Disclaimer: Ok, here I was complaining I had sooooo much to do…and then- BAM! I got hit by my schedule!!...which, it turns our, wasn't so cramped after all. He, he, he…?
Unless someone from you guys knows how to do voodoo or something, Vampire Knight will never belong to me--er-- the public.
(sigh!) Now, if only Matsuri Hino-sama appreciates yaoi… (deeper sigh…)
But enough of that!! The computer is on, our internet is down-- which means I can't procrastinate any longer!!
Time to make some KanZe loving happen (and maybe some other things on the side)!! (-a flag that says 'yaoi' is being waved behind her as a sparkling display of fireworks are set off-…Man, I do love those fireworks!...Now, if only they were less noisy and frightening…) :D
--
Perry blinked at his partner, who blinked back.
…It seems just like yesterday they met each other on that branch on the tree…
It was love at first sight.
…and Perry didn't even care if Pinkie was a guy bird too…
Ah, love.
Love can definitely overcome anything.
…
Perry snuggled up to his partner, who was watching the Kiryuu boy intently. Having felt the obvious 'quest' for affection, Pinkie nuzzled back.
They remained like that…
…until Zero broke something probably expensive and made of glass which made a small ruckus.
As Zero swore quietly to himself while picking up the broken shards, he glanced up and saw the contented birds. He wouldn't admit to himself but…he was a bit jealous of them. They were happy little things, honest with their feelings.
…
He really wished he could be like them…
No, not a bird. No, not blue either.
…
…Just…gay.
(XD)
Zero was snapped back from his wishful thinking when he accidentally pricked his finger on a glass shard. Warm blood oozed from the wound and made a small line of red towards his wrist. He stared at it, watching the blood drip and make not-so-intricate patterns on his hand.
Yes, he knew he was acting totally weird…but the redness of blood really appealed to him…
'GAH!'
Zero twitched and pulled away from his 'demonic' gaze on his own finger.
Really, his turning into vampire had been nothing short of weird. He already hated himself so much for becoming such a beast, but now his own weirdness is starting to really, really get to him--
--Suuuuuuuuuckkkk…--
The silver-haired teen almost jumped on to the ceiling-- if only Kaname wasn't latched on to him like that…sucking on his finger…
WAIT.
HE WAS--
…
Satisfied, Kaname returned to his calm state of unconsciousness, head drooped on Zero's shoulder.
Oh. Great.
Just great.
…
It turns out that Kaname, even in his state of deep sleep, can sniff out blood and its source from miles away. And that he acted more like a 'blood vacuum-slash-tracking device' too.
…
Not that it wasn't adorable, really.
…Just mildly freakish.
But then again, who was Zero to say that. After all, wasn't he staring at his bleeding finger a while ago? Wasn't he suicidal, even willing to go to the point of killing his own brother and ending the life of his lover and rival through a climatic end that would most likely involve a lot of blood and a fit of explosive lust, scattered red rose petals fluttering in the breeze—
WAIT. (again X3)
'LOVER and rival?? Red rose petals??'
WHERE the HELL did that come from??
'…fit of explosive LU--…'
…
Zero didn't even want to finish that sentence anymore, even if it was just inside his head.
He honestly felt…disturbed and disgusted. How on earth could he think of such things?? He was STRAIGHT damn it! S-T-R-A-I-G-H-T!!
…
'--Yeah, straightly gay.--'
'Oh, hello, little voice in my head. We meet again.'
'--Who said I ever left you, Ze-ro-chan?--'
'…Dammit. Just leave me alone already!! My life's complicated enough, even without you bothering my life…'
'--Nope. I can't leave you. We have an agreement, remember?--'
'Oh, you mean the useless one about 'the fulfillment of my heart's desire'?? Well, THAT's not going to happen any time soon!!'
'--…--'
'HAH! I made you shut up!!'
'—You know what, you're right.—'
'Double HAH! I told you so.'
'—Because how on earth do you plan on fulfilling your heart's desire if your heart's desire dies right there in your arms with a high fever?—'
'You bet you're-- WHAT??'
FINALLY turning his attention to Kaname's prone figure resting on his shoulder, Zero felt the surge of panic that must have been waiting for the most appropriate 'go' signal. Truly, his body must be a little orchestra, with the evil little conscience serving as the conductor.
The silver-haired one chose to ignore the smugness of said conscience right at that moment and instead focused on the –thankfully- still sleeping pureblood. He placed him gently back on the bed and paced around a few more times before deciding to grab a small basin and put some warm water in it from the adjacent bathroom. Then he soaked a small towel in it before placing said towel on Kaname's forehead. Zero read from somewhere that this was supposed to lessen the severe warmness of the sick body.
Well, in a normal human fever, that is.
Kaname must had some kind of supernatural temperature because the towel seemed to dry almost instantly when Zero put it on him. And the small puff of steam did NOT help Zero's composure at all right now.
Deciding that a good amount of pacing would help him think, Zero got off the bed and started walking back and forth.
Well, Toga didn't exactly tell him how to take CARE of vampires, did he? All he taught him was how to get rid of the bloodsuckers. And, in fairness, that was easier. A whole LOT easier.
Zero's delicate silver eyebrows knitted. He glanced at the door.
He could seriously go for Ichijou's help right now. He really didn't care if the Night Class found him here with their beloved Dorm President. At least THEY would know what to do with Kaname's condition.
…
Speaking of Ichijou…
Where on earth was he??
If Aido had 'super Kaname-tracking senses', then shouldn't Ichijou have, like, 'ultra super Kaname-tracking senses'?? After all, weren't they friends from long, long, looooong (-Zero was judging this my vampire years.-) time ago?
Darn it.
He could REALLY use his help right now…
--
Perry blinked at Pinkie.
And, as if they had some sort of mental connection (A/N: I seriously think they do.--;), Pinkie chirped and flew down the tree and on to a much lower branch, Ichijou and Shiki's room coming into full view.
The two were still huddled in bed, eyes closed in blissful sleep. Shiki looked like he was dreaming of all kinds of good things, judging by that (--smirk..?--) smile he had on his face. Ichijou, on the other hand, was hugging the sheets closer to himself. He was shivering in the most uncommon way, obviously having a not-so-great dream. At all.
Pinkie tilted his head to the side and chirped something up at Perry, who just blinked and chirped back.
It really was a shame that they can't see inside people's heads and figure out what they were dreaming about…
--
(…But that doesn't mean that you can't, dear reader. :D)
--
(Shiki's dream)
Shiki was in the land of milk, honey, and giant chocolate chip cookies.
I kid you not.
In fact, he was boating through the great sea of milk on his trusted chocolate wafer boat, rowing with his giant chocolate wafer stick. He was passing through amazing landscapes carved totally out of candy, colored sugar, and chocolate.
It was something out of a kid's fantasy and a dentist's nightmare.
Docking his marvelous…uh…boat, Shiki got out and on to the sandy sweet shores of a sugar beach (X3). Waiting for him there was a figure in a long flowing white sun dress.
"Shiki!"
They ran towards each other and met, encasing each other in a warm embrace.
"I missed you." The one in the dress placed a kiss on Shiki's lips, her(?) kiss sweeter than any kind of candy, in Shiki's opinion.
The brunette smiled fondly, "I missed you too…Ichijou."
(-cue either a sickly-sweet theme song here, or a horrified scream from some non-yaoi fan girl- XD)
--
(Ichijou's dream…er, nightmare)
If Shiki's dream was in technicolor, Ichijou's was in the coldest shades of blue and gray.
The blonde was recalling various moments in his childhood that mostly involved his grandfather. Sure, the dream started out great. After all, Ichiou wasn't quite that creepy in the past. In fact, he was Takuma's favorite grandfather…before Rido came and made things spin way out of control.
Now, Ichijou was reliving the 'kitchen memory', the one where he was called by his grandfather for a 'little talk' about his friendship with Kaname (1). This was the first of the many talks, it seemed, and probably the worst of them all.
"I want you to keep an eye on him, Takuma."
Ichijou was a kid again, seeing the scene in the 'best seat' in the house. Of course, he's memorized every line by now.
"Of course I will, grandfather. After all, Kaname's my friend."
CHOP!
The blonde still couldn't help but twitch uncomfortably as his grandfather chopped a poor plump tomato in half, the reddish-clear liquid staining the once-immaculately white chopping board (or at least Ichijou thought it was white, since everything was all gray and blue).
"…I just want you to stay with him, gain his trust."
"I already have his trust, grandpa, and he has mine…because we're friends--"
CHOP!
At that moment, Ichiou looked up from his…work. He was wearing a formal-looking shirt with slacks that were, as Ichijou guessed, as black as his soul. Over that, he was wearing a white apron. That would have been hilarious in itself, seeing the great Asato Ichijou wearing an apron and actually cooking, but the said apron was now streaked with vivid red.
For once, the bleak black-and-blue world finally gained another color…though Ichijou would have preferred that it didn't.
The red stains glared at him with ominous intensity, almost as strong and lasting as his grandfather's words.
"Trust me, Takuma. You were not meant to be friends at all."
'…You were meant to kill him.'
Of course, Ichijou knew those unspoken words. He read them clearly from his grandfather's eyes, and he couldn't help the tears that stung in his eyes.
Right then and there, Ichijou had made a resolve- He will become Kaname's greatest ally, not his greatest threat.
But Ichijou could not hold back the question ringing in his head…
'So you would betray your family, Takuma? Just for a mere friend? You would abandon those who took care of you and watched out for you even before this Kuran boy came into your life?'
'You're a traitor, Takuma…'
'Whichever side you choose, you'll always be a traitor, Takuma.'
'…A traitor.' (2)
--
(Back to reality…)
Ichijou whined. He was between the realms of sleep and awareness now, pulling closer and closer to the state of waking. He knew he was back, then, when he heard the calm breathing of Shiki and the shrill chirps of a couple of birds outside (--guess who?--). However, he could not fully ignore the tears now running on the sides of his face.
The blonde sat up abruptly and adopted a protective pose, his knees hugged close to his body, head buried in overlapping arms resting on top of said knees. Sobs racked his spine, uncontrollable and unstoppable.
He felt so…sick of himself.
He was filthy, nothing but a sick liar and a…
'Traitor.'
The word stung him as he thought of it and he buried his face deeper into the recesses of his arms. Now, if only they brought him any comfort…
Shiki was awakened by the sudden shifting in the bed. When he cracked an electric blue eye open, he was met with Ichijou in the fetal position with his back resting against the headboard.
The brunette immediately sat up and went over to his obviously disturbed friend.
"Ichijou..?" Pure worry laced Shiki's voice. The blonde's shoulders were shaking and the other gently put his hands on them to at least ease them for a while. He was facing the blonde now, who still had to face him.
"…Ichijou…?"
The blonde shook his head, trying to signify that nothing was wrong. Shiki was not going to fall for that, though.
Throwing all care and caution to the wind, the brunette encased the other in his arms. The warmth was very much comforting for Ichijou and he surrendered himself to it, laying his head on Shiki's chest.
Shiki rubbed soothing circles on Ichijou's back, remembering how this used to calm him down before when he was younger. His mother used to do this to him…his beautiful, but now broken, mother…
As the blonde pulled Shiki's warmth closer, the brunette pulled him closer as well. Those horrible memories were enough to make even Shiki shudder.
Two broken souls sought comfort in each other, the comfort they have found much more precious than anything else right now…their arms like cool healing balm to one another's bruised soul.
--
Pinkie blinked and chirped. He then flew back up and looked at his partner.
It seems the Ichijou is busy right now and won't be able to help. He had problems of his own to attend to.
--
Zero glared now at the emptying basin. He had been trying the 'cloth tactic' since a while ago and it was not working.
Now…what was that other thing you were supposed to do to a person with high fever?
…
Soup…?
…
No. That was not used to lower their temperature…
…
How about…a bath?
…
Zero looked at the still sleeping brunette. Before he could think logically, a dirty thought crept into his head and made his face flush an adorable shade of bubblegum pink. He slapped himself just to get the thought off.
Instead of going with the seemingly-'green' idea, Zero decided to try something a little… more logical.
"…Uh…Kuran…Hey, Kuran…"
The silver-haired boy nudged the pureblood gently with his hand on his shoulder. He figured if the other could wake up, then he could instruct him to take a cool shower and not have to end up embarrassing himself.
…
Ok, did he say this was a 'logical' idea?
Make that an 'INCREDIBLY STUPID' idea.
Zero couldn't let a sick man do that by himself, seeing his current situation!! Even if that man was Kuran Kaname, smug bastard extraordinaire (X3).
…
But…
…
Does he really have to…?
…
Zero glanced at the wide expanse of Kaname's body, his shirt in a bit of a disarray and therefore revealing more skin than was required.
…
Zero gulped what felt like a giant rock obstructing his throat and turned a deeper shade of pink.
…
Looks like he will have to do this after all.
…
May the heavens have mercy on his soul.
…
Zero would deny, to the ends of the earth and beyond, the happy little skippity-skip his conscience did with the thought.
Oh hell.
It was time to give Kaname Kuran a bath.
--
Wow, maaaannnn..that was long!! But, I can't say I didn't owe you guys… After all, I made you wait a looooooooooooong while!! Really sorry about that!
A big THANK YOU to all who reviewed! Sorry I didn't have the time to PM you all. You were just too many!! (-feel free to hit my over-inflated ego right now-) XD
Uh, right. Notes:
(1)- This was scene I made up. I really didn't know if they had that kind of talk, but I could tell that Ichiou wasn't really naturally evil.
(2)- Yeah. I didn't mean to bash Ichijou so much. I don't hate him! I actually think he's charming. I just got carried away because of my Kaname x Ichijou fic… hehe…gomen. :D
Wow. I didn't expect to put so much Ichijou x Shiki fluffiness in there at ALL. Maybe I'll focus on Aido x Kain next chapter.
And about the KanZe…
I'M TRYING TO DO IT AS FAST AS I CAN but the characters just seem to be sooooooo timid with my ideas!! Gah. This has to end. Seriously.
Well, at least there's a SHOWER SCENE next chapter!! XD
I can barely wait!!
Just like I can't wait for your reviews, dear and beloved readers!! :D