Author Notes: I came across this chapter while I was thinking of the next AU scene to write for Crimson Door, it was actually written some time ago. So here it is, another AU scene also for Chapter 19, also towards the end of the chapter but Kaname's POV this time. Hope you like it, and my apologies in advance if it sounds too repetitive!

There is one more chapter to go for this story which I'll upload by this Friday, then my AU for Crimson Door will be officially completed :D

-- Excerpt from Chapter 19:

Zero was tired... tired of fighting, weary of the battle he felt like he was constantly engaged in with the rest of the world. The truth was, no matter how he tried to deny it, how intensely his mind and sensibilities revolted, he had never felt more alive than he did since he and Kaname had consummated this bond of theirs. He hadn't remotely come to terms with that yet, but... sometimes it was simply easier not to try.

Zero stepped away from the bathroom door again. "Come on, shower and change. You smell like death and we need to get some sleep," he said quietly as he headed across the room to the far bed.

Kaname silently slid into the bathroom and closed the door without giving him a second look, leaving Zero to quickly slip into the new boxers and t-shirt. He draped the shirt and pants across one end of the long chest upon which the TV was situated and crawled quickly into bed. Reaching over, Zero flicked off the light on the nightstand between the two beds, knowing that Kaname wouldn't need it when he came out.

-- Chapter Start --

Kaname closed the bathroom door quietly behind him and turned around, catching sight of his own dishevelled appearance in the mirror. His nose had already healed. Zero was the one who had broken it… but he was also the one who had cleaned it up for him.

A slight frown drew Kaname's eyebrows together. Zero… Zero confused him. There was no denying that the ex-human had beaten the crap out of him earlier… but he'd still helped to see if Kaname was OK or not after that. Yes, that was the caring side Zero had. Kaname couldn't see it at first of course, in the early days. Zero had been an angry sullen boy when he was first brought to live with Chairman Cross and Yuki. Kaname knew – after all, Zero had tried to stab him the very first time they met. And he'd grown up to be just as angry, just as sullen… but knowing the secret he'd been carrying, Kaname thought he understood… even if he didn't like it. The pureblood had gotten utmost respect and total obedience from everyone else all his life, even his former and now dead guardian, Asato Ichijo, who'd at least hidden (or tried to hide anyway) his twisted desires under a thin layer of respect and what was supposed to pass off as affection.

But somewhere underneath that angsty, moody personality, Zero was caring. He had to be – Kaname knew the ex-human cared for at least one person - Yuki Cross. The same girl Kaname was in love with and had loved since she was a baby. To be honest, Kaname hadn't really seen much of that caring previously, it was more of the way Yuki treated Zero that showed the affection she was getting from the silver haired boy in return, well disguised though it was.

But recently, after Zero had rescued him and Yuki from Ichijo's cellar prison, he'd seen that caring side more clearly. And not just for Yuki, whom he'd already known, but… for himself. Zero's hated rival for Yuki's affection, and a pureblood as well.

Yes, Zero was actually a good guy. Despite that expressionless mask on his face, despite that blasé look in his eyes, Kaname had seen that slight hesitation just before Zero shot the hitokiri that burst in on them in the cellar. And all throughout their escape, again that caring. For Yuki, and for him. Zero was always watching out for him, making sure all three of them escaped together. Not just Zero and Yuki, but Kaname too… weak and injured though he was.

It was Kaname's turn to lean on the sink counter now and stare unseeingly at his reflection. He recalled the moment when he'd blasted that wall to bits… he knew he didn't have the reserves but they didn't have a choice. Zero was protecting Yuki and after depleting his energy, Kaname was so weak he couldn't even support himself. He'd sunk down onto the cold dirty floor, feeling utterly spent. Only he wasn't left there all alone. Kaname didn't have to open his eyes to know whose muscled chest he was resting against, and to know whose warm and caring arms had supported him. Zero's scent was surrounding him again, getting more and more familiar with every passing minute. Winding its way into Kaname's exhausted brain with associations of irritation, confusion… and a surprisingly tender care.

Yes, Zero was a definite caretaker.

Yuki was too, ensuring that he made it out of the tunnel safely. Kaname's heart filled with warmth. But he'd already known that about Yuki – she was a generous and loving girl and she'd been that way her whole life.

But Zero… all throughout that mad trek through the Ichijo woods, the ex-human had shown again and again that part of him normally kept well hidden from Kaname and everyone else save Yuki. But nothing showed the starving and desperate pureblood as much as what Zero did after waking up to see him missing. Despite being changed by a pureblood, despite experiencing hate and pain at the hands of a pureblood, despite Kaname being his rival, Zero had somehow overcome the deeply ingrained fear in him to offer Kaname his own blood.

And although Kaname knew what he was getting both of them into, he hadn't anticipated the extent of their bond. The sheer strength of it.

The pureblood sighed as he moved away from the mirror and stripped off his torn clothing. He stepped into the shower and twisted the tap. Zero must have thought vampires did that sort of thing everyday… well, maybe some of the more sick and perverted ones did… but not Kaname. He couldn't – he was a pureblood. And he didn't want to in any case. Kaname grimaced to himself as he reached for the soap. He'd only wanted one person to share a bond with… Yuki. No one else.

But he'd given away his first kiss not to Yuki, but to Zero. He'd given away his first bond not to Yuki, but to Asato. And he'd given away his innocence as well… again, not to Yuki, but to Zero. Scrubbing himself down with angry movements, Kaname's lips pressed to a thin line even as his body reacted involuntarily to the mere thought of the hunter. Zero. Oh, why did it have to be Zero Kiriyu?

Kaname didn't know which fact was more laughable. That Kaname Kuran, revered pureblood leader has bonded himself to an ex-human. Or that he'd bonded himself to his hated rival. Or that his blood bond (in addition to belonging to Level D class and hating his guts) was an angry, angsty boy who came with a baggage of hate towards all purebloods.

But still… the elegant hands slowed down and the dark eyes focused unseeingly on the wet tiles. When Kaname thought of Zero, he didn't think of a Level D vampire at all. Of course, Kaname knew that he himself had never really fit into the mould expected of a pureblood vampire - bending others to his will, expecting total obedience from anyone not a pureblood, ruthlessly taking whatever he wanted from anyone else.

Kaname reached for the tap and twisted it, lifting his face up to the warm spray of water before letting it rinse away the suds from his long dark hair. The inescapable fact was, Zero was… Zero. He had a personality all his own. He had a code of honour he adhered to, whether anyone expected it of him or not. Yes… even though Zero was only an ex-human, even though he didn't have the power of a noble vampire… Kaname never thought he was beneath him or anyone else in any way. And now that he was bonded to the ex-human, Kaname felt that even more. Zero was in his blood now… maybe even a part of him somehow.

Kaname stepped out of the shower, reaching for the other clean towel. Thinking of Zero wasn't good. He was starting to ache for the hunter again. Like that was a good idea. Zero had beaten the crap out of him earlier and there was only a very faint truce between them now.

His lips twisted. What was this draw he kept feeling towards Zero? And why did he feel it was soul deep, bone deep… A sudden shudder rippled through Kaname. He thought the only person who had a right to reside in his heart was Yuki. He knew he'd give his life for her.

But there was someone else there now... Zero Kiriyu. Another shudder ran through Kaname as a sudden and disturbing thought came to mind out of nowhere.

What if… what if for some reason, he had to choose between Yuki and Zero?

No – this was crazy. Stop it, Kaname told himself wearily. You're tired, you need sleep. His bond with Zero and his love for Yuki were completely separate entities. There was no earthly reason why he would ever have to choose between the two of them.

-- Chapter End --