Kaname did not notice that he had fallen asleep until he picked up on the soft sound of careful footsteps outside his room. He was not worried about any attacks, the castle was nothing short of a fortress even without the tight security he placed around it. Wine orbs shifted in direction of the other occupant of the bed. Zero was breathing steadily, obviously in deep sleep. Kaname stretched his senses without alarming the intruder. The sound of footsteps was followed by a piece of paper sliding from under the door along with the slight clutter of metal that made him wince.
He peered from his position to see a key and a note near the door. the sound of the footsteps faded as the visitor walked away. A brief glance assured him that Zero was still asleep despite him shifting around and having his back facing Kaname.
Kaname swiftly snuck out of bed and quickly opened the door to identify the unexpected visitor. The distortion fields in the castle provided a certain level of privacy, but he could not risk anyone blabbering about the hunter spending the night with him, not now at least. His quick movements made Takuma jump out of his skin when the pureblood materialized in front of him, topless but thankfully wearing his pajama pants.
Takuma took a deep breath to calm his nerves, hands fisted and almost shaking, while frantically looking left and right, "Are you crazy! What if I screamed and alarmed the others?!"
Kaname shushed him softly, knowing that the panicked voice of his friend will only go higher the more he spoke.
He raised a hand with the folded note and the key and gave the blond vampire a questioning look.
Takuma sighed and whispered pointing to the metallic object, "The key to the room of Kiryuu Zero obviously."
Kaname was a little taken aback by the flat tone.
Takuma continued, hissing between gritted teeth, "I have been unfortunate enough to run into the last bit of action in the "living room" …" emerald green eyes glared at the surprised wine orbs "it took me some time to get over the panic attack you both gave me with your recklessness…seriously…"
Takuma raised a hand to stop Kaname as he parted his lips to speak.
"I am not here to discuss this… not now please…" Takuma begged, the mental scar was too vivid to revisit the incident so soon, "I locked his room and brought the key… Just make sure to take him there before the others wake up if you are planning on keeping this a secret… again." Takuma looked away as he said the last phrase…
"Thanks…" Kaname patted his shoulder and made his way back to the room.
Takuma stared at the back that disappeared behind closed door, shoulders slumping in defeat. "Don't mess it up this time…Please…"
Kaname placed the piece of paper and key on top of the nightstand carefully and headed to the joint bathroom. He splashed his face with cold water and looked at the mirror, staring at the droplets falling from his chin and stray strands of hair. The events of the night replayed in slow motion, ending with the last whisper that Takuma thought Kaname would not hear. Don't mess it up this time…Please…
The words weighed heavier on his heart than he would have expected. The flashback of the near death experience that the noble vampire experienced. The entanglement of other people because of their trysts, the pain they lived after it was all broken to pieces… A long sigh escaped his lips. His hands gripped the marble counter as he screwed his eyes shut, an unfamiliar feeling of trepidation crept up on him as he remembered the actions, words of the silver hunter slumbering not too far away, especially how every little thing stirred the Kuran King to the core.
Opening his eyes again, Kaname grabbed the nearby towel and patted his face before it rested on his chin for a while as he got lost in his thoughts again. With everything the pair has been through, he would have expected himself celebrating at a time like this, celebrating the fact that his beloved returned to his arms, and so willingly this time… Yet… Wine orbs were slightly shaking as his brain processed millions of thoughts that bombarded him from the moment he was pinned to the ground by the frustrated hunter.
The soft sound of shuffling made him snap out of it and throw the towel along with any feeling of doubt or mistrust that threatened to rise again. He steeled his nerve in case Zero had any second thoughts about what happened earlier.
Back in the room, he found Zero in a sitting position, leaning his back against two pillows as he examined the note while twirling the key to his room around his index finger. Amethyst orbs met wine-colored eyes and Zero tilted his head while waving the note. Kaname remained silent, gauging the reaction of the hunter. Zero seemed calm. He assumed that the hunter believed that the note was from Seiren following the order of her master.
"I guess you will have to teleport me to my room, then." Zero adjusted his shirt awkwardly, stood and walked towards the chest of drawers, rummaging for pants elastic enough to wear, unaware that his own pants were draped on the chair nearby. Kaname approached him and grabbed his hand softly, noticing the slight tremble. Without saying a word, he pulled him in a hug.
"Maybe later… Stay with me a while." Kaname spoke hesitantly, not aware that Zero could feel the strain in his voice. They both relaxed as soon as the hunter nodded and hugged the slightly taller man back, "I am thirsty though…." Zero announced softly, in an almost pouty tone
Kaname raised a hand towards his own mouth but failed to pierce the cushion of his palm when Zero stopped him, "For water… you fool…" Seeing that the signature frown finally made its appearance, Kaname smiled in relief. He had a feeling that things will eventually work out for the better.
Once back in bed, Zero started coaxing Kaname about his earlier conversation with Takuma. Contrary to what the latter believed, Zero was not in such a deep sleep. His elevated senses picked up on the presence as soon as Kaname opened the door. He also recognized the writing as Takuma's. If asked, he would not deny being shaken, but not enough for him to regret what happened.
Zero almost lost his patience when the older vampire clammed up instead. However, the stubborn hunter managed to make the brunet spill the beans one way or another and it ended the night in an awkward yet slightly humorous silence, feeling sorry for traumatizing a common friend.
The next day, Ichiru headed to his brother's room as per their usual morning routine with a tray made of a simple breakfast and medication that his pregnant twin needed to take as soon as he woke up.
It was more efficient for Ichiru to handle the administration of supplements and medication since the moody hunter tends to get bored with popping so many pills, choosing the easy way out by skipping them all together at times. It gave Hanabusa a lot of grief whenever the ex-human pulled those stunts with the excuse that the blood he is consuming is more than enough to sustain his needs.
Ichiru was surprised to find the door locked, but shrugged it off as his brother forgetting to unlock it before sleeping. He pulled the duplicate key and unlocked the door, sighing at the sight of the older twin sprawled on his bed without bothering to go under the cover, pregnant belly out of the poorly buttoned pajama shirt.
"Seriously Nii-san, you had to stay up so late to the point that you passed out on your bed and with wet hair…" Ichiru placed the tray on the nightstand, eyebrow crooked when looking at the key carelessly placed at the edge of the furniture, "Well… I have to be thankful that you are not curled up in your office chair again".
The younger twin finally started the tiring task of waking his sleepy brother, calling out his name and opening the curtains to let a harsh ray of sunshine jolt Zero's eyes out of a much needed slumber.
"Ugh! Why can't you ever be fucking considerate when waking me from sleep." Zero cussed his brother out.
"I will do no such a thing." Ichiru bit back as he clapped in a way to motivate his groggy brother, "We have less than half an hour…"
"Fine, Fine! I got this." Zero dismissed the nagging, extended a hand and accepted one pill after another, swallowed and chugged the water before pushing his brother aside gently in direction of the bathroom.
They finally made it to the sparring room, albeit ten minutes late due to the sleepy hunter dragging his feet.
Ichiru rushed inside, not surprised to find the brown haired vampire standing in the middle of the sparring hall with a couple of scrolls in his hand.
"Good morning." Ichiru greeted first, noticing the focused stance of the brunet. Kaname snapped his head up and nodded back the greeting, eyes scanning the entrance and relaxing when noticing the pregnant vampire entering and closing the door behind him. It took a lot of willpower to refrain from visiting him first thing in the morning, barely a couple of hours after he teleported him by the end of the night. His new resolution centered around allowing Zero to take things at his own pace, stifling the urge to take things ten steps further at the speed of light, and risk losing the hunter again due to one impulsive reckless move, again.
Kaname proceeded to explain the focus of the training session while watching Zero take one step after the other in his direction. It was a moment that stretched in time due to the odd action of the hunter.
Ichiru's eyebrows raised when his brother walked past him, reached the pureblood and placed hands on his shoulders. The jaw of the younger twin went completely slack when Zero pulled the older vampire for a sweet kiss that made Kaname drop the scrolls in his hands while his wine-colored eyes widened in shock.
Barely pulling away… Zero whispered with a grin, "Good morning…"
Ichiru flapped his mouth like a fish gasping for air and Kaname remained still, stiff as statue.
"So!" Zero clapped to snap the two men out of their stupor, "That is how things turned out. Since Ichijou managed to find out about us somehow, I see it fair that Ichiru should be aware of the situation as well."
"Wha…" Ichiru felt like his head was spinning.
"If you say so…" Kaname shrugged once he collected his composure, leaned to place an appreciative kiss on the snickering hunter who was waiting for his brother to get over the initial shock. A sudden wave of relief washed over him coupled with a sense of pride when it looked as if Zero was showing him off instead of feeling like he had to hide the new development of their relationship.
"When did this happen?" Ichiru finally found the air in his lungs and asked in an excited tone.
"Does it really matter?" Zero teased his younger twin, knowing that he was rooting for them to get back together.
The hunter did not expect his twin to burst in a fit of excitement and celebration to the point of almost spilling too much. Luckily, Ichiru was smart enough to catch a hint and shut up for them to move onto the training. However, He did not miss the chance to communicate his disappointment to his brother later that day when he learned that Zero chose to keep his little secret hidden for a bit longer.
The days that followed were the definition of a rollercoaster. The intelligence department has been picking up on odd patterns of Cyrus's movement and the looming threat seemed to get closer and closer without a clear motive or target yet.
Meanwhile, the reunited couple had to deal with more dilemma on their plate as Kaname suffered from the painful fits that crippled him as he continued regaining his memory, albeit slowly. It had become a routine for the four males to always stick around in the same area if they can help it, such as the current night.
Zero typed away on his keyboard while Kaname flipped through few scrolls on the sofa nearby. Ichiru had to get out of the working space to take a phone call while Takuma sipped on his tea and scribbled remarks on the reports at hand. Zero was munching at the straw he used to drink the cool beverage. A slight groan caught his attention, looking sideway, he met the morphing wine orbs. As per their new routine, the hunter took one last sip, appreciating the sweet after taste of Kaname's blood that he mixed with the drink.
"Ichijou-san, could you call Ichiru in and step away for a moment." Zero commanded in a friendly tone as he stood from his chair and walked toward the brunet. Kaname sighed and laid on the sofa, allowing Zero to sit by his side. While still holding onto the last bit of his sanity, he admired the morphing of amethyst eyes into golden jewels and relaxed as the equally golden whips gently wrapped around his body.
Just in time, Ichiru came in with glowing eyes as he set up a privacy barrier and stood at a distance from the couple.
"How bad is it?" Zero asked, knowing that Kaname was suffering more than he would ever admit.
"Manageable." Kaname responded, squeezing the hand covering his while taking in a shuddering breath as another electric jolt snapped across his scalp and a mixture of sounds, images and emotions rushed through his body.
Ichiru winced at the way the older vampire grabbed Zero's arm while he screwed his eyes shut. The beast like growl sent chill down his spine, but the fear soon dissipated when it turned into whimpers and ragged breath. Ichiru panicked a bit when Zero's aura flared a bit more than what he could absorb at once. Luckily, the episode ended faster than usual and Kaname passed out just as fast.
"How do you manage to always catch on to it." Ichiru asked his brother while Zero grabbed a throw blanket to cover the sleeping man, shivering still. "It kind of developed a pattern." Zero whispered as he kept a watchful eye, relieved to see Takuma coming back with a blood bag, he continued the explanation while assisting the noble vampire in administering the IV drip, "He kept getting this zapping sensation whenever we dig deeper into his past" Zero sighed in relief when the shivering reduced along with the improving complexion of the sleeping brunet, "He described the sensation as if his body was healing from a deep gushing wound, through the nerves instead of flesh."
Takuma winced at the description, knowing all too well the pain inflicted by both ordeal after having his limb cut off. Emerald green eyes widened, "Wait… Wouldn't that mean that his memories were never sealed in the first place?" the noble pondered, expecting an equally surprised reaction but ended up facing a grim one from the hunter and a defeated stance from the human twin. "If that is not the case then…" Takuma's hands fell to his sides, "If his memories were never sealed… It probably means that he purposely forgot… Come to think of it… Vampires tend to go for very long slumbers when…" he swallowed,
"When they lose the will to live… wishing for nothing except death but finding themselves too coward to take their own life." Zero sighed, quoting the words of Isaya Shouto relayed by Yuki. She mentioned how joining force with them for the cause of peace and cohabitation breathed life into the perpetually depressed pureblood at the time.
"What in the world happened after that time of war?" Ichiru breathed the question without expecting an answer.
"We will eventually find out. Whatever is going on is directly related to that time of his life. Whether he… no… whether we like it or not, recovering his memory is key to win whatever battle should come our way." Zero gritted the statement, anger, and frustration obvious in his tone. "You should get some rest." He dismissed the two males, glad that they did not object.
Once alone with the sleeping brunet, he crouched next to him, laying an arm on the couch as support for his own chin while the free hand used a handkerchief to wipe the bead of sweat that caused strands of brown hair to stick to the pale forehead.
Void's words haunted him each time Kaname experienced such seizure. Guilt built up inside him. His skin crawled at the memory of the uncontrolled hunger and aggression experienced when an uncontrolled wave made him attack Zero in the penthouse.
The silver haired hunter was grateful that Kaname taught him how to control his awakened powers, for it was the best way he found to help him through his ordeal. "At least I can help you avoid hurting those dear to your heart, just like you helped me before." He whispered as he brushed the last stray hair and placed a kiss on the cheek before standing. He flinched in surprise when he felt a weak tug on his fingers. Looking back, Zero found the wine orbs lazily looking at him with a faint smile drawn over slightly dry lips.
Zero smiled back and grabbed the glass of water he prepared on the nearby coffee table. Kaname propped himself up in a seating position and motioned for Zero to have a seat next to him as he gratefully accepted the water. The hunter all but sank in the sofa. Keeping Kaname immobilized during his seizure always took a toll on him.
Once the glass was empty, Kaname placed it back on the table and leaned to the side, resting his head on Zero's shoulder. Zero mirrored the action by resting his temple on the dark mane, inhaling the scent that brought him comfort. The scent of serenity and ease, contrary to the strong scent of anxiety and anguish that he came to identify whenever Kaname felt extremely nervous about something.
"Shoken was such a loving brother to his little sister." Kaname whispered, Certain that Zero was having one of his crooked smiles.
"Obviously… So much so that she turned out to be his only mate and partner for a looooooooooooong lifetime." The hunter confirmed the information he read from the old books.
His respect for the vampire named Kuran Shoken grew the more he learned about him from the living and the dead. It made him even more curious to know about the people who raised such a magnificent specimen. Zero held the hand that Kaname placed on his thigh, gently guiding it to his belly for Kaname to feel a couple of mighty kicks, an aftereffect of the baby feeling his father's distress. A breathy chuckle escaped the exhausted ancient vampire as he rubbed the spots where the baby nudged him.
"Did you manage to recall the face of your daughter? We have yet to find any pictures in the library" Zero urged, frustrated at the lack of any visual piece of memory around. Forget digital photography, did they not have any skilled painter drawing the royal family for fuck sake?
"As a baby in the arm of her big brother… she looked a lot like Yuki as a baby. He hair seems to have a light color though…" Kaname commented, frowning lightly when unable to remember the specific color. "A lady was around them… A lady that Shoken seemed to love dearly from the way he looked at her and conversed with her."
Zero tensed for a second, "The Kuran ancestress?"
Kaname shrugged, "I could not differentiate her features except from very long red hair. She used a nickname to call me in a cutesy way when it looked like I was scolding her…"
"Nickname?" Zero blinked, curiosity getting the best of him.
"Makkuro…" Kaname sighed, "The same Rosa liked to use."
Zero chuckled, "Are you sure she was a vampire lady… not another human child that you accidentally remembered again. They all seem to call you with the same name."
"No…" Kaname voice grew deeper and pensive, which made the chuckling stop, "She was no child, and no random lady… That… I am sure of…"
"Her name?" Zero almost swallowed
"Things went blank as soon as Shoken was about to call her… I picked up the beginning of whatever name he used to call her… 'Sep'" Kaname concluded the details of his memory while standing up and extending a hand for Zero to follow him.
Like most of the previous days, Kaname teleported him back to his bedroom where Zero changed into the pajama he sneaked in there earlier during the day while Kaname simply disregarded his shirt and sat at the vintage desk to scribble the details in his notebook. Zero slid in the bed, exhausted, and sipped on the blood bag Kaname brought him as soon as they reached the room.
Zero watched the muscled back twitch with every stroke of the pencil on the paper. He counted to three and smiled when Kaname brought a hand over the side of his own neck, scratching it briefly. Now he will run his finger along that side of his hair. Sure enough, the long, elegant fingers traveled through the dark mane before resuming their initial position on the wooden surface. Zero closed his eyes and listened to the rhythm of the fingers thrumming on the wood, Tap… Tap… Tap Tap… Tap… Tap. The use of different fingers made it sound like a soothing lullaby.
Once finished drinking, Zero did not bother moving, knowing that the familiar appearing in front of him would manifest in time to take the empty bag and discard it properly. The hunter could not deny the small pieces of happiness he came to enjoy in the middle of the chaotic situation, more so the small details he committed to memorize about the brown-haired vampire working hard to recover what might be key for them to live worry free for many years to come.
Finally, he relaxed in the bed, turning sideway in the most comfortable position, not bothered about his back not being properly covered. It did not take more than half an hour for that familiar warmth to cover his back accompanied by the soothing kiss and embrace that sent him into deeper sleep.
The tension continued to rise as the days went by. Most of the inner circle gravitated towards the castle at this point. It proved to be fruitful to have everyone on the same page, but it did not lessen the doom of the upcoming battle.
Hanabusa paced in the laboratory a couple of times before throwing the papers in frustration, leading to the group of scientists and forensic officers to flinch as his eyes flickered red for a moment, reflecting his anger. Takuma did not budge as he flipped through the reports of certain chemical components found in the victims of Cyrus's attacks.
"This does not make any sense…" Hanabusa gritted.
"The DNA is morphing, even after death, you say?" Takuma questioned with a raised eyebrow.
The forensic officer wiped his sweaty forehead and clenched his fists, nodding. Another scientist from the Association headquarter added, "As you can see in the reports, Ichijou-sama, when we ran a new battery of tests based on the request of Aido-sama… We noticed new anomalies that did not show during the first forensic investigation… Not only is the DNA morphing within dead tissues, but…"
"There is absolutely no trace of Cyrus in there… As if he never attacked, mutilated, and enjoyed taking the lives of these people." Hanabusa all but growled, "How do you expect us to build a case when everything that could prove him guilty of genocides is simply 'poof' " he gestured comically not hiding the mockery in his tone
"We are lost for words." The head of forensics commented, apologetically.
"As if traces of his crimes were wiped with a magic eraser." Takuma observed, his otaku side taking over with wild imagination when his green eyes suddenly widened simultaneously with the blue ones of his long-time friend.
The noble vampires snapped their head to face each other and said the same word at the same time "magic spell?"
The amount of information gathered, and the speed required to process and analyze it was dizzying. The foot soldiers of all races worked day and night in perfect sync, and it only made the burden of the decision-making committee heavier day by day. What they believed would be a rough battle was growing into a full-fledged war seeing the army and arsenals that Cyrus managed to sneak into the country through wicked ways.
As the head of operations on top of the secret intelligence team, Ichiru felt the burnt of the situation to the point of losing sleep. It did not help that his husband came back equally frustrated from his own findings. Hanabusa ended up force-feeding Ichiru a couple of sleeping pills after refusing to drink from him despite being exhausted himself. Ichiru complied out of worry for his partner, knowing that the blond vampire was bound to him as his only source of sustenance till the end of their lives together.
Lying in bed, the younger twin stared at the intricate ceiling of their bedroom, listening to the soft breathing of the sleeping vampire next to him. The events took him back to the time of chaos when he first escaped with Shizuka after the death of his parents. The memories of his time with the mad blooming princess came flooding back along with the words of his father that resonated in his head after the last time they saw him at the cemetery. It all left him drained and suffocated until the sleeping pills took effect and sent him into deep slumber.
"It is okay boy…" the lips curled into a sympathetic smile, "I will not hurt your lady here… Here… let me help you."
* a blur of images and sounds *
"I can't allow it… not him… enough…"
Shizuka-sama? Why are you crying…
"Silly girl… he is not dead…"
"He is not alive either… I …."
"Ichiru!" Hanabusa finally screamed his lungs out. He let out a sigh of relief when the purple eyes popped open, sparing no time to hug his spouse, calming the writhing of his body. "It's okay… It's okay love…"
Ichiru woke up huffing and puffing, profusely sweating from the nightmare that seemed to have plagued him. He followed the breathing instructions Hanabusa gave him while attempting to make sense of what is happening. It felt as if he drifted to sleep minutes ago, but it was already morning. He closed his eyes and controlled his breathing, burying his head in the crook of Hanabusa's neck while enjoying the soothing circles that cold hands traced on his back.
Hanabusa relaxed when he felt the tension leave the trembling body in his embrace. He made a mental note to take some measures that would lessen the load on Ichiru, worrying about the stress chipping away at his human body, despite the benefits of his awakened powers.
His planning was cut short when Ichiru tensed again, pushed him away and ran out of the room, clad in his pajamas still. The younger twin slammed the door to Zero's room, looking around. Zero, coming out of his bathroom, blinked a couple of times, taking in the appearance of his brother before tilting his head. "Ichiru?"
"Kuran is not here?" Ichiru asked, tone tight. Zero shook his head for a negative answer.
"Follow me…" Ichiru rushed down the corridor with Zero and Hanabusa on his trail.
He slammed the door to Kaname's room. Zero was about to protest but clammed up when he found that Kaname was standing in the middle of the room, decent.
"The enemy named Mist… Is that an actual name or a nickname?" Ichiru asked point blank.
"Pardon?" It was Kaname's turn to blink a few times and stare at an equally confused Zero and a dumbfounded Hanabusa who had yet to register the erratic actions of his spouse.
Ichiru took a sharp breath and reiterated the question slower, not hiding his impatience, "The enemy named Mist. Is that the real name of a person or a nickname based on their power or special ability. Please just answer this."
"Power… Legend stated that a thick fog always preceded his attacks and is the reason why no one managed to reveal the identity of such an elusive enemy."
Ichiru was silent for a moment as he walked slowly to a nearby chair. he flopped on it and cradled his head. The other three males stared at him for a while, then suddenly jolted as he broke into a hysterical feat of laughter.
"Bastard…" Ichiru cursed under his breath, "That is no legend or myth… it is absolutely real and so is your guess about Cyrus."
"What do you mean?" Zero kneeled next to his brother, worried about his wellbeing.
"The woman with red hair is named Sepideh." Ichiru whispered, earning a flinch from Kaname.
"How do you know that?" Hanabusa was even more confused.
"Because she was there along with Cyrus and Liam … trying to protect me and Shizuka-sama from an attack… probably whoever was coming after us for the murder of my parents." Ichiru started pulling at his hair but Zero stopped him, taking the clenched fists and holding them on Ichiru's lap, urging him to continue. "Liam was gravely injured, he was taken away and Cyrus was convincing Shizuka to give me away but she was adamant not to. I can't remember the details, but he finally bit her and she fell to the ground. A fog started forming and Liam called out the name "Mist"… everything that happened after that was a blur."
"What happened to them?" Kaname was standing closer, his voice desperate.
Ichiru shook his head, "I don't know much… I remember the red haired woman taking me and Shizuka-sama to safety and stayed for a short while until Shizuka-sama asked her to leave. One thing I am certain of is that Mist exists and the Cyrus that I managed to remember had a completely different demeanor than the cold blooded monster we faced not long ago… and Sepideh… She is most likely the hooded woman that caused the mess during our wedding." Ichiru looked at Hanabusa.
Zero looked up to Kaname, reading nothing but a flabbergasted expression. However, his aura was telling the hunter a completely different story. He quickly stood up and held his arm. "Can we have a moment? We will join you by the sparring room in a few minutes."
Ichiru and Hanabusa left the room and Zero grabbed both arms of the pureblood shaking him a bit before cupping his face. The older vampire stared into the determined amethyst eyes hanging onto every word coming out of his mouth, "Whoever Cyrus, Rosa or that Sepideh woman might be, I have no doubt that they important people to you. If this blasted existence called Mist or fucked up fog decided to mess around by taking away people that are dear to you, then he is in for a lot of pain…" Zero let go of the arms, and squeezed the hardened face, worrying about the darkening of the wine-colored eyes "they stupidly made themselves an enemy of every creature living under the roof of this castle and beyond." Zero stated firmly, "And together, we will make sure to make them pay the price dearly… We will punish them after saving your people, Kaname… Together…" he empathized the last words.
The hands let go of the face and went in for a tight hug, pulling hard at the wide shoulder blades. Zero made sure to have his mouth stuck to Kaname's ear as he whispered, "Don't you dare go on another rampage of vengeance and retribution all by yourself again." Zero squeezed tighter, "I have enough raging anger inside me to take revenge for an entire race right now." The hard and firm words seemed to strangely comfort the brown haired vampire judging by the way he reciprocated the hug, an action that instantly brought tears to the hormonal pregnant vampire, "We have a good plan… if it works… *sniffle*… if we manage to save Cyrus following this crazy ass tactic… *nervous chuckle*… then we save every single one of your family and then rip that motherfucker to shred." At this point, from a stranger's perspective, it would seem that Kaname was comforting the sniffling pregnant vampire.
Kaname leaned against the lips close to his ear, allowing him to be close to the vulnerable neck and collarbone of the hunter. He then dipped his head to place butterfly kisses on the supple skin, feeling Zero startle for a moment and then relax in his embrace.
The older vampire found it endearing that whenever he went for Zero's neck, the latter never showed reluctance or nervousness lately, only trust and desire. The action spoke volume even without the encouraging finger combing through his dark locks and massaging his scalp each time Kaname reveled in the scent of his beloved. He could feel Zero placing a kiss on the side of his head, it tempted him to keep going by trailing back on the path of kisses until he nibbled on a sharp jaw and then claimed the slightly parted lips waiting for his.
The kiss was slow, relaxed, almost like a dance of waltz. It brought them comfort and peace for that brief moment when they savored the taste of one another. Zero broke out the kiss first, feeling like he could cry for no reason again. Kaname kept them connected by placing their forehead together "Good morning." He whispered.
Zero let out a stifled chuckle, blushing slightly as the sensuality in the thick sultry voice went straight to his groin this time, "Good morning"
"I miss this." Kaname tucked a strand of hair behind reddened ear and leaned for another kiss that Zero did not refuse but did not allow to last as long as the last one, especially when a sneaky hand landed on his clothed bottom.
"I miss you even more…" Zero uttered in a flustered tone, his face whipping left and right, as if scandalized by their own actions. "We have so much to do and there are many prying eyes these days… it is not a time for romantic escapades… and… and… *swallow saliva*… Cmon Kaname, we can have all the fun we want once away from here and finished with this fucking war… the guys are waiti *yelp*" Zero was flailing his hands, half joking half nervous as Kaname unbuttoned his own shirt and sliding his belt off without breaking eye contact. The half-naked male then whisked Zero up, earning a squeaking sound from the surprised hunter only to place him gently on the edge of the bed and hover over him.
"They can wait for ten to fifteen minutes; I am sure they never run out of topics to discuss." Kaname referred to the chatterbox noble vampire and the human twin sarcastically.
"That maybe true but you never finish in ten or fifteen minutes." Zero scoffed, stifling a moan right after when Kaname engaged in a sensual attack on his neck and collar bone again while his hands discarded the bottom garments of the hunter and started stroking his growing length and caressing his inner thighs. Kaname placed his lips next to Zero's ears and whispered with a voice that conveyed his deepest desire "That maybe true but you tend to finish in about ten to fifteen minutes."
Amethyst eyes widened and pupil dilated in pleasure while the almost screaming mouth was covered with full lips, swallowing every sound that the hunter would fear being heard.
Thirty minutes later, Zero walked down the corridor where Kaname, Hanabusa and Ichiru sat at the lounging area closet to the sparring room. The obviously wet hair earned him a mocking eyebrow from his brother who tried his best to stifle a laugh. As soon as Zero sat beside him, Ichiru gave a shoulder jab and whispered, "At lease he did the wise thing of drying his hair before coming here."
Zero glared at the relaxed and immaculate ancient vampire who was conversing with Hanabusa before checking his watch.
Wine orbs scanned the corridor and stood, "They should be here soon."
Right on cue, everyone stood up except Zero who was lost as to what they were talking about.
"You were complaining about having too many prying eyes around…" Kaname taunted, taking the rare opportunity to tease Zero about their personal affairs around their trusted companions. "It is about to get noisier around here."
"Kaname…" Zero gritted his teeth, again… swinging his head left and right to the point of giving himself a whiplash. It amused the brunet how Zero seemed so careful about anyone finding out about them, and how he was extremely cautious about his actions and words in public. Normally, such behavior would bother him, but the reason behind it makes it the most endearing thing the hunter ever did in the eyes of the Kuran king.
"Relax nii-san… You are being too fidgety lately… get a grip already." Ichiru sighed, trying to be understanding.
"I already patrolled this corridor and instructed the servants to keep some distance under the pretense of discussing confidential information. I could still smell your faint scent on Kaname-sama, probably from your presence in his room. This gave it some time to fade away." The statement of a nonchalant Hanabusa made Zero blush. His brother-in-law turned around and winked "I had to make sure his was not clinging to you when we greet our guests. Seems like you did a good job there."
The hunter kicked him in the kneecap, earning a pained cry and leaving Ichiru to nurse his husband while he streamlined down the corridor, whooshing past Kaname who enjoyed the sight of ears flaming red again.
The pureblood stood for a moment to make sure that his loyal friend was okay before resuming his walk. "I can't wait till that kid pops out of his belly… I am sure going to make him pay for all his tantrums." Ichiru whispered.
"You will probably be too busy fawning over the brat to remember any of it." Hanabusa teased.
"Either way, he is lucky to have you both supporting him like that, and I am sure Zero knows that very well." Kaname expressed in a grateful tone.
"We are supporting the both of you, not an easy task though." Ichiru confirmed while tapping the shoulder of the brown-haired vampire before going after his brother.
Kaname observed the younger twin as he ran to catch up with his irritated brother. Wine orbs flickered to the noble vampire walking by his side, while his mind wandered to their conversation a few days prior.
