Okay guys, we're getting into the the last of the setup before the plot really begins. Remember that I've messed with the usual mechanics of A/B/O a lot, so keep that in mind as you read.

Thanks to Ascel, who reviewed the first chapter. Your praise was very kind and motivated me to complete this chapter. I personally find A/B/O stories to be a mixed bag as well, so I'm glad I could intrigue you! This is my first work, so I don't know if I have the skill to tackle such a complex topic directly, but hunter vs. vampire gender roles as seen through Zero's eyes will be a source of his internal conflict. I hope my work satisfies your expectations and you find further enjoyment in my writing.

Chapter II: Red is a State of Mind

The December moon hung low and full-bellied in the crisp night air, shockingly bright yellow-gold and large, veiled by bands of fog that gave it a striated halo.

Perfect hunting conditions.

Or they would be, if Zero wasn't stuck playing assigned Hunter monitor for a party full of bloodsucking beasts.

He's along the Northwestern Coast of North America, hunting a strange Level E the locals have given the moniker "Bigfoot". Unlike most Level Es, who stayed close to places where prey was plentiful like towns and cities, this one had escaped into the wilds of the Pacific Northwest, killing the occasional hiker or stranded motorist, then fleeing to a new hunting ground as far away as possible. He was wide-ranging and damned difficult to track through hundreds of miles of old growth forest and rocky terrain.

Zero had been called in because of the terrain and distance involved. To find Bigfoot, the locals required multiple search teams with dogs, while Zero possessed a vampire's sense of smell and was easily skilled enough to exterminate it with little fuss. If he did it, the Hunt was a one-man job.

He'd been in the field for nearly two weeks, crisscrossing back and forth over old faded scent trails, drawing closer and closer, tightening the noose, ever so slowly slipping the trap closed.

Alone, constantly tracking and alert, his conjoined Hunter's instincts and vampire's prey drive left him sliding into a trancelike state. Zero was like a racehorse wearing blinders or a scent hound locked on a trail. Only what was before him existed; all was the Hunt, all there had ever been was the Hunt. Every day the Hunt lengthened his focus sharpened and the savor of the Hunt deepened. He ate everything he could get his hands on and slept whenever he felt like it, deep quick catnaps. He found his movements growing more limber, his body sensitized to every air current and brush of leaves. The thought of being forced from the trail made him frantic.

Then six hours ago Zero had gotten a call from dispatch, asking him to fill in for a monitor at this wretched ball held in what had to be the most ostentatious mega-mansion on the west coast. He hadn't even had time to change. He would stink of days without bathing if not for the scent masking charms he's liberally applied to himself and his equipment, meant to allow a Hunter stealth by fooling a vampire target's nose.

Maybe, Zero could admit to himself, it was time to come back to civilization. A Hunter was not meant to fall into whatever delirium had taken hold of him. A hunt was ancestral duty, not sport to be enjoyed.

He still feels...strange.

Not bad, but not himself either.

Restless, unsettled. He's running hot - hadn't even noticed the winter cold - but his skin is dry. He keeps stretching his muscles like he's trying to soothe an ache, exaggeratedly arching his back while bracing himself against furniture and walls. He wants to bite something - not bite, with his fangs - but tear with his blunt human teeth, clamp his jaw down and toss his head, worrying at the flesh.

The lead Hunter had taken one look at him padding back and forth, loose-limbed, like a tiger in a circus cage, and sent him for perimeter duty.

Zero was grateful. Never the most social person, this evening's crowds leave him feeling claustrophobic and trapped, excessively suspicious of everyone.

But that wasn't the worst.

Zero's no stranger to being driven by unspeakable, monstrous urges. This particular urge is new.

He wants to grab the nearest warm, breathing, squirming, luscious, alluring body -

- and murder it.

Brutally.

With his hands.

Zero wants to feel arterial spray mist his cheek, watch the spill of grey intestine from gut slit screaming people, coat his hands in gore as he rips chunks of flesh off a body and feel the blood clot under his fingernails - he shudders and pushes the horrid urges away, feeling like he needs to vomit.

No, he still needs to throw up, nausea roiling his stomach in waves.

On his rounds earlier, Zero marked the most out of the way, vacant toilet on his mental map of the venue, and he barely makes it there in time to crumple over a marble sink and heave his guts.

Ugh, guts, and that reminder brings almost painful spasms in his stomach; Zero gags until he brings up nothing but a watery bile.

His reflection looks foul in the gilded mirror - pasty, dull-eyed and bedraggled. He feels disgusting. His belly feels like he's being repeatedly stabbed. The smell of his own sick is making him feel sicker.

Zero splashes some water on his face and washes out his mouth, then removes his scent masking charms and reapplies them for good measure. He can't imagine the odiferous mingling smells sticking to his skin right now and tries not to breathe.

Studying his watch, Zero returns to his post and checks in periodically until early morning, around four AM. The party's winding down, the guests are leaving, dawn is in three hours, and the lead hunter calls the monitors in to report and wrap up the night's work.

Zero is grateful to be summoned first and swiftly dismissed; he thanks the man for his leadership and his consideration of Zero's unfinished mission, accepts the offered gratitude for substituting on short notice and walks out to retrieve his loaned car.

There's some kind of stir among the vampires as he slips out from the main ballroom through a servant's entrance, but even Zero's sense of duty and disregard for his own comfort aren't enough to make him pause for more than a few moments.

He extends his senses; their auras are nonthreatening. There's no energy signifying a noble's use of power. No one is emitting any bloodlust. They're shouting - something about an Omega - and gesticulating wildly; there's sudden excitement and surprise in their expressions. Zero concludes his assessment: no danger, just bloodsuckers making a fuss over some social faux pas. He leaves.

That night, Zero doesn't sleep. He doesn't sleep again until the full moon is waning once more and the vampire dubbed Bigfoot is ash scattered among the fallen leaves of the forest floor, his grave marker a skeletal yew tree.

The next week, as though making up for the manic frenzy of the last, Zero spends the whole thing in bed, tired, aching and still snappish.

He marks it down as some kind of vampire illness and returns to Headquarters on the next flight back.

He ought to have known better. No known diseases sicken a vampire, except one.

Interlude: A Party with the Royals

Kuran Kaname leans with relaxed elegance against the balustrade of a concealed balcony overlooking the grand ballroom, sipping a glass of pale yellow champagne and observing the mass of well-dressed people below him.

Once the glass is empty, Kaname takes a last long, searching gaze from one edge of the enormous, high-ceilinged room to the other, then pivots and enters the door behind him.

"How does it look, Kaname?" Ichijo Takuma calls out, standing in the center of the boudoir with a seamstress kneeling by his feet making last minute adjustments to a loose hem.

"About as we expected," the pureblood replied after consideration, easing himself down next to Yuuki on the plush cushion of a loveseat and placing the empty flute on the small side table.

It's just the four of them; the rest of Kaname's inner circle have been on the ballroom floor since the first alpha arrived, mingling, watching carefully and ready to report every detail to Kaname and Takuma afterwards. Seiren is guarding the hallway outside; her assignment tonight is to shadow Takuma everywhere he goes.

"Most of the alphas here are either monarchists and allied families we've asked to attend, or senate supporters who would love to bring the Ichijo fortune and influence into their camp and wrest you away from my circle."

"They can think again," muttered Takuma. "This isn't a marriage. An alpha has no legal control over an omega's assets, and if they think of using me, my friends, or my children for their own gain I'll kill them first," he said fiercely, the protective instincts of his new dynamic surfacing for a moment.

Takuma's characteristic cheerfulness and optimism have strained lately under the mountain of worries and obstacles his presentation as an omega have caused.

"I'd offer to help hide the body, Takuma, but it doesn't sound like there will be enough left to hide," Kaname says with a sly curl of his lips, and is rewarded when Takuma cracks a grin and Yuuki's tinkling laughter sounds beside him.

The relaxed mood doesn't last long.

"Have you seen Shirabuki yet?"

"Yes, drawing admirers like flies to honey and charming every gullible soul who falls into her web. She's holding court in the near right corner below the terrace. Yuuki or I will be beside you all night, and we won't allow her to be alone with you."

Kaname's true test tonight would be handling Takuma's most dangerous suitor, Shirabuki Sara. As a pureblood, she was the highest ranking alpha to seek his hand, but her murky reputation, questionable intentions and unsettling fascination with Takuma disturbed him. Kaname did not have a good plan for dealing with her yet; her rank prevented the other pureblood from simply ordering her away, and he had nothing to blackmail or bribe her with - yet - to convince her it was in her best interests to seek another omega.

Takuma hesitated, another question on his tongue.

"And them? Are they here?"

Kaname exchanged glances with Yuuki and reluctantly told the truth.

"They are."

His friend's hands clenched beneath his sleeves, though his face remained placid. Takuma's parents were a forbidden topic to everyone who knew him, leaving him to his manipulative politician grandfather to raise while largely pursuing their own careers and fame. To have them show up at their son's Presentation to claim credit for such a fine omega and be praised and cultivated by those trying to mate him was a slap in the face. Takuma was a good man in spite of his family, not because of them.

Yuuki, who couldn't watch anyone's distress without trying to help even if it meant ignoring social convention, one of the things Kaname loved about her, rose and enveloped Takuma in a hug; his body relaxed a little.

"I'm sorry," she said, but didn't let go, "you're probably not supposed to smell like an alpha right now."

"It's fine, you haven't requested an invitation to my Presentation and we went to school together. Your scent might even protect me a little if it reminds them I know a pureblood who will get very angry if they don't behave properly."

Takuma is even smiling mischievously; his precious Yuuki really is a wonder, Kaname thinks as his wife returns to his side.

"Ichijo-sama, the repairs are complete," says the seamstress, collecting her supplies, bowing, and leaving the room.

The Kuran siblings rise and go to their friend, each taking one of his hands in theirs.

"You look perfect, Takuma."

Kaname's compliment is entirely sincere and well deserved. Takuma wears the traditional Presentation robes of an omega: a strapless tunic-like undergarment that laced closed in the back, clung to his torso and fell to his ankles, loose trousers underneath that, and overtop the outfit an off-the-shoulder, floor length, cross-collared robe with loose sleeves reaching to his wrists, closed with a wide sash wrapped several times around his waist and tucked in on itself.

Takuma had chosen a cerulean blue robe embroidered with cranes on the bodice and swans at the hem, traditionally cut to leave his neck, shoulders and collarbone bare, the inviting display of an unmated omega. His snowy sash had whitework in the shape of clouds; threaded through the sash was a latticed milky jade disk.

Completing the picture was a statement necklace drawing the eye to his throat. Irregular clusters of small blue topaz stones were set in a gold band, and in the center a teardrop shaped star sapphire dripping smaller sapphires dipped into the hollow of his clavicle.

The final ornament marks Takuma an an omega, one of the rare few with the right to wear it: the Hoseki, a forehead pendant suspended from a length of chain along the hairline which was hidden and clipped in the hair. The first pureblood to bond an omega gifted their new mate such a jewel as a mating present, and thereafter it became custom that only an omega, and no vampire of any other dynamic, was permitted to wear one. The Hoseki symbolized the position an omega held in the vampire world: the jewels of the night, precious and valued for their fertility and rarity.

Over the last two months, Kaname has grown used to seeing Takuma wear his favored Hoseki - a single flawless emerald - when he appeared in public. This new Hoseki is larger, made of six small blue gems arranged like the petals of a blossom around a central diamond, and rests on a gold chain.

Poor Takuma learned quickly not to make sudden movements when wearing his new mark of status. It would fly sideways and go crooked, needing to be removed and redone. But now, Kaname notes with pride, he's mastered wearing one with dignity, as capable and determined as he's always been, every turn of his head displaying the flowing, birdlike movements the Hoseki requires.

A polite knock sounds on the door.

"Showtime," Yuuki whispers, squeezing Takuma's hand one last time before letting go and heading to open the door.

Aido Nagamichi, head of the Aido group and Hanabusa's alpha father, enters and bows to each of the occupants.

"We're ready for you Ichijo-sama."

"Thank you again for hosting my Presentation, Aido-san."

"No, no, it's no trouble. Madoka would have left me if I hadn't, I think. She certainly wouldn't leave another omega to face this lot by themselves."

"Still, I appreciate both you and your wife's support," Takuma beamed at his friend's father.

Kaname leads his friend to the door, and the three of them, with Nagamichi in the lead and the Kurans flanking the omega, head out to do battle for Takuma's future.

Kaname decides a break from relentless sycophancy and transparent attempts to manipulate Takuma's courtship through him is in order, and goes to find his sister. She's still on the upper landing with Takuma, gazing out at the lesser alphas beneath her and keeping a sharp eye on the omega.

"Even after all this time, you're still looking for him, aren't you Yuuki?"

His sister freezes, caught, and then her shoulders relax as she turns her body to face him, expression open and honest.

"I've never lied or tried to pretend I wasn't. Zero has always held half of my heart the same way you do, Kaname, even when I stood right beside him and didn't realize it."

Kaname reaches out to take her hand, bring it to his lips and softly kiss the wedding ring adorning the slim fingers.

"I know. I've come to accept it. As long as I can have any piece of your heart the way I always dreamed of, as long as I know you love me as I love you, and as long as you chose to stay with me, then I can accept anything."

That did not mean Kaname liked it, or that it didn't make his possessive nature - the nature of an pureblood - burn with desire to obtain the whole and trample the pathetic D in his way, the child's toy she was supposed to have outgrown.

Yuuki tries to change the subject.

"I keep hearing rumors about a ghost omega who comes to balls and disappears like Cinderella."

"I've heard them as well."

The appearance of an omega was a significant event; omegas were crucial to the survival of the vampire nation as a whole. While beta females produced two or three children at most in a lifetime, a single omega could birth five or six children in a single century. Omegas were the only way the vampire population could expand or replace losses from war and conflict. Their rarity only increased their value; only one in a thousand vampire births produced an omega, and only ever among vampires of noble rank. At present, there were fewer than one hundred twenty living omegas. By comparison, one in forty births presented as an alpha, and strong C Rank vampires had also been known to sometimes present as one. Any scrap of news about a new omega was important enough to keep repeating, even two weeks after the phenomenon. That the incident sounded like some mysterious romance novel just added fuel to the fire.

His sister spins around and rests her elbows on the railing, asking a cheeky "Do you think there's any truth there?"

Kaname nods. "An omega's scent is not something any vampire, especially an alpha, could misidentify. Over a hundred people verified it. I had my sources investigate the matter thoroughly, and one of Seiren's people confirmed it as well; the omega present was in season and somehow avoided leaving a scent trail entering or leaving the room. It's quite a puzzle, but something like that cannot be hidden indefinitely. Our mystery omega will surface again."

Over his sister's shoulder, Kaname catches a flash of wavy, long blond hair.

"By the way, did Shirabuki approach Takuma yet?

Yuuki make a face that was definitely too undignified for a pureblood, turning back around to face the crowds.

"It was like eating a bag of cotton candy after drinking a dozen milkshakes. I can see why you don't want her to be Takuma's alpha."

"Indeed," he wryly agreed.

The formal name for tonight's party was the Presentation to the Four Winds. After this evening, Takuma's formal courtship period would begin, until it ended ten months from now when he went in season and hopefully bonded with the single alpha to be chosen out of the hundreds here in this room. It was Takuma who would make all the decisions in the coming months, but tonight was for the alpha's choice. Many more alphas had requested a suitor's invitation than the number who would progress to joining the actual courtship. First it was Takuma's turn to display himself to the alphas as the prize of this competition. This was their opportunity to meet him, judge if he suited their criteria and if proceeding was worth the costs. An alpha undertaking a courtship risked losing face if they were badly rejected or refused in favor of a rival; tonight the alphas were also here to scope out the competition and consider their chances. Much dealmaking, bribery and blackmail would go on behind the scenes of this outwardly pleasant party, as allied families picked their best candidates, intimidated other suitors and jockeyed for position to make the best first impression.

An alpha who survived this unofficial winnowing process and decided to forge ahead and court Takuma anyway had to inform the omega of their intentions in person and make the request. Takuma was not allowed to refuse anyone yet, and would present the alpha with a length of red ribbon as a token of his acceptance. It had to be worn at their next formal courting event, as it symbolized the bond the alpha hoped to forge there and reminded the wearer of the cords used in a vampire wedding ceremony. Not every omega who bonded with an alpha also married them, but a dual bonding and wedding remained the desired romantic ideal.

The Kuran couple stands a moment in comfortable silence, soaking in the sights and ambiance of the night. This is a true vampire celebration, meaning that it resembles nothing so much as a flamboyant costume ball. When they gather in the sight of humans, vampires must dress to blend in. For their private revels, each vampire could dress however they liked, picking the clothing of their favorite time period and place or mixing many together, giving such balls a strange and interesting mix of styles that spanned continents and thousands of years. There are vampires in modern suits and eveningwear rubbing shoulders with people in traditional kimono, three thousand year old court gowns from northern Europe, hundred year old military dress uniforms, ancient caftans and saris whose patterns date from before the Collapse, and even some fantastical costumes meant to resemble mythological creatures and gods. The lighting is soft and low, perfect for vampire eyes. The musicians playing unobtrusively in the background cater to the tastes of both young and ancient vampires. Blood is openly consumed; a few vampires even feed from partners and ex-human servants as the Kurans watch. Gauche and risque, but permitted.

Kaname has seen such sights a thousand times, but he never tires of looking on Yuuki's cherished form. Like Kaname, she had chosen to dress unobtrusively and wore a simple modern evening gown in red satin with her long auburn hair in a twist. With adulthood, her body has matured and grown from a girl to a woman, stealing the last baby fat from her cheeks and rounding her hips and breasts instead. Yuuki carries the beauty of Kuran Juuri in her face and her zest for life in her heart, the most fitting tribute imaginable to the mother who left little else behind.

On her best behavior for tonight's party, she's trying to project the air of authority, elegance, and arrogance expected from a pureblood. Yuuki's heart had to change too; no longer could she be the human, carefree student Cross Yuuki, forced by her blood into the duties, expectations, and pressures of pureblood status.

"Onii-sama," Yuuki begins - a danger sign - she only calls him that anymore when she's being formal or feeling insecure. "I know you don't want to involve me in whatever you're planning to help Takuma-kun. But if you need me, I'm here."

Kaname swallows his guilt. "I know. I have control of the situation, Yuuki, you must trust me."

"I do," said Yuuki. The look in her rosewood eyes was resigned and a little sad.

Aido's household steward suddenly interrupts the two purebloods, apologizing profusely for the intrusion. Kaname is more concerned by the air of restrained alarm in his demeanor. Then he feels the aura of another pureblood nearby - a fourth one - and discerns why the man is panicked.

"There were only three purebloods confirmed to attend the Presentation this evening. Who has arrived," Kaname demands, letting a hint of sharpness flavor his tone.

It snaps the steward back to sensibility. "I apologize, Kuran-sama. One of my subordinates just informed me that we received a last minute inquiry about attending Ichijo-sama's Presentation tonight. It was not a formal request with a desire to court Ichijo-sama, so it was accepted and not reported to me."

Kaname snaps, "Who is it?"

The steward wrings his hands. "Shouto Isaya-sama."

Kaname's mind whirls. Shouto Isaya has been in Sleep for the past fifty years after the death of his wife and child; there had been no rumors of his Awakening. He has never met Isaya in this life, though he knew a few Shoutos as Ancestor of the Kurans, and found them to be the better sort of pureblood. Isaya himself has a nearly spotless reputation: no senseless killings, no abuse of a pureblood's power to command, no appetite for draining humans. Rumor said the wife had died turning the child human, and Isaya's grief left him inconsolable when the child died of old age.

Kaname might be able to use this.

A new piece has entered the board; one that may be sympathetic to his thinking and his goals. No, it was to early for that. Kaname needs to judge the situation for himself, and he must get to Shouto before Shirabuki did.

"Where is he now?"

"Greeting the elder Aido-sama," nervously stammers the steward.

"Request that Shouto-san join me afterwards - politely. Not here. Somewhere more private."

Leaving Takuma in Yuuki's care, Kaname allows the steward to lead him to a small drawing room off the main party, and as he waits, he plans.

Isaya Shouto, Kaname was unsurprised to observe, looked much like his ancestors. Repeated sibling marriage meant a new pureblood generation more or less copied the last. Shaded ash blonde hair reached his shoulders and his clear grey gaze observed Kaname evenly. Kaname detected a hint of what might be apathy or listlessness in Shouto's eyes, common in very old purebloods who've lost interest in everyday life. The younger pureblood's manner is admirable; even after being pulled away from the party just after arriving, Shouto is calm and unruffled.

It interested him that the pureblood wore a neat contemporary suit, rather than something from his life before Sleep, and Kaname chewed over the implications for a few moments as the other alpha joined him where he stood near the mantle.

Did he make the first move, or did he let Shouto play white in this game? Better to set the tone of this meeting himself, Kaname decided.

"Thank you for joining me Shouto-san; may I offer you a glass of bloodwine?"

"If you could," the other pureblood accepted in a measured tone.

They savored their drinks for a few moments. In the games purebloods played, being too hasty left the impression of desperation and gave away weakness. Kaname is content to let Shouto make the next move; he's still frustratingly ignorant of his opponent's capabilities.

"I have not seen you since you slept in a cradle, Kuran Kaname-san. It grieved me to learn of my friends' deaths while I Slept. They were both remarkable people, and I am glad to see they live on in their children. I am told that Juuri also had a daughter; I hope I will be able to meet your sister this evening."

"Is that why you attended tonight?" Kaname inquired casually.

"More or less. I have been Awake only a few days, learning what has happened in the past fifty years. It seemed an expedient way to announce my Awakening."

As he spoke, Shouto held his wineglass by the stem, examining the way the deep red liquid glowed in the firelight without interest.

"I have too much time and nothing to do. Seeing Haruka and Juuri's children is something that gives me purpose for a little while. Did you know this is the first thing I've eaten since I Woke?"

Offhandedly, Shouto mused, "I think I will return to Sleep soon."

Shouto looked up at Kaname with the same collected expression he's worn during the entire conversation.

"You need not worry, Kuran Kaname. Whatever plans you think I intend to disturb, be at ease. I am a spectator on the sidelines, I cause no ripples on the surface."

Kaname lets himself take another sip of wine to disguise the frantic working of his mind, trying to see all the angles, consider possibilities, calculate risks. Perhaps everything is as it seems and Isaya is only a pureblood without purpose - a pureblood. A plan begins to take shape, a solution to his most pressing problem. It hinges on whether Kaname has read Shouto correctly, and if he is as truthful as he seems.

Kaname thinks of the risks to people he cares for, and gambles.

"Then perhaps I could ask a favor?"

"You may."

Having laid his cards on the table, Shouto has retreated back to polite disinterest. He'll see if it lasts after what Kaname will ask for.

"Formally request to court Ichijo Takuma."

Shouto brings his head up too quickly to pretend detachment; his eyes have sharpened to steel.

"I would not do such a thing without reason, even for the son of Kuran Haruka."

Ah, excellent. Shouto thinks Kaname means to harm Takuma. Feeling more sure of his plan, Kaname quickly reassures him.

"I mean only to protect him. Shirabuki Sara is here this evening and wishes to become his alpha. I cannot allow this to occur. I have reason to believe she has tried to kidnap him at least once before, and he has never welcomed her interest. But because of her rank, he cannot simply reject her without insult. Having another pureblood as a suitor would offer him an excuse and protect him from any retribution. You would need to appear to court him until Shirabuki could be politely refused, and perhaps a little longer for propriety's sake before you requested an end to the courtship. The omega will be able to choose who he wants, with his reputation intact and without attracting the ire of a pureblood."

"Then why do you not court the omega yourself, Kuran-san?"

It was a rational question. All purebloods presented as alphas when they reached maturity. If Kaname needed to block Shirabuki, then he ought to have been able to do it himself.

His marriage to Yuuki presented no obstacle. Purebloods married one another to preserve their blood's purity, but as alphas still desired a bond with an omega. And all rules bent when they met the desires of a pureblood. As one who possessed the purest vampire lineage, Kaname could both marry his sister and form a Trinity with a bonded omega if he pleased.

"Takuma and I were raised in the same house as children. Though he and I are close, I think of him platonically and my alpha instinct wishes only to protect him. I cannot even pretend interest in lying with him and would be unable to complete the bond. Yuuki's alpha takes its cues from mine because of our bloodbond, so she is also not a candidate as an alpha."

There had been many times in the past months when Kaname regretted his inability to court Takuma. Everything would have worked out with little effort on his part. Such a shame. If any omega deserved the privileges of mating a pureblood, it was Takuma; he lacked for nothing in personality, skill and beauty.

"And you would trust me to do this according to your will, without benefit to myself?"

Kaname sidesteps the question of trust.

"Not without benefit, Shouto-san. You told me you desire something to do, a way to fill the span of your immortal life. Even for a few moments. I offer you that, and more. Have you ever pretended to court an omega as part of a plot against a fellow pureblood? I doubt it. This experience will be new, and unique, and you may never have the opportunity again."

Shouto was silent for a long moment, studying Kaname's face. Kaname was careful to keep his expression as open and honest as possible; he judged that a man who offered honesty as easily as Shouto would appreciate honesty returned.

"I see the difficulty of your situation," Shouto admitted.

"However, I cannot accept - "

Kaname began to think how to salvage this; at the least he needed Shouto not to reveal to Shirabuki his intention to sabotage her courtship, otherwise it would be impossible to shield Takuma from danger.

" - without first gaining the consent of the omega, Ichijo-san."

Kaname had chosen more truly than he thought; Shouto was perfect for this role. A wave of relief nearly makes him sag, if not for his impeccable self-control. Worry for Takuma has taken more of a toll than he'd admit. Takuma is his closest, earliest companion, the only one other than Yuuki allowed to offer advice and critique. Kaname allows a little of his gratitude to infuse his habitually controlled expression.

"Then please, accompany me and ask him yourself."

Returning to the ballroom, the crowds part before the two purebloods and they pass effortlessly through. Kaname can see the crowd bunched in Shirabuki's corner marking her position, and just the ends of her long honey blonde hair. The sight, he finds, is easier to bear when he has a solution at hand.

Yuuki and Takuma are right where Kaname left them, on the raised terrace meant for important guests who didn't want to mingle with lesser vampires. The position allowed fewer people access to Takuma, so Kaname had insisted that he perch there and allow the alphas to come to him instead.

Now Kaname is the one bringing a strange alpha up the staircase to introduce. This meeting will be critical. Takuma trusts him, so Kaname is really only worried about Shouto backing out at the last minute. If Shouto thinks Takuma isn't willing, he will refuse and Kaname will face the same unresolved dilemma as before.

Kaname had let his pureblood aura free as they approached, hoping it would give the terrace's occupants time to prepare. It was well done. Yuuki hovered unobtrusively by the banister on the side closest to Kaname, offering no distraction from the artful presentation. Takuma had arranged all of his people so they stood in an arc facing the staircase, ready to receive their guest, with the omega himself displayed in the center like an expensive gift nestled in wrapping paper.

Shouto stared for a moment at the picture Takuma made in his ceremonial robes: petal pink lips, golden blonde hair and those rich summer green eyes. The tempting scent of an unmated omega wafted thickly through the air. Kaname fancied the pureblood looked a little stunned.

"Welcome, my Lord. I am omega Ichijo Takuma. I thank you for attending my Presentation."

The omega executed a perfect bow, his practiced mastery of etiquette unfailing, even when confronting an unexpected pureblood as a guest.

Takuma meets Kaname's eyes as he straightens, studying his friend's expression for clues. His pureblood leader would not personally bring anyone here unless he approved it first. If Shouto was dangerous, Kaname would have found a way to warn Takuma ahead of time. The pureblood gave his lieutenant a small nod, trying to convey silent guidance. He can say nothing, or Shouto could suspect Kaname of influencing Takuma's decision.

Shouto greeted Takuma with his normal collected poise, and nodded his head in return.

"I am glad to attend Ichijo-san. I regret that I seem to have disturbed your party by coming - I assure you it was not my intention. I am Shouto Isaya. My rank, I think, you have already gathered."

Takuma blushed and chuckled in embarrassment, then sobered and locked gazes with the pale-haired pureblood.

"Are you here to court me, Shouto-sama?"

"Do you wish to be courted?"

Takuma's green eyes widen in surprise, and he looks at Shouto like he's never seen anything like him before.

"That's the first time this evening anyone's asked me that question."

With softer eyes and a touch of his usual openness, Takuma smiles a little and replies.

"I would like it very much, Shouto-sama, if you asked to court me."

Shouto gives the tiniest smile in return and walks a few steps closer to Takuma. Taking the omega's hand, he recites the traditional formula used when declaring an alpha's desire to compete in the most ancient ritual known to their kind. Takuma's Hoseki sways as he demurely lowers his eyelashes and grants his acceptance.

A servant carrying a basket of red ribbons appears by Takuma's elbow, and the omega takes a single scarlet length from the pile. Takuma is meant to simply lay the ribbon in the courting alpha's palm and step back, but he doesn't. The blond locks eyes with Shouto, and his fingers brush the pureblood's palm as he frees his other hand to slowly wrap the silk ribbon around the alpha's wrist, their gazes meeting the whole time, and tie it closed.

"Please keep this token until we meet again, Shouto-sama."

"I shall," returned Shouto, his voice imbued with a low, fervent tone.

Kaname could have praised Takuma right then and there. Such a magnificent performance! Shouto is thoroughly snared and charmed by Takuma's ploy. They'll have his help when and how they want it, and Kaname doubts he'll protest, what with the way Takuma baited his protective instincts.

A plan well executed, Kaname praised himself as he took another glass of champagne from a passing waiter. In four or five months, once Shirabuki was dealt with, Shouto could gracefully leave the courtship, Takuma could chose an alpha he wanted, and that would be the end of it.

Everything is going exactly as planned, Kaname thought with satisfaction.

A/N: Kaname, you are ten thousand years old, you should know better than to jinx yourself like that. Cranes and swans are both birds that mate for life; Takuma's inner romantic was showing a bit here. And no, Zero did not go into heat this chapter. Next chapter things get dark, so be prepared.