A/N: Okay, writing this at 12:18 am. Don't be surprised if I can't spell anymore. Been a long day already.

"Okay…" Souen pinched the bridge of her nose, holding up the third of Zero's five jeans. "Bad quality and how many ripped jeans do you need anyway?"

"You honestly think I buy them like that?" Zero asked, leaning against the wall between the dresser and the closet.

"Oh, got a blood stain!" Touya called from the back of the closet. "How do you live with only like... ten shirts?"

"Less laundry and I don't have to spend sixteen years looking for a particular shirt, Rima." He dodged the coat hanger she threw his direction.

"Even your slacks…" Souen sighed again, adding it into the pile she deceived herself as give away. "Seriously, how?"

"Hunter."

"As if that excuses anything." He glared at her. "Come on! There's a few other Hunters who shall remain nameless who don't tear their pants as much as you do."

"And all of these nameless Hunters don't have Kaito for a partner."

"Can't you switch partners?" She asked, opening the next drawer. Her expression softened. Zero closed it again, opening the next drawer. Again, she wrinkled her nose. "Touya, if you think the few shirts are bad…"

"What?" Touya called. Zero stared at her, horrified. "Any worse than the fact he has a sexy nurse uniform?"

"What?" Souen spun around, both girls pressing their lips together. "May…"

"Onee-chan." Zero grabbed it from Touya, throwing it in the corner. "Do I need to remind you that the only reason you're here is because you're insisting that I need clothes for this?"

"Honestly…" Souen sighed. "Ichijo may be of high standing but, he prefers his men like his houses: pretty to look at, good on his arm and gives him a sense of… power, really. Though, what you see in him… And what he sees in you…."

Seeing his hardening expression, Touya jumped in. "It's not like dating Kain, Zero. Takuma's not going to treat you like a prince unless you dress the part."

"I don't expect him to treat me like one." Zero answered, his expression stoic. "But, why do I have to put so much effort in my clothing for the guy? It'll probably end up in shreds by the end of the night."

"Touya," Souen asked, holding up one pair of Zero's underwear. He lifted his eyes to the ceiling as she displayed it. "Why does Kiryuu have a thong?"

"A man of mystery… And… free-birding?" Touya shrugged, both enjoying their comments as Zero switched from avoidance to sheer embarrassment. Souen threw it on the give away pile. Touya scrunched her nose and threw it the floor. "Garbage, darling. No one wants that."

"I dunno – some Kiryuu fan might want it."

"I… No." Touya shook her head, returning to the closet. "We have a suit!"

"Brand?" Souen asked.

"No name."

"Ugh." Touya held it at arms length as Souen examined it. "Well, it doesn't have a hole. No blood stains. Fabric?"

"Uh, polyester blend."

"… Keep pile."

"Seriously? If Aidou had this in his closet –"

"It would be burned and he'd be sleeping on the couch." Souen assured. "But, Kiryuu wardrobe, expectations have to be squandered."

"I'm just trying to figure out where all the clothes Kain bought you went." Touya stated, rifling through the box.

"Storage." Zero answered softly. It was also where the kitty collar wound up.

"Oh!" Touya waltzed out of the wardrobe, holding up pants in victory. "He still has the leather pants!"

"From Halloween?" Souen asked, gripping the fabric. "Armani?"

"Uh, Adonis, I think."

"But, leather…" Souen shook her head. "If they were going dancing and it was just seduce and destroy, I'd say yea. But, it's not."

Touya huffed but threw it in the keep pile.

"Kiryuu, why do you have bunny slippers?"

"Kaito's gift."

"Right up there with the catalogue for strap-ons, right?" Touya questioned, finally closing the wardrobe.

"Why would you need that?" Souen asked, sighing as she slammed the dresser door shut.

"Apparently, I don't have a dick." Zero explained, annoyed.

"Awe! You're the second eunach I've heard of." Souen threw the underwear out. "Okay, storage first then, shopping!"

As much as they tried to refrain from doing so, both girls clapped excitedly. Zero hung his head, wondering if it was selfish to pray that something killed him now.

"Soft!" Touya answered again, clutching one of the cashmere sweaters to her. Zero still wasn't sure why Kain had gone out of his way to buy him several of these but, he held one sleeve close to his nose, the vampire's scent lingering.

"No suits, no cotton blends, no pure fabrics…" Souen rubbed her head. "It's like he was indulging your stupid life style."

"But Souen!" Touya smiled, pressing the sleeve against her face. "Soft!"

Kain's cousin shook her head, hiding a smile. Touya sat back in her seat. "Least we know he was slowly conforming."

"Right here." Zero muttered.

"Hush, honey. Grown ups are talking." Souen answered, adding to her shopping list. Zero scowled, earning a swift kick from Touya.

"Is this why you wear steel toed boots? So it hurts?" He asked, rubbing his calf.

"Big baby." She stuck her tongue out at him, grinning.

"Okay, tailor for three new suits, make up, blazers then comfort."

"No lunch?" Touya asked.

"Please. He still needs shoes that won't be an embarrassment."

"Why don't you just make me these clothes and be done with it?" Zero asked as they stepped out of the limo, somehow getting stuck holding the parasol over their heads.

"I focus in women's fashion design. Though…" she studied him with a critical eye, "you could be a good candidate for new lines."

"Here's another question – why isn't Rima a model for you?"

"Never mix business with friendship." Souen stated.

"Plus, I'm not for the girly girl fashion."

"And, Souen Industries focuses on nothing but chic." Zero hadn't realized they entered the tailor's shop. All Souen did was jerk her head towards Zero and the latter was taken onto a stand, the tailor's measuring tape already measuring his arm. Souen and Touya joined at the counter, discussing fabric. Zero sighed. This. This is what hell is. But, he had endured it before.

Kain leaned against the counter, scrolling his phone for updates. "You know, you don't have to wear a costume. I never do."

"Don't think I'd hear the end of it."

"Does that really matter?" Kain muttered, his gaze flickering upwards as Zero entered the room.

"It matters to you so, yes." He rubbed the back of his neck, hating where the ends of his hair met his back. "Long hair is murder."

"As every woman has ever mentioned." Kain's eyes wandered down his body, the attention resting on the tighter areas of the costume. "Geralt?"

"Yeah." He watched as the other swallowed, turning his attention away.

"Well, I know one thing."

"Hmm?"

"You and Hanabusa will look like twins."

Zero scowled. "I'm changing."

"No time." Kain spun him around, holding his hand.

Zero collapsed on the bed as Souen and Touya set the bags down. "Who needs three suits?"

"Hmm?" Souen asked, wiping off the plastic that protected them. "Oh. Well, first suit goes well with your eyes – dark green. Direct contrast so, it'll make you look good. Black is traditional and useful."

"And, the white?"

She smiled. "You'll have to wait for Hana to answer that one."

Zero sighed and rolled onto his back. "Why couldn't I just go to the thrift store? It wouldn't have cost that much."

"So simple." Touya shook her head. He watched her as she hid the cashmere sweaters from Souen's ever reaching grasp, the leather pants joining the shopping spree.

"Bad quality, bad fabric. Pretty much, bad, bad, bad." Souen scolded. Her phone rang in the middle of her rant that Zero had summed up to 'thrift stores equal bad' and excused herself.

Touya waited for the door to close behind Souen, sitting next to him. "I saw the look."

"I know you did. Thank you for hiding them."

She shrugged. "Promise me one thing?"

"Last time I promised you something, didn't pan out that way." She nudged his shoulder, ignoring the slight smile.

"If you find yourself falling –"

"With Ichijo?" Zero snorted, lifting himself on his elbows. "You're honestly scared about that?"

She wouldn't meet his eye. Zero's expression sobered. "Rima… I've seen literal hell."

"Yes… And, I've dealt with Senri's bitching for years."

"… You're scared."

She turned her head. "When he asked you out in front of the whole group… Well, Souen and Aidou… Is it bad that I'd hoped you'd changed your mind?"

"No." He nudged her when she went quiet. "What are you scared of?"

She didn't answer him for a while, becoming motionless. He was glad that some of Sayori's traits had conquered her Touya-ness. "Losing another person I care about."

"You haven't lost anyone." He answered. "Shiki still texts you, doesn't he?"

"Yeah."

"And, Sayori tries to text you."

"I wish she wouldn't… It makes everything harder."

Ichijo forced a pleasant smile on his face, examining the Hunter. With Touya's insistence, he wore a comfortable shirt with a blazer, his new shoes bothering him. Like playing dress up, he summarized. "You look good."

"Thanks." Was he supposed to return the compliment? Or, had they already left that stage? Either way, he followed Ichijo into the restaurant. It was like being on a blind date – unsure of what to say so, neither really saying anything. He scratched the back of his head.

"Think it would have been better with the leather pants." Ichijo stated finally.

"Huh?" Zero blinked a few times, the menu having absorbed his full attention.

"The blazer, shirt, slack combo."

"Yeah, well… I don't like the wrath of Rima and the wrath of Souen is loud. Like, nails on a chalkboard loud."

"I see. So, this wasn't to impress me."

"Well… Not all of it." Ichijo nodded to himself, a slight smile on his face. Zero tilted his head. "What?"

"Well…" He set his wine down, examining the waitress from afar. "I don't want to be presumptuous…"

"I can't help you if I don't know what the assumption is."

"I think we both know the real reason why I asked you out."

"Because you want to screw me."

"Glad to know my constant line of questioning was not in vain."

"That and you literally said 'I'd like to screw you'." Zero remarked, setting the menu down. "No emotions attached?"

Ichijo leaned over the table, taking Zero's hand in his. "If emotions start to come into play, it stops being a game."

Zero's stomach fell. Just another game… Still, he followed Ichijo out of the restaurant and into his house, both quiet. What was there left to discuss? Ichijo held him between the wall and himself, the aggressive movements sudden but not unexpected. Lust had only stirred in Zero, the tearing of clothing disrupting the flow. "Awe… You're going to have to explain that one to Souen."

"No talking." Ichijo growled in his ear, earning Zero his first perceived punishment.

"And?" Touya asked the second Zero came home, glad he had the forethought to pack a change of clothes. She hadn't even examined him at that point, the bruising and slight cuts he bore blurred from her line of sight.

"He tore everything." Zero stated, standing as far away from her as he could.

"… He has to pay Souen back for that."

"He knows."

"Probably won't." She ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head. "Takuma – the definition of a cheap bastard."

"Not that cheap."

She raised her eyes to his face, squeezing her eyes shut. "Did it hurt?"

"Wasn't exactly pleasant. Maybe… seven on the pain scale."

"What was the worst pain you've ever felt?"

"… Maybe nine."

"Well now, it's seven."

"No, it was –"

"Dumbass, it's seven. Don't give him competition – he'll seek it."

A/N: hate this chapter. Not because of the shopping but Ichijo and Zero are the two most unlikely… Yet, I know it has to happen.

Sadly, there's maybe… Four/five more chapters left and Jayden's only just now wrapping up (the editing is going to be so bad….).

Again, thank you, Blemm-chan! 3