Falling

by LuanRina

By making Zero drink his blood Kaname traps the silver-haired hunter in the world of despair and his dark desires. Now the pureblood is the only one who can save him from falling to the End. But will he save Zero or make him fall even further with him..? KxZ, some non-con&rape - ON HIATUS.

6. No Return

A/N: Haaah….Yeah, as usually. And I truly am sorry for the lateness *bows deeply* I honestly tried, but every time this damn thing under the name of Real Life got in the way. It's been so, so terribly long and I truly am sorry. Please forgive me *bows more and lower*

As always, disclamer, warnings and etc remain the same (until I decide to add another dark, blood-filled one XD ). Thanks to everyone for your reviews and favorite and alert adds. As I've already said, they always make my day and help me do my best here :D

I decided to be beta-less for some time, so this chapter is unedited as well. It's shorter than the previous one, but it's still rather long. But it's not so bad, right? I mean, after such a long wait, I doubt you'd be really satisfied if I returned with anything less.

Now to the chapter…Please enjoy! :D

Chapter 6: No Return

He couldn't quite place that feeling he had got upon arriving at the place and witnessing the scene. It was a flood. A flood of sheer possessiveness, wrath and unquenchable desire to tear something apart and kill it slowly and ruthlessly, dismembering the supposed victim limb by limb until it perished in his hands to pay for the unforgivable crime it had committed so stupidly and carelessly. That and other emotions that fought against each other inside of him, doing nothing to calm his already unhappy enough self.

But it weren't those feelings he was experiencing that disturbed him, as they were perfectly natural for him and his kind. Because all vampires were possessive creatures that did not like when someone touched their property, especially when they had already claimed it as their own. And Kaname surely wouldn't pretend to be an exception – he certainly was fond of it the least and his current reaction obviously confirmed it. That was why those emotions didn't bother him in the slightest neither now nor when he had first registered them. Rather, the intensity with which they boiled inside of him did. However, he brushed it off for now – there was more important matter at the moment and frankly, he had no wish to, once again, dwell on something that concerned Kiryuu and their relations – the pureblood had had enough of the brat already and further thoughts of him only made more rage appear and headache return.

The trip here from the Moon Dormitory had taken some time since the brunet had had to follow the traces of the hunter's individual scent and aura that had kept slipping away every time he had managed to grasp it. That irritating 'chase' had continued until Kaname had finally reached the point where he could feel the obstinate teen more clearly and by the end of that 'wonderful journey' the pureblood's mood had been very far from being improved and lightened. He had doubted it could get any worse then. However, as usually when it concerned one certain impudent Level D, all his assumptions could merrily go to hell after being promptly proven wrong by the said brat who always succeeded in doing so.

Of course Kaname had guessed what had been happening when he had smelt the familiar fragrance of unique combination of hunter and vampire blood – and quite considerable amount of it – coming from the abandoned mansion that had been his final destination. That alone had been enough to outrage and fill him with indignation, but the actual view had been far from what the brunet had anticipated and it had affected him much more than he could ever expect. Which in turn had become another 'pleasant' moment that had done one magnificent job of making his night so much 'better'.

Naturally, the reason for such reaction wasn't some kind of care or even concern for the prefect – of course not. For as much fun as Kaname got from associating with Kiryuu, the ungrateful creature simply didn't deserve his sentiments. It was the fact that someone else had touched – had dared to touch – his possession without permission that irritated him the most.

That blood belonged to him. That flesh belonged to him. That body and its every part – all of it belonged to him alone and Kaname did not plan to share it, especially with some lowly abomination that was the Level E. And so long as he didn't grow bored of owning and reveling in that delicious, exquisite flesh, he had no intention of allowing anyone to damage his favorite toy. As well as letting it get soiled without his awareness and permission. And he surely did not appreciate that possession of his expressing such willingness to the aforementioned actions.

That being was his – to break, to kill, to take away its life and drain its body and soul of all and any life-giving liquid and will so that no drop or trace of either would be left, or to spare it if he wished so. However, the latter kind of urge was always hard to evoke in him, as the brat simply never learned – never wanted to learn, it seemed, no matter what way the pureblood chose.

And this image of Kiryuu obediently lying on the cold floor, allowing some filthy E to carelessly drain him and not even attempting to break loose from the famished beast's clutches. The prefect was motionless. And Kaname knew that it wasn't because he might have already died since he could clearly hear both quiet breathing and gradually slowing heartbeat. The youth was still alive, yet why wasn't he fighting? It wasn't like Kiryuu. The insolent brat always resisted regardless of who his opponent was or how futile and stupid the attempt itself may be. And yet now, when that abhorrent blood-crazed disgrace was practically lying on top of him and sucking his very life out of him, he decided to stop being his stubborn self and didn't even try to oppose.

Well, of course it was rather obvious what the ex-human was thinking about…But did he really think that it would be so easy to accomplish? Did he truly believe that Kaname would tolerate and actually grant such a wish…?

'Foolish…foolish boy…'

With inhuman speed that was fast even for him, the pureblood moved forward and in less than no time, he had the fallen vampire's throat in his by now elongated claws with the said creature pressed firmly into the wall that had cracked from the applied force.

Faintly, the older male heard a pained groan escape Zero, but he paid no attention to it, now fully concentrating on the vile thing in front of him. Garnet eyes glowing violent red in the darkness narrowed a little before flashing a brighter shade of vivid crimson when they got a full view of the Level E, or rather, the dark-red liquid smeared all over its mouth and dribbling down its chin. A quiet, threatening growl rumbled in the back of Kaname's throat – a somewhat unconscious action since he himself wasn't quite aware of it. Slightly baring his lengthening canines with vicious hiss, the brunet tightened his grip around the frail, so easily breakable neck. He didn't even need to use his mental powers to restrain the vampire before him as it looked like his malicious aura in itself was enough to do so. Lean fingers curled a little, nails digging into the other's skin and drawing foul-smelling blood. In a flash, Kaname's free hand shot forward, aiming straight for the Level End's chest and piercing it with practiced and expected precision, causing the fallen vampire to let out a hoarse cry of agony that sounded more like a howl of a tortured animal.

Pushing the shaking body further into the wall and stilling it with his will, the pureblood grasped the rapidly beating heart and pressed on, deliberately moving his limb so that it would cause excruciating pain to the other. The notion seemed to work as the crazed male let out another turn of bloodcurdling cries that reverberated around the spacious room.

A barely noticeable, spiteful smirk made itself known on the brunet's face in response to the sounds emitted by the lower class vampire. The sadistic satisfaction Kaname was getting from his actions was undeniable. The urge to maim and destroy the creature in front of him was just too strong for him to even be willing to deny. Not to mention how immensely pleasurable it was to comply with his inner bestial self's pleadings once in a while.

With intentional, torturous slowness, the pureblood started to withdraw his stained hand, occasionally pausing to prolong the process – his every movement accompanied by disgusting, horrifying sounds a normal person wouldn't be able withstand so calmly.

Kaname's sneer widened when the Level E's screams of agony got louder.

Holding the still pumping heart, the pureblood's fingers began to tighten around it, claws ready to pierce it at any second.

At last, with one swift pull, Kaname freed his hand from the confines of the fallen vampire's insides. Blood dripped from his hand when he crushed and dislodged the vital organ mercilessly. In a few moments everything, including the E's cries, died down as the said being perished into ashes, leaving only torn clothes behind.

With barely concealed disgust, the brunet shook the dust off his limb – the skin that had been covered in thick layer of blood seconds ago was as flawless as ever once again. Naturally, he could have easily annihilated the vile creature by merely thinking of it, but then it wouldn't have been anywhere near as satisfying. Albeit what he had done still didn't quite placate his presently enraged inner beast.

Kaname stayed in place for a short while, visibly trying to calm down some more, as it looked like one dead Level E wasn't enough for him to fully accomplish it. His anger had lessened to some extent, but not enough to dismiss Kiryuu's infuriating behavior. Burgundy orbs, now more or less reverted to their usual impassive self, moved to look at the silver-haired teen lying on the floor and bleeding rather profusely judging by the pool of dark-red liquid that kept forming around the hunter's upper half – which wasn't surprising at all, considering that the Level E had bitten off a chunk of flesh from his neck when Kaname had forcefully detached the crazed vampire from Zero.

The brunet took one step towards the prefect, then another, slowly getting closer to the visibly weakened form – soundlessly, the only noise in the room being the younger male's quiet, labored breathing. It was evident that the boy was oblivious to his presence as he would have reacted already otherwise. Which further indicated his life-threatening condition. However, at the moment it wasn't such a bad thing, because Kuran was obviously very far from being in the mood to deal with the stubborn teen's usual attitude. Nor with his futile resistance – as amusing and entertaining as it always seemed to him, now was not one of those times.

Having reached his destination, Kaname lowered himself to a half-kneeling position to hover over the ex-human. He regarded the sight before him, one of his hands automatically reaching out to touch the cold, deathly pale skin of the youth while the other one went to rest near Zero's head. Delicate, almost intangible touch stayed there for a couple of seconds before leaving only to return and go lower to trace the hunter's cheek, slowly traveling down to the bloodied neck. Ruby eyes briefly flashed bright crimson before the brunet willed them to return to their original shade as he stroked along the raw, moist, tempting flesh.

A small frown appeared on the prefect's features. It looked like he still didn't recognize Kaname's distinct aura that he despised so much – along with so many other things concerning his pureblood self. A slight smile tugged at the older male's lips when he felt the barely perceptible tensing of the other's figure. After a moment those light eyelashes fluttered and Kaname's dark orbs met with bleary, merging with vermilion lavender ones.

Kuran's faint smirk widened a little when recognition, loathing, despair, anguish and bitterness shone in those eyes along with an ounce of fear that was quickly suppressed, albeit not completely due to the teen's current state, apparently. His fingers moved to ghost over more of the visible skin as the brunet spoke quietly – his voice a mere whisper.

"You just never learn…Now do you, Kiryuu?"

Zero blinked and a small, inaudible chuckle escaped the pureblood at the confused and uncertain expression that had appeared on the younger vampire's face a few seconds after those lilac hues had been revealed. Kaname guessed it was his current appearance that left the silver-haired youth in slight bewilderment as the latter kept observing his form – or what his range of vision allowed him to capture from that position anyway – silently with mild curiosity barely concealed in his hazy gaze.

Deciding that it was time to leave the place and continue their upcoming pleasant discussion of the hunter's obnoxious behavior later, the brunet let his powers flow free once again, releasing the darkness and allowing it to surround both himself and the younger male. Lowering himself to close the distance between them, Kaname put his hand on the Zero's forehead, willing the teen's tiredness to take over and unconsciousness to claim him.

"Your foolish behavior will cost you one day…And I won't be there to save your ungrateful self again…" Were Kuran's final words before thick light lashes fell down to hide cloudy orbs once more.

The darkness fully consumed them both as Kaname merged with the other's immobile body. It soon turned into a familiar flock of bats and promptly left the otherwise deserted house. The sound of countless flapping wings was accompanied only by weak wind as the animated cloud fled away, disturbing the deathly silence of the night.

It moved towards its destination with speed that normal human eye wouldn't be able to follow, so it wasn't long before the luxurious room of the head of the Moon Dorms was filled with noise of flying black creatures. As the last one of the flock got into the pureblood's chambers, the previously open window slammed shut promptly.

The bats flew around the residence for a short while before gathering together again and forming a tall dark silhouette that moved towards the large bed. Gradually, as it continued advancing the said piece of furniture, Kaname's form started appearing from it. In a few moments the brunet fully emerged from the thick cloud with Kiryuu's limp body in his arms – the small nocturnal animals quickly morphing into their figures.

Still carrying the unconscious teen, the pureblood disposed of Zero's clothes article by article without battling an eyelid – using only his telekinetic powers to literally destroy the garments. Not only was it an obstacle, and a ruined enough one at that, but it also repelled Kaname to have that despicable Level End's stench clinging to it and thus assaulting his senses constantly.

By the time the brunet's destination was reached, there were only shirt and jeans left on the silver-haired youth – the rest having been wiped off the face of the earth already. Laying Kiryuu across the mattress, Kaname proceeded to get on his knees over the other's unresponsive form while his hands worked on tearing off the garment on the upper part of the hunter's body to assess the damage done by the blood-crazed vampires the prefect had eliminated during his hunt earlier this night. The soiled fabric was reduced to nothing just like every other article the pureblood had removed from the younger male.

Kaname's eyes narrowed a fraction as his guess was confirmed when he saw that the wounds weren't healing and bleeding didn't stop – the most serious one being on the ex-human's neck. And apparently, the poison from the Level E's bite and claws had already started working if the slight trembling of Kiryuu's body and noticeable whitening of his pale enough skin was anything to go by.

A quiet growl rumbled in the brunet's throat.

It was the closest the brat had gotten to accomplishing this stupid idea – namely, 'getting rid of him' – of his thus far, and Kaname was not happy – obviously. Such notion was insulting and outrageous to say the least.

However, pushing the irritation he felt to the back of his mind for the time being, the older vampire quickly discarded his own coat, dropping it carelessly on the floor, and unbuttoned his expensive dress shirt in one fluid motion. The brunet bared one of his wrists and took in a mouthful of his pure blood, then lowered himself to connect his lips with the now cold and quivering ones of the presently visibly shivering hunter. Kaname pushed his thick dark tresses from one side of his neck and, with his already sharpened to claws nails, sliced the skin over his jugular vein to let generous amount of his life essence gather.

The pureblood urged the last drops of coppery liquid into the ex-human's mouth with his tongue while his palm on the other's slender neck coaxed it down the boy's throat with his telekinetic abilities. Kaname didn't receive immediate response, but he knew that Zero's vampire instincts would force reaction out of him soon enough. So he detached himself from the teen, going instead to the torn side of Kiryuu's neck, and started to heal it so that the prefect wouldn't lose any more of his blood.

His previous assumptions were proven right when in less than a couple of seconds a small jerk came from the ex-human's body and without delay, Kaname felt that sharp pain he had grown to enjoy and actually yearn for to some extent. Groaning softly as small tremors of undeniable pleasure coursed through his form, the pureblood nuzzled his cheek against the other's hair lightly before returning to his previous task of licking Zero's wounds clean in order to make them close faster.

The injury was deep and raw, so it would take larger amount of time for the tissues and skin to regenerate even with Kaname helping to speed up the process. Thus, he needed to hurry as it already was hard enough to not just dig his bloodthirsty canines into the moist, succulent flesh that he had right under his tongue, teasing his taste buds with its tempting flavor and texture. Oh how much the monster in him would prefer to tear into the slender column and bring more pain upon its owner instead of merely healing it and easing the ungrateful creature's suffering. The brunet had no idea why he even bothered to hold back, with everything Kiryuu kept throwing at him.

A sudden growl sounded from Kaname as sharp teeth in his throat clenched tighter, sending more jolts of pain mixed with twisted ecstasy to his brain. The brunet almost responded to the vampire beneath him in the same manner, his fangs begging him to confine them in the soothing warmth that was the flesh of that white neck, but he managed to restrain himself, instead working even more zealously on the other's wound. His fingers found their way to the silky silver strands and tugged sharply at them, causing the hunter's head to snap back and thus the hot mouth to get detached from Kuran's heated skin.

Heedless of the sounds of protest coming from the teen below him, the pureblood went on with his ministrations. His hand still refused to loosen its tight – and rather painful, albeit both vampires could care less about it at the moment – grip on the other's hair as Kaname forced his canines to retreat with sheer willpower. Using his now more or less blunt teeth, he kept scraping and nibbling lightly at the almost completely healed skin every so often, eliciting an arch of the back and more small sounds from the ex-human – obviously, the area was extremely sensitive. This perfectly honest reaction made the brunet snort scornfully.

However, considering the state the silver-haired youth was in, such behavior was to be expected – Kiryuu wasn't even awake, much less conscious of his actions. Kaname was sure the other had and would have no idea that he had taken blood from him just now – it were Zero's vampire instincts that had pushed him to do it as a last resort to save and somewhat stabilize him. But it looked like neither of the two was achieved unless the pureblood's senses failed him, which was, in all verity, impossible – the thought itself was absurd.

Lifting his head from the once again white and flawless skin, Kaname assessed the hunter's condition. One glance at his appearance was enough to tell that he was far from being fine and the older male didn't take pleasure in this knowledge. The shivering had positively gotten more violent, breathing was labored and judging by the slightly dampened bangs clinging to the teen's face coupled with flushed porcelain cheeks and abnormal amount of heat emitted by the lean body, Kiryuu had a fever. Which, Kaname was certain, was not a good sign at all.

It felt as though the boy was burning, but the pureblood could tell that in reality it was the other way around – that much was obvious from what he saw before him. For a split second Kaname was at a loss since he didn't quite know what was supposed to be done in such situation – vampires didn't suffer from illness or anything similar. Of course there could be some exceptions, but they were extremely rare, at least among born vampires. Therefore, the most serious damage they could ever get was injury from either the hunter weapon or the Level E, and even then it wouldn't be fatal if the necessary amount of blood was provided. As for the turned ones, the brunet didn't know because he never really bothered to inquire about it. But in any case, a born vampire's condition would never worsen to the point of Kiryuu's current one, which was the reason for Kaname's momentary hesitation.

However, his state of perplexity didn't last long and, concluding that it was safe to assume that first of all the hunter needed more warmth provided to his body, the pureblood moved from atop of the unconscious figure and scooped it in his arms – one arm around the ex-human's shoulders while another supporting under the teen's knees. He settled Zero in his lap and guided his head to lie in the crook of his neck, all the while making himself comfortable against the pillows at the headboard. Reaching with his powers, the brunet pulled at the bedspread and soon both of their forms were secured under the thick cloth.

It was a little uncomfortable at first, as Kaname felt too hot from so much heat being given off by the younger vampire along with the blankets covering them, but he dismissed the matter since it was the quickest way to achieve what he needed, and thus quickly adjusted to it. The effort seemed to pay off as violent tremors visibly lessened not long after the pureblood's actions, although it was evident that Kiryuu's condition was still nowhere near satisfactory.

Sighing quietly, Kaname let his eyes slide shut wearily and proceeded to relax into the soft pillow. Soon enough he felt fatigue taking over and sleep starting to claim him slowly but surely and he didn't bother to resist. It may be not the best idea to leave himself like that with unstable vampire so nearby, but the youth was too weak to do anything to him anyway.

-o-

The figure on the large bed stirred slightly, almost inaudible groan sounding from it before heavy eyelids lifted to reveal hazy lavender eyes. In obvious confusion, Zero blinked slowly a couple of times, clearly disoriented and very much unaware of both where he was and what had happened to him. Although none of that really interested him at the moment. All he knew and cared for now was only the fact that he was unbearably tired and the only thing he wanted – to go back to the sweet oblivion he had come from seconds ago. His mind was in a state of turmoil and the teen seriously doubted he could stay awake for much longer.

Thus, not even attempting to give it a second thought, the ex-human surrendered to his body's demands and rolled onto his side in order to find more comfortable position. Burying his face further in the soft pillow and clutching the smooth material sluggishly, Zero inhaled deeply – unconsciousness split seconds away from taking over him again when his body went from completely relaxed to disturbingly rigid. Pulse suddenly raced and breathing stopped for a few moments – any sounds stuck in his throat as the hunter tried to process the situation, however futile and unsuccessful the attempt would prove to be in his current condition.

He knew this scent too well by now not to recognize it and realize where he most likely was to be literally enveloped in it to near suffocation out of sheer panic that was his first, instinctive response to it. Not to mention the bed and his present surroundings – now that he slowly, stiffly sat up and carefully took them in – that were unmistakable. Those few times he had been here were more than enough for the teen to memorize and never want to come back ever again.

Zero's whole body felt heavy and lethargic, his head spun and it took a lot of effort not to collapse on the comfortable mattress and let himself fall into blissful abyss that was oblivion like his system demanded of him. But he knew he couldn't allow that. Not now and definitely not here, where he felt the least safe, if at all – anywhere, but not in this place. And especially not when he was so sure that the haughty bastard who had brought him in this room was roaming somewhere close by. He couldn't quite sense the said vampire's aura as he usually did, most probably due to his less than adequate state, but he almost knew that Kuran was near. Otherwise the ex-human would hardly be here.

Letting out a long groan, the hunter brought his hand up to cradle his head, hoping to get the spinning to stop. It didn't, however, and Zero still couldn't process his thoughts, which wasn't the right kind of condition at such a time. He needed to get out of this place or at least to be able to do so, yet he could do neither, no matter how unbearable it was for the silver-haired teen to be in these chambers.

Nevertheless, collecting every bit of his remaining strength – which was a rather pitiful amount really – Kiryuu shifted a little to move towards the closest to him edge of the bed, thus causing the blankets to slide off him further and pool around his waist. A cold shiver ran down the ex-human's spine as his back got fully exposed and it was then that Zero realized he was naked. Well, safe for his undergarments, thankfully, but it wasn't enough to comfort the hunter, let alone calm him down.

Suddenly feeling far less secure – if it was possible – the prefect clutched at the silky material that was the only thing saving him from complete exposure and tugged at it, subconsciously trying to cover himself some more again. Now understandably and not so unreasonably alarmed even more than he had been less than a couple of seconds before, Zero began to frantically – as much as his current drowsiness and inability to move or think properly allowed him to – look for his other pieces of clothing.

It was dark and although the teen's eyes had gotten used to it without any difficulties due to obvious reason that was his vampire nature, Zero's vision was blurry and everything kept slipping out of his focus. So it went without saying that the search wasn't too successful, much to the increasing panic of the silver-haired youth, who without being aware of it, continued pulling at the blankets feebly yet with unquestionably growing urgency.

His mind having gone blank by now, the ex-human didn't pay much attention to his surroundings and thus failed to notice the soft click coming from behind him. Neither did he hear light, barely audible footsteps heading towards his direction and approaching slowly. It wasn't until the slight dip of the mattress that Zero realized he wasn't alone anymore, and the rustling sounds stopped abruptly as the teen grew impossibly tense.

He knew perfectly well who was sitting there behind him. He could feel the steady, intense gaze of cold burgundy eyes fixed on him, going over his form unhurriedly and not leaving a single patch of visible skin without attention, much to Zero's utter repulsion, which he was getting used to experience by now.

Suppressing a shudder, the ex-human tightened his hold on the cloth in his hands stiffly and pulled at it weakly – his frozen body refusing to cooperate with his still a little dizzy mind and to fulfill his desperate wishes. It was hard to breathe for some reason – the one that the prefect couldn't quite pinpoint, although finding it out was hardly the first thing in his head – but Kiryuu didn't pay it much attention, too concerned with the presence so close to him that it was too disturbing to ignore. Even so, as best as he could manage, the youth tried to get his breathing to even out and his rapidly racing heart to calm down, silently hopingthat luck would be on his side for once and the pureblood would either not notice or simply choose not to pay it any mind.

Alas, as it always was when it concerned the two of them, Zero wasn't the one who was given the preference yet again. The brunet's next words amply demonstrated the validity of that statement.

There was a long sigh when the hunter felt the dark gaze finally shift away from him before Kuran's voice sounded, barely audible, but loud enough in tense, absolute silence of the room, "I am not going to do anything to you," he seemed strangely calm, unlike what the silver-haired teen had expected, although that too was hardly a good sign. Kaname resumed speaking, and Zero was almost certain he could hear a small smirk in the other's tone and words this time, "Not now, at least. So there is no need for you to distress yourself so much."

'Yeah, right,' the ex-human thought bitterly, but refrained from voicing out his mental comment.

His grip on the blankets got firmer involuntarily, the older male's words having done nothing to convince him of safety. As if he could actually let his guard down with the pureblood leech next to him along with his unbearable aura – now unleashed, if only partly, but just as unpleasant and assaulting all the same. Yet as much as Zero couldn't stand this same aura, he hated it even more when Kuran concealed it. It made him feel far more vulnerable than could be considered acceptable, let alone excusable – and too much so for his liking, which was never a good thing with a vampire, much less with a pureblood and with this particular one at that. The asshole's presence alone was enough to evoke agitation and having him creep up on Zero by hiding it and thus literally leaving the teen pretty much defenseless hardly improved the situation.

"Your wounds seem to have healed nicely..." Once more, the hunter was tore out of his thoughts. His brows drew together in a slight frown of confusion at the other's words.

'Wounds...?' He didn't recall getting any. And he wasn't in pain, only felt a bit drowsy and completely drained, both physically and mentally, which was weird in itself considering that he had woken up not so long ago, and regardless of the amount of time spent resting, he shouldn't be this exhausted. However, taking into account all the aforementioned along with the fact that Zero still couldn't remember what the hell had happened to bring him here of all places and with Kuran at that, he guessed the brunet was telling the truth and he indeed could have been injured.

It was the only possible explanation why he felt so much like shit.

The teen flinched a little at the touch of his own fingers on the un-tattooed side of his neck. He hadn't noticed how his hand had gotten there, but he found that the spot he had made contact with was unusually tender and...somewhat burning.

Zero's frown deepened in puzzlement.

And that was when his memory decided to so conveniently and to his greatest pleasure provide him with vivid images of the events that had occurred not so long ago – as the ex-human assumed since he didn't know for sure how long he had been out cold – leading him to where he was now. Everything was back; the stupid dinner, the talk with Yuuki, the encounter with Kuran when the brunet came to his room, the hunt, the Level E that had been this close to killing him, then the pureblood bastard appearing and most likely eliminating the crazed vampire with Zero moments away from death – his strange-looking form and expanding from it darkness the last thing the prefect could recall. After that...well, it was pretty much obvious what had happened. As well as the result: he had failed to get away from Kuran yet again.

Zero knew it must be wrong and stupid to think like that in his situation and he supposed he, on the contrary, should be glad that he was still alive. But he didn't feel relief or any kind of happiness in the slightest no matter how he looked at it. If anything, the teen's mood got only darker, now that his head was clear and the remains of sleep had let go of him.

He hadn't wanted to be 'saved', if he even could call it that. Back there, he...Frankly, Zero didn't know what had come over him there and then, but he didn't regret it in the slightest. He had been trapped, sick and too damn tired of absolutely everything to keep up the fighting – and he wasn't sure that that feeling of hopelessness and sheer desperation had disappeared. Nothing had changed and he was sure nothing would change any time soon – for the better, that is, as the hunter was certain that it would only get worse. So the only thing Zero regretted was hisfailure to escape from the pureblood yet again. And unlike before, now even thoughts of Yuuki couldn't succeed in changing his mind and chasing away his pessimistic ideas. It just wasn't enough, not anymore. And the ex-human couldn't think of anything that would ever be.

Slightly trembling fingers curled further into fist as Kiryuu gripped the quilt in his hand, his jaw tightening and eyes narrowing in suddenly flaring anger and unbearable bitterness.

He didn't get to voice out his displeasure, however, as Kaname's next words were first to break the tense silence yet again.

"You couldn't have possibly thought that it would go smoothly, what you tried to achieve back there...now could you?" The brunet's voice returned to being cool and emotionless, and something in it made an involuntary shudder run up Zero's spine. The teen knew this tone, just as well as he knew that it promised nothing good to anyone who it was directed at. Nevertheless, and despite everything, the hunter found he didn't care – at least not now, that was for sure. For better or for worse, he didn't know yet though.

Maybe that was the reason why he spoke his next words without any hesitation, "So what if I did?"

'So what if I was stupid enough to actually think so?'

"How foolish. Not to mention thoughtless of you to act that way." There was an irritated and almost indignant edge to Kuran's voice when his next words sounded, "Do you even realize the possible consequences of your selfish behavior?"

"I don't care." He honestly didn't, surprisingly enough.

"Oh? So I assume you also don't care what would have become of Yuuki, what she would have felt had your stunt worked and had..." there was a short pause before the pureblood continued, disgust apparent in his voice, "that filth served its purpose? You don't care how devastated she wou–"

"No, I fucking don't!" The ex-human snapped, his voice shook with emotion. He screwed his eyes shut tightly and ducked his head low, trying to even out his suddenly irregular breathing. His knuckles turned white as the grip he had on the blankets became painful, but he paid no mind to it, too busy getting the prickling in his eyes to go away and suppressing the pathetic sounds that were stuck in his throat, threatening to get out any second.

"You can't possibly mean that."

"You won't know."

"I do know. Better than you think." He did, he knew better than to take what Kiryuu had just said seriously. Or so he had thought up until now. Because something in the boy's words, or rather, the way he had spoken them, just made Kaname doubt his rightness this time – as unbelievable as it was.

"You don't know a shit!" Zero cried angrily, whipping around to finally face the older male. Stormy amethyst orbs were burning with pure hatred, narrowed to slits, the youth's form was trembling with uncontrollable rage and, although he didn't quite realize it, dread, "What would you, an arrogant, heartless, filthy bloodsucking beast ever know! You can see and think of nothing but your almighty, stuck-up self, so don't you dare accuse me of being thoughtless or acting selfish when it's you who never even thinks about trying to take into account other people and their feelings!"

He had no right.

"You have no right to do it! Just like you have no right to bring Yuuki into all this!"

It was a torture enough already.

Of course he had thought about her, about her feelings and about her reaction. How could he not? He was sure she would have been sad and regretful over his death, would have mourned for some time, yes, but it would have gotten better eventually. He wasn't some irreplaceable person, not to mention that without him there her life would have become much easier, with much less problems and worries to constantly plague her mind. Not to forget that even with him dead, she would still have Kuran – as much as Zero loathed the thought, the possibility and the bastard himself, it was the truth. It was pretty obvious how his adopted sister felt about the bloodsucker – in spite of all his warnings and silent concerns. So with the hunter gone, one more obstacle would also disappear. Therefore the silver-haired prefect was certain that the pain Yuuki would have felt from his death would have eased and dissipated soon enough, especially with Kuran's help.

"You are the one who caused it!" His throat was already starting to get sore from all the screaming and overwhelming emotions, yet Zero continued, it was simply impossible to stop now, "And you know nothing, you motherfucking son of a bitch!"

The pureblood's slightly widened from surprise eyes narrowed dangerously as he recovered from his momentary daze. He certainly hadn't expected such a strong reaction from the ex-human. Just as he hadn't expected Kiryuu to get into such a state. He was sure it was the first time he had ever seen the boy so worked up. But Kaname's mild shock didn't lessen his own growing dissatisfaction with the teen and his actions. And being blatantly insulted by the said individual definitely did nothing to calm his by now seething anger and pent-up frustration.

Fingers of the hand that had been previously placed harmlessly on the mattress curling unconsciously, thus causing the silk material of his bedsheets to rip due to his sharpened nails digging into it, the older vampire's entire form went rigid, back hunched over ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly, as though the brunet was ready to jump from his place and lunge at his prey any second, eager and impatient to tear it to shreds, before Kaname caught himself and stopped his body from acting on instinct like it was begging him to do. He let out a low, menacing growl, barely able to still contain his murderous inner self.

"Why don't you enlighten me then?" the pureblood hissed out, "What was the point of your meaningless act of defiance? What were you trying to prove with that pathetic attempt at getting yourself killed? And in such a way too," Kuran's voice and countenance very clearly showed his distaste, "Have you fallen so low as to be willing to let yourself be devoured by that thing? A despicable, vile Level E? I deemed even you better than that, Kiryuu."

There was venom in every word Kaname said, meant to hurt as deeply as possible, to affect the ex-human as greatly as possible and get the desired reaction – for now it was the most he could allow the raging beast inside of him to vent its fury and not rip the younger vampire apart, as at the moment the brunet was doing his damnedest to restrain himself. A task that truly became nearly impossible after Zero's responses.

"Why don't you wrap your brilliant mind around the idea that you can't always be right then?"

He didn't give a shit. It didn't matter what Kuran said – it didn't hurt, not anymore and surely not now. Everything was just too screwed up for the hunter to care – everything including himself.

"Because that's exactly how low I've fallen! Low enough to prefer being drained by some insane leech if it could help me get the hell away from you and your sick games!"

The aura that had been suppressive enough before became impossibly suffocating. The silver-haired teen's breathing and accelerated from adrenaline heart rate quickened further and a dark smirk appeared on his strained face in spite of the heavy and, admittedly, dangerous atmosphere when his back collided with the hard headboard painfully, the force with which Kuran had slammed him into it enough to damage it together with the prefect's bones. Yet the fact that Kaname was quite literally choking him with his strong fingers, extended claws of which were digging into the pale skin of his neck and drawing blood from it, along with his fully unleashed and rampant presence didn't stop Zero from continuing. He could very well see and feel the other's visibly darkened mood and, normally, intimidating for anyone reaction, but strangely, it simply failed to affect the hunter this time around – at least so it appeared to him, as he failed to notice the tiny, uncontrollable shudders racking his body. He didn't even fight the other's tight grip on him.

His voice was shaking a little, but still held a mocking edge to it as the ex-human rasped out quietly, "What...?" he gasped softly before resuming speaking, "Did I offend your regal self by...saying that I'd rather let myself become a-" a sharp intake of air, "a snack for a 'despicable, vile Level E'...than have anything to do with you again?"

Zero's throat was suddenly released as those long, now bloodied digits moved up abruptly and grasped his jaw just as firmly, staining the skin of the youth's cheeks with crimson. The younger male's chest heaved rapidly as he drew in large breaths, never letting his somewhat bleary eyes leave Kaname's brightly glowing ones.

The brunet kept silent, doing nothing but staring at the silver-haired vampire before him intently, his lips were curled back, teeth gritted and sharpened fangs in clear view as a low, threatening growl rumbled in his throat.

The two stayed like that for about a minute or so, in tense silence, with neither of them speaking or budging, but steadily keeping their gazes locked. Finally, the pureblood seemed to calm down as all sounds he had been previously emitting faded away and his free hand that had been clawing at the expensive sheets relaxed. His expression gradually turning neutral again, Kaname took a slow, ever so slightly shaky breath. He let his eyes slide shut for a few seconds before opening them, this time reverted to their original burgundy color and usual impassiveness. Slowly, the brunet began to pull back from the hunter, his voice was controlled and devoid of any emotion when it sounded next.

"Very well," Kaname got up from the bed. Zero watched him cautiously, his fingers involuntarily finding the blanket he had unwittingly released not so long ago and taking a hold of it once more, then pulling it over his bare legs and torso. It was hardly enough, but at least helped him feel less exposed in front of the pureblood.

"You will have the opportunity to finally be left alone and get away from me very soon...And for quite a while, might I add."

Kuran's steely gaze left him as the brunet headed for the door that led out of the room and Zero visibly relaxed – even if just a little.

"However," the older male's hand was on the doorknob and he stopped, only slightly turning his head to look at the ex-human one last time, "do not forget that I will continue keeping an eye on you. No matter how far I may be, you cannot escape. Considering this...remember that I would know if you were to do something you should not." Dark eyes narroweddangerously in silent warning, "So don't even think about going to her because of your foolish stubbornness."

Having fully turned away from the figure behind him, Kaname pushed the door open, but paused in leaving the chamber. He spoke again, "You should think everything over carefully, Kiryuu-kun...And make the right decision before it's too late and you can do nothing but regret your actions," and then he left, closing the door softly.

Zero kept his gaze fixed on the spot the pureblood had just been occupying for a few more seconds before letting it drop. His tense shoulders finally sagged, the hunter closed his tired eyes for a short while, then brought his hand up to cradle his throbbing head and let out a shuddering breath he didn't know he was holding. His heart was still pounding and body started to tremble all of a sudden. He was only grateful that Kuran wasn't there anymore to witness him like this for his sick pleasure.

The teen curled into himself slightly.

He needed to get out of this place.

When his eyes opened next, for the first time Zero's attention was caught by something somewhere in the corner of his vision. The youth lifted his head to take a better look at it, and realized that it was a pile of neatly folded clothes lying innocently by the edge of the bed, near the place where the brunet vampire had first sat. Clothes that obviously didn't belong to him judging by their style and the expensive material they were made of. So it wasn't so hard to guess whose those were.

It didn't matter though, as long as he could leave this damned room sooner, even if only for a mere second.

Therefore, not losing any more time and not really thinking about anything, with only one intention in his tortured mind, Zero ignored his deep repulsion and strong reluctance and shifted to take the provided garments, his every movement stiff and lifeless.

-o-

Surprisingly enough, for once Kuran actually did keep his word and had indeed left him the hell alone – thankfully and damn finally. Which was, in all honesty, an even greater relief than Zero could ever imagine.

It had been a little over a week now since he had last seen the pureblood, which was exactly the same night His Highness had been so gracious as to 'save' his ungrateful self from the blood-crazed Level E and the death itself. Back in the older vampire's room, after the said man had left, Zero had taken the offered to him clothes without giving it much thought, put them on as quickly as his heavy, exhausted body had allowed him to and, not losing a single second, had sneaked out of the Moon Dormitory to finally return to the relative safety of his room in the Sun Dorms. He hadn't seen or sensed Kuran even once since then, which he certainly hadn't minded, as well as the fact that he had had no idea where the bastard had disappeared to – he could go to hell for all Zero cared.

The hunter would have probably stayed blissfully ignorant of the reason for the pureblood's sudden departure if it hadn't been for Yuuki and her concerns about 'Kaname-sama'. Worried, she had hesitantly asked Ichijou about the Level A's well-being during one of the morning class changeovers, to which the annoyingly happy blond had given her another one of his cheerful smiles and explained that Kuran had merely left to attend to his business affairs and wouldn't be back for some time. And while it had made the girl both relieved that the leech hadn't caught a cold or anything – like it could ever happen – and disappointed due to obvious reasons, to Zero those news, especially their second part, had been nothing but unalloyed joy, however well hidden it had been behind his mask of indifference. Even some of his usual stiffness had lessened to a certain extent after hearing those words – an unconscious reaction that had surprised him. He hadn't thought that the brunet vampire had been affecting him so much this whole time.

And even though the ex-human did realize that the said male's absence wouldn't last too long, especially taking into account the fact that, frankly, no amount of time could be long enough for Zero when it concerned Kuran staying away from him, he was still immensely thankful that the fate, the luck or whatever it was, had finally decided to spare him by providing this small, temporary salvation. He almost felt something akin to...freedom, he guessed. Well, maybe it was too strong a word, but it was the closest one the hunter could find to describe what he was currently feeling. Rather illusive, yes, but this deception was something that the youth needed to keep going. A method which, Zero noticed to his chagrin, he had been pathetically using for some time now.

A long sigh fell from the plump lips as the ex-human's occupied hand stopped its movements, a slightly pained expression taking over his tired features.

'Pathetic...really.'

Just like everything about him.

A bitter smile tugged lightly at the corners of his lips.

But before the silver-haired teen had a chance to dive deeper into his increasingly depressing thoughts, a gentle nudge came from his right. Turning his head towards the source of the small motion, Zero was met with a pair of deep, dark eyes staring at him unwaveringly with concern flickering in their depths. The white ears of the owner of those same eyes flapped quickly and then returned to their original position as a soft, almost inaudible noise sounded from the aforementioned being.

Involuntarily, Zero let another smile, this time faint and rueful yet warm and grateful, grace his features, unable to help himself and his reaction to seeing Lily's worry for him.

"Hey..." he reached out with his free hand to pat the side of the beautiful horse's head affectionately and with hesitant reassurance. The uncertain attempt at calming his long-time friend seemed to have failed though, since Lily only shifted to the side and then turned around further to face the hunter fully. She moved towards her favorite person slowly and, upon getting close enough to him, put her heavy head down and tilted it forward, thus nudging the hunter gently in his chest. She didn't remove herself from that position, staying in place and keeping her forehead pressed to the Level D's body, pushing against it ever so slightly a few times as though urging the youth to respond. Which Zero did without giving it a second thought. He raised his arms and encircled Lily's large head, letting his own drop to rest against the mare's forelock as he closed his eyes and exhaled shakily, left hand stroking the other's soft cheek leisurely, in a soothing manner as he relaxed into the warm comfort.

After staying like this for a short while, the ex-human took a small step backwards, his lilac eyes immediately making contact with his friend's glimmering black ones as Lily lifted her head a little. They watched each other in silence, Zero's fingers never ceasing their careful, tender caress.

Another smile, this time more pronounced and with less bitterness in it, although not completely void of it, found its way onto the teens face. His eyelids fluttering before sliding to cover his lavender orbs once more, the hunter leaned in to put his forehead against that of the mare's for the second time.

"Thank you..." his voice was a barely audible whisper, but Lily had heard it perfectly well and, though not fully convinced, was still glad to have calmed her most dear person's uneasiness at least to some extent.

Allowing himself to soak in his loyal friend's comforting presence some more, Zero spent another hour or so in the stables, brushing Lily with quiet gratitude and evading some of her playful antics from time to time during that period. Then, having bidden his farewell to the mare, he took his departure to go to the Chairman's house, knowing full well that Yuuki must be already waiting for him there, all ready and excited to leave for the town where she could finally indulge herself in shopping and all the sweets she wanted. Therefore making the silver-haired prefect her heavily loaded with bags carrier yet again, which Zero almost dreaded, apprehending the pain in his muscles from the enormous weight of the bags, but could do nothing about, what with Yuuki's pleading eyes and his damned soft spot for them.

Unbeknownst to himself, the hunter heaved more than a few sighs on his way to the Headmaster's quarters.

Surprisingly and to Zero's considerable relief though, it wasn't as bad as the youth had expected.

As usually, they had arrived at their destination on bus and immediately, the female prefect had dragged her adoptive brother to the nearest clothing store, skipping along happily towards the place with joy and anticipation more than obvious in her aura and on her face – to the ex-human's growing anxiety and gloomy mood.

As they got there, not losing any time, Yuuki began to pick clothes for Zero first, continuing to pester the teen to put on everything she chose – which was a hell of a lot, at least for the silver-haired youth who was quite content with his current wardrobe that was, admittedly, far from being extensive, but sufficient enough for him – and seeming to thoroughly enjoy the prospect of dressing him up, to which Zero only scowled, but still did try on a few items – unable to resist that look, that kicked-puppy look that the girl kept throwing at him every time he made to refuse something. However, soon Kiryuu was finally able to sneak away from the smaller prefect and went off somewhere else. He didn't really care about the destination; so long as it was father away from his overly excited and way too energetic adopted sister, he was perfectly content with anything. It had been only a couple of hours or so, but Zero was already exhausted from this whole shopping thing Yuuki was so delighted and nearly obsessed with. For the life of him, the hunter couldn't understand what was so good about it – if anything, in his opinion it was tiresome, boring and plain pain in the ass.

But since the younger prefect liked it so much, she could merrily have it her way, only without the ex-human there, because his portion of endurance had definitely run out for this weekend. So he would gladly let Yuuki enjoy their day off. Which, he was sure, the girl would do much better without him there to spoil all her fun.

Besides, the silver-haired youth still felt better this way, alone and away from the crowd or anyone for that matter, even if it was Yuuki. He was naturally concerned for her safety as always, what with the brunet female's inborn talent for getting into trouble every step of her way, but Zero was convinced – and sincerely hoped – that it would be hard, if not impossible – he really preferred the latter variant – for the girl to somehow endanger herself in a place full of people, while doing shopping of all things. The very idea itself seemed ridiculous, Zero knew that much, but with Yuuki involved, even such possibility was more than reasonable.

He also knew that it wasn't like him to leave his adopted sister by herself, regardless of the place and circumstances. But even if the male prefect did want to be there for her, of which he wasn't so certain for once in his life, he seriously doubted he would be able to make himself do it.

The teen needed these moments of silence, solitude and calm, at least here and for now.

Admittedly, he never liked being surrounded by too many people, but these days it got physically hard. Thus his recent tendency – after events he would rather forget and never relive in his memory again – to let Yuuki out of his sight instead of looking after her like he had used to.

Selfish of him, yes, yet he couldn't do anything about it, about himself.

A soft sigh fell from Zero's lips as he closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair wearily. He could feel that pounding headache beginning to return anew.

Unexpectedly, a small noise came from somewhere nearby, immediately catching the hunter's undivided attention. Lilac eyes shot open sharply and instinctively, the teen reached into his coat to take a hold of the Bloody Rose while turning around swiftly towards the source of the sound that had disturbed the complete silence of the deserted street. No one was around as the ex-human had ended up wandering into the quiet and most desolated part of the town, but Kiryuu still refrained from pulling out his weapon and aiming it at the supposed target, instead choosing to keep it securely in his grip and remain on guard, lest some random soul decided to pick these particular moments to show up.

Cautious lavender orbs scanned the surroundings, quickly and expertly, immediately finding what they were looking for as another noise reached the silver-haired prefect's ears. It came from the dark alley to his right, but Zero couldn't sense anything – or anyone – there, so the youth let his stiff posture relax slightly, though not fully. Carefully, the ex-human got closer to the narrow passageway and peered into the darkness intently, trying to detect any motion or form there. It was empty however, and after watching the shadowed area for a short while, Zero calmed down and allowed all the tension in his muscles to go away.

Exhaling heavily, the hunter shut his eyes and turned around while moving to the side to lean against the brick wall of the old building, his head bowed and hand covering most of his face. Smallest of shivers shook the teen's slouched form. It was only now that he noticed his quickened heart rate and irregular breathing along with sudden wave of tiredness.

It was ludicrous, to get so agitated over every little sound. Not to mention pathetic.

And he was becoming paranoid, letting his…his fear, as humiliating as it was to admit, get the better of him.

Kuran wasn't anywhere near him, he was away, and would be at least for some more time – thankfully.

The ex-human heaved another sigh, though now it was more relieved than anything.

And in spite of his words about 'keeping an eye on him', Zero hadn't heard or sensed anything even remotely related to the pureblood, or so he thought and hoped was true – yet another wishful thinking of his. He knew he could be wrong, very much so. Of course he wasn't stupid or naive enough to believe that everything would be so simple, especially considering who and what he was dealing with. He had no idea what more the cunning bastard could be hiding and how much more tricks and freakish powers he had up his sleeve.

Nevertheless, although the teen wasn't an idiot, he was desperate to a certain degree, albeit he adamantly refused to acknowledge or even be aware of that fact. He could be allowed this much, whether it was on subconscious level or not.

However, alas, his apprehensions and suspicions weren't the only problem. Though another one wasn't unrelated to the pureblooded snob as well. But this one bothered the hunter more than anything, understandably.

Zero's hand went to his drying throat. He swallowed uncomfortably.

He was running out of time, too soon too fast for his liking.

And his thirst was getting to him... Not so unexpectedly, but definitely undesirably and so much earlier than he would want – which he obviously didn't and never would. Just like with Kuran's absence, no amount of time could be too long or long enough for that matter.

He had gotten used to constantly feeling the bloodlust by now after such a lengthy period of coping with it, but the one he was and had been experiencing now and lately was different, and it was harder to deal with. More intense, more insatiable, more consuming, more unbearable, more violent and much more difficult to control. Even at present, when not so much time had passed since his last taking of blood from Kaname – and he knew he could hold on for longer periods, he had done it many times already – it was already eating him from within. He could feel the coldness, the numbness, spreading. Very slowly, gradually but surely, starting from somewhere in his chest and going further, deeper, seeping into his veins and his very bone marrows, taking over his everything.

It was dangerous. He was dangerous, because he was a constant threat to everyone, especially to the ones closest to him – no matter how unimpressive the number of those people was – and most of all, to Yuuki.

Every day, every hour, every minute and even every second, this hunger was getting stronger and more persistent. It became harder to ignore with every passing moment. If earlier he could manage to somehow try and distract himself from this unendurable burning, now it was nearly impossible. Whatever he did or thought of, everything led to that cursed crimson liquid and memories of its taste, texture, refreshing feeling of it on his tongue and then in his parched throat, slowly moving down and into his system, spreading its warmth and making the dark coldness go away and insanity retreat. Zero could still recall – however vaguely and fragmentarily – the way his body trembled with relief when he drank from Kuran, when he felt that thick blood enter his organism and fill it with power and lightness, immediately clearing his mind and dispelling the impending madness.

The hunter clutched at his neck, his nails digging into it and thus drawing a few tiny beads of dark-red life essence. He closed his eyes, brows furrowing as a slightly pained expression crossed his face. In an attempt to regulate his breathing, the youth inhaled deeply, all the while trying to suppress the small tremors running through his form at the vivid images that had flickered through his head and were still standing before his eyes. Zero's free hand went to his chest and fisted his shirt, head bowing a little lower and frown deepening.

It was sick. This reaction was sick. He was sick. And disgusting. No better than the monster that Kuran was.

A mere thought of blood – of that beast's blood – caused him to become like this, made his bloodlust flare anew, much stronger and suffocating, and sent quivers through his body. Quivers of anticipation, excitement and...something else. That which the ex-human refused to even think of, let alone admit to it. As it was too incomprehensible, unfamiliar and terrifying, not to mention shameful and utterly repulsive. So Zero never wanted to acknowledge something like that, whatever it was that deprived him of the ability to think straight and concentrate on anything anymore. So that all that his hazy mind could and agreed to provide him with were images of that poisonous yet alluring liquid that was killing and giving him life at the same time. While it allowed him to remain alive and sane – maybe not completely and only from time to time, but still – it also left less and less of himself with every taking of that slow venom.

It was destroying him. Zero wasn't himself anymore and he knew it. He could feel it, in spite of how much he would like to indulge in his denial.

What was happening to him?

What was he turning into?

What was Kuran with his twisted games doing to him...?

The silver-haired teen doubted he wanted answers to all these questions. Because he wasn't ready to accept them along with the reality they brought. Not yet at least, if he ever would be at all.

A pained groan sounded from the hunter as he threw his head back, slightly banging it on the brick surface in hopes that the pain would make his mind a little clearer, and slid a couple of inches down the wall. His eyes remained closed and breathing accelerated further. Another assault of thirst made his already parched – at least it seemed so – throat hurt as well as his chest. It was this much more intense and unendurable, but he still could take it. He could, he knew he could. He had to. Yet...

For how long...? If every time was so much worse than the previous one. It was getting harder to resist the hunger and Zero was getting weaker, both physically and mentally, which made him way too vulnerable for his liking. And not only him, but those around him – everyone around him, without exception – as well. That was why he had to do something about it, about himself, before it – he – got too out of control. Before it really got too late and all that was left for him was regret, as Kuran had suggested during their last encounter.

Suddenly, he felt a cold moisture on his left cheek. Startled, the ex-human's eyes snapped open and he looked around warily. It was only a few short moments later that his confused, hazy mind caught up and the teen realized what exactly it had been that had disturbed his reverie when he took in his surroundings once more, this time as though they were somewhat new to him. It was snowing. The first snow of this year, with snowflakes so light and gentle, descending unhurriedly before melting away as they hit various surfaces of the surroundings.

The hunter's features relaxed visibly when his amethyst and now clear orbs observed the view before him. The sky seemed a little darker and briefly, Zero wondered how long he had been there, alone with his musings. But that fleeting thought left him soon enough along with many others agonizing ones, and the youth sighed deeply, the corners of his lips lifting in the smallest and gentlest of smiles at the tranquil scenery. It was beautiful and had a nostalgic feeling to it. It made him feel calmer and so much better, although Zero didn't know why exactly. But he welcomed it gladly, grateful for the opportunity to forget about the constant worries gnawing at him, even if for a short period of time.

-o-

Dull. Fake. Boring. And rather sickening at times – that was what these soirees were. Especially so now, when he was rather...annoyed, for whatever reason. And that unexplainable annoyance had been nagging at him for some time now, apparently without any prospect of fading away, which only intensified it further.

However, his irritation aside, Kaname was simply bored as hell from this tedious, pointless gathering with its usual, monotonous routine consisting of meaningless small talks, deceitfully polite smiles, poorly hidden treacherous intentions – and lust for his blood in the brunet's case – and palpable pretense. Nothing was true and no one could be trusted here aside from those whose absolute loyalty the pureblood already had and was sure of, namely his inner circle, members of which were scattered all over the grand hall of the old, large, magnificent manor. They were actually supposed to be at the Cross Academy, unlike Kaname who still had to take care of some unfinished business matters of his, but this one...celebration of sorts so to say was too important for the whole vampire society to miss if they were invited – if they were bestowed with the honor of being invited.

Taking a slow sip from his wineglass filled with strong, burgundy liquid, Kuran let his calm, impassive gaze scan the spacious room unhurriedly once more, quite expertly hiding his distaste for the public there. It consisted of such elegance and sophistication, beauty and allure – at least it was supposed to, on the surface. On the inside, in actuality, however, it was too far from its deceptive facade to describe. Ugly and treacherous, full of intrigues, ulterior motives and dishonesty – that was the way things really were here. And dangerous, mercilessly so, especially for the ones unaccustomed to and unprepared for it.

And Kaname himself, too, wasn't excluded from it, which wasn't such a big wonder. However, unlike those below him, he could ask – though sometimes even that wasn't necessary – and get anything he wanted, regardless of what, who or whose it was, with very rare exceptions. While those of lower status, if they wanted something from him or others of his standing, even if it was the smallest thing, had to offer something in return of reasonable if not higher price. Those were the unspoken rules – a norm, common sense if you will, for every single individual that was a part of their world. It was ingrained in them since birth and solidified as they grew and got to know their environment, learned to perceive it.

That was why Kaname could never for the life of him understand Kiryuu's reaction to their...arrangement so to speak. He could only assume that it was due to the fact that the boy had been originally born human and had used to live like one, by their laws – he still did, or at least tried to, probably attempting to fool himself into believing it as well.

Kaname suppressed a small, derisive chuckle at his last thought, but couldn't fully prevent the corners of his lips from lifting ever so slightly, imperceptibly. He sipped on his drink once more, concealing his momentary slip. The ex-human was just such an entertaining little thing. Even when he wasn't present.

The pureblood turned his head slightly to the side as another group of nobles approached him. Automatically, without really putting any effort into it, he replied to their greetings with his own neutral, perfectly polite – yet less than sincere – one. They were saying something else, but he didn't really listen to them, simply responding mechanically, knowing that it was yet another pointless verbal exchange that couldn't even be called conversation. Neither did he pay much attention to their appearance. Frankly, he doubted he would remember their faces seconds after they left him alone and went on their merry ways. Kaname was certain he had seen them before at other soirees, but so what? Same could be said about dozens of vampires out there. It wasn't any different now as well. Nothing but adulation and fruitless attempts to get on his good side. All courteous and so well-bred.

It was just hypocrisy, however. Because while they put on fake pleasant countenances, trying to seem sincere in their admiration and benevolence, for Kaname it was too obvious what lay beneath all that outer beauty, elegance and refined manners. They were nothing but predators, vultures, waiting silently, yet impatiently for the mighty to fall from the grace so that they could gloat before delivering the finishing blow and seizing the remaining pieces greedily. It was almost physically palpable from the way they looked at him and any other pureblood vampire how much they longed to tear into their flesh and suck them dry until no drop was left, even the tiniest one. How much they craved for the sacred liquid running through their veins, for the sheer power and unadulterated bliss it presented. Behind those amiable smiles were sneers and elongated fangs aching to bury themselves into the throat of first and any Level A vampire who would be careless and foolish enough to let their guard down in presence of these parasites. Although, admittedly, Kaname couldn't say that every vampire was that way – not fully, at least, and it pertained only to those of his inner circle.

It sickened him at times, their pretense and willingness- no, desire, bordering on desperate longing, to obey his every order, especially when there was any chance – even the smallest one – that they would be fortunate enough to get something in return for their loyalty and complaisance, although being given a task of any kind by a pureblood was an honor, and their approval – more than sufficient gratitude in itself. Which was a rather interesting paradox, indeed. The brunet did want to see such a display of submissiveness from Kiryuu, which would imply the youth's recognition of him as his superior, while getting it from other vampires mostly tended to grate on his nerves because of open eagerness and insincerity behind it.

Somehow he just...couldn't help it. There was something wickedly thrilling about doing that to the silver-haired hunter, about forcing him to do what Kaname wished and the boy himself, obviously, didn't. Not to mention that it never failed to make his beastly, sadistic side sing in pure delight. Which was, truthfully, an addictive, delicious sensation to experience. And he had no intention of losing it any time soon. It was simply enjoyable to watch the ex-human surrender unwillingly yet retain a part of defiance and inextinguishable inner fire. Although, admittedly, it still did irritate the pureblood nevertheless.

Kuran refrained from letting a mild frown mar his features. These thoughts of that insufferably unyielding little...being made his annoyance increase. It was always like that with Kiryuu. One moment the boy evoked in him nothing but pure amusement, and the next the mirth evaporated completely only to be replaced by fury. Although it was probably safe to say that he was rather accustomed to all that by now, as it was his usual reaction to the silver-haired youth and everything concerning him. Oddly enough, however, fascination never ceased. Which, too, could be quite exasperating at times, to put it mildly.

For once though, it looked like it actually could come in handy. It definitely seemed that way when he looked at the nobles before him again.

Apparently sensing a small yet recognizable drop in his aura, the group of vampires that had been talking to him about some uninteresting, unimportant things until only a couple of seconds ago, now appeared to be a bit uneasy with the sudden change – however mild and short-lived it was – in his mood. So they decided that it was better to disappear and excused themselves, most likely thinking that they were the cause of the pureblood's dissatisfaction. Well, not that they were entirely wrong...They had been fairly irritating after all. But not enough to bother him so much that it would make his perfect mask crack for half a second before he regained impeccable control over his temper anew. For ultimately, there always had been and still was only one person who managed to achieve that, and without even trying to or being aware of that too.

Another small smile, this time sardonic, tugged at Kuran's lips as he emptied the glass in his hand by taking the last sip of his blood wine and then replaced it with the new one. After which he started on his way towards the balcony, wishing to get some fresh air and much-needed privacy. All this nonsense, this crowd, along with its noise and unwanted attention, were making his headache come back and grow worse. So trying to stay in the shadows and naturally succeeding in it like in everything he ever did, the brunet glided through the room and its occupants and promptly arrived at his destination.

He let out a deep sigh of both exhaustion and relieve.

Speaking of Kiryuu... It looked like the brat was finallybeginning to learn his lesson – after all this time, finally indeed. And the hard way too, unsurprisingly. Kaname should have known from the start that it wouldn't – it could not – go any other way with the hunter. He was too obstinate and uncontrollable, not to mention difficult for something the brunet planned to go smoothly. But there was a good side to it as well, if only for the fun of it. Which it was, to watch the boy squirm and try to break free from his invisible prison in vain. Exactly what he was doing even at this very moment as Kaname was here, close to dying of boredom. Well, if nothing else, at least he had some entertainment. And almost right in front of his eyes so to say.

Because contrary to what the ex-human might think, the brunet did carry out his promise of keeping track of him. And he had been doing so from the very beginning, never once even thinking of stopping. In other words, he had the boy under close, constant surveillance and despite his being far from the academy and Kiryuu himself, the pureblood's absolute control never wavered. Although the silver-haired prefect had no idea about it. Which was, probably, for the better. It was much easier and more informative that way. And so much more interesting too. Besides, having Kiryuu unsuspecting and left in the dark, with his guard down and with no clue of the lurking 'danger' – as the boy perceived him – and its whereabouts was somewhat...thrillingly enjoyable. And unexpectedly, observing the hunter had turned out to be fairly intriguing. Sometimes it even kept him from boredom that was his constant companion these days too. For which he was actually a little thankful, he guessed. Not that he would ever admit to it.

But that aside, lately the Level D had started showing all the signs Kaname had been waiting for. It wasn't so evident yet and he doubted anyone aside from him and the ex-human himself had noticed it – no matter how hard the boy wished to deny it and tried to pretend that it wasn't so bad – as Zero hid it well. As always though, considering the fact that the younger vampire was more than used to it by now and had probably mastered the art of suppressing and concealing his blood thirst after all this time. However...

Yes, he did it rather splendidly indeed, but his willpower could only take him so far. It had been way too long – definitely one of the longest periods of time that he was deprived of blood since his inner vampire's 'awakening' as yet, in fact. That alone was reason enough to bring the breaking point closer sooner. And along with pure blood, his pure blood involved, it would only speed up and worsen things further. For the ex-human, that is. Kaname could care less about it since he wasn't affected in any way, so it was only Kiryuu who was suffering from his own stubbornness – deservedly, mind you, at least from the brunet's very objective point of view.

Inwardly, Kaname gave an elegant shrug at his last thought.

Back to the matter at hand, he should probably be more worried instead of remaining so calm, taking into account his dear girl's involvement as well. Naturally, her being the closest person to the youth, together with her unwavering attachment to him, which the pureblood couldn't and most likely – definitely – would never comprehend, nor accept, put her in danger more than anyone else. Regardless, the Level A would not rush his return to the school grounds.

Because Kaname was sure, he knew, that Zero wouldn'thurt her, he would not go to her for help, let alone for blood – on the contrary, he would do everything possible to keep Yuuki unaware and away from all that was happening to him, away from himself, especially when worst came to worst. Not even because of that warning the pureblood had given him the last time they saw each other, but of his own free will. And since Kaname never stopped supervising the situation, everything was under control, as usual. So there was nothing he should be really concerned about.

Besides, he still wanted to see some more of the ex-human's mental and physical torture along with his never-ceasing inner struggles. For truly, it was fascinating to watch. As well as the process of his steadily progressing descent to the Level End. The turmoil and anxiety it brought to the silver-haired prefect were clear to the brunet and he enjoyed every moment of it.

A thought flickered in his mind that maybe it was cruel and even wrong to think so, especially in the light of his own relatively recent experience of fighting the bloodlust, but he quickly and very easily dismissed it. Nothing could make him sympathize with the insolent brat, especially after that latest stunt of his with that Level E. Not to speak of the outburst and yet another set of insults that had followed after along with display of his usual, absolute ingratitude.

Yes, Kaname still felt slight irritation at the hunter.

Therefore all the more reason for him to relish 'the sight'. Which he certainly would have done to the fullest if it wasn't for...

If it wasn't for his own hunger and body's urges – the oddest one being his neck's insistent demands to be torn into and fed from. That coupled with his animalistic vampire side clawing at him to be unleashed and begging him to let it- to let them both enjoy themselves once more. It kept whispering seductively inside his head at every convenient – and inconvenient – moment, reminding him of sweet moments of bliss they had already experienced thanks to it and promising even more, tempting him ruthlessly, relentlessly. Each such moment nearly made him physically shiver from unbearable yet delicious anticipation and phantom pleasure that coursed through his body at the images, sounds, scents and all the illusory sensations provided by that same inner beast of his.

It was both delightful and tormenting at the same time.

But unlike Kiryuu, he could restrain himself and suppress those desires, while the ex-human's needs were eating away at him, driving him closer and closer to all-consuming, unrelenting madness. So in this, too and yet again, Kaname would be the one to gain the upper hand. Knowing that alone, along with the inevitable outcome that was the hunter's complete and final surrender, was already gratifying and stimulating enough to further convince the brunet to stay away for a little longer. For he was certain the result would be more than worth it.

Still, it was hardly of any help with ceasing his annoyance at Zero. Although…

The pureblood breathed out a soft sigh as he felt a presence appear behind him. He didn't give any sign of acknowledgment to his company other than that, but it wasn't necessary, for neither he nor the newcomer needed it. Of course he would sense anyone in the vicinity, especially if they stood so close to him. Even more so if it were a Noble Class vampire, which it was, and regardless whether they tried to mask their aura or not, which they did not. So Kaname remained where he was, not moving an inch and continuing to leisurely sip on his drink, waiting for the other party to state their business if there was any. Though he could guess what it would be by now – that much wasn't too hard of a task. Why else would someone approach him so boldly, obviously realizing that he was not in the mood for company and knowing better than to disturb a pureblood, being a part of their culture with perfect awareness of the laws. The brunet could think of only one possible reason…

A faint, somewhat rueful smile flickered across the brunet's face as he wondered wryly if he was right this time around as well.

"Kuran-sama," there was the usual bow, typically, Kaname could tell without even looking at the man who was talking to him. He didn't respond, knowing that the noble would continue anyway since he hadn't stopped him yet, thus giving him the permission to speak of sorts. And just as he expected, the Level B did.

"Please forgive me for my rude intrusion," he didn't sound so sorry however. On the contrary, the pureblood could very clearly discern the sly, smug grin in the other's suave voice. Although it hardly showed on the surface – Kaname had no doubts about it. They, vampires, were the natural masters of deception after all.

Still not turning from his spot, the brunet inquired calmly, "Is there something you want?"

He got a sudden urge to cringe in distaste at the next words directed at him, spoken in such a sweet, husky tone. It was more than obvious what the vampire's intentions were, "Oh no, on the contrary…I thought maybe I could do something for you, Kuran-sama." That invisible grin definitely broadened and transferred into more devious one, "You seemed rather bored earlier…Perhaps I could help lift your mood somehow…?"

'Of course…' What else could there be…? Naturally, he had been right from the very start, yet again…

Kaname's rueful smile widened a little before slowly disappearing altogether as he let out an inaudible sigh. He was exhausted. Not physically, but mentally. Although he could feel it gradually turn into physical weariness as well.

Long fingers raking through soft, dark locks, the brunet suppressed another heavy sigh as he placed his wineglass on the banister rail. Having made sure that none of his emotions would slip through his mask, the pureblood turned his emotionless gaze towards the other vampire languidly. He let his eyes travel over the male's form, taking his sweet time, before a slow, deceitfully pleasant small smile tilted the corners of his mouth slightly upwards. It was yet another one he wouldn't even remember, one of the many who longed to cater to his every whim. Even now, the brunet couldn't quite recall the features he had just taken in, although they were, admittedly, fairly attractive – but then again, there was no – could not be – such thing as ill-looking vampire, especially among higher-classed ones. So…what was the difference, really…? If that way at least one of his current needs would be met.

Kaname turned around further to face the other, smile still in place, but eyes hard and cold. For a brief second, they flashed vermilion as he parted his perfect lips to answer, his voice a velvety, seductive yet icily authoritative purr.

"Why not, indeed…"

-o-

A few more knocks, then another quiet call of his name. He heard it, he was aware of the familiar presence behind the door, but showed no sign of acknowledging it whatsoever. He just remained where he was, lying on the bed, motionless, staring at the ceiling blankly with his half-opened, hazy eyes. After a short silence followed the sound of retreating footsteps and unwittingly, a soft sigh escaped Zero. He stayed immobile for a short while before turning his head slowly to the side. Languidly and rather disinterestedly, weary lilac hues went over their owner's surroundings. His expression never changing, the ex-human turned onto his side, now facing the wall, and let out another inaudible sigh as his eyes slid shut and he curled into himself a little, hugging his slightly trembling every now and then form loosely.

The room was a wreck. The floor was scattered with his uniform, some books, among which he was sure there should also be a couple of hunter books he had brought here earlier, a towel, a few drops and smudges of his blood that somehow got onto the walls as well, along with numerous scratches obviously left by claws on various surfaces, the Bloody Rose was lying somewhere in the corner and even his pillow was far from where it was supposed to be. Although, it wasn't too surprising, taking into account the state of the bed. The sheets were torn – by those same claws, apparently – and slightly stained with crimson, and the blanket was twisted and hung from the edge of the mattress, unexpectedly intact though.

The ex-human suspected he was in no better condition too. For as far as he could see, there were some cuts on his skin, and his clothes, mostly his shirt, were torn and bloodstained here and there. Not to mention his dark-red smeared fingers and clotted blood under his fingernails. And he had no recollection of what had happened. Although it wasn't necessary, because he could easily guess, and he knew that his assumption would be correct. It was he who had caused all this mess, alright. But fortunately, the damage stopped there. No one was hurt, and he was the only one aware of what had transpired – he had been cautious enough to put some hunter charms on the room to achieve that. They prevented anyone from entering or hearing anything, as no sound or scent – as well as the teen himself – could get past the closed door. It was also impossible to detect his presence until he removed the spells.

Which he was beginning to think of performing. And that idea became more and more tempting with every passing second.

For by now he had trouble comprehending why he even bothered.

Because, honestly, there was no point in continuing doing it whatsoever – as a number of previous experiences had proven to him. It was useless either way. Seeing as in the end, he always lost. To the bloodlust, to his vampire side, to his fears, to his own cowardice and hypocrisy, to Kuran… And yet despite understanding that very well and knowing the most probable result, he kept 'being stubborn', as the stupid pureblood would most likely put it, and continued torturing himself in every sense of the word. But…why? Or rather, for what?

Because now that he thought about it, what was the point…? And was there even one at all to begin with? It wasn't like he had anything to lose, or to fight for at that. His family had long been destroyed and taken away from him as well as his hunter heritage, his sanity was slipping away, his dignity and pride were pretty much shattered to tiny pieces by now, his will to go on… to do anything really, wasn't even there – everything just happened on its own with him simply following the events on autopilot. And he wasn't sure he was actually aware of some of those events, as sometimes – especially so recently – he had a hard time remembering what had transpired now and then. Not that it mattered anyway. Nothing seemed to hold any importance or to make much sense to the ex-human as of late. It was needless to say that even Yuuki wasn't much of a motivator anymore, strangely enough.

But honestly, he had stopped taking her into consideration when and before he did something long ago, or so it seemed to him. It didn't mean he had stopped caring for her, no, of course not. She still was and would always be precious to him. But… something had changed. Something in him, he guessed. Or he may be wrong, but it was and felt different to him at present. Although, frankly, the teen didn't give a damn about what it was exactly. And the same could be said about so many other things.

So if it was like that… Why did he continue resisting at all? Especially when it was so clear to him that it was useless…?

Maybe Kuran was right? Maybe he should just stop? Maybe it was better to stop fighting it already? After all this time of futile, constant struggles and undesirable outcomes. For by this point in time, he was exhausted. And unconcerned about pretty much everything, so… what difference did it make…? It wasn't like it would be his first time too – in so many senses. He couldn't possibly sink any lower, right…?

Zero didn't know if it was him or his foul – to put it mildly – mood or the pain of blood thirst speaking, but that, too, hardly mattered. What did get to him though, regardless of his wishes, was that same pain that was steadily and rapidly increasing and turning into agony. One that was very familiar to him, yes, but it didn't make it any easier. He could be well accustomed to it by now, but each time it seemed even more intense and excruciating than the previous.

It was driving him insane, making the pitiful remains of his once strong will crumble; cruelly, painfully, mockingly and relentlessly. And he doubted that he could withstand it any longer, that he had any strength and determination enough to do it anymore. He was losing – he had long lost. And deep inside, he had accepted it too. Because it was pointless to deny. He couldn't do this anymore…

A muffled tormented moan sounded in the dark room as the ex-human turned his face to partly bury it into the mattress and curled into himself further. Eyes screwed tightly shut, Zero gripped his sides, his nails digging into his skin painfully, drawing a few beads of blood. His breathing was labored and body shook violently, small whimpers escaped trembling lips every so often.

Another attack. All over again.

He wanted it to stop, to end already. Once and for all. He was exhausted and couldn't take it any longer. He didn't want to endure it anymore. He had been doing it enough by now. So much so that he couldn't tell the difference between the time of the day, let alone between the days of the week. He had no idea how much time had passed since he locked himself up, but to him it felt like eternity. And all this while the only thing occupying his consciousness was blood. And not just anyone's blood – like before, it was that bastard's pure blood that he desired no matter how hard he tried to deny or ignore it. It was worse, much worse than the previous time those few weeks or so ago, when he and Yuuki went to town. Back then it was a mere beginning compared to what he was going through at the moment.

His mind was being plagued with blood-filled images and memories, ghostly sensations and absolutely unnecessary, shameful thoughts continuously, driving him into blind, unforgiving insanity – if he wasn't there already. As he was sure that the madness had well taken over him by now. And the fact that he was having some strange hallucinations – he had no doubts they were exactly that – did nothing to change his opinion on the subject.

Sometimes it got especially intense and exceedingly violent, and occasionally, he would be spared and it would ebb away, finally giving him and his pounding head a brief rest, however insufficient and pretty much pointless it was – after all, it wasn't like it made things any better. Just the calm before another storm, the one that would be so much more powerful and ferocious.

Like now.

While those periods of 'calm' got shorter every time. Until there was no more left altogether and he was consumed completely, with no way of going back.

A long shaky sigh sounded as the teen attempted to even out his respiratory rate, gradually succeeding in it. The strong grip on his sides slackening a little, Zero half opened his hazy red-tinted eyes, still in a slight daze. Slowly, he lifted himself up from the mattress, his heavy, weak form trembling uncontrollably as he sat up unsteadily. Unseeingly, he stared ahead of him at nothing in particular, before his gaze wandered to the side only to fall on the closed window.

Crimson momentarily disappeared from the hunter's vision.

His bare feet descended to the floor, and shakily, Zero pushed himself up.

-o-

A sharp crack all but resonated in the dead silence of the pitch-black room. Its only occupant, however, paid no attention to the source of that sound, which was the window glass that had broken under the pressure of his suffocating aura that radiated from him in uneven, angry waves, ready to lash out at anything and anyone in the vicinity and only making the heavy atmosphere all the more oppressive and hostile.

Somewhat tiredly, the pureblood leaned back into his armchair, his head rolling back to reveal his long slender neck as he exhaled deeply. Eyes closed and brows knitted in concentration, one of his hands went up to massage the bridge of his nose. He was stressed, and irritated – that much was clear, even if he didn't wish to admit it. Especially if he thought about the reason behind it. Which he simply refused to do.

Taking a deep breath, Kaname willed himself to relax, also attempting to take his slightly flaring temper under control. Not quite fully, but he managed to do that after a couple of seconds, his tense form slackening visibly and dark aura retreating, now less violent.

It was ridiculous. There was no cause for him to get so worked up over quite literally nothing.

Yes, he was a little annoyed that the foolish ex-human still refused to give in and kept being his obstinate self – for what purpose though, the brunet had no idea. To him it seemed pointless, like so many of Kiryuu's other actions. However, it wouldn't last for much longer. It had gone on for more than enough – because Kanamehad allowed it. He had given the hunter time – a considerable amount of it – to think, to struggle, to indulge in his stubbornness, denial and self-pity, and to torment himself all he wanted. And by now this game had become not only boring, but rather tiring as well.

It was about time they were through with this prolonged prelude...

Burgundy eyes shot open all of a sudden, their color immediately changing to bright, intense red as a familiar odor teased his senses, making his blood boil and his inner beast purr. Realization of what was happening came to him the next instant, and he couldn't help the slow, triumphant smirk that tugged the corners of his lips up.

-o-

Every single step he took was trying and seemed impossibly heavy to him. His wounds refused to heal, so they were still bleeding sluggishly, sometimes leaving a faint trail on the pure, white snow that covered the ground protectively. His pace was slow, and he tripped almost on every step of the way – it was more than obvious that he could barely remain standing, much less walk properly. But he couldn't stop, at least not now. His own body wouldn't allow him even if his mind were to make such a command – it was too late anyway.

He shook violently and uncontrollably, both from bloodlust and biting cold that was especially perceptible to him since the only thing he wore was the clothes he had been in earlier – he hadn't put on anything else when he left his dorm room. Not to mention that he was barefoot, so by now the skin on his hands and feet – normally perfectly pale – was reddened from icy snow. And yet the teen wasn't bothered by it in the slightest, as he hardly noticed anything around him. All that mattered to him and all that he was aware of was that palpable, whispering invitingly pulse. The one that promised to him so much more than mere alleviation of his pain…

Everything else was of no importance. And as he kept walking unsteadily, there was only his destination that his burning eyes could see – quite literally.

Gradually, the ex-human reached the Moon Dorms. A short-lived creak sounded as the gates opened on their own accord, which wasn't at all surprising for Zero – of course that damn leech would know that he was coming. But despite himself, the youth let out a low chuckle, a dark smile that didn't reach his pained, a little apprehensive eyes coming across his face. He stayed in place for a few moments, gazing ahead of him blankly, before resuming walking and going straight to the main doors that, too, very predictably, shot open as soon as he got close to them, letting and urging him inside. And he complied, this time without second thought.

The small group of vampires seated in the lounge room grew rigid the instant the heady scent of blood reached them. At once, vivid crimson bled into their eyes and their fangs sharpened, already half-extended. Intent gazes turned to the source of the heavenly, unique aroma simultaneously while every occupant of the large room stood up stiffly yet gracefully, their rapt attention fully on the form that had just come through the main doors and was now advancing towards them unwaveringly, heedless of hungry stares and soft animalistic growls emitted by the Night Class members. They were itching to attack, and the fact that it was Kiryuu of all people only served to fuel that urge. All they needed was permission from their leader that they could receive any second, that they hoped to receive any second – at least the majority of them did.

But it never came, even as the – now evidently and undoubtedly – ex-human headed for the stairs, his intentions and destination more than clear.

They made to move forward nevertheless, determined to halt the silver-haired prefect in his tracks and stop him from advancing any further. But before they could take a step, they were frozen on the spot. It continued less than a moment, after which the hold on them was relinquished, but the effect was profound and immediate. And it was done to them by the power they knew way too well, as they had experienced it numerous times before. Well, some of them had anyway, ones – or more like one in particular – more so than the others. And while everyone got the silent message their lord was giving them, that same one chose to disobey yet again, although with good intentions, as he saw it.

As he usually did, Kain tried to stop him from committing probably yet another foolish act, but Aidou, being his impulsive self, merely shook his cousin's hand off his shoulder and started making his way to Zero, who had by now begun ascending the stairs. But the blond didn't get too far, as suddenly, a violent shudder racked his body and, wide-eyed, he dropped to his knees, unable to overcome the unrelenting, punishing pressure. He couldn't move a muscle as if he was physically paralyzed, and it didn't ease after a short while like the previous time – if anything, to him it felt like it was steadily getting worse. So much so that soon he had to use his hands for support so that he wouldn't collapse. He reckoned his pureblood prince was not pleased with him – Kaname's irritation seemed palpable to him even though he was all the way down here.

He sure was in for the punishment later…

The blond swallowed nervously at that thought.

'Damn that stupid Kiryuu…' Aidou growled mentally to himself, understandably frustrated and humiliated, his turquoise eyes turning blood-red anew when he lifted his head slightly to shoot a heated glare at the Level D's retreating back.

Said individual, however, paid no mind to everything that had – and had almost – transpired. He never once halted in his steps and his gaze never strained from his goal, as everything else was unimportant and appeared to him as nothing more than a dull blur of colors.

Soon enough Zero was walking down the dark hallway – the one he was more than familiar with by now – towards the even more familiar set of doors and those rooms that were situated behind them. It wasn't long before he arrived at his designated location and for a few long seconds, the hunter just stood there, his fingers already closed around the doorknob and his breathing getting more uneven with every passing moment. The shaking got worse too, due to obvious reasons – his desired meal – God he was sick, there was no doubt about it anymore, for sure – was nearby, now well within his reach and waiting for him to give that little push that would be his final decision, after which there would be no way of turning back.

But he didn't care anymore, as he had long accepted it.

He lifted his gaze, now much clearer and with only a hint of red in it, and pushed the door open before stepping into the room. The first thing that caught his attention and kept it there was the tall, shadowed form of one Kuran Kaname leaning on the mahogany desk behind him, his hands were folded over his chest and a small, barely noticeable satisfied smile crept onto his face languidly. His dark eyes gleamed a predatory crimson, intense and fixed on him. It sent an involuntary shudder up the ex-human's spine.

For a short moment, Zero hesitated. But his slight uncertainty evaporated just as quickly as it had come and, pushing the door shut behind him uncaringly, the silver-haired teen entered the room further and headed in the pureblood's direction.

Still not saying a word, Kaname unfolded his arms and began working on unfastening one of the cuffs of his silk shirt in a slow, deliberate manner – his bright unblinking orbs never leaving the pale face and luminous hues of the vampire in front of him, who in turn was watching him just as closely. When he was finished, he tugged the long sleeve down and brought his arm forward wrist up – the inviting creamy skin atop his pulse in plain view.

At once, Zero's attention shifted to the offered flesh, his eyes already transfixed on the throbbing veins underneath that smooth, thin layer of tissues. He understood the invitation and accepted it without thinking twice, moving forward surprisingly smoothly – considering his condition – and taking a hold of the slender yet strong limb, weakly but desperately. Casting the pureblood one last intent look, the youth inclined his head and gave the area a few preparatory licks before plunging his throbbing and fully elongated canines in, impatient to finally satisfy his hunger.

Kaname's smile widened, now much more perceptible.

A soft yet too audible 'click' of the lock sounded in the ominous silence, warning Zero that his nearest way out was sealed off. But it looked like the teen wasn't even aware of it, too engrossed in what he was doing. And if he were, then it simply didn't bother him, judging by the lack of reaction of any kind from his side.

- - o - -

Again, I'm terribly sorry for the wait. I know it's inexcusable, but I will do my best to prevent it from happening again *bows low*

Hope it wasn't too much of a disappointment after all this time of waiting, but the next chapter will be better. As the 'Prelude' of sorts is indeed over. And we actually can move on.

To those who are still with me, thank you. You have no idea how grateful I am to you for still bearing with my terrible self. Hope to see you all in the next chapter that will be (damn hopefully!) written and posted much, MUCH sooner than this one.

Belatedly this time, but hope you had nice Holidays :)

Till next time~*waves*