A/N: Blanket trigger warning suicide does come up in this chapter so if you're not going to be safe reading about it I would skip the first four paragraphs. Aside from that Kaito finally shows up! I had a lot of fun with their relationship, even though it's not really meaningful interactions in this until the end of the chapter I still thought it was important to include a little background of how they work together since they are a partnership and if I was more into the ship I'd totally write a KaiRo fic about them but for now I keep it all brotherly. It's cute in a different way, maybe even a bit more endearing to me. I'm rambling but I wanted to give you all a heads up. Now onto chapter 9!
Ch. 9: Of Kitchens & Spies
Zero rested his head against the brick wall and closed his eyes for a few moments of rest, even though he had said he would cut down on missions he felt such a need to stay away from the vampires. Now more than ever as a matter of fact. 'Besides, I have to deal with those rogue hunters and the rest of those level Es.' The hunter told himself as he turned away from the pathway back to the academy and instead headed down the path to the association. He didn't expect the night class to pester him directly about anything, at least not yet, but Zero had no doubt that Aido had told Kuran what had happened between them even if neither of them had any true clue. 'No doubt he'll want me to feed from him if he thinks it was from hunger or bloodlust of any sort. Have to keep Yuki and the day class safe after all.' His brain supplied a snorted response to that and the teen mentally sighed. Really, if only he had been killed along with his parents all those years ago, it would save everyone so much trouble. 'And then you wouldn't have to worry about becoming an Ultimate Weapon either. So why do you keep living?' He asked himself, a question he was all too familiar with to be perfectly honest. Why in Satan's name was he alive still? He let his life stretch out in front of him and all it was filled with was death, destruction, murder, and betrayal. 'People don't need you anymore.' He reminded himself, and it was true. Many of his friends or previous family didn't need his existence in order to function perfectly fine in everyday life.
"Zero?! What the hell are you doing?" Kaito's voice sounded, effectively snapping the hunter from his more suicidal thoughts. Looking up confused he saw Kaito pull a knife out of his hand and thumb over the small line of blood that was left there from the blade. "What are you doing." Kaito demanded again though the voice was softer this time.
"I was just thinking, lost in thought...I didn't think...I don't know." Zero eventually sighed and leaned back against the wall behind him to close his eyes for a second before forcing them open when his body started moving forward. Looking up he saw Kaito pulling him towards the academy. "Kaito, I need to go back to the association." He lightly protested but the other wasn't very forgiving.
"No, you need to get back to the academy and rest for the rest of the day. I don't know what is going through your head right now but if you're becoming as suicidal as you were when Master Touga found you years ago then we need to do something about it." Kaito told the younger hunter as he pushed him into the car and soon followed before telling his driver to head back to the academy.
"I can get back to the academy without an escort you know." The silverette informed slightly put out.
"I don't trust you to be alone right now with just your thoughts and if you're going to ask why you can look at that scar on your wrist you just gave yourself." Came the biting reply. Zero couldn't help but feel slightly hurt but he knew his friend only cared and was a total mother hen about things especially concerning his health.
"You don't have to take me all the way into the moon dorms..." Zero mumbled when they got out of the car and Kaito immediately grabbed Zero's sleeve and started to drag him down the path of the moon dorms. Kaito stopped suddenly and turned to face Zero with serious nearly glaring eyes.
"If I was just doing this because I felt I had to then I would have left your ass against the wall back there, but I'm not. I'm doing this because I care, and I will go to the ends of this damn Earth if I have to in order to prove it. You can't live isolated from others all the time, you need to rely on us too. Especially when you start thinking about killing yourself." The older firmly stated before turning around and continued dragging the teen towards the moon dorms. "I don't know if I was clear enough when I said this before, but when you start having problems they become my problems. And I take care of problems. Now is that clear to you?" He asked though he didn't bother to look back.
"Crystal." Zero replied just above a whisper but he knew Kaito would hear him, Zero would be the first to admit that even though it looked as though the two were cold towards each other and could only understand their missions they had become almost as in tune to each other as he and Ichiru were when they were younger and ignorant of the outside world aside from the fairy tales their mother or father would tell them before bed. Of course when Kaito opened the doors and dragged Zero upstairs it caught the attention of the surrounding vampires, Takuma especially shot him a questioning look, but the younger hunter tried to ignore them and shrug it off. The two headed straight to Zero's room where Kaito shrugged off his own jacket and worked on getting his shoes off while Zero did the same. Once done the older directed the silverette to lay down and sleep while he headed into the kitchen.
"Takamiya-kun, welcome to the moon dorms." Takuma greeted him when the hunter walked back downstairs. Kaito hummed in reply before walking to the kitchen to find a decent meal. Of course, he was being watched with every move he made which was annoying but he was here for Zero not himself so he would have to deal with it.
"Are you watching me for a specific reason? I know I'm not the first hunter you've seen up close and I doubt I'm stupid enough to try killing you off here in the moon dorms." Kaito eventually spoke out to the nobles who were still watching him.
"Because it's unusual for a hunter to walk into a dorm of vampires willingly without a reason." Rima pointed out though she herself wasn't paying hyper-attention to the hunter.
"I do have a reason. It's just simply no concern of yours." Kaito replied before Zero walked into the room and the two locked eyes. "Shouldn't you be asleep by now?" The older finally asked to which Zero rolled his eyes.
"When you disappear to the kitchen for so long one has to assume you're plotting murder. Besides it's still early." He replied making a small gesture to the clock on the wall. Kaito sighed and shook his head.
"That's hardly the point, but since you're down here you might as well make dinner for us." Zero gave him a halfhearted glare before tossing a thick cookbook at his friend telling him to choose something. "Can I force you into making a dessert I wonder..." Kaito mumbled and Zero did turn to glare at him that time.
"Not before something decent and preferably not something that takes hours on end to do." He answered to which Kaito gave a smug smile to. The vampires watched silence as they were ignored and the hunters carried on like normal. They found that Kaito did most of the talking with Zero speaking only when he felt it necessary or he was asked a direct question. Their conversation ranged from talking about missions to everyday life and there were some short periods of comfortable silence as well.
"How long do you plan on staying here Kaito?" Zero eventually asked though he was still turned away from the older.
"Until I'm confident you won't drop dead on me." The ash brown haired hunter stated which caused the nobles to look up and tune back into the conversation again.
"I don't simply 'drop dead' I thought we established that a long while back." The silverette stated as he continued cooking.
"We both know that's not what I meant. I'm hardly worried about some bigot walking up and putting a blade or gun against your head and killing you." Kaito sighed as he watched Zero's movements around the room as he cooked. "The only way you'll drop dead is by suicide." The hunter added in a low enough voice to escape the hearing of any humans, however the vampires still heard him clearly.
'Suicide? Did something happen on that mission Zero-kun went on? Did he try to commit suicide?!' Takuma asked himself in alarm. Looking over at Kaname he could just see some concern and unease flickering through his eyes that narrowed slightly.
'Kiryuu was always a slight concern in the suicidal respect but I didn't think that was still an issue now.' Kaname sighed internally though he tried to keep his eyes on the book he was holding.
"How long will it take to convince you that I was lost in thought and unaware of what I was doing?" Zero groaned knowing Kaname and the others heard and he was most likely going to be questioned on it when he least wanted.
"That's more worrying than I think you realize, the fact that unconsciously you were edging yourself towards death is more concerning than when you were doing it purposely." Kaito replied but Zero just shook his head and set a bowl in front of the hunter. As Kaito dove into his dinner Zero snorted and started on making dessert.
"What are you making?" Takuma asked as he walked through the doorway of the kitchen with Shiki following close behind.
"Hopefully something that satisfies Kaito's sweet tooth, how do brown sugar cookies with a mango cobbler sound to you?" Zero turned to the other hunter, who nodded, not taking notice that half the moon dorms were staring at him with curious and hungry eyes.
"Do you bake and cook often?" Takuma voiced as Shiki silently took a seat beside Kaito to watch the silverette bake with an unearthly grace to his every move.
"Not anymore no, living with Yuki and the Headmaster it was vital if you wanted to have edible meals. I do on overnight missions still. Other than that, I don't need to around here. You guys have a five-star gourmet restaurant for your cafeteria for Satan's sake." Zero answered as he pulled out a mixing bowl and the ingredients he would be needing.
"That's mainly because none of us can cook to save our lives." Shiki mumbled causing both Kaito and Zero to stop and stare at the vampires in shock.
"Wait, you mean you can't even cook simple things like pasta or burgers?" Kaito asked, completely bewildered.
"I don't think I've ever had burgers and is pasta normally cooked in the oven?" Takuma questioned with a slight frown in concentration as he tried to think back. The two hunters looked at each other for a second before they both broke out in a fit of honest laughter. Takuma and Shiki cast worried and shocked looks but watched the two unknowing what to do. The laughter did catch the attention of the rest of the moon dorms who were now peaking through the doorway to see what was going on. Both boys were leaning over the counter laughing to their heart's content, it was melodic and a beautiful scene to the others. Takuma wasn't entirely positive but he was pretty sure they were part of a very small group of people who had seen and heard the boys laughing this way. Especially Zero who often seemed as though he couldn't laugh at all.
"I'd take that as a no Takuma..." Shiki spoke up as the two attempted to calm themselves enough to breathe again.
"Well, I suppose as long as you don't burn water you're still better than Cross." Zero eventually voices out between laughs.
"You can burn water?" Aido questioned with eyes the size of dinner plates.
"You're not supposed to be able to but somehow that idiot Headmaster has found a way to do so." Kaito snorted as Zero got back to making the cookies and cobbler.
"So then since Cross couldn't cook who did?" Rima asked tilting her head to the side.
"I did. Nothing complicated or overly extravagant but usually something different every night unless I went on long missions for which Yuki always wanted some sort of pasta and shrimp or chicken and Cross wanted soups. Note the plural, not singular." Zero answered with an annoyed click of his tongue.
"Is that the reason Cross always had a million and a half things of soup in the fridge?!" Kaito grouched to which Zero nodded. "Jeez that idiot." The older hunter huffed.
"You didn't have to eat it you know. You could have been self-sufficient and made your own dinner you damn freeloader." Zero shot a quick glare at his friend though it was gone in a second as he turned to mix a tablespoon of vanilla extract into his batter.
"I can't make anything as good and making food isn't as easy for everyone else as it is for you." Kaito countered with a look of helplessness. Zero rolled his eyes in reply.
"So, how do you cook pasta then?" Takuma questioned as he walked up to the counter. Zero shot him a look and ran a hand through his hair.
"There's no point in making any now, I can show you next mealtime if you want. Cooking is more of a hands-on thing if you want to learn." He offered moving out of Kaito's way so he could do the dishes. "Find a cookie sheet in this place will you?" Zero requested to the other as he put the dishes on the rack to dry.
"Any ideas on where to start looking?" Kaito mumbled as he looked around the room. Pausing briefly Zero glanced around and shrugged.
"Pick a cabinet and make your way around the room I guess." The younger hunter replied as he set the oven to preheat. Kaito sighed but started opening one cabinet after another to find the item Zero asked for.
"What other things do you bake?" Shiki voiced just above a whisper.
"Anything you can find in a deluxe bakery that's on the streets of Paris." Kaito answered, Zero immediately hit him on the head with a wooden spoon for that.
"Don't listen to anything that comes out of that moron's mouth." The silverette growled slightly though he quickly returned to his mixing and Kaito continued looking for a cookie sheet though there was a smirk permanently placed on his lips. "Kaito, will you get some mangos, the crust will be done soon enough and we'll have to lay them pretty quickly afterward." Zero continued, his focus returned entirely to his cooking. Kaito smiled and nodded as he went through the freezer and found the desired fruit, spotting some in the fruit basket on the counter he grabbed those as well and swiftly put them next to his friend before he joined the nobles by the counter and watched the other work.
"So is it true you plan on making the double layer cake for Kinana's wedding next week?" He asked eventually to which Zero snorted.
"Yeah, I plan to start that thing probably tomorrow or so I have planned thus far. Are you going to that?" Came the reply.
"No idea, depends if I have a mission or not. I hope I'm able to go, they're a good couple." Kaito nodded.
"Mhm, same here, it's been a while since a new hunter clan has actually come to be as well; we could use the new blood." Zero agreed with a soft tone.
"Yes, a century at least since the last hunter clan was introduced and with the old hunters dying off or being killed in the field we will be in big trouble the next two years." The ash brown haired hunter sighed.
"Hopefully the Chairman will be uprooted before they all die off. As soon as he is out of there we can start making much-needed changes." Zero nodded with a low undertone to his voice. Kaito looked around slightly looking a bit nervous for a second.
"Keep talking like that and the Chairman will end up getting word of it via one of his spies. He could end up kicking you out of the HA like he did Ash three years ago." Zero snorted and turned around to face his hunting partner with a dull stare.
"You and I both know the Chairman and I will be long dead before he figures out how to do that." The silverette stated blandly before he put the cobbler in the oven. As he waited for the dough of the cookies to rise Kaito joined him in the kitchen and wordlessly started cleaning up. The vampires shared looks with each other but said nothing for fear of saying something they shouldn't.
"The Chairman has spies on you?" Rima eventually voiced, she wondered then if the man knew he was having the teens spitting blood by the time their missions were over for the week.
"Yeah, though they're noticeable and don't bother hiding well from us. We've just gotten too used to it to care. Nearly everything we say will get abbreviated back to the Chairman via messenger." Zero replied with irritation clouding his voice.
"What's the purpose of these spies then? If they're noticeable and you clearly know of them that seems contradictory to the very idea of being a spy." Aido pointed out and ran a hand through his hair. He was confused about how these hunters functioned every day and didn't end up killing each other.
"They're mainly used to keep up tabs on hunters like Zero who don't live at the association or report in very often. Though every once in a great while they do some legitimate spy work and give us information on rogue hunters, mad vampires or other possible concerns and threats. The Chairman uses the spies enough in serious situations for there to be a reason in keeping them around...but most of the time they're more like little nosy annoying siblings we've learned well to ignore." Kaito explained with a shrug.
"It's because of a select few spies that we know about the declaration of war before we actually have to be on the battlefield." Zero added on as he stepped out of the kitchen and leaned against the wall. All that was left was to wait for the timer to go off.
'I wonder if I can get one of these spies to tell me what all happened between Zero, Touga, Kaito and the others...I assume they too were watching.' Kaname thought briefly as he stared at Zero's tattoo.
Kaito joined Zero out on the patio, cobbler in hand along with a drink and cookie. It was getting late for the vampires, they mostly kept to staying inside the dorms for the sun would rise soon. "Did you need something, Kaito?" Zero questioned once he realized he was no longer alone outside.
"Just checking in on you. I wanted to see how you've been holding up. With the changes and all." The older hunter replied with a shrug. Zero sighed, stretching out his arms and rubbing his neck a little.
"It's tiring I have to be honest, the power of Silverblood is overwhelming to say little though it makes missions easier. The actual fighting that is." He answered, his power was steadily growing by the hour, however his mind was taking a more concerning turn.
"How are you doing otherwise? Zero if you go to the compound as you are now, do you stand a chance against the Chairman?" Kaito pressed as he turned to look at his fellow hunter and best friend. He could feel himself how much Zero's power had grown from just the days prior, however, his fighting wasn't what had the older hunter on edge. He knew the dark side of Silverblood, the Ultimate Weapon, had a mind no more stable than a minute old foal. Zero himself was already questionable when it came to mental stability. Anyone would be after what he had been through in his life. But Zero never went to anyone when he was troubled or on the edges of suicide. 'If he isn't stable enough then the dark side of Silverblood will kill him without question.' The ash brown haired hunter thought in worry as he watched his friend.
"If I had to go up against the Chairman at the compound right now I would be alright. It's that I'll be there for so long...even I don't know what Black Rose will do." Zero eventually confessed with his voice dropped to keep unwanted listeners out of the conversation.
"How many days until you leave?" Kaito wondered aloud, he could tell there was someone else listening in on their conversation so he figured it best to change the subject for the time being.
"As of today? Two weeks at the most is what I have left, theoretically I should be done training the assassins before I leave but It'll be a close call for a couple of them." Came the reply to which Kaito frowned.
"I thought you were supposed to go a month before we start getting on the actual field." The older voiced after a second of thought. Zero sighed and nodded.
"Usually yes, but as of my last meeting with the Chairman I have been instructed to go to the compound for two months this time opposed to one. I shouldn't need the full two months, but the old man is convinced the whole time is needed. This war, I highly doubt I will need the power of anything above Luna...unless there's something going on that I'm not aware of." Zero explained with a frown as he stood from the bench he had been occupying.
"Two months, I have to be honest Zero, are you sure you can handle two months in that place while battling the dark side of Silverblood? What if this ends up being some sort of trap the Chairman has set up as you suspected a couple weeks ago." Kaito sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. This was all getting too confusing.
"If that does end up being the case then I don't know what will happen. Two months is a long time I'll admit that I don't know if I'll be able to hold against the Chairman for so long. If not I could end up killing us both." Zero replied as he stared off into the trees somewhere off campus. With a sigh he closed his eyes briefly and bid Kaito goodnight before vanishing to his room. Leaving the older hunter to stare at where he had been moments before.
A/N: Well there you have it! I'm actually pretty happy with this chapter if I'm honest and I hope you guys are too. This'll probably be the last chapter for tonight, I know it's a little longer than the others I hope that's alright. Kaito will be coming in a lot more into this story, he actually plays a really important role through the rest of this so just know that Zero is basically going to have a lot of caretaker figures by the end of this fic. That's all for now, It's 4 in the morning for me so I'm going to head to bed and hope you all have a wonderful morning, evening, night, etc. ~Keep Calm and Fanfiction On~