(I have no idea how this chapter got deleted, so I apologize. I haven't been on this site for several years, and randomly looked back on this particular fic and realized a chapter was missing. Thank goodness I save absolutely everything I write, so after some searching I found the missing chapter!)
When Zero had first come to stay with the night class, before he'd started talking, the vampires had noticed something peculiar about him. It seemed that the child sought out physical contact and affection as much as he could. First it was always with Kaname. He'd hardly ever let go of the pureblood's hand, not that Kaname seemed to mind. It was actually quite the endearing sight actually.
As he warmed up to the rest of the night class, Zero's actions passed towards them as well. When he wanted to show them something he could easily grab onto their hand and pull them along with him. When he was feeling uneasy or upset he would press his head up against them, seeking out comfort silently but clearly. When he was feeling happy then he would latch onto them, sometimes even playfully teasing or wrestling with them.
Putting it simply, Zero had not needed words to communicate with them.
"Are you ready for bed Zero?" Ruka asked the ten year old.
Zero nodded silently, taking her hand and leading her upstairs to his bedroom so that she could read to him. When they passed Takuma and Shiki on the way, he touched each of their hands quickly, which was his way of saying goodnight.
"Have a good rest Zero," Takuma told him, bending down to kiss his mop of silvery hair. "Try to sleep calmly tonight okay?"
In response, the child pressed his head against Takuma's chest before continuing to walk with Ruka once again. The female vampire had a look of pure adoration in her eyes as she helped him prepare for bed. Eventually Zero, who was now snuggled under his covers, had been read to for almost an hour. Now he slept soundly, curled into a ball on his side.
"It looks like he went down easily tonight," Kaname observed from the doorway, glancing in approval at the slumbering boy.
"But the nightmares still come...even on calm nights," Ruki replied, anxiously observing Zero's face for any signs of the beginning night terrors.
"I'll stay with him tonight Ruka. You did yesterday, and so today you need your sleep."
"But," The female vampire hesitated. "Lord Kaname, you need your sleep too."
"I'm fine Ruka," Kaname said with a smile. "Now go on. Get a good day's rest."
Ruka finally relented, brushing back Zero's hair from his forehead before leaving the room. Kaname took her place in the chair beside the child's bed. Barely an hour passed before the nightmares began. At least there was no scratching tonight.
Zero's first ever assignment as a vampire hunter had started out well. He'd managed to navigate his way around the damp and dull city without getting lost. He even managed to find the level 'E' that he had been looking for. The new hunter did have to admit, these types of vampires, if you could call them that, were quite scary. It was a male, and it's face was encrusted with the blood of his latest victim, a young woman. That made three dead in all so far, according to the reports.
This one in particular was fast. When Zero fired his first shot it missed the level 'E's head by an inch...and Zero hardly ever missed. However he did make a quick recovery and managed to shoot it in the shoulder. It gave a pained growl and stumbled into an alleyway.
"Your existence has come to an end. You're just a bloodthirsty beast. You aren't even feeling remorse over killing three innocent young ladies, are you?" He asked, raising his gun to aim at the injured creature's face. By now it was completely dark, and the metal of the gun glinted in the bright moonlight.
It gave another low growl and actually spoke, "But they were s-so...yummy. You understand, right?"
Zero winced slightly as images of himself looking like that someday crossed into his mind. What if one day he was no longer able to control himself? He would slip away into insanity, and his life would come to an end such as this. All it took was one moment of hesitation. His guard had been let down for less than a second, but it was enough.
The level 'E' lunged at him, but before it's bloodied fangs were able to reach his throat, he ducked out of the way and fired again, straight between it's eyes. It's head snapped back and bits of it's blood splattered on the ground. He was able to see it's cold unmoving eyes for about a second before it turned into sand and disappeared….just as someone else came into view.
"Zero! Are you alright? Easy now…you're okay." Takuma was somehow there now, and Zero realized that he had been shaking from both adrenaline and fear. The blonde vampire then hugged him, and Zero did nothing to stop him. Behind Takuma a small distance away stood Senri. After a few moments of silence, Zero's head finally cleared and he realized what was going on.
"You guys were following me!" He said accusingly, jerking out of the hug.
"Well, you see Zero...we were all very worried. Especially Kaname. As soon as you were out the door he had this last minute freak out and sent Shiki and I to make sure nothing happened to you." Takuma admitted a little sheepishly.
Zero could have gotten very angry. He could have hit them, or stormed off, or insulted them. Instead, he merely sighed. "Stupid overprotective vampires...I told you guys to start trusting me. I completed my mission just fine."
"True, you did do well. But you almost got hurt! Why did you hesitate?" Takuma asked in concern. He himself had been about to intervene, but Zero had made a quick recovery and killed it.
"One day I'll be like that," Was all Zero responded with. "I'm going home now."
Takuma and Shiki shared a worried glance at each other. Zero's status was always a touchy subject. Honestly they didn't know what to expect. For years now the violet eyed teenager had been drinking Kaname's blood, and because of that he didn't seem anywhere close to a level 'E'. But deep down, they all worried the same thing. What if one day it wasn't enough?
Takuma was about to try and comfort Zero, but realized that he'd left the scene.
"Wait up Zero! The city can be dangerous at night!" Takuma called, grabbing Senri's hand and chasing after their hunter. A little further up ahead, Zero rolled his eyes but couldn't resist feeling a little amused. He would just have to show them that he was capable of doing these things alone.
Takuma watched fondly as Zero and Rima took turns throwing pocky sticks at Shiki, who didn't miss a single one as he caught them in his mouth and munched happily. Tonight they had Zero all to themselves, because once again Kaname had been called away on business. Thankfully this time he would only be away one night, otherwise Zero would probably become quite distressed.
The aristocrat vampire was shaken out of his thoughts when he was hit in the head by a piece of pocky. Looking over, he saw Zero trying to hold back laughter, which made it clear who had thrown it. Shiki and Rima even had small smiles on their faces, despite their usual indifference to situations. Actually, Takuma had noticed that Zero made a lot of them smile nowadays. Just something about the child gave them reason too.
"Thanks for the pocky Zero," With a grin, he popped it into his mouth. "Would you like me to return the favor?" With that, he took out his own package and threw several pocky sticks at the trio who sat on the floor.
"It's getting late," Rima noted a while later.
"Yes, it is." Takuma agreed. "Ready for bedtime Zero?"
"No," Zero stated bluntly, taking them all off guard. Although Zero had started speaking, it was still a rare thing and they were all getting used to it. Also, never once had Zero told them 'no'. He was such a good obedient child, always doing what the night class requested,
"No? Um, are you sure?" Takuma asked, not exactly knowing how to deal with this. Was Zero just teasing, or did he legit not want to sleep?
"It's lonely with Kaname gone." Zero told him, looking down at the ground.
"But Zero, I'll stay and sit with you!" Takuma promised, sensing the boy's mood falling fast downhill.
"Why don't you, Takuma, and Senri have a sleepover?" Rima suggested.
"Hmm?" Shiki questioned, while Takuma contemplated the statement and brightened up.
"Yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea! What do you think Zero? You can come spend the night in Senri and I's room today."
"Okay," Zero nodded seriously, taking the blonde vampire's hand. "Let's go to bed."
Once Takuma had helped Zero with his bath and made sure he changed into his pajamas and brushed his teeth, they walked back towards the shared dorm room. One the way they ran into Ruka.
"Oh, Zero!" She smiled. "I was just making sure that you were getting ready for bed. I can see that Takuma did a good job."
"We're having a sleepover Ruka," Zero told her with his heart melting smile. "Me, Takuma, and Senri! I get to sleep in their room."
"That sounds like fun." She smiled, smoothing out his dampened hair. "I'll leave you boys to your sleepover then. Have a good sleep Zero."
When they got back, Senri was in the process of closing the curtains so that the sunlight could be blocked out. Takuma clasped his hands together and let out a breath. "Well then, how are we going to do this? Where would you like to sleep Zero?"
"With you and Senri." Zero told him instantly.
"Um...me and Senri?" The blonde was caught off guard. "But Zero, we each have our separate beds. I'm not sure if that would work out properly."
At the sight of Zero's crestfallen face, Takuma felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. He then realized that Zero had managed to have him wrapped right around his finger, because there was no way he would be able to sleep knowing that Zero was disappointed. There was only one solution.
"Senri, come over here."
A few minutes later, the three of them were cramped into Takuma's bed. Zero was snuggled up happily in between a relieved Takuma and an uncomfortable Shiki. Pretty soon the child had hit dreamland.
"...This is awkward." Senri commented in the dark.
"Um, right." Takuma chuckled. "Well...have a good rest Senri."
"I'll try," The other responded dryly, but he did end up falling asleep.
That evening, Kaname arrived back. He was actually earlier than expected, mostly because he couldn't stand being without Zero for so long. But before he had a chance to call for Zero, Ruka had took him upstairs, and with a finger pressed to her lips, showed him Takuma and Shiki's room. It was a very sweet sight to say the least.
Kaname was extremely relieved to have Zero back at home. If he could have it his way, Zero wouldn't ever go on such dangerous assignments alone. He felt semi-guilty about having Takuma and Senri tag along, but it was merely for the best. Zero was a new hunter, and he didn't have much experience. It was simply his duty to make sure no harm came to Zero.
Speaking of which, Zero himself was laying with Kaname in the master bedroom, his head rested upon the pureblood's shoulder while Kaname absentmindedly ran his fingers through the younger's hair. They'd had a minor confrontation about Kaname "overthinking things" and "not trusting him enough." In the end, Kaname was sure that he'd won, and likely because Zero didn't like arguing with him...at least not seriously. They could definitely banter back and forth, but really get mad? That was a different story.
On the inside, Zero was just as fragile as he had been when he'd first started living with them. He was slowly growing to be more independent, but there were still times when you could see the fear and uneasiness in those beautiful violet eyes.
The breathing beside him suddenly evened out, and peered over to discover that Zero had fallen asleep. He chuckled softly, leaning over to press a kiss to that perfect temple. If anything over these years, their relationship had strengthened. He still wasn't exactly sure what Zero was to him.
The closest thing Zero could be viewed as was his partner or mate, although they hadn't ever engaged in anything too intimate. To him, Zero was much too innocent for anything like that. They kissed sometimes, but it had more of a gentle feeling to it than anything else. Their touches to one another were subtle but strong.
It sure was a strange bond, still so complicated but at the same time perfect.