"ღ*~+~*ღ"

A Prince and a Pauper
The 'Pure' and 'Tainted'
A Vampire and a Hunter

Tonight for the first time we had Sinned
Together
Surely
Unthinkably

We are the reason behind the iron bars
The clipped wings
And the salty scent of tears upon their lashes

Surely
We will pay dearly for this sin.
But until then

P l e a s e h o l d m e t i g h t l y . . .

.

.

.

Chapter Nine

D o . . .
. . . k i
. . . . . . . . . D o
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . k i

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

A searching hand entwined into dark strands of hair, caressing Kaname's scalp with his fingertips. Zero couldn't stop the flood of emotions from overwhelming his fluttering heart. Logic and romance didn't keep good company, so for once, Zero tried not to think, and simply felt.

Within the confines of a lucid dream was where Kaname sought solace from the loneliness, where he would have the courage to pursue his desires, no matter how dark they could become. Right now, his greatest desire of all was pure and innocent, in wanting to claim the hunter's sweet lips. Were he to gain enough courage to do this in real life, he might have never let Zero go. They could have stayed embraced for all eternity if he was allowed, it would be good enough for him. It would be more than he could have ever hoped for.

Kaname's arm held him close, hand moving along the small of his back, gently massaging Zero's muscles beneath the skin exposed by the short top. Zero sighed blissfully into the kiss, content within his nonthinking stupor. The pureblood's ministrations felt wondrous against his back, liquid fire dripping into his core, soothing his stressed body.

Zero ran his other hand along the pureblood's side, its warmth leaving a trail over Kaname's skin. Their lush lips moved together as they continued to exchange body heat, warming the room, filling it with their mingling scents, creating a new fragrance amidst the pheromones floating around that was as potent as blood.

The pounding in their ears didn't block out the little sighs and hums of content. Kaname, and Zero especially could feel each others' strong heartbeat thumping in time with their own. With their chests pressed together, it felt as if they had two hearts.

It was in that moment Zero formed a theory, since he couldn't completely turn off the logic in himself. Back in the sun dorms, Kaname's actions and the unique connection they had shared from then on was all on purpose. That was where all the unfamiliar feelings came from, though he couldn't understand the cause of all that guilt he had been feeling, and the tranquility of the present that was quickly changing from sweet to fiery.

The hunter sought out more than he was getting from the unaware pureblood. Zero licked Kaname's bottom lip wetly, acting more confident than he felt, delighted when Kaname mimicked the gesture before shyly opening his mouth, allowing Zero entrance. They savored the flavor of their partner's kiss, seductive like in taste and scent. As Kaname realized that Zero had made a dominant move, he felt bolder, more willing to venture forth and assert his dominant role to the cute hunter on top of him.

A soft, playful growl escaped the pureblood's throat as he grabbed Zero's wrists and rolled over on the small bed, effectively pinning him to the mattress. The hunter gave a gentle yelp of surprise that was drowned in the plethora of steamy kisses, lost to the sensations of Kaname plundering his mouth. Their tongues wrestled for dominance, laving and curling around each other in a sweet, sinuous dance. All too soon did they run out of air and have to part, a string of saliva stretching between them, a little smeared along their mouths.

Holy hell Kaname had to dream more often!

"... Kaname... I... want..." Zero didn't know how to continue what exactly did he want?

"Zero, I need..." Kaname couldn't voice it out loud.

They gazed longingly into each others' eyes in the dark, searching one another for the slightest hint of rebuke. A silently whispered desire was like a thread, connecting their hearts, and their lips met once more, melting together.

A darker desire was being drawn out of Kaname the longer they stayed like that, the desire to possess and smother Zero, to love him until he was no more.

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

"I think it's best that I see the specialist." Yori admitted, though scared.

She sat off to the side of the room, hands clasped together, rubbing, chafing. She wished she could run and wash the blood off of them again, even though she knew perfectly well that there wasn't any there, she wanted to try again to wash the memory from her mind. She had requested to talk to Zero earlier, but was told that he was out, not that his twin wasn't sufficient enough company, but she needed someone to relate to at the moment. Ichiru was all too eager to be granted his wish, he didn't care who it came from, which was why he was catering to the pureblood in that moment.

"More tea?" he asked, holding up the hot metal teapot.

"No thank you." Sara said, resuming her seat across from the Chairman. "You know, I came here to chat on a bit more than the weather. I hear that the maids are out walking the dogs, or rather, the dogs are walking them."

"I thought that all of the 'dogs' were dead by now." Kaien frowned, bringing the tips of his fingers together.

"That was what I assumed as well, until I visited the kennel on the way here. It seems that they split their little pack up." she scoffed, taking a sip of her tea. "You probably wouldn't be surprised by their relationship."

"Not at all, it's something I had come to expect." Kaien sighed.

"You know what you'll have to do once everything is gone, you have no choice in the matter if you want to protect your little ideology."

"I do."

"You two must love to talk about trivial things." Ichiru muttered, pouring Yori a cup of tea, who vehemently refused.

"You, you must know what we are, right? Of course you do, what was I thinking, stating such a thing." Sara asked Yori, tinkling laugh sending chills up the girl's spine. "Both of you must know what dwells within the academy walls by now. We are likened to Gods, well, my kind anyways. Did you know that humans used to offer us periodic sacrifices in order to keep us at bay?"

Yori blinked, thinking about the hundreds who were probably betrayed by their kin to save their own selves.

"You have lived in such a privileged world, to not know anything, to define your bliss by ignorance, but the world is coming around again, and this time you will be apart of the knowledge."

Yori nodded, accepting her dual destiny, for now.

"So how long do you think they'll be?" Kaien asked, mentally preparing himself.

"Within the next four hours. They'll want everyone to be awake to take witness of what happens when they are opposed, plus they're sure that the aristocrats won't stand up to them, even if some of them might side with Kaname."

That didn't give Kaien much time. He had to warn the day class, herd them to safety, warn the night class, send someone out to find Kaname and Zero if the situation looked severe... The way Sara had gathered herself made Kaien sure that she wasn't going to stay, and after all, it would have been foolish to expect such a thing. Why on Earth would she stay and dirty her hands when a 'maid' could do it for her.

"I'll have to work quickly," he admitted, rubbing his temples.

"I could always take these two along with me." she nodded to Yori and Ichiru. "What do you say?"

Kaien looked from Yori's pale complexion to Ichiru's pleading look with a sigh.

"Alright, I'll catch up soon."

"Excellent." Sara smirked, inclining her head some. "Come along children.'

"I'll meet you there." Kaien said, unmoving from his desk.

"Don't worry about anything else, just do as your told and everything will be fine."

"I could say the same for you." he didn't look at her she clicked her fingers for the two to follow.

"Sara...sama, where are we going?" Yori asked shyly, wondering if such an honorific was expected of her.

"To see that specialist about your hand. You'll feel better after the visit."

"Sara-sama, when-"

"Patience Ichiru. You have your orders, you should honor them."

Ichiru frowned, setting everything down before approaching Yori, helping her hobble out to the grounds. They were led by Sara and followed by the Chairman, who unlocked the gate with the only key needed on campus, allowing them to exit and load into the car. The pureblood shut the door, lowering the window to peek back out at Kaien.

"Do hurry Chairman, the snow will thrive soon, until the vernal equinox melts it all away."

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

Those damn vampire kids. Just because they were the equivalent of aristocrats in their world they thought they had special privileges and rights to everything. Kaien needed to keep a tighter watch on them, especially now that their leader was absent.

Their leader, Kuran...

A vampire who gently embraced a human could not have been up to any good. Now that the human he had been targeting for one reason or another was dead, what was his next move? She couldn't have been anything special to him past the need or notion of food, that's all humans were to these vile beasts, as far as he was concerned. A highly intellectual food source that could provide them with entertainment in the right setting. Perhaps that's what she was doing...

Had Kuran killed that girl? Surely he wasn't stupid enough to do such a thing. Yet his credentials would have been more than enough to be easily forgiven by anyone supporting Kaien's foolish views in vampire society.

She and Zero seemed to have a close bond. Yagari could see the turmoil that seeped into his apprentice's eyes, how distraught he had been. He was sure it wouldn't take much to make him snap. Would he finally have to eliminate his own student, who would be driven off the edge of insanity? Yagari almost felt bad for the pureblood, almost, as if Zero were to snap with him around, he would be taken down as well. Without question. Without mercy. And he would suffer greatly.

A rustle of leaves from a nearby tree had him drawing his shotgun, firing a single shell into whatever was about to lunge out at him. Touga waited for the resulting thud, or shatter, depending on if he hit a head, heart or other body part. When none came, he hesitantly approached the base of the tree. There was no vampire presence around the immediate area, a peculiar thing for what he had been feeling just moments before. Perhaps he was hallucinating from a lack of sleep?

Perhaps not. Blood coated the base of the tree, meaning he had hit something. Maybe it had retreated in fear. One could only wonder. A glint of ivory caught the corner of his eye, bringing his undivided attention to the pool on the grass. He picked the lump up between his gloved fingers, turning it over in the fading light. What the hell was a memory charm doing in a place like this?

"Touga! I heard gunshots, what happened?" Kaien came running to him, looking concerned and thoroughly exhausted at the same time. "Who-"

He paled at the sight of the small fang between his friend's fingers.

"Something tried to attack me, so I shot at it. I don't think I got it though." he frowned. "What's eatin' you?"

"Nothing. May I?"

The fang passed from glove to glove, Kaien inspecting it carefully.

"We need to round up the day class and get them to a safe place." he said finally, pocketing the fang. "Could you begin the proceedings while I talk to the night class?"

Touga wasn't going to question the orders he'd been given, yet he was curious.

"What's going on?"

"The Association and half the Council are coming after us, Zero rather. But since he isn't here, I wouldn't put it past them to wait around. Lock the padlock on your way out."

Kaien needed to finish this as quickly and quietly as possible. The Association would most likely need reforming once this confrontation was over, and Kaien would take it as an advantage to slip out and accomplish the menial tasks given to him by Sara. Of course he could refuse, but if something were to be slipped to anyone, then that woman's wish would not be realized. And of course, if the truth got out about that, then he might lose Zero, and the pureblood that loved him as well.

Yes, he could tell.

And Kaien's life would then be meaningless.

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

"Resources tell me that Cross-san has been trying to cover up a death within the Academy walls from the Association. We're going to investigate on our own, but just in case the rumors are true, you'll be leading a small group. If he shows resistance, then we will warrant his arrest."

Jinmu* and the President entered a back room in the Association, close to the library where important documents sat, torn, flayed, a dark, dried sienna coating of blood soaking most of them through. In that room was all at once history and evidence of past hunters' accomplishments and downfalls.

"Resources? Did they provide any evidence to back up their claims? Accusing Cross-san of anything, of all people... Even if his set up is dangerous."

"That witch of a woman enchanted him with her wiles I'm afraid. She convinced him to give up hunting, I wouldn't be surprised that he completely went over to their side, protecting those vampire children as if they wouldn't turn into deadly, carnivorous beasts at the first whiff of bloodshed." the President walked over to a small wooden box, running his fingers along the glass top before picking it up to show to Jinmu.

With a single finger, he slid open the lid, turning the bit of black cloth over to reveal a white tag that was soaked with blood. Since it was in an airtight container, it was still a tad damp, despite the elapsed time. The President wiped his finger along the inside of his sleeve absentmindedly, pointing to where it said 'Cross Academy' in the stitching, along with washing directions, and the materials used to make the cloth.

"Seriously? Where did you get the evidence? Yagari-san? Kiryuu-kun?"

"You're forgetting your place amidst your excitement." the President hissed lethally, scaring Jinmu straight.

"Y-yes sir, sorry, forgive me! May I ask about our plan for Kiryuu-kun?"

"We don't need a plan. If he's disobedient and refuses to come quietly, we will detain him until I have time to issue an assessment of his sanity. If he gets too out of control upon capture or fails the assessment, then no one should hesitate in getting rid of him."

"Getting rid of him? Just kill off Kiryuu-kun like that?" Jinmu was surprised that the order was issued so easily.

Sure, he wasn't too fond of Kiryuu, he was a vampire after all, but he was a hunter too, a proficient one who seemed as sane as himself only a little more than a week ago.

"Fuu, it's not a crime to get rid of a vampire. Things that have outgrown their use should be eliminated before things get out of hand." he smirked in amusement.

"I'll have to agree with you there."

"You have no choice. Gather three of the most reliable in the Association and meet me at the entrance. We'll be leaving shortly."

With a short bow, Jinmu ran off. The President tucked the small wooden box into a metal evidence locker before leaving the room, smug at the prospect of confining Kaien and his influence over human relations in vampire society.

The moment he walked out of the room, the evidence and its container spontaneously combusted, burning up the cloth and any traces of its existence, not even leaving ashes or a pool of molten glass as it was erased from the world.

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

Please let this be a dream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Please, let this not be a dream.

Kaname's kisses became needy as his hand pinned Zero's wrists above his head, the other playing with the zipper of his vest, skimming his fingers over whatever of his chest was exposed. He straddled the squirming hunter, lips moving along his jaw, tongue tracing along his earlobe, nipping it gently with his fang before trailing feather-light kisses down his neck, along the strong pulse thundering beneath the soft skin.

Zero let out a breathy laugh, feeling so lighthearted in that moment, being teased by Kaname. His kisses tickled, making Zero squirm even more, brushing their leather-clad bodies together.

The pureblood nipped and kissed down to Zero's collarbones, sucking on them lightly. Kaname could hear him panting, the edge of a moan in his voice.

A dark thought poisoned his mind as well, different from Kaname's. What if he was being used? His mind would have made up any excuse to bring logic into this nonsensical event.

Things were going too fast.

"...Ka...name..."

There was too much contact.

"Kaname... wait..."

He could lose everything again.

"Kaname!" Zero tensed, rejecting the sweetness of sin that filled him with contentedness.

It was a trap, he was sure. He would once again feel such gentle things that twice contributed to his emotional downfalls, and now he was walking the same path once more.

But it was different. Some small part of him that refused to die, the part of Zero that cupped the last remaining fragment of hope within him stirred. Figuratively, that fragment, that light, was his frozen heart. He could feel the ice warming from the center of the icy cast. The slow breath of life it took began what could have been disastrous things.

- D o . . . -
- . . . k i -
- . . . . . . . . . D o -
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . k i -

"Please, don't make me.... you..." Zero whispered in agony.

"Make you what?" Kaname whispered.

The hunter didn't know exactly what he didn't want, or if he really didn't want it.

"Please wait..." he looked up into Kaname's rust colored eyes, reminded of iron, of blood, but of also sweet chocolate.

Yes, that sweet sin was not something he should have been allowed to take part in. Those eyes made him hunger, crave the pureblood's soft, warm lips and gentle caresses. Kaname stared back down at him, their eyes glazed in the heat of the moment. He calmed enough to press a shaky kiss to the quivering hunter's forehead, nuzzling his ear before whispering huskily once more.

"As long as you aren't telling me to stop."

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

Neither of them knew when it happened, but as Zero woke nearly an hour later, his attention was drawn by a very heavy, very intimately positioned pureblood, face still buried in the crook of his neck.

Warmth flushed his face in the dark, more than the pureblood was giving off as he lay content, peacefully dozing. The room still smelled of their mingled scents, though nothing really had transpired. He tried to move, wrists still pinned above his head, body trapped beneath him, a hand still clutched possessively over his chest, his heart.

"Shhhhhh........"

His racing heart brought about signs of life in Kaname, who tried to shush him in a soothing manner, fingers rubbing absentmindedly, nuzzling deeper to provide comfort.

Zero didn't know what the hell to think. He tried to move again, to escape from the pureblood's grasp so he could try and escape to another room to either have a panic attack, or pretend like nothing ever happened.

"Grrrrnnnnn...."

A low growl tore from Kaname's throat as his grip on the hunter's wrists tightened. His fingers pinched his nipple while he burrowed closer. Zero let out a breathy gasp from the sensations when a mouth latched onto the side of his neck, fangs scraping gently over the site where he was last bitten by any pureblood. The spot was rather sensitive now, the pain it always used to cause him melted away with a soft purple glow beneath Kaname's lips. Zero must have been healed unconsciously by the pureblood, much like that time he had kissed Yuuki's wound at Ichijou's party, eliminating it instantaneously.

The scene replayed in his mind of how gentle he had been, how jealous Zero was in that moment before the memory melted and melded into another. A similar edge in the memory of Kaname's voice.

"She seems to hold an awful lot of your attention."

Hypocrite.

"Too much, I don't like you near her."

Zero's brows knit together, finally gaining an inkling of what he might have meant. The hunter turned his head to the side to place a chaste kiss on Kaname's cheek.

"You too." he muttered, finally managing to dislodge himself from the clingy pureblood.

"Mnnnh...."

The sleepy whine came from the bed when Zero had passed the door frame, intending to sleep in another room. He turned back to find Kaname sitting up running a hand through his hair until he looked up, sexy and sleep disheveled.

"What is it that you want?" he frowned.

He couldn't have been serious. Was he sleeping that entire time? Zero could feel another flush grace his cheeks that had more to do with hurt than shyness. He said the first thing that came to mind and stuck with it.

"We're going back to the Academy now." he growled.

Kaname gave him a reproachful look, wondering what the hell was eating at the hunter.

"Then let's go." he bit back, watching Zero scowl before disappearing to retrieve their uniforms.

Was it all real?

"ღ*~+~*ღ"

A/N:* The hunter with a scar now has an official canon name - Jinmu

Raijin, Jinmu, for some reason he looked like he would have 'jin' in his name to me. XDD

Oh well, I really didn't want to have to put an author's note in this chapter, but it looks like I'll have to. =_= Since with ch.55's revelation of Jinmu's name.

Review: I would love you forever. I really enjoy getting and reading them all, it's such an encouragement to know that I can make people smile, or feel certain ways because of my writing that they had so graciously taken the time out to read. Thank you to everyone, old, new, and those who come back now and then for supporting me. Names will be mentioned next chapter because I want it to be in the beginning, because that's what writing starts with, the desire to tell someone a story.