Thank you all for your continued support of TWOFT! We recently passed the one year anniversary of its first chapter being posted, and I couldn't be happier to have met so many wonderful people through this project. Certainly I had no idea what I was getting into 300,000+ words later! I appreciate your continued patience as the story updates more slowly than before.
A side note: no one should take TWOFT's sex scenes as any kind of sex education. This is fantasy biology I made up for dramatic effect, and is in no way reflective of actually losing your virginity or how real hymens work.
Without further ado, please enjoy the chapter!
XXXI. A Breath of Chaos
Kuran Kaname, the Original King and the Ancestor of the Kuran, cannot sleep.
By itself, this is not much of a hardship. With the inhuman endurance granted by his cursed, pure blood, he will not suffer when he rises in the evening; likely, no one will notice.
Nevertheless, it is worrisome. After glutting himself in his Consort's virgin flesh, Kaname ought to be basking in the flush of pleasure from a good fuck just like his alpha.
Wildly beyond his expectations in every way, Kaname lusts just remembering the tiniest detail. Even now, it makes him shift restlessly, seeking to escape the heat beneath his skin. It was delicious to finally taste the delights Zero's body has to offer, no doubt about that.
Kiryuu. Kiryuu's body.
Kaname scrubs a hand over his face, gritting his teeth. There lies the source of his insomnia - Kaname's inexplicable emotional reaction during their most intimate sexual encounter. He's lain with virgins for amusement many times before, and except for Yuuki, never felt a flicker of profound feeling. But with his Consort…. Kaname realizes there's a warm, buoyant feeling rising in his chest.
The pureblood grinds his teeth. These slips - this inability to compartmentalize - have been growing for a while, if Kaname is being honest.
For the life of him, Kaname cannot figure out how this happened. At what point did tolerant fondness become - whatever this is.
Many of his recent lapses can be laid at the feet of his damnable alpha instincts, certainly. But the alpha is an animal; complex emotions are largely beyond it. The gaps, the inconsistencies that Kaname cannot explain away - those trouble him.
And that strange reaction, that feeling of surrendering - the alpha does not know surrender. It triumphs, it submits, or it dies. Nor does the alpha understand sacredness. Nothing is holy beyond its own primal drives.
Those must have been Kaname's feelings, impossible as the logic sounds. The pureblood is tempted to dismiss the idea, but his paranoia and pragmatism won't allow him to ignore the possibility. Thus, the insomnia.
Kaname attempts laying out the facts as he knows them. He is fond of Kiryuu. He tolerates things from Kiryuu he would never allow from a subordinate. He cannot abide harm coming to him. He felt panic when he believed the Hunter's life was in danger. He will not allow Kiryuu to harm himself. He insists that Kiryuu's needs are met, even beyond what is strictly necessary for public appearances or appeasing Yuuki and his instincts. He went to considerable effort and expense to arrange the archive visit when he could have taken Kiryuu to any notable historical library. He experienced feelings during sex that only Yuuki has inspired in him.
...perhaps Kaname feels more affection toward Kiryuu then he believed, the pureblood slowly admits to himself.
At this point, Kaname would have violently rejected his new conclusion, then resolved to distance himself from Kiryuu at all costs - except the body he's cradling starts to shake.
Zero can feel himself fraying at the edges. He keeps as still as possible, because every motion stirs the visceral throbbing ache of foreign tissues, an invasive reminder of the truth he's striven for almost a year to reject.
Don't think about it, the Hunter reminds himself. Light-headed and dizzy, Zero sucks in shallow breaths and wishes he could go back to sleep, hide in his own oblivion (After all, sleep is the closest you can get to death). His stomach is a pit of curdling nausea. He can taste bile in the back of his throat. Zero can't escape what he's willingly revealed - every bruise, every mark is proof this is reality.
Zero shies away, jumps on what he thinks is a safer path, concentrates on how his body feels similar to the aftermath of a difficult workout or a long, hard Hunt. Yes, that's easier, frame it it like that. Zero doesn't think he'll be able to stand up to dress. Every shift is painful, and the lower half of his body is one sharp ache - all radiating from that place, that wrongness, the proof that this body isn't him, where he still feels sloppy and open.
Zero gags into his pillow, trying to keep himself quiet. He can feel their spend sloshing around inside, and remembers he's supposed to face the sneering, hateful nobility tonight, while he's still feeling like this - disgusting, filthy, inhuman.
Get it together, Kiryuu, he snaps at himself, failure weighing like a stone in his chest. His spouses made last night perfect for him, and he's ruining everything. He was supposed to be fixed! Why is this happening now? All the old self-loathing is rising up in him, and the urge to destroy himself is twitching beneath his skin. Zero clings to one single determination like a shipwrecked sailor to a driftwood spar: don't wake them up. Don't let Yuuki see you like this.
Oh Ancestress. What does Yuuki think of Zero now, after she saw him like that, completely out of his mind under the vampire's influence? Zero's memory gets hazy, but last night confirmed every fear he's harbored about the nature of an omega. Those instincts cushioned his mental state, true, but they also compelled him to act in ways he'd never rationally allow. Zero knows he hadn't been in control of himself once he'd got his first taste of cock, reduced to nothing more than an animal begging to be fucked (a vampire whore, just like they all said).
Cold. He's so cold.
Zero realizes his body is shivering. He locks his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering, and thinks don't throw up don't throw up until he can push the self-disgust down.
Touching his Consort's shoulder, Kaname feels bone-deep shivers wrenching Kiryuu's body, as though the Hunter were encased in ice instead of underneath heavy blankets and heated by two purebloods.
Kiryuu flinches away from his touch, and something in Kaname's chest pinches. No need to guess the cause of the Hunter's distress; Kaname expected some form of fallout from his Consort's first bedding. The pureblood loops an arm around Kiryuu's front, pulling him away from a sleeping Yuuki and onto his own chest.
Turning his face away, Kiryuu curls tighter on top of him, a turtle hiding in a shell.
"Zero," Kaname murmurs into his Consort's ear, gentling his voice but adding an undertone that warns he will not be ignored.
The Hunter's body tenses; a feeling like pain fills Kaname when Kiryuu hides his face against Kaname's breastbone.
"Sorry," Kiryuu croaks quietly enough not to wake Yuuki. "I didn't want to - didn't mean to wake you. I'm sorry - please just go back to sleep."
Kaname contemplates this. "As always, I am stunned by your complete lack of concern for yourself. And I was already awake."
Kiryuu says nothing in return. Minutes pass, and the tremors shaking the Hunter's body worsen; his breathing is shaky and uneven, and Kaname suspects Kiryuu is on the edge of passing out, or tearing himself apart.
The pain in Kaname's chest is still there.
"What's wrong, sweet boy?" Kaname finally asks, unable to stop himself from stroking a hand down his Consort's back, long firm passes from the crown of Kiryuu's head to the small of Kiryuu's back. It's strangely soothing when the Hunter goes limp, like a wounded bird hanging from the mouth of a cat.
"Nothing," Kiryuu lies raggedly, "I'm fine."
Curling a hand around the back of the Hunter's neck, Kaname wants to shake him. Even now, after all this, his Consort is still trying to hide from him. "If you're going to lie, make it something less obvious."
Kiryuu stiffens, and Kaname regrets his hasty words. Yuuki's breathing stays even and steady; they both listen for a few moments before Kaname tries again. "I spoke too sharply earlier. Will you tell me what's troubling you, Zero?"
The Hunter's body winds tighter, if possible. Then Kiryuu takes a sobbing breath, and his shoulders start to shake silently.
Bolting upright with Zero's body in his arms, and the scent of anguished omega replacing his boy's normal sweet smell, Kaname panics. This is a situation for Yuuki to handle - Kaname doesn't know what to do with a Zero who may be crying into his chest.
Comfort mate, stupid! prods the alpha, upset by its omega's distress.
"Shhh," the pureblood says, rubbing the Hunter's back again, trying to remember what Juuri and Haruka did for him as a child. "It's alright, precious boy. You're alright, you're safe here. I'm here, I have you…"
"Zero!" Yuuki cries, jerked awake by her omega's distressed scent, crawling over in her underwear to sandwich Zero into a hug. "What's wrong? Did we hurt you?"
Zero doesn't reply, caught up in his own misery, so deep even Yuuki's love can't cure it. Slowly, Zero's shaking eases down to fine trembling and little hitches of breath.
This would bring Kaname great relief, except Kaname is lost trying to remember when Zero's new nickname crept onto his tongue. Kaname mouths the word to himself. Precious? When did he start calling the Hunter his 'precious boy'?
Then Zero lifts his head, and Kaname forgets everything at the look in the Hunter's eyes. They're glassy, and completely dry, and filled with such emptiness Kaname fears what Zero might do to himself if left alone. (Zero should never, ever look that way again.)
"I'm not hurt," Zero says, and the words are like brittle husks.
"Your ridiculously understated definition of hurt, or ours?" Kaname snipes, unable to stop the words leaving his mouth.
Zero recoils, expression closing off.
"Kaname!" Yuuki snaps. "You're not helping."
The pureblood feels his face turn to stone, the conflict inside him denied its usual outlet.
His wife turns away, and curls her fingers around Zero's wrist. "Please, look at me Zero," she pleads, stroking the skin.
Stoic mask in place, the Hunter obeys, twisting his body to face hers and sliding off Kaname's chest.
Kaname doesn't miss the weight. He doesn't.
"Are you hurt?" Yuuki continues, whole manner sincerely concerned.
"The entire lower half of my body is sore," Zero admits easily, which means Kaname and Yuuki did him too much damage to conceal, and he's probably in not-insignificant pain.
"Shouldn't Zero have healed by now?" Yuuki asks in concern, looking toward Kaname for answers.
"Shirabuki's poison may still be slowing his healing," the pureblood offers. A worrisome possibility, especially since Zero is currently accepting Hunting assignments. Or the Hunter's body could be prioritizing serious wounds over cosmetic injuries, shepherding its until-recently limited resources. No way to know without calling a doctor, which Kaname fully intends to do after the soiree.
Yuuki nods, and gathers up her hair. "Drink my blood, Zero. It should help."
For some reason, Zero freezes, then shakes his head violently to refuse.
"Zero, please - "
"No," he insists. "I don't need it."
"Zero-"
"I don't need it!" the Hunter insists more loudly, a wild look in his eyes.
A suspicion slots into place. Kaname lays a hand on Zero's shoulder, and the Hunter jerks at Kaname's touch, the whites of his eyes showing.
"I will not allow you to destroy yourself for the sake of denying your own nature." Kaname says, low and intent. "You swore to Yuuki. You will not starve yourself again in my house, Kiryuu Zero."
Zero's gaze darts between the two purebloods, and that frantic energy flows out of his frame. The Hunter sags down into the bed, dull misery in his eyes. "I'll feed," he agrees quietly.
While his Consort laps at his wife's neck, Kaname tries to sort himself out. He needs to be focused and clear-headed to salvage this situation. If things go badly this evening, all their efforts will go to waste. And Kaname doesn't want to ruin this experience for Yuuki...and Zero.
The Ancestor of the Kuran contemplates his feelings. Yuuki is his beloved, his dear girl, the treasure of his heart. He loves her more than anything, deep and dark and dangerous. His wife is his anchor to this world, the one person who keeps his despair and apathy at bay. She makes remaining in Sleep unthinkable. She makes him want to be a man worthy of her. Yuuki brings his gloomy world into sunlight.
Kaname's feelings may be confused, but Kaname is certain he doesn't feel the same depth of emotion for Zero, and that reassures him enough to restore his emotional equilibrium. Yes, he may be unexpectedly fond of Zero, but his love for Yuuki is unmatched. Yuuki remains his most important person, but Kaname can allow Zero to have significance, the pureblood decides. That would be acceptable.
Now, how can he convince Zero to relinquish whatever troubles him? Untwisting each thread of possibility, Kaname ponders in the silence as his husband finishes feeding. Yuuki is watching over Zero, but every now and then she'll glance over and study Kaname when she thinks he won't notice. Kaname can guess at what might be troubling her - his own behavior - but hopes he can make amends.
"Have most of your injuries healed?" Yuuki asks gently, cupping Zero's cheek as he looks up at her wide-eyed. Silently, the Hunter bobs his head. "Can you tell me what's wrong?" she asks, stroking his skin.
Zero closes his eyes. He looks exhausted, and he hasn't even begun the day. "Sorry. Last night was really nice. I didn't mean to freak out. Everything just seemed so permanent, all of a sudden."
"Permanent," Yuuki repeats, biting her lip. "Do you regret what we did?" she ventures tremulously.
"No. I don't regret giving myself to you," Zero replies immediately. Kaname can hear the truth in his words. "This felt like a good time for us - maybe not the perfect time, but there was a lot about last night I enjoyed. You didn't do anything wrong, Yuuki. My problems are personal."
The two purebloods digest this in silence.
"What did you mean by 'permanent'?" Kaname finally asks, both curious and needing more information.
Zero looks contemplative. "Real. Everything suddenly felt real. Sometimes I feel like the last year must be some kind of dream or nightmare, and someday I'll wake up and everything will be just the way it was. But I woke up this evening, and I could feel the evidence of my body, and I - I know I can't go back to how things were before, but sometimes - " Zero trails off.
"Do you want to?" Yuuki whispers, her head bent down to hide this glisten of her eyes. Her lips barely move as she says, "Would you rather go back to the way things were before?"
The Hunter doesn't answer at once. He breathes, and his spouses wait to hear what he decides.
"No," Zero finally says, voice tinged with surprise and wonder, "I don't think I do." He rolls on his back, and touches one pureblood, then the other gently with his fingertips. "I don't want to be anywhere else."
Kaname takes his husband's hand and kisses it, light as a butterfly's wing, gladness spilling over inside him.
Yuuki has tears in her eyes as she clutches Zero's other hand to her heart, and kisses his mouth with love's fervor. "I know there's a lot you don't enjoy about our life, but I'm happy to hear you say that."
Zero smiles in return, but not all the lines in his face have smoothed out.
Kaname takes a risk. "That's not everything that's troubling you, is it?" he prompts. Stirring up unneeded trouble, perhaps, but letting things fester might be worse.
Zero answers with wary stoicism, those lavender eyes studying him with a hint of suspicion. Kaname's sudden contrary behavior has damaged their newly-built trust.
While Kaname usually finds the novelty of being denied entertaining, this time he regrets the rift between them. Hoping to earn back Zero's regard, he continues, "I don't mean to pry. I ask because last night was...significant, for me also, and I want you to feel comfortable after our experience together."
Studying him a moment longer, Zero melts and yields, his body relaxing as his native sweet, trusting nature wins out. Kaname experiences the irrational impulse to gather those fragile limbs up and hide his boy from all the vampires who would take advantage.
The Hunter runs a hand through his hair, hiding his eyes for a moment. "I guess I wasn't as reconciled with my body as I thought."
Evasive and vague - Zero is learning well. Kaname leans over Zero, who's lying supine on his back, and lifts the hand hiding the Hunter's face so Kaname can look down into his husband's reluctant eyes. "Can you tell me what in particular upset you? Yuuki and I would hate to unwittingly trigger an episode next time we're enjoying one another."
"The usual." Zero's expression is ambivalent, and his gaze slides away from Kaname. "This body still doesn't feel like it completely belongs to me, but the vampire is perfectly at home. I had trouble accepting that."
Yuuki is looking between the two of them, allowing Kaname this chance to pry information out of Zero. She's learned the value of silence, and her sharp eyes are picking up the undercurrents in Zero's tension. She knows, as Kaname does, that Zero is withholding part of the truth.
"You don't have to feel fine all the time, Zero. And that's the only thing that distressed you?" Kaname coaxes, lowering his voice and tucking Zero's hair behind his ear.
His sweet boy stares up at him, unwilling to answer but equally reluctant to lie.
"Zero?" Yuuki entreats as she places a hand on his shoulder, adding her influence to overcome Zero's hesitation.
The Hunter swallows, shame overshadowing his features like a raincloud. "I'll tell you, if you want. Can we get closer first? I'm cold."
Kaname and Yuuki are more than willing to fulfill Zero's request; they edge closer, pulling up the duvet until all three of them are cocooned in warmth, wrapping their arms around Zero to keep him close. The tension in Zero's body ebbs, and his eyes flutter closed. "I like being in bed with other people," he murmurs. "I sleep so much better this way."
Yuuki nuzzles his shoulder, yawning herself. It's late afternoon, and both of them should still be asleep.
Reminding the pair about their interrupted discussion, Kaname says, "What did you have to tell us, Zero?"
All his ease evaporates, and Zero's breathing picks up. He twists - first one way, than another - as though trying to escape himself.
Kanames feels his brow furrow. Zero does not easily become this shaken.
Yuuki puts a hand out to still him; Zero stares at it, then meets her gaze. "Last night…" he begins, then loses confidence, or perhaps searches for the right words. "I acted differently last night, didn't I? After dinner, and then..." he trails off.
Kaname draws in a breath. Of course - Kaname lured those omega instincts to the surface. Zero may never have experienced them so strongly before, and Zero lived with a horror of being consumed by his vampire hungers. That horror was so strong he would have welcomed execution to stop himself from hurting others. Kaname avoided letting Zero realize the extent of the omega's influence for exactly that reason. If Zero fears the omega will control him…
Kaname needs to uproot this fear immediately - but dear Yuuki is one step ahead of him.
"Did you do anything you really, fundamentally didn't want to do?" she says, worry hiding beneath the matter-of-fact tone in her voice. Unsaid is her real fear - did we rape you?
Zero turns this over. "No, I don't think so," he allows, "but I know I wasn't myself."
Yuuki cocks her head to the side. "Was it your vampire?"
Grimacing, Zero says, "Yes, but different. I think it was my omega instincts. It made me lose control. I acted like a slut -"
"What makes you say that?" Kaname steps in as Yuuki opens her mouth to make a heated denial.
Zero flushes and glares. "I just - I wanted it so much. I begged. I displayed myself. I was shameless. Lewd."
"Is that a bad thing?" Kaname asks in his mildest tone.
"Yes! I wasn't in control - I did things under that influence I wouldn't consciously do -."
Kaname interrupts. "If you felt strongly that you didn't want to act, could you have stopped yourself?"
Zero stops short, and grows solemn. "I didn't - I don't remember struggling." His gaze turns inward, more analytical and detached, the Hunter training taking over. "The impulses were much weaker than Level E. If pushed I could probably resist it." Hearing the words aloud seems to reassure him, but then his gaze flickers to Yuuki. "Seeing me like that - do you think less of me?"
"Never. As long as you want and enjoy it too, I think it's fantastic. If you don't mind me saying so," she adds, cracking a smile, "last night you were insanely sexy."
Rather taken aback, Zero eyes Yuuki like he doubts her sanity and might need to flee at any moment.
Then Yuuki touches his wrist, losing her smile."Your vampire is part of you too. Zero. You accept the pureblood part of me and the human part. Can't I do the same? I love you no matter what. Every part of you."
"Thank you," Zero says, not entirely convinced but looking more at peace.
Zero inhales deeply, and the breath eddies in his lungs until his chest hurts. Then he releases the trapped air, and it flows out of him with a rush of relief. He's not cured - far from it - but his turmoil feels manageable again, dialed down to functional levels. He can get through tonight, he tells himself. He has too (Even though his stomach flips and twists when he remembers the remorseless scrutiny he'll endure).
Hunter practicality reasserts itself. Yuuki's blood was a blessing, burning reassuringly in his belly, but Zero is still going to be limping tonight without more assistance, if the sharp, full ache in his hips is any guide. He glares, taking refuge in anger when an unwise shift sends a pang shooting through his sore insides. "I better be able to walk this evening," he grumps.
Kuran gets a smug, gleeful air and doesn't even bother hiding his smirk. Even Yuuki looks sheepishly proud.
Zero's glare could melt steel. "Fix it, stupid pureblood."
"Of course," Kuran purrs, and disappears underneath the blanket.
Zero barely stops himself from shrieking when he feels hands touch his thighs, and a brunette head pops up. "What are you doing, you dirty old man?!" he demands.
"Helping," Kaname offers like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.
"How!"
Kuran grins. "Pureblood saliva has healing properties, remember?"
"...you're going to lick me," Zero deadpans.
"Nowhere fun," the pureblood responds, like that makes it better. Zero gapes, then fumes, working himself into a good rage.
Kuran must take that as permission, because he disappears back down under the duvet. The wet catch of his tongue on Zero's thigh produces a flinch, quickly disguised for Yuuki's sake.
Kuran must feel it anyway, because the pureblood smoothes a hand down Zero's hip. "Easy, sweet boy."
Zero's jaw tightens; Kuran has his palm on a mass of handprint-shaped bruises. Yuuki catches Zero's flinch this time, and frowns. "I'll help too," she says, and ducks down to join her husband.
Now there are two blanket covered lumps and Zero's thighs are spread as far as they can go. Increasingly bewildered, he watches his spouses wiggle around beneath their bedcovers, utterly undignified.
"Sorry," Yuuki's voice is muffled, but her remorse is easy to hear as she touches the dark marks left by pureblood strength.
Zero bops the lump he thinks is Yuuki's head. "Don't say dumb stuff. I don't mind a few bruises. Hunter, remember?"
She stops protesting and settles down into a reluctant silence. As they tend to him, both lapping wetly at his skin, Zero's aches are slowly soothed. He relaxes - and incredibly, feels a hot spark kindle in his stomach.
Now is obviously not the time; Zero cynically wonders what's wrong with him, that his body is physically interested even when he's twisted up inside. Lost in his dark thoughts, Zero realizes the soft wet touches have stopped. Even after a few moments, neither of his spouses move. What are they-?
"Are you sniffing my crotch?" the Hunter demands, his face burning.
A guilty shuffle under the blankets. "Zero smells really good like this," Yuuki's voice pipes up. Kuran makes a noise of agreement, and a nose shoves into the cotten of Zero's underwear, right in the center. Both of them sound drunkenly enthralled.
Zero wants to incinerate on the spot. "Bloody alphas."
"How do you feel?" Yuuki asks as Zero limps gingerly into the outer room of the master suite, returning from his own rooms. Yuuki and her alpha were a mess the entire time he was gone, and only Yuuki's knowledge that Zero won't appreciate the attention keeps her from fussing over him.
When he gets to an armchair, Zero stares at it for a moment, then sits down gingerly, careful with his lower half.
Her alpha feels immensely proud of how thoroughly they mounted mate; Yuuki can hear it congratulating itself in the back of her mind. She shoves it viciously down. Even for something like this, Yuuki hates hurting Zero.
And she was utterly terrified when she awoke to find Zero in that horrible state of agony. She's still worried Zero hasn't improved, just mastered hiding his hurt.
"I ache less," Zero replies, ignoring his mental wellbeing and answering the easier half of her question. "The licking helped." Now he's blushing again with that angry, embarrassed look on his face that makes Yuuki want to eat him.
Ravish mate again, the alpha says. Yuuki sternly tells it off. Now is not an appropriate time. We will ravish mate later, it allows, undeterred.
"How are you today?" Zero asks, taking a slice of toast and distracting Yuuki from her battle of wills with her stupid instincts. The kitchen staff sent a massive breakfast this evening, conspicuously matching the newly-deflowered Consort's taste. Word travels fast in Rosehill.
"Good," Yuuki replies, playing nervously with the hem of her dress. She's already wearing her outfit for the soiree - all of them are leaving early to help Takuma finish preparing and discuss any last-minute changes to their strategy. Seated nearby, pretending not to be listening, Kaname is missing only his coat and vest, while Zero remains in his under robes to avoid any accidental damage to the elaborate outer layers of his costume. Tonight their aim is formal simplicity - it wouldn't do to outshine Takuma at his own celebration.
"You went back to sleep okay?" Zero continues, examining the jams. He probably feels guilty for waking her - that would be just like him.
"Yes," the pureblood chokes out, hoping he's too distracted to notice. It's true that she went back to sleep - eventually.
Seeing Zero laid out in front of her, all that creamy pale skin and sleek muscle, and then touching all the places she carnally marked, the proof of Zero's claiming, his wonderful smell - well, Yuuki was far too aroused to sleep. She lay awake until Zero dropped off, then snuck out of bed to jerk off in the bathroom of her little-used personal suite until Kaname, equally frustrated, joined her. Yuuki pushed him down on the floor, wrapped his hands around her cock, and rode him until they both fucked the edge off, three or four orgasms later. Pureblood stamina applied to a lot of things, it seemed.
"That's good," Zero responds sincerely, "I would hate to have kept you up."
"Mmmm," she agrees, feeling the tips of her ears redden.
"Can I ask you both something?" Zero says suddenly, putting aside the uneaten half of his toast.
"Is that all you're going to eat?" Yuuki says, eyeing Zero's unfinished meal, wise to Zero's bad habits and in the mood to spoil him.
"There will be food at the soiree," Zero counters, "I'll eat later."
"What did you want to ask?" Kaname interjects, proving he's been listening the whole time.
Zero jumps on the offered distraction. "It's personal. You don't need to answer if you don't want to."
Kaname and Yuuki exchange a look. "I'll answer anything," Yuuki volunteers, crossing her legs.
"It's just - do your instincts ever make you do things? Feel things?"
Yuuki blinks. "Well yeah, all the time. Dumb stuff, mostly."
Zero's answering blinks are slightly bewildered. "Like what."
Yuuki relaxes into the arm of her chair. "Well, just recently the alpha wanted to steal you - I mean kidnap you - and hide you away cause you do dangerous things all the time. I could come up with more if I thought about it, but it's pretty much all like that - embarrassing things I'd never want to say out loud. Mostly about sex," she adds. "My alpha adores you and thinks you're the hottest thing it's ever seen, so we get along pretty well."
"The omega's instincts didn't do much before now. Except make me violent," Zero shares.
"An alpha's instincts are naturally hyperactive in comparison. It's like reproductive drive personified," Kaname comments, scorn dripping from every syllable.
"Do yours make you do stuff?" Yuuki asks her husband curiously. They've never spoken about it before, but Kaname is always so much better at vampire things. Maybe Yuuki's alpha is just weird?
Kaname waves a hand, dismissing the subject. "I ignore the alpha entirely. Ridiculous foolishness not worth repeating."
Raising an eyebrow, Yuuki resolves to pry a better answer out of him later.
Obviously trying to distract her, Kaname quickly says, "Shall we give Zero our present now?"
Zero's skirts rustle as he sends Yuuki a questioning look, leaning over to put his teacup aside with a poorly hidden wince. "You didn't need to get me anything just because we - you know."
"I wanted to, whether or not anything happened," Yuuki replies honestly. "It was Kaname's idea, actually," she shares, darting a sneaky glance in her husband's direction.
Zero pauses, staring at an inscrutable Kaname whose face gives nothing away. "Really?"
"Yes," Yuuki confirms with relish, enjoying the chance to rat him out.
"It wasn't specifically for sex," Kaname argues. "Now was simply an opportune moment to reveal it publically."
"What is it?" Zero is clearly puzzled by the cryptic answers.
"Let me show you," Yuuki interjects. "Stay right there and don't move, okay?" She speeds into the bedroom, and returns with a large white cardboard box held shut with a velvet ribbon and wax crest. "Here," she says, holding the box out to Kaname. "You thought of it, you should give it to him."
"You needn't make such a production, Yuuki. It's a political gesture, nothing more," Kananame says as he accepts it, looking peeved at being caught doing something nice for Zero.
Yuuki holds in her laughter, and settles on the arm of Kaname's chair for a front row seat.
Breaking the wax seal in one swift motion, Kaname removes the lid to show the tissue paper underneath. It crinkles as Kaname folds it back, displaying the contents to Zero - a heavy omega's robe with rectangular, pendulous sleeves in the ancient formal style. Underneath the outer robe, Yuuki knows, is a matching sash and shawl. It's exactly the simple, masculine garment Zero favors, with panels of alternating black and white silk bordered in gold trim. Stamped on each breast and in the center of the robe's back is a gold kamon, the stylized round crest possessed by each noble family.
"It's beautiful, but I don't understand," Zero murmurs, touching the silk.
Kaname tries to explain the significance. "A noble family receives a kamon as a gift from their pureblood ancestor. It is a mark of rank, and deeply prized. Each one is unique - they're even kept in a registry. And this one," Kaname says, reaching out to trace the golden roundel, "belongs to you."
"To me?" Zero repeats, looking at the mark with new eyes.
"Yes," Yuuki confirms. "They have to be approved by the Council of Elders before being entered in the registry. Kaname pushed the approval through extra quickly with Takuma-kun's help. It means you are the equal of any noble, Zero. It's recognition of your place and your importance. It's a mark of legitimacy, and it will be inherited by our children. We'd like you to wear it and show it off tonight."
Zero's eyes are softer as he runs his hand over the seal. "A peony?" he says, tracing the petals.
"The mark of a purebred Hunter," Kaname agrees. "I thought it would be fitting."
"It's perfect." Zero's face shines as he smiles quietly at Kaname.
Kaname looks blinded; Yuuki feels like a cat eating cream. "Look at the trim," she urges, her face splitting into a smile of her own.
Zero unfolds the robe with a rustle, and the fabric spills out of his hands. "The Kuran rose," he recognizes. Then his eyes widen. "And my peony. Side-by-side."
"Yes," Yuuki says, going to stand beside him and sliding her hands over his shoulders. "United. Everyone will see it. They'll know what it means."
God help anyone who disrespected Kiryuu Zero.
"I can't wait until everyone realizes the Jeweled Court was presided over by a virgin," Kuran gloats. He has a glass of wine in hand and a predatory set in his shoulders. While Yuuki, escorted by Seiren, is off catching up with Souen, Kuran and Zero are visiting Takuma, who is still receiving guests in the atrium of the Ichijo estate.
Zero is not so sanguine. Hidden inside his sleeves, his hands clamp down around his wrists, but his impassive expression remains fixed on his face. So far, his telltale scent - mixed sex fluids, he's told, with a certain hint of tissue and blood - has garnered even more notice than they anticipated. Catching his smell, passing vampires have stopped short to stare; servants have tripped and fallen; guests have dropped plates and shattered glasses. The Hunter can feel eyes following him anywhere he goes, heads lift to sample his scent as he departs, and behind every hand darts whispers of his newest scandal. From the lowest servant to the highest lord, everyone knows the details of Zero's intimacy, and it shames him to parade that fact in front of vampire society's noses just to prove a point, to callously display himself even when he knows the purpose.
He's lost count of the times the Kurans have openly been congratulated for fucking him. Zero can feel the reminder every time he takes a step - in the ache that shoots through him, his omega's longing awareness of its emptiness, and the continual, strange, ticklish feeling of wetness oozing out.
Takuma watches the Hunter with knowing eyes, and mildly intercedes on Zero's behalf. "Perhaps we should let them come to that conclusion themselves, Kaname. We don't want to make Zero uncomfortable."
"That might be a little heavy-handed," Zero's husband allows, glancing at the Hunter before gesturing at the waiter for another full glass.
"I hope I didn't overwhelm you earlier," Takuma continues, placing a reassuring hand on Zero's arm.
Zero chuckles. "You were fine, Takuma-sempai. It's not you knowing that bothers me." When Takuma first laid eyes on Zero, he'd made a sound suspiciously like a squeal, and rushed over to inspect Zero for damage. When Zero laughed and smiled back at him, Takuma had engulfed him in a hug, ushered him over to be fed, and gently fished every last detail out of Yuuki's retelling, beaming like the sun throughout.
"Who are we missing?" Kuran asks, lowering his voice and swirling the dark liquid in his glass.
"Most of the Senate heavyweights," Takuma replies. "Noguchi and Abe from the Court. We aren't allowing messages to pass out of the estate, so they should have no warning of the situation here."
A slow smiles spreads over the pureblood's face, and he guides Zero back toward the sound of violins with a hand in the small of the Hunter's back; both the Kurans been touching Zero at every opportunity. Leaning down so his mouth graze's Zero's ear, Kuran murmurs. "Let's give you something to do. A test."
"What kind?" Zero replies cautiously, intrigued despite himself. Probably a sign of how badly he needs a distraction from his aches and thoughts.
Kuran smiles against his hair. "A test of your training, and how well you've learned to sort through stimuli. Open yourself to your extra sense. Limit your focus to those guests near you as we move through the crowd. Block out anything else. Drop out before you become overwhelmed. I will be here if you need me to ground you."
Swallowing, the Hunter debates his readiness. His control is far better, but they've never tried an environment as busy as this. And if Zero knows anything about how Kuran's twisted mind works, assessing his confidence is also part of the test. Damn pureblood knows Zero won't turn down a challenge from that irritating vintage vampire he's married to.
Zero hardly needs mushin any longer. Rather than wading slowly into deep water, now it's more like the rush of a clean dive, holding mushin for an instant, then slicing straight down with barely a ripple and sinking through the depths.
"Eyes open," Kuran reminds him.
Zero's eyes flicker open just as the world gains new dimensions, washing over him with that halo of awareness, existence suddenly taking on strange colors and forms. He wobbles; Kuran's hand on his back steadies him. "Thanks," Zero says absently. The new striations of pain his extra sense reveals and the bright chorus of his body's protests are fascinating.
"Zero," the pureblood's voice warns. Zero reminds himself not to get caught up in small sensations. There's a bigger picture that needs to occupy his attention.
Kuran wraps his arm around Zero's waist, pulling the Hunter flush against his husband's side. "I'll handle the conversation. Concentrate on processing what you sense, and controlling your expression."
Zero nods, and Kuran pulls him into the swirling crowd. Vampire vampire vampire, his Hunter senses shrill. Zero struggles to narrow his focus, just concentrate on the ones talking to Kuran, but it's hard when feedback bursts from every side: 'someone's watching me,' 'malevolent attention' and audible fragments from dozens of shifting conversations.
Picking at any single thread from the coruscating maelstrom is difficult, keeps sliding out of his hands. Zero clings to the familiar instead - the distinct signature of the vampire carrying his weight, whose identity Zero would know anywhere.
Purebloods have a unique smell, Zero's discovered: cool, clean and deep. It reminds the Hunter of a fresh, crisp, heavy snow - the kind that blankets the earth in white and gathers in thick drifts. Yuuki is different, more like the clean mountain air above a glacier. Kuran's personal scent overlays it, something dry and woody from his cologne that makes Zero think of evergreen forests in winter. Balanced within his unearthly perception, Zero can almost taste Kuran's power, like the tang of icy steel.
"Consort Kiryuu," drawls a male voice.
Zero's power snaps tight, given an immediate threat to center on. "Abe-san," he replies neutrally, through a world like cut crystal. This was the confrontation he desired, the reason for tonight's soiree; confidence, he reminds himself.
The omega is not alone. Noguchi is watching shrewdly beside a sneering Abe, while Kaneko looms behind looking like she'd rather flee. Or perhaps Zero's sensing it? Difficult to unwind the telltale pattern when no cue is hidden before Zero's power.
Kuran's grip around his waist tightens, but Zero's perception gives him no clues. No one is harder to read then Zero's husband. Aura, heartbeat, breathing, posture, expression - his tells are so subtle, so well hidden Zero can barely catch them. A side effect of knowing the Ancestor of the Hunters and her powers, no doubt. For now, other than accepting their greetings Kuran seems content staying out of the confrontation.
Abe's voice rings over-sincere. "It's so good to see you, Consort. Especially looking so well." The noble's heart changes pace, and only settles when he finishes speaking. Odd.
"Thank you," Zero says, knowing full well Abe means the opposite of what he says. "Kaname and Yuuki are very considerate. Their care is the only reason I recovered so quickly from my injuries - and from more recent exertions too," he adds belatedly. No need to hide when they already know Zero finally took a cock.
While Abe wipes the pinched look off his face, Noguchi slides in. "How wonderful. The whole court will be pleased to hear you've taken up your duties." She's a picture of serenity, even when she's backhandedly implying - again - that Zero's been derelict in his duties by waiting to sleep with the Kurans. Her body's rhythms flutter as she speaks too, just like Abe.
Zero wants to frown, but keeps his face still through an act of will. He can sense so much now, and that mysterious intuition guides him well, but he often doesn't consciously understand what it means except in flashes of insight.
"And the kamon you've chosen for him is beautiful, Kuran-sama!" gushes Kaneko. Unlike the others, she stays constant in Zero's extrasensory perception. Truth, his gift whispers to him.
"Yes, I'm pleased with the outcome," Kuran demurs, and the hand around Zero's waist slides up to trace the outer circle of his new crest, resting right above his heart. Attuned to the omegas before him, Zero catches tiny shifts in their body language and expression as Kuran moves.
What is Kuran doing? First leading Zero straight to his toughest critics, and now being handsy in public? Trapped as he is before polite society, Zero can do nothing except carry on, keeping the conversation light and feeling his way forward. "It's good you could all attend. I know Takuma-sempai appreciates it. He's been so excited to share his news."
More tiny changes in the omegas before him; Zero catalogues tensing muscles and split second tightened eyes. Hold on - did those patterns mean jealousy? Earlier, when the Senate omegas repeated the same signals, had they been jealous of Zero? His gut instinct confirms the guess; Zero can feel the innate rightness of his conclusion, even if he doesn't understand their motivation.
Then Kuran nuzzles Zero's ear, and Zero reads even clearer the jealousy lurking in the three omegas before him. Intuition strikes like lightning.
They want his alpha.
A bolt of anger shears through him a moment later. Shoshana told him, didn't she? The power, the privilege, the proximity to sacred blood. Now that Zero's looking, he can see it everywhere in the faces of the vampires watching him - the cadence of their words, the curl of their mouths, the length of their glances.
Well, Kuran may be a shady, petty old bastard with more secrets than an entire government, but he's Zero's problem now. And damn them all if they think Zero's going to let anyone take Kuran away. They're his, Yuuki and Kaname both. He won't surrender them, not to these weaklings and toadies.
Now that he recognizes the sensation, Zero can feel the omega rear up, a miasma of aggression and possessiveness in his thoughts, and he embraces it, rides that dangerous edge. Hunter that he is, Zero pounces ruthlessly on the newly bared weakness.
Laying a hand atop Kuran's, Zero gives his most besotted smile to Abe and his allies. "I've been pretty, ah, 'occupied' with Kaname and Yuuki recently. You know how it is with newlyweds. So I'm glad I was able to be here and support Takuma-sempai tonight."
Abe looks like he swallowed a fly. Kaneko stinks of nervousness and desire, and Noguchi has a fixed, polite expression on her face.
"I really hope we'll be holding a celebration of our own soon. If our baby is close to Takuma's child in age they could play together," Zero continues brightly, relaxing into Kuran's embrace to lay it on as thickly as he can. Kuran willingly obliges, pulling Zero even closer. "Of course, it might be nice to have some time to ourselves too. For other things," he emphasizes, his tone implying heavily those things would happen naked and aroused.
Then Zero feigns concern. "Oh, Abe-san, you must be so embarrassed. I'm terribly sorry that you ended up in this position."
"What position," the dark-eyed omega grits out. Noguchi has a hand outstretched toward his shoulder to keep him from falling into Zero's trap - too late.
"Well," Zero points out, playing the wide-eyed innocent, "you said all those things in front of the Jeweled Court about my lovers. Now that everyone knows better, I'm worried you might look a little foolish. As leaders of the Court, we have to be careful about believing rumors, Abe-san. We wouldn't want to lead anyone astray."
Abe has gone purple with rage, and might possibly be on the edge of a stroke. Satisfied for the night, Zero turns to Kuran and says, "Yuuki is expecting us to return soon."
Kuran nods sagaciously. "You're quite right. Allow me to escort you," he says, holding out his arm like a gallant storybook knight.
Zero barely keeps himself from snickering at the ill-matched image as he accepts. "Thank you, husband," he replies, using the title as one last swipe at the Senate omegas, and they sweep away.
That was the most satisfying thing Zero's done in ages. Kuran's eyes are lit with equal enjoyment; they share a secretive, triumphant glance.
Zero raises his chin and straightens his back as they move through the crowd, aware of the curious onlookers who will spread news of that confrontation and in the mood to show off. The omega wants to display its victory too, and ward off opportunistic rivals sniffing around the alphas it's deemed worthy.
For a moment, Zero considers suppressing the instinct - and then leaves it alone. For now, the two of them are in agreement, and his ability to identify the omega's influence reassures him. He will allow the instinct to function.
For now.
"I really do like the crest you chose," Zero remarks, fingers tightening possessively around his husband's arm. "Thank you again." It means a great deal to him, in truth. He's had to sacrifice so much to fit in. The peony kamon is an integral scrap of his Hunter identity and a symbol of his bloodline's greatest pride, transformed to fit his new status instead of being cast away or abandoned. Zero treasures the gesture; he touches the golden mark again now in affection.
"It's made quite an impression on the aristocracy. Pairing your bedding with awarding that crest has sent a powerful message."
"And what's that?" Zero asks as Yuuki comes into view, surrounded by Kuran's inner circle and a school of adoring nobles.
"You are ours now, in body and law." Suspended inside his power, Zero doesn't dare look too closely at the meaning beneath those words. But he senses the weight of Kuran's eyes anyway.
At the noise of struck crystal, the crowd begins to quiet, and Aido jumps and spills an entire flute of champagne down his front. The noble yelps, frantically looking around for nonexistent napkins. Finding none, he murmurs in Yuuki's general direction something about the toilet, and escapes quickly enough to pretend he doesn't hear Ruka's protests.
Conscious of her dignity, Yuuki tries not to giggle as Ruka mutters under her breath and the guests turn toward Takuma and Shoto, holding hands in the center of the room. Poor Aido. Let out of jail for one night, and he runs into more bad luck.
"We thank our esteemed guests for attending our gathering this evening," Shoto begins, bestowing a light inclination of his head to the crowd. "My Consort and I wish to make an announcement." The pureblood has a light, relaxed air as he gestures Takuma forward.
The blond omega wears a content smile that warms the heart of anyone who sees it. "We're happy to say that I conceived during my last heat." The crowd breaks into steady applause; Takuma is well-liked, and most of the guests are genuinely pleased to hear the official news of his pregnancy.
The blond holds up a hand, and the room gradually goes silent again. "We realize that holding a celebration for this announcement goes against tradition. But this is a special circumstance," he entreats, holding a hand to his belly. "Our child will be the first noble to have five pure blooded ancestors. You all know the significance of that achievement."
The guests cheer wildly. With fewer purebloods to provide an infusion of power, human blood has been creeping back into the vampire families. Adding Takuma's child and its extremely pure ancestry will help stem the erosion of the noble bloodlines. Quite literally, Takuma is helping guarantee the aristocracy's existence.
Out of the corner of her eye, Yuuki spots Zero pushing toward her with an urgent expression. Seeing its mate, her alpha settles, but Yuuki herself tenses. With sudden disquiet, she turns and begins moving toward him, keeping half her attention on the speech.
Now that the crowd is firmly on his side, Takuma smiles again. "Our child belongs just as much to the community as it does to us. That's why Isaya and I felt this is a landmark worth celebrating alongside all of you."
The guests begin cheering and clapping again. Zero draws close and seizes Yuuki's sleeve, yanking her closer. There is real alarm in his eyes; Yuuki feels dread well up in her belly. Beneath the noise of the crowd, the Hunter tries to speak. "She's here, Yuuki, I can sense her. We have to let Takuma-sempai know -"
"Congratulations, Takuma-kun." A sugary sweet voice cuts through the crowd, and Yuuki's stomach turns to ice.
Takuma stiffens for a half-second before his expression gentles back to contentment. "Thank you for coming, Shirabuki-san," he says through the dead silence, speaking as though the pureblood intruder was an invited, welcomed guest.
The nobles melt away, trained never to obstruct the path of a pureblood, and Shirabuki's deceptively angelic form comes into view. She cocks her head to the side, a gleam of malice in her eyes, and her blonde curls spill over her shoulder. "Really? I didn't receive an invitation."
"I'm always happy to host one of my own rank," Shoto steps in, saving Takuma from an answer. The elder pureblood moves forward, putting his Consort behind his shoulder. "Please excuse the oversight, Shirabuki-san."
Shirabuki gives her soft, girlish giggle. "My misunderstanding entirely, Shoto-san." She gestures toward their audience. The nobles know something dangerous is going on, and remain frozen, watching the struggle play out. "Please don't stop on my account. I'm just here to have a nice evening out."
Slowly, the party picks up again; the orchestra begins to play, and guests go back to their conversations.
"Seiren," Kaname orders tersely, and his Shadow disappears, obeying the implied order ro monitor Shirabuki Sara. The inner circle exchange looks, even sleepy Shiki and expressionless Rima.
"Go mingle. Stay in pairs. Report if you see anything," Kaname raps out, calculating the new playing field.
"Aido is in the toilet," Kain says.
"Find him first," her husband amends without losing a beat. "And take Ruka. Report back so I know you've joined up."
As Kain and Ruka hurry away, Kaname turns toward Yuuki. "You and Zero will remain together, within sight of the Hunter monitors. I want someone who Shirabuki cannot influence with their eyes on you."
"You think that will be necessary?" Yuuki murmurs, feeling a chill.
"I can feel several of her familiars in the area," Zero says quietly.
Yuuki angrily stews over this as Kaname leaves to find Takuma. What is that woman doing here? What does she want? Even with Kaname saying a word, Yuuki knows their carefully managed evening is in shambles. She bites her lip in frustration. Now everyone will be talking about power struggles between the purebloods or Shirabuki's continued interest in Takuma instead of the news they wanted rumors to focus on. Zero's revelation will spread, certainly, but it will be competing for attention.
Yuuki feels a hand enfold hers, and she tries to clear her mind. She's so frustrated! Zero pushed himself so hard for this, and now it didn't even work!
"Hey," Zero says, voice soft.
Yuuki looks up, and he's smiling that small, private smile. "I'm not sorry I did any of this, even if it didn't turn out like we expected. I'm glad we could finally be together."
Like Zero probably intended, Yuuki smiles, her spirits immediately lifted. "If you liked it, maybe we could do it again sometime?" she teases.
Zero's nose wrinkles. "Kuran is responsible for teaching you this, I just know it."
Yuuki makes her saddest face, and the Hunter rolls his eyes. "Fine, but let me recover a bit first if you're going to be so enthusiastic."
Yuuki laughs, and the leftover apprehension leaves. With her emotions settled, Yuuki goes back to her pureblood princess role, acting the political performance she needs. Ruka comes back with Kain and Aido in tow and mingles for a little while before wandering off. Yuuki keeps a hand on Zero the whole time, conscious of the threat circling the ballroom. But nothing happens, and the trouble seems to have passed. Yuuki begins to imagine they might escape further chaos.
Then Zero's head whips around, and Yuuki knows trouble's come to meet them instead.
"How are you this evening, Yuuki-chan? Enjoying yourself?" Shirabuki inquires with a sparkle in her eye. She's enjoying herself, knowing she's disrupted the party.
Yuuki puts on her best pureblood air, and regally inclines her head. "Very much, Shirabuki-san. Takuma has thrown a lovely soiree."
A spark of anger lights in the blonde's eye. "Yes, although Shoto's guest list leaves something to be desired."
Yuuki says nothing, though Zero tenses beside her.
Shirabuki shakes off her ire, again acting the sweet, solicitous sempai. "I wanted to see you, Yuuki-san. You and I haven't gotten together recently - I hope I haven't done anything to offend you?
"Of course not," Yuuki lies. "I've been busy."
Shirabuki waves a beringed hand; her fingers are tipped in soft pink polish, matching the cherry blossoms on her lacy white dress. "Entirely understandable. You've been taking care of Zero-kun - that's terribly important!"
Making a vague noise of agreement, Yuuki grips Zero tighter out of Shirabuki's sight.
Malice tints the blonde pureblood's smile. "It's a good thing I didn't fuck him when I had the chance, isn't it?"
Yuuki's lips tighten. Her alpha roars, clawing and biting; she keeps her composure only by a hair.
"What chance was that?" Zero comments in a bored tone. "I seem to remember having my gun shoved in your gut."
Shirabuki's wrath burns through her mask. "Do not push me, little D. I no longer require your cooperation."
"Do not threaten my Consort, Shirabuki Sara," Yuuki says hotly, "You are being ill-mannered."
The blonde regains her mask, back to smiling tranquility. "Of course, Yuuki-chan. How silly of me! Actually, I was about to leave. Would you mind passing on a message to darling Kaname-kun for me?"
Yuuki isn't bothered when Shirabuki uses her familiar name without permission, but every time the woman uses that suffix for Kaname she hates the disrespect it implies. "I'd be happy to pass a message to my husband."
Shirabuki smiles. "Remind Kaname that he isn't as smart as he thinks he is. He's brilliant, but I'm the one with more experience in these matters. I just thought it might make him feel better."
Waving a hand, Shirabuki laughs as she leaves. Over her shoulder she calls, "Nice to see you, Yuuki-chan, Zero-kun!"
"Did she seem desperate to you?" Zero whispers in her ear.
Desperate? More like triumphant.
"As if she was in a rush," Zero clarifies.
Yuuki just shakes her head, feeling the gathering cloud of misfortune.
Casting his mobile onto the bedside table, Kaname rubs his eyes. He's taken every possible precaution, but purebloods are fiendishly difficult opponents to guard against. There are too many weak points when your enemy is an immortal with infinite potential power, and Shirabuki's preferred strategies are especially insidious. Whatever she's done, Kaname will need simple quickness to counter it.
"Can one of you help me?"
There's Zero, silhouetted in the light of their bathroom and looking adorably unsure, wrapped neck to knees in a white cotton towel - and just like that, the erection Kaname's been struggling to suppress all evening breaks free with a spasm of raw need.
Knowing Zero was wandering around that fancy party, leaking Kaname's seed while his scent shouted to every greedy vampire present how Kaname was the first to mark those untouched walls, fill that virgin womb -
Kaname has to close his eyes against the force of his lust, sinking liquid into his bones. "What do you need, Zero?" he asks, opening his eyes once he has a measure of restraint.
Yuuki sends him a shrewd glance. Zero's nose is poor, but she can smell the smothering lust he's giving off - just as he can scent Yuuki's answering arousal.
Zero looks mortified. "I can't - I need to clean up you-know-where, but I still can't touch myself. Can you - I mean, can you..." Trailing off, Zero looks like he wants to flee.
Across the room in a blink, Kaname soothes him, one hand on his shoulder. "Zero, I hope you realize what you're asking. If I get my fingers inside you, precious, this won't stop until you're bouncing on my lap."
"Oh," Zero says faintly, once more the panicked innocent. "I, um…"
Then Kaname's nose twitches. "You're getting wet," he rumbles, delighted, and catches Zero's jaw so his husband can't look away.
Zero is slowly going red, his throat working as he tries to swallow.
"You are," Yuuki marvels, stalking closer.
"We left so much inside you. Have you been a good boy and kept our come right where it belongs?" Kaname inquires, tipping his Consort's chin up.
Yuuki makes a hungry noise, running her fingers down Zero's arm. "Did you think about how we put it there?"
The Hunter finds his voice, glaring from one starving predator to the other. "Damn you, Kuran Kaname, for teaching me to want. I - I feel - the omega part of me feels so empty. Like there's a deep place inside me that wants to be full. And I didn't even know it until you -"
"Decide what you want," Kaname rasps, his thumb rubbing curved bone while his other hand grasps Zero's towel.
"I'm not confident enough to have sex again," Zero admits in a moment of candor. Then he casts a heated glance at Yuuki, and watches Kaname through his eyelashes. "But I want to be a dutiful Consort and serve my husband and wife properly."
"Counter offer," Kaname purrs. "I finger your filthy, messy little pussy as our seed drips down your thighs until you scream and cream yourself all over my hand. Then we'll clean you up and you'll help us mark your skin anew with our come."
Zero chokes, but the scent of his arousal grows heavier and his towel slips through loosened fingers.
Snatching away the flimsy barrier, Yuuki growls triumphantly. "Could you tell, Zero? Everyone lusted over you tonight, envied us the chance to have a virgin omega. They wished you were theirs, but they can't have you. You're ours, and tonight all those alphas could smell who made love to you. I want you covered in my scent, Zero. I'm not going to stop until your whole body screams how much you're mine," she promises, already fisting her cock.
Kaname sneaks his hand up Zero's thigh, enjoying the shiver and then the squeal as he sinks two fingers inside hot, slick heaven. Briefly, he mourns that his cock will not taste the same satisfaction, but not for long. Running the pads of his fingers along Zero's sleek insides, Kaname crooks his fingers.
The Hunter gasps and whines, his legs opening wider. Kaname uses the opportunity to sink his fingers even deeper, and Yuuki steals the resulting pleasured cry with a kiss.
"I have to keep you nice and loose for my cock," Kaname explains gently, ruthlessly stimulating Zero's sensitive walls. "Your body will heal until you're tight as a virgin if you don't practice."
Catching Zero's utter, horrified shock, Kaname muses, "I admit, that might be an enjoyable game, but I doubt I could resist your pretty pink hole long enough for it feel real."
Rocking back against Kaname's fingers, a wet-eyed Zero makes a high noise.
"Exactly," Kaname groans, wrapping his other hand around his neglected cock. "Such a good, sweet boy for me…"
The phone calls start coming around five p.m. Kaname gets out of bed to take the first few, trying to avoid waking Yuuki and Zero, but soon they come too swiftly to bother.
"There's been a major incident at the business offices. Someone has publicly released our secrets," he explains as they dress. "Client lists, personal information, long term expansion plans, patent details, algorithms - all highly sensitive, critical data. Stock prices have collapsed, our competitors have enough information to steal our markets, and we're fielding fierce public relations backlash."
"How?"
"We believed it was a digital attack at first, but our experts have found no trace. I maintain a human staff specifically to prevent another pureblood using their power of command to damage our business interests, but money and fear are universal motivators." Unspoken is the likely culprit of this disaster.
"How bad is it?" Yuuki asks.
"Our financial losses will number in the billions, but we will eventually recover, given a half a century or so."
Yuuki feels the same ice from last night chill her bones. The money is nothing, but the scale...
Around eight, Zero's phone rings. As he listens, his face loses color, and when he hangs up, Zero stares at the ceiling for a moment, gathering himself. "Six Hunters are dead. Ambushed earlier this evening clearing a Level E nest. Right now the Association believes an entire rural village is either dead or Turned."
He looks at Yuuki with that steely Hunter stoicism. "I've been called in. This needs to be handled immediately, before it grows. An incident this huge risks our secrecy."
"You're going, aren't you," Yuuki states, the words not really a question.
"They believe this isn't the only outbreak," Zero says simply, beginning to dress in his Hunter gear.
"This is Shirabuki's doing, isn't it." Yuuki's anger boils high as she finally speaks the words. Last night's taunt was nothing less than a declaration of war.
"Yes," Kaname replies. "This has all her hallmarks. Manipulate and persuade to gain an advantage. Then cause so much simultaneous chaos we're forced to divide our strength to contain the damage."
Reasoning through what she knows of purebloods, Yuuki says slowly, "She's going to go after one of us, isn't she?"
Kaname pauses. "That is also my guess. Something must have happened to accelerate her timetable. This gambit is hasty and ill-planned, too direct - almost transparent by her normal standards."
"Gives us more openings for traps of our own," mutters Zero, crossing his arms.
"Zero will be vulnerable when he goes Hunting. We can't let him go alone," Yuuki argues.
"Which is why you'll be going with him," Kaname responds. "I'll send Nightshade as well. The balance of power between the three of you is close, and the eldest vampire has the advantage. Separated, Shirabuki could overcome each of you individually. But together you could drive her off, perhaps even harm her. She won't risk that."
"Hold on," Zero says. "I need to go, but there's no reason Yuuki should risk herself."
"Hey!" The pureblood pokes his chest. "Weren't you listening, dummy? I'm not letting slimy spider woman get her hands on you again. That's my job."
Zero holds up his hands in surrender and goes back to packing.
"Wait," Yuuki protests, "what about you, Kaname? If Zero goes with me, you'll be on your own,"
Kaname laughs darkly. "Precisely. I doubt she'll dare, but if she does -"
"Accidents happen," Yuuki cuts him off. "You need backup."
"An overconfident, spiteful child is no match for me. But I will take Seiren if it eases your mind."
"And one of my familiars," she counters, narrowing her eyes.
"Seiren and a familiar," Kaname agrees.
"You're awful relaxed while your business empire lies in ruins," Zero comments, sighting down the blade of a sharpened knife and sliding it into a concealed sheath.
"Trust and reputation are things that once broken, you do not easily regain. I am extremely unhappy, make no mistake." Kaname's low, dangerous timbre leaves no doubt of that. "But my anger is reserved for Shirabuki herself."
"Ah," Zero says, clearly thinking bloodthirsty thoughts himself.
Kaname chuckles. "We're not personally in financial danger, if that's what you meant. The Kuran fortune vastly predates this hiccup. I built much of the business within the last thirty years, and I can amuse myself doing it again."
But Kaname shouldn't have to, Yuuki thinks silently. This is all Shirabuki's fault. But this is about more than just corporate sabotage. This is only the beginning. Shirabuki wants her political rivals out of the way, and to do that she'll strike at the heart of everything they've built. She nearly killed Zero once. That can never happen again. Yuuki renews her silent promise to neutralize her enemy, but she knows her power may not prove equal to the task.
"Are you ready to go, Yuuki?" Zero asks, doing one last check of his equipment and buttoning up his pale Hunting coat.
"Yeah," she replies, looking at Kaname.
"I will be fine," he assures, coming up to kiss her. "I'm more worried about you, my dear."
Yuuki kisses him back desperately, squeezing him with a hug. "I just don't want to lose either of you." Her heart hums like a bird's wings. All of them understand they're walking a dangerous path.
"Let's go," Yuuki says, pushing open the door. Her boys follow along behind her.
A howl echoes over the treetops, coming from the edge of the village. Zero bolts, plowing through snow churned to mud. The lead Hunter lets him go without a word; now only the dead reside here, ash and corpses both.
"Nightshade!" Zero shouts, bloody and filthy and freezing.
Kuran's wolf howls again, and Zero haphazardly slips into mushin, goes deeper, tracking the sound with the radiant awareness it gifts. The dark wolf is pacing before a tiny house whose aged wood shows the roots of its age, but Zero's swift probe reveals nothing inside. Trusting Nightshade's call, Zero pushes the door open wide enough for his wolf to enter.
Nightshade leads him to a kitchen table. On that table is a lonely mobile phone.
Zero stares at it for a long time. The horror of recognition is too much. Nightshade whimpers, nudging the phone with his nose.
His hand hovers over the plastic, then snatches it up and cradles it to his chest. Struggling not to vomit, Zero strains and reaches out with his senses, imagines he can taste smell hear an echo of bright presence.
"She would never have willingly left me alone," he whispers, closing his eyes in pain. Please, he begs whatever deities exist, let Yuuki be safe.
Zero reopens his eyes, looks down at the unnaturally intelligent gaze watching him. "Hurry up, Kaname."
They have a war to wage.
Nothing terrible has happened to my characters lately, I said to myself. I should fix that.
I would have written a more lengthy sex scene, but I thought the mood whiplash was a bit too mean even for me.
ETA on next chapter still unknown right now. Fun fact: most of this chapter was handwritten on smuggled notebook paper.