The Mirror and the Mask

Chapter 5: Charms Overthrown

How does he do it? Zero leaned against the concrete column, hiding behind it from the passing students who were leaving campus. How can he, within a second, make me crave for him so much? After that single kiss his face has been haunting me since then. It's almost as if I've learned the taste of blood all over again. They both share the same pain.

It was nearly dusk and already the regular group of fan girls were flocking the gates from which the Night Class would enter. For some reason, Zero was really hoping that today would be the one where they'd actually go back to their dorms on their own. But something like that is bound to prove you wrong.

"Alright! Alright!" Yuuki pushed the group of girls back with the weight of her body. "Back up! I said, back up!"

"God Yuuki! Why do you always do this?" One girl sighed.

"Cause it's our jobs as Prefects." The group of girls all turned to find Zero behind them, staring each one down. "Now unless you want year long detention, I suggest you go back to your dorms." He ordered.

"Year long?" One girl gasped.

"Wait, you can't do that! That's too harsh!"

"Who says I can't?" Zero barked at the girl.

"The rule book!"

"Read it again. You'll find that we can do. I suggest re-reading page 16 for that." An echo of '16' ran through the crowd like a shiver. Even Yuuki was as surprised since she never knew that she had the right to give year long detention. The girls whispered about him for a moment until all unconsciously agreed to listen to him; leaving the gates for the first time before the Night Class arrived.

Zero watched them leave, making sure none jumped in the bushes to escape his watch.

"I don't remember reading about year long detentions in the rule book." Yuuki finally said.

"That's because there is none." Yuuki smiled at Zero's wit.

"Well at least it'll work for tonight."

"I only do this because I'm not in the mood to patrol and escort those vampires tonight."

"Why, what's wrong?" Yuuki crossed her arms wearing a serious face.

"I've just been very tired. And this week's homework is heavy."

"That's never stopped you before. You're always focused on the class changes."

"Not tonight." Zero turned away but Yuuki grabbed his arms.

"You can talk to me about anything, Zero." He looked at her, almost believing her until he pulled back her arm.

"Not anymore." He said and with that he left Yuuki allow at the gates. Zero planned out his evening now that he was free for once. But as he ran down the list: Homework, Bath, Teeth, Bed, he found that it wasn't nearly as exciting as he first thought.

The silver haired boy dragged his feet through the brick path until he heard the rusty creak of the gates opening. Instantly, Zero moved behind a nearby tree, holding his breath to catch a glimpse of Kaname off guard.

"Well this is a first." Kain said as he tugged his bound books over his shoulder.

"Where are all the girls?" Aido whined.

"Zero took care of them today." Yuuki replied with a nonchalant tone. Now that there were no girls to protect from Aido, she was very much at ease.

"Damn that Kiryuu." Aido mumbled but even Zero was able to hear him talk under his breath. As the Night Class flooded into the school grounds, Zero's eyes frantically searched for the pure blood. Where is he?

"Where is Kaname?" Yuuki asked Ichijou now that she noticed he wasn't there to greet her.

"Kaname said that he was sick but wanted me to relay a message to the Chairman." He held out an envelope to Yuuki. "Will you give this to him?"

"Yes, of course!" Yuuki smiled knowing that Kaname wrote this in his own hand. But as Yuuki smiled, Zero frowned.

Where is he? He pushed himself off of the tree and began walking alone through the grounds. There was a storm coming and so the air was filled with a sense of electricity. For some reason, Zero's blood began to boil but not in the way when he would crave for blood. It was more excited, spontaneous, and wild. He felt so alive by just inhaling the scent of the air.

Ever since I've changed, my body has grown to be so sensitive to everything. Zero decided to pass through the Italian Gardens in the Southern corner of the academy. As the sun's light waned, he was still able to pick up the colors of the green ivy tendrils that covered the walls. A wall of ivy, like a maze's wall, ran along with him. It seems that I'm connected with everything, the air, the trees, and the life surrounding it.

Unconsciously, Zero held out his hand to drag along the ivy wall, numb to the feeling of the wiry plants underneath his fingertips. This was Zero's favorite thing to do whenever he wanted to get lost in his thoughts. It's like I'm animal, not in a brutal way but more of a spiritual sense. I'm more connected to the natural world than ever before.

As Zero continued to ponder and inhale the sweet humid air, a new feeling was felt. Something warm and soft yet so light and quick he barely even noticed the feeling. At first he didn't even notice the touch until the sensation came again and again till the silver hair youth stopped abruptly.

"What's that?" Zero glanced over at his hand but found another shape move through the ivy wall. "Who's there?" Zero stepped closer to the wall, seeing the shape move; directing him to the left and then to the right. What is that through the ivy? Zero couldn't see what it was. His eyes were strong enough to see the shadowy form but the light was too weak to reveal any details. Zero was right up against the green, floral wall, trying to peer through the spaces where the ivy has not covered.

He leaned in closer until a gentle hand quietly appeared next to his face, quickly to stroke the side of his cheek. Zero was so caught off his guard that he only watched the hand disappear into the sea of ivy before his thoughts collected what just happened.

"Hey!" Zero bolted, running along the ivy to find the place where the wall stopped so that he could meet the suspect on the other side. But as his feet carried him to the place where both he and the mystery stood, no one was there but him.

"Whose there?!" Zero yelled into the abyss but only the night answered. "Stop hiding or I'll report you!"

"Would you?" Zero suddenly turned around to find the voice was from Kaname, who was leaning against the ivy wall a few feet away.

"Kaname!" Zero gasped, his voice leaving him at the sight of the pure blood.

"Zero, I believe this is yours." Kaname held out the black jacket which Zero left and tossed it at the prefect. "You were in such a rush you left it behind."

As Zero caught it, the memory it brought back created a slight blush over his face.

"Ichijou said that you were sick." He continued staring down at the jacket while he really was listening to the number of steps Kaname took towards him.

"I was sick. Sick of going to school. It's been hard lately to concentrate." Zero knew full well what Kaname meant by his words. "It seems that you've suffered the same." Silently, Kaname's hand reached out for Zero, his thumb caressing the silver hair boy's bottom lip; making the pureblood imagine how succulent it was to taste it again.

"Stop this." Zero backed away. "If this got out it'll cost me life."

"Why? Who would know?" Kaname had a laugh in his voice. "What are you afraid of? The Council? How should they know or care? You're a vampire too now—''

"Shut-up!" Kaname's mouth dropped and soon Zero understood what he had just done. He scowled at a pure blood; the royalty of the most powerful race in the world. "I'm sorry…I—''

Zero's mumbling stopped when Kaname quickly closed the distance between them.

"What's there to be afraid of…" Kaname said with a seductive smile, grasping Zero's waist at its narrowest point, just above his hipbones. "…when there's no one looking? This moment is ours. It could be ours to keep to ourselves and it could continue for as long as we wish."

Once again, Kaname's logic was faultless, his voice drawing Zero into him. What set him off is never known. It could have been humid air, the electricity of the world, or Kaname's creamy voice. Whatever it was, neither ever suspected what would happen next. As if he were held by the bounds of life, Zero broke all of them and in one gasp Zero kissed Kaname deeply. Kaname closed his red eyes and made a low sound deep in his throat as he sucked on Zero's tongue and shifted beside him, pulling him closer into him.

They held each other close and tight, as if there were desperately trying to keep the other with them in order to hold the moment. Zero believed he could feel Kaname's heart beat within his chest. Every now and then, Kaname would moan softly whenever he felt one of Zero's hips pass over his stomach or a slight bulge over his thigh. It only made him try to imagine what it would all look like if he had the vulgarity to strip the boy right then and there.

They leaned against the ivy wall kissing for a long time, feeling no sense of urgency, intimately familiar with each other's bodies. Kaname felt his Zero's fingers brushing along his sides, tangling in his long hair, and he tilted his head, breaking away from the other vampire's lips to bite lightly at his throat.

"Mmm," Zero's skin was already hot with anticipation and he wrapped one of his legs over Kaname's hip to indicate what he wanted. Kaname gave him a sly half-smile, tacitly comprehending the boy's signal and reached to grab underneath Zero's knee to hold him fast. Their movements were quick, and erratic. The serenity of the Italian Gardens was broken with the ripple of their hushed moans.

As the world around them disappeared, the walls of reality breaking down around them, neither hardly noticed the change of the wind, the slight cool of the air or the rumble in the clouds. The individual drops of rain never reached their senses until the water rained down on them in sheets.

Even drenched and cold, neither felt the chill of the storm. It wasn't until when Zero opened his eyes and noticed the rain did he pull back. He looked at Kaname then down the empty road; now hazy due to the thick rain. What am I doing?

"I gotta go!" He ran.

"No—Zero!" Kaname caught him by the arm and swung him into his arms once more. Caught in the erotic passion, Zero came back at Kaname with an even more heated kiss until he pulled away quickly before kissing him violently again.

"I…" Zero's words were broken as he gave up and gave into Kaname's lips. How ironic. Zero thought to himself. He's very calm in person but very rough when kissing. Kaname hardly gives me a chance to breathe.

For some reason, the two eventually slowed their kiss down until it came when Kaname was now breathing deeply, his lips against Zero's own. Their eyes stared into each other; scarlet against violet.

"You're soaked." Zero took a dripping lock of Kaname's brown hair, squeezing out the water.

"It is raining." Kaname answered, smiling against Zero's mouth. Even though they weren't kissing anymore, Kaname didn't want to part his lips from Zero's in case the silver hair adolescent wished to kiss him again.

"What's next from here?" Zero finally asked.

"Whatever you wish." Kaname answered coolly but that wasn't the one Zero was searching for. He needed something direct, sturdy even though the concept at hand wasn't.

"We can't do this anymore."

"And why is that?"

"No one will allow it. A pure blood and a son from a linage of prized vampire hunters."

"But wouldn't the fact that you're a vampire as well cancel that out." Kaname smiled before closing his eyes to lick Zero's bottom lip. Zero however, was not as content as Kaname.

"I'm not a monster!" He hissed before shoving Kaname away.

"Is that what a vampire is to you?" Kaname stood in the rain along with Zero but to Zero it seemed it was only him that was being rained on.

"Yes!"

"So I am a monster?"

"Yes—wait!" Zero didn't know what to think anymore. Ever since the moment he met Kaname at the age of nine, he's always had a zealous hatred for the pure blood. But now that he's fully changed, this lingering feeling of desire has been pulling at his heart. It wasn't until now that he's finally indulged in it and because of that he's lost in his morals. He's stuck between two worlds.

"Or is it that you're the monster?" Kaname stepped closer to Zero, finding him shaking frantically because of the icy water. Despite the freezing rain, Kaname stood strong and collected. Zero nodded at Kaname's question.

"Yes…I am the monster."

Yuuki unbuttoned her shirt, revealing her bandaged neck. She had a hard time at first when ripping off the bandage until she finally got it off.

"Zero, you have to." She bent her neck for him to take.

"Go home, Zero." Zero looked up to find Kaname looking past him, staring at something far beyond the known world.

"Kaname?" Kaname didn't take heed of Zero's words but merely turned around and continued to walk on.

Zero watched him disappear into the rain, holding his arms tightly across his chest. It was well into the night and Zero knew walking into the Chairman's Mansion was going to be difficult.

What happened to Kaname? Zero thought as he began walking back in the rain. It was as if he turned into another person. His eyes were so cold but also disappointed. What could have happened to set him off like that?

Zero retraced the events that led to Kaname's aloofness. Oh my God!

Zero stopped and looked back into the night, realizing what had happened between that moment after Zero remembered Yuuki offering her blood.

He knows.

REIVEW PRETTY PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!