This new chapter is dedicated to Komaripureblood and Skylar18.
~Audriel
Chapter 13
When the early rays of sunlight streaked through the curtained windows, morning found a silver-haired man holding a fair-haired woman in his arms on the large bed they shared. The woman was the first to stir from the comfort of slumber; sleepy blue eyes blinked awake, chasing away the remains of the sandman. When those eyes found the figure that was only a breath away from her, they were filled with sadness. Gently she traced the outline of his face and stopped at the slight crease between his eyebrows.
Nightmares, she thought. The conversation they had must bring too many bad memories, and Zero was never one to let go of the past easily. But it was six years ago… it was still too fresh and vivid in his memories, especially when he had the constant remainder by his side all the time. Misaki gave a gentle kiss on his forehead where the frown was and saw him slightly relaxing in his sleep. Carefully she pried away the strong hands on her waist and moved out from the bed without waking up the vampire hunter, which was quite a feat by itself. She managed to navigate her way through the room quietly to gather her necessities and went to the bathroom.
Before she left their shared bedroom, Misaki let the door to their bedroom ajar so he would be aware of the sounds coming from outside as he was waking up. She noticed that if it was too quiet, her husband would immediately jump into the worst conclusion. He was too wary and too suspicious of everything, and she couldn't blame him. The fact that he managed to sleep peacefully with her in the same bed was as surprising it was to him as to her.
Absently she twisted her hair into a loose braid as she descended down the stairs without causing any noise, wary how early in the morning it was. Her first destination was the entrance of the mansion where she would find some morning papers slipped through the mail opening in the door. After picking it up, she walked leisurely to the kitchen with her eyes remaining on the headlines written on the paper. Some of the headlines were pretty shocking, interesting even, but being an Aruda, nothing truly surprised her anymore.
"Good morning, Misaki-sama," Hayasaka was the only one who was also awake at this hour, a cloth in her hand, most likely doing some cleaning.
"Good morn', Yurie-san. Have a good night sleep?" Misaki asked pleasantly.
"Very well. Dinner went well, I assume?" Hayasaka asked kindly.
"Your Nabemono works miracles," she complimented the elderly lady's cooking, earning a hearty laugh.
"I'm glad it does. Do you need anything for breakfast?"
"I don't think so, but thank you," Misaki smiled warmly to their maid who shrugged away the polite manner her mistress still adopted around her. Hayasaka had long noted it would be still a while until the couple could be really at ease around her. Her wrinkled face softened, being around the small family for quite a while, she was growing fonder of them and she would like for them not to feel uncomfortable around her.
"Just call me if you need anything, dear," Hayasaka gave a playful wink before she went to finish other chores she needed to do.
"I will," Misaki never failed to feel warm at the endearment given by Hayasaka. It had been a while since she was called that way. A long while, she thought sadly, thinking of her adoptive mother. Having no memories of her mother who died after giving birth to her, Hisakawa Kaoru was the closest to a mother that she ever had. Losing her was no different than losing her family all over again. The thought made her heart ache painfully.
Would I lose this family too?
It was the thought that she never let herself linger on. Dismissing the depressing thoughts, Misaki made herself comfortable in the kitchen that she had to herself. She laid down the papers on the counter that overlooked the dining room. The first thing she did was to boil a pot of water and prepare the necessary ingredients for breakfast, reminding herself that there were guests in the house. Right when she was wondering whether the other hunters preferred to wake up early in the morning or sleep in like her husband, she sensed faint approaching presence that she knew weren't belonged to Zero.
Two figures with contrasting physical attributes and personalities could be seen walking to the direction of the dining room from the wing where their rooms were located. From the way they were walking and taking care of their appearance, both of them seemed fully alert. Morning people, it seemed.
"Good morning," Misaki initiated the greeting.
"Ah, good morning, Misaki," Cross returned the greeting jovially.
"Morning," Yagari, on the other hand, was the darker shade of the ex-hunter.
"Would you like some coffee or tea?" She gestured the seats near the counter that were rarely used unless the children wanted to see their mother, or sometimes their father, cooking.
"Please." Both Cross and Yagari seated themselves on the proffered chairs, giving a clear view of the young woman in the kitchen. Misaki poured down the newly boiled water on the empty cups, and remembering the two men's preferences she brewed the coffee and tea separately. She was finished with them first, serving the freshly made beverages before them both.
"Darjeeling?" Cross inhaled the special smell that could only come from an excellent quality Darjeeling tea with a pleased look on his face.
"You strike me as one who would enjoy a good cup of Darjeeling tea in the morning," she smiled to the light-haired man, before turning to present a jar of sugar cubes to the dark-haired man without being asked.
"Have a good night sleep?" she asked absently as she brewed her own cup of tea, adding some honey and milk to the cup.
"The best I've had lately," Cross sipped the tea in bliss. Then there was silence. It wasn't actually an uncomfortable kind of silence for her; she was used to letting others make the decision whether to start a conversation or to remain in silence. She wouldn't mind either way. So she went to prepare breakfast, taking down all of the necessary utensils from the utensils rack and taking out the ingredients from storage and refrigerator with complete ease as this was her domain.
However, she could sense that the silence wasn't the same for them; there were too many unspoken words and questions. She knew she was being watched, being examined inside and out by the two of them, so she let them be. She let them decide on their own what kind of person she was. As much as she wanted them to be on her side, she didn't want to force them.
Already making up her mind she gave her full attention towards the preparation of breakfast. She whisked the ingredients she had put into in the big bowl. She was rather a traditional cook, preferring to do things manually most of the times unless she was in a hurry. The constant motion of preparing and making dishes that didn't require much thought and precision unlike most of the things she had to do easily soothe her nerves and occupied her mind with simpler and insignificant things. It was one of the reasons why she insisted to make meals on her own, although her husband and her maid were also capable to do so, if not more.
But there were times when she caught the two of them at the end of her sight and she couldn't help but guess what might be in their mind. She wondered how odd it must be for them to see her before them. The woman who became the wife of the man they had known since he was young. The woman they didn't expect to be with him.
Or the fact there was a woman at all.
She couldn't help to think this in amusement. Zero made it hard for the opposite gender to get close to him, when in actuality he had a fair share of attention from them. She had known this from the whispers she overheard in passing during her high school years. Her husband was certainly the type that could easily attract young girls with his mysterious persona. She didn't really get what it was with boys and the dangerous image that girls swooned over. Maybe she couldn't understand because she didn't really know how to be like them. How to be like ordinary girls even as she interacted and got along with them.
It would rather difficult to believe indeed, her thoughts once again returned to its previous line of thoughts, thanks to her ingrained habits, that Zero let another person get close to him, and a girl nonetheless. It just didn't fit with what they knew of Zero. It was what she thought too.
But somehow she just found it easy to be around him, and it worked the same way for him. They didn't exactly start on the right foot, or on the wrong foot. They were just... she didn't even know how to describe it. Partners? Accomplices? Supporters? Helpers? He sort of tolerated her, because he had need of her, but somewhere along the way, something changed.
They were rather similar, Zero and her. Both of them were used to relying to themselves. That was the other reason why they only hired one maid in the house and she still prepared the meals for the family. They could notice the similarities right away the moment they learned more of each other.
Both of them understood the feeling of loss all too well. How everything could come crashing down in a blink in an eye. How everything was taken away forcibly from them. She supposed that was how she was attracted to him. The corner of her mouth quirked slightly at she thought how she was attracted to him as she turned slightly to put the finished pancakes on the empty plates.
Their relationship was never one that people could define as normal; it had been made rather clear early on. What usually attracted people to one another was their appearance and their personality, their past was rarely something that attracted other people, but it was what happened to them.
There were times when she dearly wanted to knock some sense into him because how annoyed she was with him seeing how he was so hell-bent in getting the purebloods and how narrow minded he was for someone that was going to be the leader of the hunters. She figured that was where their difference lay. His hold on the past was stronger than hers, too strong that it stopped him from walking forward… from living his own life. But most of all, he simply had no desire to.
She ended up saying hurtful things to him, trying to get some reaction, some semblance of life, wanting him to see and accept the truth of what happened and start to move forward even just one step. He didn't react to it well, although he managed not to resort to violence.
It was a wonder how he still kept her around, when she looked back, Misaki wondered. He could have just finished her in one blow, considering that she was no hunter or vampire or at least broke away from her and pretended that they didn't know each other. But he did neither; he didn't lay a finger on her or stay away from her. She remembered how surprised she was finding him on the rooftops after everything was over. But it might be because somehow, ever since, they were bound to each other, being the one who understood each other the most. That was why they still kept in touch even after she went to Paris.
Her mind lingered for a while at the word bound. Bound by what exactly?
Then she vaguely sensed an obvious shift coming from the direction of the counter. A nervous gesture, she noted subconsciously.
"Do you…," the voice she recognized as Cross' made her turn to his direction. The man looked rather uncomfortable. "Do you regret what happened that day? Do you… resent him for what happened?"
The young woman blinked few times, making sure that she was hearing right. It was quite a direct question, and a personal one, if she might add. The man seemed to realize this, there was slight embarrassment coloring his features. She repressed the urge to raise her eyebrow, knowing that it would intimidate him than encourage him. She didn't quite follow her former principal's line of thought that he eventually came to this.
"I mean. You were just what? Twenty years old? In a completely foreign place. You were on your way to your dreams. I still remember how enthusiastically you explained your desire to become an architect. Children were the last thing you wanted," Cross paused, his throat felt tight, "Zero is like a son to me. I love him as he is. But it doesn't mean what he did was right."
Misaki's features softened at his words. The man was thinking of her too, not only Zero. She could see why this man managed to find his way into her husband's heart. She was sincerely touched. But then again, Cross knew mostly everything about Zero... and Yuuki. She knew that the man wasn't speaking only about the fact that Zero forced himself on her, but also the cause of the drastic action taken and the reason behind it. She was aware of it all too well.
She absently touched her neck that was slightly covered by the hem of her clothes, a habit that wasn't quite healed although the fear was no longer as strong as it was. When she realized this, she knew that incident had left a mark on her more than on him. She had the right to blame him, to resent him for everything that happened, but she knew it wouldn't do.
"I've learned not to regret anything that happened in the past. I've long learned to make the best of it," those blue eyes reflected such deep sadness that someone so young shouldn't possess. There was a slight lull between the conversations as she thought over her answer. That was how it had always been. Always looking, always moving forward. No matter how difficult it was. No matter how rough it was. It was how she could keep herself going, keep on living...
It was no different when it happened to her. When her orderly life, her simple and ordinary life was suddenly turned upside down by his very presence. It had been too much to her. First was the loss of her innocence. The change of their relationship. The loss of Zero. And then the twins. However, seeing where they were right now, she wouldn't exchange it with anything else in the world. They had come a long way.
Eventually she turned to look at both Cross and Yagari, her head slightly tilted to the side, "Can you really resent Zero?" Her tone was openly curious, though her eyes were actually watching every change in their faces.
Cross certainly appeared that he didn't expect her to return the question to himself. The eyes behind the thin-rimmed glasses blinked few times, his mouth was opening only to be closed again, and that how it went for few more times, as if he had difficulty to find the words. Yagari was less expressive than the man next to him, but the set of his jaws and the look in his eyes spoke volumes.
Her lips curled into a sad smile. Both of them had known the answer to that question. For those who knew Zero, it was difficult to resent him, regardless what happened. How could she resent Zero? The kind, gentle Zero…always laying all the blame on himself; always putting the entire burden on his shoulders. That was the way he was. He already took it up on himself. If she were to resent him still, to regret what happened, how could she help him? What good it would be for them? For her and the children?
All she wanted was to have him back in their lives. She wanted to have her best friend back. She wanted to have the father of her children. She didn't ask for more. At this her gaze unconsciously went to the beautiful ring on her finger. So it came as a surprise, because she knew that he still didn't know what he wanted yet… but he was willing to. And that was more than enough.
"…Do you love him?" This time it was Yagari who asked, his dark eyes met her lighter ones. Misaki said nothing; she merely gave a gentle smile to the tall man.
"I'll be everything he needs me to be."
At that moment both Cross and Yagari saw a glimpse of the woman whom Zero had chosen as his wife. The young woman stood tall and proud, her smile was warm and gentle, her blue eyes shone with wisdom and maturity, giving away the hidden strength the young woman possessed. Then it was gone, leaving the two to wonder whether they were only seeing things.
Those words seemed like a sign for the end of the conversation, neither of the two older men tried to pick up another conversation. The experienced hunters returned to their drinks and their own thoughts, leaving the silence to envelop the kitchen save for the sounds of cooking activity. After what appeared to be a quite a long time, they heard light footsteps coming from the stairs. Two silver heads appeared in the room, their hair was rather messy and their faces still had the remains of sleep, although they seemed more and more alert as they approached the kitchen.
"Good morning," Misaki was just done with the breakfast. She knelt down at her children's eye level to give them some morning kiss on their foreheads and slightly tidied up their hair.
"Morning, Okaasan," Mizuki gave one of her rare sunny smiles, despite the sleepy look in her eyes. Kazuki more like muttered the greetings compared to his twin, although he seemed more alert than Mizuki.
"Is Father already awake?" Noticing this, she asked her son instead.
"I think so. I heard him speaking in his study." That made Misaki's eyebrow lifted in interest.
"Take your seat around the table. I'll get your breakfast. It's pancake." The twins perked up at the mention of pancake, because it meant they could choose their own toppings. Without further prompting, the kids headed to the dining table and took their usual seat smartly. However, Misaki prepared the adult portions first which included some bacon and eggs and served them before the two men sitting by the counter.
"I'm afraid you'll need to eat your breakfast now. It seems you still have some work to do."
And right to her words, when they were on the way to finishing their breakfast, the cordless phone on the counter rang. When Misaki picked it up, she already knew it was her husband and his message to the guests who were currently in the dining room with her. She hung up the phone and turned to look at her guests rather regretfully,
"You're asked to go to his study upstairs. I think something requires your attention."
Yagari let out a disgruntled sigh, ruffling his dark hair in disappointment, "So much for a rest. What again this time?"
Cross merely smiled at the sentiment, slightly scolding for what could be considered as whining from the other man despite the mutual feelings.
"Would you mind if you bring this upstairs?" Misaki gestured the newly decorated pancake, asking the adoptive father of his husband, feeling more comfortable to ask for his favor than the other man. "I know he might not remember to eat…"
"Just in case," Cross nodded in agreement, picking the tray of food with practiced ease. It was one of Zero's bad habits. Whenever he was so engrossed in something, or in this case, work, he tended to forget anything else, even to drink or to eat. Sure, lately he never forgot to take blood tablets or sometime red wine after some consistent nagging of his part –and Cross suspected that his wife had a part in it-, but it wasn't enough.
"Thank you," Misaki smiled in gratitude, which was returned with an energetic shake of hand.
"No need to be so formal. We're family now, aren't we?"
There was a slight surprise crossing her features at those words, but it was immediately replaced with a warm smile. That reaction made him realize how true Misaki's previous statement regarding her and Zero's similarities was. They were so independent, so used to relying on their selves that they expected little from others and the thought saddened him. They were good children, both Zero and Misaki. They deserved much better.
Yagari seemed to notice his mood and wisely held his tongue from saying any smart comments, letting the other man with his thoughts until they reached the closed door that they figured was the door to his former student's study. Before either of them could announce their presence, the familiar voice of Zero came from behind the wooden door, beckoning them inside.
When they saw the silver-haired figure sitting behind an elegantly-carved mahogany table with a serious look on his features, instinctively their posture and features changed into of a professional façade before their leader as they prepared to carry on the task they were entrusted with.
I
I
I
The problem came from certain factions from both societies who had one or the other disagreements regarding some points they were or were not going to discuss in the upcoming conference or the event itself as a whole. They had heard of the disagreements long before the event was going to be held through various methods, directly or indirectly, politely or less politely.
However, this time these people sent along a threat with their demands and what alarmed them most that some of them implied of the internal situation in the Association. The situation where some of the influential hunters opposed the current leader of the Association and made the hunters divided due to the conflict that ended up with them attacking the president himself.
Zero's first action was to start a teleconference with all of the important members of the Association who were dispersed in various places. Some were harder to contact than the others, but eventually they were able to hold an emergency meeting with complete members. When they found out of the problem, they demanded to know how those people found out and some of them dared to accuse the other members. It would have gone out of hand if not for Zero's quick intervention, immediately ceasing all the arguments and accusations.
The memory of the internal dispute was still raw in their minds, especially knowing that those hunters that they respected and once accepted Zero as the leader of the Association suddenly turned their backs on them and went as far as trying to assassinate their leader. The confusion, the disbelief and the anger remained still within them suppressed, only to be triggered by the slightest mention. The only comfort was the fact that their leader was fine and unharmed and those responsible were safely hidden and locked away.
The main problem was how to deal with those factions without revealing or confirming of the certain dispute, all the while ensuring the planned event to go smoothly. The other problem was to find out how much those people knew of their condition and make sure no one else knew of it. The latter was much easier done since they had resources to investigate the matter; especially the event they were holding gave them enough cover to move more freely than usual. They had managed to divide the resources and the responsibilities in the few hours after the meeting started. However, they still couldn't reach an agreed solution.
As they argued of every benefit and loss of every solution that was proposed, another matter came out regarding how much security they actually had to place during the event. They had yet reached the agreement in the last meeting and the unsatisfied members decided to pursue it now, complicating matters. In the end, Yagari who also acted as the moderator of the meeting was forced to call a recess to the meeting for each and every one of them to cool their heads and find another possible solution. When the screen went blank as they were disconnected from each other, the three men didn't conceal their relief.
"That's somehow worse than usual," Yagari commented sourly, slumping tiredly against the comfortable sofa in the study and carelessly crossed his legs on the matching table in front of him. Cross frowned at the lack of manners, but didn't bother to scold his friend.
"It might be because it's a teleconference. They become more daring as we're not in person," Cross analyzed calmly as he cleaned up his glasses with his handkerchief. In response, Yagari muttered what suspiciously sounded like a string of curses regarding how cowardly those people were that Cross pointedly ignored. However, throughout the exchange, their leader hadn't said anything.
The silver-haired hunter was looking through the transcript of the meeting that included the arguments every member gave in the meeting. The look in his eyes was so intense that none of them dared to broach the subject with him.
Suddenly they heard knocking on the door, effectively breaking the silence, but not the attention Zero paid on the papers in his hands. Thus Cross took the initiative to reach for the door and found the figure of the Kiryuu lady in front of the door with a wheeled tray with foods.
"Lunch?"
The enticing aroma of food reminded him of his empty stomach that should be full with delicious breakfast but left no remain that he had eaten, signaling that it had long passed lunchtime.
"What time is it?"
"Actually it's nearly time for dinner. But for you it'd be lunch."
"Oh dear," Cross checked the time on his watch, his eyes widening when he realized how late it was. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright. I'm used to it," she laughed lightly. Cross helped her with their lunch/dinner and brought it into the study, laying it down on the same table where Yagari previously crossed his legs on. The dark-haired man's eyebrows rose when he saw the complete bento made for them.
"No wonder Zero doesn't enjoy the food at the banquets."
"It's nothing much," Misaki accepted the compliment good-naturedly. She was just starting to learn more of Japanese cuisine after being exposed to more European cuisine, courtesy of their housemaid who was simply eager to share her recipes to the younger woman. Sometimes she overestimated the ingredients and ended up making too much. She brought a box of bento to her husband who didn't seem to notice her presence until when she was about to place the bento on the table, he turned his gaze to look at her.
Misaki didn't seem unperturbed with the sudden attention given to her. Wordlessly, Zero gave her the bundled paper which was accepted with a raise of an eyebrow from his wife, ignoring the surprised looks he briefly saw from the corner of his eyes from Cross and Yagari who would have considered the action as a breach to security. However, his attention was now solely on the figure of fair-haired woman before him.
"The teleconference's transcript." His answer was brisk, and she knew that she was expected to read it, so she read it. The documentation was detailed, making her easy to imagine how the meeting went in her mind, who said what and how their reaction to every argument made and every solution proposed. She was vaguely aware of her husband's gaze on her, waiting for her opinion.
"What do you think?" Zero asked when he saw that she was done reading the whole transcript, and it was obvious for the other two that he didn't do it to merely humor her. He truly asked for his wife's opinion.
"Go on with it," Misaki calmly said as she returned the papers to her husband. There was a flicker of confusion that mirrored basically everyone in the room since it should be obvious that they had yet to reach a definitive conclusion of the meeting.
"Don't you already have something in mind?" Misaki raised an eyebrow as if challenging him to say otherwise. "If this goes on, you won't solve anything, especially with these small interventions." At this she gestured at the documented words of every member in the meeting. There was a display of open surprise that turned into admiration.
"You noticed just in a glance."
"Words are my specialty," Misaki shrugged it off easily. "It's good to let everyone have a say in the matter, but sometimes you just need to take the lead." The implication of that advice was not lost on any of them. Zero seemed to mull this over, before he asked of the other matter.
"And of the security?" A smile appeared on her face; as if he was asking something that the answer should be obvious.
"Zero, you have to remember that this is different from the other events you've attended. Do you know why?" Clear blue eyes calmly met and held those silver eyes. "It's not any other place. It's not another pureblood's or noble's mansion or governmental building. It's Japan's headquarters. It is not you who needs to be careful." She leaned slightly forward to emphasize her next words.
"It is them."
The two of them looked at each other, one was bright and challenging, the other was wide with surprise although it didn't linger. The meaning of her words was crystal clear. This event was unlike other events, because it wasn't anywhere else but his own headquarters, that he knew as well as the back of his hand. It was his domain, his territory. It was him who had the reign over the board, not anyone else, not any other hunter, not any other vampire. It was him and him only.
Bring them under your fingertips. They're all yours.
It was the unspoken words between them. He hadn't seen the look in her eyes for a long time, those sharp and calculating eyes that didn't let any possibilities and opportunities pass by, those eyes that made him realize the true strength that the Aruda was renowned of, those eyes that never failed to give him confidence regardless how mad and foolish the things he would do, those eyes that always made him on his toes, ready for the challenge given to him. The end of his mouth quirked upwards in amusement, but one couldn't mistake the brief flash of ferocity in his eyes.
"You make it sound so simple," Zero leaned back, amused silver eyes never leaving her blue eyes.
"You just have the tendency to make things more complicated," Misaki smartly retorted.
"Only you'd say that."
"I'd beg to differ," Misaki shrugged nonchalantly. The casual gesture made him chuckle, her tone and words greatly contrasted her previous sharp and serious manner that always managed to make the conversations easy and light between them despite the weight of the words. Because of that, they could simply banter back and forth endlessly from significant to insignificant things. That subtle gesture never failed to make him relaxed.
"Since I am of no use anymore, I'll excuse myself. If you need anything, just call," Misaki returned to her calm and reserved self once again. She walked to the door, then stopped to look over her shoulder,
"Finish your bento. Although you might chew them off better on an empty stomach."
There was a stunned silence after the door was safely clicked shut as every eye remained on the door where the woman just walked out the room, only broken by a sudden and unexpected laugh from the usually aloof president. The sight of the young man laughing in unmasked amusement made the older men's eyes widened more and their jaws hung open in surprise.
It took them a while to finally compose themselves and finish their late lunch for them to appear presentable for the meeting to resume. Zero let the other members share their opinions of the matters before finally pulling his rank and position as the president of the Hunter Association on them to make the final decision.
There were ripples of surprise and disbelief coming from the representatives, and some of them dared to voice their objections out loud, but it was effectively silenced by solid arguments from the Kiryuu, closed by the promise that he took full responsibility of the decision and added by ice cold glare and tone that made them unwilling to go against their leader.
It appeared that the look was still effective regardless of the distance between the young leader and his subordinates. And the result was that the meeting was concluded much faster than it would if they maintained the pace they started with. After some reminders of each of their responsibilities to ensure the success of the event, the teleconference was ended.
"So that's your decision?" Yagari was the first to speak after they were safely out of the earshot of their subordinates.
"Yes. It's final," Zero calmly looked into the man's eye to show the seriousness of his decision. Cross was reading through the transcript of the meeting discussion that was previously read by the young president.
"…I see," Cross muttered thoughtfully. "I didn't notice it before, but it was made clearer in this. We weren't going to reach any agreement if we kept at it." The lighter-haired man gave the documentation to the standing man who accepted it with a frown. At Cross' pointed finger at a certain section of the discussion, his frown changed into a sharper look.
"Someone leaked out the information," Yagari wasn't the best when it came to words and he was better in detecting such lies in person than through other media and by one on one than together, that was why he failed to notice this before Cross pointed to out to him.
"That explains the arrangement." Yagari calmly thought of this, his mind instantly went through all the possible scenarios and saw the truth to Zero's decision. Cross nodded in agreement, having reached the same conclusion before him.
"But still. The security measures?" Yagari turned to his leader for more explanation.
"Numbers aren't important. I think we have established this. It's the positioning that matters," those silver depths bore into him, challenging him to prove he was wrong. Yagari found himself unable to find the proper comeback. This side of Zero was rare to be seen. He had seen glimpses of this daring and confident Zero before, but to see it in full view was nothing but overwhelming.
He had given his former student the proper respect as the president, but he still saw some parts of the student he once taught in the young man that still needed his guidance. However, he had come to realize that this man before him no longer needed his guidance, no longer second guessed himself or his decisions. He was a fully capable young man who reigned over the hunters.
He couldn't suppress the feeling of pride welling up inside him seeing how far the insecure boy he knew had gone, but there were some things he needed to settle.
"I have no objections to your decision and I will obey it completely." All of the occupants in the room knew that there was a but somewhere in the line.
"But I have to question you regarding your voluntary action to divulge an undisclosed matter with your wife."
Cross didn't conceal his surprise at the detached tone of his friend that showed how the dark-haired was speaking as the advisor and saw this as something that required strict handling. And in that capacity, the advisor went against the president openly.
Cross himself realized that it was indeed a breach of security, by involving someone outside the inner circle, someone who wasn't a hunter, but both he and Yagari were rarely strict with Zero when it appeared beneficial for the young man. Misaki was a good child, and he was confident enough that she wouldn't reveal anything to anyone else. He thought Yagari had good impression of the young woman, so he was rather confused why the man pushed the matter.
Zero seemed to realize this, but wasn't fazed by the sudden change in his former master's demeanor. He leaned back on his chair, not leaving the other man's dark eyes that were waiting for his answer.
"It wasn't the first, and isn't going to be the last," Zero calmly answered, earning surprised reactions from both of the older men.
"Do you remember the Bhūta incident? And how I settled the incident?"
"Of course I do. What-?" Yagari stopped in mid-sentence as he recalled the details of the incident. It was one of the worst incidents that happened during the early years of Zero's leadership. The incident started with a family feud between two major castes that eventually spread throughout the entire northern India due to the involvement of certain vampire nobles that were attracted with the promise of bloodbath.
The Indian hunters quickly ordered evacuation of the vampires in order to prevent more of their kind's involvement. However, as the feud between the humans escalated, the lure was too great for those blood-thirsty creatures. The leader of the Association branch resorted to request aid from the headquarters to handle the matter before it went out of control.
They sent sufficient number of the best of their headquarters, along with Zero himself who took the lead of the requested aid. The chaos forced them to focus on the vampires who caused the feud in the first place and those who used the opportunity to reveal their nature. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and there seemed no end to those vampires despite the numbers they apprehended… until suddenly Zero took a drastic measure to focus on the humans instead on the vampires.
He issued the order for the Association branch to work with the local government to stop the feuding castes while him and the other main branch hunters to deal with the stray vampires. Many protested against the decision but for the first time, Zero seized the chance to use his absolute authority as the president and no one dared to go against him.
The result was surprising, the moment the humans that started the whole feud were arrested; the movement dwindled as if a piece of card in the lower stacks of the house cards was taken away. And before long, there was nearly nothing left of the bloodshed, eventually making the vampires lose interest and the responsible vampires who were hiding behind the mass of bodies revealed. It was one of the greatest achievements of Zero and one of the important milestones for the newly appointed president to be feared and respected as he should be.
However, Yagari couldn't shrug the thought that the idea didn't seem like his former apprentice. Zero was a shrewd man, he was capable of anything if he put himself into it, but he had the tendency to be short-sighted when it came to vampire-human business. The fact that he managed to remove the focus from the vampires was impressive. He didn't think much more of it as Zero slowly became more neutral and objective when it came to such matters. But now that Zero mentioned this now, it made him wonder whether his initial suspicions were actually accurate.
"She reminded me to see everything as a whole. One couldn't simply exist without another. Cause and effect," Zero recalled the words she said to him those years ago, when he vented his anger at the hopelessness of the situation. "What comes first to hunters, the humans… or the vampires?
"We were so focused to the vampires because we deemed that they were the most danger to the humans when in actuality, it was the humans themselves. So she suggested cooperating with the local government instead moving on our own as they were more aware of their nature than us."
Zero watched the display of emotions on the two people before him in concealed interest. The most prominent emotion was disbelief. He would find it hard to believe if he was them. He was aware how much this implied the depth of Misaki's ability, but he wouldn't reveal her identity as an Aruda, regardless how much he trusted these people with his life.
"I've asked for her advice for a long time. And I don't intend to stop now."
"H-Hold on, Zero," Cross was the first to speak out, confusion was evident on his face. "You mean she knows everything?"
"…There's never any need to lie or to pretend around each other. We are what we are," the young man's face softened as his eyes grew sad and distant. "When I decided to give it a try, I knew I couldn't do it on my own. Keeping her away would only make things worse, especially when she would be known as my wife."
"What do you mean?" Finally Yagari regained his voice, his tone was sharp.
"I'm going to take her as my escort to the ball, and introduce her as my wife."
"Do you realize what you're doing by introducing your wife in the ball where all of the influential people in both societies?" Yagari didn't conceal the incredulity in his tone, suggesting that his former student had gone mad.
He realized how much Misaki meant to him and how far Zero would go in order to ensure her safety, the fact that Zero went after those who were responsible behind her attack with such audacity and thoroughness certainly gave the impression. By bringing her out in the public's eye, those with ill intention would try to use her to their advantage. As sharp and observant as she was, proven by her ability to analyze difficult matters and give the right direction to Zero, she was still mere human.
"I'm very aware of it." The way Zero stressed the word and the hint of anger in his tone showed how offended he was for not realizing this important fact, indirectly made Yagari and Cross tense up because their leader rarely showed his anger this openly.
"She suggested it?" It was the only reason Cross could think of.
"You should try arguing with her sometime," at this Zero let out a sigh, no longer bothering to maintain the façade of the president in front of his confidants. "There are more benefits for her to be known than to remain unknown. For one thing, the children.
"If they were to make a background check they would find that we were only married for a year. Even if they found out she had children, they wouldn't immediately link them to me. The twins' documents are still under the name of her maiden name. As long as we keep the children away from the public's eyes, they'd be safe. She'd be the perfect distraction."
The tone of his voice were perfectly calm and composed that indicated how much he and Misaki had thought of this, but the look of his eyes showed a glimpse of his feelings in the matter. This decision was the same thing as putting his wife directly in the line of fire.
"That's why it's important for her to know everything… it's no longer a choice the moment she decided to become the wife and mother of the Kiryuus."
They were silenced by Zero's explanation, slowly understanding the reasoning behind the younger man's decisions despite how difficult it was for him. Misaki couldn't remain oblivious of the risks she would have to face when her husband was the number one person in the hunter society and when her children were the infamous Kiryuu twins who survived through the pregnancy.
And maybe it would be safer for Misaki to be known publicly as the Kiryuu wife as Zero's status and position were getting stronger. They wouldn't dare to invoke the wrath of the president of the Association by going after his wife. When she was attacked, no one knew of her and of her relationship with Zero, making it appear just another random attack to innocent passerby by stray vampires if one were to see it in a glance.
"She would make a perfect distraction, but not for long…" Their attention was caught as Zero started to speak again, continuing his previous thoughts regarding the matter. "I'm not naïve enough to confidently say that I'd be able to protect them by myself. The children have to learn to protect themselves." At this, the silver-haired hunter leaned forward on his desk; his silver eyes looked directly to the two people before him.
"Because of this, I have a favor to ask." The older men instinctively held their breath; both of them had the suspicions of what favor their charge was asking of them.
"Would you take the twins as your apprentice?"
I
I
I
Misaki didn't fail to notice the eerie silence between the three of them after they came out from the study. It wasn't a tense silence, it was more… thoughtful. When they went downstairs to join her who was teaching her children basic math in the living room, she saw the eyes of her guests darted to the twins the moment they laid their eyes on them before trying to be less obvious. She silently caught the eyes of her husband who understood the unspoken question and answered with a nod to her suspicions. They were already asked of the twins' hunter education.
Both of them had realized that the children truly had the blood of Kiryuu in their veins. They were meant to be hunters; even the talent of the Aruda they inherited from their mother seemed to act more like a support, a complement to their hunter ability. They could take another path if they wanted to, but with or without her foresight she thought it was unlikely. They would be hunters, although not necessarily with the same role their father had, especially with the changing condition between humans and vampires. And this was the only way, the best way to protect them from harm: to let them learn to protect themselves.
They would like to provide the twins a normal life or at least a semblance of it as much as they could and let the parents do all the worrying and protecting, but they knew it wouldn't last, unless they went to the same length like Kuran Haruka and Kuran Juuri did with their daughter by locking up her identity. Keeping them in the town was already cruel enough for their children who once roamed freely in the cities of France.
She wanted her children to see more of the world with its beauty without being oblivious of its cruelty. She truly hoped that the two people Zero respected and trusted most would accept the request to train Kazuki and Mizuki. She made this clear when she sent them off to return to their responsibilities the next day when they were about to leave, driven by Tetsu as they didn't know their way back.
"Yagari, Cross. Please." That was all she said as she bowed down to them, their faces grim as they knew what she asked of them. Those good men only nodded respectfully to her before they went into the car and were driven away from the mansion.
After the short stay of Yagari and Cross in their house, Zero was rather in pensive mood. She often found him with a distant look in his eyes, as if he was somewhere else. The twins didn't fail to notice this and usually managed to bring him out of that state, especially knowing that they wouldn't see him for a week after the event started. Unlike the children though, she left him be, thinking that if he wanted to share it with her, he would.
It was the night before the start of the long prepared event, the family decided to retreat early to bed as they wanted to send the head of the family off in the early morning that she already found herself in their bedroom, climbing into the covers of the large bed and was joined by her husband not long afterwards.
She nearly drifted off to sleep when she felt strong arms encircling her waist, making her blink in order to keep the drowsiness at bay. She was currently lying on her side, having her back towards him. It was the way she slept when she wanted to give some distance to him, when their close proximity made him uncomfortable.
"Zero?" She asked quietly, not being able to see his expression with their current position. She tensed up and shuddered slightly as she felt his warm breath on the exposed skin of her shoulder, wondering whether he wanted her blood before the stressful week. But instead he merely laid his head on her shoulder, hugging her close to him that she fitted to his larger frame.
In the beginning of their marriage, such close and intimate gesture was rather unwelcome to her, easily making her uncomfortable, but Zero was not one willing to give up. Despite he was not the type of person who showed his feelings through touch; he made a personal mission for himself to initiate small, brief contacts with her. The slightest squeeze on her hand, the briefest kiss on her temple, the lightest touch on her elbow and sometimes… the random and out of the blue hugs. She could sense his awkwardness and embarrassment as he did those things, but it served only to amuse her and to accept those simple, endearing gestures with ease.
Her initial reaction to him getting close to her was no longer to jump or shy away, and she was getting used to the feel of his warm skin brushing against hers. She was starting to derive comfort from those sweet gestures. So, she found herself easily relaxing against his larger frame.
"Do I really have to?" He whispered close to her ears. At that moment she realized what plagued him so for the past few days. She had managed to win the argument of the necessity of her to be introduced as his wife and he had long agreed to it. She was aware of his reluctance, but he never voiced it out loud to her. Until now.
"…It'll be alright," she said patiently, trying not to sound exasperated or scolding. They had talked about this over and over, and she thought that it was already settled.
"How can you be so sure?" The fear and doubt were reflected clearly in his voice, and any sliver of annoyance she might have was gone.
"Because it will." Unable to give him a smile, she resorted to give a gentle squeeze on the hands that rested on her waist.
"Esterházy and Kuran will be there," there was venom in his voice as he mentioned the purebloods.
"Charlemagne will be there," she countered.
"Would it be enough?"
"…It will. They're too smart to attempt anything foolish," Misaki remained as the logical one among them. Inwardly he was glad of this, although he felt sad how she was able to. She was able to maintain her composure throughout the times like these whenever he was overwhelmed by his own feelings. This time it was the irrational fear inside, that made him think everything would go wrong, when his rational side knew that the chances were very unlikely.
"I know…" he left those words hanging and opted to bring her closer to him, so close that he could hear the sounds of her heartbeat and breathing, and her scent of wild flowers and rain. He was rarely one to initiate such kind of contact between them, but he couldn't help it. He was afraid, truly afraid, as pathetic it might sound for the supposedly fearless leader of hunters. Everything felt so right for once in his life, but he always had the fear that it wouldn't last, just like it always did. He was afraid that this person who meant so much for him would disappear from him if he were to let go for just the briefest moment.
Misaki felt his hold tightened around her, and she didn't need to see his face to know how deep his worries were. It felt like déjà vu, although this time, their roles were reversed. She was the one who was being coaxed, instead of him.
She pursed her lips, she was not as confident as she gave away to him, thinking of a certain pureblood couple. The man who wanted to keep the strings around Zero… and the woman who… She immediately banished her line of thought before it could stray further. What was more important was Zero. It would be no good if he was getting distracted because of her.
She wiggled herself free from his hold, prying his hands from her and turned so she would face him. It was dark in their bedroom, but those silver eyes were so bright and clear to her. His face was impassive, but his eyes… she could see various emotions in those depths. Her heart fluttered to think that he cared so much about her, though it only saddened her than pleased her. She gently laid her hand on his cheek.
"I'll make sure I'll always be within your sight."
His silver eyes widened at the voluntary suggestion, the selfless sacrifice in order to lessen his worries, even for the slightest bit. He felt he was asking too much of her, but he couldn't bring himself to refuse the offer. It would certainly make him more at ease, although he wouldn't be able to do anything obvious if he were to aid her. Unlike Charlemagne's favor, his favor on his wife worked the other way around. It would threaten her more than protect her.
"…Sorry," he mumbled softly, his gaze dropping in shame. He had asked too much of her.
Seeing him that way only made her want to ease away his worries more. In an act of impulse, she pressed her lips on his. It was rather brief and clumsy, as the only experience she had was the kiss they shared after accepting his proposal and during their wedding, and it was certainly a surprise for both of them, for this was their first kiss in their marriage, excluding the brief kisses on cheek or temple.
Despite the simple act of touching their lips, she could feel the same spark coursing through her nerves the moment her lips touched his. She gasped at the unexpected sensation, breaking the kiss, and was about to move away but he didn't let her.
Zero seized her waist and pulled her close to him. The hand that wasn't around her waist took her chin and gently tilted it up so their eyes would meet. The gentle look in his eyes made her breath catch, unable to look away. There was a moment of pregnant pause, his lips opened only to close again, unsure of what to say.
"May I?" His voice was so low that it was almost like a growl, betraying whatever sparked within him with that innocent kiss.
Those silver eyes looked at her with such sincerity that touched her, telling her that this was her decision. He would not push her to do anything she didn't want, although he might want it. Zero was still a man, she thought, he might have better control of himself than most, but it didn't change the fact that he was, indeed, a man, a man with certain needs and urges other than fresh blood.
She was his wife, and he had the right to ask of her to satisfy his need. As she thought of this, she was reminded of the look in his face after he took her blood for the first time. He didn't want her blood back then, she realized, he had wanted more, but because of her… He had put her first before himself.
Oh, Zero…
This was the Zero she knew, this was the Zero she always had faith in. The kind and gentle Zero…
She had nothing to be afraid of.
"Yes," she answered without hesitation.
The look in those silver eyes when she gave her answer made her heart break. The look of complete and utter astonishment and humility that was caused by one word. She knew that he blamed himself for that day, but she didn't know how much he thought that he didn't deserve it no matter how much he wanted it. Holding back the tears she felt gathering in her eyes seeing how much the man thought little of himself, she smiled warmly to him.
I have faith in you.
He had been given permission. She had given her consent.
His silver eyes were wide with disbelief when he realized what she meant. There was silence between them; both of them only stared at each other, unable to move or to break the silence. Then his lips slowly descended upon hers. Her heart beating so fast that it felt it was going to burst, not because of fear… but of something else.
She didn't resist as his lips brushed hers. She didn't resist as he moved his hands down the side of her body. She didn't resist as he slid down the strap of her nightgown. She didn't resist as he turned them over with him on top of her. She didn't resist as he started on her throat.
She was no longer feeling afraid. She would give all of her without hesitation to this man whom she had given her heart to. She was his.
Even when he wasn't hers.
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