Chapter 34

Everything was already falling into place… and yet he felt like it was getting even more complicated than it was before.

"So when those Level Es attacked me, you were already watching." Zero voiced, earning him a nod from Yoru. "And the part where the Level Es lured me deep into the forest was still part of the Association's plan." Again, he earned a nod.

"Yes, it was to lure you to where Shizuka Hiou was." Yoru agreed. "However, our plan was put into motion right afterwards. I shot you with the red bullets just as I hid my presence so that Shizuka wouldn't realize you weren't alone. The Association is actually in cahoots with some noble vampires in the Council. They asked to use her in return for gaining something else. They wounded her to make sure she would be desperate for blood."

"Wait, so you can hide your presence?" Aido suddenly asked, as if just realizing that fact. "That means…"

Yoru looked confused because of the sudden change of topic but he still nevertheless nodded. "Yes, I can do that… an ability a normal human can never do. I can erase my presence to the point where even pureblood vampires would have a hard time trying to feel my presence. It's the perk of my vampire blood I was telling you guys about earlier. I can also change my presence at will. That's why Kiryuu never realized that the hunter that night and his classmate Yoru Miura is the same person. I can change my presence to make myself into just a normal high school student…" And he did change his presence to the one they were all accustomed to – the presence of a simple Day Class student. "…Or I can change into my hunter presence so that Kiryuu and Aido-senpai will recognize me." When he changed his presence into that of a hunter from that night, Zero's eyes immediately widened. It was Yoru alright. Aido also recognized that presence as the one who appeared in that church that afternoon. "I can also change my presence into that of a vampire so that I will appear as a normal vampire to everyone's senses."

"Wow." Yuzuru voiced when he recognized the presence as that of a vampire. "That's some talent you got there."

"It was just a simple ability I gained from my vampire blood. Aside from that, I am simply just a normal human hunter." Yoru then reverted back to his real presence – the one which he had been using this entire time. "Going back to the topic, I shot Kiryuu because it was needed to make him weak in order for Shizuka to be able to bite him. I was instructed by Ichiru-sama to never leave him alone in the woods. When Shizuka told him an enemy was approaching, it was actually me whom she felt." He explained patiently as he looked at Zero. "I made my hunter presence fluctuate to alert her. That's why she left you all alone. I watched you the whole night. I was instructed to help you in case your body can't take the sudden change. However, Ichiru-sama also warned me not to approach you carelessly because my presence might register in your senses as an enemy and you might attack me even in your state."

Kaname growled quietly at that just as he gave Yoru a glare. He was right to suspect Yoru after all. The way that male looked at his lover was way too familiar for his liking. It irked him to no end. Not to mention those words he kept on saying were just too flattery. It's like he's telling Zero that he was the one who saved the hunter that night and not anybody else. It's really annoying.

Takuma bit the inside his cheek to prevent himself from laughing. Shiki subtly nudged him on the side to warn him. Aido cheered in his mind because he wanted to do just that. How dare that Yoru guy try to seduce his Kaname-sama's lover!? He definitely gave Yoru one hard glare before he looked at his Kaname-sama. Kain sighed quietly since their leader was being overly possessive again. Ruka nodded in agreement at Kaname's action. It was only right for his leader to tell Yoru that Zero already belonged to someone else. It was somehow romantic for her.

Zero arched an eyebrow at his brunette lover since they all heard the quiet growl. It made him feel even more uneasy when Kaname actually gave him a rather bright and stunning smile even though the brunette was oozing with too much dark aura. The hunter couldn't help but sigh. Kaname must be thinking something along the lines of romance, third party, and jealousy again. He didn't know it but he was actually right.

After Kaname's unmistakable growl, which even Yoru did not mistake for something else, nobody dared to make any more sound. Yuzuru actually had the urge to roll his eyes since he knew the brunette must be thinking something crazy again. He knew that if Yoru said those lines to Yuuki, he would probably think the same thing. And maybe he would strangle Yoru to death for even daring to flirt with his lover so openly like that.

But it seemed Kaname had more self control than that. Although it was starting to corrode too…

"I see…" Kaien broke the tensed silence with his usual smile, as if he wasn't aware in the slightest of what was actually happening.

"Uh…" Yoru tried to clear his throat, doing his best not to blush. "I think there might be some terrible misunderstanding here."

Kaname gave him a condescending gaze then, one which he often used to irritate Yuzuru when the latter was being too happy with Yuuki. "And what might you be talking about?" He was obviously challenging the male to even dare voice it out loud.

"N-Nothing…" Yoru could feel the hair on his nape standing and he was sure it would end badly if he were to say anything else. He sighed in exasperation when Kaname gave him a rather bright smile too. "W-Well, continuing on the topic… The Association had given Kiryuu several more missions that were actually just traps to kill him once and for all. But every time, Ichiru-sama would devise a strategy to make use of it to our advantage."

Zero closed his eyes then. He remembered his brother's words before Ichiru lost consciousness.

"I didn't want the Association to use you any further… I knew Shizuka would be charmed by you, just like everyone was, and she would not drain you of your life… I was right…"

So all this time… Ichiru had been trying to protect him… and he didn't even know it…

He looked up just in time to hear more of Yoru's explanations. "…Ichiru-sama also instructed me to leave the black envelope in the vicinity of the church so Kiryuu would know there was something going on. He wanted Kiryuu to be more aware and not blindly trust the Association any longer. He asked me to help in case you need it. But you didn't need it so I did not show up. I was a little careless and it wasn't in my plan to let you feel my presence. I panicked and erased my presence completely but it was too late."

"Yeah, Kiryuu and I ascended into the third floor but found no one there, except that black envelope." Aido remembered what happened then. He and Zero weren't that close at the time yet. "So that's why it was really confusing as to why your presence simply disappeared without any trace."

"There was actually a separate door there if you two had continued walking towards the window. I actually just hid inside that room." Yoru explained.

"That time when I received the failure notice for my espionage mission…" Zero spoke again. "You were there too."

"Oh, that one…" Yoru appeared thoughtful for a while. "That hunter didn't know I was there. You and Aido-senpai could feel my presence because you're both vampires. I was just tailing that hunter because Ichiru-sama said he was aiming to harm you."

"So… What about those Level Es getting inside the school?" Ruka asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you going to say it was all part of the plan too?"

"That… Well, I know a mere apology won't be enough to cancel out what happened that night." Yoru sighed. He sincerely hoped they wouldn't bring it up again. "It's true that I was the one who invited all of them inside Cross Academy… but it was not Ichiru-sama's command."

"What do you mean?" Kaien asked him, eyes suddenly turning sharper.

"There have been many instances where Kiryuu was successfully lured into a trap, you see. But then he would still get out of it unharmed…" Yoru explained. "…So the Association thought something was definitely wrong. They started suspecting that a member of the Association was actually a traitor. It was during that time that they gave me that mission – to let the Level Es inside the school."

"So in short, you couldn't refuse because it would have put you under suspicion." Takuma was the one who concluded the answer. "So that's how it was."

"I'm deeply sorry for that incident." Yoru bowed deeply in front of them. "It's true that I immediately notified Cross and Kuran that something was wrong but it was still very dangerous to suddenly let those Level Es in."

Kaien blinked at that. "Notified?" He then looked at Kuran who looked equally lost.

"…I didn't really directly inform the two of you. However, I did let out my vampire presence in front of the Sun Dorm that night so the Chairman was informed that there was an unknown vampire inside the school." Yoru scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I know it was such a lame method but I was desperate at that time and I couldn't think of anything else."

"Ah, I remember!"Kaien smiled at him then. "That night, I suddenly felt an unfamiliar presence in front of the Sun Dorm so I decided to go outside. It was then that the Level Es entered the gate…"

Kaname's eyebrows creased when he remembered that night too. It was true that he felt an unknown vampire's presence in the vicinity of the Moon Dormitory so he immediately went out to investigate. It was then that he felt the presences of the Level Es approaching the school and he immediately went back inside to alert the other Night Class students. That was also the time when Cross called him and notified him of the situation. "I see… so you had no choice but to let them in… but you still felt that you had to do something to prevent them from wreaking havoc in the school so you did that stunt to at least inform us that there's something going on…"

"That's right." Yoru was still bowing deeply. "I know a mere apology won't be enough but I was still–"

"That's enough, Miura-kun." Kaien's words made Yoru stop. "You can raise your head now." When the latter looked up at the Chairman, Kaien already had a gentle smile on his face. It eased up Yoru's conscience a lot.

"By the way, do you know something about those synchronized Level Es?" Yuzuru asked this time. "No matter how much we investigate, we just can't get to the bottom of that issue. Chairman Cross and I already did our best to investigate the Association from the inside but it was still no use."

"Unfortunately, even we do not know about that one." Yoru shook his head. "Ichiru-sama and I were also investigating about those Level Es and who were involved in making them but there was no trace to follow at all. There isn't even enough information about them to begin with."

"What about Rido Kuran?" Zero asked, slightly changing the topic. "So the three of you are really working together?" Even Kaname's expression darkened at that.

But this time, Yoru averted his gaze and simply shook his head once more. "Anything related to Rido-sama… you should directly ask Ichiru-sama about him."

Kaname smirked as he realized something. "You like the younger twin, don't you?"

Yoru's eyes widened as his gaze turned sharply towards Kaname. "I-I… W-What do you mean 'like'?" They could all hear the sudden fast beating of his heart and see the immediate rush of blood towards his cheeks.

Kaname glowered. "Now I get why you keep on looking at Zero in that kind of way."

"L-Like I said, you're just misunderstanding–!" Yoru looked like a cornered rat.

"You… like my nephew!?" This time it was Kaien who asked. He was smiling but Kaname and Yuzuru actually gulped.

"N-No!" Yoru answered as he blushed deeply. "A-And besides, Ichiru-sama is a pureblood vampire. T-There's no way…" He turned quiet before he spoke again. "…Also, he's already in love with someone else. I'm just his subordinate."

"He's in love with someone?" Zero asked, curiosity written all over his face. Ichiru was his twin and yet he knew close to nothing about his brother until now.

"D-Did I say that..?" Yoru suddenly looked guilty. "Anyway, you should just ask him anything pertaining to that."

Kaien cleared his throat and spoke seriously. "Moving on to a more serious note… I've also asked Yagari's cooperation. He was hesitant to take up our side but he really has no choice in the matter." He smiled at them all as if he was simply talking about the weather. It made all the room's occupants figure out that it was him who coerced the Elite Hunter to cooperate with them.

"He must have used some pretty nasty and underhanded means in order to make my stubborn master cooperate so easily." Zero mumbled objectively, making Kaname laugh and Kaien pout. It made the atmosphere in the room become much lighter than earlier.

"Master is indeed not the type to just sit back here and patrol the vicinity if he knew there's a hoard of vampires not too far away. The Chairman must have threatened him with something." Yuzuru seconded, not even caring about the fact that Kaien had started his daily crocodile tears in the background.

Takuma and the others were still wary about Yagari since it was only the second time he visited the school but they still trusted Cross enough to not mind it too much. And besides… The blonde Vice President looked at both Zero and Yuzuru before he smiled kindly. The reasons for Yagari's cooperation… were here…

"A-Anyway," Kaien voiced as he cleared his throat once again, pouting at both Yuzuru and Zero for making him look like the bad guy. "…Since he still refuses to talk to the students of the Moon Dorm directly, I will relay everything that he knows about the Association's movements."

The atmosphere in the room turned more serious again as Kaien told them everything.

"The Association, at the moment, is divided between two opposing factions – The Pro-President and the Anti-President." Kaien started, making Zero and the others' eyes widen in recognition.

"Yeah, we heard that from that hunter guy Kiryuu spoke to." Aido commented as he looked at Kain for confirmation. When the redhead nodded, he continued. "I knew from his scent that he's also from the Elite Force so it means that even the Elite Force was divided."

Ruka nodded too, remembering the three hunters from the Anti-President faction. "Yeah, if it weren't for that, we would have been in a deeper dilemma last night. They were really strong too."

"Of course," Zero agreed with pride. "Matsuno and Sakai are skilled enough to be put in terribly dangerous missions and still come out unscathed."

"Those two?!" Yuzuru whistled at that. "It would have been disastrous if they weren't on your side then." And then he grinned. "But… it seems you're forgetting that neither of them are a match to you, Zero." The silver-haired hunter scowled at that, though he had a light shade of pink on his cheeks.

"Since most of you already know about the two sides, the explanation will be much easier." Kaien voiced out. "This internal discord is actually caused by Yagari himself."

Both Zero and Yuzuru blinked at that. Their master was the cause..?

"He discovered that the Association was indeed using Level Es as troops in order to carry out many of its missions. Not only that, the Association also uses nobles and lower level vampires as experimental subjects in order to strengthen their hunter weapons and also increase their awareness about the vampires' weaknesses." Kaien continued. "We know that most of these things were already reported to us by Seiren so we know all about it. However, most of the hunters in the Association were unaware of this fact."

"I presume you told everything to Yagari and asked him to obtain evidence." Kaname was the one who guessed it.

Kaien nodded to that. "Yagari is one of the few hunters whom I trust wholeheartedly. Thus, I was able to relay all the contents of our meeting to him without any inhibition." The Chairman smiled fondly as he remembered how Yagari kept spouting curses at him the whole time he was calling the hunter. But in the end… "I knew he would do something about it. He's just that type of person."

Aido and the others wanted to say that the Chairman's decision was rather risky. However, none of them could possibly say anything in opposition. They knew Kaien must have thought about it really well before he did anything. And besides… it did result to the current Association.

"So he gathered up evidences and presented it to everyone..?" Zero asked and received a nod from the Chairman. "No wonder…"

"He must have presented it in the monthly meeting." Yuzuru voiced as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Every hunter will be there, except for those who are in long term missions."

"He did." Kaien agreed. "He didn't specifically say that he's accusing the President but he did show some evidence that points out to the old man. The meeting was instantly driven into chaos. Many hunters accused him of forging evidences and even went to the point of accusing him to be in collaboration with us."

Zero looked down at that. He remembered how his master acted that morning when he called the older male. It was a disaster and he walked out of the pub without another word to Yagari. To think he did such a bold thing in the monthly meeting of all places… He felt his irritation for his master ebbing away into nothingness, replaced by a feeling of guilt and remorse about their last encounter.

"Of course, he also brought light to where the missing hunters are – among the synchronized Level Es whom they use for battle." Kaien voiced out quietly, making all the hunters in the room look at him with wide eyes. "Yagari saw some of his fellow hunters' names among the list of synchronized Level Es which are part of the Association's secret force. He was at least glad that he had managed to convince a considerable number of hunters to side with him. Yagari is a very respectable hunter and someone who used to be very loyal to the Association. It made even those from the Elite Force to be convinced that he's in the right."

"…So they really are the ones behind it." Kaname heaved a soft sigh at that. "To think they will blatantly use both hunters and vampires just for their own selfish reasons."

"I get it." Yuzuru clenched his fists. "So the main reason for the dispute is those Level Es. Hunters in general have deep hatred for the vampire race because most of them were orphaned children whose family and loved ones were killed by vampires. Even those from famous families like Cross or Kiryuu were educated that vampires were vile creatures." He felt several glares at his last statement but he didn't give it any mind. "Considering that fact, I can assume that the Pro-President are those who don't care at all what happens to the Level Es and find it only right to use them as such. They're the ones whose hatred for vampires is so deep they feel satisfaction at the knowledge that the Association hunts down not only Level Es and Ds but also lower class vampires and nobles."

"Ironically, that same hatred is also the reason for having the Anti-President side." Zero added. "Their hunter pride cannot take the fact that they have to work on the same side as vampires, or the synchronized Level Es. They also can't take the fact that the Association actually turned many of their own hunters into sacrificial lambs just to gain more knowledge about the vampires."

"There's also one more reason." Kaname interjected, making all of them look at him. "I've also done my own part of the investigation and I found out some interesting facts."

"That's right." Kaien immediately caught onto it. "Yagari also discovered the same facts – the Hunter Association is in collaboration with the members of the Vampire Council."

Everyone was surprised to hear it. Zero actually looked at Kaname for confirmation and gritted his teeth when he received it.

"That is indeed the case." Kaname voiced calmly. "I went to the Council to confirm that suspicion. And I still found it surprising when I've verified it."

"Kaname…" Takuma clenched his fists in dread as he decided to ask. "M-My grandfather… is he..?"

Kaname's gaze lingered to Takuma for a while before he closed his eyes. "Seiren, I want you to relay everything that happened in the Council."

It was only then that they remembered Seiren's presence in the room. Everyone looked at the quiet female vampire behind Kaname as they listened to her report.

"The moment we arrived at the Council, several guards immediately tried to stop us from coming inside the building." Seiren voiced monotonously. "However, none of them could stop Kaname-sama so we managed to enter without much problem. Kaname-sama interrogated many of the nobles in the Council one by one. He tried to make them spill out everything they know."

Zero glanced at his lover suspiciously, imagining just what kind of dreadful things the brunette did just to make those vampires talk. When Kaname gave him a rather stunning and bright smile, his suspicion was confirmed.

"They actually collaborated with the Association because both party wants to achieve the same goal." Seiren continued.

"The same goal?" Zero asked aloud. As far as he knew, the Association and the Council had always been organizations with opposing goals. "Just what kind of goal is so important that they're willing to work together..?"

"…The annihilation of the pureblood vampire race." It was Kaname who answered even before Seirein could voice it out. "Both the Council and Association want purebloods to disappear off the face of the earth."

Everyone's eyes widened at that. Even Kaien and Yuzuru didn't know the reason behind the Association's movements.

"What… did you say..?" Kaien looked shocked at that. "To think they will both… have that same goal…"

"I don't understand…" Yoru voiced for the first time in a while. He looked more confused than surprised. "If it's the Association, then I get why they're doing it… But the Council… Doesn't that organization exist in order to protect vampires?"

"There's only one reason for that." Aido voiced, clearly shaking in silent anger. "It's because they want to have the precious blood of purebloods among themselves."

"Not to mention they will finally be able to be free from the dominating power of the purebloods." Takuma uttered seriously. "They think that if they work together with the Association, humans who hold the power to kill even the immortal purebloods, then they can achieve their long cherished dream."

"…And for that, they don't mind working with their enemy..?" Yoru asked again.

"They've already come a long way." Kaname voiced out. "They no longer consider one another as enemies… but as partners working for the same goal." He then motioned Seiren to continue.

The female nodded once before she talked again. "Most of the Council's members are involved with the Association…" Her gaze then darted towards Takuma before she added, "…including the noble vampire Asato Ichijou."

Takuma's cheerful demeanor faltered at that. Shiki immediately tugged at their bond to console him and the blonde looked at his lover with a sad smile. He then looked at Kaname with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Kaname. I should've known he's involved somehow…"

Zero didn't know what to feel about the news. It was the first time he had heard about Takuma's family and he didn't know the circumstances between him and his relatives but he was so sure it would hurt the blonde a lot. Just like how painful it was when he thought Ichiru was his enemy…

Kaname looked at his confused lover and decided to share a little about Asato Ichijou. "Asato Ichijou proposed to be my guardian when my parents died but I rejected his offer." Zero looked at Kaname in surprise at that. "Takuma is a close friend of mine ever since I was young. The Ichijou family is also a close friend of my parents. However, that man alone is someone I cannot trust."

"My grandfather is…" Takuma voiced, having heard Kaname's explanation. "…someone who wants to gain power through drinking the blood of a powerful pureblood like Kaname."

"Then…" Aido's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Zero. "If he learned that Kiryuu is, no, Zero-sama is someone from the old and powerful Shiryuu clan…"

"Unfortunately, Asato Ichijou wasn't there when I visited the Council so I wasn't able to have a chat with him." Kaname voiced darkly. He then looked at Takuma. "I will apologize in advance, Takuma. But if that person were to do anything to any of the students here… I will not leave him unscathed."

"I know, Kaname." Takuma closed his eyes for a while. When he opened them again, his emerald orbs reflected nothing but determination and loyalty to Kaname. "If he were to indeed do something, especially to Zero-kun and you, I will be the one to hunt him down and kill him."

Zero's eyes widened at that. He'd do it..? He then looked at his hands on his lap. Perhaps… if someone were to hurt Kaname… then no matter who it was… He knew that he too would never be able to forgive that person…

Seiren looked at everyone and waited for them to continue talking. However, when nobody talked anymore, she continued her report. "Kaname-sama did interrogate and took care of the vampires involved but none of them were important figurehead in the Council. Most of the people we saw there were either noble subordinates or lower class vampires. The truly important masterminds seemed to be having an important visit to the Association."

"So you're saying…" Kaien was the one who asked the thing most of them already surmised. "…that in the Council, when you left, none of those nobles or lower class vampires remained."

"Yes, nobody remained." Kaname simply looked at him with his usual aloof and cool expression. "…To say it bluntly, I made sure to kill them all." Zero looked at his lover in surprise but he wasn't able to voice anything out. Kaname's eyes were filled with silent rage. "I'm living here in the north, away from the Council, because I want to live in peace and quiet. However, they made their declaration of war when they attacked my territory without any provocation. No pureblood will let that slide."

Zero tugged at their bond to make his lover feel a little better. Kaname responded after a while, making him feel relieved. "You say they want to annihilate all purebloods. Does that mean…" His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to think about it more. "…there is actually no pureblood controlling those Level Es?"

Seiren was the one who nodded. "There is a secret to their movement. Their bodies were bound by countless hunter charms and they are all controlled by someone from the Association. It's also the reason why they are so synchronized."

"I see…" Yuzuru voiced. "To think we had a lot of trouble because of those Level Es and yet our enemy all this time was those charms…"

"We also learned that the reason why the Level Es are stationed near pureblood vampires like Rido Kuran-sama or Ichiru Shiryuu-sama wasn't because the Level Es were loyal to them." Seiren voiced again. "It was true that the two of them were members of the Association and the Council too and that they were given an ample number of Level Es at their disposal. However, those Level Es also serve as spies for the one who truly controls them from the shadows. That person is the one who leaves no trace at all in his movements. He's the one moving all the strings from his hiding place. There's a high probability that it's the Association's President since there are some evidences pointing to him as the mastermind but we still cannot be entirely sure."

"But isn't the fact that the Association is divided right now enough proof of that?" Yoru asked, totally not getting why everyone was still unsure when everything already seemed so clear.

"Maybe… but even Yagari said the President hasn't directly taken command for a while now." Kaien voiced. "Even during the meeting, the President simply remained quiet and withdrawn despite the accusations. His subordinates were the ones who made all the fuss about everything."

"So you're saying he could be the mastermind…" Yoru was finally getting why they were still so hesitant. "Or there might be someone bigger hiding in the shadows."

"Ugh… Just listening to everything is really making me sick." Kain voiced as he sat more straightly on his seat. Ruka and the others also had the same thought.

"You stole the word right out of my mouth." Aido seconded his cousin. "To think they are willing to throw away everything, even their own beliefs, just for their elaborate scheme."

"One thing is for sure right now." Kaien voiced seriously. "An unprecedented war is about to happen. We have to make sure we're all ready when the time comes."

"We need to gather as many strong vampires on our side as possible." Takuma agreed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Zero sighed as he sat beside the bed where Ichiru lay. Kaname sat beside him. The other noble vampires had left the room some time ago and Kaien went out to check on Yagari. Yuzuru also left to see how Yuuki was doing. Yoru wanted to stay with Ichiru for a little bit more but Kaien asked him to rest in the Sun Dorm for now.

Zero was quiet, looking thoughtful as he stared at his brother's motionless form.

"You should rest too, Zero." Kaname's gentle and cool voice woke him up from his musing.

Zero nodded but he didn't move from his seat. He felt so contented at the moment and he didn't want to sleep at all. Ichiru was alive… not to mention he wasn't really an enemy but someone who worked on the shadows in order to protect him. The older twin could feel the tears welling up from beneath his eyes and he tried his best to prevent himself from crying. Aside from that, Kaname was also beside him now. He sighed and leaned his head on his lover's shoulder, missing it so much.

"I missed you, Kaname…" He voiced as he closed his eyes. To think he had thought of killing himself in the past… He was glad his will was stronger than ordinary human. He was glad he was still alive to experience such contentment. "I really missed you…" He repeated in a quieter voice.

Kaname's eyes widened a little in surprise at the sudden confession. His expression softened as he let out a smile. "I missed you too, Zero." He then clasped their hands together before kissing the hunter on the forehead. "I'm so glad you're alright…"

"…To think the first thing I'll see after waking up… is sappiness…" Both Kaname and Zero looked surprised when Ichiru suddenly spoke. They both looked at him as he slowly opened his eyes and gazed back at them. "But I guess… it's better than waking up at the hands of the Hunter Association… or not waking up at all…"

Zero immediately blushed while Kaname returned to his cool and calm expression. Ichiru let out a small smile as he closed his eyes again. "It's okay to continue. I'll just pretend I'm still asleep."

"How are you feeling?" Zero asked, readily ignoring the teasing comment.

"Sore… I guess those hunter weapons are really effective." Ichiru voiced with a small chuckle as he tried to sit up. However, he grimaced when he tried to move too much so Zero immediately helped him. He managed to sit while leaning on the pillow propped up behind him. He then looked at Zero who sat back on his seat beside Kaname. "You must be Kaname Kuran, the pureblood leader of the Moon Dorm." He voiced as he looked at Kaname.

Zero was the one who spoke. "Yes, this is Kaname, the President of the Moon Dormitory." He then looked at Kaname and motioned a hand at his brother. "Kaname, this is my younger twin brother, Ichiru Kiryuu."

Kaname simply tipped his head a little in acknowledgement but he didn't say anything.

Ichiru smirked at that. "You don't trust me, do you?" Zero's eyes widened at that. He was about to comment but Kaname beat him into it.

"I don't see any reason to trust you yet." Kaname voiced as he wore his usual cool and aloof expression. "I simply allowed you to remain here because I know how important you are to my mate."

Zero was about to argue against Kaname but then he saw his lover's serious expression. Kaname really meant what he said. In the end, he couldn't say anything at all. "Kaname…"

Kaname's gaze softened when he saw Zero's worried and pained expression. "I'll let the two of you talk privately for now." He patted the hunter's head before he left the room quietly.

"You have such a stern and disagreeable lover, nii-san." Ichiru voiced, almost glaring at the door where Kaname disappeared from.

Zero sighed. "Sorry about that. Kaname is a really kind person. He just doesn't know you yet." And besides… he could understand where Kaname was coming from…

Ichiru nodded but his expression said he didn't believe it one bit. "He probably doesn't trust me because I was collaborating with Rido Kuran before."

Zero nodded as he closed his eyes. "His parents were murdered by Rido." Just thinking about it was enough to hurt him too. Kaname was truly kind… Even though Ichiru was with Rido, he still allowed the younger twin in his Dorm simply because of Zero…

Ichiru looked around the room and surmised that it was most likely his older twin's room. The two of them had settled into a comfortable silence as they both thought of many things. It was after some minutes that Ichiru broke the silence in the room. "Aren't you going to ask, nii-san?" When Zero opened his eyes and looked at his twin, he continued. "I was with Rido this whole time. Aren't you going to ask me anything?"

"Would you answer?" Zero asked back, his expression unreadable.

Ichiru smiled at that. No matter how much time had passed, some things would never change. Zero had always been that kind of person, much too kind for his own good. The younger twin couldn't help but sigh as he decided to just tell his brother about the past. "I met him some years ago… when I was still actively part of the Council. I was invited by his subordinates to his mansion. He just woke up then. His subordinates must have freed him from his seal." Ichiru looked outside the window as he remembered that incident. "It was reported that Rido was the one who invited me to become part of the Council. But in reality, it was just some nameless official who was part of Rido's inner circle. And thus, I was already part of the Council when I first met him. He was devastated when he woke up and found out that the person whom he loved all his life… the only friend he'd ever had… the only person he's willing to go to any length for… was dead. The pain and grief of losing Shiro Kiryuu had driven him to insanity… It was a terribly pitiful sight…"

Ichiru remembered standing by the doorway of the brunette pureblood's room, stupefied at the scene before him. Rido had gone insane… "I thought for sure he would want to kill me for killing oto-san. But he merely smirked at me when I told him that story. He said there was no way the powerful pureblood that he loved all these centuries could be killed by a mere child." The younger twin couldn't help but let out a small smile at the memory of that conversation. It was one of those times when Rido wasn't too out of it. "Rido became my light… because he was the sole person who said it wasn't my fault… even though I knew that it wasn't true…"

Zero didn't know how to respond to that. He had always viewed Rido as a bloodthirsty and violent pureblood who had killed Kaname's parents. He had always believed that Rido was insane and there could be no way he was friends with Shiro. But hearing Ichiru's words somehow made him think that Rido was really just a poor pureblood who wasn't given the chance to be loved back. He was someone whose deep sadness and longing had turned him into the monster he was known for. It was both saddening and pitiful…

Ichiru sighed again as he looked elsewhere. "I ended up becoming his lover when I was thirteen. He said I resembled Shiro so much."

Zero's eyes widened at that. He looked beyond shocked. "He was… your lover..?"

Ichiru looked at him then. His eyes dulled out for a moment before he seemed to have recovered. "Don't worry about it. It's not like we're bonded or anything like that. And besides, I already know what happened. I was surprised too when he suddenly kidnapped you that night… I had Yoru stationed near his mansion that time and he reported everything to me. I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help to you that time, nii-san. I wanted to ask Yoru to do something about it but I knew there's no way he could beat Rido in a fight."

"…I understand." Zero clenched his hands into fists. "It's fine since it was already in the past. I'm sorry too… for killing your lover."

Ichiru laughed at that. "I told you it's fine… because I do not love him. However, I do find him utterly breathtaking so the relationship was fine with me." He then looked at his clasped hands. "…I told him you were dead too. I was scared that he might appear before you and tell you what really happened. I was more scared of you knowing that it was me who killed our parents than of him and his sadistic tendencies. While he was busy mourning over the death of his beloved person, I made sure he wouldn't find out anything about you. I hid every little bit of information about you, including your past and present situation."

Zero let out a small sigh. He could never get used to sudden shocking information. It seemed everything that he was hearing these past few weeks were things that would have brought him to insanity too if he weren't a hunter with a strong mind. Now that he thought about it, Kaname indeed said something like that in the past. "So that was the reason why Kaname said there was no information about my past…"

Ichiru nodded. "Sorry about that." Zero smiled a tad, making the younger twin smile too. But then his smile slowly vanished as he retold his story. "Rido and I… we used to have sex almost every night then. But it wasn't me whom he saw every time he made love to me. It wasn't my eyes whom he looked into every time he whispered words of love. It wasn't my name whom he called out every time he was high in pleasure… or even when he's in pain… It was always… always oto-san's name… The person he loved all this time wasn't me… or you… It was oto-san. All this time, it was oto-san whom he obsessed himself with."

Zero looked down at his lap then. Ichiru said he didn't love Rido… but… "I saw it too… He loved oto-san too much… to the point where he didn't care about anything else anymore… not even his own life… There was only oto-san in his eyes…"

"It must have been the reason why he liked you so much, nii-san." Ichiru let out a pained smile. "…because you resembled oto-san so much. I only resembled his face… but nii-san resembled even his willpower and his strong mind."

Even if Ichiru didn't realize it himself, Zero knew it for certain… Ichiru loved Rido. Perhaps his younger twin wasn't aware of it, but his feelings for Rido were really strong. It must have been really painful for his brother… to see the man he loved deeply seeking out someone else…

If it was him… If he had loved Kaname as much as he did now and the brunette loved someone else, he knew he wouldn't be able to live…

"…Rido didn't like me." Zero voiced after a while of silence. "He was simply trying to cope up from oto-san's death. He simply tried to use me in order to satisfy his strong desire to see oto-san again. He of all people must have known… that I could never be oto-san… no matter how much I resembled him."

Ichiru sighed as he chuckled a little. "You really are… something…" He then shook his head before he changed the topic. "I'm sorry, nii-san. It was due to my carelessness that he had learned of you. However, I did not regret it." Zero looked at him in confusion so he explained further. "In one of your hunter missions, one of his noble subordinate was involved and he learned of your existence. I wasn't able to cover it up and I had no choice but to tell him the truth. He didn't get angry at me… but he never touched me again after that. He obsessed himself with you. And I used that opportunity to make him obey. I would feed him information about you in exchange for something I would like him to do. I'm sorry, nii-san. I used you to calm him down… and also to make him carry out my plans without any complaint."

Zero looked out at the window for a while. He didn't know what to feel. Ichiru could really be very blunt sometimes… His eyes squinted a little when he saw the rays of the sun rising from the horizon. He couldn't help but smile. As usual, his surrounding would never wait for him… "It's fine, Ichiru… Like I said, it's all in the past."

"…Don't say that statement for certain, nii-san." Ichiru voiced as he looked at Zero directly. "I have yet to tell you the most important part of Rido's contribution in all this."

"Contribution..?" Zero's eyebrows furrowed at that.

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.tbc.

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Ren-sama's Note:

Alright, that's it. Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave something for me to read too~! ᶺoᶺ