Hello to everyone! I've solved my computer problem, thankfully, and am now the owner of a refurbished laptop replacement for my dearly beloved old computer. Special thanks to those of you who reviewed last chapter. Here's the promised Jeweled Court chapter.
If you notice inconsistent first name/last name usage in this fic, it's intentional. I put a lot of weight in names - public and private, and even how character refer to one another in their own thoughts.
To the guest who asked about adding other POV sections then KYZ, I might do so in the future, but for now I really want this claustrophobic focus on our three main characters. The main plotline is their relationship - outside things from the 'bigger plot' break into their little shared world, and I think that mimics what the characters themselves experience, but that actually isn't the primary story I'm telling.
To reviewer blaze: Zero and Yuuki could still have sex as their human roles, where Zero would penetrate Yuuki. But Yuuki's powerful alpha instincts wouldn't be satisfied by that, since the alpha wants to mate with Zero like an omega. And some of their biological changes mean it would be different than before. But it's certainly still an option for them.
XXIV. Proving Grounds
Of course the first thing Yuuki wants to do when she hears what Kaname's done for Zero is visit the ponies. Kaname can't keep that kind of thing from her and expect she'll just carry on like normal!
This is wonderful! Kaname and Zero are working to repair their communication, their hearts reaching out to touch each other in the spirit of goodwill and friendship! Such a stirring resolve! It makes Yuuki swoon just thinking about it! She's almost jealous that she didn't think of it herself! (And she's definitely jealous that Kaname got Zero's undivided attention...)
When she's in private, Yuuki rolls around on the bed, squealing and squeezing the white wolf plushie she bought for Kaname. Victorious! On to the next battle for the sacred cause of love and harmony!
When she gets up that evening, even after their late bedtime, Yuuki is still floating on a cloud of happiness. If Zero and Kaname can learn to tolerate each other, surely pigs can fly and horses will grow horns! Nothing is truly impossible!
"You are not wearing that, Zero," her husband sneers, crossing his arms with a lofty expression.
'That' being a pair of butt-hugging riding breeches Zero borrowed from the human groom. Yuuki pauses to appreciate the way it clings and outlines each individual butt cheek, sighing happily.
Zero grinds his teeth. "I'll wear what I want! And I'm not wearing the robes! There's no way I can ride in those!"
"Well you can't go out in public like this! You're our Consort, and those clothes are only fit for a strumpet!"
"I don't even know what that is, but if you don't like this, too bad. I'm not getting thrown because I'm weighed down by six yards of fabric and the flapping sleeves spook my horse!"
"It's such a nice evening," Yuuki announces, skipping into the bathroom.
A compromise is reached when Yuuki discovers the existence of something called a 'riding habit', and Kaname beats his possessive alpha instincts down long enough to accept Zero having to show off a few curves.
When they head out to the stable, Zero wears divided skirts cut for riding, hastily manufactured by Sasaki and the other maids, with the breeches Kaname loathes underneath. Zero's combined this with the clothing he wears in human spaces, the gloves and shirts with fitted long sleeves.
Kaname still isn't happy, but Yuuki practically bounces as she carries Zero, her heightened anticipation giving poor Zero a bumpy ride. Really, she's curious to see what Kaname came up with on his own, but mostly she wants to see Zero smile the way he did with White Lily.
"Do they have names?" Yuuki asks, peeping around the stable door so the horses can't see her or sense her pureblood aura. White Lily hated her because she could tell Yuuki was a pureblood, even with her blood sealed. Yuuki likes horses, but horses don't like her, she laments regretfully.
Zero pauses as he scratches the black one's nose, his brow furrowing. "I'm sure they do, I just don't know what they are. Kaname" - the word is clumsy on the Hunter's tongue - "where did you put their paperwork?
"Back into the office records," their husband replies, also keeping his distance the way Yuuki is, "but I remember their names. That one is registered as 'Darker than Black Magic' on her papers."
"That's poetic," Yuuki comments. "Who's the dark brown one?"
Kaname shrugs. "I wasn't informed. She's not registered, and the man I bought her from never even trained her to be ridden, just had her out in a field running around. He was happy to have me take her off his hands."
Zero dips his head, pleased, but then his head snaps up suspiciously. "Hold on. You didn't pressure anyone into selling them, did you?"
Kaname looks self-satisfied. "Not in the least. Black Magic's rider was eager to sell once I offered her enough money, and the palomino was already listed for sale."
"Oooh, what's her name? She's such a pretty color!" Yuuki asks, sneaking another look into the stable.
"Goldilocks. She belonged to a child who wanted to purchase a competition horse instead."
Yuuki and Zero stare at each other, then burst into laughter.
"Really?" Yuuki chokes out. "Goldilocks? That's a little morbid."
"Who names a child's horse after a little girl who killed and ate three bears?" Zero chuckles.
Kaname blinks, though his face is as unruffled as always. "That is not the version I'm familiar with."
Yuuki and Zero look at each other until Yuuki shrugs.
"Which one are you going to ride, Zero?" she asks, leaning far enough into the doorway that Black Magic snorts uneasily, so Yuuki shrinks back again. "And what are you going to name the brown one?"
"The ancient relic bought her, so he ought to name her," Zero says offhandedly, eyes darting to Kaname, who justs raises an eyebrow.
"It's been so long since I've ridden, I think I'll start with Goldilocks. My leg strength isn't great, and Black Magic might be a little too much for me right now," he replies to her first question, going to gather his gear.
Yuuki watches with fascination as Zero navigates a number of straps, buckles and fasteners as he saddles and bridles the good-natured golden mare. The horse has taken a shine to Zero, the same way every animal Zero meets seems to sense that 'here is a good human.' Yuuki and Kaname back out so Zero can lead the mare to a fenced area.
The groom boosts Zero into the saddle, and Zero has the biggest smile on his face as he settles into the saddle and adjusts to the sudden change in his point of view. As he walks the mare in circles, just looking for his rhythm, Yuuki pillows her head on her arms atop the fence rail, feeling nostalgic at the familiar sight.
She casts a look sideways, at Kaname who is observing Zero advancing to a trot with interest. This was an extraordinarily thoughtful gift, which must have taken planning and time to accomplish and keep secret.
"I know it's none of my business, but you did well, Kaname," Yuuki tells him under the noise of the wind. "Thank you for giving him this."
Only the flicker of Kaname's eyelids tells Yuuki he heard her.
It's enough. Yuuki settles down into the cradle of her arms, the chilly air nothing compared to the warmth inside her.
The best part of Zero wearing those lovely tight breeches was getting to peel them off his fine rear when he's finished horseback riding. Well, Yuuki's sure it will be, once Zero decides he's okay with that.
In the meantime, Yuuki is very happy to make out with Zero while he's wearing nothing but those tempting, form-fitting pants and not a single stitch else. Kaname is busy sucking bruises onto Zero's neck, and the two of them are dueling over who gets to squeeze Zero's ass.
Yuuki is losing, but only because she's distracted by the way Zero's stiff nipples are rubbing against the front of her dress. She really, really wants to touch them, but Zero hasn't allowed them to touch his chest yet.
So Yuuki is being sneaky, and pushing her chest forward so the lace trim catches on the little pink peaks, swallowing down the small shocked noises Zero keeps making, like he didn't realize being touched there would feel good. The warm swell of lust it gives her every time she does it means she's straining against her underwear already.
"Zero," Yuuki says, eyes glued to the red flush dappling Zero's chest from the growing heat between their bodies, "I'm warm. I'm going to to get a little more comfortable."
"Mnnnn?" Zero inquires with hazy eyes, but he doesn't miss Yuuki for long; as she steps away, Kaname spins Zero around to take her place, gleefully finding the unmarked places under his jaw and distracting their Consort as Yuuki makes a few adjustments.
The pureblood enjoys listening to Zero's gasps as she twists around to undo the zipper on her dress. Zero's always so quiet and hushed, barely making any significant noise, but that just makes Yuuki and Kaname more eager to tease and tear each cry and groan from his lips. Finding the final clasp, Yuuki lets the garment fall to the floor, leaving her in a slip, modesty shorts, and her undergarments.
Yuuki's forehead wrinkles as she considers whether to remove anything else.
All of it, insists the alpha. Let mate see our glorious body, the better to satisfy him with!
The shorts will stay, of course - Zero wouldn't be comfortable seeing her naked yet, Yuuki guesses. But if Zero can take off his shirt, so can she! Besides, Yuuki can't fall behind if she wants to impress him more than his previous lovers. Yuuki boils with jealousy just thinking of other women with Zero. Zero is hers!
Right! Mind made up, Yuuki shucks off the white cotton slip, and unhooks her bra, throwing it on the tumbled pile of clothing, leaving her breasts bare and the line of her arousal visible in her shorts.
Zero will be so surprised! she thinks with excitement, prowling behind him and catching Kaname's attention.
The devilish gleam in Kaname's eye brightens, and her husband smiles wolfishly into Zero's white neck, bruised purple with his marks. "Zero, don't you think my dear girl looks delicious like this?" he purrs into the shell of their Consort's ear, lips brushing the rim.
Puzzled by Kaname's sudden shift, Zero catches his breath for a moment, then peers behind Kaname's shoulder to look for Yuuki, sharp instincts scrambled after being practically devoured by the pureblood.
Laughing would ruin the surprise. Yuuki bounces on the balls of her feet, eager for Zero to discover their trick.
When Yuuki fails to appear, Zero's Hunter senses kick in, and their unsuspecting Consort casts a curious glance over his own shoulder, only for his jaw to drop and his eyes to widen the size of dinner plates.
Yuuki preens, posing with her best angle just for Zero, hoping she looks attractive to him, her bravery wavering as old human insecurities crop up.
Zero sputters, swallows wrong and chokes, wrenching his body around so he can face Yuuki as he coughs to clear his airway. Even as he doubles over, Zero doesn't blink or look away for a single second, and Yuuki's confidence bounces back.
"You look like you've never seen a woman's chest before," she teases. Zero just looks so shocked, with wonder in his eyes. All the worry about being inadequate melts away. Yuuki feels like a goddess just from the worshipful way he looks at her.
The Hunter swallows, blushing so hard Yuuki thinks he might pass out. "It's always been Yuuki for me. Nobody else."
A savage affection swells in her breast. Her pureblood's bottomless hunger writhes in her belly, that dangerous obsession straining at the chains she binds it with. She wants to consume him, to crush him to her breast and drown him in the void of her unquenchable thirst.
"Nobody else, my love?" Yuuki says, stalking forward until she can scent Zero's blood in the bruises on his throat. When she pulls back, there's an itch in her eyes that tells her the irises are bright carmine and ruby. Her fangs ache and her throat burns, hungering for Zero's precious blood, the nectar she has not tasted in months. Yuuki's control strains and shakes, feuding with the animal raging inside her.
But Zero meets her gaze without fear - a Hunter who recognizes a predator on the edge, but surrenders himself with perfect acceptance. Zero would let Yuuki drain him without lifting a finger to struggle.
And looking in Zero's lilac eyes, the abyss steadies. Walking the tightrope above that deep pit in her soul is as effortless as setting foot on solid ground, the torment of her desire as bearable as the brush of a cool summer breeze.
"No one else, ever," Zero tells her, reddened and bashful, but without hesitation. "Only Yuuki. I didn't want anyone but you."
"Oh, Zero," the pureblood groans, and pulls him down to kiss her.
Kaname's alpha rumbles with pleasure at all the delectable sights - his dear wife's perfect curves and ravaging heart, his Consort's splendid affection and sweet submission, both twisted around each other, all belonging to him.
But he's still clear-headed enough to parse through the implication of the words Kiryuu just spoke.
It cuts straight through his arousal, like a shot of adrenaline, the mere possibility spinning him in circles, threads of possibility weaving themselves ever more tightly into a rope of suspicion, past encounters taking on a new light.
Kaname's already in his loose shirtsleeves, so he unbuttons his collar, trying to dissipate some of the heat building up at the back on his neck. Licking dry lips, he touches Yuuki's shoulder, knowing better than to interfere with her omega when a pureblood's possessiveness is raging.
Impatient at being disturbed, Yuuki jerks her head up, raising her upper lip to show her fangs, but stops short at Kaname's contemplative demeanor, the cold rain of rationality choking her blaze.
Kaname tugs at her arm, and she reluctantly unwinds herself from their Consort, stepping away to put some space between their bodies.
The Hunter gives the two purebloods a quizzical look, seemingly unaware of what a brazen invitation he is, standing there with his slim form covered only by those indecent breeches, showing off his taut rear and widened hips. How little it would take for him to break their control.
Kaname leans forward. "Zero, when you say 'nobody else, ever,' do you mean that you've never lain with anyone before?"
Yuuki's breath stops; Kiryuu freezes like a rabbit, wild eyes darting from Kaname to Yuuki and back.
Kaname can see the Hunter deciding whether or not to lie. Catching Kiryuu's eye, the pureblood holds the gaze steadily. Honesty in exchange for honesty, he urges.
Slowly, Kiryuu shakes his head.
"You have never had sex with anyone? Or sexual contact any kind, not just penetrative sex?" Kaname presses. There must be no more room for misunderstanding.
Kiryuu looks uncomfortably at his feet. "...No."
Yuuki breaks out of her stunned paralysis. "But, but - you're more than fifty now! I know you were never interested in anyone at Cross Academy, but that was over thirty years ago! You must have found somebody in the decades since. You must have known other Hunters and humans you liked. You weren't...you weren't alone all those years."
Kiryuu's silence speaks for itself, and he shifts uncomfortably.
Yuuki covers her eyes, guilt clear in her face.
"It didn't matter to me," Kiryuu assures her, holding up his hands. "I had Master, and Kaito and his family. And Cross. I just didn't need anything like that. So I just...didn't."
Kaname could kick himself for his foolishness. In hindsight, the truth is obvious. Hunters felt physical intimacy had emotional significance, and did not sleep with one another merely for pleasure or amusement as vampires did. Kaname knew the rumors of Kiryuu's promiscuity were completely false, but had assumed that somewhere in the mists of those years apart lay at least one or two lovers.
But Kiryuu had always been singularly devoted to Yuuki - even after she left to marry his rival. In her absence, despite her rejection, Kiryuu's devotion never wavered. Of course he never slept with anyone - he would have considered it being unfaithful to the woman he loved.
The pureblood's eyes narrow. This is another mistake Kaname made because he allowed his emotions against Kiryuu to blind him. His dislike and avoidance meant that Kaname neglected to explore Kiryuu's history between Cross Academy and his presentation as an omega, uncaring as long as it didn't directly affect Kaname's plans. If Kaname had been thinking rationally rather than ignoring his new spouse, he would have investigated Kiryuu's history more thoroughly, and realized that judging Kiryuu's probable sexual experience by vampire standards was mistaken.
Kaname sets his teeth. A failure of knowledge and imagination, caused by his own carelessness and scorn.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Yuuki asks quietly.
The Hunter remains stubbornly silent, but betrays himself when his eyes fall on Kaname, and his expression stiffens.
Kaname knows Yuuki caught the motion when her body tenses as well, and she shoots him a look of mixed frustration, anger, and disappointment.
The pureblood's jaw clenches. Kiryuu made the correct choice. At the time, Kaname would have used that information against him, perhaps even have done reprehensible things to inflict more distress on his new Consort.
His stomach churns. If Kaname had convinced Yuuki to allow another alpha to claim Kiryuu, one who heeded Kaname's hate against the inexperienced, frightened Hunter….How badly would Zero have been hurt?
Mate must never be hurt! We don't want mate to hurt, says the alpha plaintively. Mate is safe with us.
Kaname gives a slight shake of his head, trying to knock the image out of his mind - a pale, brutalized body, with the blackened bruises of repeated rape on his hips and wrists.
No. That did not happen, and Kaname will never allow such a thing to happen. Never.
We will be gentle and careful with mate when we teach him how to be mounted? asks the alpha.
Yes, Kaname thinks. The alpha is an animal, and animals cannot comprehend concepts of virginity the way people can, but it vaguely understands the idea that its omega is inexperienced, and that means mating frightens him.
But mate is ours, ours, ours! the alpha chants happily. Mate belongs only to us! Always and forever! Our blood made him, so it's only right that mate kept himself just for us and alpha-mate! We're the only ones who will feel his delicious, tight hole. Won't it be good, better than anything?
Kaname takes a step toward Kiryuu, and then another, thoughts swirling and coalescing.
Kiryuu eyes him, wary and uncertain, as Kaname comes close.
"How typical," Kaname chuckles, curling a forefinger under their Consort's chin, tipping his head up. "Must you always be so literal, Zero?"
The Hunter blinks up at him with those unique lavender eyes.
Kaname's lips curl into a smile. "Yuuki's white knight. I should have guessed."
His voice drops an octave, and he runs the pad of his finger along that pale cheek. "White for unsullied purity."
The touch turns into a caress. "White for perfect innocence."
Zero is still as a hare under the gaze of an eagle, mesmerized by Kaname's dangerous regard.
Kaname leans closer, voice rumbling in his chest. "Tell me, Zero. Was I the first to even lay a lustful hand on your skin?"
Lavender eyes go wide, caught helplessly beneath the pureblood's intensity. Kaname's smile broadens.
"Do you have any idea how impossible a thing you are? An adult omega who has preserved a stainless virginity for his alphas? Untainted by any touch but ours?"
The idea thrills him. Kaname has sampled virgins before - the distinction appealed to his possessiveness - but never has the mere idea inflamed him so.
Kaname smiles with satisfaction, cupping Zero's jaw in his palm. "Truly, you are worthy to be the Consort of the Kuran family. In power, in beauty, in virtue, in purity, you exceed all others of your kind."
Yuuki, watching their encounter intently, lifts her head and rumbles in her chest with agreement, clasping Zero's hand tightly.
"I assure you," Kaname purrs, "I intend to savor every bit of your tender virgin body as it deserves, to dismantle your purity piece by piece. I will teach you such pleasure that you will beg me to divest you of the last scrap of your innocence by driving my cock into your chaste little quim."
"I, I - I will not," hisses Kiryuu, breaking away from Kaname's grasp, outraged by such casual depravity.
But Kaname can see the hint of curiosity there. Though not convinced by any means, the Hunter is not immune to his body's appeal. Kaname's wicked smile splits his face in two as he shrugs out of his dress shirt.
Yuuki has already divined his intent, and is frantically running her hands down their Consort's body, the furious focus of her desire, and growling possessive affectionate nonsense in his ear.
"I'm afraid we'll be late for lunch today," Kaname remarks without remorse, and dives in to join her. His sweet virgin will need more marking to show their claim before he's allowed to leave their room. Just to be certain.
If Zero thought the Kurans were possessive stalkers before, it's nothing compared to their obsessive, hovering surveillance now they know he's...well. Even more unclaimed than they thought.
Zero doesn't get the appeal. It's embarrassing and weird, not sexy!
But Yuuki and Kuran seem really into it. Every time Zero lets his guard down, he's being pinned against beds, chairs, trees, walls, doors - anything vaguely flat - so his possessive partners can mark him again. Meticulously.
Zero startles, and almost yelps. "That better not be your hand, old man. I need to finish getting ready for the Court, and you're not helping." Zero scowls. They had their chance to scent mark him earlier, it's Kuran's fault if he's not satisfied!
Kuran squeezes Zero's rear once more, before casually picking up his suit coat and heading out into the sitting room.
Zero huffs, glaring into the mirror. Unsurprisingly, Kuran is a shameless pervert with weird fixations...but he hasn't used Zero's inexperience against him, like the Hunter feared. Kuran's been behaving like he really intends to make their alliance work.
"Do you need any help with the make-up, Zero?" Yuuki asks from the bedroom.
"I think I've got everything hidden," Zero replies. "Would you come check?"
Yuuki pops her head in from the bedroom, giving Zero a thumbs up when she doesn't find any spots he's missed.
Zero's facial scarring has faded into thin, pale lines that almost disappear if you look from far enough away. But Kuran insisted that making Zero look completely healed was vital for the Jeweled Court; hiding Zero's faint remaining scarring with concealer was the easiest method.
Checking his appearance in the bathroom mirror one last time, Zero heads back into the bedroom to finish getting dressed, where his outer robe, sash and shawl are laid out.
The tailoring of this robe is more structured than his first phoenix robe, to emphasize Zero's shoulders and make the line of his chest sharper. More strength and severity this time, less shapeless softness to hide his weight loss.
The color is a vibrant, autumn red to add vitality to Zero's paleness and pick out the hint of pink in his cheeks, with silver needlework in geometric patterns cascading down his skirts, and thick bands of the same silver embroidery edging his sleeves, neckline and hem. Lastly, a silver-white sash and shawl with the same embroidered trim add a touch of winter to the costume's effect.
The Consort's headpiece settled on Zero's hair is a ring of cloudy white diamond and garnet chips, forming a flower where his Hoseki rests in the center of his forehead. Well, Zero thinks it resembles a flower, but really it's more of an abstract shape around a circular center.
Zero likes the headpieces because they stay in place more readily than a normal Hoseki, but they're too fancy for his own tastes. He can't get used to wearing things that cost his entire salary for a year.
As Zero dresses, he can hear Yuuki and Kuran discussing business in the sitting room.
"I read Seiren and Aido's new report, but nothing sticks out to me." That's Yuuki's voice, sounding slightly frustrated.
"Storage facilities, safe houses, transportation hubs, a couple of drug labs. Nothing that can't be explained by her black market businesses in slaves and drugs." Kuran's tone has an edge of the same frustration.
"Maybe we're wrong, and there isn't anything she's hiding. Maybe she's just tightening her security."
"There are still a handful of high security locations with an unknown purpose. Aido insists they need more time," Kaname muses. "Perhaps I will allow him to have his way. He's always been both clever and curious enough to find what I wished to hide."
Zero is curious himself - he knows two of Kaname's nobles are on some kind of assignment - but he needs his focus today on tackling the Court.
"I'm ready to go," he calls as he tucks the ends of the sash in, leaving the bedroom at his slow, halting gait.
"You're not bringing your cane?" Yuuki asks, watching from her armchair in concern.
"No," Zero tells her. "I'm trying to show them I'm healed and back to full strength. I had to be carried last time, and I need to compensate for that now."
"Are you certain you won't fall without it?" Kuran asks. "Falling would be far more damaging than admitting weakness up front."
"I think I can do this without my cane," Zero tells them, trying to project as much confidence as possible.
"Very well," Kuran says, holding out his hand. "Shall we go?"
This time, Zero was one of the first omegas to arrive. If he wants to project an aura of strength, better that as few people as possible see the snail's pace his physical limitations force him to use.
As Takuma promised, their hosts from the neutral families greeted him politely with the deference due to his position, took him to the banquet hall, and showed him to his honorary center seat.
Zero's watched the rest of the Court drift in, making careful observations of any new details he notices, and rehearsing his script. Without Takuma, Zero can only rely on his own knowledge of biographies, etiquette, and Court protocol to rescue himself. Seiren won't be here either; even if she wasn't on assignment, the neutral families vet their servants too thoroughly for Kaname to sneak her in. Zero is truly on his own tonight.
The Hunter's mouth quirks up. He feels like a squirrel in the face of an oncoming car, honestly. He might make it through without getting squashed, but there's no way to avoid a good brush with disaster. Zero chuckles - with his luck, he'd be some kind of weird albino squirrel.
A few of the gathered omegas glance up at the Consort's table and give Zero odd looks. All alone next to Shoshana's empty seat, it's hard not to feel exposed, but Zero doesn't let himself quail at the scrutiny he can feel on all sides. He's marked the positions of his most vigorous opponents, and the mood of the room is volatile, with an erratic energy. From the whispers and glances, it's clear they think Zero is an open, vulnerable target without his greatest allies.
That might be true, but Zero intends to go down battling. All of this is a useless effort since Zero refuses to prove himself by producing a child, but he'll push back that outcome until he can't fight it any longer.
A few minutes before midnight. Zero's grip tightens on his chair arm, underneath the tablecloth where no one can see. He has the sole attention of almost every eye in the room, even Ilesanmi and her Hunters in their positions. Everyone watching and waiting to see what he'll do.
Although Zero knows it's unwise to tap his unstable Hunter powers, mushin wells up without him quite consciously noticing. He doesn't allow it to enfold him, but just having his body settle into the familiar breathing rhythms gives him steadier mental footing.
Zero's job tonight is simple: don't catastrophically screw up, prove that he can be competent without Takuma, and show some sign of physical improvement.
Simple things. Right. Zero wants to laugh again, but doesn't allow his impassiveness to crack.
A tremor in his Hunter senses announces Ouri's presence.
Shoshana is right on time, slipping in before the clock strikes and taking the seat on Zero's right, signaling the other omegas to send the last few children away with their nannies as conversation dies down.
Zero hopes Shoshana is well. She always has that strange transparent, stretched-out look to her, the thin fragility of something well-preserved but ancient, but today she seems tired, her fierce dark gaze muted, and perhaps a little more frail than usual.
Whatever her condition, the eldest vampire of noble blood gives Zero a firm nod when the time comes to open the autumn Court session.
The silence is not friendly. There's tension in the air. Most of the omegas are still withholding judgement on Zero's ascension to Head Consort, but his opponents have been the vocal about their objections. Everyone expects blood.
It's too bad for them - Zero's used to the sight of his own blood. "I welcome all of you. The autumn session of the Jeweled Court is now open."
Things go wrong almost immediately.
Six omegas in, one of the Senate faction omegas refuses to perform the greeting ritual, an act of utmost disrespect to a Consort. This is a complete refusal of Zero's authority, which Zero cannot ignore if he wants an ounce of respect from anyone in this room.
Luckily, this is one of Takuma's scenarios, and Zero has a range of options to choose from.
Shoshana shifts, about to intervene, but Zero stops her with a slight shake of his head, examining the Senate omega before him, the defiant posture and the anger in her eyes.
In his most reasonable tone, Zero says, "Sugiyama-san, I'm not the kind of person who enjoys having people bow for me, and I recognize you may have reservations about my position as Head Consort, but I would ask you to respect the traditions of the Jeweled Court and complete the greeting ritual."
Instead of placating her, Zero's words only intensify the Senate omega's anger. "I utterly refuse," she spits.
Zero considers his next move, now that appeals to tradition and politeness have failed. He didn't think it would be that easy - Sugiyama risked much by being the first to challenge him. "On what grounds?" Zero asks, hoping for a clue how to proceed.
"I can't accept someone like you as Head Consort!" she says, her disdain clear in her voice.
Idly, Zero wonders whether it's being a Hunter or a D Rank she means. Whatever happens now, he can't allow his face to show any offense or hurt. "I hope that as we come to know one another better, I can change your mind," he tells Sugiyama. "At the same time, your acceptance is unnecessary. I am Head Consort, whether or not you like it."
Her face twists. "I refuse to offer obeisance to someone I cannot respect. Having you as Head Consort is an insult to your honored predecessors, and to all of us who must bow their heads to you!"
Zero can feel mushin lapping at his heels, and sinks down into that calm focus, just to spite her by using a Hunter technique. "Sugiyama-san, I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding about this ritual. Allow me to educate you."
The woman sneers. "You educate us? When this is merely your second Court? Go ahead then," she challenges him mockingly.
Sugiyama can't even scratch his battlefield calm; Zero's nonchalant body language reads to the watching omegas that her objection is trivial and insignificant. "Why do we perform the greeting ritual?" he asks the room.
"To show our respect to the Consorts," answers Sugiyama with irritation at such an elementary question.
Zero gives a hint of a smile. "Wrong."
The woman looks taken aback, and opens her mouth to angrily protest.
"We don't perform the greeting ritual for the sake of the Consorts," Zero says again. "What have I done to earn my position? Have I shown some special skill or knowledge that would be invaluable serving the Court's interests? No. I've done nothing worth being appointed one of your leaders."
Zero sweeps his gaze over the silent, watching omegas. "A Consort is merely a placeholder. Why does a Consort hold their title?"
He lets the question sit in the heavy air for a moment before he answers, "Because they are the chosen beloved of a pureblood."
Zero looks back to Sugiyama, who is beginning to lose her defiance as she realizes her error. "You are not bowing to me, Sugiyama-san. You are bowing to my husband and my wife, who bear the name Kuran, and in whose veins run the purest blood in existence."
The omega blanches, terrified as she realizes she's broken the most inviolable vampire taboo of all, and done something that could be construed as an insult to not just one, but two purebloods. "Forgive - please forgive me, Kiryuu-sama! I acted without thinking!" Sugiyama pleads, throwing herself to her knees.
"Ignorance is forgivable," Zero tells her, serene in mushin's hold, "As long as the mistake is not repeated."
The prostrate omega blubbers her agreement, hoping that earning Zero's forgiveness will extend to the purebloods she unwittingly defied.
Zero tilts his head to the side. This incident has cost too much time already. "I suggest you complete the ritual now. I would hate to inconvenience our hosts by delaying our meal."
"That was well done," Shoshanna remarks as they're finishing lunch.
"It was Takuma's strategy," Zero tells her as he scrapes his dish clean. He hadn't meant to eat the whole thing, in case tension made his stomach nauseous later, but the delicate cream cake was well-made and not cloyingly sweet.
"But it was you, not Takuma, who made it successful," Shoshanna replies, looking out at the other omegas. "You often belittle your own accomplishments. I thought at first it was humility, but you just see yourself as holding little value."
Zero fights to keep his face emotionless, conscious of the watching crowd.
Shoshana observes Zero's response out of the corner of her eye. "Do you know why some of them hate you so much? Beyond the obvious points of your heritage, your rank, and your political affiliation?"
"Personality?" Zero offers weakly.
The elder Consort smiles in amusement, leaning back in her chair and interlocking her fingers. "Jealousy," she corrects.
Zero blinks, not quite understanding.
"With a few exceptions, everyone in this room envies your fortune. You may see little value in your position, but any other omega would murder, betray, bribe, or commit whatever sins necessary to stand in your shoes. Or to take your place," she adds significantly.
"Purebloods have become rarer. Few ever take a Consort. And only one omega before you has joined the Kuran family."
The elder Consort tilts her glass, watching the light refract through the dark wine. "Power. Wealth. Position. The purity of royal lineage. For one like you to receive such prosperity, Kiryuu Zero, this they cannot accept," she tells him.
Consort Shoshana is more apt to listen than speak, but when she does, it's wise to listen. Zero knows this, so he asks, "How do I fix it?"
She chuckles once. "The Court accepted Ichijo-san because they knew he stood so high above them they could never reach. You, they will never accept."
Zero toys with his fork. "What do I do then?"
"Outlive them."
He looks up at Shoshana to check if she's joking, but the Consort returns his glance evenly. "Become an immovable object. One whose absence is unthinkable. No one remembers life before there were stars in the sky. Make your existance just as constant and undoubtable."
Her words have the weight of personal experience. No one knows - or remembers - how Ouri came to bond Shoshana, but for whatever reason, Shoshana had been in Zero's place millennia ago.
"I see," Zero says as the servants remove their plates.
At the half-hour recess, a few of the monarchist omegas wander over to speak with Zero; he does his best to show them the Consort's persona they want to see. The tea group omegas also drop by to inquire after Takuma and pass him bits of gossip they've heard, far more welcome guests.
Zero wishes he could go speak to Ilesanmi and her Hunter team, unobtrusively stationed against the walls, but he can't break his Consort's persona and remind the Court so obviously of his origins. He does catch her eyes once or twice, but with so many vampire eyes watching Zero doesn't dare do anything more.
The effort of keeping his public face intact means Zero doesn't get a chance to rest before his looming interrogation once the session resumes. Under the table, his hands clench in autumn-colored fabric at the reminder. Every time Zero thinks of facing their questions, hot anxiety and dread fill him. He has something he's trying to gain now, and he feels as inexperienced as a child in these wars of words.
Winning the confrontation during the greeting ritual gave Zero a foothold. But that didn't stop the insulting dismissiveness, the doubt, the rudeness, the reluctance, the anger and disdain - from both factions. Zero saw the resentful spite in Abe's eyes, and the cunning surveillance in Noguchi's. This will be their only chance to release all those feelings against Zero. Nothing about him or his past will be out of bounds.
In the face of that weight, such forceful emotions and expectations, Zero can only brace himself. The tea group planted monarchist omegas with orders to ask safer questions, but Zero can't rely on such a slender reed.
Time is is growing short, and the coil in his belly tightens another notch.
Shoshana slips back into her seat, returning from her visit to Ouri. Zero's throat tightens.
Instinct for looming battle urges him toward mushin, and Zero reaches for it like a child with a security blanket. If that fluid awareness aids him during fights, why not also here?
Balanced and ready to react in any direction, Zero feels reassured and shakes away his nervousness, probing out with his Hunter senses to test the vampire energies in the room. His Hunter powers feel limber and light, as responsive as they did before he started having those strange episodes.
Zero marks the last few stragglers returning to their seats. "Shall we begin?" he asks.
No one seems inclined to protest - on the contrary, he's faced with sharp, anticipatory gazes. The curiosity that makes people gawk at accidents, Zero surmises. "Then let's open the afternoon session. Who has news they'd like to share with the Court?"
Silence. The omegas shift and look at one another, but no one steps forward.
"Would anyone like to announce a pregnancy?" Zero tries instead, and this time a few omegas tiptoe forward to share their happy news.
Through mushin, Zero can sense the bulk of attention still rests on him, but at least there's stilted chatter now. Takuma's conversational skills are sorely missed; Zero sits there in silence and makes the occasional comment, rotating through the list of approved topics and trying to burn as much time as he can before someone takes a swipe at him. Every moment of faux normalcy helps Zero support the idea that the Jeweled Court has nothing to fear with him as Head Consort, and that under his leadership business won't be disrupted.
He feels remarkably clear-headed, his Hunter powers functioning seamlessly and improving his reaction time as he bats the conversational ball back and forth. Zero's pleased to see his senses are less rusty than he expected after lying unused for almost two months - almost improved, actually.
This is a good place to change the pace - Zero's nearly run out of delaying tactics. This time, Zero won't wait and let his opponents chose the battlefield.
He breathes evenly, overlooking the room. "If there's nothing else the Court needs to address, I thought I might speak some more with all of you, so we can come to know each other better."
Zero can almost imagine his opponents sharpening their knives. "I'd be happy to tell you about the lovely trip we took recently to Europe."
Noguchi Sada rises, curtsying. "Consort Kiryuu, I would be delighted to hear of your travels. But I know some of the members like Sugiyama-san still harbor doubts about you. If we may, could you allow them to speak their minds freely? I'd like for their hearts to be put at ease so the Court can be at peace again."
Inviting the cow to the slaughterhouse, how polite. "If you think that will help, I'll do what I can to return tranquility to the Jeweled Court," Zero tells her.
"Have you bedded your spouses yet?" someone behind him immediately shouts.
Zero's mouth tightens. Right for the throat. "I don't see what business of yours that is."
"Kiryuu-sama," Noguchi curtsies again. "Every vampire wishes for the comfort and care of our honored purebloods, none more so than Kuran-sama and Kuran-hime. When they ask you such an indelicate question, they are merely concerned that Kuran-san and Kuran-hime's needs are not being met."
Zero bristles, insulted, and struggles to keep mushin. How dare they! It wouldn't rankle so much if Zero hasn't thought the same thing once or twice. He has been unable to fulfill his obligations for the treaty and to give his body to the Kurans. That doesn't mean he wants his failure brought to light, and in such a subservient way. Zero may have promised them his life and body, but he's still a Hunter and his purpose isn't to slavishly serve the Kurans.
"I appreciate your concern, but they are more than capable of making their needs known to me. As I told you before, we have our own reasoning behind deciding to take our relationship slowly."
One of the monarchists taps his chin thoughtfully. "They are said to be much in love with one another. I suppose it makes sense that they wouldn't be interested in an outsider they didn't want."
Oh, that shaft strikes home alongside Zero's insecurities, but he refuses to react, sensing that this volley isn't finished.
"Aren't you concerned?" Abe Juan laughs, tossing his curly dark hair.
"About what," Zero says calmly, knowing already he won't like the answer.
Abe adopts a tone of false concern, betrayed by the ugly look in his eyes. "Well, they don't want your body, but obviously they want a little novelty. So they must be taking their lusts to other beds. I'd be eager to serve Kuran-sama and Kuran-hime if their own omega won't satisfy them."
Abe leers with satisfaction as a chorus of agreement breaks out across the room.
Zero clenches his fists under the table, Shoshana's warning about jealousy ringing in his ears. Mushin collapses, and a mass of hot instinct and emotion rises up. Yuuki and Kaname are his, and he's not going to stand aside as one of these bitches tries to steal his alphas.
"I will shoot the first person who tries," Zero snarls, showing his fangs. It was his strength and skill that attracted them, it was him they courted. The only omega Zero's powerful, seductive alphas are allowed to mate with is him. Zero won't allow their attention to wander - all that fertile, pure seed will sire his beautiful babies, not be wasted on some weakling Zero could tear apart in moments.
Shoving the omega back down, a little shocked by his outburst - was that really him, and how badly did Zero just screw up? - Zero regains his senses. "You know, Abe-san, after how interested you were in my nonexistent lovers, and now this, I'd be starting to wonder about your character if I didn't know what an honest, likable person you are."
A few omegas chuckle; Abe's expression darkens at the insult.
"Let's move on," Zero says, "I won't speak any more on the subject."
"Aren't your alphas bothered when you go Hunting?" Koneko jumps in. Not much finesse in that one, to be so straightforward.
Zero picks a favorable interpretation. "They are concerned for my safety. That's why they send a familiar when I go out."
"But you're a vampire killing other vampires, isn't that disturbing for them?"
Zero pauses, trying to find the right response. "The Senate issues execution requests for vampires deemed a threat to society's secrecy, and for those who have broken its laws. The Kurans understand the necessity better than anyone." At least Kuran does, since he used to rule these bloodsuckers himself, Zero amends silently.
"It doesn't bother you at all?" one of the monarchists breaks in, shocked.
"Whatever my feelings, I have a job and a duty, as my ancestors did," Zero deflects, knowing they're pushing him in a dangerous direction. Getting Zero to admit he was anything but horrified and disgusted would be a victory for anyone who didn't like him - it could be spun into any number of disastrous rumors about the callous, sadistic Hunter Kuran-sama married.
"And the Hunters aren't opposed to this?" asks Aido Madoka, chin perched on her hands.
Zero smiles. Saved by Aido's mom. "Why don't you ask them?" he says, gesturing at the Hunters stationed in the corners of the room.
Madoka is more than happy to satisfy her curiosity and yank the Court in a new direction. "Lead Hunter-san? Would you mind commenting?"
Ilesanmi steps forward, manner admirably professional. Zero's favor - to assist him in taming the Jeweled Court - is already proving its worth. "The Hunter's Association appreciates the sacrifices Kiryuu-san has made for the sake of both humans and vampires. We are grateful that Kuran-san and his wife have allowed us to keep using Kiryuu-san's skills, and we hope this tie between us continues to improve the relationship between the Senate and the Association."
"There you have it," Madoka says, sitting back now that the Hunters have shown their approval.
"Of course they would support him!" shouts one of the Senate faction. "They've set up one of their own as a puppet!"
"No," Zero says. "Kuran Kaname has chosen me, knowing that his choice would make me Head Consort. That result is not something the Hunters could force. That choice means Kaname believes I am not a puppet or a danger, unless you believe I am capable of fooling him, or that Kaname would deliberately sabotage the Court."
"I did not mean to suggest any such thing," the omega corrects hastily. "I just question their influence over you, Consort Kiryuu."
Zero accepts the alteration with a nod. Sometimes it's helpful that vampires will tiptoe around any hint they're criticizing a pureblood. Bootlicking always overrules attacking Zero. "I'm capable of making my own decisions. And I'm sure the Court will exercise its own influence," he adds dryly.
"Kiryuu-sama."
Noguchi again, with a look Zero doesn't trust. "If you don't mind me speaking freely, I believe this issue is a sticking point for many in the Court. You are an omega, but you also continue to claim you are a Hunter. If some future event brings those two identities into conflict, they want some assurance you will put your position as an omega first."
Zero breathes deeply, knowing he's fallen into a trap. He can't promise that, and Noguchi knows it.
His heartbeat quickens with the sense of danger, and Zero dives back into mushin, making himself empty so he can keep his voice steady. "In such a situation, I intend to put the good of the greatest number of people first."
A non-answer, but Noguchi lets it stand, knowing she's proved her point to the watching omegas. Zero is conflicted because of his divided identity. Zero can't be wholly trusted.
Things are spinning out of his control. Zero can feel himself breathe more deeply, giving more oxygen to his muscles as if he will suddenly need to fight. Mushin fluctuates queerly.
"Thank you, Consort Kiryuu. Then perhaps you might address a few other concerns I've heard among the Court?" Noguchi inquires as politely as a spider with a fly in her web.
"Such as?" Zero says, knowing she has him.
"I don't wish to embarrass anyone, so I won't name any names," she says. "I don't hold with such opinions, but I wanted to make sure you were aware of them."
How nice of her, to make sure everyone else could hear them too. "That's fine," Zero says, instinct telling him to brace for the blow. Everyone else can feel it too - the room has fallen utterly silent.
"You're what the Hunters call a Level D - a Turned human, correct?" Noguchi begins.
"Yes." The word feels like it's dragged out of him; Zero clamps his teeth down when it escapes, like it might return to dwell in his throat.
Noguchi nods. "Well, no omega has ever held less than noble rank - thralls and servants are betas. If such a thing has never occurred, some of the omegas feel, isn't it likely you are barren? And they feel that an omega who will never experience the role of mother - can they really be a competent leader and representative of the Jeweled Court?"
"Noguchi Sada, you go too far!" Azai objects, going to his feet.
She shrugs, demurring, "I'm merely reporting to Consort Kiryuu the things I've heard. That doesn't mean I agree with them, Azai-san."
Zero lets the painful feelings trickle away, sinking deeper in mushin, the clean focus of the present moment. "We don't know whether I can conceive. I haven't even had my first heat yet."
"And it is not a requirement that the Head Consort is capable of pregnancy," comments Shoshana. "Otherwise I could not have held the position."
The Court gives a collective shocked look toward Shoshana, who easily admitted such a horrifying thing. There was public knowledge Shoshana hadn't carried a child in over two thousand years - likely a side effect of her unnatural age - but to say it aloud!
It was the same as admitting to some terrible, hushed secret, like having an incurable disease. An omega's fertility was almost sacred, and the idea of losing it unthinkable.
Though as shocked as the rest of them, Noguchi quickly recovers. "That's an excellent point, Consort Shoshana. But some in the Court have other concerns about Consort Kiryuu's blood status."
"Go on then, Noguchi-san," Zero tells her. He doesn't have a choice. Either now or later, everything will come out.
"Thralls can't attack or disobey their Masters. But it's rumored Kiryuu-sama did both. And that he killed Hio Shizuka-sama, his Master." Here Noguchi pauses significantly, and the Court murmurs.
Shizuka was never my master, Zero wants to say, but beneath mushin his instinct knows those words would damn him. A terrible anticipation holds him frozen.
"And it's even rumored that Kiryuu-sama murdered his own twin brother. So Consort Kiryuu must be something unnatural indeed, to break so many laws of nature and decency."
Zero stops breathing. He feels hollow and empty, crushed beneath old guilt and loss. Ichiru. How could they. How could they!
Mushin crystallizes.
The world goes brittle; one tap and it might shatter. Sound reaches Zero's ears from very far away.
The Hunter spell in his neck burns. They can touch him, but not Ichiru. Never Ichiru.
Wound tight, worn thin, something in Zero's head snaps.
-and he can see feel taste touch smell sense all at once, everything in a howling flood, he knows - the man behind him is scratching his nose, disturbing tiny air particles as he moves, the faint sounds are servants moving behind the walls, the chemical taste on his tongue is emotion, the odors of glee and triumph, under the table Azai's baby is fluttering inside him, and he could pinpoint every last person within these walls, count them, measure their strength, but that's not all, so much, too much -
"Sit down, Abe Juan," Zero's voice cracks out.
"I have not asked you to speak," Zero continues, inexplicably certain Abe just opened his mouth to spew more filth.
The others will think Zero's guessing, or lucky, but Zero isn't, he knows it's true - even though Abe is seated behind him. Where Zero can't physically see.
Time feels...flexible. To Zero's mind, every second seems elastic, brimming full, crammed to bursting with so many stimuli. And the world in front of him has changed - the same people, the same place, but overlaid by something new, something deeper. It's like opening his eyes in the light for the first time - like before now everything was under a dark veil, misty and half-glimpsed, and now the veil has lifted. Or watching the world reflected in a mirror your whole life, and thinking that you could see everything as it really was. But you turn around and everything you thought you knew was backwards.
Zero thinks he might fly apart any moment. His mind feels saturated, like a sponge soaked in water. Any more and he'll spill out in all directions, and how could he gather up the fragments of his consciousness then?
With something like terror, Zero decides to consider this insanity later. Right now, he needs to defeat the opponent in front of him.
Noguchi is harder than Abe. Words aren't like movements, she can say anything - he struggles, the paths are twisted.
Zero picks his way through by touch. "I would rather have died myself than see Ichiru's death," he vows. Honesty is a weapon with these people - so rarely offered that they believe it when they see it nakedly unashamed before their eyes.
Zero waits, judges the ripple of feedback, lets this strange sense guide him. Calmer now. Less emotion. Play the role to the hilt. "Thank you for telling me this, Noguchi-san. It's good that I can correct such misinformation before it spreads, though I think the members of our esteemed Court would know better than to repeat such offensive slander."
Noguchi shifts, realizing the control has passed out of her hands.
"You see, It was Kuran Rido who dealt the blow that caused my brother's death. So I killed Rido by putting a bullet through him." Zero smiles tightly. Let them think on that.
Utter, dead silence. Zero just casually admitted to killing one of their gods. Is there any other way to take that except an implied threat?
But at least Zero can be sure no one will repeat that accusation. An easy association to establish in their minds - the rumor offends Zero. Zero killed the last man who deeply offended him. It would be best not to repeat that rumor, for the sake of their well being.
"I think we're finished," Zero announces brightly, hiding the fatigue pulling him down. His brain might be overflowing his skull. "The autumn session of the Jeweled Court is now closed. Thanks for coming. I'll see you all in January."
The vampires flee. There's really no other word for it. Zero can feel glances being thrown his way, and furious whispers breaking out once they pass the door.
Shoshana exchanges a nod, before hurrying away to join Ouri. Zero would like to go thank Ilesanmi, but contacting her now is unwise. Instead, he makes eye contact, and forms the hand sign for 'objective complete, gratitude' instead.
She twitches an eyebrow, then breaks away to avoid detection. No one is watching them, Zero's instincts and strange perceptiveness insist. His vision tilts. Is his mind is breaking into pieces?
Zero doesn't move, ignoring his fellow omegas. All his energy is being sucked away. Whatever this hallucination is, Zero needs to stop doing it, otherwise he's going to end up collapsed on the floor. But how?
He presses a hand to the side of his neck, above the spot where his taming mark used to be. Maybe he simply needs to let go, like mushin? Could the solution be that easy?
It is, thank the Ancestress - holding on is far more difficult. His expanded state of mind pops like a balloon, whiting out his vision; Zero is left with a splitting headache and an exhaustion that penetrates down to his bones.
Zero slumps in his chair, and sighs. Looks like he's waiting here until Yuuki comes to get him. Again.
When he sleeps, Zero dreams of Ichiru.
It is not a memory. This Ichiru, standing teenaged and healthy, has his hair pulled back with Hio's bell. Rather, it might be called a desire.
Zero cooks his twin dinner in the first house they remember living in, the one that was so tiny their room only fit a single bed. Ichiru sits facing Zero at the dining table as they eat, and he smiles without bitterness. His brother's mouth moves, but Zero can't hear what Ichiru is saying; the sound is like speech through water. Even so, the ambiance of the dream is peaceful, with a delicate, dusty nostalgia.
When Zero closes his eyes, and the dream blurs, changing - as dreams do - he sighs.
"Honored Grandmother," Zero says, opening his eyes again. "You came."
The Ancestress smiles at him, warm and fond. "How could I not?"
They are kneeling on thick grass, under starlight. Zero looks neither left nor right. This place exists only for their conversation, and dreams go away when you stop looking at them, like billows of cloud before a breeze.
"You know what happened tonight?" Zero asks.
She nods, her braid swinging with the movement. "I was watching. Please tell me what you think happened, in your own words first."
Zero considers the earlier events as dispassionately and rationally as possible, as if he were making a report to a Lead Hunter. "I believe your power awoke in me. I saw - felt - impossible things. I don't know how to describe it, but I think I accidentally accessed a state of altered consciousness through mushin, in response to feelings of stress and threat, that was very similar to what I experienced when Takuma-sempai and I were attacked. It was your special ability, wasn't it?"
His Ancestor nods again, "You confirmed a long-held theory for me tonight. But what you experienced was not the full depth of my ability...perhaps you might call it a side-effect, a minor manifestation. I'm curious to what degree you're capable of accessing my gifts, now that you're healed."
Just a side-effect? There's more than that? Zero's apprehension twists in his gut.
She must catch the fear brewing in his face, because the Ancestor of the Hunters holds up her palm to halt him before his thoughts can spiral any further into panic. "Be at peace, my beloved child. You will master this. I'm certain of it. You already proved you have the tools. You identified the cause, you harnessed the flow, and you ended the episode without being overwhelmed. You can learn to do it again."
Not entirely free of doubt, Zero asks as he twists his body around to sit cross-legged, "You said you had a theory?"
The Ancestress has a scientist's gleam of enthusiasm as she responds. "Yes. About Hunters and their abilities. You see, I was created in the first generation of Ancestors, when the scientists were still experimenting with our abilities and gifts. As a child, I could perceive things beyond my physical senses - see without my eyes, hear without my ears, and so on. The scientists called it extrasensory perception."
"You're psychic? For real?"
His Ancestor's delighted laughter rings out. "Yes, for real. I was designed to specialize in information gathering, but later purebloods were optimized for pure combat ability. Kaname was the most gifted of the combat type. But I was unique - my gifts were never replicated, and since I had no biological children, they were never passed to the noble rank vampires."
She teases him, cocking her head as she says, "Did you know that Kaname wanted to sacrifice himself in my place?"
Zero's eyes go wide with shock. "No...he definitely didn't mention that!"
"He wouldn't. He doesn't like to admit failure or compassion," she says with a resigned sigh. "But it was for the best I succeeded. I was the only one who could have become the Ancestor of the Hunters."
"I don't understand," Zero says.
The Ancestress meets Zero's gaze. "Zero, have you ever considered why the Hunters can be successful, when they are weak pseudo-vampires who cannot process blood for energy, fighting fully powered vampires who sometimes possess special abilities?"
"Training and anti-vampire weapons," Zero replies with certainty.
"Those are vital factors," the Ancestor agrees. "But I mean on a more pragmatic, individual level. You are essentially humans with a few weak abilities fighting super-powered predators. Even a low-rank vampire is capable of moving so fast the human eye can only register them as a blurred object. That means the human brain cannot process enough pictures per millisecond to produce a clear image. How can a Hunter shoot something they cannot see?"
Zero eyes her, a suspicion starting to form.
As she speaks, the Ancestor gestures in her passion. "You have heard the stories before, haven't you? Of legendary Hunters who could do strange things. Impossible things. Tracking a vampire without a trail. Predicting perfectly how a nest of Es will attack. Detecting an ambush on nothing more than a gut feeling. Sometimes that's simply experience and luck. But you proved tonight that sometimes it isn't - sometimes my descendants could openly access, just for a moment, my extra sense. Hunter's intuition is not just a myth. All Hunters, on some level, are psychic. They can aim at a target their eyes can't track because my ability can see it."
Speechless, Zero drops his head, staring at his hands as he considers the possibility. It lines up frighteningly well with anecdotal evidence, and Zero's own experience. If a Hunter's intuition really is the power of the Ancestor manifesting….
"What do I do now?" Zero asks, still preoccupied by such a staggering reorientation.
"Practice," she says, gathering his hands. "You have a strong foundation in your Hunter training. It's designed to help you access your abilities, and this is only an extension of what you have already mastered. You can do this," his Ancestor tells him, squeezing his hands and smiling in reassurance.
Zero nods his head, mind already racing ahead to plan his training.
"Once you master this level, we might be able to experiment with more advanced levels," she continues, though Zero's mind is elsewhere.
The Ancestor of the Hunters pauses, as though she's listening to something far away. "I'm sorry Zero. I have to go. This is all I have the energy for."
"Do I just repeat what I did last time? Close my eyes and think about waking up?" Zero asks.
She smiles and claps, delighted that Zero remembered. "Exactly!"
"But Zero," the Ancestor says, face growing serious, "my beloved child, the cruel things they said last night at the Court - do not listen to them. Your worth lies in yourself, not what you are or what you can do. And I feel very honored that you continue to count yourself as one of mine."
Zero's heart squeezes the same way it did when she told him she was proud of him. "Thank you, Honored Grandmother. Until we meet again."
A body knocks into Kaname's side, jolting him awake. He tenses, relaxing when his senses tell him Yuuki and Kiryuu are the only beings nearby - then he scents the air, and tenses again, pulling the breath deeper over his palate.
Kaname grins against his pillow. He would know the smell of Yuuki's arousal anywhere.
And there's a faint tinge of something heady, something faintly sweet. Utterly addicting.
Omega.
His alpha uncoils in his chest, with Kaname in complete agreement. Search out the source of that delicious scent, the one that Kaname would seize like a beacon even in a room full of omegas, he's so sensitized to that unique perfume after months of exposure.
Kaname's first sight that evening is Yuuki pinning their half-naked Consort to the bed, furiously kissing him senseless. Kaname can feel the heat building between them from all the way over here, and it inflames his jealousy.
Naughty alpha-mate! scolds the alpha. She started without us!
Kaname chuckles, winding an arm around Yuuki's waist and pulling her back.
"Give our poor Consort a chance to breathe," he reminds her. "He'll need it when we play with him together."
Yuuki barely listens, attention entirely stolen by Kiryuu's breathless gasps. "Not my fault! Zero woke me up with a kiss. A really good kiss. I don't mind getting out of bed if it's for Zero's kisses," she protests.
"Oh?" Kaname says, narrowing his eyes at the silver-haired man lying against their pillows wearing just a pair of black sleep pants making a lovely contrast against his white skin.
Kiryuu looks innocently back up at Kaname with those lilac eyes, unknowingly seductive.
A suspicion takes root in Kaname's mind. Kiryuu never initiates. When they collected him from the Court last night, the Hunter was exhausted, and went straight to bed after some pampering and coddling. Did something happen at the Court?
"And what are you up to, my sweet boy?" Kaname asks, teasing with an edge of seriousness.
Kiryuu glares mutinously.
That glare is quickly broken when Yuuki pulls her nightgown over her head, leaving her in slightly boyish cotton underwear.
It's always so gratifying, the way Kiryuu looks at their wife. Part of it's never intimately knowing a woman's body before, but the rest is just because Yuuki is Yuuki, and Kiryuu loves her more than anything.
"A little innocent lamb should know better than to tease the wolves," Kaname muses. "Why is the little lamb being so bold, hmmm?" He tickles a finger down their Consort's ribs and thin sides.
There's the angry kitten face Kaname was hoping for. "No reason. Now, are you going to make out with me, or should I go back to sleep?"
Kaname's alpha growls. Cheeky omega! We'll show him!
If Kiryuu wants to play, Kaname will show their omega how it's done. The pureblood spots a prime target - a lovely open spot on Kiryuu's neck that's begging for an alpha's mark. Kaname leans down to oblige, pressing his lips in a kiss against soft, thin skin, then ruthlessly licking and sucking until a lovely dark bruise forms.
Kiryuu's swift vampire healing has only one drawback - it erases his alpha's marks soon after Kaname and Yuuki litter his body with them. Difficult to show off one's claim like this, but Kaname is nothing if not dedicated.
"You can squeeze, if you want," Yuuki says, sounding deeply aroused and fascinated at once.
Kaname's head snaps up, feeling the blood go rushing to his cock.
Yuuki is guiding their Consort to cup her breast in his inexperienced, tentative hand, urging his fingers closed around her flesh, a perfect handful topped by a rose-colored nipple.
Kiryuu is flushed, embarrassment and arousal mixing in a potent cocktail as he absorbs the weight and heft, the feeling of touching warm, satiny skin.
Obedient, still watching Yuuki for permission, Kiryuu squeezes lightly - Yuuki moans, eyes fixed on their omega's unsure, blushing face.
Kiryuu startles, and Yuuki pushes him down by the shoulder, eagerness overwhelming her as she strokes and kisses every part she can reach.
Kaname's own arousal heats, and he blankets their Consort's body on the other side, a solid weight bearing down on him, hip to hip with Yuuki and fighting for territory.
Kiryuu can only lie there and make quiet noises, eyes wide and shocked, betraying his purity with every motion.
Kaname hadn't expected to find Kiryuu's virginity so arousing. But it's all he can think of. Every time he touches the boy's body, Kaname searches greedily for the the tiniest sign. Fantasies of despoiling him haunt his thoughts. The Hunter belongs to them, utterly, completely, down to the last part of him.
"You can - you can touch my chest," their sweet virgin gasps, and Kaname's mind blanks, going hot and frenzied.
Zero's always so quiet. Yuuki's learned to read the rhythm of his breaths instead, and way it hitches when she plays with his nipple tells her she's doing very, very well.
Every time Yuuki tweaks Zero's little pink bud, he shudders beautifully, his whole frame going taut and his mouth gaping open the slightest bit. His chest is softer now that his breasts are meant for nursing - slightly swollen, a subtle swell of pillowy white. Yuuki loves the way it feels under her hands, yielding and warm, with those wide pink nipples as a special treat.
Yuuki is 100% sure she's harder than she's ever been in her life. It's painful, how much she wants it. Everything is skin sliding past skin; they're all down to their underwear, the Kurans teaming up to torment poor Zero's tender, sensitive chest.
And best of all, Zero feels that same desperation - Yuuki can see the shape of him through his shorts.
And there's a lush smell in the air, tickling the inside of Yuuki's nose that makes her alpha go crazy, throwing itself against her control. She doesn't recognize the scent until Zero squeezes his thighs together as Kaname licks the areola he's claimed, breathing raggedly.
"Zero?" Yuuki groans, her voice going husky. "Are you wet?"
Zero jerks, startled, as though he didn't realize it.
Of course not, Yuuki's rational brain supplies. Zero's never been in bed with anyone but them.
Yuuki's not listening to her brain - she's got her head bent down, worshiping Zero's chest and the nipples that are going to nurse their babies, overwhelmed by lust and instinct. Mate needed to be wet so they could mount him, after all!
And Zero is glassy-eyed, shaking, barely able to breathe as Yuuki and Kaname attack him in turns, kissed and caressed and licked their mate into incoherence.
Things are reaching the point where Yuuki and Kaname need to pull back, let Zero calm down, and leave to take care of their own arousal, when their Consort chokes out, "Don't go! I want - want...something else."
"What else, little Hunter?" Kaname asks, nibbling Zero's neck.
Zero throws his head back, eyes rolling as he struggles past the sensual haze. "I don't..I don't know. More."
Yuuki swallows as her belly clenches and her cock throbs. "What's okay, Zero? Should we touch you more?"
"No!" he rejects, unease burning through the heat, until Kaname shushes him and soothes him with a deep kiss.
Yuuki considers this; thinking around a hard-on is slow going. "Do you want to touch us?"
"Maybe," Zero groans, twisting in their bed.
"Take off our clothes?" she tries.
"No," he says again with trepidation.
"Then what does our Consort want?" Kaname croons.
"I don't know," Zero says, sounding frustrated. "You're my alphas. I want...I want to satisfy you."
Yuuki feels her cock jump when Zero calls them his alphas. Panting, she leans over Zero's body, resting her head against his shoulder, itchy with pent up lust.
Kaname finds the answer. "You want to make us orgasm, without taking off our clothes or touching you any more than we are now?"
"Mmmm," Zero says, squeezing his thighs together.
Kaname lowers his head to Zero's ear. "Would you like it if I worked myself against your thigh until I came, Zero?"
Yuuki nearly blacks out with the force of her arousal.
Zero quivers. "Okay." His voice sounds very small.
It makes Yuuki's heart crumple with tenderness, counterpart to the raging heat below her navel.
"Tell me if you get uncomfortable and I'll stop," she whispers with the last of her restraint.
Then Yuuki's doing it - sliding herself in her underwear along the outside of Zero's clothed thigh. A dream, she thinks dizzily. This must be a dream. Her panties are wet enough with her fluids that she can grind against Zero's silken white thigh with almost no effort. It's so good.
"You're my alphas," Zero says fiercely, out of nowhere.
He curls a hand around the back of Yuuki's neck, and the other around Kaname's shoulders, his body shaking as they grind against his thighs. He's clearer-headed now that they're not assaulting his weak points. "You wouldn't - I won't let you into anyone else's bed."
"No," Yuuki gasps, "I promised. Only want you two. Zero! Just you." Her rhythm picks up - she's trying to draw it out, but she can't help herself. She buries her nose in Zero's throat, licks his skin until he's all she can smell and taste.
"Zero, Zero," - Yuuki's almost sobbing, the quick hard thrusts warning her she won't last long.
"Why would I want another when I have my virgins?" Kaname growls. "My sweet boy and my dear girl…" From the brokenness of her husband's voice, it won't be long for him either.
Zero's watching her face now, fascinated and not unaffected himself.
That does it - Yuuki looks Zero in the eyes and comes, flooding her panties with the evidence of her desire for him.
Dimly, she feels Kaname's body lock up beside her in a mirroring orgasm, but she's riding out the aftershocks. Her cock blurts another string of come at the memory of Zero's face, and the realization that she just came against his thigh. He might even be able to feel her semen seeping through the fabric.
"It was good?" Zero asks nervously, stroking Yuuki's back tenderly where she's collapsed against his side in a sex-fueled stupor.
She feels her cheeks flush immediately, bashful now that she's not so desperate.
"Better than anything," she tells him honestly. "You're okay? We didn't go to fast?"
Zero matches her incandescent blush. "No, I'm fine. I like - like seeing you enjoy yourself."
"Do you want anything from us?" Kaname asks, his head propped up on his fist like a lazy tiger.
Zero shakes his head. "No, it's enough for me to know you're satisfied."
"For now," Kaname rumbles, giving the two of them a heavy-lidded look.
Then his cellphone rings.
Kaname curses under his breath, leaning over the side of the bed to scoop up his phone. He looks at the display, and his face darkens, before he accepts the call and puts the phone to his ear.
Zero and Yuuki make themselves comfortable, cuddling together affectionately as their bodies cool.
They don't stay relaxed for long, as Kaname's face grows grim and stormy.
"I see," he says, "I'll coordinate. Do what you can; I'll speak to you soon."
"What is it, Kaname?" asks Yuuki, concerned by the display as Kaname puts down his phone.
"That was Seiren. Aido has gone missing."
*cackles*
I hope the 'Kaname and Yuuki find out Zero is a virgin' scene was as epic as it deserved. I'd been foreshadowing and hinting at it for a while now.
A proving ground is a military installation where military tactics, weapons, or other military technologies are tested.
See you all next time!