpone what he had to say or not, but he knew it must be important enough for the two brunettes in front of him right now. "I'll just talk to you some other time then…"
"Talk to us now." Kaname arched an eyebrow at the younger hunter's reserved attitude. His sentence earned a nod of assent from Cross.
"In my office then?" The chairman motioned for them to follow as he started walking towards the door of his office.
Zero walked inside the place together with Kaname and Cross, still unsure if he'd want to break down in front of two strong individuals yet. He wasn't even sure if inviting Kaname was a right thing. He didn't want the pureblood to see how helpless and confused he was right now… not to mention how weak and pathetic. And yet, and yet, Kaname's presence alone somehow gave him the needed mental and emotional strength. It's really ironic…
He sat down and looked at them both again, the expression on his face was unreadable. Cross sat on the couch in front of him while Kaname sat cross-legged beside him. His face remained stony and calm as he told them everything that happened the night before. By the end of his story, both Kaname and Cross were rigidly sitting while wearing different expressions. Kaname's face was hard with barely concealed hatred and anger while Cross looked shocked and fearful.
"…Ah, wait a minute. I think I forgot something." Cross suddenly filled the silence in the room with his strained voice. He smiled apologetically at Zero before he excused himself and went outside the room, leaving the vampires alone with one another.
Kaname looked at the hunter beside him. And Zero had yet to learn of what happened that night ten years ago. "Are you alright?"
"Obviously, I'm confused." Zero said as he leaned on the headrest of the couch, facing the ceiling with his eyes closed. "Do you think… he's telling the truth?"
"…He's telling the truth." Kaname's sure voice made Zero open his eyes again and gaze at the pureblood. Kaname looked at him in the eyes as well. "I'm sorry. I've known the truth for some days now but I didn't tell you. I just feel that it's not my place to say anything."
"I'm not blaming you. I wouldn't have said anything if I were you either." Zero sighed as he looked in front and leaned his head on Kaname's shoulder absentmindedly, making the brunette stiff with different feelings. "Kaien-san sure is taking his time…"
Kaname cleared his throat before he shifted in his seat, feeling giddy at the fact that Zero was leaning on him. After a while, he kissed Zero's hair, making the hunter look up at him with a scowl though the teen didn't pull away. The brunette chuckled at Zero's reaction. "Did that kiss make you less worried?"
"No, honestly, it made me worry more." Zero kept his scowl in place. "Just how perverted are you, really?" He asked in mockery but it sounded playful even to his ears, making his cheeks red. He immediately pulled away and looked elsewhere while wearing his scowl, deepening it when Kaname chuckled again.
"I think the atmosphere changed for the better while I was gone." Cross appeared from the doorway beaming while carrying two cups of tea and one glass of milk on a tray. He couldn't help but voice the comment when he heard Kaname's ringing chuckle from the living room. The chairman looked at the two males in half curiosity and half amusement but he didn't expect them to give him an answer. He smiled when he saw that Zero looked better now than when he left to prepare some drinks.
"I'm fine now, Kaien-san." Zero assured him before giving a glare to Kaname who only chuckled louder. Cross sat in front of them and looked at the pureblood with thankful eyes. Leave it to Kaname to make Zero so annoyed and embarrassed that he'd forget the depressing thoughts and problems he's worrying about earlier. He then distributed the two cups of tea for himself and Kaname while he gave the glass of milk to Zero.
"Neko." Kaname muttered with a taunting voice before he laughed when he received a not-so gentle elbow jab on the side, courtesy of one scowling Zero. The brunette saw how Cross arched an eyebrow at them but he didn't act like he noticed it. He took his cup and sipped from it. "So… what do we do now?"
"We shall start by me explaining some things to Zero-kun." Cross looked at the two vampires apologetically before he sought approval from his nephew. When the latter nodded, he started his explanation. "My sister Kara and I were born in the Cross family, one of the few remaining old hunter families with the purest hunter blood running through their veins. We were brought up having the same ideals as the Association ingrained deeply in our minds. We became hunters when we grew up and became famous in both the hunter and vampire world. But we were different. She never liked vampires in general while I maintained some peaceful relationships with some old pureblood families, like the Kurans for example." He beamed at Kaname when he said that, before he sipped his tea.
"So…" Zero frowned. "Where does my father–?" He was about to ask when Cross raised a hand to stop him.
"I'm about to go there, Zero-kun!" He pouted childishly and Zero almost rolled his eyes in the process. "So… one day, a lone traveler ended up in the care of the Cross family. A pureblood vampire traveler to be exact…" He beamed when he saw the recognition in the younger hunter's eyes. "He said he was Shiro Kiryuu. He was obviously lying about his name but the Cross family didn't mind since purebloods are generally evasive… Well, almost everyone didn't mind, except of course my younger sister. She never liked Shiro-san back then, even when he told her of his feelings for her. But love knows no bound, Zero-kun." He chuckled in reminiscence before he suddenly looked forlorn. "And she fell in love with him without realizing it. It was a grave sin for a hunter to fall in love with a vampire and vice versa back then."
"Many hunters and vampires still believe in that even now." Kaname voiced. "It's a good thing my parents were advocates of co-existence and they managed to somehow bend the rules a little when they were still part of the Council."
"Yes, Shiro-san was also an advocate of co-existence between vampires and humans. And he managed to somehow influence my sister. In return, my sister taught him about hunting Level Es instead of tolerating their existence." Cross said as he looked at his nephew in seriousness. "They were happy for a while, until Shiro-san's… uh, ex-friend… ruined everything."
"Don't tell me…" Zero suddenly looked serious as well. "Rido…"
"Yes." The chairman nodded and Kaname gritted his teeth in silent anger when he heard the name. "Rido couldn't understand Shiro-san's ideals about co-existence, especially since that man only thinks of humans as source of food. That's also the reason why he couldn't accept the fact that Shiro-san left him for a new life."
"Let me guess." Kaname interrupted bitterly. "He did something that will tear Zero's father apart from her mother."
"Yes, he did." Cross voiced. "He told Kara about the things that Shiro-san did when he was younger, when he was still proud and arrogant. Shiro-san was also like Rido back then before he changed his ways. That's the main reason why they were friends in the first place."
"He was a bit biased in his stories too when I heard him talk." Zero added. "It's really annoying, not to mention disconcerting…" He received a pat on the shoulder from Kaname. The act didn't escape Cross's eyes but he didn't comment on it anymore.
"Shiro-san left the Cross household when he already couldn't bear Kara and my family's accuses. It was saddening that time. I heard him say goodbye without ever receiving a single reply from all of us. I was loyal to the Association back then so it would be disastrous if I ever voiced anything." Cross explained. "But Kara realized her feelings a little bit too late. And she was torn between wanting to follow him and wanting to stay as a hunter. She knew that if she'd follow him, she wouldn't be able to go back to being a Cross anymore since it'd be a huge disgrace to the family honor. But in the end, she still chased after him."
Zero didn't know how to feel about that. His mother who was a hunter sacrificed everything, even her own identity as a hunter, just to be with the man that she loved. It was worth it, he guessed. She had been happy with them… with her own family. "Rido said my father never wanted her to become a vampire."
"Yes," Cross nodded his assent. "He told me not to worry since he'd never bite her even if it kills him. Shiro-san never wanted her to become a vampire since she'd become a monster in the eyes of the other hunters." He sighed before he continued. "They lived in the forested outskirt of a small town since then – a place far away from both hunters and vampires – and I sometimes visited. They were so happy and contented with their simple life. Shiro-san would hunt with her sometimes and leave the place to me. But I didn't mind. The two of them were also considered the traitors of their clans. Shiro-san was considered a traitor to all vampires since he didn't only hunt Level Es from then on but Ds and nobles as well, sometimes even purebloods if talking was out of the option. Kara, on the other hand, was considered a traitor by her own family." He pouted at that and looked at the two vampires in front of him with teary eyes. "But I never considered her as a traitor. I always knew that love is more powerful than any other ties. I was actually so happy when I visited one day and I learned that she was pregnant!"
"To Neko-chan and his brother." Kaname added in a taunting voice. He received a glare from the hunter beside him but he only looked at Zero innocently.
"But my father's traitor of an ex-friend bit her while she was pregnant…" Zero mumbled after a while before he took his glass and gulped down some of its content. "She was turned into a Level D… and her supposed half-human and half-vampire babies turned into full-vampire babies."
"So, full-vampire teen, what can you say about–" Kaname was about to say but he received another jab on his side, making him chuckle in amusement.
"So…" Zero tried his best to ignore the laughing pureblood. "I have always been a vampire…" Cross nodded, making the teen sigh. "But I've always thought I was human. I–"
"Let me explain all of that." Cross interrupted with a kind voice. "Yes, she was bitten by Rido in a party. Her guard was down since it was an all-hunter party that not even Shiro-san could attend and she managed to get herself a little drank. He took that chance to bite her. Your mother was so afraid of turning into a Level E that she immediately asked Shiro-san and I to kill her while she's still in her right mind. She didn't want to become a monster. But I knew I couldn't do it. It was different when you're hunting someone you don't know and when you're about to hunt your own kin. I couldn't even look at her…"
"Kaien-san…" Zero voiced when he noticed that Cross was gripping his cup a little tighter than necessary. "Are you alright?"
"Ah, yes. Sorry, I just got lost in thought for a minute there." Cross smiled apologetically. "Shiro-san said he wouldn't kill her, especially since he gave up his vampire life for her. He suggested instead that she take his blood. And that's what happened. It was alright for a while, until the day of the birth of the two boys in her womb came. Aside from the shock of having twins inside her belly, she was torn between fear and pity for her new-born children. Do you know why, Zero?"
Zero furrowed his eyebrows before he shook his head. Kaname was the one who answered. "Because it'll be the first in history... the offspring of a pureblood and a hunter – a child with the purest blood of vampire and yet at the same time also having the blood of the most powerful hunter clan in history. There has never been any case like that before. Not even now. There are vampires and human mates but not pureblood and hunter."
"Yes, exactly." Cross sipped his tea again before he continued. "The Kiryuu twins are brothers with both pureblood vampire side and pure hunter side in them. They're the rarest of the rarest, if I may say."
"And?" Zero scowled. Somehow, being called a rare species wasn't a nice thing to hear. Cross looked at him apologetically again, making him shrug. He didn't really mind it since it came from Cross's mouth instead of some nameless person.
"And thus," The older hunter continued. "Shiro-san did the only thing he knew he could do to help the two of you. He sealed your vampire bloods and made your hunter blood more prominent, making you more like human and less vampire-like. It was a technique which he performed the moment you were born. It was only possible to do then and only then since it was a time when your vampire blood was still weak. Doing that while you're a little older would be a lot more dangerous and could end up risking your life."
"So… I lived thinking I was human… when I wasn't…" Zero looked down on his lap. Everything was still new to him and he didn't know how to react properly. He knew he should be angry at something, he should be bitter and engulfed in sadness because the identity that he knew was a fake. He knew he should blame everything to the vampires and the Cross family and the parents who sealed his identity. But he also knew he couldn't blame anyone for this. His father did that because he was thinking of Zero's future and safety. He did that because he loved his sons…
"Yes, you're a full-pledged vampire since birth, Zero-kun." Cross finished for him.
"But when I first came here, you performed a charm…" Zero's eyes were filled with confusion as he remembered the once painful mark on his neck right now. "…You said it's to prevent the vampire side from taking over my human side…"
Cross sighed at that while Kaname was the one who answered. "Perhaps, it was a seal not to prevent the vampire side from taking over… but a seal to prevent the pureblood side from waking up…" Zero looked hurt at that as he touched the tattoo on his neck while Cross looked sincerely apologetic.
"I'm sorry, Zero-kun… That's the only way I–"
"I know." Zero interrupted just as he sighed. "I know that you did it with concern for my sake in your mind. It's just that… everything's so… so messed up and so complicated… Why did I even have to live as human in the first place if I wasn't one to begin with..?"
"Zero… I know this is something truly huge, but…" Cross didn't know how to console his only family member. But he knew he at least had to try. "Don't worry. Your parents only did that because they didn't want other people to see you two as something of an object… They wanted you two to live a simple but meaningful life, away from prying eyes and nosy people. And they especially want you two away from Rido. When that pureblood learned about you two, he immediately did his best to have you. He's interested in the both of you but he's more interested in you, Zero-kun, since you're physically and mentally stronger than Ichiru-kun. He wants to have a taste of your blood. He wants to have you as a replacement for his friend. And Shiro-san did his best to protect you from Rido. Please don't get angry at him and Kara for hiding your true self."
Zero smiled at his uncle before he shook his head. "Don't worry, Kaien-san. I'm fine. I'm just a little… shocked… but I can handle it. I'm not angry with them. When I found out that it is really who I am… I realized I don't hate it as much as I did anymore."
"Not to mention there's no way a half-pureblood will become a Level E any time soon. Maybe not in his whole lifetime…" Kaname smiled at him. Zero's eyes widened in amazement at the brunette's statement. He wouldn't become a Level E… The pureblood smiled in smugness when his statement brightened Zero a lot. "Cool, isn't it?"
Zero looked at him for a while before he looked at Cross who also nodded. He then looked at his hands on his lap before he chuckled. "It means I'm not a Level D… and I won't become a Level E?" Everything was just starting to settle in his head now.
"Yup!" Cross beamed.
"But it really hurt when Shizuka Hiou bit me… wasn't that because I was human?" Zero looked at the two brunettes in front of him for an explanation.
"Your vampire blood was sealed so it can be assumed that your whole system was human-like back then." Kaname was the one who explained even before Cross could open his mouth. The latter pouted childishly when his role was taken by the pureblood. "It means that by biting you and giving you blood, she somehow managed to undo the seal that locks your vampire blood away. It hurt a lot because the vampire blood inside you quickly reacted to the pureblood's blood while your hunter side also reacted to it, resulting in a battle inside you while your whole system changed back to normal – to being a vampire."
"I see…" Zero voiced though his companions thought he looked even more confused now. "So, that's why there was no connection between Shizuka Hiou and I… because I was already a vampire even before she bit me…"
"That's also the reason why you were affected when that hunter shot you with a hunter bullet, Zero." Cross voiced after a while of letting everything sink inside the teen's mind. Zero looked up at him with wide eyes. "Yagari and I think that whoever shot you that night knew about your real identity."
"That also explains why your scent is different." Kaname subtly changed the subject when he thought that Zero could take no more of that night's incident. His statement effectively caught Zero and Cross's attention. "The intoxicating, not to mention mouth-watering, hunter blood combined with another overly intoxicating, delicious, and luscious pureblood's blood is really something. And it tastes heaven." By the end of his statement, both hunters were already gaping at him – Zero with wide eyes and embarrassed expression while Cross with a shocked face.
"Kuran-kun!" Cross stood up from his seat in shock. "Are you implying that you've bitten Zero-kun!?" Zero bit his lower lip while he thought of something.
"T-That was…" He tried his best to think while Kaname only smiled at Cross and nodded, making the older hunter's expression hard. "D-Don't worry, Kaien-san. That was… a gift… of some sort…"
"A gift?" Cross narrowed his eyes. "For Kuran-kun's… birthday..?"
Zero cleared his throat to try and salvage his dignity as he changed the topic yet again. "So… do Yuzuru and master know of this? Does this mean that the Association knew I am a vampire all along too?"
"Well, obviously Yagari knows since he's a family friend of the Cross." The chairman bit his lower lip while he explained, totally swayed by the change of topic. "He never told you anything, because like Kuran-kun, he also thinks that it's not his place to say it. And I doubt Yuzuru-kun knows since the Association made it sure that your real identity was hidden from everyone. It was a huge humiliation for the Association that one of their best vampire hunters was the Kiryuu family, a family of vampires. So, when your parents died, they made sure that you become a proper hunter without any influence from vampires. They have even forbidden me from seeing you all this time…"
"I see… I guess that's enough for now…" Zero looked at Cross's exhausted form before he noticed that it was already time for dinner. He also felt Yuuki approach the room together with Yuzuru before they heard the latter's knock.
"Chairman, we've finished patrolling. All students… except one pureblood, are in their respective class." The door opened and Yuzuru scowled at Kaname who returned the expression with the same intensity.
"N-Nii-sama, don't scowl at Yuzuru-san!" Yuuki pouted.
"He started it!" Kaname reasoned in futility, earning him a quiet chuckle from Cross and Zero for acting childish and a not-so-subtle smug look from his sister's lover Yuzuru.
"He's saying the truth, Kuran." The silver-haired hunter smirked. "You're actually ditching class while having some tea with us." Kaname's eyes narrowed at him with a dangerous and sadistic gleam and Zero didn't dare talk anymore in fear of losing his face in front of Yuzuru and Yuuki again. Kaname was always good at making him feel embarrassed even in front of everyone, and it would be disastrous if he were to blush or do anything of the sort right now.
They all went to the kitchen after that and ate dinner silently after Yuuki and Cross's combined cooking. Yuzuru would joke once a while and Yuuki or Cross would laugh. Though most of the time, it was Cross who did the joking. Zero only ate quietly as usual though he'd smile once in a while. Kaname was scowling the whole time because Yuzuru and Yuuki were sitting too close to one another. His consolation was the fact that he's also sitting too close to Zero. No, it wasn't a consolation. It's too much of a reward for him.
"Hey, Master Yagari called earlier and told me what happened about your mission." Yuzuru changed the topic when they finished eating. Yuuki was already upstairs then because she still has to do her homework. Cross was washing the dishes while Kaname and Zero still sat in their own chairs. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah… I guess. But Hirako isn't." The earlier warmth in the hunter's eyes disappeared at the mention of the name. "I was there in the room with him. And yet he still died. I was careless and he died because of it. It's my fault, Yuzuru." Zero looked at his hands on the table and intertwined them tightly as he wore a pained expression.
"It's not your fault, you know." Yuzuru consoled him. "I heard it was Rey's fault. Leon didn't want to start the mission without any reinforcement since it was too dangerous but Rey ignored him."
"No, that doesn't change the fact that I was in the room with him at that time…" Zero was about to sigh but his breath hitched when he felt a soothing hand circle his back in subtlety. He looked at Kaname sideways but the pureblood didn't even indicate that it was actually his hand that comforted him. Yuzuru arched an eyebrow at his sudden demeanor change but the silver-haired teen only shook his head.
"I heard there was a pureblood there." He glared at Kaname when he said that while the brunette only arched an eyebrow at him. "Was he the one who killed Rey?"
"No, it was a noble vampire with teleportation power." The silver-haired teen couldn't help but sigh. He almost blurted some things he knew he'd regret when he heard the accusation in his senpai's voice. He didn't want to admit it but it irked him when Yuzuru made it seem like he's accusing Kaname instead of Rido. There was no way Kaname was the same as that bastard…
"Anyway, it's a good thing that you're safe." Yuzuru smiled at him in a brotherly way and Zero immediately forgot he was ever annoyed at the male. His senpai was just too kind in his own way.
After a while, Yuzuru retired to his own room while Kaname also said goodbye for the night. Zero looked at Cross's back as the latter washed the dishes in comfortable silence. The chairman would hum a tune once in a while and the teen felt comforted in some way.
"Kaien-san…" Zero voiced when Cross was already wiping each dish with a towel to dry them.
"Hmm?" Cross looked over his shoulder and beamed.
"Rido… said I inherited my father's power." The teen said. He saw his uncle stiffen and he couldn't help but shake his head. "No, never mind. I can know that some other time."
Cross smiled at him apologetically but also nodded. "I'm sorry, Zero. That one is a bit more… complex than discussing about your identity." Zero smiled in understanding before he also stood up and said his good night to Cross. He went to his room after that.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
He sighed in contentment when his back hit the wall of the tub. The water was warm and he felt his exhaustion disappear a little. Learning about his identity from an enemy wasn't what he wanted. But it nevertheless allowed him to know about himself. It was hard to believe, not to mention accept. But he knew he could do it, especially now that he could see the other side of the vampires. They weren't as vicious, savage, and instinctual as he originally thought them to be. Vampires were also creatures who feel different emotions in different circumstances. They also have kindness in their own vampire way. And lastly, there were also perverts among them.
He couldn't help but smile at that. He looked at the water and saw his reflection on it. So… he's actually one of them right from the start…
It was already late at night when he finished bathing but he still couldn't find an ounce of sleep. He was exhausted, yes, but still very much awake. Maybe the shock and disbelief was still making his system work in full force. And thus, he did the one thing that usually sends him to his slumber.
He went to the lake with the blue roses.
The moment he inhaled the fresh scent of blue roses was the moment he felt himself calm down. It's really mysterious, the effect of these flowers to the body. He sat in his usual seat, leaning on a huge tree while he let his eyes close of their own accord.
When he opened his eyes again, he realized he was staring into beautiful chocolate eyes. "It's been a while." He found himself voicing.
"Yes, it is." The girl said. No… Zero's eyes narrowed when he looked at the girl fully, realizing that she was in fact… male.
"K-Kaname..?" He voiced in uncertainty, earning him a chuckle from the other male. "All this time…"
"Didn't I already say my name when we first met..?" The other smiled seductively before he leaned in. Zero was just too shock to even react and before he realized it, he already felt a pair of soft, warm lips cover his cold ones.
His eyes opened wide when he woke up, before they widened even more at the scene that greeted him. Wide amethyst eyes met two seductive chocolate ones as he stared at the person in front of him in disbelief. A pair of soft, warm lips parted with his cold ones in deliberate slowness. "Too bad you woke up in the middle of it." Kaname pulled away with an obviously disappointed expression.
"What do you mean 'too bad'?" Zero wiped his mouth with his sleeve while he tried his best to stand up. He could feel himself blushing up to the tips of his ears and he couldn't help but blush more because of it. "Kuran, you..! What do you think you're doing!?"
Kaname chuckled. "I think I was kissing you, Zero. I'm sorry if I've taken advantage of you sleeping here in the middle of nowhere without even a single ounce of security." He didn't look apologetic though, that much Zero could tell. "You should be more careful of your surrounding, Zero."
Zero averted his eyes with a scowl adorning his blushing face. "Everyone should be careful when you're around." He muttered though he knew that the pureblood heard him loud and clear, if the chuckle that escaped Kaname was any indication.
"So, why are you here, Zero?" Kaname asked with a little more serious face. "Shouldn't you be sleeping in the confines of your room?"
Zero half-pouted and half-scowled at him. "I could ask you the same thing."
"Well, I realized I couldn't sleep and I was pacing my room while drinking some blood pills." Kaname played along, explaining what exactly happened on his end. "Then… I suddenly inhaled a really intoxicating scent and I followed it, leading me here in this very place." He smiled innocently when he finished.
Zero slowly sat again before he sighed. "I… I was just…" He scowled at Kaname before he continued. "I couldn't sleep so I came here. And just when I thought I'd finally get my sleep… some pervert tried to harass me." Kaname chuckled again and, somehow, the teen couldn't help but think that the brunette looked even more handsome when he laughs.
"So, why can't you sleep?" Kaname sat beside the hunter before he asked the question, earning him a glare for being too nosy. But Zero answered him nonetheless.
The hunter hugged his knees as he answered. "I just can't believe that I'm actually a vampire… when all my life I was taught that vampires shouldn't exist in this world… And I actually firmly believed that." He looked at the brunette if the latter was offended in any way. But seeing that Kaname was silently urging him to continue, he found himself feeling relieved. "But now… I don't know what to believe in anymore. The Association is not the perfect utopia I thought it to be. It hid everything from me, even going to the point of separating me from my family just so they could control me…"
Kaname looked at him sideways, wanting to comfort him but didn't know how to. "Zero… you don't have to see everything as black and white. The Association is run by humans who also have their human pride, not to mention who also make mistakes. They make their decision from what they think is right. Likewise, there are evil vampires… not-so-evil vampires… pure evil vampires… so-so vampires…"
Zero chuckled at that, feeling a heavy load lift up from his chest. "Where do you belong in that?"
Kaname smirked. "In the not-so-evil vampires, I guess. I'm not pure evil, but I'm not good either. After all, I'm still an arrogant, manipulative, and perverted vampire, right?" He earned another chuckle from Zero, and he knew that not going to class tonight was a lot worth it. "Don't worry too much about those things, Zero. You'll turn into an old man immediately… though you already have white hair all over…" He muttered the last part, earning him an elbow jab on the side.
"…Thank you." Zero mumbled as he averted his eyes. He's thankful that the brunette told him those things. He was thankful that the pureblood gave him a lot of warm thoughts. Kaname blinked at him, silently asking 'for what'. "For annoying me so much…" He said sarcastically.
"Ah, you're welcome. I can do that even with my eyes closed." Obviously, Kaname was in the mood for teasing again.
Zero glared at him again, not really wanting to say that he's glad Kaname was there right now. He felt comforted and contented just by being with the pureblood like this. He found out he liked Kaname's company now, though he still shuddered at the thought of actually liking the pureblood himself. No, he wasn't shuddering in disgust. He just couldn't help but shudder because it was foreign to him – the act of loving romantically and the act of receiving romantic love. He didn't even know how that felt up to now.
Zero's eyes widened when he felt the unmistakable pain that he knew would eventually come. He clenched his fist when he felt his chest constrict at the undeniably intoxicating scent of blood beside him. It seemed Kaname noticed the change in his demeanor and was by his side in an instant. Zero closed his eyes when he felt them turn crimson red.
"Zero, it has already been a week since you last drank from me." The pureblood voiced as he immediately unbuttoned his dress shirt. He cupped Zero's cheek and guided the hunter to his neck. "You should drink."
Zero didn't even hesitate now since Kaname's neck looked so delicious he could barely control his urge to make him bleed. As usual, he licked the brunette's neck, earning him a quiet moan from Kaname, before he sank his fangs in the soft flesh. He gripped the pureblood's shirt tightly as he sucked thick Kuran blood from twin wounds. The taste was exquisite and heavenly as usual, but somehow it tasted even more intoxicating now. At the back of his mind, he wondered what changed for Kaname's blood to be that delicious. And at the last minute, he understood.
Kaname closed his eyes while he willed himself to not moan from intense pleasure. Zero's lips on his skin made him shiver in delight. It felt so good. His eyebrows furrowed when the hunter stopped drinking.
The teen pulled away from Kaname and looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, eyes still very much crimson and lips red with blood. "Kaname… did you, by any chance… I mean… about Shizuka Hiou…"
Kaname's expression turned serious when he realized what made Zero stop drinking. "…It was her wish to die by my hands." Zero looked down on his lap before he looked at Kaname again just in time to see Kaname's silent wish to be understood. "She didn't want to go back to the asylum in the Council's Headquarters. She wished to be free. And the only way to do that was to die." Zero didn't answer for a while, and without any word, licked the blood flowing from the brunette's wounds again.
The brunette sighed when he felt that Zero didn't have any anger in his aura at all. He understood… He brushed the teen's hair with his fingers while Zero continued drinking until he was satisfied. The hunter gave one last lick on the now closing wound before he looked at Kaname again.
"Thank you…" Zero uttered with a small shy smile. He then sat in his earlier spot, feeling full and satisfied. He'd lick his lips once in a while since he could still taste Kaname's blood on them.
Kaname closed his eyes, feeling contented at the fact that he could feel Zero's warmth beside him, inhaling the hunter's scent, hearing the hunter's voice, hearing the soft but fast beating of his heart, and most of all, feeling Zero's acceptance of him. He smiled before he spoke, eyes still closed. "I'm glad I fell in love with you, Zero." He opened his eyes then and looked at the hunter, just in time to see Zero's wide amethyst eyes and blushing cheeks. The hunter looked shocked and frozen in his seat – blushing madly and heart beating fast – and Kaname basked in his reaction.
"Don't just say those kinds of things so easily!" Zero voiced when he recovered. "It makes me feel… weird…" He added in a small voice while squirming a little in his seat.
"Making you fall in love with me too might prove to be more of a challenge than I originally thought." Kaname smiled before he stood up. "It's almost time for the end of class. I have to get back to the Moon Dorm, Zero. You should go back to your room as well." Zero scowled for being commanded so suddenly while Kaname interpreted that as he pleased. "You're scowling because you want me to stay with you more?" He laughed when Zero looked in between aghast and embarrassed.
"You idiot!" The teen shouted in embarrassment. "There's no way I'd want you to stay with me!"
"Yes, I know. I'm just kidding, Zero." For a second there, Zero thought he saw a hint of pain in Kaname's eyes but it disappeared immediately so he didn't know if he was only imagining things. The brunette's earlier enthusiasm slowly waned even in his aura so the hunter knew that what he saw was real. "Good night." The brunette said quietly.
Somehow, he felt bad for Kaname. "Good night, Kuran…" Kaname smiled at him and, without any word, kissed him on the cheek. Zero froze on the spot and stared at the brunette with wide eyes.
Kaname chuckled before choosing that moment to leave and disappear in the darkness while Zero continued to stare at the spot where he disappeared from. All night, Kaname did his best to comfort him. And yet, all he could do in return was make Kaname realize that his feeling was one-sided… It somehow made the teen feel sad.
"I'm sorry…" He found himself voicing in the darkness.
I didn't mean to hurt you…
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.tbc.
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Ren-sama's Note:
Aww… I somehow feel sorry for Kaname now… Well, everyone, I hope you like it ~! Don't forget to leave a review!