The Week of Four Thursdays Chapter 27: What the Water Gave Us, a vampire knight fanfic

Hello everyone! I'm sorry for the delay, but I really struggled writing this chapter. In many ways, this chapter ties together pieces of the story going all the way back to chapter one, and I wanted to do it justice. Which required two separate rewrites of large portions of the chapter, and ended up being nearly 17,000 words long. Please enjoy the final result!

A kotatsu is a low, wooden table frame covered by a futon, or heavy blanket, with a table top above and a heat source underneath.

XXVII. What the Water Gave Us

Leaning his forearms against the balcony rail, Zero shivers as he looks down into the valley where the first winter snows have already covered the ground in a blanket of white. Their room at the onsen has a mountaintop view that takes his breath away, but the wind's chill makes him glad for his new scarf. A vampire-run inn catering to wealthy nobles, with with luxury no less impressive than Rosehill - Zero doesn't want to consider how much it costs for just one night in such a beautiful place.

Shivering again, Zero ducks back inside, shutting the balcony door with a snap to spare Yuuki and Kuran the icy breeze. "Not that I want to be ungrateful, but didn't we just go on vacation?" the Hunter asks, diving underneath the kotatsu for warmth. Nightshade pads over and sprawls next to him, easily confused for a fur rug decorating the inn's wood floors.

Flopped on her belly under the kotatsu's skirt, Yuuki raises her head from her arms. "Aido's rescue doesn't count. I didn't sleep more than six hours in three days! And southern Europe was a work holiday. I spent most of my time practicing politics or playing hostess."

Ever conscious of his image, Kuran is the only one sitting properly on a cushion with his feet folded underneath him. He's also the only one who hasn't changed into the clean yukata they're supposed to wear while they're here, still in his business suit. "We visited Nikko," the pureblood reminds Yuuki, leisurely preparing a fresh pot of tea from the kettle of boiling water the onsen staff provided.

"Daytrips don't count," she argues, collapsing back on the floor.

Kuran just hums in amusement, the line of his spine relaxed.

This feels nice, Zero thinks sleepily as he curls into Nightshade's side for warmth. "Thank you both. For everything."

"You're welcome Zero," Yuuki says. Rolling over, she leans on her elbow and rests her chin in one hand. "We want you to enjoy yourself. It's your birthday, officially, now that it's past midnight."

Zero meant more than just his gratitude for this trip. They're being so nice to him, even after his mistake. It makes Zero feel guilty all over again. "How long can we stay?" the Hunter asks, scratching the black wolf under the chin.

Kuran begins pouring the tea. "Not counting the half-night today, two full nights."

Zero's chest warms, and he smiles a little. What an unexpected luxury. Their time is the most expensive gift Kuran and Yuuki could give Zero. The two of them are always so busy, carrying out the duty of the Kuran family to guide and stabilize the vampire world. Spending two and a half days with Yuuki when she doesn't have to leave for meetings and work will be heavenly.

The Hunter scoffs at his own thoughts - he sounds like some kind of housewife, not an active Hunter with his own jobs - and busies himself with reducing Nightshade to a drooling puddle of bliss.

"Would you two like to bathe before dinner, or after?" Kuran asks.

Every muscle in Zero's body snaps tight. His heart whirrs, earlier ease crushed beneath the panic coursing through his veins. "After," Zero says, a little too sharply.

An onsen expects their guests to bathe together, completely naked. Kuran and Yuuki would see Zero naked, without any clothes hiding what's between his legs. The prospect is both intimidating and terrifying, and Zero wants to get up and flee as far away as possible.

Kuran and Yuuki are both watching him. "If you're uncomfortable, Zero," Yuuki tells him, "you don't have to do things the traditional way. We can compromise."

Nightshade grumbles because Zero's stopped petting his ears, and the Hunter distracts himself by rubbing even more vigorously.

Zero needs to face this. This is one of his duties. Didn't he promise himself he would push further after the last Court? Zero's time in season is coming up, and he needs to overcome this requirement if he wants to trigger his heat. And the Hunter owes Kuran and Yuuki for their tolerance and forgiveness. Zero doesn't need to cause more trouble.

"No, I'm fine," he says past the knot in his stomach.

The onsen staff serve their dinner in the traditional style, an array of artfully presented small dishes with portions for each diner brought to their room on trays and then presented theatrically.

Zero doesn't taste a single thing, preoccupied and terrified by the idea of having to strip naked in front of his spouses - maybe even with strangers. His breathing is just a little too fast. So is his heartbeat. Zero drinks glass after glass of water, but his mouth still feels dry every time he answers his spouses' queries, trying his best to conceal his discomfort.

It all goes too fast - dinner, desert, gathering their bathing supplies, the walk down to the indoor bath. One small mercy: the three of them won't be disturbed. Kuran called the front desk and reserved the bath ahead of time. Zero feels a little foolish for believing even for a second that those possessive purebloods would allow any other eyes to glimpse his nakedness. At least no one else will see...

The changing room has shelves lined with wicker baskets; you're meant to take your clothes off and store them here before you go into the bath. Face to face with his fear, Zero's jaw hurts from how tightly he's clenching it. Right now, somewhere off to the side, Yuuki and Kuran are stripping out of their yukata, the same way Zero is supposed to be removing his right now.

Staring straight ahead, the Hunter swallows, his hands frozen on the belt of his own yukata, holding so tightly he fears he'll tear the material. Zero reminds himself that this is necessary. This is his duty. His hesitation is stupid. He just needs to let go of the belt, and force his fingers to undo the knot. Then the robe will fall, and they'll see his - his wrongness. The parts that aren't him.

Zero's throat closes up.

He can't breathe. He can't breathe. His head is swimming and his chest is tight. He feels the heavy dread of the condemned, crawling in his stomach and thick in his lungs. Zero tries to suck in a breath. He can't. He can't do this. But he has to do this.

A hand, large and warm, seizes Zero's wrist.

The Hunter startles badly, jerking back a step and staring at the immovable grasp around his arm, his mind still blinded and lost in fear. But Zero can breathe now. The touch shocked him out of his paralysis. Slowly, Zero turns his head, following the pale hand to the arm, up the sleeve to the shoulder, then the throat.

It's Kuran, fully clothed. The claret eyes are carefully free of emotion as the pureblood studies Zero. There is no pity on his face. Zero couldn't have stood it if there was.

Zero turns his head just a bit more. Yuuki is right beside Kuran. She's wearing all her clothes too. She takes Zero's other wrist. He didn't realize his skin was so cold.

They lead Zero out to the bath lounge, cozily lit and full of couches and chairs. Kuran pushes Zero down into the closest chair, then stays to guard against escape.

Yuuki brings Zero a glass of cold barley tea, left for overheated bathers relaxing after their dip in the hot spring. Zero drains the glass in a single pull. It's foul. Zero really hates barley tea. Kuran takes the glass, leaving Zero's hands empty of distractions, and places it on the side table. The Kurans stand shoulder to shoulder, wearing the same implacable expression, and watch Zero.

Zero closes his eyes; this is the part where they order him to explain what just happened.

"You will stay here with Nightshade while Yuuki and I bathe. Then we will remain here, outside the door, as you go and bathe. You will not move from this spot until we return. Do you understand?"

Zero opens his eyes, disordered gaze falling on one, then the other pureblood as he struggles to understand. Finally, the Hunter nods.

Kuran summons his familiar, and the Kurans go back into the changing room, leaving Nightshade behind. The black wolf is stubbornly cuddly, and insists on laying his head in Zero's lap to have his ears rubbed. Just how much of Kuran is in Nightshade, Zero wonders for the thousandth time as he scratches the familiar on his belly. But the warmth and familiar comfort do their job, just as Kuran probably intended. Zero's shoulders relax, and the coiled tension in his body drains away drop by drop.

In the bath afterwards, Zero is no better than a limp noodle. If the water was any deeper than his waist, he probably would have drowned. Hiding from the purebloods standing guard outside, Zero soaks in the bath until his fingers prune, and the warmth feels like it's boiling his reddened, overheated skin.

A knock on the outer door. Yuuki's voice. "Zero, you've been in there a long time. Are you okay?"

Zero shifts in the bath, sinking down to his chin. "I'm fine," he says, "I'll be out soon."

"Okay, I'll be waiting outside then."

What is Zero doing? He's a Hunter, damnit! Hiding in here like a coward, isn't he ashamed of himself? Zero swamps the tile floor with water as he surges out of the pool, and stamps back into the changing room. He dries himself roughly, and layers himself back into his clothes, then continues riding his surge of determination out the door.

In the lounge, Yuuki and Kuran are discussing something beneath the range of Zero's vampire hearing, but turn to watch Zero when he pulls aside the cloth flap.

When Zero sees Yuuki, he falters. Away from the steam of the bath, the cold outer air is like reality hitting him in the face, and his bravery drains away.

Yuuki pats the open couch seat beside her. Reluctantly, Zero drags himself closer and settles down. But Zero doesn't look away from their faces, or try to hide. He doesn't want to talk about this, but he's not going to run away. That's his pride as a Hunter.

"Are you well?" inquires Kuran, the way he would ask a guest at a dinner party.

Zero crosses his arms. "Yes. Get on with it, you relic."

Kuran looks amused, like he knows Zero's bravado is the frailest of reeds, and insulting the pureblood is the only way the Hunter can keep up the facade.

Yuuki touches Zero's wrist, seeking his hand. The Hunter allows his wife to untangle his crossed arms, and entwine their palms in her warm grip. Yuuki squeezes, and gives Zero an encouraging smile. Zero can see the concern in her eyes, and his posture softens. He feels very tired.

Kuran takes the inquisitor's role. The relaxed line of his shoulders is meant to conceal the sharpness of his focus, but the disguised scrutiny makes Zero's skin prickle. "Why did you lie about being comfortable bathing together? The idea clearly troubles you. You almost suffered another panic attack. Why force yourself to endure such distress, when we have repeatedly told you we have no desire to force your boundaries?"

"It's necessary," argues Zero. "My time in season is coming up in December, and we still haven't physically consummated our marriage. We can't afford to wait any longer. We have a duty. I appreciate your concern, but we can't stop moving forward just because I can't get my emotions under control."

Kuran shakes his head. "I don't even know where to begin. If you had your way, it sounds like you would rather we treated you like a spoil of war, a captive bride. And your lack of concern for yourself is especially troubling. If you are bent on doing this, Zero, you require our cooperation. You want us to behave like monsters without humanity. And we refuse."

Zero begins to protest, but Kuran merely raises his voice. "Nevertheless, you do have a point. We are willing to deepen our intimacy, Zero, if that is your desire. But we will do it on our terms."

Zero is considering this when Yuuki strokes the back of his hand, and he turns to face her instead. "We thought it would be less scary for you if we tried going a little bit at a time. So you could learn that there's nothing to worry about - because we'll take care of you, and we won't let you be hurt."

Yuuki tucks a lock of hair off his forehead, and Zero leans into the touch. "We'll try it your way," he allows. At least some progress is better than none, and the Kurans have dug their heels in every time Zero's tried to push.

"Which is more comfortable, being touched or touching one of us?" Kuran asks objectively, his hands folded in his lap.

That's easy. "Touching Yuuki," Zero replies immediately. Was that his imagination, or did a muscle in Kuran's face jump?

"Then we'll work toward that goal first," Kuran says. "But for tonight, we will return to our room and sleep."

"Don't forget you owe Zero his present," Yuuki interjects.

"We'll go back, ready ourselves for bed, and then I'll tell Zero what his horse's name is," Kuran dutifully corrects himself.

If Kaname hadn't spent his entire life trying to be as authoritative, collected, and unreadable as possible, he might admit to feeling a little exposed right now. Was his choice too personal? Inappropriate, considering the circumstances? If he were the Kaname of a year ago, merely having to ask that question would be answer enough. Nothing was worth leaving himself exposed and unguarded, even if that meant keeping Yuuki away. But everything has changed so much since Kiryuu came.

Kaname shakes his head. How foolish, to be so concerned over a name for a silly animal!

The pureblood lingers by the wardrobe, watching Yuuki and Kiryuu turn down the futon. While the three of them were in the spring, the staff discreetly cleared away the dishes and set out their bedding. In a traditional inn like this, guests sleep on the floor in the same room they ate dinner. Not an unfamiliar experience for the Ancestor of the Kuran. Mind you, when he slept on the floor, it usually didn't involve bedding, and certainly not anywhere this warm or comfortable.

Clearing her throat, Yuuki burrows further under the duvet and shoots Kaname a significant look. He sighs fondly, and goes to the opposite side, whisking the duvet over his legs so he doesn't let the pocket of warm air out. Even with three adults, the onsen easily accommodated their need for an oversized sleeping area and futon; the Kurans were not the first guests who brought their omega on holiday.

Propping her head on her fist, Yuuki doesn't even wait for Kaname to settle before she eagerly says, "Come on, Kaname! Tell us!"

"I'd think it was your birthday if I didn't know better," he scolds lightly. "Patience is a virtue."

Yuuki sticks out her tongue, but subsides.

Beside him, Kiryuu is not without curiosity of his own, watching Kaname with those intelligent lilac eyes.

Kaname likes it when that gaze doesn't waver. "I've thought over the matter like you requested, Zero."

"And what have you decided?" the Hunter asks.

"I would like to name your bay mare Saya," Kaname tells him.

Kiryuu thinks this over. "I'm not opposed," he says. "I'll accept your choice. Thank you, Kaname."

Kiryuu doesn't seem inclined to inquire any further. Smiling just the slightest bit, Kaname relaxes into the mattress, flipping off the light switch with his power and preparing for sleep.

Just when Kaname thinks he's gotten away with it, Yuuki pipes up from the other side of the futon. "How did you decide on Saya? It's a nice name, but I was kind of expecting something more...unpronounceable? Longer, at least."

Feeling the impulse to lie, Kaname reminds himself that he wants to keep his promise to Yuuki. He knew his choice might require explanation, and he owes his wife this story sooner or later. "I named Zero's horse after someone I once knew. I was fond of her - I suppose we were friends. I don't know what became of her. I could only confirm that she died while I slept beneath Kuran Manor."

"A vampire?" Kiryuu prompts.

"Yes. She was a pureblood, and one of my followers."

"So like Ruka-sempai," Yuuki comments.

Kaname winces. "No, not quite like my relationship with Ruka...You see, she and I were lovers."

"Lovers?" Yuuki repeats, a hurt edge in her tone. "You loved her?"

"No!" Kaname hastily corrects. "No. Lovers only in the physical sense. Both of us had other partners. Ours was a business relationship that included sexual benefits. Such things are common in the vampire world. It's easy to tell you're both Hunter raised - vampires never assume a link between sex and love." That was the reason Kaname had been reluctant to explain in the first place. To Kaname, his actions spoke only of fondness, but Kiryuu and Yuuki might see it differently.

"We were never anything more than friends. It was physical pleasure, a diversion for bored immortals, just another entertainment. Saya and I shared a sense of loneliness, and casual sex was a failed attempt at a deeper connection we already knew we lacked."

"So you named my horse after your ex-lover?" Kiryuu says in a dry tone, with an amused lift of his brows.

Kaname doesn't rise to the bait. "Saya was more important than just being one of my lovers, Zero. Besides a valuable ally and a good companion, Saya was the Ancestress of the Kuran, and Yuuki's direct foremother."

Kiryuu eyes Kaname with something like disbelief. "You named my horse after your ex-wife?"

Kaname covers his face with his palm. "No. Yuuki is my first and only wife. Saya and I never married, or had an official connection of any kind, besides king and advisor."

"Really?" Yuuki says, and it hurts Kaname to hear the tremble of doubt in her voice.

"I neither loved nor married her," he affirms. "We worked well together, in bed or out of it, but there were no feelings except fondness."

Accepting the reassurance Kaname is offering, Yuuki's curiosity overwhelms her. "What was she like?" she asks in an eager tone.

Staring at the ceiling, Kaname thinks for a moment. "Very loyal to the causes she chose. Reliable, competent - she was a trusted lieutenant while I was building my support, then she was one of my royal advisors. Saya was not a scholar, but undoubtedly one of the sharpest people I've known. Quite reserved, but an excellent conversationalist. Unusually sensible for a pureblood, not one for spasms of passion. Out of duty and need, we had two children - just enough to continue the line. My despair and disinterest were growing, and it was becoming clear that I would eventually be unfit to rule. For the sake of stability, I needed an heir. If the purebloods fought over my throne, it would likely have triggered another Blood War as the conflict spilled into the human world. Saya was not a motherly sort of person, but she raised them well. I always hoped that she would find happiness elsewhere."

"Was she like you? Ahh, did she look like you, I mean," Yuuki asks.

Kaname can see the image in his memory. "Saya had brown hair, a lighter color than mine - quite like yours, actually - quite wavy, and extremely long. Pale and lovely, as all purebloods are. Though she was considered short for a pureblood. But Saya had the most striking eyes, a kind of icy, electric blue. I always admired them. Now and then one of my descendants will inherit her blue eyes."

Like Kuran Rido goes unsaid between the three of them.

Then Yuuki squirms in excitement, yanking the blankets to the side. "Ooh, Zero has blue eyes too! Maybe we'll have blue-eyed children!"

Kaname examines Kiryuu's obviously lilac eyes, then raises a dubious eyebrow in Yuuki's direction.

"Quit looking so skeptical," Kiryuu complains, yanking on Kaname's sleeve. "Yuuki isn't wrong. Underneath the Kiryuu paleness, my eyes are blue, just like my hair is dark. Our condition causes any color to be diluted, so dark hair gets turned into silver and my eyes look purple, because of the way light passes through them. My grandmother's eyes looked red."

"Fascinating," Kaname comments, entirely sincere. He was no scientist like the Ancestor of the Hunters, but given his origins, he has more than a passing interest.

Turning to Kiryuu, Kaname asks, "Is the name still acceptable to you? I meant it as a memorial to my companion. I owe her a debt for helping bring Yuuki into being, and restoring my sense of purpose."

"If you don't mind my chunky, lazy horse borrowing it, then I'd like to use your friend's name," Kiryuu replies. His Consort's eyes have a softness to them, and he's tipped his head to watch Kaname where it rests on his pillow.

"Then Saya she will be," Kaname announces. "Happy Birthday, Zero."

It was one of those perfect mornings where Zero woke up slowly, after the perfect amount of sleep, and without any particular hurry, knowing he had nothing urgent to do, his whole body loose and easy, comfortable and free of pain with his heart at ease.

All three of them had slept in, and Zero is the only one awake yet. He lies for a while and luxuriates in the feeling, soaking in the relaxation and pleasure. Even the shame of last night's failure has been thrown off. Presently, as Zero stares up at the ceiling, it seems that he should get up. Zero knows if he leaves the futon, he will disturb the slumbering, paranoid purebloods on either side. Well, if they've got to wake up, he'd better do the job himself, Zero decides. Feeling mischievous, he picks the most fun method.

"Yuuki," he whispers, rolling so his head faces her pillow.

She makes an 'umphhh' sound and buries her head deeper in the stuffing.

Well, Zero will just have to make Yuuki want to wake up! He rolls the other way, not surprised to find Kuran's russet eyes open, watching him. The pureblood is a notoriously light sleeper.

"Come on," Zero whispers playfully, "I bet we can wake her up." Kuran deserves a reward for the trust he showed Zero and Yuuki last night, freely confessing another piece of his past.

So Zero wriggles sideways, off the center of the mattress onto Kuran's side. The pureblood allows Zero to do as he pleases, probably out of curiosity at first. Zero kindles even more curiosity when he slides on top of Kuran's body, and scoots up to straddle the pureblood's belly, the duvet pooling around his hips.

Zero's usually the one underneath Kuran; turning the tables like this is a rush. Having the pureblood on his back, looking up at Zero with his dark hair tousled on the pillow - an illusion of vulnerability, but an enjoyable one to a Hunter of vampire kind.

Experimentally, Zero squeezes his thighs. Kuran's body is firm underneath him, and barely gives at all. Now the pureblood looks too bloody smug, so Zero goes on the attack, and bends down to lazily kiss him. Kuran tries to press forward, but Zero backs off until Kuan yields to his pace, and their touches remain slow and shallow, nearly chaste.

Zero can feel Yuuki watching them, and he pulls at his husband's yukata, widening the robe's opening until he can brace himself against Kuran's bare chest. Showing off for Yuuki, he rubs his palms in shallow circle motions until Yuuki breaks and gives a plaintive cry.

She's awake, but still too relaxed to get up, lying on her back and giving Zero her best sad puppy eyes.

He huffs, trying not to laugh, and half-crawls, half-slithers over. With Yuuki's pureblood strength, she doesn't even budge when Zero climbs atop her, just greedily strains up to receive her share of kisses.

"What are we doing tonight?" he asks Kuran in between breaths.

"Breakfast, served here. If you want to hike or train, we can do that in the early evening. Lunch, then perhaps a bath, reading or lounging until dinner. I'm strictly forbidden from working today," Kuran says, voice rich and amused.

Reminded he has an entire day without interruptions, Zero is determined to spend as much time as possible with Yuuki. Much to her disappointment, the Hunter gives her one last kiss, then stands up to get dressed. Zero is allowed to wear human clothes the whole time they're on vacation, and he plans to make the most of it.

During their hike, Kuran complains that he could travel the distance in a fraction of the time using his bat familiars, but Zero and Yuuki insist on the experience of traveling like normal humans, slowly and on foot. The snowy mountain scenery more than makes up for the inconvenience, even with the cold.

Both of the Kurans keep a close eye on Zero when he's allowed one hour of conditioning training after breakfast, and one half-hour run before dinner, fully disclosed and monitored as per the new rules.

Zero spends the rest of the afternoon reading a romantic novel Takuma sent along for him - not even his usual nonfiction - and losing to Kuran at card games. When she gets bored, Yuuki begs a tablet from the onsen staff and watches a few episodes of a new drama she's found, which Kuran dutifully sits through until dinnertime.

After an inactive day - by Zero's extreme standards - the heat of the baths feels more indulgent than the fine meal beforehand. They try the outdoor hot spring this time, a picturesque spot ringed by trees; the bath itself is a large stone basin carved from the bedrock. Without discussion, the three of them repeat the arrangement from last night. While the Kurans bathe first, Zero is happy to walk around the garden and let Nightshade sniff and explore until it's his turn.

When Zero finally sinks into the clear, hot water, it's like the last built-up tension flows out of his limbs. Reduced to a state of utter relaxation, Zero floats until their time is up. If he were any more boneless, Yuuki would have to fish him out with a net and roll him back to bed.

Today was as perfect a day as Zero can remember in - well, Ancestress knows how long. After pushing his body so hard, Zero is finally well-rested and feels good. Despite his emotional upheaval last night, those feelings were wiped away by today's perfect mix of beloved companionship and peaceful solitude.

So perhaps Zero, unused to such bliss, isn't quite himself when he lifts his fangs from Yuuki's neck, licks his mouth clean of her heavenly scarlet life, and tells her, "Drink from me next."

Yuuki blinks, astonished at the request. "Are you sure?" If they weren't kneeling on the futon, Zero thinks she might have keeled over in amazement.

Behind them, Kaname's footsteps cut off as he comes to a standstill, before swiftly crossing the room to Zero's side.

Zero can understand their shock. After all, the last people to feed from him were the monarchists who tried to kill him. But he can't summon up the energy to be afraid. The powerful lassitude saturing his veins is blocking his fear. He trusts Yuuki, and his attackers didn't touch his neck. If Yuuki feeds him, it's not fair that Zero doesn't reciprocate. And Zero is fully recovered from his injuries, so there's nothing holding Yuuki back. Zero reminds her of those things now.

Yuuki doesn't look quite convinced. Zero turns to Kuran, certain he'll find an easier audience. Instead, Kuran looks just as skeptical.

"Please," Zero pleads, using his last weapon, "there will never be a better time than this to try."

How can Yuuki deny Zero something he sincerely asks for, when she desires it with every fibre of her being?

His beloved Yuuki treats him so carefully, prepares his bite area so thoroughly, that Zero hardly feels a thing when her fangs pierce his flesh. His relaxation trembles a little when she begins to feed, but Zero can see her auburn hair out of the corner of his eye, a tangible sign that he's safe.

He never realized before how intimate this could be, Zero thinks as Yuuki bends over him, his head fuzzy from the buzz of pure blood in his belly. It's satisfying, knowing he can keep Yuuki alive with his own thin blood, the same way she succored his teenage self. Yuuki takes only a few mouthfuls, barely enough for a taste, sealing the punctures shut with a gentleness born from care. When Yuuki checks his condition, Zero kisses her to affirm he's completely well.

Zero keeps waiting for Kuran to barge in and take his turn, but the pureblood doesn't disturb the two of them. Finally, Zero turns his head to see Kuran out on the balcony, his back facing the scene of Yuuki feeding from Zero. Kuran must have been upset by the sight, Zero concludes.

"He's being polite," Yuuki says, catching Zero's gaze. "You didn't invite Kaname to feed, just me, so he's giving us privacy. He thinks he's not welcome."

Oh. "Go get him, please," Zero requests.

Flashing Zero an enormous smile, Yuuki bounces over to the balcony door, hooks her fingers in Kuran's sleeve, and skips back to the futon, dragging their husband behind her. "Got him!" she announces, shoving Kuran forward.

"You kept me waiting," scolds Zero, and tips his throat back in offering.

Kuran stiffens, kneeling next to Zero in an instant. Much to Zero's surprise, Kuran is almost as thorough as Yuuki when he applies the anaesthetic, a startling reversal of the pureblood's near-violent, painful early feedings. A curious detail, but Zero puts it out of mind and focuses on remaining pliant and easy as Kuran takes from the vein. Just like Yuuki, Kuran only sips at Zero's blood.

"We can work up to larger amounts," the pureblood explains once Zero's neck is healed. "No need to risk your health."

Even having Kuran feed from him hadn't provoked a negative reaction; Zero is nearly giddy with success. Though that might just be the pure blood, bubbling in his belly like an electric charge to an empty battery. Feeding always makes vampires a bit drugged.

"I'm too awake to sleep yet," Zero says. "Let's watch the sunrise on the balcony."

Yuuki coaxes hot chocolate from the kitchens, scandalizing the entire staff when a pureblood waltzes down to collect her own refreshments. Zero and Yuuki have a good laugh about it as dawn's pink light peeks over the mountains. Their cocoa is the real thing too, not instant mix, good and rich and made with so many marshmallows they spill over the rim. The chocolate joins the sweet blood warming Zero's belly, and radiates heat beneath his limbs, making his skin feel flushed.

Laughing and talking between themselves, Yuuki and Zero watch the sunrise arm-in-arm, with Kuran commenting here and there from only a handspan away. Watching them, the comfortable atmosphere and the ruddy cast warming their faces, Zeror feels...lucky. Even with so much pain and misfortune, this moment still exists, and it feels good. Zero's heart is struck once more by Yuuki's beauty, the dawn's red flush brightening her auburn hair to red. Even Kuran - well, Zero can admit that he's objectively attractive - the sunlight picks out the scarlet in his eyes, and deepens the hollow of his throat.

Maybe Zero's pushing too fast, but it just slips out as Yuuki lays her head on Zero's shoulder. "Can I see you, in the light?"

Yuuki gives him a puzzled look.

Zero's cheeks warm. "All of you, I mean. I bet you'd be beautiful. Even more than usual."

Drifting up behind them, Kuran touches Yuuki's shoulder. "Zero wants you to take your clothes off for him, my dear."

Yuuki blushes too. "Will you be okay? You didn't take the idea of naked me very well last night."

"It was mostly that I didn't want you to see me naked," Zero explains. "If it's just you - I mean, if you're fine with that - then I think it'll be okay."

Yuuki fixes Zero with a gaze that's more suited to her serious, pureblood princess self, as though she's examining him down to his bones.

Zero shivers, feeling exposed, but doesn't recant.

Then his wife smiles, and her eyes dance. "Let's go inside, Kaname. We'll open the drapes, and show our Consort what belongs to him." Yuuki captures a handful of Kuran's sleeping yukata, and pulls him behind her, her gaze lingering over her shoulder.

Kuran gently stops her, pausing at the door. "To be clear, Zero, you would prefer I that remain clothed?"

On an impulse, Zero tells him, "If you want to get naked, then go ahead." Fair was fair; Zero was supposed to treat them equally intimately, after all.

As Zero settles on a cushion, his husband and wife make quick work of their yukata, loosening the belts and letting the cloth fall to the floor, leaving the pair in their underclothes. Both the Kurans wear simple cloth undergarments to bed that hide enough to make Zero comfortable. Zero's seen this much of their skin before, but he appreciates the opportunity now to admire them again.

He's not blind; vampires are beautiful monsters, and purebloods no less than perfection made flesh. Thick, silky auburn hair, striking scarlet eyes, elegant proportions, flawless symmetry in their features, clear, even-toned fair skin, the perfect amount of softness and muscle - not a single thing about either of them is lacking. It's enough to make Zero self-conscious whenever he thinks about it, even though he doesn't care much for appearances.

If examined closely, their bodies betray their inhumanity. Their skin is unnaturally smooth; they don't wrinkle, and they don't carry calluses. Neither of them have a single scar on their bodies - even their umbilical cord stumps heal into clean skin. They naturally don't have any hair under their arms, on their legs, or on Kuran's chest either; a tiny, tiny voice in the back of Zero's head wonders if they match down there.

Preening in her underwear, Yuuki turns slowly in a circle; Kuran puts one hand on his hip, slyly amused by Zero's scrutiny.

Zero glares. "Don't look at me like that. You're the pervert here, old man."

Kuran raises an eyebrow, and then peels off his underwear in one quick motion.

Zero squeaks, and slaps his hands over his eyes before his brain can register the image. "What was that for?" he demands.

"I have nothing to be ashamed of," Kuran says. "Have you never seen anyone naked before, Zero?"

Yuuki giggles. Zero just knows the bloody leech is laughing at him too. "Of course I have!" Just, not so...meant for him.

"Shall I put them back on?" Kuran inquires, as casual as if he weren't talking about his stark naked ass.

Zero did ask for this. "...just let me prepare myself." The Hunter takes his hands away, but with his eyes still closed. Zero takes a deep breath. On the count of three. One. Two. Three!

Zero makes a sound he can only describe as 'eep'. How, what, why - his thought processes are all gibbering as his poor brain tries vainly to process. Dimly, his subconscious confirms that Kuran's hairless upper body does match down below. And yes, those are Kuran's 'assets'. Um. Just - woah. And he's supposed to - ?

He's going to die, Zero groans to himself. Death by sex. It's too much - It won't fit! Blood and bloody ashes, light blind him, Ancestress save him!

Kuran's parts aren't comically large, they're just...porn star size. Generous, yes, that's a good word. And oddly shaped compared to Zero, that must be the alpha bits. His knot, the bulb of flesh right there at the base of his...

I am not intimidated by Kuran Kaname's penis, Zero reminds himself, and tears his eyes away to look at Yuuki.

Who is biting her lip, still wearing her own underwear, and suddenly looking less confident. "If it's weird seeing me like this, just tell me and I'll cover up," Yuuki says. Before Zero can ask what she means, she's bending over and stepping out of her undershorts, and Zero is blown away by a whole new impossible sight.

This time, the sound is more like 'meep'. Zero can definitely see, ahem, the 'family resemblance'. Is this normal? Are all alphas like this, or just purebloods? Even Yuuki is much bigger than him, Zero's poor masculine pride mourns. Actually, thinking about it, Zero's rather proud of her. She's much shorter than Kuran, but scarcely any smaller.

"Is it...is it okay?" Yuuki ventures. Her shoulders are drawn tight, and hunched down, like she's trying to stop herself covering up. The line of her mouth is tight and unhappy.

Zero's brow furrows. What does she mean? Yuuki looks beautiful, even if Zero's having to adjust to meeting her new, very impressive addition. Oh! That must be it. Yuuki must be afraid her changes will make Zero uncomfortable. Does she feel the same way Zero does about his new genitals? Was it hard for her? Zero's heart squeezes. Yuuki should never be afraid of Zero's opinion.

"Just like I thought," Zero tells Yuuki, looking up into her eyes so she can see his love and sincerity, "all of Yuuki is really beautiful."

His wife blushes to the roots of her hair, and her posture straightens as every drop of her fear and tension disappears. "Really?" she half-teases, still a little unsure.

"You look good," Zero tells her with perfect honesty. The changes in her body look natural, the transition between male and female parts smooth and balanced. Her male sex is elegant, in its way, and her female sex is hidden demurely behind it. Yuuki's natural beauty is only enhanced, not marred. It makes Zero's body feel tingly to see Yuuki entirely nude, after pining for her all this time.

But Zero is also curious, seeing another body as fundamentally altered as his own. "Do you...do you like having that?" the Hunter dares to ask.

"Yeah," Yuuki says immediately, stepping closer. "It felt like being complete, like it was a missing piece. Is is different for you?"

Zero gropes for a response that won't betray him. "The vampire in my head feels the same way."

"And the human part of you?" Kuran prompts, catching Zero's lie of omission.

Zero's speechlessness says everything he can't. The Hunter wraps his arms around himself, feeling suddenly vulnerable.

Just that little sign of discomfort, and suddenly Zero's spouses are kneeling beside him, ignoring their own nudity out of a desire to comfort him. Which means Zero abruptly finds himself much closer than expected to a lot of sizeable pureblood junk. Flushing, the Hunter yanks his eyes back up to safer places.

"I'm so sorry," Yuuki says, her expression contrite. "I didn't think. That's why you panicked last night, wasn't it?"

"I just didn't want you to see," Zero says lamely.

"What can we do to help you overcome your fear?" Kuran asks.

"I don't know," Zero replies, his distracted gaze drawn like a magnet to the awkward bits flopping around everywhere. Neither of the Kurans are circumcised, he notes absently.

Kuran catches him looking, and slyly smiles, radiating a smug atmosphere. "Like what you see?"

Zero immediately wants to punch him. "Don't you think showing off like this is a little shameless?"

Kuran's grin belongs on a shark. "However could it be shameless, my sweet virgin? We're married, aren't we? We're the only ones allowed to be immoral with you. In fact, we're just fulfilling our duties to you. Anyone else who tried, now that would be shameless."

Zero can't stop himself making a scandalized face, then catches himself and glares.

Kuran laughs. "You're not the first one to be impressed, little kitten. The Kuran family is rather gifted, even among purebloods. Yuuki inherited my superior genes in that respect."

Grudgingly, Zero admits that a pureblood alpha's excessive size makes sense. The purebloods were designed to create armies, either by Turning humans or breeding hybrids. 'Built for the job' - ugh, gross. That was not the mental image Zero wanted stuck in his head.

"Okay, I'm done for the night. Put some pants on already," Zero says, looking away and waving his hand.

Chuckling, Kuran bends over to pick up his yukata, obnoxiously showing off the way the muscles in his ass flex.

"You don't even exercise," Zero complains.

"I don't need to. One of the perks of being a pureblood - I don't lose muscle tone from inactivity. Convenient, isn't it?" Kuran replies with relish.

Zero and Yuuki look at one another. Zero rolls his eyes. Yuuki shrugs helplessly, then gets up to put on her yukata.

If the world was a fair place, Zero reflects, Kuran's overinflated ego would be compensating for his tiny dick. Instead, Kuran's penis is better described as 'ridiculously large.' Zero shakes his head. There really is no god.

Trapped in bed by two sleeping, stubbornly aroused purebloods, Zero wonders yet again what he's done to deserve ending up in these awkward situations. Yuuki snuffles, and presses closer to Zero, completely insensible that she's also pressing something else harder against him. Kuran may be asleep, or he may be awake and tormenting Zero for fun by pretending to sleep. Hard to tell. Either way, Kuran isn't even twitching, except for a certain part.

Zero's current circumstances are only made worse by the memory of last night. Zero really asked Yuuki to take off her clothes for him, like some teenage fantasy! Ancestress help him, he's so embarrassed! That's a shameless thing the Hunter would have expected Kuran to do - Zero must have been high under the influence of pure blood or something. Especially since he'd been so calm the whole time...even a little intrigued.

Maybe he'll talk to Takuma, Zero decides after a little while. The noble said it wasn't supposed to hurt; maybe there's a trick to it. Or maybe the Kurans are just freakishly huge. Could go either way, with his luck.

Zero lies there a bit longer. Don't think about them naked, he tells himself. Don't think about them naked. Don't think about how they probably look different now that they're aroused.

...damnit. Okay, time to get up, no matter how embarrassing. Zero starts to slide upward, only for an arm to reach up and seize his waist. Zero almost jumps out of his skin before he realizes it's Kuran, and sags back into the mattress to calm his racing heart.

"You took everything rather well last night. I'm surprised," the pureblood whispers in the faintest undertone.

"I'm not scared of any bloody leeches, least of all you," Zero hisses. He's not fragile, and he's not going to die if he sees a naked body.

As though he hasn't heard, Kuran continues his musings as he stares up at the ceiling. "Upon consideration, your reservations are natural. You are a unique case. It is reasonable that you would have more difficulty adapting then a born vampire."

"Do you intend to push your sexual boundaries further?" Kuran asks, finally tipping his head to watch Zero's face.

"Yes," Zero whispers as fiercely as he dares. "For the sake of the treaty and my duties."

Kuran's unreadable eyes study his face. "Then you will eventually have to face your distaste for your own body. And it will go much easier if you tell Yuuki and I your difficulties directly, instead of waiting for us to guess them. You are no longer a lone Hunter, Zero. That too requires adjustment, and change. It is something I have also had to learn."

Those words have the ring of experience; Zero is reminded that he is speaking to the Ancestor of the Kuran, an ancient vampire who has lived for an unimaginably long time.

Yuuki shifts against Zero's back as she listens; at some point, she must have been awakened by their talk.

Kuran glances at Yuuki, then looks back at Zero. The pureblood smiles, his demeanor losing its seriousness."Our dear Yuuki is suffering. Would you like to try something new?"

"Like what?" Zero says, feeling wary. He doesn't have the easy relaxed confidence of last night; the prospect of pushing their intimacy further seems immeasurably more daunting.

The pureblood's grin turns wicked. "Would you like to watch as I tend to her?"

Zero's mouth drops open. "No! I'm not into voyeurism, you pervert!"

"Then you'd like to help?" Kuran says, clearly enjoying this.

Biting his lip, Zero wavers, before he shores up his resolve and gives a quick nod. Zero doesn't want to back down. As long as he's partially clothed, and doesn't have to deal with his own body, it should be fine. The idea of touching Yuuki's bare sex is unspeakably embarrassing, but not uncomfortable. Besides, Zero can frame it as going just a little further than before to give her pleasure, which Zero enjoys.

"Hold on," Yuuki objects, putting her chin on Zero's shoulder. "I'm not comfortable with Zero doing things for us without getting anything in return. I feel like I'm using him as an object, instead of a treating him like a person."

"It doesn't bother me," Zero tells her. "I like seeing Yuuki enjoy herself. And I can't - the idea of being sexually touched below the waist makes me uncomfortable. Right now, I want to see if I can do this. Will you let me try?"

Yuuki thinks for a bit. "Okay. When I think of it like that, it seems like we're considering Zero's wishes and just treating him in a way that makes him comfortable."

Zero kisses her and gets a crick in his neck, because Yuuki is too wonderful and he doesn't deserve to be her husband.

"Problem solved," Kuran says, sitting up. "Now, Zero, was that a yes earlier?" the pureblood teases.

Glaring, Zero says, "Yes, I want to try touching you-" his face goes red, "...your penis. I know you're hard too! Don't think I can't feel it!"

"It would be nice if you 'helped' both of us," Kuran agrees, shrugging out of his yukata and throwing it to the side. Yuuki's already chucked her robe clear across the room. "Unless you want to stain your clothing, I suggest you take yours off as well."

Zero gulps, but loosens his belt as Kuran suggested, letting the chilly air touch his skin. Yuuki's warm hands eagerly strip the Hunter down to his underwear, dropping kisses around his shoulders that leave a buzz of heat underneath his skin. To settle any remaining doubts, Zero takes a few deep breaths and reminds himself how satisfying it feels to watch her come, and know he's the source of her pleasure - this isn't any different now.

Hot breath against the back of his neck; Kuran runs a possessive hand along Zero's thigh. "You've never touched another man's cock, have you, sweet boy?"

Zero shivers. Yuuki's watching his face with hungry eyes. "No," the Hunter gasps, feeling Kuran's hand take his wrist, guiding Zero's hand behind his back. Yuuki traps the other wrist, catching Zero's eyes as she draws Zero's palm along her belly, and then past the waist of her panties.

Kuran growls right in Zero's ear. "This innocent body - I'm going to enjoy marking all of it."

Zero's fingers come into contact with something hot and velvet-sleek, rigid, heavy and unyielding. At the touch, Yuuki's eyes flutter closed, and she moans; Kuran's breathing hitches against the Hunter's ear.

Zero feels a full-body shudder from his head to his toes. He's suddenly boiling in the cold air. Experimentally, he curls his fingers; both of them are too big to wrap his fingers all the way round.

Yuuki's eyes shoot back open, a glazed look in her eyes.

"Let me see?" Zero asks her, and she hurriedly claws out of her panties with her free hand, shredding them in her haste. If Zero thought Yuuki's penis looked intimidating before, that's nothing compared to how threatening it looks now, pink and engorged, pointing straight up menacingly with the foreskin drawn back. The Hunter almost whimpers - is it even larger now?

Feeling like the timid virgin in Takuma's romance novel, Zero just stops and stares, paralyzed by inexperience and sudden nerves.

"Are you alright?" Kuran whispers in Zero's ear.

Zero makes an indeterminate squeak.

"Do you need help, or do you need to stop?"

Not knowing what else to do, Zero squeezes again, trying to get his fingers around the girth.

Kuran groans against Zero's ear, and the wet tip of the head brushes against Zero's back. You know, considering that Zero has a hand around the vampire's penis, maybe he should try thinking of him as Kaname instead of Kuran. Thinking about his husband being the same asshole Kuran from school is not helping Zero normalize this experience.

"Help me a little," Zero gets out past the dryness in his mouth. He licks his lips, and Yuuki's face goes a funny color. Zero freezes again - with that intent look on her face, she looks like she wants to eat him.

Zero feels another palm settle on top of the hand he has wrapped around Kuran's penis. Yuuki mirrors the action against Zero's front. "I'll guide you," Kuran - Kaname says, before biting Zero's shoulder to leave his marks.

Then, slowly at first, the two of them start to move, just a little at first so the velvet skin brushes Zero's palm, then bolder, longer strokes.

Zero learns the feeling and heft of an alpha's cock: the dip where the crown meets the rest of the shaft, the slick feeling of their arousal spattering against the back of his hand, the bump of their soft knot, and the jolt as he comes to a halt against their belly.

At first, Zero lays his head back against Kaname's shoulder as he absorbs the feelings and sound of his first real sexual act. Then Zero makes the mistake of looking at Yuuki, and is spellbound. Blood and ash, the sight of her delicate, slim fingers fisted around her rigid cock as she guides Zero to slide up and down her shaft is the most obscene thing Zero's ever seen.

Both of his alphas growl when the scent of their omega's wetness wafts through the air; it only makes Zero squeeze his thighs harder.

Kaname buries his face in the crook of Zero's neck, and his tempo speeds up. So does Yuuki, panting from her open mouth with a dazed look that holds so much pleasure it's nearly pain. Under Zero's fingers, they're twitching and drawing up, and Zero shivers, recognizing the signs.

"I can't hold it back any longer," Yuuki groans. "Zero, can I please - ?"

"Zero," Kaname grunts, "I want to mark you. Want to show everyone you're ours."

"Okay," Zero gasps, "go ahead, Yuuki - I love you, I love you - ."

That was all his wife needed. She screams, her length jerking, and paints both of them white with the force of her orgasm. Kaname follows just behind her, his teeth clamped down on the back of Zero's neck to muffle his groans as he covers Zero's back in his come.

Quivering with the aftershocks, still spurting little weak pulses of come, Yuuki and Kaname slump against Zero for support, heedless of the mess they're smearing across his skin.

Zero is stock still, shaking and breathing fast. The back of his neck throbs in time with his heartbeat, and his lungs are full of thick alpha musk. He can feel their semen dripping down his skin. Buried deeply in Zero's mind, something primal and alien raises its head, scenting the air. Zero looks down at the warm, spent pureblood alphas sheltering against him - strong, fertile alphas who care for him so well, who will nurture his precious babies the same way - and a compulsion takes hold.

Raising both his hands, dripping with the seed of his mates, Zero examines them curiously for a moment. Then he flicks his tongue out once, then twice, tasting the salty spend left on his skin. Hmmm, not really that tasty, but tolerable. Zero takes another swipe. There's a weird aftertaste in his mouth. Zero wrinkles his nose. Well, that's life, and the omega calmly swallows down every last drop of seed he can clean off his hands.

In the sudden silence, Zero realizes that Yuuki and Kuran have their eyes glued to his mouth. Yuuki's eyes are nearly bulging out of her skull, though Zero has no idea why. Against his back, Kuran's penis begins to harden again.

"No, you insatiable bastard, I need a shower," Zero complains, glancing down his front and the semen drying on his chest. Ugh, the futon too. Sex was kind of messy.

Zero's stomach growls. "Can we order breakfast?"

Yuuki and Kuran just stare.

"It's so disgusting," Kiryuu complains, his hands plastered to his face from his complete and utter mortification. "I don't know what I was thinking, because there's no way I would ever want to touch your gross - stuff," the Hunter says, reduced to incoherence and juvenile euphemisms by the sheer depravity.

Kiryuu is precious like this, Kaname reflects happily. He's been torturing the Hunter about his risque behavior all morning. If Kaname keeps it up, Kiryuu might just die of shame for besmirching his honorable Hunter lineage.

Besides getting a stunning orgasm out of the deal, Kaname's morning has been quite enjoyable. After a good breakfast and a nice bath, he's gotten to watch his Consort wander around with Kaname's most intimate scent smeared all over his skin. With Kiryuu's weak nose, the Hunter might not even realize what a sexual advertisement he is right now. Kaname is certain the staff who delivered their breakfast could tell, from the state of the room if nothing else, but every vampire nearby can smell Kiryuu had sex with a pair of purebloods. The alpha, of course, is over the moon, making self-satisfied, happy little comments all morning.

We marked mate, we marked mate! it celebrates. Now we just need to mount him, and he'll be ours!

Kaname's smile goes unseen as he walks behind Kiryuu, heading into a little garden bower near the onsen.

Kiryuu's suggestive act this morning is not a sign of temporary madness or an immodest personality - in fact, the Hunter isn't to blame at all. To build immune tolerance and allow the formation of a bond, an omega needed exposure an alpha's genetic material - their sperm - as well as other biochemical markers.

Under a normal courtship, the three of them would have already had sexual intercourse, satisfying those needs. Finally given any opportunity, Zero's omega instincts drove him to obtain the material he required in whatever way he could. Compulsive semen consumption was a rare manifestation of omega instincts, but an encouraging one for the progress of the Kurans' courtship. If Zero's weak instincts push him to crave their seed, it means Zero's omega has accepted Kaname and Yuuki as worthy mates.

Kaname has no intention of explaining this to his wife or his Consort. Kiryuu admitted last night that his omega characteristics make him uncomfortable. The last thing Kaname wants to do is make the Hunter fear his omega instincts are taking over his mind the same way Level E did. Now that Kiryuu's omega has gotten what it wanted, it will probably never happen again. Better that Kiryuu dismiss the incident as a momentary fit of insanity.

"What are we here for anyway?" Kiryuu finally asks, looking around at the trellises and wooden bench.

"The reason I didn't allow you to train this morning," Kaname tells him, sitting down. "I want you to practice your extra-sensory perception as I watch."

Kiryuu crosses his arms, immediately all business. "Is that safe?"

"If I'm here, yes. With an experienced monitor, you won't accidentally slip too deep." Kaname knows if he refuses to let Kiryuu practice at all, Kiryuu will be tempted to break the rules and go off on his own. Allowing this opportunity is the only way to make sure Kiryuu does nothing foolish.

"Alright, so what do I do?"

Kaname pats his lap. "Come sit down."

Shooting Kaname his most scandalized look, Kiryuu refuses.

His little virgin is so sweet. Too bad Kaname has the upper hand. "Need I remind you that after this morning, you have very little dignity left to protect?"

Wilting, Kiryuu glares with his angry kitten face, and reluctantly sits down on Kaname's lap. The Hunter refuses to rest his full weight on the pureblood, and balances right at the edge like he's about to leap off.

Kaname sighs, resists the urge to grope him, and pulls Kiryuu back until the Hunter is securely pressed against his chest. "There, that's better. Rest your head against my shoulder."

Kiryuu glares again out of the corner of his eye.

Kaname chuckles, and places his palm over those accusing lilac eyes until Kiryuu leans back. The alpha purrs in appreciation. "Now, do as you normally would, and tell me when you've succeeded accessing your senses."

Breathing evenly and matching his cadence to each of his Consort's breaths, Kaname waits patiently as Kiryuu's body relaxes and his head goes limp against Kaname's shoulder.

"I'm there," Kiryuu says. His voice is distant, and curiously dispassionate. Now that Kaname knows the cause, it's hard to overlook the symptoms.

"When I speak to you, you must answer. If you stop, or answer too slowly, I will break your concentration and you will let go of your extra sense. Am I clear?"

"Yes." Another quiet, distant answer.

"Reach out, and tell me about the wisteria vine wrapped around the trellis above our heads".

Kaname makes various requests, testing Kiryuu's range, depth, and ability to focus on multiple stimuli at once. Kiryuu is still in the beginner's stage of his training, at least a year or two from mastery, but what he's already achieved is quite impressive. His basic Hunter's training has given him a strong grasp of the fundamentals, and once Kiryuu gains experience learning the methods, it's only a matter of practice and time.

"That's enough for this session. Return to your normal state of mind, and verbally confirm when you are no longer using your powers."

Technically, Kiryuu doesn't need to inform him - pressed so closely together, Kaname can feel the rhythms of his Consort's body change - but Kaname would rather keep that fact to himself.

"I'm finished," announces Kiryuu, wiggling on Kaname's lap with his eagerness to get away.

Kaname doesn't budge, and Kiryuu finally surrenders, resigning himself to his present position. They pass several minutes in a shockingly companionable silence, Kaname's alpha purring happily in the background.

"Kuran, I've been thinking about what you said this morning," Kiryuu says.

"And what have you concluded?"

Kiryuu wets his lips. "Would it be possible to stay here another night, if it became necessary?"

Kaname does a few calculations. "The two of you could. There are matters I cannot leave unattended for long, but I would still be able to eat and sleep here. Why do you ask?"

The Hunter fidgets. "I was thinking about telling Yuuki some things. If she reacts badly, I want her to have time to recover in private before she needs to work again."

Considering his recent investigations, Kaname can guess what those 'things' might be. "Ah, so that's it. What are you planning to confess? Your self-destructive eating habits? Your determination to overwork yourself? Your difficulty sleeping alone? Your old hovel? Your treatment by the other Hunters? Or just your general reckless endangerment of your health and safety?"

Flinching, Kiryuu curls in on himself.

Kaname's alpha howls, upset at inflicting its mate's distress. Sighing, Kaname gives up on words, and rocks back and forth, stroking his Consort's silver hair until his omega relaxes. "Hush, sweet boy, that was cruel of me when you were trying to be brave. Wait and tell her after lunch, so I have a chance to speak with the staff."

"Yuuki, do you remember Kaname told you there were things about me he didn't feel he should be the one to tell you?"

No, that's not any good! Zero slumps against the bathroom sink, trying to figure out what he's going to say. Whatever words he uses, Zero knows he's about to hurt Yuuki terribly. He shrinks back from inflicting such deep wounds on the person he loves most; his heart wavers every time he imagines Yuuki in pain. But whenever Zero kept secrets from Yuuki, they pained her even more when she discovered them herself. Yuuki hated it when the people she loved suffered alone.

"Zero, are you okay in there?"

Zero's face closes off. "I'm fine Yuuki."

In the mirror, the Hunter examines his stoic mask. Now is his last chance to decide whether to carry this through. Telling Yuuki about his self-destructive habits before their marriage will not be easy. Zero has never told a single soul - not Kaito, not Cross, and not Master Yagari. Before he's spoken a single word, Zero already feels ashamed. But hasn't keeping secrets only hurt all of them?

Practically speaking, Yuuki will find out eventually. The only reason she doesn't already know is because Kuran helped Zero conceal the truth. Yuuki is tenacious, and single-minded when she's focused on her goal. Working alone, his wife single-handedly unmasked the Ancestor of the Kuran; Zero can't hope to withstand her. Better to confess now.

But does it have to be now? Would another time be better? Not away from Rosehill, maybe -

No. Stop. These are just excuses. If Zero accepts his own excuses, he will never find the right time. Zero promised Yuuki that when he felt ready, he would try and tell her. He promised. Zero won't break his promises to Yuuki.

Staring in the mirror one last time, Zero turns on his heel and goes out. In the main room, they've moved the kotatsu near the windows, and the Kurans are seated around it sipping another pot of tea.

Yuuki glances up briefly when she hears the bathroom door open, but hardly takes any other notice. Kuran's acting almost as impassive as Zero is, already bracing himself for the fallout.

Zero is briefly grateful that Kuran arranged a comfortable place and some drinks, but it's not entirely altruism. The pureblood loves Yuuki too, and he's probably curious himself what Zero plans to say.

"Yuuki," Zero calls, standing in the doorway. "Can we talk? I don't want any more secrets between us. I want you to know everything."

Damn her dignity. Damn her image as an untouchable, regal pureblood princess. Yuuki cries, because it hurts too much not to.

As Zero kneels in the center of the floor and lays out his long years of self-destruction, Yuuki begins sobbing as soon as she understands what Zero did to himself.

Her husband's account of the past thirty years of his life is factual, stripped of supporting emotional detail: I didn't eat enough blood tablets, I lived in shabby places on purpose, I avoided things I liked or that felt good, I hurt my body by forcing it to live as a human. Zero doesn't talk about how anything felt. He doesn't mention his emotions. He doesn't say a word about how it must have hurt his body. And he doesn't explain why he did this.

Zero doesn't even sound like he's talking about his own life. He could be reciting a report from memory; his face is impassive, his back perfectly straight and his hands flat on his thighs. The whole time, his tone has no inflection. There's a dispassionate distance Zero maintains, as though the events happened to someone else.

It gets worse when Zero explains how he lied to her. How Kaname's tests showed the marks of long-term malnutrition and privation. How Kaname helped Zero conceal it, in exchange for Zero's silence about Kaname's cruelty against him. Zero allowed himself only enough to eat that his body could function at its physical peak, and not a single bite more. He turned himself into nothing but muscle and bone, whose only purpose was to Hunt.

Yuuki has to clap her hands over her mouth to muffle her heartsick sobs. She can't stop, sickened to the core by this bloodless account as her imagination fills in the blanks. Unable to see past her own tears, the pureblood doubles over, clutching her chest, drowning in the anguish and guilt and betrayal.

Yuuki left Zero alone, and this is what he did to himself. Yuuki can't say she was ignorant. She knew what Zero was capable of. After all, she was the one who stopped him from clawing his throat until it bled when they were children in Cross' house. And then she went off with Kaname and assumed Zero would find happiness with someone else, someone not a vampire? Yuuki can see now how ridiculous her happy imaginings were.

And Kaname, to hide something this critical from her! He should have known better than to keep anything about Zero's health a secret. Kaname knew Zero had harmed himself for a long time, yet he chose to ignore it, and then lied to Yuuki to protect his own dirty secrets. What if Zero had started hurting himself again? Yuuki wouldn't have known to look for the signs. Unforgivable. Kaname's selfishness exposed Zero to danger. If Yuuki knew Zero still held such a self-loathing for himself, she might have caught his overtraining more quickly, and even prevented his accident. But she didn't know, and that's Kaname's fault. She'll deal with him later, Yuuki promises herself.

The pureblood raises her head, wiping away her tears and clearing her runny nose. She must look awful, but Yuuki has never cared less about her appearance than this single moment. Zero deliberately hurt himself. Knowing that, how can Yuuki give a damn about anything else?

Zero is watching her anxiously, his stoicism fallen away, leaving clear fear and guilt in his face. His body leans toward Yuuki like he wants to leap up and comfort her.

Zero, Yuuki also notices, is wearing the scarf she gave him as a birthday present. That little, insignificant realization is enough to tip her over the edge, and Yuuki collapses into a fresh wave of tears.

Why does this keep happening? Why is Yuuki always the last to know? Why can't she stop things like this? Beneath every secret, there are always more secrets. Yuuki is so tired of secrets that feel like barbed wire, that tear and bleed as you pry them out of your skin.

A confused bubbling, festering brew of anger and pain begins frothing in her chest. Through her tears, Yuuki looks up at Zero once more.

The Hunter's last piece of composure has shattered; utterly broken by watching her pain, his shame and remorse is visible to anyone who sees him. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before," he whispers.

Why is love such a painful emotion? But she loves him so much. Yuuki loved Zero before she know what that feeling was. And no one deserves to be loved more than Zero, dear Zero with his beautiful, kind heart. So why won't he love himself more? The pureblood stumbles to her feet, carried on a wave of emotion.

As Yuuki stalks toward him, Zero shrinks further with trepidation, even a hint of dread. The pureblood doesn't know what she's doing - just acting on her swirling, volatile feelings.

Yuuki reaches out - Zero braces himself like he expects a slap - and yanks her most precious person into her arms. "Why doesn't Zero understand!" she rages. "This is the most valuable body in the whole world, because it belongs to Zero. It deserves to be pampered and treated gently, because that's how Zero's soul stays in the world."

Tucking his silver head firmly into the crook of her neck, Yuuki sinks to the floor, feeling tears threaten. "Zero is so fragile. I won't die, but anything could break Zero, and then Zero would be gone. And then I'd die too, because I love Zero. I love Zero's life more than my own life." Her breath catches on a sob. "Why won't you take better care of yourself?"

Zero doesn't say anything in reply, and Yuuki gets a little frustrated. "If you don't like this body." she says, forcing Zero to meet her eyes, "then give it to me. Because Zero takes care of things that belong to other people. And if this body is mine, he won't allow anyone else to hurt it, either."

His vulnerable lilac eyes widen, and Zero's breathing goes high and quick.

Yuuki immediately feels remorseful that she upset him, and pulls Zero into her lap to she can hold him tightly against her chest. "I love you," she says, feeling another bout of tears coming as her alpha whimpers. "I love you, I love you…"

When Yuuki can breathe again, after she's cried herself out into the front of Zero's shirt, the pureblood feels calmer, like she's purged some of her pain. "I'm not mad," she reassures Zero, tracing the lines of his face. "Or disappointed. After all, I didn't ask, did I? And people don't confess things like that lightly. But I'm really glad that you trusted me enough to tell me, Zero."

Her husband looks so terribly vulnerable, pale and exhausted after so much emotional tension. Yuuki wants to wrap him up and hide him away from the world, and never leave him alone again. "Kaname," she orders, "pull the bedding out of the cupboards. I don't want Zero to get cold." And she wants to be close to Zero for a while, somewhere comfortable where she can satisfy her alpha that Zero is alright.

Her husband, who's been suspiciously silent, obeys. All three of them settle underneath the duvet, and things are quiet for a while.

"Why did you do it?" Kuran asks, startling Zero out of his light doze.

"Do what?" he grunts, trying to think past the emotional exhaustion of the last hour.

Kuran has the look of a man determined to obtain his goal. "Why did you deny yourself food, comfort, sleep, and adequate shelter, among other things? Why cultivate habits you knew were unhealthy and self-destructive?"

Yuuki's breath catches, and she lifts her head to watch Zero too.

Zero looks away, trying to overcome his reluctance to reveal something so private. He knows, on some level, that his thoughts and feelings were not normal or healthy. Telling Yuuki the facts of what he'd done was much easier than confessing the why. To be honest, Zero can't quite untangle all the factors himself.

"It sounds stupid when I say it out loud," Zero says.

"I'm listening, and I won't laugh," Kuran replies, not about to be diverted when Zero's finally convinced himself to talk.

Wetting his lips, Zero tries to find a place to start. "It was a lot of things. When we were in school, denying myself blood was something I fought for, something I was proud of. It was a habit, and living on a bare minimum of blood tablets was the next logical step. That's where I think the idea came from. As for the rest...it's complicated. I'm not sure I understand myself. Partly, it was punishment. For being the one left alive, for my failures, for my inaction, for being weak...for other things." To punish his body for his cursed existence, to punish the vampire living inside his skin, but Zero lets that go unsaid.

Yuuki tries to speak, but Kuran touches her wrist, and shakes his head.

"It was penance too. Atonement, for hurting Yuuki and hurting Ichiru. For killing him. It wasn't something I thought about - I didn't sit down and reason through all this until later. I just felt things. I did it because it made me feel...not better, but - in control. Like I was doing something about it, when everyone I owed was dead or out of my reach."

"And that was why?" Kuran prompts.

Zero shrugs. "Having me around was troublesome for the Hunters. It was easy to withdraw, which made it easy to hide how I lived, even from Master and Kaito. And I had this stupid idea in the back of my head...Do you know how monks live? They live apart, practicing austerities for purification, in order to free themselves from earthly desires. Their asceticism is a tool to achieve liberation from the world. I admired that, and I think I took it unconsciously as a sort of model. But I didn't need a religion, because I already had one. Mind and body, I had devoted myself to the Hunt since I was twelve. After Yuuki left, I just took that devotion even further. Whatever was unnecessary - everything that didn't improve my Hunting - I refused it. Heating that worked, bathing in warm water, cooking, celebrating my birthday - I didn't need those things to live. If denying myself extra food or sleep made me more focussed, if tolerating physical discomfort meant I could hunt while wounded or practice until my feet bled, then why not? It's not like I had anything else to live for."

And it played into Zero's persistent wish to be accepted back into Hunter community. Zero could imagine that enduring privation was part of his trials to earn forgiveness, and someday his effort, sacrifice, and skill would outweigh his pollution.

"If you hadn't presented as an omega, what would you have done?" Yuuki finally brings herself to ask, fearing the answer by the look on her face.

Zero can't reassure her. "Continued the same patterns. Devoted myself to the Hunt until I was killed, whether that was ten years, a hundred years, or a thousand years from now."

"I won't let that happen," Yuuki vows fiercely, squishing Zero against her side, and the Hunter feels a surge of affection for her.

"Are you satisfied now?" Zero asks Kuran.

The pureblood's eyes are distant, but he nods.

"I'm so tired," Yuuki groans. "We're the worst at vacations. I have to work tomorrow."

"Kaname arranged for us to stay an extra day," Zero tells her.

"Thank goodness," she groans, flopping down on the mattress. "Now let's have a nap before dinner. I'm exhausted."

Honored grandmother is a tiny wisp of light, barely larger than a firefly. "I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner, but I wanted to make sure you were alright," she whispers, her voice no louder than the wind.

Once more, Zero feels like the worst person in the world. The Ancestor of the Hunters must have spent almost all of her strength helping Zero find Aido, and how did he repay her? By abusing her gift.

Zero bows his head. "I'm so sorry, Honored Grandmother. What happened was my fault."

The firefly blinks. "Don't be heavy-hearted, my dear child. It was the result of my instructions. If the student falls into error, then the teacher is at fault. I should have warned you that you could become lost in your extra sense."

Zero still feels unspeakably guilty. "Kuran made sure that I returned to my body intact. It's because of him that I'm alright."

The Ancestress seems pleased, pulsing more brightly for a moment. "Kaname has grown so much. I'm very proud of him. And very proud of you too, Zero. What you did tonight was more dangerous and brave than going on a thousand Hunts."

"Thank you," Zero says, though he doesn't feel he deserves praise for making Yuuki cry so much. He would rather Kuran slapped him again.

"Growth can be painful," the Ancestor of the Hunters says, as though she'd read his mind. "But your Yuuki only hurts because seeing you in pain is the worst wound she could suffer. I can't interfere in the lives of my descendents, but I'm so happy when they find people who care for them. More than anything, Zero, I want you to live a happy, fulfilling life."

The Ancestress' brightness dims. "I have to go, Zero. But I'm here if you need me. Please, let the people who love you help you."

"Will you do something for me?" Yuuki asks after Kuran leaves for work, and the two of them are just sitting down to their breakfast.

"Anything," Zero tells her, picking up his chopsticks.

She looks so earnest. "Stay with me today. All day. Don't let there be a moment when I can't see you."

His heart clenches in his chest, and Zero bows his head so his hair falls over his eyes. "Of course," he replies.

When Zero raises his head again, Yuuki is beside him. "Let me," she says, and takes the chopsticks out of his hand. When Yuuki offers Zero a bite of egg, obviously meaning to feed him, the Hunter hesitates, unsure if she's being serious. But one glance at her face and Zero knows this isn't just some game.

For Yuuki, anything. Zero opens his mouth, and accepts the food.

Zero knows he's done the right thing when his wife smiles broadly and claps her hands together, her expression easing. Sitting in Yuuki's lap as she feeds him the rest of his meal, Zero feels like a chick being fed by its mother. To his surprise, he discovers the experience is quite comfortable, once they maneuver a bit to account for Zero's greater size.

Perhaps it's just vampire instinct, but any act that brings Yuuki close enough to touch, close enough he can smell the scent of her shampoo, feel the warmth of her body behind him - that's something Zero holds dear. How many decades did he believe he might never speak to her again? Yuuki loves him, and Zero is allowed to be near her. That's more joy than he ever dreamed he might gain.

This must be caused by his confession yesterday, Zero reflects as he chews. Yuuki is making personally sure that Zero is well-fed and healthy, and it makes him feel...cherished, he supposes, though it must look strange to an outsider. As long as it makes Yuuki happy, Zero doesn't care what anyone else thinks.

"Zero, you said your body makes you feel uncomfortable - the parts of you that belong to an omega. I've been thinking about that," Yuuki says after breakfast. "I buy you dresses to wear. Have I been making you uncomfortable? I'll stop if you want."

Shaking his head, Zero tries not to laugh, because Yuuki's trying to be considerate and he's not going to disrespect that. "Yuuki, crossdressing is the least upsetting thing about being an omega. To be honest, except for the sleeves I hardly mind at all. I've done it before willingly. And I know it makes you happy, so keep buying me nice things, okay?"

Chuckling, she says, "The next time you complain, I'll remind you that you gave me permission."

"Fair enough," Zero sighs. He's weak and he knows it, but Yuuki just looks so happy when she sees him in silk and delicate gowns. "What are we doing today?" he asks instead.

"Whatever we want," Yuuki replies. "What do you feel like doing?"

"How about a nice walk without that cranky old man complaining the whole time?"

Yuuki bounces on the floor. "Deal!"

"Stop making that face. I've bathed and I'm not smelly anymore!" Zero complains as he dries his hair.

Yuuki gives him a doubtful look.

"Purebloods may not sweat much, but I remember human Yuuki stinking pretty bad after Cross' training," Zero reminds her, sitting down at the kotatsu across from her.

His wife sticks her tongue out at him.

In the end, they decided to make of picnic of it, and raided the kitchen for food before eating lunch on the mountainside, with a silvery winter expanse below them in the valley like frosting on a wedding cake. The whole time they wandered through the woods, Yuuki insisted on holding hands so she didn't lose Zero. Of course, Zero didn't mind one bit. The hand Yuuki held felt so much warmer that way.

Yuuki bites at one of her fingernails, a nervous habit from childhood. Zero's only seen her do it when they're alone together; it's probably on the list of things purebloods aren't allowed to do.

"Tea?" she asks, holding up the pot of oolong.

"Sure," the Hunter replies, trying to figure out what's making her fidgety.

"Zero," Yuuki says once she's poured, putting down the pot and folding her hands on the table. "I've been thinking. Would it be easier for you to accept your body if we treated things like they used to be? You as the Hunter, me as the human?"

Zero raises an eyebrow. "I don't see how we'd do that."

Her cheeks pink. "In bed, I mean. You on top, the way we'd have done it in school. Just ignore the alpha and omega parts for now. So you'd be the one penetrating me. It's possible - everything still works. Kaname and I used to have sex like that."

Tapping his fingers on the table and ignoring his tea, Zero considers Yuuki's proposal. He tries to imagine how it would work, ignoring the jealousy that comes from the mention of Kuran. Slowly, Zero says, "In the past, I thought about us being together that way. But now it seems wrong. We are different. I don't know if I could pretend that I don't see the ways you've changed, Yuuki. I don't want to ignore half of what you are for the sake of some fantasy...would you rather pretend I've got something different in my trousers?"

"No!" she cries. "I mean, I want you the way you are too. But if you feel wrong in your body, I thought it might make you feel better to pretend?"

Zero scrubs his hands across his face. "If I could pretend, maybe. But in the back of my mind I'd know I was different, no matter how I tried to convince myself. I'd still like to try sometime - um, the penetrating part without the pretending. If I can ever manage to get my clothes off," he says in a voice thick with self-deprecation.

"Um, yes. I would too. Like to try." Yuuki says, unable to look Zero in the eye without going crimson. She stirs her tea briskly, trying to collect herself. "What can we do to make you feel more comfortable then?"

"I told you, I don't know," Zero grumps into his teacup.

"Well, what have you tried so far?" Yuuki counters.

Zero goes cold, the warmth of the springs fleeing his skin. The Hunter swallows. "Nothing much." His voice comes out pinched.

"What things in particular make you uncomfortable?" his wife asks, blunt as she always is when she's after something.

"...everything," Zero confesses, burying his face in his hands.

Yuuki blinks. "What does that - "

"Everything!" Zero insists. "Looking, touching, thinking about - and before you ask, no I haven't touched myself sexually!"

Yuuki shrinks back, a little hurt at his vehement response, and Zero feels bad for having shouted at her. "I'm sorry, Yuuki. I know you're trying to help. I shouldn't have gotten angry."

The pureblood winces. "I probably deserved that - I was a little insensitive. But really, everything? I didn't think it'd be so serious."

Zero drops his head in his hands again.

Yuuki shifts, looking uncomfortable again. "Zero, I hope you don't mind me asking, but if you feel so uncomfortable with your body, are you sure you really want to have sex?"

"Of course I -"

Her gaze grows steely. "Sex because you want it, not because of duty or the treaty or any other reason. Do you feel sexual desire that you honestly want to fulfill with another person?"

"I want to be with Yuuki, in every way I can," Zero says simply. "I've only ever wanted that with you. I'm frustrated that my head is so messed up that I can't even do that right."

Yuuki reaches out to take Zero's hand, and smiles. "Then it's worth trying to overcome. I want to be with you too, Zero."

"Then what do we do?" Zero says.

She snaps her fingers. "You're a virgin! Maybe it would help if you looked at someone else first?"

"Looked at someone else? You want me to watch porn?" Zero says, raising an eyebrow.

Yuuki doubles over laughing. "Zero, we're married. I have a vagina. You'll look at me of course!"

Zero finds the idea dubious. And it sounds perverted, but if Yuuki insists...He sighs. Once Yuuki gets an idea in her head, she won't let go until she's seen it through. "When do you want to do it?"

"Right now!" Yuuki says, already yanking offer her clothes.

Zero blushes to the roots of his hair. Staring at Yuuki naked seems so dirty, but at the same time Zero's had fantasies about Yuuki since he knew he loved her.

Now that he's not so shocked, Zero discovers that he kind of likes the contrast between Yuuki's curves and softness, and the well-endowed alpha sex she hides like a secret. Maybe that's the omega, or maybe it's just Zero being completely, irrevocably in love with her and everything she is. Either way, when Yuuki helpfully lies down on her back, and spreads her legs, Zero feels a thrill of arousal as she offers herself up to him without a stitch of clothing.

Swallowing, Zero rests his hands on Yuuki's knees, and creeps forwards until he's between the vee of her thighs. She giggles when his fingers brush a ticklish spot on the underside of her knee, and nearly kicks him.

"Hey!" Zero protests, but the mood is effectively broken, and he's much clearer-headed this time as he approaches her dual sex with plenty of curiosity. He's seen Yuuki's penis before, but not with the leisure to really study it. Zero is especially fascinated by her foreskin, after seeing it fully drawn back yesterday when she was aroused. Hunter tradition calls for males to be circumcised as infants, so Zero himself doesn't have one. Yuuki is patient with his staring, but scolds him not to play with it when Zero finally summons up the courage to handle the thick organ in his unpracticed hands.

Under Yuuki's impatient gaze, Zero knows he shouldn't take any more detours from their goal. Moving her shaft to the side, Zero can finally see the opening underneath, the female labia hiding all but a peek of the rosy flesh within.

Fascinated and beginning to become aroused, Zero slides down to lie on his belly. Working moisture into his dry mouth, he asks, "Can I touch you?"

"Mm-hmmm. Anything you want." Yuuki seems just as fascinated by his scrutiny.

Hardly breathing, Zero dares to part her folds, revealing more of her rose-colored sex. Yuuki's nipples are nearly the same color; something in Zero's belly tightens at the thought. His finger feels a little damp, and Zero realizes it's the same wetness that collects when he's enjoying Yuuki and Kuran's attentions the most.

But it's her channel that draws most of his attention, a petrified enthrallment of mixed uneasiness and desire. In the back of Zero's mind lies the shadow of his own feminine sex, overlapping his view of Yuuki as he explores. Zero dips his finger deeper, just to test, and Yuuki lets him touch, confirm the elastic way her body parts to accept it, the same way his will.

"You've had sex with Kuran like this, right?" Zero muses.

"Mm-hmmm. So it is possible, I promise. I was intimidated at first by the size, so I understand how you must feel since there's two of us."

Zero snorts his laughter. On her thigh, Yuuki's penis is starting to fill with blood. Zero should stop before this goes too far, he decides, and reluctantly backs away, scooting back from his position between her thighs.

Zero stares at his wet finger for a moment, then pops it in his mouth. Not really any flavor at all. A hint of salt? Much better than semen anyway.

"Zero," Yuuki whimpers, staring at him.

Glancing her way, Zero sighs. So much for keeping this platonic. Well, he's not too mad. It's his fault for arousing her anyway.

"Sorry," Yuuki apologizes. "Just, you looked so cute, like an innocent kitten who didn't know what to do, I couldn't help myself. I wonder if Kaname would be jealous if we - ?" Yuuki makes a significant motion, and her eyes flick downwards.

Zero grins. "Let's find out."

Matching Zero's grin, she leans up and runs a hand down Zero's belly. "Maybe I can do some touching too?"

"Why do you want to touch me so much?" Zero asks, honestly puzzled why Yuuki keeps circling back to the subject.

Yuuki shoots Zero an exasperated look. "Zero, I love you. I've wanted to have sex with you for over thirty years, and I want you to enjoy it. Of course I want to touch you - and I really, really want to know what Zero's sex face looks like," she whispers, leaning forward to kiss him thoroughly.

"Not today," Zero says when they part, cheek to cheek with his wife. "But soon, I promise."

"Let's take it slower this time," Yuuki answers, guiding her husband down on his back.

A splash in the baths, then Zero calls out, "Yuuki! Kaname! Will you come here?"

The two purebloods eye each other. Zero made it very clear he did not want to be seen naked, yet he was clearly still soaking in the hot spring. But if Zero needed them…

Yuuki tentatively enters the changing room with Kaname behind her, only to find it empty. Zero must still be bathing - maybe he just forgot his towel and wanted Yuuki to leave it at the door? "Zero?" she says, raising her voice, "Did you need something?"

"Come in here, please," the Hunter insists, and Yuuki hears another crash of water like he's moving around.

Yuuki looks at Kaname again, but her husband's face is nearly unreadable, except for the curiosity betrayed by his eyes. "Should we?" she whispers.

"Why not?" he answers, and holds open the cloth flap giving the baths privacy.

Huddled near the edge, Zero is spectacularly naked, but Yuuki can't see much. He's sunk down to his neck in water, with his knees drawn up to hide himself.

The alpha perks up, drooling in the back of her head. Mate called us to see him naked! Mate is so pretty!

Over the noise of the water flowing, Yuuki asks, "Everything okay?" as she's drawn toward him, unsure if her approach is welcome.

The Hunter lifts his head. "Fine. Pull up one of the bathing stools if you'd like a seat."

Kaname does at Zero says, but Yuuki follows more slowly, still trying to understand what's going on. Zero has never let them see him nude before. Everything tantalizing is covered by the water, but still, her Consort is sitting naked not more than a few meters away. Don't think about Zero naked, Yuuki reminds herself, remembering their derailed exploration earlier.

Zero still seems nervous, but his shoulders are slowly beginning to relax. "Talk to me," he orders. With his back to Kaname and Yuuki, they can't see his expression. "Tell me about your shady vampire plots or something. I don't care."

"Zero, what is this about?" Yuuki tries again. It's a mistake, because Zero's body language tightens again, like a snail hiding in its shell.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" Kaname deadpans, sounding amused.

Whipping his head around, Zero glares, forgetting his self-consciousness in the need to trample the offending vampire. "No, you leech! Is that all you think about?" Then Zero's expression becomes more thoughtful. "If I am, would you have sex with me?"

"No," Kaname says, crossing his legs and leaning back. "I would not, little Hunter. I would never take your maidenhood here."

Eyeing the pureblood suspiciously, Zero asks, "Why not?" The Hunter almost sounds offended; Yuuki tries not to laugh.

Kaname smiles, and leans forward to lift Zero's chin with his fingertips. Zero goes wide-eyed, suddenly shy and showing the sweet inexperience underneath his daring.

Capturing Zero's startled gaze, Kaname's voice goes deep and honey-sweet. "It's not because I don't ache for you, sweet boy. I desire your innocent body to the point of madness."

Possessively, Kaname's grip tightens. "When I breach your chaste cunt, and spill myself inside your pristine flesh, you'll be in my bedroom, laid out on the sheets of my bed, so every night as we go to sleep you'll remember the feeling of my cock plundering your virginity."

Zero makes a tiny, helpless noise, frozen still by such a filthy image being presented to his inexperienced mind. Caught in Kaname's web, wide-eyed and trembling, Zero just lets Kaname stroke his jaw as he tries to process the lewd implications.

Watching the two of them, Yuuki finds herself breathing hard, and shifts unobtrusively on her stool.

The movement breaks Zero out of his daze, and he shakes off Kaname's seductive spell by shoving the pureblood's hand away and submerging himself in the water, resurfacing far enough away that Kaname isn't close enough to reach him.

Watching Zero glare poisonously at their husband, Yuuki clears her throat. "Ah, I don't mean to interrupt, but I'd really like to know why I'm here."

As Zero turns to Yuuki, his body language softens, and his gaze flickers first to Yuuki, then back down to the water. Nervously, the Hunter sinks deeper like he's trying to hide. "I - I thought it might help. Like we were talking about earlier. Nothing's covering me, but I still feel like I'm hidden by the water. A compromise. If I can get used to this, maybe I'll be able to get out of the water. And then you can see me, Yuuki."

Yuuki doesn't mean to cry again, but she can't stop. Zero did this for her, made himself uncomfortable because he wants to give Yuuki all of himself. "Oh Zero," she says, "thank you. You don't have to, because I love all of you no matter what. But thank you."

Yuuki wipes her eyes clean of tears, and smiles, determined to help Zero however she can, even if it's just distracting him from his own anxiety. "Let me tell you about the show Kaname and I watched yesterday…"

Yuuki and Kaname's alpha instincts don't really understand abstract concepts very well, including time, so they're not as upset by Zero's self-abuse as they are upsetting things in the present, and they don't react as strongly.

Like I said in the author's notes, I was pretty worried about how this chapter came out and I'd really appreciate some feedback from my readers about how the effect came out. Thanks everyone!