Preview Line: He buried his face against his hunter's chest and his throat burned as his own warm tears swelled up.

The Stained Marble

Chapter Fourteen
Painful Lies

"What? Why? Why are you doing this?" Zero yelled and violently grabbed Aido by his arms.

Zero looked at Aido frantically, and that one look ripped at the young noble's heart. Instead of fighting the vampire hunter's painful grasp, Aido turned his body into Zero's and buried his face against Zero's shoulder, startling him. Aido knew he wasn't being fair, but he couldn't tell Zero why he was doing this; well, not the real reason anyway.

Still, as Zero loosened his hold and his rough hand gently stroked Aido's golden hair, the noble knew he'd have to give Zero some sort of explanation. The hunter wouldn't let him go otherwise.

Aido took a deep breath and sucked in the musky scent of Zero. He smelled of dirt, leaves, and blood. It turned Aido on to no extent, and he desperately wanted to engrave that wonderful smell into his memory.

But slowly, he detangled himself from Zero's grip and stepped back a few inches so that he could look up into Zero's eyes.

"Zero, I'm not doing this because I want to be with Kaname," Aido said, trying to find the right words to explain his actions.

But those purple eyes blazed to life, and before Aido could get in another word, Zero shouted, "Then why?

Aido almost lost his nerve again. Every time Zero looked at him with such raw betrayal plastered upon his face, the young noble's insides knotted and turned upside down, threatening to knock him over from the excruciating pain. He wanted to jump into Zero's arms and smother his lips against the hunter's, wiping away that look of devastation. But Aido managed to hold back that urge, and instead, he opened his mouth and continued to speak.

"We wouldn't be happy if I stayed. I realized it as we were walking back here, or perhaps, I've known all along but I just didn't want to admit it. Either way, I know I'm just a replacement for Yuuki. I can't make you happy," Aido said, letting the cruel truth finally fall from his lips.

His words were unbearably harsh and he could only imagine what sort of pain Zero must have felt because, without out a doubt, it was the cold hard truth. But even though Zero was slightly surprised by Aido's words, the hunter opened his mouth to respond, and Aido knew exactly what the vampire was about to say. He was going to deny everything. Zero's eyes were already trying to tell Aido that he was wrong, that he had misinterpreted what he'd seen out in the woods earlier, and that he was only in love with Aido, not Yuuki.

But the young noble knew it was all lies. Zero would say anything at this point just so he didn't have to be alone and so he wouldn't have to deal with the pain of losing Yuuki. Aido didn't want to hear Zero's lies, so he put up his hand, stopping Zero from spouting out his lies.

Aido realized he couldn't place all the blame on Zero. So in order to lessen the hunter's pain, Aido would have to lie too.

"I know what you are gonna say but don't, Zero, because I'm just as guilty. I've been using you as a replacement for Kaname. We are the worst match for one another, selfishly fulfilling our desires by using one another. We'd never be happy because we simply can't move past our first love," Aido said, and lowered his gaze from Zero's shocked eyes.

Those violet eyes told Aido that Zero had believed everything he'd just said, and that stung. It wasn't necessarily untrue, but along the way, Zero had managed to convince the young noble to give up on Kaname. Aido hadn't even been aware of it until recently, but his heart was fully and wholly devoted to the hunter. Zero had broken Kaname's chains, which had always held Aido down. How ironic. Now that he was free of Kaname's chains, he found himself still following Kaname like a lost puppy. But Aido had his reasons; reasons which he could never tell Zero about.

"E-even if that's the case..." Zero began, but he fumbled to finish his sentence.

Aido took an unsteady step forward. He knew his words had hurt Zero, but it was better this way. This way the silver-haired vampire wouldn't keep blaming himself for loving Aido half-heartedly. This way it would be like it was a mutual break-up because they just couldn't make each other happy.

Zero looked up and his violet eyes gleamed as a few tears threatened to fall. His jaw flexed and Aido almost took a step backwards. Zero's emotions were too raw and it scared him. Those eyes were pulling him in and they gripped at his heart.

"Even if that's the case, I don't want to lose you!" Zero said and stepped forward those last few inches to wrap his arms around Aido.

His strong arms held onto Aido firmly and tightly. The young noble felt the slight tremor running through Zero's body, and instinctively, he wrapped his arms around Zero's slim waist. He buried his face against his hunter's chest and his throat burned as his own warm tears swelled up.

This was bad. He didn't want to leave the safety of these loving arms. He loved these strong, yet gentle, arms, and he wanted them to wrap around him forever and ever. But Aido couldn't have that. He knew if he stayed it wouldn't last. Zero didn't really know what he wanted, and so, Aido let his hands fall away from Zero's waist.

He waited until, gradually and reluctantly, Zero's arms fell away as well. Aido looked up into those glimmering eyes, and he almost broke down again. If the strong hunter cried, he'd be at Zero's mercy, and he would certainly give Zero anything and everything he wanted. But Zero's pride got in his way, and luckily for Aido, the other vampire turned his head to the side, shying away from Aido's gaze.

"I don't want you to go with that bastard, Hanabusa, but I can't stop you," Zero said and clenched his teeth.

The young noble nodded but realized Zero couldn't see. "Yes, thank you. I still have to go. I think it's for the best," Aido said, and then added, "You should say goodbye to Yuuki before she leaves."

At this Zero did turn his head to look at Aido. Zero's eyes glittered dangerously.

"Do you really NOT get it? Yes, I loved Yuuki, but I always knew I'd never have a chance with her. I just wanted to protect her! I wanted to protect her from that monster, and I failed! She's... now she's a monster too!" Zero screamed as he clutched his silver hair.

It was obvious that Zero was remembering what Kaname had done to Yuuki. He'd witnessed the whole thing, the whole transformation, but he'd been completely unable to stop Kaname. His eyes darted back and forth, but he was no longer seeing Aido, who stood directly in front of him. The memory of losing the human version of Yuuki was forever etched into Zero's mind, as was his failure at saving her: his first love.

"Zero... Zero..." Aido cooed soothingly.

The young noble stepped forward and brushed his hand across Zero's smooth cheek. The hunter's body jolted, and almost in a daze, he looked at Aido.

"It's okay, Zero. You didn't fail Yuuki. There was nothing you could've done from the very beginning," Aido said reassuringly and stroked Zero's silver locks.

Zero's eyes widened, recognizing Aido's voice, and perhaps, the meaning behind his words. But Zero didn't comment on what Aido had said. The noble wasn't sure Zero was ready to believe Yuuki was actually a "monster," or a pureblood, and that she had been from the very beginning. But one thing was for certain: Zero still believed he'd failed her in one way or another. He wasn't willing to let Yuuki go because he hadn't truly given up on her.

But just as Aido thought that, Zero's hand reached out and grabbed Aido's. The hunter brought Aido's fingers to his lips and kissed them. "Don't go. Don't leave me, Hanabusa," Zero whispered against his fingers.

Aido's heart fluttered and he wanted nothing more than to embrace Zero, to kiss him, to strip him naked, and to lie with him until the world fell apart around them. But again, he knew such things weren't meant to be, and as much as Aido's heart ached to be with Zero, he knew Zero's heart yearned for someone else.

The young noble felt dampness upon his cheeks. Stunned, he wiped at the tears flowing down his face with his free hand. Zero stared at him, the pain and understanding obvious in his eyes, and he dropped Aido's hand.

Aido's tears were unstoppable, and he was having difficulty breathing around the painful squeeze in his chest. Yet somehow, he found foreign words falling out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry. I have to go."

He could no longer look Zero in the eyes, but he saw Zero step forward as if to stop him from leaving. Inadvertently, he took a step back and Zero stopped in his tracks. But Aido kept moving backwards, unable to stop himself now that his body was unfrozen. And all the while he avoided Zero's gaze as silent tears streamed down his face.

Aido's back hit the doorknob. He needed to turn around and open it. That was the last thing he needed to do and then this would be over. Why was it so hard? Why did it hurt so much? And why wasn't Zero stopping him?

Aido felt like an idiot standing against the door, unable to move. He counted to ten, but when Zero said nothing, he shakily turned to open the door. But as he did, he made the mistake of looking up at Zero's face. The hunter stood motionless in the same exact spot, but his hands were balled into tight fists at his side, he gritted his teeth together, and his eyes were tightly shut. However, there was a glistening wet spot that strolled down the side of his cheek.

Aido forced his own eyes shut and rushed out of Zero's room. His heart threatened to explode from the pain. And the more steps he took away from Zero's room, the antsier, the more agitated, and the more depressed he became. He realized with each new step that there was no going back.

Aido's eyes shimmered with fresh tears as he walked through the Sun dorms, and the Day Class students immediately took notice of him. He wanted to shove them away, but Kaname would surely punish him even if they were leaving the next day. So, Aido politely told them he was fine and that he just had a cold. Thankfully, he was on the men's side of the dorm, so the men were easily convinced but they still hovered around him and gawked at him.

Aido didn't even see them, though. Their faces were like a mass of shapeless blurs as he walked down the corridors. The only thing he could think of was the never-ending pain. His entire chest was one giant painful ache, and he wondered if he'd survive this. He hadn't felt this when Kaname had constantly messed with him and hurt him, or even when his bloodthirsty nature took over his body. He'd never felt such a horrible pain in his vampire life.

Was love supposed to be this painful? And why now that he'd found love did he have to give it up? Was he really making the right choice? Aido didn't know anymore. The pain traveled all through his body, making it difficult for him to move. The pain was so intense that Aido wished it would just end. He wished there were some way to just shut it off, some way to make him feel nothing.

Aido quickened his pace. He opened the doors to exit the Sun dorms, leaving all the bewildered Day Class students behind. In that moment, he desperately wanted to see Kaname. If Aido knew one thing about that damn pureblood, it was that he was powerful. And if Kaname still cared for him, then he would help Aido forget. He would make Aido's pain disappear.

And together, Aido, Kaname, and Yuuki would start their new life together.